The Delicate Lady Coroner

On the second day when it was light, Bo Ruoyou rode out the door in a carriage, and after meeting with Wu Xiang and his entourage in the south of the city, he went out of the city to Guzhang Village. Less than an hour after she walked, Lin Huai and his wife boarded Cheng's house. door.

Cheng Yunzhi welcomed them into the main hall, and Lin Huai looked at the house and said, "It's clean and smaller here, but only your father and daughter, and there are not many servants, it's enough."

Cheng Yunzhi laughed, "It's not what it used to be, it's so great."

After sitting down for tea, Lin Huai looked straight, "I have seen your letter. I have also told Shuning about this, but why did you suddenly change your mind?"

Cheng Yunzhi's smile faded, and his face was sorrowful, "Yesterday you and I were talking like that, faintly guessed. Although I didn't mention the marriage appointment earlier, I told her that I have arrangements for her marriage, so She guessed it."

"Now that you know that Lin Zhao and the Bo family have made a kiss, she doesn't feel anything. She said that we have been away from Beijing for a long time in the past few years. He has been married for many years. In Lin Zhao's heart, the Bo family girl is his good match. Therefore, she doesn't want to get the marriage back anymore, so she can just keep it wrong."

Lin Huai knew that Cheng Yunzhi had been angry for many years, and had planned to discuss with Chu Shuning how to dissolve the marriage contract with Bo Dafang, but didn't want Cheng Yunzhi to suddenly change his temper, so he guessed what happened.

However, he did not expect that this was what Bo Ruoyou meant.

The couple looked at each other, and Lin Huai said, "Youyou seriously think about it like this?"

Cheng Yunzhi nodded, "She also said that they have been engaged for many years, and they want to come to have a lot of friendship. Even if they really get the marriage back, Lin Zhao is probably not happy in her heart, and her situation is quite embarrassing. If this is the case, it is better to fulfill them. ."

After a pause, Cheng Yunzhi said again: "I have explained my irritation to Lin Huai yesterday. If you want to come, you can also understand that Bo's Dafang is cruel to You You, and he is also selfish in marrying you. You know how much you want to know these years, but you have changed the relationship with the Bo family. You will be responsible for the good or the bad. I and Youyou will never talk about the wedding of the year in the future."

Lin Huai smiled bitterly, "I was sincere and sincere in answering you yesterday, but you are all set? If so, then this relationship will not retreat. Don't say that the two previous generations have some friendship, but now there is no It’s impossible to retreat for this reason."

Cheng Yunzhi waved his hand, "You can assume that this has never happened before."

Chu Shuning said helplessly: "Yunzhi, why is Youyou so decisive? Could it be that she doesn't like Lin Zhao?"

Everyone in the Lin family had a good relationship, but Chu Shuning didn't expect Bo Ruoyou himself to say that he didn't want this relationship anymore. She was also a woman, and naturally saw the key point at a glance.

Cheng Yunzhi didn’t conceal the words, “It’s true.” He snorted, “You Lin Zhao are indeed young talents, but we also have an idea. As a result, she and Lin Zhao have only a few fate and friendship. The above is just commonplace. Secondly, this relationship has changed someone else, and it has been changed for so many years. She disdains to talk about it for the sake of an unsocial relationship. If it is not her, she will not force it."

Chu Shuning and Lin Huai couldn't hear it. Lin Zhao was known as a talent, but now he is not looked down upon.

Seeing her look like this, Cheng Yunzhi said confidently: "I went to the door yesterday to keep the faith of the year. I will keep my words today. Don’t worry. Youyou and I won’t mention the matter of marriage. Will be capricious."

Lin Huai and Chu Shuning didn’t show up on their faces, but they both breathed a sigh of relief. Everything is the same as before.

"I naturally believe in you. If that's the case, then the matter is settled." Lin Huai looked at the courtyard again after speaking, "I don't see Youyou, but I went to the Yamen?"

Cheng Yunzhi nodded, "Yes, there is a case in the yamen."

Chu Shuning sighed a little, "A faint little girl with a beautiful face and a beautiful face, how did you let her do a job? It is really distressing to be with the dead all day and to run around and toil like this all day long."

Chu Shuning's words were sincere, without contempt, and Cheng Yunzhi also sighed: "This is what she has to do. She was seriously ill back then, and after she recovered, she didn't have a preference. Fangze taught her rough and shallow medical skills. Because of what happened back then, I didn’t want to continue practicing medicine. By a coincidence, I helped the county government to cut off the cause of the death of a person who died accidentally, and then did a job. Youyou didn’t know what I did at first, but didn’t even realize it when I knew it. I'm afraid, but I think it's very meritorious to help the dead."

Chu Shuning frowned, "Is it because of what happened back then—"

Cheng Yunzhi nodded, "There is a certain reason for this, so don't look at her as a child. She knows it in her heart. It's just that she is easy to have a preference. How can I bear to stop it? I thought that maybe after ten and a half months, I won't like it anymore. After all, there is no little girl who likes to do this, but then she persisted, and she was quite diligent. After Fangze passed away three years ago, I was not in good health, so she helped the county office to do an autopsy on her own. Later, there were more examinations. Now it's better than me."

Chu Shuning sighed, "What about after that, do you want to keep doing work?"

Cheng Yunzhi frowned slightly, "Actually...I didn't want her to continue doing it, especially the last time she was attacked by a murderer and was seriously injured, and her life was almost hanging by a thread. At that time, I regretted teaching her how to do it."

Cheng Yunzhi's face showed a deep pain, and he said with a sigh of relief: "It was also at that time. I thought I could not delay any more. Then I ordered someone to inquire about you. When the incident happened, the palace first investigated and dealt with the Cheng family. Staring at the Cheng family, I had to leave Beijing after more than ten years. If it weren't for Youyou, I wouldn't bother you."

Lin Huai sighed, "Why do you bother to think like this? Back then, the imperial concubine and prince were involved. There is no right or wrong at all. If people can't be saved, someone must be responsible for it. Medication is just a name, you and I understand. Back then, the Lin family couldn't help your father, but they tried their best to speak for the others in the Cheng family. Nowadays, am I still taboo?"

Cheng Yunzhi responded with a smile, and Chu Shuning asked, "Then Youyou will continue to do work for a while? Have you ever thought about Youyou's marriage?"

Cheng Yunzhi's smile faded, "This matter... has to be discussed in the long term."

Cheng Yunzhi was a little worried, but didn't go into details. He left him and his wife for lunch. After lunch, Lin Huai left the house. As soon as he left the door of Cheng's house, Lin Huai saw one in the distance. Staring at them from the corner of the street, but after he looked over, the man quickly turned the corner and disappeared.

Lin Huai frowned. Although it was just a glimpse, she felt that the man was sneaky.

Chu Shuning followed him over, "What's the matter?"

Lin Huai stared at the street corner for a while, but did not see the person coming back. He only thought he was suspicious for a while, shook his head and got into the carriage, and Chu Shuning said as soon as he got into the carriage, "Youyou is an idea and reason, and it's also a Good boy, it’s just that we have no relationship with Zhaoer. They changed their minds this time, but they have lost some waves." With a wry smile, "I didn't expect that Zhaoer would be looked down upon."

Lin Huai somehow thought of Huo Weilou at this moment, and he also laughed, "They know each other in a short time, and it is common for them to have no other thoughts. It will be better to be brothers and sisters in the future, and there is nothing to choose from the Bo family. This is the case. If it's settled, there is no need to let Zhao'er know that it bothers him."

Chu Shuning responded with a smile.

After Lin Huai's carriage left for a full incense, the sneaky figure of Shicai appeared on the street corner again. This time he stood there and waited for a while. Seeing that there was no movement at the Cheng's house, he turned and left Changxingfang and passed by. On the Yujie, went straight to Changlefang, and turned around a few alleys to the side entrance of the Bofu Ancestral House, called the door, and soon someone put him in.

…

The sun rose in mid-air, but Bo Ruoyou and his party had not found Guzhang Village. Bo Ruoyou couldn't help raising the curtain of the car to ask Wu Xiang, "Wu catches the head, doesn't it mean that Guzhang Village is in the lower reaches of the Luohe River?"

They had walked twenty miles along the Luo River, and then looked for a distance away from the river bank, but they asked seven or eight people along the way, but no one knew where the Guzhang Village was.

Wu Xiang also frowned. "It is said that the chief worker of Guzhang Village is not from Guzhang Village. He just knows where he is, and there are many rumors about Guzhang Village. The altar he said is one of them, and he still listens to it. The older generation has talked about it and said that Guzhang Village believes in the gods of rivers and waters, and this altar is dedicated to the gods of rivers and waters."

Bo Ruoyou frowned slightly, "Abandoning the baby by the river, and the strange rock is like an altar. It is indeed in line with the belief in the **** of water, but he also heard hearsay that Guzhang Village may not be in this direction."

Wu Xiang hurriedly said, "If you can't find it before sunset, we will go back to Beijing."

In this way, Bo Ruoyou didn't feel anything. Cheng Yunzhi prepared snacks and tea for her today. She was riding a carriage, anyway, with less effort than Wu Xiang and Yapai.

Wu Xiang said again: "I have taken someone to check the cloth. In the entire capital, there is only one company selling the same silk and satin, but he said that the embroidery pattern on it is not the type they sell, so it is not in their place. I bought it, and since I can't find any clues here, I can only come to this village."

Bo Ruo was so quiet, he walked another five or six miles like this, but the land next to Luohe was nothing but fertile fields, and further forward, there were undulating mountain beams, and occasionally a few farmhouses could be seen, but when I asked, They all say that this is not Guzhang Village.

Seeing that the hour was getting later and later, Wu Xiang ordered the government officials to scatter, and then went to the mountain village to the west of Luohe, and walked for half an hour like this, and the two government officials went to the west to look for. came back.

"Head-catching, I asked! I said there are no other villages around here, but going west, after the mountain ridge in front, there is a small village, but that village is very small, and it is not called Guzhang Village."

Wu Xiang looked around and only saw the shadow of a mountain beam in the distance. The Changgong said it was twenty miles away, but they had walked twice as fast now, and he was a little tired. Thinking about it this way, he felt that today He couldn't be in vain, he gritted his teeth and said: "Go to the village to inquire about it. If they don't know about Guzhang Village, let's go back."

The group went to the west of Luohe River, and after walking less than ten miles, a low mound appeared in front of them.

The mountain road is a bit rugged, and the thin horse-drawn carriage walks more slowly. She lifted the curtain here to see, only to feel that this place is far away from the capital, and it deviates from the official road and the scenery along the Luo River, which seems a bit remote. The territories seem to have come under the control of the counties under the jurisdiction of Gyeonggi. Now it is the heyday of spring, with green trees and wild flowers blooming between the mountains and plains. Although the journey is boring, you can see the spring scenery in the mountains and forests, and it is quite interesting to walk in spring.

When the carriage rides on the mountain beam, the view is more open. When looking west, you can already vaguely see a few families. Then down the mountain beam, you can see that this is a valley. There are more than ten in the valley. The farmhouse has the feeling of a hermit outside the world.

The dirt-cast path in the village went down the hillside, and the narrow one just happened to be able to pass by a carriage. Not long after we walked, we met two middle-aged men in commoners carrying hoes. Xiongtai, dare to ask if this is Guzhang Village?"

The two frowned, and one of them drew his eyes and said, "This is Heishui Village."

Wu Xiang heard this and asked, "Have you ever heard of where is Guzhang Village?"

The two shook their heads, "I don't know this."

The two of them were obviously going to do farm work, and Wu Xiang didn't ask much, and only headed towards the nearby farmhouse, "Look at which house has an elderly person, and ask an elderly person to ask."

As he walked, Bo Ruoyou raised the curtain and looked out. This valley is covered with mountain ridges on three sides, with only a gap in the northwest direction. The mountain road also extends to the northwest, but he doesn’t know where he went from there. Bo Ruoyou She was watching, but found that the bright sky suddenly dimmed. She hurriedly looked towards the sky to the west, and saw that the sun that had not yet fallen into the sky was covered by clouds. Although it had not yet reached dusk, it was already the sky. The sense of darkness.

Wu Xiang also saw it, and couldn't help but speed up a bit, and soon rushed to a farmhouse.

There are simple fences in the farmhouses here, and there are also courtyard gates. Wu Xiang stepped forward and called the gate. For a moment, a grizzly-haired old woman appeared inside the gate. She looked out with a guarded look, and there were many visitors. , I made the door a bit smaller, and the sound of the urn said: "What's the matter?"

Yacha came forward and asked: "Mother-in-law, we belong to Jingzhaoyin's government. Have you ever heard of a Guzhang village nearby?"

The mother-in-law frowned and closed the door with a "pop", "I haven't heard of it, this is Heishui Village."

Yacha looked back at Wu Xiang, Wu Xiang looked helpless, "Go to the next house and have a look."

Everyone walked along the mountain road and soon reached the bottom of the valley. Most of the houses here were concentrated at the bottom of the valley. In order to make it easier to ask people, the government chose the most spacious courtyard and knocked on the door.

The houses here are no longer fence walls, but solid walls with gray tiles and mud. Among the simple houses, it looks quite magnificent. After the government called the door, the figure of a seven or eight-year-old boy appeared inside the door.

The boy also wears a commoner, with a dangling bun on his head, and a collar with a peace symbol on his neck. His eyes are black and white. He still looks out of the door with a little fear. , Are there any adults in your family?"

The boy blinked, before speaking, an old man's voice came from behind him.

"Yu'er, who are you talking to?"

The boy opened the door bigger, "Mother-in-law, many people—"

When the voice settled, an old woman in a gray robe greeted everyone. She was limping and had several scars of different shapes on her face. Her hair was quite sparse, and she was extremely thin and dressed. The gray robe was drooping on her body and looked a little deformed inexplicably, but her eyes were quite clear, and she quickly stood behind the boy and looked at Wu Xiang suspiciously.

"Who are you?"

The officer asked: "Mother-in-law, have you heard of where there is a Guzhang Village around here?"

Upon hearing this, the old woman did not shook her head and vetoed like the few people asked earlier. She was a little surprised at first, and then slowly asked, "What do you ask Gu Zhang Village for?"

This remark made Wu Xiang's eyes light up. He turned over and got off his horse, and said kindly: "Mother-in-law knows? We are from the Yamen of Beijing. I want to ask some old people in Guzhang Village to ask something. Do you know about Guzhang Village? thing?"

The old woman's face was slightly cold, "You don't have to look for it, the people in Guzhang Village are all dead."

Wu Xiang frowned, "Extremely dead? Why did you die out?"

"Plague, maybe more than ten years ago, I got a plague and everyone in the village died." The old woman showed a bit of disgust on her skinny and scarred face, and pointed to the gap in the southwest. "From here Going forward for fifty miles, you can see several abandoned houses in a ravine, and there is Guzhang Village."

Fifty miles! Wu Xiang's eyes were dark, "Then, are there no people living in that village?"

If there are no living people, how can there be dead babies? Or did people from other villages learn about the altar method in Guzhang Village and then imitate it?

Wu Xiang has a lot of questions in his heart. This is the old woman said: "Basically no, some have left their homes and went elsewhere. They have had plagues in their villages, and everyone is afraid of dealing with them. I have not heard of them for many years. The name Guzhangcun has passed."

Wu Xiang's heart sank as he heard it, and asked, "The mother-in-law knows that Guzhang Village used to have a powerful method of offering sacrifices to the gods?"

The old woman was even more suspicious, "You are from Yamen, what do you do with this?"

Wu Xiang said half-truth and half-truth: "The people in the yamen also believe this, please God so that we can get promoted and get rich. This time, we are running errands for the nobles. If the mother-in-law knows, if we don't tell us, she must be thankful. "

The old woman looked at them and then at the carriage behind. Then she saw the face of the woman in the carriage. She pointed to Bo Ruoyou, "Is that your nobleman?"

Wu Xiang smiled, "I think so."

The old woman began to hesitate. At this time, it rained suddenly in the sky. Although the raindrops were not dense, they were all the size of beans. Wu Xiang and others were showering outside, and soon large and small wet marks appeared on their bodies.

The old woman seemed unbearable, "It's raining. Come in to shelter from the rain, and the nobles will come in too."

It was getting late, and it rained again. Fortunately, I finally asked a person who knew it. Wu Xiang patted the rain on his hair, and the first one took the lead and walked in. This trip was followed by seven government officials, plus Wu There were as many as ten masters and servants in Xiang and Bo Ruoyou. They all walked into the courtyard together. The courtyard that was not wide at first seemed a bit crowded. When they entered the main room, there were even stools for everyone to sit on. not enough.

The rain outside the door was getting heavier and heavier. The courtyard was filled with soil-solid ground, which looked a little muddy at the moment. Wu Xiang looked at the rain with a little worry, and asked: "How do you call your mother-in-law? This is the Heishui Village native? Only two grandchildren?"

The old woman and the boy stood by the door leading to the inner room, "The old woman's surname is Zhang, who was born and raised here. There is a son who works outside. His wife died of illness two years ago. On weekdays, only the old woman takes her grandson to live."

The furnishings in the house are quite simple, and the house has been looking at it for some years. Wu Xiang looked around and asked, "The mother-in-law knows the method of offering sacrifices to the gods in Guzhang Village?"

Granny Zhang nodded, "I have heard that if I believe in the **** of water or the **** of rain, I have to hand in the worship every year. If the worship is not enough, they will be punished. Some people say that the plague of the year was to punish them."

Wu Xiang doubted: "This place is not near but not far from the capital, the plague... I never remember that there was a plague more than ten years ago."

Granny Zhang smiled, her raised lips twitched her haggard face, and she followed with a few scars, "Although it is not far away, but here is near Qinshui County, and it is in the mountains, on weekdays. Most of them don’t care about it, and the village is very weird. They don’t intermarry with foreigners, and they don’t like to interact with people in other villages. Because of this, they just die in their own village and other villages. People escaped."

After she finished speaking, she smiled again, looking at it as if she had escaped too, but the smile didn't seem to reach the bottom of her eyes. Instead, the face twitched, making her scalp numb.

Bo Ruoyou has been standing by the window since entering the door. Although the house is very old, the gray tiles on the mud are all new and seem to have been renovated. She asked, "How long will the mother-in-law's son come back? Once?"

Granny Zhang said without blinking, "I haven't come back for half a year."

Bo Ruyou's lips pressed slightly and asked, "Why is this place called Heishui Village?"

Granny Zhang pointed to the northwest, "There is a black water pool at the foot of the mountain, so it is called Heishui Village."

The rain is getting heavier and the sky is getting darker. Bo Ruoyou feels a little uneasy inexplicably. Fortunately, there are so many government offices in the house that she is not too anxious. At this time, Wu Xiang said, "When we came, we were in Mid-Levels. Shang also asked an old woman, but that woman has never heard of Guzhang Village."

"Oh, you said Mrs. Wu, she has a bad memory when she is old. She must have heard of it." Mother Zhang replied without thinking. After she said, she glanced at the rain outside, "This rain is too big, don't hurry up." It’s too late to get out of the mountain. The road in the mountain is slippery. After a while, I’m afraid that the road will be muddy and I won’t be able to walk."

Seeing that the rain did not look like showers, Wu Xiang didn't want to spend the night in the mountains. Just as he was about to get up, he heard Bo Ruoyou say, "I'm really thirsty after a day of walking, can I have a bowl of water for my mother-in-law here?"

Granny Zhang didn't care, "Yes, wait a minute."

After she finished speaking, she wanted to go by herself, but she was not worried about leaving her grandson behind, so she took her grandson to go with her. The kitchen must be out of the main room to go. The two grandsons quickly disappeared at the door. Thinking of it, Bo Ruoyou quickly walked towards the door of the inner room where the two of them were standing just now.

The room was simple and simple, and there was no wooden door. Only the curtain was hanging, and Bo Ruoyou lifted the curtain to enter. Suddenly, Wu Xiang and the others were surprised. But soon, Bo Ruoyou walked out of the house, his expression no longer suitable for him. She was so quiet, she met Wu Xiang's gaze, but before she spoke, Granny Zhang came back with a bowl of water.

Seeing that she was not standing there just now, Grandma Zhang's brows suddenly wrinkled. At this moment, Wu Xiang thought about it and stood up, "Grandma Zhang, the mountain road is not easy to walk, we are afraid to stay here for one night, mother-in-law. Would you like to take us in for the night?"

Granny Zhang's hand holding the bowl was trembling slightly, she looked at them around and nodded, "It can be, but it's for money."