I become a god in another world

Chapter 242 Interrogating the Handyman
Chapter 242

Zhao Fusheng has been staring at Xu Yachen since he entered the Xu family gate.

When I saw him looking weird when he mentioned the missing troupe, I knew I had come to the right place.

The Hongquan Theater Troupe disappeared, and Xu Yachen was worried about being angered by the ghost master, so he was right to be worried.

But when he mentioned this matter, he didn't feel uneasy like sitting on pins and needles, but a kind of panic from the bottom of his heart.

Xu Yachen may not have realized this subtle change himself.

This is the natural reaction of human body when faced with unknown and dangerous events.

Zhao Fusheng was pondering in his heart, but asked naturally:
"Is it day or night when the leg of lamb is delivered?"

The content of letters is limited.

In the letter, Xu Yachen only told the general story of what happened, and did not go into details.

At this time, the two of them were communicating face to face, and Xu Yachen hurriedly said:
"My family got up before dawn to go to the countryside in the morning, and came back at the end of Shenshi (about five to six in the evening)."

It took more than an hour for the sheep to be slaughtered and cooked, so when the servant who delivered the meal went to Changchun Garden, it was already past Youshizhong (about eight o'clock).

"Three meals a day?" Zhao Fusheng asked again.

"Yes Yes."

Xu Yachen wiped his sweat again and hurriedly replied:

"The troupe is also practicing every day, which consumes a lot of energy, is very painful, and eats a lot. They only have enough to eat three times a day."

Zhao Fusheng said:

"That means we'll deliver them in the morning, noon and evening."

"Yes." Xu Yachen nodded: "At Chenchu ​​(around seven o'clock in the morning), noon (at noon), and Shenzhong (around five o'clock in the evening)."

He explained:

"Four days ago, there were special circumstances, so it was late."

Zhao Fusheng said:

"In short, nothing unusual happened in the morning or noon. It was not until the evening when the meal was delivered that I discovered that the person was missing."

Xu Yachen was almost in tears:
"Yes, that's right."

Zhao Fusheng paused when he heard this.

Her eyes fell on Xu Yachen.

The old gentleman turned his back and pinched his sleeves to wipe his eyes. He noticed that she was not gone. He turned around and saw her standing where she was, staring straight at him, making him feel horrified and at a loss for words:
"S-Sir?"

"What other weird things did you find after that?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

If nothing weird had happened in the Xu family, Xu Yachen would not have immediately investigated the possibility of 'ghosts causing trouble', nor would he have shown an expression of fear mixed with confusion.

"Your Excellency is wise."

Xu Yachen repeatedly cupped his hands and called him "wise".

His words were not meant to be flattering. Apparently, after Zhao Fusheng arrived, he frequently asked about the missing case of the Hongquan Theater Troupe, which gave him great spiritual comfort and made him instantly feel more at ease.

"I won't hide it from you, sir. That evening, when my family discovered that Leader Liu and others were missing, I immediately summoned the porter."

The Xu family occupies a large area, and there are a total of six entrances and exits to the Xu family.

On the day of the incident, Xu Yachen learned that the Hongquan Theater Troupe was missing, so he had the concierge taken down for questioning.

After an interrogation, it was found that the person on duty at the door that day was negligent. "The porter at the southwest door set up a gambling game, and he has been drinking and playing with money in the afternoon."

Xu Yachen said with some embarrassment:
"It's really outrageous for them to lock the door and hide behind the gate to have fun."

But no matter how careless he was, there was always someone guarding the entrance and exit of the Xu family.

If one or two people took the opportunity to sneak in and out of the mansion, it would be understandable for the servants in the mansion to wander away because of the play - but the troupe has a large number of people, and such a large number of people traveling together will always attract the attention of the family.

Afterwards, Xu Yachen had the servant who had neglected his duty be severely interrogated. After being beaten and scolded, the servant complained that he had never seen the troupe coming or going.

The boys at the other gates all swore to God that they didn't see anyone from the troupe going out, and the matter reached a deadlock here.

"I imprisoned all the house servants and selected servants to guard the house."

Zhao Fusheng thoughtfully said:
"In other words, Menfang was negligent, but the disappearance of Hongquan Troupe did not leave through six entrances and exits."

Xu Yachen nodded with a grimace.

"Where are the troupe's belongings?" Zhao Fusheng asked again.

"This is what's weird, sir." Xu Yachen started to get scared again when he said this:

"All the troupe's belongings are gone."

The opera troupe has a lot of belongings.

The clothes they wore were packed in large boxes and had to be carried around.

Some outfits have been passed down for many years. They are treasures that are difficult to buy even if you have money. They are good treasures for the troupe.

In addition, there are many musical instruments for playing, playing and singing, including several boxes. If you take them all out of the house, they will definitely attract attention.

Xu Yachen first made it clear that the servants in the family had failed in their duties, but his implication was also obvious: the troupe's 'leaving' was by no means an ordinary means.

This is also the reason why he suspects that the disappearance of the troupe is related to the ghost.

"When I went there, Changchun Garden was in a mess, and some utensils were randomly placed on the ground—"

Having said that, he hesitated to speak but stopped.

Seeing that he seemed to have something to say, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but say:

"What else did you find?"

"I wonder if it's because I'm old. When I enter the garden, I always smell a stench." Xu Yachen hesitated for a moment and said, "It seems like -"

He couldn't describe it. A thin man in his fifties who was following him stepped forward and said:
"It's like the food went rancid."

"Yes, yes, yes." Xu Yachen was pampered and very particular about his daily food and clothing. He didn't think of the taste for a while, but he finally realized it after the man reminded him:
"Anyway, I'm going to puke from the smell."

Zhao Fusheng's eyes fell on this man, and Xu Yachen said:

"This is my steward. Just call him Huang Si."

Huang Si nodded and bent down.

Zhao Fusheng asked him:
"Where does the smell of sour rice come from?" She suddenly thought:
"It's winter now and the weather is getting cooler. Normal meals won't go rancid if left out for a day."

According to Xu Yachen, the Xu family delivers meals normally in the morning and at noon, and the theater troupe also receives them. Where does the smell of sour rice come from?

"Did the previous meals spoil after being stored for a long time?" Zhao Fusheng asked.

Huang Si replied:

"I have also considered questioning the servants who have been delivering meals for the past half month. They say that every time they deliver meals, they see the troupe sharing the food."

After speaking, he said again:

"As for the spoiled food that you mentioned, I searched for it afterwards, but couldn't find it -" He spread out his right hand, struck the palm of his hand hard with the back of his left hand, shook his head and sighed:
"It's really weird."

Zhao Fusheng kept these clues in mind: "Has Changchun Garden been cleaned after the accident?"

Huang Si shook his head:
"Not yet, the master said not to clean it yet."

Xu Yachen quickly said:
"I'm afraid that the clues have been cleared."

He was an old man and was afraid that Zhao Fusheng would pursue the matter after he cleaned the garden. He thought he had a guilty conscience and was worried that he would not be able to explain clearly.

"it is good!"

Zhao Fusheng's expression perked up and he ordered:
"I'm going to Changchun Garden to have a look. I'll call out all the servants who deliver the food and the gatekeepers. I have something to ask."

After hearing this, Xu Yachen knew that she had not held him accountable for the time being. His heart fell to the ground, and his whole back became much straighter. He hurriedly ordered Huang Si:
"Hurry up and do what Mr. Zhao says."

After saying that, he followed Zhao Fusheng step by step and said diligently:

"Sir, it's getting late now. Why don't I ask my servants to prepare wine and food first, and take care of the wind and wash away the dust for you--"

"No need." Zhao Fusheng was currently focused on the disappearance of the Hongquan Theater Troupe, shaking his head and saying:

"Let's find out the reason why the troupe disappeared first."

Xu Yachen said again:
"Then I'll ask my family to clean the wing—"

"After I finish handling his case, he will live in the Demon Division." Zhao Fusheng still refused.

"Then what makes you come here all the time for this?" Xu Yachen was a little uneasy.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said:
"The matter hasn't come to light yet. If the disappearance of the Hongquan Troupe has nothing to do with you, but involves a ghost case, then it's my responsibility. What can't I do?"

After she finished speaking, she waved:

"go!"

Xu Yachen was moved and asked: "I will lead the way for you."

When the theater troupe first disappeared, Xu Yachen was not worried about it. He just treated it as an ordinary incident and went to Changchun Garden.

After he found out something was wrong and suspected it was related to a strange case, he no longer dared to go to the garden. He was even a little scared when he heard the words "Changchun Garden".

But when Zhao Fusheng arrived, the situation was different.

He had witnessed with his own eyes that Zhao Fusheng had subdued the two ghosts and was extremely brave and capable.

And through correspondence with Yu Weide, he also knew about the cases that Zhao Fusheng had handled, and he had great trust in the strength of the commander of the Wan'an County Demon Division.

In addition, Zhao Fusheng was calm and composed at this time, not panicking, nor showing any fear or panic. He calmed the scene as soon as he came on, which greatly increased everyone's confidence.

Due to the disappearance of the troupe, the shadow that had been hanging over Xu's house for three or four days was instantly lifted by the arrival of Zhao Fusheng.

The Xu family occupies a large area, and everyone walked for more than three quarters of an hour before finally seeing Changchun Garden.

It was getting late at this time.

There were no people around in the direction of the garden, and no cigarettes were lit, giving it a lonely and scary feeling.

There is a wall outside the garden, and rows of bamboo forests are planted outside the wall to block the wall.

The original intention of planting these bamboo walls was to add a sense of tranquility and elegance to the garden, but after winter, they looked desolate and defeated.

Since the accident, no one has dared to come near this place again. The fallen bamboo leaves are scattered on the walls and the ground, making the garden that the Xu family spent a lot of time and money building feel desolate.

The entrance to the garden was originally an arched round gate made of stone bricks. Because it was located in the Xu Mansion, there was no gate in the garden.

But at this time, the entrance was randomly nailed with wooden boards, sealing the entrance tightly.

This is the Xu family's place, and the Xu family themselves should know that this place is closed.

Since Xu Yachen led him here, it must be that this is the only entrance to Changchun Garden, or maybe there are multiple entrances to Changchun Garden, but they have been sealed after the incident.

Zhao Fusheng guessed well.

Huang Si explained:

"After the incident, the master was afraid that some servants in the family would be brave enough to sneak into the garden to get things, so he had several entrances to the garden boarded up."

Zhao Fusheng nodded.

After Huang Si finished speaking, he called a few servants to take tools to remove the wooden boards.

The Xu family was so powerful that they tore down the wooden planks all over the place.

While the wooden seal at the entrance was being removed, lights flickered in the distance and someone came over with a lantern.

Zhao Fusheng paused as he entered the garden.

I saw a group of people coming quickly from the other end of the garden. When they saw Xu Yachen and others here, the leader's eyes lit up and he shouted:
"Sir, people have brought it."

According to Zhao Fusheng's instructions, all the servants who had been guarding the Xu Mansion before the incident and the servants who delivered meals were called.

By the light of the lantern, Zhao Fusheng counted roughly and found that there were about twenty people standing in a mighty line, blocking all the paths outside the garden.

"Sir, everyone is here." Huang Si said:
"Before the troupe disappeared, there were a total of sixteen people on guard duty in the mansion, and there were five people who were involved in delivering food, all here."

After speaking, he waved his hand and shouted:
"If you come forward and speak to the adults, if you don't speak well, it will cost your dog's life!"

Everyone came forward anxiously.

Zhao Fusheng glanced at everyone and said:

"Let's talk as we enter the park."

Zhang Chuanshi carried a lighted lantern and walked in front of Zhao Fusheng. The moment he stepped into the garden, he paused, and then stepped into the garden as if nothing had happened.

According to Xu Yachen, the members of the Hongquan Theater Troupe had only been missing for three days, but the entire Changchun Garden had an air of desolation that had not been inhabited for a long time.

The furniture and wooden pillars exuded a faint musty smell, mixed with the sour smell of rancid food, which made people feel a little uncomfortable.

The bamboo leaves outside the garden wall fell into the garden and scattered all over the ground.

Because of the dark sky and too many fallen leaves, Zhao Fusheng was mostly focused on questioning the concierge and servants, and was not in a hurry to search the courtyard.

She thought for a while and asked the doorkeeper first: "On the day when the Hongquan Theater Troupe disappeared, was there anyone familiar in the house who frequently went out?"

Four days had passed since the incident. Xu Yachen had already interrogated these questions many times. Some people had already suffered and did not dare to speak out rashly at this time.

"Reply honestly!" Zhao Fusheng saw everyone's expressions and gave a faint warning:
"I want to hear the truth, don't try to deceive me with lies."

As soon as she finished speaking, Huang Si raised his foot and kicked one of them in the back:
"When you ask questions, please answer them honestly."

The man staggered after being kicked by him, and took a breath of cold air in pain, but did not dare to reach out and rub the sore spot:
"Yes Yes Yes."

After nodding, he suppressed his fear:
"I went to work at the beginning of the day that day (around six o'clock in the morning) and had to stay until the evening before I could go back. In the afternoon, David Yan came to me to gamble, and we didn't leave the concierge during the whole time - "

This person is the servant Xu Yachen mentioned who was gambling while on duty.

Others have not left the concierge. Although he is not too interested because of gambling, if a large number of people leave one after another, it will definitely attract his attention.

"And I also wanted to concentrate on making money. I was afraid that I would not be able to bear the consequences if someone sneaked in, so I found a chain in advance and locked the door before I played."

This man was still rubbing his butt and legs as he spoke, with a look of fear on his face.

"Lock the door?"

When Zhao Fusheng heard this, his heart moved and he looked at Xu Yachen.

When she saw the old gentleman, he became a little panicked and said:
"Sir, these bastards just wanted to take advantage of the situation, so they decided to lock the door to prevent people from entering or exiting."