Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 205 Chapter Silver Lantern Inn
The sound of the second watch drum was heard in the distance. Wang Heng thought that if someone attacked at night, it would probably be around the same time as Yizhimei's crime. He guessed that it would be between the third and fifth watch, so he asked Xiaocai and Zhuge Xian to rest first and recuperate. , and wake them up later in the night.

No matter how young people are willing to listen, they must sit in the atrium with the Qingshuang Sword in hand.

Zhuge Xian suffered a head injury last night and should not stay up late, so he went back to his room to rest.

Wang Heng thought that those who came would not show off at the front door, but would probably jump in from the gable, so he ordered his servants to extinguish all the lights and candles in the house. He put on a cloak and patrolled back and forth inside the gable of Zhuge's house, feeling worried.

Zhuge Residence is a city residence with three entrances. The main protection measure is fire prevention. Its gables and courtyard doors are mainly beautiful and a bit old. They are not as strong as the courtyards in Bagua Village. If Wang Heng’s guess is correct, , if someone comes to steal, it can also play a blocking role, but if the gangster attacks by force, it will be vulnerable.

Autumn insects are chirping, the surroundings are quiet, golden phoenixes are rustling, and jade dew is cooling. Is such a good night really full of dangers? Wang Heng shook his head, hoping that he was making a fuss.

When Zichou met, Menzi and the chef went to rest, and the coachman and the handyman were on duty for the night. Wang Heng asked them to wait in the porterhouse without lighting the lamp or making any noise. If they heard any noise, they should report it quietly in time.

Wang Heng picked up a fire stick from the kitchen in the front yard to use as a weapon, and picked up a few poles from the woodshed in the backyard to give to Zhuge's servants for self-defense.

The long night is almost halfway over.

At one o'clock in the morning, there was indeed a slight sound coming from outside the gable wall. It was the time of sleep, so the people living in the house naturally couldn't hear anything. Wang Heng deliberately crouched inside the wall, but he heard a few words here and there.

"Xiao Rong, are we not going the wrong way?"

"Sir, based on my memory, I shouldn't be wrong, but at this moment, something very strange indeed happened. We seem to have entered a barrier."

"Weird power and chaos, we retreat to the alley and wait for the target to appear."

"Yes, my lord."

The sound of light footsteps moved into the distance, and the surroundings fell silent again. Wang Heng vaguely heard a few words, and it seemed that there would be another group of uninvited guests coming tonight. He couldn't help being surprised, and he couldn't figure it out after searching his guts.

The expected visitor had not yet arrived. Wang Heng made three inspections around Zhuge's house. He saw Xiao Cai sitting in the middle hall and falling asleep holding a sword. The coachman and the servant were also sitting on the doorstep, swaying. There was no danger at the moment, so he Don't wake them up either.

Wang Heng felt sleepy coming over him in waves, and he had to resist sitting down in order to stay awake.

At about 2:00 p.m., bursts of noise suddenly came from outside, from far to near. The noise was very loud, and the neighbors opened their doors to take a look at the scene.

I heard the team outside lighting torches and shouting loudly: "The county government is handling the case. The snitch arrested last night sneaked into the village house of Suojin. Please open the door to accept the search and do not disturb the people."

I repeated it several times in a circle. Most of the households living in Suojin Village are middle-income people in the capital. The public security in the capital has always been very good. When they heard that the county government was handling the case, they opened the door one after another to let the stewards ask questions. The handyman A Lu was arrested. He was startled by the noise and didn't know what was going on. He only heard the creaking of the neighbors' doors. He didn't dare to make up his mind. Seeing that Wang Heng was the only one who was still awake, he came to ask for his advice.

Wang Heng replied to him, "Be patient and don't be impatient."

Asking Alu to go to the backyard to move a bamboo ladder and place it across the horse head wall, Wang Heng looked out at the flower window from the inside out.

The torch illuminated the lantern very brightly, and a small group of people came from west to east. The leader was wearing a green cloth narrow-sleeved robe with a red cloth belt around his waist. He was dressed for business. The rest of the people were in casual clothes. These people seemed They are all new faces, and they haven’t seen the official business from last night.

This group of people walked back and forth several times, as if they were discussing something, but they couldn't hear clearly. Finally, they quietly disappeared from sight. Every household refused to enter their own homes due to official business, probably leaving their own homes behind. After ruling it out, they closed the door one after another.

Wang Heng was puzzled. The thunder was loud and the rain was small. Why was this?

Xiaocai was awakened by the noise outside and came to Wang Heng with sleepy eyes. Wang Heng told him the whole story. As soon as he finished speaking and stamped his feet, he suddenly figured out something: "No, those officials are pretending to be of."

Wang Heng rushed to the gate and told A Lu to keep the door tightly closed until he went out. He expected that it was already the fifth watch and it would be dawn soon, so there would be no danger in Zhuge's house.

Wang Heng went out on the front foot, "Seventh brother, wait for me." Xiaocai followed closely behind, carrying the Qingshuang Sword on his back.

Wang Heng took a few steps forward and found that he had lost his way. He had just figured out the joints and already understood the function of the Zhuge Ba Formation Diagram, so he closed his eyes, walked thirty steps east according to the memory in his mind, and then opened his eyes again. Opening his eyes, he was indeed standing at the entrance of the alley and saw Lumen in the distance.

He asked Xiaocai to walk thirty steps eastwards blindfolded, and soon Xiaocai came to him.

Xiaocai looked around, wondering which way to pursue the group of people. Wang Heng's eyes sparkled and he said, "Have a look under the Liuqiu Bridge."

The two young detectives walked as fast as the wind, and in a moment they reached Liuqiu Bridge. Under the bridge, it was completely dark and empty, except for the sound of gurgling water.

Wang Hengda felt frustrated, frowned and said, "They are not here to meet us, so where are they?"

He couldn't think of a solution for the moment and stood on the bridge at a loss.

Suddenly, the morning light shone slightly, and the sky in the east showed the white color of fish belly. The river ran north to south. At this moment, a boat was heading north, less than a mile away from Liuqiu Bridge.

"Ah, here it is, the Silver Lantern Inn." Xiaocai's eyesight was very good, and the bright sky allowed him to see clearly the lanterns hanging on the boat.