"Master Hou!"

An Ruolan shouted nervously, this one was a little abrupt, after shouting, everyone's eyes fell on her, like a blade, with exploration, to cut through the various honors given by the An family by the first emperor, and see what kind of demons and monsters are raised behind this.

"Master Hou, since the witness is already available, and everyone in my An family has no objections, at this time, you insist on searching the An family, I'm afraid it's not appropriate, right?"

An Ruolan said as calmly as possible, in the imperial study, An Jue was seriously injured and lying on the ground, Zhao Hanzhuo and Chu Huaian were clearly acting at Chu Lingzhao's will, and the three of them were on a front, so she seemed weak.

If Chu Lingzhao interrogated this matter in the court, there were still people who could stand up and help An Jue speak and refute a few words, but in this small imperial study, no matter how she argued, I am afraid she would not be able to fight.

"Wrong?" Chu Huai'an laughed out loud, as if he had heard something particularly funny: "Why is it appropriate for An Zhuwei to search the Guogong Mansion without evidence, and it is inappropriate to search for evidence of guilt with reasonable evidence?" ”

"Master Hou, Ah Jue's search of the Guogong Mansion is also for the safety of Yuanzhao Kingdom, and he is acting on orders, please don't confuse these two things!" An Ruolan said righteously, her back was straight, and she still tried her best to remain calm in this situation, not losing her prestige as a concubine.

Chu Huai'an nodded, not angry, only hooked the neatly cut hair on his sideburns and said quietly: "The concubine doesn't want to hear it, so Ben Hou won't talk about it for the time being, it's better to talk about An Jue three times and twice to put Ben Hou to death!" ”

An Ruolan: "......"

An Ruolan was so choked that she couldn't speak, and her chest was full of anger, but she could only grit her teeth and hold back.

Now the person who is lying on the ground with a broken arm and is going to die is An Jue, who is going to put whom to death?

"Hou Ye, Your Majesty has his own judgment on this matter, and my An family will also give Hou Ye an explanation, the An family ancestral hall has provided the tablets of thirty-three martyrs, if Hou Ye wants to search the house, I am afraid that it will disturb the souls of the martyrs!"

An Ruolan moved out thirty-three martyrs to block Chu Huai'an's mouth, this is the most powerful hole card and reliance of the An family, that day Zhao Hanzhuo and Jing Zhaoyin went to Zhao'an Building and did nothing, they were punished by Chu Lingzhao's decree, and it was the face of these thirty-three people.

Half of the territory of the Yuanzhao Kingdom was obtained by the ancestors of the An family with the conquest of the first emperor, and the first emperor took care of the An family a lot in his life to make up for it, Chu Lingzhao succeeded to the throne for only three years, and he categorically could not blatantly move the An family, otherwise how would the people of the world look at him?

"Enough, that's enough!" Chu Lingzhao spoke at the right time, not letting Chu Huai'an force people to be anxious.

"The evidence of An Jue's framing of Xiaoyao Hou and Su Guifei is conclusive, first put him in Dali Temple, prison, how to deal with it, Zhao Aiqing carefully studied the law, and then discussed it at a later date."

"Yes!" Zhao Hanzhuo received the order, An Jue snorted twice in pain, and Chu Lingzhao said again: "Although An Jue is a guilty body, the An family's achievements for the Yuanzhao Kingdom are indelible, please ask the imperial doctor to go to the prison to treat An Jue's injuries!" ”

Chu Lingzhao's case was ruthlessly decided, but after the verdict, he was extrajudicial and gracious, so that people couldn't complain, and they had to be grateful for Dade's gratitude.

An Ruolan knelt down and forced a smile: "Thank you, Your Majesty Longen!" ”

"Excuse me, Concubine Ai is also frightened today, so let's go back and rest early."

"Yes!"

An Ruolan got up to leave, but unexpectedly Chu Lingzhao added: "The queen mother's heart is full of fire these days, and her emotions should not be excited, so the concubine should not go to the queen mother's harem, and she will not be slandered by the queen mother, and she will suffer some grievances in vain." ”

"The queen mother is the aunt of the concubine, even if she is reprimanded for a few words, the concubine will not feel wronged." An Ruolan tried to argue, but Chu Lingzhao looked at her with deep eyes: "I don't want Concubine Ai to be wronged, Concubine Ai understands my good intentions?" ”

said sweet words of concern, but Chu Lingzhao's face was cold, where did he not want An Ruolan to go and be wronged, it was clear that he would not let her go to the Queen Mother's bedroom again, and tell the Queen Mother what happened outside!

The hand hanging by her side clenched into a fist, and the nails painted with Kodan were embedded in the palm of her hand, which hurt her heart, which made her sober and keep her sanity from losing control.

"The concubine understands, thank Your Majesty for your love!"

Thanking her with low eyebrows, An Ruolan walked out of the imperial study.

There was such a big thing, the lights in the palace were brighter than before, it was already spring, and it was still very cold after the dew in the second half of the night, and when the wind blew, the body shivered uncontrollably.

An Ruolan looked down and saw that his hands were covered with blood, and his dress was even more bloodstained.

This is An Jue's blood, but it is not all, and the blood of many people who have died because of her in the past two years.

She looked at her hand directly, and suddenly remembered the scene when her eldest sister An Ruoshang grabbed her hand and taught her embroidery needle by needle many years ago.

She remembered that the eldest sister's hands were very white, the fingertips were as slender as shallots, and the palms were soft, wrapping her, and they were very warm.

At that time, the eldest sister said: Lan'er, you are so smart, one wants to find a good home for himself, don't be like a sister, you can only be a chess piece in the hands of others.

She can play chess, but she doesn't understand the deep meaning of the eldest sister's words, the eldest sister is a living person, how can she be a cold chess piece in the hands of others?

Later, the eldest sister died, she was carried into the palace, and at the moment when the emperor was lucky, she finally understood the words of the eldest sister.

It's just that she has entered the chess game, whether she can go or not, how to go, she can't help it!

All the way back to her bedroom, the palace people were startled by the blood on her body, and hurriedly welcomed her into the house and called for hot water.

The body was wrapped in hot water, and the biting coolness began to dissipate, and the grandmother who had been waiting for her retreated from the others, skillfully helping her knead and massage.

"Second girl, what's going on?"

Mama is her nurse, the queen mother is especially allowed to enter the palace to take care of her, after entering the palace for so long, Mama still calls her second girl, as if she is still the second lady of the An family, and has never married the emperor.

"Ah Jue was picked off by Xiaoyao Hou and lost a lot of blood, Xiaoyao Hou found a witness to prove that the person behind the scenes who framed him for having an affair with the concubine was Ah Jue, I know that there are still many doubts about this matter, but I dare not let Your Majesty continue to investigate." An Ruolan became cold again as she spoke, and pressed her body into the water, only exposing her nose to breathe outside.

"Mama, Ah Jue suffered for me......"

"The second girl doesn't want to say that, Young Master A Jue has always acted recklessly, and it is inevitable that someone will be caught, and it is the most important thing that you are okay."

Mama comforted softly, and her wrinkled hand stroked An Ruolan's back up and down to help her calm her emotions, An Ruolan shook her head: "Mama, Your Majesty doesn't allow me to see the Queen Mother." ”

Mama's hand slammed to a halt, and her rough fingertips scraped against her delicate skin, leaving a slight tingling.

An Ruolan was unconscious, and looked back at Mama solemnly: "Mama, Your Majesty is probably going to do something to the An family!" ”

On the other side, inside the Imperial Study.

The two witnesses were taken down, and Chu Lingzhao threw the fold at hand to Zhao Hanzhuo: "Zhao Aiqing, this is the closing statement you wrote?" ”

Chu Lingzhao's tone was quite bad, Chu Huaian picked up the fold and swept it, almost laughing out loud in anger.

There is no problem with the first half of Zhao Hanzhuo's excerpt, which truthfully expresses the confessions of the two witnesses, but the personal judgment added later is: Xia Guan thought that there were still many doubts about this case, and the timing of the voluntary surrender of the two witnesses was too coincidental, and it was too coincidental, many details could not withstand scrutiny, and the mastermind behind the scenes was afraid that there were other people.

Fortunately, Zhao Hanzhuo only said the first half just now and concealed the second half, otherwise I am afraid that Chu Lingzhao will directly punish him for harboring the crime!

"Lord Zhao, is your brain bamboo? Do you want to die if you turn a corner and tell a lie during a special period? If you don't crucify him on the head at this time, he will go crazy and even dare to kill you! Chu Huai'an took the excerpt and followed the temptation, Zhao Hanzhuo's face was upright and unyielding: "The minister will not tell lies!" ”

“……”

Chu Huai'an completely took him out of control, and took the fold into his arms: "This case is the chief trial of this envoy, and the closing statement should also be written by the envoy, you won't lie, I'll come!" ”

Zhao Hanzhuo borrowed the slope to get off the donkey: "There is Lao Houye." ”

Chu Huai'an replied to him with a big roll of the eyes when he heard this, and was ridiculed by such a gag, the heavy atmosphere in the imperial study dissipated a little, and Chu Lingzhao also relaxed his body and sat on the back of the chair: "Why did Zhao Aiqing come so late just now?" But what's the delay? ”

"When An Jue searched the Guogong Mansion, Xia Guan received the news that Li Yong's only son wanted to connect with someone, and it is very likely that he had a roster of Li Yong and many officials in the DPRK and China who had paid bribes over the years, and Xia Guan made an unauthorized proposal to ask Miss Su San to help find that Li Gongzi, and only then did Xia Guan's subordinates return, Third Miss has found Li Gongzi, and he should be able to find the roster in a few days, and Xia Guan arranged some people to prepare to respond."

"It's still Aiqing thoughtful."

Chu Lingzhao nodded, he was very relieved about Zhao Hanzhuo's work, but Chu Huai'an was staring at Zhao Hanzhuo on the side, he was not empty, this elm head actually summoned his person!

There are so many rough old men in Dali Temple, so they have to let a weak woman take risks, what is the reason?

"Where are they now? I'll take someone to pick it up myself! ”

Chu Huai'an couldn't help but say, the current situation is very dangerous, no one knows what will happen in the next moment, how could he let Su Li run around alone?

"Master Hou forgives the sin, but the lower officials don't know."

"Didn't your people just separate from her? How could it not be known? Chu Huai'an asked, wishing that he could fly to Su Li's side immediately with a wing, and put her in a purse and hung it on his body.

"Xia Guan really doesn't know."

Zhao Hanzhuo replied, Chu Huai'an was about to get angry, but was stopped by Chu Lingzhao: "Okay! Even if he knew, I wouldn't let you go, do you think now is the time for you to mess around? ”

Chu Huaian pursed his lips and didn't speak, if it was before, he would have to do what he wanted to do, no matter what time was right or not, but after experiencing so many things in the past few months, he had also learned to restrain himself.

"I have talked to Lu Guogong, he has indeed never seen Lu Ji, do you think Lu Ji left the barracks, where will he be now?"

Chu Lingzhao really didn't have a clue at all, he knew Lu Xiao's personality, but he didn't know Lu Ji, he didn't know what this young general who was guarding the border at a young age was thinking and what he was going to do.

"Who knows what he is running blindly, others are desperately trying to help him clear his name, he is good, he poked a hole in the sky and disappeared without making a sound!"

Chu Huai'an muttered in a sullen voice, and his tone was quite unconvinced, in this comparison, his ability to cause trouble and Lu Ji were not on the same level at all.

Most of these words were his own subjective judgments, and there was nothing to be desired, Chu Lingzhao rubbed his temples and looked at Zhao Hanzhuo: "What does Aiqing think?" ”

"Back to Your Majesty, the minister thought that General Lu would never leave the barracks for no reason, he had never returned to Beijing to visit Lord Guogong, there must be something more important than this for him to do, and the minister thought that if he wanted to find out where General Lu went, I am afraid that he still needed to find out what happened in the army."

Everything seems to have returned to square one, and the military ration corruption case has not been clarified, and everything is shrouded in fog and cannot be seen clearly.

"Aiqing is reasonable, continue to investigate according to your previous ideas."

"Yes!"

Zhao Hanzhuo was ordered to leave, Chu Lingzhao looked at Chu Huai'an again, and his brain hurt: "My twenty elites are all one in a million, if you can't even protect them, even if you really go, it's useless!" ”

"Then I can't sit here and do nothing!"

Chu Huai'an said that he was still wronged, he originally felt that he had lived a confused life in the past few years, and he was much worse than Su Li, and now that he continues to be like this, what face will he have to see Su Li in the future?

If that majestic General Lu came back, wouldn't he be even more like a waste?

If Lu Ji wants to take Su Li away in the future, how can he still talk about a waste?

Chu Huai'an pursed his lips and sulked, Chu Lingzhao gave him an angry look: "You picked An Jue's arms?" How dare you say that nothing has been done? ”

"He deserves it!"

Chu Huai'an was straightforward, Chu Lingzhao raised his hand and grabbed the teacup next to him and smashed it: "Get out!" ”

Chu Huai'an moved sideways with his vigorous hands, hooked his toes very skillfully, and the water in the teacup was not spilled, and it landed on his hand safely: "Cousin Xie Huang gave tea." ”

Raising his head and taking a sip, Chu Huaian put the teacup back on the table with a shy face, and stared at Chu Lingzhao vigorously: "Cousin, if you catch Lu Ji in the future, what are you going to do with him?" ”

Speaking of business, Chu Lingzhao smiled, brushed the teacup aside, picked up a piece of music and looked seriously: "It's not your business!" ”

"Can't ask?"

"No way!"

"I see." Chu Huai'an nodded, frowned slightly, thought seriously for a while, and then asked tentatively: "Can I use the imperial whip left by my father to save his life?" ”

Somehow these words touched Chu Lingzhao's scales, he lifted his eyes and sneered, and his tone was deep: "You can take it out and try it then!" ”

“……”

Chu Huai'an touched the tip of his nose and walked out of the imperial study, and after making trouble for most of the night, the east was gradually white, and the sky was about to dawn.

The night dew was heavy, Chu Huai'an sneezed, and without the hippie smile just now, his expression was rarely solemn.

Anjia and Guogongfu are the mainstays of Yuanzhao Kingdom, like two mountains to town the peace of Yuanzhao Kingdom, after this turmoil, I don't know what the situation in Yuanzhao Kingdom will become......

Two hours later, the soft morning light pierced through the clouds and spread over the land.

In the county seat of Longxi County, the hour is still early, and many people on the streets that should be cold are walking forward in a hurry, Li Gongzi is escorted by Sun Zhutou of Dali Temple, Su Li grabbed a passer-by and asked: "This little brother, what happened, where are you hurrying to hurry?" ”

The passer-by was first startled by the scar on Su Li's face, and when he saw that her eyebrows and eyes were very good-looking, she was not a bad person, so he suppressed her fear and replied: "The girl has just entered the city, the Baihuayuan in the city caught fire last night, and the fire is not over yet!" ”

The name Baihuayuan sounds very elegant, but before Su Li could react to what kind of place this was, then Li Gongzi exploded: "There was a fire?" How could there be a sudden fire? What about white peonies? Where's she?? ”

Li Gongzi asked so urgently, Su Li immediately guessed that Baihuayuan was the Goolan Courtyard they were going to, and the white peony was Li Yong's old friend!

"Ouch, the girls in this garden only rest at that time on weekdays, and they are all tired to death, and no one notices the fire, and when the people around them find out about the fire, it's too late! None of them came out! The little brother was still a little embarrassed when he said that, probably he had been to the garden to have fun on weekdays, and there were one or two girls who knew each other.

"Thank you!"

Su Li let go of the man, didn't ask any more, and followed the crowd of people who watched the bustle and walked quickly towards Baihuayuan, but Li Gongzi still didn't believe it, and muttered vigorously: "No one ran out?" How can you not run out of any of them! What should I do if she doesn't run out? ”

How is it impossible?

There are many people who don't want this roster to be discovered, as long as they hear the slightest disturbance, they will destroy the corpse at all costs!

It's just a pity for those innocent lives.

I sighed in my heart, and after a while, a burned attic appeared in front of me, the attic was three stories high, and after a night of burning, most of the walls had collapsed, and only the load-bearing walls that had been built relatively firmly were still standing.

The open fire had not yet been extinguished, the fallen part was still burning, and the scorching heat could be felt from afar, and the people who came to see the excitement gathered in a circle and pointed at the ruins, but no one carried water to extinguish the fire.

Su Li squeezed into the crowd, and through the fire, she could vaguely see that there were charred corpses inside.

"What about the county officials? No one cares about such a big fire? Su Li asked loudly, the others originally looked lively, but at first glance they saw a woman with a ruined face standing here, and subconsciously thought that she was here to find relatives, and couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic.

"Girl, who are you? The people in this garden are burned to death inside, our county lord was arrested a few days ago, the new lord has not yet come, the yamen doesn't care, you don't have to meddle with things, and then maybe you will be arrested as an arsonist to make up the number!! ”

After being reminded like this, Su Li remembered that Li Yong had been arrested, and no one was in charge of it for the time being, so there was no official messenger to put out the fire and review.

Li Gongzi still refused to believe it on the road, but now he was scorched by the heat wave, and suddenly died, feeling that he was dead without the talisman, so he immediately opened his throat and shouted: "I am the son of the county master, my father was not arrested at all, he is about to be promoted, these two gangsters have kidnapped me and I want to blackmail my father, you guys quickly catch them for me!" ”

Although Li Gongzi lives in Beijing, he also likes to run to Longxi County, after all, this is his father's territory, and he can walk sideways casually.

He was now dressed in coarse linen clothes, and he was haggard, and those who had not recognized him before saw him now, and they all avoided him, and talked about him.

"What are you hiding! Take them down for me! When I go back, tell my father, and ensure that you will enjoy endless glory and wealth in the future! Li Gongzi shouted, bumping into Sun Zhutou and was about to take advantage of the chaos to escape, Su Li's eyes lit up, and a tall man suddenly rushed out of the crowd, the man looked like a woodcutter, but he was holding a pig-killing knife in his hand.

The blade of the knife was illuminated by the sun, refracting a dazzling light, and the next moment, the knife stabbed into Li Gongzi's abdomen, and then pulled it out, it was stained with red and bright blood.

The accident happened too quickly, and everyone was so frightened that they fled in all directions, and Su Li was hit several times before squeezing over and grabbing Li Gongzi's shoulder.

"Ahhhh

Li Gongzi screamed like crazy, reflexively and desperately tried to protect Su Li's legs, Su Li's actions were restricted, and the blood-stained pig-killing knife slashed at Su Li, Su Li couldn't dodge, seeing that the knife was about to fall, a silver dart flew in, and the pig-killing knife was shocked by an inch, Su Li cooperated with the tilt, and the pig-killing knife cut off a corner of Su Li's skirt on the ground, making a crisp sound of 'Zheng'.

The crowd had already run almost away, Sun Zhutou arrived in time, picked up Li Gongzi, and two secret guards held long swords to block in front of Su Li.

Seeing that the situation was wrong, the man turned to flee, but the two guards would not let him leave easily.

The Dark Guard's skill is extremely high, and the pig-killing knife has suffered a lot against the long sword, and this person quickly fell behind and was hit by several swords.

"Keep your mouth alive!"

Su Li asked in time, but she was a step too late, and a wisp of black blood overflowed from the corner of the man's lips, and he actually committed suicide by taking poison.

The man's tall body fell straight up, and the two secret guards searched for him with great experience, and finally found a silk handkerchief, which was confirmed to be non-toxic and handed to Su Li.

The silk handkerchief is pale pink, embroidered with a pretty pear blossom, under the pear blossom is an unfinished Su character, I don't know what happened to the owner, there is a shallow blood stain on the word.

Second sister!

Su Li recognized at a glance that this silk handkerchief was from Su Zhaoyue's hand, Su Zhaoyue was in the hands of these people, did they deliberately let her discover this silk handkerchief today and warn her not to continue to pursue the whereabouts of the roster?

"Miss Su, is there anything special about this veil?" Sun Zhutou asked, he could see Su Li's performance all the way, Miss Su was not an ordinary woman.

"It's fine!"

Su Li casually took the handkerchief into her arms, and these people would threaten her with the second sister, indicating that they had not found the roster yet.

The roster is so important, Su Li can't just give up, as long as they find the roster, they will give more clues, and even ask for the roster to be exchanged for the second sister in the end.

Only when it comes to the exchange of hostages, the better the chance of the second sister being rescued.

"I'm going to die, save me! Help me! Seeing that the person was killed, Li Gongzi cried like killing a pig while holding his stomach, Su Li glanced at him sideways, and asked Sun Zhutou to take him to the hospital for treatment, and he took the silver to find a group of young and powerful men nearby to help carry water and extinguish the fire.

There was no river near the Hundred Flower Garden, so it took some effort to extinguish the fire, and the fire was barely extinguished in the evening, and the scorching ground steamed the water into a hot mist.

After watching the day's excitement and all the people go back to their respective homes, Su Li called the secret guards out, and twenty people quickly dug out more than a dozen charred corpses from a piece of ruins.

There were cracks in the neck bones of the corpses, all of which were sealed by a knife, first extinguished the mouth, and then set fire to destroy the corpses.

Li Gongzi was deeply knifed, but it was not fatal, and after being wrapped in bandages in the medical hall, he was brought back by Sun Zhutou, and he squeaked and screamed along the way, and when he saw more than ten charred corpses, he immediately turned pale with fright, turned his head and vomited.

Su Li didn't care if he was afraid or not, he carried the person to the charred corpse, pressed his head and asked him to identify it: "Look clearly, is there the white peony you said among these people?" ”

"People are burned like this, where can I see it!"

Li Gongzi vomited only bile, crying and shaking his head, Su Li still refused to let him go: "Have you ever seen that roster here in White Peony, where does she usually hide the booklet?" ”

"The building has burned down, even if the booklet is placed in an iron box, it will be burned to ashes, what's the use of hiding it well!" Li Gongzi said so loudly, a picture of being disposed of, and he couldn't provide more valuable clues.

Su Li tossed him aside and let him collapse on the ground like a puddle of mud.

The clues of the roster were broken, and the sea of people had to be found again, I don't know how much effort it would take, and after rushing all the way, Su Li was also a little tired, she asked Sun Zhutou to go to a nearby inn to open a few rooms to rest first, and she went to a coffin shop under the guidance of passers-by.

The coffin shop was dimly lit, and there were several black coffins parked inside, which looked quite terrifying, but Su Li seemed to be used to seeing such a scene, and walked in without even blinking her eyes.

"Shopkeeper, do you have any guys in your store who can help with the burial? I don't buy a coffin, I ask a guy to help dig a pit and bury the body, and the wage manager will open it. ”

The shopkeeper was a gray-haired old man, his eyes were not very good, he approached Su Li and looked carefully, and only coughed and retreated after a while: "Who doesn't use a coffin to bury?" The guys in my shop are all serious people, and the corpses that are not known are not buried, so as not to cause bad luck! ”

"It's not that the source is unknown, it's more than a dozen charred corpses from Baihuayuan." Su Li replied softly, she was facing the shopkeeper sideways, and the half of her uninjured face was soft under the light, like water, light and gentle, like an immortal who would help all living beings.

"The girl doesn't know them, why is it a burial?"

The old man gasped and asked, there was a gurgling sound in his throat, as if he couldn't spit out the phlegm in his mouth, it was uncomfortable to hear, Su Li did not show dissatisfaction, and said sincerely: "There are people in the family who are in the army, and they encounter an unknown corpse on the road, so they should do their best to bury them for peace of mind, so as to avoid the result of the person who is thinking in their hearts from dying on the battlefield in the future and ending up in a violent corpse wilderness." ”

"There is a reason."

The old man nodded, raised his hand and grabbed a small hemp rope on the counter and shook it, and a crisp copper bell immediately sounded on the beam, and after a while, a woman wearing a blue cloth short lining rushed out with a spatula, wrapped in the smell of choking chili peppers and said angrily: "What are you shaking, the old lady is frying rice!" ”

The woman's voice was loud and crisp, and after speaking, her eyes paused on Su Li, and she quickly looked her up and down, and suddenly couldn't help but say with a shovel on the old man's bright forehead: "You lost your money, a young girl, what are you doing fooling her to the coffin shop?" ”

The old man covered his forehead, blew his beard and glared at the woman, and his voice, which was still extremely old, became cheerful and light, as if he was a young man: "What do you mean by flickering, serious business, quickly shout the people behind you, this girl is going to bury the body." ”

"Bury whom?"

"Those unjust ghosts in Baihuayuan!"

The young man pulled the fake beard on his face and said angrily, the woman held the shovel and looked slightly stunned, then turned around and walked to the backyard, muttering in a low voice as she walked: "A group of things for men to laugh at, I don't know what luck they bumped into, and when they died, there were still people to help collect the corpse!" ”

The woman spoke quite harshly, and her tone was not very good, but Su Li inexplicably heard a trace of sadness.

It was as if the woman was grieving for the dozen or so charred corpses that no one cared about.

The woman entered the backyard and soon came out again, followed by seven or eight thin teenagers, all dressed in patched clothes, all looking at Su Li curiously, as if they didn't expect such a woman to help such a group of people collect the bodies.

"Let's go, there are still vegetables in the pot waiting for me to come back and stir-fry!"

The woman urged, and two more teenagers pushed a tattered cart out of the back door, and it took only a quarter of an hour from Su Li entering the shop to now, but paper money, incense and candles were placed on the cart, and there were even tablets with names written on them.

They were meant to help collect the corpses?

Su Li was puzzled, but she didn't say anything, and took a piece of silver to the young man who was just playing the old man: "This is the salary, please accept it from the shopkeeper." ”

The young man's eyes lit up, he stretched out his hand to take it, and when his fingertips were about to touch the silver, he turned his head to look at the woman: "Qi Niang, this ...... To accept it or not to accept it? ”

Qi Niang's expression was serious, and she did not object, the young man hesitated for a long time, and finally had the courage to accept the silver.

Waiting for the young man to put the silver in his pocket, Qi Niang looked at Su Li and said: "Dare to ask the girl's name, and let those dead ghosts remember the girl's kindness, not to mention the blessing of the girl, at least you can avoid being entangled by the villain." ”

In a few words, it shows that Qi Niang is a lover of a person, and Su Li did not hide it, and bowed his hand: "The ancestor's surname is Su, and the single name is a pear character." ”

"Su Li......" Qi Niang repeated, shock flashed in her eyes, Su Li was about to ask what was wrong, Qi Niang had realized her gaffe, and explained in a low voice: "The girl's name is so good." ”

"Thank you! My father said that on the day I was born, the pear blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom, and they were blown all over the courtyard with the wind, so he took this name. ”

"That's good." Qi Niang said with a smile, quickly restrained her emotions, and kicked the boy closest to her: "What are you doing stupidly, don't go quickly!" Whoever doesn't do his best is not allowed to eat tonight! ”

The teenagers wailed, and they all rolled up their sleeves and ran away with enthusiasm.

Su Li and Qi Niang walked behind gently, Su Li looked at Qi Niang quietly, and saw that although she had a cool temperament, her steps between walks were not big, and her waist and hips shook gently unconsciously, and she was not profligate, but she was more charming than ordinary women.

That charm is engraved in the bones by the accumulation of years, even if it is covered with coarse linen clothes.

With a slight movement in her heart, Su Li said in a low voice: "Qi Niang's expression is different, but Ah Li said something wrong and poked Qi Niang's sadness?" ”

"The pepper chokes uncomfortably, there's nothing to be sad about." Qi Niang said coolly, grabbed the apron and wiped the corners of her eyes, her eyes were a little red, but she wanted to cover her confusion, Su Li became more and more sure of her guess, and asked tentatively: "Qi Niang has any familiar people in Baihuayuan?" ”

"Where do you know each other, I'm not the same as those cheap hooves!" Qi Niang was angry, the more disgusted her mouth was, the more red her eyes became.

If you really don't know each other, how can you almost shed tears when you mention it?

Su Li had a measure in her heart, and did not ask any more questions, the two walked to Baihuayuan, and several children had already moved more than a dozen charred corpses to the board car, a few people pulled in front, a few pushed in the back, and two held paper money and incense candles to cheer on the side.

"Little bunny! One by one, I also played, get out of the old lady! ”

Qi Niang scolded and stepped forward to snatch the rope on herself, and pushed the children in front of her away, more than a dozen charred corpses were still a little heavy, Qi Niang was bent over, Su Li hurriedly stepped forward to help her share half of the weight, and the children ran to the back to help push the cart, so it was not very heavy.

The cart squeaked, the wheels rolled on the bluestone floor tiles, and the children behind them sprinkled paper money and cried hard.

Hearing the cry, Qi Niang took a low sip, and finally couldn't help but fall a tear from the corner of her eye, Su Li turned her head and pretended not to see it, and after a while, Qi Niang suddenly asked: "How did the girl's face hurt?" ”

"Accidentally injured by the explosion."

Su Li deliberately said that the explosion was injured, the scar on her face was still very new, and everyone in Yuan Zhaoguo knew that not long ago, Tianlei split Zhao'an Building, and the warehouse of Zhao'an Building collapsed.

"The girl's trip has something to do with this?"

"Yes."

"Baihuayuan was burned, and no one was spared, and it was ...... Something to do with it? In the end, Qi Niang choked up, and her voice trembled uncontrollably.

She took the initiative to mention it, and Su Li no longer covered it up, and replied frankly: "Yes, there is a girl named White Peony in Baihuayuan, she has a very important roster in her hand, and the disaster in Baihuayuan this time is because of that roster, can Qi Niang know the whereabouts of that roster?" ”

Qi Niang has never left Longxi County, and the most vicious person she has ever seen is the black-hearted county master Li Yong, she can't understand how there can be a booklet in this world, which is more important than a dozen lives.

She looked at Su Li blankly, her eyes quickly overflowed with tears, and the moment the tears flowed out of control, she scolded loudly: "Slut surnamed Bai, I know that you are not a good thing, sooner or later you will get into trouble, why didn't you die outside five years ago!" ”

She scolded about the woman named White Peony, her tone was really ruthless, but the tears were also real, Su Li couldn't tell for a moment whether she really hated the woman or the relationship was too good.

"Qi Niang, do you know where the roster is now?" Su Li asked again, Qi Niang scolded happily, and glared at Su Li with teary eyes when she heard the sound: "Everyone is dead, the ghost knows where that ghost thing is!" ”

Qi Niang's words were obviously angry, her emotions were too excited, it was not the time to ask, Su Li pursed her lips and didn't speak again.

The group quickly left the city, and when they arrived at the mass grave, it was already dark, and a bright moon hung obliquely in the sky, it was spring, but there were still no stars in the night sky.

As soon as the cart stopped, several children skillfully pulled out their shovels and began to dig holes, apparently experienced in doing this kind of thing.

However, the strength of children is not as good as that of adults after all, Su Li and Qi Niang each took a shovel from a child's hand and dug a pit neatly.

Su Li wanted to dig a pit by herself, but Qi Niang was troublesome, saying that these dead ghosts like to be lively, and it was just right to bury a pit, Su Li didn't insist, and dug a pit with Qi Niang that was one arm wide, two arms long, and half a person high.

After the pit was dug up, there was no particular attention, and a few children carried the charred corpses into the pit with all hands and feet, and a few of them were burned to the point that only the bones were left and they would make a rattling sound.

After the body was dropped, Qi Niang began to fill in the soil, and several children lit incense candles to burn the paper money that had not been lost along the way, and then lined up to kowtow.

By the time the last child was finished, the grave was almost buried.

Qi Niang pressed a stone to the grave and raised her chin at Su Li: "Girl, you also go and kowtow three times"

This request is very abrupt, it is not a relative, it is very righteous for Su Li to help these people collect their bodies, where is there any reason to ask her to kowtow to people she doesn't know?

"Qi Niang, I ......"

Su Li just wanted to speak, but was interrupted by Qi Niang's words: "After the girl kowtows, I will tell you where the booklet is." ”

This condition is quite tempting, but Su Li did not have the slightest joy in her heart, at that moment, she suddenly remembered that she had never seen her biological mother, it is said that because of her low status, after giving birth to her, she was sold into Goolan Courtyard by the Zhao family.

After living for so many years, Su Li never thought of looking for her, nor did she ever think that her life would have any intersection with her, but after Qi Niang said that, she didn't even have the courage to look up at the grave in front of her!

"Qi Niang, she ...... Told you about me? ”

Su Li opened her mouth with difficulty, except for using the pronoun 'she', she didn't know how to call that person.

The one who gave her life, but never showed up in her life.

Because of Su Li's transparency, Qi Niang was a little surprised, she grabbed a handful of soil and slapped it on the grave: "I said, I show off to others every day that she has a daughter who is like a flower and jade, she is very good-looking, she is the only female student under the name of the first genius in the capital, and she has also been in Tanhua!" ”

"She came to see me?" Su Li was surprised, she didn't even have the slightest vague memory of such a person.

"As long as the leg has not been broken, there will always be a few days of muddy every year, going up the knife mountain and going down the sea of fire to see my daughter, where did she come out, can she still find her way back? But five years ago, she broke her leg and couldn't go. ”

"What happened five years ago?"

Su Li asked eagerly, Qi Niang turned her head to look at the brand-new grave, and her face showed a sadness: "Who knows, the clothes were torn to tatters, and the legs were stabbed in blood, and when she ran back, she kept letting people sleep with her like crazy, don't sleep with her daughter......"

Rumble!

Like a thunderclap exploding in her ears, Su Li took a few steps back in disbelief, her throat choked so uncomfortably that it became difficult to breathe.

She kept thinking about why those mountain bandits didn't touch her that night five years ago, and why they wasted so much effort and then threw her back to the gate of Shangshu Mansion after tying her up.

She had thought of many, many possibilities, but she had never thought it would be like this!

It turned out to be so!

"She's ...... now. Right in here? ”

It took a long time for Su Li to hear her embarrassed voice, Qi Niang's tears flowed even more violently, she couldn't speak, don't turn her head and don't look at Su Li, and after a while, she said: "Here, her legs and feet are not good, others can't run away, she can't run." ”

Ah......

Su Li stayed in her belly for ten months, except for the day she was born, the second time, it was just now.

She was mixed in a pile of charred corpses, Su Li didn't have a chance to see her face, didn't have a chance to listen to her voice, so she dug a pit and buried her!

How can it be like this?

Su Li knelt in front of the grave, wanting to reach out and dig open the grave, so that Qi Niang could point out which one was her from the pile of charred corpses! I want to grab the scorched corpse and ask why I don't let myself know since I come to see me every year! Why did you do so many things silently, but you didn't even give yourself a chance to say a word to your face!

After grabbing the dirt for a while, Su Li stopped suddenly, she looked at the mud on her hands, her vision was blurred suddenly, and then tears welled up......

"Mother's !!"

Su Li shouted as hard as she could.

She seemed to see that night five years ago, in an unknown place, she fell asleep peacefully, and someone was humiliated next to her, but she kept comforting her and said: "Ah Li, don't be afraid, my mother is protecting you!" ”

She tried her best to protect her only flesh and blood, but in the end she couldn't hear a word of mother's ......