CHAPTER XIII

"Hey, but I see that the relationship between the Lu family and the Liu family is still close, is there any misunderstanding?" Xu Chu looked at the mysterious storyteller and asked with some disbelief, "Just now I saw Qing'er go to bring food to Liu Laohan, if it is really like what you said, can the Lu family be so kind?" ”

Seeing Xu Chu's face full of doubts, the storyteller poured a sip of tea into his mouth and sold Guanzi, "Young man, what can I hide from this piece of water?" If it weren't for Liu Chan's full of evil, would the evil ghost be able to claim his life? Let me tell you, I inquired in the yamen before, and Liu Chan was killed by a stick that penetrated all the bones. As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and gestured at his chest, and then said, "If it were a man, who would have the strength to pierce a man to death like a piece of flesh?" ”

When it comes to ghost murders, although many people are frightened, most people feel rare in addition to fear. So the people who were trembling at the beginning came to the side of the storyteller with their mouths, and the atmosphere became inexplicably lively.

And Xu Chu no longer asked, but began to think about the matter of Liu Laohan, Liu Chan and the Lu family. According to the storyteller and the owner of the tea shop, Liu Chan is really a wicked person who everyone hates, and he has been a craftsman in Su Rili and has done a lot of things like stealing chickens and touching dogs, and he is not afraid of meat and vegetables. It is said that in the summer, Liu Laohan was so ruthless that he almost didn't use the bench to scuttle him to death.

Seeing the tea guests say from the Five Elements Evil Ghost that the wicked pay for their lives, and then talk about the story arranged by the fast-talking Li Xin, Xu Chu didn't delay any longer, and got up and left after leaving the tea money.

She walked down the market to the back street, but she saw Qing'er's father. Qing'er's father looks much younger than Liu Laohan, perhaps because of the business of striking iron, the whole person has trained a whole body of strength and Achilles tendon meat, and now he is smashing a piece of fiery iron in his hand.

At this moment, Xu Chu saw someone step forward to fetch something, and it looked like a sickle. Xu is two said something again, only to see the father of the Lu family go to the fast knife and cut a few times on a wooden stick, and then find a quick rag wrapped around the pointed end and smashed it on the beaten sickle a few times. He had a lot of strength, and it didn't take any effort to do it......

Xu Chu returned to Liu's house with a heavy heart, and when he saw Qing'er's ignorant and well-behaved appearance, he sighed unconsciously.

"Uncle Liu, I'll go first." Seeing Xu Chu's sudden visit, Qing'er blushed and lowered her head and whispered timidly, "I'll clean up the dishes and chopsticks later." ”

"I'm here to borrow a hoe from Uncle Liu, you don't have to be afraid." Xu knew that Qing'er was afraid of life, so Xu Chu hurriedly explained with a smile. Then, she turned her eyes away to look at Liu Laohan, and asked with a chuckle, "Uncle Liu, I wonder if the hoe can be borrowed from me for a day?" ”

Liu Laohan raised his head, looked at her deeply, and saw Qing'er also looking at her in a daze. His face couldn't help but be angry and sad, mixed with some shame and disgust, and the complex emotions made his honest and old face distort for a moment. It wasn't until Xu Chu spoke again that he couldn't help but feel a little impatient, and directly waved his hand and said in a rough voice: "It's all behind the door, go find it yourself." ”

Xu Chu didn't care about his attitude, but the kind Tongqing'er nodded, and then went to find the so-called hoe by himself.

"Sure enough......" Xu Chu looked at all the farm tools behind the door, from shovels to pegs, and a few hoes, but only the sickle was missing.

She sighed, and when she was about to go out, she glanced back at Uncle Liu in the courtyard and Qing'er who was smiling innocently, and finally shook her head and closed the door.

When he returned to the Yamen, Xu Chu was worried all the way, not worried, but also a little regretful.

She didn't go directly to find Xiao Qinglang, the king of Jing'an, to return to him, but found Lord Sun to explain.

"How is this possible?" Unexpectedly, when Lord Sun heard his words, he was immediately stunned and retorted.

However, when he saw Xu Chu's serious and calm face, he still hesitated and asked cautiously, "Can the girl be sure?" ”

After all, the government has always linked Liu Chan's death with the murder case of the Five Elements Evil Ghost, and the market has already spread the rumor about this case. If it is really as Xu Chu said, doesn't it mean that there will be two goals for the real evil ghost murder case?

Moreover, he had also consulted Liu Chan's dossier and knew that Liu Laohan had a single lineage, so he would not attack his own son no matter what. Even if it is because Liu Chan has done evil things as Xu Chu said, Liu Laohan cherishes Qing'er, then he will not kill his son for an outsider!

"Just go, my lord, the handle of the sickle must still be at home, or if it is thrown nearby, you can just let the servant lead someone to look for it. Then I could find Daddy Lu from the Lu family's iron shop in the back street and ask. Xu Chu looked at the past calmly, and his tone was firm, "Although at that time, the prince and I both judged that this case and the murder case of the Five Elements Evil Ghost did not seem to be committed by one person, although it looked bloody on the surface, but the method and ferocity were much worse. At that time, I had been hesitating about where the wooden stick that pierced the chest came from, and why the stick had been sharpened at one end. The scene was too much like an accident, a little too much, like pebbles and rainy nights that happened to appear. Then I went to Liu's house, and then to the Lujia iron shop, and accidentally found that when the iron shop made a sickle, the handle of the knife would be sharpened and then wrapped in cloth to smash it strong......"

"The reason for this incident, I'm afraid it has to start with Liu Chan's vices. After the adults brought the people back, don't ask directly, just start with Liu Chan's comments in the market and the disappearance of the homeless people found by the yamen, if Liu Laohan still has something to hide, the adults will mention the matter of the Lu family and Lu Qing again. ”

After informing Lord Sun of Liu Chan's matter, Xu Chu sighed and left the yamen and went to Li Jin's mansion.

Li Jin is a tea merchant who travels from south to north, so although he has a house in Yunzhou City, he is not a permanent resident. There are not many people in the courtyard, and there are only eight people with his new concubine and housekeeper.

Xu Chu had the seal of the Jing'an Palace, and the token of the Criminal Department, so he naturally did not encounter any obstacles to entering the palace.

Li Jinfu only has two concubines at the moment, and there are no wives, so it can be regarded as a simple population. His eldest aunt Rong Niang was recruited by him from Qinglou a few years ago, and she can be regarded as a charming character, but it is a pity that she is old and decrepit and Li Jin has a different mind, and now she is not favored, but she is just living in the Li family.

And Hui Niang, who went to find Master Sun in private at that time, has already returned home at this time. She was brought back by Li Jin two months ago, graceful and unique, compared to Rong Niang, she is naturally green and red, and she is endless. According to what the housekeeper said, although Hui Niang has been here for a short time, she is extremely favored, so that people like Li Jin, who likes to look for flowers and ask Liu for good beauty, can hold back for more than half a month and no longer go out to have fun.

At this time, both of them sobbed quietly and looked sad. Especially Hui Niang, as soon as she opened her mouth, she cried like pear blossoms and rain: "My lord died unjustly, if my sister didn't have to be angry with the lord, the lord would not have left the house with anger, and the evil ghost was afraid that he would not be able to find the master." ”

However, before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Rong Niang's angry scolding on the side: "Little cheap hoof, you spew blood, when will I be angry with the master!" As she spoke, she scratched up, Xu is usually Hui Niang used Li Jin's excuse to bully herself, which made her resentful, and now she was wronged by Hui Niang openly and secretly, which made her angry and extremely ruthless.

Then, Hui Niang, who was originally a weak wind supporting the willows, covered her face and dodged, while the other was bent on beating, making the scene in the hall chaotic.

Xu Chu looked at the scene in front of him, and knew that he couldn't ask anything. However, from the cursing of the two, she still caught a message, before Li Jin left the house, there should be a woman who was angry with him, and if that woman was not Rong Niang and Hui Niang, who would it be.

There are not many female dependents in the house, and there are not many maids and servants, not to mention that if the subordinate provokes Li Jin, Li Jin can be dealt with in anger, how can he leave in anger?

She looked around, and several maids in the house were there, and they all had alibi certificates after asking. For the rest, the housekeeper couldn't say a thing or two.

Under the pretext of investigating the case, Xu Chu asked the housekeeper to take her around the house for a while.

"My lord had a wife in the countryside a few years ago, but then his wife passed away, and my lord never renewed the strings. But men can't hold back after all, and they will go to Fengyue places to have fun on weekdays, also for entertainment. Rong Niang and Hui Niang were brought back by the master from there, and most of the rest of the people were just overnight benefactors, and the master didn't take it to heart when he thought about it. The housekeeper sighed and said, "Now the master has not left a son and a half daughter, I am afraid that the Li family's business will fail like this." ”

When Xu Chu heard this, he asked again: "Listening to the housekeeper's words, you have been with your master for a long time?" Have you seen Mrs. Ancestor? ”

"I haven't seen it before, it seems to say that Mrs. Xian had a serious illness when she was in the countryside, and the old illness was not there on the way out of the old man." The housekeeper thought carefully about where he heard the old man's words, and said with emotion, "It's really impermanent, you said that the old man finally lost his fortune and moved from the poor countryside to the city to enjoy happiness, but the lady couldn't survive the few days on the road...... But if the lady is still alive, how can the family be like this? ”

"Is this what your lord said, or is there any old man in the house who knows the inside story? I looked at the housekeeper and seemed to know a little, and I didn't know much about Master Li's life in the countryside. ”

If only there were people in the know. At least she could figure out a lot of things, and maybe she could deduce some of the facts of the case.