Chapter 2 Chapter two

Min Guotai took Di Gong upstairs to the room outside Min Yuan.The room was stuffy and hot, filled with a strong smell of medicine.There is a copper brazier in the middle of the house, and the brazier is full of red-hot coals, and the medicine pot on the brazier is "beeping" and steaming.There is an ancient carved table next to the wall, on which are a pair of tall silver candlesticks, and two large candles that "squeak" to brighten up the small room.Di Gong saw a large sandalwood bed with carved birds and flowers in the corner of the back wall, two brocade bed curtains were opened, and an old man with white beard was lying on the high pillow.His eye circles were slightly red, his two sunken eyes were lifeless, and his gray beard was messy and stuck to his sweaty head, cheeks and temples.

Min Guotai stepped forward and politely introduced Mr. Di to his brother: "This is Mr. Di from Beizhou. He went south to work in the capital and encountered a flood, so..." "I knew something big was going to happen. The emperor's calendar clearly states that Yinyue collides with Yinnian. When the white tiger star arrives, the white tiger spirit will be born." Member Min said excitedly, with a trembling voice, "riot, violent death, murder, Lost money, robbers, nothing can escape—" He closed his eyes, panting heavily. "I remember the last time I was on the White Tiger Star, I was just twelve years old, and the Yellow River also flooded, rising up to the gate of my house. I saw it with my own eyes..."

A violent cough interrupted his words, and he kept trembling, and his whole body trembled from the cough.Mrs. Min who was serving at the side hurriedly brought a bowl of tea to his mouth.Member Min took two mouthfuls of "gugu" and his cough subsided a little. "Di Shijun wants to spend the night at our house. I think the west wing downstairs is still vacant, should we let him sleep there temporarily?" Min Guotai asked. The old man suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes, stared at Di Gong thoughtfully, and muttered again: "Yes, exactly, absolutely yes. The Yinnian Yinyue Flying Tigers are here , there was another flood, Meiyu died, and I was about to die. My poor daughter, I can't bury her in the ground for a while, and the Flying Tigers will snatch her dead body. The unblinking Demon Lord can do anything. You have to find a way—"

He coughed and tried to sit up, but his pale hands, like chicken claws, tightly pinched the quilt.He choked, closed his eyes again, and squeezed out a few drops of old tears. "Mei Yu is my brother's only daughter." Min Guotai whispered to Di Gong, "She is only nineteen years old, and she is a clever girl. Not only can she read and write, but she can also play the piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, depicting luan and stabbing phoenix. Proficient. It’s just that she often suffers from heart disease, and her body is very weak. Don’t be afraid. Last night when I heard that the Flying Tigers were coming to attack the manor, I had a heart attack and died. My brother loves her like a pearl in the palm of his hand. Her death, my brother Then he fell on the bed, and the old illness relapsed."

Duke Dee nodded absently, but his eyes fell on the silver cabinet standing upright in the corner of the room.Four vermilion lacquer suitcases were piled high next to the silver cabinet. Old Min opened his eyes again, followed Di Gong's gaze, pointed to the silver cabinet and said hoarsely, "Lord Inspector, that's where the gold is kept, a total of two hundred taels..." "It was all stolen by the little whore Cui Ju, that shameless bitch, the nine-tailed vixen." Mrs. Min interrupted in a hoarse voice. Min Guotai said embarrassingly to Di Gong: "Aster is a maidservant here. Yesterday she rolled up and ran to the Flying Tigers to join the gang. The two hundred taels of gold was also stolen by her."

Duke Di stood up and checked the silver cabinet curiously. "It seems that the lock was not picked," said Duke Dee. "She has the key!" said the old lady angrily. The old man shook his bony hand vigorously, and looked at the old lady with almost pleading eyes.Seeing that his lips pursed for a while, but he just uttered some assertions with irrelevant meanings, two lines of tears slowly flowed down his shriveled cheeks. Di Gong looked away from him, bent over and looked carefully at the silver cabinet for a while.The silver cabinet is tight and solid, with no signs of damage on the iron plates on all sides and the fastened padlocks.

Member Min gradually regained his composure, smacked his lips, and said, "Only I, my wife and my daughter Mei Yu know where to put the keys." There was a sly smile on his thin, bloodless lips.He suddenly stretched out his hand and touched the carved headboard of the ebony bed with his slender fingers.I saw him lightly pressing the pistil of a lotus flower, and there was a "click" sound, and a small board popped open at the head of the bed. Inside was a small concave box, and a copper key was placed flat in the box. .A naive smile appeared on the old man's face, and he switched on and off several times in a row as if in fun.

"Aster has been serving you all day, but one day when you had a fever and became confused, you told her where the key was hidden." The old lady said fiercely, "You told her, but you didn't know." "No," the veteran said solemnly, "Aster is a girl with good manners and clean hands and feet. Her family has been honest and honest farmers for generations." The old lady was angry: "Who will see her honesty? How can she compare to Mei Yu?" "Ah! Mei Yu! My miserable Mei Yu! Mei Yu is such a smart and beautiful girl! I have chosen a son-in-law for her. The man's surname is Liang, and he is a rich and wealthy family. I have already arranged all the dowry for her. She actually..." The veteran sobbed sadly again.Suddenly he thought of something again, so he looked at Di Gong with a dazed look, and said, "Di Ci Shi lives in my daughter Mei Yu's room tonight, and it's relatively clean there." Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes again.

Min Guotai accompanied Di Gong out of the old man's room. When he came downstairs, Di Gong said: "It seems that the old man is not seriously ill. " "Well, that's true. But all of us have to be killed by the Flying Tigers tonight. Fortunately, Mei Yu was not killed by swords and arrows." "Miss Min died just before she got married?" Duke Di asked. "Well, the Liang family's manor is far bigger than this, with numerous servants, countless cattle and horses, and piles of gold and silver piled up like mountains. Mr. Liang is also a first-class person who is romantic and unrestrained. It took a lot of trouble for my brother to get into this family. I was engaged last month, and the Liang family originally planned to marry next month, but these unlucky things happened, the flood and the Flying Tigers frightened the young lady to death. I haven't reported to the Liang family yet."

"The old official said that she has not been closed for burial. I don't know where her body is temporarily housed?" "The coffin is placed in the Buddhist hall behind the hall." When Di Gong and Min Guotai returned to the hall, Yan Yuan and Liao Long were already waiting for them at the dinner table.Four bowls of rice, four plates of pickled fruits and vegetables, one plate of salted fish and four wine cups were set out on the table. "Lord Inspector is wronged, there is not much food and vegetables in the house." Director Yan shook his head with a wry smile while standing up to pour wine for everyone.

Di Gong was hungry, he felt that this simple and light meal was very suitable for his appetite, and the quality of the wine was also very high, which relieved his fatigue.He looked up and suddenly saw Liao Long's gloomy expression, as if he had something on his mind, and the full wine cup didn't even touch his lips. Liao Long put down the chopsticks in his hand, looked at Di Gong timidly, and said: "Master Di, as a governor, you have arrested bandits and robbers. Do you know if the Flying Tigers are willing to accept flying tickets? Yuanwai has some money exchanges with the two gold and silver companies in the state capital, and maybe he can advance some gold to save the urgent need." Di Gong said coldly: "As far as I know, robbers are only willing to accept cash. You are cowardly, and robbers are even more cowardly." After drinking a glass of wine, Duke Di felt warm all over his body, and his riding boots were already dry.He stood up and took off his leather robe and put it on the armchair. He continued, "Don't be alarmed. The robbers are very afraid of the officers and soldiers. We feel the time is tight, and they feel the time is even more urgent. They must escape before the flood recedes." Here. Don't expect robbers to forgive you by chance. You must build up your confidence and actively organize defenses with your own strength. Only by being armed can you avoid disaster. Here is the Yellow River. There must be many fishermen. How many of you can choose to fish tonight? The villager may invite a few fishermen from among the refugees. Prepare a large fishing net and let them guard the net and lie in ambush in the dark building above the gate. Don’t leak the news, and then we will notify the bandit leader to come and collect two hundred taels Gold—that is, gold is found. The leader of the robbers is arrogant and easy to be fooled. Of course he will bring some bodyguards, and when they are unaware when they enter and leave the gatehouse, he will cast a fishing net and live with them, even though they have the world. Martial arts, we only need a few sticks to beat their brains out. But don't kill them, but take their weapons and tie them with ropes first. Then we can make negotiations, with captives in hand Here, we have a little initiative, and we are not afraid that they will not retreat." "This is a clever plan." Min Guotai nodded slowly. "No, it's too risky," Yan Yuan said, "If something goes wrong, they will really kill all the people in a manor!" Di Gong said sharply with a stern face: "If there is any mistake, you shut me out of the gate alone, and I have a clever plan to make them retreat. You may not know that I was born in the Yin year and Yin month, and I am a flyer. The nemesis of the tiger group." Although Yan Yuan and Liao Long were still apprehensive, they made up their minds. Min Guotai said: "I will set up the fishing nets. Liao Long will find a few fishermen and try this way. Maybe Mr. Di is really the nemesis of the Flying Tigers. Yan Yuan, you accompany Mr. Di to Meiyu's room to rest. Now we have to go to the garrison building to change." He turned his head and said to Duke Di: "The manor has imposed a curfew, and the garrison tower is on duty every two hours to monitor the movements of the Flying Tigers." "I should also charge a number. How about I replace you, Mr. Min." Di Gong said. Min Guotai hesitated for a moment, and had no choice but to agree to Di Gong's solemn request. "Okay, your current time is from the eve of Haishi to the eve of Choushi, and Yan Yuan's time from Choushi to Dawn Maoshi." After talking, Yue Guotai and Liao Long went to the warehouse to tidy up the fishing nets.Yan Yuan led Di Gong to Miss Mei Wang's room on the third floor. Yan Yuan stopped at the door, and said with a wry smile: "It's really puzzling that the old man arranged for you to live in this room. Someone just died in this room. If Master Di finds it inconvenient, you can change to the one in the lobby below." Go to the west wing, it's empty now." "No, the environment in this room is very quiet, so I'll live here." Duke Di insisted. Yan Yuan was helpless, took out the key and opened the door.The room was cold and dark.Yan Yuan skillfully lit the candles on the table, pointed to the neat furnishings in the room and said: "Miss Mei Yu is an elegant and clean person, you can understand by looking at these furnishings, there is a terrace outside the folding door, Miss Mei Yu I like sitting there alone playing the piano and admiring the moon on summer nights.” "Miss Min lives alone on this floor?" "Yes. There are no other rooms on these three floors. Miss also likes the quiet here. Well, I will ask the servant to bring you tea. You have a good rest. I will call you to guard the building in the middle of the night. " After Manager Yan left, Duke Di put on the leather robe.The room was quite gloomy and cold, and the folding door was not closed tightly, allowing a little bit of north wind to come in.He put the sword on the table, and looked at the room. There was a thick grass-green carpet on the floor of the room, and a narrow bed was placed on the right hand side of the door. A green gauze curtain was hung on the four sides of the bed, and beside the bed was a small bed. As usual, four red lacquer suitcases were piled up.Beside the folding door is a dressing table with a shiny silver border on one side, and a lead powder box and rouge cream on the lower border.A guqin is placed on an antique table on the left side of the door.Facing the window is an exquisitely carved book case. Next to the book case stands a Xiangfei bamboo bookshelf. In the bookshelf, there are neatly stacked books, and ivory labels are often inserted between the books.On the wall next to the book table is a picture of spring ice and winter plums, which can be seen from the hand of a famous painter in the Qi and Liang Dynasties.The inkstone, ink, paper and pen on the desk are all exquisite.Di Gong nodded slightly, and it was only then that he knew that Mei Yu was a girl with considerable cultural accomplishment, many interests, and an elegant and quiet girl. Di Gong sat down on an ebony stool in front of the desk, while stroking his thick and black beard under his chin, he fell into deep thought. He thought that his opinion on armament, the idea of ​​netting people, though not very sure, had certainly done the work of emboldening the people on the estate.It seemed that the most reliable thing was for him to personally negotiate with the Flying Tigers. If the robbers took him as a hostage, the court would intervene after hearing the news, because he was already an important official in the court.Once the robber knew his true identity, he was timid after all, how dare he kill him rashly?He knew how to wipe out these robbers step by step. For some reason, he thought about the two hundred taels of gold that Min Yuanwai had.The maid Aster may know where the key is, but Di Gong faintly sensed that some fact was deliberately covered up, but he couldn't explain what the fact was for a while.Old Yuanwai Min loves his daughter very much, but he also believes that Aster will not steal money.Why did the old man want me, a passing official, to live in the room of his daughter who just died? After a few knocks on the door, a hunchbacked old servant came into the room and put the tea tray on.Just about to leave, Di Gong stopped him.Asked: "When Miss Mei Yu had a heart attack, was she alone in this room?" "Well, she was lying on that bed, wearing a long white silk dress. It was just before dinner. Mr. Yan came upstairs to knock on the door, but she didn't answer. Mr. Yan went downstairs and called Mr. Min and me. When we entered the room, she was lying straight. Mr. Min called her a few times, but she didn't answer. Mr. Min stepped forward to push her, but she didn't move. He felt that something was wrong, and hurriedly felt her pulse I saw that Mr. Min's face turned pale with fright, and he said: "Oh, he died so soon." Mr. Yan was also shocked when he heard this, and ordered me to go downstairs and ask my wife to give the two of them Bring a bamboo couch; Wen ordered not to report to the old man immediately, lest he be sick and be surprised. When my wife and I brought the bamboo couch, Mr. Yan asked us to carry the lady's body to the Buddhist temple behind the hall downstairs first. In the hall. I remembered that the body of the lady was still very heavy. He called Mr. Liao to help us put the body of the lady into the coffin. Mr. Liao was in a daze at the time, and finally my wife and I put the lady into the coffin in a hurry .” Di Gong said: "Understood, you can go down." After the old servant left, Duke Dee wanted to find a comb to comb his beard. He opened the drawer of the dressing table and found a brocade scroll in the drawer.He untied the ribbon of the scroll and slowly unfolded it. It turned out to be a portrait of an elegant woman.The inscription on the side reads: "Mei Yu's twenty-eight-year-old portrait", which is obviously a portrait of Mei Yu's group three years ago.Di Gong unfolded the portrait on the desk and looked at it carefully. Mei Yu in the portrait is half-body in profile, her long black shiny hair is tied in a big fluffy braid behind her head, her shoulders are as thin as water snakes, her slender right hand is holding a branch of plum blossoms, and the pattern of plum blossoms is also embroidered on the purple silk shirt .Her slender eyebrows are slightly high, her cheeks are slightly sunken, the tip of her nose is slightly hooked, and her lips are slightly purple, but her big piercing eyes are shining with aura, emitting a disturbing feeling. greedy look. The painter is indeed a master, and the portrayal of the gods is all in the eyes that are looking forward to life. When Di Gong looked at those eyes, he couldn't help being slightly startled, as if the dead lady was walking into her room.Duke Di felt shivering. It was raining heavily outside the window, and it was pitch black.He put down the portrait and listened to the sound of rain for a while.He did not understand why the eyes in the portrait disturbed him so much.He paced to the bookshelf, putting aside books such as "Daughter's Proverbs" and "Golden Boudoir Sermons", and a collection of four poets from the Southern Dynasties caught his attention.Because silk foil or toothpicks are inserted on many pages of the collection of poems, it shows that Miss Mei Yu likes to read these poems very much.Duke Di immediately realized that these four poets committed suicide due to depression and world-weariness. He stroked his beard and pondered the possible meaning of this discovery.When he flipped through other books, he felt even more puzzled.Because many of them are actually Taoist works on health preservation and qi refining, transformation of alchemy and mercury, human hexagrams of yin and yang, ghosts and immortals, and so on.Duke Di shook his head, sighed, and went back to the desk, moved closer to the candle, and slowly pondered over the scroll portrait. Duke Di finally understood that the poor girl had a heart attack and worried about her life day and night.She is afraid that she will die before she gets married, and her morbid psychology drives her to seek comfort from disillusioned and pessimistic poets. Her big greedy eyes are a reflection of her desire and pursuit of a better life.He also understood that the reason why Mei Yu put this scroll portrait in the drawer of the dresser was only so that she could compare herself in the mirror every day when she was doing her makeup, and look for even a little sign of deterioration of her condition.Her preference for plum blossoms is also natural, because plum blossoms are a symbol of the passing of severe winter and the arrival of new spring.The poor girl fantasizes that her life is as strong, beautiful, and elegant as plum blossoms.Her name is occupying a "Mei" character. Duke Di lay down on the bed, listening to the monotonous sound of rain outside.He closed his eyes and tried to sleep for a while, but Mei Yu's portrait kept appearing in front of his eyes like a ghost.Sometimes he even felt that Meiyu was crying out to him about her misfortunes and grievances right in front of him.Probably still too tired, he finally fell asleep. Manager Yan shook Di Gong's shoulder, and Di Gong woke up in shock.He found that the rain outside the window had stopped at this time. Yan Yuan said: "When I went down to the garrison building, I saw the fire in the robber's cave was very bright. I don't know what they are doing?" He held an ever-burning lamp in front to guide Di Gong. Three people were huddled together against the wall in the damp, dark courtyard, snoring.Yan Yuan illuminated the three of them with a bright lamp, and said: "These are the three fishermen who have been invited. They have set up a large fishing net on the gate tower. If there is any situation, they can cast the big net immediately, and live in the net from the gate tower. People who go in and out." Mr. Di nodded in satisfaction, and followed Mr. Yan to the East Shulou. There are railings on all sides of the Shulou, and the spire is very low, which can not only prevent wind and rain, but also avoid random arrows.Condescending, the plains and hills outside the garrison building are vividly visible. Director Yan arranged for Di Gong to be on duty, but he still had no intention of leaving. He put the long light on the ground and moved to Di Gong's side. "Master Di, you see that the Flying Tigers set fire to the cave, what are they trying to do?" Duke Di stared at it for a while: "God knows, maybe it's for keeping warm." He looked back, only to see it was pitch black, and the sound of the rushing river was even more urgent at night.Although the wind stopped, it was very cold on the garrison tower, and Duke Di couldn't help shivering.He said: "I saw Min Yuanwai talking forward and backward, hesitating, as if he had something on his mind. But I can conclude that he is a very shrewd person." "Of course." Yan Yuan replied, "He is shrewd, honest and kind, willing to help the poor, and handles affairs in his spare time with a fair heart, so he is very popular in the manor. The old man is very rich, and the Min family operates here For several generations, he still has a lot of gold and silver in several gold and silver houses in the state capital." "After Min Yuanwai's death, who will inherit his family property?" "Of course it was Mei Yu, but she died. It seems that all of Yuanwai's money and property can only be inherited by his younger brother Min Guotai. That guy already has endless money, but he is coveting the old Yuanwai's fortune." It's a windfall." Digong nodded.He asked again, "Were you there when Mei Yu was found dead?" "Well—no, I wasn't there. But I noticed something was wrong. Meiyu was as upset as we were all yesterday because of the Flying Tigers' demand for gold. The old lady said she went upstairs earlier than usual. At dinner I I went upstairs to knock on her door, but no one answered. I hurriedly went downstairs to report to Min Guotai, and Min Guotai called the old servant to come upstairs together, opened the door and went in, and saw that Meiyu was dead on the bed, fully dressed. , not moving at all." "Could it be suicide?" Duke Dee said. "Suicide? No, Min Guotai knows the pulse. He cut the lady's pulse and concluded that she died of a heart attack. We dare not report to the old man immediately, for fear that his asthma will relapse after years. I remember it was Liao Long and the old man. The servants carried it into a coffin in the Buddhist hall, and only told the old staff afterwards." "So that's how it is." Di Gong said, "Mrs. Min told how a servant girl named Cuiju stole two hundred taels of gold. What exactly is going on here?" "Well, the two hundred taels of gold was probably stolen by Aster. Only Mr. Min and Mrs. Min knew the key to the silver cabinet. Although Aster is a rural girl, she is very clever and pretty. Blindly fawning on and flattering the old man, hoping that one day the old man will take over the house and become his concubine. The old man told me where to put the key when he was drunk or had a high fever, or when he was fascinated by the little prostitute. When the Flying Tigers threatened to ask for two hundred taels of gold, Cui Ju thought it would be better to make a move as soon as possible. She secretly took the key to open the silver cabinet, took the sum of gold, and fled to the chaotic forest on the hill to make a cellar for burial. Get up, and go to the bandit. When the bandit is wiped out in the future, she will dig out gold at a later time, marry a rich man in the state capital or the capital, won't she be able to settle down for a hundred years?" Yan Yuan suddenly felt that he had slipped his tongue, stood up awkwardly, and said to Duke Di: "Oh, I should go, and I will replace you when I am ugly. You see a big copper gong hanging on the rafters. If the robbers attack, Sound the gong immediately to call the police."