"Zhang Wangshi, please continue."
When the magistrate of Chun'an saw that the scene had quieted down a little, he nodded to the young woman and motioned for her to continue.
"Wow... Your Excellency, my master told me three days ago that he had hired the boatman Wang Gui, and that he would go to Yingtianfu to purchase goods this morning. The agreed departure time was 1:15 AM. My master packed his luggage and left at 4:15 AM this morning."
The young woman, Zhang Wang, sobbed and wiped her tears while she explained the whole story.
"After my master left this morning, about an hour later, my maid Bi'er reported back to me that she heard someone knocking on the door, very urgently, and shouting, 'Madam Zhang, Madam Zhang, open the door quickly.' I heard this shouting when I walked into the yard, so I asked my maid Bi'er to open the door, and then I found that it was the boatman Wang Gui outside. I asked Wang Gui why he was so anxious and what happened."
"Wang Gui asked anxiously, 'Madam Zhang, it's getting late, why hasn't Master Zhang boarded the boat yet?' I was very surprised to hear that. My master had been out for an hour, why hasn't he boarded the boat yet? Then I felt panicked, so I took my maid and asked my family to follow the boatman to the riverside to look for my master. On the way, I met acquaintances. They said they saw my master taking a shortcut to the riverside from a small road, and that if we walked down the riverside, we would reach the dock. When we arrived at the riverside, there was only one boat, and no trace of my master. I was worried, so I followed Wang Gui to the county government to report the case."
"My master is a good man. He has helped his neighbors and built bridges and roads, and has done many good things. My master is famous for keeping his promises. He will definitely do what he promised. He will arrive at the agreed time. If he didn't arrive at the agreed time, something must have happened. Lord Qingtian, please help me and my master."
The young woman held back her tears as she finished speaking. She could no longer hold back her tears. Her initial sobbing turned into heart-wrenching sobs. She knelt on the ground and begged the magistrate of Chun'an to make the decision for her.
There was a buzzing sound all around, as if countless flies were flying around. Because there were officials nearby, people did not dare to speak loudly, but they kept whispering to each other, especially when the young woman was speaking.
Due to the presence of the officials, people could only whisper to each other to express their opinions.
"Mr. Zhang had just left the house when someone knocked on the door and she opened it. What does this mean? She is really fickle."
"That's right, I really feel sorry for Mr. Zhang."
"Hey, I've heard that this woman is not a good wife. Who would open the door for a man so early in the morning? Maybe she mistook the boatman for her lover..."
"If you walk along the river often, you will get your feet wet. Mr. Zhang is too careless. You can take a shortcut, but you must pay attention to safety. It rained last night, and the riverside is the most slippery..."
Compared to people's whispered discussions, Zhu Ping'an listened very carefully when the young woman was kneeling and telling the story. Halfway through, Zhu Ping'an's eyebrows moved slightly and raised slightly, like the door of a closed room opening.
He looked at the young woman kneeling at the feet of the Chun'an County Magistrate, then glanced at the boatman Wang Gui who was standing nearby waiting for a reply, and then Zhu Ping'an shifted his gaze to the County Magistrate.
Let’s first see how the county magistrate handles it.
"You stand up first. As a senior official, I will naturally stand up for the people." The magistrate raised his hand and asked someone to pull the young woman up. Then he looked at the boatman Wang Gui and asked him to tell the story again.
"My name is Wang Gui, and my ancestors have been making a living by the Yangtze River, including me. Three days ago, Master Zhang sent someone to find me and agreed to go to Yingtianfu to purchase goods at 1:05 a.m. today. It was right here on the river bank, waiting for him to arrive and then sail. At 1:05 a.m., I came to the river bank to wait for Master Zhang, but Master Zhang still hadn't come. I waited left and right by the river bank, but Master Zhang didn't come. I waited for almost half an hour, but Master Zhang still didn't come."
"The time was arranged in advance. When I arrived in Yingtianfu, I had to pick up the young master of Li's Tea House. Mr. Zhang was already late for half an hour and he still hadn't come to board the boat. If I missed the time to pick up Mr. Li, I would be offended. So, I hurried to Mr. Zhang's house to urge him and ask him why he hadn't boarded the boat yet."
"When I arrived at Master Zhang's house, I knocked on the door and asked Madam Zhang to open the door. Madam Zhang asked why I was in such a hurry, and I asked why Master Zhang hadn't boarded the boat since it was getting late. Then Madam Zhang was surprised and said that Master Zhang had gone out early in the morning. Then we went to the riverside again, and indeed there was no trace of Master Zhang. Since Master Zhang had gone out a long time ago, why didn't he board the boat? Then I felt something was wrong, so I advised Madam Zhang to report the case immediately."
What the boatman Wang Gui said was exactly the same as what the young woman Zhang Wangshi said. The two people just said it from different angles, but the content was the same.
After listening to what the boatman Wang Gui said, the people around him exchanged their opinions in a low voice. Some said that the young woman Zhang Wang colluded with her lover to harm Master Zhang, some said that Master Zhang took a shortcut and fell into the Yangtze River and met with an accident, and some said that Master Zhang might have been harmed while walking along the river to the dock... ...
After listening to what the boatman Wang Gui said, the magistrate of Chun'an frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. What the boatman Wang Gui said was basically the same as what Zhang Wang said...
After thinking for a moment, the magistrate of Chun'an slightly relaxed his eyebrows. He looked at the young woman Zhang Wangshi and asked, "You just mentioned that you met an acquaintance on the way to the river. The acquaintance said that Mr. Zhang took a shortcut to the river. What is the name of this acquaintance?"
In the eyes of the Chun'an County Magistrate, the acquaintance that Zhang Wang mentioned was the key. Whether Master Zhang had walked to the river was related to the location of the search work and was also very helpful to the case.
"Yes..." The young woman hesitated slightly.
"Who is it?" The magistrate of Chun'an set his gaze on the young woman, his eyes under his eyebrows very deep.
"My lord, this is the young man who works as a porter at the dock in my mother's village. He's Erlang from the Zhao family at the east end of the village." The young woman Zhang Wang replied under the gaze of the Chun'an County Magistrate.
After the young woman Zhang Wang finished her reply, the sound of people whispering to each other reached a peak again. Even with the guards around, the noise was still buzzing, and it seemed that people were very excited.
"Isn't the Zhao family's Erlang her lover before she married Master Zhang?"
"So it's Zhao Erlang. No wonder he was embarrassed to say it. Tsk tsk, isn't Zhao Erlang studying for the exam? Why is he suddenly at the dock carrying goods? Is he short of money?"
"Oh, poor Master Zhang, he is actually an adulterer and a rich woman!"
After listening to the answer given by the young woman Zhang Wang, people started to point fingers at her even more. Many people even had many images in their minds, and sighs and sounds of disgust rose one after another.
"Someone, go and call Zhao Erlang over. I have a few questions I want to ask you." The magistrate of Chun'an summoned four runners and ordered them to "invite" Zhao Erlang over.
Biography of Zhao Erlang
Ugh, how long would it take to go back and forth like this! The journey alone would take at least half an hour, plus the magistrate's inquiries, etc., I wonder how long it would take. Besides, there was no need to go through so much trouble.
Zhu Pingan looked at the sick old man who was sick and worried about his life not far away, his worried son, the scholar who kept standing on tiptoe to look in the direction of Yingtian Prefecture, and the new father who was rubbing his hands and looking towards home from time to time... ...
The sun and the moon pass by, and the years are not on my side.
Forget it, I'll just take over the job for once.
Then, a clear voice suddenly rang out, and an honest young man walked across the crowd, pointed at the boatman Wang Gui, and looked up at the magistrate of Chun'an.
"Please arrest this murderer, sir." (To be continued.) { ( )