Cure the cold-faced general by solving crimes

Chapter 22 Keep it for fun

"Master Pei, Brother Han." Jiang Xihe waved to the two of them and introduced Xie Qiyuan to them, "This is Mr. Xie from Xiangtai Building, the young shopkeeper of this restaurant."

Xie Qiyuan muttered, "The shopkeeper is just the shopkeeper, I'm still a small shopkeeper."

Pei Zhizhao glanced at Xie Qiyuan coldly, walked up to him, glanced at the bone china bowl in his arms, and said lightly, "Parrot fish? Mr. Xie is so elegant."

When Xie Qiyuan learned that this was the new Magistrate Pei, he smiled and said, "Mr. Pei is well-informed. No one recognizes this fish when I get it back. I plan to give it to Xiaohe so that she can keep it and play with it."

Jiang Xihe smiled like a flower.

When the word Xiaohe came out of Xie Qiyuan's mouth, Pei Zhizhao was inexplicably unhappy. He turned to Jiang Xihe, "This fish lives on the coast of the South China Sea. The climate and water and soil in Ping'an County are not suitable for it to live. It will die soon."

Xie Qiyuan didn't care and comforted Jiang Xihe, "It's okay. If it dies, it will die. It's just a fish."

Pei Zhizhao raised his eyebrows, "It's easy to say, this is also a life. If you die, you will die? What's the difference between it and taking human life?"

Jiang Xihe was stunned.

Xie Qiyuan hurriedly took a step away, "Does Mr. Pei still have some official business to deal with? You go ahead, I will visit you another day." After saying that, he winked at Jiang Xihe and said, "Xiaohe, let's go."

Jiang Xihe didn't want to.

She saw Pei Zhizhao and Han Fang just coming out of the jewelry shop opposite. They must be investigating the case. Last night, she and Pei Zhizhao visited Fang's house at night and found out the murderer's route in and out of Fang's house.

With the case in mind, Jiang Xihe said to Xie Qiyuan, "Master Pei is investigating the case. You may need me. You go ahead and I'll find you later."

Xie Qiyuan held the bone china bowl without moving, while Pei Zhizhao walked away.

Jiang Xihe looked around, followed Pei Zhizhao, turned around and waved to Xie Qiyuan, mouthing, "Go back first."

Xie Qiyuan is very tall, and his bright red brocade robe makes him stand out in the crowd.

Xie Qiyuan has been running for more than a year, and his appearance has not changed much, and his behavior has become more mature.

Jiang Xihe had a lot to say to him, but she had more important things to do at the moment. At this stage, she needed to leave a good impression on Pei Zhizhao.

Jiang Xihe followed Pei Zhizhao, his eyebrows lowered and his pressure low.

Jiang Xihe couldn't help rolling her eyes in her heart. This Lord Pei is really moody. Yesterday she thought that taking down Pei Zhizhao was just around the corner. Today he has become arrogant again, especially those words just now, how can a fish be compared with a human being?

Besides, if Pei Zhizhao really thinks so, will he still eat fish?

After thinking about it like this, Jiang Xihe came up with a plan. Why not stew a fish for lunch? Then let's see what this cold noodle Master Pei has to say!

Pei Zhizhao had a stinky face, and Jiang Xihe didn't bother to pay attention to him. He leaned close to Han Fang and asked in a low voice, "Brother Han, what did you and Mr. Pei find out when you went to the jewelry store just now?"

Han Fang told Jiang Xihe in a low voice, "Yesterday, the brothers distributed the styles of pearl hairpins lost in Fang Mansion to various shops. This morning the owner of this jewelry shop sent someone to report it. Someone came to inquire the day before yesterday. The general and I came to take a look. "

"Any clues?"

Han Fang nodded, "The person who inquired was a man in his thirties, but the jewelry shop is not a pawn shop. The man just came to ask for the price."

"What are the specific characteristics?"

"The shopkeeper's description is very vague, and there is nothing particularly outstanding about his appearance."

"when did it happen?"

"The second day after Meng Fang was killed."

Jiang Xihe thought about it, "When will Mr. Pei take office?"

The three people quickly returned to the Yamen. Jiang Xihe found that many people were gathered in front of the notice board at the entrance of the Yamen. He looked at Han Fang, who smiled and walked into the Yamen without saying a word. Jiang Xihe squeezed his way to the front of the crowd out of curiosity. Jiang Xihe was happy when he saw the content.

The handwriting on the notice is not very regular, but it is precise and precise. The name at the top is An Qing, and at the bottom it says a donation of one hundred taels of silver.

Looking down, there are five more people, all of whom are well-known squires in Ping'an County. They have donated varying amounts of money.

Jiang Xihe knew that Anqing was not a fuel-efficient lamp, so how could he think of donating money to the county government? Looking at the other people, they are all people who follow the trend.

Thinking of An Qing's arrogant words in the teahouse the day before yesterday, saying that if Master Pei asked him to work in the county government, he would accept him as his master. Jiang Xihe suddenly understood that this money should be the money he paid to show his kindness to Pei Zhizhao and go astray.

Thinking of Anqing's good plan being exposed to the public by Pei Zhizhao, Jiang Xihe covered his mouth and smiled. Pei Zhizhao's method is really great!
  It not only blocks the mouth, but also reminds the world.

Humming a tune, Jiang Xihe walked briskly into the county government office and found more than thirty young men standing in the corridor of the lobby. One of them she knew was Niu Zhuang, who lived in the alley in front of her house.

"Why are you here?" Jiang Xihe leaned over, feeling that his energy was not enough. Since Pei Zhizhao took office, major events have happened every day in the county government.

Niu Zhuang was very happy to see Jiang Xihe, "Are you still working in the county government?"

"No, I came here only if I have something to do." Jiang Xihe didn't know how to define her current identity.

"Then you must know Magistrate Pei. We young people were recruited to work in the yamen. I don't know what we do specifically. But you think there are so many people, but there are only twenty people. Can you help me in front of Lord Pei? say something?"

Jiang Xihe shook his head, "I can't help with this, but if you are really selected, I can say hello to you and let Mr. Pei train you well."

Niu Zhuang was stunned and scratched his head.

Jiang Xihe stepped into the inner courtyard and saw Han Fang walking out of Pei Zhizhao's room and turning up the corridor, but he didn't see her.

Jiang Xihe walked into the meeting hall.

Pei Zhizhao was writing with his head down and did not look up when he heard the sound.

Jiang Xihe called softly, "Master Pei, is there anything I can do? Just ask."

Pei Zhizhao paused, raised his eyebrows, stared at Jiang Xihe for a long time, and said, "I want to catch the murderer, what can you do?"

Jiang Xihe was stunned, "Has the murderer been identified?"

Pei Zhizhao put down his pen and pondered for a moment, "In the case of Xiao Mili, you have an idea that is different from ordinary people. It saves effort and is easy to use. We visited Fang Mansion last night. Do you still remember the mud I found?"

Jiang Xihe nodded, and she protected him all the way like a baby. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a key clue to solving the case.

"Consistent with the silt discharged from ditches in the city."

Jiang Xihe suddenly realized and was puzzled, "Master Pei, I don't understand. Did the mud come from the murderer?"

Pei Zhizhao nodded.

"But that's not right. Mr. Pei still remembers that day when we went to Xiao Mili's house, I also stepped on mud on my feet. Now there is mud being discharged everywhere in Ping'an County. Anyone can get it, so how can we know who is the murderer? Isn’t it like looking for a needle in a haystack to find someone like this?”

Pei Zhizhao's eyebrows are serious, and the little girl can tell.

"I went to Fang Mansion early in the morning and found mud in more than one place on the roof. There were fine silt in the area where the murderer was crawling."

Jiang Xihe was stunned, "So, the murderer is the person who recently built ditches in Ping'an County?"

Pei Zhizhao looked at Jiang Xihe and handed over a list, "This is the clue we just got. There are more than 80 people coming to Ping'an County to build ditches this time. Is there any way you can quickly find the murderer among them?"

Jiang Xihe looked at Pei Zhizhao. His expression was completely different from that on the street just now. He had a dark face at that time, but now there are tiny lights in his eyes. He is really uncertain...
  (End of this chapter)