"Who is here?"
Wu Chengzhang asked anxiously.
"Yesterday evening, Director-General Yuan from the National Salvation Association came here, but just after one update at night... it was probably a little after seven o'clock, Director-General Yuan left."
"This morning, just after seven o'clock, my friend, Mr. Jingming, came to my house to compete in calligraphy with me..."
"But we didn't stay long. At 9:15 in the morning, Mr. Jingming left."
Although Butler Qu was sad, he still had a clear order of things. Starting last night, he reported everything about the guests at home to the two agents.
"Mr. Jingming is very familiar with President Qu? Do you come here often?"
Wu Chengzhang waited for Butler Qu to finish and then asked.
Butler Qu replied firmly: "We are very familiar with each other. Mr. Jingming is good at calligraphy, and he and I are quite close. We should be in constant contact with each other..."
"Where was President Qu when Mr. Jingming left?"
Wu Chengzhang nodded and continued to ask.
Butler Qu replied: "I was not in the study at that time, but I heard from Qu San, the servant who was serving in the study in the morning, that President Qu sent Mr. Jingming out of the study at that time, and the two of them said a few words of farewell."
Wu Chengzhang was thoughtful, then he pondered for a moment and said: "Qu San, we will ask him later...has anyone else been here?"
Butler Qu continued: "In the end, the master who framed calligraphy and paintings at the 'Bao Gu Zhai' antique shop on Nantang Street came, but he didn't stay long. He said a few words to the master in the study and then went back."
"That old master comes here often too?"
"That's right. The master invites the old master named Qin to frame calligraphy and paintings every now and then."
"No one will come later?"
"No, Qu San didn't change shifts with the new Qu Jiu until after lunch. In the afternoon, Qu Jiu accidentally entered the study and saw the door of the secret room wide open, and then discovered that the master had been killed..."
After Butler Qu finished answering Wu Chengzhang's questions, he couldn't help but feel sad when he thought of the bad news in the afternoon, and his eyes couldn't help but turn red again.
When the two agents saw this, they quickly comforted the old housekeeper for a while.
After the old man's mood calmed down a little, the two asked Butler Qu to take care of the affairs at home...
Next, Ma Xiaoguang and Wu Chengzhang called the servants Qu San and Qu Jiu over and asked carefully about the situation before the crime.
The result of the inquiry cannot be said to be exactly the same as what Butler Qu said, but it can be considered that there is not much difference.
On the way back to the car.
The car was from Ningbo Station, a somewhat old Dodge Shunfeng.
This car has an elegant appearance, excellent durability and ease of maintenance. It is quite suitable for official use - many taxis in Shanghai use this model.
"Brother Ma, what do you think about this?"
Wu Chengzhang asked Ma Xiaoguang while driving.
Lao Wu was obviously very satisfied with the fact that Ma Xiaoguang knew how to advance and retreat in the Qu family and did not overstep his authority, so he opened his mind and discussed it seriously.
"A well-planned murder!"
Ma Xiaoguang did not hide anything and directly expressed his judgment in one sentence.
"How to say?"
When Wu Chengzhang heard this, he was not surprised. He just nodded and asked immediately.
"Although the Qu family has not reported any property losses for the time being, I estimate that the murderer's purpose was probably to take away President Qu's important things..."
"When the things were robbed, the murderer most likely took the opportunity to harm President Qu, and then did something to confuse the public."
"Furthermore, the body was found at three o'clock in the afternoon. The police station and our actions were already slow. How did the reporter get wind of it?"
Ma Xiaoguang pointedly analyzed Wu Chengzhang.
"Then who is suspected?"
"It's all possible...the old housekeeper, the servants, and the three guests are all possible. In addition, someone in the police station must have leaked the information..."
Wu Chengzhang obviously agreed with Ma Xiaoguang's analysis. He did not continue to ask questions, but turned around and drove the car intently.
When we returned to Baizhang Street, it was already dark.
Fatty and Huang Cheng have also completed the aftermath work and are already waiting in the office.
After greeting each other and introducing each other, Wu Chengzhang immediately asked to meet the two "imperial envoys".
It was not good to refuse such etiquette and favor, so the two had no choice but to go to the "Zhuangyuan Building" with Lao Wu, Chu Zhi and Huang Cheng...
at night.
The small courtyard in the back alley of Zhuangyuan Building, the safe house at Ningbo Station.
"This is not an ordinary murder case!"
After listening to Ma Xiaoguang's description of the case, the fat man touched his chin and said with determination.
"Oh? You think so too?"
"This is not an obvious thing. The murderer is probably someone who is dissatisfied with the war. He is either a Japanese or a traitor..."
"Of course, it doesn't rule out that the family is uneasy. Didn't you say that Mr. and Mrs. Qu are not an old couple?"
The fat man said with the same gossipy expression on his face as Shopkeeper Luo.
"You damn fat guy, you have a very rich imagination...but when you put it like that, you don't rule out this possibility."
The fat man's words seemed to remind Ma Xiaoguang of something again. He took out a Hardman from the cigarette case but did not light it, and said playfully in his hand.
…
Early the next morning.
Ningbo railway station platform.
Butler Qu arrived at Ningbo Railway Station. Dressed in a black robe, he seemed to be telling everyone about the gloom in his heart...
Behind him was a fat servant in a black short coat.
Yes, this servant is the fat man.
They came to pick up young master Qu Zhe and young lady Qu Jun.
Ma Xiaoguang and Fatty talked for a long time last night. The more they thought about it, the more they felt that this case was probably related to people from the Qu family, so they immediately decided to go into the Qu family for an unannounced investigation.
Since Wu Chengzhang and Ma Xiaoguang had already appeared in front of the Qu family yesterday, they were not suitable for lurking work.
Unsurprisingly, this burden fell on the fat man.
"Woo——"
Accompanied by a whistle, the train from Hangzhou rumbled into the station.
After an earth-shattering noise, the train panted and stopped in front of the platform.
The doors of each carriage opened with a clang the moment the train came to a stop.
As soon as the car door opened, it was like opening a floodgate to release water, and the people on the car poured out like a tide.
Suddenly there were shouts, screams, children’s cries, conductors’ shouts…
All kinds of sounds suddenly sounded together and mixed together, making people feel an unprecedented impact in their hearts.
The chaotic platform is like a microcosm of this chaotic world.
As the war approaches, Hangzhou is now in danger, so the number of people riding in the car is many times more than usual!
Fortunately, the carriage that Butler Qu and Fatty picked up was a first-class carriage. Although the people here were in a hurry, they were not as chaotic as the passengers in the ordinary carriages, and the order was relatively better.
In fact, it’s not that the character and quality of the people in the first-class carriage are much higher than that in the ordinary carriage, it’s mainly because there are fewer people here…
Butler Qu looked sad and anxious as he kept looking up at the crowd.
Soon he and the fat man discovered their young master and young lady.
