Go forward along the path paved with bluestone slabs, pass a lotus pond that diverts water from the Luohe River, and you will arrive at the Biezhuang mentioned by the Yachai. The Biezhuang is located among a bamboo forest, with white walls and gray tiles, and continuous eaves. , both hermit-like detached and elegant, but also quite majestic, but before Bo Ruoyou and his party approached, they saw the door of the mansion wide open, and there were horses and horses parked in front of the mansion, and people coming and going The servants kept coming, as if Zhuangzi had a banquet today.
Wu Xiang raised her eyebrows, "Look at it, it's very lively, I'm afraid we'll get annoyed if we go to the door."
Even so, Wu Xiang didn't rein in his horse, and soon, the group stopped in front of the gate of the mansion, and when they got closer, they saw seven or eight carriages parked outside the gate of the mansion, all of which were covered with red lacquer and silver. Saddle brocade bridles, and well-dressed servants came in and out, holding all kinds of bonsai flowers in their arms.
Wu Xiang and his entourage were dressed in official uniforms of the yamen. As soon as they arrived at the door, they immediately attracted a few servants to stop to look around, and one of them trotted in again. Not long after, a man in charge came out slowly from the door.
The manager is not confused, but when he saw Wu Xiang and his party, he was not in a hurry, and he cupped his hands at Wu Xiang, "What business do you guys have?"
Wu Xiang quickly said: "We are from the yamen of Jingzhao Mansion. There was a murder case nearby. I heard that there are people living in your house, so I came to check if there is anything unusual."
The steward was calm, "We are in the Bo family—"
Seeing Wu Xiang's bewildered expression, the steward said again: "Do you know Bo Shi, who is one of the three ministers in the capital?"
Wu Xiang was stunned, "So it's this Bo family, no matter which family you are from, now there is a case to ask, and you need to cooperate."
The steward then took two steps to the side, "If the messenger asks, he will know everything."
Wu Xiang took a look inside the mansion, "The mansion has been living here since years ago?"
The steward nodded, "Yes, my eldest son has been living here. The eldest son is studying here and preparing to pass the scientific examination next year. What's wrong? What kind of murder is it? Is there something wrong with living in your own village?"
Wu Xiang squinted at the steward, "Is there a pregnant woman in your house?"
The steward was stunned, and said with a smile: "Of course not, our son has not married a wife yet, and the gentlemen are too old to take concubines, where did the pregnant women come from?"
Wu Xiang pondered for a moment, "Then do you know any village near here that has seen pregnant women?"
The steward thought for a while, then shook his head in a daze, "I really don't know, the villain usually doesn't move around here very much, although he knows the names of the owners of the surrounding families, he doesn't know about the private affairs of other people's houses. "
Wu Xiang took another look inside the gate of the mansion, "Is there a banquet at the mansion today?"
The steward smiled, "It's not a banquet, it's the young master and young lady of the family who invited a few friends to be guests."
Wu Xiang nodded, and was thinking about what else to ask, but saw a few people coming out from the gate of the mansion, the first one looked handsome, tall and straight, it was Lin Zhao, the son of the servant of the Ministry of Punishment, Lin Zhao followed Lin Huai had been to the Yamen of Jingzhao Mansion, so Wu Xiang recognized him, and when Lin Zhao saw him, he also showed surprise, "Wu arrests the head?"
Wu Xiang cupped his hands, "Young Master Lin!"
Seeing that Wu Xiang and Mr. Lin Shilang knew each other, the steward took a step back and stopped talking. Lin Zhao came down from the steps and asked curiously, "Why is Catcher Wu here? Is he here to handle the case?"
After finishing speaking, Lin Zhao saw the extra carriage behind, "Miss Bo?"
Bo Ruoyou was opening the curtain of the car and looking outside, so she had no choice but to get out of the carriage, walked to Wu Xiang's side, and blessed her again, "Mr. Lin."
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "Miss Bo is here too, she's here to inquire about the case, what's the matter? What case happened nearby?"
Wu Xiang naturally seldom concealed anything from Lin Zhao, "Yes, there was an infanticide case nearby."
"Lin Zhao, this is—"
Suddenly, a clear and bright male voice sounded, but a few people behind him greeted him. Bo Ruoyou looked up, and saw another man in his twenties following behind, and after that, another Several young men and women were coming together, and by coincidence, two of them, Bo Ruoyou, had met, they were Bo Yixian and Wei Jun.
Lin Zhaodao: "Yixuan, this is someone from the Yamen of Jingzhao Prefecture, who came to investigate the case." Then he said to Wu Xiang: "Captain Wu, this is the eldest son of the Bo family."
Bo Yixuan stepped forward. He was tall and straight, his face was like a crown jade, and his literary quality was outstanding, but he was a year or two younger than Lin Zhao, and he had not entered the officialdom, so he looked a little childish. Bao Yixian and Wei Jun came up.
They looked at Bo Ruoyou together, and Wei Jun said first, "Miss Bo, we meet again."
The inside story of Wei Ling's case has been found out, but Bo Ruoyou has never seen Wei Jun since then. Seeing her take the initiative to greet her, she also bent her lips and nodded. At this moment, Wei Jun looked at Lin Zhao, "Lin Zhao The young master also recognizes Bo Wuzuo?"
Hearing that Bo Ruoyou was the author, the men and women behind them started talking in low voices, but Lin Zhao smiled calmly, "Yes, I met him when I was in Luozhou. Miss Bo's autopsy skills are very good, and she is very good at autopsy." Lord Hou appreciates it."
Both Wei Jun and Bo Yixian remembered Huo Weilou's intimate trip to Bo Ruoyou that day, and they didn't say anything for a while.
Lin Zhao looked at Wu Xiang, "Captain Wu, what do you want to ask, can I help you?"
Wu Xiang pondered for a while, seeing that there were so many people at the moment, she couldn't tell all the details of the case, so as not to cause complications, she said, "Now I'm looking for someone who has lived nearby for a long time, I just asked the steward of the house, but I didn't find anything. .”
Lin Zhaolue pondered for a while, "Where is the place where the crime happened?"
Wu Xiang said, "On the rocky beach in the lower reaches of the Luo River."
Lin Zhao's expression moved slightly, "My family's Zhuangzi is downriver. Although there are not many masters in the house, there are two very safe Zhuangtou living there. Why don't you call them here so that you can check?"
When ordinary people hear about a murder case, apart from being curious at the beginning, they don’t want to get involved with it at all. Lin Zhao is very enthusiastic. Wu Xiang is worried that he will not be able to find a trustworthy person who knows everything about it. Lin Zhao’s words can be said to have solved him. Urgent.
"That could not be better, please trouble your son."
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "Don't bother me." After speaking, he beckoned for his attendants and told them to go to Zhuangzi and call Zhuangtou.
At this moment, Bo Yixuan said: "Then let them wait here, let's go first."
This group of people seemed to meet somewhere to go, Lin Zhao was like this, and everyone was delayed here for a while, Lin Zhao thought for a while, but said: "You take a step ahead, I will stay and help Wu catch the head and ask."
Bo Yixuan hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Bao Yixian and said, "But everything is prepared by the river bank, and my sister prepared it herself."
Bao Yixian stood at the back, her eyes closed when she heard the words, and Bo Ruoyou looked at her, as keen as her, and naturally knew how profound Bo Yixuan's words were, at this moment Lin Zhao smiled peacefully: "I know, I will soon Then follow up, you go first, you know, my father is in the Ministry of Criminal Justice, helping them is helping my father."
Bo Yixuan had nothing to say now, and took another look at Bo Ruoyou, before walking away, Wei Jun and Bao Yixian also followed, Bao Yixian walked a few steps and then turned back, Liu Mei frowned slightly, seven or eight other men and women followed Going up, she walked too far, and turned her head to look at Bo Ruoyou curiously, it was the first time everyone saw Bo Ruoyou as a maid.
Bo Ruoyou Shi Ran stood still, glanced at the gate of Bo's Biezhuang, and then at the men and women who left with their fragrant clothes and temples, their expressions were a little deep, but Lin Zhao thought she didn't like being surrounded by people Look, "Don't worry about Miss Bo, they are ignorant and have never seen a woman do it for him."
Bo Ruoyou held her lips and shook her head, "It's nothing."
Lin's villa is not far away, but it will take some time to wait. At this time, Lin Zhao also looked in the direction where those people left just now, "The second miss of the Wei family has finished the funeral, and the eldest miss has been closing the door these days. No, because all the people who came this time were good friends, so she came too."
I don't know who to say this to, Wu Xiang said: "Fortunately, the case has been solved, and it can be regarded as an explanation to the girls in the spirit of heaven."
Although the case was taken over by the Embroidery Envoy, Wu Xiang was also one of them, so there was nothing wrong with his answer. Lin Zhao nodded, "Yes, but I didn't expect another case to arise so soon. This year the capital is not peaceful."
Wu Xiang shook her head, "It's hard to say whether this case happened inside or outside the city."
Bo Ruoyou didn't know what had come to her mind, her mind was obviously not on their conversation, and she didn't answer at this time, Lin Zhao said again: "Miss Bo—"
Bo Ruoyou came back to his senses, and saw Lin Zhao pointing at his neck, he frowned and asked, "You seem to be injured?"
Although the injury on Bo Ruoyou's neck was mostly healed, but she could still see faint marks when she got close. She only felt that it was a long story, but Wu Xiang spoke for her, "It's an injury. Well, it was the case of the Second Miss of the Wei family last time. The murderer was a ruthless character. He saw Xiao Bo during the first autopsy. When they arrived at Xiao Bo's house, they took Xiao Bo away—"
Lin Zhao's complexion changed greatly when he heard this. He was in the Imperial Academy, how had he ever seen such a dangerous thing
Wu Xiang sighed, "Poor little Bo suffered a lot, almost... Fortunately, the Embroidered Clothes Envoy was there that night and found the murderer in time, otherwise Xiao Bo would not be here now."
Lin Zhao looked down, "Although Miss Bo's post-mortem technique is brilliant, it's just an ordinary girl's strength and body skills."
Wu Xiang looked at Bo Ruoyou with pity, "That's right, after this incident, I thought that I would soon hear that Xiao Bo was not working in the yamen, but I didn't want to wait for a few days, and I didn't hear about it." Cha, Xiao Bo, although you are a woman, I respect you as a man!"
Bo Ruoyou couldn't laugh or cry, "After the autopsy, the head arrester can use me as a man."
Wu Xiang smiled heartily, but Lin Zhao's expression was a bit complicated. A group of people stood by the roadside, and after waiting for less than a stick of incense, the head of the Lin family village arrived. The two lived in the Lin family villa all year round. And it is close to the lower reaches of the Luohe River, so I know a lot about which family the nearby mountains and forests belong to, which private house belongs to which powerful family in the capital.
Wu Xiang asked about the previous question, but without finding anything for a while, Zhuangtou said: "The puerpera has never heard of it, and most of the nearby Zhuangzi are lived by people who watch Zhuangzi all the year round, and they still killed a healthy person. It sounds unlikely. The people in the nearby Zhuangzi, not to mention the master's family, are the long-term workers below, and their livelihood is still decent. As long as they are born without illness or disaster, it makes no sense to send a good baby The child was discarded."
Wu Xiang frowned slightly, "What if it's a shameful child?"
The two Zhuangtou looked at each other in blank dismay, "Although she is a girl, she is not as good as a boy, but why is a child so shameful? Besides, mutilating a newborn child is a detrimental thing, and no one would do this normally."
Wu Xiang frowned, pondered for a moment and said: "Let's do it for now, if you think of something, you can come to the government to report it, and we will come to investigate again in the next few days."
The two heads of the village agreed, and Lin Zhao ordered them to go back on their own. Seeing Wu Xiang's frowning, Lin Zhao said, "Is there any other reason? There are a lot of rich and powerful families around here, I'm afraid it's not easy to visit. Even if there is some shady secret, it is difficult to ask clearly, although these servants are here all the year round, if others deliberately cover it up, it is difficult to find out."
This was exactly what Wu Xiang thought, he responded, and thinking that there were still people waiting for Lin Zhao, he said, "Young Master, let's go, we are going to look elsewhere, thank you, Young Master, I won't delay you."
Lin Zhao responded with a smile, cupped his hands again, and followed in the direction where those people left just now.
Wu Xiang looked at his back and sighed, "It's really good, as expected of Lin Shilang's son."
Bo Ruoyou also nodded, and Wu Xiang said: "It seems that it is still according to what you said, and we have to investigate carefully to see the changes in the personnel exchanges in the village and the changes in clothing and food in the past half a year. Most of the food I eat is different from others, it is impossible to produce all the food at home, I always have to buy it, and there are doctors and the like—”
"Ah yes, doctor!" Wu Xiang's eyes lit up as she spoke, "I always need anti-fetal medicine!"
Wu Xiang immediately called a few yamen servants around her, "Go and ask around to see if there are any medicine shops or medical clinics around here, first pick the nearest ones and ask."
The servants dispersed to inquire, Wu Xiang took another look at Bo's Biezhuang, turned around and left with Bo Ruoyou, Bo Ruoyou lifted the curtain of the carriage and said: "If you want to start with the doctor, the scope of investigation will be huge , the doctors in the capital are not out of the question."
Wu Xiang was having a headache, "This kind of case with few clear clues is the most difficult to handle, and I don't know how many months it will take to investigate. If you can find something, that's all. I'm afraid that the longer it drags on, the more nothing will be found."
Bo Ruoyou thought for a while, "There is still that wrapping cloth."
Wu Xiang looked at her, and Bo Ruoyou said: "Although I am not good at embroidery, the embroidery patterns are very complicated. After returning to Beijing, I also went to several silk shops, but I didn't see this kind of embroidery. I think it is not common. It’s better to go back to the capital and ask, to see which shops are selling such embroidery.”
Wu Xiang was sure, "If you don't tell me, I'll forget it, and I can't see anything about it. It's still in Yizhuang. When I return to Beijing today, I'll ask them to investigate."
Soon, the yamen who went to inquire about the pharmacy came back, but said that there was only one pharmacy nearby. Wu Xiang rushed there immediately, but when he arrived at the place, there was an old doctor who was over sixty years old, and the medicinal materials in the shop were not complete. , mostly servants from nearby long-term workers, and villagers from farther away came to get medicine and see a doctor.
When asked about the anti-fetal medicine, the old doctor waved his hand and said: "The anti-fetal medicine is mostly nourishing. I don't have all the ingredients here. If someone comes to get the medicine, I just prescribe a prescription for them to go elsewhere. In the past half a year, no one has come here." I asked about the anti-pregnancy prescription."
Wu Xiang and Bo Ruoyou had to return in disappointment. It took half a day to go back and forth. Seeing that the sun had already set in the west, Wu Xiang left a few yamen servants to visit further villages, and he took Bo Ruoyou returned to the capital.
When returning to Beijing, it was already sunset, and Wu Xiang wanted to inquire about the matter of wrapping, so he separated from Bo Ruoyou at the city gate. The leisurely young men and women in the clothes and horses took a leisurely trip, but it really made her feel the depression of recuperating in the past few days, but she never thought that she would go to Bo's other village.
Today I saw not only the big sister, but also the big brother.
Bo Ruoyou sighed, and was meditating, when the carriage stopped suddenly, she raised the curtain suspiciously, arrived so soon
The curtain of the carriage was raised, but no one had arrived at Cheng's house. The carriage was blocked on the imperial road, but an embroidered envoy was standing in front of the carriage. Seeing her lift the curtain, she stepped forward and cupped her hands and said, "Miss Bo, Master Hou is back. , he wants to see you."
Bo Ruoyou's eyes lit up slightly, "Master Hou has returned to the city? Where is it?"
"I'm waiting for you at the Hou Mansion."
It was dusk, Bo Ruoyou looked at the sky, finally gave in, the carriage galloped along the imperial road, and stopped in front of the Hou's mansion after two sticks of incense.
After a few days away, the Hou's Mansion has not changed at all, but her state of mind when entering the mansion today is quite different. Thinking of Huo Weilou's words, she can't feel at ease in her heart. This trip is not for orders, but for an appointment.
After entering the main courtyard, Eunuch Fu greeted her immediately, asked her warmly, and saw that the marks on her neck had faded before she felt relieved, "Master Hou is in the study, and he just came back for only two hours, but he learned that you were out of the city. Makes people wait."
Bo Ruoyou nodded, and when she reached the door of the study, she saw Ning Xiao and Lu Ke walking out together, their expressions changed slightly when they saw her, only Lu Ke greeted her with a smile, and Bo Ruoyou responded After the two left, they slowly walked into the study.
In the study room, there was only the rustling sound of Huo Weilou flipping through the official documents, Bo Ruoyou's footsteps were a little lighter, and soon she saw Huo Weilou writing, she stopped for a moment, her eyes fell on Huo Weilou warmly.
"What are you doing standing there?" Huo Weilou asked without raising his head.
Bo Ruoyou acted as if she had never disturbed him, but she didn't think he would have noticed it long ago, so she came up to the book case to bless her body, "Meet Lord Hou."
Huo Weilou didn't make a sound, and when he finished writing, he straightened up and looked at her. He looked at her tenderly for a moment, then waved, "Come here—"
Bo Ruoyou didn't move, "What did Lord Hou call me for?"
Huo Weilou frowned, seeing that she was not moving, he simply stood up from behind the desk, and walked towards her, he was born tall and tall, and he usually has an imposing manner, not to mention that his eyes are dim and difficult to see at the moment Yes, before they approached, Bo Ruoyou was forced to retreat step by step, Huo Weilou raised his sword eyebrows slightly, and he didn't stop, until Bo Ruoyou retreated to the edge of the couch and fell down on the couch.
He sneered, and came forward to hold her chin without saying a word, and lifted her chin up slightly, "I thought I would give you a few days to figure it out, but now it seems that you still don't know anything about it." Pass."
Bo Ruoyou's face was reddish, she leaned back to avoid his hands, "Master Hou's trip is going well?"
Huo Weilou looked at her dissatisfied, his phoenix eyes darkened for a moment, and he sat down on the desk next to her, "It went well, but it's just a long trip back and forth at night and night, quite tired."
After getting far away, Bo Ruoyou relaxed a little. She looked at Huo Weilou, and sure enough, she saw that his face was very tired. Huo Weilou saw that she only looked at him, but didn't ask, so he couldn't help frowning, "Why don't you ask?" Why am I rushing back?"
Bo Ruoyou followed kindly and said, "Then why is Hou Ye in such a hurry to go back?"
Huo Weilou didn't answer, just stared at her with a kind of substantive gaze, no matter how dull Bo Ruoyou was, she understood what he meant by this trip, and for a moment her face was slightly hot and she didn't dare to look at him, Huo Weilou Seeing her like this, he felt that it was totally different from what he expected, she seemed more reserved in front of him now than before.
He asked patiently, "What's the case these days?"
Speaking of the case, Bo Ruoyou nodded vigorously, "I found a dead baby outside the city, and it wasn't a stillborn baby. I went out of the city today, and went to catch the head with Wu to see the place where the dead baby was found, and visited the residents in that area. .”
Huo Weilou took the time to ask: "Did you find anything?"
Bo Ruoyou shook her head, then pursed her lips slightly and said, "Today, I happened to meet someone from the Bo family."
This statement made Huo Weilou raise his eyebrows, and Bo Ruoyou smiled wryly: "Bo's Zhuangzi is also there. When I went to investigate, I happened to ask. My cousin and cousin are all on Zhuangzi, and there are others. People, by the way, Mr. Lin is also here."
Huo Weilou had an ordinary expression at first, but when he heard the word "Mr. Lin", his face tensed, "Lin Zhao?"
"Yes, he seems to be visiting." Bo Ruoyou said.
Huo Weilou looked at Bo Ruoyou, and suddenly said, "Do you know why Lin Zhao is so close to Mrs. Bo?"
Bo Ruoyou was a little dazed, "The two... are family friends?"
The dignitaries in the capital are intertwined, and two seemingly unrelated families may be related by marriage in the third generation. Therefore, if you have to calculate carefully, every family can be related to relatives, and there are countless families of family acquaintances.
Huo Weilou nodded, "This is one, and the other is that your cousin was married to Lin Zhao."
I thought Bo Ruoyou was a little surprised, but she was just a little stunned, "No wonder... no wonder my cousin's words today are a bit deep, so that's how it is."
Huo Weilou's eyes were dark, "Do you think they are compatible?"
Bo Ruoyou smiled and said: "One is a noble daughter of a family, with a beautiful face, and the other is a son of a family, with an outstanding demeanor, so it is naturally a golden marriage."
Her expression was gentle, her words were warm, without the slightest hint of jealousy and envy, her eyes were bright and clear, she looked at Huo Weilou unobtrusively, until Huo Weilou couldn't bear to see her, he stretched out his hand to grab her catkin, his expression was momentary Obscure and unpredictable, "They... can't be counted as golden jade and good jade."
Bo Ruoyou didn't know why he said that, but Huo Weilou got up suddenly and said, "Go, I'll take you somewhere."
Pulled up by him, Bo Ruoyou was a little dazed, "Where will Master Hou take me?"
Huo Weilou led her out in big strides, "The Princess's Mansion."