Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 193 Killing

Master Xie did not notice anything amiss and continued to eat the candied fruit that the prostitute had brought him.

The prostitute deliberately raised her hand, forcing Xie Qi to crane his neck to chase after her. The two of them laughed and joked around. Just then, the person in the corner finally saw his chance, pulled out a dagger from his sleeve, and rushed towards Xie Qi.

Even though they heard some noise, the three of them didn't see it until the prostitute next to Master Xie felt a strong force coming at her and was pushed aside. Then she saw a person in black grab Master Xie's shoulder and forcefully push the other hand, which was holding a dagger, into Master Xie's chest.

"what……"

The prostitute screamed loudly, but luckily the wine had been spilled on the ground. With Xie Qiye's struggle, the villain fell to the ground, allowing Xie Qiye to call for help. He ran desperately outside, and just when he was about to escape, the man chased after him again.

The shouts attracted more people, but it was too late. In the struggle with the thug, Xie Qi accidentally flipped over the railing and fell backward.

In such cold weather, the pleasure boat was moored on the ice to welcome guests, so when Master Xie fell in, there was a loud "thud." Although we couldn't see what happened below, we could roughly guess what happened to Master Xie.

What was once a place of revelry and debauchery has, in the blink of an eye, become a horrifying and bloody place.

"Quickly, go save them!"

The madam noticed the villain had disembarked from the pleasure boat and, thinking he must be chasing after Master Xie again, quickly ordered her servants to follow him.

The Xie family servants and guards had also drunk some wine, and only now did they realize what had happened. They immediately ran off the boat in a panic.

"Go report to the authorities, go report to the authorities."

A group of people rushed off the flower boat, but it was dark all around and they couldn't find Master Xie anywhere, until someone spotted a figure in the moonlight.

"There they are! Arrest them!"

……

By the time the officials arrived, many lanterns and torches had already been lit on the ice.

The two prostitutes who were with Xie Qi stood there trembling, one of them covered in blood.

The county magistrate, accompanied by his men from the criminal investigation department, strode forward and gasped at the sight.

Where is Xie Qilang now?

The madam's face turned deathly pale, and she stammered, "She...she fell into the ice cave."

"What?" The county magistrate's heart sank completely; in this weather, falling into the river would mean certain death.

"Where is it?" the county magistrate asked as he walked. "How could there be an ice cave?"

The madam was almost in tears: "The gentlemen wanted to fish with nets, so they asked us to cut the nets beforehand. How could we have imagined... that this would happen?"

Fearing punishment, the madam changed her story again: "Master Xie may have been thrown in by villains. That person clearly intended to kill Master Xie."

The county magistrate walked forward and easily found the spot where Xie Qi had fallen, because there was a large pool of blood there. Following the bloodstain, he saw the ice hole, which was covered with a layer of frost. The constable went up to look at it, but could not see anything.

Even if it could be found, it would probably be a corpse by now.

Such a murder occurred on the fifth day of the lunar new year, and the county magistrate could only feel that he was unlucky.

"Have you seen that villain?"

The madam and the others shook their heads. Xie's guards stepped forward and said, "When we were chasing that man, we smashed his head with a stick."

It's easier to handle if there's an injury.

The county magistrate said, "Immediately order the city gates to be sealed off, and anyone with a head injury shall not be allowed to leave the city."

After speaking, he asked everyone present and learned roughly about the villain's height, weight, and other characteristics before ordering the constables to follow his trail to find him.

"The patrol inspectorate should also be informed," the county magistrate said, "so that they can help investigate the people in the city." After making these arrangements, the county magistrate led his men to the Xie family.

There was a knock on the Xie family's door.

The steward immediately relayed the message into the courtyard.

Zhao had gone to bed early, but only she knew that she hadn't been able to close her eyes due to nervousness. When she finally heard a noise, she sat up abruptly in bed.

Zhao looked at the head housekeeper: "Who is it?"

“The people from the yamen,” the stewardess said, her face tense but her eyes showing a hint of joy, “say that something has happened to Seventh Master.”

Zhao took a deep breath, immediately put her hands together and chanted "Amitabha" a few times. After a while, she calmed herself down and a smile appeared on her face. She had been waiting for so many years, and finally, she could reunite that wretched woman and her son.

Thanks to Xie Zishao's own competence, which angered Xie Chonghai to come and help, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Now, as long as the villain escapes successfully, everything will be fine.

After getting dressed, Zhao carefully looked at herself in the bronze mirror before leading her people out to greet them.

The Xie family servants stood in the courtyard, while Xie Chonghai and Xie Chongjiang had already gone to the front yard.

"The county magistrate came in person, saying that some villains had attacked Seventh Master."

The steward was reporting to Li, Xie Chongjiang's wife.

Zhao deliberately feigned anxiety and hurriedly asked, "Where is Seventh Master?"

The servant stammered, "They said he was injured and fell into an ice cave."

Zhao cried out in surprise, her body went limp and she almost collapsed, but fortunately Li and the stewardess helped her up.

Madam Zhao stretched out her hand: "What should I do? Master and Zhang-ge'er are both in prison, and Shao-ge'er has gotten into trouble. How am I going to explain this to Master?"

Zhao's cries alerted the servants in the courtyard. In an instant, the Xie family's cries shook the heavens.

Hearing the cries for justice coming from outside, the county magistrate couldn't help but sigh again.

Xie Chonghai's eyes also reddened: "Your Excellency must do justice for my nephew. My nephew never makes enemies. Who wants to take his life?"

The county magistrate thought for a moment and then asked again, "Has your seventh son had any conflicts with anyone recently? Even a verbal dispute or lawsuit counts."

Xie Chonghai and Xie Chongjiang exchanged a glance.

The county magistrate noticed something amiss: "Have you thought of something?"

“Speaking of conflicts,” Xie Chonghai said, “there was a fight with the Yang family a while ago because of the clay stove. The Yang family even went to jail because of it. Yesterday, Shao Ge’er told me that the Yang family deliberately spread rumors and incited people to cause trouble at my shop. Once he has gathered enough evidence, he will go to the yamen to sue the Yang family.”

The county magistrate was also taken aback upon hearing this: "Is there such a thing?"

Xie Chonghai responded.

The county magistrate stood up: "Where is Seventh Master's residence? Take us there."

The county magistrate and his entourage went to Xie Qi's courtyard, with Zhao and Li hurriedly following behind. Since Xie Zishao had encountered trouble, his courtyard could no longer be entered at will.

The officials in the government office worked for a long time and finally found some paper.

The county magistrate peered under the lamp and saw that the evidence was all handwritten by Xie Qi, explaining how Madam Xie had instigated people to frame the Xie family.

Seeing this, the county magistrate frowned. To be honest, he didn't believe that this matter was related to Madam Xie. Even if such a clever woman wanted to harm someone, she shouldn't have used such a foolish method...

Wait a minute, the county magistrate felt that his heart seemed a little biased, and he had already started to exonerate Madam Xie before even investigating.