Li Chuo heard Mr. Qin's three words and immediately jumped up, hastily ordering: "Quickly invite! Quickly invite!"
Mrs. Yan held a piece of silk in her hand and stared at her husband, who was running out without wearing his shoes properly, and it took her a long time to come back to herself.
Something big must have happened.
Li Chuo rushed to the flower hall, Mr. Qin had already asked someone to bring a basin of hot water over and was bent down washing his face. Li Chuo looked at the sweat stains on the back of Mr. Qin's clothes and his heart sank again.
Mr. Qin splashed hot water all over himself, let out a long sigh of relief, and Li Xiao'er looked at his sweat-drenched back and damp front lapels, repeatedly instructing: "Have someone prepare hot water, bring me a set of clothes, attend to Mr. for bathing..."
"Just take a set of clothes." Mr. Qin interrupted Li Chuo's orders, "Chuo, let's talk in the study room."
Li Chuo's face tightened, he hastily stood up, gesturing to Mr. Qin to walk outside while instructing the servant boy, "Send the clothes to the small study."
Li Cuoshi and Mr. Qin entered the small study upstairs, and the clothes were also delivered. Mr. Qin changed his clothes and came out, and the servant had already laid out several snacks and soup, and retreated with his hands hanging down.
Mr. Qin sat down, first pouring a bowl of soup to drink, then eating several soup buns in a row, and drinking another bowl of soup. He let out a breath of air, "I'm sorry, I was in a hurry on the road and didn't even have lunch." Seeing Li wanting to shout orders again, he quickly raised his hand to stop him, "Don't rush, these snacks are very good, this steamer basket of soup buns is enough. Let's talk first."
Li He saw Mr. Qin say so and didn't stay much longer.
Mr. Qin ate a few more steamed buns and drank half a bowl of soup before speaking: "The Mr. Yao Qian beside Lin Ming Sheng and Lin Xiang Si suddenly died of illness last night."
Li Chuo's eyes widened suddenly and he died of illness!
"Originally, I didn't plan to make this trip. Some things were meant to be put off until the new year, and then discussed with the officials again. The current Hangzhou city is not very peaceful."
"Unexpectedly, Yao Qian suddenly died. When I heard the news this morning, I... Alas, Mr. Yao... I knew him when I was in Beijing. I really didn't expect it. The more I think about it, the more I feel that I must hurry over at once. This matter is unlikely to be a small one."
Mr. Qin looked gloomy.
Li Chuo looked at him and let out a soft sigh, waiting for him to continue.
Mr. Qin felt a pang of sadness for a moment, then continued: "Let me start from the beginning. Four days ago, on the surface, it was said that we were going to hunt down the murderer across counties. Xiangshan County presented a homicide case to the Hangzhou Prefectural Government.
Zhao Zhengshi, the wife of Zhao Hongqing from Xiakou Town, Hengshan County, was found dead outside Xiakou Town. Zhao Mengshi, Zhao Hongqing's stepmother, said that Zhao Hongqing's older sister Hu Zhao and her husband Hu Da killed Zhao Zhengshi. However, Hu Da and his younger brother Hu Mingde claimed that it was a result of a quarrel between Hu Zhao and Zhao Zhengshi, which led to the accidental killing of Zhao Zhengshi.
The Hangzhou Prefectural Court quickly tried and sentenced Hu Zhao's wife to beheading, Hu Da and Hu Mingde were sent to the silver mine for ten years of hard labor, and Zhao Meng's wife was sold into slavery.
"What's behind this case?" Li Chuo asked abruptly. Hu Da and Hu Mingde's ten years of hard labor in the silver mine were obviously too severe.
"It's not just this, in this case, all the people involved will be tried together with the Department of Justice and the Prefectural Government Office after autumn, for a case that has harmed public morals and resulted in loss of life. The trial was held the day before yesterday, and the sentence has already been carried out."
Mr. Qin looked at Li Cao, and continued, Li Cao's eyes widened in surprise.
"County Magistrate Wu Youguang of Hengshan County, the Grain Intendant found out about his background and said that he was indeed guilty of corruption. Yesterday, a document was sent to Hengshan County and he has been removed from office. It is heard that Wu Youguang is packing up his belongings and preparing to move his whole family to the capital."
Mr. Qin looked at Li Chuo, who was frowning and staring, and continued: "The day after these two cases were closed, Wu Youguang was dismissed from his post, and Third Master fell ill the day before. I asked the doctor, and he said it was due to excessive fright, which caused him to lose his mind."
"These two cases, one and two, two and one?" Li Chao's reaction was quick and accurate.
Mr. Qin looked at Li Cao and continued, "Yesterday morning, Fifth Master handed over Wu Tong to me, saying that Wu Tong could no longer stay, asking me to spare his life and send him away as far as possible."
I interrogated Wutong for a few sentences, and Wutong said that someone named Lian Gui found him and gave him 50 taels of silver to steal a statement from the county government office. The statement had Zhao Hongqing's name on it. He stole it out and handed it over to Lian Gui the day before the female corpse was discovered in Xikou Town.
"Is this a trap set for Lao San?" Li Chuo, after all, had been struggling in the officialdom for decades, and upon hearing this, he already understood.
"Uh-huh." Mr. Qin nodded slightly, bowed his head and lowered his voice: "The female corpse case in Xigou Town was jointly tried by Zhu and Shan. Shan told me a few words, saying that the Hu brothers strangled Zhao Zhengshi because she refused to let her husband Zhao Hongqing go to the county government of Hengshan to file a lawsuit for adultery."
"There are a few more details, let's take a closer look. Mr. Qin leaned back in his chair, "That case of injuring the wind and killing with poison, four places were searched for people, Shanyin County Ning'an Temple, Hengshan County Xikou Town, Yanguan County Qiaodong Town and Sanyang Town. The place where Xikou Town was searched is also the place where the body was thrown."
"How was this case of injuring someone with a knife sentenced? Has the sentence been carried out?"
"Yes, they were executed on the same day, five principal offenders and more than a dozen accomplices, beheaded and immediately put to death."
Li Chuo's face turned pale as he let out a cold breath, these two cases were sentenced too heavily!
"There's another strange thing," Mr. Qin said, his eyes narrowing as he leaned in towards Li Chuo, "The executioner who went to the Guan Deputy Commander's army was a man named Huang Wen from a family of executioners in Hangzhou Prefecture. He didn't do beheadings, what he was good at were live dismemberments and flaying."
Li Chuo's driver shivered and stared straight at Mr. Qin.
Mr. Qin leaned back in his chair, with the same fear in his eyes, looking at Li Cao, after a while, he sighed and said: "This case, arrested at night, tried in the morning, executed in the afternoon, was taken by Vice Marshal Guan, and probably also tried in Vice Marshal Guan's army."
Xian Si Yaomen and Shuai Si Yaomen, very few people know about them. Shuai Si Yaomen is managed by Yao Canyi, Zhan Canyi said that he and Zhu Canyi are both completely unaware of it.
"Who is it? Want to get Lao San into such a case?" After a while, Li Cao's voice was low and hoarse.
"Who else could it be? Yao Qian is dead." Mr. Qin replied in an even lower tone.
"I also thought of that, apart from Lin Ming Sheng, there's no one else. What about Yao Qian's death? What do you think?" Li Cao Si poured half a bowl of soup and drank it with his head tilted back.
"It doesn't seem like Mingtao Mountain Villa." After a moment of silence, Mr. Qin looked at Li Chuan, "These two cases, Wu Ge and Guo Sheng, should both know the inside story. As for Yao Qian's death, I always feel that it was more likely... Wu Ge who did it."
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