Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

As the night falls, the hustle and bustle of the city has faded away from the city of Songling, and there is silence except for the chirping of insects.

While Wang Heng was half asleep and half awake, he heard the sound of the wooden door being bolted. He was always alert, so he put on his clothes and came out to take a look, but he saw Cheng Xiucai entering the hall from the patio.

"Brother Cheng, are you coming back so late?" Wang Heng was surprised.

Cheng Xiucai yawned and said, "I met a childhood friend on the road. There was an accident in his family a few months ago. It was widely spread by the outside world, saying that it was a strange case in Wujiang. Now he has just returned from Chudi. Have a funeral."

"The Strange Case of Wujiang!" Wang Heng suddenly woke up and his sleepiness seemed to have disappeared: "Your childhood friend's surname is Yan?"

"Seventh Young Master has also heard about it?" Cheng Xiucai was a little surprised: "Yan Ziyou's concubine Feng did such a disgraceful thing and made him travel thousands of miles back to his hometown to attend the funeral. Ziyou also complained to heaven and earth."

Wang Heng said: "When I was sailing through Yuan Dang a few days ago, I heard the boatman mention the murder case that happened in the past few months. The surname of the Yan family concubine is quite rare in Jiangnan."

Cheng Xiucai recalled a little: "Speaking of this Yan family's concubine Feng, I vaguely saw it when I was a child. She has a beautiful appearance and generous manners, but she is not as frivolous as those other women. How could she do such a scandal as elopement?" , and he himself died miserably.”

Wang Hengsi said again and again: "This is what I have always been suspicious about. I haven't found the man who eloped with Feng. How can I convict her of having an affair? I'm afraid the Wujiang County magistrate was eager to close the case and decided the Hulu case."

Cheng Xiucai thought for a while and said, "Having said that, if she is a widowed woman, if she doesn't elope and leave without saying goodbye, why would she go to Yuandang for dozens of miles of water?"

Wang Heng suddenly thought of something: "Ms. Feng, where is your mother's family?"

"It is said that the Feng family was brought back from the imperial capital by the master of the Yan family. The Yan family is very secretive about her natal family. Maybe it is because her background is not very respectable." Cheng Xiucai speculated.

Wang Heng naturally understood the implication of Cheng Xiucai's words. He never believed that a person's character should be determined by his origin.

The conversation came to an abrupt end. It was already late at night, and if it continued, it would wake up the two other people sleeping in the inner room.

The two of them went back to their rooms with their own thoughts in mind. Wang Heng opened the curtain and silently watched the stars flicker and fade in the autumn night sky, and the shadows floated, seeming to realize something.

The next day was a perfect mid-autumn weather. The boatman whom Cheng Xiucai had arranged overnight came to the Chengjia Water Bridge to pick up the guests at the beginning of the morning. Everyone chatted and laughed in the boat, just like traveling on the lake, enjoying the scenery on both sides of the canal.

About twenty miles from Songling to Panmen, the water surface is clear and clear, the sand is clear and the rocks are pure, and the scenery is clear and beautiful.

After traveling for more than an hour, the boat docked at Panmen Waterway Pier.

Everyone went ashore and first went to the inn next to Guitianyuanju to pick up the three horses from the Fei family. Fei Yuer patted the horses' bellies and found that they were smooth and smooth after being fed by the waiters at the old inn.

There are also Wang Heng and Xiaocai's luggage in the inn, including fine tea and Songjiang cloth, which Cheng Yi took away from Mohua Village as a gift for visiting Mrs. Cheng.

Since there were four people and three riders, Fei Yue'er's legs and feet were not fully healed yet, so Cheng Xiucai considerately hired a small sedan to carry Yue'er to Taiping Town.

Everyone rode their horses and followed the sedan, arriving at Cheng's Dixi Pavilion in Taiping Town at noon.

Dixi Pavilion is not far from Feizhai, just across the Pavilion Bridge from Mengjiang Hall to the east.

Yue'er's legs and feet were injured. Wang Heng's original intention was to send her home as soon as possible, but seeing that she was young and had a love for making trouble, and thought of having to embroider in the hall when she returned home, he couldn't help but feel pity, so he couldn't help but feel happy. Let's go together to see Mrs. Cheng, the master of Dixi Pavilion. Cheng Xiucai seemed to be a little timid about being close to home. A stone's throw away, he suddenly stopped and started to tremble.

Xiaocai smiled and said, "Brother Cheng, just say whatever you want."

Cheng Xiucai bowed deeply: "I was doing business without capital. If my mother knew about it, she would be worried. Please help me cover it up. After these few days of experience, I also know that there are mountains outside the mountains, and people There are people outside. From now on, please stay safe and do not dare to act arbitrarily. If there is not a rich man who is so bad that it makes people’s teeth itch, I will never touch him."

Wang Heng said with a smile: "Brother Cheng, you are so polite. If we are so ignorant, how can we dare to come and disturb my old aunt?"

The Dixi Pavilion of Cheng Xiucai's home is located deep in the greenery. The old trees stick out from the gable wall, and the shadows of flowers are colorful inside the wall. On the door is a very old man with a gray head. When he saw that his uncle was leading a few young people in, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

Chengjiayuan Garden is empty and sparse, not as beautiful as Nanyuan and Qiuyi Garden, but it is simple and comfortable, giving people a sense of tranquility and stability.

Wang Heng couldn't help but sigh: "Brother Cheng, this garden really makes people like me who have no permanent property jealous."

Xiaocai joked: "If Seventh Brother is jealous, then I must be dark and extremely jealous."

Fei Yue'er said: "In my opinion, houses, fields and acres are all constraints. If you don't have money, you want money. If you don't have a house, you want a house. People are bound here, how can they be free."

Cheng Xiucai also said with emotion: "How can there be a perfect and free life? When you are born in this world, you can neither choose your parents nor your family assets. Even your partners can only be determined by fate and destiny."

Everyone sighed.

Cheng Xiucai led everyone into the garden and along the long corridor into the front hall. They were alone, and no servants were seen.

The guests and hosts were seated in the hall. Cheng Xiucai made a pot of tea by himself and drank a cup with everyone else. He said: "For many years, my family has only relied on my mother as a boudoir teacher. The servants have been dismissed, and only the janitor is left." The old servant and the old maid under the stove have nowhere to go, so they rely on us to make a living, irrigating the garden, planting vegetables, sweeping the yard, and doing all their own work."

Wang Heng nodded and said: "This is how we should live within our means." He thought to himself that if Mr. Wang San and Mrs. Ling had half of Mrs. Cheng's success, they wouldn't have no place to live in the cramped house on Ma Nong Street, and the whole family would be noisy. Live your life in a noisy way.

Several people were sipping tea in the hall. Yingniang, the old maid of the Cheng family, heard the sound and came to the front hall. Seeing several young people sitting there, she knelt down to give everyone a blessing.

Cheng Xiucai ordered: "Mother Ying, go and invite my mother to come out. Today, several good friends came, all of them are book friends of "Golden Bullet", and they came specially to visit her."

Aunt Ying said: "I came here to tell you that my wife went to Bixiao Palace to pick up the young lady. She hasn't come back now. She probably had a vegetarian meal at Bixiao Palace before leaving."

"Oh, Mother Ying, then go and prepare a table of food. None of us have used it yet." Cheng Xiucai didn't take it seriously. He turned to Wang Cai and the others and said, "Let's have a rest first and have some refreshments. I'll My mother is going to pick up my sister and stay there for a few days. She will be back in the afternoon."

"Your sister, which cousin of yours is Brother Cheng talking about?" Fei Yuer's eyes were bright and she couldn't help but be surprised.

Cheng Xiucai shook his head and said, "She is my biological sister."

"Your sister Yunniang? How is this possible? She died of illness the year before last." Fei Yuer showed an indescribable expression.