When Chu Cheng left the Deng family, it was already dark.

Before leaving, Wen Lanxin stuffed Chu Cheng with a basket of osmanthus cakes she made, and through the lid, she could smell the refreshing smell of the spleen.

"Lan Xin, your cooking skills are so good."

Chu Cheng praised her seriously, this skill is not much worse than the imperial chef in the palace.

Wen Lanxin smiled shyly: "Siniang, if you don't dislike it, I'll teach you how to make pastries tomorrow?" ”

Chu Cheng was not interested in learning to cook, but she was bored staying at home, and she only had one friend here, Wen Lanxin, so she nodded: "Okay, you say hello to the house slave guarding the door, and I'll come over tomorrow morning." ”

The two agreed on a time, and then said goodbye.

Because of the murder of Honghu, there are patrol officials in the county until the third watch, and they are not afraid when they walk in the streets and alleys at night. But for some reason, when Chu Cheng walked home, she always felt that there was a pair of eyes staring at her behind her, with bad intentions.

She paused and turned back, the night breeze was blowing, and behind her there was only the long back of the moonlight reflected on the bluestone slab, the darkness was blurry, and it was full of curling.

Chu Cheng frowned, and gently touched the place where the belt was touched with her right hand.

There was a golden silk soft sword that she had carried with her for many years.

It was eerily silent, except for the rustle of the wind blowing the sycamore leaves.

Possible...... It's because she's been chasing the wind lately.

Chu Cheng secretly said that she was suspicious, put her hand on the basket containing the osmanthus cake, turned around and returned to Lin's house safely.

She didn't sleep well that night.

I don't know what time it is, but I vaguely heard footsteps outside, and someone was talking to the house slave who was keeping vigil. Chu Cheng recognized that it was Lin Boqin's voice, so she covered her head with the quilt and fell asleep.

As soon as the sky was white, Xi Du and Mabi woke her up: "Madame? Madam? It's time for you to get up. ”

Chu Ji opened her eyes in a daze, and asked in a hoarse voice, "When is it?" ”

"At two o'clock, you made an appointment with Mrs. Deng today, and I saw that the time was almost up."

"Ah...... Why did I promise to wake up early? Chu Cheng sat up and looked up to the sky and complained, knocking on her forehead.

After dressing and washing, she walked outside the door and met Lin Boqin.

Lin Boqin didn't seem to sleep well, with a faint dark blue in his eyes, and he was very tired.

Chu Cheng didn't want to deal with him, although she was not really Li Siniang, but as a woman, she was always uncomfortable hearing this.

"Yo, what kind of wind is blowing Lord Lin here?"

Lin Boqin was a little blocked, this is his home, and what kind of wind blew him here, no one can compare to Li Siniang in front of him when he talks nonsense with his eyes open.

But who told him to do something wrong yesterday.

Lin Boqin coughed lightly twice and said, "Yesterday I had no mouth to hide, don't be angry." ”

Chu Cheng is actually angry and goes quickly, not to mention that Lin Boqin personally apologized to her. But she is just active, even if she is not angry, she has to pretend to respond to the diaphragm.

She walked up to Lin Boqin step by step, and then suddenly made a grimace: "Anyway, I won't pay attention to you again for the rest of my life!" ”

After speaking, she turned around and went to find Wen Lanxin, walking like flying, leaving Lin Boqin standing alone at the door in the wind.

Lin Boqin looked at her brisk back, and thought in a trance: Li Siniang is really three years older than him? This behavior is completely a little girl who is messing around.

Chu Cheng startled Lin Boqin, and he was in a good mood.

When she came to Deng's house, the house slave guarding the door hurriedly invited her in. However, when I came to Wen Lanxin's courtyard, the door was closed.

Chu Ji couldn't help but laugh and asked the maid who led the way: "It's three poles in the morning, and your wife is still sleeping?" ”

The maid replied with some embarrassment: "Madame woke up early in the morning, but she was very sleepy, and told us not to disturb, I guess we are sleeping back at this time." ”

Chu Cheng has known Wen Lanxin for so long, it is the first time she has seen her sleep, and when she sees Wen Lanxin later, she will definitely play a good trick.

Thinking of this, Chu Cheng came to the door, rubbed her hands happily, pushed the door with a "snap", and shouted with a smile: "Lan Xin, it's time to get up, you-" Before the words fell, the smile gradually stiffened on the side of his mouth, and his horrified gaze fell on the beam.

When the maid on her side saw the situation in the house, she covered her mouth and screamed in fright, and sat on the ground with her knees weak.

A pink shawl of entangled branches and plums hung on the beam, and Wen Lanxin's already cold corpse hung on it, dazzling. The originally gentle and lovely woman, at this time, her face was bruised, her eyes were bulging, her tongue was exposed, and a lot of bloody saliva and snot were shed.

She couldn't accept this fact, and the woman who was still laughing with her yesterday hanged herself beyond recognition at this time.

Chu Hui's mind was blank, she suddenly turned around and ran wildly towards the county office.

The official at the door saw Chu Hui, and before he could speak, he was pushed away by Chu Hui.

The sun was very big, Chu Cheng was stimulated, she only felt dizzy, she could hardly find the direction for a while, she could only rely on instinct to break in, and cry and shout: "Lin Boqin! Lin Boqin! ”

Lin Boqin was discussing the case of the flower thief with Fang Shuangping, the main book, Yang Lahuyu and others, and almost everyone in the county government was there. Hearing someone outside calling him by name, Lin Boqin stood up immediately, opened the door and saw that it was the person who had made a face at him in the morning and said that he would ignore her all his life, just like a headless fly.

"Li Siniang, you are ...... again"

Before the words of reprimand could be spoken, Chu Cheng was seen tugging at his sleeve with tears in his eyes, crying: "Wen Lan's heart is dead!" She hanged herself! ”

"What?"

Fang Shuangping crashed out of the house, his face was pale, and in the next second, he turned around and ran in the direction of the Deng family.

Hu Yu was not worried about Fang Shuangping, and hurriedly caught up.

Lin Boqin patted Li Siniang's shoulder stiffly and asked, "You calm down first, what happened?" ”

Chu Cheng raised her head and said in a choked voice, she shook her head and still couldn't believe it: "...... I don't know why Lan Xin hanged herself, she once said that life is beautiful, no matter what happens, you can't give up the hope of life...... How could a woman who could say such a thing not think of hanging herself? She must have been murdered! Lin Boqin, you are the parent official of Qingyuan County, you must find the murderer! ”

Lin Boqin naturally knew Wen Lanxin.

Fang Shuangping's cousin, who had only married in Qingyuan County, was the only friend with Chu Cheng.

Lin Boqin's face sank like water, and he said to Yang La: "Take your work and go to Deng's house for an autopsy." Looking at the sobbing woman in front of him, he added, "Look carefully and don't miss any clues." ”

"Yes!"

After Yang La left, Chu Cheng's tears finally converged.

She is also a person who has seen strong winds and waves, and when she was seven years old, she saw the corpse of a eunuch foaming white in the palace well...... But after all, it wasn't someone I knew.

Wen Lan's heart is different.

Wen Lanxin is her friend.

Although they haven't known each other for a long time, Chu Cheng likes her very much. Sometimes innocent, sometimes gentle and virtuous, can cook a good dish, can make delicious pastries...... Even sometimes Chu Cheng thinks that she is a man, and she must marry a woman like Wen Lanxin.

However, after a while, Hu Yu, Yang La and others came to the yamen with Wen Lanxin's corpse.

He concluded that he had hanged himself, and that he had died this morning.

Lin Boqin frowned and puzzled: "Why did Wen Lanxin commit suicide?" ”

Fang Shuangping's eyes were already swollen from crying, he trembled his hands, presented the corpse, and almost crushed the silver teeth with one word: "Because I was violated by thieves before I was born!" ”

When Chu Cheng heard this, she was slightly stunned.

“…… It's that person. ”

"What?"

"It's the flower thief!"

Chu Cheng burst into tears and said, "Last night, on my way back to Lin's house, I always felt that someone was following me, and I thought I was thinking too much. But I didn't expect it......" She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and raised her head to look at Lin Boqin, "If I had accompanied Lan Xin last night, maybe she wouldn't have died?" ”

Lin Boqin had never seen her sad appearance, and he lowered his tone and said: "The wood is already in the boat, and there is no word 'maybe' in the world." ”

Fortunately, she didn't accompany Wen Lanxin, otherwise......

Lin Boqin's heart tightened, and his eyes became gloomy: "From today onwards, you and I will stay in the county office. If the murder is unsolved, don't go out alone. ”

Chu Cheng didn't believe her ears when she heard this, and she asked rhetorically: "Didn't you let me come to the county government to find it?" lest people think that you are lazy and lazy, and only greedy for pleasure. Lin Boqin never thought that she was still in the mood to ridicule him at this time, and sighed helplessly: "Very moment, the stakes are high, don't be angry with me." ”

Chu Ji opened her mouth, but she didn't fight him in the end.

Fang Shuangping knelt beside Wen Lanxin's corpse and wept alone.

Under the scorching sun, he only felt cold, and he didn't know if he was still alive in the world.

"Your Excellency...... My cousin must have been insulted by the thieves and couldn't think of hanging herself. Fang Shuangping's tears flowed to his mouth, he raised his head and hoarsely voiced, "You must arrest the flower thief and avenge my cousin!" ”

Lin Boqin supported Chu Cheng with one hand and helped Fang Shuangping up with the other: "I must do my best." If the murderers are allowed to go unpunished, I don't know how many more people will be killed. ”

Chu Cheng can basically be sure that the murderer who raped and killed many women must be the flower thief.

Suddenly, she had a bold idea.

Chu Ji grabbed Lin Boqin's arm and said busily: "I have a way to catch the flower thief!" ”

Lin Boqin frowned and asked, "What way?" ”

"Since he is a flower thief, then he must be greedy for beauty, I will deliberately walk back and forth in the middle of the night, he will always take the bait......" Chu Ji didn't finish speaking, but was interrupted by Lin Boqin: "No!" ”

Chu Ji anxiously tugged at Lin Boqin's sleeve: "Why not?" ”

"If the flower thief is not fooled, won't you be useless?"

"How do you know if you don't try? Do you not care about the safety of the people of Qingyuan County? I think it's a great idea! ”

Lin Boqin was furious, but he still maintained his cultivation: "Of course I have to take care of the safety of the people, and you are also the people, I will never let you put yourself in danger." ”

"But ......"

"I won't agree to that."

Lin Boqin is rigid and old-fashioned, as long as he determines something, ten cows can't pull it back.

"Before the murderer is apprehended, you stay in the county office honestly, and you are not allowed to go anywhere." After saying this, Lin Boqin took people to Deng's house to check the scene, and asked people to guard Chu Cheng well.

"Lin Boqin!" Chu Cheng took two steps forward, but was stopped by the left and right officials, and she was very angry.

Her eyes fell on Wen Lan's corpse covered with a white cloth, and her expression was resolute: No matter what, you must catch the flower thief and hate Wen Lan!