Liaozhai: A scholar should draw a sword

Chapter 101

What Zhou Yu said was actually true and false.

The subordinate he mentioned was Ying Ning, and before going to the court, he ordered Ying Ning to sneak into Liu's mansion incognito, and secretly observe whether the servants in the mansion had any abnormal behavior.

As a result, Tie Niu, who had fled in a panic, was uncovered.

Hearing this, Xiang Nan once again yelled out of composure: "Nonsense, it's clear that you conspired to plant a frame..."

Having said that, he rushed to Ye Kun and knelt down: "Teacher, don't listen to their nonsense, the students are wronged..."

"Get out, I don't have you as a student!"

Ye Kun kicked Xiang Nan away with one foot, then cupped his hands at the accompanying squires and said, "I'm sorry, everyone, the old man feels unwell, so let's take a step first."

He has no face to stay any longer.

Although Xiang Nan argued in every possible way, Ye Kun was not stupid, he never believed that Zhou Yu would fabricate a murderer out of thin air in order to win the lawsuit.

Looking back and thinking about Xiang Nan's previous gaffes, isn't the result obvious?
As soon as he left, the other squires and the students under Ye Kun's sect naturally couldn't join in the fun, and slipped away one by one.

"My lord, I have been wronged, and I am a dignified man, how could I do something that violates the etiquette? It must be them..."

Seeing that the backer was gone, Xiang Nan finally collapsed, turned to Yi Ruzhong and began to cry with snot and tears.

It's a pity, seeing Ye Kun ignore the case, Yi Ruzhong straightened his back.

"Bang!" Without waiting for Xiang Nan to finish speaking, he slapped the gavel and shouted, "Come here, take Xiang Nan down."

"Yes!"

Immediately, two yamen servants rushed forward, one on the left and one on the right, and set up Xiangnan.

However, Xiang Nan is a juren after all, and he cannot be punished or ordered to kneel before he has been convicted and his reputation has not been reduced.

Next, according to Tieniu's confession, Yi Ruzhong sent someone to find the murder weapon that killed Liu He in the back garden of Liu's mansion.

At the same time, another group of police officers brought Xiang Nan's two henchmen involved in the case to court.

After the punishment, the two guys saw that the situation was over, so they could only obediently confess everything.

With the confessions of the two and the murder weapon, the case can be said to be solid evidence, making it impossible for Fang Xiangnan to argue with a hundred mouths.

"You bastard..."

As a result, Mrs. Liu was so angry that she vomited a mouthful of blood and passed out again.

Yun Ling seemed to be dumbfounded, her eyes were empty, she kept muttering to herself, and she didn't know what she was talking about.

There was nothing to say next, Yi Ruzhong announced Ge Dongming's acquittal in court.

Xiang Nan hired murderers to kill people, and he was put in prison first, and then reported to the imperial court to remove his reputation and then sentencing according to the situation.

In fact, this is also Yi Ruzhong's cleverness. He delays the attack in order to leave a way out for himself.

After all, Xiang Nan is Ye Kun's protégé, so he has to test Ye Kun's attitude before making a decision.

Due to its particularity, this trial has attracted the attention of countless people from all walks of life.

Therefore, when the truth came out, the news spread as quickly as if it had wings, and almost spread throughout the city that afternoon.

However, what most people pay attention to is not the case itself, but another confrontation between Zhou Yu and Ye Kun.

Undoubtedly, Ye Kun suffered another disastrous defeat and once again humiliated his old face in public, causing many people to panic.

After all, Ye Kun is a celebrity in the Gusu Mansion, and he can even be called a figure at the level of a dean. His embarrassment naturally made many scholars and gentry in the Gusu Mansion feel ashamed.

Of course, the most aggrieved one is naturally Ye Kun.

It is said that after going back, he fell ill again... At the same time, there was another news that Ye Kun officially announced a clean break with Xiang Nan, and he was no longer known as a teacher or student.

After all, if you don't lose face, you lose it. It's better to cut the mess quickly and get rid of the relationship as soon as possible, so as not to be involved again.

On the contrary, Liu's Mansion became unusually lively, and many people who were out of touch came to offer their condolences.

Regarding this, Yunling's mother and daughter knew very well that these people came for Ge Dongming.

To be precise, they came for Zhou Yu.

It's a pity that Zhou Yu was not in the Liu Mansion, but went to visit the scenic spots around Gusu.

The reason why Ge Dongming stayed in the Liu Mansion was because he remembered some old feelings of Weng and his son-in-law, and made funeral arrangements as his son-in-law.

After finishing the funeral, he completely settled with the Liu family, and from then on, he was separated from the two.

……

"Sir, have you found any clues?"

"No!"

Zhou Yu shook his head.

In the past few days, he and Ying Ning were playing around outside the city on the surface, but in fact they have been secretly monitoring every move of Ye Kun, Gu Bufan and others.

After Zhou Yu's observation and analysis, although Ye Kun hated him to the bone, he was not mad enough to conspire to harm others.

When talking with Gu Bufan and other disciples, he also expressed disgust and hatred for Xiang Nan's behavior, saying that he would never accept disciples again.

Then, the suspicion of Ye Kun can basically be ruled out.

Ying Ning asked with some concern: "Sir, what should we do now?"

Zhou Yu thought for a while, then smiled and said, "Instead of probing in secret, it's better to get straight to the point."

Ying Ning looked confused: "Straight to the point? What does Mr. mean...is it possible that you want to see Ye Kun?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yu smiled gratifiedly, this girl became more and more witty.

Although he basically ruled out Ye Kun's suspicion, it basically didn't mean confirmation, so he still wanted to meet with the other party in person to dispel his doubts.

the next morning.

Zhou Yu brought Ying Ning to the Grand Master's Mansion together.

The servant outside the door didn't know Zhou Yu, but he didn't dare to reprimand him when he saw Zhou Yu's extraordinary demeanor, so he stepped forward and said, "Young master, my master is sick, so it is inconvenient to see guests."

"It is precisely because I heard that the grand master is in poor health, Benhou came to visit on purpose. This is Benhou's famous post, please go in and report..."

While talking, Zhou Yu took out a name sticker and handed it to the servant.

The servant was taken aback, he stretched out his hands to take the name sticker, and bowed stammeringly: "It turns out that Lord Hou is here, I'm sorry, please sit in the front hall for a while, let me go." report."

Waiting outside and waiting in the front hall are completely different identities.

Although these servants are very snobbish, sometimes they even have to give them some money before going in to report.

However, Zhou Yu is a majestic Marquis of Jing'an, how dare they neglect him?

"Master, master, the Marquis of Jing'an is here..."

The servant hurried to the west courtyard to report.

Ye Kun looked surprised: "What? Marquis of Jing'an? Why is he here?"

"He brought a maid, and that maid was carrying a gift box. She said it was... she heard that the master was ill, so she came here to visit him."

Ye Kun said angrily: "Huh, visit? I'm afraid it's just to see the old man's joke, no see!"

"This..." The servant hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands and said: "The little one said that the master is resting and it is inconvenient to see guests."

"Ok!"

Ye Kun responded.

When the servant turned around, he shouted again: "Wait a minute! If the old man doesn't go out, I'm afraid I will be chewed out again, saying that the old man is stingy. Forget it, you go back and say that the old man will go to the front hall after changing clothes."

"Yes, sir!"

The servant took the order and left.

In fact, Ye Kun wasn't pretending to be sick, this time he was indeed very angry.

Firstly, he couldn't hold back his old face, and secondly, he was too angry to live up to Xiang Nan, which humiliated him and tarnished his reputation.

Not long after, Ye Kun cheered up and walked into the front hall with square steps.

Before Zhou Yu could open his mouth, Ye Kun said first, "The old man is just a little unwell, how dare you ask Lord Hou to visit in person?"

Zhou Yu smiled and cupped his hands and said, "The Grand Master's words are serious. Speaking of which, Zhou and the Grand Master did have some minor grievances before, but those are all small things, so please don't care about them, Master."

"Hahaha, it's still Jing'an Hou Dadu, it seems that the old man is a bit rigid..."

The two sides came and went, made a few hypocritical remarks, and then sat down and chatted together.

This time, Ye Kun never mentioned any poetry, just talked about some irrelevant topics, so as not to lose face again.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Yu said with a straight face: "Actually, Zhou came to Gusu this time to investigate something."

"Huh?" Ye Kun couldn't help frowning: "I don't know what Hou Ye meant by that?"

"To tell you the truth from the Grand Master, someone has been secretly plotting against Zhou recently..."

When saying this, Zhou Yu stared closely at Ye Kun in order to observe the other party's reaction.

Hearing this, Ye Kun seemed a little ashamed and angry: "Could it be that Lord Hou is suspicious of the old man?"

"Hehe, Grand Master misunderstood..."

In less than a cup of tea, Zhou Yu left the Grand Master's Mansion, after all, the words were not speculative.

However, through the brief contact between the two parties, Zhou Yu basically ruled out Ye Kun's suspicion.

Leaving the Grand Master's Mansion, Ying Ning couldn't help asking: "Sir, if it wasn't the old man surnamed Ye who appointed someone to do it, then who would it be?"

Zhou Yu shook his head: "It's hard to say... Forget it, let's leave Gusu first, and then slowly think of a way after returning."

After deciding on the itinerary, Zhou Yu went to find Ge Dongming to bid farewell, and asked him to help find out who had ancient books such as orphan copies.

Two days later, Zhou Yu returned to Guobei County and started a secret investigation.

After all, the other party is hidden in the dark, like a fishbone stuck in the throat, how can you feel comfortable if you don't pull it out?

Two or three days later, things finally ushered in a turning point.

That afternoon, Zhou Yu came to the academy under construction with nothing to do. Several craftsmen were sitting around chatting happily, but they didn't notice his arrival.

"If you say that Mr. Song is also very lucky, I don't know where to marry a concubine named Taohua, that woman looks really attractive...

It's a pity, I've only been married for less than three months, and I was locked up by Master Song..."

"Why are you locked up?"

"Could it be that the woman stole the man?"

The other craftsmen couldn't help asking.

"It's weird to say... Some people in the village say she's crazy, while others say she's insane."

"So evil?"

"No... I heard people say that the woman feels someone pressing on her at night.

At first she didn't dare to say it, she just said that she was not used to that room, and asked Master Song to change the room.

I didn't expect it to be the same after changing the room, and my health was getting worse day by day, so I had no choice but to tell the truth to Mr. Song..."

Someone couldn't help but said, "I'm afraid it's not a ghost crushing you?"

"No, no, no, it shouldn't be that simple... In short, there are all kinds of things to say, that woman has become crazy now, and is locked in a firewood room by Master Song..."

After listening for a while, Zhou Yu couldn't help but coughed lightly on purpose.

"Master Hou!"

"Master Hou..."

The craftsmen were startled, and quickly stood up to say hello.

Zhou Yu nodded with a smile, and then asked the craftsman who told the story, "Is what you just said true?"

"This... This is what the villain heard when he returned to the village."

"Where is your village?"

"Back to Master Hou, the villain is from Zhuli Village..."

"Well, I see, you continue to talk..."

Zhuli Village is seven or eight miles east of the city, and Zhou Yu's footsteps will not take long to get there.

The reason why he made a special trip was not because of curiosity, but because he had a faint intuition that this strange incident might be a breakthrough.

When he came to Zhuli Village, Zhou Yu found another villager to inquire about it, and it was exactly as the craftsman said.

So, they came to a high-rise compound located at the west end of the village.

This big courtyard is nothing in the county, but in Zhuli Village, it has a sense of standing out from the crowd.

As soon as Zhou Yu walked to the door, he met a servant coming out of the door. When he saw Zhou Yu, he couldn't help being stunned, and then knelt down on the ground with a "plop" and kowtowed: "The villain pays homage to Lord Hou."

"Oh? Do you know Ben Hou?"

"The villain is fortunate to have met Lord Hou in the city..."

"Hehe, that's how it is. Get up and take Benhou to see your master."

"Yes, please, Lord Hou."

The servant seemed a little excited, and hurriedly led Zhou Yu inside.

Not far away, a woman in a skirt came out accompanied by a maid.

"Madam, Master Hou... Master Hou is here..."

The woman didn't come back to her senses for a while: "Master Hou? What Master Hou?"

"The Duke of Zhou in the county town."

At this moment, the woman finally came to her senses, and hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "The women don't know how impolite the Marquis is coming, so I ask the Marquis to come down."

"Hehe, Mrs. Song doesn't need to be too polite. By the way, is Master Song here?"

"Yes, Hong'er, hurry up and inform the master."

"Yes, ma'am."

The servant girl responded and hurried towards the backyard.

Not long after, the fat Master Song trotted to the front hall with an expression of surprise and excitement.

Hou Ye came to visit in person, and this alone is enough for him to brag about it for a lifetime.

"The villain Song Yuan sees Lord Hou!"

As soon as he entered the front hall, Song Yuan respectfully saluted Zhou Yu.

"Hehe, Mr. Song doesn't need to be formal, just sit down."

Even though he was at his own home, Song Yuan turned into a guest and waved his hands again and again: "Master Hou is on top, the villain dare not sit with Master Hou."

Zhou Yu was too lazy to force it, and asked straight to the point: "Ben Hou heard a strange story from a craftsman in the village, saying that a strange thing happened in Master Song's house?"

When this matter was mentioned, Song Yuan couldn't help being stunned.

He hadn't figured out why Zhou Yu came to the door for no reason before, and it was for this reason?

"What? Is it convenient for Mr. Song to talk?"

"No, no, no..." Song Yuan quickly waved his hands: "It's just that the villain didn't expect Master Hou... Cough, anyway, it's really weird to talk about.

Taohua is the villain's new concubine, and everything was normal when she first got married.

A month ago, she suddenly became obsessed, talking about changing rooms, saying that she was having nightmares, and then... and talking about ghosts pressing on her.

The villain found a mage to come and do a ritual, but it didn't work, and the situation got worse and worse.

By the way, the villain also heard that similar strange things happened in the town.

The villain was terrified and suspected that Taohua might be bewitched by an evil spirit, so... so he locked her in the firewood room for the time being, and then slowly tried to cure her illness. "

"Well, I don't know if it's convenient for Mr. Song to take Benhou to the woodshed?"

"Convenient and convenient..." Song Yuan hurriedly responded.

Under the leadership of Song Yuan, Zhou Yu came to the woodshed in the west corner of the backyard.

Opening the door of the firewood room, Taohua curled up in the corner with her hands folded, her face pale, her eyes empty, and she seemed to have suffered quite a blow to her spirit.

"Peach blossom..."

Song Yuan didn't know whether he was pretending or really distressed, so he hurried to Taohua's side to comfort him.

Then he said: "Taohua, this is Lord Zhou from the county town."

"Wanfu, my lord."

Tao Hua said something as if she was muttering to herself.

Zhou Yu frowned and looked around, then raised his hand to Song Yuan, motioning him to go outside.

"Master Hou, is Peach Blossom bewitched by an evil spirit?"

Once outside, Song Yuan couldn't help asking in a low voice.

Zhou Yu sighed: "Yes, and no. Ben Hou observed it just now, and she should be entangled by some kind of monster."

"what?"

Hearing this, Song Yuan was shocked, and his face turned pale...

(End of this chapter)