When he saw the body, Zhou Yu'an knew that she was not Xiu Ying.
According to what the housekeeper He Si said, Xiu Ying has been dead for more than ten years. Even if her body doesn't rot and turns into a ghost, these clothes can't rot, right? After being soaked in the well for more than ten years, the clothes have not faded. Even the patterns embroidered on the clothes are intact. The fabric and silk thread are so good.
The loophole is so obvious that Li Zhun, the county magistrate, cannot see it, which shows how confused he is.
The gangster could see it, but he believed in the principle that silence is golden, and doing more is worse than doing less.
Zhou Yu'an knew some things well. For example, the person who made soup for Feng Lin with dragon fruits was not Lianxiang, but Chunhong. For another example, the corpse in the dry well in the backyard was related to Chunhong. She had heard Chunhong mention the corpse in the backyard to He Si.
Who does that corpse refer to?
Zhou Yu'an thought it was her mother Xiu Ying, and it should be her mother Xiu Ying, but in the backyard there was not only Lian Xiang's body but also a floating corpse dressed as Xiu Ying.
If the floating corpse was arranged by Chunhong and He Si to scare He Hongyi, then what was the purpose of He Si killing Lian Xiang? To bring people into your backyard?
No!
There are many ways to introduce people to the backyard. There is no need to kill Lianxiang by adding extraneous branches.
These things have nothing to do with Zhou Yuan. She was close to Chunhong and pretended to be Chunhong just for the three keys to He's house, but Shen Chongming mentioned the "birthmark".
Chunhong was from Prince Qi's Mansion, Sui'er was also from Prince Qi's Mansion, and Sui'er's purpose of sneaking into the mourning hall was also the key. Instead of being confused, it would be better to use Shen Chongming's identity as a master to find out the matter.
Shen Chongming also knew that the corpse was not Xiu Ying, but unlike Zhou Yu'an, he did not judge by the clothes of the female corpse, but by He Si's reaction.
According to what He Si said, he killed Lianxiang to avenge his beloved, and his beloved was accidentally killed by Feng Lin and thrown into the well. But when the female corpses in the well were fished out, he actually behaved indifferent.
There might really be a maid in the dry well who was accidentally beaten to death by Feng Lin, but that maid was definitely not He Si's beloved. What he liked was Chunhong, the pretty maid who could make him compromise and plead guilty with just her eyes.
Outside He Mansion, he was pacing back and forth with his sword in hand, stopping from time to time and looking in the direction of the inner house. At a glance, his eyes met with Shen Chongming's. He held his sword and ran over happily.
"My lord!"
"Is there anything unusual outside the house?"
"There is nothing unusual. Since Mr. Li left, only one person has come out of the He Mansion."
"Housekeeper?"
"Yes, this person's surname is He, and his parents both work in the He family. My subordinates have checked his details, and there is nothing special about him." Seeing Shen Chongming looking in the direction of the He family, he held his sword and asked: "Master What happened to the He family?"
"Nothing happened!" Shen Chongming curled his lips unconsciously: "I met an interesting person."
"Interesting person?" He held his sword and rubbed his ears: "This is the first time this subordinate has heard his master describe a person like this."
"Have the people sent to look for Zhou Yu'an come back?"
"I came back partially, but I couldn't find Miss Zhou's whereabouts."
"No need to look for it." Shen Chongming said, a smile appeared on his face: "Go back."
"Where are you going back?" He followed a few steps with his sword in hand: "Are we really not looking for Miss Zhou then? My lord, your smile is a bit strange."
Inside the prison in Fuyang County, the lights were dim and the jailer responsible for night patrol was walking back and forth. In a separate prison, an oil lamp was lit on the wall, and the flame was like a bean; the floor was covered with straw, and the sound of mice squeaking came from the straw. As the mice burrowed back and forth, those who were buried under the straw Rat droppings were also dug out. He Si sat against the wall, motionless, letting the mice crawl around on his feet.
Shen Chongming stopped outside the prison and gently called He Si's name.
He Si raised his head and looked at Shen Chongming with calm eyes.
The yamen servant moved a chair, and Shen Chongming talked with him across the prison cell.
"You didn't kill Lianxiang!"
He Si's eyes brightened and then dimmed. He twisted uncomfortably and tilted his head to the side.
"The adults are just joking. It was the little one who killed Lianxiang. Killing someone requires a life, and the little one is willing to plead guilty."
"Really?" Shen Chongming rubbed his fingers: "Lianxiang's death is indeed related to you, but Lianxiang was not killed by you. Men are stronger than women. If you are the murderer, you only need to pick her up and hang her on your belt Just go up, why bother to hang her up with a nearby rope and leave traces on the branches. You are not the murderer, but you admit that this matter is related to you. It seems that someone is secretly coercing you. "
"No!" He Si denied, but his body was trembling.
"He Si, 32 years old, married and has children." Shen Chongming raised his eyes: "Your wife and children also live in He's house, right? Such a big thing happened, and your wife and children didn't even show up. It's not you and If the relationship between your wife and children is not good, your wife and children are being manipulated."
He Si lowered his head and remained silent.
"You are the housekeeper of He Mansion. Those who can control you do not need to touch your wife and children. Those who need to touch your wife and children must be people who cannot control you. He Si, who is that person?"
"I can't say!"
"If you tell me, your wife and children may still be alive. If you don't tell me... it's up to you." Shen Chongming stood up, but He Si rushed to the cell door and grabbed the hem of his clothes.
"Sir, can you save my wife and children?"
"It can be saved, but it depends on whether you tell the truth." Shen Chongming moved his foot, and He Si withdrew his hand.
Too many things happened in the past two days, and He Si couldn't figure it out. First, Aunt Su was choked to death, and then the young lady went crazy and stabbed the young master to death with a dagger. When he got the news, He Si was investigating the matter of Aunt Su being choked.
The He family was small. Except for the young lady Feng Lin, the He family had not had any children for many years. The whole He family was full of expectations for the child in Aunt Su's womb.
When something happened to Aunt Su, Mr. He's first suspicion was Young Madam Feng Lin.
As soon as we found out that Feng Lin had been to Aunt Su's yard before her accident, something happened to the young master. It was still raining when he went to the county government to report the crime, and his clothes were soaked when he came back. When he returned to the room, he found Lianxiang lying on the ground.
There are three more things on the table, his wife's hairpin, his son's jade pendant and a letter.
The content of the letter was very simple, asking him to hang the lotus incense on the locust tree in the backyard.
"Do you know who wrote that letter?"
He Si shook his head: "I originally wanted to tell the master about this, or come to the government office to report the case, but the master doesn't care about my affairs, and the government office probably won't help me find a wife and children. After thinking about it, I can only follow the instructions Do whatever the person who wrote the letter says.”
"Do you have any suspicions?"
He Si nodded: "Sui'er! Like Lianxiang, she is the young lady's dowry maid. Later, she went to Aunt Su through the arrangement of the old lady, but I know she has a grudge against Lianxiang."
"What grudge?" Shen Chongming asked, sitting back on the chair.
"Sui'er has a sweetheart who is a servant in the mansion. Regardless of whether it is the Feng family or the He family, servants are not allowed to give or receive privately. Lianxiang told the young lady about this, and the young lady ordered someone to beat Lianxiang severely. , and sold the young boy she was in love with. It is said that the young boy died not long after, and then Sui'er went to Aunt Su's yard."
