The Delicate Lady Coroner Chapter 57: Sanzhumei 12

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Chapter 57 Three Plants Mei 12

As soon as Bo Ruoyou said these words, everyone's expressions changed.

Huo Weilou was thinking about something. When he heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyes to look at her. Liu Huiniang, who was standing in the hall, had a calm look on her face and looked at Bo Ruoyou in surprise. However, soon, she He raised his eyebrows and smiled calmly and said: "Girl, don't talk nonsense without proof. The folk girl was always in the house that night and never went out. Who else could sing if it wasn't a folk girl?"

Liu Huiniang had a faint smile on her face, but she was still not afraid at all. Bo Ruoyou said casually, "Did you burn the storybook last night on the west balcony?"

Liu Huiniang's smile faltered. Then she understood why they knew about Chen Hanmo last night and knew that she could write stories. She smiled and said, "Scripture books? What do ordinary girls do when they burn scriptbooks?"

Liu Huiniang obviously refused to let in the oil and salt, and Bo Ruoyou said with some regret: "Because the last story in the story book was continued by you, you wanted to burn it, and you thought it was Chen Hanmo's book after all, so you You chose the place where Li Yuchang fell into the river to burn. You are not worshiping Li Yuchang. You want to burn it to Chen Hanmo to tell him that you have avenged him."

Liu Huiniang blinked and said, "Can a girl tell stories like this? A folk girl really doesn't understand what you are talking about."

Bao Ruoyou was a little embarrassed, and felt that there was nothing he could do against Liu Huiniang for the moment. Li Yuchang was dead, and there was no evidence of the murderer left on the body. Liu Huiniang and Song Meiniang were both resolute and not easy to admit.

"The person in your room was supposed to be Song Meiniang. She sang for you, making everyone think it was you. And you probably had an appointment with Li Yuchang. He went to the west balcony first, and you followed behind. In the past, when Song Meiniang and Lu Qing made an appointment before Zishi, you made an appointment with Li Yuchang before Zishi. In this way, Lu Qing can still testify for Song Meiniang."

Bo Ruoyou didn't say anything for a long time just now, because he was considering the possibility that Song Meiniang was pretending to be sick to hide from others, but she and Li Yuchang are not close now. The two of them met on the balcony late at night, which was not as good as the one with Liu Huiniang. Concubine's intention, and Liu Huiniang had been drinking and joking with him first, which was when Li Yuchang was very interested. Therefore, Liu Huiniang should be the best one to go to the balcony, and everyone knew that she had a bad relationship with Song Meiniang, and Song Meiniang fell into the river again. When she was seriously ill, who would have thought that Song Meiniang would be singing for her?

Liu Huiniang couldn't help but laugh out loud, "What a clever idea, girl. If that's the case, it's really a perfect situation. But can Song Meiniang still sing it now? If she can sing it, how can she Are you being suppressed by me again and again?"

Liu Huiniang's face was bright, Huo Weilou rubbed the black jade on his knuckles and said: "Lu Qing has already said that it is not true that Song Meiniang's voice collapsed, but you were taught by Song Meiniang, and you two sang the tune There are similarities between them, and most of the operas are so clear and bright that it would be difficult for outsiders, even the people in your troupe, to distinguish them."

Liu Huiniang frowned, as if she didn't expect Lu Qing to reveal a flaw, but she still looked calm, "These are just the conjectures of the Marquis and this girl. They are unfounded. These words are for Song Meiniang, I'm afraid Song Meiniang won't accept it. She is so sick that she is about to die. Singing for a folk girl? It's really unbelievable."

Huo Weilou's eyes were cold and serious, "This court emphasizes the original circumstances of the conviction. Although there is no ironclad evidence, Li Yuchang's death is strange now, and you two have done a lot of weird things, and they are the most harmful to people. The government has its own arrests. The right to interrogate, you are all weak women, do you want to go to prison and taste the taste of torture?"

This statement made Liu Huiniang's expression stagnant, and Huo Weilou said again: "You are not responsible for this matter. You don't admit it, but Song Meiniang is not as innocent as you. Why did she have murderous intentions towards Li Yuchang?" If you know, then you should also understand where her weakness is."

Liu Huiniang could no longer laugh. There was a trace of consideration in her eyes, and she lowered her eyes and said, "The daughter of the people doesn't know if she wants to harm the master. The daughter of the people only knows that she has never done anything harmful to others."

Huo Weilou stared at her for a moment. Liu Huiniang did not dare to look at her, but she did not show any timidity. Soon, Huo Weilou ordered her to step back.

Seeing Liu Huiniang's back disappear, Bao Ruoyou sighed softly, "If she was thinking about revenge for Chen Hanmo, now, she really has no worries. Such a person has no weaknesses. Looking for it."

Huo Weilou is not in a hurry, "She has no weaknesses, but Song Meiniang does not."

Lu Ke came forward after hearing the words, "Master Hou, do you want to use some means?"

Hearing this, Bo Ruoyou hurriedly looked at Huo Weilou. Even people in the public had heard about the methods of the embroiderer. If Huo Weilou was willing, not to mention Song Meiniang, even Liu Huiniang couldn't stand the test.

Huo Weilou shook his head lightly, "That's not necessary." He tapped his knuckles on the arm of the chair twice, "What Song Meiniang wants is actually very simple. Just wait a day. I will see her in person tonight." , you immediately send someone ashore and ask someone from the Chuzhou government office to hand over the case early tomorrow morning."

Changfeng Ferry is on the border of Chuzhou. If this case was elsewhere, Huo Weilou might not have anything to do with it. Naturally, it would be handed over to the local government for settlement. As soon as Lu Ke heard this, he felt that Huo Weilou had everything under control. He immediately left in response.

Bo Ruoyou looked at Huo Weilou, but she didn't know what he was planning. Sensing her gaze, Huo Weilou stood up and walked out: "Song Meiniang has not resisted for many years. She said she was asking for redemption, but Lu But Qing knew that she would not leave the theater. She wanted to kill her to save her daughter, and all she wanted was for her daughter to be safe."

Bao Ruoyou followed Huo Weilou to the railing. At this moment, the boat had stopped not far from the ferry. The river wind lifted their robes. Although they were one step away from each other, the hem of Huo Weilou's robes The hem of her skirt was rubbing against each other, and Bo Ruoyou suddenly understood what Huo Weilou meant.

Eunuch Fu once said that as long as Huo Weilou opens his mouth, everyone can be free.

She originally felt that the difficulty in finding evidence in this case was quite distressing, and when it came to the step of being tortured, she felt that she was willing to surrender. But if Song Meiniang or Liu Huiniang could be made to confess on their own, it would be completely different.

Song Meiniang paced back and forth uneasily in the cabin all day long. The food that was delivered was already cold, but she had no appetite. The second floor was guarded by the embroiderer, and Yueniang was taken away in the morning until What has Yueniang experienced before she was brought back at sunset?

The method of harming people on the building boat without leaving any evidence is foolproof, but no one expected that there would be a nobleman like Wu Zhaohou on the Shen family's building boat, and Song Meiniang even No matter how humble her status was, she still knew the reputation of Marquis Wu Zhao. What would her daughter, who was not yet twelve years old, experience in the hands of a murderous embroiderer?

Song Meiniang's days are like years.

The night was falling, and the only lamp in her cabin was only a weak firelight. She stood in the room and went to the door several times to ask questions, but the embroidered clothes guard guarding her had a cold air and could not answer a word. She, seeing this, Song Meiniang became more and more frightened. She had the courage to kill people just to protect her daughter, but now she has harmed her daughter, right?

Just when Song Meiniang was in a hurry, Lu Ke arrived.

"Song Meiniang, Lord Marquis has summoned you."

Song Meiniang's eyes were bright. She should have been afraid to see Wu Zhaohou, but now she finally met the person in charge, which gave her hope. As soon as she went out, she couldn't help but grabbed Lu Ke, "Sir, May I ask, sir, where is Yueniang?"

She was very anxious, and her voice was no more hoarse than last night. Instead, she seemed to have just recovered from a serious illness in one day. Lu Ke broke away from her hand, his eyes were cold and cold, and he still said nothing. Suddenly, Song Meiniang's heart sank to the ground. When she went downstairs, she fell twice in a row because her legs and feet were weak.

When I stumbled to the hall on the first floor, I saw Huo Weilou wearing a black robe and sitting on the main seat. Everyone around him treated him coldly. Although it was not a government court, it was more nervous than the court. Afraid.

Song Meiniang stepped forward and saluted respectfully, but she couldn't help but glance around. However, no matter how she looked, the rooms on the left and right of the hall were closed, and she had no idea where Yueniang was.

Huo Weilou asked calmly, "Looking for Yueniang?"

Song Meiniang was very restrained, but anxiety still showed from her eyebrows. Although she was pretending to be sick, she did not know how to treat herself harshly. At this moment, her lips were chapped and her face was pale. She really looked like she was seriously ill. She hesitated and cautiously When he spoke, his voice pretended to be hoarse, "Yue Niang is young, no matter what happens, it has nothing to do with her."

"It's hard for your loving mother." At this time, Huo Weilou was so confident that he even avoided false confessions.

Song Meiniang suddenly raised her head in shock, but Huo Weilou did not give her a chance to speak, "Both you and Yueniang are forbidden to eat chestnuts. You were injured while singing and were raised for a year and a half. Yueniang is exactly the same person. She was born at that time, and later Yueniang was sent to the theater. You treated her as if she were your own child, and Li Yuchang also acquiesced in this. If you say that you and Yueniang are just masters and apprentices, who can believe it?"

There were many people in the Yuchun class on the building boat. Song Meiniang knew that those old things could not be hidden, but she did not want to simply admit them.

Seeing that she pursed her lips and said nothing, Huo Weilou added: "You conspired with Liu Huiniang to continue "Resurrection" by Liu Huiniang, and also coaxed Li Yuchang to sing the last part with her. If Li Yuchang died in the theater , it will definitely cause an uproar. As soon as you knew that you were heading north, you planned to commit the murder on a large boat. The boat was traveling fast and was temporarily isolated from the shore. If you were lucky, your death would be determined to be an accident. Unfortunately, You are a bit unlucky to meet me."

Song Meiniang's hands clenched tightly in front of her. She was just worried about Yue Niang, but now that Huo Weilou exposed her, she was even more frightened. But Huo Weilou continued: "It was you who sang in the room instead of Song Meiniang that night. The person who lured Li Yuchang into falling off the boat was Liu Huiniang."

Song Meiniang swayed and looked up at Huo Weilou in disbelief. This was the most subtle trick in their conspiracy. She could never imagine how Huo Weilou discovered it.

Huo Weilou looked at her calmly, "You had an affair with Lu Qing and you cared about Yueniang. It was absolutely impossible for you to die, but you jumped into the river in front of everyone. The boat was moving slowly that night, and all the boatmen were When you were watching a play outside, you knew that if you jumped, someone would immediately rescue you, so you took a risk, and everyone expected you to become seriously ill, but in fact you were just pretending to be sick."

Song Meiniang looked at Huo Weilou blankly, the calmness in her eyes had cracks like a broken mirror, Huo Weilou simply said: "The medicine Miss Bo prescribed for you is to clear away heat and brighten the orifices, but among them Several medicines are toxic. If you are sick, they are a good cure. But if you pretend to be sick, the medicine will make you vomit."

Song Meiniang immediately understood where her flaw was. She clenched her sleeves anxiously, her eyes swaying slightly, as if she was planning something very quickly. At this moment, Huo Weilou said again: "You have a wonderful layout. , and they serve as witnesses to each other. If we have to delay, it is not impossible. However, now that the situation has been broken, it will be in vain if you try to cover up. And I disdain to impose heavy punishment on you weak women, and There is a lot of inside information here, and when it comes to the three words of emotion, reason, and law, you also have a little bit of emotion, so I will show you some mercy."

He paused for a moment, and even Bao Ruoyou looked at him, and then he saw Huo Weilou saying: "If you confess truthfully, I will consider you to surrender and plead guilty. I will be generous and exempt from the death penalty and reduce the sentence to second class. , Yueniang is still young and is not the main culprit. I can absolve her of the crime and free her from slavery. If everything goes well, you will have a chance to reunite in the future."

Song Meiniang's gray eyes suddenly lit up.

Huo Weilou said again, "I only give you a cup of tea to think about. If you don't do it, I will——"

Before Huo Weilou finished speaking, Song Meiniang knelt down with a pop.

Huo Weilou stopped talking and looked at her calmly. Song Meiniang's breathing was rapid, and her eyes were half hesitant and half moved. Before she could speak, tears were already falling. Soon, she kowtowed heavily as if she was risking her life.

"Master Hou, the daughter of the people is willing to confess."

The hanging hearts of the people in the room dropped to the ground at this moment.

Huo Weilou said quietly: "Say."

Song Meiniang raised her head, her face wet with tears. When she spoke, her voice returned to her usual clear and gentle voice.

“The folk girl entered the theater when she was seven years old. The master at that time saw that the folk girl was a good young talent, so he taught the folk girl all his money. Her parents died when she was young, and she was born in a lowly family. As a maidservant, although she is also a slave this time, she is able to practice singing and acting in Nan opera. It is actually a blessing she has cultivated in her previous life. At that time, the people's daughters were grateful to the master, so later the master asked the people's daughters to commit themselves, and the people's daughters also There is no resentment at all, and I think about it, the master also has a lot of love for the women of the people, and the women of the people will be by the master's side for the rest of their lives."

"Yue Niang was conceived more than a year after the folk girl first appeared on the stage. Although the folk girl won a lot of praise on the stage, she was very happy to learn that she was pregnant, but the master was furious. Once a girl gets pregnant, she cannot go on stage for a year, which really ruins his plan. He likes Southern Opera, and he prefers to make his troupe the best in Jiangnan. The daughter of the people was his main pillar, but she suddenly disappeared for a year. He How can you bear it?"

"That's when the people's daughter became cold-hearted. He originally prepared the medicine for the miscarriage of the fetus, but it was the people's daughter who refused to obey that saved the child. He may have been the singer of the people's daughter. It was excellent, and the stool was accurate. Later, Yueniang was born, and the daughter of the people raised her body for two months, and then she waited for the stage again. From then on, the daughter of the people made a lot of money for him..."

"Later, more young children came to the theater. At that time, the people's daughter had given up her heart. She also knew that he would not give the people's daughter a status, so she devoted herself to educating Yueniang and accepted many apprentices. At first, women only learned opera to make a living, but later, they realized the beauty of Nanxi opera. Anyone with some talent in the opera troupe would be taught by ordinary women. I only hope that more and more people will sing Nanxi opera, and more and more people will listen to Nanxi opera. Many. And in these years, all the female opera singers who have appeared on the stage have been owned by him, but they have no status, and some of them have been given away and sold by him."

"The girls of the common people are humble, and the people around them are also poor people. These are nothing at all, but in the middle of autumn last year, after Yueniang tried to sing a song "Magpie Bridge Club", The folk girl actually saw him looking at Yueniang like that..."

Tears fell like rain, and Song Meiniang's face was filled with sorrow and anger, which only made the faces of those who were watching vivid.

"That is his biological daughter. He looked down upon the daughter born to an actress and never intended to recognize Yueniang. Folk girls dare not dream. Folk girls can only be Yueniang's sister for the rest of their lives. Master and the common girls are also willing to let Yueniang live without a father for the rest of her life. So what if she has no father or mother? We poor and humble people have exhausted all our efforts just to survive, so what else can we ask for?"

"But daughter of the people, under no circumstances can you watch that beast get involved with Yue Niang!" Song Meiniang's eyes were red and her voice became stern, "Everyone in the world says that tigers are poisonous and do not eat their children. He knows clearly that Yue Niang is his daughter. He He covets Yue Niang so much..."

"The civilian girl will not be mistaken. It is the man's lustful look. The civilian girl knew at that time that the beast would take possession of Yueniang sooner or later." Song Meiniang seemed to recall the scene at that time, filled with resentment and despair. As they went on, the cries became more and more sad.

But suddenly, her cry stopped, her teeth clenched, and there was a ruthless look in her eyes, "But Yueniang is not without a mother. Her mother is with her every day, but she doesn't know it." , her mother loves her as much as any mother in the world, and is willing to risk her life for her - and only when Li Yuchang dies, can she and I truly feel at ease forever."

After saying this, Song Meiniang seemed to think that Li Yuchang was dead. There was a hint of joy in her eyes, and she raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face, "Hui Niang is the best disciple I have ever taught, and she has never failed. It’s me who respects teachers, and I said my voice was weak because I didn’t want to sing anymore. Later I discovered that if she and I were at odds, Li Yuchang would praise her even more, so we simply acted like we didn’t get along.”

"Like me, she thought Li Yuchang really loved her at first, but then she gave up after seeing more. Then she met Chen Hanmo. Chen Hanmo could have delayed it for several years, but Li Yuchang was angry. He became interested in Hui Niang, and asking the doctor to prescribe medicine was just a show. After Chen Hanmo moved out of the theater, he cut off his medicine and food. Chen Hanmo almost starved to death while seriously ill... ”

"We started planning before the Chinese New Year. Hui Niang and Chen Hanmo learned good calligraphy. She continued to write the play and gave it to Li Yuchang. Li Yuchang felt like he had found a treasure, and we rehearsed the play. One play can be performed by thousands of people. Hundreds of times, every part of the hands and eyes, every step of the body and movement will eventually become a habit engraved in my bones. The dramas in my early years can now be played through with my eyes closed. There are several times when I just focus on my footsteps without looking at the place. An accident occurred. If I can have such an accident, so can Li Yuchang."

"The play hasn't even been staged yet, but it has given him a lot of fun. Of course he is happy, but we dare not let him die in our own theater. There are all his confidants in the theater, and the local government officials are also working with his family. We were familiar with each other, but we were afraid, so when we knew we were going north to take the waterway a year ago, we wanted to kill him on the boat."

"I grew up in a fishing village by the river. I am familiar with the nature of water. Coupled with the dexterity I have developed over the years, I am not afraid of falling into the river at all. However, Li Yuchang was old and accidentally fell into the river after drinking. This is It's nothing unusual, but we didn't expect that there was a Marquis on this ship, there were so many officials, and there was this doctor who knew how to examine corpses..."

Song Meiniang smiled bitterly, "I taught Hui Niang. Our singing and pronunciation are exactly the same. It's just that I am a few years older and less clear. But I know the techniques well and want to learn how to sing for a while. With almost no effort, I covered up for her, and Yueniang covered up for me. We were foolproof..."

At this point, Song Meiniang's expression suddenly changed slightly and she said: "But Yueniang doesn't know so many inside stories. Yueniang can see that Li Yuchang has impure thoughts towards her. She is just afraid. She treats me as her own sister. I make her She does whatever she wants. She is too young to be murderous. Everything is my fault. I taught her."

Song Meiniang kowtowed to the ground, "Everything the girl said is true. Please don't deceive the girl. As long as she can free Yueniang from slavery and give her hope for the rest of her life, she will not serve the people." Women are exempted from criminal responsibility and they have no complaints or regrets."

Huo Weilou looked at Song Meiniang without saying a word for a moment. His eyes were dark, as if he was thinking of someone else through Song Meiniang. When Eunuch Fu saw this, he couldn't help but call out: "Master Hou——"

Huo Weilou then came back to his senses, "Write down exactly what you just said, including how you conspired, how you discussed, and how you acted that night. The more detailed the better." After that, he met Song Meiniang. Looking at him pleadingly, Huo Weilou said again: "I will do what I say."

Song Meiniang breathed a long sigh of relief and kowtowed again to thank her. Seeing her like this, Huo Weilou said, "Liu Huiniang is not willing to admit it. I have asked you to persuade her, are you willing?"

Song Meiniang looked ashamed at first, and then nodded. Huo Weilou ordered Lu Ke to act. Lu Ke first took Song Meiniang to write down the evidence and sign it, and then went to see Liu Huiniang.

The two met and talked for half an hour. When Song Meiniang came out, Liu Huiniang had changed her previous attitude and was willing to confess. Huo Weilou did not interrogate her, but only asked her to write down her testimony. Around midnight, the two people's testimonies were sent to Huo Weilou's desk.

Lu Ke said: "The testimony of both Song Meiniang and Song Meiniang stated that Song Meiniang was the principal culprit and the other two were accomplices. Yueniang's guilt is minimal."

Huo Weilou glanced at it briefly before putting down the testimony, "There is no need to go into detail. It is difficult to judge who is more guilty and who is less guilty. The two of them have reached a consensus that they will be handed over to the Chuzhou government tomorrow, and Let’s judge the case based on this evidence.”

Lu Ke responded, and when he saw that it was already late, he left with the evidence. Huo Weilou raised his hand and rubbed his eyebrows. He was about to get up when he heard a slight sound of footsteps coming from outside the door. The footsteps were walking by. In front of his door, he walked to the next door without stopping. Huo Weilou said attentively, "Bo Ruoyou——"

Bao Ruoyou, who was holding a teapot outside the door, stamped her feet suddenly and looked at the closed door of Huo Wei Building. She thought for a moment that she was hallucinating. She hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and knocked on the door, "Master Hou. Are you calling a folk girl?"

The door was quickly opened. Huo Weilou stood inside the door and asked condescendingly: "Can the examination be written?"

Bo Ruoyou was startled, "Ah, check it out..."

She rolled her eyes, as if she wanted to find an excuse, but she didn't think of how to say it, so her face showed a hint of guilt, "The Marquis has not given any instructions, so the daughter of the people still... has not yet written... …”

The autopsy in the early morning of that day found no traces of human murder, and it was not treated as a murder case later. Moreover, these cases were unusual cases, and the testimonies were only written when the case was finalized. After today's interrogation, Huo Weilou only ordered Song Meiniang to The two wrote their testimony, but she seriously forgot about it.

However, since it was a murder case, it was her duty to write the testimonial.

Seeing Huo Weilou squinting his eyes, Bo Ruoyou felt something was wrong, and her lips moved slightly as she wanted to accuse him. However, before she could speak, she heard Huo Weilou say in a cool voice: "Then come in and write. I will watch you write."

As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Weilou turned around and entered. Bo Ruoyou looked at his tall back and felt the panic of being tested by a master in school. Moreover, he was not a master at the moment, but was in control of her future. The fate of Wu Zhaohou.

Bao Ruoyou walked in the door with a bitter look on his face.