The sky gradually darkened, the moon rose, and the white moonlight shone on the ground in front of Zhuang Meiyan through the narrow window. This is the prison of the county jail, with the three masks being the walls, and one side is a wooden railing with the thickness of an arm, which is firmly locked by thick chains. The floor of the prison is a simple blue brick, and a pile of straw is laid in the corner, which is Zhuang Meiyan's bed tonight.

The night wind blew into the cell, and the chill hit. Zhuang Meiyan sat on the straw, bent her knees, wrapped her arms around herself, rested her head lightly on her knees, and the moonlight shone on her embroidered shoes. Out of instinct, she leaned towards a place with a light source, but unfortunately the moonlight was as cold as water and could not bring her a trace of warmth.

The lord from the capital took her back to the yamen, and without saying a word, he sent her to a prison and locked her up. She didn't know what she had done wrong, and she didn't know how she would be punished. At this time, she didn't care about the quality of the environment - even if she was given a brocade quilt soft bed, how could she sit back and relax?

The cell boss came to bring her food, and his attitude was quite polite, and Zhuang Meiyan took the opportunity to ask him about his case. The cell boss was vague and couldn't say clearly, but he knew that it was the meaning of the adult from the capital, and it was said that she drank the wine to death, so it was necessary to investigate.

Hearing that human lives were involved, Zhuang Meiyan was really shocked, she was very confident in her wine, and knew that it would never kill people by drinking, and there must be something strange in the process. If you want to say that the liquor shipped to the capital, there is only the batch of "seven-day drunk" ordered by the comprador last year, and another batch has been ordered this year, and it is an old shochu with a slightly more complex process and better quality, which is still being brewed.

Zhuang Meiyan couldn't figure it out, and what made her even more uneasy was that this adult didn't even interrogate her, could he have convicted her in such a daze?

She glanced at the moon, and just as a dark cloud drifted by, covering the moon's bleak face.

There was a sound of chains shaking in his ears, and someone impatiently greeted him at the door of the cell: "Zhuang Meiyan, come out!"

Zhuang Meiyan was stunned for a moment, not knowing if this was to interrogate herself, or if she had any other intentions, her heart couldn't help but flutter, she forgot to answer for a while, and sat there in a daze.

The cell boss was even more impatient, pulled the wooden door open, and shouted at her: "Zhuang Meiyan, let's go! ”

"Li Ji Silk Shop", the door is closed, the hall on the second floor is lit with two candlesticks, and in the dim light, the people in the room are silent, and the atmosphere is even more depressing. Jiang Yutang and Daddy Xi sat on the main chair, Xi Ruolan stayed behind Daddy Xi, holding the back of the chair with one hand, her eyebrows were not spread, her face was melancholy, Han Niu'er, Sister-in-law Yang, Chunju sat on the stool table at the bottom, Chunju leaned on Sister-in-law Yang's shoulder, still sobbing, Zhuang Rongxi also sat beside them, frowning.

At this time, there was a rush of footsteps downstairs, everyone immediately raised their heads, Jiang Yutang leaned forward slightly, his spirit was uplifted, and said, "It must be Brother Yang who is back." ”

Yang Xiucai trotted upstairs out of breath, his face flushed, he sat on the nearest stool table, so tired that he couldn't even breathe, rubbing his chest vigorously. Sister-in-law Yang hurriedly poured him a cup of tea, he didn't care about being polite, took the cup and drank it all, let out a long breath, and finally said, "Xiao Ke, Xiao Ke inquired and understood." ”

Everyone is dying, and they have been waiting for him to come back and talk about Zhuang Meiyan's situation in detail, but he has committed the pedantic temper of a scholar again, so he has to say a few words first. Han Niu'er couldn't help but shout: "You should say it quickly, how is the third girl? Didn't you say that you would come back soon after asking a question? Why did you go for most of the day and still see no one? What did you say in the yamen? What kind of crime?"

He asked a lot of questions like a cannon, and before Yang Xiucai could speak, Chunju also urged on the side: "Has Miss suffered? People have said that they have to eat a board when they enter the yamen, have they made it difficult for Miss? Have you dealt with it? Don't let Miss suffer a little." ”

Zhuang Rongxi also added to the chaos, and asked in a panic, "Will my sister be beaten?"

Even Sister-in-law Yang's always calm person couldn't hold back and urged: "His father, you should say it quickly, what happened to the third girl?"

Xi Ruolan frowned and said, "People on the street are rumored that my sister killed someone, what is going on?"

Yang Xiucai was also anxious, everyone, you and I, I didn't know where to start, and in the end, Daddy Xi was serious and drank a snort.

"Don't mess around, let Xiucai say. ”

The scene quieted down, and Yang Xiucai calmed down and said, "I asked someone, and that's the thing." ”

The problem really lies in the 600 jars of wine that Zhuang Meiyan brewed for Chang Compradors, who sold the wine to a wealthy man, who drank the wine and died violently overnight, and the cause of death is unknown.

The comprador in the capital has been imprisoned in the prison, so he confessed to Zhuang Mei. This adult from the capital, who claimed to be "Qin Feiyang", was specially involved in handling this case, because it was someone from the capital who handled the case, and the local officials could only cooperate, not interfere, so the people in the county government knew only about this. It is said that this adult has a strange temperament, and he only ordered Zhuang Meiyan to be locked up, neither interrogated nor closed, and everyone could not understand what he meant.

Yang Xiucai told all the information he had heard, and everyone found out that the matter was far more serious than they imagined, if it was the local county government to judge the case, or they could also think of a way to be accommodating, this Lord Qin from the capital, no one could figure out the routine. Yang Xiucai originally wanted to invite that relative to intercede, but that relative didn't even dare to accept the silver, so he shook his head again and again, saying that this Lord Qin was not easy to mess with.

At this time, even an old man like Daddy Xi couldn't help but sigh.

Jiang Yutang, who had been silent on the side, suddenly spoke: "Qin Feiyang, but the first person in the capital to capture Qin Feiyang Lord Qin, the fifth rank of the imperial guard with a sword. I heard that this person is an upright official and judges the case like a god, if this person really comes, he doesn't have to worry about favoritism and fraud, and he will definitely give Sister Meiyan justice. ”

"Fair?" Chunju sneered and said, "Gongzi Jiang, you didn't see it, he was going to take someone when he entered the house, and he didn't even give a reason." People said that it was difficult to enter the yamen, and the officials ate the plaintiff and the defendant, and if there was no silver to do, they categorically refused to let them go. ”

Jiang Yutang shook his head and said, "If I don't dare to protect others, this Lord Qin will definitely not do this." ”

"Han Niu'er, you also know every time Meiyan makes wine, do you think there are any problems when making wine?" Jiang Yutang asked Han Niu'er uneasily.

Han Niu'er thought about it carefully and said, "The wine we brewed is not a day or two, everyone in the town has drunk it, even the people in our village have drunk it, and I haven't heard of anyone who has anything uncomfortable about drinking." Besides, we only use ordinary rice wine to make wine, not medicinal wine, and we haven't added any messy things to it, how can we drink dead people?"

Xi Ruolan was also unconvinced and said: "Yes, Ruolan has also drunk the wine brewed in the winery, isn't this also good?

Jiang Yutang nodded and said, "I also know that there will be no problems with the wine brewed by Meiyan, but I want to ask, we are not afraid of shadows, and I believe that Lord Qin will uphold justice." ”

While everyone was arguing, Chunju didn't say a word, frowned slightly, as if she remembered something, and suddenly asked Jiang Yutang: "Gongzi Jiang, are you so sure that this Lord Qin is handling the case fairly and deciding the case like a god?"

Jiang Yutang bowed his head slightly and said, "Jiang is willing to guarantee with his life." ”

Chunju raised her eyebrows, the brilliance in her eyes suddenly dimmed, and she said contemplatively: "The slave remembered something, but it was a little strange. ”

Hearing Chunju say this, everyone was stunned for a moment, and immediately set their eyes on Chunju.

Chunju's face was solemn, she thought for a moment and said: "Brother Niu, do you remember that once a few scoundrels in the neighboring village secretly drank the wine in the wine shop, and they vomited and diarrhea, and it took several days to slowly recover their bodies. ”

Han Niu'er thought about it for a long time before she suddenly realized.

"Yes, yes! There was a time, it was a few unfashionable boys in Chen Village, five miles away, who heard that the wine in our winery was so good that they had no money to buy it, so they got bad at it, and stole a jar from the cellar, and couldn't help but drink it in the field. Later, I took a few people to catch them up and teach them a good lesson, if it weren't for the three girls to intercede, I would have to kill these unsuccessful boys. Han Niu'er said angrily.

He frowned and thought about it, and then said: "Later, it seems that I heard that these boys vomited and diarrhea after returning home, and became seriously ill. We're all fine drinking. ”

Chunju shook her head slowly and said, "Brother Niu, you said something wrong. ”

Han Niu'er was a little confused, and everyone was a little puzzled when they saw her solemnly.

Chunju sighed very lightly and said, "Only those boys have drunk the wine that time, none of us have drunk it, and it is impossible for the people in the town to drink it, because the wine was specially brewed for the comprador that time." ”

The room fell silent suddenly, so quiet that you could hear everyone's breathing, and the sound of breathing one after another made people feel oppressed.

Chunju lowered her eyelids and said, "At first, we didn't care about this matter, just like Brother Niu thought, thinking that it was because we drank cold wine in the snow, and we drank it badly, and then we were frightened again, so naturally we didn't think about the problem of wine." Now that I think about it, I'm afraid it's a little strange. ”

Jiang Yutang listened to what Chunju said, his sword eyebrows frowned slightly, and said, "This can't prove that it's a problem with wine, so let's not speculate." It's not too early, let's disperse first, and tomorrow I'll go to the yamen to visit the magistrate and then make a decision." ”

When everyone heard this, they knew that there was no way to be in a hurry, so they got up and left.

Jiang Yutang called Chunju and said, "Miss Chunju, you find some clothes and bedding for your young lady to change clothes and bedding for me, and I will bring it to Sister Meiyan tomorrow." ”

Chunju replied, "Yes." ”

The two of them walked to the bedroom together.

When he came to the bedroom and saw that there was no one left and right, Jiang Yutang took the opportunity to ask, "Miss Chunju, you can talk now." ”

Jiang Yutang saw that Chunju's face was hesitant just now, and it was obviously inconvenient to say something in front of everyone, so he used this excuse to separate everyone.

Chunju said: "There will be no problem with the wine brewed by Miss, this must be clear to Jiang Gongzi, but people's hearts are separated from their stomachs, if someone drugs something is given in the brewed wine, wouldn't it be bad!"

Jiang Yutang nodded again and again, and sighed: "Jiang is worried about this." After such a long time, if you defend it, I'm afraid it won't be clear. ”

Chunju couldn't help but be anxious, and said with a crying voice: "Jiang Gongzi, you quickly think of a way, save Miss, she is delicate, how can she stay in that kind of pickled place?"

Jiang Yutang said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, since this matter has revealed clues, you are not afraid, think about it again, who is most likely to do such a hurtful thing and frame Sister Meiyan?"

Chunju frowned and thought for a long time, then suddenly remembered something, and said, "Could it be that person--"

There was a sound of footsteps outside the door, someone hurriedly pushed open the door, interrupting Chunju's words, the person who came was Sister-in-law Yang, her face was full of joy, and she shouted at the door: "Jiang Gongzi, three, the third girl is back!"

Jiang Yutang and Chunju glanced at each other, each saw a surprised expression in each other's eyes, Chunju reacted a little faster, and immediately shouted, "Miss, Miss is back?!"

She grabbed Sister-in-law Yang's hand tightly, Sister-in-law Yang nodded again and again, and Chunju ran downstairs with joy.

Jiang Yutang smiled slightly, slowly followed behind her, and also came downstairs.

In prison, the cell boss scolded repeatedly, so that Zhuang Meiyan woke up like a dream, slowly stood up, and walked towards the door.

Walking through the passage of the prison hall lit with torches, she was full of doubts, so she asked the older cell leader who was leading the way: "Uncle, where are you taking me to? But the magistrate wants to interrogate me?"

The cell boss snorted and said, "You'll know if you follow, what so much nonsense?"

Zhuang Meiyan knew that even if she asked again, it would be meaningless, so she pursed her lips and silently followed behind the cell leader. The torches in the aisle burned silently, making a "beep" sound and exuding a choking smoky smell. On the left and right are dark cells, inside which a pair of eyes are staring at themselves, like fierce beasts waiting to be ambushed in the shadows, and there is a faint sense of malicious conspiracy.

This road, which is only two hundred meters long, is extremely long, and Zhuang Meiyan feels that he has walked for a long time. The two closed prison doors slowly opened, and the hub emitted an unpleasant "creaking" sound, which was particularly piercing and terrifying in the silence of the night.

"Let's go. The cell boss opened the door and waved his hand impatiently.

Zhuang Meiyan looked at the dark night sky outside, as if she couldn't believe her ears, and hesitated and didn't dare to move her steps.

The cell boss ignored her, turned and walked into the cell, slowly closing the door.

The cool breeze of the night gently blew on Zhuang Meiyan's face, and she sniffed the familiar smell of grass in the air, and finally woke up like a dream.

In the world, only by losing can we realize the preciousness of life that we once thought were ordinary.

A few thin clouds drifted in the sky, occasionally obscuring the moon, which were soon blown away by the night wind. The halo as cool as water quietly shone on the open space in front of her, Zhuang Meiyan saw that there seemed to be a figure in the distance, and when she got closer, she couldn't help but wipe her eyes, and finally made sure that she was not dazzled, so she screamed in surprise.

"Xiaobai!"

The man standing in the moonlight, his white and handsome face still had his usual innocent smile, he was a little cute, the corners of his mouth were raised and curved into a beautiful arc, and his bright eyes were full of moonlight, blinking innocently.

He rubbed his nose, took a light breath, and said, "Lady!"

For the first time, Zhuang Meiyan felt that Xiaobai's smile was so cute, and she couldn't help but giggle too. She ran in front of Xiaobai in a gaffe, standing on her heels, full of joy as if it had exploded, but she didn't know what to do, her hands were folded in front of her chest, twisted and twisted, her palms were soaked with sweat, and they were very sticky.

"Xiaobai. She opened her mouth and screamed softly.

Xiaobai scratched his scalp and promised, "Hmm." ”

"Xiaobai. Zhuang Meiyan took a deep breath, and then slowly spit it out, she really wanted to ask questions, wanted to ask how she was caught, so that it would be fine, how could the wine she brewed kill people, why did she suddenly release it again, who rescued her, and wanted to ask Xiaobai where you went, Xiaobai, why did you come back, Xiaobai, why did you appear here. These questions squeezed around, scrambling to be the first to jump out of her throat, but after the corners of her mouth moved slightly, Zhuang Meiyan lowered her head slightly.

"Xiaobai, let's go home. ”

"Hmm. ”

The moonlight shone on the figures of the two men and slowly walked towards the town.

The county jail is in the backyard of the county government, outside its gate is a narrow alley, Zhuang Meiyan and Xiaobai's figures slowly disappeared into the depths of the dark alley, they don't know that there is a restaurant not far from here The back window is facing this alley, where a pair of eyes are quietly staring at them.

The county seat is not far from Qiyang Town, and it is only a dozen miles away from the main road, and there are only seven or eight miles of the small road, and you can return to Qiyang Town after walking for half an hour.

"Li Ji Silk Village" suddenly became lively, Chunju and Sister-in-law Yang were busy boiling hot water and cooking for Zhuang Meiyan, who had just returned home, Sister-in-law Yang said what wormwood should be used according to the rules to go to bad luck, and said that things were in a hurry, and everything was not ready, so they could only boil a pot of hot water, bath and change clothes, and it was considered to be over.

Zhuang Meiyan is a person who has experienced life and death, and she no longer believes in these taboos, but seeing that Sister-in-law Yang and others are enthusiastic and busy with Zhang Luo, she has no choice but to follow them.

Chunju took Zhuang Meiyan's hand, happily, kept chanting the Buddha, and asked worriedly, Zhuang Meiyan answered one by one.

Zhuang Rongxi excitedly circled around his sister, he was a child, he couldn't speak, he tilted his head and saw Xiaobai, he was immediately overjoyed, and went over to take Xiaobai's hand. In the village, Xiaobai often leads him to play in the forest, which is nothing more than naughty things such as digging birds' nests and catching rabbits, although Xiaobai is much older than him, but because of his chaotic mind, he is no different from a child, Zhuang Rongxi is young and does not care about his dullness, the two have similar interests and are quite friendly.

It was about that there was a lot of noise at home, and even the old lady who had fallen asleep was alarmed to go downstairs, although she didn't know what was going on, she knew that she felt sorry for her daughter, and she chattered Zhuang Meiyan's milk name, and held her in her arms with a smile.

After tossing like this, Zhuang Meiyan suddenly remembered a person, turned his head to look, but saw Jiang Yutang sitting quietly in the corner, looking at them with a smile and a soft gaze.

Zhuang Meiyan hurriedly went over to say hello.

"Brother Jiang, it's the charm that frightened you, I'm sorry. ”

Jiang Yutang said with a smile: "Sister Meiyan said polite words, obviously deliberately making Jiang unable to sit still, even so, Jiang said goodbye." ”

He was half-joking, got up and was about to walk out of the door, Zhuang Meiyan was in a hurry, pulled his sleeve, and said, "Brother Jiang, Meiyan didn't mean that." ”

Jiang Yutang smiled and said, "I know." It's fine that you're okay, and I didn't help much. In the middle of the night, it's time for you to rest, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. ”

Zhuang Meiyan listened to his words, couldn't help frowning, and said in surprise: "Hey, Brother Jiang, didn't you help me tell the county master?"

Jiang Yutang frowned and said: "I do have this intention, I am going to visit the county master tomorrow, but I didn't expect that Sister Meiyan has returned." ”

Zhuang Meiyan thought all the way, and felt that the only person who could help her was Jiang Yutang, Jiang Yutang's medical skills were excellent, and he had seen the father of the county master, so she thought that it was Brother Jiang who helped her say that she could get out. But seeing that Jiang Yutang was confused, it didn't seem to be disguised as confused, and Zhuang Meiyan couldn't help but be confused.

She hadn't figured out what was going on from beginning to end, and it wasn't until now that she learned something from Jiang Yutang's mouth. When he heard him talk about the incident that Chunju talked about, Zhuang Meiyan also fell into deep thought, nodded and said: "But there is such a thing, but if you conclude that someone has poisoned my wine, it is a bit far-fetched, even if it is brought to the court, it may not be convincing." ”

Jiang Yutang said: "Yes." But I finally know a little bit of eyebrows, since the wine is poisonous, there must be poisoners, this matter is not suitable for publicity, let's investigate slowly, as long as we find out the murderer, can't everything be in the light of day?"

Zhuang Meiyan sighed, closed her eyes, and nodded. Jiang Yutang said goodbye and left, and before leaving, he glanced at Xiaobai, who was lying on the table and munching, and couldn't help laughing: "This guy is back? ”

But he heard Chunju interrogating him.

"Little Bai Xianggong, why did you come back with Miss? Where have you been these days? Miss is worried about you, for fear that you will suffer and starve outside. This time, you have to stay at home obediently and stop running around. ”

Xiao Bai desperately stuffed something into his mouth, his cheeks bulged, he stared at a pair of big eyes, and while swallowing heavily, he said vaguely: "...... I can't find my mother, Xiaobai can't find a home, and there is no one at home. Don't be a white lady...... Don't be white, Xiaobai is gone. ”

He made a gesture, and everyone even guessed and heard the roughly. After Xiaobai lost contact with Zhuang Meiyan in the town, he went back to the village, he didn't remember the clear road, walked in the mountains for several days, and returned home to see that the door was locked, and Zhuang Meiyan and the others should have moved to the town to live at that time. Xiaobai was stupid, thinking that Zhuang Meiyan didn't want him anymore, and he didn't know how to ask others in the village, so he left the village in frustration and kept wandering around the mountains.

Chunju asked again: "Then why did you go to the county office?"

I thought that he would definitely not be able to say it in a daze, but his eyes lit up, and he immediately said: "An elder brother who rode a horse and held a knife, let me wait there, saying that the lady would definitely come out of there." ”

Jiang Yutang and Zhuang Meiyan glanced at each other, and saw their doubts in each other's eyes. Jiang Yutang said to himself: "Brother who rides a horse and holds a knife, is it him?"

Both men shouted at the same time.

"Brother Chu!"

Jiang Yutang's face softened, his eyebrows showed a smile, he was relieved, and said: "If he is willing to help, then it would be the best, presumably Brother Chu gave you a guarantee, otherwise you wouldn't be able to get out of the prison so quickly." ”

In the dead of night, everyone went back to the house to rest.

Zhuang Meiyan tossed and turned in the bedroom, and it was difficult to sleep. She slept in the same bed with her mother, and for fear of disturbing her, she quietly got up and went to the window. Chunju, who was outside, coughed lightly and said, "Miss, can't you sleep?"

Zhuang Meiyan bypassed the screen and came to the outer room, only to see that Chunju had already poured her a cup of tea on the ground and came forward.

Zhuang Meiyan took the teacup, sat down on the chair, and sighed: "Haven't you slept either?" It's almost dawn, let's talk if you can't sleep." ”

Chunju let out an "um" and leaned over.

Zhuang Meiyan pulled her to sit down and said in a low voice: "Chunju, the thing you told Brother Jiang first, do you have anyone in your heart who feels suspicious?"

Chunju also lowered her voice and said cautiously: "Miss, the people in the village are honest and have no dealings with the outside world, and they have no grievances with us, and the little idiot will not have that kind of thought." If you talk about outsiders, it's just them. ”

Chunju's mouth moved, and she was about to say her name, but she was stopped by Zhuang Meiyan waving her hand, and she muttered for a moment: "I know who you are talking about, but both of them have received my favors......

At this she sighed and couldn't help but feel sad.

Chunju knew her thoughts, so she said: "People's hearts are separated from their stomachs, Miss, you have to be careful about one or two things." ”

Zhuang Meiyan nodded and said: "I also know that people are unpredictable, I just hope that it is not them, I have a way, I will discuss it with Brother Jiang tomorrow, and I will be able to force out the murderer." ”

The next day, the entire Qiyang Town was in a sensation.

The winery of the "Female Bacchus" was seized by the government, and the county government specially sent a team of servants to the backyard of the "Li Ji Silk Shop". They seemed to know about this in advance, and had sent the winery workers home, and the courtyard seemed deserted.

The people in the town hadn't seen the excitement for a long time, and they all crowded around curiously. I saw that the messenger was like a wolf, pasting a big seal on everything, and finally closing the gate, pasting two seals with the official seal on the cross, and finally pasting a notice in a prominent position next to the gate of the "Li Ji Silk Shop".

After the officer left, the people gathered around the sign and pointed and pointed.

It turns out that the rumor that the wine brewed by the female Dionysian killed people, but it is not groundless.

It was even involved in a murder, and this is okay!

The door of the "Li Kee Silk Shop" is still open, and when people pass by, they can't help but cast disdainful or suspicious glances. It is already the end of the day, in the past this time period, people come and go in the silk shop, the guys run before and after, in front of the counter, check out, choose the color, measure the figure, crowded crowd, but now it is deserted, and there are many birds in front of the door.

Female workers who do embroidery and tailoring, some people say that they are sick and do not come, some people say that there is something at home, only two or three come, and Chunju said that they have been out of work for a few days and sent home.

Chunju looked back at Yang Xiucai who was wiping the counter, Sister-in-law Yang who was bored and moving the cloth around, Xiaobai who was sitting on the counter bored and playing with her fingers, and Zhuang Meiyan who was calm and comfortable reading in the recliner like a nobody.

She pouted angrily, and Yang Xiucai shouted: "Xiucai, don't wipe it, the countertop is about to be wiped by you." ”

"Sister-in-law Yang, you can't rest, the fabric is going to be rotted by you. ”

"Xiaobai--"

Sister-in-law Yang's face was pale, and she smiled a little unnaturally and stroked the broken hair in front of her forehead, and lowered her head again. Xiaobai still stared at a pair of big eyes, blinked and blinked, pursed his mouth and said "poof", and then looked away, looking disapproving. Yang Xiucai put down the rag slowly, shook his head and smiled: "Miss Chunju, what you said is not right, this countertop is made of a hundred-year-old poplar tree, the texture is hard, and it will be brushed with a layer of tung oil every year, how can it be wiped off by simply wiping it twice with a rag?

Sister-in-law Yang gently tugged at the corner of his clothes, frowned, and shook her head resolutely, Yang Xiucai raised her eyebrows, closed her mouth obediently, and stopped being verbose.

Chunju pouted, moved to Zhuang Meiyan's side, and said: "Good young lady, it's this season, you are still in the mood to read! This county master is too unreasonable, and he will seal our winery indiscriminately, things are obviously weird, how can others drink this wine is fine, but the old man will have an accident if he drinks wine, maybe the old man himself is not in good health, and he just happened to be ill." ”

Zhuang Meiyan put down the scroll in his hand and said softly: "What are you panicking about? Lord Qin, who came from the capital this time, is famous for judging cases like a god, so he naturally has a way." I heard that the old man in the capital has experienced the corpse, and he is indeed poisoned, his face is black, and he died so miserably!"

Zhuang Meiyan seemed to be unbearable, shaking her head and sighing again and again.

Chunju said angrily: "There must be someone who poisoned it, and he will never do anything about our wine." ”

Zhuang Meiyan glanced at her, her eyes were quite complaining, and said, "Lord Qin told me yesterday, he also knows that something is wrong, so he told us to stay quiet for the time being, and think about it carefully, did you provoke any enemies?"

The rhetoric is tactful and the meaning is vague.

Chunju frowned and said: "We have always kept our duty to ourselves and never caused trouble, who could it be?"

As he spoke, he sighed.

Zhuang Meiyan stood up, dusted off the dust on the corner of her clothes, and said loudly: "Let's rest for a day today, there is no business to come to the door." Yang Xiucai, sister-in-law Yang, you have also been busy these days, today you have to take Xiao You'er to the street to wander around, there is a bit of broken silver here, take it to buy some things for the children, and bring some snacks to the elderly at home to eat by the way. ”

Zhuang Meiyan put the silver in Chunju's hand and asked her to give it to Yang Xiucai and his wife. Sister-in-law Yang was a little embarrassed, and repeatedly excused herself, and said: "I don't dare to accept it, the third girl is good enough for our husband and wife, since there is nothing to do in the store, I will stay and help take care of the old lady, the old lady also said last time that the shrimp wontons I made are delicious, and I will make them for the old lady to eat today." ”

Zhuang Meiyan smiled and said, "Another day, today you husband and wife will go home first to rest, the old lady has Chunju to take care of, and it won't get in the way." ”

Sister-in-law Yang wanted to say something, but Yang Xiucai secretly pulled her sleeves, she glanced at Xiucai suspiciously, and finally didn't say anything. This small action did not escape Zhuang Meiyan's eyes, she only glanced at the quick shift of her gaze, and looked out the window casually

Yang Xiucai and Sister-in-law Yang had just said goodbye and left, Zhuang Meiyan looked at her, Chunju immediately followed the door vigilantly to take a look, came back and whispered a few words next to Zhuang Meiyan's ear. Zhuang Meiyan nodded again and again.

Yang Xiucai and her sister-in-law crossed the main street, where their rented house was in the outermost part of the town, and they had to cross three more side streets and bypass an alley to get there. As soon as he turned the corner of the main street, Yang Xiucai suddenly patted the back of his head and said in annoyance: "Look at my memory, what about yesterday's account and silver that haven't been handed over to the shopkeeper?

Sister-in-law Yang also got anxious and said, "Xianggong, then let's go back quickly, don't make any trouble for the third girl, she has enough trouble." ”

Yang Xiucai said "um", the two turned their heads and walked two or three steps, Yang Xiucai suddenly raised his head and said, "Lady, you go home first, you can't help if you go back with me." The third girl is very messy in her heart, otherwise she wouldn't have asked us all to go home, you are going now, although she doesn't say it, she is also resentful in her heart. ”

Sister-in-law Yang nodded as if she understood and replied, "Then I still don't want to go, and you should go home early." ”

Yang Xiucai said with a smile: "I know, you go home and see Xiao You'er, you can take these copper coins to buy him a string of sugar gourds, he was still clamoring for it yesterday." ”

Sister-in-law Yang took a handful of copper coins, the copper coins had just been taken out of her husband's arms, still warm, she held them lightly in her palms, her lips moved slightly, but she wanted to speak and stopped, just stared blankly at her husband disappearing into the crowd.

She hesitated, but finally turned around and walked in the direction of home.

In the corner of the wall behind him, Yang Xiucai quietly turned to this hidden place under the cover of the crowd, looked at his own lady, and watched her figure go farther and farther, and finally disappeared. He turned his head slowly, leaning against the cold wall, looking up at the blue sky slightly, his brows slightly furrowed, and his expression melancholy.

He let out a long sigh, as if with great determination to twist and walk forward.

However, that direction is not where the "Li Kee Silk Shop" is.

Yang Xiucai walked through several alleys and came to the back door of a courtyard. He cautiously looked left and right to make sure that no one was following, and then he carefully buckled the door panel.

"Who?" said a soft woman's voice.

"Sister Liu, it's me Yang Wencai. Yang Xiucai said in a low voice, "Brother Li is not inside, I have something important to discuss with him, can you trouble him to come out?"

This mansion is not big, there is only a small building in the courtyard, and after a while, a sharp-beaked monkey's cheeky face peeked out of the window on the second floor, which turned out to be Li San. He glanced at Yang Xiucai below, pouted his teeth, spat out a mouthful of phlegm, and said lazily: "Let's talk about it later, Lao Tzu's current matter is the most important." You say, don't you? ”

While talking, Li San hugged the woman with heavy makeup next to him and laughed with her, both of them were disheveled, which was really unsightly.

Yang Xiucai lowered his eyes and said in a low voice: "Brother Li, this matter is related to human life, please go downstairs." ”

Li San scolded and closed the window with a "bang". It didn't take long for a while, and there was the sound of a woman coquettishly retaining herself, as well as the sound of hurried downstairs. The door panel opened suddenly, Li San was dressed in a mess, his chest was still open, the two buttons on the placket had not been buttoned, and there was a blush mark on his right face.

"Say, what's the matter?" Li San was very impatient, "Xiucai, if you don't have anything important, Lao Tzu has to break your leg and delay Lao Tzu's good deeds!"

He squinted at the seductive face of the window on the second floor and smiled with his teeth bared, his eyes blurred.

Yang Xiucai's face turned pale, and said: "Brother Li, what you want Xiao Ke to do, Xiao Ke has already done it, and now that someone has died, they seem to be aware that Xiao Ke can no longer stay in the winery, and please make it convenient for Brother Li to let us go back to the beach to fish for the rest of our lives." ”

Li San looked at Yang Xiucai with a smile and said, "If you want to leave, it's easy! What about the wine recipe? As long as you get that ugly wine recipe, my brother will ensure that you are prosperous and rich, and you will not have to worry about food and clothing in this life." ”

Yang Xiucai showed a cringeful expression, sighed and said: "Brother Li, didn't we say yes, as long as we make trouble at the winery and let their house close down, will we let our couple go......?"

A few small sparrows flew away from the old locust tree overhead, and a few locust petals shook off the branches. Yang Xiucai immediately took half a step back like a frightened bird, then stood on his heels awkwardly, and continued: "Brother Li, now that the government has been alarmed, if the Lord Qin from the capital finds out anything, it will not be good for you or me. ”

"Fart!" Li San snorted, he glared at Yang Xiucai contemptuously, and said in disgust: "This is Lao Tzu's shit, you did it, and you caused the disaster, your mouth should be honest with Lao Tzu." Don't talk nonsense, take advantage of the chaos in their house today, you can quickly go to their house and look through them to see if you can find a wine recipe, if that ugly woman gets in the way, you--"

Li San gestured with his right hand vigorously, his eyes showed murderous intent, and he lowered his voice and said fiercely: "At that time, it will be said that the woman has a ghost in her heart, and she will commit suicide in fear of sin, and the brother over there in the yamen will naturally have a way to deal with it, and it will be fine, so it will be a hundred." ”

Yang Xiucai was frightened by the cold light in his eyes, his legs couldn't help but tremble, and his voice trembled.

"Brother Li, let me go!"

He took out a small bag from his arms and stuffed it into Li San's hand. Li San checked it, feeling heavy, his brows furrowed, and he sneered a few times.

"You know that honoring your brother is your duty. If you follow your brother, I won't be able to treat you badly. If you can't get a drink recipe, hum, don't blame your brother for being ruthless!"

Yang Xiucai saw that this person was greedy and inhumane, and he was angry but didn't dare to reason with him anymore, and watched him put the silver into his arms, wanting to cry without tears.

Li San turned around and returned to the courtyard, and was about to raise his hand to close the wooden door. A figure passed by his eyes, and he became alert, and turned his head to look, only to see a big man standing in the middle of the courtyard, with his arms folded, staring at him coldly with disdain.

Li San was a little weak-hearted, and shouted: "Han Niu'er, you are trespassing on a private house." ”

Han Niu'er didn't speak, and a man in a white power suit flashed behind the old locust tree on the side, not tall, with a golden belt around his waist and a knife obliquely. Chu Yifan stepped on the stone bench under the tree with his left foot, pressed the handle of the knife with his right hand, and patted the dust at the leg of his trousers with his left hand seemingly unintentionally, and the expression on his face seemed to be smiling, which made people unpredictable.

"Even you, a pickled goods, are worthy of letting my master trespass into the house to teach you a lesson? Han Niu'er, beaten half to death, dragged to Qiyang Mountain to feed the wolf cubs. ”

"Hey!"

The big-shouldered and round-waisted Han Niu picked up Li San, who was like a thin monkey like an eagle catching a chicken, and he was unceremoniously beaten up. The crisp sound of fists smashing against the flesh was mixed with the wails of ghosts and wolves, and the intermittent sounds of begging for mercy.

"Master Chu, do you spare the little one...... Ouch, don't do small things...... Ouch! That's all done by Yang Xiucai...... The little one is willing to go to the county government to testify...... Oops!"

The door was not closed, Yang Xiucai, who was standing at the door, turned into a statue at this moment, and Mu Ran watched Han Niu'er push Li San to the ground, beating the ghost and howling wolf. Chu Yifan watched with appreciation as Li San was beaten, and Han Niu'er was also fighting vigorously, they seemed to have forgotten the existence of Yang Xiucai.

If Yang Xiucai walked away at this time, I am afraid that no one would pay attention to him, but his feet were firmly nailed to the spot as if they had taken root, and his eyelids slowly drooped, as if he did not dare to face the scene in front of him. Li San's every wail was like a thorn in his body, making him uncomfortable.

Li San's voice became smaller and quieter, and finally fell to the ground and did not move. Han Niu'er stopped and kicked him twice.

"Hey, don't play dead!"

Chu Yifan bent down and pulled out a short knife from his cowhide boots, flicked the edge twice, and let out a crisp buzz. Li San, who was still on the ground, got up suddenly, knelt down two steps, and begged: "Chu Ye spare his life! Chu Ye spare his life!"

"It's really none of the villain's business! The poison was given by Xiucai, the idea was made by Liu Ye, the villain was just a middleman, I really didn't expect to kill someone! Liu Ye meant to ruin the reputation of that ugly girl, and told her not to be too proud. Who would have thought about it? Chu Ye Mingjian, it's really not about the villain. ”

Li San knew that Chu Yifan was a military cao who had killed people on the battlefield, and he was ruthless, if he really tied himself up and threw him into the ravine to feed the wolves, but there was no trace at all, and he couldn't cry out when he went to Lord Yama. So he didn't wait for Han Niu'er to ask, he poured beans into the bamboo tube and told everything he knew.

Chu Yifan sneered, wiped the dagger intently, and said contemptuously: "Something that has no interest, killing your master is a dirty knife." Han Niu'er, what do you do with such ** materials, take a sack and feed it to the mountain wolf. ”

"Okay!" replied Han Niu'er, turning to find the sack.

Li San raised his face in despair, his eyes rolling. People are about to die, instinct erupts, he suddenly pushed away Han Niu'er, and ran to the door with his life, Yang Xiucai, who was at the door, was pushed to the ground by him, still crooked on the threshold with a stunned face, the whole person seemed to be stupid, neither knew how to dodge, nor knew how to hurt.

Han Niu'er roared angrily, and chased out, Li San was thin, this was another escape, running faster than a rabbit, and when Han Niu'er chased out of the door, he had already run out of the alley, running lifelessly.