All kinds of punishments, including sticks and boards, were used on Huang Qi and the three of them. The pain caused them to scream miserably, fainted several times, and they were woken up by cold water before suffering again. After struggling like this for more than half an hour, the three of them finally couldn't bear the torture and fainted completely. They didn't even react at all when water was splashed on their faces.
But even so, these three people still gritted their teeth and refused to admit that they had started the fire in Changxingfang. They only admitted that they had indeed been there last night. Xue Yuanpeng also had his own opinion on this. He knew very well how serious the crime was. Once convicted, the whole family would be implicated, so the three of them would deny it even to death. This made him extremely angry and laughed: "They say you have a heart as strong as iron. I don't believe that you are unwilling to confess. Come, put them all in jail first, and then slowly pry open their mouths."
Watching the three unconscious suspects being dragged away, Sun Tu opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. Although he had some suspicions, they were just speculations without any evidence, so he could only give up and sigh secretly.
"Sun Dutou, it's really thanks to you for knowing everything this time, otherwise these three thieves would have escaped. After the case is concluded, I will tell the governor everything, and you will not be left behind." Credit." Xue Tongpan said with a smile at this time.
Sun Tu could only thank him, and then walked out of the lobby full of doubts. Then he discovered that there were actually many officers and policemen from the yamen standing outside the hall, including his subordinates. All of them had expressions of uneasiness as sad as a dead rabbit or a fox. Obviously, what happened to Huang Qi and the three of them really frightened them.
This is also reasonable. His colleagues who were brothers to him just a few days ago are now prisoners and have been subjected to such torture. Anyone would be alarmed by this. It wasn't until they saw Sun Tu coming out that the others clasped their fists and saluted him and left in a hurry. However, his twenty or so direct subordinates stayed, with hesitation on their faces.
Sun Tu saw that they seemed to have something to say, so he said, "You can say whatever you want. I won't blame you for such a trivial matter."
Several people looked at each other a few more times, and finally Shen Liang spoke: "Dutou, the lower-ranking officials always feel that there must be something hidden in this matter. Although Huang Qi, Yan Huan and You Laoba are usually a little daring, they are also They would never have the guts to commit murder and arson. Moreover, they refused to plead guilty to such severe punishment in court just now. I believe that they must have grievances, so I hope you will understand clearly."
"Yes, Du Tou. Even if the three of them are at fault, they are not worthy of death. Please save them." Others also bowed and begged, and even Lu Fang joined them in begging.
Sun Tu's eyes slowly swept over these people, and he felt quite happy in his heart. I thought it was normal in the yamen for people to leave and drink tea, but now it seems that there is some friendship between these officers, which is really rare.
But then, he frowned slightly: "Actually, I also see that there is something fishy in this matter, but the evidence in front of me points to the three of them. Even if I want to save them, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it. Unless we If we can find other clues, we can't speak for them at all. But there was a fire in Changxingfang all night long. Even if there are any relevant clues, I'm afraid they have all been burned." As he said that, he sighed again. This was the case of arson. The most difficult place to deal with.
As soon as he finished saying this, Cui Lueshang suddenly said: "Du Tou, in fact, I have discovered some problems at the fire scene before. Now that I think about it more carefully, I realize that there is something fishy in it."
"Oh? But what is it?" Sun Tu suddenly became interested and asked quickly.
"In the shop outside Maojia Lane, I once smelled the smell left after burning kerosene and other combustion-supporting materials. Although the smell was not very obvious, it still couldn't hide from my nose." Cui Lueshang He said with a serious expression.
Sun Tu frowned: "Is there such a thing? Why didn't I smell the problem?"
"You all don't know something. Lao Cui not only has sharp eyes, but his nose is much stronger than ordinary people. He is often called a dog's nose by us." Shen Liang explained: "If he really smelled something with kerosene residue, Smell, there is really something wrong with this matter."
Sun Tu pondered for a moment, then nodded and said: "In that case, let's go to Changxingfang to conduct an on-site investigation to see if there are any clues that can be used."
It was his words that everyone was waiting for. They immediately agreed and followed Sun Tu out of the Yamen and headed straight to the east of the city.
More than half an hour later, they came to Changxingfang again. The environment here is not much different from that in the morning. There are still officers and soldiers guarding the place, and people affected by the disaster are rummaging through the remaining belongings.
After Sun Tu and others revealed their identities, they arrived at Maojia Lane smoothly. After careful inspection, they found that the shops and houses here were the most completely burned. From this, it can be seen that the source of the fire did come from here.
Cui Lueshang pointed to the shop that was burned to ruins and was only separated from Maojia Lane by one aisle: "This is it. There were people crying here in the morning..." As he said that, he sniffed hard again. After a while, he said: "The smell of burning kerosene is lighter now. Maybe it will completely dissipate later."
Sun Tu also sniffed carefully as he was told, but he couldn't smell anything except the burnt smell he had smelled along the way. Just when Sun Tu felt that he still had no idea what to do, Shen Liang, who had stood aside and examined it carefully for a long time, said: "There is indeed something wrong here."
"What do you say?" Sun Tu asked quickly.
"Du Tou, if it is true that this fire started in Maojia Alley as we inferred before, it is impossible for the fire to be out of control and even spread to the entire Changxingfang." Shen Liang pointed to the alley as he spoke: "Unlike civilian houses, the low walls in this alley are made of rammed earth. Even if they are caught in a fire, they will not burn. In addition, there is still a distance from the outside. How can it be possible to burn down all the shops facing the street? Get up."
What he said really brightened the hearts of everyone present, and they felt that there was indeed a lot of doubt in the matter.
You must know that the urban arrangement of this era was very different from that of later generations. Residential houses and markets were separated within a square. Ordinary residences could only go deep into the alleys and had no contact with the shops on the streets. This is not only a manifestation of status - only high-ranking officials in the DPRK can open the door to the street - but also to ensure safety and quiet.
Most of the people in Maojia Lane are from the lower class, so the situation is naturally no exception. But now, this fire can actually spread from Maojia Alley and directly ignite the entire street. This is indeed too difficult to do.
Sun Tu's eyes swept back and forth between the alley and the shop for a while, then he nodded and said: "This is indeed very suspicious. So based on this inference, in addition to the alley, I am afraid that the shop was also set on fire. Only then did the fire spread completely and get out of control?"
"This is probably the truth. Someone lit a fire in the alley first, and at the same time, someone poured kerosene around the shops on the street and took the opportunity to light another fire. This is why the fire happened last night The reason why it was so fast and violent that it could sweep through the entire Changxingfang in a short period of time!" When Cui Lueshang said the last word, he shuddered violently. If this were to happen, the arsonist would be too bold. And why is he doing this
Sun Tu's mind was spinning rapidly. If it was as they suspected, this fire might be far more complicated than the previous judgment. This was clearly a case within a case.
The conflict between Zhang Laosi's family and Huang Qi's family, or the previously discovered retaliatory arson, was just a cover to cover up the murderer's true purpose. Their real goal should be this shop that allows them to use kerosene!
Thinking of this, Sun Tu looked at the ruins in front of him carefully again: "What is the origin of this shop? Shen Liang, take a few people and quickly find out its origin, identity, and whether it has any enemies recently. Especially the identity of the owner of this store and where it is now must be found out as soon as possible." He really regretted it. In the morning, he had talked to him at close range. If he could have noticed the problem at that time, There is no need to go through many detours.
Shen Liang hurriedly agreed with his fists clasped in his hands, nodded at a few subordinates and hurried away.
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