Li Shenshi felt uncomfortable when Yang Ying'er stared at him. He stammered, "What...what happened? How...how would I know what you did?"
Yang Ying'er burst into tears for no apparent reason. After crying for a long time, she choked up and said, "Master Li, since you have no conscience, I'd rather tear my face to pieces!"
She knelt down two steps, kowtowed three times to Qiu Yizhi, and said, "Master Li is absolutely right. I, Yang Ying'er, am a shameless and lewd girl. Even if I die, I have no face to see my parents and husband in the underworld..." Then she cried for a while, and suddenly stretched out her left hand, pointing at Li Shenshi and said, "Master Li, let me ask you, what did you say to me alone in this hall that day?"
Li Shenshi was pointed at by Yang Ying'er, and his whole body shrank back. He was stunned for a moment before saying, "What did you say? I... I don't remember."
"You don't remember? I do remember! I will remember your disgusting look even if you turned into ashes!" Yang Ying'er said with tears on her face, "You said I was beautiful, prettier than all his concubines combined. You said that if I gave myself to you, you could redress my husband's grievances... I... I was thinking that after redressing my husband's grievances, I would become a nun and serve the Buddha, but I actually agreed to your words, a beast!"
When Yang Ying'er said this, the onlookers were stunned for a moment, and then they began to whisper to each other, making the lobby of the county government office extremely noisy.
Qiu Yizi quickly slammed the gavel and shouted, "Silence! Silence!"
The people who were listening to the trial finally quieted down, but they heard Li Shenshi scolding in a panic: "You shameless bitch! How could I like you when you look so ugly?"
He turned around and bowed to Qiu Yizi, saying, "Sir Qiu, it is obvious that the suspect is accusing an official of the imperial court before his death. This is a capital crime. Please pay attention to this." As he finished speaking, a fine and dense layer of smelly sweat had already seeped out of his forehead.
Qiu Yizhi pondered for a moment, and ignored Li Shenshi, but said to Yang Ying'er who was kneeling on the ground and sobbing: "Yang Ying'er, you are suing the official as a commoner, and the matter you are suing is related to the reputation of the official. If there is even a single word of falsehood in this matter, you will be convicted of framing the official of the court, and even I cannot cover it up for you. Do you have any evidence?"
Yang Ying'er had already given up and said, "Yes! I remember that I refused to obey at first and left three bloody marks on his back with my fingernails..."
Li Shenshi seemed to relax a little after hearing this, and said, "Okay, since she said there was a bloodstain, then we can just check it. If there is not, you will be charged with the serious crime of falsely accusing an official!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Ying'er immediately scolded him: "Master Li, has your conscience been eaten by a dog? In three months, all the blood marks have healed. Have you read all the saints' books into your dog's stomach?"
As she was talking, Yang Ying'er suddenly realized something and said, "That's right! There are two strange moles on Li Shenshi's thing, one big and one small, connected together, like a gourd! Please examine it carefully, if I'm wrong, I'd rather be executed by slow slicing!"
This sentence is an ironclad evidence against Li Shenshi. If it really exists, then Li Shenshi will have no way to defend himself.
So Qiu Yizi said coldly to Li Shenshi: "Sir Li, since Yang Ying'er said so, please follow me to the back hall for investigation! If she is indeed making a false accusation, I will clear you of the grievances!" After saying that, he stood up and walked to the back hall.
Li Shenshi was already panicking, and was taken into the back hall without any resistance by two of Qiu Yizi's personal soldiers.
As soon as he entered the back hall, Qiu Yizi raised his teacup, drank a sip of the ice-cold water, and said calmly, "Master Li, there are no outsiders here, please make yourself at your leisure, and don't waste time."
Li Shenshi was sweating all over, as if he had just taken a shower. He stammered and begged for mercy: "Master Qiu, why do you have to do this? Why do you have to do this? Please give me some consideration for my politeness..."
"Hmph! So polite?" Qiu Yizhi put the tea bowl down on the table fiercely and said sternly, "If I don't care about politeness, I will take off your pants in court and let the people of Shanyin have a good look at what kind of filthy villain is behind this polite official! If it weren't for the face of the court, why would I bring you to the back hall?"
Li Shenshi was so frightened by his scolding that his hands and feet began to tremble violently without control.
Seeing his miserable state, Qiu Yizhi sneered and said to his two personal soldiers, "Lord Li is not feeling well, why don't you two go and help him?"
… …
After a meal, Qiu Yizi walked slowly from the back hall to the trial hall, straightened his official uniform and hat, and said loudly: "I have now found out that Yang Ying'er did not murder her husband Bi Xiuwen, and she is released in court!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Ying'er and Yang Qiao'er immediately bowed to the ground, shouting, "Great Lord of Heaven! Great Lord of Heaven!"
Qiu Yizi nodded and continued, "However, the cause of your husband's death is so confusing that it is difficult to investigate in detail at the moment. You two sisters cannot leave the county without permission. I will have to interrogate you carefully and find out the cause of death calmly to restore innocence and justice. As for Li Shenshi, his actions have damaged the dignity of the court. I have temporarily detained him and will apply to the higher authorities to take away his honor and honor before making a trial!"
It was already dawn and the sky was already light. Qiu Yizi had been busy for most of the night and was extremely sleepy. After finishing his words, he walked out of the lobby and went back to his room to sleep amid thunderous cheers of thanks.
Qiu Yizi slept until noon that day. After a quick lunch, he looked through the documents and archives of Shanyin County over the years. Then he remembered that a former county magistrate was still imprisoned in the county government cell.
So he called Zhao Chengxiao and went to the prison together.
Shanyin County Prison was naturally inferior to the Ministry of Justice Prison, with only seven or eight cells in total, managed by a jailer and two old women. When Qiu Yizhi met them for the first time, he rewarded each of them with two taels of silver, gave them some instructions, and then asked the jailer to take them to visit Li Shenshi.
Li Shenshi was found locked up alone in the innermost cell, with his head hung, slumped over on the stone floor covered with straw, as if he had aged seven or eight years overnight.
Seeing him like this, Qiu Yizi felt a little sorry, so he asked the jailer to go back, and he personally pushed open the door of the cell, walked in slowly, and said softly: "Sir Li, today's matter, although I intend to protect you. However, what you have done concerns the reputation of the court. Under the Three Punishments and Five Codes, it is indeed unforgivable. I hope Sir Li will understand!"
After today's incident, Li Shenshi was already convinced and said dejectedly: "What I did was indeed a disgrace to civility and is not tolerated by the laws of the country and the teachings of the saints. Lord Qiu has shown mercy by dealing with me this time!"
Qiu Yizhi was trying to get some information out of Li Shenshi, so he sighed and said, "I just looked through the archives of Shanyin County over the past few years. Lord Li has a very law-abiding way of governing the county, but I don't know how he could be so confused that he made such a big mistake."
Li Shenshi shook his head and said calmly, "It's because the students are not good at their studies. They think that they have succeeded in self-cultivation by reading the classics of the saints, but they can't abide by the principle of 'being cautious when alone'. The so-called 'fake Confucianists, real villains' in the world are referring to the students."
Qiu Yizi nodded and said, "Since Lord Li knows his mistake, I will not reprimand him any further. But there is one thing I don't understand and I would like to ask for your advice. Why did Lord Li promise to redress Yang Ying'er's injustice, but then broke his promise and caused such a disaster?"
When Li Shenshi heard this, he was unable to answer. He lowered his head and pondered for a long time before saying, "Master Qiu, please don't ask any more questions. The reason behind this is not something a small county magistrate like me can explain clearly."
Qiu Yizi was also a person who was good at using conspiracies and tricks. He couldn't guess what Li Shenshi meant, so he kept asking.
Li Shenshi could not stand Qiu Yizi's questioning and finally said, "Master Qiu, there is no need to ask more. If you want to know the truth, it is not difficult. You only need to go to the 'Liaochen Palace' fifty miles west of the city and you will know."
Qiu Yizhi felt even more puzzled when he heard him mention a Taoist temple for no apparent reason, so he asked again, "What is the connection between this 'Liaochen Palace' and this case? Lord Li, please enlighten me!"
Li Shenshi just kept sighing and didn't want to say anything more.
Seeing this, Qiu Yizi realized that he would not be able to get any general information today, so he comforted him with a few more words and then left the prison.
The next morning, Qiu Yizi did not delay. After getting up and having breakfast, he changed into tight clothes and rode to the so-called "Liaochen Palace" with Zhao Chengxiao and Wang Laowu.
This "Liaochen Palace" was built at the foot of a not very high hill, where a small stream meanders and forms a deep pool. It is the perfect feng shui with its back against the green mountains and facing the water.
This Taoist temple was built very elegantly. Apart from the spotless area in front of the closed gate, mosses and vines were allowed to grow in the corners, adding a natural wildness - it can be seen that the taste of the abbot of this Taoist temple is not vulgar.
Seeing that the atmosphere of this place was so otherworldly, Qiu Yizi couldn't help but feel a bit of favor towards it. He didn't even know how this place was related to the murder of Bi Xiuwen, so he went forward in person and gently knocked on the door of "Liaochen Palace" a few times, wanting to go in and take a look.
Not long after, the wooden door opened a crack, and a young Taoist nun in her teens, wearing a black robe and a Taoist hat, walked out. She bowed to Qiu Yizi and said, "I wonder where you are from, and why you are visiting my 'Liaochen Palace'?"
When Qiu Yizi saw the little nun, she spoke to her in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, so she said in a serious tone: "I am the new county magistrate Qiu Yizi. I have heard of the reputation of your palace for a long time, so I came to see it. I wonder if it is convenient for you?" After that, she took out her business card and handed it to the little nun.
The nun took a quick look, said "Please go ahead", took the business card and turned back, forgetting even to close the door.
Seeing this, Qiu Yizi simply pushed the door open and went in to find out what was going on.
But I saw that the temple was full of wisteria. In March and April, the wisteria flowers were in full bloom, dyeing the entire temple a gorgeous and strange red-purple. The wisteria flowers also gave off a sweet and salty smell that made people feel dizzy.
Under the wisteria tree, a path paved with green bricks extends forward in twists and turns. On the roadside are planted orchids of various colors and species, some of which are about to bloom, while others have just revealed their flower stems. Moreover, due to the humidity in the south, clusters of mushrooms and agarics occasionally grow in the soil, making the scene even more fantastic and bizarre.
After walking a few steps, Qiu Yizi was attracted by this strange sight he had never seen before. While he was watching it, he heard a very clear female voice coming from the end of the path, saying, "Master Qiu is so impatient that he came in without waiting for me to invite you?" (To be continued)