After watching the fish drying farm, Xie Ning talked to the village head of Haidong Village. After the negotiation, they paid half of the deposit, and the two rode their horses back to the county seat.

Passing by the whole fish feast restaurant, I plan to take Brother Yu back by the way.

As soon as I entered the restaurant, I saw Brother Yu at the dining table holding the diners in the hall on the first floor.

Brother Yu was a small ball, not high enough for the table, he was holding the table with his feet, and he stretched out his short hands to grab the birds in the birdcage.

Xie Ning didn't look closely, and hurriedly wanted to step forward to prevent his son from having the appetite of a nobleman.

Zhou Jinnian slowed him into the restaurant because he tied the horse, but he recognized at a glance that these four were from the capital! There are two dark blue satin robes, one is Deng Shiqiang, a member of the criminal department, and the other is Caoliang, the Dali Temple Zheng.

People from the Criminal Ministry and Dali Temple appeared in Nanyu County at the same time. Is there an unjust case?

In the Qing dynasty, the judiciary had three judicial departments, namely Dali Temple, the Ministry of Criminal Affairs, and Yushitai, which were mutually restrictive.

In major cases, the three divisions will be tried. Two fifth-grade officials came down to the place immediately, Zhou Jinnian frowned and recalled in his mind, Qingyuan forty years...forty-one years...major criminal case...?

Xie Ning also took a step slower. On Wednesday Fengxian came over to coax his grandson, and said: "Brother Yu is going to be naughty!"

One of the people at the table smiled kindly, "It's okay, the baby is still small, don't be afraid of him, it's not good to be scared."

On Wednesday, Feng is also used to socializing in the restaurant. Seeing the friendly guests, he inevitably relaxes. He bent over and hugged Brother Yu and asked, "Brother Yu remembers these three-color thrushes?"

The four people at the table were still smiling kindly, teasing Brother Yu, and their complexions instantly changed!

The duty of Cao Liang, the principal of the Dali Temple, is to measure the penalty, and to deal with the law. Cao Liang has the right to decide the case. He immediately changed his face and asked with a smile: "How old is the baby this year? But have you seen this bird?"

Zhou Jinnian stepped forward, raised Brother Yu, held him in his arms, and denied: "The dog has never seen this little bird. The child is small. He just loves brightly colored things. I am extremely sorry for disturbing the peace of the nobleman."

"Oh?" Cao Liang still didn't change his face and smiled, but he was reluctant, and asked kindly at Wednesday Feng: "This baby is called Brother Yu? Is it yours...?"

"Yes, it's my grandson. I'm sorry, my grandson has just turned two years old and is ignorant. I am a shopkeeper, and I apologize. I asked you for this table. It's not worth any money. Don't mind. "Wednesday Feng saw the guests with a smile, and he was also very fond of him.

"Eh? Nothing, nothing, the doll likes to see and see, it doesn't hurt." Cao Liang waved his hand, turned his eyes, returned to Brother Yu, and pretended to ask curiously: "I just heard you say that the doll remembers this bird? Doesn't it? To tell you the truth, this new bird I got painted for a big price, and never listened to it after I bought it! Alas, you said this...

"I don't know when you saw this bird before, did it bark or not?"

Before Zhou Jinnian spoke, he was surprised by his father's answer.

Zhou Feng said: "Hiss? Then we should not see the same one. I have seen one with these three colors. Not only can it scream, but it can also sing, which is very nice."

Zhou Jinnian hugged his son and asked, "When did Brother Yu see this bird last year?"

This was exactly the question the four people at the dinner table wanted to ask, so the four pairs of eyes stared at Wednesday Feng.

On Wednesday Feng didn't notice that the atmosphere was wrong at all. He smiled and replied to his son: "Last year, we boarded the Ping An Inn and waited for you two days to see. At that time, when you returned to Fucheng, it's no wonder you haven't seen it."

Cao Liang asked tightly: "Oh? Then, do you know the owner of this bird?"

On Wednesday, Feng shook his head and said, "Hey, you can stay in the inn. They are all passers-by, so naturally they don't know."

"Do you still remember what it looked like? How many people? What are you doing at the inn?"

On Wednesday, Feng frowned and began to reminiscence with his hands.

As soon as Zhou Jinnian heard these three consecutive questions, he guessed that it must be the case that this bird had memorialized, and it was a major criminal case. That’s why Cao Liang and Deng Shiqiang were ordered to come to this little southern city from the capital. Investigate the case in Yuxian County.

Thinking of this, Zhou Jinnian handed his son to Xie Ning behind him, and said to the person on the table: "I am the magistrate of Nanyu County, Jianzhou Prefecture. Seeing a few extraordinary crafts, not like merchants, this thrush is amazing. , Is definitely not an ordinary mynah. You inquire about the original owner of this thrush in every way, what is it? This official, as a magistrate, has to ask more about it."

He deliberately revealed his identity.

Sure enough, Cao Liang opened his eyes slightly, looked up and down Zhou Jinnian, and took out the official card of Dali Temple from his arms.

Zhou Jinnian pretended to be surprised, and said, "It's not suitable to discuss matters here, please, several people on the second floor."

When the group got upstairs, Deng Shiqiang pointed to Brother Yu who was held by Xie Ning and said, "The baby is coming."

Xie Ning glanced at Zhou Jinnian, and had to hold Brother Yu to keep up.

After entering the room, Cao Liang immediately stopped Zhou Jinnian's salute, "Eh? No need to be polite, I will come by order to investigate the case, this case involves a serious matter and is unintentionally exposed. Unexpectedly, come here to the famous Quanyu I had an unexpected harvest after eating a feast. The matter is serious, and I hope you will know everything."

"It should be." Zhou Jinnian said to his father sideways: "Father will see the thrush last year, just talk about them one by one."

On Wednesday, Feng Yi heard that he was a man older than his son, and his heart trembled. When he heard that the bird was still involved in the case, he was even more confused.

All the officials were confused by what they said.

Xie Ning courageously pulled Zhou Jinnian's sleeve, and said softly: "At that time, it was this thrush that my father and I had seen in order to coax Brother Yu."

Deng Shiqiang, a member of the Criminal Department, had a quick temper and coughed.

Xie Ning received Zhou Jinnian's encouraging look, put down Brother Yu, and stepped forward to speak.

"My name is Xie Ning, and my husband's name is Zhou Jinnian. I am the magistrate of Nanyu County. Last year, I took office with my husband and went to the'Ping'an Inn' 100 miles away from Jianzhou Mansion. I remember it was about eight. The last few days of the month."

"There is a bamboo forest outside the backyard of the inn. On the morning of the night, my son cried and screamed. My father and I hugged him into the bamboo forest."

"There is a bamboo pavilion in the forest. At that time, there were three men, dressed in Chinese clothes, with graceful temperament, and a birdcage on the table. This was the first time I saw this thrush."

"In the evening, the first floor was eating, and it happened that the three of them were also at the table, and saw the thrush at close range twice, and they haven't seen it again for more than a year."

Cao Liang and Deng Shiqiang looked at each other and thought about each other.

Cao Liang asked first: "Do you remember the looks of the three men?"

Xie Ning recalled it and nodded slightly.

Cao Liang winked at the little official standing beside him. The man took out a roll of drawing paper, opened it and asked, "Do you know this person?"

"Yes." Xie Ning nodded, "At that daily dinner, my son pointed at Thrush and cried. It was this man who brought the bird cage and hugged me."

Cao Liang immediately stood up and said with surprise, "Master Zhou, you two will go with me to the city, Xiao Langjun, you will describe the appearance of the other two to the painter. If you can help us solve this case, I will definitely submit it to the court. I'll give you great credit!"

There are no painters in the small county, only Fucheng.

Zhou Jinnian had to hurriedly confess a few words to the county prince and the county lieutenant. Xie Ning also simply packed up two clothes and followed Zhou Jinian to ride his horse to Fucheng.

Cao Liang and Deng Shiqiang kept silent about the specific case, and Zhou Jinnian stopped asking more questions.

After arriving in Fucheng, he was immediately led to find a painter. Taking advantage of Xie Ning's help with the portrait, Zhou Jinnian found it and slipped out to find Wu Dao.

Wu Dao has a frown and a look of'the general trend is gone', and he has no energy.

As soon as Zhou Jinnian asked, Wu Dao muttered to himself: "It's over..."

"What the **** happened? The next official might be able to come up with an idea?" Zhou Jinnian asked calmly.

Wu Dao: "On October 12th, 39th year, patrol soldiers outside the city found a headless male corpse. Soon after, Jiangnan tea merchant Duan Daqian reported that his son Duan Maocai had disappeared along with his pet Sancai Thrush. "

"The male corpse, Duan Daqian, identified it as his aunt. Because he couldn't find the first class, and there was no clue on the scene, the case was kept."

"Until April last year, someone in the city showed up in Chen Ji's Teahouse with a three-color thrush. It was identified that it was the San-color thrush that disappeared with Duan Maocai..."

Wu Dao hesitated and hesitated to say no more.

Zhou Jinnian frowned and asked, "What then? By coincidence, my husband happened to have seen the thrush in August the year before, and is now assisting Master Cao and Master Deng with the case. Now I may be able to help one or two."

Wu Dao sighed, "Duan Daqian is in the tribute tea business. There are five fingers and mountains supporting him in Beijing. He believes that the man is the murderer of his son, and he forced the official to give his son justice! If you don’t want to have extra branches, just..."

"So, that person is dead?" Zhou Jinnian asked the point directly.

"That person's name was Qu Wenbo, and he said that he bought this thrush from a little lady, and only spent 50 taels of silver. But in the search of Fucheng, there was no such little lady."

"Qu Wenbo had no truth in his mouth, so the official ordered the stick. After being sentenced, he pleaded guilty, and the official settled the case."

Zhou Jinian sighed in his heart. This Wenbo seems to have been beaten into a trick and become a ghost.

"Who is Nagju Wenbo?"

"It has been verified that Qu Wenbo's family is in business, and this person has no merit."

Zhou Jinian nodded, surname Qu? There seems to be no big family named Qu, and no residences in Beijing.

Zhou Jinian stood up, held his hand and fell into his thoughts, and asked Wu Dao, "After the case is closed, what is the attitude of Duan Maocai's father?"

When he asked this question, his expression was natural, and he was more like a superior person than Wu Dao.

Wu Dao had already fallen into the stage of six gods and no masters. He didn't feel disgusted in his heart. He immediately replied: "Duan Daqian feels that the murder of his son is rewarded, and he feels relieved in his sadness."

Wu Dao sighed. Although he is equal to Cao Liang of the Dali Temple and a member of the Criminal Department, Wailang, the case is doubtful. People were ordered to investigate him, and he was inferior to others.

At this time, I saw Zhou Jinnian calm and calm, very invincible, and I think of the collapse of Wuqiao and the orderly governance of Nanyu County by this person. Unconsciously, it is like grabbing a life-saving straw. Grasping Zhou Jinnian’s wrist, it seems to be an confession and a call for help, "Master Zhou, this case is over, the official will report to the court, resign to the six counties, and you must be the one who has the most chance to take office!"

Wu Dao added: "No, as long as this person retires from this case, the prefect of Jianzhou must be you!"

Zhou Jinnian remained unmoved, "The most urgent task is to figure out who was the order of the Dali Temple and the Criminal Ministry? Who reversed the case? Mr. Wu, let me go and see the situation."

After talking about Zhou Jinnian's robe, he crossed the threshold.

Xindao Wu Dao is really confused. He deceives the background of a small business man in the cultural history.

Duan Daqian thought that he had avenged his son, so he was right. The two fifth-grade officials who came down from the capital must have reversed the case for Qu Wenbo.

As for which ship did the composer get on? It is not within the scope of his thinking. Qu Wenbo has always been wronged, so he should have returned his innocence.

...

Based on Xie Ning's description, the painter drew a portrait of the person traveling with the deceased Duan Maocai, and Cao Liang and Deng Shiqiang took a close look.

Then he asked Xie Ning carefully, "Look carefully, but is it the person in the painting?"

"It's the same, if I see it, I will recognize it." Xie Ning nodded.

Deng Shiqiang asked Wu Dao to transfer Duan Maocai's confession, but did not let Wu Dao see the portrait.

Wu Dao complained incessantly. This is not just about investigating unjust cases. The people behind this case are looking for him to seek revenge!

After that, the investigation of the case was the work of Cao Liang and Deng Shiqiang.

In the evening, Xie Ning and Zhou Jinnian were arranged to live in an inn near the government office, waiting to return to the county together tomorrow.

Closing the door, Zhou Jinnian took the book with him and read it. Xie Ning leaned over and glanced at it with his head tilted. It was "Nongzheng Quanshu" again.

Xie Ning glanced at the closed door, raised his head and put his chin on Zhou Jinnian's shoulder, pouting his lips in Zhou Jinnian's ear and said, "When the painter was drawing in the afternoon, I listened to two adults talking..."

Zhou Jinnian closed the book and looked sideways at Ning Lang. The two were heads to each other, so close that Zhou Jinnian could see the little fluff on Ning Lang's face.

"What did you say?" Zhou Ji said in a young voice, and the heating made Xie Ning blink.

"Master Cao said that the courtesy of the emperor and the minister is greater than that of the son-in-law, and advised Master Deng not to offend the magistrate before the case is over."

When Zhou Jinnian heard the words, he looked back at the round table directly in front, his thin lips lightly opened, "Weng-in-law?"

Xie Ning nodded, "Yeah."

Zhou Jinnian frowned and analyzed: "The meaning of Cao Liang's remarks, the Lord arranged for them to come to reverse the case, it should be for a certain master in the harem. This case happened only a year ago. A year later, he went to court to reverse the case in a big way. This master should have been favored for the first time. It is not ruled out that he just entered the palace and said..."

Xie Ning nodded in agreement, and pressed his chin on Zhou Jinnian's shoulder.

"Qu Yingying?" Zhou Jinnian suddenly came up with a name.

"Who?" Xie Ning sat up, leaning forward and tilting his head to look at Zhou Jinnian's profile.

Zhou Jinnian's nose is tall, the eyebrows are prominent, and his narrow and narrow eyes are slightly narrowed. Every curvature of the side of the facial features is just right, perfectly exposing the heroic bones.

Zhou Jinian probably had a clue. He first looked straight ahead and nodded, and then answered Xie Ning with his head sideways: "Qu Wenbo's sister or younger sister."

"How do you know her?"

"Early." Zhou Jinnian didn't lie, he was indeed heard by ears, but heard in the previous life.

In the previous life, Qu Yingying, the daughter of a merchant in Beijing, was a model of a boudoir lady. She was originally a lowly status. It was only because Li Haolan, a Hongfei general who had won her military exploits, married her as the main room, and swears in front of all the VIPs on the day of her wedding. , No concubine in this life.

This marriage sensation in the capital, the people want to see Qu Yingying's respectable face, to see what **** is worthy of General Hongfei's affection?

Zhou Jinian has long been accustomed to the changes in this life, but he still regrets that such a perfect match, but this life has been divided into two parts.

But from this it can be seen that Qu Yingying has a little trick. The last general Hongfei did not accept concubines for her, and the sage of this world vindicated her injustice.

You know, in Daqing, the emperor is far away. Unless local officials violate major laws, such as uprisings, large-scale military activities, etc., the court will easily not shake local officials.

In this era when criminal investigation is underdeveloped, it is the most common result that succumbing to the crime of injustice.

It seems that this case has to be investigated and it has come to the fore. Wu Dao, the official hat is hard to protect.

...

On the second day, Cao Liang found the two men in the portrait. Xie Ning met the two and nodded affirming that these two men had indeed met at the Ping An Inn, Duan Maocai's friend.

After confirming his identity, Cao Liang asked, Zhou Jinnian and Xie Ning listened quietly.

The two of them had studied for several years, but the scholars did not pass the exams, so they abandoned their pens and went to business.

According to their account, the last time I saw the deceased Duan Maocai was in a book teahouse in the city.

Deng Shiqiang asked: "What are you doing in the book teahouse?"

One person replied: "Brother Maocai is proud of the three-color thrush, and he often takes it to the book teahouse to listen to books. If there is a fellow who loves birds like fate, he will come forward and make friends."

Deng Shiqiang: "Are there conflicts with others?"

"Except for listening to books and making friends, Brother Maocai has never had a dispute with anyone in the teahouse."

Another person thought for a while, and said, "Since Mao Cai got the bird, he has often taken it to the teahouse to show off. This has led to the murder. But, hasn't this case been solved last year?"

They were also questioned by the prefect at that time, so they paid a lot of attention, and finally learned that the murderer was caught, so they let go of the matter in their hearts. Unexpectedly, after half a year, the Chinese New Year was about to come, and I was called for questioning again, which was really unlucky.

Deng Shiqiang patted the table, "Bold!"

Cao Liang was relatively calm, "Don't ask if you shouldn't ask, Duan Maocai flaunts the three-color thrush, can someone in the teahouse behave strangely? What strange things have you said?"

"Indeed, someone asked the price. After learning that the three-color thrush is worth a lot of money, they persuaded Brother Mao Cai to keep the thrush at home and beware of the bad guys."

"Brother Maocai said at the time: My father is Duan Daqian. Whoever dares to move my thrush, I chopped off his hands and fed the dog."

As soon as Deng Shiqiang heard that there was a play, he immediately ordered: "You two will follow me to the inn, and I will find out the person who asked Duan Maocai about this!"

After Deng Shiqiang finished speaking, he took a few arrested men and went to the teahouse to handle the case.

Cao Liang and the others left before sighing, "Master Deng is vigorous and resolute. Isn't it a horror! Alas, I would like to ask county magistrate Zhou to run and let Wu Dao seal the city. I will take someone to find the wrongdoer Qu Wenbo's confession. Little lady."

Zhou Jinnian helped spread the word and led Xiao Fulang to prepare to return to Nanyu County. Cao Liang and Deng Shiqiang even defended Wu Dao. There was no reason to disclose the details of the case to him, so staying was a waste of time.

And Xie Ning is very concerned about brother Yu.

Brother Yu didn't see his fathers last night, and went to bed with his grandfather and didn't make trouble, but the next day, he didn't see the fathers when he woke up, so he didn't want to.

Brother Yu's two short legs were soaring upside down, and he ran to the yard in a daze. He stood behind the locked yard door with his two small hands attached to the door, and he couldn't push it even with the force of milking.

Luhe ran over first, trying to pick him up, but as soon as he stretched out his hand, Brother Yu cried, "Wow..."

Lin Jin followed and said hurriedly: "Don't move him, if you make him cry, Ning Lang is not there and I can't coax him."

Luhe had to squat down and stroked Brother Yu's soft hair, "Where is Brother Yu going?"

Brother Yu flattened his small mouth, his big round eyes swept across Luhe's face, raised his small arm, pointed at the courtyard wall on the right, and shouted: "Father!"

The two looked in the direction of his fingers. On the other side of the courtyard wall was an open field, and beyond that was the county office, where Zhou Jinnian's office was located.

Because of the proximity, the county government is the safest. Occasionally Zhou Jinnian is busy with official duties. Xie Ning carries a food box and carries his son to deliver food to Zhou Jinnian.

Although Brother Yu is young, he already has a vague impression, knowing that this is where his father stays, and if his father is not at home, he is also there.

"Your father and daddy have gone to Fucheng, Brother Yu is good, go back to dinner with grandpa, and they will come back to hug you after eating, okay?"

The two-year-old brother Yu can understand, but is unwilling to be obedient. He raised his hand to point to the right wall and stomped his feet back and forth anxiously, "Daddy!"

Seeing that Lin Jin and Luhe kept persuading him, he finally couldn't help it, his big eyes soon became foggy, and he opened his small mouth and cried, "Wow..."

Lin Jin was also in a hurry, feeling terribly distressed, and stretched out his hand to hug him.

"No no! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Qianghuo used to pull the latch out, but Brother Yu still couldn't push it. The courtyard gates were all made of solid wood. The others were small and the strength was not as good as the gentle breeze.

Brother Yu was not allowed to hug, and he couldn't get out, so he cried out in a hurry.

Qianghuo squatted down and forcibly picked him up. Brother Yu kicked his two calves vigorously, and slapped Qianghuo's shoulder and neck with a small slap, still a little painful.

"I'll take you to find daddy, you cried so loudly that he heard him, he is going to teach you, are you afraid?"

"Woo...heh..." Brother Yu hiccuped, his little paw covered his mouth and twitched.

They live in the county office. Brother Yu is young and sometimes crying for no reason. When everyone can't help, Xie Ning told him that your father is in front of the case and is not allowed to make noise.

After talking too much, Brother Yu also listened to it. Sometimes the old ewe raised at home called "Bao", and his little family stumbled and yelled at the ewe: "No, no!"

The ewe has been raised by Xie Ning and intends to give it to her retirement.

Qianghuo took Brother Yu to the study room where Zhou Jinnian was working, went to the case-handling lobby, and went to the county tax archive.

Along the way, he met Zhou Jinnian’s subordinate county Cheng and the county lieutenant. The two people teased him. His eyes widened. The eyes of children crying are not as red as adults. He is more black and white, clear and clear, with only eyelashes. Wet, in clusters.

In the past, the county lieutenant wanted to hug him, but he would not refuse.

At this moment, he was waving his hands and kicking his legs, and slapped the back of people's hands.

Qianghuo had to hug him out of the county office and walked all the way to point the way. Brother Yu just looked with a pair of big eyes, pouting his mouth, and said nothing.

Until Qianghuo pointed to the duck swimming in the water, "Look at Brother Yu, what is this?"

"Quack..." Brother Yu opened his mouth as he screamed like a duck.

Lin Jin, who followed behind him, finally felt relieved. He spent money on the street. He was a sugar buyer for his grandson, and he bought paper and turned flowers. It was a temporary coaxing to Brother Yu.

The author has something to say: thanks to the little angel who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution during 2020-10-2122:32:51~2020-10-2223:36:58~

Thanks to the little angel who irrigates the nutrient solution: 10 bottles of bad grass dyed with cold frost, Xiaol, Meng Xiaoshou; lemon is so sour, I love me, mosquitoes love me 5 bottles; candy seed i2 bottles; Wenhuang (╥_╥) 1 bottle ;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like