Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

"The confession you asked for." Following her words, Li Tianliu strode into the hall and threw the two confessions on the table. After glancing at Mrs. Luo, Mrs. Pan, and the Luo and Wang families in the hall, he said to Chanyi, "Go pour me a cup of tea."

Chan Yi resisted the urge to refuse and went to the side hall to pour him a cup of tea.

Chen Shao took Shi Xing's confession and casually glanced at it, but when he saw the sentence "I followed Gao Han to Daxing Street in the east of the city and secretly found that he kept dozens of young women in his courtyard in Qujing Garden on Daxing Street, most of whom were captured by abduction", he stopped. After reading the previous and next paragraphs of this sentence, Chen Shao picked up Hu Lilan's confession again. When he saw that Hu Lilan also said this, he asked Li Tianliu: "Have you interrogated them?"

Li Tianliu said while drinking tea: "I just asked a few questions."

Chen Shao looked at him twice, then raised his eyes to look at Mrs. Luo, "Where are the twenty-six concubines you mentioned just now?"

Mrs. Luo hesitated for a moment before answering, "In Luoyanju, east of the city."

Chen Shao looked at her. "The Imperial College is in the west of the city, and it should be quite a distance away from the east. Why did Luo Zhengxin arrange them there?"

Madam Luo shook her head: "I don't know, all his concubines live over there."

Chen Shao asked: "What about you?"

Madam Luo whispered, "I will live with him in the academy."

"You live with him in the academy," Chen Shao did not miss any subtle expression on her face, "who is managing Luoyan Residence?"

Mrs. Luo's heart trembled, and she carefully lifted her eyelids to look at her. After meeting her gaze, she quickly retracted her eyes, wiped her tears and said, "Yes, it is Mrs. Gao who is in charge."

Chen Shao raised his voice slightly, "Mrs. Gao?"

Mrs. Luo blushed: "Yes."

"Why is she in charge of Luo Zhengxin's concubine?" Chen Shao asked, and then suddenly looked at the Luo and Wang families, and then asked, "Is it Gao Han who insisted on taking Miss Luo as a concubine, or Luo Zhengxin?"

She vaguely remembered that Xue Wanqing seemed to be talking about Gao Han.

Mrs. Luo looked at the Luo and Wang families.

Luo Shurong also glanced at her and replied, "It's Abbot Luo."

That means Xue Wanqing lied. Chen Shao did not dwell on this issue any more, but urged Mrs. Luo: "Why is Mrs. Gao managing Luo Zhengxin's concubine?"

Mrs. Luo's face turned red and white, and then white and red. After a while, she replied in shame and anger: "He doesn't let me interfere in his affairs."

"Are there any other villas in the east of the city?" Chen Shao asked.

Madam Luo avoided her gaze guiltily, "I don't know."

Chen Shao looked at her for a moment and asked, "Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?"

Madam Luo started to cry again: "Please spare me, my lord. Apart from Luoyanju, I only know there is a Peach Garden. I don't know anything else."

Luo Zhengxin was about the same age as Gao Han. Mrs. Gao already had gray hair, but she looked to be in her early thirties, a typical old man and young wife. Chen Shao asked tentatively, "Did Luo Zhengxin marry another wife before you?"

Mrs. Luo shuddered and cried even harder, "He even married two wives."

"Are the two ladies still here?" Chen Shao asked.

Mrs. Luo was too timid to answer.

Mrs. Pan was unwilling to be lonely and said, "Both of them died of illness."

Chen Shao glanced at Mrs. Luo, then looked at Mrs. Pan: "What kind of illness is it?"

"I don't know about that," Mrs. Pan pouted and shook her head, "but the first two wives were both plump and beautiful. I don't know if it was because they did too many immoral things. I heard that when they died, they were so thin that they were just skin and bones."

"They are not sick!" Mrs. Luo suddenly blurted out.

"They are not sick, they are..." Mrs. Pan stopped talking halfway.

Chen Shao then asked: "What is that?"

"They, they..." Mrs. Luo hesitated for a moment, then resolutely closed her eyes and said, "They were all poisoned to death, Xue, Xue Meilan too!"

Under the horrified gazes of Mrs. Pan, the Luo family, and the Wang family, Chen Shao calmly asked, "Who poisoned them?"

Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Since she had already revealed the poisoning, despite her fear, Mrs. Luo still told everything she knew without hesitation, "Yes, it was Mrs. Gao. She was the one who poisoned Xue Meilan."

Chen Shao interrogated: "Why did she poison Xue Meilan?"

"Xue Meilan relied on the fact that she gave birth to two sons for Gao Han, and she wanted to replace Madam Gao by relying on her sons." Madam Luo said timidly, "Madam Gao warned her several times, but she didn't listen, so she poisoned her."

Chen Shao asked: "What kind of poison did Madam Gao give her?"

Madam Luo shook her head repeatedly: "I don't know."

Chen Shao asked: "If you don't know, how do you know that Madam Gao poisoned her?"

"She told me," Madam Luo said with a pale face, half expectant and half indignant, "to let me be a good Madam Luo and not to have any illusions about things that are not mine, otherwise I will die like Xue Meilan, with no clear reason."

Chen Shao asked calmly, "In other words, the fact that Xue Meilan was poisoned to death by Madam Gao is just your guess?"

"It's not my guess!" Madam Luo defended herself loudly, "Xue Meilan's death was exactly the same as those of the two Madam Luos. How could such a coincidence happen in the world?"

There was indeed something fishy, ​​but without any evidence, Chen Shao did not continue the question and turned back to ask, "What does Bi Tao Yuan do?"

Madam Luo was somewhat disappointed that she no longer asked about it. "I don't know. Earlier, I was dissatisfied with Luo Zhengxin for handing over Luoyan Residence to Madam Gao for management. When I secretly followed her, I found that she entered the Peach Garden. I thought I had caught her, so I turned around and told Luo Zhengxin. After hearing this, the beast Luo Zhengxin turned around and told Madam Gao, and Madam Gao came to warn me not to have any delusions."

Chen Shao lied to her, "What about Qujing Garden? What is it for?"

"Qujing Garden?" Madam Luo shook her head. "I don't know what Qujing Garden is."

Seeing that she didn't look like she was lying, Chen Shao ordered Zhao Lin: "Take her down, and bring Madam Gao up!"

Mrs. Luo originally wanted to beg for mercy, but after meeting her cold eyes, she obediently followed Zhao Lin.

"Follow the yamen runners to get the calligraphy and paintings or other certificates that you gave to Gao Han, Luo Zhengxin, and other ladies as matchmakers." Taking advantage of the free time, Chen Shao instructed Mrs. Pan.

After Mrs. Pan followed the yamen runners, Chen Shao's eyes fell on the Luo and Wang families again, "Do you have a place to stay in Hongyuan County?"

"The cases of Yu'er and Mingli are basically clear now. It is up to you to decide how to deal with Luo Jianyuan and Madam Luo who caused their lives." Luo Shurong said gratefully, "We don't have much to do in the county town, so we will take a rest for a while and then go back."

Neither he nor the Wang family would make trouble. Based on what Mrs. Luo had just revealed, he knew that Luo Zhengxin and the others might be involved in other cases, and it was obviously impossible to deal with them in a short time. Instead of waiting here, it would be better to go back first and come back when the case is almost over.

Of course, the most important thing is that they are no longer the same as before, and every penny saved is a penny earned.

The person is gone, but the living must continue.

Chen Shao sighed inwardly and softened his voice, "Shopkeeper Luo used to be in the rouge business, what about Shopkeeper Wang?"

Wang Zhouli quickly said, "Let's do some small business of paper and pens."

"If you are not busy at home, you can stay in the county city for a few more days." Chen Shao said to Fu Jiu who had just returned, "Take them to Juxian Building again and ask Manager Zhou to settle them in two courtyards."

Yang Shurong and Wang Zhouli refused repeatedly, but Chen Shao said gently, "Go ahead, I'll make my own arrangements."

After they left, Chen Shao looked at the lobby with only a few people and sighed, "There really aren't enough people."

Li Tianliu played with the empty teacup and said lazily, "Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Chen Shao picked up the confessions of Shi Xing and Hu Lilan, and said as he read them, "It's just an idea for now. Let's talk about it after we finish interrogating Madam Gao."

Mrs. Gao arrived soon.

After a trip to the prison, she lost her airs and was replaced by fear. She staggered and followed Zhao Lin into the hall. Before Chen Shao could speak, she knelt on the ground and said, "Sir, I am innocent. It was Madam Luo who separated Miss Luo and Mr. Wang. It has nothing to do with me. And Xue Meilan and Wu Tao were also the ones Gao Han wanted to find. It has nothing to do with me."

It's true that everyone flees when disaster strikes. Chen Shao asked coldly, "Then how did Xue Meilan die?"

"Xue..." Madam Gao collapsed instantly. After a moment, she immediately said, "Xue Meilan wanted to replace me, Gao Han. Gao Han cherishes his reputation the most. After trying to persuade her in vain, he asked me to poison her! I was just following his orders. It's not that I wanted to kill her!"

Chen Shao immediately asked, "What about the two Mrs. Luo before? Did you poison them too?"

"No, that's not it." Madam Gao quickly denied, "It was Luo Zhengxin. He was tired of them and couldn't divorce them openly, so he poisoned them!"

Unsure of whether it was true or not, Chen Shao quickly switched to the next question: "What are Luoyanju, Bitao Garden, and Qujing Garden used for?"

Mrs. Gao's body stiffened and her face turned pale in an instant.

It was not like this when answering the cause of Xue Meilan's death, but now... Chen Shao's heart sank suddenly. Xue Wanqing's words "students bribed Gao Han and Luo Zhengxin with their own sisters in order to enter the Imperial College" and what Mrs. Luo said just now about the Wen family, the Ren family and others giving Luo Zhengxin concubines jumped into her mind one after another.

Since Gao Han valued his reputation the most, he would naturally not settle the concubine sent by others in the academy.

If he doesn't settle in the academy, then where should he settle?

"They are all concubines sent by people who want to curry favor with them." Feeling the murderous intent in her eyes, Mrs. Gao was so scared that she quickly crawled on the ground and begged for mercy.

Chen Shao stared at her closely: "Do you need three gardens to accommodate the concubine you sent as a gift?"

"Besides the concubines, there are also some toys they keep there." Madam Gao did not dare to hide it, and cried bitterly to distance herself from the matter, "My Lord, it is they who let me manage their food, clothing and expenses. Whether they live or die, whether they stay or go, it is none of my business."

Chen Shao said coldly: "Who are they?"

Madam Gao said repeatedly, "They are Mr. Zhang, Gao Han, Luo Zhengxin, and some prominent people in the county town."

Chen Shao suppressed the rage in his heart and continued to ask, "Apart from these three gardens, are there any other gardens?"

"Yes, yes," Mrs. Gao answered quickly, "There are also Mingyue Courtyard, Plum Garden, Happy Forest, and Changlefang."

Chen Shao: "Are these places where 'playthings' are imprisoned?"

"No, that's not it." Madam Gao explained quickly, "The toys are all imprisoned in Luoyanju, Bitaoyuan, Qujingyuan, Mingyueyuan and Meiyuan. Kuaihuolin and Changlefang are brothels, where those toys that are disobedient or that they are tired of go."

"Bitch!" Chen Shao grabbed the gavel and threw it at her.

Mrs. Gao screamed but didn't dare to hide.

The gavel brushed past her ears and landed heavily on her shoulders. In an instant, the clothes on her shoulders were covered in blood.

"Li Tianliu..." Chen Shao's cold words just came out when Li Tianliu rushed out of the hall, "I'll go drive the carriage!"

Chen Shao stood up with the help of the table, looked coldly at the frightened Madam Gao, and ordered in a deep voice: "Drag her up and lead the way!"

The Yulin Guards dragged Madam Gao to clear the way ahead.

Li Tianliu was driving a horse-drawn carriage.

A group of yamen runners followed quickly behind.

Amid the confused and doubtful gazes of the crowd, the team quickly headed towards the east of the city!

Luoyanju, Bitaoyuan, Qujingyuan, Mingyueyuan and Meiyuan are not far from each other.

After the team arrived, the Yulin Guards and yamen runners quickly surrounded several courtyards.

Chen Shao quickly got off the carriage, looked up at the plaque of Luoyanju, then pushed the door and walked in.

The corridors, rockeries, small bridges, flowing water, exotic flowers and trees, the elegant environment that was completely different from the outside of the courtyard, made Chen Shao pause slightly when she entered the courtyard. But then, her eyes were attracted by the two women hanging on the sycamore tree in the distance.

Walking quickly around the corridor, Chen Shao suddenly stopped when he was about two meters away, "Chan Yi."

The two women were only wearing a thin layer of gauze.

He was one foot below the ground, hanging from a tree with his hands raised high, his head lowered, and his body covered with mosquitoes and flies.

Chan Yi walked over, and when she was still three steps away, she turned back with sobs: "Master, they..."

They are already dead.

Chen Shao walked up to them step by step, waved away the mosquitoes and flies, then squatted down to look at the corpse spots on their feet.

Li Tianliu turned around quickly after seeing that they were only wearing gauze. When he heard Chan Yi's suppressed cry, he looked back and found that they were dead. He followed Chen Shao to the corpse and saw that she had just waved her hand to drive away the mosquitoes and flies, but they swarmed around again in a moment, so he could not help but use his internal strength to fan them away.

All the mosquitoes and flies flew away, but they still buzzed towards him.

Li Tianliu snorted coldly and waved his hand again, and mosquitoes and flies fell to the ground like rain.

Chen Shao didn't bother to shake off the dead mosquitoes and flies on his body. When he saw that the corpse spots on the soles of their bare feet had not yet merged into a patch, he immediately reached out and pinched their foot joints.

Rigor mortis had only recently set in the joints of his feet.

Death occurred within three hours.

It was around the time when she was asking about the cases of the Luo and Wang families.

Chen Shao raised his eyes and looked at their bodies covered with scars under the gauze.