Chapter 300 Dream Orchid
The news of Zhou's mother's disappearance still spread.
At noon, someone went to the fifth floor to deliver food to her, but they only saw a messy room, but no one was there.
Now the servants of the Hou family started to fry the pot.
Zhou's mother is the biggest clue that can be grasped in the case of the death of their young master.
But now this clue has been lost by them.
Butler Fan furiously ordered the Hou family's servants and Hu Yulou's thugs to start looking for traces of Zhou's mother.
Unable to find Zhou's mother, even he, Butler Fan, couldn't find a good one in the end.
Housekeeper Fan was already shouldering a lot of responsibility for Hou San's death. ,
After all, Butler Fan and Hou San were in the same room, but he watched him burn to death in front of his eyes. Such a dereliction of duty was unforgivable.
If Butler Fan can be found guilty and have meritorious service, and catch Hou San's murderer, he might be able to save his life.
But if the murderer cannot be caught, Butler Fan will become the unluckiest victim.
Someone has to bear the wrath of the Hou family, right?
Li Xuan and the others were sitting in the private room on the second floor, watching the commotion in Hu Yulou.
Butler Fan and his men dug three feet deep inside Hu Yulou, but he didn't bother them.
His position in the Hou family was already in jeopardy, and he didn't want to make enemies with other big shots at this time.
"The news that Zhou's mother is missing should have spread."
Princess Ankang said softly.
Next, they just need to wait and see if the murderer behind the scenes will go to the secret room in the cellar to check the body of Zhou's mother.
It would be best if he could be caught red-handed.
I'm afraid that the murderer is patient enough and will wait until everything is settled before going to check on the body.
You must know that Princess Ankang and the others only have seven days to leave the palace this time, and it is already the third day.
If the murderer waits patiently for a few more days, Princess Ankang and Princess Yuanan will have to return to the palace.
By that time, I’m afraid no one will be able to figure out the case.
After all, there is a very important clue, that is, the relationship between Doctor Fang and Qian Qian. Li Xuan asked it from the mouth of a cat.
I'm afraid that no one else in the world can ask this clue from Hui Hui's mouth.
If one did not know the relationship between Dr. Fang and Sissi, from the outsiders' point of view, Dr. Fang would have no motive for committing the crime.
"No matter how brave the murderer is, he would not dare to check on Zhou's mother's body during the day."
"Anyway, now we have sent people to look at the secret room in the cellar. Someone will naturally know when the time comes."
"Instead of sitting here in a daze, why don't we go meet Zhao Si?"
Princess Yuan'an was very active in this case and she suggested.
"My sister is right."
"But it's dinner time now, so it's not convenient for us to visit."
"Why don't we find a place outside to fill our stomachs first and find out what's going on between Zhao Si and Hou San?"
"Now that I think about it, it seems that we forgot to check for clues about these two people."
Princess Ankang thought for a while, and then summarized her thoughts.
Princess Ankang was indeed right. Regarding the victim Hou San, their investigation was too little.
Now there happens to be another connection with Zhao Si. As long as these two people are connected with Hu Yulou, a lot of relevant clues should be filtered out at once.
After such an investigation, perhaps the "method of death" of these two guys is hidden in it.
And thinking of this, a place appeared in the minds of Li Xuan and the two princesses at the same time.
"Cuihua Building."
The two princesses said in unison, and Li Xuan didn't forget to meow as well.
Zhao Si and Hou San, the two dandy young men, usually went to Cuihua Tower for fights. On their first day out of the palace, they even saw the fight scene with their own eyes.
If you ask the shopkeeper of Cuihua Building, you might be able to know a lot about these two people.
It just so happened that they needed to eat now. Cuihua House itself was a restaurant, so it could still fill their bellies.
The group of people set off immediately, exited Hu Yulou and headed towards Cuihua Tower.
These two places are not far apart, they can reach them in a few steps.
When they arrived at Cuihua Building, they saw a brand-new restaurant.
Speaking of which, Cuihua Building was smashed only the day before yesterday. I didn't expect the shopkeeper to clean up the mess again so quickly.
The shopkeeper of Cuihua Building is truly a model of practice makes perfect. Not only did he find his own way to make money amidst the crisis of his shop being frequently smashed, he also found his own way to make money.
Looking at it now, the craftsmanship in redecorating the store is not bad at all.
Regardless of how many of the things inside are flashy fakes, just in terms of the speed of construction, it is probably unique even within the capital.
The shopkeeper of Cuihua House was in a good mood at the moment, greeting the guests in front of his restaurant.
After he saw Princess Ankang and Princess Yuanan, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"You two ladies, I didn't expect to come back to the shop again so soon."
"We are doing business as usual here today, of course, the restaurant business."
"Have you two ladies had lunch before? Do you want to come in and try our craftsmanship?"
The shopkeeper of Cuihua Building invited the two princesses with a spring breeze.
It can be clearly noticed that the mood of the shopkeeper of Cuihua Building today is completely different from before.
It seems that doing this serious business can make him happier.
Even if the restaurant is smashed, it is still a good business to make money, but the shopkeeper of Cuihua Building still prefers to run his own restaurant.
They came here this time to find out information from the shopkeeper of Cuihua Building and to solve the lunch problem.
Naturally, the two princesses had no reason to refuse the shopkeeper's invitation.
When the shopkeeper of Cuihua Building saw that they really wanted to come in for dinner, his attitude became even more enthusiastic.
These two young ladies have an extraordinary temperament, and they can afford to bring so many powerful guards with them when they travel, so they must be guests from extraordinary families.
Is there any reason for him to be unhappy when distinguished guests come to visit?
The shopkeeper of Cuihua Building took them directly to the third floor.
Zhao Si and Hou San also had a decisive battle here before.
The two guys were playing with the Guardian Pokémon here, and each sent three Guardian Pokémon for a one-on-one duel. As a result, when the winner was about to be decided, the game was interrupted by the two princesses.
At that time, they finally decided the winner. Hou San's nursing skills were superior, so Zhao Si had to admit defeat.
Zhao Si's guard, Zhao Hu, would have died in the hands of the other party if they hadn't rescued him.
At that time, the third floor of Cuihua Building was destroyed by the gang and was in a mess.
Now that I have tidied up, I found that the third floor is still very stylish.
Especially looking out the window from here, you can see the bustling scene of Dongshi, which is a very good viewing spot.
There is a large table in the middle of the third floor, and then there are several smaller tables around it.
Regardless of whether the decorations in Cuihua Building are real or not, from the appearance point of view, there is nothing wrong with them.
The shopkeeper of Cuihua Building has a very good aesthetic, and the furniture he chooses is very matching and looks pleasing to the eye.
"You two ladies, my third floor is the best private room in Cuihua Building. I'm sorry to have you two eat here today, okay?"
After hearing the shopkeeper's words, Princess Ankang and Princess Yuanan couldn't help but smile.
"Shopkeeper, you are too polite."
Princess Ankang said with a smile.
"In this way, shopkeeper, you can show us how many dishes to serve, and bring in more of your signature dishes."
Previously at Hu Yulou, Princess Yuan'an was the guest. Princess Ankang, as a sister, couldn't keep eating and drinking all the time.
So this meal in Cuihua Tower was served by Princess Ankang.
Although the money in Jingyang Palace is not as generous as Princess Yuan'an's, she can still afford a meal.
Cuihualou is not a black shop that rips off customers. When Princess Ankang came in, she glanced at the menu hanging near the counter and didn't see any outrageous prices. At least they were all she could afford.
"Okay, ladies, just wait a moment. I'll make arrangements right away to ensure your satisfaction."
"If you are dissatisfied with anything, I won't charge you for today's meal!"
The shopkeeper of Cuihua Building promised, patting his chest.
Li Xuan also didn't expect that this guy was so confident in his craftsmanship.
Now, he could somewhat understand the mood of the former shopkeeper.
Zhao Si and Hou San are really guilty of letting such a person who likes to run a restaurant be unable to run his own business normally.
The shopkeeper of Cuihua House went down to arrange their meals, while Li Xuan and the two princesses looked at the surrounding scenery.
Although the shopkeeper of Cuihua Building said before that these decorations are to deal with people who come to smash the store, it can still be seen that a lot of thought has been spent here.
It is estimated that the shopkeeper of Cuihua Building does not have a strong backing, so it is regarded as a place for people to vent their anger.
As long as there is a powerful backstage behind Cuihua Building, let's see if those dandies still dare to come here and cause mischief.
Although the dandies will lose money after the trouble, the compensation is only losses.
The dandies will not lose the money they make due to not being able to do business.
If the shopkeeper here hadn't figured out how to make money by placing fakes and cheap decorations in the store, the business of Cuihua Building would have been long gone.
That day, the shopkeeper of Cuihua Building led his guys to smash up the shop. In addition to asking the dudes to pay more money, he was probably also venting his dissatisfaction.
Before long, sumptuous dishes were placed on the table.
The food at Cui Hua Lou is full of color, flavor and portion, and is not as "exquisite" as the dishes and snacks at Hu Yu Lou.
The eunuchs in colorful clothes sat on several small tables nearby to eat.
There were only a few people on the big table in the middle.
In addition to Li Xuan and the two princesses, there are their respective personal maids and two eunuchs responsible for recording.
Of course, except for Li Xuan and the two princesses, they were all standing.
Because there were outsiders around, Yu'er had to abide by the rules.
They used to do whatever they liked behind closed doors in Jingyang Palace.
But now there are many outsiders, and there are also eunuchs responsible for recording. Yu'er cannot go beyond the rules in the slightest.
Before, Sanxiao had to be reminded by Zhao Feng, so he paid special attention to these rules in front of outsiders.
Even if Princess Yuan'an has no intention of harming them, it's better not to teach others easily.
The shopkeeper of Cuihua Building finally brought a drink to him personally.
According to the shopkeeper, this is their specialty drink of Cuihua House, rock sugar honey dew.
Li Xuan secretly took a sip first and found that it was sour, sweet and ice-cold, and the taste was not inferior to milk tea juice at all.
It even tastes more natural and refreshing, without those industrial tastes.
According to the shopkeeper, this rock sugar honey dew is a secret recipe passed down from his family. Even Cuihualou is the property that his grandfather and father saved by selling this rock sugar honey dew on the street.
The main raw material of this thing is sugar cane juice, and then it is prepared with various fruit juices such as ebony juice, honey, gourd juice, fresh orange juice, pomegranate, raspberry, and ginger.
Rock sugar honeydew is not only delicious, but drinking it properly is also good for the body.
The shopkeeper of Cuihualou explained the efficacy of rock sugar honey dew eloquently, and he was obviously very proud of it.
At first, Li Xuan was still a little skeptical about his ancestral secret recipe, but after hearing him speak more and more truthfully, he gradually put away his doubts.
It's no wonder that Li Xuan was suspicious, after all, he came from an era when people were quick to make decisions that went against their ancestors.
Regardless of Li Xuan's life experience, the ancestral secret recipe is infinitely equivalent to something like a roadside dog-skin plaster.
However, with the advancement of the times, roadside hawking has also kept pace with the times and entered the cyberpunk version.
"Guys, please take your time. I won't disturb your meal for now."
After the shopkeeper finished serving the dishes, he was about to say goodbye when Princess Ankang and Princess Yuanan stopped him.
"What other orders do you two ladies have?"
The shopkeeper asked curiously.
The two princesses also got straight to the point and directly asked about Zhao Si and Hou San.
"Ah this..."
The shopkeeper hesitated immediately, as if he didn't dare to say anything.
"Shopkeeper, what are you afraid of?"
"Then Hou San is dead, can he still come back to bully you?"
"The Hou family is busy right now, and what you tell us will never be spread outside."
"My sister and I promise you, okay?"
Princess Yuan'an said anxiously, fearing that the shopkeeper would not dare to tell what she knew because of fear.
But even though Princess Yuanan said this, the shopkeeper still hesitated a little and said haha.
"I don't dare to talk nonsense about those two young masters..."
"Even if Mr. Hou is gone, the Hou family is still there."
"Now is the time when people are unhappy. If they feel uncomfortable at this time, isn't that giving them eye drops?"
The shopkeeper bowed repeatedly and apologized to the two princesses.
Seeing that he refused to say anything, Princess Yuanan couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
At this time, Princess Ankang silently held Princess Yuanan's hand and gave her a wink.
Then, Princess Ankang smiled at the shopkeeper and said:
"Since the shopkeeper doesn't want to talk about these topics, then forget it."
"But, I wonder if I could trouble the shopkeeper to accompany me for a moment and tell us about these signature dishes in the store?"
“Some of the dishes are the first time I’ve seen them.”
Princess Ankang said sincerely.
"this……"
After the shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, looking at Princess Ankang's expectant eyes, he finally agreed.
"Actually, they are just common dishes, let's just talk about this one..."
Then the shopkeeper began to introduce his signature dishes.
It can be seen that the shopkeeper is very proud of his store.
On the side, Princess Ankang and Princess Yuanan were also very supportive.
After a while, the shopkeeper started talking non-stop without anyone asking.
The atmosphere at the table gradually became more lively, and the shopkeeper, who was still a little reserved at first, slowly started chatting. From the dishes on the table, he gradually talked about the business of Cuihua Building, and then inevitably talked about Zhao Si and Hou San. body.
"You two ladies don't know. It's not easy to beg for food in this Dongshi."
"If you throw a stone from here, you will most likely hit some big family."
The shopkeeper felt the honeydew in his throat and his heart ached. He talked about the difficulty of doing business in the past few years and couldn't help but pour the bitter water. He drank the rock sugar honeydew in the cup one cup after another.
It is thanks to Zhao Si and Hou San that his Cuihua Building became the "dating resort" it is today.
Therefore, the bitterness in the shopkeeper's stomach is mostly about them.
Princess Ankang and Princess Yuanan echoed from the side, complaining about the shopkeeper.
From the shopkeeper's mouth, they heard a lot of the outrageous things these two bastards did.
But these are not the answers they want.
Seeing that her emotions were in place, Princess Ankang asked in a timely manner:
"Shopkeeper, have they done anything bad recently, such as killing a girl on Flower Street?"
The shopkeeper put down his wine glass and glanced at the two princesses.
"It seems that the two ladies already know, so I don't have to hide it."
Li Xuan was stunned for a moment and thought:
"If we know something, you won't hide it."
But now the shopkeeper has to say that they naturally have no reason to stop him.
"Probably more than a month ago, the two of them ransomed a girl in Hu Yulou, but she was killed that night."
"Not many people know about this matter."
"Later, the two of them had a fight at my place because of this matter, and I only heard a few words."
"The two of them had always been at odds with each other, but for some reason they ended up jointly buying the girl. Later, they had a dispute over the payment."
"I only remember that Hou San lost the fight and then compensated Zhao Si for the part of the money he paid to redeem the girl's life. In other words, Hou San paid the full price to redeem the girl's body. "
"But by that time, the girl was already dead."
When the shopkeeper said this, he couldn't help but shook his head.
"You two ladies, don't look at the flourishing flowers on the flower street, but this flower is blooming on top of thousands of corpses. If you don't want to go there in the future, you better not go there again."
The shopkeeper saw that Princess Ankang and Princess Yuanan were relatively simple little girls, so he gave a warning.
If it were anyone else, he wouldn't be confused about the style.
Princess Ankang remembered what the old woman said earlier and couldn't help but ask:
"Is this kind of thing common on Flower Street?"
The shopkeeper looked at the two princesses silently for a while, then answered the question and said:
"Out of the east gate of the capital, there is a place called Sanligou, which is the nearest mass grave."
After a few breaths, the shopkeeper added.
"It is also the largest mass grave around the capital."
After hearing this, the three little ones and Princess Yuan'an were shocked.
This time, Princess Ankang could no longer ask the question "No one cares?".
Because now she understands why no one cares.
With the huge benefits that Flower Street can provide, what do the lives of these poor women count?
To a certain extent, the government was the biggest driver of Sanli Gou.
At this moment, Princess Ankang felt ashamed of her identity as a princess.
Princess Yuanan on the side is probably in a similar mood.
The shopkeeper told everything he knew. Seeing the reaction of the two princesses, he knew that they had got the answers they wanted, so he left the third floor on the pretext of going to the store to do business.
It's always sad to see him patting his face to cheer himself up and smiling before walking down the third floor.
Even if the shopkeeper is doing what he likes, he will encounter all kinds of problems that are difficult to deal with and make him exhausted.
But as long as the Cuihua Building remains, his passion for doing business will probably remain unabated.
They continued to eat, but maybe they were full, and neither the food nor the rock sugar honey was as delicious as it was at first.
But at least this meal was not all in vain.
They learned from the shopkeeper of Cuihua Building that Zhao Si and Hou San had redeemed the life of a girl from Hu Yulou more than a month ago.
However, the girl died that night.
According to the shopkeeper of Cuihua Building, the girl was played to death.
But as for the details of that night, I am afraid only the two parties involved, Zhao Si and Hou San, know best.
Now that Hou San is dead, Zhao Si is the only one who still knows the truth.
"Sister, let's go to Zhao Mansion after noon."
Princess Ankang put down her chopsticks and lost interest in eating.
Princess Yuanan nodded silently and agreed to the proposal.
They didn't want to wait any longer. The truth was already very close to them, so close that they could reach their fingertips.
As soon as noon was passed, the group paid and left Cuihua Building.
Zhao's Mansion is located in Xuanyangfang next to Dongshi, and it doesn't take long to walk there.
This time, Li Xuan and Xu Lang led the way, and they quickly found the place.
Xu Lang stepped forward to report, but as expected he was kicked out by the concierge.
How can the Zhao Mansion be visited by unknown people at will?
Xu Lang, who had received instructions from the two princesses, immediately showed his Ouchi sign and explained the identities of the two princesses.
The concierges of wealthy families are at least literate.
This time, the concierge didn't dare to care whether the sign was real or fake, and hurriedly went in to report it.
Not long after, Zhao Jingcheng and his wife went out to greet him in person.
Seeing Zhao Jingcheng come out in person, Li Xuan couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
"This guy is quite polite."
As soon as Zhao Jingcheng came out, he bowed repeatedly and said happily:
"The presence of these two young ladies in this humble place really makes the humble abode shine with splendor."
Zhao Jingcheng took three steps and two steps at a time, hurriedly stepped forward and saluted respectfully.
Mrs. Zhao also gave her a blessing and silently saluted.
Obviously the couple already knew the identities of the two princesses.
"You two ladies, don't stand in front of the door. Please come in quickly."
Zhao Jingcheng made a false entrance to the Zhao Mansion. Although he called the two ladies, his attention was all on Princess Yuan'an.
"Oh, it turns out it's because of Yuan An."
Li Xuan understood immediately, no wonder Zhao Jingcheng was so enthusiastic.
This was the first time Princess Yuanan saw Zhao Jingcheng.
Seeing how enthusiastic he was, he just nodded indifferently.
Li Xuanneng could clearly feel that Princess Yuanan's mood suddenly worsened.
"Sister, let's go in."
Princess Yuanan ignored Zhao Jingcheng and turned to Princess Ankang.
Princess Ankang smiled and nodded without saying anything.
Seeing this scene, Zhao Jingcheng's eyes flashed and he immediately changed his attitude naturally.
"Come here, pave the way."
Zhao Jingcheng shouted loudly, and immediately the servants of the Zhao family brought wooden boards and set them up on the steps and threshold of the door.
"You two ladies, please forgive me for Zhao's poor preparation."
Zhao Jingcheng put on a smile and said sincerely.
This time, he no longer dared to look down on Princess Ankang.
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