As the wedding day got closer, Yue Ling's actions in arranging the marriage became more and more urgent, and more or less rumors leaked out. As a result, many people came to Gu's mansion openly and secretly to inquire about the bride's background, and even Mr. and Mrs. Yichui couldn't help but go out in person. However, everyone in the Gu family seemed to be deaf and dumb at the same time, and they all didn't know what to ask, which made them return disappointed.
All of a sudden, the bride of Gu's mansion became Tan Yang's latest topic.
After Tao Mo came back from the Gu mansion, all the doubts in his mind were cleared up, and no matter how heated the commotion was going on outside, he just hid in the study and practiced calligraphy while giggling and counting the hours.
Boom boom boom.
The sound of drums outside the county government was like thunder.
Tao Mo stopped writing in a daze.
Hao Guozi hurriedly pushed the door open and came in, shouting, "Master! Someone is beating the drums to complain!"
Tao Mo's expression changed, and he put down his pen, "Bring me my official robe!"
It has been almost a month since the last case was concluded.
Tao Mo looked at the lobby strangely for a moment.
The yamen servant brought a couple in shabby clothes to court.
"The villain Wu Youcai..."
"Wu Guo, a civilian woman..."
"Greetings to Lord Qingtian."
Tao Mo asked softly, "Why are you beating the drums?"
Mrs. Wu Guo prostrated herself on the ground, wiping away her tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
Wu Youcai was also in tears, "The villain wants to sue, Shi Qianshan!"
Tao Mo's heart skipped a beat. Isn't Shi Qianshan the nephew of Shi Taishi at that time? "Why..."
Master Jin suddenly coughed twice.
Tao Mo looked at him.
Master Jin mouthed the "statement paper".
Tao Mo was stunned, and said, "Crash to death?"
Wu Youcai was taken aback, and said, "How does your lord know that the little girl was killed by a collision?"
Tao Mo was even more stunned, "Huh?"
Wu Youcai showed grief and indignation, and shouted: "Could it be that my lord colluded with Shi Qianshan?! Otherwise, how would my lord know?"
Tao Mo's injustice is inexplicable. This is really... where to start
Master Jin said loudly: "Wu Youcai is bold! How dare you slander and slander Your Excellency in front of the court?! Your Excellency's question is clearly a legal paper."
Wu Youcai was taken aback, then kowtowed twice and said, "The villain is reckless, please forgive me."
Tao Mo was dizzy from being beaten to death repeatedly, waved his hand and said, "Where is the paper?"
Wu Youcai took it out of his arms with shaking hands, and said, "Please take a look, sir."
The yamen servant handed the pleading paper to Tao Mo.
Tao Mo took a look and frowned.
Master Jin walked over with interest, "Master, I'll come... What is this?" He looked at the pleading paper in astonishment.
Tao Mo said, "How many Master Jin do you know?"
Master Jin said: "Thirteen."
Tao Mo said: "But these words seem to be the same."
Master Jin coughed dryly and said, "Boss, why don't we first ask what this pleading paper means?"
Tao Mo said, "Can you read all these words and let me listen?"
Although Master Jin thought the pleading paper was useless and ridiculous, he still read one by one: "Five have women, beauty, stone play, women don't follow, death, stone disappears."
Tao Mo asked Wu Youcai, "The Wuyounv on the pleadings refers to your daughter?"
Wu Youcai said: "Yes, it refers to the little girl Wu Qian. The villain is illiterate, so the pleading paper was written by the only literate person in the village."
Tao Mo said, "Beauty means your daughter is beautiful?"
Wu Youcai rubbed the corners of her eyes and said, "My little girl has been a well-known beauty since she was a child."
"The stone in the stone play refers to Shi Qianshan?"
"It's him!" Wu Youcai looked indignant!
Tao Mo said, "Playing, is it molesting?"
Anger and tears coexisted in Wu Youcai's eyes, and he gritted his teeth and said, "He, he forced my little girl...to keep her innocence, my little girl bumped her head to death in the room!"
Wu Guo, who had been prostrate on the ground, heard the words and almost passed out from crying.
The mournful cry in the hall made the eyes of those who heard it wet.
Tao Mo said softly: "The stone is missing, does it mean that he fled in fear of crime?"
Wu Youcai covered her face and cried, "I'm useless! I, I can't stop him! Let him..."
Suddenly a yamen servant walked in from outside, "My lord, there is a man who claims to be Shi Qianshan and is asking to see him."
The Wu couple were stunned for a moment, then they both stood up and said angrily, "He, he dared to come!"
Seeing him rushing out, the yamen servants on both sides immediately stepped forward to stop him.
Tao Mo looked at Master Jin.
Master Jin nodded.
Tao Mo patted the case lightly with the gavel, and said, "Bring Shi Qianshan up."
Wu Youcai suddenly turned her head, kneeled on the ground and kowtowed fiercely to Tao Mo, "Please, my lord, make the decision for me!"
There was a lot of commotion in the hall, and there was a sound of footsteps, and a slightly rich young man walked in slowly.
"Grassman Shi Qianshan, I pay my respects to the county magistrate." As he spoke, he bent his legs and knelt down.
Such humility can't help but surprise Master Jin.
Tao Mo said: "Do you know these two people in the hall?"
Shi Qianshan said unhurriedly: "Yes. One of them calls himself Lao Wu, and the other calls himself Mrs. Wu."
"Nonsense! Nonsense! When will we..."
Tao Mo made a booing gesture to the furious Wu Youcai, "How did you know each other?"
Shi Qianshan scratched his face and said, "Someone introduced it."
"Why introduce?" Tao Mo asked.
Shi Qianshan said with a dry smile, "It is said to be a prostitute village in the countryside."
"Shi Qianshan...you spout blood!" Wu Youcai shouted, ready to pounce.
Master Jin looked at him thoughtfully.
Shi Qianshan said: "What the grass-roots people said is the truth. Please learn from me."
Tao Mo said: "But he said that you molested Miss Wu and forced her to commit suicide by hitting the wall."
Shi Qianshan said: "The grass people's words may be unimaginable, but they are all true. I was indeed introduced to these two by someone who said that there is a different prostitute village in the countryside, and the people in the village pretend to be poor people. Daughter, there is a special flavor. I was curious, so I went to find out. At that time, the two called themselves old Wu Wusao, and the woman they brought was Wu Qian. Unexpectedly, I entered the private house with her and was about to accomplish a good thing. Then Wu Qian Just slammed his head against the wall."
"Nonsense! You, you...you...you..." Wu Youcai couldn't lift his breath, and rolled his eyes.
Tao Mo hurriedly said, "Send someone to invite the doctor."
The yamen servant helped them to lie down beside them, and at the same time ran out to ask for a doctor.
Shi Qianshan knelt aside, looking at the Wu couple indifferently.
Tao Mo looked at Master Jin in bewilderment.
Master Jin said: "This matter is full of doubts, it is better to retrial after adjournment."
Tao Mo nodded, raised his hand to pick up the gavel, slapped it heavily and said, "Saving people is the most important thing. This case will be retried after adjournment!"
Shi Qianshan said: "Caomin lives in the Anping Inn, if you have any questions, you can come to me."
Tao Mo glanced at him and nodded silently.
Back in the study, Lao Tao and Hao Guozi rushed over after hearing the news.
Hao Guozi said: "That Wu couple is really pitiful! Shi Qianshan is too shameless."
Master Jin shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it's not that simple."
Hao Guozi said: "Don't you really believe Shi Qianshan's leaked confession?"
Master Jin said: "You don't believe it?"
Hao Guozi said: "Anyone with a head would not believe it! Whose woman would kill her head-on for no reason?! Could it be that she was framing him?"
Master Jin said: "Since no one with brains would believe it, why would he say that?"
Hao Guozi said: "Maybe he thinks he has Grand Master Shi as his backer, so he made up a lie and tried to fool him."
Old Tao saw Master Jin frowning tightly, and said, "Master, did you notice something wrong?"
Master Jin said: "I think Shi Qianshan's behavior and speech are definitely not a person who is addicted to lust."
Hao Guozi said: "Maybe that Miss Wu looks like a fairy, so he can't help it?"
Master Jin said: "This is just one. Second, that Wu Youcai... seems to be hiding something."
"Oh?" A gleam flashed in Lao Tao's eyes.
Mr. Jin said: "He said he couldn't read, and the pleadings were written by people in the village. Looking at the pleadings, the only literate person in that village has quite...limited knowledge. If so, how can he speak bloody words? "
Hao Guozi was surprised and said, "Could it be that you really suspect that they are trying to frame Shi Qianshan? But Shi Qianshan is the nephew of Shi Taishi, who would dare to frame him?"
Old Tao said: "Do you feel that this method seems familiar?"
Master Jin's eyes lit up, "Huang Guangde?"
Hao Guozi frowned and said, "Why are you getting involved with Huang Guangde again?"
Master Jin said: "It's not about him. I just think of the woodcutter who took the blame for others. They are all honest people."
Hao Guozi said: "What good does this do for Huang Guangde? If the matter is revealed, it will also offend Shi Taishi."
Master Jin said: "What if it doesn't come to light? What if the master convicts Shi Qianshan?"
Hao Guozi's expression changed, "Murder with a borrowed knife?!"
Master Jin said: "However, he probably didn't expect that Shi Qianshan was not an idiot, and he would voluntarily surrender. In this way, he was passive instead."
Tao Mo said: "The top priority is to find out the truth."
Master Jin said: "That's right. I'll go find the Wu family right now, and take a look at the scene."
Tao Mo said, "I'll go with you!"
"Okay. That's right," Master Jin hesitated, and said to Hao Guozi, "You go and ask Cui Dianshi to go with you." He originally planned to transfer Cui Jiong to another county and find another Dianshi, but he was busy a while ago, and he came and went. put it aside.
As soon as Hao Guozi heard about Cui Dianshi, the boss was reluctant, "What do you call a person who eats and clings like this?"
Mr. Jin said: "This is a murder case. Of course, he must be called. In addition, a foreman must be invited."
Hao Guozi twitched her lips and went.
Master Jin said: "I'll go find the Wu family."
Old Tao said: "I'll go get the car ready."
In an instant, only Tao Mo was left in the room.
Tao Mo looked at the empty study, and suddenly came up with an idea. After getting married, he can see Gu She anytime and anywhere and ask his opinion, right
Only two days left.
The Wu family lived in Wujia Village next to Tanyang County. They live at the entrance of the village, and everyone who wants to enter the village has to pass through their house.
Wu Youcai was given two injections by the doctor, and his mood became much more stable. He cried to Tao Mo, "That night, Shi Qianshan knocked on the door and said he would stay overnight, so we invited him in, who knows who knows...but it hurt my daughter! "
Wu Guo suddenly cried on the bed with a quilt in his arms.
Wu Youcai walked over and patted her on the shoulder lightly.
Master Jin asked: "I don't know where Wu Qian is..."
Wu Youcai wiped her tears with her sleeve, and pointed to the position behind Hao Guozi.
Hao Guozi was startled and hurriedly dodged.
Both Master Jin and Tao Mo leaned over.
Sure enough, I saw a black blood stain. The house they lived in was an earthen house, and upon closer inspection, there were cracks, which showed that the impact had been done with all its strength.
Master Jin said: "Where is Wu Qian's body?"
Wu Youcai cried, "It's already buried."
Master Jin said, "Where is it buried?"
Wu Youcai and Wu Guoshi looked at each other.
Wu Youcai said, "The mass grave."
Master Jin raised his eyebrows.
There was movement outside the door, and Cui Jiong came with Wu Zuo.
"Cui Dianshi." Master Jin cupped his fists.
"Master Jin." Cui Jiong replied apprehensively, and couldn't help looking at Tao Mo. Ever since Tao Mo came back from Qincheng, he has been in a state of anxiety. He didn't know why the magistrate let Tao Mo off so easily, he only knew that there were various signs that Tao Mo seemed to know what he was doing behind the scenes. He even went to the yamen a few times but was rejected, only contacted by Mr. Jin by letter. But Tao Mo knew that apart from avoiding seeing him, he had never done anything to him, and the repeated actions really made him see things in a fog.
Master Jin said: "What does Cui Dianshi think about this case?" Cui Jiong has been in the yamen for many years and has installed many confidantes. This case will definitely reach his ears.
Cui Jiong pretended to be blank and said, "I don't know which case Master Jin is talking about?"
Master Jin was very disdainful of his pretentiousness, but he explained the case succinctly.
Cui Jiong didn't know what Tao Mo was thinking, nor did he know where Shi Qianshan came from, but looking at Tao Mo's usual actions, he knew that he wanted to be an upright and good official, so he said, "Of course Miss Wu can't be allowed to die of injustice."
Master Jin said indifferently: "Really? By the way, Wu Youcai said that Miss Wu's body is in the mass grave, so I need to trouble Cui Dianshi to make a trip."
Hearing the words "mass burial mound", Cui Jiong's stomach turned sour, but he still smiled and said: "It should be, it should be. I just don't know what Miss Wu looks like? Where is she buried?"
Wu Youcai said: "I know. I will lead you there."
Cui Jiong looked at Tao Mo, but saw Tao Mo comforting Wu Guo. He hesitated for a while, and said loudly: "Lord Tao!"
Tao Mo turned to look at him.
Cui Jiong said: "The lower officials will definitely find Miss Wu's body!"
"Okay." Tao Mo turned his head to comfort Wu Guoshi again.
Cui Jiong felt that he had touched a soft nail, and walked away embarrassingly.
Master Jin walked to Tao Mo's side, and said in a low voice, "Boss, it's getting late, let's go back and wait for news."
Wu Guoshi held Tao Mo's hand tightly, choked with sobs and said, "My lord, please punish Shi Qianshan severely, so as to comfort the spirit of my daughter."
Tao Mo promised: "I will definitely find out the truth."