Yinxiang's counterattack was cruel. During these days, she had become familiar with all the exits in the backyard of Shuyu Pavilion. She ran forward desperately according to the route in her memory - if she was caught, she would die anyway.
If she was lucky enough to escape, there might be another way to survive. But she didn't expect that Xia Houshu had been waiting for her for a long time. She was intercepted by Xia Houshu not far after she ran out of the kitchen.
Xia Houshu subdued Yinxiang in a few clicks, then covered her mouth with a piece of coarse gauze from the kitchen, and quickly pulled her into a room filled with debris, successfully evading other people's attention.
After chasing her, he forced her to ask about Yi Wu's life.
Yinxiang had been hiding for too long, and she was like a frightened bird. She clenched her teeth and showed that she was not afraid of death, but her whole body was trembling.
In the kitchen earlier, Yinxiang was scolded by several cooks. She was immersed in her sorrow and getting out of trouble, and didn't even notice that Xia Houshu came with Father Qiu to deliver the food. She looked at Xia Houshu and saw that Xia Houshu had done no harm.
Although she didn't mean to save herself, and she couldn't figure out her true identity, she couldn't help but beat a small drum in her heart. She secretly made a calculation, thinking that she would die anyway, and she didn't care which one died more.
Unfortunately, while Xia Houshu was taking a look at his surroundings, he turned around and left.
Xia Houshu had quick eyes and quick hands and quickly controlled her again.
She was afraid that Yinxiang's rampage would alert others and miss her, so she had no choice but to tap her acupuncture points, then pulled out the dagger hidden in her shoe and placed it on her neck, warning her in a low voice that she would be killed if she dared to scream.
Yinxiang immediately behaved and nodded desperately to Xia Houshu with a pair of innocent almond eyes.
Xia Houshu thought for a while and then took out the coarse cloth from her mouth.
"Girl, please spare your life!" Yinxiang kowtowed on the ground and said tremblingly, "As long as girl let me go, I can tell you everything I know!"
"Then it depends on whether what you said is valuable!" Xia Houshu's mouth curved, but the dagger in his hand did not leave, and he gently moved around her slender neck, "You said you are a good girl,
Why would you come to a place like this if you don't want to be a maid from a wealthy family? It's easy for me to find you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yinxiang's face instantly turned pale.
"I have my own reasons too!" Yinxiang said with red eyes and a hoarse cry in her voice.
It seemed that everyone who had committed a crime would say this when defending themselves, so the word "difficulties" seemed particularly cheap. Xia Houshu looked at her embarrassed look and questioned the credibility of her words from the bottom of his heart.
He said coldly: "I see that when you were in the Prime Minister's Mansion, you dared to kill people and run away. Now that you are here, you are making people upset and restless. You are quite capable. What's your reason?"
As soon as she mentioned the Prime Minister's Mansion, Yinxiang burst into tears of grievance, sobbing and said: "I didn't harm Mrs. Yi, her death really had nothing to do with me! As for here, I just want to live an ignoble existence, but
It’s still very difficult…”
Although Yinxiang came from a humble background, she was favored by Yi Wu because of her cute appearance and proper behavior. When she was in the Prime Minister's Mansion, she only did the fine work of serving the master in dressing up and washing, and had never done the rough work of a maid, so she was interested in it.
I don't know anything about the kitchen.
In the past, she thought that she could stay with her rich and pampered master all her life, be a high-class maid, and have enough food and clothing. Unexpectedly, Yi Wu suddenly died violently, making her dream come true instantly. She was afraid that Prime Minister Wang would suspect her.
, so she sneaked out overnight. However, she had no family or relatives in Beijing, and the sisters she had been close to before were all offended by her being too high-profile after she followed Yi Wu. No one dared to take her in, so they had to hide in Shuyu Pavilion first.
She worked as a fire-making maid in the kitchen, and planned to change her identity and sneak out of the city after the news subsided. However, she never expected that Shuyu Pavilion looked bright and full of smiles, but it was not a relaxing and decent place.
She has to get up before dawn every day to work. In the dead of night, she has to help the handymen clean up the kitchen scraps. If she meets a rich patron who is hungry in the middle of the night, she has to get up and work...
That was all the hard work, but the most intolerable thing was the humiliation and abuse from the cooks. The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, and her tears couldn't stop flowing out.
Xia Houshu glanced sideways slightly and saw that she had a sincere look on her face, and it seemed that she was not lying. But she was not a soft-hearted person, so she would not be fooled by the other party's words. Ruo Yinxiang had nothing to do with Yi Wu's death.
, why leave the relaxed and respectable maid of the Prime Minister's Mansion alone and hide in the back kitchen of this dark brothel?
This is obviously a contradiction.
So Xia Houshu asked again: "Since it has nothing to do with you, then why are you hiding here?"
"If I didn't hide, they wouldn't let me go!" Yinxiang suddenly said loudly. She seemed to have remembered something, and her whole body was shaking like chaff.
Xia Houshu didn't expect that she would suddenly act like this. He was afraid of alerting the people who were searching everywhere, so he had to stuff the coarse cloth into her mouth again and threatened fiercely: "If you don't want to be caught and torn apart by those people outside,
Block, just save your energy!"
Yinxiang realized that she had been too selfless just now, so she nodded obediently.
Xia Houshu patiently took off the piece of coarse cloth for her and put down the dagger at the same time. Anyway, her acupuncture points were not untied and she couldn't run away. Then he continued to ask: "You said just now that they won't let you go. Are they?
who?"
Yinxiang did not directly answer Xia Houshu's question, but said with tears: "Usually, the Prime Minister dotes on Mrs. Yi the most, and he obeys our wife's words even more. But he is really afraid of melting when she holds it in his mouth, and holds it in his hand
I was afraid of falling. But one day two months ago, after the Prime Minister came back from outside, he went directly to Mrs. Yi's yard and had a big quarrel with Mrs. Yi."
"Why are they quarreling?" Xia Houshu couldn't help but interrupt.
"I don't know either." Yinxiang shook her head and said, "At that time, the Prime Minister asked us to wait outside, and no one dared to come close. I only know that they were quarreling fiercely. I have never seen the Prime Minister treat Mrs. Yi like that.
I was so angry that I broke many vases, porcelain and jewelry. Later, I asked Mrs. Yi privately what happened, and she severely scolded her and fined her a month's salary. Later, the Prime Minister
I stopped coming to Mrs. Yi’s yard. A few days later, Mrs. Yi suddenly died in her room..."
"How did she die?" Xia Houshu asked.
While carefully recalling the situation on the day of Yi Wu's death, Yinxiang rambled: "After lunch that day, Mrs. Yi said she wanted to take a nap and asked us to wait outside the door. Mrs. Yi had the habit of taking a nap on weekdays.
In addition, she was in a bad mood at that time, so we didn't think much about it. Mrs. Yi slept for a very long time, and she didn't get up until dinner time. I saw that it was getting dark, so I went in to watch for a while.
My son was indeed asleep, so I didn’t wake him up. Later I found out that Mrs. Yi had died in her sleep.”
Xia Houshu thought this statement was ridiculous. How could a good person, young and without any illness or pain, die after just one sleep? Yinxiang must have other intentions when she said this. She didn't bother to guess, so she asked directly:
"Then how do you know for sure that she is really dead?"
"When Mrs. Yi died, it was indeed as if she had fallen asleep. Her face was rosy and there was nothing unusual about it. However, within half an hour, the body suddenly began to turn black and purple, accompanied by a strange smell. If this were not the case,
We would never have discovered that Madam Yi was dead." Yinxiang said as she thought about it. "I heard that the corpse was poisoned, but Mrs. Yi looked as if she was asleep at that time, and there was no sign of poisoning at all.
.”
When Yinxiang recalled this, her face was still full of horror, as if it was her lingering nightmare.
Such a strange way of death is unheard of.
Xia Houshu imagined that scene and found it very strange. He didn't know that there was such a poison in the world, which could keep a person's appearance unchanged for a period of time after death, and then quickly fester and emit a strange smell. Then she asked Yinxiang: "Since you were poisoned, why did you secretly leave the Prime Minister's Mansion?"
"I...I was forced to have no choice." Yinxiang said tremblingly with tears in her eyes, "I am Mrs. Yi's personal maid. I was the one who took Mrs. Yi's lunch break that day. I also went to Mrs. Yi's room later, and at that time Everyone knows that Madam has just punished me, and they will definitely suspect that it was me who committed the murder! I have a conscience, Madam Yi has shown me kindness, how could I want to murder her? If she were still alive, the Prime Minister's Mansion would still have She is no longer in my place of refuge, and I am worse than a pig or a dog!"
"I think your worries are unfounded." Xia Houshu breathed a sigh of relief, "Your Mrs. Yi died in such an unusual way, how could you do it? If you escaped, wouldn't it prove that you are the murderer?"
Yinxiang nodded hurriedly and said: "I only thought of this after I escaped, but I don't want to go back again. Mrs. Yi offended all the other ladies in the house during her lifetime, and Princess Mingjia even regarded her as a I have long wanted to get rid of this thorn in their side. Now without Mrs. Yi's protection, how can they tolerate me? If I go back, I won't be able to defend myself!"
Xia Houshu did not intend to continue discussing with Yinxiang whether she should escape. He only cared about Yi Wu and asked, "Did Mrs. Yi have any other unusual behavior before her death?"
"No." Yinxiang said with certainty, "Mrs. Yi rarely goes out and rarely interacts with other ladies in the house. Men other than the Prime Minister are not allowed to enter her yard. When the Prime Minister is not here, She locked herself in the room and danced, not allowing us to serve her." At this point, Yinxiang suddenly paused, as if remembering something again, and hurriedly said, "A few days before Mrs. Yi's sudden death, she invited the master of painting Cui Mr. Lang painted her portrait, and I accompanied my wife there!"
"Okay, why did Mrs. Yi suddenly ask someone to paint her portrait?" Xia Houshu asked doubtfully.
The people of Nanqi are simple and simple. When it comes to painting, they prefer strange mountains and rivers, flowers, birds, fish and insects, and rarely paint portraits. Generally, there are three types of people who ask people to paint their own portraits. One is for the unmarried daughter's family, which can be brought to the matchmaker when discussing marriage. To propose marriage to the family of the man in the photo; one is used by the oiran in the Red Mansion to attract or thank benefactors; and the other is to commemorate the deceased.
Although Yi Wu was not of high birth, she had outgrown her lowly status and was Prime Minister Wang's favorite person. She was free from illness and pain, and was well-dressed and well-fed, so there was no need to paint a portrait of herself.
Yinxiang didn't know what Yi Wu was really thinking, so she could only say uncertainly: "On the way to the portrait, Mrs. Yi once lamented that time is ruthless and beauty is fleeting. I think she was probably afraid that she would grow old day by day. Prime Minister Just never come again..."
It is indeed a terrible thing for a beauty to grow old, especially for beauties who serve people in Israel. But this is definitely not a worry for a beauty like Yi Wu who is in her youth and in the glory of her glory. Just because of her age It is said that Prime Minister Wang is old enough to be her father, and he is a man whose body is buried in the loess. By the time Yi dances with his half-old lady, Prime Minister Wang will probably be unable to do so. And all the current signs indicate that Yi Wu is related to Prince Ling's Mansion. However, Yinxiang has been with Yi Wu for so long and has not seen her through. This shows that Yinxiang actually doesn't know much.
Thinking of this, Xia Houshu asked again: "Who did you say Mrs. Yi asked to paint her portrait? Can you get it back?"
"It's Mr. Cui Lang, who is famous in the capital. He is a master of painting. He will definitely be able to paint Mrs. Yi in a stunning way." Yinxiang said hurriedly. She didn't know if she thought of Yi Wu's stunning appearance, but she couldn't help but have a look on her face.
There was a hint of pride. After a while, she sighed with regret: "It's a pity that Mrs. Yi disappeared before we could get the portrait back."
Xia Houshu occasionally heard of Master Cui Lang's name, and many official women in the capital who had reached the marriage proposal age often asked him to paint their portraits.
Since Yi Wu's portrait has not been retrieved, it should still be in the hands of the painter.
I heard that although Mr. Cui Lang is a good painter, he has a very weird temper. Not everyone who asks him to paint will always agree. Who he paints and when he paints depends on his mood. He is a man who does whatever he wants and is proud of his talent.
Character. Moreover, his whereabouts are mysterious, and he often disappears. Although he is famous in the capital and becomes a hit, no one has seen his true face.
Hearing that Mr. Cui Lang often had paintings hanging in Shaiyuezhai for sale, Xia Houshu planned to go to Shaiyuezhai next to try his luck. This chapter has been completed!