Chapter 35 Chapter nine

After Ma Rong and Qiao Tai took orders to go, Hong Liang and Tao Gan also went to the dining room for dinner, while Di Gong read carefully the thick stack of official documents on the desk. Someone knocked on the door lightly, and Di Gong thought it was the yamen servant who brought wine and food, so he hurriedly ordered to come in.The door opened, and it was Mrs. Guo who came in. Di Gong was slightly startled, and hurriedly said: "Madam Guo, please sit down, what kind of wind brought Madam Guo here." Mrs. Guo greeted Di Gong, and made a detailed report to Di Gong about sending the women's prison to prostitutes in the Beizhen military camp. ——After the last batch of female prisoners were released, the women's prison was almost empty.

Mr. Di deeply admired Mrs. Guo's shrewdness and ability, and was also a little bit confused by her demeanor. Mrs. Guo finished her report, said a thousand blessings, and respectfully withdrew from the yamen. Di Gong suddenly thought that his three wives might have arrived at the bank of the Yellow River and were resting at the first big post station. The yamen servant brought the dinner, and Mr. Di ate it in a hurry, rinsed his mouth, and wiped his face with hot water.Just after making a cup of strong tea and taking a sip, Ma Rong walked in dejectedly. "Let me tell you, Ye Tai didn't come home after going out at noon, only Ye Bin ate dinner at home alone. I heard from his servants that he often drank and got drunk in restaurants with some gamblers, and didn't come home until late at night. .At the moment Chotai is there watching his door."

Di Gongdao: "Looks like it's useless to watch his house tonight. You can ask Qiao Tai to go back to the court. Anyway, he will go to court tomorrow morning, and it won't be too late to arrest him in court." After Ma Rong left, Di Gong was very disturbed.He vaguely felt that Ye Tai's matter still had many details, and he might go to the top-secret place to torture Ms. Liao after drinking too much in restaurants and restaurants.Maybe I'm on my way there now!He was most recognizable in the crowd by his black leather hat.Suddenly Duke Di thought of the black leather hat he was wearing when he was seen near the Town God's Temple last time.

Mr. Di stood up and went to the closet to pick up an old leather robe, changed into a hat, put on the old medicine box in the yamen, and dressed up as a charlatan, sneaked out through the corner door of the garden in the backyard. I went to Jiefu. The sky was pitch black, the north wind was getting tighter, the clouds were low, and the snowflakes were flying like goose feathers. People from far and near closed their doors, and even the sound of dogs barking was seldom heard.Di Gong hurried to the Town God's Temple, and there were almost no pedestrians along the way. The town god's temple was surrounded by silence, and the incense in the temple was all extinguished. Where can I find that black leather hat?Duke Di couldn't help laughing wryly, feeling an inexplicable annoyance.He walked into an alley, and he recognized that he walked out of the alley, turned a corner, passed the Confucian Temple, and returned to the main gate of the state government office.

Suddenly, there was a low cry from under the dark eaves ahead.Duke Di stopped and searched carefully, and saw a five or six-year-old girl sitting on the cold stone steps sobbing, her little face was flushed red from the cold, and her head and body were covered with snowflakes. Duke Di hurried forward and picked up the little girl in his arms, wrapping her tightly with the corner of the leather robe.After a while, the little girl felt warm and stopped crying. "Little girl, what do your father and mother call you?" "Meilan." The little girl replied. "Yes, is your name Wang Meilan?"

"No, my name is Lu Meilan." The little girl pouted. "Yes, your father is very kind to you, and often buys you cakes." "No! You are talking nonsense. My father is dead, and my mother is selling cloth in a shop." The little girl was very disappointed. Duke Di smiled and said, "I see, your mother runs a cotton cloth shop. Then, Lu Meilan, is your house next to the Town God's Temple?" The little girl nodded: "It's opposite a stone lion." Di Gong remembered that there was a cotton cloth shop opposite the main entrance of Chenghuang Temple, so he picked up the little girl and walked to the Chenghuang shop.

"I want my mother to show me that cat." Lu Meilan started talking again. "What cat?" "When that uncle came to my house, he always said cats, cats, you cat.—Don't you know that uncle?" Di Gongnahan asked, "Does that uncle often go to your house?" "I don't come here often. When I come here, it's always at night, and I'm asleep. I asked my mother where the cat is. I want the cat to play with. I like cats the most. My mother was very angry when she heard that. She scolded me and beat me, saying that I It's a nightmare. Where did the cat come from at home? Really, I heard the uncle talking to the cat."

Duke Di sighed, he guessed that the widow must have picked up a man. Di Gong asked again: "Who else is there in your family besides mother?" "There is no one! I always have nightmares when I sleep at night, and I am very scared." Di Gong found "Lu Ji Cotton Cloth Shop" and knocked lightly on the door. The door opened quickly, and a seductive woman flashed out.She sized up Mr. Di, and asked viciously, "Where did you abduct my daughter, you wild man?" Di Gong was taken aback, and calmly replied: "Your daughter lost her way and was crying in an alley. I brought her back. She is dressed too thinly, and I'm afraid she may be cold."

The woman grinned her two sharp and thin lips, and said sarcastically: "Sell your fake medicines! Just meddle in other people's business!" As she spoke, she pulled the little girl into the room with a "bang" Closed the door. "What a powerful woman!" Di Gong shrugged. He turned back to the street and walked slowly towards the yamen.He suddenly heard the sound of hurried steps in riding boots from behind, but when he looked back, he saw Ma Rong and Qiao Tai running towards the yamen in a hurry. Qiao Tai recognized Di Gong first, and kowtowed hurriedly.Seeing him sweating profusely, Duke Di asked in surprise, "What happened?"

Ma Rong rushed to answer: "Master, Brother Lan was poisoned to death!"