Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 40

The woman from the Zhizhou Yamen went through a lot of trouble and came over to reply to Huo Bantou: "The cause of the death of the master was indeed drowning, but there is something strange. He seemed to have been poisoned before his death. I can't tell for the moment. If it is said, It's possible that she ate something bad. She still has to go back to her master for advice. What is certain is that the mistress has been pregnant with the baby for more than three months. "

Headmaster Huo wrote down the events one by one, showing a slight look of disgust.He worked hard for a long time and couldn't figure out the reason, so he resigned from Wang Heng and went to Zhizhou Yamen to return to Lord Bingzhizhou Ling.

When Wang Heng returned to He Lai Hall, Xiaocai appeared out of nowhere. Wang Heng said, "I haven't seen you for a whole day."

Xiaocai beat his chest and said, "Oh my lord, I'm not just watching the commotion in the crowd. Thinking about this series of things, my hair turns gray. In my opinion, Mr. Huo from the Yamen is very dim." , seeing how he was perfunctory, it was difficult to solve the case. We still have to solve this case, just like the Zhuge Village case in Lanxi last year. "

The two deduced the ins and outs of the murder case, and suddenly felt that the doubts from the previous days were somewhat solved.

"I guess Yu'er, the rough messenger maid who has disappeared from the Dengyun class, is Fei Yue who framed us?" Xiaocai said eagerly.

"It's strange that she disguised herself and sneaked into the troupe. Could it be that she was waiting for an opportunity to murder Miss Huiyun? No, no, no, Huiyun died of drowning." Wang Heng shook his head.

Wang Cai argued: "How could I know that she was not the one who drugged Huiyun, causing Huiyun to lose consciousness and fall into the water."

It is not unreasonable to say so.

Wang Heng said: "Since Xiaoyu has been involved in the theater troupe for several months, how could she choose to murder Huiyun in the back garden on yesterday's birthday? It must be easier to do it when she lives in Lixiangyuan. Besides, Xiaoyu can't touch Huiyun's food. . Since that day when she went to the kitchen to get the food box and you discovered her, you waited and waited for a long time without catching her out, which shows that she has never done this job again. "

Wang Cai stamped his feet: "It's a pity that she ran away again."

Wang Heng said: "Actually, the question is very interesting. If Xiaoyu does not want to murder Huiyun, then what is her purpose? There must be another mystery waiting for us to solve."

Xiaocai is gearing up and is determined not to give up until the case is solved.

Wang Heng smiled and said: "Okay, okay, now we have a very important matter, eating."

The two of them were extremely tired, and their food was wasted.

Wang Heng wiped the corners of his mouth and said, "I suddenly had an idea. If I want to poison Huiyun, I have to start in the kitchen."

Xiaocai regained his energy and said: "Go to the kitchen to make an unannounced visit. My brother Xiaocai will definitely succeed immediately." After that, he walked away without a trace.

However, before the sun set, the news Xiaocai brought back was really depressing.

Whether it was the result of his surprise inspection of the kitchen or the investigation of everyone in the kitchen with the kitchen manager Sister-in-law, it was of no help to the case.

"There are three red case chefs in the kitchen. The leader, Master Yang, is a servant of the Wang family. Basically all the meals of the Wang family master are made by him. After Miss Huiyun entered the house, Master Yang was also responsible for serving. The other two are Yang. The master's apprentices are all children of the Wang family. Needless to say, they are loyal and are unlikely to be bribed by outsiders. There are two people in the Bai family, headed by Master Yuan. This old Yuan has been helping the Wang family's cook for eight years. He originally opened a small tavern in the city. He joined because he admired the wealth of the Wang family, and his financial resources were not bad. It would be unbelievable to say that he was asking for honor behind his back. The other person was Old Yuan Tou, who was born in the Wang family. A disciple chosen from among the servants, he is always honest and honest." Xiaocai's mouth became dry after speaking, and he sipped tea: "Just now I pretended to be looking for some seasoning, and searched through the large and small warehouses under the stove, but I didn't find anything suspicious. Things.”

"Imagine if the people in the kitchen were involved in a murder case, half a day would be enough to wipe out their tracks." Wang Heng paid his respects and said sadly: "This road is blocked, we have to find another way."

Xiaocai said: "It would be great if Mr. Wei were here. He is resourceful and can definitely spot the flaws." Wang Heng patted him on the shoulder and said: "So Mr. Wei asked us to go out to practice. That day, Mr. Wei asked me about my life ambitions. I I replied that I would like to be the magistrate of a county, so my husband made a plan for me to return to my hometown to study for the imperial examination. No, this is an opportunity to train us."

On the second day after the murder, Huo Bantou of the Taicang Zhizhou Yamen came to the Wang residence once on routine business and has not been seen again.Wang Hengzhi knew that the Yamen style had always been like this.Besides, the Wang family is a prominent official, so the Yamen must still be considering how to settle the case.

The steward told me that one day the woman who was inspecting the body of the Zhizhou Yamen was visited again by the same woman. She looked at her briefly and left without saying anything.

Zhanyan was already in the seventh year of Huiyun's life. Since there was no one in Huiyun's family, Mr. Zhanyun bought a cemetery in Zhaojia Village outside the city to bury her.

It was extremely inappropriate for Huiyun's coffin to be parked in the Wang family, so Mr. Zhanyun parked her coffin at the Wuyue Temple in Zhaojiacun, where it would be buried a year later.

Since Wang Heng had been ordered by Master Yuan Yu to handle the matter, he went to the end to send him off as a good person, in order to express the friendship between guest and host.

On the way back home, Xiaocai sighed: "Mr. Zhanyun is really affectionate and righteous."

Wang Heng said: "I always feel that Mr. Zhanyun knows something hidden. He knows Huiyun very well."

They both recalled the words of the woman from Zhizhou Yamen, saying that Huiyun had been pregnant for several months when she drowned.There was nowhere to investigate such an important clue.

"Is Huiyun's lover Mr. Zhanyun?" Xiaocai asked.

Wang Heng shook his head and said, "No way, Mr. Zhan Yun is not this kind of person. I heard from Xiaodan Hongyun that Huiyun once claimed to be the eldest brother Chenyu's aunt, and there seems to be some rumors in the family."

If nothing unexpected happened, Mr. Chenyu would be the next generation of Wang family clan leader. This was a bit embarrassing. The two of them had their own concerns and walked back to Hetang in silence.

He Lai's study was never locked so that the servants could clean the courtyard. If Wang Heng and the others went out, they would only leave the courtyard door ajar.

At this time, I saw a feather pinned to the door bolt, and a note was stuck on the inside of the copper lock: "At [-]:[-] pm (eight o'clock in the evening), I have something important to tell you under the wood incense rack in the deep willow courtyard."

Although the handwriting is not very good, it is neat, but I can't tell who wrote it.

Xiaocai was overjoyed and said, "An insider has appeared, and we still have to solve this case."

Towards the end of the day, the dusk clouds in the western sky dissipate, the fireflies glow dimly with green light, and night falls.

Wang Heng pretended to be a childlike child, cut a bamboo pole, put it on a gauze bag, and trapped the cicada all the way to Shenliu Courtyard.

Shenliu Courtyard has not been inhabited for many days, and the vegetation has grown wildly and become more lush. It suddenly feels eerie after sunset.

Wang Heng looked around, picked up a pebble and threw it behind the rockery: "Who is sneaking around here?"

(End of this chapter)