On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2144 The Secret of the Flower Garden

Li Fu trembled with fright and hurriedly said, "No, no! I would never dare to make things up!"

"I have to slap you, even if I don't dare." Sun Qing's hand was already raised, and he slapped it down cleanly. "Now that it's raised, there's no reason for me to take it back."

The slap was even harder, and Li Fu staggered back a step, almost falling, making a whimpering sound.

He covered his swollen face, trembling with pain, but dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. He could only endure the pain and try to recall the events carefully.

“I don’t know who this corpse is,” Li Fu said, finally managing to utter a complete sentence. “However, I did see the governor come to pay his respects twice.”

As he spoke, he subconsciously glanced at the corpse wrapped in oilcloth, his eyes filled with fear.

The wind in the courtyard seemed colder, and the locust leaves rustled as if in response to his words.

Yan Ruyu asked, "Are the flowers and plants in Governor Ding's study changed frequently?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Li Fu nodded hurriedly, afraid that he would be slapped again if he spoke too slowly. "The governor loves flowers, and the flower garden outside the study is replaced with precious flowers and plants every month."

Last month it was Luoyang peonies, this month they've been replaced with exotic flowers from the Western Regions. However…”

Wu Liang shouted angrily from the side, "But what? Speak up!"

Li Fu frowned, trying hard to recall: "However, he doesn't take good care of flowers. He used to pay some attention to them, but since Madam passed away, he has no interest in them."

"I still buy them, but I don't really take care of them."

Yan Ruyu pondered, "Did Governor Ding personally select the flowers and plants in his study?"

“Not all of them,” Li Fu said. “Most of them were sent by a merchant surnamed Wu, who said he was a distant relative of the governor and would send some precious flowers and plants over every month.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Qing couldn't help but retort angrily, "Why didn't you say something so important sooner!"

As she was about to raise her hand again, Li Fu was so frightened that he quickly shrank back, but Yan Ruyu raised her hand to stop him.

"A merchant surnamed Wu?" Yan Ruyu's voice carried a hint of coldness. "Where does this man live? What is his relationship with Governor Ding?"

Li Fu shook his head, his face full of difficulty: "I don't know his exact address, I only know that he comes to the mansion every month to deliver flowers and has a long private conversation with the governor in the study."

As for their relationship... they seem quite close, but I can't discern anything else.

Yan Ruyu pondered to herself, could this merchant surnamed Wu be Wu Ping'an? But what did he mean by sending flowers?

"Take us to the flower garden." Yan Ruyu turned and left.

Li Fu dared not delay. Covering his swollen face, he hurriedly followed, his steps unsteady, but he dared not utter a single complaint.

Sun Qing and Wu Liang followed closely behind, one watching over Li Fu and the other waking up the unconscious servant, telling him to go back first.

The flower garden of the governor's mansion was hidden in the northwest corner of the government office, a world apart from the garden in the front yard.

Yan Ruyu walked slowly closer, her gaze sweeping over the precious flowers, but she showed no appreciation whatsoever.

She had no knowledge of flowers and herbs. Whether it was the "Yao Huang Wei Zi" peony or the elegant and refined orchid, in her eyes they were nothing more than ordinary vegetation covering the ground.

"Wu Liang, Sun Qing." Yan Ruyu stopped and said in a calm voice, "You two stand guard outside the door. No one is allowed to approach."

Wu Liang clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "Yes."

Yan Ruyu walked deeper into the flower garden.

She raised her hand and gently pressed her eyelids. When she lowered her eyes for a moment and then raised them again, a very faint silver light appeared deep in her pupils.

Ordinary eyes can penetrate layers of soil to reach the originally flat ground.

She walked very lightly, her gaze always fixed on the ground.

Meanwhile, Li Fu was pinned to the ground, his knees aching from the impact, but he dared not move an inch, only kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"Spare me! I really didn't do anything heinous!"

Sun Qing squatted down, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Didn't you do anything? Governor Ding's crimes are heinous, and you are his steward. You say you didn't?"

Li Fu froze, his lips trembling as he said, "I really don't know!"

Wu Liang stood to the side, arms crossed, his gaze sharp as a knife: "You'd better tell me honestly, or you'll suffer."

Li Fu's face was deathly pale, and he avoided looking directly at the two of them.

“I said, a servant once accidentally broke the governor’s jade inkstone. The governor was furious and ordered me to dispose of it.”

"How was it handled?" Sun Qing pressed.

"Little one, little one, tie him up and throw him into the dry well behind the mountain..." Li Fu's voice was barely audible, and after he finished speaking, he lowered his head even further.

Wu Liang frowned: "Anything else? There's more than one person who has disappeared without a trace from the governor's mansion over the years."

Li Fu shuddered in fright and quickly continued to confess: "And there's the maid Xiao Cui. She accidentally bumped into the governor, and the governor told me to handle it, so I... I sold her to a brothel in another place."

The conversation became increasingly trivial, ranging from heinous crimes to petty squabbles. Sun Qing's lips twitched slightly as he listened, and he couldn't help but look at Wu Liang.

Wu Liang was also looking at him, a hint of barely suppressed amusement in his eyes.

"You're capable of anything," Sun Qing said, his tone still serious. "Think again, is there anything even bigger?"

Just then, the door to the flowerbed was pushed open, and Yan Ruyu walked out slowly.

Her face was much darker than when she went in, cold as ice, and she exuded a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay.

Sun Qing and Wu Liang immediately composed themselves and respectfully stepped forward, saying, "Master."

Yan Ruyu glanced at the two of them: "Find someone to dig."

Sun Qing and Wu Liang exchanged a glance, not daring to delay. Sun Qing immediately went to call for help, while Wu Liang continued to keep an eye on Li Fu.

Before long, a dozen people arrived carrying shovels and hoes, and stood in neat rows waiting for instructions.

Yan Ruyu walked to the entrance of the flower bed and pointed to three locations in turn: "Start from these three places, dig down according to the marks, be gentle and don't damage what's underneath."

"Yes!" the constables replied in unison, and immediately took their tools and went into the flower garden to dig in the location Yan Ruyu pointed out.

At first, what was dug out was mature soil mixed with pine needles, which was black in color and soft in texture.

After digging about three feet deep, one of the men's shovels seemed to have hit something.

"There's something here!"

Yan Ruyu walked over and gestured for him to slow down.

He carefully brushed away the surrounding soil, revealing a piece of dark red cloth, and then the outline of a corpse gradually appeared.

The corpse had begun to rot, emitting a foul odor. The constables couldn't help but frown, but no one dared to stop.

Sun Qing and Wu Liang followed them in. When they saw the corpse, the last trace of smiles on their faces disappeared, and their expressions became solemn.

"Keep digging." Yan Ruyu's voice remained unchanged, her eyes still cold.