mtlumby2d Chapter 2247 Judging Truth from Falsehood
Chapter 2247 Judging Truth from Falsehood
The guard pondered for a moment.
"Your Highness, I have a plan."
Huo Changhe nodded: "Be careful and don't give anything away."
"My subordinate understands."
Upon re-entering the teahouse, the guard went straight to the counter, bowed to Accountant Liu, and showed a hint of anxiety on his face.
"Sir, please inform Manager Zhou that two packets of the black tea and dried tangerine peel I ordered this morning were accidentally lost on the way. I would like to ask you to write down another list so I can go and buy replacements as soon as possible. It would be terrible if it delayed the kitchen."
Accountant Liu looked up and nodded: "Wait here, I'll go and inform them."
Not long after, Zhou Zhenghang came out from the backyard, his face still showing some lingering irritation, his brows furrowed, clearly still troubled by the fact that he had almost been poisoned to death.
He glanced at the guard, his tone impatient: "What happened? How could you lose something so small when you were just buying supplies?"
"Please forgive me, shopkeeper!" The guard hurriedly bowed and begged for forgiveness, his tone filled with fear. "The road was crowded, and I was accidentally bumped into. By the time I realized what was happening, two packs were missing."
Knowing I had caused trouble, I quickly returned to ask the shopkeeper to write another copy so I could go and buy the replacements immediately, ensuring the kitchen wouldn't be delayed in preparing the ingredients.
Zhou Zhenghang snorted coldly, his face full of displeasure, but he had no choice but to turn around and walk behind the counter, pick up a pen, and quickly write on the paper.
After finishing writing, he tore the paper up and threw it to his bodyguard: "Go quickly, and don't cause any more trouble!"
"Thank you, shopkeeper!"
The guard quickly took the paper, folded it neatly, put it in his pocket, bowed again, and turned to walk quickly out of the teahouse.
He walked straight back to the old locust tree at the street corner and handed the newly written list to Huo Changhe with both hands: "Your Highness, this is what I watched him write."
Huo Changhe took the list and unfolded it for a closer look.
The ink on the paper was fresh, consistent with the handwriting in the ledger, but completely different from the handwriting on the tea list and family letters.
He ran his fingertips along the paper, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
It seems that Yu'er's guess was completely correct.
This Zhou Zhenghang is not the same Zhou Zhenghang as before.
The original Zhou Zhenghang should have passed away long ago. His wife and servants probably knew something, and the so-called robbery and murder was just a way to silence them.
Or perhaps Madam Zhou didn't discover anything at all, and was simply eliminated early as a precaution.
Huo Changhe put away the list and instructed the guards, "Keep an eye on the teahouse. Report any movement immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Huo Changhe turned around and went back to the Prince's Mansion to find Yan Ruyu.
Inside the Prince's study, the flickering candlelight cast dappled shadows on the letters, tea lists, and account books on the desk.
Yan Ruyu was holding the family letter she had obtained from Zhou Lao Er, a thoughtful look on her face, and a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance lingered around her nose.
The sound of steady footsteps entered as Huo Changhe pushed open the door, still carrying a hint of the chill of the night dew.
His gaze first fell on the letter in Yan Ruyu's hand, and then he spoke, his tone calm but with a hint of inquiry: "Any new discoveries?"
Yan Ruyu raised her eyes, gently placed the letter on the table, and lightly stroked the edge of the paper with her fingertips: "This letter is poisoned."
Huo Changhe raised an eyebrow, walked closer to the desk, and grabbed her hand: "How are you? Are you alright?"
Seeing his anxious expression, Yan Ruyu smiled faintly and squeezed his hand in return: "You forgot, no poison works on me."
Huo Changhe let out a soft breath, thinking to himself that concern really does lead to confusion.
He steadied himself before asking again, "What kind of poison?"
“It’s not clear yet,” Yan Ruyu tapped the edge of the letter with her fingertip. “The poison is hidden very deeply, attached to the ink. If it weren’t for the space’s early warning, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to detect it at all.”
This poison is extremely volatile; simply opening the letter and looking at it closely for a moment will cause one to inhale the fumes and die silently.
She paused, then looked at Huo Changhe: "Zhou Lao Er said that he kept this letter close to his body the whole time and never opened it along the way. But if he opened it even once..."
He had somehow managed to escape with his life.
Upon hearing this, Huo Changhe glanced at the tea menu and ledger on the table: "Is there any conclusion regarding Zhou Zhenghang's handwriting?"
“It’s already been decided,” Yan Ruyu said, lining up the three documents in order. “Look, this letter and the earliest tea list have strong, vigorous handwriting, with a sharp edge in the turns of the strokes, and the habits of starting and ending the strokes are completely consistent.”
The handwriting in this ledger is completely different from the previous two, indicating it was not written by the same person.
Huo Changhe nodded, took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it over: "This is what I just received, a purchase list written by 'Zhou Zhenghang' himself."
Yan Ruyu took the book, unfolded it, and concluded after a quick glance: "The handwriting is exactly the same as the one in the ledger."
“It seems that the Zhou Zhenghang in Baixing Teahouse now is a fake.” Huo Changhe’s tone was calm, but with an undeniable certainty. “The original owner has probably already met with misfortune.”
Yan Ruyu agreed wholeheartedly: "Zhou Lao Er said that more than a year ago, the Zhou family's ancestral graves were dug up. After he wrote a letter to inform Zhou Zhenghang, he only received this one reply and then there was no further news."
It must have been around that time that the real Zhou Zhenghang had already run into trouble, and this person had taken his place.
She tapped her fingertips lightly on the table: "I plan to send someone to Qingxian County, Chongzhou immediately to verify what Zhou Lao Er said about the disaster, the digging up of the Zhou family's ancestral graves, the many misfortunes and illnesses of Zhou's children and grandchildren, and the situation of his second son, Zhou Shuanzhu."
If what he said is true, the series of misfortunes that have befallen the Zhou family is no accident. There must be someone manipulating things behind the scenes. At that time, we should bring Zhou Shuanzhu to Youcheng as well, and perhaps we can learn more about the inside story.
If he is lying, then his purpose in coming to Youcheng is suspicious, and he will naturally be unable to escape punishment.
Upon hearing this, Huo Changhe pondered for a moment and said, "There's no need to send anyone on the journey."
The garrison commander of Chongzhou and Qi Delong were sworn brothers. He was loyal, reliable, and prudent in his work.
"Just write a letter, send it by carrier pigeon, and ask him to verify these matters. You'll receive a reply within three days, which saves a lot of time compared to sending someone."
A hint of joy flashed in Yan Ruyu's eyes, and a faint smile spread across her face: "That's a good idea. In this way, we can sort things out more quickly and avoid alerting the enemy."
Huo Changhe said no more, turned around and walked to the desk, picked up the pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and quickly wrote a letter.
In just a few words, he listed all the things that needed to be verified.
After finishing writing, he blew on the ink to dry it, folded it, put it in an envelope, and stood up to instruct the guards outside the door: "Give this letter to the secret guards and send it to the Chongzhou City Protector's Office by carrier pigeon."
The guards waiting outside responded, stepped forward, took the envelope, bowed, and withdrew.
Huo Changhe turned back to the desk and looked at the letter in Yan Ruyu's hand: "Do you have any clues about this poison?"
Yan Ruyu picked up the letter again, brought it close to her nose and sniffed it lightly, her brows furrowing slightly: "This poison has a very faint fragrance, but its toxicity is extremely strong. It takes effect silently, and one will die within half an hour."