Chapter 7 Chapter 07 Lovers

In the north of Bingzhou City, Difu. In the second hall of Di Mansion, Chen Songtao sat leisurely on the host-guest seat, drinking tea.Shen Huai was accompanying him, but he was a little restless.On the main seat, Di Renjie looked carefully and exchanged greetings with Chen Songtao from time to time, but his eyes clearly showed rare anxiety and uneasiness.They are waiting for a person here together - Li Yuanfang.According to the agreement, Chen Songtao brought Shen Huai to the Di Mansion half an hour ago, and he should have set off immediately to the scene of Lanyu Temple, but because Li Yuanfang was absent, he sat in the second hall and waited. half an hour.

Di Chun hurried in and reported: "Master, the door of General Li's room is closed. I yelled outside the door for a long time, but no one answered. But the door is locked from the inside, and General Li should be inside." .” Di Renjie said to himself: "What's going on? Yuan Fang has never been like this..." Shen Huai seemed even more uneasy, as if hesitating to speak.Chen Songtao glanced at him and said, "General Shen, do you have something to say?" Shen Huai finally made up his mind, and said: "Master Di, Lord Chen, last night General Li and General Mo drank together at Jiuchonglou Restaurant. I don't know if it's because of this..."

Di Renjie was startled, and hurriedly asked: "Drinking? Who else is with you? How long will it take to drink?" Shen Huai said: "It was Mr. Di who hosted a banquet for General Li, and I was with Sima Wu. Later, Sima Wu got drunk and I sent him home. At that time, Mr. Li and Mr. Di were still drinking. When did they leave? have no idea." Di Renjie's face changed, and he pondered.However, Chen Songtao laughed and said, "Hehe, they are young people after all. It seems that Jing Hui and General Li are very hit-and-miss, probably after drinking, huh? Master Di, do you think we should wait? What if General Li If you are intoxicated, our business today is..."

Di Renjie greeted Di Chun and said, "Di Chun, you go to General Li and knock on the door again. If he doesn't answer, you come back and tell me, and I will call personally." "Yes." Di Chun agreed and ran out, then suddenly turned back and said, "Master, General Li is here." "Oh." Di Renjie stood up and walked quickly to the front of the hall, stopping in front of Li Yuanfang who hurried in.When the two looked at each other, Di Renjie felt his heart tugged suddenly. He was about to speak, but Li Yuanfang grabbed his right hand. Li Yuanfang shook his head at him and said in a low voice: "My lord, I'm sorry, I'm late. Let's go now." Di Renjie let out a long breath, nodded, turned to Chen Songtao and Shen Huai and said, "You can go now."

A group of people galloped on the official road for a full hour and a half before arriving at the cliff outside Lanyu Temple.Under the sunlight at noon, the cliff didn't look too ferocious, but rather majestic. The guards outside the cliff were lined up neatly, and Deputy General Sun was already standing in front of the crack and waiting.Because of the narrow gap, several people got off their horses outside and filed in along the gap. The open space in front of Sapphire Temple has been cleaned up, and the blood has been washed away, but the spring water in the hot spring pool is still black and red, emitting bursts of fishy smell.In a dead and silent valley, the sound of rushing water from hot springs and waterfalls can be heard endlessly. Normally, this sound should bring people a sense of vitality, but at this moment, to Di Renjie, it can only make him feel emotional. Confused and unable to concentrate.Chen Songtao seemed to be in a good mood, looked around, and sighed: "Oh, I have stayed in Bingzhou for half my life, but I never knew that there is such a quiet place in the suburbs. It really is a good place for self-cultivation."

Li Yuanfang said coldly: "Master Chen, a murder just happened here, you are in the mood to enjoy the scenery." Chen Songtao was taken aback by what he said, swallowed in embarrassment, and suddenly smiled: "General Li, Songtao really admires your dedication to your duties and your heart of benevolence and righteousness." Li Yuanfang took a step towards him, Di Renjie immediately winked at Li Yuanfang, and called out in a very low voice: "Yuanfang." Li Yuanfang turned his head and walked aside. Di Renjie called Deputy General Sun and asked, "Where are the corpses found the night before yesterday?"

Vice-General Sun replied: "They have all been stacked in the two main halls and several larger elixir rooms." "Take us to see." "yes." Before reaching the gate of the Laojun Palace, a stench came over the nostrils.Vice-General Sun opened the gate, and saw more than 20 corpses scattered around in Laojun's palace, all of which were mutilated and incomplete, overflowing with stench, Chen Songtao gasped at the gate, Di Renjie glanced at him, Said: "Songtao, if you don't like these scenes, just stay outside." Chen Songtao said: "Master Xie Di understands." He hurried out.Di Renjie led Li Yuanfang and Shen Huai into the hall, and slowly looked at the corpses. After walking back and forth twice, he had some confidence in his mind and signaled the two to leave Laojun Hall.Then, Di Renjie and the others carefully inspected the other rooms where the corpses were placed. Finally, Di Renjie squatted beside a grinning corpse and asked Li Yuanfang, "Yuanfang, can you see what's wrong with this corpse?" ?”

Li Yuanfang said: "My lord, this person was very painful when he died." "Oh, shouldn't one have a painful expression when one dies?" Di Renjie asked with a smile. Li Yuanfang avoided his gaze, pointed to another corpse nearby, and said: "His expression is very peaceful." Shen Huai whispered from the side: "Sure enough, the expressions of these two people are very different." Li Yuanfang said to Shen Huai: "Brother Shen, take a closer look. The corpses here basically have these two expressions. One is very painful, as if they were tortured a lot when they died. The other is very natural, as if died without knowing it."

Shen Huai nodded again and again: "Yes, yes, it is true. Looking back now, the corpses in those other rooms are also like this. How can there be such a difference?" Li Yuanfang said: "It must be that their causes of death are different." Shen Huai asked suspiciously, "What's the difference in the cause of death? Aren't they all killed?" Li Yuanfang said to Di Renjie: "My lord, what do you think?" Di Renjie took a look at him and said, "Yuan Fang, you are right. Although the Taoists here seem to have been hacked to death, there are two obvious differences when you look closely." He pointed to the A corpse with a painful expression, said: "This corpse has a ferocious face and crooked mouth and eyes, indicating that it was very painful when it died. There are many scratches on its face, neck, and chest, which seem to be scars from struggling. Yes, although the left hand and both legs of this corpse were cut off, there is not much blood on his clothes."

Shen Huai nodded frequently.Di Renjie said to him: "General Shen, if you look at the peaceful corpse next to you, can you see any difference?" Enough courage said: "That's right, the wound on the neck of this corpse went straight into the throat, it should be fatal. Then he had cuts on the back of the head, front chest and abdomen, bleeding profusely, and almost all of his clothes were stained. It's bright red." Di Renjie looked at Shen Huai with admiration and said, "General Shen, you can teach me, you are very observant. Then can you try it and speculate on the different causes of death represented by the two corpses?"

Shen Huai pondered for a long time, shook his head and said: "Master Di, Shen Huai can't figure it out." Di Renjie looked at Li Yuanfang and said, "Yuanfang, what do you think?" Li Yuanfang said in a low voice: "My lord, you should say it." Di Renjie couldn't help sighing, and said: "The corpse with a peaceful face was obviously killed by a single blow, and the murderer was familiar to the deceased, so the deceased was unprepared, so his expression was relaxed. Immediately after death, he was hacked several more times, and the blood had not yet As for the corpses with painful faces, the cause of death is hard to say, it seems that they died of some kind of disease or poisoning, in short, they died after experiencing huge physical torture. But the body of these dead The slashing occurred some time after the death, when the blood had already coagulated, so the bleeding caused by the slashing was very little, not even getting much on the clothes." Shen Huai sighed: "Master Di is too reasonable! It must be like this." Di Renjie said: "General Shen, please lead your subordinates to clean up all the corpses again now, and distinguish between the two situations we just mentioned. If there is another third situation, I will check it out. Now , Yuan Fang and I will check the other alchemy chambers." "Yes!" Shen Huai agreed, and quickly called several subordinates to set up. Di Renjie said, "Yuan Fang, follow me." The two walked into the rest of the alchemy rooms one by one, and briefly looked at them. Di Renjie wanted to speak several times, but swallowed them all.Finally, they came to the narrowest alchemy room, and Di Renjie said, "Yuan Fang, look at the hole under the couch, is there any sign of being moved?" Li Yuanfang probed down to have a look, and said, "No. The mud cover on this hole fits perfectly with the surrounding mud, and it's next to the wall, so it's hard to be found. It seems that no one has moved here yet." "En." Di Renjie nodded, looked around again, and said, "Yuan Fang, do you still remember Shen Huai once said that some craftsmen were brought here to build houses about half a year ago?" "Remember. I also took a look when I was examining the corpse just now. These houses were indeed not built for a long time." "Well, you and I actually discovered this when we stayed here for the first time. However, Yuan Fang, if you look at this alchemy room again, it is very old and definitely not newly built half a year ago." "Well, this alchemy room is indeed different from the others. The house is small and the building is old. It must have been built much earlier than the other alchemy rooms and temples." Di Renjie nodded: "This is very important." He looked at Li Yuanfang and suddenly asked, "Yuanfang, are you okay?" Li Yuanfang turned around and walked outside, saying, "My lord, I'm fine." Di Renjie sighed again, followed him and walked out.As soon as he went out, he ran into Shen Huai who was rushing over excitedly. As soon as he saw the two of them, he said: "Master Di, brother Yuanfang, what you said is so true. Brothers have already cleaned up all the corpses. It is indeed these two situations, and there is no third one." Di Renjie nodded in satisfaction and said, "Very good. In this way, our investigation today is considered to be fruitful, and we can go back." Chen Songtao also hurriedly came to them, and said to Di Renjie: "Just now, General Shen told about Master Di's discovery. Songtao was really amazed." Di Renjie waved his hands with a smile, suddenly his eyes lit up, stared at the hot spring waterfall for a while, and then sighed: "This place really has a hidden world, but it's a pity that it was used by people and turned into a killing scene." Chen Songtao said: "Yes, yes. There are quite a lot of wonders around Bingzhou. Master Di, seeing this hot spring waterfall reminds Songtao of another scenic spot in Bingzhou." Di Renjie glanced at him, and said, "What Songtao wants to talk about is Henying Villa." Chen Songtao said: "That's right. The Henying Mountain Villa is also full of hot springs, which is quite a strange place. Songtao heard that Mr. Di has been there the day before yesterday? I don't know if the hostess of the villa showed Mrs. Fan Sir's body?" Di Renjie said coldly: "It seems that I saw it, but there are still many questions about the cause of death, and the old man is hesitating." Li Yuanfang interrupted suddenly: "Your Excellency just went to Henying Villa for the first time the day before yesterday, and it will take time to investigate the case. Why is Master Chen so urging?" Chen Songtao said: "General Li, what do you mean by that? Why did I urge you? This case was entrusted by me and the Governor's Mansion to help Master Di, can I not even ask?" Di Renjie said: "Yuanfang! Master Chen, please don't be too careful. I just need a few more days, but if there is a breakthrough, I will communicate with the Bingzhou government in time. Coincidentally, I also want to ask Master Chen for help." Chen Songtao raised his face and said, "What's the matter?" "I would like to ask Mr. Chen to send General Shen to assist me in handling the case of Henying Villa. General Shen is a member of the Bingzhou government, so he can also act as a representative and supervisor." Chen Songtao said: "There is no problem with this. Songtao will send Shen Huai to Lord Di, and ask Lord Di to dispatch him as he pleases." After galloping again for an hour and a half, the group of people returned to Bingzhou City after noon.Chen Songtao and Shen Huai still sent Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang to the gate of Di Mansion, and then left on their own.Di Renjie watched them go away, he was relieved, and was about to greet Li Yuanfang to enter the mansion, Li Yuanfang suddenly urged the horse to stop him, and said softly: "My lord, Yuan Fang will not go in." Di Renjie was surprised: "Why? You Where are you going?" Li Yuanfang lowered her eyes and said, "My lord, I, I have met a few friends, and it's not convenient to meet with friends often while living here. Therefore, from today onwards, Yuanfang will not stay at your house .” Di Renjie was so shocked that he was speechless for a while.Li Yuanfang looked at his expression, smiled, and said: "My lord, when I find a place to live, someone will send the address to Di Chun, and if you need me in the future, ask Di Chun to send me a letter. Of course, now that there is a case being handled, I will still come to you every day. I... go away!" He clenched his fists at Di Renjie, and without waiting for Di Renjie to answer, he drove away quickly. Di Renjie stayed where he was for a while, until Di Chun ran out from the gate of the mansion and called him several times before he came back to his senses.Returning to the study unconsciously, Di Renjie sat slumped by the desk, in a daze for a long time. Bingzhou, Dongshi, Jiuchonglou Restaurant. Di Jinghui covered his face with a satin quilt and lay on the bed tossing and turning.Lu Yanran came in with a bowl of hangover soup, sat slanted beside him, and said softly, "Jing Hui, I made a bowl of hangover soup made of sour dates and pueraria root, drink it. It will make you feel better after drinking it. Di Jinghui threw back the quilt and sat up, and drank the hangover soup in one gulp from the bowl in Lu Yanran's hand, then fell back on the bed, holding his head and moaning non-stop. Lu Yanran sighed, and said, "Why are you bothering? Last night, you made a fuss, and today you feel like this." Di Jinghui turned over and muttered, "You don't need to worry about it, just go away. "Lu Yanran said: "Jing Hui, you can't lie down anymore. It's past the end of the day, just now Master Di sent a letter to the restaurant, asking you to go back immediately. Someone said that Master Di is looking for you all over the world, Very anxious." Sitting up, Di Jinghui seemed to wake up a lot, and began to put on his clothes silently.While waiting on him, Lu Yanran said, "Jing Hui, could it be Mr. Li who told Mr. Di what happened last night?" Di Jinghui said in a low voice, "No. He can't say a word. Yes. And I'm sure, Li Yuanfang has left my father's place now." "why?" Di Jinghui pondered and said: "I have been in business for so many years, and I have seen countless people. I am still a little sure about people. I originally thought that Li Yuanfang was the same as the other people around my father, so from the beginning Look down on him. But what kind of person he is, I really saw it last night. Frankly speaking, if it weren't for the current situation, I would really like to make friends with him. " Lu Yanran said softly: "When he left last night, he said something to the effect that he would never forgive you." Di Jinghui was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly, and said, "A man can do something, but he can't do something. If things happen helplessly, I don't care about so much. In fact, even I find it hard to forgive my actions. " As he said that, Di Jinghui pulled Lu Yanran into his arms, gently stroked her hair, kissed her forehead, and said softly: "Yanran, I don't care about everyone else, I only care about you. Now Only with you can I feel truly happy. As long as you are still by my side, even if I offend the whole world, I won’t care." Lu Yanran buried her head deeply in his chest, and sighed softly. : "Why am I not like this? Since I was a little girl, I have loved you with all my heart. In my heart, I am your person in life, and I must be your ghost in death. In this life, I Even if I live for you, I can die for you at any time. As long as you say a word, Jing Hui, I will be willing to do whatever you ask me to do." The two hugged each other tightly, as if it was the end of the world In general, one feels both the bitterness of despair and the sweetness of sadness. After being silent for a while, Lu Yanran asked: "Jing Hui, can you tell me what happened? Why did you treat Mr. Li like that?" Di Jinghui's face darkened, and he said in a low voice: "Yanran, these things have nothing to do with you, so don't ask any more questions. In short, I want Li Yuanfang to leave my father and stop him from assisting my father. I have nothing to do with him. , and there is no grievance." Lu Yanran said: "But I just don't understand, what good will doing this do for you?" Di Jinghui suddenly became irritable, pushed her away, and said, "You don't understand these things. Alright, I'm leaving." Lu Yanran picked him up, grabbed his hand, and said, "Jing Hui, tell me, is there something wrong with Lanyu Temple? Is it?" Di Jinghui's face changed drastically, and he said hoarsely: "Yan Ran , don’t think about it. There is no problem in Sapphire Temple, it’s all under my control. You have to trust me!” Lu Yanran nodded with tears in her eyes, and said: "Then I'm clear, it's the matter of Hate Ying Villa, it's my master's death..." Di Jinghui asked: "What do you mean by your master's death?" Lu Yanran said : "Feng Danqing invited Mrs. Di to Heanying Villa, and showed Mrs. Di my master's body. Yesterday she came to Baicao Hall to look for me, saying that Mrs. Di had determined that my master was killed with a short knife, and I know, on the morning of Master's death, you were the only one who went to see my Master." Di Jinghui slapped the table and said angrily, "Feng Danqing! One day I will kill her! Now she is deliberately trying to put me on the table. It's crazy to say such nonsense to everyone." He looked at Lu Yanran and said, "Yanran, you don't have to worry. Who is my father? He won't be fooled by Feng Danqing. What's more, after all, I It's his son, so he wouldn't easily make his son a murderer, right? I didn't kill Fan Qixin, that's a fact. If she, Feng Danqing, wants to blame me, she's just dreaming!" He went to Beside Lu Yanran, she held up her tear-stained and charming face, and said softly: "Yanran, you haven't smiled at me these days. Let me see your smile. I still remember my first The first time I saw you, you were only a three or four-year-old girl, but I was immediately fascinated by your smile, so beautiful, and your emerald green eyes are like a bottomless pool of autumn water, and like a spring in early summer. The clear sky...you smile, Yanran, smile at me." Lu Yanran raised her head and smiled sadly and affectionately at Di Jinghui.Di Jinghui kissed her eyes and walked out. In the east of Bingzhou City, the Temple of Earth. Li Yuanfang rode a horse to the Earth Temple in the east of the city. Unlike the last time he was cautious when he came here, this time he galloped all the way and directly rushed into the broken courtyard of the Earth Temple.Reining in the horse's reins in the courtyard, he called out Han Bin's name as soon as he got off the horse.After shouting a few times, the courtyard was still silent, without any sound.Li Yuanfang's expression became tense. He took a few steps and ran up the steps. The door of the Earth Temple was open, and the dilapidated statue of the Lord of the Earth was covered with dust and cobwebs.There is a pile of straw against the wall in the dirt all over the floor, which should be where Han Bin slept at night.The small footprints on the mud were in a mess, and there were no traces of other people.Li Yuanfang breathed a sigh of relief. After walking around the Earth Temple, she came out and continued to search the courtyard slowly.The courtyard wall at the east end of the courtyard has completely collapsed, and outside the courtyard wall is a desolate place overgrown with weeds, with a few big trees growing sparsely, and crows hovering above it.Li Yuanfang searched around carefully, and suddenly, he found a small puddle of blood on the collapsed courtyard wall.This shock was no small matter, he leaned over and looked carefully, and it was indeed bright red blood, very fresh.Immediately, he only felt his chest tight, dizzy, and almost fell to the ground. He hurriedly supported a wall brick, and took several breaths in succession to stabilize his mind.Looking into the wild grass again, it seems that there is something crouching inside.Li Yuanfang gritted her teeth, pulled out the Youlan Sword from her waist, held it firmly in her hand, stepped over the pool of blood, and walked into the wild grass step by step.After walking about ten steps, You Lanjian found something in the grass. He retracted the sword and stretched out his hand to push aside the wild grass in front of him. He saw Han Bin curled up in a ball, sleeping there!Li Yuanfang stared dumbfounded, Youlan got into her sheath, and stretched out her hands to hug the sleeping child.Han Bin was woken up by him, opened his eyes in a daze, and recognized him after looking at him for a while, pursed his lips and complained: "What are you doing! I'm sleeping." Li Yuanfang smiled and said, "It's late afternoon, how do you sleep?" Han Bin said: "I caught a weasel all night, and I was so sleepy, of course I have to sleep." "Catch a weasel?" Li Yuanfang looked at him with a smile on his face, feeling that his head was completely confused. Han Bin took him by the hand and dragged him to the collapsed courtyard wall. He pointed to the small pool of blood and said to Li Yuanfang, "I even gave that weasel a blow with scissors. This is its blood." Li Yuanfang said: "Ah, so that's the case. I thought..." He reluctantly took a few steps forward, sat down on the steps in front of the Earth Temple, and looked at Han Bin silently. Han Bin sat down beside him and said, "I watched it for two nights, and the weasel always went into the chicken coop of the next door. Yesterday I was going to get some eggs to eat, but I didn't expect the weasel to kill the hen that laid eggs. It was bitten to death. So, I decided to catch this weasel to avenge the chicken!" Li Yuanfang sighed and asked, "Then did you catch it?" "No, I let it go in the end, but I also let it bleed." Li Yuanfang nodded and said, "You made it bleed, and you almost made me faint from anxiety." Han Bin pursed his lips and said, "How come, I've never seen you make such a fuss." Li Yuanfang looked at him with a wry smile and said, "I'm very uncomfortable today. Really, can you treat me a little better?" Han Bin looked at his expression and stopped talking.After a long time, the child said in a low voice: "Actually, I was afraid at night and didn't dare to sleep, that's why I..." Li Yuanfang put his arms around him gently, and said in a low voice: "From today onwards, you don't have to be afraid anymore. From now on I've been with you all the time." Han Bin muttered, "You're with me? I don't want to go to Di Mansion!" Li Yuanfang said: "Not to Di Mansion. Let's find another place to live." He tried his best to pull himself together, He asked again: "You little local snake, do you know where there is an inn? It should be quieter, preferably in the north of the city, not too far away from Di Mansion." Han Bin frowned and began to think hard, Li Yuanfang simply leaned against the temple wall He closed his eyes, and his consciousness gradually became blurred. Suddenly, he heard Han Bin call out: "It's late afternoon, what are you going to sleep for?" Li Yuanfang opened his eyes and asked with a smile, "Do you remember?" "Well, let's go. I'll take you there." "Okay, but try to take the small road, the road that is not easy to be found, do you know it?" Li Yuanfang stood up and asked. "I know it, I'm familiar with it here." "very good." Li Yuanfang led the horse, carried Han Bin up, held the rein in front, and walked forward in the direction indicated by Han Bin.Han Bin was indeed very familiar with Taiyuan City. Along the way, they made many twists and turns, walking in secluded alleys or deserted open spaces. They slowly circled from the east of the city to the north of the city, and walked along a small river. After a while, a small courtyard appeared in front of my eyes, with the words "Linhe Inn" clearly written on the banner. Li Yuanfang was not in a hurry to go in, but first walked around the inn slowly. The courtyard is not big, and the house looks in disrepair. One side of the inn faces the river, one side is a forest, and the other side is sparse The main entrance of the house faces a bumpy and muddy road.He observed coldly, and found that there were very few pedestrians on the road, and they were all in a hurry, with no intention of staying here at all. It seemed that this place was indeed a place that was not easy to be noticed.Li Yuanfang led the horse into the yard, carried Han Bin down, and took him to the counter to ask for a room.The shop clerk seemed to be quite displeased with business visits, and upon hearing Li Yuanfang asking for a secluded room, he replied impatiently: "Guest officer, take a look for yourself, our entire shop is secluded enough. Not many people will come for ten days and a half months. Now there are only three guests living in this store, including you and this child, a total of five. As for the room, you can choose it yourself, whichever you like to live in Anyway, we have the same specification here.” Li Yuanfang finally chose a room on the east end near the river, and when the shop assistant brought them into the room, Li Yuanfang took out some silver and asked him to send the address to Di Renjie’s At the house, you have to hand it over to the housekeeper Di Chun.The clerk happily ran away with the money. This is really a simple room. There is a window on the wall next to the river. There are tables and chairs under the window. On the other side of the wall is an earthen kang, plus a crooked cabinet. The furniture is gone.Han Bin climbed onto the chair and looked out of the window curiously, feeling very fresh.Li Yuanfang was opposite him, leaning on the chair without saying a word, just watching him quietly.Han Bin looked at the river for a while, feeling bored. Looking back, Li Yuanfang smiled at him and asked, "How is it? Would you like to live here?" Han Bin nodded, "It's much better than the Earth Temple, and it's also better than the Lan Yu Guan is good." After finishing speaking, he knew that he had slipped his tongue, so he stuck out his tongue.Li Yuanfang didn't ask any further questions, and said, "I'm going out for a while now, and I'll definitely be back before dark. You stay here obediently and wait for me, okay?" Han Bin let out a "huh" and asked quickly, "Are you going out? Where are you going? What are you going to do?" Li Yuanfang said: "I was just about to ask you, do you know where there is a medicine shop?" "Pharmacy store? Do you want to buy medicine? Are you sick?" Han Bin asked several questions in succession. Li Yuanfang shook his head, nodded again, smiled himself, and said, "My back hurts badly, and I didn't want to bother with it at first, but when I hugged you just now, I found that my arms were so painful that I almost couldn't hold you. You. So it seems that I still have to pay attention to it. It’s really troublesome... However, I can just bring some food back when I go out. What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it.” Han Bin said: "I want to eat bean paste pie." "it is good." Han Bin thought for a while, and then said: "The pharmacy, the Baicaotang in Dongshi is the biggest. Why don't you go there, it's not too far from here, there are several shops selling bean paste pies in Dongshi , the bean paste pies there are the best.” Li Yuanfang couldn't help laughing: "You child, you are quite good at sending me. Well, then you wait, I will go back when I go." Li Yuanfang walked out of the room and closed the door.Han Bin looked at the door for a long time, took out a small paper bag from his arms, opened it to have a look, thought about it, and wrapped it carefully, looked around the room up and down, left and right, and hid the paper bag in the Under the cabinet. Dongshi, Baicaotang. Li Yuanfang came to the gate of Baicao Hall in Dongshi City, observed the surroundings briefly, and was about to go in when he heard someone beside him calling him "Mr. Li". He turned his head and saw Lu Yanran standing gracefully by the side of the road. , was looking at him, with a slightly shy expression, but also seemed to be looking forward to it.Seeing Li Yuanfang stop, Lu Yanran walked quickly to his side, and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Li, are you here to look for Jing Hui? Master Di sent a letter, and he has just returned." "Oh." Li Yuanfang agreed, hesitated for a moment, and planned to leave. Seeing that he was about to leave, Lu Yanran hurriedly said, "Mr. Li, please stay. Yanran has something to say to Mr. Li." Li Yuanfang thought for a while, and nodded Head, made a gesture of please.A gratified smile appeared on Lu Yanran's face immediately, and she led Li Yuanfang up the stairs to an inner room on the second floor of Baicao Hall. Asking Li Yuanfang to sit down at the table, Lu Yanran poured him a cup of tea, and sat opposite him, silent with a complex expression. Li Yuanfang waited for a while, seeing that she had been silent, and was about to speak, when Lu Yanran suddenly said in a low voice, "Young Master Li, you saw me and Di Jinghui together yesterday. Don't you want to ask, what is our relationship?" Li Yuanfang said coldly: "Miss Lu, Yuan Fang is not interested in this." Lu Yanran nodded with a wry smile, "Mr. Li, I understand what you mean. But if these things are related to the case that Mr. Li and Mr. Di are handling, Don't you want to know too?" She waited and saw that Li Yuanfang had no intention of answering, so she continued: "Yan Ran thought about it for a long time, and still thinks that I should tell you and Master Di about Jinghui and me. However, I really don't have the courage to say this in front of Master Di. So, please listen to me, Mr. Li, today. After Yanran finishes these words, she can feel at ease." Li Yuanfang looked at her in surprise, then looked away.Lu Yanran sighed leisurely, and began to talk with blurred eyes: "Young Master Li, you would never have thought that Jing Hui gave me the name Lu Yanran. Back then, when Master took me in from human traffickers, I She was still a three-year-old girl with no background and no name. Later, Master told me that Jinghui saw me for the first time at his place that day, so he wanted to give me a name. Yue Mengxia, he used the word 'Lu' as my surname, and saw that I was smiling all the time, so he took Yanran from Qiaoxiao Yanran as my name, and from then on, I have a name, called Lu Yanran." Tears gradually welled up in Lu Yanran's eyes, and her voice began to tremble: "I didn't know who my parents were since I was a child, and I didn't have anything to rely on in this world, except that Master brought me up and taught me medical skills and pharmacology. , the rest is only Jing Hui who is always by my side. When he named me, he was still a young man under the age of twenty, but he was already number one in the classics, and he was a young talent that many people envied. After growing up I often hate myself for being born too late, for not being able to recall his suave style at that time, but I always feel lucky, because I grew up in front of his eyes, and everything about me was imprinted in his mind, No one can take it away, and no one can replace it. In Yanran's life, there are only two people who are the most important: one is the master, and the other is Jinghui. The master has nurtured Yanran, and Jinghui... ...he was my whole life." When Lu Yanran spoke up to this point, she endured tears for a long time, and slowly fell drop by drop along her beautiful cheeks.She choked up and stopped, and the room was suddenly silent.The setting sun reflected the white window paper into a warm golden yellow, drawing horizontal and vertical grids on the ground, and the dust danced gently in the light beams.Lu Yanran looked at Li Yuanfang's silent profile, smiled with tears in her eyes and said, "Young Master Li, you really look like a person." Li Yuanfang looked at her questioningly, Lu Yanran lowered her head and said, "But that's just a poor girl I know. Man, far from being as heroic and vigorous as you." She gently wiped away the tears on her face, and said sideways: "Yan Ran has lost her composure, Mr. Li, please forgive me." Li Yuanfang shook his head lightly. Lu Yanran sighed again, and continued: "When I was eight years old, Jing Hui married Miss Chen Changshi's daughter, and when I was more than ten years old, his children were all born. He is a person from two worlds, he is the son of the prime minister, and I am just an orphan with unknown origin, but this does not stop me from treating him as my all sustenance. What makes me happy is that Jing Hui He also has sincere feelings for me. Mr. Li, the Jing Hui you have seen these days may be difficult to accept, but I dare say that this is not the real him. Over the years, in my eyes, Jing Hui has always been a kind, open-minded, generous and honest man. He wanted so much to achieve a career, so want to make something different, and so want his father to impress him. He really did it, I think he is very, very great. However, maybe because he is so great and successful, in recent years, I can always feel a vague sense of danger and uneasiness around him. I don’t know what it is, Jing Hui is also unwilling to tell me, he is afraid that I will worry about him. His heart is actually very gentle." Speaking of this, Lu Yanran suddenly raised her voice, looked Li Yuanfang squarely and said: "Mr. Li, Feng Danqing is a man with a heart. Unpredictable woman, since she married into Henying Villa, our peaceful life has been broken. You must remind Mrs. Di to pay attention to her words and deeds, don't believe what she says, and don't pay attention to her hints. I I can swear to you, Jing Hui, he had nothing to do with my master's death. If... in the end, Mr. Di and Mr. Li, you found out that Jing Hui was involved in any crime, it was not his intention. Even if he was guilty, that crime在我陆嫣然！”陆嫣然说完这最后一句话，胸脯剧烈起伏，嘴唇一个劲的颤抖着。 李元芳沉默了很久，待陆嫣然稍稍平静下来，才开口道：“陆姑娘，我会将你的话转达给狄大人。只是我觉得，你还是对我隐瞒了一些事情。我想告诉你，如果你真的希望帮助狄景辉，最好的办法还是对狄大人将全部的事情和盘托出。你刚才所说的话，确实改变了我对狄景辉的一些看法，但我的看法其实一点儿也不重要，重要的是事实。” 陆嫣然微笑地注视着李元芳：“不，李公子，你的看法非常重要，至少对我是这样。”说罢，她站起身来，又一次深深地对李元芳拜了一拜，含泪微笑道：“嫣然只是个低如微尘的女子，即便是死也毫不足惜，但嫣然的歉疚和祝福却是真心实意的。嫣然在心中盼望着，有一天你会和景辉成为肝胆相照的朋友。李公子，请你一定要多多珍重。” 李元芳欠身还礼后，便默默地离开了。 并州大都督府，后堂。 陈松涛踌躇满志地搓着手，在堂内来来回回地踱着步。范泰站在他的面前，脸上也显出喜色。良久，陈松涛停在范泰的面前，注视着他道：“一切尽在我的掌握之中啊。事情进展地简直是太顺利了。没想到狄景辉这个笨蛋，这么容易就上了钩。呵呵，你没看到今天上午李元芳那个样子，狄仁杰这个老狐狸一见之下，居然魂不守舍，神采尽失。太好了，真是太好了。” 范泰谄媚地道：“陈大人，谁说狄仁杰是当世神人，我看他和您比差远了。” 陈松涛洋洋得意地摇头道：“也不能这么说。关键是这次我们招招攻的都是他的软肋。现在，他的儿子牵涉进了杀人案中，他最信任的护卫长又已和他貌合神离，失去了左膀右臂，这个老狐狸自然是方寸全乱，一个花甲老人，身边全无可以信赖之人，还要面对这么多麻烦，想来还蛮可怜的啊。哈哈哈哈。” 他在原地转了个圈，突然想起了什么，问道：“冯丹青这两天有什么动静吗？” 范泰答道：“倒也没有什么特别的，就是一门心思地希望嫁祸于狄景辉，逃脱她自己的干系。” “嗯，在这上面，她和我们的目标是一致的，你尽可以全力支持她。当然，她的把柄我们还是要牢牢的捏在手中，这样就可以随时掌握主动。” “是，请陈大人放心！小的明白。” 陈松涛沉吟着道：“恨英山庄的事情就这么扔给狄仁杰，让他去伤脑筋，我只要时不时地去催促一下就足够让他难受的了。至于蓝玉观那里嘛，狄仁杰今天上午似乎也看出了些端倪，但我担心……蓝玉观上面我们下的功夫还不够。” “那还有可以做什么呢？” “目前看来，狄仁杰还没有把蓝玉观和狄景辉、陆嫣然联系起来。对了，那个跑掉的小孩子韩斌找到了没有？” 范泰为难道：“找不着啊，我的人在太行山里搜索了个遍，在太原城里也多处设点，可就是没有发现他的踪迹，这个小孩子鬼的很，不好办啊。” 陈松涛沉着脸道：“不行，这个小孩子是目前蓝玉观案子留下的唯一活口，假如让狄仁杰率先找到的话，恐怕对我们就相当不利了。” 范泰道：“属下明白，属下再想办法去找，只要这小孩子还活着，我掘地三尺也要把他找出来。” 陈松涛点头，少顷又道：“韩斌这件事情你赶紧去办，我再给你两天时间，活要见人死要见尸。一旦解决了韩斌，我们就再给狄仁杰下点猛药，让他好好知道知道他儿子在蓝玉观所做的好事。到时候，狄景辉就算讲了实话，也没有人会相信他了。所有的麻烦都会落在他的身上，恨英山庄、蓝玉观，只要随便落实一条罪状，他就是死路一条。我再逼迫逼迫狄仁杰，他无非是两个选择：一、为了保住儿子和我们合作；二、为了他的一世清名牺牲儿子，呵呵，任何一个选择都会要了他的老命，而我们却总可以得到我们所想要的。” 范泰由衷地称赞道：“陈大人，这真是条绝妙的计策啊。” 陈松涛点头道：“狄景辉这条线，我下了这么多年的功夫，总算到了收获的时候了。” In the north of Bingzhou City, Difu. 狄景辉来到狄仁杰的书房前时，狄仁杰正在欣赏着那几盆总也不开花的素心寒兰。听到响动，他转过身来，狄景辉惊讶地发现，自己的父亲比两天前刚刚回到家时似乎要苍老了许多。在晦暗的脸色衬托下，鬓边的白发显得越发刺眼。狄景辉心中一动，低下头来，慢慢走近父亲身边，叫了声：“爹，您找我。” 狄仁杰答应了一声，缓缓地开口问道：“景辉，你知道我找你是为了什么吗？” 狄景辉身子一震，颇不情愿地回答：“必定是为了昨天晚上喝酒的事情吧。” 狄仁杰摇摇头，道：“景辉啊，你还是这么沉不住气。所谓以静制动，后发制人的道理你似乎永远也学不会。” 狄景辉“哼”了一声，一屁股坐到椅子上，嘟囔道：“那又能为了什么？” “景辉，今天我想和你谈谈恨英山庄的案子。” “恨英山庄？上回我们不是已经谈过了？” “不，上次我只是了解了你和恨英山庄的关系，却没有真正地谈到范其信的死。今天，我想把你当做范其信的义子和多年生意的合作者，来和你探讨一下对他死亡的看法。” “不是把我当做嫌犯来审问？”狄景辉反问道。 狄仁杰慈爱地笑了：“景辉，你可以去问问狄春，我是如何审问嫌犯的。不，你还不是嫌犯，或者说，你在这个案子里面的嫌疑并不比冯丹青更大。既然我都没有把她当做嫌犯拘押，那自然也不会简单地把你当做嫌犯。我现在希望能够听到所有相关者的见解，就是这样。” 狄景辉的敌意有些收敛了，他正襟危坐地道：“父亲，您问吧。” 狄仁杰沉吟着道：“景辉，我想问你，如果让你判断，你认为谁在范其信的死亡上最有嫌疑？” 狄景辉毫不犹豫地答道：“当然是那个冯丹青。” "Oh, tell me your reason." 狄景辉想了想，在脑子里面整理了下思路，尽量条理清晰地回答道：“首先，她最有动机。她三年前嫁到恨英山庄，嫁给范其信这么个古怪至极的老年人，肯定是有目的的。我想最大的可能性就是窥伺恨英山庄的产业，或者是范其信的那些医药绝学。三年下来，据我所知，范其信一点儿医药绝学都未曾传授给她，那么她的希望也就只能寄托在夺取这些产业上了。范其信多年修炼，身体好的很，一时半会也死不了，所以她就着急了，我想这就是她杀死范其信最可能的理由。” 狄仁杰点头道：“这个杀人理由倒还能说得通。你还有别的观点吗？” 狄景辉道：“然后，就是她最有机会杀死范其信。自从她嫁到恨英山庄的这三年，一手掌握了范其信的全部饮食起居。原来都是嫣然在照顾范老爷子，自从她来了，嫣然就几乎给赶出了恨英山庄，我见到范其信的机会也越来越少，还都要通过冯丹青安排。所以，我觉得其他人要找机会杀死范其信并不容易，而且肯定逃不过冯丹青的眼睛，这不是自找麻烦吗？”狄仁杰问：“外人如此，那么恨英山庄的其他人呢？比如范泰之类的下人。” 狄景辉道：“下人们也不能直接接触到范老爷子，况且他们也没有理由去杀他们的主人啊。” 狄仁杰又问：“那么如果冯丹青要杀死范其信，你觉得她会使用短刀这种武器吗？” “这个……”狄景辉思索了好一会儿，犹豫地说：“这个我说不好。据我对她的印象，她不像是会武刀弄枪的，所以我觉得如果她要杀人，恐怕会用个别的法子，比如下毒之类的。” 狄仁杰重复着：“下毒，下毒……”突然，他眼睛一亮，点点头，继续说道：“景辉，你看，如果我们在一起心平气和地分析问题，我们是可以找到一些有用的线索的。但问题是，我总有一种感觉，似乎有什么力量在阻止我们好好地坐在一起。景辉，你仔细想想，事情是不是这样？而且这种力量既有你自己的原因，也有其他的因素。” 狄景辉皱起眉头，思考着，不说话。 狄仁杰又道：“恨英山庄这件案子，其实不应该首先怀疑到你的身上。就如你所说，冯丹青始终应该是第一嫌疑。但奇怪的是，从一开始，似乎就有人拼命要把嫌疑转移到你的身上。冯丹青是这样做的，陈松涛也是这样做的。” “陈松涛？！”狄景辉惊呼了一声。 狄仁杰点头，道：“是啊，冯丹青这样做，我尚可以理解。陈松涛这样做，我就感觉十分蹊跷，这样做对他有什么好处呢。如果他有足够的证据证明你是杀人凶手，他为什么不拿出来，而只是想方设法地给我暗示。如果他没有证据说你是杀人凶手，那么作为你的岳丈，他难道不应该主动地帮助你洗脱嫌疑吗？” 狄景辉咬紧了牙关，面色变得十分难看。 狄仁杰看着他的样子，轻叹口气，道：“景辉啊，你是个十分自负的人。你总是认为靠你自己就可以解决一切的问题。但实际上，每一个人都会需要别人的帮助。尤其在一个人碰到困难的时候，认清楚谁是你的朋友，谁是你的敌人，几乎就是性命攸关的啊。景辉，虽然你我在很多事情上有不同的看法，但我是你的父亲，是真心愿意帮助你的人。我希望，你一定要认识到这一点。” 狄景辉轻轻地唤了一声：“父亲。”，低下了头。 狄仁杰走到他的身边，拍了拍他的肩，又道：“景辉，我不想说的更多。但是我从心底里面相信，你昨天晚上所做的事情，并非出自于你的本意。其实像你这样自信的人，反而更容易给人利用。所以，我只要求你冷静下来，认认真真的把这些天发生在你身上的事情好好的思考一下。我想，你自己会找到答案的。现在，你可以走了。” 狄景辉充满意外地看着父亲那张疲惫伤感的脸，一时间竟不知道是该走还是该留。狄仁杰朝他摆摆手，狄景辉这才犹犹豫豫地站起身来，朝外走去。狄仁杰注视着他的背影，突然道：“景辉啊，谦恭不是懦弱，忠诚更不是愚昧，你应该学会尊重谦恭的力量和忠诚的价值。这世上有比你的聪明和财富更强大得多的东西，好好想想吧。” 狄景辉走了，狄仁杰长久地凝望着他走去的方向，陷入了沉思。狄春悄悄走进来，低声道：“老爷，一个临河客栈的店伙送来了这个地址，您看。”狄仁杰接过字条，仔细地看了好几遍，小心地收在袖中，微笑着点点头，道：“狄春，准备车驾，我要去一趟这个临河客栈。” Foothills of Taihang Mountains. 一个马车队在山道上疾驰着。从中间那辆织锦环绕、镶金嵌银的豪华马车里，探出一张焦急不安地脸，这人正是张昌宗。他叫过人来大声问道：“这么走还要几天才能到并州？” “大概还要三天。” “不行！圣上一共才给了我二十天的时间。两天之内必须赶到并州！” "yes!" 马车队加快速度，风驰电掣般地往并州方向而去。