Humans in All Heavens: Starting with Detective Dee

The next day, Di Renjie led the imperial envoy's guards directly to Liujiazhuang.

At the entrance of Liu Family Village, Zhou Yi and the others exchanged glances as they looked at the white sails around them.

A look of doubt flickered in his eyes.

Just two days ago it was a joyous occasion, with lanterns and decorations everywhere.

How come a happy occasion has turned into a funeral after only a few days of absence?

Just as everyone was wondering, Liu Chali, supported by Liu Da, hurriedly came running over.

After all, they are getting on in years, people in their sixties or seventies, not like young people.

Di Renjie's sudden visit caught Liu Chali completely off guard, and he rushed out of the manor in a hurry.

Liujiazhuang covers a large area, and running out of the village really exhausted Liu Chali.

Two or three meters away from Di Renjie, the two knelt down with a thud, their heads touching the ground.

"This humble citizen, Liu Chali, along with the entire village, respectfully welcomes Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy!"

Zeng Tai then angrily rebuked, "How dare you, Liu Chali, be so disrespectful, greeting the Imperial Envoy in mourning clothes! Don't you know the strictness of the national law?"

Liu Chali kowtowed repeatedly: "This humble subject knows his crime. The matter arose suddenly, and there was no time to prepare. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Zeng Tai was about to say something when Di Renjie waved his hand and said, "Liu Sinong, please stand up and speak."

The two stood up, when suddenly Liu Da behind them exclaimed, pointing at Di Renjie, seemingly greatly shocked: "You, aren't you Mr. Huai from that day?"

"presumptuous."

Another angry rebuke rang out.

The two were so frightened that they banged their heads on the ground again.

"This servant was ignorant; please forgive me, sir."

"Don't be so tense. Liu Da is right. I am Mr. Huai, who came to your house to look at the garden the other day."

What, don't you recognize me?

Di Renjie smiled.

When Liu Chali looked up and saw Di Renjie's face clearly, he couldn't help but tremble all over and break out in a cold sweat.

"That day, you were the one who drove me and the master out of the manor, haven't you forgotten?" Li Yuanfang said at this moment.

With another thud, Liu and Chali knelt down once more.

In just two minutes, Liu Chali had lost count of how many times he had knelt down.

"Alright, ignorance is no excuse. Liu Sinong, get up." He then glared at Li Yuanfang, saying, "You can't even joke around properly."

"Thank you, sir."

After Liu Chali stood up, Di Renjie asked with a puzzled look, "Where is Young Master Liu?"

"This? My son Chuanlin has unfortunately passed away." Thinking of this, even though Liu Chali was as heartless as a snake, he could still bring himself to harm his own son.

But when he thought that Liu Chuanlin was his only son, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

That old man is ruthless.

He was so heartless as to kill his own son for the sake of a woman he married from a brothel.

Especially at such an advanced age, whether he can still get an erection is another matter entirely.

Liu Chuanlin is most likely his only son.

After killing Liu Chuanlin, he still coveted the treasure of the King of Yue.

He still revealed his desire for wealth during his conversation with Xu Shide.

At such an old age, and with no son left, what use is so much money?

Upon hearing that Liu Chuanlin was dead, Di Renjie was greatly shocked and turned to look at Zhou Yi and Li Yuanfang.

"What? Young Master Liu is dead? How did he die?"

"My father and I climbed Cuiping Mountain behind the village together, and unfortunately, Lin lost his footing and fell off a cliff to his death!"

"Please accept my condolences, Liu Sinong," Di Renjie sighed. He still had a good impression of Liu Chuanlin.

The thought of Liu Chuanlin dying so young naturally caused me some heartache.

"Your Excellency, I admire your garden and wish to stay for a few more days. Please make preparations quickly," Zeng Tai instructed as he stepped forward.

"Ah? My lord, I wonder if you have any taboos?" Liu Chali looked at Bai Fan on his left and right.

"It's alright. Young Master Liu and I hit it off immediately and became friends despite the age difference."

I cherish his character, and now that he has unfortunately passed away, I wish to offer him a memorial service.

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

After saying this, Liu Chali led the way.

The group went to Liu Chuanlin's mourning hall.

At the funeral hall, Di Renjie offered three sticks of incense to Liu Chuanlin, and then bowed deeply.

Zhou Yi seems to have unintentionally stood to the left of the coffin.

They approached the location of the coffin, intentionally or unintentionally.

After offering incense.

Liu Chali stepped forward: "Sir, everything is ready. Please proceed to the garden."

"Um."

Led by Liu Chali, the group went to the backyard.

The winding path led to a secluded spot, and the group walked along the garden path.

Suddenly, Di Renjie gave Li Yuanfang a wink.

Li Yuanfang understood, and immediately asked, seemingly casually, "Does Liu Sinong have any friends in the capital?"

Liu Chali was taken aback, not realizing that Li Yuanfang was testing him, so he casually replied, "Yes, there are, but they are all old friends."

We haven't been in touch for many years, and we've drifted apart quite a bit.

"Oh, is that so? As the saying goes, if you don't visit for three years, even relatives won't be close."

Before I left Chang'an, a high-ranking official in the court asked me to inquire about him.

"Oh, who is this?"

His surname is Wu.

"Surname Wu?" Upon hearing this surname, Liu Chali looked a little nervous: "No, I don't know anyone with the surname Wu."

"His name is Wu Xiaojie, and he is the head scholar of the Chongwen Academy under the Crown Prince's Guard." At this moment, Di Renjie suddenly turned around.

The question came so suddenly that Liu Chali hadn't even had time to react before instinctively asking in confusion, "Wu Xiaojie? Isn't he already dead?"

"Oh, Liu Sinong is very well-informed."

"I only learned of this news last night." Di Renjie's smile seemed to hold a deeper meaning.

Upon seeing Di Renjie's smile, Liu Chali's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly tried to cover it up: "Oh, a friend from the capital mentioned it."

What? Wu Xiaojie said he knows me?

"Oh, no, no." Di Renjie smiled faintly and changed the subject.

Liu Chali looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water, his whole body almost soaked in sweat.

Liujiazhuang was temporarily set up as the imperial envoy's headquarters.

Since the imperial envoy Di Renjie had graced us with his presence, Liu Chali naturally had to treat him with the utmost hospitality.

After a delicious meal.

Di Renjie returned to his room.

As soon as he returned to his room, Di Renjie turned to the two of them and said, "You saw it, right? I just mentioned Wu Xiaojie's name."

Liu Chali's expression immediately turned one of great alarm.

"What you say is very true, sir. Judging from Liu Chali's behavior, there must be some kind of intrinsic connection between him and Wu Xiaojie," Li Yuanfang said.

"It's almost certain now that the two dead men from the capital must have come looking for him."

And it's highly likely that Liu Da was the one who did it.

So, tomorrow, I'll trouble you, Yuanfang, to make a trip and secretly invite Zhang Chun and Wang Wu from the county town here.

I want the two of them to hear Liu Da's voice.

"Identify this person for me." Di Renjie said with a smile.

With Zhou Yi's reminder, Di Renjie began to suspect Liu Da in advance, which made things much easier.

It would be more straightforward to find a reason to summon Liu Daqian for questioning, and have Zhang Chun and Wang Wu hide in the shadows to listen to his voice.

"Yes, I will take care of it tomorrow."

After addressing Liu Chali's question.

A hint of doubt flashed across Di Renjie's face again: "Young Master Liu actually died unexpectedly? What are your thoughts on this?"

"My lord, it would be fine if you didn't know Young Master Liu."

But I happen to know him, and he made a very good impression on me.

He treats people with a gentle and welcoming demeanor.

To be honest, his death made me a little sad.

"Especially since he fell off a cliff and died, I really can't believe it." Li Yuanfang's face was filled with sadness.