Zhong Niangzi Wanfu

Chapter 81 is Murder
一
Zhong Lan took care of the house and carefully selected two loyal and capable stewards for Shen Zhan. He also ordered his mother Li to help take care of him. In addition, he left Chang Yu and Zhan Lu to take care of A Nian. He took Chang Huan Feng Shuang Kuai Ma with him. He hurried to Qin Lin.

Nowadays, although Tan Lin has changed the county magistrate, the emperor shows pity and appoints more capable ministers to govern Danzhou. The legacy of Shen Feng and Wenyi's rule is still there, and the people live in harmony.

Zhong Lan drove his horse to Jinyu Academy. When he entered the door, he saw the students leaving their studies and said goodbye to Qin Shen.

Children dressed up as scholars, big and small, walked toward the door. When they saw Zhong Lan, they all bowed politely and said, "My wife, make up."

It may even be the case that his parents, who were working in the eastern suburbs, had seen Zhong Lai and called out "Ms. Zhong's greeting" in a familiar voice.

Zhong Lan nodded one by one, feeling a little moved in his heart.

Qin Shen put the books away and ordered the book boy to tidy up the desk. He turned around and saw Zhong Lan, and slowly came forward to salute: "Ms. Zhong."

"Mr. Qin." Zhong Lan returned the salute.

Seeing that Zhong Lan was still in plain clothes, Qin Shen sighed softly: "After the family meeting, I heard about the Lord of the Shen family. Madam Zhong expresses my condolences."

"Thank you, sir." Zhong Lan thanked him, "Sir, you have always been very perceptive and aware of the rain. I have come here this time because I have something to ask you, and I hope you will not hesitate to tell me."

Qin Shen's expression changed slightly, and he looked at Zhong Lan seriously: "Is Madam Zhong here on behalf of Mr. Shen?"

"Yes." Zhong Lan nodded firmly.

Qin Shen saw Zhong Lan's firm eyes and said slowly for a long time: "I also have some doubts about this matter. Madam Zhong, please come into the main hall to discuss in detail."

"Thank you, sir." Zhong Lan breathed a sigh of relief and followed Qin Shen through the door.

The two of them took their seats. Qin Shen ordered refreshments for Zhong Lan, and then dismissed the attendants.

Qin Shen gently twirled the lid of the tea cup: "The You family has declined, and Mr. Shen has become more powerful in the court. The Shen family has now surpassed the You family and become the most famous family in Danzhou. At the family meeting that day, the head of the Shen family was really proud of the spring breeze. I don’t look tired after socializing one after another.”

Zhong Lan immediately noticed the meaning of the words: "In other words, it is unlikely that my father-in-law suffered a sudden illness due to fatigue?"

Qin Shen did not give her a definite answer, but he acquiesced to the answer and took a sip of the tea at the right temperature.

"If it's not because of fatigue, then it's because he was poisoned at the banquet?" Zhong Lan murmured.

"The food at the family meeting is not limited to one person per person, so the food given by the Shen family leader should be used by more than one person, and poisoning can easily cause fire. If someone else is really behind the conspiracy, the gain of poisoning the meeting is not worth the loss." Qin Shen shook his head, suddenly The look in his eyes was determined, "And..."

Seeing that Qin Shen thought of something but hesitated to speak, Zhong Lan looked more anxious: "Sir, please continue."

"After the family meeting, the leader of the Shen family was the last to leave. Before leaving, he would go to Danzhou Prefectural Government and Yong'an County Government to thank him. And I heard that something happened to the leader of the Shen family only five miles away from Yong'an, and he was the first to report it to Yong'an County. Yamen, Magistrate Cai will preside over the autopsy." Qin Shen looked at Zhong Lan and said no more.

Zhong Lan thought of Cai Shi's forced marriage to Wen Shu, and his eyes were instantly filled with hatred: "So is it possible that they murdered her?"

"Ms. Zhong, be careful what you say." Qin Shen raised his hand to signal her not to say anything further, "It's just that all of this is too coincidental, and it's all just speculation by you and me. It's a crime to slander a county's order without real evidence."

Zhong Lan sneered: "Now that you have shown me the way, sir, I will go to Yong'an to look for evidence." After that, he stood up and bowed to Qin Shen to say goodbye.

"Ms. Zhong." Qin Shen called Zhong Lan, looking a little worried, "Although the head of the Shen family is famous in Danzhou, the Shen family's biggest support is actually Mr. Shen, who is an official in the royal capital."

Zhong Lan was startled and suddenly realized: "Is it possible that he is worried about something..."

"Official affairs are too contentious. Madam Zhong must be careful not to suffer backlash." Qin Shen nodded slightly and said goodbye.

"Thank you, sir." Zhong Lan couldn't bear to feel aggrieved and thanked him.

If Shen Lin's death was just to contain Shen Feng, it shows the ruthlessness of the people behind the scenes. Why would they sacrifice the lives of innocent people for no reason for their own selfish desires?
After Zhong Lan got on the carriage, Chang Huan saw Zhong Lan's expression was different: "Girl?"

Zhong Lan wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief and took a deep breath: "I don't care, I'm going to Yong'an."

Chang Huan understood: "Yes."

two

On the way, Zhong Lan specially changed his nameless carriage and took people with him disguised as Wuding people who came to Yong'an to do business, so as not to attract attention.

Ming Changhuan went to find out that the widower who helped with the autopsy that day liked to drink in the tavern. Zhong Lan changed into men's clothes and after making some preparations, he took people to Yong'an Tavern.

After Zhong Lan took a seat near the window, he saw Chang Huan glance at the middle-aged man who was having a drink in another corner: "Girl, that man is Nie Yi, the widower who did the autopsy for Mr. Taiming that day. He is usually greedy and stingy. It's a good drink." Zhong Lan nodded slightly, took out a stack of banknotes and handed them to Chang Huan: "Find two people to drink with him, and make sure to get him drunk."

"Yes." Chang Huan took the banknote and left.

After a while, two men who seemed to know Nie Yi well sat down next to him and ordered several jars of good wine.

The three of them drank happily, and the two men drank Nie Yi until he fell asleep on the table.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Chang Huan signaled the two men to step aside, followed Zhong Lan and stood up to sit next to Nie Yi.

Zhong Lan glanced at Nie Yi, who looked confused, and deliberately made some noise to call the waiter. He put a heavy silver ingot into the waiter and deliberately lowered his voice and said: "I've never heard of this when I first came to Yong'an. If there is anything new, please tell me, brother."

The waiter's eyes widened when he saw the money, and he immediately put the money into his arms and began to talk in high spirits: "Brother, you have asked the right person. If you want to talk about the freshest thing, it is the Danzhou Family Conference not long ago, which can be said to be a great moment. .”

Sure enough, Zhong Lan heard an unconvinced "cut" sound from Nie Yi behind him.

The waiter noticed Nie Yi's contempt and his eyes suddenly filled with disgust. He stared back unconvinced and said, "I don't know, little brother. Since the decline of Tan Linyou's family in Danzhou, Taiming's Shen family has become a rising star. The eldest brother in the family The son was an official in the royal capital, a new noble in the court, and a close minister of the emperor. He saw a bright future and had the potential to become the head of the family. However, the head of the Shen family died suddenly, and the eldest brother of the Shen family, Ding You, returned to his hometown. , it’s really a pity.”

Zhong Lan's eyes turned cold, but in order not to reveal any flaws, a slight smile appeared on his face: "It is indeed a pity."

The waiter waved his hand: "Master Shen is a kind man, and the Shen family is from a well-educated family. Seeing that they had come to such an early stage, it ended up like this. Let's not mention such a jealous thing. I'd better give it to the little one. Brother, let’s continue talking about the family meeting.”

Zhong Lan nodded and ordered Chang Huan to take out a silver coin and hand it to the waiter.

"Is such a ridiculous thing considered new?" Nie Yi couldn't stand it anymore. He stood up unsteadily, reached out and grabbed the money from Chang Huan's hand, and sat next to Zhong Lai. "This little brother's money is too much." Is it a good profit?"

The smell of alcohol that hit her face made Zhong Lan frown, but she still kept smiling and glanced at Chang Huan: "Is it possible that you know something newer than what the second brother said? If it is true, then this money It belongs to you."

Chang Huan understood and secretly gave the unconvinced waiter a piece of silver, persuaded him to leave and asked him to keep it a secret.

"Guaranteed it's worth every penny." When Nie Yi heard that there was money to be made, he put his arm around Zhong Lan's shoulders and whispered into her ear: "This little brother doesn't know that what I'm talking about is about this Mr. Shen." matter."

Zhong Lan endured his disgust, stopped Feng Shuang from taking action, and pulled Nie Yi's hand down without leaving a trace: "Oh? I'm all ears."

Nie Yi looked around and leaned on the table with a soft smile: "I am the co-author of the autopsy for Mr. Shen. I don't know, but Mr. Shen was still angry when he was sent here."

Zhong Lan's hand suddenly clenched into a fist: "You, you mean, Master Shen was still alive when he was sent to the county government?"

Nie Yi looked at Zhong Lan's performance and thought she was frightened. He nodded proudly: "But she died soon."

"Isn't it said that Mr. Shen died suddenly on the way home?" Chang Huan asked hurriedly.

Nie Yi glanced at Chang Huan and laughed twice: "I have been in this business for 20 years. Can I be wrong? Master Shen's nose is full of cotton. He was obviously suffocated to death."

Zhong Lan was startled again: "Then, where are those cottons?"

"Afterwards, Guang Qing, who was next to Magistrate Cai, said that Mr. Shen was a squire from a local family and wanted to sort out his suicide note, so he asked me to sort it all out."

"Don't people who suffocate to death have their lips turn purple? No one noticed when the Shen family came to pick them up?" Zhong Lan said unwillingly.

"Damn it, I don't know what we do." Nie Yi smiled secretly.

From this point of view, Shen Lin's death is very suspicious. It must not be an accident but murder.

Seeing that Nie Yi was unwilling to say anything more after receiving the money, Zhong Lan took a deep breath, stood up, and left with Chang Huan and Feng Shuang.

When the sky was dimming the next day, several people stood guard at the corner of the alley where Nie Yi lived.

Seeing Nie Yi humming a song and going out, Zhong Lan whispered: "Take it!"

Feng Shuang led people forward and knocked Nie Yi unconscious before he screamed, blocked his mouth, put him in a barrel, and carried him to the carriage.

A few people rushed out of the city just as the city gate was opened and there were many people. When they were lax in questioning, they gave the city defenders a few taels of silver and then left the city easily and left in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)