The maid who found the old lady's body was quickly sent.
It was freezing cold, and in the mourning hall again, a maid named Mo Xiang knelt on the ground and shivered.
"When the old lady recited Buddha's name, she never let the servants serve inside, and usually stayed outside the door, but that night was the New Year's Eve, so the old lady asked the servants to go back to her room to have New Year's dinner with the sisters. I went to wait on the next day, so the servants left at half past Hai that night. The next morning, the servants were the first to arrive at the Buddhist hall. When they arrived, the door of the Buddhist hall was closed, and the room was very quiet. The servants were thinking , did the old lady also rest on the couch in the Buddhist hall, and then gently opened the door..."
As if recalling the situation that day, Mo Xiang's voice became unsteady, "At that time... the old lady was lying on the cushion in front of the Buddhist altar, sleeping with her clothes together, she seemed to be asleep, and the servant girl was still thinking about the old lady. Why did the man fall asleep on the ground, so he went forward and pushed the old lady, but after pushing, the old lady was already stiff..."
Huo Weilou asked: "In the past three months, does the old lady have back pain?"
Mo Xiang was a little dazed at first, and quickly reacted and said: "Yes, after the old lady worshiped the Buddha a few times, she said that her back was sore. become sitting and copying scriptures.”
Sure enough, as Bo Ruoyou said, the old lady's abnormal condition was ignored.
Huo Weilou asked again: "That night, did the old lady copy scriptures?"
Mo Xiang nodded, "I copied it. I already copied one page when I left. Later, when I was packing up the old lady's belongings, I found that the old lady copied two full pages that night. Now the scriptures are still placed in the old lady's warm pavilion." middle."
Huo Weilou looked at Zheng Wenyan, "Bring the scriptures copied that night."
Zheng Wenyan hurriedly sent someone to fetch it, Huo Weilou asked again, "On weekdays, how long does it take for the old lady to copy a page of scriptures?"
Mo Xiang hurriedly said: "Once the old lady is copying, she probably won't stop. It's just that she writes very slowly. It takes at least an hour and a half to write a whole page of scriptures."
Huo Weilou didn't ask any more questions, and quickly sent someone to fetch the scriptures, Huo Weilou asked Mo Xiang again, "Look, was this copied by the old lady that night?"
Mo Xiang took a few glances, "Yes, it was the old lady who copied it that night."
The scriptures are written on the top-quality familiar script. They are very beautiful regular scripts, but each stroke is powerful. Huo Weilou took a closer look, "The tone of the pen and ink has not changed before and after the scriptures. It is neat and continuous. You leave It's halfway through the time of Haishi, and one and a half hours later it will be Choushi, that is to say, the old lady will see the second person in the Buddhist hall at least after Choushi."
Huo Weilou handed the scriptures to Zheng Wenyan and asked him, "You insisted that your second brother killed the old lady, so where is he after that night ugly?"
Zheng Wenyan hurriedly said: "Second Brother said that he lived alone in the study that night, and that he had not left the study all night, but that night I sent someone to the study to deliver food and drinks to Second Brother, his study was pitch black, and no one responded. , No one was there at all, and when I asked him after the accident the next day, he said that he fell asleep drunk, how could I believe this? I suspected that he had gone to see his mother again!"
"Why did you bring him food and drink in the middle of the night? Why does he live alone?"
Zheng Wenyan said: "That night, the family and He Lele had New Year's dinner, but at the dinner table, the second elder brother quarreled with his mother. It was very unpleasant at the time, and the mother went to the Buddhist hall without eating. When the mother left, the others Naturally, it is not easy to stay for dinner, so that night, it means that everyone has not been able to eat the New Year's dinner. In the past two years, the mother in the mansion has run the house, and I have been helping. Later, I ordered the kitchen to cook the New Year's dinner and send it to each room to eat alone. The second elder brother lived alone, because after he went back that day, he had an argument with the second sister-in-law, and even started a fight, and he went to the study later... "
Zheng Wenyan paused, and then added: "The food in the second brother's study was prepared separately last time, so it was delivered at the latest time, and it was already half past midnight. At that time, the second brother was no longer in the house."
Huo Weilou listened intently, and then asked, "Why did your second brother and the old lady quarrel?"
Zheng Wenyan sighed, "It's for the title left by elder brother."
"The Marquis should know that the elder brother died of illness three years ago, and there is only one daughter, Yun Ni, under his knee. Therefore, the title of the Marquis of Anqing can only be renewed by us brothers. The second brother thinks that he is behind the elder brother, so it should be him. Cheng Jue, but my mother has never made up her mind. According to the theory of seniority, it is true that the second elder brother should inherit the title, but the second brother has a bad temper, and he has no patience to manage the family affairs, and he has not done business, let alone fame , so mother looks down on second brother."
"The eldest brother's filial piety period has not passed before, so the matter of the title was only discussed last year. Because the mother did not agree to let the second brother take the title, the second brother quarreled with the mother for a whole year, and the mother almost fell ill several times. On the evening of the 30th, the second elder brother brought up this matter again, saying that he would take advantage of the Chinese New Year to deliver the post of congratulations to the palace, and asked his mother to hand over the continuation memorial together, but because his mother scolded him a few words, the second elder brother got into a quarrel .”
Huo Weilou's eyes were dark, and he didn't ask any more questions. He knew a little about Anqinghou Mansion, especially Dafang's lineage. As for the Hou family family, there are many disputes over titles. Zheng Wenchen has a violent temper, and only half an hour from his childhood to his ugly time. If Zheng Wenchen can't figure it out, he will go to the old lady to make a fuss, so that the old lady gets sick and dies. Not impossible.
And if he hated the old lady and didn't help her when she saw her sick, it would make sense.
Huo Weilou narrowed his eyes, even if the old lady's death had something to do with Zheng Wenchen, how did Zheng Wenchen die? The killing by ghosts is purely nonsense, but the death of the old lady can be used to kill Zheng Wenchen, the murderer must be someone from the house.
Huo Weilou glanced over Zheng Wenyan brothers with sharp eyes, and suddenly said: "Lead the way to see Zheng Wenchen's body."
The night was getting dark, and the cold wind was howling outside the mourning hall. Zheng Wenyan looked at the sky outside, and couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty came here today after a long journey, and the mansion has already prepared a guest room, why don't you take a rest first and then look at it tomorrow?"
Huo Weilou didn't make a sound, but Eunuch Fu smiled and said, "Third Lord, don't worry, Lord Hou has always been tireless in his work, not to mention there are many doubts in this murder case, it's better to look at the corpse earlier, so that Lord Hou won't worry about it."
Zheng Wenyan knew that Huo Weilou's intentions could not be violated, so he hurriedly said, "Okay, please come over here, Lord Hou—"
Zheng Wenyan walked out of the door first, Huo Weilou stepped up, after walking out of the threshold, he suddenly turned his eyes to look at the inside of the hall, beside the coffin bed, Bo Ruoyou stood still.
Huo Weilou frowned, and He Cheng hurriedly said, "Little Bo, why don't you keep up? Don't you just want to examine the second master's body during the day?"
Bo Ruoyou came to her senses and hurriedly responded, "Yes."
The expressions of Zheng Wenyan and the others changed slightly, and they all cast strange glances at Bo Ruoyou. Everyone knew that Huo Weilou didn't even have a maidservant around him, but now that she, a maidservant, was allowed to follow the autopsy, Zheng Wenyan hastily put aside his contempt , be careful.
The cold wind was piercing, and the night was like splashing ink. Zheng Wenyan personally lit a lantern to lead the way for Huo Weilou.
"After the second brother left, he fell down a high building and died because everyone saw him, so he set up a mourning hall in the west courtyard, and it was not good to hold a funeral, so he planned to stop the mourning for seven to forty-nine days."
After leaving the small courtyard, along the path in Fuzhong all the way to the west, I saw Anqinghou's Mansion was brightly lit.
Zheng Wenyan said: "Because the Marquis has arrived, the lamps are lit all night. These days, when night comes, we all rest early."
The mansion is haunted by ghosts and murders, everyone is afraid, Huo Weilou glanced at the surrounding pavilions, and suddenly asked: "Has the marriage been prepared?"
Bo Ruoyou, who was walking behind, raised her head when she heard this.
On the side, He Cheng said in a timely manner: "Miss Hou's Mansion and His Highness the Second Highness had an engagement, and the saint officially granted the marriage last year, and the date was set on the seventh day of March this year. It's a pity, the old lady could have seen her granddaughter marry into the royal family with her own eyes." .”
The eldest lady of the Hou Mansion is the Yun Ni mentioned by Zheng Wenyan just now, Bo Ruoyou did not expect such a reason, she looked at the tall and straight figure of Huo Weilou, so it is not surprising that Wu Zhaohou came in person up.
Zheng Wenyan said: "Everything is ready, the dowry was sent to Beijing before the new year, and the house in Beijing is also packed. If there is nothing wrong with my mother, I will leave for Beijing at the beginning of next month. Fortunately, it was His Majesty who ordered the marriage. During the period, I don’t know how long this marriage will be delayed.”
Bo Ruoyou sighed a little when he heard this, but Huo Weilou didn't ask any more questions.
Huo Weilou didn't ask, Zheng Wenyan didn't dare to say too much, he didn't deal with Huo Weilou before, but after only half a day's work, he already understood that what was said outside was true, so he held his breath and just led the way.
The west courtyard is also a remote place, and it didn't take long for everyone to arrive in front of the courtyard gate. Compared with the old lady's weird resting place, this place is quite ordinary. The courtyard is also full of plain spirit banners. At this moment, the funeral lights under the eaves are on. They spoke, casting a desolate shadow, but soon, Zheng Wenyan, who was walking in front, paused.
There are people in the mourning hall!
The pitch-black coffin was placed in the middle of the mourning hall, and simple sacrifices were placed in front of the coffin. Two black figures were kneeling in front of the coffin, burning paper money into a porcelain basin. Zheng Wenyan clenched the hand hanging by his side, "Second sister-in-law, Xiaoer, why are you still here so late?"
As soon as the sound came out, the two of them turned around in fright.
Both of them were dressed in plain clothes, the young master was only about seven or eight years old, and he looked panicked at the moment, the woman beside him had a small oval face the size of a palm, with beautiful eyebrows and eyes, but at this moment the whole face was withered. There was a layer of skin left on the cheekbones, the eyes were bloodshot, and the eyes were black and blue. Under the light of the fire, it looked a little scary.
"Third... third brother..."
Seeing Zheng Wenyan, fear flashed across the woman's eyes. She grabbed the child beside her and stood up nervously.
Zheng Wenyan seemed to be restraining his anger, "Master Hou and Mr. He came to examine the body of the second brother. It's so late, the second sister-in-law and Xiao'er should go back and rest earlier, so as not to delay the yamen's work."
"Okay... let's go now."
The Second Madam of the Hou Mansion spoke hoarsely, and walked out with Zheng Xiao in her arms. When passing by Zheng Wenyan, her head was lowered even lower, but the young master beside her was looking at everyone in surprise. When passing by Bao Ruoyou, You Qi stared at her with wide eyes. .
Soon, the two disappeared in the cold wind.
This little accident made Zheng Wenyan's back a little stiff, and when he turned around, he acted as if nothing had happened, and said, "Master Hou, please, the second elder brother has already been wrapped up, and he also performed rituals two days ago." See Huo Weilou Looking at the porcelain basin still burning Mingqian, Zheng Wenyan had no choice but to say, "I was the only son of my second sister-in-law and second brother just now. Since my second brother had an accident, I am afraid that there will be another accident. Everyone is not allowed to walk around at night, so I saw him just now. They, I am a little angry."
Huo Weilou stepped into the mourning hall, there is no paper piercing people here, although there are sacrifices, but the whole mourning hall is full of simplicity, if outsiders come to see it, no one will believe that the person lying in the coffin is Mr. Hou Men.
Huo Weilou pointed to the coffin, "Bring it out."
The person has already been put into a coffin, so it is inconvenient for an autopsy. When the words came to an end, two embroiderers stepped forward, leaned over and fished out the corpse from the coffin. Zheng Wenchen had only been dead for six days, and the weather was extremely cold. There was no long-burning incense, and the corpse was still well preserved. Judging from the head and face exposed by the mourning clothes, there was no sign of decay.
The corpse was placed on a felt blanket, Huo Weilou turned his head, and Bo Ruoyou came forward carrying the wooden box containing the autopsy utensils.
It was a female corpse just now, but now it is a male corpse, but Bo Ruoyou's expression was calm, and after a little inspection, he began to undress the corpse, Zheng Wenyan hesitated for a moment, this time he turned and went outside without Huo Weilou's order.
The only thing left in the room was the rustling of Bo Ruoyou peeling off the corpse's shroud. He Cheng was not surprised, Huo Weilou was calm, but Eunuch Fu squatted beside Bo Ruoyou and watched happily, "Girl, how old are you?" Where did you learn this craft?"
Eunuch Fu followed Huo Weilou, and he was not afraid of Huo Weilou like ordinary people, which shows that his status is not low. Bo Ruoyou said: "This winter will be eighteen, and the technique of autopsy was learned from his adoptive father, who is Qingshan. The county government office."
Eunuch Fu asked again: "Then how could your parents have the heart to let you do this?"
Bo Ruoyou paused, and said in a low voice, "My parents have passed away for many years."
Eunuch Fu was speechless for a moment, unable to ask the rest of the question, but Bo Ruoyou only froze for a moment, and then moved smoothly, neatly and efficiently, and soon, the corpse was revealed.
Although the corpse was not obviously decomposed, the skin was covered with bruises, and it was still a bit scary to look at. Several obvious traumas were distributed on the right shoulder and forehead, and there were also a few inconspicuous bruises, which were thin and rough. After checking it, he took out the white vinegar prepared earlier in the wooden box, and applied it on the suspected bruise very quickly. After a while, the scars hidden under the skin of the corpse were revealed.
It is not difficult to examine the corpse with obvious cause of death. Bo Ruoyou quickly said: "The corpse has impact injuries on the right shoulder and right forehead, and bruises and abrasions of various sizes on the right arm and right hip. These injuries are all caused by the deceased. It fell from the Yaoyue Pavilion, and its fatal injury was on the right forehead, where the skull was sunken and shattered, and because it was so close to the temple, it almost died on the spot."
Saying that, Bo Ruoyou raised her head, "It's all wounds in life."
The meaning of the injury in life was caused when he was still alive, that is to say, Zheng Wenchen was pushed down the Yaoyue Pavilion and fell to his death while he was still alive.
"Zheng Wenyan said that Zheng Wenchen didn't shout when he was pushed down from Yueyue Pavilion, so as to rule out the possibility of a ghost killing someone. How did the murderer make Zheng Wenchen obediently walk up to the third-floor balcony, and how he was pushed down the stairs without struggling? ?”
Huo Weilou's voice was serious, but instead of the previous gloomy and cold voice, his voice was a bit deep and sweet. Bo Ruoyou understood Huo Weilou's meaning after hearing the words, and began to investigate carefully. The bamboo stick rolled with cotton cloth was put into Zheng Wenchen's nasal cavity, and when it was taken out again, it was stained with a little dirt.
Bo Ruoyou leaned against the lamp and looked at it carefully for a while, then her voice sank: "It's a mandala."
Huo Weilou's complexion also changed slightly, and Eunuch Fu asked, "What is a mandala?"
Huo Weilou said: "It's a drug for ecstasy. In the army, it is also used as Mabosan."
Bo Ruoyou re-inspected again, this time, focusing on the heels, the back of the legs, and the back of the waist, etc., "There were strips of abrasions on the back of the calves of the corpse, and horizontal streaks of bruises on the waist and hips, as if they were bruised. Someone dragged it."
There are drugs and traces of being dragged, and the truth is about to come out.
He Chengdao: "So, someone drugged Your Excellency Yaoyue, and after the second master was stunned, the murderer pushed him downstairs just as the others arrived, and pretended to be the old lady's ghost? "
Bo Ruoyou nodded, "It is indeed so at first glance."
He Cheng frowned, "There was a second person beside the old lady when she died, and Zheng Wenchen was knocked out of the Yaoyue Pavilion after being stunned by drugs. There were two dead, so what about the murderer? The two died in very different ways. I can't see what they have in common. Someone killed the old lady first without saving him, and then another person used it to murder Zheng Erye. It was the first person in the Buddhist hall and the person who killed Zheng Erye. the same person?"
If you can answer He Cheng's question, then the case will be solved. Bo Ruoyou hesitated for a moment, "There is another question. It was the first seven days of the old lady, but Zheng Erye went to Yaoyue Pavilion alone. Why did he go?" ? The murderer can use Mixiang in the Yueyue Pavilion, but Zheng Erye must go there by himself first."
Huo Weilou glanced at Bo Ruoyou, "I suspect you need to visit the Yaoyue Pavilion."
Bo Ruoyou thought for a while, and then said: "Second Master's body needs an autopsy? Although the cause of death has been found, it is only six days away from the incident, maybe something can be found."
Bo Ruoyou just had an autopsy on the old lady's body, and it took more than an hour to bend over. Now her slender fingers are red from the cold, and she may be poisoned by the corpse water. Eunuch Fu couldn't bear to look at it, so he looked at Huo There are several dangerous buildings.
Finally, Huo Weilou said calmly, "It's getting late, let's go here first tonight."
The case has been delayed for a long time, Huo Weilou has only been here for half a day, the cause of death of the two deceased has been clarified, it can be said that there is great progress, but the night is dark, many things are quite inconvenient, although Huo Weilou is vigorous and resolute in his work, but he is not afraid of hard work. Adapt to the times.
After Huo Weilou finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the door, Zheng Wenyan was shivering from the cold outside, and hurried to meet him.
Huo Weilou ordered, "From now on, the Hou's Mansion will be taken over by the Embroidery Envoy and the prefect's Yamen Yamen. No one, including you, is allowed to walk around in the Hou's Mansion at will."
Zheng Wenyan moved her lips, "Then tonight's autopsy..."
Huo Weilou said: "Gather all the people in the mansion tomorrow morning, and I will tell you the cause of death of the old lady and Zheng Wenchen. Everyone will stay in the mansion temporarily tonight. You can arrange the residence. Prefect He—"
He Cheng hurriedly stepped forward, Huo Weilou said: "You arrange government servants to guard the entrances at all places."
He Cheng immediately responded, turned around and told the yamen, and Zheng Wenyan said: "Don't worry, Lord Hou, your yard has already been prepared, and Zhifu He and others also have guest yards for rest. As for Bo Zuo—"
Zheng Wenyan looked at Bo Ruoyou, but kept his eyes on Huo Weilou. Seeing that his expression remained unchanged, he understood that Huo Weilou wanted to let Bo Ruoyou stay. The others were men, but Bo Ruoyou was a woman. Zheng Wenyan After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Let Bo Wu live in the yard next to Yun Ni, which happens to be not far from Lord Hou."
Huo Weilou was noncommittal, Zheng Wenyan hurriedly summoned the butler to give instructions, and quickly returned to Huo Weilou, "Master Hou, I'll take you to rest."
When Eunuch Fu heard this, he hurriedly said, "Miss Bo, do you want to go with us?"
Bo Ruoyou was still inspecting the corpse. Hearing this, he raised his eyes and was hesitating. Zheng Wenyan said, "Don't worry, father-in-law. I specially arranged for someone to take Bo Wu back."
As soon as this was said, Huo Weilou had already taken a step forward, Eunuch Fu showed a dissatisfied expression, waved his hand at Bo Ruoyou embarrassedly, and followed up.
Bo Ruoyou shook her head, she didn't care about these things, she was still staring at Zheng Wenchen's body in a daze, she wanted to see what kind of robe Zheng Wenchen wore when he died, but since Huo Weilou said that today is over, she went ahead I suppressed this thought.
After bidding farewell to He Cheng, Bo Ruoyou followed the guards leading the way and left the west courtyard.
"Miss Bo, your yard is just to the northwest of the Missy's yard. It is very well furnished. At this moment, the food and hot water have all been delivered. If you have other orders, there are maidservants in the yard to serve you. Just open your mouth." That's right."
The guards were very courteous, and Bo Ruoyou thanked him without saying a word.
At this moment, she was walking alone in the corridor of the Marquis Mansion. Because the mansion was luxurious and brightly lit, she didn't think it was so eerie. But at this moment, she noticed that the lanterns on the corridor were a little different. , Presumably it was for the big wedding of the eldest lady of the Hou Mansion.
The happy event is approaching, but there is a funeral.
Going around the two flower garden terraces, the guard pointed to a straight corridor ahead, "Miss Bo, the yard is at the end of the corridor, where the lights are on, please do yourselves, the villain will leave first."
Bo Ruoyou thanked again, and waited for the guards to leave before turning around and walking forward.
This corridor is straight and looks very close. While walking, Bo Ruoyou thought about Zheng Wenchen's death. On the eaves of the corridor, the lantern was shaken by the cold wind, and the shadow of the lamp was also flickering. He came out and grabbed her wrist.
This sudden hand startled Bo Ruoyou, and Bo Ruoyou turned around quickly, but she saw a childish face.
It was Zheng Xiao!
Zheng Xiao was dressed in plain clothes, it was somewhat frightening to appear suddenly, Bo Ruoyou took a deep breath to calm herself down, "Young master?"
Huo Weilou has already ordered martial law in the mansion, how could Zheng Xiao run out
"My sister is so beautiful."
Zheng Xiao's words were flattering, he held Bo Ruoyou's hand, and continued childishly: "Did my sister come with Marquis Wu'an? Is my sister the wife of Lord Marquis?"
Hearing this, Bo Ruoyou couldn't laugh or cry, "I'm not, I'm just helping the yamen... What are you doing here? It's getting late, you should go back and rest."
Zheng Xiao sniffed, as if she was very cold. Seeing that Bo Ruoyou hadn't let go of her hand, she opened her big eyes and looked at Bo Ruoyou. After looking at her, she suddenly burst into tears Come out, "Sister, sister, please help us, my father did not harm my grandmother, the worst person in this house is third uncle!"
Bo Ruoyou frowned, Zheng Xiao cried and said: "After my father died, my third uncle forced my mother to hand over the booklet that my grandmother sent to the capital, but my mother and I have never seen any booklets. It must be the third uncle, the third uncle. My uncle knew that my grandmother wanted my father to be a prince, so he killed my grandmother and my father..."
Hand over the notebook? Is it a booklet please seal
Bo Ruoyou only felt that Zheng Xiao's words revealed a lot of inside information that Zheng Wenyan deliberately concealed. When he wanted to ask in detail, Zheng Xiao continued to cry and beg, "Mother said, Wu Zhaohou never brings women around, you came with Wu Zhaohou, you must be Her wife, sister, please tell Wu Zhaohou, my father is not a bad person, he was the one who was killed..."
Zheng Xiao's face was full of tears, and the crying made people feel distressed. He seemed stubborn to think that the one following Huo Weilou must be his wife.
Bo Ruoyou sighed helplessly, knelt down, and first said according to the urgency: "Little son, I will take you to see Wu Zhaohou, and tell him what you just said in detail, okay?"
Zheng Xiao couldn't help nodding, "Sister, you have to speak for me too, you are so pretty, Wu Zhaohou will definitely listen to you..."
Bo Ruoyou felt a little uncomfortable listening, and was about to seriously explain to him, when she suddenly felt that something was wrong, she raised her eyes intuitively, and the next moment, Bo Ruoyou froze as if struck by lightning.
At the fork not far away, Huo Weilou was standing under a bright red lantern, looking at her with gloomy eyes, and from his expression, Bo Ruoyou was sure that he had heard Zheng Xiao's last two words.
But her negation was in the first sentence.
Bo Ruoyou thought to herself, it's over now, she has the guts to call herself Mrs. Wu Zhaohou!