The Golden Hairpin

Qian Guansuo seemed very upset that they questioned their daughter. He stood up and went to the inner room while they were talking. It took a long time to open and close the lock before holding out a small box and putting it in front of them with a showy look: " Look, my daughter gave it to me."

This box is made of red sandalwood, with finely carved branches on it, which is already extraordinary. When the box opened, Huang Zixian and Zhou Ziqin couldn't help but froze.

Inside is a half-slap-sized golden toad, made of pure gold, squatting on a piece of jade. The little bumps on the toad are all gems of various colors, and the dewdrop on the lotus leaf is a polished crystal, rolling around on the emerald green lotus leaf, very cute.

Qian Guansuo proudly said: "I was so frightened that I quickly returned the box to my daughter and told her, Myolie, how can you give me such a valuable thing? As a result, guess what my daughter said. She said there are so many such things in the princess mansion. This is what the princess doesn’t like, so I gave it to her, let me keep it. Then the maid who accompanied her by her side also said, yeah, this is the princess’s reward It’s okay to hold the things that you drop."

As he said, Qian Guansuo closed the box again and sighed in his arms, "Oh, knowing that Myolie is living such a rich life now, and the princess treats her so well, I can rest assured! I only look forward to when she If you can really meet with me, it would be nice if you can call me a dad."

Huang Zixian and Zhou Ziqin looked at each other and said, "Yes, this is really good."

Qian Guansuo held the box with a sad and relieved expression on his face.

Huang Zixia said: "I have something to ask Boss Qian."

"Duke Yang, please do not hesitate to say." Qian Guansuo said quickly.

"I heard that you gave some ling incense to the calamus in the princess mansion's kitchen room?"

"Oh, that's the case." Qian Guansuo nodded, "Xing'er was found by Changpu for me, so I have to thank her, right?"

Huang Zixia smiled and said, "Boss Qian is really elegant. Ordinary people will only give money and silk. How can they think of giving Lingxiang?"

"Hey, Changpu said, it's a big crime to teach and receive money privately with outsiders. Then I came out of the palace and just met Lu Zhiyuan. Knowing that I found my daughter, he was also happy for me..."

Huang Zixia gave a sigh, and asked, "Do you also know Lu Zhiyuan?"

"Yes, I also started a malay class the year before last to help people build houses and lay bricks. Many people have to build an alcove for candles or hang candle holders on the wall when building houses. And so on, so he also worked with me. When his daughter suffered misfortune, I also persuaded him to talk about my daughter's affairs, let him cherish it, stop being such a cheap daughter, but this stubborn old man I don’t listen, hey."

"Then what did Lu Zhiyuan tell you?"

"He, he knew I was looking for something to thank calamus, so he told me that women must like flowers, fragrances, and so on. It just so happened that a new batch of ling incense came to his store, which is very good, yes. It was prepared for the Buddha meeting at Fu Temple. If I want it, I can even give it a little bit. I heard him say that, and I thought it was good, so I agreed. The next day I went to his shop and got six and two zeros. Lingxiang, I took it and gave it to Changpu. According to Lu Zhiyuan, I taught her to burn the incense about one or two before going to bed every night, so that she can sleep peacefully and calmly."

"After that, did anyone in Princess Mansion ask you for Lingxiang?"

"How did you know?" Qian Guansuo was surprised. "After five or six days, Wei Ximin, an **** in the princess's mansion, suddenly came to me and said that I had a private relationship with the chef Changpu, if I didn't give it more this time. Give him some, and he will ask him about his crimes. I had a headache, so I had to take him to Lu Zhiyuan’s house and plan to buy him some more. As a result, when we met, Wei Ximin looked very ugly, and urged Lu Zhiyuan to give him incense and said I have something to leave soon. Lu Zhiyuan is still going through it. I don't think Wei Ximin is easy to provoke, so I quickly find an excuse to leave first."

Huang Zixia asked: "What day is that?"

"I think about it... it's about..." Qian Guansuo scratched his head and thought for a long time, and said, "The day before the Buddhist meeting in Jianfu Temple. Yes, it was the day before the Buddhist meeting where an **** was burned to death in the princess mansion. ."

"The **** who was burned to death was this Wei Ximin, does Boss Qian know?" Huang Zixia asked.

"Oh... this is really..." Qian Guansuo was taken aback, and his shoulders that had already been shrugged collapsed again. "Two nobles, I can tell the truth! This matter really has nothing to do with me! I will leave him alone. I took it to Lu Zhiyuan’s shop and left! You see, his shop is not far from me. I and the father-in-law Wei have only been together for a moment at most... If there is anything wrong with this, for sure. It's on Lu Zhiyuan!"

"So, when Daningfang Sun Leizi died, were you also on the scene?"

Qian Guansuo was crying and nodded, "Dali Temple has also summoned once for this. But when I went in, Sun Leizi was indeed dead! He was so stinky to die! Dali Temple has found out this. It has nothing to do with me, so let me come back...you say, my luck..."

Qian Guansuo tossed over and over again, nothing more than talking about how unlucky he was. Zhou Ziqin was really too lazy to write. He combined his notebook and looked at Huang Zixian.

Huang Zixian stood up and bowed to him: "Boss Qian, there are so many nuisances today, and I hope you don't mind that we take up a lot of your time."

"No, no! Two of you are welcome to come often..." He said with a bitter face, "Of course, it would be better if I didn't come for Dali Temple next time."

Walking out of the Qianjin Car and Horse Shop, Zhou Ziqin complained: "It's so boring...Where is the corpse that can show me my skills over and over and over and over and over and over again? Where is the moment when the flashlight in this case suddenly became clear?"

"Investigation is originally a boring thing, what you need now is to extract the most important thread from the mess, and reorganize everything." Huang Zixia said, along the line of West Market. The road continues to go forward.

Zhou Ziqin asked bitterly, "Where are we going?"

"Lu's Fragrant Candle Shop."

"What... are you dealing with that old man again?" Zhou Ziqin held Xiao Xian with a reluctant expression, "Sometimes I really want to replace Di Cui and slap that old man with a big mouth! You say there is such a thing in the world. The bastard?"

"Before the truth comes out, it's too early to say anything." Huang Zixian said, tied the Fusha under a willow tree on the side of the road, and walked into the Lu's Fragrant Candle Shop.

Lu Zhiyuan was making candle wicks. After the reeds were cut, the thin and thick yards were neat and tidy. He heard someone coming in, but didn't lift his head, just asked: "What do you want?"

"Lao Zhang Lu, is business okay?" Huang Zixia asked.

Lu Zhiyuan slowly raised his head, glanced at her, then lowered his head and continued to peel the reed leaves in his hands: "Oh, it's you."

"Excuse me, Lao Zhang, this time I have something to ask, please don't dislike us for several times." Seeing that he ignored him, Huang Zixia pulled the bench next to him and sat down with Zhou Ziqin.

Lu Zhiyuan didn't speak, and she didn't care about it. She only asked, "I heard that the day before Wei Ximin died, I bought Lingxiang from your store?"

He slowly said: "Incense candles do not separate families, this is my incense candle shop."

"Can you elaborate on the scene where Wei Ximin came over that day?"

"The **** came to my shop before, and he brought me money for the princess mansion. This time it was brought by the boss of Qian. I thought it was Di Cui's business again. Who knew he would ask for Lingxiang when he opened his mouth. He said he had a head ailment and often couldn't sleep at night. Lingling incense was good. I only had two yuan left, so I sold it to him for three, two and four dollars in total. He charged him six hundred and eighty. Arts."

"What happens after you buy it?"

"I care about him, the business comes to the door, I did it, I collected the money, what else?"

Huang Zixia was noncommittal, only saying: "Wei Ximin disappeared that night. People in the princess mansion could not find him, and then on the next day, he died at Jianfu Temple."

Lu Zhiyuan slowly raised his head and stared at her with a pair of muddy eyes: "Is the father-in-law's meaning related to me?"

Huang Zixia looked at him without speaking.

Lu Zhiyuan ignored her, just stood up, dragged the longest reed cores, tied them together, and then tied them with linen to make a huge candle wick.

Zhou Ziqin asked: "Such a big candle, did you recommend the blown candle in Fusi?"

"Well, cast the body of the candle tonight, and tomorrow I will paste the flowers, birds, dragons and phoenix carved in colored wax, and paint it with gold and silver powder, and it will be ready."

In other words, making such a big candle seems to be a difficult project, but in the hands of a skilled person like Lu Zhiyuan, it is actually very fast. Huang Zixian thought to himself, looked at the bucket of wax, and said, “Lao Zhang Lu really has a way. You said before that it took a long time for Jianfu Temple to get you wax for two candles. In a few days, you will gather the wax yourself."

"My old man hasn't saved any money for so many years, but some wax has been saved." Lu Zhiyuan said, slowly dragging the core back. Wax was melting in a huge pot behind, giving off an unpleasant smell. "

He pulled out a candle mold that was one person tall, and then brought out several buckets of different sizes. He climbed onto the stool, scooped up the melted wax juice with a big copper spoon one foot square, and filled the candle molds and barrels one by one.

Huang Zixian said casually: "Lao Zhang is really in good health, he is almost 60, and he can do such a heavy job alone."

"Huh, young people nowadays can't endure hardship. After two days of apprenticeship, what can be done?" Lu Zhiyuan said coldly, "Old man, I was called into the army when I was young. A crossbow that can install three stones!"

"It turns out that the old man also played for the country." Zhou Ziqin didn't care, and came back to the topic again, and asked, "This mold seems to be much smaller than the candle made?"

"Where can I find a one-foot-tall mold?" Lu Zhiyuan said while pouring wax. Cut off the area and apply a layer of wax to make it into a whole."

Zhou Ziqin asked stupidly: "How do you put the candle wick on?"

The old man glared at him: "The wax in the middle freezes slowly, so after folding it, don't worry about cutting the outside. When it is still a little soft in the middle, install a red iron tip under the candle wick. Just plug it in and it's all at once."

"So that's it!" Zhou Ziqin admired, "Sure enough, it is three hundred and sixty lines. There is a knack for doing everything!"

When Huang Zixian was thinking about how to question the death of Lu Zhiyuan's Sun Leizi, she suddenly shouted outside: "Old Man Lu! Lu Zhiyuan!"

Lu Zhiyuan ignored it and poured candles there.

The man at the door rushed in and shouted, "Old man Lu! Your daughter Di Cui...is going to die!"

Lu Zhiyuan was stunned, the hands that had been holding the copper spoon trembling, and then asked: "What? She is not dead yet?"

"Not dead! But, this is really going to die!" Huang Zixian and Zhou Ziqin were both stunned at the words of the man.

"Your daughter went to Dali Temple to surrender and said that she had killed the **** and Sun Feizi in the princess mansion!"