Chapter 300 Dream Orchid

The news of Zhou's mother's disappearance still spread.

At noon, someone went to the fifth floor to deliver her food, but only saw a messy room, but no trace of people.

The servants of the Hou family began to explode.

Zhou's mother was the biggest clue that could be caught in the case of the death of their young master.

But now this clue was lost by them.

Butler Fan furiously commanded the servants of the Hou family and Hu Yulou's thugs to start looking for Zhou's mother's trace.

If Zhou's mother could not be found, even he, Butler Fan, would not have a good ending in the end.

Butler Fan had already shouldered a lot of responsibility for Hou San's death. ,

After all, Butler Fan and Hou San lived in the same room, but he watched him burn to death in front of his eyes. Such dereliction of duty was unforgivable.

If Butler Fan could make up for his crime and catch the murderer of Hou San, he might be able to save his life.

But if the murderer is not caught, Butler Fan will become the most unlucky victim.

Someone has to bear the wrath of the Hou family, right?

Li Xuan and his friends sat calmly in the private room on the second floor, watching the commotion in Hu Yulou.

Butler Fan led his men to dig three feet deep in Hu Yulou, but they did not come to disturb them.

His position in the Hou family is already precarious, and he does not want to make enemies with another big shot at this time.

"The news of Madam Zhou's disappearance 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 Madam Zhou's body.

If they can catch him, that would be the best.

I'm afraid the murderer has enough patience and will wait until everything is settled before checking the body.

You know, Princess Ankang and his friends only have seven days to leave the palace this time, and it's 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, which is the relationship between Doctor Fang and Xixi, which Li Xuan got from a cat.

I'm afraid there is no other person in the world who can get this clue from Huihui's mouth.

If the relationship between Doctor Fang and Xixi is not known, it seems to outsiders that Doctor Fang has no motive to commit the crime.

"I guess no matter how brave the murderer is, he dare not check Mother Zhou's body during the day."

"Anyway, we have sent people to watch the secret room in the cellar, and someone will know when they come."

"Instead of sitting here in a daze, why don't we go see Zhao Si?"

Princess Yuanan was very positive about this case, and she suggested.

"Sister, you're 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 and find out what happened between Zhao Si and Hou San?"

"Now that I think about it, we seem to have forgotten to check the clues about these two people."

Princess Ankang thought about it, and then summarized her thoughts.

Princess Ankang was right. They did too little research on the victim, Hou San.

Now there is another connection with Zhao Si. As long as these two people are linked to Hu Yulou, a lot of related clues should be filtered out at once.

After checking in this way, perhaps the "way to death" of these two guys is hidden in it.

When thinking of this, a place appeared in the minds of Li Xuan and the two princesses at the same time.

"Cuihua Tower."

The two princesses said in unison, and Li Xuan did not forget to meow.

Zhao Si and Hou San, two dandy young men, usually go to Cuihua Tower to fight. They even saw the scene of their fight on the first day they left the palace.

If they ask the shopkeeper of Cuihua Tower, they may know a lot about these two people.

It just so happens that they need to eat now. Cuihua Tower itself is a restaurant, which can fill their stomachs.

The group immediately set off and headed towards Cuihua Tower after leaving Hu Yulou.

The two places are not far away, and they can reach them in a few steps.

When they arrived at Cuihua Tower, they saw a brand new restaurant.

Speaking of which, Cuihua Tower was smashed the day before yesterday, and I didn’t expect the shopkeeper to clean it up so quickly.

The shopkeeper of Cuihua Tower is really a model of practice makes perfect. Not only did he find a way to make money in the crisis of frequent smashing of the store.

At the moment, the skill of redecorating the store is not bad at all.

Regardless of how many of the things in here are flashy fakes, just looking at the speed of construction, even in the capital, it is probably a unique skill.

The shopkeeper of Cuihualou was in a good mood at the moment, greeting the guests in front of his restaurant.

When he saw Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an, his eyes lit up immediately.

"Ladies, I didn't expect you to come back to our shop so soon."

"We are open as usual today, of course, I mean the restaurant business."

"Ladies, have you had lunch? Do you want to come in and try our cooking?"

The shopkeeper of Cuihualou invited the two princesses with a warm attitude.

It can be clearly seen that the mood of the shopkeeper of Cuihualou today is completely different from before.

It seems that doing this serious business can make him happier.

Even if the shop was smashed, it is also a good business to make money, but the shopkeeper of Cuihualou still prefers to run his own restaurant.

They came here to find the shopkeeper of Cuihualou for news and solve the problem of lunch.

The two princesses naturally had no reason to refuse the invitation of the shopkeeper.

When the shopkeeper of Cuihualou saw that they really wanted to come in for dinner, his attitude became more enthusiastic.

These two young ladies have extraordinary temperaments, and they can afford to bring so many mighty guards when they travel. They must be distinguished guests from extraordinary families.

How could he not be happy when distinguished guests came 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 the guard Pokémon here at that time. They each sent three guards to fight alone. As a result, when they were about to decide the winner, the two princesses interrupted the game.

At that time, they finally decided the winner. Hou San's guarding skills were superior, so Zhao Si had to admit defeat.

Zhao Hu, Zhao Si's guard, 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 those people.

Now after cleaning it up, I found that this third floor is still very stylish.

Especially from here, looking out the window, you can see the prosperous scene of the East Market, which is a very good viewing point.

There is a big table in the middle of the third floor, and there are several smaller tables around it.

Don’t worry about whether the decorations in Cuihualou are real or not. From the appearance, there is nothing wrong with them.

The shopkeeper of Cuihualou has a very good aesthetic. The furniture he chooses is very well matched and looks pleasing to the eye.

"Ladies, my third floor is the best private room in Cuihualou. I would like to ask you to dine 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.

"Well, shopkeeper, you can serve us a few dishes and bring more of your signature dishes."

Previously, Princess Yuanan invited the guests to Huyulou, and Princess Ankang, as the elder sister, couldn't just eat and drink for free.

So this meal in Cuihualou was invited by Princess Ankang.

Although the money in Jingyang Palace is not as abundant as that in Princess Yuan'an's hand, they can still afford to treat her to a meal.

Cuihualou is not a black shop that overcharges customers. When Princess Ankang came in earlier, she glanced at the menu hanging near the counter and did not see any outrageous prices. At least they were all affordable for her.

"Okay, ladies, wait a moment, I will arrange it right away, and I guarantee you will be satisfied."

"If you are not satisfied, I will not charge you for today's meal!"

The shopkeeper of Cuihualou patted his chest and promised.

Li Xuan did not expect that this guy was so confident in his own craftsmanship.

Now, he can understand the mood of the shopkeeper before.

Zhao Si and Hou San are really doing a sin to let such a person who likes to run a restaurant not run his business normally.

The shopkeeper of Cuihualou went down to arrange their meals, while Li Xuan and the two princesses looked at the scenery around them.

Although the shopkeeper of Cuihualou said before that these decorations were to deal with people who came to smash the store, it can still be seen that a lot of thought was spent here.

It is estimated that the shopkeeper of Cuihualou does not have any powerful backing, so it is regarded as a place for people to vent their anger.

If there is a strong backing behind Cuihualou, do you think those dandies would dare to come here to make trouble.

Although the dandies will lose money after making trouble, they only lose losses.

The dandies will not lose the money they earn because they cannot do business.

If the shopkeeper here had not figured out the trick himself and made profits by placing counterfeits and cheap decorations in the store, Cuihualou’s business would probably have been gone long ago.

That day, the shopkeeper of Cuihualou brought his men to smash the store. In addition to making the dandies pay more money, he was probably venting his resentment.

Soon, the table was filled with sumptuous dishes.

Cuihualou's food was delicious and tasty, and the portions were quite good, not as "exquisite" as the dishes and snacks in Huyulou and other places.

The eunuchs in flowery clothes sat at a few small tables to the side to eat.

There were only a few people at the big table in the middle.

In addition to Li Xuan and the two princesses, there were their personal maids and two eunuchs in charge of recording.

Of course, except for Li Xuan and the two princesses, they were all standing.

Because there were outsiders, Yu'er had to abide by the rules.

They used to be in Jingyang Palace, and they could do whatever they wanted behind closed doors.

But now there are many outsiders, and there are eunuchs in charge of recording, so Yu'er can't overstep the boundaries.

Before, the three children had only been reminded by Zhao Feng, so they paid special attention to these rules in front of outsiders.

Even if Princess Yuan'an didn't mean to harm them, it's better not to give others a handle easily.

The shopkeeper of Cuihua Tower finally brought up a drink in person.

According to the shopkeeper, this is their Cuihua Tower's specialty drink, rock sugar honey dew.

Li Xuan took a sip first and found that it was sour and sweet, icy and cool, and the taste was not inferior to milk tea juice at all.

It even tasted more natural and refreshing, without those industrial flavors.

According to the shopkeeper, this rock sugar honey dew is a secret recipe passed down from his family, and even this Cuihualou is the property saved by his grandfather and father who sold this rock sugar honey dew on the street.

The main raw material of this thing is sugarcane juice, and then it is made with various juices such as black plum juice, honey, tangerine juice, pomegranate, raspberry, and ginger.

Rock sugar honey dew is not only delicious, but also good for the body when consumed appropriately.

The shopkeeper of Cuihualou explained the effects of rock sugar honey dew eloquently, and was obviously very proud of it.

Originally, Li Xuan was a little skeptical about the method of his ancestral secret recipe, but as he spoke more and more truthfully, he gradually put away his suspicion.

It’s no wonder that Li Xuan is suspicious, after all, he comes from an era when people would make decisions that violate their ancestors at any time.

In terms of Li Xuan’s life experience, the ancestral secret recipe is infinitely equivalent to something like a dog-skin plaster on the roadside.

However, with the progress of the times, street vendors have also kept pace with the times and entered the cyberpunk version.

"Please enjoy your meal, I won't disturb you for now."

After the shopkeeper served the dishes, he was about to leave, but Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an quickly stopped him.

"What else do the two ladies want?"

The shopkeeper asked curiously.

The two princesses also got straight to the point and asked about Zhao Si and Hou San directly.

"Ah, this..."

The shopkeeper hesitated and seemed a little afraid to say it.

"Shopkeeper, what are you afraid of?"

"Hou San is dead, can he come back to bully you?"

"The Hou family is busy now, and what you said to us will never be spread."

"My sister and I promise you, isn't that enough?"

Princess Yuan'an said anxiously, fearing that the shopkeeper would be afraid to tell what he knew.

But even though Princess Yuan'an said so, the shopkeeper was still a little hesitant, and laughed it off.

"I dare not say anything about the two young masters..."

"Even if Mr. Hou is gone, the Hou family is still here."

"Now is the time when people are unhappy. If you are uncomfortable at this time, won't it be a slap in the face?"

The shopkeeper bowed repeatedly and apologized to the two princesses.

Seeing that he refused to speak, Princess Yuan'an couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

At this time, Princess Ankang silently held Princess Yuan'an's hand and winked at her.

Then, Princess Ankang smiled at the shopkeeper and said:

"Since the shopkeeper doesn't want to talk about these topics, forget it."

"But I wonder if you can trouble the shopkeeper to accompany us for a while and tell us about the signature dishes in these restaurants?"

"Some of these dishes are the first time I have seen them."

Princess Ankang said sincerely.

"This..."

After a little hesitation, the shopkeeper finally agreed to it after seeing Princess Ankang's expectant eyes.

"Actually, they are just some common dishes, just this one..."

Then the shopkeeper began to introduce his signature dishes.

It can be seen that the shopkeeper is still very proud of his own store.

On the side, Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an were also very supportive.

After a while, the shopkeeper started talking nonstop without anyone asking.

The atmosphere at the table gradually became more lively, and the shopkeeper, who was a little reserved at first, slowly opened up the conversation, starting from the dishes on the table, gradually talking about the business of Cuihualou, and then inevitably talking about Zhao Si and Hou San.

"You two ladies don't know that it's not easy to make a living in the East Market."

"If you throw a stone from here, it will most likely hit some big and powerful people."

The shopkeeper's heart ached when the honey dew went down his throat. He talked about the difficulties of doing business in the past few years and couldn't help but complain. He drank the rock sugar honey dew in the cup one cup after another.

His Cuihualou became the "fighting place" now thanks to Zhao Si and Hou San.

Therefore, the shopkeeper's bitterness was mostly about them.

Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an echoed and spoke up for the shopkeeper.

From the shopkeeper, they heard a lot of the evil things these two bastards did.

But these were not the answers they wanted.

Seeing that the emotions were in place, Princess Ankang asked at the right time:

"Shopkeeper, have they done anything bad recently, such as killing a girl on the 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, thinking:

"We know what, so you don't have to hide it."

But now the shopkeeper wants to say it, and they naturally have no reason to stop him.

"About a month ago, the two of them redeemed a girl in Hu Yulou, but she was killed that night."

"Not many people know about this."

"Later, they had a fight here because of this, and I heard a few words."

"The two of them had never gotten along, but for some reason they jointly bought the girl, and later they had a dispute over the money."

"I only remember that Hou San lost the fight, and then compensated Zhao Si for the part of the money he paid for the girl's redemption, which means that Hou San paid the full amount to redeem the girl."

"But at that time, the girl was already dead."

The shopkeeper shook his head when he said this.

"Ladies, don't look at the flowers on this flower street, which is a prosperous scene, but this flower is blooming on thousands of corpses. Don't go there again if you can."

The shopkeeper saw that Princess Ankang and Princess Yuan'an were both relatively simple girls, so he gave them a warning.

If it were someone else, he would not be so ignorant of romance.

Princess Ankang remembered what the old woman said before, and couldn't help asking:

"Is this kind of thing common in Huajie?"

The shopkeeper looked at the two princesses silently for a while, and then answered the question irrelevantly:

"Outside the east gate of the capital, there is a place called Sanligou, which is the closest mass grave."

After a few breaths, the shopkeeper added.

"It is also the largest mass grave around the capital."

Hearing this, the three little ones and Princess Yuan'an were both shocked.

This time, Princess Ankang could no longer ask "Is there no one in charge?"

Because now she understood why no one was in charge.

With the huge benefits that Huajie can provide, the lives of these poor women are nothing.

To some extent, the government is the biggest promoter of Sanligou.

At this moment, Princess Ankang felt ashamed of her identity as a princess.

Princess Yuan'an, who was standing by, probably felt the same way.

The shopkeeper told all he knew. Seeing the two princesses' reactions, he knew they had gotten the answers they wanted, so he left the third floor on the pretext of going to the store to do business.

It was just a little sad to see him patting his face to cheer himself up and smile before he went down the third floor.

Even if the shopkeeper was doing something he liked, he would encounter all kinds of difficult problems that would make him exhausted.

But as long as this Cuihualou was still there, his enthusiasm for doing business would not diminish.

They continued to eat, but perhaps because they were full, the food and rock sugar honey dew were not as delicious as at the beginning.

But at least this meal was not in vain.

They learned from the shopkeeper of Cuihualou that Zhao Si and Hou San had redeemed a girl from Hu Yulou more than a month ago.

However, the girl died that night.

According to the shopkeeper of Cuihualou, the girl was played to death.

But as for the details of that night, I am afraid that only Zhao Si and Hou San, the two parties involved, know the most.

Now that Hou San is dead, Zhao Si is the only one who still knows the truth.

"Sister, after noon, let's go to Zhao's house."

Princess Ankang put down her chopsticks and no longer had the appetite to eat.

Princess Yuan'an nodded silently and agreed to the proposal.

They didn't want to wait any longer. The truth was very close to them, so close that they could touch it.

As soon as noon passed, the group paid the bill and left Cuihua Tower.

Zhao's house was in Xuanyangfang next to the East Market, and it didn't take long to walk there.

This time, with Li Xuan and Xu Lang leading the way, they found the place quickly.

Xu Lang went forward to report, but was driven out by the doorman as expected.

How could an unknown person visit Zhao's house at will?

Xu Lang, who had received instructions from the two princesses, immediately showed the sign of the palace and explained the identities of the two princesses.

The doormen of the wealthy families at least knew how to read.

This time, the doorman didn't care whether the sign was real or fake, and hurried in to report.

Soon, Zhao Jingcheng actually went out with his wife to greet them personally.

Seeing Zhao Jingcheng come out in person, Li Xuan couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"This guy is quite polite."

Zhao Jingcheng bowed repeatedly as soon as he came out, and said happily:

"The two young ladies' visit to my humble place really makes my humble home glorious."

Zhao Jingcheng took two steps at a time and hurried forward to salute respectfully.

Mrs. Zhao also bowed and saluted silently.

Obviously, the couple already knew the identities of the two princesses very well.

"Two young ladies, don't stand in front of the door, please come in quickly."

Zhao Jingcheng led them into the Zhao Mansion. Although he called the two young ladies, his attention was all on Princess Yuan'an.

"Oh, it turns out to be because of Yuan'an."

Li Xuan immediately understood, no wonder Zhao Jingcheng was so enthusiastic.

Princess Yuan'an met Zhao Jingcheng for the first time.

Seeing him so enthusiastic, she just nodded indifferently.

Li Xuan could clearly feel that Princess Yuan'an's mood suddenly became worse.

"Sister, let's go in."

Princess Yuan'an ignored Zhao Jingcheng and turned to Princess Ankang.

Princess Ankang smiled and nodded, but didn't say anything.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Jingcheng's eyes flashed, and his attitude changed naturally.

"Come on, pave the way."

Zhao Jingcheng shouted loudly, and the wooden boards brought by the servants of the Zhao Mansion were immediately placed on the steps and thresholds at the door.

"Ladies, Zhao is not well prepared, please forgive me."

Zhao Jingcheng said sincerely with a smile.

This time, he dared not despise Princess Ankang again.

Thanks to the book friends 20230914164747598, Angel Loves to Joke, and I'm Just Passing by for the reward support.

Thank you all for your monthly ticket support.

Good night, everyone, see you tomorrow~