Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 265: Noon
There was a cool breeze in the pavilion, and the sun's shadow moved westward onto the railing, and it was obviously getting late.

"The old man is so old, but he doesn't take care of his health. He just thinks about how to put on the official hat again every day. Once the painting was handed over to him, there has been no news from then on." Chen Er's expression was somewhat dissatisfied. He was adopted by the monk Guangheng Chen Yunqing and is now the head of the second branch. In just a few days, some people in Chunshui Garden have begun to call him the Second Master. His biological father is the Grandmaster of the eldest branch, who is a level away from him.

Xiaocai's brows were knotted, his thoughts wandering. He remembered that the monk Guangliang, the receptionist of Jubao Temple, said that Master Chen was very concerned about Guangheng. He would go up the mountain every month to see his younger brother and talk to him for a long time before leaving.

"Brother Chen, do you still remember the scroll "Hunting in Niu Shou Mountain"?"

It had been several days and Wang Heng didn't hold much hope.

"I was afraid that the scroll might contain some secrets, so I studied it from top to bottom for several hours, but I am too stupid to understand the secret." At this point, Mr. Chen's frustration was suddenly swept away, and he said proudly: "I have been good at painting since I was a child. It is not enough to become famous and successful with my painting skills, but the painting has caught my eye, even if it is engraved in my mind, it is not difficult to reproduce it now."

Xiaocai raised the corners of his lips and said with a smile: "What are we waiting for, Second Young Master, show us your skills."

The three of them quietly entered Li Shanmin's study. It was a very spacious room with three rooms facing south. The mountain man's bed was in the first room on the east side. The friends did not want to disturb him and just sat in the outer study.

In the study, there were ready-made pens, ink, paper and inkstone, except for gouache and paint. The servant noticed that someone wanted to paint, so he hurried over to grind a jar of ink. Xiaocai said that the young masters should study quietly, and asked the servant not to wait here to serve them. The servant then tactfully withdrew.

Mr. Chen Er said, "Time is limited, I will sketch out a rough outline for you to see."

Chen Er closed his eyes and meditated for a moment, then sat down at his desk and began to write a hunting scene. Although it was just a line drawing, the lines in the painting were lively and the characters were lifelike.

After spending quite a while, Chen Er finished writing in one go, but hesitated at the inscription, saying, "There are a lot of words on the scroll. I tried my best and can probably remember about 80% or 90% of them."

Chen Er's handwriting is similar to that of Monk Guangheng, but his writing strength is slightly insufficient. It also has a clear, elegant and upright style.

"In the winter of Dinghai, I followed the Earl of Changping out of the city to hunt on Niu Shou Mountain. There were more than a hundred musketeers and archers. We rode as much as we wanted and had great fun. We hunted one deer, two pheasants, three rabbits, and dozens of wild boars. We stayed at Li Garden in Jiangning that night, drinking and listening to music."

"The companions were Wencong, the cousin of the Earl of Changping, Liu Gong of Fujian, and Ma Sheng of the Imperial Academy. They were all wearing military uniforms. They also included the two sisters Xu Ji. The elder Xu wore a white fox fur coat with arrows, and the younger Xu wore a red feather satin cloak. They looked like fairies."

This inscription contains a lot of information, and several familiar people appear.

Xu Ji?

Liu Gong from Fujian?

Jiangning Li Garden? Wang Heng frowned slightly when he saw this, and a graceful figure emerged in his mind.

Xiaocai's mind was moved, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind. In the midst of all the noise, they turned their gazes to the Second Master Chen.

Chen Er noticed that the two people's expressions were a little unusual, and asked, "Have you figured out what's going on?"

Wang Heng paused and said, "Second Master Chen, do you remember that day in the teahouse of Jubao Temple, I asked you about a lady from the Liu family in Cuihua Village. Her maiden name is Xu, and she is very beautiful. This lady Liu is a widow. I suspect she is one of the Xu sisters who went hunting in Niu Shou Mountain."

"Mrs. Liu is related to my father's murder? But I have never heard of this Mrs. Liu." Chen Er was a little confused.

Xiaocai said, "It's just a guess. When Monk Guangheng was murdered, Mrs. Liu held a memorial ceremony for her late husband at Jubao Temple. If Mrs. Liu is one of Xu Ji's sisters, then there may be some connection."

Seeing Chen Er's surprise, Wang Heng said, "In fact, at the scene of the murder, we found a dot and a horizontal line deeply scratched on the ground where Guangheng's fingers pressed after he fell. At that time, we thought Guangheng wanted to write the word Guang, but there are only three monks with the Guang generation in Jubao Temple, and the other two did not have the time to commit the crime. Therefore, this dot and horizontal line are like finding a needle in a haystack. I just saw the "Niu Shou Mountain Hunting Picture", and it suddenly occurred to me that the beginning of Yan Wu Xu was not a dot and a horizontal line?"

"I vaguely felt that I had overlooked something. Brother Qi is so sharp that he has figured it out." Xiaocai slapped his head, and his joy suddenly disappeared. He stammered, "If Guangheng's death is related to Mrs. Liu, then what is Mrs. Liu's motive?"

"It's still unclear now. I have to look to the Second Young Master and sort out the relationship." Wang Heng faced Chen Er and said seriously, "Next I will ask some questions and make some deductions. Brother Chen, you may feel that the Chen family, a noble family, is offended. Please bear with us. We are all here to solve the case. Or you can just treat us as the errand boy sent by the county government. It is most appropriate for the county government to question us. Unfortunately, Magistrate Wu is too conceited. Prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain. In his eyes, Xiaocai and I are just children, and the country farmer Qiu Erlang is just a commoner."

Chen Er nodded and said earnestly, "Brother Wang, I will tell you everything I know and I will do my best to tell my father the truth."

Wang Heng secretly prepared a plan and asked the second son of Chen: "Guang Heng went hunting in Niu Shou Mountain with Chang Ping Bo, so who is Chang Ping Bo?"

The second son of Chen sighed and said, "I do know the Earl of Changping, but I can't really say I know him because he is an old relative of mine and a nobleman who founded the country. Now that he has gone through several dynasties, he is no longer popular. He is over 40 years old and can't find a decent job. A few years ago, everyone in the mansion went to the imperial capital. The old house in Nanjing Yingtian Prefecture is still there, and a family of servants are left to look after the house."

Wang Heng said: "Ding Hai year is exactly ten years ago. Guangheng was a young man and had already entered school. Why didn't he arrange marriage?"

Chen Er said embarrassedly, "I heard from my wife that when my father passed the imperial examination, the door of our house was almost broken down by matchmakers. But later on, I don't know why, it seemed that my father and his step-grandmother often disagreed, and the matchmakers gradually disappeared."

Wang Heng added: "Guangheng is a posthumous child. He has always lived with his biological mother and is well-known for his filial piety. Why doesn't he obey his biological mother on the issue of marriage?"

Chen Er hesitated and shook his head to indicate that he really didn't know.

Xiaocai interrupted and raised a bunch of questions: "According to the postscript of the hunting picture, the Xu sisters must not be from a good family. So, which brothel are they from? Is she the current Mrs. Liu? Or is Mrs. Liu the elder Xu or the younger Xu?"