"My lord, what are you? I'm not lying! The butler was a little flustered.

"None? You have been serving your master for many years, and you know that your master doesn't like hot tea at all, so you have to wait for the tea to be cold and the warm tea to be delivered! And today, you deliberately sent hot water over. Am I right? Bao Qing said sharply.

"Not really!" The butler almost cried.

Cheng Lin and Cao Xi looked at Bao Qing with suspicion, and Cao Xi asked, "Master Bao, even if this housekeeper sent hot tea to Li Hai to drink, what does this have to do with Li Hai's poisoning?" Besides, why did you assume that this Lehi was not a suicide in the first place? ”

Bao Qing didn't answer Cao Xi directly, but continued to say sternly to the housekeeper: "Okay, it doesn't matter if you don't admit it, I'll tell you slowly." ”

Bao Qing walked to the desk, cleaned up the official documents of the Ministry of Industry on the table, and said, "If a person is ready to commit suicide, do you think he will still have the leisure to read the official documents?" Looking at the date of this official document of the Ministry of Industry, it is basically yesterday, and it should be that Li Hai himself brought back the official document that had not been handled from the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry to check and deal with it. In fact, as soon as I saw Lehi's study, I concluded that Lehi would not have committed suicide. The reason is very simple, the study is messy, and it is not cleaned up at all. A person who lives a very casual and unrefined life does not care too much about the requirements of the living environment, so his attitude should be more optimistic. Even if he has some ideas about the success or failure of something, he is not stupid enough to commit suicide at home. ”

Cheng Lin and Cao Xi glanced at each other, and nodded unconsciously yes.

"If Lehi didn't kill himself, he did! So this one is the housekeeper? Cao Xi asked.

Bao Qing didn't answer, but squatted on the ground and picked up the broken teapot, and there was still some tea left in the broken teapot.

Bao Qing held the bottom of the teapot with his hand and picked it with his hand, something slippery. Bao Qing raised his hand and said to Cheng Lin and Cao Xi, "Look at what this is?" After reading it, you can understand why it has something to do with this housekeeper. ”

Cheng Lin took a closer look, touched it with her hand, and said with some surprise: "Is it wax?" ”

Bao Qing nodded and said, "It's wax, it will melt when it encounters high temperature!" ”

Cao Xi looked at Bao Qing in some surprise, and then picked up the broken teapot to check it himself.

"Apply a layer of wax to the bottom of the teapot, and hide some poison in it. Usually this Lehi drinks warm water, which doesn't matter, but if you drink boiling water, the wax at the bottom of the pot immediately melts, and the poison inside is revealed, and it dissolves in the tea. As soon as this Lehi drank it, he didn't kill him immediately? Bao Qing said.

"Huh? I see, it seems that this Lehi was really killed, and it was really a clever poisoning! By the way, Master Bao, how did you know that there was something wrong with this teapot? Cheng Lin asked, but she couldn't help but admire Bao Qing a little in her heart.

"When I was checking the teapot, I saw a layer of oily stuff floating in the remaining tea, and when I was trying to figure out what it was, Zhanfei broke the teapot. In fact, it is to observe carefully, and the eyes are better! Bao Qing replied.

After Cheng Lin figured out this joint, he turned to the butler and yelled angrily: "So far, what do you want to quibble, don't hurry up and recruit from the truth, otherwise I am afraid of the pain of flesh and skin!" ”

Seeing this, the housekeeper hurriedly shouted injustice, but shouted and cried: "My lord, I really don't blame me, someone gave me money to make a pot of hot tea to send to the master, on the condition that as long as the master pours the hot tea into his teapot and drinks it!" ”

"Who gave you the money?" Bao Qing asked.

"I don't know!"

Bao Qing knew that this question was in vain.

"And what's going on with this teapot? Did you send it from an outsider, or did you buy it yourself? ”

"My lord, this teapot was given by an outsider, a few months ago, the lord chatted with this person for a long time, and then the lord had this teapot, the lord was full of praise for this teapot, and he liked it very much, so he placed it in the study, and used it to drink tea every day."

"You've never seen this person, have you?" Bao Qing asked helplessly.

"Yes, where did we know the master's friends. It's just that the man seems to look quite burly. The butler said.

It looks like this clue is going to be broken. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, "How did Lehi himself know about his dismissal so quickly?" ”

"Xia Shuren of the Yamen of the Ministry of Industry, this person is often looking for the master! He told him the news, and as a result, the master ......! ”

"Let me tell you again, your lord was murdered. Master Cheng, I think you'd better arrest the Xia scribe of the Ministry of Engineering immediately, and I'd rather catch the mistake than let it go. In my opinion, the Xia scribe chose this time to tell Lehi the news, I am afraid that it would have been settled long ago, which would create a false impression that everyone thought that Lehi could not stand it after hearing the news of his dismissal and committed suicide. Bao Qing said.

"Okay, I'll send someone immediately, so what should this housekeeper do?"

"Of course, if you arrest him and continue to torture him, how can you easily trust him!"

After Bao Qing finished speaking, he asked people to pack up the broken teapot and bring it with them. Then I looked in the house and looked carefully for a long time.

"Hey, if only there was a master painter with him!" Bao Qing muttered.

"Lord Bao? What did you say? Want a painter? Zhan Zhao was a little puzzled.

"Yes, I want to draw this study as it is, that is, to record the crime scene as it is, so that I can study it carefully when I go back."

"That's easy to do, I'll find a stall to sell paintings in a while, and I'll hire it!" Zhanfei picks up the stubble.

Cheng Lin and Cao Xi also kept wandering around for a long time, and suddenly Cao Xi said: "Master Bao, this Lehi is really rich, you see that even the painting is fixed up and down with two copper rings, I estimate that these two copper rings have been melted nearly 100 times!" ”

When Bao Qing heard this, he looked in the direction pointed by Cao Xi, and the big copper rings of his two hands went up and down, and a landscape painting was fixed in the middle.

Copper rings, many rich families have decorations, hanging paintings in the middle, it seems that the owner is rich and talented. Maybe others think it's normal, but Bao Qing doesn't think so. In Bao Qing's eyes, a copper ring on the wall has other meanings, and the copper ring represents a secret room.

In the Luzhou Lu family's extermination case, the owner of the room was stuck because the copper ring on the outside was stuck, which caused the secret room to be unable to open, and finally suffocated to death.

"Haha, General Cao's idea is really wonderful, but if I had to choose, I would rather choose the painting hanging between the brass rings. The copper ring can be worth nearly 100 times, and the paintings hanging in it should have thousands of pieces. If you don't believe it, General Cao will take it back and study it! Bao Qing said.

"Oh? Are you sure? Haha, then I'll really take it back to study and study, Master Cheng, you shouldn't have any opinions, right? Cao Xi asked.

Cheng Lin scolded in his heart, this painting should be Yan Liben's authentic work, he took a fancy to it early, but he never dared to take it openly, just waited for Bao Qing Cao Xi to leave, and he took this painting himself. Unexpectedly, this Bao Qing also knows how to draw, he is really a talent.

"General Cao wants, how can I have any opinions! By the way, Lord Bao, I will take someone back to interrogate, and I will inform you if there is any news! You see, I'm busy now, it's almost time, and I still have time to eat! Cheng Lin replied helplessly.

"Okay, that's it, I should go back!" Bao Qing arched his hand and said.

"Wait a minute, Lord Bao, when will you help me catch the thief who tied up my daughter? By the way, how did I see you coming out of my house today? Cao Xi saw that Bao Qing was leaving, and quickly grabbed Bao Qing and asked.

Bao Qing couldn't help but regret it, Fan Zhongyan was right, this General Cao was really difficult, so he said: "I went to your house today to send the thief who tied your daughter to your daughter Cao Yun, and your eldest daughter Cao Qian is also there, don't believe it, General Cao will go back and ask!" ”

Cao Xi was stunned for a while, but Bao Qing turned around and left.

On the way back, Zhanfei asked, "Master Bao, why did you tell the surnamed Cao that the words were valuable?" Adults have this look, why not wait for them to leave, let me quietly touch it back, and steal the painting, wouldn't that make a profit? ”

"You're right, when you go back in a while, you will take everything that the Li Mansion can take away." Bao Qing said.

"Huh? Really let me go? However, if there is really one, it is estimated that it has already been confiscated by the Fu Yin surnamed Cheng? ”

Bao Qing laughed and said: "That may not be, stay until the night, you and Zhanzhao together, bring a sack, and sneak back to the Li Mansion, just in the room we were in just now, there should be a secret room there, and the mechanism that is opened should be the copper ring." ”

"Huh? Are you sure? Zhan Zhao and Zhan Fei asked in unison.

When Bao Qing returned to the inn, he had already passed the meal, but he saw that the herald in the palace was waiting there early. When the official saw Bao Qing, he hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "But Lord Bao of Luzhou?" Your Majesty has entered the palace. ”

"Oh? Then I'll eat first, and the emperor can't send hungry soldiers, right? ”