There was a knock on the door, and Zhou Yuan asked through the door: "Who?"
"It's me!" Shen Chongming stood with his hands behind his hands: "We won't be able to leave Qingyang County for a few days."
"Is it because of that killer?" Zhou Yu'an opened the door and looked at Shen Chongming: "Where did he come from? Why did he kill you? Can you tell me about the sword?"
"Asked, the wrong person was killed." Shen Chongming said calmly: "He said he wanted to kill Magistrate Wang."
"This County Magistrate Wang is now your father. No one would confuse you two. Do you believe this nonsense?" Zhou Yu'an rolled his eyes and took half a step back when he saw Shen Chongming reaching out. : "Don't get me wrong, I mean that Magistrate Wang is older than you and not as good-looking as you. If I were the killer, I would never admit my mistake."
Shen Chongming lifted up her hair hanging by her ears and said, "They said they were hiring a murderer, but the other party only said they were county magistrates, and didn't mention their age or appearance."
"Do you believe it?" Zhou Yu'an raised his eyebrows: "For such a tough-talking and cunning killer, it would be a shame not to give him a heartfelt pill. Just wait, I will get the pills."
Shen Chongming grabbed Zhou Yuan's hand. Zhou Yuan was confused and turned around to look at him.
"Where are you hiding all those pills?" Zhou Yu'an pursed his lower lip and was about to answer when he heard Shen Chongming say: "Take them all out."
"all?"
"Um!"
"Why?"
"Beware of you!" Shen Chongming let go: "I don't want to take your truth pill."
"How could it be?" Zhou Yu Anxin said in vain: "Your Excellency, you will not lie to me. Even if you lie, it is for my own good. I am not the kind of person who does not know good and evil. Don't worry, Your Excellency, except for life-saving pills, other medicines will never Use it on adults.”
What saves lives can turn into poison, and what kills people can turn into good medicine. Whether it saves lives or kills people depends entirely on the person who applies the medicine. Zhou Yuan would never tell him this.
Tipping his toes, Zhou Yu'an pushed Shen Chongming's hand away: "Sir, don't believe me? Otherwise, I swear to God?"
"On your wedding night, before we had a drink, you swore to God." Shen Chongming stared into her eyes: "Zhou Yu'an, I don't believe you."
Zhou Yu'an gritted his teeth bitterly, but still had a smile on his face: "I did something wrong in that matter. I'm sorry for you, sir. It's my fault if you don't believe me. Sir, wait, I will hand over all the medicine right now." Please keep it safe."
"The bamboo tube around my waist."
"Sir, you also want a little bug?" Zhou Yu'an covered the bamboo tube: "This bug needs to be used as medicine to be effective. Sir, please be kind and leave it to me."
"Bamboo tube!"
Shen Chongming stretched out his hand, and Zhou Yu'an reluctantly pulled down the bamboo tube and stuffed it into his hand.
"I can give you the bug, but you must give it to me every full moon night. I have to feed it. This little thing is not hungry, and will go crazy if it is extremely hungry."
Shen Chongming hung the bamboo tube around his waist and stepped out of the room. Seeing that Zhou Yu'an did not follow, he turned around and said, "Come with me to see if the killer is cheating."
A small building, divided into upper and lower floors. The small building is a wooden structure, and the construction is a bit rough. You don't need to look carefully to see that the building is crooked.
The door on the first floor was open, and a flag was held at the door. The flag said "Tofu, Steamed Buns". There was a window on the second floor. The window was closed tightly, and the window lattice was a little burnt, as if it was on fire.
According to the killer, the owner of this small building was the one who paid for the murder, and the assassination of Magistrate Wang was to avenge his wife and daughter.
The carriage stopped in front of the small building, and Zhou Yu'an held Shen Chongming's hand and jumped out of the carriage.
Holding the sword and looking at the small corridor, he said: "My subordinates asked the surrounding neighbors and said that they did not see any fire when the incident occurred. They came after hearing Lao Xu's cry for help. When they came, there was black smoke coming from the windows on the second floor. , there is still water dripping on the windows.”
"Old Xu is the owner of this small building." Zhou Yu'an walked into the door. There were many things in the room, including those for grinding beans, making bean juice, and making tofu and steaming steamed buns.
Judging from the wear and tear of the grinding plate, it should be an old item and has been passed down for at least three generations. Although the things are old, they are tidied away by a conscientious and diligent small businessman.
The owner is Xu Laowei, who makes a living by grinding tofu. He married a widow when he was thirty years old, and then made a living by selling tofu and steamed buns. The daughter was brought by a widow. She took the surname of Xu Laowen and was called Xu Huahua. As her name suggests, she looks like a flower.
Before the incident in the Xu family, someone came to propose marriage. Xu Laowen did not agree and drove the person out together with the widow. The neighbor said that things were scattered on the floor, including a box of snacks from Shengbaozhai.
The dim sum of Shengbaozhai was notoriously expensive, and people like them couldn't afford it. Everyone felt that Xu Laowen was in control. No matter how good the girl was, she still had to marry. Marrying a rich man was no better than marrying a rich man.
"This Xu Laowen is not an ordinary person." Zhou Yu'an pointed to the door lock: "Who locks the door with this kind of mechanism?"
"Is this a machine lock?" He squatted beside him holding a sword and looked at it: "How is it different from the one hanging on the inn door? I think the locals use it."
"They look the same, but they are completely different on the inside."
Zhou Yu'an gently plucked it with a hairpin, and heard a click, and a needle popped out of the keyhole. Zhijian was startled, hugged the sword and stood aside.
Zhou Yu'an frowned and tapped the surface of the copper lock with a hairpin. After confirming that there was no needle hidden in the lock, he carefully opened the door lock. The internal structure of the copper lock is complex. In addition to the normal lock cylinder, there is also a small mechanism. The needle just came out because Zhou Yu'an accidentally touched the mechanism. Fortunately, he was clever with the sword and avoided it in time.
"When did the fire happen?" Shen Chongming asked, holding the door lock in his hand.
"The neighbors heard the sound in the middle of the night. They can't remember the exact time. They only remember that it was dawn soon after returning home." He held his sword and touched his nose: "Xu Laowen's daughter died, and the widow couldn't bear the blow. , took advantage of people's unpreparedness and hanged herself. When Xu Laowen thought of her, everyone froze."
He held his sword and looked at the beam in the house: "She hung herself on this beam and was blown around by the wind, scaring many neighbors."
"The needle inside the lock is still there. This lock has not been touched." Zhou Yu'an handed the copper lock to Shen Chongming: "Go upstairs and have a look. This thing is a bit strange."
"It's a bit strange. I went upstairs to look at it. Except for some scorch marks, all the items upstairs were there. A small fire can't burn people, and it's not a small fire that can kill people. How did Xu Huahua get burned? Dead?" He stepped on the stairs with his sword, reminding him while walking up: "Wu Zuo said that Xu Huahua self-immolated, saying that no trace of the second person was found at the scene, and that the fire was all burning on Xu Huahua. Wu Zuo also said "Xu Huahua didn't struggle. Only those who have a strong desire to die will not move or say a word when the fire burns their bodies."
"What if this person was knocked unconscious?" Zhou Yu'an stopped at the top of the stairs: "What if he was burned after death?"
"The forms of being burned before death are different from those after death. Wu Zuo said that Xu Huahua's limbs changed, but the changes were not obvious. This can prove that Xu Huahua was awake when he was burned. Even if She was knocked unconscious at the time. She would definitely wake up when the fire burned her body, and she would call for help when she woke up. At the time of the incident, Xu Laowen and Xu Huahua's mother were sleeping downstairs. They did not hear any sound. Instead, they were knocked upstairs. The burning smell wafting down woke me up."
