Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 41 Jade Emperor Pavilion

"Ouch." A fat white man slowly crawled out from behind the rockery and said, "Don't be surprised, sir, it's me, Old Wu."

It turned out to be Wu Xiaoyi, a flute master from the Dengyun Class. He had taught Wang Heng his technique before, so he was familiar with it.

Xiaocai looked at the flutist and asked, "Are you the one who dared to leave a message of love?"

Wu Xiaoyi came closer and whispered: "Old Wu, I have important clues to report to you, but I was afraid that the thugs would jump over the wall and harm me, so I just kept it secret."

The flute master spoke slowly: "A few days ago, Master Huiyun's theater fans gave her a basket of fresh fruits. That day I happened to be back home and was stopped by the concierge Lao Fulin, who helped him move the fruit basket to Huiyun Courtyard. Huiyun said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'll move this basket of fruits, a table of incense, and two seats to the Yuebo Bridge. She will pray to the moon tonight and ask the ancestor for a meal. I went there happily, and it seemed like Someone was following me, but I didn’t pay attention at the time.”

"I used to practice a few pieces of music in front of the lake at night. That day I started to play, and the evening class ended very late. I saw a small boat propped up among the lotus bushes, and a junior student jumped onto the revetment in a hurry. There was a hanging hanging in the pavilion. I was holding a lantern, and although the light was dim, I still recognized him."

The flute master said word by word: "This person is Xiaosheng Yueting."

Wang Heng and Xiaocai looked at each other, and unexpectedly pulled Xiaosheng Yueting out again.

"The villain was so frightened that his heart was pounding. He hid under the banana leaves like a ghost, so that no one else could see me. After a while, I saw another person walking hurriedly by the lake. I recognized him at a glance. It was Master Huiyun who came out. Huiyun was holding a lantern and walking around in circles."

"The villain was extremely confused at the time and didn't dare to move at all. On the second day of work, Huiyun and Na Yueting both arrived early, chatting and laughing, and couldn't see anything strange."

"Because Huiyun drowned and died mysteriously a few days ago. The little man has been thinking about it and his conscience cannot be at peace. He must report this matter to the master's family."

Wang Heng asked: "Do Yueting and Miss Huiyun usually have any feud?"

The flute master said: "I look fine on weekdays. It doesn't look like there is any grudge."

Wang Heng asked again: "In your opinion, if there is someone in the Dengyun class who has a grudge against Huiyun, who is the more suspect?"

The flutist thought for a long time and said: "Although Master Huiyun has high requirements for drama and is not very friendly to others in the troupe, firstly, she is a famous actor in Jiangnan, and the whole troupe regards her as their bread and butter. Secondly, the troupe travels all over the country and deserted villages. It's commonplace in the wild stores, so if you want to kill someone, wouldn't it be convenient, but you have to go to the state city and commit murder in the homes of wealthy people."

The flute master changed his smooth and flattering attitude and said with infinite emotion: "Why do we come here? We are deceived by wealth and wealth, and that's why we suffered this unexpected disaster."

While muttering, he walked towards the courtyard door in despair, gradually disappearing into the night.

Xiaocai said: "Master Wu's analysis is very reasonable, but there is still suspicion of Xiaosheng Yueting, and we have to call him to ask him clearly."

Wang Heng nodded and said: "Exactly, it's getting late today, and I have to ask Chou Yinmao tomorrow."

It was already bright at mid-morning (six o'clock in the morning) the next day.

The cicadas were so noisy that Xiaocai stretched himself repeatedly, "It disturbs people's dreams, it disturbs people's dreams."

Wang Heng said with a smile: "Is it possible that the detective Wang Cai is still awake?"

Wang Cai didn't take it seriously: "Mr. Wei said that young people like me need more sleep to grow taller."

Before the two young men who aspired to become detectives had time to finish their breakfast, Madam Zhu sent Guixiang to tell them that the second girl, Wang Taozhen, Taoist Tanyang, was determined to return to Chandanguan to practice today, but the housekeeper, Uncle Gen, had already I made an appointment with the steward at Zhuangzi to reconcile the accounts, which would require Wang Heng to make a hard trip.The morning glow does not go out, but the sunset travels thousands of miles. Wang Heng looked at the sky and was afraid that it would not be conducive to travel today, but since Mrs. Zhu had given the order, he had no choice but to do it.

Tandanguan is about twenty miles north of Zhoucheng. It belongs to Zhitang Township and is very close to Changshu and Kunshan.

Taoist Tan Yang was dressed in a black robe, with his black hair combed into a bun, and he was completely unadorned.

After learning that Wang Heng was escorting her back to the Taoist temple, the Taoist clasped his hands and saluted Wang Heng, and said calmly: "Thank you, brother."

The voice was gentle and very pleasant: "Last night, all the stars in the sky came to tell me, "It's better to go back, it's better to go back." The Taoist leaned under the acacia tree, her eyes blurred, and her pale face looked like she was talking in sleep.

"Second sister." Wang Heng was suddenly speechless: "Such a great kindness."

My cousin who spent her prime years now behaves like a sick person. This is really an unpredictable situation.

The Taoist's traveling team was very large, with maids and wives riding in four eight-treasure incense carts. Wang Heng, the young man, and other servants rode with him on horseback, and several ox-carts loaded with boxes and cages followed at the end of the team.

The motorcade slowly exited the west gate, and the sun gradually rose to the east. The heat was so intense that the cicadas in the thick shade seemed to have hoarse singing voices.

Three or four miles into the city, on both sides of the official road, there were farmers in twos and threes planting rice seedlings in the paddy fields. There was a man who was interesting and sang loudly: "Shake the oar and pull it, the scenery along both sides of the river is beautiful; the seedlings are green and shiny, and the autumn wind brings them." The rice is fragrant.”

Next to me, a young man laughed and sang: "Swing and paddle, there are beautiful flower sheds along both sides of the river. Good flowers fall in the middle cabin, and wild roses fall in the stern shed."

Among the Wang family members, there were quite a few little girls who had never been out of the house. They opened the curtains one after another to listen to folk songs. The men became proud and fought even more happily.

Suddenly there was the sound of horse hooves from the northwest, and a horse came galloping. The passengers on the horse, dressed in gray cloth, slowed down and rode alongside the convoy for several miles, roaring loudly before passing by.

Wang Cai secretly wondered: "What does this mean?"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly heard the neighing of horse hooves in front of him, and two more horses passed by. The man on the horse was very good at riding, and his agility was extremely strong.Less than a mile away, several more knights came towards them and roared away.

Wang Cai said: "Master, is it possible that we are being targeted by Jiangyang thieves?"

Wang Heng said nahan: "Robbing officials and their families in the official roads of the state and city in broad daylight is not crazy."

This stalemate lasted for a long time, with galloping horses passing back and forth, but no further action was taken. It seemed that the purpose was just to force the Wang family's motorcade to stop.

After hearing that the maid had come to invite him, Wang Heng went to Taoist Tanyang's incense cart. The Taoist only said that the maid who was close to him seemed to have suffered from heat stroke. It's good to rest there for a while.

With just one leap of horse, the Jade Emperor Pavilion came into view.The Taoist temple is a bit dilapidated, and the arrogance is still there. For some reason, there is not even a Taoist Taoist priest.

After hesitating, everyone stepped into the mountain gate. At this time, the sky had changed and it started to rain.

The Jade Emperor Pavilion seems to have been abandoned, and the Sanqing Hall is empty. Fortunately, it is still clean, and the female family members can take a rest here.Wang Heng ordered his servants to wait in the main hall, and his servants to wait in the side hall to wait for orders.

(End of this chapter)