Gu Mingke left, and Li Chaoge too? Taking advantage of the situation, he said: "We are on official business, and there are still many things to investigate. The owner is slow to use, so we will leave first."
When Bai Qianhe and the others heard this, they put down their bowls and chopsticks one after another. They had almost eaten and could go out at any time. After Hong Chengyuan politely persuaded him to stay, he got up and sent Li Chaoge and others out. The backs of Li Chaoge and Gu Mingke gradually receded, Ren Fang followed behind Hong Chengyuan, and asked: "Master, they are going to investigate the affairs of the Governor's Mansion... Do we need to send someone to watch?"
Ren Fang is not very old, he looks about 14 or 15 years old. Although he is not short, his bones have not developed? Standing behind Hong Chengyuan, he looks as thin as a bamboo pole. Hong Chengyuan stared at the figure in front of him for a long time, and finally shook his head slowly: "There are several martial arts masters among these people. Princess Sheng Yuan is here? It's a mystery. The little white-faced and strong man next to her is not an ordinary person. The one who looks There's something wrong with the maids who are weak in writing. It's easy to go wrong. Let them check it out by themselves. I want to see if they can find out what it is."
Ren Fanghui said: "What Master said is true. The governor's mansion caught fire, and all the letters were burned. Even if they turned the governor's mansion upside down, they couldn't find it? What came from it?"
Looking at the direction down the mountain, Hong Chengyuan still couldn't feel at ease: "Everything outside is taken care of? Are you okay? I always feel uneasy. Although Princess Sheng Yuan is weird, I can at least see the difference between her and the people around her. Deep and shallow, but the other Mr. Gu, I still can't see his ability? What is he? How? "
Ren Fang thought for a while, and said: "From the spies' report, it seems that he is the cousin of a certain official family in the capital. Someone in his family's ancestors was an official. I heard that he even wrote history books."
When Hong Chengyuan heard this, his brows frowned even tighter. This is really the worst situation. If the person who came was an ordinary official, Hong Chengyuan would be able to manipulate him no matter whether the opponent was strong-tempered or greedy and treacherous. However, the two imperial envoys who came here were completely untouchable. Li Chaoge is a princess, if something happens on the border of Luzhou, the imperial court will take the opportunity to punish her, and the other Gu Mingke is also from a noble family, if he dies for nothing, I'm afraid the elders in his family will not let it go.
Hard ones won't work, but soft ones may not be able to impress them. From the perspective of these two people, what kind of interests are needed to make them cooperate? Hong Chengyuan has been bitten by a snake once, and he doesn't want to repeat the same mistake again. Ren Fang saw that Hong Chengyuan's face was unkind, and immediately said flatteringly: "Master, don't worry, the governor's mansion was ignited by the sky fire, and it has nothing to do with you. No matter how they search, they can't find it? You."
Hong Chengyuan heaved a long sigh: "The tree attracts the wind, and the hidden sword villa has accumulated so much assets, it is inevitable to be stared at by outsiders. The martial arts sect is staring at the fat piece of the hidden sword villa, and I can still block it. The worst thing is Those court politicians. They are full of common people, benevolence, righteousness and integrity, but they are full of bad water. I treat people with sincerity, but in the end I lost my personal money. Now I am still suspected by the imperial envoy. The imperial court sent people to investigate The governor's grievances, where should my grievances go? Say? I also have to do this to protect myself."
Ren Fang said: "Heaven is jealous of talents, master's ability is outstanding, which attracts hatred from many parties. If it weren't for you, Hidden Sword Villa is just an ordinary martial arts sect, how can it have the foundation it has today? So many people are staring at the villa, It just shows that Master, you are capable of extraordinary endurance! The old manor owner has been mediocre all his life, and the most successful thing he has done is to accept you as an apprentice and marry his daughter to you, Master. This is not disrespectful to Master, but rather To tell you the truth, after all, my wife's aptitude is really ordinary. If it weren't for you, my wife wouldn't have been able to keep the Hidden Sword Villa back then, let alone have the splendor it is now."
Hong Chengyuan was twirling his beard, with a look of complacency on his face, but he still scolded the second apprentice: "Ren Fang, don't be rude to the master. The old owner is both my master and my father-in-law, so I have great respect for him." Well, you don't have to say these words again."
Ren Fang admitted his mistake, and when he bowed his head, he said disapprovingly: "The truth? That's the case. Everyone in and outside the martial arts world knows that the Zangjian Villa's revival is all due to recruiting a good son-in-law. With a son-in-law like you, it is the old owner and his wife. Blessing."
Hong Chengyuan twirled his beard, narrowed his eyes, and lightly reprimanded: "Okay, you go back and rest. Your brother is injured, you should pay more attention."
Ren Fang knows how to accept it when he sees it, and cups his fists when he sees it: "I understand."
Li Chaoge and Gu Mingke walked out of the villa. The morning sun was just emerging, birds were singing, and the scenery on the mountain road was pleasant. Bai Qianhe took a deep breath and sighed, "I finally feel like I've come back to life. This is the life people live, and rich people enjoy it."
Bai Qianhe was scared by a ghost last night? He didn't dare to sleep all night. Mo Linlang was used to those weird-shaped things, she should eat and sleep, but she rested well. She followed Li Chaoge and asked in a low voice, "Princess, was the person who followed us at the inn that day Hua Lingfeng?"
Hua Lingfeng is the master's apprentice, the one who knocked over the cup this morning. Speaking of this, others also interjected: "Yes, the injury on his right arm looks serious. He can't even hold a cup well. The princess injured the thief's right arm, which happened to be his right arm. , this is too much of a coincidence."
Li Chaoge was noncommittal, and said: "Don't rush to draw conclusions. The person who followed us is just a small guy, not worth mentioning. Let's find out who is behind the scenes first. Others follow the clues and find out all of them. But then again. "Looking at today's situation, Hong Chengyuan seems to be very ordinary to his disciple."
"Yes." Gu Mingke was speechless all the way, and when he heard?here?he answered, "Obviously, he prefers his second apprentice, let him go."
"Is there any milk for a crying child?" Bai Qianhe grabbed a piece of grass and put it in his mouth, and said casually, "Let's talk about tricks, and if you come to trouble, you will naturally please the master and the boss. I Looking at Hua Lingfeng's dull personality, he is not as good as Ren Fangneng? He is eloquent. He is not as good at doing things as he is eloquent, which is normal."
This sentence silenced many people. Li Chaoge thought about himself, and thought that she is another Hua Lingfeng. Li Chaoge is running around for the emperor and queen, but Li Changle doesn't need to do anything, just act like a baby with the emperor and queen, and then he can? get? everything he wants. Li Chaoge himself knew that the empress and the emperor were more emotionally inclined to Li Changle, and no matter how much Li Chaoge paid, nothing could change this point.
There are still birds and flowers on both sides, but the team is quiet? Gu Mingke interrupted the inexplicably stagnant atmosphere, and said: "The city of Luzhou is ahead, the eight people's goals are too big, why not spread out and act separately? A group of people went to investigate the cause of death of the three governors, Cao Yi, Wu Jinyuan, and Xu Xingning. The other team is going to investigate the details of Zangjian Villa, gather at Youshi, and exchange information with each other."
It is much more efficient to do this, and everyone has no objection, and they each lead the tasks they are good at, and act separately. Gu Mingke's division of the team obviously took into account the difference between the two departments. The demon town master knew a lot about the Jianghu, and went to check the Zangjian Villa. In contrast, he is better at checking court relations. This kind of team just took advantage of the strengths of both sides and was good for each other.
The two sides reached a consensus to part ways at the foot of the mountain road and go to different places. Investigating the case sounds very expensive, as if you only need to use your brain and ask questions to solve the case easily, but in fact, every step of progress is made by time.
They ran around for a day, constantly looking for people to ask questions and piece together useful information. The whole process was boring and trivial. After a whole day?, my voice is going to be hoarse. Li Chaoge was sitting on the teahouse, looking down at the crowd coming and going downstairs, Bai Qianhe came running up, and sat down, saying weakly: "I'm so tired."
Zhou Shao followed Bai Qianhe up the stairs. He didn't speak, but lifted the water on the table and poured it down. Li Chaoge waited for him to finish drinking before asking, "How is it? Any news?"
The four of them had been running outside all day long. Mo Linlang was young and weak, so he couldn't keep up physically. Bai Qianhe and Zhou Shao asked Li Chaoge to bring Mo Linlang back to the teahouse and wait for them to finish inquiring about the rest of the place.
Li Chaoge was in good spirits, but she couldn't just let Mo Linlang wait upstairs by herself, so she also took a rest. They made an appointment with Gu Mingke to have a meeting in this teahouse. Now that the people from Dali Temple haven't come yet, the demon masters should first organize the information by themselves, and when they communicate later, they won't be in a hurry. one head.
Bai Qianhe had almost rested, and said: "It's the same as what I asked in the morning. It's just that the owner of the Tibetan Sword Villa is wise and capable, and his wife is kind and generous. These two childhood sweethearts are envious of others."
Li Chaoge also knows this news. According to the old man in the city, Hong Chengyuan was originally the son of a poor peasant family, but he fled to Luzhou because of his escape. The former owner of the villa saw him as pitiful, so he took Hong Chengyuan back to Cangjian Villa and accepted him as an apprentice. Hong Chengyuan's bones are not bad. When he grows up, he is heroic and mighty, and he is a hero. He is known as a young hero in Luzhou. However, there are many young heroes in the martial arts world. Young heroes like Hong Chengyuan can produce more than a hundred heroes a year.
Hong Chengyuan's talent in martial arts is not bad, but he can't be called a genius. After a splash in the martial arts, he quickly disappeared from everyone. Hong Chengyuan's real fame was because he married the daughter of the old owner of Cangjian Villa, that is, his junior sister, Sheng Lanchu.
After Hong Chengyuan married his wife, it seemed like he suddenly became enlightened. Although his martial arts did not improve any more, if he had divine help in other areas, no matter whether he was doing business, opening an inn or taking a commercial route, he would hit a hundred times and never miss a single time. , Earned a lot of money in just a few years, and later, even slowly got online with the government? And the relationship between Hong Chengyuan and his wife is also very good. Many people in the city envy Sheng Lanchu's blessing. She was loved by her father when she was a child, married a good husband when she grew up, and has a husband who earns her money. What a fate. ah.
When the women in the streets and alleys mentioned Sheng Lanchu, they all looked envious, and they only hated themselves for not marrying a potential stock. Li Chaoge just smiled lightly at this similar statement, and she asked: "Why did the old owner pass away? Have you found out?"
Li Chaoge suspected that there was something hidden behind the death of the old owner. After all, after the death of the old villa owner, Hong Chengyuan became a married man and took over the position. He gained both fame and fortune along the way, and his career went straight up. According to the usual practice, the person with the most interest is the person with the greatest suspicion.
Bai Qianhe shook his head: "No. I heard someone mention it when I wandered around the rivers and lakes before. The old owner of the Tibetan Sword Villa is withdrawn and dislikes socializing. He only loves swords like his own life. He basically spends all his family wealth on You are a sword lunatic for casting swords and hiding swords. On the contrary, the old owner's apprentice, that is, Hong Chengyuan, the current owner of Cangjian Villa, has a good reputation in the world. Everyone says he can do business. He knows how to be a man, and gets along well with other sects except for a few enemies. The old master married his daughter to the big apprentice, which is considered a good thing."
Dr. Tea came forward to bring them water, and heard Bai Qianhe say, "A beautiful thing has been accomplished", and asked with a smile, "How many guests have you heard about the Tibetan Sword Villa?"
Li Chaoge knew that the news about the teahouse was the best. She signaled the others not to speak, and then asked: "Yes. I'm here for the first time? Luzhou, I'm not familiar with the place, I heard on the way that the owner and wife of the Tibetan Sword Villa are gods Couple, very curious. I don’t know, what’s going on here?”
Talking about this, Dr. Tea beamed with joy, and he talked endlessly: "Isn't it? I have been in the tea house for five years. Come? Come? I often meet a lot of people, but I have never seen the owner of Bizangjian Mountain Villa." A more perfect couple with the owner's wife! The rest of the couples are either loving but poor, or rich but have three wives and four concubines, but the Cangjian Villa is as perfect as a living story."
"Oh, is that so?" Li Chaoge smiled and asked unhurriedly, "How to say specifically?"
"Miss, you don't know. The owner of the villa was originally the eldest apprentice of the old owner of the villa. He and the eldest lady of the villa are brothers and sisters. They are childhood sweethearts and childhood sweethearts. The old owner of the villa is obsessed with making swords and doesn't care much about the outside world. The young lady started to take care of the villa early on. Trivial matters. Later? The old owner passed away suddenly? Miss Sheng was caught off guard and lost her appearance within a few days. At the funeral of the old owner, many former enemies came to the door, and no one forced Miss Sheng to intervene Orphan girl. Senior brother Hong Chengyuan stepped forward to protect the younger junior sister and supported the family. Later, Ms. Sheng married Hong Chengyuan and changed her name to Mrs. Hong, making her senior brother and husband-in-law the new owner Mr. Hong also? Indeed? He has lived up to his wife’s trust. What he does for business these years is like a consecration. It’s amazing. Many people in Luzhou City follow Mr. Hong to do business, Whatever he invests in, other people follow quickly, earning no loss! Cangjian Mountain Villa is booming day by day, even more beautiful than when the old owner was alive. Owner Hong was originally a married son-in-law, but now his family and career are in trouble A good harvest is really a winner in life."
After Dr. Cha finished speaking, there was a clear look of envy on his face. This couple is really like the most perfect love fairy tale. When they were young, they were childhood sweethearts. The woman came from a wealthy family, while the man came from a poor family. Later, the woman suffered a sudden change, and the man was a hero to save the beauty. Happiness, career fame and fortune. After listening to the whole story, Li Chaoge couldn't find out where? There was something not perfect.
However, this happens to be the biggest incompleteness. Life is not a story, how can it be possible? No twists and turns, perfect
Li Chaoge did not comment, but asked: "Since the owner and his wife are in a happy relationship, why have they been married for many years and have no children?"
"I heard that the madam is in poor health and has been unable to conceive for many years. Even so, the owner of the villa has never disliked his wife. He has always devoted himself to his wife and has never taken a concubine. The owner of the villa has said that if the wife fails to give birth to a child , then pass the villa to the apprentices. The owner has raised two apprentices, the eldest apprentice Hua Shaoxia is loyal and righteous, and the second apprentice Ren Shaoxia is smart and clever. In the future? Whoever takes over the family business will change his surname to the owner's surname Hong."
Li Chaoge responded slowly, and she suddenly asked, "How old is Master Hong?"
Dr. Cha was stunned by the question, he thought for a while, and said, "It seems to be thirty-six. Madam is younger, thirty-four this year. Hey, guest officer, do you want to stay at the hotel?"
Li Chaoge waved his hands and said, "We know each other. He came here to look for us. Here? It's all right, you can go down."
When Dr. Tea heard that the two groups knew each other, he responded graciously, quickly served tea for them, and then left with an empty teapot. Gu Mingke and the other three people approached, and the three people in Dali Temple drank water as soon as they were at the table. Gu Mingke unhurriedly brushed off his sleeves, and sat down with his lapel folded: "Why do you ask Hong Chengyuan's age?"
Li Chaoge smiled inexplicably, and said, "It's nothing, I'm just curious about other people's love stories? You have all heard about it today? What news?"
Look at this kind of person, who hides his own news and refuses to tell it, and when he comes up, he wants to get other people's information. Gu Mingke didn't care about Li Chaoge's small thoughts, and said: "There is not much progress, and it is similar to the previous news. The three governors, Cao Yi, Wu Jinyuan, and Xu Xingning, the first one has a violent personality, offended many people, and is in trouble with Jianghu sects. Cao Yi couldn't understand these Jianghu sects in Luzhou. He felt that they were fighting and disturbing the law and order. He wrote to the court several times, asking the court to send troops to encircle and suppress these sects. Later? He died of illness in Yonghui 20 years ago, and the Luzhou sect almost set off firecrackers Celebrate. The officials may have considered the mess left by Cao Yi, and when they dispatched a new governor, they chose Wu Jinyuan, who was smooth and thoughtful. After Wu Jinyuan arrived, he really eased the gap between the government and the sect. The relationship between the big sects is good, especially with Cangjian Mountain Villa. The Governor’s Mansion was burned down, so I can’t see Wu Jinyuan’s correspondence? But I heard from an old servant in the government office that Wu Jinyuan and Hong Chengyuan have a very good personal relationship. Hong Chengyuan repeatedly invited Wu Jinyuan to be a guest at the Cangjian Villa, and also showed Wu Jinyuan the treasures of the Cangjian Villa over the years. Once the two parties had a feast, the guests and the host had a good time, Wu Jinyuan proposed to borrow the hidden sword of the villa for a few days, and Hong Chengyuan agreed gone."
When Li Chaoge heard this, he raised his eyebrows: "Borrow a sword? Which one?"
"The old yamen servant didn't see it?" Gu Mingke held a cup of tea in his hand, but he didn't intend to drink it, and said, "He said that Wu Jinyuan was very fond of this sword and didn't show it to anyone. Wu Jinyuan watched it by himself. After three or four days, return the original sword.”
Li Chaoge smiled inexplicably, the original? Return it? I'm afraid not necessarily.
Li Chaoge asked quietly: "Is the sword he borrowed, the Qianyuan Sword?"
"There is no evidence." Gu Mingke replied, "But I guess it is."
Several people at the table guessed like this. The owner's wife said that the hidden sword villa is very attractive to thieves. The Qianyuan sword has been in the villa for so many years? It is well hidden. Wu Jinyuan borrowed it for a few days. It didn't take long for the hidden sword villa to spread rumors that the sword was lost. It's hard not to think about the cause and effect of this.
Li Chaoge calculated the time of Wu Jinyuan's death and asked, "When will he return the sword?"
"In the spring of this year, half a month before his death."
It's getting more and more suspicious now. Li Chaoge asked: "And then?"
"After Wu Jinyuan's inexplicable death, the imperial court couldn't find a successor. The governor's mansion was vacant for three months. There was no one in charge of the governor's mansion for a long time. Hong Chengyuan came out to hold the funeral for Wu Jinyuan. The bones were sent back to his hometown. In June, the imperial court finally found someone who was willing to take up the post, Xu Xingning. Xu Xingning took office for a very short time, less than a month before and after. After a pause, he continued, "But there is one thing that I find very strange. In the flower garden of the governor's government office? There are signs of new turning of the land."
Li Chaoge suddenly woke up and asked, "Is it one place or many?"
"A lot." Gu Mingke said, "The servants said it was to renovate the vegetation, but I have seen the warehouse, and there are no seeds or saplings."
Li Chaoge raised his eyebrows and remained silent. Gu Mingke waited for a while, seeing that Li Chaoge had no self-awareness, he could only signal: "Where's yours?"
Li Chaoge waved his hand and said, "I'm still thinking about it. I heard a very touching love story today, but I almost missed something."
Li Chaoge saw Dr. Tea go to the box next door to collect things, and shouted, "Dr. Tea, pay the bill."
When Dr. Cha heard this, he ran over graciously: "It's all right. Ma'am, wait a moment, and I'll bring you the change right away?"
Li Chaoge had already stood up with his sword in hand, and said casually, "It's not much money, so there's no need to look for it."
When the other people on the table heard this, their teeth became gritty together. Dr. Cha laughed so hard when he heard this, he kept saying good things about Li Chaoge. When Li Chaoge went downstairs, he asked inadvertently, "Why did the old master of Hidden Sword Villa suddenly die?"
"Who knows." Dr. Cha didn't take it seriously, and returned while leading the way, "It's not uncommon for these people from the Jianghu to fight and kill, and suddenly get injured and die. It must be some Jianghu enemy, old man. The owner of the villa got a sword at that time, so it's not surprising that people miss it."
Li Chaoge wrote it down calmly, and asked in a chatty tone: "I heard that the hidden sword villa is haunted, is it true?"
Dr. Tea didn't care much when he heard that: "Hey, that's Cangjian Villa deliberately scaring people. They have developed in recent years, and the village is rich, which attracts people's attention. I heard that a few years ago, That particularly famous thief, what is the name of the thousand-handed centipede..."
When Bai Qianhe heard it from behind, he yelled angrily: "Ah, what a thousand-handed centipede, it's the Thousand-handed Avalokitesvara!"
"Oh yes, Avalokitesvara of Thousand Hands." Dr. Cha knocked on his forehead and said, "That's the name. He also set his sights on Hidden Sword Villa and announced that he would steal their most valuable sword. After a swipe, it turned out that the Feihuamen had been tricked. The Feihuamen were so angry that they cursed. Although the Cangjian Villa didn’t lose anything, who would like to be worried about by thieves every day, so they deliberately spread ghosts to scare people. Let me say, the Jianghu sect is so murderous. Heavy, what the hell dares to go there??"
Li Chaoge nodded his head: "It makes sense."
Ghosts? They know how to bully the weak and fear the strong. The only ones who recruit ghosts are lonely orphans like Mo Linlang who have a miserable life experience. Unless there is a reason for something happening, the ghosts outside will not go to places where the yang energy is strong and the murderous spirit is heavy. . There are so many swords in the hidden sword villa, and it is born to restrain ghosts. Logically, there will be no ghosts to make trouble.
Unless, it was a ghost who died there, was trapped there, was born, and was bound to Hidden Sword Villa.
Dr. Tea has already sent Li Chaoge and others to the door, and the sound of hawking on the street is coming. When Li Chaoge left the house, he asked one last question: "In what year did the old master of Cangjian Villa die?"
Dr. Cha scratched his head and said sadly, "Me too? I don't know. Let me do the math, Miss Sheng seemed to be only sixteen years old that year, and Madam is thirty-four this year... Oh yes, it was eighteen years ago."
eighteen years ago. Mo Linlang's pupils couldn't help but dilate. The water ghost last night also said that she died eighteen years ago.