I am imprisoned in Kaifeng Mansion
Chapter 37
The night wind was blowing gently, and the black gauze fell down with the hat. This man showed a pair of peach blossom eyes, and his long eyebrows were like willows. When he looked at her, there was an excited smile in his eyes, which was a bit scorching, as if he was very affectionate.Inexplicably, Cui Tao's heart twitched suddenly, and there was a hint of emotion that seemed to burst out, but there was no way out.
"Ms. Cui!" Zhang Chang's loud voice suddenly came from behind, and then he shouted again, "Liu Lang, Mrs. Cui is indeed here."
Rokuro?Han Qi is here?
Cui Tao and Wang Siniang both turned their heads and saw Han Qi in a red brocade official robe, carrying a lantern, walking slowly from a distant street.
Cui Tao didn't expect to meet Han Qi here, but it just so happened that Han Qi could help her see the man she met just now.Cui Tao turned her head to look at the man just now, but found that he was gone.
She ran forward a few steps in a hurry, and found that there were forks on the left and right sides of the road, but she didn't know which way the man took.
Cui Tao asked Wang Siniang and Zhang Chang if they could see which way the man was going.
"Who?" Zhang Chang asked puzzled.
Wang Siniang looked around, scratched her head when she saw no one, and sighed in surprise: "Yes, why is there no one? He was here just now."
"Who is it?" Han Qi approached and asked.
"Just now I met a very good-looking young man—"
Cui Tao immediately stabbed Wang Siniang in the back with her hand, and Wang Siniang shut up immediately, and obediently said nothing more.
Han Qi's gaze shifted from Wang Siniang to Cui Tao.
Cui Tao: "It seems that he was asking for directions, but he didn't have time to say anything. When you came, he was scared away."
Zhang Chang couldn't help laughing, "Since it's asking for directions, it's not something shameful, so why did you scare us away when you saw us coming?"
"It must be because of Han Tui's official uniform that he felt scared." Cui Tao speculated.
Ordinary people will humbly avoid officials when they see officials.Now that person was about to talk to Mrs. Cui, and suddenly seeing an official came to her, it is normal for him to be afraid of running away.
Zhang Chang felt that it was reasonable, so he didn't say anything else, he only said to Cui Tao and Wang Siniang: "You two came out secretly, but it makes people worry."
"Just to come out to watch the excitement. There are so many girls on the street going out, why can't we?" Wang Siniang asked puzzled.
"It's okay to come out seriously, but it's not okay to sneak out. Didn't Mrs. Cui forget about the assassin last time?"
What Zhang Chang said now was actually speaking for his master.If they come out normally, there will naturally be someone in Kaifeng Mansion secretly following to protect Cui Tao's safety.But if they came out secretly, no one would protect them.
"It's because we didn't think carefully." Cui Tao obediently admitted his mistake.After all, she was out of concern, but it was quite surprising that Han Qi came to find her in person just because she sneaked out.
"Did Officer Han come to find me on purpose?" Cui Tao looked at Han Qi with sparkling eyes.
"Liu Lang went to Guangxian Building to meet friends." Zhang Chang explained.
"Oh, it turned out to be on the way, so we'll go back first. Please don't worry, Officer Han Tui, we will pay attention to safety." Cui Tao saluted and said goodbye to Han Qi, and pulled Wang Siniang away quickly.
Wang Siniang asked Cui Tao in puzzlement, "Why did you hide what happened just now from Han? The gentleman knew Mrs. Cui at a glance, and he called Mrs. Cui Taozi. Maybe she knew about Mrs. Cui's past, and things that she didn't remember before. It's all clear."
"Didn't you see that he ran away as soon as Official Han appeared? Since he is hiding from Official Han, if you want to count on him to show up next time, you should not let Official Han know for the time being." Cui Tao told Wang Siniang to keep his mouth shut. If she dared to disclose this matter, she would never have any friendship in the future.
Wang Siniang asked excitedly: "Then we have a relationship now?" In view of the previous drink, Cui Tao also rejected her "died in the same year, same month, same day".
"No, but for now you can still eat the food I cook." Cui Tao said.
Wang Siniang understood that if she talked nonsense, it would have nothing to do with eating, it was really scary.Wang Siniang pinched her mouth immediately, and assured Cui Tao that she would never spit out a word indiscriminately.
Zhang Chang followed Han Qi to the front of Guangxian Building, he stopped to wait for his master to enter, but saw Han Qi slowly walking past Guangxian Building.
Zhang Chang was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Isn't Liu Lang going?"
Without stopping, he obviously gave Zhang Chang the answer.
……
Two days later, the Kaifeng Mansion held a public trial for Tao Gao. Many people from Xinghua Lane came to watch him. When they saw him being escorted up, the people cursed Tao Gao one after another. The mind is vicious'.
Tao Gao was originally kneeling in the middle of the courtroom with his head down listlessly, but suddenly he turned his head when he heard these words, his hair was in a messy bun, covering most of his face, his eyes were staring fiercely like hungry wolves, It seemed as if he wanted to swallow everyone in his stomach, but it shocked the people watching the excitement outside the hall.
"How about being small? If you are small, you can't think evil, so you can't kill people? Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, you are only allowed to do it when you grow up? A bunch of idiots, look at my long piss Look down on me, but in the end, they all died in my hands. So stupid that I only know how to cry, unable to struggle haha!" Tao Gao said and laughed twice.
When the people heard this, they were so angry that they wanted to scold Tao Gao, and then a gavel suddenly sounded, and everyone fell silent.You must watch, and wait for the beast to be separated under the dog's head to relieve your anger.
The document first recited the crimes committed by Tao Gao, which was so long that it took nearly an incense stick of time.
Han Qi then spoke quietly and asked Tao Gao to confess to these crimes.
Tao Gao lowered his head, clutched the skirt of his clothes tightly, and didn't say a word.
Seeing this, Li Yuan scolded him: "Officer Han Tui asked you something, are you pleading guilty?"
Tao Gao was still silent.
Li Yuan raised his stick and stabbed at Tao Gao, wanting to see if he was awake.
"a ha ha ha--"
Tao Gao's body was thrown to the side by the poke, and he suddenly burst out laughing.
Everyone present felt that he was insane.The onlookers murmured and pointed at Tao Gao. Most of them were frightened by Tao Gao's appearance, and lamented that he was possessed by a demon.Otherwise, how can such a small person, who looks so cute, kill people without blinking an eye?Besides, when a normal murderer comes to this court, there is no one who is not afraid. Aren't they all responding with trepidation and honestly answering the officials' questions? There is no one as rampant as him.
A few people were timid, and even took a few steps back, telling everyone to stay away, lest the monster get out of Tao Gao and possess them.
"If you have nothing to say, you don't have to say it. If you don't plead guilty, you don't have to plead guilty. However, you are not guilty of the crime. The result of today's trial will definitely be executed." When Han Qi was about to throw lots, Tao Gao suddenly spoke.
"I don't admit this crime!"
Tao Gao shouted loudly and confidently, and for a moment everyone thought that Tao Gao might have been wronged.But after thinking about it, the yamen has solid evidence for everything he did, and he was captured on the spot in the tomb underground in Xinghua Lane. In any case, it is impossible for him to have any grievances.
This is so true, even a murderous demon has the face to call for grievances, it's too shameless!
"What grievance do you have?" Han Qi was patient, and after hearing Tao Gao's words, he took advantage of the opportunity to ask him.
At this moment, Cui Tao was standing behind the common people, and joined in the fun to watch.Hearing Han Qi's words, she suddenly remembered the moment when she first came back to stand trial, and Han Qi also asked her why she had grievances.That's what he asked, but at that time he was very ruthless and almost cut her off.
Cui Tao then looked at Han Qi who was sitting at the head of the court. The vermilion official robe showed a good look, and the face on him was like a crown jade, which was astonishing and elegant. The huge blue sky and red sun picture behind him made people Set off as if like a god.
"Oooooooo-"
A small voice came from the side, and he had to cover his mouth to control his volume because of excitement.
Cui Tao turned her head and saw three women gathered together, all covering their mouths and looking in the direction of the court.Naturally, it wasn't Tao Gao, the prisoner under trial, but Han Qi who was always looking at the leader.
The three of them noticed that Cui Tao was looking at them, and they knew each other well, so they leaned over and asked if Cui Tao also came to see Han Tuiguan.
"Come to watch the trial." Cui Tao said.
"Little lady, don't be polite to us. I saw it just now. You have been staring at Han Tuiguan's face. In fact, we are also here to see, let's come together!" Among the three, a tall young woman said cheerfully. Said to Cui Tao.
Cui Tao didn't want to talk to them to distract attention, so she nodded casually, "Then don't talk, let's watch!"
"Yes, yes, look quickly, there are not many opportunities for a public trial like this." The three became excited again, and continued to look inside.
Tao Gao had already opened his mouth to explain why he pleaded not guilty.
"God is not fair, why do we have to grow up like this, but you are tall and big. We are human beings, but we want to be ridiculed by you because we look like children.
Is it wrong not to accept fate?Is it wrong for me to take back what God owes us to the Tao family?My father gave up his life for this, I can't let him down, I can't let him down!One step away, one step away!Wait another three years, and the curse on our Tao family will be broken.Why?Why do you people who already have everything stand in my way! "
Tao Gao hated it so much that he clenched his hands into fists and frequently hit the ground to vent his emotions.But his crazy appearance still looks like an ignorant child throwing a temper tantrum.
Perhaps it was because of his appearance that the onlookers somewhat understood how painful Tao Gao's resentment for "not growing up" was.Of course, this cannot be said to be a reason for him to kill, and everyone will understand and forgive him.It's just that everyone understood to some extent that he was not possessed by any demon. He killed people because he was unwilling to be a child who would never grow up and be ridiculed by others.
"Tao Jiuzhang committed suicide?"
Han Qi had suspected Tao Jiuzhang's death to some extent before, and the timing was too coincidental. He died just after Xinghua Lane was rebuilt and everything was arranged.
"The "Ni Ming Jing" says that a husband and wife must sacrifice to their closest relatives, and 12 years is a reincarnation, and then they can reversibly order the descendants to break the curse. , it is difficult to have an heir, so he made his own decisions, and when I was out that day, he left a letter, and he-"
When Tao Gao said this, his eyes were red, and tears rolled down one after another.
"How can I fail him, how can I fail him..."
Tao Gao kept repeating this sentence, as if dazed.He lowered his head, his small body clenched together, trembling.
Everyone present stopped talking and looked at Tao Gao quietly.They were probably all shocked by the fact that Tao Gao's father Tao Jiuzhang committed suicide to break the curse.It is wrong to kill people to break the curse, but the sacrifices made by the father so that future generations will not have to bear these things are also regrettable and uncomfortable.
"So in order to break the curse and live up to your father, you plan to take the lives of eight innocent couples in 12 years and use them as unnecessary sacrifices?" Han Qi asked.
"A pointless sacrifice?" Tao Gao raised his head abruptly. Of course, he totally disagreed with Han Qi's statement. He felt that what he was doing could not be more meaningful.
"This book was written by a man named Li Xi in the first dynasty. He claimed to be the apprentice of Li Chunfeng's descendants. He bluffed and deceived for many years, and was arrested by the Wanqiu County government and sentenced to death. Today, in the county annals of Wanqiu County, Chenzhou, it is still acceptable. Find relevant records." After Han Qi finished speaking, he dropped the county chronicles on the table to the ground.
"No...no...I don't believe it! This book was written by an expert, and my father specially bought it from a Taoist priest named Mingde at a huge price!"
Tao Gao hurriedly crawled over on his knees, shaking his hands to look through the county annals, and sure enough, he found a man named Li Xi in the folded pages.Tao Gaozai read the above description carefully, and kept shaking his head to deny it, but his eyes had already revealed the fact that he chose to believe the content of the county annals.
Tao Gao and Tao Jiuzhang have always believed in the "Ni Ming Jing" as a treasure, which was written by a person named Li Xi.At that time, a Taoist priest of Mingde told them that this secretary was written by Li Xi, an apprentice who had received the true biography of Li Chunfeng.His father also carefully checked the paper used in this book, and it was indeed from the Tang Dynasty, so he believed it.But I didn't expect that Li Xi was not Li Chunfeng's apprentice at all, but a bluffing liar!
Then his father's death, those people he killed...wouldn't it all be in vain!
Tao Gao was like a dead man whose life had been sucked out, lying on the ground, staring blankly ahead, without focus, crying and laughing for a while, chanting the impossible countless times in his mouth.
The crowd watching did not expect such a reversal, and they couldn't help sighing that this matter was too ironic.It seemed to be a big joke, but none of the jokes came at the cost of sacrificing the lives of the father and the six couples.
"It's for nothing, Daddy died for nothing!" Tao Gao regained his composure, and cried loudly on the ground, "Without that book, our father and son will still be fine until now! Daoist Mingde... I If you go to hell and become a ghost, you will be killed!"
"It's so pitiful, if it wasn't for being deceived, it wouldn't be..." Among the people watching, there were indeed some people who felt that Tao Gao and his son were pitiful. If they hadn't been deceived by some virtuous Taoist priest, they wouldn't be where they are today.
"If it wasn't for the sinister heart, how could you give me a reason to kill? It's hard to forgive such evil!"
Han Qi tossed the ordering lottery and ordered to be executed.
The people all applauded.
Cui Tao withdrew from the crowd at this time, and she had to go around the back door of Kaifeng Mansion to go back.After walking for a short distance, Cui Tao felt as if someone was following her behind her. When she looked back, she saw normal vehicles and horses passing by on the street, nothing unusual.
When Cui Tao turned back to the deserted courtyard where she lived, she saw Zhang Changzheng standing at the gate of the courtyard with a cloth bag.
"Come to see me? Why don't you go in and wait?" When Cui Tao asked, Wang Siniang and Ping'er were bickering in the yard.
"It's better here." Zhang Chang handed the cloth bag in his hand to Cui Tao, "Clothes."
Cui Tao took it over in confusion, "Okay, why did you suddenly give me clothes?"
"Liu Lang said that Mrs. Cui would wear these for convenience when handling cases."
Cui Tao agreed to let Zhang Chang thank Han Qi on her behalf.
"The only way to be sincere is to thank yourself." Zhang Chang directly rejected Cui Tao.
Cui Tao held the cloth bag in her arms, looked at Zhang Chang with wide eyes wonderingly, and asked him: "Did I do something wrong recently to offend you? Why do I always feel that you are against me?"
Zhang Chang's face was instantly embarrassed, and he glanced back at Cui Tao, saying that she was overthinking.
"Whether you want to go or not, I will wait for you here." Zhang Chang urged.
Cui Tao was stunned for a moment, she didn't expect that Zhang Chang's thank you was now.
"Okay, wait for me to send the things back."
When Cui Tao came out again, she came out with a plate of jujube hooped lotus leaf cakes. On the plate was a piece of bright green lotus leaf, and on the lotus leaf were six pieces of delicate snacks, which were arranged together, just like a flower The shape of the dim sum is bright green in the center, and then yellowish-white on the outside, and a circle of candied dates is embedded on the outermost edge.
"Your dim sum is exquisite and beautiful, not worse than those in the palace." Zhang Chang couldn't help but praised.
Cui Tao raised her eyebrows in surprise, and gave Zhang Chang an exaggerated look, "It's rare that you still have the time to speak nicely."
"Why do I speak badly, I'm—" Zhang Chang almost lost his mouth, shut up, and only led the way.
When they got to the door, Cui Tao heard voices in the room and knew who Han Qi was seeing, so she winked at Zhang Chang, "How about I come back later?"
"No, just go in with me, wait for them to finish talking." Zhang Chang then quietly pushed open the door, the voice came from the east side, and the two walked in lightly.Cui Tao put the snacks on Han Qi's daily work desk, and then walked to the corner of the north window to wait.
After a while, that guest got up to say goodbye to Han Qi, with a big smile on his face, he seemed to be having a good chat with Han Qi, and patted Han Qi on the shoulder when he left.Han Qi also laughed.
Cui Tao vaguely felt that the male voice was a little familiar. She seemed to have heard it somewhere, and the more she thought about it, the more she looked like the man with moles on his fingers she met in Washe last night...
Cui Tao took a few steps forward to see the man coming out from the east room.Nearly young and weak, with long eyebrows like willows, and a smooth face, especially those eyes, which glow like peach blossoms when he smiles, and his beauty is compelling, exactly the same as the man she met last night.
She originally thought that the man was afraid of seeing Han Qi and his status as an official.But now they didn't expect that he actually knew Han Qi and even came to him.
When Han Qi came out with Han Zong, he saw Cui Tao standing in the middle of the room, staring straight at Han Zong.
When Han Zong noticed Cui Tao staring at him, he was stunned for a moment, then turned to ask Han Qi with a smile.
"Who is this?"
"The doctor in the mansion." Han Qi said.
"I didn't expect the young lady to be so promising at such a young age. Disrespect." Han Zong cupped his hands and nodded politely to Cui Tao.
Cui Tao's eyes fell on his right index finger, but he saw that his index finger was wrapped in gauze.
Seeing that Cui Tao was staring at him, Han Zong smiled awkwardly, then turned his head to look at Han Qi doubtfully again.
"Come over to see the ceremony." Han Qi said softly.
After Cui Tao came back to her senses, she immediately walked over to greet her.Hearing that this person was also surnamed Han, Cui Tao guessed that he might be Han Qi's brother. If he wasn't a biological brother, he might also be a cousin or something, the kind who grew up together since childhood, otherwise they wouldn't be so close Warm and familiar.
Cui Tao had a lot of thoughts in her head, but she didn't show it on her face, she just asked Han Zong with a smile: "What's wrong with Han Langjun's hand?"
Han Zong was stunned for a moment, then sighed, "I'm clumsy, I burned the tea yesterday."
"I have an excellent burn ointment. If Han Langjun doesn't mind, you can apply it? Make sure it will be ready the next day after applying it." Cui Tao didn't have such a magical burn ointment at all. She just wanted to verify whether Han Zong's fingers were There are moles.
Han Zong was stunned for a moment, then laughed awkwardly, thanking him and saying no.
"It's just a minor injury, it's not worth being such a good medicine, it should be used when it's more urgent."
"Han Langjun is too polite. Since you are a guest of Han Tuiguan, you are naturally an important person, and the injury of an important person is naturally important." Cui Tao still refused to let it go.
"This—" Han Zong looked at Han Qi with a helpless smile.
Han Qi called Cui Tao in a low voice, ordering her to go to the east room to clean up the teacups.
Cui Tao also knew that what she said was a little offensive, so she had no choice but to go.
When Cui Tao put all the empty tea bowls on the table into the tray, Han Qi came back.
"Han Tuiguan."
Cui Tao lowered her eyes, shouted politely, and planned to leave with the tray.
"What's going on?" Han Qi asked.
Cui Tao didn't say a word, not because she didn't want to say it, but because she was worried that this person had a close relationship with Han Qi, so she should avoid suspicion, and it would be more appropriate to turn around and check from the side.
"You know Han Zong, Han Zhongwen?" Han Qi intentionally said all of Han Zong's name and characters.
Cui Tao was stunned for a moment, and only then realized after hearing Han Qi address that person, "Aren't you brothers?"
"There are so many people surnamed Han in this world, all of them are brothers? There are still five people surnamed Cui in the prison of Kaifeng Mansion. Do you want to recognize your brother and your uncle?" Han Qi asked rhetorically.
Cui Tao chuckled, and cupped her hands in admiration to Han Qi: "Officer Han is worthy of being an official Han. He is dedicated to his duties and works hard. Even several prisoners in the prison know the surname Cui. I'm afraid that even the head of the prison may not know about this matter." Clear! Really admirable!"
"Stop talking nonsense." Han Qi lifted up his robe, sat down, and stared at Cui Tao with a serious face.
"That," Cui Tao put down the things in his hands, moved closer to Han Qi, and stared at the mole on his right index finger, "Is there a mole on Han Tuiguan's finger since he was a child?"
"It was born that way."
Following Cui Tao's gaze, Han Qi also looked at the mole on his hand.Then he remembered that Cui Tao had told him when he was in prison that the murderer was a person with a mole on his right index finger, and the situation happened to match him.At that time, he thought that Cui Tao was either suffering from memory confusion, seeing the mole on his hand and misremembering it; or he was playing some tricks with half truth and half falsehood.
Later, after the case of Meng Da and his wife proved that the murderer was Aunt Qiu, they didn't go into the matter further, only thinking that the former was the cause, Cui Tao's memory confusion caused by amnesia.
Now that the old matter is brought up again, Han Qifang realizes that Cui Tao has always cared about this mole.
He didn't think it was something that Cui Tao had been thinking about for so long, it would be a wild idea.As smart as she is, if it wasn't for something unreasonable, she would have left it behind long ago, and would not keep it to this day.
Han Qi asked Cui Tao what kind of memory he had about this mole.
"I don't remember very clearly. There is only a blurry picture. The figure of that person is like that of Han Tuiguan. There is a pool of red on his chest, which seems to be stained with blood. When he stretched out his hand to me, there was a trace of Han Tui on his fingers." He said to me, "Tao Zi, wait for me when I come back." After Cui Tao described it, he asked Han Qi if Han Zong had the same mole on his index finger.
"I've never seen it before." Han Qi immediately denied it, and then briefly introduced Cui Tao's relationship with Han Zong.
Although they share the same surname Han, they are not related. Han Qi is one year older than Han Zong.Han Zong's father and Han Qi's father were old friends. When Han Qi lived in his eldest brother's house to study when he was young, he was often taken care of by Han Zong's father and had frequent contacts with Han Zong. The two played together since childhood.Later, when Han Qi was 14 years old, he went back to Quanzhou with his second brother for a temporary stay, and never saw Han Zong again.Today is the first day of their reunion after not seeing each other for many years.
Cui Tao still looked down at the mole on Han Qi's hand without blinking.
"Since it's in your memory and you don't remember that person's face, how can you doubt Han Zong?" Han Qi always grasped the point when asking questions.
Cui Tao immediately coughed, scratched her head, then smiled and asked Han Qi to wait.
Han Qi thought she had some important evidence to show him, but when he turned around, he saw Cui Tao smilingly holding a plate of snacks in front of him.
"Thank you, official Han, for sending me the clothes." Cui Tao smiled and asked Han Qi to try her jujube hoop lotus leaf cake.
"If you work for the government office, the clothes should be regarded as official clothes, so there is no need to thank you." Han Qi said.
"I just measured it, and the size is just right." Cui Tao said happily.
Han Qi coughed lightly, then picked up a piece of dim sum and put it in his mouth. It had the fragrance of lotus leaves and a dense texture.The dim sum has two colors, the green part has the aroma of mung bean, and the taste is sweet; the white part has the taste of sour pear;
Cui Tao looked at Han Qi's gentle way of eating, and sighed, "I forgot, this dessert is not suitable for Han Tuiguan to eat."
Han Qi wanted to say that the taste was good, but when he heard Cui Tao say this, he asked her why.
"The beauty is that you have to put a whole piece into your mouth. The sweet and sour and the fragrance are mixed together to taste it perfectly." Cui Tao explained, then looked at Han Qi expectantly with raised eyebrows, intending to let him try it. one time.
Han Qi glanced at Cui Tao, took another piece, but still brought it to his mouth gracefully, and ate it bit by bit.
"That's good."
"Okay." Cui Tao couldn't force Han Qi to eat dim sum.
"Answer my previous question." After Han Qi tasted the second piece of dim sum, he didn't forget the part that Cui Tao deliberately changed the topic before.
Cui Tao: "..."
Cui Tao scratched her head, then touched her nose, thinking that if she explained what happened last night, Han Qi would definitely notice that she was deceiving him intentionally.This is not conducive to maintaining a good subordinate-subordinate relationship.
"If you don't tell me, then I don't know what's wrong with that man last night?" Han Qi saw that Cui Tao made a lot of tricks, but he didn't answer his words, so he had half a guess in his heart.
"Han pushes the official wisely!"
Cui Tao had no choice but to tell Han Qi what happened to her last night, and explained to Han Qi why she kept it from him.
"I really didn't intend to lie to Official Han, I just wanted to find out who it was when he came to me again, and then tell Official Han, otherwise there would be nothing to say!"
"It doesn't make sense. If this person is Han Zong, he deliberately avoided me last night. Why did he come to me today? If he really wants to avoid, he doesn't have to come. Of course, no one cares about the hand injury."
"That's right." Cui Tao hooked her index finger, but she couldn't understand what was going on, and her mind was full of question marks.
This mysterious operation is so confusing that people can't even figure it out.
And there is another very important point, Han Qi said that Han Zong had no moles on his fingers before.If that person is really Han Zong, why did he suddenly grow another one later?Moreover, the location of her appearance is exactly the same as that of Han Qi, which is too weird.
Cui Tao suddenly thought of an explanation, "Could he still have a twin brother?"
"Never heard of it." Han Qi said.
Cui Tao leaned over again, staring at the mole on Han Qi's hand, getting closer and closer.If someone pushed Cui Tao from behind, she would probably plunge into Han Qi's arms.
Han Qi frowned slightly, and looked down at the top of Cui Tao's hair. The roots of her hair were distinct, the luster was natural, and it was refreshing. There was also a faint fragrance on her body. It was hard to tell what the smell was, like flowers and woods Fragrance, in short, it smells very good.
"I still think this mole is in this position, so it can't be such a coincidence." The memory picture is blurry, and the light was dim last night, but Cui Tao always felt that the mole on Han Qi's hand was the same as that on the man's hand. The ones are a bit different, although they are all moles, they are all in the same position.
"You think it has something to do with me?" Han Qi asked.
"If I say yes, the official Han will not be angry, right?" Cui Tao glanced sideways at Han Qi, only to realize that she was too close, and hurriedly retracted her head.
"No," Han Qi covered the mole with his thumb, "it must have nothing to do with me."
Cui Tao curled her mouth, "That's not necessarily the case, don't talk too much, no one knows what will happen in the future."
Han Qi chuckled, looked at Cui Tao and said, "Then tell me to see how your past has anything to do with me."
Han Qi was very sure that he had never met Cui Tao before he came to Kaifeng Mansion to interrogate Cui Tao.Not to mention her, even the entire Bolingcui family, he has never had any contact with them.
"I'm calling you Tao Zi, so I know you very well." Han Qi suddenly said again.
Cui Tao was stunned for a moment, and she also understood what the name "Taozi" meant. She must be someone close to her who has a very good relationship with her.
Han Zong and the man from last night have similar eyes, similar body shape, and similar voice, but the index finger is injured... It seems that there is no such coincidence.
Although there is no clear evidence to prove that Han Zong is that person, Cui Tao has already determined that Han Zong is that person based on his feeling and this series of coincidences.She believed in her own feelings, so she shouldn't be wrong.
Han Zong, like Han Qi, is a son of aristocrats from an official family.If she had been hijacked and got involved with Di Zang Pavilion, she would have been in trouble.But how did he meet Han Zong, the son of the aristocratic family?
First of all, elopement may be negated.When Cui Zhi and Cui Tao went to worship Buddha in Qingfu Temple, Cui Tao sincerely begged Buddha to bless her marriage with Lu Gongbi, and also offered all her jewelry and money savings.How can anyone who elopes resist not bringing his own money?Moreover, she is the daughter of a boudoir in Cui's family, and she lives in seclusion, so she must have never had any contact with Han Zong.The two of them didn't know each other, and it was impossible for them to engage in the operation of elopement at that time.
Why is Cui Tao sure that she didn't know Han Zong three years ago?Because of Lu Gongbi.If she really had the possibility of elopement with someone, Lu Gongbi would have known about the situation, and would have been unable to help but speak out and ridicule her.
"Oh, I'm such a mysterious woman." Cui Tao put her chin in her hand and sighed, reached out and took a piece of jujube lotus cake, swallowed it whole, and ate it with puffed cheeks.
"Let's go and see, if he is really the person you said, since he dares to come to Kaifeng mansion to look for me now, he will definitely do something else in the future." Han Qi's eyes were sharp, "It's unknown if Han Zong has a relationship with Dizang Pavilion .”
"It makes sense!" Cui Tao covered her mouth, agreed with slurred words, and praised Han Qi's good thinking, "Di Zang Pavilion deliberately came to provoke me and wanted to deal with me. Don't forget to send someone to protect me, Tuiguan Han!"
After Cui Tao shouted, she reached out to take a piece of snack and put it in her mouth to eat.
Han Qi got up suddenly and went outside.
Cui Tao hurriedly finished what was in her mouth, and followed suit.After walking out, he saw Han Qi was pouring tea, but he didn't drink the cup of tea, but put it on the table.
Han Qi turned to sit down behind the case, and began to look through the files on his desk.
Cui Tao understood that Han Qi poured the tea for her.
This is really a big improvement, no wontons, porridge and dim sum are free!
Cui Tao happily picked up the cup of tea, and thanked Han Qi sweetly.
Han Qi lowered his eyes to concentrate on reviewing the things in front of him, and did not agree to Cui Tao.Cui Tao didn't care about that, and after sitting at the table and drinking the tea in one gulp, she said goodbye to Han Qi in a low voice.Quietly exit the door, and quietly close the door.
Zhang Changzheng was guarding the door, and when he saw Cui Tao coming out, he took a step back to make way for Cui Tao.
Cui Tao hooked Zhang Chang's finger, and led him to go a little further, before asking Zhang Chang, "Did Officer Han Tui tell you anything about me recently?"
"Why ask this?"
"I want to know where I am not doing enough, so I can work hard to correct it." Cui Tao immediately explained.
"No." Zhang Chang said immediately.
"Then has he praised me?" Cui Tao asked tentatively.
Zhang Chang glanced at Cui Tao coldly, and continued: "No."
"Okay." Cui Tao felt that she might be thinking too much. Her "boundless charm" might work well with most men, but it might be a bit difficult for Han Qi. This man sees too clearly and is too smart. Pass.Sometimes people who are too smart can't understand their feelings, because it seems to them that such a thing as a man and a woman falling in love is too irrational and illogical, a bit like doing stupid things and committing stupidity.
Cui Tao walked back leisurely to her small courtyard, and Wang Siniang mysteriously stuffed her a letter.
"Where did it come from?"
"Someone asked me to go out just now, and entrusted me to deliver this letter to you, and don't tell anyone else."
Cui Tao opened the letter, and immediately glanced at the inscription at the end of the letter: Zhong Wen.
"Ms. Cui!" Zhang Chang's loud voice suddenly came from behind, and then he shouted again, "Liu Lang, Mrs. Cui is indeed here."
Rokuro?Han Qi is here?
Cui Tao and Wang Siniang both turned their heads and saw Han Qi in a red brocade official robe, carrying a lantern, walking slowly from a distant street.
Cui Tao didn't expect to meet Han Qi here, but it just so happened that Han Qi could help her see the man she met just now.Cui Tao turned her head to look at the man just now, but found that he was gone.
She ran forward a few steps in a hurry, and found that there were forks on the left and right sides of the road, but she didn't know which way the man took.
Cui Tao asked Wang Siniang and Zhang Chang if they could see which way the man was going.
"Who?" Zhang Chang asked puzzled.
Wang Siniang looked around, scratched her head when she saw no one, and sighed in surprise: "Yes, why is there no one? He was here just now."
"Who is it?" Han Qi approached and asked.
"Just now I met a very good-looking young man—"
Cui Tao immediately stabbed Wang Siniang in the back with her hand, and Wang Siniang shut up immediately, and obediently said nothing more.
Han Qi's gaze shifted from Wang Siniang to Cui Tao.
Cui Tao: "It seems that he was asking for directions, but he didn't have time to say anything. When you came, he was scared away."
Zhang Chang couldn't help laughing, "Since it's asking for directions, it's not something shameful, so why did you scare us away when you saw us coming?"
"It must be because of Han Tui's official uniform that he felt scared." Cui Tao speculated.
Ordinary people will humbly avoid officials when they see officials.Now that person was about to talk to Mrs. Cui, and suddenly seeing an official came to her, it is normal for him to be afraid of running away.
Zhang Chang felt that it was reasonable, so he didn't say anything else, he only said to Cui Tao and Wang Siniang: "You two came out secretly, but it makes people worry."
"Just to come out to watch the excitement. There are so many girls on the street going out, why can't we?" Wang Siniang asked puzzled.
"It's okay to come out seriously, but it's not okay to sneak out. Didn't Mrs. Cui forget about the assassin last time?"
What Zhang Chang said now was actually speaking for his master.If they come out normally, there will naturally be someone in Kaifeng Mansion secretly following to protect Cui Tao's safety.But if they came out secretly, no one would protect them.
"It's because we didn't think carefully." Cui Tao obediently admitted his mistake.After all, she was out of concern, but it was quite surprising that Han Qi came to find her in person just because she sneaked out.
"Did Officer Han come to find me on purpose?" Cui Tao looked at Han Qi with sparkling eyes.
"Liu Lang went to Guangxian Building to meet friends." Zhang Chang explained.
"Oh, it turned out to be on the way, so we'll go back first. Please don't worry, Officer Han Tui, we will pay attention to safety." Cui Tao saluted and said goodbye to Han Qi, and pulled Wang Siniang away quickly.
Wang Siniang asked Cui Tao in puzzlement, "Why did you hide what happened just now from Han? The gentleman knew Mrs. Cui at a glance, and he called Mrs. Cui Taozi. Maybe she knew about Mrs. Cui's past, and things that she didn't remember before. It's all clear."
"Didn't you see that he ran away as soon as Official Han appeared? Since he is hiding from Official Han, if you want to count on him to show up next time, you should not let Official Han know for the time being." Cui Tao told Wang Siniang to keep his mouth shut. If she dared to disclose this matter, she would never have any friendship in the future.
Wang Siniang asked excitedly: "Then we have a relationship now?" In view of the previous drink, Cui Tao also rejected her "died in the same year, same month, same day".
"No, but for now you can still eat the food I cook." Cui Tao said.
Wang Siniang understood that if she talked nonsense, it would have nothing to do with eating, it was really scary.Wang Siniang pinched her mouth immediately, and assured Cui Tao that she would never spit out a word indiscriminately.
Zhang Chang followed Han Qi to the front of Guangxian Building, he stopped to wait for his master to enter, but saw Han Qi slowly walking past Guangxian Building.
Zhang Chang was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Isn't Liu Lang going?"
Without stopping, he obviously gave Zhang Chang the answer.
……
Two days later, the Kaifeng Mansion held a public trial for Tao Gao. Many people from Xinghua Lane came to watch him. When they saw him being escorted up, the people cursed Tao Gao one after another. The mind is vicious'.
Tao Gao was originally kneeling in the middle of the courtroom with his head down listlessly, but suddenly he turned his head when he heard these words, his hair was in a messy bun, covering most of his face, his eyes were staring fiercely like hungry wolves, It seemed as if he wanted to swallow everyone in his stomach, but it shocked the people watching the excitement outside the hall.
"How about being small? If you are small, you can't think evil, so you can't kill people? Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, you are only allowed to do it when you grow up? A bunch of idiots, look at my long piss Look down on me, but in the end, they all died in my hands. So stupid that I only know how to cry, unable to struggle haha!" Tao Gao said and laughed twice.
When the people heard this, they were so angry that they wanted to scold Tao Gao, and then a gavel suddenly sounded, and everyone fell silent.You must watch, and wait for the beast to be separated under the dog's head to relieve your anger.
The document first recited the crimes committed by Tao Gao, which was so long that it took nearly an incense stick of time.
Han Qi then spoke quietly and asked Tao Gao to confess to these crimes.
Tao Gao lowered his head, clutched the skirt of his clothes tightly, and didn't say a word.
Seeing this, Li Yuan scolded him: "Officer Han Tui asked you something, are you pleading guilty?"
Tao Gao was still silent.
Li Yuan raised his stick and stabbed at Tao Gao, wanting to see if he was awake.
"a ha ha ha--"
Tao Gao's body was thrown to the side by the poke, and he suddenly burst out laughing.
Everyone present felt that he was insane.The onlookers murmured and pointed at Tao Gao. Most of them were frightened by Tao Gao's appearance, and lamented that he was possessed by a demon.Otherwise, how can such a small person, who looks so cute, kill people without blinking an eye?Besides, when a normal murderer comes to this court, there is no one who is not afraid. Aren't they all responding with trepidation and honestly answering the officials' questions? There is no one as rampant as him.
A few people were timid, and even took a few steps back, telling everyone to stay away, lest the monster get out of Tao Gao and possess them.
"If you have nothing to say, you don't have to say it. If you don't plead guilty, you don't have to plead guilty. However, you are not guilty of the crime. The result of today's trial will definitely be executed." When Han Qi was about to throw lots, Tao Gao suddenly spoke.
"I don't admit this crime!"
Tao Gao shouted loudly and confidently, and for a moment everyone thought that Tao Gao might have been wronged.But after thinking about it, the yamen has solid evidence for everything he did, and he was captured on the spot in the tomb underground in Xinghua Lane. In any case, it is impossible for him to have any grievances.
This is so true, even a murderous demon has the face to call for grievances, it's too shameless!
"What grievance do you have?" Han Qi was patient, and after hearing Tao Gao's words, he took advantage of the opportunity to ask him.
At this moment, Cui Tao was standing behind the common people, and joined in the fun to watch.Hearing Han Qi's words, she suddenly remembered the moment when she first came back to stand trial, and Han Qi also asked her why she had grievances.That's what he asked, but at that time he was very ruthless and almost cut her off.
Cui Tao then looked at Han Qi who was sitting at the head of the court. The vermilion official robe showed a good look, and the face on him was like a crown jade, which was astonishing and elegant. The huge blue sky and red sun picture behind him made people Set off as if like a god.
"Oooooooo-"
A small voice came from the side, and he had to cover his mouth to control his volume because of excitement.
Cui Tao turned her head and saw three women gathered together, all covering their mouths and looking in the direction of the court.Naturally, it wasn't Tao Gao, the prisoner under trial, but Han Qi who was always looking at the leader.
The three of them noticed that Cui Tao was looking at them, and they knew each other well, so they leaned over and asked if Cui Tao also came to see Han Tuiguan.
"Come to watch the trial." Cui Tao said.
"Little lady, don't be polite to us. I saw it just now. You have been staring at Han Tuiguan's face. In fact, we are also here to see, let's come together!" Among the three, a tall young woman said cheerfully. Said to Cui Tao.
Cui Tao didn't want to talk to them to distract attention, so she nodded casually, "Then don't talk, let's watch!"
"Yes, yes, look quickly, there are not many opportunities for a public trial like this." The three became excited again, and continued to look inside.
Tao Gao had already opened his mouth to explain why he pleaded not guilty.
"God is not fair, why do we have to grow up like this, but you are tall and big. We are human beings, but we want to be ridiculed by you because we look like children.
Is it wrong not to accept fate?Is it wrong for me to take back what God owes us to the Tao family?My father gave up his life for this, I can't let him down, I can't let him down!One step away, one step away!Wait another three years, and the curse on our Tao family will be broken.Why?Why do you people who already have everything stand in my way! "
Tao Gao hated it so much that he clenched his hands into fists and frequently hit the ground to vent his emotions.But his crazy appearance still looks like an ignorant child throwing a temper tantrum.
Perhaps it was because of his appearance that the onlookers somewhat understood how painful Tao Gao's resentment for "not growing up" was.Of course, this cannot be said to be a reason for him to kill, and everyone will understand and forgive him.It's just that everyone understood to some extent that he was not possessed by any demon. He killed people because he was unwilling to be a child who would never grow up and be ridiculed by others.
"Tao Jiuzhang committed suicide?"
Han Qi had suspected Tao Jiuzhang's death to some extent before, and the timing was too coincidental. He died just after Xinghua Lane was rebuilt and everything was arranged.
"The "Ni Ming Jing" says that a husband and wife must sacrifice to their closest relatives, and 12 years is a reincarnation, and then they can reversibly order the descendants to break the curse. , it is difficult to have an heir, so he made his own decisions, and when I was out that day, he left a letter, and he-"
When Tao Gao said this, his eyes were red, and tears rolled down one after another.
"How can I fail him, how can I fail him..."
Tao Gao kept repeating this sentence, as if dazed.He lowered his head, his small body clenched together, trembling.
Everyone present stopped talking and looked at Tao Gao quietly.They were probably all shocked by the fact that Tao Gao's father Tao Jiuzhang committed suicide to break the curse.It is wrong to kill people to break the curse, but the sacrifices made by the father so that future generations will not have to bear these things are also regrettable and uncomfortable.
"So in order to break the curse and live up to your father, you plan to take the lives of eight innocent couples in 12 years and use them as unnecessary sacrifices?" Han Qi asked.
"A pointless sacrifice?" Tao Gao raised his head abruptly. Of course, he totally disagreed with Han Qi's statement. He felt that what he was doing could not be more meaningful.
"This book was written by a man named Li Xi in the first dynasty. He claimed to be the apprentice of Li Chunfeng's descendants. He bluffed and deceived for many years, and was arrested by the Wanqiu County government and sentenced to death. Today, in the county annals of Wanqiu County, Chenzhou, it is still acceptable. Find relevant records." After Han Qi finished speaking, he dropped the county chronicles on the table to the ground.
"No...no...I don't believe it! This book was written by an expert, and my father specially bought it from a Taoist priest named Mingde at a huge price!"
Tao Gao hurriedly crawled over on his knees, shaking his hands to look through the county annals, and sure enough, he found a man named Li Xi in the folded pages.Tao Gaozai read the above description carefully, and kept shaking his head to deny it, but his eyes had already revealed the fact that he chose to believe the content of the county annals.
Tao Gao and Tao Jiuzhang have always believed in the "Ni Ming Jing" as a treasure, which was written by a person named Li Xi.At that time, a Taoist priest of Mingde told them that this secretary was written by Li Xi, an apprentice who had received the true biography of Li Chunfeng.His father also carefully checked the paper used in this book, and it was indeed from the Tang Dynasty, so he believed it.But I didn't expect that Li Xi was not Li Chunfeng's apprentice at all, but a bluffing liar!
Then his father's death, those people he killed...wouldn't it all be in vain!
Tao Gao was like a dead man whose life had been sucked out, lying on the ground, staring blankly ahead, without focus, crying and laughing for a while, chanting the impossible countless times in his mouth.
The crowd watching did not expect such a reversal, and they couldn't help sighing that this matter was too ironic.It seemed to be a big joke, but none of the jokes came at the cost of sacrificing the lives of the father and the six couples.
"It's for nothing, Daddy died for nothing!" Tao Gao regained his composure, and cried loudly on the ground, "Without that book, our father and son will still be fine until now! Daoist Mingde... I If you go to hell and become a ghost, you will be killed!"
"It's so pitiful, if it wasn't for being deceived, it wouldn't be..." Among the people watching, there were indeed some people who felt that Tao Gao and his son were pitiful. If they hadn't been deceived by some virtuous Taoist priest, they wouldn't be where they are today.
"If it wasn't for the sinister heart, how could you give me a reason to kill? It's hard to forgive such evil!"
Han Qi tossed the ordering lottery and ordered to be executed.
The people all applauded.
Cui Tao withdrew from the crowd at this time, and she had to go around the back door of Kaifeng Mansion to go back.After walking for a short distance, Cui Tao felt as if someone was following her behind her. When she looked back, she saw normal vehicles and horses passing by on the street, nothing unusual.
When Cui Tao turned back to the deserted courtyard where she lived, she saw Zhang Changzheng standing at the gate of the courtyard with a cloth bag.
"Come to see me? Why don't you go in and wait?" When Cui Tao asked, Wang Siniang and Ping'er were bickering in the yard.
"It's better here." Zhang Chang handed the cloth bag in his hand to Cui Tao, "Clothes."
Cui Tao took it over in confusion, "Okay, why did you suddenly give me clothes?"
"Liu Lang said that Mrs. Cui would wear these for convenience when handling cases."
Cui Tao agreed to let Zhang Chang thank Han Qi on her behalf.
"The only way to be sincere is to thank yourself." Zhang Chang directly rejected Cui Tao.
Cui Tao held the cloth bag in her arms, looked at Zhang Chang with wide eyes wonderingly, and asked him: "Did I do something wrong recently to offend you? Why do I always feel that you are against me?"
Zhang Chang's face was instantly embarrassed, and he glanced back at Cui Tao, saying that she was overthinking.
"Whether you want to go or not, I will wait for you here." Zhang Chang urged.
Cui Tao was stunned for a moment, she didn't expect that Zhang Chang's thank you was now.
"Okay, wait for me to send the things back."
When Cui Tao came out again, she came out with a plate of jujube hooped lotus leaf cakes. On the plate was a piece of bright green lotus leaf, and on the lotus leaf were six pieces of delicate snacks, which were arranged together, just like a flower The shape of the dim sum is bright green in the center, and then yellowish-white on the outside, and a circle of candied dates is embedded on the outermost edge.
"Your dim sum is exquisite and beautiful, not worse than those in the palace." Zhang Chang couldn't help but praised.
Cui Tao raised her eyebrows in surprise, and gave Zhang Chang an exaggerated look, "It's rare that you still have the time to speak nicely."
"Why do I speak badly, I'm—" Zhang Chang almost lost his mouth, shut up, and only led the way.
When they got to the door, Cui Tao heard voices in the room and knew who Han Qi was seeing, so she winked at Zhang Chang, "How about I come back later?"
"No, just go in with me, wait for them to finish talking." Zhang Chang then quietly pushed open the door, the voice came from the east side, and the two walked in lightly.Cui Tao put the snacks on Han Qi's daily work desk, and then walked to the corner of the north window to wait.
After a while, that guest got up to say goodbye to Han Qi, with a big smile on his face, he seemed to be having a good chat with Han Qi, and patted Han Qi on the shoulder when he left.Han Qi also laughed.
Cui Tao vaguely felt that the male voice was a little familiar. She seemed to have heard it somewhere, and the more she thought about it, the more she looked like the man with moles on his fingers she met in Washe last night...
Cui Tao took a few steps forward to see the man coming out from the east room.Nearly young and weak, with long eyebrows like willows, and a smooth face, especially those eyes, which glow like peach blossoms when he smiles, and his beauty is compelling, exactly the same as the man she met last night.
She originally thought that the man was afraid of seeing Han Qi and his status as an official.But now they didn't expect that he actually knew Han Qi and even came to him.
When Han Qi came out with Han Zong, he saw Cui Tao standing in the middle of the room, staring straight at Han Zong.
When Han Zong noticed Cui Tao staring at him, he was stunned for a moment, then turned to ask Han Qi with a smile.
"Who is this?"
"The doctor in the mansion." Han Qi said.
"I didn't expect the young lady to be so promising at such a young age. Disrespect." Han Zong cupped his hands and nodded politely to Cui Tao.
Cui Tao's eyes fell on his right index finger, but he saw that his index finger was wrapped in gauze.
Seeing that Cui Tao was staring at him, Han Zong smiled awkwardly, then turned his head to look at Han Qi doubtfully again.
"Come over to see the ceremony." Han Qi said softly.
After Cui Tao came back to her senses, she immediately walked over to greet her.Hearing that this person was also surnamed Han, Cui Tao guessed that he might be Han Qi's brother. If he wasn't a biological brother, he might also be a cousin or something, the kind who grew up together since childhood, otherwise they wouldn't be so close Warm and familiar.
Cui Tao had a lot of thoughts in her head, but she didn't show it on her face, she just asked Han Zong with a smile: "What's wrong with Han Langjun's hand?"
Han Zong was stunned for a moment, then sighed, "I'm clumsy, I burned the tea yesterday."
"I have an excellent burn ointment. If Han Langjun doesn't mind, you can apply it? Make sure it will be ready the next day after applying it." Cui Tao didn't have such a magical burn ointment at all. She just wanted to verify whether Han Zong's fingers were There are moles.
Han Zong was stunned for a moment, then laughed awkwardly, thanking him and saying no.
"It's just a minor injury, it's not worth being such a good medicine, it should be used when it's more urgent."
"Han Langjun is too polite. Since you are a guest of Han Tuiguan, you are naturally an important person, and the injury of an important person is naturally important." Cui Tao still refused to let it go.
"This—" Han Zong looked at Han Qi with a helpless smile.
Han Qi called Cui Tao in a low voice, ordering her to go to the east room to clean up the teacups.
Cui Tao also knew that what she said was a little offensive, so she had no choice but to go.
When Cui Tao put all the empty tea bowls on the table into the tray, Han Qi came back.
"Han Tuiguan."
Cui Tao lowered her eyes, shouted politely, and planned to leave with the tray.
"What's going on?" Han Qi asked.
Cui Tao didn't say a word, not because she didn't want to say it, but because she was worried that this person had a close relationship with Han Qi, so she should avoid suspicion, and it would be more appropriate to turn around and check from the side.
"You know Han Zong, Han Zhongwen?" Han Qi intentionally said all of Han Zong's name and characters.
Cui Tao was stunned for a moment, and only then realized after hearing Han Qi address that person, "Aren't you brothers?"
"There are so many people surnamed Han in this world, all of them are brothers? There are still five people surnamed Cui in the prison of Kaifeng Mansion. Do you want to recognize your brother and your uncle?" Han Qi asked rhetorically.
Cui Tao chuckled, and cupped her hands in admiration to Han Qi: "Officer Han is worthy of being an official Han. He is dedicated to his duties and works hard. Even several prisoners in the prison know the surname Cui. I'm afraid that even the head of the prison may not know about this matter." Clear! Really admirable!"
"Stop talking nonsense." Han Qi lifted up his robe, sat down, and stared at Cui Tao with a serious face.
"That," Cui Tao put down the things in his hands, moved closer to Han Qi, and stared at the mole on his right index finger, "Is there a mole on Han Tuiguan's finger since he was a child?"
"It was born that way."
Following Cui Tao's gaze, Han Qi also looked at the mole on his hand.Then he remembered that Cui Tao had told him when he was in prison that the murderer was a person with a mole on his right index finger, and the situation happened to match him.At that time, he thought that Cui Tao was either suffering from memory confusion, seeing the mole on his hand and misremembering it; or he was playing some tricks with half truth and half falsehood.
Later, after the case of Meng Da and his wife proved that the murderer was Aunt Qiu, they didn't go into the matter further, only thinking that the former was the cause, Cui Tao's memory confusion caused by amnesia.
Now that the old matter is brought up again, Han Qifang realizes that Cui Tao has always cared about this mole.
He didn't think it was something that Cui Tao had been thinking about for so long, it would be a wild idea.As smart as she is, if it wasn't for something unreasonable, she would have left it behind long ago, and would not keep it to this day.
Han Qi asked Cui Tao what kind of memory he had about this mole.
"I don't remember very clearly. There is only a blurry picture. The figure of that person is like that of Han Tuiguan. There is a pool of red on his chest, which seems to be stained with blood. When he stretched out his hand to me, there was a trace of Han Tui on his fingers." He said to me, "Tao Zi, wait for me when I come back." After Cui Tao described it, he asked Han Qi if Han Zong had the same mole on his index finger.
"I've never seen it before." Han Qi immediately denied it, and then briefly introduced Cui Tao's relationship with Han Zong.
Although they share the same surname Han, they are not related. Han Qi is one year older than Han Zong.Han Zong's father and Han Qi's father were old friends. When Han Qi lived in his eldest brother's house to study when he was young, he was often taken care of by Han Zong's father and had frequent contacts with Han Zong. The two played together since childhood.Later, when Han Qi was 14 years old, he went back to Quanzhou with his second brother for a temporary stay, and never saw Han Zong again.Today is the first day of their reunion after not seeing each other for many years.
Cui Tao still looked down at the mole on Han Qi's hand without blinking.
"Since it's in your memory and you don't remember that person's face, how can you doubt Han Zong?" Han Qi always grasped the point when asking questions.
Cui Tao immediately coughed, scratched her head, then smiled and asked Han Qi to wait.
Han Qi thought she had some important evidence to show him, but when he turned around, he saw Cui Tao smilingly holding a plate of snacks in front of him.
"Thank you, official Han, for sending me the clothes." Cui Tao smiled and asked Han Qi to try her jujube hoop lotus leaf cake.
"If you work for the government office, the clothes should be regarded as official clothes, so there is no need to thank you." Han Qi said.
"I just measured it, and the size is just right." Cui Tao said happily.
Han Qi coughed lightly, then picked up a piece of dim sum and put it in his mouth. It had the fragrance of lotus leaves and a dense texture.The dim sum has two colors, the green part has the aroma of mung bean, and the taste is sweet; the white part has the taste of sour pear;
Cui Tao looked at Han Qi's gentle way of eating, and sighed, "I forgot, this dessert is not suitable for Han Tuiguan to eat."
Han Qi wanted to say that the taste was good, but when he heard Cui Tao say this, he asked her why.
"The beauty is that you have to put a whole piece into your mouth. The sweet and sour and the fragrance are mixed together to taste it perfectly." Cui Tao explained, then looked at Han Qi expectantly with raised eyebrows, intending to let him try it. one time.
Han Qi glanced at Cui Tao, took another piece, but still brought it to his mouth gracefully, and ate it bit by bit.
"That's good."
"Okay." Cui Tao couldn't force Han Qi to eat dim sum.
"Answer my previous question." After Han Qi tasted the second piece of dim sum, he didn't forget the part that Cui Tao deliberately changed the topic before.
Cui Tao: "..."
Cui Tao scratched her head, then touched her nose, thinking that if she explained what happened last night, Han Qi would definitely notice that she was deceiving him intentionally.This is not conducive to maintaining a good subordinate-subordinate relationship.
"If you don't tell me, then I don't know what's wrong with that man last night?" Han Qi saw that Cui Tao made a lot of tricks, but he didn't answer his words, so he had half a guess in his heart.
"Han pushes the official wisely!"
Cui Tao had no choice but to tell Han Qi what happened to her last night, and explained to Han Qi why she kept it from him.
"I really didn't intend to lie to Official Han, I just wanted to find out who it was when he came to me again, and then tell Official Han, otherwise there would be nothing to say!"
"It doesn't make sense. If this person is Han Zong, he deliberately avoided me last night. Why did he come to me today? If he really wants to avoid, he doesn't have to come. Of course, no one cares about the hand injury."
"That's right." Cui Tao hooked her index finger, but she couldn't understand what was going on, and her mind was full of question marks.
This mysterious operation is so confusing that people can't even figure it out.
And there is another very important point, Han Qi said that Han Zong had no moles on his fingers before.If that person is really Han Zong, why did he suddenly grow another one later?Moreover, the location of her appearance is exactly the same as that of Han Qi, which is too weird.
Cui Tao suddenly thought of an explanation, "Could he still have a twin brother?"
"Never heard of it." Han Qi said.
Cui Tao leaned over again, staring at the mole on Han Qi's hand, getting closer and closer.If someone pushed Cui Tao from behind, she would probably plunge into Han Qi's arms.
Han Qi frowned slightly, and looked down at the top of Cui Tao's hair. The roots of her hair were distinct, the luster was natural, and it was refreshing. There was also a faint fragrance on her body. It was hard to tell what the smell was, like flowers and woods Fragrance, in short, it smells very good.
"I still think this mole is in this position, so it can't be such a coincidence." The memory picture is blurry, and the light was dim last night, but Cui Tao always felt that the mole on Han Qi's hand was the same as that on the man's hand. The ones are a bit different, although they are all moles, they are all in the same position.
"You think it has something to do with me?" Han Qi asked.
"If I say yes, the official Han will not be angry, right?" Cui Tao glanced sideways at Han Qi, only to realize that she was too close, and hurriedly retracted her head.
"No," Han Qi covered the mole with his thumb, "it must have nothing to do with me."
Cui Tao curled her mouth, "That's not necessarily the case, don't talk too much, no one knows what will happen in the future."
Han Qi chuckled, looked at Cui Tao and said, "Then tell me to see how your past has anything to do with me."
Han Qi was very sure that he had never met Cui Tao before he came to Kaifeng Mansion to interrogate Cui Tao.Not to mention her, even the entire Bolingcui family, he has never had any contact with them.
"I'm calling you Tao Zi, so I know you very well." Han Qi suddenly said again.
Cui Tao was stunned for a moment, and she also understood what the name "Taozi" meant. She must be someone close to her who has a very good relationship with her.
Han Zong and the man from last night have similar eyes, similar body shape, and similar voice, but the index finger is injured... It seems that there is no such coincidence.
Although there is no clear evidence to prove that Han Zong is that person, Cui Tao has already determined that Han Zong is that person based on his feeling and this series of coincidences.She believed in her own feelings, so she shouldn't be wrong.
Han Zong, like Han Qi, is a son of aristocrats from an official family.If she had been hijacked and got involved with Di Zang Pavilion, she would have been in trouble.But how did he meet Han Zong, the son of the aristocratic family?
First of all, elopement may be negated.When Cui Zhi and Cui Tao went to worship Buddha in Qingfu Temple, Cui Tao sincerely begged Buddha to bless her marriage with Lu Gongbi, and also offered all her jewelry and money savings.How can anyone who elopes resist not bringing his own money?Moreover, she is the daughter of a boudoir in Cui's family, and she lives in seclusion, so she must have never had any contact with Han Zong.The two of them didn't know each other, and it was impossible for them to engage in the operation of elopement at that time.
Why is Cui Tao sure that she didn't know Han Zong three years ago?Because of Lu Gongbi.If she really had the possibility of elopement with someone, Lu Gongbi would have known about the situation, and would have been unable to help but speak out and ridicule her.
"Oh, I'm such a mysterious woman." Cui Tao put her chin in her hand and sighed, reached out and took a piece of jujube lotus cake, swallowed it whole, and ate it with puffed cheeks.
"Let's go and see, if he is really the person you said, since he dares to come to Kaifeng mansion to look for me now, he will definitely do something else in the future." Han Qi's eyes were sharp, "It's unknown if Han Zong has a relationship with Dizang Pavilion .”
"It makes sense!" Cui Tao covered her mouth, agreed with slurred words, and praised Han Qi's good thinking, "Di Zang Pavilion deliberately came to provoke me and wanted to deal with me. Don't forget to send someone to protect me, Tuiguan Han!"
After Cui Tao shouted, she reached out to take a piece of snack and put it in her mouth to eat.
Han Qi got up suddenly and went outside.
Cui Tao hurriedly finished what was in her mouth, and followed suit.After walking out, he saw Han Qi was pouring tea, but he didn't drink the cup of tea, but put it on the table.
Han Qi turned to sit down behind the case, and began to look through the files on his desk.
Cui Tao understood that Han Qi poured the tea for her.
This is really a big improvement, no wontons, porridge and dim sum are free!
Cui Tao happily picked up the cup of tea, and thanked Han Qi sweetly.
Han Qi lowered his eyes to concentrate on reviewing the things in front of him, and did not agree to Cui Tao.Cui Tao didn't care about that, and after sitting at the table and drinking the tea in one gulp, she said goodbye to Han Qi in a low voice.Quietly exit the door, and quietly close the door.
Zhang Changzheng was guarding the door, and when he saw Cui Tao coming out, he took a step back to make way for Cui Tao.
Cui Tao hooked Zhang Chang's finger, and led him to go a little further, before asking Zhang Chang, "Did Officer Han Tui tell you anything about me recently?"
"Why ask this?"
"I want to know where I am not doing enough, so I can work hard to correct it." Cui Tao immediately explained.
"No." Zhang Chang said immediately.
"Then has he praised me?" Cui Tao asked tentatively.
Zhang Chang glanced at Cui Tao coldly, and continued: "No."
"Okay." Cui Tao felt that she might be thinking too much. Her "boundless charm" might work well with most men, but it might be a bit difficult for Han Qi. This man sees too clearly and is too smart. Pass.Sometimes people who are too smart can't understand their feelings, because it seems to them that such a thing as a man and a woman falling in love is too irrational and illogical, a bit like doing stupid things and committing stupidity.
Cui Tao walked back leisurely to her small courtyard, and Wang Siniang mysteriously stuffed her a letter.
"Where did it come from?"
"Someone asked me to go out just now, and entrusted me to deliver this letter to you, and don't tell anyone else."
Cui Tao opened the letter, and immediately glanced at the inscription at the end of the letter: Zhong Wen.
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