Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan wanted to know about the situation of the inn and the statue, so they followed the shopkeeper into the inn lobby.
Entering the lobby, as soon as Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan sat down, they couldn't wait to talk to the shopkeeper.
Qin Chuan looked around the store and said, "Shopkeeper, is this a newly opened store?"
The shopkeeper's eyes flickered, hesitating for a moment, and then replied: "Yes, we just opened the store a few days ago, and we got robbed unexpectedly." After saying that, he said a few perfunctory polite words, and then asked the waiter to come over and greet Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan. .
Both Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan noticed the slight change in the shopkeeper's expression, and seemed unwilling to talk more.
Su Qiqi hurriedly pretended to glance at a painting in the center of the lobby casually, and exclaimed: "This painting is very different. It must have an extraordinary origin?"
The shopkeeper looked at Su Qiqi and smiled unnaturally: "Hey, I got it from a thrift store to decorate the facade..." After saying that, the shopkeeper said that he wanted to take care of the wound and hurried into the backyard.
Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan had no choice but to give up their plan to talk to the shopkeeper and started chatting with the waiter.
"Boy, other inns usually hang decorative paintings with auspicious meanings. Why do you have such a strange painting hanging here?" Su Qiqi looked curious and asked with interest.
"Oh, sir, many guests here have asked...I don't know why our shopkeeper hangs a painting with a coffin and a grotto here...probably for the purpose of building a shop, hoping to get a promotion and make a fortune." …”
The waiter didn't seem to know what was going on, so he scratched his head and stuttered back.
Seeing that they couldn't find any useful clues, Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan decided to change the topic and make some insinuations about the theft of the God Statue.
Before the two of them could think of a suitable explanation, the waiter was a talkative and took the initiative to gossip.
"This thief is really hateful... Our shopkeeper was kind enough to take him in... but he was so ignorant that he actually came up with the idea of a pure gold statue..." The waiter poured himself a cup of tea, raised his neck and drank it in one gulp. said.
Su Qiqi listened quietly to the waiter's story, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes looking sideways outside the store.
Qin Chuan looked curious and interrupted from time to time, guiding the waiter to tell the whole story like pouring beans through a bamboo tube.
It turned out that the thief was a beggar wandering nearby. He fell ill outside the shopkeeper's house on a rainy night a few months ago. At that time, the shopkeeper had just moved his family to Hangzhou. Seeing that the beggar was dying of illness, he took him in the guest room. , seek medical treatment for him.
After the man recovered from his illness, the shopkeeper saw that he had nowhere to go, so he left him as a handyman in the house.
A few days ago, the shopkeeper rented this storefront and opened the Changshun Inn, and arranged for him to come to the inn to help.
Unexpectedly, the man was ungrateful. When he accidentally saw the pure gold statue, he had a wrong idea and wanted to take it for himself. Today, while the shopkeeper was taking a nap, he sneaked into the backyard to steal. When he was discovered, he committed murder and injured others...
"Xiao Er, did you see this with your own eyes?" Su Qiqi asked.
The waiter shook his head and said: "I saw what I saw in front of me with my own eyes. The robbery of the pure gold statue was told by our shopkeeper... I was cleaning in the lobby just now and didn't hear anything in the backyard... until the shopkeeper ran out chasing the thief. , I just knew..."
The waiter said as he imitated the shopkeeper running out holding his injured arm.
Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan couldn't help but cover their mouths and snickered, and then continued to ask seriously: "By the way, burglary and injury, why didn't your shopkeeper report such a serious matter to the official?"
The waiter was stunned when he heard this, scratched his head and said: "Probably... probably because he is afraid of causing trouble... Our shopkeeper is a kind man. He said that it would be good to bring the statue back, and the thief would be detained for a few days to punish him. ..." After saying that, the waiter said angrily: "Thankfully, our shopkeeper is kind. If it were someone else, that kid would have to spend a few months in a cell and suffer some torture with a cane..."
After chatting for a while, seven or eight customers came in outside the store. The waiter stopped talking, bowed to Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan, and went to greet the customers.
Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan habitually looked at the visitors, and when they saw the unusual attire of the guests, they felt a little more wary. He simply asked the waiter to order a few dishes to go with the wine, and continued to sit and watch.
"Su'er, those guests are quite strange..." Qin Chuan picked up the wine glass and took a sip, then whispered in Su Qiqi's ear.
Su Qiqi looked at the guests carefully, nodded and said: "It is indeed a bit abnormal... The accent of the leader seems to be a Northern Yi accent, but he said that he is from the Central Plains..."
Qin Chuan also echoed thoughtfully: "The one-eyed man behind him is also unusual. He seems to have a unique totem decorative pendant on his waist... It seems to be a bat pattern..."
When Su Qiqi heard this, she also turned her attention to the one-eyed man and looked at him carefully. After a while, her expression suddenly changed, and she gently pulled Qin Chuan's sleeve, signaling Qin Chuan to leave the inn together.
As soon as the two of them stepped out of the inn door, the one-eyed man glanced over. He looked at the backs of Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan and was silent for a while. Then he turned around and whispered a few words in the leading man's ear, and then hurriedly left. After walking out of the inn, he followed Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan towards the Weiyuan Escort Agency.
When they were approaching the side entrance of the Escort Bureau, Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan walked around into the alley next to them and walked deeper into the alley.
The one-eyed man was stunned for a while, looked left and right, then turned and returned to Changshun Inn along the original road.
Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan walked deep into the alley and were a little surprised when they saw that the one-eyed man did not follow them. But they soon realized what was going on and walked around the area pretending to be nonchalant before slowly returning to the escort office.
When it was time to light the lanterns, Nangong Qin's study became lively. Su Qiqi, Qin Chuan and others gathered in the study to study what they saw and heard at Changshun Inn today, and everyone expressed their opinions.
"There must be something wrong with this Changshun Inn..." Nangong Yue was the first to speak. He recounted what Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan had seen and heard, and then put forward his own inference.
"I also think it's a bit strange. In an inn that has just opened a few days ago, a theft happened so coincidentally, and the shopkeeper didn't report it to the official... There must be something fishy here..." Zheng Miao also agreed with excitement.
"Well, isn't it Ye Youmeng who is up to something again? The former Juxing Inn was their hideout...could this Changshun Inn be related to them?" Ouyang Qi also came over and analyzed seriously. .
Nangong Qin and Qin Hannian were lost in thought, seeming to be searching for important clues in their memories. Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan were also silent. One was scribbling on the paper, the other was rubbing locust stones in his hand, muttering words that others could not hear.
Granny Cui and Yan Ruoyu stared at the screen in a daze for a while, then looked at each other, sighed helplessly, and continued to listen to Nangong Yue and Zheng Miao chattering randomly.
After a while, Su Qiqi coughed slightly and said: "I think those people may be spies from the Northern Yi who infiltrated our territory in Daqi... The border has not been peaceful in the past two years. General Fan sent a letter to him last time. Thanks to the help of the Fire Dragon Banner, our army was defeated by the Bei Yi. They were unconvinced by their defeat and often harassed the villages on the frontier... Although this place is still some distance from the border, we must be on guard..." After that, she turned her gaze to Qin Chuan and two elders.
Qin Chuan nodded knowingly and said: "Yes, if Beiyi spies sneak into our important areas in the capital and collude with high-ranking officials or Yeyou League gangsters, the consequences will be disastrous..."
Su Qiqi nodded solemnly and said, "We need to contact King Jingbei and General Fan as soon as possible!"
Nangong Qin and Qin Hannian nodded approvingly when they saw Su Qiqi and Qin Chuan's methodical analysis and calm decision-making. Nangong Qin stroked his beard and said with a smile: "You have grown up! Han Nian and I can finally live a peaceful life..." After that, the two looked at each other and smiled happily.
After laughing, Nangong Qin said seriously: "Next, you young people will discuss the countermeasures. Han Nian and I will go to Guan Yu Pavilion to sit down first. If there is anything you need cooperation from us two old men, just ask..." Then, with a hearty smile, he took Qin Hannian and closed the door together and went out.
