Chapter 56: A Mysterious Night Meeting

  No matter what Yu Fu says, it cannot change the fact.

  His daughter Yu Tingting is problematic in her style, she has a man and the rice is already cooked.

  After Yu Fu and Qi Yan's emotions calmed down, Hua Lang gave Bao Zheng a signal with his eyes, and Bao Zheng nodded slightly. He then turned to Yu Fu and Qi Yan and said: "The dead are already dead, the most important thing is to find the murderer, so please cooperate."

  Yu Fu and Qi Yingying both remained silent. Bao Zheng saw this and immediately asked: "Last night was very hot, but the night sky was good, it's a perfect setting for lovers to meet in secret. I suspect that Yu Tingting was killed by her lover, so I'd like to ask you two to think carefully, has there been any man who had been close to Yu Tingting recently?"

  The status of women in the Song Dynasty was not low, and they could usually go out for a walk at ordinary times, play with men, and it was not really necessary to stay indoors all the time, so when Bao Zheng asked this question, it was also understandable.

  Only Yu Fu and Qi Yan thought for a long time, shaking their heads and saying they didn't know what man their daughter was with.

  After hearing the answers from both of them, Bao Gong was very indignant. As elders, they didn't even know who their own daughter was with, nor did they have any clues. How could they be considered elders if all they knew was to dote on her?

  Because of his anger, Bao Gong's tone became much colder and he said: "Is there any young man who often goes to your mansion?"

  Yu Fu saw that Bao Zheng's tone suddenly turned cold, and he knew that his behavior had offended Bao Zheng. As a merchant, he didn't dare to offend an official, so he thought hard and said: "Actually, there is one person, the son of a business friend who often comes to my house to discuss business with me, and has met my daughter a few times."

  Everyone who heard it had a clue and was somewhat excited. Bao Gong asked hastily: "Who is that person?"

  "It was Lu Ming who did the tea business. His father is old now, and all of the Lu family's tea business is taken care of by Lu Ming alone. Because of some business matters, we often meet."

  "What is Lu Ming's character like?" Bao Zheng continued to ask.

  Yu Fu hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Liu Mingyi has been living a life of luxury since birth, so he's a bit arrogant in front of his peers and is quite charming, but when it comes to doing business, he's actually very capable."

  After hearing Yu Fu's words, Hua Lang smiled secretly, and Yu Fu was probably the same kind of person too. They were of the same kind, which was why they often met.

  Bao Zheng sank into thought for a moment, then immediately gave an order, letting the bailiffs go and bring Lu Ming to ask questions.

  After the two yamen runners left, Bao Zheng asked Hualang: "How does Brother Hua view this case?"

  Hualang took a deep breath and said, "The murderer stabbed Yuting twenty-one times, which shows how much the murderer hated Yuting. Yuting was quite arrogant and it's possible that she offended someone. However, hating someone to this extent is unreasonable. Even if they hated her so much, killing her would have been enough, but why did the murderer still slash sixteen more times after she died?"

  What Hualang said, Baoqiang and others couldn't understand. No matter how much a man hates a woman, he can't hate her to this extent. Men's hatred is different from women's. Their hatred for women is too short-lived. Because they can lose one woman and find another, they have the capital, because this era gives men the power to have three wives and four concubines.

  About half a time later, the bailiff finally brought Lu Ming over. Lu Ming was tall with clear and handsome eyebrows, but there was a kind of unruliness between his brows, and when he smiled slightly, he gave people a treacherous feeling.

  Lu Ming didn't understand what was going on and after entering the county government office, he hastily cried out: "Your Honor, I am innocent, why have you brought me here?"

  After listening to Lu Ming's words, Bao Gong only smiled coldly and asked: "Do you know Yu Lao Ban's daughter Yu Tingting?"

  Lu Ming nodded: "I know."

  "Do you know she was murdered?"

  Lu Ming was shocked and asked: "Yu Tingting is dead?"

  After seeing Lu Ming's expression, Hua Lang was a bit suspicious. Judging from his expression, he didn't seem to be lying, but now the only man who had contact with Yu Tingting was him, and he was a playboy, Yu Tingting was quite attractive, they must have had a good impression of each other when they met, could it be that Lu Ming was a master actor and his surprise was fake?

  Hualang thought he would observe carefully again before making a decision.

  Bao Zheng nodded: "That's right, Yu Tingting is dead. She was killed last night in a hutong on West Street. I've come to ask you, what is your relationship with Yu Tingting?"

  Lu Ming's soul was still unsettled, and it wasn't until after a long while that he finally opened his mouth to answer: "I met Yu Tingting at the Yu manor, and afterwards we often interacted with each other, so you could say our relationship is one of friendship."

  "Is it really just a friendship?"

  Lu Ming heard Bao Zheng ask this, knowing that Bao Zheng suspected him of killing Yu Tingting, and somewhat angrily yet impatiently said: "Of course it's just a friendship, what else could it be?"

  Lu Ming's tone of speech caused Bao Gong to be dissatisfied, and he sternly rebuked: "Yu Fu said that normally only you, a young man, often go to the Yu residence. Now that Yu Tingting has been killed, after verification, she is no longer a virgin. Do you still have anything to say?"

  Lu Ming sneered and said, "What does it have to do with me if Yu Tingting is no longer a virgin? She and I are just friends and we haven't done anything that crosses the line of propriety. If you insist on accusing me of something with Yu Tingting, then just sentence me directly, why bother speaking so much?"

  Lu Ming was so arrogant that he didn't take Bao Zheng seriously. Bao Zheng angrily shouted, "Guards, give this man fifty heavy slaps for me, and see if he'll confess or not."

  Judge Bao was about to use torture, when Hua Gong hastily stepped forward and said: "Your Honor, please wait. I have a few questions for Lu Ming. May I ask them?"

  At this time, Bao Gong had somewhat calmed down and realized that he was a bit impulsive earlier. He looked at Hua Lang and nodded: "Alright!"

  Hualang cupped his hands in gratitude, then looked at Lu Ming with a faint smile: "You and Yuting have an intimate relationship, we suspect that you two have something to do with each other, it's reasonable. Why get angry? Getting angry will only make us think you're hiding something."

  Lu Ming heard Hualang's words and said: "I didn't conceal anything, I also don't have anything good to conceal."

  Hualang smiled coldly: "Don't say any more nonsense, do you and Yuting often go out to play?"

  Lu Ming knew his current situation and didn't dare to contradict, so he replied: "Indeed, when I'm free, I often invite three or five good friends to my tea house to taste tea. Yu Tingting is the daughter of Old Man Yu, and since I have business dealings with him, I also frequently invite her to play."