There weren't many people in the Minister's Residence, only about twenty or so. The master was naturally Ye Shiqing, and Ye Qing was the young mistress. These two were the ones in charge. It was said that Ye Shiqing married a concubine in his early years, but she soon died of illness, so the rest were all servants.
There were two servants in the kitchen, two to take care of Ye Shiqing's daily life, two to take care of Ye Qing's, two accountants, a housekeeper, and the rest were all guards and guards.
Although the Minister's Residence was sparse, the servants in the residence had always been a cut above others, not to mention the housekeeper. Not to mention others, his brother in Yongle Lane had a prodigal son who caused so much trouble that people almost died, but it was all taken care of by him.
These matters were transparent in the residence, so it wasn't a secret. After all, he was highly regarded by Ye Shiqing.
The head butler's name was Li Tianyang. He was in his forties, but he was still handsome and extraordinary. As the young miss, Ye Qing, had bought a residence elsewhere and rarely returned, the maids and maids in the residence passed their days in boredom. Thus, having an affair with Li Tianyang became their greatest pastime.
Not long after noon that day, the maidservant Hong Juan came to Li Tianyang's bedroom. She wanted to flirt with this hot housekeeper and ask for some pocket money. Unexpectedly, after knocking on the door for a long time, the room was still deathly silent.
Hong Juan was suddenly a little unhappy, and thought to herself, "This damned ghost! He appeared for a while this morning and disappeared after eating some porridge. He didn't show up for lunch either. If I didn't cover up for you, Master would definitely investigate. Could it be that you did something bad last night that you're still sleeping now? "
Thinking of this, she felt that her relationship with him was not ordinary, so she went to push the door. Unexpectedly, the door wasn't locked and opened with a push.
It was a rather spacious bedroom, and the bed was on the east side. She had to walk in to see it clearly.
"Hmph, he's really lazy. He must have been seduced by some little hussy again. Be careful, someone might report to Master …" Hong Juan said somewhat angrily. She strode forward, twisting her plump buttocks as she entered. After that, she looked in the direction of the bed. Her mumbling immediately stopped, and her small face changed, instantly becoming pale.
Head Butler Li Tianyang was sitting on the edge of the bed in a pool of blood. The pool of blood was connected to his chest, and the wound was already dark red. His hands were hanging down powerlessly, and his face was pale. Apparently, he had been dead for a long time. His eyes were wide open, and he died with a grievance.
"Ahhh —"
In the next moment, an ear-piercing shriek reverberated throughout the entire residence.
As mentioned earlier, it was the same as the capital governor's office. At the same time, the office of the Minister was also the residence of the Minister. Ye Shiqing's residence was located at the back of the Minister's Office and was very close to him, so the news of Li Tianyang's death quickly reached his ears.
The Minister's Office was located to the east of the Saint World Palace. Although it was outside the Imperial City, it was only a wall away from the East Palace. Ye Shiqing was extremely angry that his head butler was murdered in such a prestigious place. He immediately put down what he was doing and rushed to the scene.
When Ye Shiqing arrived, Hong Juan's emotions had somewhat calmed down after being comforted by the other maidservants. She immediately recounted the whole process while trembling.
Ye Shiqing listened to her with a gloomy face. He looked around the room and saw pieces of porcelain on the ground beside the window. It was probably caused by a broken vase placed beside the window. He then glanced at the corpse and saw a piece of porcelain left outside the wound. The killing method was not very clever.
He frowned and then heaved a sigh of relief. He said, "Tell Old Yi to come see me here."
Old Yi was the accountant of the residence. He was in charge of all the entries and exits of the Ye Residence as well as the treasury. He had followed Ye Shiqing for more than ten years, and all the guards and attendants in the residence respectfully addressed him as Mister Yi.
Mister Yi was in his sixties and wore a white robe. When he heard that Ye Shiqing wanted to see him, he rushed over immediately. He was panting heavily but he dared not to be slow. He bowed and said, "Master, master, you were looking for me?"
"Who came to the residence these two days?" asked Ye Shiqing.
Li Tianyang and Mister Yi were in charge of the recruitment of the Ye Residence. Ye Shiqing had never asked about it.
Mister Yi took a look at the corpse and his face changed drastically. He said, "Master, the residence has not recruited anyone for months."
Ye Shiqing pointed outside and said, "So, they are all outside?"
"Yes." answered Mister Yi.
Ye Shiqing thought for a moment and turned to Hong Juan and asked, "Did you see Butler Li this morning? When was the last time you saw him?"
Hong Juan said, "Reporting to Master, Lord Li ate some porridge this morning and then disappeared."
He asked the others and they all said they did not see him.
At this time, one of the guards mustered up his courage and said, "Master, two days ago, Master Li brought us to Yongle Lane and caught a murderer. He locked her in the front office's dungeon."
"Murderer?" asked Ye Shiqing, "How old is she?"
"Around ten years old, still a little girl." The guard paused and hurriedly added, "It is said that she killed Master Li's nephew."
Ye Shiqing thought for a moment and confirmed that he did see a little girl in the dungeon last night. He immediately understood the situation. He ordered a guard to check and the little girl was indeed gone.
"The murderer should still be hiding in the residence. Quickly send someone to report to the capital governor's office and ask them to send people to search."
After Ye Shiqing gave the order, he planned to return to the front office. This matter was over for him. After all, it was only a butler who died. Since the truth was found out, he did not care anymore.
But just when he walked out of the yard, the guard who was ordered to report the case rushed over and said, "Master, the capital governor, Lord Zhang, wants to see you."
"Huh?" Ye Shiqing was surprised. Could it be that the capital governor's office could predict the future? He immediately summoned him.
Not long after, Zhang Huanfa, dressed in casual clothes, came to the yard outside the murder scene. He cupped his hands and said, "Zhang Huanfa greets Lord Ye."
"Brother Zhang doesn't need to be so polite." Ye Shiqing greeted him with a smile and held his hand. "Looking at Brother Zhang's clothes, I'm afraid you are not here for official business. I thought Brother Zhang could predict the future."
"Why do you say so?" Zhang Huanfa smiled and asked curiously.
"There was a murder in my residence. I was sending someone to report it, but Brother Zhang came to find me." Ye Shiqing said with a smile and led Zhang Huanfa into the murder scene.
Zhang Huanfa glanced at the corpse and did not care much. He closed the door and said, "Brother Ye, the fugitive from Heishan is in the dungeon of your residence. The Judicial Department will come soon."
"What?" Ye Shiqing was shocked. "Why is the fugitive from Heishan in the dungeon of my residence?"
Zhang Huanfa sneered, "The steward of your residence has a brother. He didn't know she was a fugitive from Heishan and wanted to buy her by force. Unexpectedly, his son was killed. In order to take revenge, he asked the steward to hide the girl in the dungeon."
"Is it true?" Ye Shiqing's expression changed several times.
"If Brother Ye doesn't believe it, you can interrogate him yourself." Zhang Huanfa sneered, "But I'm afraid the Judicial Department will not give you time."
Ye Shiqing glanced at Li Tianyang's corpse coldly. If he was not already dead, he would have skinned him and pulled out his tendons. His expression didn't change as he said, "Brother Zhang's source of information is actually one step ahead of the Judicial Department. It's really strange."
Zhang Huanfa shook his head and said, "The Judicial Department needs to make arrangements. I travel light, so of course I am faster. Now there is only one way to save Brother Ye. Hand the fugitive to me and bring her back to the capital government. Then the suspicion of colluding with the underworld can be washed away. "
Ye Shiqing said lightly, "Brother Zhang, what benefits do you get by doing this?"
Zhang Huanfa said, "Catching the fugitive before the Judicial Department, plus the favor of a third-rank official in the imperial court, of course, the benefits are endless." At this point, he gritted his teeth and said with hatred, "But most importantly, I hope that Brother Ye can help me deal with Yan Li."
"Yan Li?" Ye Shiqing suddenly realized. Of course, he had heard of this Yan Li before. Defeated Qin Yiqiu, Young Master Yanshan Robber, First Class True Name. All of these were incredible halos. He also heard that Zhang Huanfa's son died in the hands of Yan Li.
"That's easy. But unfortunately, the fugitive is missing." He spread his hands. "I'm afraid it has something to do with the murder case that Brother Zhang saw."
"What?" This time, it was Zhang Huanfa's turn to be shocked. "What is this?"
Ye Shiqing said, "It's my fault for not disciplining her well. As the saying goes, lust is like a knife above the head. My steward lost his life because of her, and he even caused me to suffer. But the fugitive should still be in my residence. If Brother Zhang and I search together, she won't be able to escape. "
However, just as he finished speaking, a guard rushed in from outside, trembling as he said, "Old … Old Master, that Mad … Mad Dog Li … Li Yong brought a lot of people here. He said … said there's a fugitive hidden in your residence. He wants to … bring people in to search!"
Ye Shiqing frowned deeply. "Brother Zhang, please return to the capital governor's office and bring people here. You must find her before the Judicial Department arrives. I will buy you time."
Zhang Huanfa nodded solemnly.
…
Lan Yu saw Li Jiming in a nearby residence. This made him feel much better.
After all, in his eyes, although Li Jiming was the owner of the Xiao Pavilion, there was no reason for him to see him and put on such airs. It would be better if Xiao Sibai came, but the latter was already dead.
From this, it could be seen that the majesty of the Grand Xia Dynasty was still deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Li Jiming was very anxious, even more anxious than Tang Sanghua. As soon as he saw Lan Yu, he went straight to the point. "Lord Lan, I have two presumptuous requests. The first is that I have a nephew who intends to join the Judicial Department. The second is that I have a good friend who is imprisoned in the Judicial Department's prison. I hope Lord can release him."
When Lan Yu heard this, he was instantly enraged. Do you think I'm your subordinate? Is this a request or an order? But the next moment, he sucked in a breath of cold air and calmed down.
"In exchange, I am willing to provide the whereabouts of the fugitive from Black Mountain." Li Jiming didn't give Lan Yu any chance to react. First, he couldn't expose his urgency. Second, he couldn't expose the existence of Tang Sanghua. Therefore, he proposed two conditions that weren't too difficult, but also not easy.
As the saying goes, if you want to take something, you must first give it.
If he wanted Lan Yu to believe this information, he had to make a request. Otherwise, how could the other party believe him?
Only when he made the other party believe him would he treat him seriously.
Lan Yu grabbed Li Jiming's lapel and stared at him. "I'll keep your request in mind. Now, tell me immediately, where is the fugitive from Black Mountain?"
Li Jiming said word by word, "The dungeon of the Minister's Mansion."
Ye Qing, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly raised her head. Her eyes were filled with amazement. "Say that again?"
Of course, Li Jiming knew Ye Qing. After all, she was a frequent customer of the Xiao Mansion. But at this moment, he didn't care about her feelings. He braced himself and said, "The fugitive from Black Mountain is hiding in the dungeon of the Minister's Mansion."
Ye Qing was in a trance and felt a little dizzy. A memory suddenly came to her mind.
That was what happened last night. She was brought into the dungeon by Ye Shiqing and was tortured for more than four hours. After it was over, Ye Shiqing left first. She applied medicine to her wounds and on her way back, she met a young girl who was in the same boat.
She was locked at the exit of the dungeon. She sat on the cold ground with her arms around her knees. Her eyes were lifeless. She was shivering from the cold, but she refused to move.
Ye Qing saw the misfortune on her gray face. She didn't know why there was an inexplicable anger in her heart. She sneered coldly. "Don't think that people will sympathize with you just because you put on such an expression."
Yes, she had been in despair countless times since she was a child. Whether it was shouting, calling, begging, or crying, she couldn't get the slightest bit of sympathy. It only doubled the pain.
Happiness was a legend. She could never find it.
The little girl raised her head and looked at her. Perhaps she was touched by her words. There was a trace of anger in her gray eyes. "You are like me. Living is very painful."
"Since it's painful, why don't you die?" Ye Qing had an illusion that her secret was being spied on. She couldn't help but sneer. "Living an ignoble life will only bring you double the pain. It's better to die earlier. Anyway, no one will be sad for you. Do you think you can recover by hiding in a corner and licking your wounds? Don't be delusional. Some injuries can never be healed! Never! "
"Are you talking about yourself?" The little girl mercilessly exposed her.
Ye Qing gritted her teeth and coldly said, "Don't be too arrogant, little brat. Even if I suffer more than you, I still have unimaginable power in my hands."
"Hey, you have a deep hatred for this place and the person who just walked out. Is he the owner of this place?" The little girl's gray eyes suddenly showed a trace of demonic red light.
"So what if he is!" Ye Qing felt a little uncomfortable and couldn't help but frown.
"I'll help you destroy this place. This home and the person you hate …" The red light in the little girl's eyes became more intense.
"With just you?" Ye Qing couldn't help but look away. She didn't care about the crazy words of the little girl and walked away.
In her memory, the little girl didn't speak again. However, there was a strange feeling behind her. She was still staring at her. When she thought about it, she couldn't help but feel a chill down her spine.
Ye Qing calmed down and turned to Lan Yu. "Milord, this subordinate has indeed seen a person who is suspected to be a fugitive in the dungeon. There's no time to lose. Please give the order to rush to the Minister's Office."
Lan Yu was startled. "Oh, right. Go and report to the commander and have him mobilize people."
Ma Guanshan looked at Ye Qing, who was even more anxious than Lan Yu. He quietly said to Lianhai Changjin, "I heard that she doesn't get along with Ye Shiqing. I didn't expect it to be to this extent. She can't wait to arrest her father. If I had a daughter like her, I would be angered to death."
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