CHAPTER XIV

"Don't tell the girl, since the old man bought a house in Yunzhou City, I will follow the master to serve. The rest of the people were bought by the master later, and if I didn't know about it, then it was even more impossible for others to know. As for the matter of the lady, it is the master himself. "It's a matter of human life, and the housekeeper doesn't dare to exaggerate, so he has to be cautious.

"Then before your lord went out, he was angry, but did he behave in any other way? Or did he tell you where he would go? ”

But seeing that the housekeeper shook his head, he replied after a while: "I didn't wait in the backyard at the beginning that day, but the master met in front of him when he went out, and I really don't know why the master was angry." I guessed at the time that I was afraid that the two aunts would be jealous and annoy the master, so I didn't dare to ask more. ”

Next, Xu Chu asked a few more words, and seeing that the housekeeper really didn't know anything, he simply didn't say much.

The Li family's house is only bigger than the Zhang family, and there are even craggy mountains and rocks, sparkling pools, and the courtyard is full of red flowers and willow green, which is very lush and gratifying.

"The lord doesn't like to fiddle with these, but Aunt Hui likes some flowers and plants, so after she entered the door, the lord found a craftsman to transport the rockery and lead the water into the house." Seeing that Xu Chu was serious, the housekeeper couldn't help but explain, "Over the years, the master has rarely paid so much attention to individuals, but it's a pity that Aunt Hui has a bad background, otherwise it is estimated that it is not impossible for the master to continue the string." ”

Xu Chu nodded in understanding, and the two of them walked around the corridor to check, but on the right side of the corridor, Xu Chu stopped.

"Butler, I wonder where this room is?"

"Oh, this is the master's study, and the master doesn't usually come here, so it's locked all year round. It was only a few months ago that the master came back, and it was opened again. It's just that after the old man had an accident, I let people lock it again, so that no account book would be taken out and cause trouble. ”

"Can I go in and have a look?"

"Naturally, then please wait a minute, I have to go get the key first."

Just when the housekeeper hurriedly went to get it, Xu Chu stepped forward and reached out to flick the lock a few times, but saw some scratches on the keyhole, as if the key was not punched into the keyhole. Then she bent down and picked up a curly, trampled leaf from between the door and the threshold.

The performance of the housekeeper just now is obviously not him, but according to the freshness of the leaves, it is definitely left after Li Jin's accident in recent days......

In the study, what greeted him was not an elegant screen bookcase, nor a collection of historical books and poems, but a few gaudy pictures of beauties. On the bookshelf, there are mostly romantic painting books, and some unsightly wind and dust calligraphy and paintings. If you say that the cleanest place in the whole study is on the small coffee table by the window. Although there is also a picture of a beautiful begonia sleeping naked on the table, it is clean compared to the place next to it.

Xu Chu's eyes paused slightly, and he took a few steps forward to flip through them casually, and found that what was on the table was not a picture book story, but an account book for Li Jin to sell tea.

She removed the scattered calligraphy and paintings on the top, and saw a stack of ledgers neatly arranged below, and there were all pen, ink, paper, and inkstones in the corner of the table.

Xu Chu frowned slightly, and after a slight pause, he reached out and took out the account book to check it, and only became more and more surprised when he combed through a few pages.

"How so?" Xu Chu muttered to himself. Xu couldn't figure it out, so she simply changed the account and continued to sort it out, but found that it was still the same as she first saw.

Li Jin's tea business has long been unable to make ends meet, so how can the Li family's prosperity be maintained?

"Where do you receive your father's usual letters?"

"I don't know this, most of the people in the house are illiterate, except for the cleaning lady Wan, who rarely comes to the study, let alone knows if the master has a letter or something."

Xu Chu nodded, then re-inspected the study, and looked around to see that there was nothing abnormal. However, in order to make sure that it was correct, she carefully rummaged through the bookshelves, the various drawers, and even the empty vases in the study, until she found a mezzanine in the shelf, and in the mezzanine there was only a yellowed sea-catching book.

It can be seen that this document was carefully torn off the wall, and the word "publicity" is a little blurred. It's just that because it has been carefully preserved, there is not much damage.

"Notice: Let the people of this county and town know that there are several foreign bandit leaders, who have killed people and robbed money, and caused harm to the township, and their behavior can be described as heinous deeds. At present, the officials in various parts of the prefecture, city, and county are strictly investigating and arresting the bandits. Those who meet people in various places who report to the official will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver, and those who do not report will be punished for the same crime. ”

There are also pictures of those bandits painted on it, followed by the official seal of the county magistrate of Changping County. Xu Chu looked at the time, but it was twenty years ago.

She repeatedly recalled the dossier she had read, twenty years ago, the Zhang family, the Li family, and the Wu family had never made a fortune, but they were just ordinary people, and their families had no good land industry. But in the following years, several families left the village one after another to make a living, and they all prospered and lived extremely wealthy.

However, now she first saw the account book of the Li family's business loss, and then found the sea fishing document that the bandit leader fled twenty years ago, but she didn't know what was involved. What does the death of these people have to do with this matter?

Thinking of this, she simply got up and discussed with the housekeeper that she should first bring the account book back to the yamen for study. The housekeeper was unwilling, but thinking that no one in the house could afford the master's business now, if the yamen could solve the case with this, it would not let the master die in vain. So after only a moment's hesitation, he stopped stopping it.

Xu Chu was just about to get up, when his feet suddenly slipped, and he stumbled and sat on the chair. She reached out to hold her body, then looked down at her feet, and saw a small piece of iron pipe rolling back and forth on the ground.

She put down the ledger in her hand and bent down to intercept the object, and took it in her hand and turned it upside down, this material is so strange, but it is not like iron and does not want steel pipes and the like, and it is a little hot to start.

Xu Chu frowned, she was not a major in physics and chemistry, so she really couldn't tell the composition of this thing at the moment. But instinctively, she felt as if something had flashed through her mind, and that flashing feeling was the key to solving the case.

She didn't make any noise, but asked the housekeeper if there was anything unusual in the housekeeper's mansion.

"Anomalous? Not really, but one night the house seemed to be haunted. Xu Chu, who listened to the housekeeper, asked about what happened a long time ago, and said slowly, "That was a few months ago, but at that time, except for the six sons who were driven away by the master, no one knew what happened, let alone saw any haunting." ”

Xu Chu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked, "Then what was the situation at that time?" ”

"I really don't know about this, no one in the house has seen any ghosts, and I haven't heard any noise. Later, the old man said that he was in the study all night, how could there be ghosts, and said that the sixth son stole his jade pendant and made trouble because he was a thief. The next day, the old man directly asked people to send the six sons to the yamen, and no one in the back house had seen any ghosts and monsters. The housekeeper was a little puzzled, "Didn't the sixth son hold a grudge and come back to take revenge?" ”

Otherwise, if it was really a ghost, the government would have decided the case a long time ago, and it would have been pursued non-stop?

Seeing this, Xu Chu smiled and said, "The old man doesn't believe that it was a demon who committed the crime? ”

"Hey, what evil ghosts are not evil ghosts, I haven't seen anything when I'm old, there are a lot of evil ghosts and ghosts in the book, if you are really so capable, the world must not be messed up!"

"Yes, if everyone thinks so, there will be far fewer people who do bad things through ghosts and gods."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then Xu Chu took what he found and left. When he was about to cross the door of the second room, he saw a corner of his clothes peeking out of the corner of the wall. She paused for a moment, watching the shadow of the sun slanting out against her, and her heart became more and more amazed.

It was getting late, and the autumn wind was bleak, which made Xu Chu tremble subconsciously. I don't know if she has been in the ice cellar for a long time, she always feels that there is still a cold air in her bones.

As soon as she stepped out of the gate of the Li Mansion, she saw a maroon carriage parked on the side of the street, carved in fragrant wood, painted in gold and silver, and splendid curtains. The tassels under the eaves move with the wind, and although there is no sound, it is extraordinarily noble.

Xu Chu knew that it was the frame of Xiao Qinglang, the king of Jing'an. Although it looks low-key enough and not wide and ostentatious, the dark agarwood aroma and the carving by the hands of famous artists are enough to highlight its luxury.

In fact, earlier, Xu Chu didn't know that, even now, she only knew a little bit about it. It's just that the carriage, she had already ridden it once earlier, so she wouldn't be wrong at the moment.

Sure enough, before she could hesitate to step forward, she saw the coachman whisper back inside, and then the curtain was lifted from the inside. Even if it was half a street away, Xu Chu could clearly imagine how beautiful the people inside were with a pair of deep eyes.

Above the market, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, he saw that Xiao Qinglang did not sit in the carriage and wait for Xu Chu to come forward and salute. Instead, he leaned over and beckoned to her, motioning for her to come over. The upright and exquisite regular clothes wrap the long figure, and the face is calm and calm, like Zhilan Qinggui, which is obviously a complex and layered splendid dress, wearing it on him is not luxurious and tacky at all, but it is like the moon, which makes people feel unconsciously admired.

Love?! Suddenly, Xu Chu was stunned in his heart, and immediately frowned and bit his lip to drive away the strange thoughts in his mind. Although she advocates free love, she has never thought of attacking any people from the rich and noble families of the Houmen, let alone Xiao Qinglang, who is the respect of the prince.

There is appreciation, but she also knows that her attitude towards Xiao Qinglang can only be respectful and appreciative, but if she makes a wrong step, I am afraid that there will be no peaceful and stable life in the future.