Perfect Encounter - Chapter 63.2
PROOFREAD BY AFREANA
Chapter 63.2
Chun Xiao said enthusiastically: “I asked thoroughly. It turns out that the second Miss An ran to the local government office yesterday, shouting for help with a string of people following her to see the fun. As a result, the people behind her were bullying the second Miss An. Other people who saw them shouted at them to stop. In short, it was a mess. Then the second Miss An fell before she reached the governor’s office. Her foot was fractured, and she couldn’t get up. People asked her what was wrong, and she said she had to report to the authorities to save people. People asked who she wanted to save. After a long time, she answered she wanted to save her sister. They asked where her sister was, and she couldn’t tell them where the house was, so she said it was behind the Zhaofu Restaurant.”
Chun Xiao acted with dedication, one person playing multiple roles. An Ruochen laughed at this.
“Later, someone kindly said to help her report to the officer and hire a sedan chair to send her to her residence. Everyone was watching. I heard it was quite a mess and a disgrace.” Chun Xiao said, “In that case, the second sister of Miss is not so bad.”
An Ruochen smiled and asked if Lu Daniang was still there. Chun Xiao went to check and returned to report that she hadn’t left yet.
Thus, An Ruochen went to see Lu Daniang and told her she had heard about the second sister. An Ruochen asked Lu Daniang to help send a safety amulet and express gratitude to the second sister. Chun Xiao was laughing next to her, saying that Miss goes to the temple from time to time to pray for blessings, and this time, those amulets became useful. An Ruochen took advantage of Chun Xiao to help her fetch the incense and amulets to explain a few things about Li Xiu’er to Lu Daniang.
Lu Daniang also took the opportunity to inform An Ruochen that Miss Cui, who observed the Zhaofu Restaurant, saw a peddler beside the restaurant rush away early in the morning after seeing the bells appear on the windows. Miss Cui followed the peddler to the pine slope at the eastern part of the city. She saw four bells hung on the four corners of the pavilion at the top of the slope. Then, the peddler returned to continue setting up the stall, and there have been no other abnormalities.
An Ruochen knew that Miss Cui was a beggar who was active near the Zhaofu Restaurant. “Did Miss Cui see anyone come to fetch the bell or come over to observe?”
“No. I also went there this morning. The four bells were still hanging in the corner of the pavilion.”
An Ruochen nodded. She was thinking; Liu Ze was the restaurant’s owner, and he could see the bells, but what about the people he wanted to contact? They couldn’t simply come to the restaurant to check if the bells were hanging.
On the day of Zhao Jiahua’s death, the bells hanging out of the restaurant changed, which was the signal from Liu Ze. Later she also confirmed with Liu Ze that he did not know where Young Master Min was. It was always Young Master Min who came to him.
An Ruochen had agreed with Lu Daniang at the beginning to find a suitable person to observe the restaurant, look for the person who hung the bell, or discover how they delivered the message. Now, although they didn’t find Young Master Min’s whereabouts, they found out that – after Liu Ze hangs the bells, the peddler will go to pass on the message.
As they were speaking, Chun Xiao returned with something. An Ruochen said to Lu Daniang with a double meaning: “Then, I’ll trouble Daniang.”
Lu Daniang nodded with understanding and promised to do so.
Chun Xiao was still dissatisfied and was eager to make a trip to the second Miss herself to see how wretched she looked.
“Didn’t you just compliment my second sister?” An Ruochen skimmed her eyebrows. Lately, she felt her eyebrows had become much more flexible.
Chun Xiao smiled: “Saying she’s not so bad does not stop me from wanting to see her in this state.”
An Ruochen deliberately sighed: “It seems that the second sister is still pleasing to others. You think about her fall but do not think about mine. Help me to go to the kitchen and ask for soup to nourish my legs.”
“Ah.” Chun Xiao seems to have just remembered that her Steward An also fell, “I’ll go now.” She ran towards the kitchen and turned back after a while: “Miss, this way, you two are really sisters.” After laughing, she ran away again.
An Ruochen sighed in her heart. Yes, sisters indeed.
An Ruochen dismissed Chun Xiao, went to the west courtyard room, and after some discussion with Zhao Jiahua, went to the governor’s residence. Yao Kun, the governor, had not slept all night and had been hearing cases continuously, so his face showed tiredness.
It was only a day’s difference, but the attitude was different. An Ruochen was somewhat flattered and cautious. Afraid of making some mistakes and giving Big Long trouble.
Yao Kun shared some details about the case with An Ruochen and said the four city gates have been sealed and the people coming in and out are strictly checked. Last night, Big Long informed him about Young Master Min. Then, he ordered the officials to interrogate the restaurant’s owner and the surrounding merchants. Indeed, there was an acquaintance called Young Master Min, but unfortunately, no one knew his origin or where he lived. He had his portrait drawn and posted all over the city.
An Ruochen looked at the portrait that shared quite a bit of resemblance to the original person. Only, this Young Master Min had no distinctive features, and his clothes were difficult to recognize. But since many people recognized him, he must not dare to be as free on the streets as before.
An Ruochen reported: “My Lord, I heard Zhao Jiahua say that she had tried to trace the person who hung the bell but unfortunately did not find them. She did however see a peddler near the restaurant acting strangely, possibly passing messages for that Young Master Min.” She reported the peddler’s appearance. Yao Kun immediately sent someone to catch him.
Yao Kun asked An Ruochen some more questions and mentioned the arson case of the Jiang Clothes Store. An Ruochen said: “Li Xiu’er was indeed the Xu Matchmaker’s informant and had contact with Zhao Jiahua. After the news of Zhao Jiahua’s death came, she panicked and fled. Now that you have solved the case, if Li Xiu’er hears about it, she will return and surrender herself. I hope you will remember that she has the merit of providing clues and has not done anything wrong in the past, and give her a light sentence.”
Yao Kun frowned. Seeing this, An Ruochen said. “My Lord, I will be able to convince the other girls used by the Xu Matchmaker to tell us about the information they reported to her if you give her a lighter sentence.”
Yao Kun heard the reasoning, so he nodded his head and agreed.
Not long after, they caught the peddler. He heard about the Liu Residence tragedy yesterday and did not dare to come out. The constable inquired about his residence and arrested him. The peddler was scared and trembling, but unfortunately, he did not know much. He said that Liu Ze gave him money to hang red bells in the pavilion if he saw the bells hanging in the windows of the restaurant. He only needed to hang them without caring about anything else. He did not know what these bells were for. As long as he got money, he did the job. He had done this thing for nearly three years.
“What is the importance of these bells?” An Ruochen asked.
The peddler shook his head and said he didn’t know. He only knew that if there were blue and red bells, he would ignore them. But if they were of other colors, he would go to the pavilion and hang four red bells there.
Yao Kun ordered his guard to escort the peddler, then spoke to An Ruochen: “It seems he is just a messenger. Liu Ze used different colors and numbers of bells to indicate different messages, and this person informed Young Master Min or whoever Liu Ze wanted to share a new message with.”
An Ruochen stifled: “Unfortunately, we don’t know who and where the other party is.”
Yao Kun said: “The vicinity of the top pine slope is the highest place in the area, and if you hang bells on the pavilion, those who live nearby can see it. Young Master Min does not want others to know where he lives. If he wants to get information, he has to find a way to see it. When he sees the bell, it means that Liu Ze has something to offer, and then he goes to the restaurant. He won’t miss it.”
After Yao Kun finished, he called the constable and Captain Hou Liliang and told them to surround the area near the top pine slope and search for Young Master Min from house to house.
The governor was so resourceful and decisive that An Ruochen changed her impression of him. Sure enough, he must have the skills to sit in this official position. Whether he wants to do something or not depends on his desire. Meng Jia Yue was his veins.