"Master Zhu, Master Zhao, I have something to report to you in my humble position." The clerk stepped forward, bowed to Magistrate Zhao and Zhu Pingan, and said with a somewhat excited expression.
"Master Zhu, this is our yamen office clerk Zuo Qian. He was born in Tongsheng and has always been careful and serious in his work."
Zhao Zhixian softly introduced Zhu Pingan.
"That's right, Secretary Zuo, what did you find?" Zhu Pingan nodded approvingly and asked Zuo Qian.
"Back to your lord, when I was inquiring about the records of Liuwang Town Yizhuang, I discovered that Liuwang Town Yizhuang undertook three funerals during the incident. Among them, when I was doing the funeral for the maid of Zhaozhuang's wife, I encountered a strange thing.
At that time, Zhao Yuanwai sent someone to invite them over, saying that a maid in their family had died unfortunately. When Liuwang Town Yizhuang arrived at Zhao Yuanwai, the coffin was being closed. They only had time to take a look and saw a young maid wearing a
The shroud was lying in the thin coffin. After the coffin was closed, it was carried to the outside of the town for burial. When the people of Yizhuang, Liuwang Town, carried the coffin for the funeral, they felt that the coffin was very light. Although it was a thin coffin, it was a little abnormally light, as if it were a coffin.
There was no restraint there. At that time, they thought Mr. Zhao was stingy and had cut corners on the thin coffin for the maid, so they didn’t think much of it.”
Zuo Qian stepped forward and quietly reported the doubtful points recorded in Yizhuang in Liuwang Town to Zhu Ping'an and the magistrate Zhao in detail.
When Zhao Zhixian heard this, he immediately became excited. This doubt was worth digging into. He looked at Zhu Pingan excitedly.
Zhu Pingan nodded slightly.
"Check who made the coffin for Mr. Zhao's wife at that time and see if any corners were cut." Magistrate Zhao ordered.
"My lord, my position has been verified." Clerk Zuo replied, "It was made by Qianji Coffin Shop in Liuwang Town. Qianji Coffin Shop swore that although the coffin they made for Zhao Yuan's wife was thin,
But there is absolutely no cutting corners, they are all using real materials, they are making conscience money, and they will be punished if they cut corners."
"Is it cutting corners or there is something fishy? You will know once you check it out." Zhu Pingan made a quick decision and decided to go check it out immediately.
County Magistrate Zhao immediately made arrangements, "What Mr. Zhu said is absolutely true. Invite the people from Yizhuang, Liuwang Town, and ask where the maid from Zhao's wife's family is buried. Ask them to lead the way. We will take the widowers and others to open the coffin."
Autopsy.”
Soon, the county government officials were ready to go.
"Sir, the maid of Zhao's wife's family is buried outside Liuwang Town, in the mountain forest belonging to the Zhao family."
People in Yizhuang, Liuwang Town, remember clearly that they got on the carriage of the Yamen and led the way, leading everyone there.
After hearing about it, Chen Dacheng and his clan members outside the Yamen also followed.
Soon, the people from Liuwang Town Yizhuang led everyone to the place where there was a small tomb in an inconspicuous place among the mountains and forests.
After burning a pile of paper money, Zhu Ping'an bowed to the grave bag and said, "If you offend me, I will make the decision for you."
Zhixian Zhao also bowed his hands and waved his hands to order the people and officers of Yizhuang to start digging.
After a while, the coffin was dug out.
Indeed, as Liuwang Town Qianji Coffin said, although this coffin is thin, it is indeed full of workmanship and materials.
Open the coffin.
The Yamen chief began to conduct an autopsy.
Everyone covered their mouths and noses and came forward to look. As soon as they saw it, there was a burst of confusion, "Huh? No, there is something wrong in this coffin. Why is the bottom of the head so flat, as if there is only one layer of clothes?"
After Wu Zuohua opened her clothes, there was an unexpected scream, "Why is there only one head, and underneath it is a ball of rotten cotton?"
Although the head was rotten and could not be identified, it was obvious that this head was the one we were looking for.
Zhao Zhixian couldn't help but look at Zhu Ping'an with admiration. He was so shocked that if it weren't for the wrong occasion, he would have fallen to the ground.
"The night is long and there are many dreams. Magistrate Zhao should give the order quickly." Zhu Ping'an took a deep breath and said to Magistrate Zhao.
"Yes." Zhixian Zhao nodded vigorously, and then ordered his subordinates to arrest the head, "Follow the order, and Zhao Yuanwai will be arrested and brought to justice."
"Follow your orders." The captain took the order.
"Wait a minute. At the same time, search Yuan Zhao's home carefully, don't miss any place, whether it's a well, a secret room, or a tunnel. Dig three feet into the ground and dig it all over again. After you find Chen Erlang's wife Zhang, take her with her."
Go back to the county government office. If you can't find it, ask everyone in charge of Zhao's family one by one if they have seen Zhang, whether there is a secret room in Zhao's house, and where Zhao has been frequently and mysteriously coming and going recently. After asking,
Go to the place immediately, find Zhang, and bring them back to the county government together; if Zhang is not found, arrest Yuan Zhao first and bring him to justice." Zhu Ping'an stopped the arrester and gave further instructions.
After the head was found, the case became clear. The instigator of Chen Erlang's wife-murder case was none other than Zhao Yuanwai, and the victim was the maid in Zhao Yuanwai's house. The reason why the maid's head was cut off was to confuse people.
Mistakenly thinking that the victim was Zhang; the purpose of doing this is self-evident.
"Oh, yes, yes," Zhao Zhixian said thoughtfully and nodded repeatedly.
"Follow your orders." The captain took the order and set off immediately with his servants.
"Clan Chief Chen, people in the county government may not know Mr. Zhang, so you should go along and identify her." Zhu Pingan said to Chen Dacheng and others.
"As ordered." Chen Dacheng clasped his fists at Zhu Ping'an, saluted heavily, and then led his tribe in pursuit.
About an hour later, the Yiwu County government officer, Chen Dacheng and others returned to the county government office with a rich middle-aged man tied up and a gorgeously dressed woman.
"Sir, I have been ordered to arrest Zhao Tongming and Zhang Yuanwai, and found Zhang Chunmei and Mrs. Zhang in the secret room of Zhao's study."
The arrester returned to life with clasped fists. This trip went smoothly. After arresting Zhang Yuanwai, the Zhang family was not found in Zhang's Mansion at first. However, the housekeeper of Zhang Yuanwai's Mansion confessed that there was a secret room in Zhao's Mansion, and he found it when he opened the secret room.
There was a woman who was hiding. Chen Dacheng, who was traveling with him, directly called the woman's name. It was Zhang, Chen Erlang's wife.
"good very good!"
Zhao Zhixian nodded excitedly.
After the Zhang family was found, Zhao Yuanwai could no longer hide his crime, and he confessed everything at the first trial.
Zhao Yuanwai was also a scholar, but he was an arty scholar, and he sang poetry with Chen Erlang. Once Zhao Yuanwai went to Chen Erlang's house to visit Chen Erlang, and when he saw Zhang, he was immediately astonished.
Zhao Yuanwai was an expert, wealthy and capable. After several attempts, he hooked up with Mr. Zhang.
The two often had affairs while Chen Erlang was out meeting friends. Sometimes Zhao came to Chen's house secretly, but he was worried about being discovered. More often, Zhang would go out for reasons such as going out to worship Buddha, returning to his parents' home, or going to the market, and Zhao would take a carriage.
Picking up Mrs. Zhang halfway down the road, the two secretly had a private meeting in a carriage and other places.
The two were not content with stealing the sun, and wanted to stay together forever.
Zhao Yuanwai thought hard for half a year and came up with an idea. He bought a maid who was about the same height as Zhang and had a simple net worth. After murdering her, he cut off her head, put her head in a coffin, and stuffed it with cotton.
The clothes were used to make a body and she was buried in a coffin. She put her body in Zhang's clothes and carried it to Chen Erlang's house at night to frame Chen Erlang for killing his wife. As for the maid's funeral, Zhao Yuanwai gave the maid's family one hundred taels.
The maid was appeased by the money. The maid's family was in poverty. She was so happy after receiving a hundred taels of silver. How could there be any further investigation?
Zhao Yuanwai hid Zhang in a secret room in his home, preparing to wait for Chen Erlang to kill him. After the matter was completely settled, Zhang changed his appearance.
Zhao Yuanwai and Mr. Zhang thought they had a plan, so they stayed together in the secret room during this period. They were so unhappy that they waited for Chen Erlang to kill him.
Unexpectedly, I met Zhu Pingan.
Their cleverness was mistaken for them, and their missing head became the key to solving the case. In the end, evil was rewarded.
"Thank you sir, thank you sir"
Chen Dacheng supported his younger brother and knelt down in excitement and kowtowed. He couldn't hold it back and his head was swollen.