Zhan Zhao investigated a case in the palace and encountered another suicide case.

How to see the two cases, the guard Zhan had to put them together to investigate.

Nangong called a few palace maids who knew Grandma Liang for Zhan Zhao and asked Zhan Zhao to ask questions. In fact, there was no need for Nangong to look for them. The palace maids had already lined up and had the opportunity to chat with the guard Zhan. Of course the girls were happy, but unfortunately, only Zhan Zhao was here today and Bai Yutang did not come, otherwise they would have no regrets in their lives when they caught two people and chatted together.

Zhan Zhao asked around and the palace maids said the same thing. Can you summarize it?

Grandma Liang has always done some heavy work in the harem, washing clothes and cooking. She didn't know these little palace maids in the past, and she rarely mentioned her own affairs. The only clue was that several older palace maids provided it, saying that Grandma Liang's family had passed away, and no one knew the reason.

As for her personality, everyone agrees with her. Whether it is the eunuch in charge, the chef who cooks, palace maids, guards, etc.... as long as they know her, they say that she is very kind and has a good person.

As for why she committed suicide, everyone shook her head, indicating that she couldn't figure it out.

But when Zhan Zhao asked about the abnormalities of this Grandma Liang recently, no one noticed it. What should I say... This grandma has a good relationship with many people in the palace, but not particularly good. Many people know that she is good, but no one knows her... To put it bluntly, everyone is a general friend.

Zhan Zhao felt that Grandma Liang was deliberately keeping a distance from the people around her.

Finally, Zhan Zhao and Gongsun arrived at the residence of Grandma Liang in the palace.

The palace maids live in the west yard of the palace. In addition to the palace maids who are always in the palace, some of the older ones who help have their own homes outside, and the palace is just a temporary residence.

Grandma Liang had a single room, and the room was furnished in a simple way, and she looked like she was just a temporary sleep.

Zhan Zhao searched through it and found no clues, so he asked the management room to take the registration booklet. After all, he was a helper in the palace. Each of them had a special person to investigate. Not to mention the address, all the active people in the upper and lower generations were recorded in the book. The home outside the palace of Grandma Liang was not far from the palace, and in the column of relatives, there were parents and brothers and sisters... But Zhan Zhao looked at the year and it was registered thirty-five years ago... In other words, she entered the palace as a teenager.

Zhan Zhao touched his chin. It was unlikely that he would do rough work when he entered the palace as a teenager. Maybe he had served a concubine or princess. I wonder if anyone remembered her.

Zhan Zhao asked Zhao Pu to help find the empress dowager for investigation about the matter in the palace, and he himself went to the residence outside Grandma Liang's palace with Gongsun.

It was getting late at this time, and Zhan Zhaohe Gongsun found an old house according to the registered address of the management office.

As Zhan Zhao and Gongsun expected, the house was old and dilapidated, and Grandma Liang's family was poor... That's right, if the family was wealthy, no one would be willing to send her daughter to be a servant.

After taking pictures of the door for a long time, there was no one at home, but he woke up the people in the house next door.

The door to a room next door opened, and an old man walked out in his clothes.

Most people in Kaifeng City know Zhan Zhao, and the old man is no exception. He recognizes it at a glance, "Isn't this Lord Zhan?"

Zhan Zhao asked the old man with a good question, and then asked, "Is the owner of this house here?"

The old man shook his head and said, "This house has been empty for a long time, and Qiao Niang rarely comes back."

"Qiao Niang?" Zhan Zhao asked, "Is she helping in the palace?"

"Yes!" the old man nodded, "Her real name is Liang Qiaoyu. The older one calls her Qiaoniang, and the young one calls her Grandma Liang..."

Speaking of this, the old man frowned slightly and asked Zhan Zhao, "Sir Zhan, isn't something wrong with Qiao Niang?"

Zhan Zhao roughly talked about the matter.

"Oh!" The old man stomped his feet, looking very sad, "She still couldn't think it out!"

The old man was arguing at the door, and the old lady at home also walked out. The doors of several other neighbors next door were also opened. Some people came out to ask what happened. When the old man said that, everyone felt very sorry and felt that Grandma Liang had a miserable life.

Zhan Zhao and Gongsun looked at each other, felt confused, so he asked Liang Qiaoyu in detail.

Liang Qiaoyu was indeed a sibling who had both parents and both younger siblings. Her parents were not in good health and poor family. Liang Qiaoyu was very well-behaved and the oldest. So when she was a teenager, she went to the palace to choose a palace maid, and finally chose it and entered the palace. Liang Qiaoyu was very capable and served her concubines in the palace. She was very fond of her concubines. She often gave her some rewards, and she took them back to supplement the family's income, and her family's life gradually improved... But when Qiaoniang was eighteen years old, about three or four years after entering the palace, all her family passed away.

Zhan Zhao sounded fresh. The whole family, parents, three younger siblings, and a total of five people. How could he die if he died?

"Is it possible that someone was murdered?!" Zhan Zhao was shocked.

The old man smiled bitterly, "You don't know, Lord Zhan, that there was a big case nearby about thirty years ago!"

Zhan Zhao was slightly stunned, "What case?"

"Someone gave away poisonous sugar cakes to children nearby." The old man shook his head.

Gongsun frowned, "Who is so hateful?!"

"Oh..." the old man sighed, "Does Lord Zhan know which candy pastry shop in Kaifeng Mansion is the largest?"

"Is it a man?" Zhan Zhao asked. Manji Candy Shop can be said to be famous all over the world.

"More than thirty years ago, in addition to Manji, there was also a Xu Ji." The old man said, "I remember that that year was about to celebrate the Emperor's birthday, and a shop needed a shop to make candy. Whoever could take over the errands in the palace was equivalent to the imperial candy shop, so Xu Ji and Manji were snatched away. Xu Ji's boss didn't know if he was obsessed with the mind, but he actually came up with such a call that damaged his good deeds, put the Manji's candy cake and distributed it to children from poor families... The children of the Liang family took the candy cake home and ate it with their parents, but the whole family died."

Zhan Zhao and Gongsun stood there, feeling that they could not believe it.

"A few children died on this street." The old man shook his head, "After the final case was investigated, the emperor personally sentenced Xu Ji to kill him."

Zhan Zhao frowned... He seemed to have seen it in the case file that the Song Dynasty did not impose heavy punishments, and there were very few cases where the whole family could be sentenced to death. There was indeed a family with the surname Xu, and it turned out that it was because of this reason...

Gongsun also frowned, "I haven't heard of this before..."

"Is it the children of poor families who were poisoned to death? Naturally no one cares." The old man sighed quietly, "If he didn't believe that if he poisoned any royal relatives, this case would probably be known to everyone in the world. This is so unfair in this world. Children of poor families are so sensible, but they die in a tragic way. Some second-generation ancestors are domineering, but they live for a hundred years and enjoy the blessing of their whole life."

Zhan Zhao and Gongsun also felt depressed, so he asked the old man if Grandma Liang had any abnormalities recently.

"Abnormal?" The old man found it funny. "She has never been normal after her family died. She has never married in her life. She has lived in seclusion and rarely talks to us. She only comes back two or three months later. Then again, what are you doing when you come back? There is no one at home."

Zhan Zhao and Gongsun thanked the old man and decided to go to Liang Qiaoyu's house to take a look.

Gongsun was so angry that he was a father after all. When he remembered that someone poisoned the sugar cake, he felt that it was unforgivable. He walked with Zhan Zhao and muttered, "It's so annoying!"

Zhan Zhao pried open the door lock of Grandma Liang's house and said helplessly, "That old man makes sense. Sometimes good people don't live long and harm for thousands of years."

With a "crunch", the door opened.

The house is very messy, and peas are planted in the yard, but no one should have taken care of them for a long time. They grow like wild grass. Most of them have died. The lanterns at the door are also dilapidated, and the door is even more dilapidated.

Gongsun sighed, "What a poor family."

Zhan Zhao opened the door, entered the house and lit candles, and checked everywhere.

The cottage is not big, one for adults, one for children, and a kitchen or something behind it.

Zhan Zhao and Gongsun went to find clues that might be related to Grandma Liang's death, so they were forced to rummage the boxes and cabinets. The two of them tried to be careful not to mess up the things at home...

After rummaging through it, I couldn't find anything. Gongsun sat on the edge of the bed and felt something seemed to be under the bedding.

Lift the quilt to view the bed board.

Zhan Zhao also came over. The two of them fumbled for a while and found that a bed board was uneven, so they pried open it... and took out a box from it.

This box is not small, very heavy, with a lock.

Zhan Zhao weighed it and thought to himself what was so heavy inside?

The two of them didn't find the key either. Zhan Zhao twisted his inner strength gently, and the lock was twisted off. He opened the box and saw it... he was stunned.

I saw a box full of gold!

Gongsun was shocked, "This must be a few hundred taels, right?"

Zhan Zhao nodded.

The two of them went to see the Muge again and found that there was something inside.

Zhan Zhao simply lifted the bed board and found that there were four boxes inside.

He took out all the boxes and opened them. There were three boxes of gold in total, and two boxes were filled with jewelry. Gongsun picked them up and identified them, frowned, "Each one is valuable!"

Zhan Zhao frowned, "Is this little money enough to buy a big mansion?"

Gongsun raised his eyebrows, "More than just! It's enough to buy a big mansion and enjoy a happy life!"

Zhan Zhao picked up a phoenix hairpin in the jewelry box and frowned, "This is not like the usual phoenix hairpin..."

Gongsun turned the phoenix hairpin over and saw that there was a word "gong" in a relatively hidden place.

Gongsun was shocked and saw Zhan Zhao, "This is a tribute!"

Zhan Zhao also nodded, "Looking at the luxurious style, it doesn't look like ordinary people can use it!"

"And there is a bit of Western Region style!" Gongsun frowned, "It should be a tribute from foreign tribes!"

Thinking of Grandma Liang being a worker in the palace, Zhan Zhao couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, "There are too many rewards? Is this Grandma Liang a flying thief?"

"No..." Gongsun found it difficult to connect this ill-fated palace maid with the thief. Then he thought of Ye Fei and asked Zhan Zhao, "Can she hide it for Ye Fei?"

Zhan Zhao touched his chin, looked at the treasure in front of him, shook his head, and said, "Has I been with Yutang for a long time? I always feel that there is not much money here. If it were Ye Fei, she would have stolen more than these treasures, right?"

"Well..." Gongsun scratched his head, and was a little uncertain. They were indeed too familiar with Bai Yutang, especially whenever the Bai Mansion settled the accounts and counted the money, the mountains of gold and silver made people have no idea about gold and silver.

...

In Kaifeng Mansion, Bai Yutang, who was sitting in the yard with a pen, turned his head and sneeze.

The little Sizi, who was standing by the table to help him grind ink and watch his painting, held his chin with one hand and yawned, "Why haven't Daddy and Maomao come back yet? Did Jiujiu go to Grandma Huang's place?"

Bai Yutang rubbed his nose, and thought that Zhan Zhao wouldn't come back so late, maybe something happened again. While putting down the brush, shook his head, picked up the portrait he had drawn, and asked Xiao Sizi, "Does it look like?"

Xiao Sizi touched her chin and nodded, "Well... it seems like it is almost the same..."

"...You said, you kid, why don't you draw landscapes or beauties or old ladies?"

Bai Yutang and Xiao Sizi turned around when they heard the sound of talking behind their backs, and saw the Heavenly Lord standing behind them with a jar of wine.

Outside the door, Hou Yin also walked in. They stayed in Nan'an Temple for a day and had just returned.

Mr. Yin looked around and said, "Where is Zhao?"

"I haven't come back in the palace yet." Bai Yutang put down the portrait and recalled the old lady I saw just now. What are the characteristics of it?
To be continued...