Tianzi Lane and Li Erniang's embroidery shop are half a city apart, and are connected end to end by Lihua Street, which runs from north to south.
Mo Yan, wearing a big straw hat, waved his horsewhip between naps, and the carriage buzzed happily.
Occasionally, a few conversations floated out from the carriage. Before the passersby could hear them clearly, the words were like smoke, scattered in the wind.
The curtain of the carriage raised a corner, revealing Lu Anran's half-masked profile, "Looking at it in detail, the time when Liu Zhiquan said he wanted to make a fortune when the opportunity came, happened to be when he met Jin Yu'e."
Yun Qi rested his left hand on the cushion and said leisurely: "With the wealth in Jin Yu'e's hands, she cannot be called a golden phoenix, but it is not an exaggeration to call her a hen that lays golden eggs."
Lu Anran's expression was complicated: "Your Majesty, is this a compliment?"
Yun Qi chuckled: "From the bottom of my heart."
The carriage stopped, and Mo Yan's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, Tianzi Lane has arrived."
Although I had some idea before coming here, Liu Zhiquan and Jin Yu'e had a close relationship, so I always thought that something would leak out. However, Liu Zhiquan kept it so secretive that Li Erniang didn't know even a little bit of the secret, which was still a bit regretful.
So, after leaving the embroidery shop, the carriage went straight to Jin Yu'e's house in Yi County.
Standing in front of Jin Yu'e's house, the two of them immediately understood why Li Erniang thought that Jin Yu'e was blind when she came to Liu Zhiquan.
This courtyard is more luxurious than the one in the capital, with golden nails and red doors, colorful phoenixes dancing on the door, and a lion in front of the door, making it flamboyant.
Mo Yan stepped forward, grabbed the copper ring and knocked it three times, but there was no movement for a while.
"Liu Zhiquan has a small fortune. Will he really abandon his wife and daughter just to get rich?" Lu Anran is not obsessed with gold and silver, so he doesn't understand people's greed.
Yun Qi asked back: "People have karma, greed, anger, ignorance, love and evil desires. You have not learned the lesson along the way?"
Lu Anran was silent.
The evil of the father and son in Yinjia Village, the greed of the boy's father in Yi County, and any family ethics are not as big as the desire in their hearts.
"It can be drawn from the side that Liu Zhiquan is very ambitious, but he has great ambition and talent." Yun Qi clasped his hands behind his back and stood sideways. The light was heavy in the cloudy sky. His face was charming and charming against the red door. His raised eyebrows and light smile were full of charm. "Jin Yu'e is not an ordinary foolish woman. If you want to benefit from her, you have to pay first. Besides, she is not bad in appearance. For Liu Zhiquan, is this a choice?"
Lu Anran pursed her lips slightly, yes, in Liu Zhiquan's opinion, it was just a divorce letter, discarding chaff, but the future was bright.
"Speaking of which..." Yun Qi tapped his arm with a folding fan, lowered his eyelids and whispered, "I'm more curious about how Jin Yu'e picked Liu Zhiquan."
Judging from Jin Yu'e's behavior, she can be called mysterious. She has many contacts, but no one can say that she understands her, so she is not close to anyone.
But she is willing to become the wife of a small shop owner. Given her status, it is really incredible.
Mo Yan touched his chin and pretended to be serious and said, "Perhaps there is something about Liu Zhiquan that stands out?" Two pairs of eyes immediately stared at him, and he shrank his shoulders, "Did I say something wrong?"
Yun Qi gave Lu Anran an ambiguous look and said with a sullen smile: "Yes, that's right."
Lu Anran's ears were slightly red and she turned her head unnaturally.
Mo Yan: "..." He didn't just want to say that Liu Zhiquan might be better at managing business. After all, Jin Yu'e had such a huge family fortune, so he had to find someone of his own who was reliable.
But what happened to the reaction of the prince and Lu?
Guan Yue, who was following secretly, raised his lips and said, "Sooner or later, this guy will die of stupidity."
"Who? Who?" At this time, a little girl asked cautiously from inside the door. There was only a crack in the door, and she squeezed out half of her eyes to look out.
"The government is handling the case." Mo Yan took out a token and waved it in front of her, then took it back before she could see it clearly.
The little girl was doubtful and said: "People from the county office came here early in the morning. Have you already caught the thief?"
Lu Anran looked at Yunqi, "Have you notified the Yixian County Office in advance?"
Yun Qi shook his head: "Never."
The little girl really couldn't believe it, because the young men in the lead of the three were so handsome and dazzling than the sun, and the woman next to her was also extraordinary. Although she didn't have the ink to describe it, she felt that both of them were better than her. My wife is a very impressive person, and there is a man in black next to me holding a sword, so something seems wrong.
"We are indeed members of the government, but we are not from Yi County, but from the royal capital. There are some things about your wife." Yun Qi pointed towards the door and raised his lips with a smile, "It's not easy to talk while standing at the door, right?"
This smile was more gorgeous than summer flowers. The little girl's face turned red and the crack in the door gradually widened.
When she saw a sign mentioning the punishment department, she was convinced that these people were really high-ranking officials from the royal capital, and welcomed them in with doubts.
On the way to the main hall, I passed a small flower garden. It was in season, and the peonies were blooming all over the courtyard. They were fragrant and pink, and red as bright as fire.
Thinking of Jin Yu'e's exquisite and luxurious house in the royal capital that lacked taste, this place was even more delicate and beautiful. Lu Anran rubbed the back of her hand across a branch of a flower and said, "The flowers are blooming very well."
The little girl was leading the way. After hearing this, she replied: "It turned out to be camellia. Madam felt it was dull, so she got some peony seeds and planted them. This year they bloomed the best, but Madam hasn't been back for some days, so she hasn't come back yet." see."
Lu Anran glanced at her and thought: She's afraid she won't be able to see her again.
After sitting down in the main hall, the little maid made tea and served it. Apart from her initial vigilance, she was in a calm mood, apparently unaware of Jin Yu'e's death.
However, the Criminal Division has not yet notified the county of Yi County in a circular, so naturally they are unaware of it.
Yun Qi was a little curious about the thief the little maid had mentioned before, "You said someone from the county office has been here. What happened?"
The little maid didn't have the ability to recognize people, so she could tell that the words and deeds of these people were not like ordinary people. They vaguely revealed the dignity and calmness of those in higher positions. She was a little confused. Could it be that there was some serious trouble in the theft case in the mansion, and it alarmed the king? All gone?
"A thief broke into the house last night and stole many things. Not even two of Madam's jewelry and banknotes were left behind." The little maid looked panicked, twisting her clothes with her hands, and her eyes were red with fear. "Madam asked me when she left. I stayed to look after the house, and now I...I went to the county office to report the case at dawn, hoping that Mr. Cheng would catch the culprit soon, otherwise, I would not be able to survive."
With so many valuable items stolen, she couldn't afford to pay for them after they were sold. She wiped her tears and sobbed, "Sir, aren't you here because of the theft case?"
Yun Qi did not mention this issue, but asked: "You are left alone to look after the house? Have you seen the thief's appearance? Take us to your wife's room to have a look."
Hearing this, the little maid lowered her head, gripped her fingers tighter, bit her lower lip and muttered: "I, I live in the west corner house, and thieves broke in in the middle of the night. I heard some noises... When I ran over and took a look, the madam's room was completely empty. It was a mess, and it was so messy that people looked through it, and after checking it again, they found that nothing valuable was gone."
Lu Anran's clear eyes were slightly clear, and her voice was cold but calm, "You saw it, but you didn't dare to go out because you were afraid, right?"
Being seen through easily, the little maid covered her face and cried. Tears leaked from her fingers and soon wet her skirt. "I don't dare, I'm too scared, I... I'm sorry, madam, please, I'm afraid that Madam will beat me to death, and I have no shame to see Madam..."
The little maid was so frightened that she spoke incoherently and her tears kept falling.
Yunqi put two fingers on the table and tapped it twice. He turned his head and looked at Lu Anran, half-smiling but not smiling - coincidence?
Lu Anran shook his head slowly and thought of another question, "Are you the only one taking care of the house? Have you ever encountered theft before?"
"No." The little maid's face was full of tears, but she could still reply, "Madam likes to be quiet, and she won't sleep well at night if there is any noise. I have always been the only one to take care of her. When I first came here, I was worried about the safety of the house and asked Madam, but Madam said This place is surrounded by wealthy households, and every house has a nursing home, so we don’t dare to let in those who are not discerning. Even if there are, if you just shout, there will be thieves.”
At first she was in fear for a while, but as time went by, she realized that it was exactly what the lady said, and she slowly felt relieved. Unexpectedly, something happened last night.
Yun Qi asked playfully: "Why didn't you shout last night?"
"I..." The little maid twisted her hands, frightened and ashamed, and her face gradually turned pale.
The incident happened last night. She heard the noise and climbed out of bed. When she opened the door, she saw a pair of eyes that were extremely sinister in the cold night. They were as sharp as blades and filled with murderous intent. She was so frightened that a exclamation stuck in her throat.
Later, she hid in the quilt and shivered from midnight to dawn, feeling extremely panicked, as if someone would lift the quilt the next moment and cut her to death, so that until dawn, most of her soul was missing.
Without further questioning, Yun Qi and Lu Anran had already gotten a glimpse of the little maid's changing expressions.
On the way to Jin Yu'e's room led by the little maid, Lu Anran spoke to Yun Qi in a low voice, "I had doubts yesterday, but talking about stealing today reminded me that anyone who has property at home will be worried about not being able to keep it. The thief is worried about her, and Jin Yu'e only has a young and careless little girl by her side, and none of the nursing staff are invited."
Yun Qi was convinced, "It's not like she said that she would take advantage of the neighbor's bodyguard."
The two once again agreed that Jin Yu'e had many secrets, and it was probably not simple.
"This makes her death even more suspicious." Yun Qi pressed the last word on the tip of his tongue and stopped in his tracks.
Jin Yu'e's bedroom was much simpler, probably because the antique calligraphy and paintings had been robbed, and the jewelry on the dressing table was also empty. The drawers were all opened, and occasionally a small red inlaid gem remained, as if a thief accidentally tore it off in a hurry. .
The bedding on the bed was messy, and a corner of the brocade quilt was torn, revealing some cotton wool inside, which was thrown mercilessly at the foot of the bed.
"Madam hasn't come back yet, so I didn't dare to move." The little maid was afraid that she would be misunderstood for being lazy, so she quickly explained, but when she mentioned Madam, she started to feel nervous and worried again.
"Do you know Jin Yu'e's address in the royal capital? Who sent the notification? Is there anyone familiar with her in Yi County?"
Although the little maid was surprised, she didn't hear anything unusual in Yunqi's question. She answered honestly: "Madam left her address before she left. She said that if there was something urgent, Ma Liu from the teahouse could help run errands and deliver letters. However, this time she went back to the county office. The people sent by the master, judging by the time, should be on their way back."
Yun Qi made a gesture to Guan Yue to find Ma Liu. He reached out and took out a small ruby left on the dressing table. He turned his back to the little maid and said, "You don't have to wait for your wife anymore. She Can’t come back.”
The little maid was puzzled.
Turning his head, the skylight filtered in through the window and fell around him, somewhat dimly, "She is dead."
If there was a thunderstorm, the little maid would be stunned on the spot.
