The master said not to judge people by their appearance

Zhang Li is a rascal, he spends his days in gambling houses, taverns, or kilns. He has no fixed place to live, and it is extremely difficult for the guards to find him, especially since they dare not speak up. They dare not disobey Xie Yunlan's orders, but Luo Hongyuan didn't dare to offend him, so he thought of a compromise method and quietly took Zhang Li away. If he was lucky, Xie Yunlan would put Zhang Li back after he finished asking without alarming Luo Hongyuan.

The result of this is that their work efficiency is extremely slow, Xu Xin and Wang Tai have returned one after another, and the servants who went to Zhang Li have not yet returned.

It wasn't until the next morning that these officers found Zhang Li who was drunk and snoring on the bed from a tavern in the south of the city.

I don't know how much he drank. When Zhang Li was brought back to the prefect's mansion, he was still in a state of drunkenness. No matter how his guards called him, he didn't respond at all.

Xie Yunlan frowned, and exchanged glances with Xu Xin who was sitting in the chair. This is Cangzhou, and Xu Xin should preside over this case.

Xu Xin may not be very good at judging cases, but he is very good at reading people's eyes. When he saw this, he slapped the table heavily and scolded: "Go get a bucket of water and wake me up!"

The guards were ordered to fetch water, and Xu Xin turned to Xie Yunlan and asked warmly: "Master Xie has rested for a night, is it better? I ordered someone to prepare some ginseng tea to refresh the spirit, so I asked someone to give it to Mr. Xie and Mr. Shen." Please master bring it up!"

"It's much better, thank you Master Xu." Xie Yunlan replied casually. He is in good health. After drinking the medicine and resting for a night, the discomfort of choking on water yesterday has almost disappeared. Compared with him, Shen Fan needs to drink ginseng tea more .

Shen Fan sat next to Xie Yunlan, yawning, early in the morning, the guards woke him up as soon as they found Xie Yunlan, and he didn't get enough sleep.

Xu Xin was thinking of ways to build a good relationship with Xie Yunlan, so the ginseng tea he served naturally didn't dare to fool him, the quality was excellent, and Shen Fan didn't feel sleepy after taking a sip, and because the ginseng tea added goji berries and red dates, the tea was fragrant There was a sweet taste in it, like a unique dessert, and it happened that he hadn't eaten breakfast. When Xu Xin and Xie Yunlan were interrogating Zhang Li, he was quietly drinking tea by the side.

Zhang Li was so drunk that he couldn't pour a bucket of water enough, and he didn't wake up until he poured three buckets. After he woke up, he looked around with his wet hair, at a loss, not knowing what happened.

"Are you Zhang Li from Hekou Village?" Xu Xin slapped the table again and shouted loudly.

Zhang Li was taken aback by the sound. He noticed Xu Xin in the hall and the layout around the room, realized something, and quickly replied: "It's the villain!"

"I called you here today to inquire about an old case." Xu Xin said.

Old case?Zhang Li's eyes flicked, thinking about which crime he committed that alarmed the prefect, and... He carefully peeked at the two young men sitting in the side seats, one of them was dressed in white, and his appearance was the only one he had ever seen in the world. , the other person is dressed in Tsing Yi, although his appearance is not as good as that of the one next to him, he is also very handsome, and he has a calm and majestic demeanor around him. Xin is more majestic.

Zhang Li's peeking gaze was originally very subtle and shouldn't be noticed, but when he took a look, he was discovered by the other party.

Xie Yunlan squinted his eyes, and Zhang Li hurriedly looked away, not daring to look any further. He quickly recalled the news he heard recently. Some important people came to Cangzhou recently, and it seemed that only the famous Xuanwuhou...

"Ten years ago, you said that you saw the God of the River appear with your own eyes, didn't you?" Xu Xin's voice sounded again.

ten years ago?Zhang Li was stunned for a moment, obviously he didn't expect Xu Xin to turn over the old account so far, so far that he almost forgot, and he remembered it after a while. He thought for a moment, and answered cautiously: "Yes."

Xu Xin: "How did the River God appear? What did you say to you again? Please tell me the cause and effect of this matter in detail!"

"The God of the River..." Zhang Li rolled his eyes. He didn't know why the story of the God of the River was suddenly brought up, but in line with the principle of saying less and making less mistakes, he apologized and said, "It's been too long since I returned to my lord. , I can’t remember clearly.”

"Can't remember? This..." Xu Xin turned his gaze to Xie Yunlan, seeming a bit difficult.

"Then pick what you remember and say." Xie Yunlan leaned slightly, with a dangerous sense of oppression on his playful expression, "Or do you want to say that you can't remember anything?"

Zhang Li's hair stood on end when he was seen, and he changed his words: "I also remember one thing, that night I was sleeping in the River God Temple, and suddenly heard someone talking in the middle of the night, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the statue of the River God appearing gone."

"Have you seen the River God with your own eyes?" Xie Yunlan asked.

"See you!" Zhang Li vowed, "The God of the River even talked to me, saying that if he wants to marry a wife, he must be the most beautiful woman in Cangzhou City, otherwise the city will be flooded."

Xie Yunlan: "What does the River God look like?"

"It just... looks the same as the statue," Zhang Li said.

Xie Yunlan: "In the middle of the night, and there are no lights in the temple, how do you see the appearance of the river god?"

Before the incident of the River God, the people in Hekou Village didn't pay much attention to the sacrifice of the River God, that is, the frequency was once a year. There were only incense stands for incense in the temple, and no candles were prepared.

Zhang Li paused for a moment, then said, "It's moonlight! The moon was brighter that night!"

"The moon?" Xie Yunlan raised his eyebrows, "Didn't it rain that night? Where did the moon come from?"

"That's Lei Guang! Yes, it should be Lei Guang. It rained and thundered that night, and they quarreled all night." Zhang Li apologized with a smile, "My lord, it's been too long, and I really can't remember clearly. I said the wrong thing for a while."

"Oh?" Xie Yunlan played with taste, "The River God Temple has no windows, only a door, and the thunder light wants to shine in. That is to say, you sleep with the door open? You are not afraid of the cold."

Zhang Li smiled sarcastically, not daring to speak any more.

"Why did you go to the River God Temple that night?" Xie Yunlan asked another question.In Hekou Village ten years ago, except for the annual sacrifice day, almost no one went to the Heshen Temple.

Zhang Li thought for a moment before answering: "The villain went to the city to do some business that day, and he came back in the evening. He wanted to go home, but he went the wrong way, and it rained heavily again, so the villain simply stayed in the Heshen Temple. Stay out of the rain overnight."

Xie Yunlan: "Hekou Village and Heshen Temple are in two directions. It's okay for outsiders not to be familiar with it. You are from Hekou Village, so you can go in the wrong direction?"

Zhang Li brought up the excuse he had just thought up: "The villain drank a few more drinks that day, and his mind is a bit confused."

"Then you really drank a lot." Xie Yunlan gave him a meaningful look.

"Yes, the villain has no other hobbies in his life. One is to go to the casino to play a few games, and the other is to drink." Zhang Li hurriedly said, "The villain drank half the night yesterday!"

"I see." Xie Yunlan smiled, "It took three buckets of water to wake you up."

Zhang Li also laughed, thinking that Xie Yunlan was convinced by his words, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Xie Yunlan's expression suddenly turned cold.

"You sleep so dead after being drunk, you can't hear so many people calling you, you can't hear the sound of thunder and rain, how did you get woken up by a little human voice at night?" Xie Yunlan's tone was cold, his eyes sharp Ru Jian, "I'll ask you again, have you ever met the River God?"

Frightened by Xie Yunlan's sudden outburst, Zhang Li trembled uncontrollably, almost blurting out the truth, but then he thought of something, his eyes flickered for a moment, and he insisted: "I see! seen it myself!"

"Okay!" Xie Yunlan laughed again, but it was a sneer.

He made a gesture to the guards on the side, and the guards understood, moved the bench to put Zhang Li on it, picked up the torture rod as thick as a forearm, weighed it, and was about to be tied up at Zhang Li. His legs hit.

Zhang Li yelled in horror: "My lord! What the villain said is the truth, my lord!"

"Slow down!" Xie Yunlan frowned, then suddenly called to stop.

The guards looked at him in confusion, and even Zhang Li was stunned. He didn't expect Xie Yunlan to really let him go.

Of course Xie Yunlan would not let him go, he just thought of something suddenly.

He turned to look at Shen Fan who was sitting next to him, and asked, "Are you hungry?"

Shen Fan thought for a while and said, "It's okay."

Although he didn't eat breakfast, he finished his ginseng tea and wasn't very hungry.

But Xie Yunlan called Wang Tai over and said, "Take him to breakfast."

"Yes." Wang Tai understood what Xie Yunlan meant. The scene of the torture was too bloody, not suitable for a little...little son like Shen Fan. He turned his head and said, "Master, let's go have breakfast."

Shen Fan blinked, looked at Zhang Li who was tied to the torture instrument, and then at Xie Yunlan, said "Oh", and followed Wang Tai obediently.

As soon as he walked out of the yard, he heard a shrill scream behind him.

After half an hour.

Xie Yunlan poured himself a cup of tea, and the guard stepped forward and said, "Master Xie, he still refuses to recruit."

"Then continue." Xie Yunlan slowly used the lid of the cup to skim off the tea foam, with a calm tone.

The guards went down with sticks again, and Zhang Li, who was already half dead, howled twice again, his head tilted and he passed out, a pool of yellow liquid flowed out from under him, and a fishy smell came from the room at the same time.

Xie Yunlan frowned, and put down the brewed tea again.Xu Xin covered his nose and stepped forward, "Master Xie, this piece of meat is like a hob, he won't let go after biting it to death, what should we do?"

Xie Yunlan glanced at Zhang Li, who was already limp and unconscious, and said with a sneer, "I want to see how hard his bones are, and continue the interrogation after he wakes up."

He stood up and said: "Master Xu, I will trouble you with this matter. Put him in prison first, and if he has any new confessions, then send someone to inform me."

Xu Xin patted his chest and promised: "Leave this matter to me, Mr. Xie, just rest assured!"

Xie Yunlan turned and left, he went back to the other courtyard where he lived, and when he walked into the courtyard gate, he heard Wang Taizheng talking to Shen Fan.

"Master, why do they call you Master Shen Fanfan?" Wang Tai was stunned when he heard Xu Xin mention this title, but he didn't ask directly because of the occasion.

Shen Fan was eating a pack of golden silk candied dates just bought by his servants. Hearing this, he looked at Wang Tai with rare and strange eyes, and said, "This is a local custom, and overlapping characters is a kind of respect."

Wang Tai: "..."

"Is there such a custom..." Wang Tai noticed Xie Yunlan who came back, and at the same time received a look of warning from the other party, he abruptly changed his mouth, "It seems that there is such a custom..."

Shen Fan nodded, not feeling anything wrong at all.

Xie Yunlan breathed a sigh of relief, and said to himself that luckily he came back in time.He saw that Shen Fan was eating candied dates, and he was a little hungry, so he ordered Wang Tai to get something to eat.

But the meal time has passed, and the kitchen is already preparing lunch, Wang Tai said: "Master Hou, shall I go out and buy some for you?"

Xie Yunlan frowned: "Forget it."

It's just breakfast, if you don't eat it, you don't need to be so troublesome, he has other things to tell Wang Tai.

"Go and check Zhang Li's life, focusing on the events before and after he met the River God ten years ago, and..." Xie Yunlan tapped the table with his index finger a few times, and said in a deep voice, "Check Luo Hongyuan again."

Luo Hongyuan?This person has nothing to do with Xu Liniang at the moment. Although Wang Tai didn't understand why Xie Yunlan investigated him, he still obeyed the order.

After Wang Tai left, Xie Yunlan walked over to Shen Fan and sat down. Shen Fan handed over his bag of golden silk candied dates and asked, "Do you want to eat?"

"Don't eat." Xie Yunlan said, he doesn't like to eat these sweet and greasy things.

Shen Fan let out an "oh", casually placed the golden silk candied dates on the table between the two of them, and asked, "Is this related to Luo Hongyuan?"

He usually doesn't remember people's names, but after Xie Yunlan got angry because of this person that night, he remembered.

"Not necessarily." Xie Yunlan said, "It's just my intuition."

Or rather, prejudice.

He just hated Luo Hongyuan, so that he subconsciously connected Luo Hongyuan with this matter, even though there was no direct evidence at present.

However, after a closer look, his idea is not unfounded.

Xie Yunlan also interrogated some spy prisoners when he was leading the army, and he still has some experience in interrogating. Although Zhang Li did not let go, no matter it was the confession full of loopholes or the other party's dodging eyes, it could be concluded that he must be lying.

There is no such thing as faith in this kind of rascal. Zhang Li would rather be punished than let go, which shows that the consequences of telling the truth are more terrible than being punished.And his boss, Luo Hongyuan, is just a very powerful person who can make Zhang Li feel intimidated.

What is the secret behind this case?Why did Zhang Li, an ordinary ruffian, fabricate a lie about the river god's manifestation?Does Luo Hongyuan have anything to do with this case?

While Xie Yunlan was contemplating, he suddenly felt some discomfort in his stomach. Last night he had no appetite due to drowning, so he didn't eat much. This morning he was busy with the interrogation, but he still didn't eat. It seems that he hasn't eaten for a long time. He is very hungry. My stomach feels a little uncomfortable.

Just in time to see the candied golden dates put on the table by Shen Fan, he casually took one and put it in his mouth.He didn't like sweets since he was a child, but in the final analysis, this dislike is mainly due to psychological factors.

Whether it's swings or sweets, women and children like it. Men like this kind of thing, and it would be too embarrassing to say it, so Xie Yunlan didn't let herself like it.

Now that I am very hungry, I feel good after eating this candied golden date, not so greasy, the fragrance of the date and the syrup are just right, Xie Yunlan ate one, and then picked up another one.

He ate while thinking about things, and he didn't know how much he ate. When he came back to his senses, he saw that the oil paper bag was empty. Shen Fan was staring at him with faint eyes, as if accusing him of saying no to eating, but saying He finished eating the candied golden dates without saying a word, and didn't leave one for Shen Fan.

Xie Yunlan coughed dryly and said, "I'll buy you a new one later."

Shen Fan's expression was still faint: "I can't buy any more, today's ones are sold out."

"Then..." Xie Yunlan rolled his eyes and said, "Don't you want to go to Caiyunfang to play? I will take you there tonight."

"Really?" Shen Fan was stunned, a little unbelievable, Xie Yunlan made such a big fuss because he was going to Caiyunfang to play, but now he took the initiative to take him there.

"Really." Xie Yunlan said.

Going to Caiyunfang is true. Xu Liniang was Caiyunfang's oiran ten years ago, and Zhang Li couldn't find any clues for the time being. Xie Yunlan wanted to investigate in another direction.As for going to Caiyunfang...Anyway, Shen Fan didn't know how to play in this kind of place. He would order some snacks for Shen Fan and ask some singers, and Shen Fan would probably enjoy it too.