Kyushu · Endless Nagato

Chapter 131 Death Song (3)
For the next month, An Xingmian lived in Feng Qiuke's house, looking through the files of the year almost non-stop, and interviewed many people involved, but still found nothing.Everyone who seemed likely to have a motive to kill the lord—who wanted to take the throne, who had been punished by the lord, who might be disgruntled for not getting a promotion, who might have hooked up with one of the lord's concubines— — can come up with conclusive evidence to prove that he was not in the palace at all.He wanted to find the most important bodyguard who led the way, but he also found nothing. Feng Qiuke interrogated all the bodyguards who were still alive, and found nothing worth mentioning.This made An Xingmian a little frustrated, but Xue Huaiqing comforted him instead: "Father has been wronged for 20 years, so there is no need to be in a hurry. Besides, it's fine if you can't clear up the grievances. Anyway, he is in the desert. Even these feathered men can't catch him."

"I want to go around the palace." An Xingmian said suddenly.

Xue Huaiqing was taken aback: "The last time you entered the imperial palace of Tianqi City, it was risky enough, and I wasn't there at the time, what are your plans this time, do you want to arrest a lord or queen for interrogation?"

"No, it has nothing to do with those big men," An Xingmian said, "I always feel that there is something strange hidden in the palace, and I want to see for myself the garden where Feng Baimu was killed."

"Mr. Feng will definitely not help you with this." Xue Huaiqing said.

"Mr. Old Feng is not needed. Mr. Xiaofeng is enough. That Mr. Xiaofeng is the best at wandering around the palace." An Xingmian winked.

"Actually, I don't hate him, it's just that he...likes me at such a young age, it feels so strange." Xue Huaiqing sighed helplessly.

"Anyway, he can't do anything if he likes you, so relax," An Xingmian comforted her, "When I first met him, I thought he was like a ten-thousand-year zombie, but then I slowly discovered that he's not that bad either. What's more, he has such wisdom beyond his age, I am afraid it is difficult to make friends among his peers, and he may be a little lonely in his daily life. He will probably be happier with us."

Although Feng Yiming was young, he seemed to be not inferior to Feng Qiuke in terms of handling ability, so he secretly brought the two of them to the imperial garden the next night.An Xingmian walked around the garden. In fact, he didn't know what he was looking for. Besides, even if there was something hidden here, after 20 years, everything would probably disappear without a trace.But he was still not reconciled, and always felt that there might be some articles in the imperial garden.

It's a pity that after looking carefully a few times, I still didn't find anything.Feng Yiming comforted him: "It's not surprising. Those useless elders of mine searched the scene at the first time and found nothing, not to mention that it's been 20 years since you were there."

An Xingmian thought for a while and said, "Can you take me to the inn where Xue Ji lived at that time? I want to have a look at this road."

Feng Yiming was very patient, maybe he wanted to spend more time with Xue Huaiqing, so he immediately agreed, and the three of them walked a long way along the road to the back door of the Royal Garden.It seems that Feng Yiming often goes in and out of the palace, and he has a very good memory. He walked along the road and pointed out various places in the palace to An Xingmian.

When the three of them turned to a secluded path, Xue Huaiqing suddenly whispered, "Hush! There are footsteps! It might be the guards patrolling at night."

"Hide and leave this place to me," Feng Yiming said, "The guards in the palace are all used to seeing me running around."

The two hurriedly hid behind a big tree, Feng Yiming clasped his hands and greeted them grandly.But what appeared was not a guard, but an old eunuch from the palace.Holding a dim lantern tremblingly, he hunchbacked and walked in this direction.Seeing Feng Yiming, he was a little surprised: "Who?"

"It's me." Feng Yiming took a few steps forward, letting the light of the lantern illuminate his face.The old eunuch opened his dizzy old eyes, managed to see the other person's face clearly, and quickly bowed to salute.Feng Yiming waved his hand: "No need, I remember you, you have been in the palace for many years. You don't sleep so late, your old bones are not strong, why come out to hang out? Don't lie, otherwise I will treat you badly." polite."

What an amazing kid, An Xingmian thought, he really shouldn't be treated as an ordinary kid.

The old eunuch obviously had ghosts in his heart. He was already nervous enough to meet Feng Yiming, but he was even more frightened and trembling after being threatened by him a series of times.After a long time, he could barely speak: "I... I came here to worship my brother."

"Your brother? Who is it? Are both of you brothers working in the palace?" Feng Yiming asked.

"No, not my real brother, but a very good friend back then who entered the palace with me." The old eunuch shook his hand.

"How did he die?" Feng Yiming asked again.

The old eunuch hesitated for a long time, knowing that he could not answer, he said bravely, "He... committed suicide. Not long after the death of the previous lord, he committed suicide."

An Xingmian was shocked, knowing that he had found a key witness, Feng Yiming hurriedly asked, "Why did he commit suicide? Did he commit suicide in fear of crime? Did he kill the lord?"

"No, no, definitely not!" The old eunuch said hastily, "He just didn't leave any last words, and somehow hanged himself from the tree in front of him. Both his parents died and he had no relatives, so every year when I celebrate his birthday Going down to that tree to pay homage to him is considered a brotherhood."

There was a bundle on the old eunuch's back, Feng Yiming opened it and saw that it was indeed a sacrificial object, and there was no flaw in it.He was just about to let the old eunuch leave, but An Xingmian suddenly appeared from the darkness and said directly, "Where did you and your brother live?"

"It's in the row of houses to the south." The old eunuch pointed.

"Did your brother leave any relics behind?" An Xingmian asked again.

The old eunuch was puzzled, wondering why this unknown human being asked this question, but Feng Yiming was beside him, so he didn't dare not answer: "I left some things that are not worth mentioning, and put them in my bed In a box at the bottom."

An Xingmian took out a silver ticket and stuffed it in his hand: "Take it out immediately, not even a single hair!"

The old eunuch glanced at the amount on the bank note with the lantern, and almost fainted with joy.He seemed to be ten years younger all of a sudden, he almost ran back at a trot, and when he ran away, Feng Yiming couldn't help asking: "Why are you so interested in him?"

"Didn't you just show me the place in the palace along the road? The row of houses where the eunuchs live is very close to another place," An Xingmian said, "That's the guard's room of Huyi Division."

"The guard's room?" Xue Huaiqing didn't understand for a while, but Feng Yiming was really clever, and almost cried out all of a sudden.

"In other words, the eunuch who committed suicide is very likely to steal the guard uniform and pretend to be a guard! He is the one who brought Xue Ji to the side gate of the garden!"

four

The name of the eunuch who committed suicide 20 years ago was Li Yucheng. What he left behind were scraps of junk, covered in old dust, and even a few obscene novels.Xue Huaiqing couldn't help feeling emotional: "I didn't expect the eunuch to watch this stuff..."

The three of them pinched their noses and picked and picked for a while, but they didn't find anything of value. Feng Yiming was very annoyed, and kicked the box, which was kicked over, and the few obscene novels that had just been put in it fell out. It came out, and a page fell out from inside.

Feng Yiming leaned over to pick up the piece of paper, and looked at it under the lamp. It was a page of bills, which recorded the money owed by Li Yucheng before his death.Combined with the several dice that were obviously filled with lead in the box, it can be imagined that the eunuch was addicted to gambling during his lifetime and owed a lot of debt as a result.

"In other words, it's entirely possible that he committed suicide just because he couldn't pay off his gambling debts." Feng Yiming was very disappointed, "I'm so happy."

He casually read the crooked words on this piece of paper: "I owe Liu Xu five gold bahts, I owe Li Hongquan fourteen gold bahts, I owe Zhu Tan six gold bahts... Good guy, this guy can really owe money, and his salary for several years is worthless." The output has gone. But these items were checked off afterwards, which means that he paid back the money again. Could it be that his luck improved later and he won money?"

He looked carefully again, and laughed: "So that's it. This guy was tearing down the wall to make up for the West. Later, he borrowed a large sum of money and paid back all the debts he owed to others, so there are only these people left." The last big creditor who can't be checked off. So the rich one is not Li Yucheng, but this creditor named Ye Xun..."

"What did you say? Ye Xun?" An Xingmian interrupted him hastily.

"Yeah, Ye Xun, I also remember this person, a low-level servant in the palace," Feng Yiming never forgot to show off his amazing memory, "he has a weird temper and never gets close to anyone."

"I know this Ye Xun." An Xingmian fell into deep thought.From the first time he saw Ye Xun, he felt that there were many unknown secrets hidden in this person. His almost crazy performance at Princess Huainan's funeral was very intriguing.But now, Ye Xun's name was on this billing statement from 20 years ago, which inevitably made people's imagination run wild.

"It's about two hundred gold baht. Even if Ye Xun took out all his savings, it might not be enough." An Xingmian calculated the price, "Ordinary poor people can't save this money, Ye Xun There must be something wrong with the way Xun got the money."

"That is to say, is this person's death possibly related to Ye Xun?" Xue Huaiqing asked.

"It's entirely possible," An Xingmian said, "How could a lonely person like Ye Xun lend so much money to others for no reason, and it was still more than his savings."

He called the old eunuch outside the door: "Do you know Ye Xun?"

The old eunuch nodded: "I know, he is a freak, and no one wants to talk to him. But after all, he works quickly, and his hands and feet are clean, so he has been left in the palace as a handyman."

"Your brother named Li Yucheng, how is your relationship with Ye Xun?" An Xingmian asked again.

"It's very bad. I almost got into a fight once," said the old eunuch. "It's my brother's fault. He's usually rough with those low-level servants, and Ye Xun's temper is not good..."

The relationship was very bad, and they almost got into a fight, but in the end they lent him a large sum of money. An Xingmian thought, it seems that it is time to meet this old friend.

In the afternoon of the next day, Feng Yiming was arranged by the lord again, so only An Xue and the two went to look for Ye Xun together. For Xue Huaiqing, it seemed relieved not to have Feng Yiming by her side.Although this little kid is very knowledgeable and considerate, and he doesn't treat her in any way, but the more deliberately she does it, the more uncomfortable she feels.

It's really not easy to hang around in the palace in broad daylight. Fortunately, Ye Xun was sent out to the palace to buy things this afternoon. On his way home, An Xingmian and Xue Huaiqing stopped him.

"It's you." Ye Xun's face was still lifeless and expressionless, but there was a hint of joy in his eyes, which showed that he still regarded these two people as "good people" who could get close.

An Xingmian couldn't help feeling a little guilty, and felt that it was a bit wrong to bother Ye Xun again because of a case 20 years ago, but Xue Ji's destroyed old face flashed before his eyes. Determined to return Xue Ji's innocence no matter what.

"Mr. Ye, I have something to ask you," An Xingmian said, "Can you find a quiet place to talk?"

Ye Xun's expression changed, and he took a step back, "Ask me? Do you have any questions?"

An Xingmian couldn't tell, this sensitive weirdo actually reacted so violently.But the matter has come to this point, he can only bite the bullet and continue: "It's about 20 years ago..."

He didn't even say clearly what happened 20 years ago, but when Ye Xun heard the words "20 years ago", he immediately jumped up, turned around and ran away.An Xingmian was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly chased after her with Xue Huaiqing.

Although Ye Xun was short and had never practiced martial arts, his legs and feet were fast when he ran. After all, the two of them still didn't dare to make too much publicity on the streets of Ningnan.Seeing that Ye Xun got into a remote alley, the alleys in front of him were criss-crossed, and if he lost it, he would definitely not find anyone, Xue Huaiqing gritted his teeth, and sent out a poisonous needle cruelly.This poisonous needle didn't have much lethality, it could only temporarily numb the hands and feet. Ye Xun got the needle in his leg and immediately fell to the ground.

"You are all wicked!" Ye Xun yelled, "I thought you were good, but you lied to me, you are all wicked!"

Xue Huaiqing stepped forward to help him, but he opened his hand mercilessly.She could only sigh, and said softly: "Mr. Ye, we didn't mean to hurt you. This needle only temporarily paralyzes your legs and feet, and you will recover in a while. I have no choice but to do this because I urgently need to find out the truth and restore my father's innocence."

She briefly told Ye Xun about Xueji's current situation: "My father is also physically disabled and his appearance is ruined, and he has suffered endless suffering in this life. I just want to return his innocence and make up for it a little bit." He has suffered all these years. Mr. Ye, don't you value good people the most? My father is such a good person, don't you have the heart to watch a good person be wronged until he dies?"

Ye Xun opened his mouth wide, unable to speak for a while, An Xingmian strikes while the iron is hot: "Mr. Ye, I know you must know a little about what happened back then, and we won't make things difficult for you. If it really has something to do with you, we can first To help you escape from Ningnan City and Ningzhou, all you need is for you to leave a statement to prove Xue Ji's innocence."

Ye Xun didn't seem to have heard An Xingmian's words. His eyes were straightened, and he muttered: "So, he is a good person? Did I kill a good person?"

"You killed a good man?" Xue Huaiqing grabbed Ye Xun's shoulder, "So, you did it? Did you kill the lord? Didn't you, didn't you?"

Ye Xun's body was shaking with Xue Huaiqing's hand, and he was still muttering: "He is a good man...he broke his leg and was disfigured...I killed a good man, a good man, a good man..."

He repeated "a good man" more than ten times in one breath, and then suddenly roared, barely standing up from the ground.An Xingmian quickly stood in front of Xue Huaiqing, worried that the other party would violently hurt others.

But Ye Xun didn't attack the two of them. He grinned and laughed, but tears flowed down his cheeks.Ye Xun, who was crying and laughing, clenched his fists tightly and shouted: "I killed a good man! I killed the lord!"

After saying that, he suddenly went limp and fell to the ground.

The two rushed forward in a hurry. Ye Xun didn't have any trauma on his body, but his lips were already purple, his face was pale, his eyes protruded, and his face became distorted.Xue Huaiqing frowned: "Not good! Mr. Ye may have had a lesion in his skull, it seems that he was too emotional and had a stroke."

In Ye Xun's situation, it was no longer possible to rescue him.He exhausted his last strength, and his crooked lips were still repeating the words: "I killed a good man..."

When Ye Xun Qijue died, An Xingmian and Xue Huaiqing looked at each other, a little at a loss.Ye Xun confided the truth before he died, saying that the lord was killed by him, but the two people present were originally wanted criminals of the city-state, who would believe it?

"No matter what, we still have to tell Mr. Feng about this." An Xingmian said.

"But apart from Mr. Feng, no one will believe our testimony, right?" Xue Huaiqing said worriedly.

"Don't worry, I'm still here," Feng Yiming's voice sounded abruptly, "He did say that the lord was killed by him, and I can testify."

(End of this chapter)