The Delicate Lady Coroner Chapter 136: Seventh Lady 06

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Chapter 136 Seventh Lady 06

Liu Xi frowned and said: "I wanted to ask her something, not to visit her. But when I arrived that day, I was stopped outside the door. I stood outside the house and said a lot of things. , there was no answer, and I was a little worried that something might happen to her, but the master at the nunnery said that she often did this, so I just left."

Wu Xiang frowned, "What are you doing for?"

Liu Xi's face darkened, and the others also looked different. Wu Xiang glanced at them for a moment, "Now it can be concluded that the seventh girl was murdered. Not only that, I also probably know what you want to hide." ——"

He said in a deep voice: "Seven girls have given birth to children."

As soon as these words came out, everyone's expression changed. The third master Liu Qian asked unhappily: "What does this have to do with the case?"

Wu Xiang looked at him indifferently, "Of course it is related. A murderer needs a motive to kill someone. Anyone who has a grudge or entanglement with Miss Qi may be the murderer. Miss Qi is not married yet, nor is she engaged. But she actually gave birth to a child. You all should know this, and she was sent to the nunnery probably because of this. Am I right?"

Liu Qian's throat was tight and he didn't know how to answer for a moment. Liu Xi couldn't help but said: "You mean, the person who murdered the seventh sister might be pregnant with her innocent person?"

Wu Xiang shook his head, "You haven't said yet who is the person who harmed Miss Qi's innocence."

The elders of the Liu family all had serious faces, as if they found this matter quite difficult to discuss. Liu Yan hesitated for a moment, "Captain Wu, actually we don't know who compromised the seventh sister's innocence. Because of this, The seventh sister was sent away."

Wu Xiang frowned, and the Liu Qian brothers looked even more serious when they heard this. The second master Liu Xian said at this moment: "Why do you conclude that Yao'er was murdered? Didn't you say that the house was locked from the inside? She has had a bad temper since she was a child. He is very taciturn and extremely timid and timid. After the accident, he often feels like he doesn't want to live anymore, so suicide is not impossible."

Wu Xiang told what Bo Ruoyou had discovered, "On the surface it does look like suicide, but what he did and verified cannot be false. Since it is a murder case, the government will investigate it to the end, so I hope you will not hide it. You have also seen that the government now treats you with courtesy, and all the evidence in this case is for solving the case, and will never flow into the public and affect the reputation of the Liu family. However, if the case remains unsolved for a long time, the matter of Shuiyue'an If it spreads again, then the Yamen will be unable to keep it a secret for you even if it wants to."

Liu Xian's eyes flashed when he mentioned Shuiyue An, and Liu Qian and Fourth Master Liu Jin also had strange expressions on their faces. The three young men, with their sullen faces and frowning eyebrows, especially the fifth young master Liu Xi, There was a look of disgust on his face.

Liu Xian ranks second among the elders of the Liu family. Since the head of the family is away, his words naturally carry weight, "What Yan'er said just now is true. We don't know who ruined her innocence. She didn't learn well." , had an affair with someone, and because she didn’t like to go out in the yard, we didn’t expect her to be pregnant at first. We only found out when the baby was five months old and she couldn’t hide her pregnancy. At that time, all methods were exhausted and she refused to say anything. She wanted to abort the child with a bowl of medicine, but she was weak. The doctor said that if she aborted like that, she might not survive, so we showed mercy."

Wu Xiang frowned, "Where is the child?"

"The child was not aborted, but we were afraid that this would ruin the reputation of the Liu family, so we thought of sending the child away as soon as he was born. Unexpectedly, at seven months, the child was born prematurely and was a boy. But because there was a weak disease in the womb, she couldn't survive a few days after birth. She was even more violent at that time, and it took her two months to survive before she could go to the ground."

"We tried our best to be patient with her, but even after reaching this point, she still refused to say anything. Seeing that she was really stubborn, we sent her to Shuiyue An to think about her mistakes——"

It is now halfway through August, and Liu Yao has been sent to Shuiyue Temple for half a year, that is, in February. So she gave birth during the Chinese New Year. Therefore, she became pregnant around May of last year, but The entire Liu family couldn't figure out who had ruined her innocence.

Wu Xiang frowned, "Who are the men who usually get close to her?"

Liu Yan said: "She doesn't go out much, and rarely goes to other people's homes, so we find it strange..."

Wu Xiang asked again: "Who knows that she is in Shuiyue Temple in Beiguan?"

Liu Yan added: "At first, only our family members knew about it. Later, some relatives also knew about it. If we count, there are many people who know about it now. But for some reason, only our family members know about it."

The more Wu Xiang listened, the weirder he felt. He glanced at the people in front of him and had a suspicion in his heart that made him a little uncomfortable. However, he couldn't help but didn't ask. He just said: "You all said that she has a reserved temperament, so what about her? Have you ever had any grudge against anyone?"

Liu Xi pursed her lips and said, "She is a timid person who won't make grudges with anyone."

Not loved since she was a child, timid and reserved, these descriptions fell on Liu Yao, which made Wu Xiang more and more suspect that the murderer of Liu Yao was related to her being corrupted.

Wu Xiang narrowed his eyes and said, "Do you have any doubts about her innocence?" After a pause, she asked again, "Among your cousins, who has the best relationship with her?"

The second young master, Liu Xu, said: "I am the eldest brother. Growing up, I loved her more. As for those who doubt..." He looked at his two younger brothers, "We really don't know what she can do." Who should we get closer to? Because of this, we were so angry with her that there was nothing we could do. Otherwise, we would not have sent her to Shuiyue An for so long."

Wu Xiang pondered for a while and said: "You are both brothers, there are differences between men and women. I don't think you know her private affairs. Is her maid from earlier still in the house?"

Liu Xu said: "No more. After I found out she was pregnant, I asked the maid, but the maid didn't know anything about her, so she was sold out by us."

Wu Xiang was pacing back and forth, with a somewhat gloomy look on his face. He suddenly stopped for a moment and said, "Then we're afraid we have to go to your house and ask about the servants in your house."

Liu Xiandao: "This is natural."

Wu Xiang looked at a few people and ordered the officials to bring pens and paper, "I would also like to ask you to write down your whereabouts from the fifth day of August to the seventh day of August. Did you leave the city and who were you with? What was done, the more detailed the better.”

Liu Xian and the other elders looked impatient. They also knew that they were asked to write out proof of alibi. Even though they were not happy, they had to write it. Liu Yan and the others were speechless and soon sat at the table next to them. Write on the case.

Not long after, Liu Xi frowned and said, "What if there is no witness?"

Wu Xiang raised his eyebrows, "How come there is no one to witness the Dharma?"

Liu Xidao: "I was not in the house that night on the sixth day of the lunar month. I lived in a house in the south of the city. No one can testify for me."

Wu Xiang frowned and Liu Xidao said, "I bought that house for myself, because it wasn't long ago and I haven't hired any servants yet. I plan to use it to make friends with literati and to set up a place for elegant gatherings."

Wu Xiang's expression remained unchanged, "Let's write it down first. The yamen has its own regulations, and it's not just because someone has no witnesses that they will be regarded as the murderer."

Liu Xi then continued to write, and Wu Xiang said: "I will ask the official to come to your house later, and everyone will ask about their whereabouts in those days, so there is no need to panic. ”

No one had any objections. After everything was finished, Wu Xiang asked everyone to leave.

Bao Ruoyou walked out of the back corridor, and Wu Xiang turned around to look at her, "What do you think? Except for the fifth young master just now, no one else has ever left the city, and there are witnesses. I will send someone to verify it later."

Bao Ruoyou said: "Listening to their description, since Miss Liu has no chance to meet her husband, could it be that she is one of her own family members? If she is a servant of the family, and Miss Liu was forced, I am afraid that she will not die. If she kept it secret, there were only two possibilities. First, she really had an affair with someone and kept silent in order to protect this person. Second, she didn't say it because she was afraid."

"If it's the first possibility, no matter who the target is, it's possible. If it's the second possibility, it can't be a servant of the family. I have a thought in my heart, but it's just a bit appalling——"

Wu Xiang said: "Do you doubt the Liu family?"

Bo Ruoyou nodded, and Wu Xiang said: "Don't say it's you, I've thought about it too. After being a head catcher for the past few years and seeing many cases, I know that nothing is impossible."

Bo Ruoyou also thought the same thing. This is what Wu Xiang said: "When you come back, I will report the case to you, and then take people to Liu's house to see what else is missing. What we found out is that the Liu family is mixed up with the nunnery. It is not an upright family to begin with, and I’m afraid there are a lot of scandals inside.”

Bo Ruoyou also felt the same, "Today is August 14th. Calculated, Liu Yao's death time was indeed around the sixth day of the lunar month. The arrester can also ask everyone in the nunnery who visited Liu Yao during the past six months. Yao has the most, let’s see if it is true as the second young master said, he and Liu Yao have the best relationship.”

After a slight pause, Bo Ruoyou asked again: "Besides these few people, are there any other young masters in the Liu family?"

Wu Xiang said: "The third son, Liu Yan, is the son of the eldest son of the Liu family. He has an older brother before him. He is currently in the army and is away from the capital all year round. He should have nothing to do with this matter. The second son, Liu Xu, is the second son." The fifth son who comes today is the son of the fourth master. The third master Liu also has a son who ranks fourth, but he is ill today——"

"Sick?" Bo Ruoyou raised his eyebrows.

Wu Xiang then said: "I suspect it is not an ordinary disease, maybe it is poisoned by gold ointment. But when I went to Liu's house yesterday, I didn't see anyone else, so I can't be sure."

After a slight hesitation, Wu Xiang said: "Do you want to go and see it together?"

Of course Bao Ruoyou agreed happily, Wu Xiang was certain in his heart that Bao Ruoyou was the most attentive, and since the victim this time was a woman, she could always think more carefully than he thought.

With this thought in mind, the two of them waited for Sun Zhao to return. It was not until noon that Sun Zhao left the palace. With a bit of fatigue on his face, he entered the Yamen and saw Bo Ruoyou here. There was a moment of wanting to speak but he hesitated between his eyebrows, and then he asked about the case.

After Wu Xiang finished reporting the case, Sun Zhao said: "Then you can personally take people to investigate."

Wu Xiang saw a gloomy look on his face and couldn't help but ask: "Sir, what's going on in the court? Why do you look so worried?"

Sun Zhao waved his hand, "It's no big deal."

Hearing this, Bo Ruoyou couldn't help but ask: "Sir, is there any news from the southwest in the DPRK?"

Sun Zhao said with a serious look on his face: "Of course it does. The southwest side will submit a report to His Majesty every few days. Today we are also discussing the matter. It is said that the official circles in the southwest are very involved. This time because of this poison, There will be great turmoil in the officialdom in the southwest." After a pause, Sun Zhao continued: "It is said that even the southwest garrison has been mobilized."

Bao Ruoyou's heart trembled slightly, but he couldn't ask too many questions. Thinking that Huo Weilou had not received a letter in the past few days, he just felt that he must be too busy to escape, but he did not dare to think about whether he would encounter danger. .

Having decided to go to Liu's house, Wu Xiang didn't delay. After lunch, he took Bao Ruoyou to Liu's house.

The Liu family lives in Pingkangfang, so it used to be the residence of five generations of hereditary Earls. The courtyard is very impressive. The Liu family knew that people were coming from the Yamen and quickly invited them in. Not long after, Liu Yan came out to greet them.

"If Mr. Wu wants to inquire about anything or whom he wants to meet, just tell me and I will make arrangements for Mr. Wu."

Wu Xiang frowned and said, "Where are the fourth young masters in the house?"

Liu Yan's face changed slightly, and he pondered for a moment before raising his feet, "My fourth brother is ill, and since the arrester wants to see him, I will lead the way, come with me——"

The Liu family was particularly quiet today. When Wu Xiang came last night, the daytime banquet had been completed, and there were many servants in the house, bustling with activity. But today, it seemed that there were even fewer servants. He noticed in his heart, but did not ask. From the exit, we just went deeper along the corridor of the mansion, and soon we entered a small courtyard.

"This is my fourth brother's yard, but he has been ill recently and has been taking care of himself and rarely goes out."

After Liu Yan said this pleasantly, he walked quickly through the door and then into the Nuan Pavilion. After saying a few words to one person, he let them in. When he entered the Nuan Pavilion, he saw a thin young man half lying on the couch with his body covered with blood. Covered with a brocade quilt, he looked sick, and the Nuange was filled with a bitter smell of medicine. After a brief sniff, Bo Ruoyou knew what medicine he had used.

The fourth son, Liu Heng, only heard that someone from the Yamen was coming, but he did not expect that there was a woman. He looked surprised for a moment, "There is a woman in the Yamen"

"Miss Bo is the widow of our yamen." After Wu Xiang finished speaking, he asked, "What disease does the Fourth Young Master have?"

Liu Heng's eyes flashed, "It's just cold."

Wu Xiang looked at Bao Ruoyou. Bao Ruoyou shook his head first, and then nodded. Wu Xiang and Bao Ruoyou also had a tacit understanding, and he understood immediately. He twitched his lips and said, "The Fourth Young Master has been ill for many days. Is it okay? It must be very difficult. If it can’t be cured in the mansion, you can try to go to the Chengnan Hospital Camp."

Liu Heng's expression changed slightly, and Liu Yan also raised his eyebrows. He looked at Bo Ruoyou with a bit of scrutiny in his eyes.

“I don’t know what the head catcher is talking about.”

Wu Xiang calmed down and said: "Being poisoned by the golden ointment is not a crime. Judging from the appearance of the Fourth Young Master, the poison is not serious. If it is really not good, you can go to the south of the city to get a prescription for the decoction. Anyway, the prescription is now It has been announced to the world."

Liu Heng's expression changed several times, and finally he snorted coldly, "The arrester should get down to business."

"On the fifth and sixth days of the lunar month, did the Fourth Young Master go out of the city?"

Liu Heng said calmly: "It's out on the sixth day of the lunar month."

"Where did you go?"

"Go to Xiangguo Temple to worship Buddha——"

Wu Xiang raised his eyebrows, and Liu Heng said quietly: "You have also seen that I am sick. When I can get up and walk around, I want to worship the Buddha and burn incense. I want to pray to the Buddha for blessing and recovery soon. And I fell ill on the way back that day. When I returned to the mansion, I was carried in. Everyone knows this. From that day to now, I have been recuperating in the mansion and have never left this courtyard. ”

Wu Xiang pursed his lips slightly and said, "Okay, nothing else."

After all, Liu Heng was a young master from an aristocratic family and was unwilling to cooperate nicely with the yamen. Wu Xiang did not waste time with him, so he said to Liu Yan, "Please take us to the seventh lady's yard to have a look."

Liu Yan followed Shan Ruliu and took them out. On the way there, Wu Xiang said again: "I have to trouble you, Sir, to gather the concierge of the mansion, the personal attendants of the masters, and the ladies in charge of the mansion together to ask questions."

Liu Yan responded and asked the boy behind him to pass on the message. After a while, they stopped in front of a remote courtyard.

This courtyard is located in the northwest corner of the mansion. According to feng shui, it is really the worst place. Moreover, the courtyard is small and the vermilion paint on the door is mottled. It seems that it has not been repaired for many years. Liu Yan also felt a little uncomfortable, "Because seven My sister was sent away a long time ago, so this yard became deserted."

After entering the courtyard, it was indeed overgrown with grass, but it could not hide the harsh treatment and neglect of Liu Yao in the Liu family. Wu Xiang and Bao Ruoyou did not reveal it, and entered the atrium with several yamen officials.

The door was locked, Liu Yan opened it, and a group of people entered the house. The house that had not been occupied for half a year was covered with dust. Cobwebs could occasionally be seen on the beams. Bo Ruoyou looked at all this, almost suspicious. After the Liu family sent Liu Yao away, they had no intention of bringing her back. She walked quietly through the main hall and then turned into Nuan Pavilion.

There are several boxes and cages piled in the Nuan Pavilion, which are Liu Yao's relics that were moved back from Shuiyue An.

Liu Yan said: "It hasn't been cleaned up yet. I plan to wait for the seventh sister's body to be sent back and be buried with it."

The boxes and cages were piled haphazardly on the ground, and the attendants only took out a few more valuable ornaments. The lid of the opened box was half open, and you could see pens, ink, paper, inkstones, and books piled underneath.

Bo Ruoyou went to see the Nuan Pavilion again. Because the courtyard was small, Liu Yao did not have a separate study room. There were many books in the Nuan Pavilion, which could be regarded as a study room. The top of her desk was also covered with dust, and there was an inkstone on the corner of the table. The thick ink inside has long dried up, and thinking about Liu Yao's death, one can't help but feel desolate.

Bo Ruoyou asked: "After the incident, did anyone in the house come to search her place?"

If you really have an affair with someone, there might be something like a token.

Liu Yan understood clearly and said: "We searched her place inside and outside, but it was only her own things. Because we found nothing, this made us particularly angry."

"Why do you think she didn't say anything?"

Bo Ruoyou looked at Liu Yan, and Liu Yan also looked at her. Seeing her bright and deep eyes, calm yet revealing of scrutiny, his heart tightened, and he thought about it seriously for a moment, "I can't tell you. , seemed to be afraid, and seemed to want to protect that person, we thought about it, maybe it was the son of a relative, and later we more or less tested him, but nothing was found."

Both like protection and fear, Bo Ruoyou frowned and looked at the bookcase carefully. There were many posts on the cabinet. It seemed that she liked posting posts very much. There was a chessboard on the table next to it, and the chess pieces were on it. She was placed in a very advantageous place, and she seemed to like playing chess very much, but she was not favored or welcomed in the house. Who would come here to play chess with her on weekdays?

Bao Ruoyou looked at it for a moment, then asked Liu Yan. After getting permission, he went to Liu Yao's bedroom. The bedroom was decorated like an ordinary woman's boudoir. There was a sewing box placed on the couch next to the west window. Bo Ruoyou frowned, "Does she like to be a female celebrity?"

Liu Yan was stunned for a moment, and then nodded, "Yes, she is actually very well-behaved, and she often likes to make shoes and socks for us brothers." After saying this, and looking at the room, Liu Yan seemed to have two wives. The sadness that comes after realizing it, "It's just something she made..."

Before he finished speaking, Bo Ruoyou knew what he was going to say, "Do you think what she made is very unlucky?"

Liu Yan was slightly surprised. He didn't expect Bo Ruoyou to directly use the word "bad luck". He seemed to want to hide it. Wu Xiang said: "I heard that in your house, she has someone who can conquer her father and mother. Because of his reputation, he is not liked."

Liu Yan was speechless for a moment, "It's not..."

Seeing Bo Ruoyou looking at him clearly, he could only smile bitterly, "It's not our fault. It was indeed because of giving birth to her that the fifth aunt passed away. Later, some troubles happened. We juniors don't think so. What, but the elders have said too much, and coupled with the words of some monks and Taoists, even if you don’t believe it, you will feel uncomfortable.”

Wu Xiang asked directly: "Has the Third Young Master ever worn the shoes and socks made by the Seventh Girl?"

Liu Yan's face was even more green and white. He coughed lightly and said: "Relatively little..."

Hearing this, Bo Ruoyou's heart moved, "Among those young masters, who will wear more clothes?"

Liu Yan seemed to want to find something to make up for, and quickly said: "The second brother and the fifth brother will wear more. Although I wear less, but... I still love her very much on weekdays."

Bao Ruoyou remembered that the second young master Liu Xu had said in the Yamen that he cared a lot about Liu Yao in the past. Hearing this, she couldn't help but ponder for a moment. At this time, she glanced around and saw a small handful of The dagger was hanging on the wall. Where did a little girl like Liu Yao get the dagger?

She stepped forward and looked at the dagger, "Who gave this to me?"

Liu Yan looked at the dagger and said hurriedly: "It was a gift from my second brother."

Liu Xu?

Bao Ruoyou looked carefully and saw that the dagger scabbard was made of bronze, with simple and complex patterns of vicious beasts carved on it, which looked quite aura. Liu Xu saw that she was looking attentively and said: "This dagger is a treasure, but because the blade is too short to be used in actual combat, the second brother gave it to the seventh sister because the sword has the function of warding off evil spirits. He felt pity for the seventh sister because she had a rough life and died. She is young and frail, so she wants to use this sword to protect the seventh sister's house."

At this point, his eyes darkened slightly, "Although everyone in the house is a little concerned about her, there are times when they are kind to her."

"So, does the seventh lady really have the best relationship with the second young master?"

Liu Yan nodded, "Yes, because my eldest brother went to the army early in the morning, and the second brother is the eldest among us brothers, so he takes good care of us brothers."

Bo Ruoyou and Wu Xiang looked at each other, and Liu Yan was confused by their actions, "What's wrong?"

Bo Ruoyou shook his head, "What about the elders? They all care about her very much?"

Liu Yan gave an embarrassed smile and said, "You can't say that. The government didn't deprive her of food and clothing. It's just that there are some things that I would rather believe than nothing. Apart from the fact that my second brother treated her well, Our other brothers will also give her gifts, and occasionally get trinkets, and they will remember her, but she has that reputation, and then something like this happens, it always makes people disappointed and disgusted."

Bao Ruoyou didn't know what he thought of, and suddenly asked: "I think she has read this play, which has a lot of text, but you also gave it to me?"

When she was in Shuiyue Temple, she saw Liu Yao's many books. She thought that she was introverted and taciturn, so it was not like she would take the initiative to find such fashionable things. When Liu Yan heard this, he said: "Yes. We brothers will help her find it, and I have found two volumes for her."

This answer was a bit unexpected. Since he had already given it away, Bo Ruoyou had no reason to ask further. At this time, Wu Xiang said: "Go outside and ask someone to question you."