"Who is it? Who is Xiaoyu who killed his mother?" Lin Xiuyuan's eyes were red. He originally thought that the murderer had found the spirit that could comfort his mother in heaven, but he didn't expect that there was another hidden secret.
Indicating that the master and senior brother should not be anxious, Zhan Feiyu saluted the solemn-faced Magistrate Chen and said, "Sir, after the news of Master's death spread, Mrs. Zeng spent money to bribe people to spread rumors, just to get revenge on me.
"
"And the reason why she used this method was inspired by the incident of Mr. Mitsui Lane Zhang." After Zhan Feiyu said this, everyone on the outside of the courtroom nodded in agreement.
The case of Mr. Zhang was also very controversial. He was over 80 years old, but he had an affair with his little maid at his great-grandson's full-moon banquet, and was caught in public.
The news spread that day, and the storyteller from Taifu Restaurant told the story three times in a row, which satisfied the curiosity of many people. However, because the little maid was a servant of the Zhang family who had signed a death contract, this was at best a one-time story.
Romantic nonsense.
"Quiet!" Magistrate Chen was stunned, and those who were muttering outside the courtroom did not dare to speak again.
Magistrate Chen asked: "What is the connection between what you said and Mrs. Lin's poisoning?"
"Replying to your lord, someone also spread the story about Mrs. Zhang on purpose, with the purpose of letting the imprisoned Mrs. Zeng know about it." Zhan Feiyu was also surprised that day that Taifu Restaurant let Mr. Storyteller talk about this matter. He only thought it was to attract customers.
means.
"Captain Ma, please bring back the storyteller from Taifu Restaurant." County Magistrate Chen dropped two warrants, and then said: "Captain Zhao, bring the two women in charge of supervising the Zeng family to the court.
.”
Everyone outside the courtroom immediately made way for the horse guards to hurry them away.
After a while, not only the storyteller, but also two women were captured by Detective Ma. One was Mrs. Ma who was opposite Zhang's house in Sanjing Lane, and the other was Mrs. Hu who was selling pancakes at a stall at the entrance of the alley.
"Mighty!" The officer's voice was loud, and the stick in his hand made a thumping sound. The faces of the kneeling people turned pale, and they were already frightened even before they were interrogated.
"He Chang, a common man, pays homage to your lord." The storyteller's voice trembled, especially when he saw Wang Ping and Zhu Dahai who had been beaten with a cane. Their skin and flesh were torn apart by the beatings, and their trousers behind their buttocks were stained with blood.
"Ms. Hu, a civilian woman... pays homage to your lord..." Mrs. Hu already knew why she was wanted to be arrested. Before Magistrate Chen could speak, she was so frightened that she said everything, "A civilian woman accepted five taels of silver from Mr. Zhang Er...
"
Mrs. Ma, who was also a follower of the second master of the Zhang family, gave her five taels of silver and asked her to spread the news about the old master.
Everyone in Sanjing Lane knows that Mr. Zhang prefers his eldest son. Even if the eldest son of the Zhang family is a fool, when the old man dies, he will inherit 70% of the family.
Mr. Zhang Er is in charge of the business of the Zhang family, and he is incompatible with his eldest brother. He also hates the old man's favoritism. Mr. Zhang Er is really capable of doing this to spite the old man.
The two mothers-in-law who were supervising Mrs. Zeng were also brought to court by Detective Zhao. They knelt down with a plop and kowtowed, "Sir, have mercy on me."
After collecting the money, the two women deliberately talked about Mrs. Zhang in front of Mrs. Zeng.
That day, the fat woman was chewing melon seeds and said disdainfully: "You are still tormenting a little girl at your age. You are really an old man."
"What's the point? The little maid bought by the Zhang family, let alone being dragged to bed, even if she was tortured to death, she would just be wrapped in a straw mat and thrown into a mass grave." The thin woman replied nonchalantly.
.
"Hey, don't talk about this nonsense. Do you know which private school in the county is good? Originally, my great-nephew wanted to go to the Lin family private school. Who would have thought that Mrs. Lin suddenly fell ill and died, and the private school would not be open for a while.
"Yes." The fat lady got down to business, "I heard Master Lin taught well, and little prodigy Zhan is his student."
Mrs. Zeng, who was imprisoned in the house, didn't pay much attention at first. She had been imprisoned for a long time, and the chat between the two talkative women could at least kill her time.
With Mrs. Zhang's incident as an introduction, Mrs. Zeng's expression gradually changed after hearing the news of Mrs. Lin's sudden death.
The only reason she is in trouble now is because of the child in her belly. After giving birth, the child will be sent to a Salesian home and she will also be exiled.
Mrs. Zeng hated Zhan Feiyu the most, so she paid the fat lady to find Aunt Qian, and then there were rumors.
A quarter of an hour later, Mr. Zhang Er was brought to court.
"Sir, the common people spent money to instigate Mrs. Ma and Hu just to spite my father and eldest brother. Other matters have nothing to do with the common people. Please be more careful." Mr. Zhang Er was obviously much calmer.
The fat lady and the thin lady collected the money, but it was dark at that time, and the man wearing a bamboo hat stood outside the door. After the explanation, he gave them twenty taels of silver and left in a hurry.
It was so dark that the two ladies-in-law didn't see each other's faces clearly, but it wasn't a big deal. They were just chatting. The money and silk were so attractive that the two ladies-in-law agreed without even thinking.
At this moment, in the courtroom, the two women looked at Mr. Zhang Er, who was over sixty years old, and listened to his voice carefully, and then they said feebly: "Sir, the person who gave me the money was not Mr. Zhang Er, but a young man.
Judging from his body shape and his voice, he is about thirty years old."
Mr. Zhang Er admitted that the reason for spreading the rumors about the old man was family feud, but he refused to admit that he bribed two wives to instigate Mrs. Zeng. Without evidence, unless Magistrate Chen used torture to extract a confession.
But County Magistrate Chen agreed with the Legalist approach to severe punishments and laws, but he was not a faint-hearted official who surrendered to beatings.
"Sir." Looking at the thoughtful Magistrate Chen, Zhan Feiyu said crisply: "Let's put aside the matter of Mr. Zhang Er for the moment. At least it can be concluded that the two women took the money and deliberately induced Mrs. Zeng, which means that the wife of the wife passed away.
The murderer behind the scenes was already planning all this."
Taking Mrs. Zhang's absurd story as a foreshadowing, she instigated Mrs. Zeng to spread rumors to slander Zhan Feiyu and Mrs. Lin. The plot was first, and Mrs. Lin was poisoned at the end.
Zhan Feiyu didn't need to say anything else. Wang Linlang understood clearly and seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw.
Kneeling on the ground, Wang Linlang cried and begged for mercy in a hoarse voice, "Sir, I am innocent. I don't know Mr. Zhang Er or Mrs. Zeng. This has nothing to do with me. I am not the aunt who killed me. Sir,
I don’t want to die…”
"Ms. Lu, aren't you still going to confess?" Magistrate Chen looked majestic and blamed Wang Linlang for poisoning Mrs. Lin. Only one person can do it - Aunt Lu!
"Mammy, is that you?" Turning around suddenly, Wang Linlang looked at Grandma Lu kneeling beside him in shock. If he hadn't been so frightened before, Wang Linlang would have thought of Grandma Lu.
"You old naughty slave, how dare you frame me!" As if he had found an outlet, Wang Linlang screamed, jumped on Nanny Lu and started beating her, "I'll beat you to death, you old bitch! You
If you dare to frame me... you will die a good death..."
Grandma Lu's eyes were cold and she pushed Wang Linlang away, "Sir, all this is just nonsense from Zhan Feiyu. She, an eight-year-old girl, slandered the old slave in the court without any evidence. Is it possible, sir?"
Do you just ignore it? Or should I say that the court in Shangsi County is a little girl's court? Let her run wild and slander whoever she wants to slander."
Just like Master Zhang Er refused to admit that there was no evidence, Grandma Lu also refused to admit that she poisoned Mrs. Lin and blamed Wang Linlang.
"Miss Zhan, you said that I poisoned my aunt, how did I poison her?" Aunt Lu looked directly at Zhan Feiyu and asked: "In order to win my aunt's favor, Miss Six eats all three meals.
I ate with my aunt, and the lady put the mushroom powder into my aunt's chicken soup that day, so I had no chance to poison my aunt."
Mrs. Lin was worried that the father and son of the Lin family, who had contracted the "wind-cold", had little appetite to begin with. They ate a few bites of all three meals without eating snacks, and only drank a few sips of tea to moisten their throats.
Wang Linlang fell to the ground, recalling the situation on the day of Mrs. Lin's death. Perhaps it was because she added mushroom powder to the chicken soup at noon, and she remembered the memory of that day very clearly.
Moreover, she has been with Mrs. Lin since noon, so that when she feels uncomfortable, she will take care of her as soon as possible and serve her to gain favor.
Wang Linlang didn't leave until Mrs. Lin returned to the bedroom at night. Aunt Lu really had no chance to poison her, especially such a large dose of mushroom powder.
Aunt Lu looked at Wang Linlang, who was pale and panic-stricken, mockingly, and asked: "Miss, is this old slave right? Did the old slave bring cakes or tea to my aunt on the day she died?"
"I..." Wang Linlang wanted to say yes, but when she opened her mouth, no words came out. She and her aunt were never separated except at night that day.
Looking at Grandma Lu who was confident of winning, Zhan Feiyu suddenly said: "Grandma Lu, who said mushroom powder is put in food?"
"I wonder if Aunt Lu knows this object?" After Zhan Feiyu finished speaking, Chen Fei walked into the courtroom, clasped his fists and saluted Mr. Chen, and then handed over the evidence.
Everyone craned their necks to take a look, but they saw a small ball of thin linen thread and a dozen rice dumplings.
Most people had finished the Dragon Boat Festival rice dumplings, but Mrs. Lin passed away suddenly, and there was a funeral afterwards. The Lin family’s rice dumplings were left in the basket in the kitchen and no one took care of them.
Aunt Lu's face suddenly changed, she looked at Zhan Feiyu in disbelief, and asked unwillingly: "You mean I put mushroom powder into the rice dumplings? But the Yamen official had already inspected the kitchen that day.
There were rice dumplings and leftovers in it, and I even took a cup of water from the water tank and took it away."
The more she spoke, the calmer she became. Grandma Lu's voice rose a bit, "Besides, the rice dumplings are cooked in one pot. How can I ensure that my aunt ate the poisonous rice dumplings and not someone else? Besides, I remember that my aunt did not eat the zongzi that day."
"Crush the poisonous mushrooms to squeeze out the poisonous juice, then soak them in twine until they are sucked dry, and finally dry them. When making rice dumplings, my wife will bite the twine with her teeth to tie the rice dumplings. It is not the rice dumplings that are poisonous, but the twine!"
Zhan Feiyu looked coldly at Nanny Lu who was about to die but still refused to admit her guilt. She really couldn’t shed tears until she saw the coffin!
When eating rice dumplings, the twine is cut and the rice dumpling leaves are peeled off. Even if there is mushroom powder diluted in the water, other people will not be poisoned, and even if they are infected, the symptoms will be mild.
But Mrs. Lin was different. She had already ingested the venom through the twine, and Wang Linlang put mushroom powder in the chicken soup, which led to her death.
"Doctor Xu, please check whether this twine is poisonous in court." County Magistrate Chen said in a deep voice. Even he did not expect that Grandma Lu poisoned Mrs. Lin in this way. It can be said that she was unaware of it.
It would be best if they were not discovered. Even if it was found that Mrs. Lin died of poisoning, there was still Wang Linlang as the scapegoat. She said that adding a little mushroom powder to the chicken soup would not cause death, but a twelve-year-old girl dared
Poisoned, who would believe her sophistry?
The situation was over, and Grandma Lu knelt in the court in a daze, her head lowered so that no one could see her expression.
When the police officers put the shackles on her, Grandma Lu suddenly pulled out the silver hairpin from her head and plunged it into her chest, killing her on the spot.
Half an hour.
After the signing was postponed, those who should be imprisoned should be imprisoned, and those who should be beaten should be slapped. Mr. Zhang Er bit him to death and refused to bribe the two women, so he was beaten ten times by Magistrate Chen.
…
Leshan Residence.
"Master, Master, my wife has gone. Please take care of yourself, Master and senior brother." Zhan Feiyu bowed his head to Master Lin, with the most sincere concern on his face still covered with baby fat.
"As a teacher, now that the case has been cleared, you can probably go to the county school to study. However, this matter will ultimately harm your reputation. Being a teacher has implicated you." Perhaps the real culprit was found, Mr. Lin.
The gloom and sadness in his eyebrows have dissipated a lot, and now there is only worry and guilt for Zhan Feiyu.
Many people don't care about the truth. They only want to hear what they want to hear. Otherwise, even if someone manipulates it, these rumors will not spread to everyone. In the end, they want to hear dirty rumors more than the truth.
.
Watching Mrs. Lin and Lin Xiuyuan get on the carriage and leave, Zhan Feiyu's face became a little more solemn, and she decided to leave it alone. As a woman studying for the imperial examination, she would have caused trouble. One more thing would not be too much, and one thing less would not be too much.
"Why are you frowning at such a young age? After this incident, Shangsi County will definitely be calm for a while." Doctor Ji couldn't see Zhan Feiyu's worried look and said angrily: "Do you think County Magistrate Chen is a vegetarian?"
Chen Weibin has been the county magistrate of Shangsi County for seven years. First, there was negligence in the affairs of the Zeng family, and now there is a murder case. The woman who was poisoned was the scholar's wife. There is no hope for County Magistrate Chen to be evaluated this year.
And this anger will naturally be directed at the people behind the scenes. Anyone who dares to make any changes at this time will definitely be killed by County Magistrate Chen.
"The one who has a grudge against the Master is Zhang Xiucai. Mr. Zhang Er's eldest grandson studied in Zhang's private school, and Mr. Xie of Taifu Restaurant and Zhang Xiucai are sworn friends." Zhan Feiyu believed that it was not just him, but Magistrate Chen
He must also know who is behind the scenes, but there is no evidence, and Zhang Xiucai also has a reputation.
The Zeng family was seized, and Mr. Xie was also implicated. The two parties had cooperated in business, and the Zeng family's properties were seized by Tao Baihu's leaders. Mr. Xie did not have time to recover the losses, and he did not have the courage. This hatred
Naturally, I remembered Zhan Feiyu.
Seeing that Zhan Feiyu was thinking clearly, Doctor Ji couldn't help but ask: "Then why are you so sad?"
Although the little girl offended Zhang Xiucai and Mr. Xie, she also had a backer. Whenever Zhang Xiucai dared to take action, County Magistrate Chen would kill him alive to vent his anger.
"I'm worried that Master's private school won't receive many students in the future." Zhan Feiyu sighed,
Seeing Doctor Ji's expression of seeing a ghost, Zhan Feiyu curled his lips and said, "A penny is too much for a heroic man. If my eldest brother hadn't given me a few hundred taels of silver, I would have had to copy books to buy rice for cooking."
The Lin family private school only accepts boys, but it involved Mrs. Lin being poisoned and the unsightly rumors. With some instigation from Zhang Xiucai and others, most people would not send their children to study.
Doctor Ji looked at the "nosy" Zhan Feiyu with disgust, "You don't really think much. Your wife is a scholar and your senior brother is also a man. How can they, father and son, starve to death?"
This is just eating carrots and worrying less! Doctor Ji poured a cup of tea and drank it, not bothering to pay attention to Zhan Feiyu, who was looking for trouble.
"Doctor Ji, you don't understand!" Zhan Feiyu looked at Doctor Ji who didn't believe him and said confidently: "Master and senior brother are gentle in temperament. In addition, senior brother is weak and needs medicinal materials to regulate his body all year round. If the private school cannot recruit students
That's just sitting in vain. In a few years, senior brother will get engaged and get married. There are too many places to spend money, not to mention that Zhang Xiucai is waiting for the opportunity."
Doctor Ji was speechless and sneered back unceremoniously, "Why are you still reading books about sages? Why don't you just become a matchmaker and find a good wife for your senior brother? Then you can promise to have a son and worry about his son's studies.
There are endless descendants, enough for you to worry about."
"Why not eat minced meat! Doctor Ji, you are not short of money, so you don't understand!" Zhan Feiyu glared back and turned to look at Chen Fei who was sitting at the table next to him, "Chen Xiaoqi, can you understand?
"
Uh... Chen Fei just wanted to nod when he met Zhan Feiyu's clear eyes.
Doctor Ji snorted coldly and said sadly: "Chen Xiaoqi, please think about it before you answer. Both Tao Baihu and County Magistrate Chen respectfully call me Doctor Ji!"
Chen Fei, who was caught in the middle, smiled awkwardly and said, "Actually, Xiao Mengtong Zhan's worries are not unreasonable. Zhang Xiucai is very scheming and ruthless. Master Lin escaped but could not survive."
You'll get caught once."
After saying that, ignoring Doctor Ji's fierce gaze, Chen Fei lowered his head and drank tea fiercely. He would rather offend a gentleman than a villain. Isn't that the truth?
"Alas." Zhan Feiyu sighed again and stopped competing with Doctor Ji.
"My senior brother's medicinal materials include ginseng. If Zhang Xiucai does something wrong, fifty taels of ginseng can be sold to my wife several times in urgent need! Or find an old, weak, sick or disabled person, and accidentally
I was hit and disabled by the carriage my master was riding in, and I lost hundreds of taels of silver as compensation."
"Actually, the simplest and crudest thing is to find a little girl to seduce my senior brother. Not only will your reputation be ruined, but you will also have to pay money. If you are more ruthless, you can use some obscene drugs to destroy my senior brother's body."
The more Zhan Feiyu thought about it, the more dangerous he felt, thinking with a sullen face.
In fact, the easiest way is to obtain a meritorious service yourself, in order to scare Zhang Xiucai, but this takes time, and it will take at least three to five years.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and Zhan Feiyu stood up and said, "Doctor Ji, I'm going to the county to study. Chen Xiaoqi, thank you very much for today."
With his short legs, Zhan Feiyu ran out with a thud. He was so fast that he could definitely be called a nimble little fat man.
Doctor Ji thought about Zhan Feiyu's assumptions and his face twitched, "She should write a storybook. If you keep it, it will become famous all over the country!"
"Little Meng Zhan takes precautions before they happen." Chen Fei smiled dryly. The eight-year-old girl has so many things to think about. No wonder she is called a child prodigy. Her brain works faster than ordinary people.
"Why go to all this trouble? Just kill Zhang Xiucai." Doctor Ji made a gesture of wiping his neck and mocked leisurely, "He is still a child after all."
Chen Fei stared at Doctor Ji with his mouth open. Compared to Zhan Xiaomengtong, who was as big as a kid, Doctor Ji looked even more abnormal.