Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

The chicken sang at five o'clock, and the sky was bright, so Ma Rong invited Fang Jingxing to quietly transport Shen San's body to the incineration factory for burning.I rushed back to the government office just to have breakfast.After breakfast, he threw away the chopsticks bowl and rushed to Neiya Study to meet Di Gong. Di Gonggong and Hong Canjun elaborated on what happened to Ma Rong last night and his analysis. Seeing Ma Rong coming in, he was overjoyed and said, "Sit down, and we are going to Ziguang Temple. First, we must try to find where the hidden gold is, and second, we must capture the hidden treasure. The real murderer in the hidden temple."

Fang Xiaowei came in and reported: "Mr. Wu Zongren asked to see the master, saying that there is something urgent to discuss, and Li Mei, the treasurer of the De Dajin, accompanied him." Di Gong asked: "Who is this Wu Zongren? I have never heard of it before." "Master." Captain Fang reported. "This Mr. Wu used to be a staff member of Longyou's interview envoy, and later served as a long history in Buzhou. He was prominent for a while. Eight years ago, he was impeached by a minister for corruption and breaking the law. He had to reluctantly change the three thousand taels of silver movement. The Yasi was spared, and lost his family property because of it. Since then, he has been devastated and has a miserable home. Although there is a manor in his hometown, he has no worries about food and clothing, but it is not the same as when he was an official. In recent years, Mr. Wu has been willing to retreat and be indifferent to world affairs. I seldom entertain, so the master doesn't know him."

Duke Di nodded and asked again: "You said the name of the one who came with you was Li Mei?" "Yes, sir, this Li Mei now runs a De Daikin shop in Dongchenggen, and also operates a counter shop business. She has a lot of savings. Shopkeeper Li and Wu Xianggong have a close relationship, so I accompany you to visit." Ma Rong hurriedly said: "Master, this Li Mei is the elder brother of Li Ke who paints." Di Gong ordered to change his clothes and ordered the Yamen hall to meet the guests. After a while, Hong Canjun accompanied Wu Zongren and Li Mei into the yamen hall.Di Gong greeted him, talked about the ceremony and watched tea, and sat down among the guests and hosts.

Di Gong saw that Wu Zongren was neatly dressed and had a gloomy expression. He was in his fifties, his face was sallow, and a goatee beard trembled from time to time as his chin was raised.Li Mei has broad shoulders and a broad back, with a solid body. She sits on Wu Zongren's head, her eyes are on her nose, her nose is in line with her mouth, her breath is holding her breath, her expression is restless. "Wu Xianggong came to the Yamen Office early this morning. I don't know if there is anything to see." Di Gong took a sip of tea and opened his mouth first, deliberately not mentioning Li Mei.

Wu Zongren hurriedly stood up, bowed and bowed, and said: "The old man hastily came to see Mr. Di today, just to inquire about the little girl's information. Since the government office has posted a notice, I must have found out the whereabouts of the little girl Bai Yu." Startled, Di Gong put down the teacup and looked at Wu Zongren suspiciously. "Dare to ask why shopkeeper Li came with Mr. Wu?" Wu Zongren laughed dryly and said, "This old man has already betrothed his daughter to Mr. Li. One month after Mr. Li received the dowry, Bai Yu suddenly disappeared, so he is not yet married. Respecting the customs, this old man will naturally regard Mr. Li as his wife. I hope Master Di will check clearly. "

"That's how it is." Di Gong groaned, let go of the folding fan, and slowly fanned it. "Wu Xianggong, can you briefly tell the officer how Qianyuan disappeared?" Wu Zongren twitched the goatee beard under his chin, and said calmly: "Baiyu is my only daughter. She has a beautiful appearance and a soft personality. She has always been regarded as the jewel in my palm. Three years ago, when his wife passed away, she became more and more loving and obedient. The little girl is exquisite and intelligent, and she was married to this Mr. Li Mei at the age of eighteen. The little girl also feels that she can rely on her for life, and she is happy in her heart."

"Unexpectedly, the old man is too old, and there are unexpected events, and there are changes. Shexia used to employ a slave in Qingyi, named Yang Maode. Earlier, I heard from people that he went to school in Ban County, but he was poor and had no support, so he dropped out of school. Fuck this It's a lowly job. The old man pitied his misfortune as a young man, so he kept him at home and took care of some chores. Who knew that this guy didn't think of the Lord's grace, and he lured the little girl time and time again, and gradually entered Hong Kong." Li Mei made a bow and was about to interrupt.Wu Zongren winked, Li Mei sighed, and listened carefully again.

"On the tenth day of September last year—I remember it clearly—I told my little girl that she could go to the Guanyin Hall tomorrow to ask for a lottery, and ask for a good day to marry Mr. Li as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, my little girl suddenly changed her mind and insisted on refusing the marriage. The old man After being pressed again and again, he spit out: "I have already made a lifelong agreement with Yang Maode, a thief. The old man was so angry that his three corpses jumped violently, and his seven orifices were filled with smoke. He searched for Yang Maode's absence, so he scolded the little girl severely. Shameless. I didn't expect Bai Yu to be deceived so much, she made up her mind, and then she went into hiding and disappeared without a trace."

Wu Zongren frowned in pain, then looked up at Di Gong sadly. "Master Di, I thought in my head that Baiyu would go to her aunt's house to stay for a few days, confide in her heart, and when her breath calmed down, she would naturally come back home. At that time, she didn't think it was true. That aunt was my ex-wife's sister, and she loved her very much. Baiyu. Two days later, I sent someone to ask at my aunt's house, only to find out that Baiyu hadn't gone there, but I realized that the situation was serious. While calling Yang Maode to interrogate, I sent people to look for it. But Yang Maode refused again. He denied it, saying that he had nothing to do with Bai Yu, that he had never made a private appointment with her, and that he did not know her whereabouts. ——After the investigation, it turned out that Yang Maode spent the night in a private hospital that day, and there was no trace of suspiciousness found in the search. He had no choice but to dismiss Yang and told him to keep secrets and not to publicize the evidence. He hurriedly searched everywhere, but there was no more information. Baiyu did not leave a single word when he left home. —— Calculated now, I'm afraid something happened on her way to her aunt's house."

"Why didn't Mr. Wu report to the officials at that time?" Wu Zongren sighed and said: "The old man is a conservative person. He inherits poetry and etiquette and values ​​appearance and reputation. What kind of scandal is it for a young girl to run away privately? How can I dare to make it public? I have to investigate secretly. Besides, the former county magistrate was a dizzy person. You can't believe him, a stupid and confused official. I'm afraid that if the person is not found, there will be an uproar, and the scandal will spread everywhere, which makes me feel ashamed."

"Master Di laughed." Li Mei finally spoke. "The villain has suffered such twists and turns, although the humiliation is unbearable, but he is kind-hearted and infatuated. No matter what happens to Miss Baiyu, as long as she is still alive, the villain will still be sincere. . . . I hope that the master will take pity on the misfortune of the villain, and the government will come forward to do a good deed, and fulfill my mere wish, so I will never forget the great kindness and virtue." Wu Zongren glanced at Li Mei impatiently, and said: "Master Di, the government now has information about Bai Yu, and they are eager to show you. ——Could it be that the little girl is still alive?" Di Gong put down his folding fan, took out a note from his sleeve, and asked, "Miss Bai Yu was born at Yin time on the fourth day of the fifth day of the Renxu year." Wu Zongren nodded: "That's right. It's also recorded in the household registration file." "What Wu Xianggong said is also true. The current official government only knows this point - her birth date and age. But when we have some clues in our investigation, we will pass it on. I hope you two don't worry too much and expect too much." Wu Zongren and Li Mei stood up and said goodbye. When Duke Di sent them out to the steps of the yamen hall, he turned to Li Mei and said, "Master Li, I heard that your younger brother Li Ke is a good painter." Li Mei nodded, a shadow flickered across her face. "Master Di, I don't know anything about painting, and I have absolutely no interest in painting." Di Gong was slightly surprised, and he was inconvenient to ask any more questions. Hong Canjun sent Wu and Li out of the government office. Seeing Wu and Li turning out of the Moon Cave Gate in the garden, Ma Rong said excitedly: "Sir, so Tara's spiritual stick is indeed not bad, and the note in that red sandalwood box is by no means a fiction. My God Here, how should we do it!" Just as Di Gong was about to speak, he suddenly saw Hong Canjun rushing over with the old housekeeper in the mansion.The old housekeeper staggered, rushed forward to greet Ann, and said: "The madam asked the master to go back to the mansion, saying that there is an urgent matter to discuss." "What's the matter? You're so flustered." Duke Di asked hastily. The old housekeeper said: "A noble lady visited the mansion in the morning and presented a post. She said that she wanted to see the wife and said that she had something urgent to report." "Do you know what name is written on that name post?" "There are three words 'Wu Zongren' written on the famous post, and the person here claims to be Mrs. Wu. Mrs. Wu begs his wife to see her.——My wife never asks about the official affairs of the Yamen Office, so she is in a panic, so she sends the younger one here to invite the master. Go back to the mansion to discuss."