Rise From the Humble

"Ms. Zhang Wang, please continue."

When Magistrate Chun'an saw that the scene had calmed down a little, he nodded to the young woman and motioned for her to continue.

"Uh-huh. Master Qingtian, my master told me three days ago that he hired the boatman Wang Gui and said he would go to Yingtian Mansion to purchase goods this morning. The agreed departure time is 4:15. My master said to me at 4:00 this morning Immediately I packed up my gifts and took Xinruan out."

The young woman, Mrs. Zhang Wang, sobbed and wiped her tears while telling the story of the incident.

"After my master went out this morning, about an hour later, the maid Bi'er reported back to me that she heard someone knocking on the door, knocking very fast, and shouting, 'Mrs. Zhang, Mrs. Zhang, open the door quickly.' I walked to the yard. I heard such a shout, so I asked the maid Bi'er to open the door, and then I found the boatman Wang Gui outside the door. I asked Wang Gui why he was so anxious and what happened."

"Wang Gui asked anxiously, 'Mrs. Zhang, it's getting late, why hasn't Master Zhang got on the boat yet?'. I was surprised when I heard that, my master has been out for an hour, why hasn't he got on the boat yet?" Boat? Then I felt panicked, so I took my maid and asked my parents to follow the boatman to the riverside to find my master. I met acquaintances on the road. They said they saw my master taking a shortcut from a small road to the riverside. You can reach the dock by walking down the river. When we arrived at the river, there was only one boat on the river, and there was no sign of my master. The slave family was worried, so they followed Wang Gui to the county government to report the case. "

"My master is a good man. He has helped his neighbors and done many good things, including building bridges and roads. My master is famous for keeping his promises. As long as he promises, he will definitely do it. He will arrive at the time he says he will. , if you didn’t rush over at the appointed time, something must have happened. Mr. Qingtian, you have to make the decision for my family and my master."

The young woman held back her tears and finished speaking. She couldn't hold it back any longer. Her sobbing at the beginning turned into heartbreaking. She knelt on the ground and begged the magistrate of Chun'an to make the decision for her.

There was a buzzing sound around, like countless flies flying. Because there were official officials nearby, people did not dare to speak loudly, but the whispering was continuous, especially when the young woman was talking.

Due to official duties, people just whispered to each other and expressed their opinions.

"Mr. Zhang only goes out with her front legs. If someone knocks on the back door, she opens the door. What does this mean? He is really used to being carefree."

"That's right, it's really not worth it for Mr. Zhang."

"Hey, I've heard for a long time that this woman is unruly. You think a decent wife would open the door for a man so early in the morning? She might have thought that the boatman was her concubine."

"How can I not get my shoes wet when I often walk by the river? Mr. Zhang is also a child. You can take shortcuts, but you have to pay attention to safety. It rained last night, and the riverside is the slipperiest place."

Compared to people talking in low voices, Zhu Pingan listened very carefully when the young woman knelt down to tell. Halfway through, Zhu Pingan's eyebrows moved slightly and raised slightly, like a closed room. It's like opening a door.

After looking at the young woman kneeling at the feet of the magistrate of Chun'an, and then at the boatman Wang Gui who was standing next to him waiting for a reply, Zhu Pingan turned his attention to the magistrate.

Let’s see how the magistrate handles it first.

"You get up first. As a parent official, I will naturally make decisions 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 aside and asked him to tell the story again.

"Back to Mr. Qingtian, the younger one is called Wang Gui. His ancestors have been living by the Yangtze River for generations, and so has the younger one. Three days ago, Mr. Zhang asked someone to find me and made an appointment to go to Yingtian Mansion to purchase goods at 15:00 today. It is on this riverside, When he arrived, he set sail. At Mao hour, the younger one came to the riverside to wait for Mr. Zhang. By the quarter of Mao hour, Mr. Zhang hadn't come yet. The younger one was waiting on the left side of the river, but Mr. Zhang didn't come, and on the right, he didn't come either. If you don’t come, I’ve been waiting for almost half an hour, but Mr. Zhang didn’t come.”

"The time has been arranged in advance. When we arrive at Yingtian Mansion, we have to pick up Shaodong's family from Li Ji Tea Shop. Mr. Zhang is almost half an hour late and hasn't come to board the boat. If he misses to pick up Li Shaodong's family, There was little time, but the younger one couldn’t afford the punishment. So, the younger one hurriedly went to Mr. Zhang’s house to urge him and ask him why he still didn’t get on the boat.”

"When I arrived at Mr. Zhang's house, I hurriedly knocked on the door and asked Mrs. Zhang to open the door. Mrs. Zhang asked why she was in such a hurry, so I asked why Mr. Zhang hadn't boarded the boat since it was getting late. Then Mrs. Zhang was surprised. It was said that Mr. Zhang had gone out early in the morning. Then a group of us came to the river again, and indeed there was no trace of Mr. Zhang. Since Mr. Zhang had gone out early, why not get on the boat? Then the younger one felt something was wrong, so he advised Mrs. Zhang quickly reported the case.”

What the boatman Wang Gui said was consistent with what the young woman Zhang Wang said. They both said it from different angles, but the content was the same.

After listening to what boatman Wang Gui said, the people around him began to exchange their opinions in a low voice. Some say that the young woman Zhang Wang colluded with her concubine to kill Mr. Zhang. Some say that Mr. Zhang took a shortcut and fell into the Yangtze River and met with an accident. Some say that Mr. Zhang might have been killed while walking along the river to the dock. Understand

After hearing what the boatman Wang Gui said, the magistrate of Chun'an frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. What the boatman Wang Gui and Mrs. Zhang Wang said were generally consistent, and there was no discrepancy.

After thinking for a moment, Magistrate Chun'an slightly stretched his eyebrows. He looked at the young woman Zhang Wang and asked, "As you just said, you met an acquaintance on the way to the riverside. The acquaintance said that Mr. Zhang was coming from a small road. The road is by the river. Whose name is this acquaintance?"

In the eyes of the magistrate of Chun'an, this acquaintance mentioned by Zhang Wang is the key. Whether Mr. Zhang has walked to the riverside is related to the location of the search work, and it is also very helpful to the case.

"Yes" the young woman hesitated slightly.

"Who is it?" Magistrate Chun'an cast his gaze on the young woman, the eyes under his eyebrows were very deep.

"Sir, I am a son of my mother's family, Murakami, who works at the dock, and is the second son of the old Zhao family in the east of the village." The young woman Zhang Wang replied under the gaze of the magistrate of Chun'an.

After the young woman Zhang Wang finished her reply, people's whispering reached a climax. Even if there were servants nearby, the sound was buzzing, and it seemed that people were very excited.

"Isn't the Erlang of the old Zhao family her lover before she married Mr. Zhang?"

"It turns out to be Zhao Erlang, I have to say it with shame, tsk tsk, didn't Zhao Erlang study to prepare for the exam? Why did he suddenly go to the dock to carry goods? Are you short of money?"

"Hey, poor Mr. Zhang, he turned out to be an adulterer and a silver woman!"

Listening to the young woman Zhang Wangshi's answer, people pointed at the young woman even more. Many people also had many pictures in their minds, and then sighs and scorn came one after another.

"Come here, tell Zhao Erlang to come. I have a few questions that I would like to ask you for advice." The magistrate of Chun'an summoned four officers and ordered them to "invite" Zhao Erlang.

Pass on Zhao Erlang?

Well, how long does this round trip take? The journey alone will take at least half an hour, plus the magistrate's inquiries and so on, I don't know how long it will take. Moreover, there is no need to go to such trouble.

Zhu Ping'an looked at the haggard and precarious sick old man and his worried son not far away, as well as the scholar who stood on tiptoe and looked in the direction of Yingtian Mansion, and any newcomers who rubbed their hands and looked in the direction of home from time to time. Father.

The sun and the moon have passed away, and the years are not with me.

Forget it, I'll do it myself once more.

Then, a clear voice suddenly sounded. A simple and honest young man crossed the crowd, pointed at the boatman Wang Gui, and looked up at the magistrate of Chun'an.

"Please, sir, please arrest this murderer."