Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 102
Wang Heng asked: "When did your uncle come back?"

The servant girl lowered her head and said: "It was still dark early in the morning, around five o'clock in the morning. The uncle sprained his foot yesterday. Li Xiucai's servants brought him back in a sedan chair. The uncle ordered his slave to wait here until the prince gets up. After dinner, please come to the study to meet you."

Wang Heng recalled that the Huang family had no etiquette at all yesterday and no one entertained him for dinner. He thought that Brother Yuntai knew about it. This shows that Brother Yuntai's situation is indeed not good.

The maid led her to the back room where Huang Yuntai usually ate. The people in the kitchen said that it was already past [-] o'clock in the morning and there was only rice porridge left in the kitchen.

Wang Heng hurriedly drank some fermented bean curd, pickled melon and white porridge, and then asked his maid to lead the way to Huang Yuntai's study.

Huang Yuntai's study is the most east-facing main room on the ground floor of the entire east building. There was a young man standing under the corridor. Seeing Wang Heng approaching, he came up and saluted: "I think it is the seventh young master Wang, and the younger one is A Lin. The uncle is taking care of the seventh young master." Send him a message as soon as you arrive, Young Master, please wait for a moment."

The young man A-Lin went in along the verandah, and hurried back after a while, saying: "Seventh Young Master, please go somewhere else to rest and have a cup of tea. My uncle's study is closed tightly. He must have been tired from traveling back early this morning. Catch up on some sleep in the inner room.”

Wang Heng was full of doubts, so he had to do as he pleased. He went to the flower hall to serve tea first, with the manager Lao Yan accompanying him. Unexpectedly, after drinking one cup after another of tea, Huang Yuntai never came.

Wang Heng's legs and feet gradually became numb and he became restless. He remembered the horrific scene he saw on Hancun Mountain Road on the way here last night. Before he saw Huang Yuntai, he didn't want to believe anyone, so he held back his words.

Lao Yan said with a smile: "Seventh Young Master, why don't you go and take a walk in our Wanhu Village. I know that people in the city like to see the customs and customs of people in Dongting Mountain. Our village is very big. Let Liu Ma follow you from a distance. The uncle comes out of the inner room. , I’ll come and invite the young master right away.”

Wang Heng felt very good after hearing this. He had been suspicious of other people in the village before he came, so he took the opportunity to walk around and observe the situation.

Although the rain has stopped, the sky is still covered with clouds. The black monster-like Wanhu Village at night changes its appearance during the day.

From the outside, Wanhu Village looks like a huge chain of forts. The village is divided into various areas. The east building where the Huangyuntai room is occupied is the residence of the head of the direct sect, with the highest floor.

A little further away stand several other buildings with similar appearances, probably the South Building and others that Mr. Huang Er mentioned.Even further away, there are rows of small buildings with similar shapes, hidden in the shadow of the trees, making them difficult to see clearly.

Wang Heng walked around casually and unknowingly headed towards the gate tower. He saw two monks in robes standing at the corner gate. He also saw Mr. Huang Er, panting, walking over quickly and talking to the two monks standing under the screen wall. Wang Heng quickly stopped and stayed under the pergola.

I saw Mr. Huang Er's voice was very fierce. As he spoke, he even pointed at the monk and started yelling. His face was a bit ferocious, but now he looked even more evil.

The two monks folded their hands and said nothing, allowing him to add harsh words to each other.

After a while, the monks turned around and left. Mr. Huang Er stamped his feet and shouted: "Shu Zi."

Wang Heng's heart skipped a beat, and he was very upset. He was in a dilemma this season, so he had to wait with bated breath until Mr. Huang Er went far away and disappeared before moving. He had no interest in continuing to wander and returned to the east building.

He was thinking about who Master Huang Er was referring to when he was scolding him.
Seeing Liu's mother following behind, she asked quietly: "Have you seen those two monks?"

Mother Liu whispered: "Looking from a distance, it seems to be a monk from Baoshan Temple."

"A monk from Baoshan Temple?" Wang Heng once heard from Huang Yuntai. Baoshan Temple was built in the Liang Dynasty. It is the largest temple in Xishan Island and one of the most famous temples in the south of the Yangtze River. Mr. Huang Er ignored his dignity and shouted at the monks in the famous temple. Come and drink, why is this?
Wang Heng was about to ask again, but Ma Liu slowed down and followed respectfully behind her, showing a distant look. Wang Heng expected that she would not say anything more.

Returning to the east building, the servant informed Huang Yuntai that he was still in the study and had not come out. Wang Heng looked at the sky and saw that it was almost noon. He was very surprised and went straight to the study. The young boy A Lin in the corridor was still standing against the wall. When he saw Wang Heng coming over, Said: "Seventh Young Master Wang, the uncle hasn't come out yet."

Wang Heng frowned, thinking this was unusual, and asked A Lin to lead the way into the study. The door to the inner room was closed. Wang Heng pushed it gently with his hand, and the door bolt inside was locked.

A Lin said that Huang Yuntai often had this habit of reading alone in his study and never letting others in. All important matters had to wait until he came out.

At this time, Lao Yan, the steward, came over to invite Wang Heng to have lunch. Although Wang Heng was full of suspicion, he could not give orders directly to the Huang family servants, so he had to wait patiently.

Lunch was more decent than breakfast, and it was still served in the back room where Huang Yuntai usually ate. There was no company, so Wang Heng was enjoying it alone. Lao Yan must have eaten it elsewhere, so he just stood there with his hands down.

In such a weird atmosphere, Wang Heng simply couldn't eat anything. He took a few bites of vegetables and called it a day.

Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps in front of the hall, and the young man, Alin, walked quickly and shouted: "Sir, Master Wang, the door of the study room is open."

Wang Heng was immediately happy, but he heard A Lin frowning, and then said: "I just went to eat, and walked away for a while. When I returned to the study, I saw the door of the inner room opened a crack. I went in and took a look. But the uncle is not in the house, and I don’t know where he went.”

After hearing this, Wang Heng became suspicious and walked towards the study. Lao Yan, who was old and slow, trotted after him.

When he arrived in front of the study, Wang Heng shouted loudly: "Brother Yuntai, brother Yuntai."

After calling several times, but still getting no reply, I decided to go in and take a look. This study has three rooms in a row and is connected to the main room facing the east. It occupies a large and spacious area. At a glance, I can see that there is no one in the room.

There are only a few books on the shelves, and the collection of books can only count as three melons and two dates. There is nothing on the table, and it doesn't look like anyone has been indoors in the morning.

Wang Heng's heart skipped a beat, and he asked Lao Yan to arrange for a few people to search the village, and then asked someone to go to the inner courtyard to ask the women if the uncle had been there.

Wang Heng saw that Lao Yan was at a loss as to what to do, so he asked again: "How many doors are there in Wanhu Village that can lead to entry and exit?"

Old Yan said anxiously: "There is one gate tower at the main entrance and one at the south side gate."

Wang Heng said: "Then you have to send people to each door to ask."

After waiting for a long time, the people who went out to look for him came back one after another. They replied that no servants at the two doors saw Huang Yuntai go out, and he walked around the village a few times but saw no one.

The person who came out of the inner courtyard to answer was a slender girl with pretty eyebrows. Lao Yan introduced her as Yin Feng, the maid who had served Huang Yuntai since she was a child. Yin Feng looked worried and said that she had not seen the uncle today.

(End of this chapter)