Chapter 35 Chapter nine
Feng Dainian invited Di Gong, Tao De went to the small pavilion, it was really quiet and elegant.The pavilion is built on a small water island in Yimin, with luxuriant grass and beautiful colors on its face.The wind blows the lotus leaves on the water, and the white lotus is dotted. There is a bamboo bridge leading to the embankment of the West Court.The railings of the pavilion columns are almost covered by tall, red and white oleanders, and only the cornices with upturned wings can be seen from afar.
Di Gong and Tao De sat on both sides of a stone table in the pavilion.The little boy offered tea, and arranged seasonal pastries and preserved fruits. ——Feng Dainian bowed his hands and stepped back, telling the housekeeper not to allow idlers to approach him.
Outside the pavilion, butterflies and bees buzzed and buzzed.The sun shone on the water, and there were bursts of dazzling golden halos.
Todd sat still, waiting for Di Gong to speak.
Di Gong took a sip of tea and said: "Mr. Tao is sincere, honest, diligent and thrifty in business. I heard that he is smart and studious, loves classics and history, and should be an economic official. We'll stay together."
Going back to Master Di's words, Xiao Minju's nature is dull, and his benevolence is unwavering.This wine and food business was originally left by my late father, so I couldn't bear to throw it away.However, most of the business in the store is handed over to the accounting guys.Reading a few books in your free time is also a matter of interest, 'Isn't it about the articles?I don't even want to leave this family business to gain fame and make great efforts for mere Lumi.From Xiaomin's point of view, the official Lumi is no different from my wine barrel. "
"Mr. Tao is so willing to be poor and clumsy, and he doesn't think about making progress. He is afraid that he will be a burden to the current prosperous world, and it will not benefit his wives, concubines and grandchildren."
"Xiaomin is not yet married, so he has lost this layer of troubles and entanglements."
Di Gong was secretly startled, he did not expect that Todd has not yet had a family, and he manages the housekeeping by himself.
"I really don't know that Mr. Tao's favor is still empty. I think there should be someone he likes."
Todd smiled faintly: "But not necessarily."
"Mr. Tao's integrity, I admire very much. It is out of admiration for Mr. Tao that I paid a special visit today. Let's get straight to the point. This officer believes that Li Lian and Qiuyue were both killed in a conspiracy."
Di Gong's eyes were fixed on Todd's face, but Todd was expressionless and indifferent.It took a long time to spit out a sentence, "How did the murderer enter the bedroom? The master must have forgotten this big joint."
Di Gong was taken aback for a moment, and it really hit the nail on the head.
"This... of course I can't figure it out, let's not talk about it. Let me say two things first. First, after Li Lian came to Leyuan, he had a close relationship with women such as Mudan, Bailan, and Hongliu. How could he suddenly fall in love with Qiuyue? But she couldn’t get rid of it, so that she committed suicide? Second, Qiuyue was depressed and choked her neck. Why did the fingerprints not match? I saw her fingernails were sharp and missing, but the purple marks on her neck were flat. ——Only these two points It cannot be self-sufficient."
Todd nodded slowly, as if in deep thought.
"Mr. Tao, this officer thinks of your father's misfortune, and feels more and more suspicious. I don't know if it is related to the death of Li Lian and Qiuyue. The plot is so similar."
Tao De's eyes were fixed, his face was livid, he pondered for a long time and said: "Master Di, my late father did not commit suicide, but was murdered. It's been twenty years, and I can't get rid of it in my heart. There is a deep hatred, and the murderer did not die. If I find it, I will die in peace.”
Di Gong's heart fell to the ground, and he said: "Mr. Tao, can you tell me about the scene you remember back then?"
Tao De thought for a while, took a sip of tea, and recounted: "I was only eight years old when my father was killed. That scene is unforgettable and unforgettable. I am my father's only son, and I am very fond of him. My father taught me to read "On" very early. , "Meng" and other books, so even though he is young, he also knows some human ethics. At dusk that day, someone from the Yongle Inn sent a letter to tell his father to meet a guest at the Red Pavilion. My father hurried away. I read After a few pages of books, I suddenly realized that my father had forgotten the fan that he carried with him. My father usually brought this fan with him when he saw guests, so I took the fan and went out to send it.
"I ran to the Yongle Inn in one breath. The shopkeeper knew me, the young master of the White Crane Tower, and told me to go to the Red Pavilion to find my father. ——I found the Red Pavilion, and saw that the door was open. As soon as I walked in, But I saw my father lying on his back in front of the bed on the right, with a sharp knife stabbed in his throat, covered in blood. I threw myself on top and burst into tears, and suddenly saw a man in a long robe running away from the red pavilion. ——He in the head Hiding behind the door, when I saw me weeping over the dead body, I saw the opportunity to escape. I suddenly realized what was going on, and ran after me. As soon as I ran out of the steps, I fell down and hit my head on the stone, bang With a sound, he passed out.
"When I woke up, I was already lying on the bed at home. The maidservant said that I had been seriously ill and passed out for several days. My mother's eyes were red from crying. I asked where my father was, and my mother replied that he had traveled to the capital to do business. He also told me to study at ease. I really thought it was a nightmare at the time. I didn't worry about it and just calmed down to recuperate.
"Later, my father never came home again, and the business in the store was handed over to my mother by the old accountant. ——This incident has been going on for twenty years, and I still remember it vividly, and every detail of it is engraved in my heart. Today, Mr. Di Now that you ask, I, an unfilial son, have been guarding for twenty years and have not found the murderer of my father. I am very distressed. ——I didn’t expect two people to die in the Red Pavilion. One is very similar to my father’s situation, and they both said He committed suicide. Since Mr. Di has seen through the mechanism, the murderer must be punished someday. Poor my father, Jiuquanxia, doesn't know how to scold me."
"Mr. Tao's narration is like this. He met him at the time, but he didn't look at it in a hurry."
Todd nodded.He continued: "Later, I also heard that my father committed suicide in the red pavilion, because the door was locked and the key was on the carpet in the room. ——I kept thinking, could it be that after I passed out, the murderer returned to the red pavilion?" Pavilion, lock the door, and throw the key in through the window."
Di Gongdao: "Your mother didn't complain to the government again? Yongle Inn knew the murderer as usual. It was also the letter they sent someone to pass on that day."
"My mother later told me that my father committed suicide because of a bitch. She was so angry that she didn't think about eating and drinking for three days and nights, and she didn't go to the government to file a complaint. However, I went straight to ask the shopkeeper of the Yongle Inn at that time. He told me the name of the guest who made an appointment with my father that day. The shopkeeper denied it in every possible way. At one moment, he said that my father committed suicide by himself in the Red Pavilion, and there was no visitor to meet him. At another moment, he said that a woman had rumored that he had invited him to meet him. Farewell, the father was so ashamed and angry that he committed suicide on the spot.
"How can I believe it? I yelled to go to the government to sue him. I was just a child, eight or nine years old, how could I go to court. Besides, it was the Jinhua County main court who came to judge the case, and it was considered suicide by unrequited love. There are a bunch of them, all of them are toothbrothers who lived in brothels. The prostitute also came to the hall and confessed that her father did ask for a huge sum of money to ransom her, but it’s just that the famous woman has someone, and I blame my father for being late. Then I asked why I went to Hong The pavilion is looking for death, the prostitute said that the two of them have had trysts in the red pavilion many times, and infatuated people often commit suicide in places where they used to love the most.
"In less than a month, the epidemic spread, smallpox and hemp bean broke out, and hundreds of people were infected. The residents of Jinshan Leyuan fled and died, and the Yongle Inn also changed its owner three times. Someone came and burned two or three streets of the plague-stricken dead, and only then did they subside. I heard that the prostitute that my father wanted to redeem her back then also died of the epidemic.”
Duke Di asked, "What's the name of that flamboyant prostitute?"
"Her name is Fei Cui. I heard that she was extremely beautiful and unparalleled in color at that time. She was the first oiran lady elected in Le Yuan."
"So, after Ling Zun's death, the case has not been turned over yet. Even though Fei Cui died, did the murderer show any clues?"
With tears streaming down his face, Tao De looked up to the sky and let out a long cry: "I have been secretly exploring this mystery for twenty years, and gradually found out that there were two people who were most passionate about emeralds at that time, one was Feng Dainian, and the other was Wen Wenyuan." ——Feng Dainian At that time, he was twenty-four years old and had no wife. He was young and energetic, handsome and unrestrained. In love, he fought hard and wanted to win the championship. Wen Wenyuan already had a wife. The grass is able to do things, and he has already lost his body. He pursued jade just for vanity, to show that he is a high-class person. At that time, the prostitutes laughed at him as a wax gun head. When he saw real fire, he would die. ——So jade said If there is someone for her famous flower, it is likely to be Feng Dainian."
Di Gong suddenly heard the rustling of oleanders outside the pavilion, and a yellow bird fluttered in the distance. The whole Xiaofangzhou was hidden in the shade of greenery, and it was even more silent.
Todd is caught in painful memories, and his eyes and ears have been immersed in the distant era.He was still feeding and said: "I vaguely heard some rumors. It really said that Feng Dainian was the one who killed my father. He also said that we met in a narrow road in the Red Pavilion. Wen Wenyuan hinted several times that the rumors were true. When I asked him clearly, Then he faltered again and didn't tell the truth. She only said that Jade uttered the truth when she was drunk. In order to protect Feng Dainian's reputation, she had to insist that her father committed suicide in shame and anger. Wen Wenyuan once mentioned that he was in the Red Pavilion with his own eyes that day. I met Feng Dainian in the garden behind.——In this way, I gradually believed these rumors.
"However, Mr. Di didn't know how shocked and painful I felt at that time. Feng Dainian and his father were friends who had been friends for many years. Although they were informal and unrestrained when they were young, the five ethics still valued them. Both of them chased after Miss Jade, but He never blushed once, never plotted secretly, let alone tried to kill. —— After his father died, Feng Dainian seemed to feel guilty suddenly. Industry.
"I really can't believe that such a loyal and righteous father-in-law would be the enemy who killed his father. But Wen Wenyuan's words have been lingering in my mind. Feng Dainian's behavior can only be regarded as his secret atonement. Heart traces are a manifestation of repentance and sins. ——So I usually spy on Feng Dainian secretly, pay attention to his words and deeds, treat people with others, and want to find a trace of the murder. But I am afraid that he will see my thoughts and my conscience will suffer. Condemnation. Master, these years, I really refuse to believe that Feng Dainian would kill someone, especially an old friend."
There was another rustling of oleander flowers outside the pavilion.Di Gong listened for a long while in secret, and there seemed to be nothing unusual.
"Mr. Tao's words just now are very useful to me. This matter is exactly the same as Li Lian's suicide case, and it will be very useful for me to investigate the secret of the Red Pavilion. By the way, there is still a small doubt that needs to be confirmed. You just now It is said that the bed in the red pavilion is on the right, but when I slept there last night, the bed was on the left against the wall."
"My lord, I was on the right at that time. I will never forget that scene for the rest of my life, and I will never make a mistake. Master Wang Di believes me."
Di Gong asked again: "You saw that person escape from the door. Although you can't see the face clearly, the color of the peasant robe must be clear. Could that person be a woman?"
"Master, I remember that person was wearing a red robe, but I can't say for sure whether he is a man or a woman. But the person is not small, so he must be a man."
Duke Di waved his hands. "Why do men wear red robes? Noble ladies and high-class ladies rarely wear red. Only the firework girls in the courtyard wear bright red and green. I think the person who escaped from the red pavilion that day must be a prostitute. It's that emerald."
"I've also asked many people, but no one has ever seen Miss Jade wearing a red dress. Jade's favorite clothes are water green and smoke blue, which are most in line with her name." After speaking, she shook her head dejectedly. Shake your head.
Di Gonggong said: "I tried my best to be considerate with you, but the case of your father's murder has also come to light. Twenty years of unjust injustice will be cleared."
Tao De said gratefully: "Please, Mr. Shen. - Presumably, Mr. Di should also know why I refuse to go to the economic career and stick to this pot of money. My father's grievances are not justified, and there are no filial sons at home." If it is done, do you still want to go out as a loyal minister?"
Mr. Di nodded sympathetically. Seeing that Tao De's tears were still wet, he couldn't bear it, so he changed the topic: "Mr. Tao was also at the banquet last night. Do you know who in this Leyuan hates Qiuyue the most and wants to kill her."
Tao De shook his head and said: "I didn't pay much attention to the romantic affairs of men and women in this Leyuan. I only saw Qiuyue a few times in some public and private situations. I saw her shallow, narrow-minded, moody, pretentious, and sharp-tongued. I knew that she was not a long-lived person. I also pity her as a weak woman. It is not easy to stand in the world in the midst of human desires. It is difficult to deal with a group of people with faces of tigers and wolves. The pain inside is beyond words. Therefore, I want to find a match with all my heart and soul. To redeem her to go out, I only worry about the bright future and the coldness at the door. However, her heart is higher than the sky, and the rope is short and deep. She refuses Li Lian's character and grandeur. I really don't know who to turn to. Originally, Luo County Ling Zeng wanted to do this, but she was also scared away by her sharp tongue."
Duke Di applauded secretly. Although Todd held an indifferent attitude towards matters of sexuality between men and women, every time he had something to say, he always fell in love with it.Especially guessing Luo Yingyuan's section, it is very thirst-quenching.What I dislike Qiuyue the most is her sharp tongue.
Di Gong stood up and said, "Mr. Tao, one step ahead, I still have to meet someone in this pavilion."
Tao De bowed and said goodbye, went out of the pavilion and crossed the bamboo bridge to the west courtyard.
Seeing Tao De going far away, Di Gong suddenly jumped out of the pavilion and searched behind a oleander.As expected, she saw a girl in a maidservant just about to withdraw from the leaves.Di Gong stepped forward and blocked the way, and the woman screamed in fright.
"Ouch, where did it come from..." She retracted the profanity behind her.
Di Gong asked: "Who are you? You are so bold, you dare to hide in the bushes and eavesdrop for half a day."
The woman was about seventeen or eighteen years old, she was just young, with dark clouds on her temples, crescent moon on her eyebrows, she was very beautiful, just like the ancient saying "beautiful as a spring peach", her cheeks were as bright as peach blossoms.Elegantly dressed, full of charm and self-satisfaction, especially better than rouge, a pair of eyes flashed a compelling air-conditioning because of anger.
"This man surnamed Tao is really abominable. He actually slandered Jiayan behind his back and lied. Master Di can't trust him."
Di Gong said with a smile: "Miss Yuhuan, don't get angry. How can I believe Mr. Tao's words? Who told you to hide here to spy on the military situation?"
Feng Yuhuan's lingering anger still persisted: "Master Di also hoped to hear from the little girl that Jia Yan had nothing to do with Tao Kuangshi's death. No matter what nonsense the plague pig uttered, the master should not be trusted. You also rumored that Tao De, called He will never come to my house again, and I don’t want to see him again. I don’t need him as a great matchmaker for my marriage with Jia Yubo.”
Di Gong laughed again: "Mr. Li Lian must have been scolded by you that night?"
Yuhuan asked, "Why did I scold Mr. Li again?"
"His boat crashed into your boat, Miss Feng was frightened for no reason, how could she let it go."
Yuhuan raised her head and said contemptuously, "Old Master Di guessed wrong again. Mr. Li is well-versed in the book, and he took the silver to make amends. His words are gentle and grand, why should I scold him for no reason? - I only scold that ungrateful, A man who has no sense of shame." After saying that, without looking back, he raised the corner of his skirt, jumped over the bamboo bridge, and ran straight to the inner house in the west courtyard.
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