Su Yan walked through the maze-like alley and found the inn hidden in a private house.
Xu Ziya lowered the brim of his hat and whispered: "It doesn't look easy here, so I'd better go back and call some people to be brave."
Su Yan tightened his clothes, pressed down his slightly arched chest, and looked around cautiously. It was noon at this time, and people were coming in and out frequently. If there was really danger, they would not dare to hurt anyone. Thinking of this
Here, I walked in confidently and boldly.
Xu Ziya hurriedly caught up to remind her: "We are investigating the case privately, and we should be pursuing it secretly, but you have mobilized a large number of people. Aren't you afraid of alerting others?!"
"Are you still afraid of alerting the public at this time? Do you want to spend three or four days investigating slowly, wait until you find out that Nangong Lin is dead, and then notify the Jin Guan to collect the body?"
Xu Ziya shrugged and apologized, "As you said, I'm not a cold-blooded person."
The inn has two floors, and the layout is a bit chaotic, but it is empty and seems to have been abandoned. However, there is candlelight shaking on the second floor, as if someone is passing by. But facing the unfamiliar environment, Su Yan regrets it. The boss only throws out the clue of the dark market.
, but I didn’t ask for more details. Thinking of this, I couldn’t help cursing secretly, your grandma’s pig head!
"It's a mixed bag here, so be careful." Xu Ziya also noticed something unusual. "There was no shopkeeper and no customers, but there were some strange noises coming from the rooms upstairs. I couldn't tell what they were." He turned to face her again.
Said: "Go up, we can't delay any longer, the day of final judgment is getting closer and closer."
"You are the one who is anxious, and you are the one who wants to give up. You have all the good and bad things to say alone!" Su Yan complained as he followed quickly. In front of him was a row of connected rooms, with signs of different shapes hanging on the doors.
, through the window, you can see the faint light coming from inside. Such rooms are not only in the row in front of you, but also on the entire second floor. Under the dim candlelight, it is very depressing.
Su Yan's eyes fell on one of the rooms. There seemed to be a woman's shadow inside. He was about to take a look but was stopped by Xu Ziya.
Before coming, the shop owner told me that the rooms in this building were called "stalls" in the dark market, where businessmen from all over the world secretly met and traded. Because it was an abandoned post station and the location was remote, the court decided to use this place.
It was sold everywhere, and the person who took it over was said to be a Jianghu man. He converted the inn into a restaurant, and it became a dark market in just a few years.
Xu Ziya passed Su Yan and continued walking further inside. As he walked, he whispered to her: "The business here is all shady, including reselling prohibited items, firearms trading, and selling human beings. The Ministry of Punishment has checked several times, but they have not found the core.
Thanks to the collusion between officials and businessmen, things went smoothly in the end and we are where we are today!"
Su Yan was shocked: "Human trafficking? This is a serious crime of beheading! This dark market is so big, there must be many missing women and children nearby, but the Ministry of Punishments can't find it?"
Xu Ziya stopped, with strong anger in his eyes, but he just gritted his teeth, "I told you, there is collusion between government and businessmen, and the Ministry of Punishment can't find any clues!"
Su Yan felt like her stomach was churning, so she resisted and walked back quickly.
Xu Ziya chased after him and reminded in a low voice, "We are here to investigate the case. You look fierce, are you trying to get yourself into trouble?"
Su Yan sneered: "Look at how smoky this place is, it's not me who's causing the fire, it's the human traffickers inside!"
"What do you want?"
"Since I have seen it, I can't turn a blind eye. Since the three agencies are interrogating, I will take this opportunity to expose these crimes!"
Xu Ziya was a little desperate: "Do you think things are as simple as you think? A single move can affect the whole body. If we really start the investigation, Ruoshui won't be overturned by then!"
After hearing this, Su Yan calmed down a little, but a sense of helplessness emerged spontaneously, "What should we do?"
"The most important thing at the moment is overturning the case. If you really want to investigate, you should take a long-term approach!"
Su Yan secretly made up his mind that she would take care of this matter!
"Who's wandering here?!" Someone suddenly shouted, and the voice seemed to rise from the ground, and it was extremely powerful. Su Yan followed the sound and saw a man with a beard walking towards him menacingly.
Su Yan cupped his hands and said, "Su is new here and doesn't understand the rules. Please forgive me if I offend you." Although Su Yan didn't recognize this person's identity, but judging from his tone, he must be the second in command!
Sure enough, the man revealed his identity, "Even if the people who come here don't know me, Shopkeeper Luo, they should know the rules! Who allowed you to stay where you shouldn't stop?!"
Su Yan responded calmly: "My boss said that as long as I have good things, I'm not afraid of not being able to sell them at a high price. I can just come in swaggering and slowly find a buyer."
Shopkeeper Luo was dubious: "Shang family? Can you bring a showdown?"
Su Yan secretly regretted that he should have found out the details of this place first when he came here. Now it's better, he was asked!
"Well... I came in a hurry and forgot about it." She said this, feeling uncertain.
Shopkeeper Luo's face darkened: "Everyone who comes to this restaurant comes one day in advance to book a 'stall', pay a deposit, and then show up the next day to enter. You don't understand the rules, and you don't have a showdown. Why are you here?"
What are you doing? Who is the superior you are talking about?!" His cunning eyes stared at Su Yan so hard that she couldn't breathe.
At the critical moment, Xu Ziya took a step forward, held his sleeves in a pretentious manner and said: "This master is not a big person. He just came here many times and saw that I have some good things. Let me try my luck. As for the showdown...
We are poor people living in the "downtown". We came here to sell things because we have no money. We borrowed these two clothes. Of course... we don't have the money to pay the deposit... we don't understand the rules! Thank you, shopkeeper Luo, for reminding us.
, in that case, let’s try our luck elsewhere, excuse me!”
The shopkeeper found it annoying and immediately sent someone to see the guests off. Unexpectedly, Xu Ziya's words took a turn: "But I have something to ask of you. I would like to ask shopkeeper Luo to taste this treasure. Based on your experience, you will be able to tell us the origin of this treasure. If you can
If we know the root cause, it will be easier for us to take action, and we will not be regarded as thieves."
Shopkeeper Luo changed his expression when he heard it was a 'treasure'. Xu Ziya took out a brocade box seriously: it was made of colored glaze, and the inner layer was made of agarwood. The two layers were made of different materials, but the inside
The agarwood has been severely affected by moisture and has rotted.
Shopkeeper Luo's eyes lit up, "This is from the palace of the King of Chu. It should be a jewelry box used by some concubine. It must be more than ten years old at least. The price is at least this amount!" After that, he stretched out a hand.
I made some gestures.
"So this is the origin," Xu Ziya shook his head, "Unfortunately, the interior of this object was seriously damaged. I wanted to repair it and sell it at a high price to treat my sweetheart's illness, but I couldn't find a good craftsman. My boss kindly introduced me to it.
You can get a good price here... It’s all my fault, Shopkeeper Luo Haihan!”
Su Yan was confused until he caught Xu Ziya's eyes that were full of pity and ambiguity in his sincerity. He perked up, he had to keep this lie on his own! He immediately sorted out his emotions and showed off a bit of force.
Sad, "The brocade box is Xu Lang's that you worked hard to get. It was originally given to me as a token of love. No matter what the price, it can't compare with Xu Lang's feelings!" As he said this, he pretended to wipe away his tears and choked up a few times.
, "The few treasures you have worked so hard for so many years to get are not worth it for my illness!"
Shopkeeper Luo looked at this and that, and was greatly surprised. These days, there are still broken sleeves! He hurriedly said: "You two brothers, don't be sad, I have the best craftsmen in the six countries here, and their hands are...
The one who can bring the dead back to life!...Now that you’re here, I’ll open a stall for you two, sit down for a while, and I’ll invite the craftsmen to come over and have a look. If it can be repaired, how about I recycle this treasure at a high price?”
Xu Ziya was a little embarrassed: "It would be great if it could be repaired, but..." He looked at Su Yan again. After receiving the order, Su Yan cast a sad look at the shopkeeper while holding back his grievance, "We are poor..."
"Don't worry, you two, as long as you can sell it to me, the repair cost will be waived!"
The two quickly thanked each other and successfully entered the enemy's interior. Su Yan thought happily: If he can find clues with this object and sell it at a good price, he will really kill two birds with one stone. He is talented, so talented!
"Did you ask Xu Ziya to lead Su Yan to solve the case?" Zuo Qing stood in front of the window, looking at the lake in the distance, and asked coldly.
"Did you bump into them?"
"Chengnan Station, she went to find the dark market!"
"Yes, I asked Xu Ziya to go. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Yin Zhuo must die!"
"But there's no need for Su Yan to come forward. You're putting her in danger!" Zuo Qing turned around suddenly and stared at Xu Niang with bloodshot eyes.
"Don't forget, Su Yan is not included in our plan."
"But he is the most important person to me, you can't take advantage of her!"
"What about your hatred? Tan'er, remember, no one is important except yourself, and anyone can take advantage of it! No one from Yun Lai Pavilion can come forward in this case, and you can't, except for Su Yan who has the heart to serve the Nangong family.
Who else can you go to if you want to come forward? Just name one, and as long as you can name it, I will send him immediately!"
Zuo Qing fell silent immediately.
"Yin Yun killed people without leaving any trace, and I didn't even have any clue. Su Yan peeled off the cocoons and found the dark market. She is very smart."
"You don't know either?"
Xu Niang sat down on the couch, took a sip of tea, and said: "Strange, why do you think I know? I'm not a god, and I can still control killings? I just go along with the flow, and she also gets the limelight. Isn't it the best of both worlds?
?”
Zuo Qing opened the window for some air, and after a moment he said, "What will you do next?"
"The conclusion of murder is just a guess. Letting Su Yan take over is just a matter of luck. I didn't expect that she accidentally hit her! It depends on her own luck. If evidence can be found, Yin Zhuo will be dead!"
"If Yin Yun hadn't killed him, what would we have done?"
"Killing someone with a borrowed knife, no need for a reason!"
After some appraisal, both craftsmen identified this brocade box as belonging to the royal family of the Chu Kingdom. However, this item was leaked in recent years. Its value is not sky-high, but it is not low either. It is different from what Shopkeeper Luo expected.
Not much.
Shopkeeper Luo paced anxiously, glancing at the work of the craftsmen from time to time, and finally couldn't help but urge: "I told you two to wait and see when we can get it right!"
The elder, an experienced master craftsman, waved his hand and said: "The mezzanine is damp, so I have to find an identical one to replace it. In this way, I will leave this item and you can pick it up tomorrow. I guarantee it will be exactly the same as when I was in the palace!"
"
"Is one day enough?" Su Yan was shocked.
The old master smiled disdainfully: "There are mountains outside the mountains, and there are people outside the people. Brother, you still have little knowledge!"
Shopkeeper Luo smiled happily and said: "This old master is a master I hired from the State of Zhao. He is many times more powerful than the craftsmen on the market. If the treasure in your hands were not unique today, I would not have invited them to come out."
He took out a bag of silver from his sleeve and threw it to Xu Ziya, and said: "This is the deposit. I will make up the remaining money after the repair."
Xu Ziya weighed the money bag in his hand, and his smile gradually spread. Su Yan was a little anxious in his heart. Looking at this situation, if he didn't jump into the topic, he might not have a chance.
"Shopkeeper Luo, these two craftsmen are so powerful, can they repair all the damaged things?"
Shopkeeper Luo said proudly: "Of course it is. Let alone repairing it, it's also possible to make it exactly the same."
Su Yan knew something in his mind and hurriedly asked: "Then... I have another thing here. I got it by chance. Please take a look."
When the craftsman saw the jade pendant in Su Yan's hand and the tassel hanging at the bottom of the jade pendant, his face suddenly changed and he stood up suddenly, "This...where does this come from?"
When Shopkeeper Luo saw this, although he didn't know the situation, he seemed to be able to detect something strange.
Su Yan handed the jade pendant to the old master and said, "My master's jade pendant was in trouble recently and I took advantage of it."
The craftsman asked her tremblingly: "What is your friend's name?"
"The young master of Dali Temple, Yin Yun." Su Yan said while observing his changes.
The craftsman's face was pale and he couldn't speak clearly. "He...what happened to him?"
Su Yan sighed, "Didn't there be a murder case in Ruoshui? It caused a huge uproar. Later, the Ministry of Punishment investigated all the people who had purchased these jade pendant tassels. In addition to the young master of the Nangong family who lost the jade pendant tassel, my master was also suspected."
"How do you say that?" he asked hurriedly.
"Although the tassels are still there, they did not come from the jade shop. In other words, my master's tassels are also lost."
Xu Ziya added: "It is said that the prince will hear the trial in person this time, and the Ministry of Punishment will conduct a thorough investigation."
The old master slumped on the chair, and Shopkeeper Luo jumped in fright: "Why is this so startling? What's going on with this jade pendant?!"
Su Yan tested again: "Master, why are you so reacting? Is it... such a coincidence that this tassel came from you?"
The old craftsman hurriedly denied: "No, no, no, it's not me! If I took action, how could anyone find anything strange!"
"It is said that the Ministry of Punishment did not find out the truth because of fraud, but because Yin Yun was afraid of being tortured to extract a confession and did not bring it upon herself." Xu Ziya added again.
The craftsman was sweating now, and he held the hand of the young apprentice beside him tremblingly. Su Yan said: "Since it is not your handiwork, you don't have to worry. It's just a pity for the master who made the forgery for him."
Xu Ziya added: "We also heard about the follow-up of this case on the way here. I think the Ministry of Punishment will arrest people very quickly."
The old craftsman suddenly jumped up, grabbed the young apprentice and tried to grab the door. Xu Ziya kicked up his chair and hit it against the door, blocking the way.
Su Yan controlled the young apprentice and ordered the old craftsman: "The skynet is huge, you can't escape!"
"I just used money to do things. I didn't know he killed someone. Just let me go!" He knelt down with tears streaming down his face.
"Don't worry, old man, you don't know anything about it. The Ministry of Punishment will only ask you to be a witness and will not kill you. At most, it will convict you of forgery. I will help you beg for mercy. The Ministry of Punishment will see that you have no children."
I'll spare you for the sake of it!" He said and let the young apprentice go, and motioned to Xu Ziya to help the old craftsman up.
The old craftsman was hesitant, "What if the Ministry of Punishment refuses?"
"They are worried about not being able to solve the case. If you come to the door as a witness, they will naturally want to spare you. Otherwise, who would dare to come forward?"
"What do you mean, the Ministry of Punishment doesn't know that I'm a fake? This jade pendant..." He suddenly realized, "You are deceiving me!"
Su Yan scratched his head in embarrassment, "The jade pendant and tassels were imitated by you by the owner of the jade shop. Hehe, extraordinary means were used in extraordinary times. Please forgive me!"
Shopkeeper Luo finally understood the cause and effect, and said: "You two are here to investigate the case incognito. Good guys, I wasted so much time talking nonsense to you. You are so ambitious!" After that, he shouted,
Dozens of strong men rushed in from outside the door and surrounded Su Yan. He took the broad knife handed by the strong man and smashed the table. "You guys who dare to arrest me, come on, kill them both."
People chopped it up!”
Su Yan exclaimed, "It's not good." He pulled Xu Ziya up and was about to jump out of the window, but Xu Ziya didn't move at all. Almost at the same time, several masked men suddenly rushed from all directions and slashed at them with knives. They instantly chopped the strong men at their feet, leaving them dying.
Xu Ziya crossed his arms and looked at Shopkeeper Luo with disdain, "Do you still want to fight?"
Shopkeeper Luo had a fierce look in his eyes, but the knife in his hand was trembling slightly, "Who are you?!"
"Leave him to me, otherwise we will report it to the Criminal Department and you will still be unable to escape!"
The old craftsman climbed up with difficulty, grabbed Shopkeeper Luo's sleeve and begged: "Shopkeeper, don't get yourself involved, I have to go this time. If there is really no return..." He handed the young apprentice to the shopkeeper.
, "I have no descendants, so I only accepted him as his disciple, so I leave it to you."
"You...really want to go?"
"Life or death has been decided a long time ago. If you want to blame me, blame me for accepting the job without asking the whole story. Retribution!" As he said this, he shed tears again.
Su Yan couldn't bear it: "Don't worry, we will definitely protect you!"
Shopkeeper Luo threw the knife and said to her: "Lao Li has been my brother for more than ten years. Since he is willing to testify, I can't stop him. But if you dare to hurt him in the slightest, I, Luo Yu, will pay for it with your blood!"
Su Yan couldn't help but wonder, they were already doing shameful things, why did they talk about the morality of the world now?
"I didn't expect Shopkeeper Luo to value friendship and righteousness so much. I, Su Yan, also value friendship the most in my life. As I said before, don't worry!"
"Mr. Su!"
When Su Yan heard that the voice sounded familiar, he was about to find someone. Li Hong was already standing in front of him. After taking a few breaths, he said: "Mr. Su, I've been thinking about it for a long time when I went back. It's really difficult to live in peace. I still feel that the real man is here."
It’s unfair and you should stand up!”
Su Yan couldn't help but sigh: "The people in Yunlai Pavilion seem to be all good guys!"
After that, the three of them went back to tidy up and wait for the final trial tomorrow. When they left, Su Yan noticed a person, wearing a bamboo hat whose face could not be seen clearly, but his clothes looked like those from aristocratic families. There were two tall people who followed her in.
A strong follower, carrying one...one person!
The man was wrapped in a sack. As soon as he entered the dark market, he suddenly began to twist wildly. The follower, with quick eyesight and quick hands, knocked him out with a knife.
Su Yan hurriedly followed him up. Seeing this, Xu Ziya wanted to stop him but was unable to do so, so he could only protect him secretly. The two followed him all the way into the dark market, turned to the second floor, and watched the woman enter the stall, but did not come out. Xu Ziya was anxious.
asked her: "What do you want to do?"
Su Yan hid in the corner, staring straight at the door, and said to him: "That woman must be here to sell people. She looks familiar to me, but I have to stay close. If I know who she is, I will definitely kill her."
Can’t let it go?”
Xu Ziya was about to cry but had no tears, "You are not afraid of setting yourself on fire!"
"What are you afraid of? I still need your help. Besides, the enemy is in the open and I am in the dark. The shopkeeper already knows me and won't do anything to me."
Xu Ziya muttered and stopped refuting.
After a while, the woman came out. From the crack in the door, you could vaguely see that the person who was packed in the sack had woken up. She was a maid, lying on the bed, looking at the old woman who was doing a physical examination in front of her in horror, but because of
Her mouth was gagged and she couldn't utter any cry for help. Looking at the woman again, she had already gone downstairs. Just after she passed the corner, a gust of wind blew up the curtain of her bamboo hat, revealing half of her face.
That is, Changsun Xi!
Su Yan immediately got up and rushed into the stall, punched the old woman unconscious, and signaled Xu Ziya to carry her away.
After some questioning, I found out that she was Chang Sun Xi's personal maid. She just praised the truth a few times, but she was sold to the dark market and then sold to a brothel!
Su Yan was shocked and worried that Changsun Xi would find out, so she immediately had someone escort her away from Ruoshui. She was even more determined. Sooner or later, she would turn this dark market upside down!
When leaving, Xu Ziya walked in front and Su Yan followed. He always felt that someone was following him. When he looked back, he saw Zuo Qing's figure, but it passed by and it was too late to stop him.