Dragon Pattern Roll Set

When Zhan Zhao and the others returned to Kaifeng Mansion, it was almost dark.

As soon as I entered the door, I smelled a fragrance, which is still very "simple" fragrance!

Zhao Pu sniffed it, "What is this braised in soy sauce? It smells like soy sauce."

"I'm so hungry!" The fourth son rubbed his stomach, and Xigulu ran in with him on his back.

Everyone ran into the yard, and saw that two tables had already been set up, and many people were there, sitting and preparing to eat.The dining table is very simple, with two large washbasins in the middle... yes, washbasins, and a bucket next to it.

"Wow!" Zhan Zhao's eyes lit up, "It's a heroic feeling..."

Zhao Pu also raised his eyebrows, "Isn't that an idiot! I haven't seen it for a long time!"

At this moment, there are two dishes in the two large pots on the table, one is fish head in clear soup, the other is braised fish tail, and the wooden barrel is filled with rice.

Gongsun took the fourth son and said to Zhao Pu, "The palace sent several big fish just now, and the lady in the kitchen made them for me."

Ouyang knocked on the bowl with chopsticks, "It looks like military camp food!"

Everyone sat down and took their rice bowls to eat. Fifth Master looked at the washbasin and wooden barrel and sighed.

Zhan Zhao glanced at him, "Don't despise food!"

Bai Yutang looked at the sky, "It's not that I dislike food."

Zhan Zhao waited for his next words.

Fifth Master shook his head, looked at the pots and barrels, "I hate tableware... hiss."

Before Bai Yutang finished speaking, he suddenly touched his head.

Zhan Zhao held his rice bowl and bit the tail of the fish, looked back, and saw Tianzun appearing out of nowhere, standing behind Bai Yutang, holding a handful of Bai Yutang's hair in his hand.

Everyone else looked at it curiously, the old man's face was so stinky!

Zhan Zhao put down his job to help Bai Yutang grab hair, and said to Tianzun, "Don't drag me, old man, it's over if you're so handsome and bald!"

The fourth son came here to take Tianzun away for dinner, so he saved Bai Yutang.

Fifth Master rubbed his head.

Tianzun sat down and glared at Bai Yutang while holding a teacup.

Bai Yutang knew that he had made him angry, and was thinking about how to remedy it.

Yin Hou seemed to have remembered something, took out the box containing the ring, and handed it to Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao opened it, only to see a red jade ring inside, shaped... like a fish tail.

"Fishtail again!" Zhan Zhao frowned.

"What fishtail?"

……

Everyone turned their heads when they heard the voice, and saw Mr. Bao walking in.

Zhan Zhao and the others invited him to have dinner together.

Bao Yan was also curious, "Father, why are you wearing an official robe? Have you entered the palace?"

Master Bao sighed, "Don't mention it, it's also evil."

As he said that, Lord Bao told the story of the theft from the palace warehouse.

"Fishtail ring?" Everyone looked at each other, Zhan Zhao held the ring and asked Master Bao, "Is it this one?"

Master Bao shook his head, "The red jade is not listed in the tribute record."

"There are still many styles?"

"There must be a set." Yin Hou said, "It is probably Cui Hai's work, maybe there are red jade, jasper, white jade, topaz, emerald and so on."

Tianzun looked at the ring with disgust, "Why take it back!"

Yin Hou looked up at the sky, "Didn't you give it to me?"

Tianzun was dissatisfied, "That's because it looks like a fish tail!"

"Speaking of the fish tail!" Bao Yan and Pang Yu talked about the case of the palace lady's suicide five years ago that Mr. Lin mentioned in the Taixue book just now.

Zhan Zhao frowned, "The court lady committed suicide and drew a fishtail formation?"

"According to the legend of Yuweidu." Gongsun thought for a while, "Would the maid commit suicide because her lover treated her badly?"

"There are not too many reasons for a person to commit suicide." Zhan Zhao shook his head, "Besides a sudden big blow, most of them are emotional problems."

"What a coincidence, two court ladies died by Peacock Lake?" Bai Yutang felt that something was wrong.

Everyone bowed their heads and continued to eat, the kitchen lady was very skilled, and the fish the emperor gave was also plump and tender... Recently, it has been really different from fish tails.

……

After the meal, Zhan Zhao brought a cup of tea, took the two records of personnel entering and leaving the palace given by the grand master, and Bai Yutang started to look through the one, what were they looking for?Find someone with the surname Cui.

Not to mention, after Zhan Zhao finished drinking a cup of tea, Fifth Master held down the page he saw and handed it to him.

Zhan Zhao saw Bai Yutang pointing to a name - Cui Xin, who entered the palace four and a half years ago, a stone carving craftsman, who entered the palace to repair the stone walls of the palace.

The two looked at each other—what a coincidence!The working hours are all in line!

Zhan Zhao went to the palace and asked the official in charge of the palace's repairs about it.Fortunately, there are clear records of every repair in the palace, and the craftsmen who can enter the palace are well investigated, so Zhan Zhao quickly found the clue of "Cui Xin".

Cui Xin should be 27 or [-] years old this year, less than [-] years old. Four and a half years ago, he entered the palace to repair the stone wall, and his name never appeared again after that.There is only Cui Xin's address on the roster, which is in Shenjia Village, a suburb of Kaifeng North City.

That night, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang made an appointment with Gongsun and Zhao Pu, and the four of them went to Shenjia Village to look for this Cui Xin.

The moods of the four were a bit conflicted. On the one hand, they wanted to find Cui Xin, so that they could prove that the nameless corpse was not Cui Xin. After all, it was a pity to die in their 20s.But on the other hand, if Cui Xin cannot be found, then there is a great possibility that he is the nameless corpse...

Shenjia Village was not far away, and not long after, everyone arrived at the entrance of the village.

Looking down from the hillside, Shenjia Village still looks quite rich, with fertile fields, fish ponds, and well-built houses, shaded by green willows.Although it was late at night, many people in the village were outside, drinking tea and enjoying the coolness and chatting, and the children were chasing and running, which was very lively.

Zhan Zhao and others walked in along the main road of the village.

A few old people who were playing chess by the roadside looked over.

The villagers whispered to each other...

"Is this Master Zhan from Kaifeng Mansion?"

"Oh! Why did you come to the village?"

"Who did something wrong?"

……

Soon, the small village "boiled" because of the arrival of Zhan Zhao and others, and the "idle" residents who had eaten their fill all ran out to watch.

When Zhan Zhao and others arrived at the address recorded on the address, the door of Cui Xin's hut was already three floors in and three out, and many people had gathered.

As soon as Zhan Zhao and the others arrived in front of Cui Xin's house, they felt that they might have made a mistake!Because there are dogs and flowers planted in the small courtyard, there are several unfinished stone sculptures, and the lights are on in the room.

Zhao Pu folded his arms, "Is it the wrong person?"

Zhan Zhao was also in a conflicted mood, and reached out to pat the courtyard door.

After a while, the door of the room opened, and a fat doll of seven or eight years old was holding a rice bowl in his hand. He opened the door and looked, "Who is it?"

Zhan Zhao asked, "Is Cui Xin here?"

The child turned around, "Daddy!"

"what?"

There was a voice of someone agreeing in the room, and it sounded like they were eating.

"Someone is looking for you!" After the child finished speaking, he went back to continue eating.

Then, the door opened, and a young man ran out wiping his hands, "Who is it? I don't have time to order things this month, and we have to wait until next month..."

Zhan Zhao and the others observed carefully, and saw that the one running out was a young man in his 27s, neatly dressed, with a lot of off-white dirt on his clothes, and he looked a bit like that little chubby kid.

"Are you Cui Xin?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"Uh...yes." Cui Xin nodded, obviously knew Zhan Zhao, knew that he was an official post, and probably not here to discuss business, so he walked to the door and asked, "Master Zhan?"

Zhan Zhao nodded.

"Uh... what do you want me to do?" Cui Xin looked puzzled.

Zhan Zhao looked at Bai Yutang.

Fifth Master raised his eyebrows—it seems that he probably made a mistake.

Zhao Pu and Gongsun also sighed.

Zhan Zhao thought for a while and asked, "Can I go in and talk?"

"Oh!" Cui Xin hurried to let people in, and yelled, "At home, let's make tea, a distinguished guest has arrived."

When Zhan Zhao and the others heard that there were female relatives in the house, they stopped going in and sat in the courtyard.

After a while, Cui Xin's daughter-in-law and the chubby son just ran out with a tray, followed by a four or five-year-old girl. I am very lucky.

Cui Xin looked nervous. Although he knew that Zhan Zhao would not be a bad person, but the government came to him for no reason, so it shouldn't be a good thing...

Zhan Zhao smiled slightly, telling him not to be nervous, and asked him, "Brother Cui, did you go to the palace to repair the stone wall more than four years ago?"

"Uh..." Cui Xin was slightly taken aback, "More than four years... ah!"

Seeing him, Zhan Zhao and the others reacted greatly and were a little puzzled.

Cui Xin looked nervous, "Yes... Did you lose something or did something happen?"

Zhan Zhao was puzzled, "What?"

Cui Xin cried and said, "Then what...Master Zhan, is this a big deal? I won't be sued, will I?"

Zhan Zhao and the others were at a loss.

Gongsun asked curiously, "What are you talking about?"

Cui Xin looked at the crowd, seemingly puzzled, "Aren't you here to investigate that matter?"

"What matter?" Bai Yutang couldn't understand either.

"Uh..." Cui Xin looked at the crowd and asked, "I... asked someone to enter the palace for me?"

Zhan Zhao and the others were startled, and in an instant...the sinking heart lifted up again, and asked, "Didn't you be the one who went to the palace to repair the walls that day?"

Cui Xin nodded, nervous, "I was very happy to enter the palace to repair the stone wall, but it was such a coincidence that my wife happened to give birth to her second child that day, but it was an errand in the palace and I had to go, so I asked a friend to replace it. Me. I still use my name, but all the wages belong to him, and the work in the palace can earn a lot of money at a time."

"You hired someone to replace you, so you won't take on errands in the palace anymore, because you are afraid of being recognized?" Gongsun asked.

"Isn't it!" Cui Xin looked helpless, "What's that called... Is it a crime of deceiving the emperor? I didn't mean it."

Zhan Zhao signaled him not to be nervous, and then asked, "Who is that person who replaced you in the palace?"

"I'm a friend." Cui Xin said, "I used to do some jade carving in a jade shop in the city, and he also helped there. It's easy to chat and a nice person."

"So he was actually the one who entered the palace that time?" Zhan Zhao asked, "Where are the others?"

Cui Xin was helpless, "I haven't seen you again!"

Zhan Zhao frowned, "Haven't you seen it?"

"Well!" Cui Xin was helpless, "I went to the shop to look for him two days after my daughter-in-law gave birth, but the shopkeeper had to say that he hadn't come to work for two days. After that, I didn't see him for a long time. I was also worried. But after a long time, I still didn't see him, so I thought, maybe he had some urgent business and left? Or he took the money and ran away to hide the debt? I was also worried in the first six months, but Many years passed in a blink of an eye, and nothing happened, so I almost forgot about it."

Zhan Zhao nodded and looked at Bai Yutang.

Bai Yutang, Zhao Pu, and Gongsun all had a tacit understanding, and felt—however it sounded, he was that person.

Zhan Zhao asked Cui Xin, "What's the name of that friend of yours?"

"He has the same surname as mine, called Cui Cheng, and he was in the same family about 500 years ago, so let's talk!" Cui Xin said, looking at the crowd again, and asked uncertainly, "That...is something wrong with him? "

Zhan Zhao asked back, "Do you have a hunch that something will happen to him?"

Cui Xin gave a soft "tsk", "Actually, I thought about the possibility of him a lot afterwards, and I always felt that he was not such an unrepentant person. I wondered if something happened to him..."

Everyone looked at each other.

Zhan Zhao finally took out the drawing picture from his sleeve pocket, and before showing it to him, Zhan Zhao asked, "Brother Cui, haven't you been to the city recently?"

Cui Xin shook his head, "I've been busy since the Chinese New Year." He said, pointing to a few stone sculptures beside him, "Business is very good."

Zhan Zhao looked at Gongsun.

Gongsun rested his chin on Cui Xin for a while, and finally nodded to Zhan Zhao, which means——according to his observation, Cui Xin may indeed be a descendant of the Cui family, and his chin has the same characteristics.

Everyone admired Cui Xin's craftsmanship again, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Sure enough, the Cui family was born to carve things...

Zhan Zhao spread out the picture and put it in front of Cui Xin's eyes, and asked, "Cui Cheng you're talking about, is that him?"

Cui Xin looked down at the portrait, was stunned, and then nodded, "That's right! He's a little thinner, and there's a mole on his left cheek... what is this?!" Cui Xin saw the words "Come to Kaifeng Mansion to claim the corpse" next to it. Something, opened his mouth wide, "He..."

Zhan Zhao said, "Your friend should have passed away."

Cui Xin held the portrait and stood there dumbfounded for a long time, then asked, "Did he die that day? Did he die because I asked him to take over?"

Zhan Zhao and the others couldn't bear to tell others that they really died in the palace and stayed in the dry well for five years.

"Recall your friend in detail." Zhan Zhao said, "For example, his residence, experience, etc."

"I don't know where he lives. We just met at the helper's shop." Cui Xin put down the portrait to calm down, then turned his head as if thinking of something, and asked his son to hide him in the box under the pillow bring it.

After a while, the little fat boy took out a wooden box from the house.

Cui Xin put the box on the table and said, "I mainly do stone carving, and I like to carve big things, but he is good at fine work. On the day my daughter was born, he was the one who offered to go to the palace for me." Li, after I agreed, I felt that he was a great help, and I really wanted to thank him. But he thanked me in turn, and gave me something as a gift, saying that it was a souvenir for the child, thanks to her being born on this day, he helped He's very busy."

While talking, Cui Xin opened the box and took out something - a small jade pendant with a fishtail pillow.

When Zhan Zhao and the others looked at it, they saw it was a small jade pendant. When they saw this jade pendant, everyone was speechless—the shape of a fishtail pillow!

"It's a fishtail pillow again..." Zhao Pu frowned and took it over, "It's the same as that pillow and jade pendant in the palace."

"It feels the same way." Bai Yutang also nodded.

"Did he say anything when he gave you this?" Gongsun asked.

Cui Xin shook his head, "He just said, it's a worthless gadget."

Bai Yutang stretched out his hand to take a look, then shook his head, "Jade is good jade, although it's small, it's not cheap."

Cui Xin scratched his head, "How did he die? Did he get into trouble or something?"

"Did he mention that he got into trouble?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Cui Xin couldn't remember, only said that Cui Cheng was very easy-going and friendly, and indeed he seldom talked about his own affairs. He only knew that he was from the Northwest, came to Kaifeng to make a living, and his parents died early.

"Does he have a family?" Gongsun asked, "Or a sweetheart?"

Cui Xin remembered something after being reminded by Gongsun, "He seems to have mentioned that he has a sweetheart."

"It didn't say who it was?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Cui Xin shook his head, "I asked him which family the girl was from, but he didn't say either."

Bai Yutang stroked his chin lightly, thoughtfully.

Zhan Zhao paid attention to his expression, thinking that he must have thought of some clues.

Everyone chatted with Cui Xin for a long time, but apart from finding out the identity of the deceased, there were very few other clues.

Leave Cui Xin alone, Zhan Zhao and the others got up and went back to Kaifeng.

After leaving Shenjia Village, Gongsun asked, "He may be from the Cui family. Don't you tell him that there may be relatives of his family in the Huangshi jade shop?"

Zhao Pu and Bai Yutang also looked at Zhan Zhao.

"He's doing well now, isn't he?" Zhan Zhao said, looking at the three of them with complicated expressions, "Do you think that Huangshi Yupu is really all right?"

Bai Yutang didn't speak, and Zhao Pu folded his arms in silence.

Gongsun said, "Although I didn't go to Huangshi Yupu, I always feel that their appearance is too coincidental."

"I said..." Zhao Pu said, "Cui Hai should have been loyal to Li Min back then, otherwise Tianzun wouldn't even refuse to touch the Cui family's jade pendant."

Bai Yutang nodded.

"Do you think...the possibility of his family's descendants rebelling is high?" Zhao Pu became worried about his nephew's situation.

"No way!" Gongsun's eyes widened, "A jade shop rebelled? Isn't this as absurd as a butcher's mutiny?"

"It's true..." Zhao Pu nodded.

"Actually, the Cui family and the Xu family are somewhat similar in a certain sense." Bai Yutang said suddenly, "They both had their families wiped out. Before they were wiped out, they were both big families and craftsmen, and their signs were resounding."

Zhan Zhao scratched his head, "So annoying!"

Seeing Zhan Zhao's irritability, Bai Yutang said, "When I looked through the directory, I noticed that there were many, many people entering the palace on the day Cui Cheng entered the palace to repair the stone walls."

Everyone was stunned.

Zhan Zhao was curious, "What day was it that so many people entered the palace?"

"There is a banquet in the palace." Bai Yutang said, "Many ministers have entered the palace, and..."

"And?" All three looked at Bai Yutang.

"And those courtiers all brought their daughters with them." Bai Yutang replied.

"Bringing a daughter?" Zhao Pu understood, "You don't need to ask if you are bringing a daughter to dinner, or the emperor wants to choose a concubine because of the wind in the palace, or the emperor wants to be a matchmaker for some grandson!"

"A matchmaker?" Gongsun was curious.

"For example, Lord Bao went to tell the emperor today that he wanted to prepare a marriage for Bao Yan, and he wanted to be of the right family." Zhao Pudao, "Bao Yan has a bright future, and he looks like a good character. It can be said that those families raised him The first choice for the son-in-law of the courtiers of a thousand pieces of gold."

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nodded—is Xiao Baoyan still very popular!

"The emperor will definitely send a message to the courtiers on the same day, and hold a banquet tomorrow night. Those who like Bao Yan will bring their daughters..."

Zhan Zhao pondered for a while, "Well... Cui Cheng said that it was just right to enter the palace that day, so could it be that his sweetheart is the daughter of a courtier's family?"

"He was killed and thrown in Shaohua Palace... Could it be that the murderer was one of the people who went to the palace for a banquet that day?" Gongsun asked.

"Is there someone in the palace to help..." Zhao Pu and the others got more and more brainstorming, discussed all the way, and when they returned to Kaifeng Mansion, they almost finished writing a big drama, the plot was so complicated and ups and downs.

I just want to go back to thinking, there is no clue or no clue, so I have to go back to my room to rest and continue to investigate tomorrow.

……

Late at night, in Miaomiao Building.

Zhan Zhao leaned his head against Yaoyao, supported Xiao Wu on his feet, and looked through the roster, looking completely sleepy, "Five years is not too long, those officials are basically still there."

"But those daughters are all married, right?" Bai Yutang asked.

"That's true... the ladies of the past have almost all become the wives of dignitaries." Zhan Zhao shook his head lightly.

"What's wrong?" Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao sighed, feeling a little emotional, "If Cui Cheng really fell in love with a rich lady, even if they were in love, they probably wouldn't be able to be together..."

Bai Yutang thought for a while, "It depends on the situation... If Bao Yan wants to marry a commoner woman one day, his parents should not object; but if Wang Qi wants to marry a commoner woman, Prime Minister Wang will definitely object; and Pang Yu If so... the grand master will definitely tell him that the wife should be of the same family, and concubines can be taken as they please, just find the one you like."

Zhan Zhao looked up at Bai Yutang, "Are these three comparisons of yours quite reliable?"

"But a daughter is not a son... For many dignitaries, a daughter is just a tool to build relationships." Bai Yutang walked over, sat down next to Zhan Zhao, leaned against Yaoyao, looked at his directory, and asked, "What is there?" Do you know a large group of senior officials?"

Zhan Zhao shook his head, "I don't know any of them, and you also know that I only focus on the dishes when I have a banquet."

Bai Yutang also couldn't laugh or cry, picked up the directory and said to Zhan Zhao, "Wait for me a while." After speaking, he went out.

Zhan Zhao was puzzled—where did the mouse go?In the middle of the night...

In the Grand Master's Mansion.

Just as the grand master was about to go to bed, he heard that Pang Fu came to report that Bai Yutang asked to see him.

The grand master quickly put on his clothes and ran out to meet the guests.

Bai Yutang said botheringly, and handed over the list to the Grand Master.

The grand master was a little puzzled.

Bai Yutang pointed to the names of those officials, and said, "Among this group of people, if a daughter falls in love with a poor boy, the father will kill the poor boy and throw him into the well. Who are there?"

The grand master was slightly taken aback, then reached out to pick up a cinnabar pen, drew a few circles on the list, and handed it back to Bai Yutang.

……

In Kaifeng Mansion.

After Zhan Zhao ate half of his supper, Bai Yutang came back and handed the list back to him.

Zhan Zhao opened it and found several red circles drawn, so he looked at Bai Yutang puzzled.

Bai Yutang winked at him, "The suspect provided by the Grand Master."

Zhan Zhao immediately understood, smiled slightly, and gave Bai Yutang a thumbs up—rats are clever enough!