She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

At daybreak, Yang Si changed into his official uniform again, brought the governor's handwritten order and led his men to surround Chu's mansion.

In the three states, the provincial governors played little role. The Marquis of Shuzhong, the Marquis of Zhao, and the General of Chariots and Horses, in name only assisted in the management of state affairs, but they were actually the ones in power.

However, Hengzhi did not like to overstep his authority blatantly, and Qin Shengguang was a man who was utterly loyal to him, so the official seal was wrapped in red silk and encased in sandalwood and placed in the mansion for use whenever the marquis was summoned.

So when Yang Si went to the door in the dew, Qin Shengguang was wearing an outer robe and didn't understand vaguely what he wanted.

"What?" Those weather-beaten eyes immediately widened, almost unable to believe, "You said that the one who assassinated the Chu family's carriage yesterday was their housekeeper? Isn't this ridiculous!"

Yang Si rubbed his hands together. He was exhausted from staying in the court all night. He was afraid that he would make a mistake if he spoke at the door. "Governor, can I have a cup of tea?"

Qin Shengguang suddenly realized what was going on and quickly invited someone in.

After drinking a cup of strong tea, Yang Si felt relieved and finally calmed down.

Qin Shengguang was already sleepy, so Qing waited to hear what happened, so he said briefly, "The women of the Chu family were attacked on the mountain road, and it was the young marquis who rescued them and sent a signal to lure us there. There were a total of 18 bodies on the ground, and except for Madam Chu's, the rest have been checked. Only the leader, Steward He, is the biggest suspect."

Butler He was He Yong. According to Heng Zhi, he came out of Guangyuan Temple last and rushed to the scene because he heard the shouting. At that time, He Yong's sword had already pierced Mrs. Chu's chest.

The young marquis drew a dagger from his waist and threw it over, pinning him to the spot.

It was a pity that they were one step too late and could not save Mrs. Chu, but only her daughter Chu Qingfang. At that time, the young marquis, his followers and Jiang Xu, who was driving, wrestled with the killers.

Seeing that they were outnumbered and at a disadvantage, the young marquis sent Yun Cong to fight his way out of the siege and take Chu Qingfang to escape to the city through a dangerous route. Jiang Xu went in different directions, diverting some of the pursuit and then dispersed.

"So that's how it is. The young marquis' testimony must be unreserved." Qin Shengguang stroked his beard and said slowly.

First, Heng Qi grew up under his and Chu Hui's watch. Although Chu Hui was a few years younger than Qin Shengguang, they had been colleagues for half their lives and knew each other very well. Even though Heng Qi was absurd when he was around, he could still listen to what they said. So no matter what, their relationship was very good.

Secondly, even if the young lady of the Chu family could not get the love of the young marquis, and the young marquis had never given her any expectations, the young lady of a noble family brought up by scholars also had a sense of propriety and knew the rules. Not to mention the spring banquet at the Chu Mansion at that time, Qin Shengguang had also heard that Chu Qingfang personally came to apologize, and they had never been so unfriendly as to become enemies.

From this point of view, the young marquis has almost no right to give false testimony.

He Yong was the housekeeper that Chu Hui had chosen when he first came to Kezhou Prefecture. He had been in the Chu Mansion for longer than Chu Qingfang was, and they had been in close contact over the years, and Qin Shengguang had often seen him.

But today he suddenly said that he killed the lady of the house, which made Qin Shengguang confused.

Why is this happening? For no reason, could it be that he suddenly went insane?

This idea was not true. According to Yang Si, the remaining dozen people around him were all He Yong's accomplices, and they must have premeditated the murder.

The tea in front of him was half cold, but Qin Shengguang was still in deep thought.

So he changed his clothes, quickly stamped the official seal on Yang Si's silk book, and went to Chu's house with him.

It was the day when peach blossoms were in full bloom. A row of peach trees were planted beside the courtyard wall of Chu's residence, and plum trees were planted behind them. The meaning of this name is "Peach and plum trees are silent, but people walk under them of their own accord." These are the two fine trees that his late teacher loved, and they serve as a reminder for him to always remember his teacher's kindness.

Qin Shengguang adjusted his official hat and muttered a few words in a low voice, "Planting trees by the wall, this kind of 'artistic conception' can only be thought of by General Chu."

The clerk came forward and knocked on the door for the fourth time. There was a sound of a wooden latch and the door opened from the inside.

The servant, dressed in mourning, opened the door with swollen eyes, "Who are you looking for? There is a funeral in our house, and you won't see anyone unless it's important."

The clerk took out his badge and showed it to the public. "We are the errand boy of the prefecture government. We are here to do something under orders. Please inform us."

When the servant saw that it was official business, he immediately bowed and went back to report.

Qin Shengguang sighed. No matter how gloomy he was, this murder case still had to be solved. "But, didn't the young marquis come?" Qin Shengguang turned his head and asked in a low voice.

What you get, of course, is the real fact as seen with your own eyes.

"Zhao Hou was injured yesterday, and because of his involvement in this case, he avoided it." When Yang Si saw Heng Zhi's expression yesterday, he understood what he meant.

Although he didn't know the specific situation, it was not his turn to ask what the young marquis wanted to do.

Yang Si only received a blood-stained wooden plaque from Heng Zhi. What he had to do today was to thoroughly check He Yong's personal belongings and daily residence.

Not long after, Chu Hui, who was in mourning, staggered over with his men.

Seeing his friend who used to be gentle and kind now in a state of despair, holding a wooden stick in his hand, Qin Shengguang felt bad. So he quickly got off his horse and rushed forward to help him.

"The deceased is gone, but Bo Wen should still mourn." Bo Wen was Chu Hui's pen name. He was still in Beijing when he was 18 years old. He got these two pen names from his teacher, and it has been decades since he was called. Chu Hui's eyes were dark and bloodshot, and his face was as pale as if he had been painted. There was a lot of paper ash in the folds of his linen clothes.

Although such clichéd words could not help Chu Hui to express her grief, this was also Qin Shengguang's sincere wish.

Yang Si was half a step away, carefully looking at Chu Hui. Those paper ashes could not be accumulated in a short time. There were so many on Chu Hui, and the smell of incense and candles was so strong, which meant that he had not left the mourning hall since he got home last night.

"The Governor and Lord Yang are here, is there any official business that requires my assistance?" Chu Hui nodded at Yang Si.

He was just pretending to be ignorant. Both parties in the murder case were close to Chu Hui, so it was self-evident that the prefecture government would come to investigate. Many pedestrians on the street looked curiously at the military mansion that was always crowded with people.

There is nothing wrong with maintaining some dignity among colleagues.

The group entered the mansion. Qin Shengguang and Yang Si first walked into the mourning hall and solemnly paid their respects to Madam Chu, then retreated to the outer house to report their intentions.

"We will search the entire yard where the suspect lives." Yang Silue bowed his hands to show that he was disturbing her. "If there are any female relatives or other inconveniences, please tell them to leave first."

The soldiers of the provincial government hall were dressed in black armor and lined up on both sides, looking majestic and solemn.

Yang Si glanced around and saw the row of plum trees that Heng Li had specifically mentioned before coming here.

It was late spring, and only a few buds remained on the branches. After the rain, the leaves were growing wildly.

He was just thinking about how to find a reason to dig up the tree pits one by one, when a woman's groaning and screaming suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"Ouch! Sir, Sir, please don't hold so tightly, my arm hurts so much!" The woman was wearing a red coat and a lotus-colored long skirt. Her black hair was tied up in a complicated way, embellished with pearls and jade, which was very eye-catching.

"Sir," the leader stepped forward and reported, "While we were searching, this woman was looking around outside the small door, looking very suspicious."

The woman's arms were twisted behind her back, and her body was moving uncomfortably. Yang Si hurriedly said, "Let her go first."

The woman then straightened her clothes, stood in front of the crowd calmly, and looked quite pretty.

Yang Si and the others had never been to places of entertainment, so naturally they didn't know who she was. However, the few people standing behind were dissolute by nature, and spent all their monthly salary on women, wine and beauties. When the woman looked up, they took a few breaths in surprise.

"Oh." The woman smiled, her red lips seductively, "I see several officials have recognized me. They must have visited me often." As she bowed, her pearl hairpins jingled, and she looked very charming.

One person stepped forward boldly and explained in a low voice, "Master Yang, this woman is Ruzui, the top prostitute in Fengyue Gallery. The Huji Inn in Qiu Jidao was jointly opened by her and Hu Shang."

Ruzui was obviously very satisfied with this introduction to her. She did not show any panic at all as she had after being caught. Her shoulders and neck were straight, and her face looked radiant.

"Officials' private residences are quiet places. Today, the court is handling a case. What are you looking at outside the door for?"

Ruzui glanced at Chu Hui beside him, his mood suddenly changed, and he suddenly looked a little aggrieved and pitiful, "Sir, I am wronged! I am already thirty years old and have never had a home. This He Lang from the Military Office is a frequent visitor to our Fengyue Gallery. A few days ago, he said he would redeem me and take me away. But there has been no movement in the past half a decade, so I came to take a look."

Yang Si thought about this carefully and felt that it was not right. "Yesterday, the murder case at Guangyuan Temple was all over the city, and today, the military mansion is wearing white silk uniforms. As a person in the world of mortals, you don't know about it?"

It turned out that although Yang Si looked dull, his brain was quite useful. Seeing that he was about to be exposed, Ruzui continued to make up stories, "You don't know! I thought He Lang was an honest man, so I agreed to him! He spent a lot of money on me, and I couldn't bear it..."

"Speak, get to the point!" Qin Shengguang got a headache when he heard these trivial matters and waved his hand to interrupt her.

Ruzui's pupils shrank, she pouted, lowered her eyebrows, and nodded, "I heard that he killed someone, but I didn't believe it, so I thought of coming to see if he left any message, so that I can make other plans. I don't know that the adults are doing business here, but they don't mean to cause trouble!"

"Nonsense!" This time it was Chu Hui who shouted angrily, "He Yong killed my wife, but he worked in my house for decades! I know him, he never indulges in alcohol and women, why would he redeem you?"

Qin Shengguang and Yang Si, standing on the left and right, looked at each other occasionally after hearing these words, and then looked at Chu Hui with ambiguous expressions.

Ruzui wrapped her wide sleeves and spoke hesitantly, "Sir, how well do you know He Lang? I only knew him in the tent, so of course I wouldn't say anything nonsense. Besides, I have no intention of offending you. If you really knew He Yong, how could you have killed my wife based on him?"

Although he had no intention of offending, these words obviously could not help but offend Chu Hui. He pointed at Ruzui, his face flushed with anger, "You! You!"

Yang Si stepped forward slowly and spoke calmly, "You first said that you and He Yong were in love, and that he wanted to redeem you but had no news for a long time and came to look for him. Then you said that you knew there was a funeral in the military mansion and He Yong had killed someone and came to look for the news left behind. Should I say that the girl is affectionate and righteous, or that she is very courageous?"

Ruzui was so excited that she didn't expect that he was not at all fooled by her introduction.

"Tell me! What on earth are you doing here?"

As he questioned, the man behind him immediately drew his sword and stepped forward, placing the cold blade across the beauty's neck.

(End of this chapter)