Chen Xiaobei frowned upon hearing this.
At this point, whether it was possible or not, they had to verify it.
Yao Sheng was very straightforward, leading everyone in a hurry to find He Zhen.
He Zhen's family's restaurant was called Duyiwei.
In the top private room at this moment, the lights were still bright, and the sounds of finger-guessing games could be heard intermittently.
Yao Sheng stepped forward and beckoned to a waiter in the restaurant.
The waiter, seeing Yao Sheng arrive, appeared very courteous. He bowed to Yao Sheng and said, "Greetings, Shopkeeper Yao. Why have you come so late?"
Yao Sheng slightly bowed and asked, "May I inquire if the person dining upstairs is Young Master He Zhen?"
The waiter nodded, "Yes, my young master went hunting today and had a bountiful harvest. He's in high spirits and has had a few extra drinks tonight."
Upon hearing this, Yao Sheng turned to look at Chen Xiaobei, implying, "See, he's drinking here. He's definitely not involved in Feng Xiaoyue's abduction, right?"
Chen Xiaobei was about to speak again when Liu Rumei interjected, "If that's the case, then we have wrongly accused He Zhen. Let's head back."
On the way back to Sihai Restaurant, Liu Rumei politely thanked Yao Sheng, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Yao, for your assistance. We will find an inn to stay in for the night, and deal with the rest tomorrow."
After saying this, regardless of whether Chen Xiaobei agreed or not, Liu Rumei dragged him towards a nearby inn.
At this time, there was no need for real-name registration to stay at an inn; one could simply pay and stay.
Liu Rumei requested a superior room and pulled Chen Xiaobei inside.
Once inside the room, Chen Xiaobei finally couldn't help but speak, "Rumei, what are you doing? Yao Sheng might have been able to tell us a few more suspects, but you just sent him away..."
Liu Rumei sighed, "Brother Xiaobei, you saw it too. It's almost the fourth watch, and all the establishments are closing. If we were to search house by house now, it would cause too much commotion."
Chen Xiaobei finally understood, "You mean you're afraid of alerting the real culprits?"
Liu Rumei nodded, "Yes. If we make a big show of searching, and the real culprits escape in the meantime, it will be even harder to find them."
Chen Xiaobei sat down on a chair helplessly, "But we can't just wait for the culprits to reveal themselves, can we?"
Liu Rumei smiled slightly, "They certainly won't reveal themselves. I have a plan. I'll go out with Zimi and Ziliang later and listen in on the establishments that still have lights on. Perhaps we'll find something."
Chen Xiaobei frowned upon hearing this, "This might not be proper."
"Tsk, who cares if it's proper or not? Let's find Xiaoyue first."
Chen Xiaobei pondered for a moment and agreed. Indeed, at this point, it didn't matter what methods they used; finding the person was the most important thing.
Hearing that they were going to eavesdrop, the young girl volunteered, "Sister, sister, I'll go to Duyiwei. I think He Zhen is the most suspicious."
Liu Rumei smiled and shook her head, "The more you think he's suspicious, the more you shouldn't go. I'll handle Duyiwei. You go elsewhere!"
"Sister, why is that?" the young girl asked, puzzled.
Liu Rumei smiled and explained, "The more you suspect He Zhen, the more flustered you'll be when you see him. If He Zhen says something you misunderstand, you might rush out and beat him up."
The young girl scratched her head sheepishly, "Alright then, I'll go check somewhere else."
With the plan decided, everyone changed into their night clothes and split up to carry out their missions.
Liu Rumei, moving along the shadows, returned to Duyiwei. She leaped up and landed on the roof of the third floor.
Inside the private room below, conversations were lively, and He Zhen was drinking and entertaining his companions.
"Come, come, try this. The rabbit we hunted today is exceptionally delicious."
"Yes, yes, and the wild pheasant too. Eat more, everyone."
Liu Rumei hooked her feet onto the eaves and hung upside down like a bat. She gently poked a small hole in the paper window. Through the hole, she could see a young man sitting at the head of the table, holding a wine cup and swaying slightly, clearly showing signs of intoxication.
The others raised their wine cups and flattered him again, "Young Master He's archery skills are divine." "Indeed, it's not an exaggeration to say he can hit a target from a hundred paces."
Flattered by their compliments, He Zhen became quite animated and gulped down another large cup of wine.
Just then, a skinny fellow with a pointed mouth and sly eyes chuckled and said, "Everyone, why don't we call it a night? Young Master He has something important to attend to."
He Zhen, however, waved his hand, "It's not important, not important. Nothing is as enjoyable as drinking with you brothers."
The skinny fellow leaned in and whispered a few words into He Zhen's ear.
Only then did He Zhen seem to remember. He tapped his head gently with his hand, "Yes, yes, yes, my friend reminded me. I had forgotten about it. We'll drink only this much tonight."
The others also seemed a little disappointed that the evening was ending, but since the host had spoken, they couldn't linger. They all stood up and bid farewell to He Zhen.
After everyone had left, He Zhen looked at the skinny fellow and asked, "Is what you said true?"
The fellow nodded, "It's true. I've already brought the person to your room. Young Master He only needs to return and enjoy."
He Zhen nodded with satisfaction, "Go to the accounting office tomorrow and collect fifty taels of silver. Say it's my reward for you."
The fellow profusely thanked him, then helped He Zhen stand up. They staggered downstairs together.
He Zhen's residence was not far behind the restaurant, a spacious mansion. It was only a few steps from the back door of the restaurant.
Watching He Zhen enter the courtyard, Liu Rumei quickly slid down from the roof, stealthily followed him, and then leaped back onto the wall.
She saw He Zhen stagger towards a lit room in the main house.
Liu Rumei looked around but found no guards. She thought it was understandable; in a town like this, even wealthy families probably wouldn't post guards at night.
After entering the room, He Zhen's eyes immediately fell upon Feng Xiaoyue, lying on the bed. The young man's mouth began to water. He wiped his lips and stepped forward, "Xiaoyue, Xiaoyue, you don't know how long I've yearned for you. I never expected we would consummate our union today."
After muttering for a while, he found that Feng Xiaoyue showed no reaction. He Zhen extended a finger and tested it under Feng Xiaoyue's nose, then nodded with a smile.
"Good, good, still breathing. That's good, that's good."
With that, he began to undress, first taking off his long robe.
At this moment, Liu Rumei had already arrived outside the room.
She poked a hole in the paper window and saw Feng Xiaoyue lying on the bed. Although her back was to Liu Rumei, preventing her from seeing her face clearly, she had clearly heard He Zhen's words.
Seeing that it was indeed He Zhen who had committed the crime, Liu Rumei's anger surged.