Chapter 537: Ping'er, Youshi gets jealous
You have to know that this was a blatant murder in front of the officials!
Especially in front of a senior official like Sun Shaozong, who is known for his "divine judgment"!
This is simply a challenge to the authority of the imperial court!
It can even be said that it is a way to commit suicide!
Either the murderer was so angry that he lost his mind, or he had some compelling reason. Otherwise, no normal person would choose to act so brazenly in such a situation!
The most likely motive for Zhou Xi's actions today was undoubtedly the word "sadness of love", so Sun Shaozong immediately identified Shen Lian as the number one suspect.
However, after Shen Lian was cleared of suspicion, the motive of this "love killing" became difficult to establish - it was rare to meet a man in the world who was highly skilled in martial arts and willing to risk his life for a fallen woman. It was impossible that Yun'er would encounter two of them in a row, right?
Excluding the possibility of a murder of passion, based on the circumstances at the scene, the only thing that could have led to the murder was probably the word "keeping the mouth shut".
The murderer must have some reason not to let Zhou Xi fall into the hands of the government, so he took the risk and acted recklessly.
Otherwise, he could just wait for Zhou Xi to be released, and then take action without anyone noticing - or, simply hope that Zhou Xi would die in prison!
It's related to the solar eclipse, a secret that people would risk their lives to protect, and one that must never be revealed to the government...
Taking all these conditions into consideration, it is no wonder that Sun Shao would suspect the Crown Prince or a traitor within the White Lotus Sect.
But thinking about it carefully, he felt that it was unlikely.
Firstly, the case of the crown prince was carefully planned, and Sun Shaozong didn't even know where to start. How could a mere failed scholar have the opportunity to access the confidential information?
As for the traitors in the White Lotus Sect...
Now that Aunt Li has been captured alive, what is the point in killing the other spies who have been caught?
After successively denying the two speculations in his mind, Sun Shaozong asked Yun'er for some details, but gained almost nothing.
"elder brother."
Just as I was wondering if I had missed something, Xue Pan came up to me, rubbing his hands and saying, "The man you said killed that pretty boy, could it be the one who attacked me back then?"
Although his idea was off the mark, Sun Shaozong was still surprised that this guy would suspect a murder of passion.
Glancing at Shen Lian from the corner of his eye, Sun Shaozong nodded without hesitation: "It is indeed possible."
Anyway, Shen Lian hasn't caused any big trouble yet, so for Lu Jianxing's sake, let's let the murderer take the blame.
"I knew it!"
Xue Pan let out a weird cry, raised his leg and kicked Yun'er in the chest, cursing, "Damn it, how many wild men have you seduced behind my back, you bitch?!"
Seeing this, Shen Lian, who was standing next to him, almost couldn't help but stepped forward to stop them. Fortunately, Sun Shaozong grabbed Xue Pan first.
Just as he was about to scold this fool and tell him to stop messing around, Qiu Yunfei's voice suddenly came from outside: "Sir, Sir Zhizhong! Another person died!"
Another death?!
Sun Shaozong suddenly stood up and went out to greet him. He bumped into Qiu Yunfei at the door and immediately asked, "What happened? Who died again?!"
"grown ups."
Qiu Yunfei hurriedly said, "I followed your instructions and went to Mr. Zhou's house. Before I could even knock on the door, I saw thick smoke billowing in the yard..."
However, when he saw that there seemed to be a fire in Zhou Xi's house, Qiu Yunfei immediately sent people to knock on the door, but no one responded from inside.
Lu Jianxing acted decisively, climbed over the wall and opened the door, allowing Qiu Yunfei and others to enter.
The crowd followed the thick smoke and found the study in the backyard, where they saw several men and women lying in the fire.
Qiu Yunfei immediately gave the order for the bailiffs to go in and get the person out.
But the fire was quite big at that time, so how could the bailiffs dare to take the risk to go in?
As they were pushing and shoving each other, Lu Jianxing fetched some well water to wet his body, rushed into the fire, and carried out the three men and two women who were lying inside - but these people had already died, and not a single one was alive.
"According to my humble inspection, two of the men and two of the women were servants in Mr. Zhou's household, and the fatal injuries were knife wounds to the neck."
"The other person's face was severely burned, and it was difficult to discern his original appearance, but it can be basically concluded that he was not a servant of the Zhou family."
"His fatal injury was not a burn either. It is very likely that he committed suicide by taking poison."
An outsider who committed suicide by taking poison?
Severe facial burns?
Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Does that person have any accelerants? Have you found any murder weapons nearby?"
"Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from the adults!"
Qiu Yunfei chuckled, "That guy poured lamp oil on his head, so only the upper body was severely burned, but the lower body was fine. As for the murder weapon, the hatchet in the woodshed had signs of being washed, but not polished."
After a pause, he added: "According to my investigation, this person should be a martial artist, and he usually wears a ring."
Tsk~
Obviously Qiu Yunfei also suspected that the man who died of poisoning and had a burnt face was the murderer who shot Zhou Xi to death with an arrow.
It would be fine if he dared to take the risk of killing someone, but now he has committed suicide without hesitation...
It seems that even if this matter has nothing to do with the case of the crown prince, the issues involved behind it are definitely not small!
Thinking of this, Sun Shaozong immediately ordered: "Let's go, take me to the Zhou family!"
Two flowers bloom, each showing its own beauty.
However, just as Sun Shaozong went to Zhou's house to investigate the scene, Ningguo Mansion's eldest wife, Youshi, also hurried to Wang Xifeng's house.
"Ping'er, Ping'er?!"
As soon as she entered the room, Youshi started to yell. When Ping'er came out from the inner room, she couldn't help complaining, "Where's your grandmother? This is great. I worked so hard to prepare for her birthday, but in the end she left me alone. The old lady kept asking me for a birthday girl, but where can I find one for her?"
After she finished complaining, Youshi realized that Ping'er looked dazed and her complexion was a little off. Although she was facing her, she seemed to be in a state of wandering.
"What's going on?"
Yu Shi asked suspiciously, "You look so distracted, and I haven't heard which little bitch got you drunk?"
“Nothing…Nothing…”
When Wang Xifeng learned that Jia Lian had a crush on Sun Shaozong, she was not the only one who was shocked. Ping'er was also frightened and has not recovered yet.
However, seeing that Youshi was suspicious, she was afraid that this matter would affect Sun Shaozong's reputation, so she quickly cheered up and said, "Our Second Madam just drank a few more cups, and she felt uncomfortable when the wind blew on her body. Now she has fallen asleep. I'm afraid I can only trouble you to take care of her in front of the old ancestor's wife."
After hearing this, although Youshi felt that this statement was somewhat untrue, she could not find any fault with it for the moment. Besides, she actually had other things to do and wanted to find Ping'er to ask her about it in detail.
So he simply changed the subject, pointed to the corridor and said, "Your grandmother can take a break from her busy schedule, so why don't I also stop by your house to rest? Come on, come on, come with me to sit under the corridor. I just happen to have something I want to ask you about."
As he said this, he pulled Ping'er's sleeve.
After all, she is the master, so how can Ping'er refuse?
He had no choice but to obey reluctantly and followed Youshi to the corridor.
Youshi first pressed her against the railing, then sat down close to her, put her arms around Ping'er's slender waist, put her fiery lips close to hers, and whispered in her ear with great interest, "I heard someone say the other day that Brother Lian gave you and Xiaohong together to the second son of the Sun family - could this be true?"
When Ping'er heard this, her face suddenly changed and she was about to jump up from the railing, but was held down by Youshi.
"Don't worry, I just listened to people's gossip and was afraid that you would be kept in the dark and ruin your reputation without knowing it. If this hadn't happened, I would have asked someone to send those lowly guys away when I got back!"
Although she said so, after seeing Ping'er's reaction, Youshi was already 80% convinced in her heart.
After Ping'er calmed down, although her face turned red, she felt a sense of relief in her heart - since the news had already spread to the East Palace, it must have spread throughout the Rongguo Mansion a long time ago.
If that's the case, then why are you still hiding it?
Anyway, I have made up my mind to get out of the Rongguo Mansion!
So Ping'er gritted her teeth and blurted out, "This is not a rumor. The Second Master has indeed promised me to Lord Sun, and Lord Sun has also agreed to take me as a concubine. It's just that Madam can't leave me for the time being, so she plans to keep me for a few more days."
As soon as these words were spoken, Ping'er felt relieved, but it was Youshi's turn to feel uncomfortable.
She had heard that Ping'er was sent by Jia Lian to warm the bed of Sun Shaozong, and she felt a sense of sympathy - but she never imagined that Ping'er was actually going to Sun's house to be a concubine!
Yu Shi was immediately filled with jealousy, and she forced a smile, saying, "Then I have to congratulate you. Although Lord Sun is not as talented as our Rong and Ning families, he is a first-class young talent and a caring person..."
The more she talked about it, the more uncomfortable she felt, as if something had been stolen from her, and she felt empty inside.
Especially when the word "caring" was mentioned, the scene of the passionate love that night suddenly came to my mind, and I felt lonely and cold, as well as upset and irritable.
Just as the situation was tense and tense, a maid suddenly ran over, chirping, "Madam, Madam! The concubine sent a message saying that the old lady is not feeling well. Please go over and take a look."
Stepmom is unwell?
Would you like to go and take a look yourself?
She is currently living in the Sun Mansion. If there is anything, she only needs to tell the Sun family's servants. Why would they have to find out for herself?
After thinking about it for a while, Youshi guessed that her stepmother was probably afraid that her third sister's marriage would be delayed, so she was in a hurry to call her over to tell her something.
So he ordered, "Tell the person who came that I can't leave right now. I will go to see the old lady after I finish the things at hand."
