Nongmen Shenjue

Mu Qingyan really suspected that Qiu Baozhu's lover was that chivalrous thief.

A grand thief, regardless of his skill level, can come and go freely in various wealthy households, which shows his strength.Then, it's normal for him to sneak into Qiu's house without being noticed.However, there is another issue to consider. This person has been stealing for four or five years, but judging from Qiu Baozhu's attitude towards the marriage, the two have not known each other for a long time.This person was stealing for money, how did he develop a relationship with Qiu Baozhu?Is it an accidental exposure, or deliberate?

Fortunately, there are some records in the case file about this robber.

His name and appearance are unknown, the means of the theft is unknown, and no one has ever seen him.He only burglarized in Fengzhou. In addition to Fengzhou City, there are two counties under its jurisdiction and surrounding towns. There are 48 known crimes, large and small. Some of them have been robbed repeatedly, and the stolen property will be scattered nearby. People who steal will search everywhere in the local area. Gold and silver things are easy to hide, but occasionally there will be some precious utensils of gold and silver jewelry.People who get these items will take the initiative to throw them out of the house, fearing that they will be found out and regarded as accomplices.

Seeing this at the time, Mu Qingyan sneered at the so-called thieves.

This is an obvious transfer risk.

The property sent out must be part of the stolen goods, especially some utensils and jewelry that are not easy to sell.Not only can you "buy" yourself a reputation, but also divert the attention of the owner and the government, and muddy the pool of water. Even if something is accidentally revealed in the future, it can be presumed that it was sent to the door by a grand thief.

In short, this person is not as "just" as he appears on the surface.

However, since he wanted to maintain the false appearance, he couldn't steal from a family of the most benevolent people like the Qiu family.

"Sixteen, go ask Qiu Hai, has the Qiu family been stolen?" Although Qiu Hai didn't mention it, not all stolen homes will be reported to the authorities.If the number of losses is small, or because of the so-called face and other factors, many people will choose to keep quiet.

Chen Shiliu went out for a while, and when he came back, Qiu Hai was by his side.

"Brother Mu, Master Qiu wants to tell you personally."

Qiu Hai took the conversation: "Mr. Mu wants to ask that robber? Our house has never been stolen, but I saw a black shadow once. Although I didn't see it clearly, I guess the man jumped over the courtyard wall and disappeared. It might be the burglar. I didn't tell anyone that the family property was not lost, and he has a reputation as a "grand thief" outside. Come and go, it is not good for the reputation of the girl's family. In fact, it is not only the ones who reported to the government that were stolen, some people also worried about their daughter's reputation and swallowed their anger. Otherwise, what will happen to the daughter's family in the future if someone chews their tongues?"

Rich family and rich family, who doesn't have an enemy?Or those who are purely jealous and want to make excuses when they have no excuses, just criticize frankly, and don't care about the life or death of other people's daughters.Especially for those who break into the door at night, who knows if they have seen or done anything they shouldn't have seen or done when stealing things, there have been disasters caused by such things in the past.

"When did Master Qiu see the black shadow?" Mu Qingyan asked again.

"In the twelfth lunar month, I can't remember the exact date. It was very late at that time, and I had already gone to bed. I suddenly remembered that there was something important in the study room that was not packed. I was worried, so I got up and went to the study room to clean it up. When I was about to arrive at the study room, Yu I saw a black shadow flashing past in the distance, and almost thought it was dizziness." Qiu Hai smiled: "The next day when I heard that the Feng family was stolen, I knew it was not dizziness."

"The Feng family?"

"The family on the left of our house is named Feng. Although his family is not as good as before, his family is still solid. He runs a tea shop." Qiu Hai said, and added: "The ancestors of our two families were a bit dirty, and it was a dispute over business. Well, to put it bluntly, it's not a big deal, but the quarrel was so tense back then that they didn't communicate with each other. Over the years, the two families have no friendship. Besides, their Feng family is too proficient in business, and they are not from the same way. "

According to Qiu Hai, there was no loss of property in the Qiu family, but he was suspected of witnessing a "rogue".

Just passing by?impossible.

The Qiu family is not a small family. Even if a thief wants to steal the Feng family next door, he should not pass by the Qiu family.So, does it mean that the other party came to Qiu's house for another purpose at that time, for example, to meet Qiu Baozhu?

Putting aside the matter of "Grand Thief" for the time being, he looked at the roster of the Qiu family's servants.

Most of the servants of big families are domestic servants from generation to generation, or they were bought by dead contracts, so there are only changes in errands in three years, and the entry and exit of personnel is limited.However, not long after Qiu Baozhu's accident, the Qiu family released a group of old servants to take care of them. Two of them passed away, and the others were still living in the back street of the Qiu family.

Mrs. Qiu passed away, and the eldest daughter Qiu Baozhen was in charge of the inner house of the family, and the business of the Qiu family was slowly transitioning into her hands. Yang He was also in charge of some things, only taking a small lead.Qiu Baozhen once tidied up the inner house, especially the slightly tedious servants at home, and it was her suggestion to let the old servant be raised. At the same time, she also killed the chickens to make an example, and dismissed the two people's errands on the grounds that they were gambling and drinking at night.

At first glance, this is not a problem at all. The head of the family needs to be a bit harsh in order to intimidate the servants.

However, for the sake of caution, Mu Qingyan asked Chen Shiliu to inquire.

The two expelled people were Zheng Dongming and Sun Jincai.

Although the two were expelled together, their errands were different.Sun Jincai is in charge of taking care of the carriages and sedan chairs at home, while Zheng Dongming is in charge of kitchen purchases, which is a fat job.The two of them didn't sleep at night, and encouraged the people on the door to gamble and drink, but they were caught by Qiu Baozhen, who was watching the night secretly!

This happened in the early winter of that year after Qiu Baozhu's accident.

Chen Shiliu took He Chuan with him, and the phone call didn't sound like much trouble.

Sun Jincai's family is a servant of the Qiu family, and both his parents are on errands in the Qiu family, and now he has an idle job, and he also relies on his parents' face.Zheng Dongming is in charge of the fat job in the kitchen, so he naturally has some background.Zheng Dongming is the nephew of Mrs. Qiu's natal family. After careful investigation, he is the son of Mrs. Qiu's aunt's cousin.Although the relationship is far away, Mrs. Qiu's natal family has no one. This cousin came to ask for help, and Qiu Hai gave such an errand for Mrs. Qiu's sake.

These two people have quite a background, but they were arrested and typical.

Many people begged for mercy, but Qiu Baozhen ignored them and resolutely got rid of them.Fortunately, she didn't say she wouldn't hire her at all, and the people at the bottom also saw that she wanted to tidy up, so they planned to wait until the matter calmed down before asking.

Chen Shiliu said: "That Sun Jincai went to the tea garden to see tea later, but this Zheng Dongming didn't stay behind. After being dismissed, he returned to his hometown not long after."

"How are the two of you usually?"

"These two people have similar tastes. They like to drink and gamble. Sun Jincai is not bad. After all, he has a free job. Zheng Dongming is in charge of the kitchen shopping, and he is married to Mrs. Qiu. He has gained a lot of benefits. These people in the family also give him some points." Face. However, this Zheng Dongming is a high-sighted man. He is in his twenties and has never been married. He was poor at first, but when he arrived at the Qiu family, he was met by someone, but he looked down upon him. He is a bit annoying, but anyone who has He talks about maids who are pretty good looking, some people say that he has taken a fancy to the big maid beside Mrs. Qiu, some say that he has friends outside, and some even say that there are maids at home who have been coaxed by him."

Qiu Baozhu's accident occurred in early summer and April, and Mrs. Qiu was stimulated and passed away within a month.

Zheng Dongming left the Qiu family years ago.

"He hasn't been back to Qiu's house since then?" Mu Qingyan asked.

"No."

"Why did he leave in the first place?" Originally, he went to the Qiu family, and Mrs. Qiu had passed away. If he left, he would not be able to find a good opportunity next time.It is said that everyone's tea is cold, and Mrs. Qiu, the only relative who is related, is gone. The Qiu family may not be willing to take care of a poor relative who has a bad record again.

"When he was first expelled, he drank with Sun Jincai and complained about the Qiu family, especially Qiu Baozhen. But within a few days, he suddenly said that he would return to his hometown. Someone asked him, and he said that he would go back to his hometown to marry Daughter-in-law, the words are very happy."

Mu Qingyan immediately ordered Gao Chun Gaodong to let them go to Zheng Dongming's hometown to see the situation.

He also told Chen Shiliu: "Sun Jincai and Zheng Dongming have the best relationship, and they often drink together, and they can't keep their words from each other. Go find Sun Jincai and see if you can get some other news."

Chen Shiliu asked doubtfully, "Could it be related to him?"

"Go and investigate first." He said so, but felt that Zheng Dongming was probably dead.

Chen Shiliu handed over the matter to He Chuan, and the housekeeper of the Qiu family sent someone to lead He Chuan to the tea garden.

Mu Qingyan was not idle either, and took Chen Shiliu to the back garden.

This time Chen Shiliu had a plan in his mind, he was not as careless as before, and he was careful everywhere when he entered the garden.

After all, it has been three years. There were some traces at the beginning, but now they are gone.

Bypassing the bamboo forest, a grass pavilion is located there, facing the rockery, surrounded by plum trees.This place is most suitable for enjoying the snow and plum blossoms in winter. The Qiu family specially built a grass pavilion with this idea in mind.It's a pity that both Qiu Baozhen and Yang He knew that Qiu Baozhu died in the bamboo forest, and neither of them wanted to come here.

The Huayuanzi is located at the back of the Qiu family's house. There is a long corridor and a row of houses separated by a wall. All the servants of the Qiu family live here, and there are also distant relatives who have defected.There are independent small doors at both ends of the corridor, and the back door is also separated from the Qiu family's house, which is usually closed. People on the back street have to go around the side door or go through the main door if they want to come in.

Mu Qingyan glanced at the left wall of the garden, and asked Yang He: "What kind of room is that over there?"

"It's also a guest house over there. Usually female guests with close relatives will be arranged there, but it is not connected to the back garden. If you want to come here, you have to go through the second door."

Don't look like it's separated by a wall, but there is no shortcut, and you have to go around to get here.

Mu Qingyan asked again: "Has there been male guests in the courtyard?"

"No." Yang He paused, and then said: "Only when my second brother comes, he will stay for a few days. The courtyard over there is facing the back street, and there is a small door open, so it is convenient to enter and exit."

On the night of backtracking, the assailant crossed the wall from here and entered the guest courtyard over there.

This man doesn't have the ability to fly over walls, he just set up a bamboo ladder on top of the wall.

Under the starlight, it was a handsome man in his twenties, wearing a slanted blue shirt, with a thin figure, and he stepped on the bamboo ladder carefully with both feet.After climbing up to the top of the wall, he pulled out a bamboo ladder and put it in the guest courtyard, and then left successfully.

He had neither an ax nor a head in his hand. Both the murder weapon and the head were left in the garden.

He washed the blood off the ax in the pond, wiped it clean, and put it back into the toolbox inside the rockery.The wrapped head was buried by him in a deep pit dug in the belly of the rockery.

The perpetrator is Yang Zhi!

Although he had never met him before, Yang Zhi and Yang He were brothers, and their eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar.

After all, the murderer was among a few people, and it is not surprising that it is now proven to be Yang Zhi.However, there is not only Yang Zhi living in this guest house, but also Zhao Yongyan.Yang Zhi left in the middle of the night, did Zhao Yongyan know nothing about it?How did Yang Zhi know Qiu Baozhu's secret while waiting in the bamboo forest?

"Sixteen, invite Master Qiu here." Mu Qingyan suddenly had a serious expression on his face.

Chen Shiliu didn't understand, but he did it right away.

Yang He was startled, and quickly asked: "Mr. Mu, did you find something?"

Mu Qingyan glanced at him and said nothing, just sat in the grass pavilion and looked at the rockery.

"Mr. Mu?" Yang He was impatient and couldn't help asking again.

But Mu Qingyan said to him from left to right: "You are the eldest son, the next two brothers, are you married?"

Yang He didn't understand why he asked this, but he still replied: "My second brother is 21 years old and got married last year. The third brother is [-] years old, and was delayed by his second brother. The marriage has also been settled, and we will get married this autumn. "

Mentioning the two brothers in the family, Yang He's eyebrows stretched out with pride.

Mu Qingyan pretended to be curious: "I've heard about your second brother. He said he is very capable and motivated. Why did the marriage get married so late?"

Yang He said with a smile: "I urged him earlier, and he decided to say that he has no capital, and he must first establish a business before starting a family. He is also striving for success. Now that he has his own shop, it can be regarded as a secure foundation. He is not satisfied with that , I know he is trying his best, if he can redeem our family's tea garden..."

Said, thinking of the old things at home, sighed.

Undoubtedly, Yang He is very proud and satisfied with his second brother, and takes pride in it.

From his expression and speech, it didn't seem like he knew about Yang Zhi's murder.

However, they are brothers and get along with Qiu's family. If Yang Zhi has thoughts about Qiu Baozhu, Yang He really doesn't know?

Yang Zhina and others are ambitious, resilient, and cruel, and they are definitely not people who are impulsive for beauty.What this person did to Qiu Baozhu was probably not for sex, but for wealth and power, just like his elder brother Yang He, he settled in the Qiu family.But something went wrong, and he accidentally killed someone.

"This grass pavilion is well built." Mu Qingyan's words changed too quickly.

Yang He froze for a moment, then nodded, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Mu Qingyan asked him suddenly: "Qiu Baozhu died in the bamboo forest, why did you move her body?"

All of a sudden, Yang He was stunned like five thunders, and it took a long time to deny with his lips: "...No, no, no, Baozhu just died in the bedroom."

"There was only a little blood splattered in the bedroom, and it was by no means the place where she died first. She was decapitated, and the blood splattered, but in other places, so much blood is hard to cover up, but if it is in the garden, just turn over the soil Just cover it. For example, if it is in a bamboo forest, the dark night can not only hide the murder, but also hide the blood, and maybe even hide the head."

Yang He's eyes widened, and he wanted to continue denying, but was suddenly startled by a voice.

"Is it true? Yang He, tell me, is what Mr. Mu said true or false? My orb, my orb..." Qiu Hai happened to come over and heard those words.

This is all calculated by Mu Qingyan.

Yang He may be able to lie to others, but when Qiu Hai questioned him personally, his face was pale and he couldn't say a word.

Qiu Hai's body trembled, and he was on the verge of falling: "Could it be, could it be you..."

"No! Dad, it wasn't me, I didn't harm Baozhu." Yang He shook his head quickly, his eyes turned red, and he had no choice but to tell the truth: "This is Baozhen's idea, and she is also for Baozhu..."

There was no one else nearby, so Yang He told Qiu Baozhu's true death.

"My God!" Qiu Hai hated and was angry, his complexion fluctuated red and white, after all he was getting old, and he sat slumped on the ground in pain: "My poor Baozhu, it's because my father didn't protect you well. My poor Baozhu... ..."

Qiu Hai was too sad to think, so Qiu Baozhen rushed over to persuade him to leave.

This was the first time Mu Qingyan saw Qiu Baozhen with his own eyes.

Qiu Baozhen and Qiu Baozhu have completely different personalities, perhaps because of the eldest daughter, Qiu Baozhen is more stable and dignified, acts decisively, and has a bit of sharp eyebrows and eyes.There is a big change from what I saw in the retrospect. After all, Qiu Baozhen has been growing and honing in the past three years, and now he can take charge of his own work, which makes Qiu Hai quite proud.

Mu Qingyan stayed in the grass pavilion and did not leave.

Chen Shiliu couldn't help scratching his head: "Brother Mu, what should we do next?"

To be honest, there are so many clues at hand now that I don't know which one to grasp.

"Wait."

"Wait? Wait for what?"

"Wait for Qiu Baozhen."

"Qiu Baozhen?" Chen Shiliu was even more confused.

A breeze blew by, the bamboo forest rustled, and looking up at the sky, it was dusk.

Subtle footsteps could be heard, it was Qiu Baozhen who came, and the maid she brought was standing far away.

"Mr. Mu." Unlike Qiu Hai, Qiu Baozhen didn't have any expectations for Mu Qingyan, and she didn't even welcome Mu Qingyan's arrival, so her attitude was cold and indifferent.

"Miss Qiu." Mu Qingyan nodded, his smile remained the same, and his momentum was not inferior.

Qiu Baozhen glanced at him, frowned slightly, and said in a reproachful tone: "It's been three years, Mr. Mu, why bother to disturb my family's peace. My father is not in good health, and he managed to recover, but you still put that Waiting for the tragedy to come out again will make him miserable."

Mu Qingyan smiled lightly, his eyes were sharp: "Miss Qiu, Ming people don't talk dark words, you don't want to pursue it, do you think the murderer is dead?"

Qiu Baozhen's expression changed slightly.

"Let me tell you, the murderer is still alive and well, living under your nose."

"Impossible!" Qiu Baozhen reprimanded excitedly, his eyes were red with tears: "This is impossible! He's dead! He's already dead!"

"Are you sure that the murderer is the one who died?" Mu Qingyan asked with a sneer.

"I..." Originally, Qiu Baozhen was very convinced, otherwise she wouldn't have been... But what Mu Qingyan said made her shake and panic. What if, what if she was really wrong?

Don't look at Qiu Baozhen's attitude towards Mu Qingyan was very rude at the beginning, but under the shadow of a famous tree, Mu Qingyan's reputation spread to Fengzhou, and Qiu Hai deliberately inquired about it in detail.Especially when Mu Qingyan came for less than two days, she immediately found out about the transfer of the body, and revealed her biggest secret. She was in awe of Mu Qingyan from the bottom of her heart, and when the other party questioned her, she began to doubt herself.

Qiu Baozhen stared at Mu Qingyan, moved her lips, and finally left without saying anything, with a flustered expression.

Chen Shiliu was confused, scratching his heart like a cat: "Brother Mu, what are you talking about? Why can't I understand."

"You will understand when Gao Chun comes back." Mu Qingyan pondered for a while, and told him: "Pay attention to outsiders from the Qiu family in the past two days. The Qiu family will not spread the matter of Qiu Baozhu casually, and neither will the servants." I know, if someone inquires, or if someone spreads the wind, you will keep an eye on it."

"Okay." Even though the people around him spread it out, it's not that Chen Shiliu has never done these things. As long as he has a good relationship with a few members of the Qiu family, it is equivalent to keeping his eyes and ears open.

Next, Mu Qingyan made no other moves.

Chen Shiliu thought he was waiting for the news from Gao Chun, but in fact, what he was really waiting for was the murderer's actions.Yang Zhi was very shrewd, and three years had passed, even if he heard about these two days from Yang He, it was impossible for him to panic.This matter can't be rushed, and we can't put all our hopes on Yang Zhi, we have to find a breakthrough from Zhao Yongyan.If it doesn't work, just "create" a breakthrough!

It's only one day anyway, don't worry.

Zheng Dongming's hometown is in Baishi Town, and the journey is a bit far away. Gao Chun Gao Dong rode there on horseback, and the footsteps were fast, and he came back in the afternoon two days later.

"Second Lord, we found Zheng Dongming's house. His house is long gone. According to neighbors, when Zheng Dongming arrived home in the twelfth lunar month three years ago, the family invited a matchmaker to marry him. Because of the high salary he promised, many people were tempted. But in February of the following year, he went out for a trip and never came back. Later, when his family went to find him, they found him dead in a mountain stream, as if he had fallen to his death. It rained in those two days, and the road was slippery in the mountains. The family thought he stumbled and fell, but they didn’t know how he managed to get there. There was only one old lady and one younger sister in his family. Later, his younger sister got married and took the old lady away with her. gone."

"Zheng Dongming went out that day, what did he say? Or is there anything unusual?"

Gao Chun also did a lot of things along with him, and he didn't forget this detail. He replied, "We didn't find the Zheng family, but the neighbors remember it. Since Zheng Dongming came home, he has been like a young master. He pays attention to food, clothing, and He wanted to marry a beautiful woman, but those from poor families didn’t want it, and boasted that he would give 50 taels of dowry. This story was spread in the local area, so many people were tempted. He went out that day and wore a new suit, because It rained and the ground was slippery, so it was not suitable to go out, but when he came out neatly, the neighbor asked. Zheng Dongming only said that he was going to get rich, so he came back and invited him to drink."

Mu Qingyan asked Gao Chun and Gao Dong to rest, and seeing Chen Shiliu's doubtful face, he smiled and said, "Go and ask Qiu Baozhen if you went to Baishi Town in February two years ago."

Chen Shiliu's eyes widened, he understood the meaning of his words, swallowed, and nodded.