female catcher

Chapter 78 Last Year's Longevity Festival

At night Su Zhen had a dream.Dreamed that Xia Chu was kneeling in front of him, touching his forehead to the ground, "Your Majesty, I deserve death for my crimes. I will never dare to take you to eat mutton soup again. I invite you to resign from office and return to your hometown..."

Su Zhen woke up from the dream, heaved a sigh of relief after regaining his senses, and turned his head to see An Liang standing beside his bed with a smile, and outside the tent there was a string of eunuchs waiting on grooming.

"Your Majesty, it's time to get up." An Liang said.

"Yeah." Su Zhen sat up, put on his shoes, "After making arrangements for the imperial study, go buy me a bowl of mutton soup and come back."

"Again...buy again..." The corners of Anliang's mouth twitched, "The servant obeys the order."

Xia Chuchen got up in the morning and took a shower, sat in the yard refreshingly, waiting anxiously for Jiang Xiyuan.This waited until it was nearly [-] o'clock before the door was knocked.

Xia Chu opened the door with a sullen face, and smirked when he saw Jiang Xiyuan: "It's really early, my lord."

"I'm afraid you haven't woken up yet."

"..." Xia Chu gathered his energy, went out and knocked on the door panel, locked it twice and then jumped into the carriage.

"Shall we go to Fang's house now?"

"Whatever!" Xia Chu said angrily, "If your lord wants to have a meal or listen to a play before going, I have no objection. You are the boss."

Jiang Xiyuan got into the car resentfully, and asked the driver to go to Fang's house.

Mrs. Fang Jianfang lives near the West City of Beicheng, and the two courtyards have a garden, which is not too big.Xia Chu and Jiang Xiyuan arrived at the entrance of Fang's mansion, just in time to see the courtyard door open, Fang Yi walked out from inside, seeing Xia Chu was slightly taken aback.

"Master Fang is going out?"

Fang Yi nodded with a smile, "But it's not an urgent matter. The two of you are looking for me because of Miss Liu's case?"

"Yes, I want to ask in some cases, is Mr. Fang convenient now?"

Fang Yi sideways opened the door, "It's convenient, please come in, both of you." He was still gentle and polite.

As Fang Yi entered the door, he met Fang Ruolan walking over with a cat in his arms, "Brother? Aren't you going out? Why are you back?"

"The official from the government office came to ask me something, I'll go out later."

Seeing Xia Chu, Fang Ruolan's face sank immediately, and he threw the cat in his arms to the ground, "Why are you here again? I have asked so many times in the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, and I can't finish it?"

"Ruolan." Fang Yi put on a straight face, "It's rude."

Fang Ruolan pursed her lips, and although she didn't speak, she stood there without moving.Fang Yi smiled apologetically at Xia Chu and the two, "Little sister is spoiled, no wonder."

Fang Yi bypassed Fang Ruolan and took them into the living room. Xia Chu entered the door and sat down, but saw Fang Ruolan also followed in, and found a chair far away to sit down.

"Ruolan, you go back to the house first."

"Why? Didn't the officer ask about the case? I was also in Wanfo Temple that day, so why can't I be here?" Fang Ruolan leaned back, as if she would not leave.

Fang Yi looked at him, neither in a hurry nor annoyed, but he didn't speak.Fang Ruolan and him stalemate in silence for a while, finally stood up and left angrily.

Fang Yi looked at Xia Chu in embarrassment, Xia Chukuan smiled kindly, and said enviously, "Your sister and you have such a good relationship."

"Well, Ruo Lan's mother passed away when she was young, and her father was not around. We depended on each other for life, and our relationship was really good. It's just that I was only a half-grown child at the time, and I only knew how to protect her blindly. A little willful." Fang Yi smiled and sighed.

Seeing Fang Yi talking about his younger sister, Xia Chu lost his mind for a while, and then smiled and said, "I have heard a little about Mr. Fang, and it is her blessing that your younger sister has an elder brother like you."

Fang Yi waved his hand modestly.

"Actually, our visit this time is not all about Miss Liu's affairs."

"Oh? Then is there anything else? As long as I can help, I will naturally know everything."

Xia Chu pondered for a moment, then Jiang Xiyuan took the conversation over there, and said, "I want to ask about Hong Yuerong, I don't know if Mr. Fang still has any impressions."

Fang Yi didn't seem to have thought about it, he was stunned for a moment, and then nodded: "Of course I remember about Miss Hong, but it's only been half a year."

"Can you tell us about the situation at that time?"

"Hmm..." Fang Yi lowered his head and thought for a while, "Miss Hong and I got married in mid-August last year. The dowry has already been given, and the geng invitation has been changed. We were originally scheduled to get married on October [-]. I remember It's... the day after Longevity Day, the eldest son of the Hong family knocked on the door early in the morning and asked me if Miss Hong had been here."

"Where were you on Longevity Day?"

"I went to Yuanping Mountain." Fang Yi answered quickly and with certainty.Seeing that Xia Chu was slightly puzzled, Fang Yi smiled and said, "Originally, Ruolan asked me to take her to the street to watch Baixi, but later she invited some of her friends and left me at home. I remember that day It started to snow in the morning, and on a whim, I rode out of the city to Xianyuguan Mountain to climb and enjoy the snow.”

"Go by yourself?"

"Well, I went by myself. People went to the streets to watch Baixi that day, so there were almost no people on the mountain, and the scenery was very good. I like to be alone and free."

Xia Chu felt that these words sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard them.

"How long did you stay in Yuanping Mountain that day?"

Fang Yi turned his head and thought for a while, "I was in Xianyu Temple that day, and then the snow became heavier and heavier, and I didn't return to the city until it was almost dark. Oh, I met a Taoist priest in Xianyu Temple. He talked for a long time."

"If I remember correctly, isn't Mr. Fang a Buddhist?" Xia Chu asked.

"Yes. My mother believes in Buddhism, so I also believe in Buddhism. But I also want to hear the teachings of other religions and see the difference between Buddhism and Taoism. The Taoist leader is very interesting, unlike those orthodox Taoism Serious and serious, he was mysterious like clouds and mountains, but he was very worldly, so we chatted for a long time."

"Is it fat and thick, looking like a liar?" Jiang Xiyuan asked suddenly.

Fang Yi couldn't help but nodded with a smile, "Although he looks like a liar, he's not a liar, he's just short and fat, and he's a bit worldly. I like that about him, he doesn't hide, he doesn't pretend."

"You know him?" Xia Chu turned around and asked Jiang Xiyuan.

"Not to mention, I just know it." Jiang Xiyuan shook off the somewhat bad memory, and continued to ask Fang Yi: "Did you go home directly after returning to the city that day? Did you go anywhere else?"

"I went home first. When I came back and passed by Shengpingfang that day, I saw officers and soldiers searching. I was afraid that something serious had happened, so I hurried home. When I got home, I saw that Ruo Lan hadn't come back yet, so I went out to look for her again."

"where did you go?"

"Dongshi. Ruolan said that she went to Dongshi to see a play that day."

"found it?"

"No. When I went, the show was almost over, and something happened in Dongshi. I couldn't find her and went back home. When I came back, Ruolan was already at home."

Xia Chu felt that Fang Yi's rhetoric said that there were no loopholes, but it seemed that there were loopholes everywhere. In the middle, he would have a lot of opportunities to kill Hong Yuerong.It can be said that there are loopholes, but Xia Chu doesn't feel like it, every look in his eyes and the micro expressions that Xia Chu can catch, don't seem to be lying.

Jiang Xiyuan also thought about it.

He was very clear about last year's Wanshou Festival, and even the places where he was not present at that time became clear later.There is no obvious flaw in what Fang Yi mentioned.

Seeing that the two were thinking, Fang Yi got up and refilled their tea, "I don't seem to have an alibi, is that so?"

Xia Chu nodded apologetically, "You just said that Mr. Hong came to see you on the morning of the first day of October?"

"Yes. I was surprised when he asked me if Miss Hong was with me. I thought Ruolan brought Miss Hong home without saying hello."

"Ruolan? Does she know Hong Yuerong?"

"Of course. After getting engaged, the female relatives of the two families will naturally move around more frequently. There is no mistress in my family, so Ruo Lan and Miss Hong can only move around more."

"Oh." Xia Chu didn't know there was such a rule, "So, Ruo Lan went to Dongshi with Hong Yuerong on the Longevity Day?"

"It's probably not just the two of them, but I didn't ask who they were. That day when Mr. Hong came, I called Ruo Lan out and asked. Ruo Lan said that Ms. Hong kept shouting about the cold that day and left before it was dark. She sent Miss Hong to the alley of her house before returning home by herself."

"That is to say, Miss Hong didn't enter the house when she arrived at the alley?"

"I don't know about that." Fang Yi replied truthfully, "Maybe. The Hong family reported the case later, and I followed him to find the person. Finally, I found it in Lianchi. It is said that the river worker picked up the leftovers. It was fished up from time to time. On that day, if the lake water freezes in a few days, it will be even more difficult to find.”

Fang Yi sighed regretfully, but there was no sign of sadness.

Xia Chu turned his head and glanced at Jiang Xiyuan who was accepting his fate to take notes, and waited for him to put away his pen before continuing to ask: "Does Mr. Fang know Liu Rong, the second lady of the Liu family?"

Fang Yi glanced at Xia Chu in surprise, "Why?"

Xia Chu found Fang Yi's reaction very interesting, "Not really, does Mr. Fang know him?"

Fang Yi stroked his sleeves, "Of course I know her, she is Liu Ying's younger sister... I have met her several times."

"Then do you still remember when you first met Liu Rong?"

"At Miss Hong's funeral." Fang Yi recalled: "At that time, Mr. Hong had already been demoted. Although he was only implicated, we could see from Miss Hong's funeral. The funeral was very deserted. Ms. Hong didn't go to the handkerchiefs handed over on weekdays due to the pressure at home, even Ruolan refused to go, so I gave her a hard time."

"Then why did Mr. Fang go? Your father didn't stop him?" Jiang Xiyuan asked interjectedly.

Fang Yi smiled, "If my father was such a person who worships the high and tramples the low, he wouldn't have been demoted back then. Ms. Hong died pitifully. After all, I had a marriage contract with her. I wouldn't feel at ease if I didn't go. .”

"Did you and Liu Ying also meet at Hong Yuerong's funeral?"

"No, Miss Liu didn't go, only Liu Rong went, so I just remember." Fang Yi bowed his head in silence for a while, and sighed: "She and Miss Hong are not the closest on weekdays, but in the end they only have the closest relationship. She went to burn the incense sticks, which is quite embarrassing to think about."

(End of this chapter)