"There are not too many reasons for committing suicide alone." Zhan Zhao shook his head, "In addition to the sudden blow, it is mostly emotional problems."

"Such a coincidence, two palace maids died by the Peacock Lake?" Bai Yutang felt that something was strange.

Everyone lowered their heads and continued to eat. The kitchen aunt was very skilled, and the fish given by the emperor was also plump and tender... I have been fighting against the tail of the fish recently.

...

After dinner, Zhan Zhao brought a cup of tea, took the two details of the people entering and leaving the palace given by the Grand Master, and started to search through each other with Bai Yutang. What were the two looking for? Find someone named Cui.

Not to mention, after Zhan Zhao finished drinking a cup of tea, the fifth master pressed down the page he saw and handed it to him.

Zhan Zhao saw Bai Yutang pointing at a name - Cui Xin. He entered the palace four and a half years ago. The stone carving craftsman entered the palace to repair the stone walls of the palace.

The two looked at each other - what a coincidence! The career time is in line with each other!

Zhan Zhao entered the palace and asked the officials responsible for the renovation of the palace to ask about the matter. Fortunately, there were clear records for each renovation in the palace, and the craftsmen who could enter the palace also investigated it very clearly, so Zhan Zhao quickly found the clue of "Cui Xin".

Cui Xin should be twenty-seven or eight years old this year, less than thirty. He did go to the palace to repair stone walls four and a half years ago, and his name has never appeared again. There is only one address on the list of Cui Xin, which is located in Shenjia Village, near the northern city of Kaifeng.

That night, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang made an appointment with Gongsun and Zhao Pu, and the four of them went to Shenjia Village to find Cui Xin.

The four of them were in a bit contradictory mood. On the one hand, if you want to find Cui Xin, you can prove that the nameless corpse is not Cui Xin. After all, it would be a pity to die in your twenties. But on the other hand, if Cui Xin cannot be found, then the possibility of him being the nameless corpse is very high...

Shenjia Village is not far away, and not long after, everyone arrived at the entrance of the village.

Looking down from the hillside, Shenjia Village still feels quite rich, with fertile fields and fish ponds, and houses well built, with green willows. Although it was night now, many people in the village were outside, drinking tea and chatting, and the children chased and ran away, which was very lively.

Zhan Zhao and others walked in along the main road in the village.

There were a few elderly people playing chess by the roadside looking over.

The villagers whispered to each other...

"Is this Lord Zhan from Kaifeng Prefecture?"

"Oh! Why did you come to the village?"

"Who's the matter?"

...

Soon, the small village became "boiled" due to the arrival of Zhan Zhao and others. The residents who had eaten their fill and were "idle" all ran out to watch.

When Zhan Zhao and others arrived at the address, the entrance of Cui Xin's hut had three floors inside and three floors outside, gathering many people.

As soon as Zhan Zhao and others arrived in front of Cui Xin's house, they felt that they might have made a mistake! Because there were dogs and flowers in the yard, there were a few unfinished stone sculptures, and the lights were on in the room.

Zhao Pu hugged his arm, "Did you get the wrong person?"

Zhan Zhao was also in a conflicted mood and reached out to pat the gate of the courtyard.

After a while, the door opened. A fat baby, seven or eight years old, held a rice bowl in his hand, opened the door and looked at it, "Who?"

Zhan Zhao asked, “Is Cui Xin here?”

The child turned around, "Dad!"

"ah?"

There was a voice of people agreeing in the room, and it sounded like they were having a meal.

"Someone is looking for you!" After the child said that, he went back to continue eating.

Then, the door opened, and a young man ran out with his hands, "Who? I have no time to order things this month and have to wait until next month..."

Zhan Zhao nodded and looked at Bai Yutang.

Bai Yutang, Zhao Pu and Gongsun both had a tacit understanding and felt that no matter how you listened, it was that person.

Zhan Zhao asked Cui Xin, "What's your friend's name?"

"He has the same surname as me, and his name is Cui Cheng. It was a family about five hundred years ago, so let's talk!" Cui Xin said, looking at everyone again, and asked in a while, "Was something wrong with him?"

Zhan Zhao asked back, "You intuition, will something happen to him?"

Cui Xin said softly, "Actually, I have thought about a lot of possibilities about him after that. I always feel that he is not like someone who has no explanation, and I doubt that something has happened to him..."

Everyone looked at each other.

Zhan Zhao finally took out the picture of the painting from his sleeve. Before showing it to him, Zhan Zhao asked, "Brother Cui hasn't gone to the city recently?"

Cui Xin shook his head, "I'm busy until now after the New Year." While saying, he pointed to the stone sculptures beside him, "The business is very good."

Zhan Zhao looked at Gongsun.

Gongsun held his chin and looked at Cui Xin for a long time, and finally nodded to Zhan Zhao. That's the point - according to his observation, Cui Xin may indeed be a descendant of the Cui family, and his chin has common characteristics.

Everyone admired Cui Xin's craftsmanship again and couldn't help but sigh that the Cui family was born to carve things...

Zhan Zhao spread the picture and put it in front of Cui Xin, and asked, "Is it him whom you are talking about Cui Cheng?"

Cui Xin looked down at the portrait, was stunned, then nodded, "That's right! He was a little thinner, and then had a mole on his left face... What's this?!" Cui Xin saw the words "Come to Kaifeng Mansion to claim the body" and opened his mouth wide, "He..."

Zhan Zhao said, "Your friend should have passed away."

Cui Xin stood there stupidly holding the portrait, and asked for a long time, "Did he die that day? Did I die because I asked him to take the place of work?"

Zhan Zhao and others were also a little reluctant to tell others that they did die in the palace and stayed in the dry well for five years.

"Remember your friend in detail." Zhan Zhao said, "such as his residence, experience, etc."

"I don't know where he lives. I just met at the helper's shop." Cui Xin put down the portrait and calmed down. Then, as if he had thought of something, he turned his head and asked his son to bring the box he hid under the pillow.

After a while, the fat little baby took out a wooden box from the house.

Cui Xin put the box on the table and said, "I mainly do stone carvings. I like to carve large items, and he is good at fine work. On the day my daughter was born, he took the initiative to go to the palace for me. After I agreed, I felt that he had helped a lot and wanted to thank him very much. But he thanked me in turn and gave me a gift, saying that it was to leave a souvenir for the child. Thanks to her birth that day, she helped him a lot."

While speaking, Cui Xin opened the box and took out something - a small fishtail pillow and jade pendant.

Zhan Zhao and others saw a small jade pendant. When they saw the jade pendant, everyone was speechless - the shape of a fishtail pillow!

"It's the fishtail pillow again..." Zhao Pu frowned and took it, "It's the same as the pillow and the jade pendant in the palace."

"It feels like a set." Bai Yutang also nodded.

"When he gave you this, did you say anything?" Gongsun asked.

Cui Xin shook his head, "He just said that it was a worthless gadget."

Bai Yutang reached out and took it over and took a look, shook his head, "Jade is a good jade. Although it is very small, it is not cheap either."

Cui Xin scratched his head, "How could he die? Was he getting into trouble or what?"

"Have he mentioned that he was in trouble?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Cui Xin couldn't remember it, and only said that Cui Chengren is easy-going and friendly. He really rarely talks about his own affairs. He only knew that he was from Northwest who came to Kaifeng to make a living, and his parents died early.

"Does he have a family?" Gongsun asked, "or is his sweetheart?"

Cui Xin remembered something after being reminded by Gongsun, "He seemed to have mentioned it and said that he had a sweetheart."

"I didn't say who it is?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Cui Xin shook his head, "I asked him which girl he was from, but he didn't say anything."

Bai Yutang gently touched his chin, thinking about something.

Zhan Zhao paid attention to his expression and felt that he must have thought of some clues.

Everyone chatted with Cui Xin for a long time, but apart from finding out the identity of the deceased, there were few other clues.

Farewell to Cui Xin, Zhan Zhao and others stood up and returned to Kaifeng.

After leaving Shenjia Village, Gongsun asked, "He may be a member of the Cui family. Don't you tell him that there may be any relatives in the Huangshi Jade Shop?"

Zhao Pu and Bai Yutang also visited Zhan Zhao.

"Is he doing well now?" Zhan Zhao said, looking at the three of them with a complicated expression, "Do you think the Yellow Stone Jade Shop is really fine?"

Bai Yutang didn't say anything, and Zhao Pu held his arms and didn't say anything.

Gongsun said, "Although I didn't go to Huangshi Jade Shop, I always feel that they appeared too coincidental."

"I said..." Zhao Pu said, "Cui Hai should have been loyal to Li Bing back then, otherwise the Heavenly Lord would not even refuse to touch the Cui family's jade pendant."

Bai Yutang nodded.

"Do you think...the possibility of rebellion from his descendants is high?" Zhao Pu was worried about his nephew's country.

"No!" Gongsun opened his eyes wide, "A jade shop rebelled? Is this as ridiculous as a butcher shop mutiny?"

"That's true..." Zhao Pu nodded.

"In fact, the Cui family and the Xu family are somewhat similar in a sense." Bai Yutang suddenly said, "It's all people who destroy the family. Before the family is destroyed, they are all big and craftsmen, and their signs are also loud."

Zhan Zhao scratched his head, "It's so annoying!"

Seeing Zhan Zhao's irritability, Bai Yutang said, "When I was replacing the list before, I noticed that on the day Cui Cheng entered the palace to repair the stone wall, there were still many people entering the palace."

Everyone was stunned.

Zhan Zhao was curious, "What day did that day? So many people entered the palace?"

"The banquet is held in the palace." Bai Yutang said, "Many ministers have entered the palace, and..."
To be continued...