Geschichte über einen Ehemanndiebstahl

Kapitel 6

A few days ago, such a big incident happened in Hangzhou Prefecture, with two young ladies dying within a month. He immediately ordered his men to investigate the case and also submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Justice overnight. A few days later, these two young masters arrived with a warrant from the Ministry of Justice, saying they wanted to assist in solving the case. The Minister had given a strict order to solve the case within ten days. Li Qinglan's head ached at the thought of "within ten days." Later, after Jiang Cheng returned and came to his room, saying that Xiao Duan had also come, the old man felt a little more at ease.

Li Qinglan was lost in thought, holding an empty bowl, when Xiao Duan reached out and took the bowl, tossing it onto the table. The bowl spun around a bit before settling back down. The old man snapped out of his reverie and saw Xiao Duan staring coldly at him with his phoenix eyes: "Lord Li, let's discuss the case."

Li Qinglan said "Oh" twice, invited Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun to sit down, and then went to the bedside to take a few pages of paper and handed them to them.

The three of them each took two sheets of paper, quickly scanned them, and then exchanged them. Zhan Yun neatly arranged the sheets and handed them back to Lord Li, asking, "Has the identity of that young lady from this morning been verified?"

Li Qinglan sighed, took the celadon cup handed to her by the servant boy, and took a sip of warm water to wash away the taste of medicine in her mouth: "It's Miss Qian. The Qian family is a well-known wealthy family around here, they're in the silk business. Sigh... three in a row, all outstanding young ladies, all talented women who can write poetry and paint, what was the murderer thinking, specifically targeting these young ladies..."

The few pages listed the ages, family backgrounds, and other basic information of the first two murdered women, as well as the results of the autopsies conducted in Jiangcheng. Xiao Duan hadn't spoken, seemingly deep in thought. When Li Qinglan said the last sentence, he suddenly looked up: "A talented woman?"

Li Qinglan nodded: "Miss Zhang is most skilled at playing the zither; her rendition of 'Jade Plum Melody' was stunning and exquisite. Miss Qian is skilled in needlework; the 'Smoky Willow Colors' embroidered when she was thirteen years old was famous throughout Zhejiang! Miss Zhou is a renowned talent in Hangzhou; she is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Three months ago, during the Lantern Festival, Miss Zhou presented a couplet that no one has been able to match to this day, leaving a group of young scholars embarrassed."

Xiao Duan remained completely unfazed: "Do the three of you know each other?"

“Not only do we know each other, but we have a good relationship. All three of you are famous people at that ‘Zhu Xiang Ya She’.” Seeing that the three of them looked a little puzzled, Li Qinglan continued to explain: “This Ya She is a place where the young ladies gather to drink tea and compose poetry. It’s been around for decades and is quite famous in our Hangzhou city. It was devised by the daughter of the former prefect.”

Zhao Ting turned his head and coldly retorted: "Boring!"

Zhan Yun smiled slightly: "Girls don't usually have anywhere to go. They always stay at home, never stepping out of the house, which is quite boring. It's good that we came up with this idea to get together and kill time."

Xiao Duan frowned slightly: "Where is that elegant abode?"

Li Qinglan took another sip of water: "It's over there by the Broken Bridge, the red-roofed building on the other side of the lake." As soon as she finished speaking, the old man glared at her: "You mean there's something wrong with that abode?"

Author's Note: Hehe~ By the way, Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun both saw Xiao Duan's feet. Doesn't that mean that in ancient times, women's feet could only be shown to their husbands?

"So, you two saw it, what should we do?" Xiaoxue covered her mouth and chuckled. "The tea smells really good today."

8

Chapter Three: Bamboo Grove Retreat • Drinking Together...

The three of them delivered the plum blossom silver hairpin to Jiang Cheng and listened to his report on the autopsy results. Jiang Cheng stated with certainty that the finger marks on the back of the head and shoulders, as well as the scratches on the face, were almost identical to those on the previous two women.

It was already noon when they left the yamen. Xiao Duan went down the steps and headed west, but Zhan Yun stopped him. Xiao Duan turned his head, waiting for Zhan Yun's next words. Zhan Yun held a white jade folding fan in one hand, tapped it with the palm of his other hand, and smiled slightly: "Zhao Ting and I are not very familiar with this place. I wonder if we could go the same way and have lunch together, so we can discuss the case."

Xiao Duan was initially impatient, thinking, "How could two grown men like you not know each other well not be able to find a place to eat?" But upon hearing the next sentence, his mind changed. He figured he was going to visit the elegant residence later anyway, so eating together would save him a lot of trouble. Although he didn't want to be with these two, they were, after all, sent by their superiors. If they simply said, "This case doesn't need your involvement," he would have nowhere to turn to complain.

Seeing Xiao Duan nod, the two quickly followed him, one on each side. After walking a few steps, Xiao Duan suddenly stopped and said coldly, "Let me make this clear first: the places I eat are all small roadside shops, and the food is very basic, nothing like the 'Zhuangyuanlou' in Tokyo. If you don't like it, don't force yourselves."

Zhao Ting was taken aback, then smiled faintly: "Is it worse than what the soldiers at the border eat?"

Xiao Duan choked for a moment, then continued walking without saying another word. Zhan Yun glanced at Zhao Ting with a half-smile, as if to say, "You're something else! You managed to leave someone like Xiao Duan speechless."

The two followed Xiao Duan and lifted the curtain to enter a small shop. A sign hung at the entrance, with the three characters "Rice Noodles Hu" scrawled crookedly. The two chubby-faced men couldn't possibly eat rice noodles that were mushy, could they? The shop owner was indeed selling rice noodles, and the surname Hu was even more innocent—it was just that the person selling rice noodles was surnamed Hu, and yet they had put "Rice Noodles Hu" on the door of their shop; that was just too amusing.

Upon entering, the shop, though small, was impeccably clean and tidy. Xiao Duan lifted his robe and sat down. The proprietress, dressed in a bright pink jacket, swayed her slender waist to greet him, her face, heavily made up, beaming with a smile as beautiful as a peach blossom: "Xiao Duan's here!" She leaned on the table and called out loudly, "Boss, Xiao Duan's here! One plate of butterfly-shaped fried rice noodles, less oil, less salt!"

He responded loudly from behind, "Got it!" The proprietress turned around and looked at Xiao Duan with a smile: "Am I right? It's been so long since you've been here, but I still remember your taste!"

Xiao Duan smiled slightly and nodded: "The boss lady has a good memory."

The woman raised her chin: "That's right!" As she spoke, she gave them a flirtatious wink. Then she looked at the two men, who were already showing signs of being petrified: "Gentlemen, what would you like to eat? We have all kinds of fried rice noodles, boiled rice noodles, sweet pickles, and our own homemade Si Tang Chun..."

The two men had never actually eaten fried rice noodles before, and after being swayed by the proprietress's loud, persuasive sales pitch, they were completely bewildered. The two handsome young men, one aloof and the other gentle, both turned their gazes to Xiao Duan, who sat opposite them with a slight smile on his lips, their expressions somewhat pitiful.

Xiao Duan glanced at the two of them, still expressionless: "Want some pea shoots?"

The two nodded in unison, and then Xiao Duan asked, "Whether you prefer salty or bland food, just tell me."

The two quickly spoke to the proprietress standing to the side, and Xiao Duan chimed in, "We'll have butterfly rice noodles too. Three plates of pickles, you can choose whatever you like. And a jar of Sitangchun tea."

"Alright!" The proprietress gave Xiao Duan a flirtatious wink, then swayed her hips and went to serve the next table.

The two of them secretly wiped their sweat. Duan's taste was indeed quite peculiar!

However, once the three servings of fried rice noodles were served, the two of them changed their minds. The golden, glistening rice noodles were topped with a layer of vibrant green pea shoots, along with fragrant stir-fried beef, sweet and chewy dried radish, finely chopped cowpeas, spring chives, and scallions. Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun both preferred strong flavors, so their two servings were loaded with salt. The sight of the dish had already whetted their appetites, and after one bite, they were completely speechless. Zhan Yun, usually the most refined eater, ate for ages without even looking up, downing almost half a plate in one go!

Xiao Duan took a few bites, then picked up the small pot on the table and poured the vinegar all over his plate, the pungent smell making Zhao Ting raise an eyebrow. Xiao Duan didn't even lift his eyelids, continuing to eat. He also ate half a plate in one go before slowly and methodically starting to drink and eat.

Zhao Ting picked up a piece of pickled cucumber, took a sip of "Si Tang Chun" wine, and couldn't help but look up at Xiao Duan again. This guy actually has a good palate. Leaving aside the fragrant stir-fried butterfly rice noodles, these few unassuming dishes of pickles were perfectly balanced between sweet and salty, with a crisp texture, no less delicious than those in the most famous restaurants in Tokyo. And this "Si Tang Chun," although homemade, had a delicate and smooth flavor, offering a unique taste when paired with the rice noodles and pickles.

Zhan Yun ate until her crescent-shaped eyes curved even more, a gentle smile playing on her lips, as she praised Xiao Duan: "The food at this shop is really good." The unspoken message was: Xiao Duan, you have excellent taste.

Xiao Duan ate his food and drank his wine quietly, without saying a word. Zhan Yun, being good-natured, didn't take it to heart. Besides, with someone as aloof as Zhao Ting around, he could tolerate Xiao Duan's slight coldness.

The three of them finished off the rice noodles and pickles, and left no wine behind. When it came time to pay, Xiao Duan took out a copper coin, placed it on the table, and said, "Each pays their own." He then got up and left first.

Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun stared at the copper coins on the table and sighed in unison. They exchanged a glance, their smiles tinged with helplessness. They'd met difficult people before, but never anyone this difficult.

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The broken bridge is not broken.

The name "Broken Bridge" actually dates back to a previous dynasty. If you continue eastward, you'll reach the famous Lonely Mountain. Because there's a saying that "the road to Lonely Mountain ends here," this bridge is called Broken Bridge.

Some say that after a snowfall in winter, the ice and snow melt on the sunny side of the bridge, while the shady side remains covered in snow and ice. From a distance, the bridge and the embankment appear to be separated, hence the name "Broken Bridge." For this reason, every winter after a snowfall, many people come to the Broken Bridge to admire the snow.

It's March now.

A gentle breeze caresses the face, apricot blossoms peek over the wall, their fragrance fills the air, and the lake's surface is as smooth as jade. It is the most beautiful time of year in Hangzhou.

The three walked across the broken bridge and arrived at "Zhu Xiang Ya She" on the other side of the lake. On the blue brick wall at the entrance hung a blue wooden board with the four characters "Zhu Xiang You Ran" (meaning "Bamboo and Fragrance Serenity") written in a graceful and elegant style, clearly the work of a woman. The board was suspended, and a large copper bell, about the size of a bowl, hung below it. A gentle breeze caused the board to sway softly, and the bell to ring clear and melodiously.

Just as the group was about to enter the courtyard, they were stopped by two young boys in blue robes standing at the gate: "Gentlemen, do you have any invitations?" It turned out that men were not forbidden from entering this elegant residence, but they had to have an invitation from the young ladies. This invitation was a specially made piece of paper with the man's name written on it, and below it, a pink stamp with a bamboo pattern and the seal script character "悠".