Why Would I Kill an Actor?

Zhao Hu looked at the wet nurse and said, "You... you actually put seafood in my son's food."

Song Rusheng looked at him and said, "Come on! You actually know everything, and I don't want to waste my breath on you."

Zhao Hu looked at Song Rusheng and said, "So what do you want?"

"Divorce me, and give me back my dowry."

Zhao Hu scoffed coldly. "Dream on, Song Rusheng, don't even think about it."

Song Rusheng smiled faintly and said, "Zhao Hu, if you're unwilling to give me the divorce papers, I'll sue you. I have backup copies of my dowry list."

Zhao Hu thought for a moment and said:

"You just want a dowry? I don't even want your dowry!"

Someone, gather up her dowry; if it's not enough, convert it into cash.

I'll be rich soon, I don't need this."

He was still dreaming: 3 million taels of silver, doubled to 6 million taels. So what if that foreign merchant ran away?

These medicinal herbs are selling like hotcakes!

Many people had inquired about the origin of his medicinal herbs before.

Song Rusheng quickly received her dowry: three shops, an estate, the house here, and 30,000 taels of silver.

She looked at Zhou Wanwan and said, "Miss, I'm willing to go with you. All these things are my willing offerings to you."

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly and said:

"I have never had the habit of asking for a dowry."

"How about you help me manage the pharmacies under my name?"

Song Rusheng knelt down and said, "I'll do whatever you ask me to do. You saved my life."

Zhou Wanwan liked Song Rusheng's attitude very much. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a waiter rush over and say, "Master, something terrible has happened! That Young Master Zheng has disappeared!"

All the merchants from Hu left, but Zhao Hu remained calm.

But when Young Master Zheng left, he was truly panicked, as all his money was with him.

But after searching for a long time, the place was already deserted.

A group of herbal medicine merchants stood at the door, sobbing uncontrollably. "Report to the authorities! Report to the authorities immediately!"

Even if the government intervened, it was useless; in the end, nothing was resolved.

After inspecting the place, the officials said, "No one has ever rented this pharmacy. You've been scammed."

Everyone was dumbfounded; it turned out it was all a charade that had swindled them out of all their money.

Zhao Hu collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly. "It's all over, everything's over."

He wiped away his tears and rushed straight to Song Rusheng's house, but unfortunately he couldn't even get in.

He shouted, "Song Rusheng, for the sake of our past as husband and wife, please open the door! I have nothing left."

Song Rusheng came out from inside, looked down at Zhao Hu kneeling on the ground, and said, "Zhao Hu, this ending suits you well. Don't come again. I don't want to see you again."

Zhao Hu looked at her and said, "Madam, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, please forgive me! I was seduced by her back then."

Song Rusheng sneered:

"That's what men always say when they do something wrong; they blame everything on women."

But I know perfectly well how you've treated me all these years.

So don't make excuses for yourself, don't find reasons to justify your actions.

You still owe 500,000 taels of silver, so you'd better focus on paying it off in the days to come!

Having resolved this matter, Zhou Wanwan became busy again.

They began investigating the opera house case, when patrolling soldiers discovered a male corpse lying in a private room on the top floor of the opera house.

The male corpse has long since been placed in a mortuary, and it's probably already rotting and stinking.

Nobody knows who this man is.

Zhou Wanwan went straight to the theater, where she looked at the books and kept trying to find out information.

A tree said, "The man who went into the theater that day was named Su Ling; he was an actress."

Zhou Wanwan looked at them and asked, "Besides these actors, did anyone else enter the theater?"

"Yes, there was a very well-dressed man wearing a mask, so his face couldn't be seen."

Zhou Wanwan nodded. As long as they followed this clue, they would surely find the answer.

Sure enough, the investigation quickly led to the Marquis Yongning's Residence. Zhou Wanwan raised an eyebrow; this matter was somehow connected to the Marquis Yongning's Residence again.

It was only later that they learned that the man was killed by the Marquis.

When Marquis Yongning was brought to the Court of Judicial Review, he still looked completely bewildered.

"Why are you arresting me? What did I do wrong?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at Marquis Yongning and said, "Marquis Yongning, you must have a bad memory. Where were you on the fifteenth of the first month last month?"

Marquis Yongning looked at Zhou Wanwan and said, "What does this have to do with a child like you?"

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review looked at him coldly and said, "Answer the truth."

Marquis Yongning shook his head and said, "How could I possibly remember something from so long ago?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said, "Then let me remind you, the opera house."

Marquis Yongning squinted at Zhou Wanwan and said, "I don't understand."

Zhou Wanwan looked at Marquis Yongning and said:

Do you think you can kill someone and get away with it without anyone knowing?

But if you kill someone, you will definitely leave traces.

Look what this is!

This is a jade thumb ring.

Marquis Yongning's pupils contracted as he looked at the jade thumb ring and said, "How would I know? These kinds of jade thumb rings are everywhere."

Zhou Wanwan shook her head and said, "This jade thumb ring is quite rare. It was bestowed by the royal family, and your names are on it, so you can't deny it."

"So what? Why would I kill an actor?"

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and suddenly laughed, "We didn't even say who he was, how could you just blurt out that he's an actor!"

Marquis Yongning wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "What's so difficult about that? It's all over the place. They're saying a ghost killed someone, and who else could it be but an actor in the theater?"

Zhou Wanwan sneered, "Still trying to deny it? Marquis Yongning will stop at nothing to cover up his shameful deeds!"

Everyone was stunned.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review looked at Zhou Wanwan and said:

"Zhou Wanwan, stop beating around the bush, what exactly is going on?"

Why do you say he's trying to cover up his own shameful deeds?

Zhou Wanwan said:

Outsiders say that Marquis Yongning, Xiao Heng, is a womanizer and has a large number of concubines in his mansion, but this is not the case. He prefers men.

Many years ago, Su Heng, a famous actor in the capital, was Su Ling's elder brother.

He was the most beautiful woman in the Peking Opera world when he first entered the industry. He met Xiao Heng, who was attending the banquet incognito, at a private banquet for nobles.

Xiao Heng fell in love at first sight and, setting aside his status as a marquis, became extremely close to him, frequently inviting him out in private. The two kept their relationship a secret from everyone and secretly stayed together for several years.

Later, when Xiao Heng wanted to get married, Su Heng wanted to live his own life, and the two argued. In the end Su Heng was killed by Xiao Heng.

Su Ling originally wanted to avenge her brother, but little did she know that she would be killed by Xiao Heng with a colorless and odorless poison.

This poison must be hidden on Xiao Heng's person.

Xiao Heng's face darkened. "Nonsense! My wife is my dearest. How could I possibly love someone else, especially a man? Do you believe I'll chop off your head?"