Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 217 Father's Sharp Eyes

"Another matchmaker died?"

Haiyue and Yan Shifan entered the house, poured a cup of tea, and the other party couldn't wait to share: "Not bad, she's also a disciple of Madam Sheng. I only just found out that this matchmaker has three other disciples, all of whom are the best matchmakers in the capital!"

Haiyue was not surprised.

To become number one in the industry, besides one's own abilities, an intricate network of connections is indispensable. Since that Madam Sheng has such a great reputation in the capital, she couldn't possibly be fighting alone; she must have a group of people following her.

"So, the second matchmaker who was murdered was the apprentice of the first victim. Where did she die?"

"It's also a Sheng residence."

Yan Shifan said in a deep voice, "After Madam Sheng passed away, her three disciples gathered at the Sheng residence to make arrangements for her funeral. However, less than a day later, the second disciple, Madam Feng, also died! If one of them could have died suddenly from an illness or an accident, the fact that two of them died in the same residence in succession means something is definitely wrong!"

Haiyue nodded slightly and continued to ask, "At what time last night was Madam Sheng murdered?"

Yan Shifan shook his head: "I don't know. The Sheng family hasn't reported it to the authorities yet, so naturally no coroner has come to their door, and we can't determine the exact time of her death."

Haiyue asked curiously, "Since it wasn't reported to the authorities, how did Donglou find out?"

Yan Shifan laughed and said, "Mingwei, do you still remember that servant boy Alu in the examination hall?"

"Remember!"

Haiyue suddenly realized: "You were kidnapped by thieves, and this boy was the first to discover the letter and jade pendant, and informed Mr. Li, which in turn promptly notified the Shuntian Prefecture. Now he's working for you?"

Yan Shifan laughed and said, "Father said that now that I have passed the imperial examination, I can't do without someone to help me. I saw that he had a clever mind, so I recruited him."

Given his status, he wouldn't casually hire outsiders as his personal page, but he could easily find someone to run errands. Ah Lu worked at the examination hall and was well-informed, and he also had a good relationship with someone from the previous kidnapping case, so he could make the best use of everyone's talents.

"Ah Lu is quite efficient."

Yan Shifan was quite satisfied and explained the whole story: "He was worried that if we rejected Madam Sheng and looked for another matchmaker, Madam Sheng would be unwilling to give up and would secretly sabotage us. That's why he kept an eye on the Sheng residence. Who would have thought that there would be chaos at the Sheng residence this morning? Upon learning of this person's death, he rushed to report to me and then stayed outside. Around Shenshi (3-5 PM), we heard screams coming from the Sheng residence again. We learned from the servants that Madam Sheng's second disciple, Feng, had also died..."

Haiyue's gaze sharpened: "Around Shen Shi (3-5 PM)?"

It was 3 p.m., and yet another murder occurred in broad daylight.

Huh?
Why say "again"...

The death of Zhao Qilang of the Imperial Academy also occurred in broad daylight!
Haiyue glanced at Yan Shifan, but out of friendship, she didn't expose him and silently accepted the risk: "Where is Alu? I want to ask about the details!"

"I'll summon him right away!"

Before long, the thin and clever Alu, with a burn scar on his right eyebrow, appeared before him and bowed with a friendly yet respectful demeanor: "This humble servant greets Master Hai!"

Haiyue could tell that this person really wanted to follow Yan Shifan, and he had a good sense of propriety. She nodded and asked, "Have you been guarding outside the Sheng residence all day?"

A-Lu hurriedly replied, "I was here the whole time until they reported it to the authorities and the people from the Shuntian Prefecture came. Only then did I leave and come back to report to you, young master!"

Haiyue then asked, "When did Madam Sheng's three disciples arrive at the Sheng residence?"

Alu thought for a moment and said, "The first one is at the second quarter of the hour of Si (9-11 AM), the second one is around the end of the hour of Si (9-11 AM), and the last one is around the third quarter of the hour of Wu (11 AM-1 PM)."

The second quarter of the day is 10:30 AM, the last quarter of the day is 10:45 AM, and the third quarter of the day is 11:45 AM.

Since there are no clocks now, we can only rely on watchmen and the sun, which is bound to be inaccurate, but the difference won't be too great.

At least before noon.

Haiyue's gaze sharpened: "Madam Sheng was murdered last night. What time did the news spread this morning?"

"I don't know..."

A-Lu scratched his head: "When I arrived at the Sheng residence at Chenshi (7-9 AM), it was already in complete chaos. I learned from a maid that Madam Sheng had passed away last night. I don't know if she had already sent someone to inform those three..."

Chen Shi is seven o'clock in the morning. Hai Yue will be lenient for now and say it was before seven o'clock. She said indifferently, "So after confirming the death of her master, Madam Sheng's servants went out to inform people before Chen Shi. Then, the three disciples gathered at the Sheng residence before noon?"

Yan Shifan, who was listening nearby, also let out a soft exclamation: "Aren't these three disciples arriving a bit too quickly?"

Lady Sheng, the silk-pulling lady, had three disciples who were all matchmakers in the capital. Upon learning of their mentor's sudden death, they were sure to come to pay their respects. However, considering the time lag in information dissemination and the long journey to and from the capital, their gathering seemed rather hasty.

"It's not just fast!"

A deep voice came from outside: "Even among disciples, there are degrees of closeness. Under normal circumstances, we should invite the most prestigious senior disciple or the most favored closed-door disciple to take charge of the situation, and then gather the rest of the people..."

"Father!" "Uncle!"

Seeing Haihao walk in, Haiyue stood up, and Yan Shifan also hurriedly bowed.

Hai Hao waved his hand: "I just heard about it from Master Fan. Lady Qian Si was murdered. When I saw her the day before yesterday, she had a rosy complexion and was full of energy. If she really died suddenly, it wouldn't be from illness. She must have been poisoned!" Yan Shifan asked in surprise: "Who would be so vicious? Madam Sheng is just a matchmaker!"

Hai Hao said calmly, "With the three tests, nine questions, and eighteen phases, she's no longer a simple matchmaker. She's dealing with powerful and influential people in the capital. Even if she keeps her mouth shut, what if others don't believe her?"

Yan Shifan was startled.

She had originally intended to ask the other party to act as matchmaker, but now she thought, this person knew both sides of the marriage so thoroughly. What if he had investigated Xiaoqin, Xiaofeng, Yun Shaochurou, and even the near-miss with Xia Qingwu, all of which were clearly known to him?

It didn't seem like a big deal. Yan Shifan didn't think anything of it, but he also knew that there were many shady things among the powerful and influential people in the capital. If Madam Sheng really knew too much, she could easily be silenced.

Haiyue then asked, "Since there is a difference in closeness, how were the three disciples able to gather at the Sheng residence so quickly?"

Hai Hao said, "I guess these three disciples all have spies within the sect. As soon as Lady Qian Si died, their spies immediately went to report, which is why they set off in such a hurry."

Haiyue nodded secretly.

He had the same idea, just not in such a colloquial way, but the underlying principle was the same.

Yan Shifan raised an eyebrow: "So, these three disciples are fighting over Madam Sheng's belongings?"

When their master suddenly passed away, the three disciples rushed to his home immediately. Besides the deep bond between master and disciples, the only thing that deserved their attention were the belongings left behind by their master.

The motive for the second disciple's death has also been revealed, and it must be related to his belongings.

After this analysis, everything became clear, and Yan Shifan felt relieved: "People die for money, birds die for food. This case is not difficult to solve, as long as it doesn't cause panic among the matchmakers and affect Mingwei's marriage!"

Taking the opportunity, Ah Lu said, "I will keep an eye on the Sheng residence. Once there is any news, I will report to you gentlemen!"

Yan Shifan nodded approvingly and kindly reminded him, "Be careful!"

"okay!"

After Alu left, Yan Shifan chatted for a few minutes before leaving before curfew. After seeing him off, Haiyue returned to the house and saw Haihao open a jar of wine and pour a bowl for each of them.

Haiyue didn't refuse and picked up the bowl directly: "After I get drunk, I'll have my mother take care of me!"

"Then you shouldn't drink it..."

Haihao quickly stopped him, muttering, "Such a poor alcohol tolerance, I wonder who he takes after?"

Haiyue laughed and said, "My second brother used to beat people a lot when he was a child, my fourth brother was born with a weak constitution, and I can't hold my liquor. We are all the nine sons of the dragon, and we are all different. Why do we have to be exactly the same?"

"That's all!"

Hai Hao didn't argue with the second-ranked scholar of the court, nor did he use his status as a father to suppress him. He went straight to the point: "Don't you have anything to say about Lady Qiansi's matter? Weren't you bothering us with all sorts of questions before?"

Since her parents came to the capital, Haiyue had indeed asked Master Fan about the Jianwen secret treasure several times, but she had been cleverly evaded each time. Now that the other party had brought it up on her own initiative, she would not hold back: "I do have a lot of questions, and I hope Father will teach me!"

"Aren't you investigating that Li Yuan Society?"

Hai Hao said in a deep voice, "That sounds pretty impressive. They even dared to harm the emperor. Your mother is worried about you and asked me to investigate!"

Haiyue's eyes widened slightly: "Could it be that this Madam Sheng is also a member of the Liyuan Society?"

Haihao shook his head: "No."

Haiyue: "..."

Then why did you set up Li Yuan Society in the beginning?
In fact, when Haiyue heard that her father had been having a good talk with Madam Sheng, but suddenly withdrew and left, not wanting her to act as matchmaker, she began to doubt the identity of the top official matchmaker in the capital.

The members of the Liyuan Society considered it first, but then felt it didn't quite seem right.

Because this Lady Qiansi doesn't really fit the style of Liyuan Society.

For example, Zhou Shi'an, a veteran official in the Ministry of Justice, was completely unknown outside the Ministry. Only people like him could become "Jingmu Han" among the Twenty-Eight Mansions, continuously supplying talent to the Liyuan Society.

Or perhaps it was Sun Niangzi, the "Winged Fire Serpent" from Yunshui, who was once extremely popular and the most beautiful woman in the world. After her appearance was ruined and strangers were forbidden from entering, she was able to secretly study the White Tiger Star Pill, preparing to use poppy drugs to control others.

Looking at Shen Jinghong and Xia Qingwu, they are famous talented women in the capital. Such people seem to be able to get close to the core of the powerful and wealthy, but they are still one level short. If we suspect them according to this range, there are too many suspicious targets.

But Madam Sheng is too high-profile. She's the top official matchmaker in the capital, but ordinary people can't afford to hire her. She serves the powerful and wealthy in the capital, coming and going from the inner quarters of grand mansions. If she were a member of the Li Yuan Society, intelligence gathering would indeed be convenient. But the fact that the Embroidered Uniform Guard hasn't investigated her yet is simply too useless...

So Haiyue didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Father, have you found out what Madam Sheng's background is?"

"Of course! Your old man has sharp eyes too!"

Hai Hao downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp, chuckled, and gave an unexpected yet perfectly logical answer: "This Lady Qiansi works for the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

(End of this chapter)