Li Tianshu's news was like pouring a scoop of water into hot oil, and Gu Qian only heard the sound of prickling in his ears. "Are you sure Liu Xiaoqi can't have children?"

"It's true, the old man in the county and Chuntang can testify to this matter. ”

Gu Qian was silent for a long time, and said to Gu An: "Call Duan Wenrui." ”

"Yes. ”

Duan Wenrui was a little puzzled when he came, he was thinking about how to interrogate the father and son of the Liu family, when he heard the call of the county magistrate, he had to put down what he was doing and quickly came to the signing room. "What is the matter with the lord?"

Gu Qian told Duan Wenrui of the new information provided by Li Tianshu, and asked him to go to Hechun Hall to find Lao Langzhong to confirm the matter. This matter is not trivial, Duan Wenrui hurried away.

Li Tianshu saw that Gu Qian attached so much importance to the information he provided, and most of his hanging heart fell.

"Li Tianshu, it's also very hard for you to rush all the way to the county seat, let's go down and rest with Steward Gu. Seeing Li Tianshu kneeling on the ground and not daring to move, Gu Qian said in a good voice.

"Back to the old man's words, the little old man is not hard, I just hope that the big master can punish the wicked, so that Xiao Qi can also be blind under the nine springs. ”

"Okay, this official will definitely find out about this case!"

On this day, Gu Qian was very busy, he first confirmed with Duan Wenrui that Liu Xiaoqi could not have children, and then found Gu Xiaojiu and asked him to take the crumpled sweat towel to Luliu Village to see if the sweat towel found in the kang cave could deceive any new clues.

Gu Xiaojiu took the order and went to Liu Xiaoqi's house, and found that there was a commotion at the gate of Liu's courtyard, and everyone was talking about the harm of Liu's father and son.

"I didn't expect Liu Dazhuang's father and son to be such people! Xiao Qi has been neighbors with him for many years, what is there that can't stop him?"

"And that Liu Kang, who didn't study well at a young age, actually bought explosives to help harm people!"

"Hey, fortunately, the eldest master took him away, otherwise I would have wanted to tell him about the Cuihua in the next village!"

"You think beautifully, Liu Kang is an apprentice in the city, and his eyes are high!"

"No matter how high it is, it's useless, and now it's not that I've been caught by the bad master!"

"I don't know what Xiao Qi owed the Liu family in his previous life, and he was so killed by the Liu father and son in this life. The old woman clasped her hands together, "The Buddha blessed Xiao Qi with an early death of bliss." ”

Xiao Qi left, taking pity on the little lady and the child in her belly. ”

Thinking of Zheng and the child in her womb, everyone was silent, how difficult it would be for a young widow with a child. When Gu Xiaojiu heard this, he gave the errand behind him a look, and the errand knew that he went around the outside of the courtyard wall of the Liu family from a distance, climbed a big tree, saw the opportunity, and threw the sweat towel tied with the scarf to the door of the Liu family's mourning hall.

Zheng knelt in the mourning hall, his eyes red and swollen from crying, and there was still a trace of panic on his face.

"Little lady, don't cry, the old man has taken the real murderer away, Xiao Qi can finally close his eyes. For the sake of the Liu family's incense, you have to take care!" the old woman advised.

Zheng wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief, lowered his head and did not speak.

"Little lady, take a sip of hot water. Another old woman brought hot water and asked Zheng to drink, Zheng shook his head and said in a low voice: "Thank you, auntie, I'm not thirsty." ”

"For Xiao Qi, for the sake of the Liu family's incense, you can't stay up like this anymore. The old woman then advised, "Drink the water, lean against the wall for a while, and don't keep vigil tonight." ”

Zheng Shi heard the two people talking about incense, and her heart was troubled, but the secret could only be hidden in her heart, and she couldn't say anything, "Auntie, you should also go and rest for a while." ”

The two old women did not move, but sat on the straw next to them, Zheng was upset, but he couldn't drive the two out, so he could only sigh and turn his gaze to the door.

"Ahh

"Little lady, what's wrong with you?" The two old women were startled by her excited look, and when they saw Zheng's panicked expression, the whole person seemed to have fallen into an evil spirit, and they couldn't help but be anxious.

"Ahhh

As soon as she screamed, the two old women who stepped forward to support her also stopped, and they looked at each other with a hint of suspicion in their eyes. "Little lady, what are you talking about?"

"It's not me, it's not me......" Zheng looked at the sweat towel on the ground with a frantic expression as if he hadn't heard them, and suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed. "Husband's life, husband's life!"

Her strange appearance summoned all the people in the courtyard, and everyone watched her kneel on the ground, kowtowing vigorously to the sweat towel at the door of the mourning hall, what else did she not understand.

"Is this poisonous woman harming Xiao Qi?" someone in the crowd said angrily.

"I'll just say that this little lady is not usually a safe master, and I don't know who she hooked up with!"

"Say a word, go up and ask what's going on. ”

After a lot of discussions, Gu Xiaojiu walked in from outside the door with someone, and when he saw that it was the official messenger coming, the people in the courtyard who were about to move stopped, waiting to see how the official messenger would deal with the matter.

Gu Xiaojiu held the shelf, Xu Bu walked outside the mourning hall, and when he saw the Zheng family who was still kowtowing to the sweat towel, he said condescendingly: "Liu Zheng's." ”

Zheng saw a figure covering in front of him, slowly came back to his senses, looked at the sweat towel on the ground, and then looked at Gu Xiaojiu, his face was pale, his lips moved, and he couldn't squeeze out a word in his throat.

"Liu Zheng, do you know this sweat towel?"

Zheng sweated on his forehead and didn't say a word.

"I advise you to confess honestly, the Liu father and son said in prison, the child in your belly ......"

"Ahhh

Gu Xiaojiu looked at her and said impatiently: "Did you recruit yourself, or did you go to the court to torture you?"

Zheng screamed again, Gu Xiaojiu didn't bother to pay attention to her, and asked the messenger to tie her up and take her away directly.

Screaming, crying, pleading, all these methods didn't work. After some crying, Zheng finally began to face reality.

"Could it be that Xiao Qi's death has another hidden meaning?" In the crowd, there was a question again.

"Hmph, a sweat towel can make this girl lose her temper, I'm afraid this matter is not simple. ”

"Did you hear that? Like talking about the baby in her womb?"

"Could it be ......" Everyone whispered, and the inquiring, obscene, and disdainful eyes were cast on Zheng, and she lowered her head and walked out in embarrassment as the errand servant followed.

"I'll just say this woman is water-based poplar!"

"Whose do you think that kid belongs to?"

The sound of discussion reached Zheng's ears, her face became more and more pale, a sharp pain came from her abdomen, and the person became staggering.

"Hurry up!" For such an adulteress, the servants did not feel pity for Xiang Xiang and cherish the jade, they pushed Zheng Shi in the back, Zheng Shi stumbled, the pain in his abdomen intensified, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Because the Zheng family was a woman, Gu Xiaojiu took extra care of her and let her go into the city in a donkey cart.

"Poor master, how can I let such a poisonous woman be my donkey cart?" said the handlebar reluctantly.

"Catch the car honestly, and give you a few more pennies when you go back to the city!" Gu Xiaojiu said impatiently.

"It's really unlucky!" the handlebar glanced at Zheng and spat secretly.

When he returned to the county office, it was getting late, Gu Xiaojiu returned to Gu Qian and threw the person into the women's prison.

Gu Qian didn't expect that a sweat towel could hook up the Zheng family, so he breathed a sigh of relief, and asked Gu An to go to the kitchen and ask for two good dishes to comfort Gu Xiaojiu.

"Master, I think there's something wrong with the Zheng family, don't go wrong in prison. Although Gu Xiaojiu is a jumpy character, he is not a brainless person, he thanked Gu Qian and reminded in a low voice.

Gu Qian nodded, first let Gu Xiaojiu go down to rest, and then found Duan Wenrui to ask him to pay attention to the Zheng family's movements.

This night was extraordinarily long for the Liu father and son and the Zheng family, the Zheng family was in the women's prison, and the Liu father and son were separated from each other, and the two of them were uneasy, and no one knew what the other party said when the historian tried the case.

In a blink of an eye, it was the day of the trial, Gu Qian changed into his official uniform and sat on top of the second hall, the two shifts of errand officers were lined up on both sides, and a mighty sound came out of his mouth, and Liu Dazhuang, who was kneeling under the hall, trembled, and did not dare to raise his head.

Gu Qian looked at his frightened appearance, and then thought of his honest appearance on the day he was dragged by Yang Cunli to report the case, and said in his heart that if it wasn't for the conclusive evidence, I'm afraid he wouldn't believe that this old man with an honest appearance would be a murderer.

"Liu Dazhuang, are you guilty?" asked Gu Qian solemnly.

"The grass people are guilty. ”

"Quickly tell me in detail about your murder of Liu Xiaoqi, otherwise don't blame the official for being ruthless!"

"Yes. Liu Dazhuang shuddered, lowered his head and said: "The old man and Liu Xiaoqi's parents have old grudges, a few days ago because of the rice harvest and Liu Xiaoqi had a quarrel, I couldn't get angry, so I asked my son Liu Kang to buy explosives and come back, took advantage of the thunderstorm to dig through the kang hole, stuffed gunpowder into the kang hole, and ignited the fire to kill him. ”

"Have an old grudge?" Gu Qian smiled coldly and said, "What old grudge is it?"

"Yes, yes......" Liu Dazhuang's cold sweat flowed, but he quickly took out the story he had made up in prison, but it was because the two fell in love with a girl at the same time in the early years, and the girl married Liu Xiaoqi's father, and the two had a dislike for it.

"So you're a seed of infatuation. Gu Qian said noncommittally: "Killing people just for old things and a few quarrels, you are still really a person who will be revenged." ”

Liu Dazhuang lowered his head and said: "It's all the old man who is cautious, confused for a while, and asks the old man to see clearly, at this time, it is all the old man who does it alone, and it has nothing to do with my son, he really doesn't know about buying gunpowder." ”

"You're going to be charged with it alone?"

"It's the old man's ...... alone"

"Presumptuous!" Gu Qian snapped and slapped the startled wood, anger appeared on his face, and he glared at Liu Dazhuang coldly and said: "Skynet is magnificent but not leaky, you think that you can deceive the official with a few words of fancy words!" Seeing that Liu Dazhuang trembled again, Gu Qian said in a deep voice: "Take the Zheng family!"

After not sleeping all night, Zheng's face was as pale as snow, and she slowly walked up to the hall and knelt down without saying a word.

"It's Liu Zheng's family?"

"Exactly. ”

"Do you know the person kneeling next to you?" asked Gu Qian.

"If you go back to the master, the slave family knows it, and it is Uncle Liu next door. ”

"Do you know about the quarrel between Liu Dazhuang and Liu Xiaoqi?"

Zheng Shi was a little dazed, and she glanced at Liu Dazhuang, and found that Liu Dazhuang was squinting at her, she reacted and said in a low voice: "I know." ”

"How did they get into the quarrel?"

"Zheng Xiaoniang, Liu Qi and I ...... because of rice harvesting"

"Silence!" Gu Qian patted the hall again, and said to Liu Dazhuang: "This official is asking about the Zheng family, you don't need to talk too much!"

Liu Dazhuang closed his mouth and looked at Zheng anxiously with his eyes.

"My husband had a quarrel with Uncle Liu over rice harvesting. Zheng hesitated.

"How many acres of land do you have?"

"There are four acres of paddy fields, two acres in the south of the village and two acres in the west of the village. ”

Gu Qian nodded, and said to the messenger, "Take Liu Dazhuang down first." After Liu Dazhuang went down, Gu Qian asked again, "When did they quarrel on which paddy field?"

"This ......" Zheng hesitated for a moment and said, "On the ninth day of the first month of last month, in the south of the village." ”

Gu Qian asked a few more questions, delayed for a while, and asked someone to bring Liu Dazhuang back. After Liu Dazhuang came back, before he could look at the Zheng family, he was slapped by the messenger on the side, "Be honest!"

"Liu Dazhuang, let me ask you, when and where did you and Liu Xiaoqi quarrel?"

Liu Dazhuang panicked, the messenger stood aside, he couldn't communicate with the Zheng family at all, seeing Gu Qian sitting in the hall with a sinking face, he could only casually say nonsense: "At the end of last month, in the west of the village. ”

Gu Qian was shocked and smiled coldly, "You are really good neighbors! one came up with a vicious plan to kill people because of a quarrel, and the other husband was killed, and he had to help the victim lie." ”

Liu Dazhuang knew that he was exposed, and hurriedly shouted: "The old man is aware of it, this matter is the fault of the old man alone, and it has nothing to do with the little lady!"

"I killed someone's husband, and I also have a lot of protection for the little lady, Liu Dazhuang, you really opened the eyes of this official!" Gu Qian glared at Liu Dazhuang with thin anger and said: "It seems that you don't cry when you don't see the coffin!"

The sweat on Liu Dazhuang's forehead flowed like a river, but he didn't dare to wipe it, but pretended to be stupid and said, "Zheng's is pregnant with a child?"

"Zheng, you say it yourself. ”

Zheng was like a frightened bird, and struggled to himself: "Naturally, it is the deceased husband Liu Xiaoqi." ”

"Really, then why are you so panicked when you see this sweat towel?" Gu Qian threw down the loose green sweat towel from the case and said coldly: "What, don't you dare to admit it?"

Zheng shivered like chaff, "Slave family, slave family......"

"Xiao Jiu, show her the evidence!"

Gu Xiaojiu took a step forward, shook off the loose green sweat towel, and said coldly: "Zheng, take a good look at whether this sweat towel is Liu Kang's!"

"How is it possible!" Before Zheng could speak, Liu Dazhuang was anxious!

Zheng shivered his body, looked at the half-left Kang character on the sweat towel, and was speechless.

"What can only a sweat towel prove?" In order to protect his son, Liu Dazhuang shouted loudly regardless of the court.

"This sweat towel was found in the kang cave of Liu Xiaoqi's house, and as far as this official knows, Liu Xiaoqi can't have children at all, but you should tell this official, whose child is in Zheng's belly?" Gu Qian looked at Liu Dazhuang, who was anxious and red-faced, and smiled mockingly, "Seeing that you are in such a hurry, is this child yours?"