The movement on the deck soon attracted the shipwrights on the ship, and after a while, a few torches were lit, illuminating the deck, and some people fixed their eyes and saw Gu Sanniang covered in blood, they couldn't help but be surprised, and asked, "What happened?" ”

Gu Sanniang's face was so pale that she could barely speak, someone recognized Gu Sanniang, and asked, "Shopkeeper Gu, we heard the shouting just now, what's wrong with you?" ”

At this time, the passengers who lived on the third floor came out of the house, and they said: "We slept until midnight, and from her room came a cry for help, but because I don't know what it was, no one dared to go out to investigate, at first we heard the sound of fighting, then we heard the screams of the man, and then it seemed that someone had fallen from the deck into the river." ”

As soon as she said this, there was something the boatmen didn't understand, it must be the gangsters who came, when Gu Sanniang was fighting with the gangsters, she accidentally pushed the man off the boat, according to this view, the gangsters who fell off the boat were definitely dead.

At this time, Gu Sanniang finally came back to her senses, Brother Yu was kicked and fainted just now, Xiao Yezi's face was also swollen, she rushed over and picked up Brother Yu, crying and said: "Someone wants to harm our mother and son, if we don't fight to the death, it will be a few mothers who will die." ”

Everyone took pity on her, but after all, there was a death lawsuit, and immediately someone counted around, wanting to see who had the accident, and after half an hour, three or four men came to the deck on the third floor, and before they could get closer, they heard a dry howl: "My poor brother, you have suffered such an accident, how can we have the face to see your wife and children." ”

At this time, Gu Sanniang had already regained some consciousness, and she said to the people around her: "Don't believe them, this man has bad intentions, if I don't protect myself, can my two children and I still live." ”

The man spat at her, and said, "You little woman raised a bloody squirting man, maybe you seduced my brother, and now you have killed him to make money, I can tell you that my brother has saved a lot of money for hard work, and these are all silver to bring back to support the family, you should return the silver as soon as possible, or you will be sent to the official tomorrow." ”

When Gu Sanniang met a scoundrel, she argued with reason and said: "People who live on this floor can hear my voice shouting for help, if your brother doesn't have bad intentions, what would you do if you ran to the third floor in the middle of the night?" Maybe you are also accomplices, are you afraid of seeing officials, such a bad person is dead, I can't say how many good people can be saved. ”

These scoundrels saw that Gu Sanniang didn't look like those little women who were afraid of things, so they shouted: "It seems that you don't admit your guilt to death, and I will escort you to the official master tomorrow." ”

Gu Sanniang was extremely angry, she turned her head to the passengers who lived on the same floor and said: "Please let a well-wisher come out for me to say a fair word, if I intend to kill for money, why do I shout for help, besides, I am a weak woman, can I be able to compete with him as a tall and strong man?" ”

Someone next to her saw that she was reasonable, and said: "It sounds like you are shouting for help, but I have never come out to check, what it was like that day, and I have never seen it with my own eyes." ”

The shipwrights on the ship also guessed that Gu Sanniang was innocent, but after all, there was a death, and now there is no proof of death, they have no choice, and now they can only wait to send the official.

Gu Sanniang encountered a flying disaster, she pushed the strong man off the boat with her own hands, even if it was a villain, she really killed a person, this great fear also made her whole person become overwhelmed, but she still had two children to protect, so she had to pretend to be calm.

After some deliberation, the shipwrights sent her back to the cabin, and when she docked in Tongcheng tomorrow, they asked the government to decide the case, and the men who claimed to be fellow villagers sent two people to guard Gu Sanniang in case she escaped at that time.

Gu Sanniang and her two children were locked in the cabin, and after a while, Brother Yu'er woke up faintly, Xiao Yezi had heard those bad people say that they were going to send her mother to see the official, she cried and said, "Mother, what should we do?" ”

At this time, Gu Sanniang was helpless, but she forced herself not to cry, once she fell, who should the two children count on, she said to Xiao Yezi: "Don't be afraid, the official master will definitely return his mother's innocence, you take the royal brother and wait for me." ”

As she spoke, she glanced outside and whispered in Xiao Yezi's ear: "The silver money in the cotton clothes must be hidden, and it must not be taken out until it is absolutely necessary." ”

Xiao Yezi nodded sensibly, Gu Sanniang hugged her brother again, and she instructed him: "You have to listen to your sister's words carefully, and when this matter is over, we can go to Beijing to find Daddy." ”

After all, Brother Yu'er was only six or seven years old, and tonight he was frightened by something he had never experienced in his life, so he was a little stunned, Gu Sanniang couldn't rest assured, and held him in his arms and coaxed him gently.

Soon, the day was bright, and the passenger ship was slowly approaching the dock, and the passengers knew about the events of the previous night.

After talking for a long time, I heard someone outside shouting: "The official is here!" ”

Then three or four officials dressed in silk clothes entered the cabin, and before they could ask questions, they first shouted and asked, "Where is the female prisoner?" ”

Someone pointed at Gu Sanniang with a finger, and an iron shackle was put on Gu Sanniang's wrists, Xiao Yezi saw this, and cried with a 'wow', although Gu Sanniang was afraid, she said to Xiao Yezi: "Don't cry, take care of Brother Yu." ”

The official who locked the person glanced at Gu Sanniang and said, "Come with us." ”

As he spoke, the iron lock in his hand was pulled, Gu Sanniang stumbled under his feet and almost fell to the ground, Xiao Yezi hurriedly pulled Brother Yu to follow behind and chase after him.

These officials locked Gu Sanniang through the downtown and went to the palace, Xiao Yezi stumbled behind with his royal brother, the adults of the government were busy, and they could not try the case immediately, after arriving at the county office, Gu Sanniang was first locked up in a side courtyard, where in addition to her, there were a few people waiting for the referee, some of the property was stolen from the family, there were also neighbors who were not in harmony, and there were husbands and wives fighting, Gu Sanniang waited until noon, only to hear a report from inside, saying that Gu Sanniang was going to be interrogated.

Soon, two officials escorted Gu Sanniang to the court, Gu Sanniang had also been to the yamen in the county before, but this was the first time she returned to the court, Xiao Yezi and Yu Ge'er were stopped out of the yamen, and I don't know what happened to the two of them, just when Gu Sanniang was thinking nonsense, she was pushed, fell to the ground on her knees, and an official sang: "The female prisoner is brought." ”

The judge in the state capital was the judge in the state capital, and when he saw Gu Sanniang in the hall, he was shocked and said, "Where is the plaintiff?" ”

There was a moment of silence in the courtroom, and the judge slapped the slap again, shouting, "Where is the plaintiff?" ”

After waiting for a moment, no one came forward, and the official came in with the boatman and replied, "My lord, the plaintiff has run away." ”

It turned out that those few scoundrels in their early years originally wanted to blackmail money, but who knew that Gu Sanniang was soft and hard, and when they really saw the official errand, they were cowardly, and it was not themselves who died horizontally.

The general judge frowned and said, "Ran away?" Do you know where they are, they are suing officials and disappearing, do they use the yamen as a place to play? ”

A boatman knelt down and kowtowed, and said, "Lord Hui, those people vaguely heard the accent of Liulin Town, and I don't know exactly where they are. ”

The judge looked at the boatman and asked, "Then tell me what crime this defendant has committed?" ”

The boatman looked at Gu Sanniang out of the corner of his eye, and told the story of last night, and after listening to the cause and effect, the general judge frowned more and more, and it was rare to encounter a life lawsuit in the yamen all year round, according to the meaning of these boatmen, the female murderer was already conclusive, but there was no defendant, and the family of the deceased was not seen, so it was not good for the general judge to be convicted in court.

"Gu female prisoner, do you have anything to defend yourself?" The Judge asked.

Gu Sanniang's tears rippled, she said: "My lord, it's true that the woman pushed the big man down the river, but it's all for self-preservation, he broke into the woman's house in the middle of the night to rob the money, and he had bad intentions, if he doesn't die, it will be the woman and my two children who die." ”

After she finished speaking, an official stood up and said: "Xiao checked the cabin where Gu's lived, the hatch did have traces of being pried open, and visited the passengers who lived on the third floor of the ship, and in the middle of the night yesterday, many people also heard Gu's cries for help. ”

The general judge pondered for a moment, it seems that the strong man first had evil intentions, the female prisoner inadvertently pushed him into the river to death, burglary is a major crime of exile in the frontier, murder is also a major crime of life for life, according to the laws of this dynasty, the crime is compensated, this female prisoner either found the criminal's family to pay for his life, or was sentenced to five years □□.

The judge slapped the shocked wood in his hand and said: "Put the female prisoner in the women's prison, try to find the family of the deceased first, and the case will be retried the next day." ”

Gu Sanniang was startled, and before she could cry out for injustice, two officials had already dragged her down from the court, and Xiao Yezi and Yu Ge'er, who were guarding outside the yamen, saw Gu Sanniang being taken away, and cried loudly: "Mother." ”

The two children wanted to rush in, but were stopped by the official at the door, Gu Sanniang turned around and shouted to Xiao Yezi: "Take good care of Brother Yu-"

Before she finished her words, she had been dragged away, Xiao Yezi and Yu Ge'er sat at the door and cried, and the officials in the yamen thought that they had already seen this crying situation, so they unceremoniously drove the two children away.

Poor little Yezi and Yu Ge'er, because Gu Sanniang was taken away, the two of them lived on the streets, especially Yu Ge'er, he was already delicate and frail, and he was frightened a lot, just a few steps out of the yamen, his eyes turned black, and he fell to the ground.

Xiao Yezi was shocked, she threw herself on Yu Ge'er, and kept shouting his name, but she didn't see Yu Ge'er have the slightest response, Xiao Yezi cried: "Who will save my brother." ”

Her cry attracted the passers-by to stop, and just when she was gone, a gorgeous sedan chair passed by, and the sedan curtain was lifted.