Li Chaoge came out of the teahouse, she looked at Bai Qianhe and asked, "You stole something, and you brought a notice?"
Bai Qianhe looked back with a look of embarrassment: "Don't mention it, I was young and frivolous back then, I always think this is more prestige?"
Li Chaoge laughed and asked, "Did it succeed in the end?"
"No." Bai Qianhe said with a bitter face, "There are so many secret rooms in the Hidden Sword Villa. I searched for several times but couldn't find the place where the sword is hidden. But? I've let all my words go. I can't return empty-handed. So I turned to Feihuamen?, and casually picked up something. That way, when people mention me, they will say that I am smart and witty, so that I won’t be shamed as a thief.”
Li Chaoge glanced at Bai Qianhe coldly, and said, "It's still forgiven for the evil done by the sky, but you can't live for the evil. You deserve it."
Bai Qianhe is thick-skinned? The man is able to bend and stretch, shaking his hair, still? Or? A hero. Seeing no one around, Mo Linlang asked quietly: "Princess, who? The female ghost? Died 18 years ago, and so did the old villa owner? Could it all be? Hidden Sword Villa became covetous, intentionally killed the old owner, and forced to marry the young lady?"
Bai Qianhe suddenly thought of something, interjected and asked: "Could it be that the water ghost is? The real Miss Sheng? Now that lady is? Hong Chengyuan sent someone to pretend?"
"It's hard." Gu Mingke said, "Sheng Lanchu is? Dr. Cha also said that when the old owner died, many gangster sects forced him to go to the villa. If there was anything wrong with Sheng Lanchu, he would be caught by the martial arts and make a big fuss. No one has criticized Sheng Lanchu for so many years. Doubts about her identity should be her. What's more, Mo Linlang, does the water ghost you saw last night look alike to Sheng Lanchu?"
Mo Linlang thought for a while, then shook her head, "Not similar. The water ghost has an ordinary face, far less beautiful than Mrs. Madam."
Bai Qianhe thought about it, and said: "That's right. Eighteen years ago, all the sects forced them to go to the Tibetan Sword Villa. If Sheng Lanchu had changed her face, she would definitely not be able to escape the eyes of those old foxes. Anyway, I didn't see it." Come out? It turns out that the owner's wife has something to hide."
"Yes? Ah." Li Chaoge answered, holding the sword in her arms, and said leisurely, "Who can play another person for years? After a long time, people will definitely recognize him."
There seemed to be something in Li Chaoge's voice, and when Gu Mingke heard it, he just smiled faintly. Everyone nodded at the same time, and said in unison: "The princess is right. Then who is the dead one? Who is it?"
"I don't know." Li Chaoge said, "Go back to the villa and ask."
After a busy day, everyone returned to their respective rooms to rest after arriving at the Hidden Sword Villa. Gu Mingke was washing his hands in the room, when he heard a slight sound of landing behind him, Gu Mingke was speechless and said, "There is a door over there?"
"It's too far away." Li Chaoge sat down under the pergola and asked, "Wu Jinyuan? How did he die? Have you found out?"
"He died suddenly." Gu Mingke wiped off the water on his fingers, walked outside the house, and sat down unhurriedly. Unable to handle official duties. One night, Wu Jinyuan said he wanted to go back to his room to sleep, so that no one else could come in to disturb him. The servants thought Wu Jinyuan was in a bad mood, so they all ran away. Appeared, Chang Shi felt that something was wrong, and sent someone to the back to call Wu Jinyuan. When the servants opened the door and entered, they saw Wu Jinyuan lying on the ground, dead for a long time."
Li Chaoge raised his eyebrows: "Since it was an accidental death, why did the document handed to the capital say? Died of illness?"
"This is the strangest thing." Gu Mingke said, "There was no trauma on his body, and there was no blood on the ground. Chang Shi, Wu Zuo and others searched for a long time, but they couldn't find any trace of poisoning, so they died of illness finalized."
Li Chaoge felt that Wu Jinyuan's death was strange from beginning to end. She asked: "Is there really no wound? Did Wu Jinyuan have any abnormalities a few days before his death?"
"Wu Jinyuan's bones have been sent back to his hometown, and the relevant records and documents were destroyed by fire. The specific circumstances of his death are unknown." Gu Mingke said, "I went to investigate Hong Chengyuan's actions that night, and he was in another door that night. There are several martial arts people at the banquet. There was a curfew at the end of the banquet, so Hong Chengyuan lived in the other party's sect and did not return to Cangjian Villa. Many people at the banquet can testify."
Li Chaoge clicked his tongue and said, "No wonder Wu Jinyuan came out as soon as we asked about it. It turned out that he had an alibi, so he deliberately revealed it to us. What about the first and third term?"
"Cao Yi died two years ago, and many details have been blurred. He was a person from Guanzhong. Or was he murdered by his enemies? It's hard to say for sure. As for Xu Xingning, he came to Luzhou only a month ago, and he came and went alone. The yamen was dead, and ordered to renovate the land, which was one of the few orders after he took office as governor."
Li Chaoge propped his chin, and murmured: "The new official is not in a hurry to take office? Liwei is not in a hurry either? To investigate the cause of death of the previous two governors, but to ask someone to renovate the government office. How do I feel that he came to Luzhou?" It's not that he's an official, but that he's looking for something."
Li Chaoge and Gu Mingke looked at each other, and they both saw the answer in each other's eyes.
Abyss sword.
Wu Jinyuan once borrowed the Qianyuan Sword from the Hidden Sword Villa. Although it was returned later, it was most likely a fake sword. The real Qianyuan Sword was still in Wu Jinyuan's hands. Wu Jinyuan suddenly died inexplicably, and the whereabouts of the sword became a public case. But judging from Hong Chengyuan's performance, I'm afraid Qianyuan Sword is not on Hong Chengyuan's body. He was cheated out of the sword, but he didn't turn his back on him. Instead, he "enthusiastically" helped Wu Jinyuan manage the funeral. Isn't this a reaction that a suffering master should have.
If Hong Chengyuan got the sword, he would never do anything unnecessary, so it was fake for him to help Wu Jinyuan with the funeral, and it was true to take the opportunity to search the government office and Wu Jinyuan's personal belongings.
Afterwards, Luzhou Governor's Mansion was vacant for three months. Everyone was hesitant to come to Luzhou to wade through this muddy water, but Xu Xingning volunteered. After Xu Xingning came, wasn't he in a hurry? He took over the official duties, and instead asked people to renovate the government office. It seemed that he was also looking for something.
This is strange, how did Xu Xingning know about Qianyuan Sword? What did he want to do when he found Qianyuan Sword
Moreover, Li Chaoge also knew that the Qianyuan sword fell into Pei Ji'an's hands. In the previous life, Li Chaoge knew Pei Ji'an's whereabouts like the palm of his hand, so it was impossible for Pei Ji'an to bypass Li Chaoge's eyeliner and go to other places to find the sword by himself. Mostly Qianyuan Sword? Who dedicated it to Pei Ji'an.
Li Chaoge vaguely felt that he had touched a big net, which was impenetrable and overwhelming, and behind it was a shocking secret. However, Li Chaoge can only see a corner now. No matter how hard she tries, she still can't figure it out.
Li Chaoge approached and asked with a voice that could only be heard by two people: "Did you say he found it?"
"Neither." Gu Mingke's tone was flat, but the meaning was very firm. Neither Hong Chengyuan nor Xu Xingning found the Qianyuan Sword. After Wu Jinyuan died, the sword disappeared completely. Li Chaoge stared at Gu Mingke motionlessly, his eyebrows slightly moved: "How do you know?"
"Guess." After Gu Mingke finished speaking, he glanced at her, "I arrived in Luzhou with you, and you know the actions during this period of time best. Could it be? Is the sword I held?"
Li Chaoge, of course? You know, right? Gu Mingke, how can Gu Mingke use it if he wants to seize the Qianyuan Sword? It took a lot of trouble. He looks, too? Just found out.
"That's right." Li Chaoge nodded. She looked at Gu Mingke with eyes that seemed to be smiling? Not smiling? The meaning was unclear, "But? I always feel that you seem to care too much about Qianyuanjian."
Gu Mingke drank his tea with downcast eyes, his face calm and unwavering: "This is an important evidence to solve the case, so I naturally care about it."
Li Chaoge looked at it for a long time, but Gu Mingke behaved leisurely, without leaking, and could not see the slightest clue. Li Chaoge picked up the teacup, twirled it slowly in his hand, and said, "Okay, I'll trust you for now. Since Xu Xingning is a loner and doesn't mess with right and wrong, how did he die?"
"Missing, so far unknown whereabouts." Gu Mingke said, "Half a month after Xu Xingning disappeared, Chang Shi and others were afraid of being held accountable, so they reported the death of the new imperial governor. Chang Shi was afraid that he would be implicated, so he told the officials The documents from the ministry are unclear, so I asked repeatedly, and I finally found out."
Li Chaoge narrowed his eyes, and slowly tapped his fingers on the desktop: "When we get back to Beijing, it's time to clean up these moths who eat inside and out."
"There is no rush to clean up the manpower. Now that we are out of town, we need to solve the case first." Gu Mingke said, "This case lacks too much evidence. One of the breakthroughs today is the Qianyuan Sword, and the other One of them is Xu Xingning's body, as long as we can find any one of them, we won't be far from finding the murderer."
"That's right, I thought so too." Li Chaoge nodded, but when she thought about the terrain of Luzhou, she suddenly had a headache, "Luzhou is mountainous and full of rivers. How can I find this in the old forest?"
This? Gu Mingke can't help it either. Gu Mingke said: "Since you have no idea, let's look at another case first. Do you want to know if there is any progress in Hidden Sword Villa?"
These incidents in Luzhou are actually two cases, one is the sudden death of the old farm owner eighteen years ago, and the other is the case of the successive deaths of the governor. However, now because of Qian Yuanjian, the two cases are entangled. There is me in you and you in me. It is very difficult to investigate.
Li Chaoge said: "To sum it up, it is probably that a man from a poor background was accepted as a disciple by the martial arts sect, married a young lady from the sect, and became the new head. success story. I happen to have something to ask about this? Mistress of a beautiful love story, are you going?"
Gu Mingke got up without saying a word, and said, "Let's go together."
The two of them went out, just at this time the servant girl came in to change the water. The servant girl was startled when she saw Li Chaoge coming out of Gu Mingke's yard: "See Princess, Master Gu."
Li Chaoge nodded and asked, "Where is your wife?"
The servant girl lowered her head cautiously, and replied: "Madam is in the front hall to discuss with the shopkeeper about the new goods this year."
Li Chaoge was slightly surprised when he heard it: "What about the store? Madam is in charge?"
"The owner went out to meet friends, and he didn't have time to come back. Sometimes the owner is too busy, and the wife will help."
This is a new discovery. Li Chaoge was surprised: "Madam and the owner are both martial arts people. I thought they were too busy practicing martial arts and not familiar with general affairs. I didn't expect the owner to be a business genius. .”
The servant girl smiled and said, "Our wife is a rare and virtuous housewife. When the old owner was still there, he started casting swords for ten days and no one was seen. Zhuangzi was full of Mrs. Take care of it. Later, the wife and the owner got married. Whether it was a business dinner or a banquet for martial arts friends, the wife could arrange it properly. The husband is noble and the wife is virtuous, and the husband sings and the wife follows. This is a good story in the martial arts Woolen cloth."
Li Chaoge smiled? Laughed? She and the servant girl asked the direction, then turned and left. After walking away, Li Chaoge said softly: "I have the ability to manage the villa, but I am at ease to be a good wife and mother behind a man, and to be a 'good wife and mother' to others all my life. What is even more ridiculous? Well, the villa is obviously owned by the Sheng family, just because the woman didn't give birth to a child, the owner asked the apprentice to take his own surname, and the woman is grateful, even the maids in the villa lamented that the owner didn't take concubines, really? Man. Isn't concubinage? Something he's supposed to do?"
When Gu Mingke heard this, he bowed his head and asked: "I wanted to ask you when I was in the teahouse. Why did you ask Hong Chengyuan's age?"
"I suspect he has an illegitimate child." Li Chaoge said with a serious face, "A man who married into a family adopted two children because his wife had not had children for decades. Let the apprentice change his surname, and pass the villa to the apprentice. How do you look at it, this is all? He put the illegitimate child into the villa in the name of accepting apprentices, and deliberately took the woman's property."
"Did you find anything?"
"No." Li Chaoge said still firmly, "Based on my understanding of men, it must be like this."
Gu Mingke sighed: "You have only seen a few? Men. No matter where they are? Good guys and bad guys coexist, both men and women? So, don't have such a big prejudice."
Li Chaoge was about to refute and go back, when suddenly he heard the surprised voice of a servant girl from behind: "Hey, why is the wall here broken? Was there an assassin last night?"
The servant girl was startled, and the footsteps in the yard became flustered. Li Chaoge originally thought that someone was plotting, but? She suddenly remembered that the wall seemed to have been smashed by her.
Last night when she practiced the sword, she failed to grasp the strength and accidentally cut off a piece of the wall, and the lake behind was haunted, so she forgot about it.
Gu Mingke looked back. Li Chaoge felt ashamed, so he quickly pulled Gu Mingke's arm and walked out: "Okay, don't look at it, go and ask questions."
After Li Chaoge and Gu Mingke arrived at the main courtyard, they waited for a while, and Sheng Lanchu came over in a panic: "Sorry, I kept you waiting for a long time. Is it a concubine just now? I have been delayed for a long time on the purchase order, please Princess and Master Gu." Haihan."
Gu Mingke stopped Sheng Lanchu from apologizing, and said, "Yes? We took the liberty to come here and interrupt Madam's discussion. Madam, there is no need to be polite."
Sheng Lanchu still apologized again and again, and invited Li Chaoge and Gu Mingke to sit down. After the two parties sat down, Sheng Lanchu asked: "The villa is simple and neglected, please take care of me. I don't know why the princess and Master Gu are here?"
"Don't dare, we just want to ask my wife about something." Li Chaoge said, "My maid met a ghost by the lake last night. I don't know if there was a murder in Hidden Sword Villa before. Why is there a ghost in the lake? ?”
Sheng Lanchu sighed, and said: "I'm ashamed to say that the children of the Jianghu fight and kill. They shouldn't believe in these ghosts and gods. But? I'm a concubine? I've been young? I've been timid? Plus there are maids from time to time. Talking about bumping into ghosts, I was so frightened that I asked my senior brother to invite several waves of eminent monks to come and rescue them. No matter whether there are ghosts or not, I just ask for peace of mind. Unexpectedly, all these strange powers and disordered spirits will cause trouble in front of the princess and Mr. Gu I've moved on, I'm really ashamed of myself as a concubine."
According to common sense, at such a time, someone needs to say some comforting words to round up the situation. Li Chaoge was waiting? Gu Mingke said, Gu Mingke was waiting? Li Chaoge said, but neither of them spoke, only Sheng Lanchu, a delicate and beautiful woman holding her heart, said she was afraid, and the two of them were indifferent Looking at it? Sheng Lanchu was frightened.
Li Chaoge was a little embarrassed, she coughed, and said bluntly: "Madam, don't worry, no one was killed anyway, isn't it? It's a big deal."
Gu Mingke answered leisurely at the side: "The princess really knows how to comfort people."
Li Chaoge glared at him angrily: "You will, then ask."
When he came, Gu Mingke asked: "Madam, that water ghost is wandering at the bottom of the lake. It seems that there is some grievance. If the grievance is resolved, she will naturally disperse. Madam grew up in the villa. I know the matter best, I don’t know, many years ago? Has anyone drowned at the bottom of the lake?”
Sheng Lanchu sat on the other side, watching? The two were flirting. Fortunately, they finally remembered that she was still there. Sheng Lanchu cleared her throat and said, "Is it true? To tell the truth, many years ago, there was indeed a maidservant in the villa who fell into the water. It was a rainy day, and no one heard her call for help, so she drowned. Concubine? After learning about this incident, he invited eminent monks to recite the scriptures of crossing the dead for her, and sent people to send money to her parents, brother-in-law and sister-in-law to treat her family well. But I don’t know what happened? She stayed at the bottom of the lake and refused to leave. .”
Li Chaoge raised his eyebrows suspiciously, just? Fell into the water? If it is simply drowning, how can it become a wronged soul
Gu Mingke couldn't see the emotion, and continued to ask: "That? Who is the woman's name, why did she come to Hidden Sword Villa?"
"It's the maid bought by my father." Sheng Lanchu said, "At that time, swords were still being made in the villa, and the manpower was often insufficient, so my father bought a group of maids. That? Accidentally fell into the water. As for her name, let me think about it...it seems to be called Xiao Lian?"
Gu Mingke didn't say whether he believed it or not, but instead asked, "Can you show me the prostitution document?"
Sheng Lan showed embarrassment at the beginning, she stood up and said, "Wait a moment, my concubine? Go to the warehouse to look for it. It happened many years ago, my concubine? I'm not sure if I can still find it."
Gu Mingke nodded lightly: "Your Madam."
After Sheng Lanchu left, Li Chaoge knew that many people were watching, so he didn't say anything. After waiting for a long time, Sheng Lanchu finally came back, holding a box in her hand, and said, "You two have been waiting for a long time, and I finally found my identity. Please take a look, both of you."
Sheng Lanchu handed the box to the maid, who put both hands in front of Li Chaoge and Gu Mingke. Gu Mingke opened the box, and Li Chaoge leaned over to look at it, and saw that the paper was rough and yellowed, with aging edges. It had indeed been stored for many years. Li Chaoge carefully looked at the official seal on it again. The government is very strict about the household registration. Every time a servant girl changes hands, she must be approved by the government. Li Chaoge saw the words on the deed of selling herself and asked, "This maid used to be a citizen?"
"Yes." Sheng Lanchu seemed a little nervous, and immediately added, "But? Her family was poor, and her parents voluntarily sold her as a slave. Although Hidden Sword Villa is fighting and killing, it doesn't treat human life carelessly or break the law. It's a matter of violation of discipline. This deed of prostitution is really signed by her parents. If the princess doesn't believe it, there are also the fingerprints of their village official on it. The princess can check it out."
Li Chaoge looked up, smiled at Sheng Lanchu, and said, "I didn't say I don't believe it. Why are you nervous, madam?"
Sheng Lanchu smiled embarrassingly? Laughter? Li Chaoge was moody and unpredictable, which was really scary. After reading it, Gu Mingke covered the box and handed it back to the servant girl intact: "Thank you, Mrs. for your cooperation. I heard that your lord loves swords as much as his life, and he is especially good at forging swords with one hand. Why doesn't Madam stop making swords anymore?"
Sheng Lan smiled and said at the beginning: "I am a daughter's family. The sword-casting skill of Tibetan Sword Villa is passed on to males but not females. My father passed the sword-making skill to my senior brother, but not to me. Later, my father passed away, and my senior brother I don't like to deal with ironware all day long, so I gradually gave up, and instead focused on doing business. Later, my brother's business in the shopping malls flourished, and it was indeed much more decent than that of ironsmiths, so now Hidden Sword Villa is just a burden. ? Name, in fact, no longer forging swords."
Li Chaoge suddenly asked: "The madam gave up the ancestral property for the sake of the owner, and the owner went out to socialize, and the madam stayed in the mansion to manage the housework. It seems that there are many trivial matters in the shop? The madam is also taking care of it. The madam has paid so much, but the world only cares about it." Remember the owner, won't Madam be lost?"
"What's there to care about?" Sheng Lanchu smiled softly and said happily, "Brother treats me wholeheartedly. I haven't given birth to a child for so many years. He doesn't even take concubines. He treats me so well, I Naturally? I do my best to share some trivial things for him. What I do are all small things, which are nothing compared to my senior brother's love for me. We are husband and wife for many years, regardless of you and me, why bother Count so much."
Li Chaoge nodded, and said, "Madam is really a good wife."
Isn't this a great sage who gave up his martial arts, career, and family property for the sake of a man, and wholeheartedly assisted the other's dream. In the end, all the credit goes to the man? On the contrary, outsiders still say that the woman is high-ranked and lucky. Looking at Hong Chengyuan's performance, he also felt that the Cangjian Villa could be where it is today, all due to his own efforts. From his point of view, what he was doing outside was a big deal, and these trivial matters at home were not worth mentioning. He probably still felt that his wife was completely enjoying life at home.
The same woman, Li Chaoge couldn't bear it, and finally mentioned: "Madam is dedicated to the family. This dedication is admirable. However, Madam should also take care of your health. You haven't given birth for many years, maybe it will be difficult. Is it because of overwork."
This seemed to speak of Sheng Lanchu's heart disease. She covered her belly, sighed slightly, and said, "I am not very talented in martial arts. I was eager for quick success and instant benefits when I practiced martial arts in the early years. Maybe it hurt my foundation. Fortunately, my brother didn't dislike it." I have been comforting me all these years, saying that if I don’t have children, I can adopt an apprentice as my son. But I still feel sorry for my senior brother. I have sought many famous doctors and tried various prescriptions over the years, but unfortunately they didn’t work.”
Li Chaoge tapped lightly, and said, "Yes? The medicine is three-point poisonous. My wife is not very old. Stop the medicine so that you can have a baby and raise it. Maybe the fate of children will come."
Based on Li Chaoge's experience, if the man has both fame and wealth and no regrets, but the woman has been unable to conceive a child for many years, it is probably because of the person next to her pillow. Li Chaoge didn't have any friendship with Sheng Lanchu, so she stopped talking. As for whether Sheng Lanchu could understand, that was Sheng Lanchu's business.
The child is probably Sheng Lanchu's heart. After she thanked Li Chaoge, she was very emotional and said, "Borrowing the princess's auspicious words. But after so many years, I am slowly thinking about it. What if I am destined to have no children in this life?" He has no daughter, so it is good to adopt an apprentice. Although Hua Lingfeng is not talkative, he is upright and steady, hard-working, and he is a reliable person. I often tell him, don't put yourself in the right place when you practice martial arts. He pushed himself too hard, but he didn't listen. He always practiced day and night. A few days ago, his master instructed him to practice martial arts, and accidentally hurt his shoulder. I let him rest for a few days. He didn't listen, so he insisted on coming out to welcome the distinguished guests."
Li Chaoge and Gu Mingke woke up together. Li Chaoge remained calm, and asked, "Hua Lingfeng's injury was caused by? Master Hong?"
"Senior brother taught him the tricks. The master and apprentice didn't control the strength well, so they accidentally drew it." Sheng Lan said with a smile at the beginning, "Senior brother is always very strict with Ling Feng. After all, Ling Feng Feng is brother's long-term apprentice, brother Xu is? He has high hopes for him, so he must be strict with him everywhere."