"I..." Her voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible, "I am a woman, what can I do?"
Zhou Qi looked at her and was silent for a moment.
Then he spoke, his tone was a little lighter than before, but every word was clear. "Today, in the name of monk Foundation Establishment, Seventh Layer, I will make the decision for you and help you investigate. If anything happens, I will take care of it."
He paused and looked directly into Madam Liu's eyes. "Unless you want your husband to die in an unknown way."
Silence.
The hall was so quiet that you could hear the chattering of the maid's teeth.
The white flags outside the window were blown by the wind, as if someone was sighing.
Madam Liu stood there, tears streaming down silently.
She looked at Zhou Qi and moved her lips several times, as if she wanted to say something, but also as if she was hesitating.
After a long while, she took a deep breath, wiped her face with a handkerchief, and raised her head.
Those eyes were red, but something inside had changed.
It is no longer the forced calmness before, but a kind of determination, the kind of determination that "I have nothing to lose".
"You... can you really make the decision for me, a widow?"
Zhou Qi nodded.
Madam Liu closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his voice was much calmer. "Okay, I believe you."
"Gather everyone in the house to the front hall." Zhou Qi said.
Madam Liu hesitated for a moment. "There are not many people in the house, so I will ask someone to call them."
She turned around and ordered the maid.
The maid ran away at a trot, and the sound of her footsteps soon disappeared in the corridor.
Zhou Qi walked out of the Main Hall and stood in the center of the front hall.
This place is much more spacious than Main Hall, and is usually used to entertain guests and hold weddings and weddings.
It was empty at the moment, with only a few chairs and an altar table. On the altar table was the memorial tablet Liu Wenyuan, with three sticks of incense burning in front of it, and green smoke curling up.
He didn't wait long.
Servants, maids, and nurses came out from all over the place one by one, and stood in the front hall cautiously.
Some people are still trembling, and some people have their heads lowered and dare not look at anyone, holding on to the pillar next to them.
Zhou Qi stood in the center, and the pressure spread out silently, covering the entire Liu Residence.
No one can lie in front of him.
He looked over one by one: the old servant with sloppy steps, the maid trembling with fear, and the nurse with a pale face.
Everyone's breath was in his perception, as clear as reading an open book.
No exception.
They are all ordinary people who are afraid of getting into trouble.
He asked Madam Liu: "Is this everyone?"
Madam Liu stood beside him, scanning the people standing in the hall and counting them one by one.
The cook, the nurse in the front yard, the maid next to the wife, the young master's book boy...
"They're all here..." She suddenly paused mid-sentence.
Her eyes fell on the small room in the corner of the yard, which was the residence of Liu An.
"And the official Liu An." Madam Liu's voice was a little lower, "You just..."
Zhou Qi Divine Sense Sweep.
In that small room, a man was sitting beside the bed, holding his knees with his hands and trembling all over.
It wasn't painful, and the injury wouldn't have made him shake like this.
It's scary.
I knew something bad was going to happen just now when I heard that Foundation Establishment, Seventh Layer monk asking everyone to go to the front hall.
Who would have thought that someone would act so recklessly after someone in their family just died.
Zhou Qi raised the corners of his mouth slightly. "It's you."
His figure flashed and disappeared from the spot.
Madam Liu felt his eyes blurred, and the next moment, Zhou Qi had appeared in the yard, holding Liu An's collar in his hand, dragging him into the front hall like a chicken.
Liu An's feet left two traces on the ground. He wanted to struggle, but he couldn't exert any strength, so he could only let Zhou Qi drag him away.
"Bang."
Zhou Qi threw Liu An to the ground.
Liu An was lying on the ground, his face pressed against the cold blue bricks, and his whole body was shaking like chaff.
He raised his head and saw Madam Liu standing in front. His lips trembled a few times and he wanted to say something, but he couldn't say a word.
Zhou Qi stood in front of him and looked at him condescendingly.
The other side.
As soon as Zhou Qi arrived at the Liu Family gate on horseback, he was seen by Yao Ke who came to stare at him.
Hurry back home and report to Yao Ke.
Yao Ke is still painting in the study. He thinks that this game Yao Qing cannot be broken.
The servant hurriedly ran into the house and told Yao Ke everything.
Yao Ke frowned slightly after hearing this, is this Zhou Qi out of seclusion?
The room was silent for a while, Yao Ke was thinking about how to deal with it.
But unfortunately, there is no one under his command who can compete with Zhou Qi.
The most powerful Hu Zhong is nothing but Foundation Establishment, Fifth Layer.
After another period of hesitation, Yao Ke said, "Go and notify Shuntian Prefecture Qian Hongyi and ask him to take people to Liu Residence."
The servant lowered his head. "What's the reason?"
"Murder the family members of the deceased imperial officials!"
Zhou Qi looked at the butler Liu An whose feet were shaking like chaff.
I was about to ask.
Outside the courtyard gate, the sound of dense footsteps and the collision of beetle leaves came from far and near, as if a group of people were rushing here quickly.
That voice was very neat, not the footsteps of ordinary people, but the footsteps of well-trained officials.
Zhou Qi Divine Sense Sweep.
More than thirty police officers blocked the front door and back alleys of Liu Residence.
The leader is riding on a horse, wearing a sixth-grade official uniform, Foundation Establishment, Fourth Layer.
It is Shuntian Prefecture Fu Cheng, Qian Hongyi.
Zhou Qi frowned slightly, it came too soon.
The courtyard door was kicked open.
Qian Hongyi strode in, followed by more than a dozen officers, with their swords unsheathed and sticks raised, looking menacing.
He immediately saw Liu An lying on the ground, and then saw Zhou Qi standing at the door of the Main Hall, with a trace of caution flashing across his face.
People at Yao Ke said it before I came here.
"Be careful and don't underestimate the enemy. This person is Foundation Establishment, Sixth Layer Peak."
Qian Hongyi glanced at Zhou Qi and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you break into the imperial official's residence and commit murder and hurt people!"
In one sentence, first characterize Zhou Qi's crime.
Zhou Qi is not afraid of the opponent's battles. He is a master of Foundation Establishment, Ninth Layer, so Great Yong Dynasty can walk sideways here.
I just don't want to have a direct conflict with the authorities.
So he turned around and glanced at Madam Liu.
Madam Liu understood, took a step forward, and gave a blessing. "Qian Fucheng misunderstood, this is Mr. Zhou, Yao Residence's guest, and he came to express his condolences."
"Just now Liu An spoke rudely and bumped into a guest. Mr. Zhou just taught him a lesson and did not commit any murder."
She spoke politely and in a low-key manner. She said "trespassing" as "condolences" and "beating" as "teaching someone a lesson", which gave Qian Hongyi enough face.
But Qian Hongyi is here to cause trouble today.
He sneered and glanced at Madam Liu, his eyes like looking at something dirty. "Condolences? Huh, you woman, are you eating the inside and outside? Your husband has only been dead for two days, and the bones are not cold, so you lure outsiders into your home? Liu Wenyuan is a spirit in heaven, I'm afraid you can't close your eyes, right?"
Madam Liu turned pale and his lips trembled.
Qian Hongyi had no intention of letting her go. He took a step forward and said louder, "I heard that you were by Liu Wenyuan's side on the day of his accident. You knew better than anyone else what medicine he took and who he met.
"What's better now, instead of helping to investigate the case, you can speak for the person who hit the person?
"Why, you feel that Yao Family's legs are thicker than Liu Family, so you are anxious to hug her?"