It was still late at night, Chunhong sat at the table and watched the oil lamp, lost in thought. Suddenly, a burst of rapid footsteps sounded in the corridor. The sound got closer and closer, and after a while, they came to the door. Chunhong slowly turned around and saw a man wearing a black hooded cloak standing in front of the door.
"coming?"
The man nodded and looked around cautiously before entering.
"Don't worry, there's no one here. They've all gathered in the east courtyard to watch the fun." Chunhong closed the door: "How is it? Has everything been settled?"
"I have thrown away the things." The man lifted his hood, revealing a plain face: "He Hongyi asked me to report to the government office!"
"It doesn't matter!" Chunhong flicked the oil lamp: "I guess Mr. Li can't find anything!"
"I heard that a master came from the county government." The man hesitated: "I don't know what he is like, I have never seen him before."
"How can a master scare you like this?"
Chunhong's expression was sharp, with a trace of ridicule in her eyes.
Then, he looked at him reassuringly: "Don't worry, this matter has been done flawlessly. Even if the master has some skills, he still can't understand the cause and effect behind the whole incident. The murderer is Feng Lin, and there are both witnesses and material evidence. Tomorrow The inspection is mostly just a formality.”
"Are you still going to kill He Hongyi?"
"Why are you asking me like this?" In the flickering candlelight, Chun Hong caressed the man's face: "Isn't it our plan to kill him?"
"I'm afraid..." The man grabbed Chun Hong's hand: "I'm afraid you'll fall in, and I'm afraid we won't be able to escape intact. Hong'er, I have an ominous premonition."
"An unknown premonition?" Chunhong broke away her hand: "If you regret it, you can quit at any time!"
"You know that's not what I meant!" The man stood up, his face eager to defend was full of helplessness: "I will help you complete whatever you want to do."
"Okay!" Chunhong laughed, "I believe what you say, just like I believe you really love me. It's getting late, and the body in the dry well in the backyard can be fished out."
He Si glanced at her and nodded slightly.
The autumn wind is bleak, the wooden leaves are rustling, and with the rustling of fallen leaves, the man's back blends into the dark night.
Sensing that someone was looking at her, Chunhong turned around and met Zhou Yuan's gaze.
She was wearing the same clothes as the maid of the He family, standing behind the round table, looking at her with a smile.
"What is the girl laughing at?"
"Nothing!" Zhou Yu'an sat down and twirled the tea cup: "That person just now is He Si, the housekeeper of He Mansion, right?"
"So what? The girl wants to tell He Hongyi about this?" Chunhong sat opposite: "I advise the girl not to meddle in other people's business."
"I've never been nosy, but I'm just a little curious." Zhou Yu'an raised his eyebrows: "What is your relationship with this He family? It's not enough to kill He Bingtian, you also need to kill He Hongyi."
"Does this matter have anything to do with the girl?" Chunhong pushed the poured hot tea to Zhou Yu'an: "What does the girl have to do with this house? The girl is here to negotiate a deal with me?"
"It's a deal!" Zhou Yu'an put the sachet given to her by Su Niang on the table: "I want the key on He Bingtian's body."
"What did you do to Su Niang?" Chunhong held the sachet.
"She's fine!" Zhou Yu'an held his chin: "She's not dead, I saved her."
"Su Niang is not dead?" Chunhong asked in surprise: "How is this possible?"
"Not only did she not die, she also gave birth to a son for the Lao Tian family." Zhou Yu'an pinched his earlobe: "Don't be so excited. She is in the Yizhuang. You can visit her another day. The matter of Long Li is a return gift. You and I I won’t care too much about He’s house, all I want is the key on He Bingtian.”
Seeing that Zhou Yuan didn't seem to be lying to her, Chunhong slowly sat down and relaxed her tense nerves.
"Girl, it's too late! If it's before tonight, I can try to help the girl get it. After tonight, I'm sorry that I can't do anything." Chunhong gently rubbed the sachet: "This matter has alerted the government. Before County Magistrate Li comes, no one can There is no chance to get close to Dongnuan Pavilion. He Hongyi is suspicious by nature, and the key is so important, he will definitely guard it personally tonight."
"You don't have to do anything, Miss Chunhong, just lend me your identity."
"Identity?" Chunhong looked at Zhou Yu'an suspiciously: "What is my identity? I'm just a servant of He Mansion."
"Not just a servant, right?" Zhou Yu'an teased, taking advantage of her unpreparedness, he reached out and touched her eyes.
As a sweet fragrance entered her nose, Chunhong's eyelids began to droop uncontrollably. She stood up holding on to the table, and as soon as she took half a step, she flopped down on the table.
"you--"
"The upgraded version of Meng Po Soup will ensure you a sweet dream!"
Chunhong fell into a dream, but it was not a pleasant dream.
Seventeen years ago, He Hongyi, under the pseudonym He Zhong, came to Chunfeng Tower in Fuyang County and fell in love with Xiu Ying, the courtesan in the building. Three months later, he redeemed Xiu Ying's body and the two got married privately.
A year later, Xiu Ying gave birth to a daughter named Chun Hong.
She thought that after having a daughter, she could follow He Hongyi back to his hometown to meet his parents openly, but instead, what he saw was his first wife and son.
His wife was appointed by his parents, and according to the matchmaker, she was married into the family in a grand sedan chair. However, she was from a humble background, and her relationship with He Hongyi was an affair, with no name or distinction. Everyone only knew that the He family had a young master, but they didn't know that there was a young lady locked up in the woodshed in the backyard.
Although Xiu Ying endured humiliation, He Hongyi's first wife still couldn't tolerate her and made up various charges to frame her. Xiu Ying couldn't bear the humiliation and threw herself into a well and died.
That year, Chunhong was five years old.
She had just lost her mother, was exposed to the cold again, and was thrown out of the house by the He family when she was dying. In the twelfth lunar month of winter, drops of water turned into ice. If Su Niang hadn't met her and her father, she would have turned into a withered skeleton in front of He's house...
The next day, it cleared up after the rain.
Fuyang County government officials surrounded the east courtyard where the incident occurred. County magistrate Li Zhun walked up to He Hongyi and asked, "Where is your son's body?"
He Hongyi couldn't hide his sadness and raised his hand to point to the room: "My son is in the room. Please make the decision for my son."
Li Zhun patted He Hongyi's hand with relief, and introduced the man standing next to him to He Hongyi: "This is the new master of our county government, and he is also a crime-solving expert I invited from elsewhere. Brother He, don't worry , My son’s case must be investigated thoroughly.”
Only then did He Hongyi notice Shen Chongming standing next to Li Zhun. He was wearing an extremely ordinary Tsing Yi with a cold face. Before he could speak, he already showed obvious alienation.
He Hongyi felt that he looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him.
While stunned, Shen Chongming passed him and entered the Dongnuan Pavilion where the accident occurred.
He Bingtian was lying on the ground, just like the housekeeper He Si said, except for the face, everything was stabbed to pieces. After investigation, it was found that Feng Lin's knife was stabbed into his heart. The tip of the knife was still more than an inch away from his heart, so it was not considered a fatal injury. What really killed him was the dozens of subsequent stabs Feng Lin made - each one. They didn't hit any vital points, but they killed him.
