The digestive juices secreted by the human body dissolve the food, and the peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract transports the food downward, and both digestive functions will stop immediately after death, so the degree of digestion of the stomach contents and the entry into the intestines can determine how long the deceased died until his last meal.

A middle-aged strong man like Qi Cao, who is in good health, has a very good digestive function before his death, and if the rice, vegetables and meat fiber found in the stomach are relatively intact, and a small amount of food enters the duodenum, it can be determined that he was killed about an hour after eating; If the food has been digested into chyle, the food has entered the large intestine, or even the stomach has been largely emptied, the time of death can be assumed to be four to six hours after the meal.

However, Lu Yuanzhi's dissected corpse, the stomach contents were clear and intact, and basically did not become chyle, so it can be determined that he was killed immediately after eating; There is even more conclusive evidence: his duodenum is empty, and almost no food enters.

One to two hours after eating, the food will go down to the duodenum with gastrointestinal peristalsis, according to Zhang Lei and Wang Sheng, they and Qi Cao spent an hour eating in Yushixuan, and then they came out to sober up for another half an hour, adding up to one and a half hours is equivalent to a full three hours, and the deceased's duodenum is basically empty, is this possible?

Qin Lin grabbed Fang Tangjin and pulled him next to the corpse, almost putting his face into the abdominal cavity of the corpse's dissected body, which frightened Master Fang and screamed, so he let go and explained to him the truth that the time of death is judged by the degree of digestion of food.

Fang Tangjin was extremely cunning and cunning, even in such a situation, he argued with his own strength:

"The gentleman doesn't move his mouth, what are you doing with the students, Sir Qin? The record of clearing grievances also didn't say anything about the food in the stomach and intestines of the deceased, who knows if you are talking nonsense? Red mouth and white teeth have to smear people's innocence out of thin air, it's not so easy! ”

"You!" Lu Yuanzhi's eyes widened, he didn't know what to say, the three brothers and sisters of the Jiang family also frowned, and Han Feilian and Niu Dali were also a little helpless.

Qin Lin said it very reasonably, everyone believed his words from the bottom of their hearts, but how long after death how long does the food digest into, in the stomach or in the intestines, these questions have not been said, and the Ming criminal law has not been mentioned, just with Qin Lin's mouth, how can Fang Tangjin, Zhang Lei, and Wang Sheng confess their guilt and surrender to the law?

Hu Zhizhou also laughed, and arched his hand towards the north: "This official is an official of the imperial court from the fifth grade, Qin someone went straight to the court and bullied the local government, this official must participate in your arbitrary power and bullying others!" ”

Qin Lin didn't laugh angrily, and asked Hu Zhizhou: "Master Hu, when did you have breakfast?" ”

Hu Zhizhou flicked his sleeves and didn't turn his face away.

"So, what about you, Master Fang?"

Although Qin Lin asked with a pleasant face, Fang Tangjin's heart trembled, and he hurriedly took two steps back, for fear that this stunned young man who did not abide by the rules of officialdom would become angry.

"Okay, I don't want to say it," Qin Lin sneered, suddenly his face turned grim, and he pulled out the seven-star sword violently, bringing a thrilling cold light and pointing it at Zhang Lei's throat.

Zhang Lei was caught by the cow vigorously and struggled, only felt that his throat was cold and soaked, and he thought that the sword had passed through his throat, and he was so frightened that his crotch was hot and he urinated.

Qin Lin snorted: "Say, when is it time to have breakfast!" ”

Zhang Lei realized that the sword was only pointed at his throat, and his life was still there for the time being, so he had no choice but to answer that it was breakfast at the beginning of the hour.

The corners of Qin Lin's mouth flickered, and he laughed strangely: "Okay!" It's been an hour and a half now, and I've cut open my stomach to see if the food has gone down to my small intestine. ”

Niu Dali was slightly stunned, then laughed too, and without saying anything, he peeled off Zhang Lei's clothes, revealing his smooth belly.

Zhang Lei was so frightened that his whole body softened, and he said with a sad face: "If the stomach is opened, won't the small one die?" ”

"What's the solution? I said that food should go down to the small intestine for an hour and a half after eating, you don't believe it! Qin Lin paused, stared at Zhang Lei and smiled evilly: "So the official has to make a bet with you, you have been eating breakfast for an hour and a half, so I will cut open your stomach to see, if there is no food in the small intestine like Qi Cao's corpse, it's just that, the official has to pay you with his life; If you have food in your small intestines, hehe, it's a shame! ”

The beads of sweat on Zhang Lei's forehead rolled down drop by drop, and he looked at Master Fang for help; Fang Tangjin and Hu Zhizhou looked at each other, like Qin Lin who played cards unreasonably, they were really dumbfounded-a hundred dignified brocade clothes actually wanted to open the stomach of a living person and gamble their lives!

The two brothers of the Jiang family gloated, they fully believed that Qin Lin could have the last laugh, although it was a bit cruel to dissect people's abdomen alive, but it was used to deal with this cunning servant who resisted death, which was exactly the gist of inviting the king into the urn.

"Hmph, it's still a hundred households, what a scoundrel!" Jiang Zi expressed disdain for Qin Lin's methods, but the frost on her charming face had dissipated, and she couldn't help but smile slightly.

Niu Dali and Han Feilian caught Zhang Lei, both of them grinned, and Lu Yuanzhi laughed so much that his fat trembled.

But Zhang Lei, who was caught by Niu vigorously and couldn't move, was not so relaxed, and shouted for help one after another.

Qin Lin moved the tip of his sword around his belly, frowning, "What's it called?" If you are really wronged, there are hundreds of households in brocade clothes to compensate you for this life, which is enough; If you weren't wronged, you would have died, and there is not much difference between a disembowelment death and a beheading death. ”

The cold color in Qin Lin's eyes and the tone of nonchalance made Zhang Lei have no doubt that this guy would cut his stomach open in the next moment.

Zhang Lei saw that the two saviors, Master Fang and Hu Zhizhou, were helpless, the cold tip of the sword moved on his belly, and a slight tingling sensation came, as if he was going to cut his intestines in the next moment, and finally he couldn't support it anymore, his spirit completely collapsed, and he screamed:

"Spare your life, sir! I said, I've said everything--it's all instructed by Master Fang, and the little one is just an accomplice! ”

So no matter how Master Fang looked and gestured, Zhang Lei didn't look at him, and told the truth as if pouring beans into a bamboo tube.

It turned out that Zhang Juzheng was experimenting with a whip method in Fujian and his hometown of Huguang, and large-scale inventory of the fields concealed and annexed by the big landlords and gentry in order to increase the state's financial income and curb land annexation.

There are policies and countermeasures, not to mention the Ming Dynasty, which relied on manpower and horses to transmit official documents, even in later generations when communications were developed, didn't the central government decree be more or less out of shape when it arrived at the local level?

Elsewhere, the degree may be lighter, and the implementation will be more effective, but in Xingguozhou, it is completely out of shape:

Hu Zhizhou chanted all day long, and the main political affairs were thrown to Fang Tangjin, the master of money and grain, who colluded with the local landlords and squires to expropriate and oppress the villagers, and used various connections to weave a dense network of relationships and a protective umbrella that was difficult to break through in Xingguozhou.

This time, Master Fang found a way to make money again, he colluded with officials and household secretaries and other officials, and collected bribes from the lords and squires in various places, reducing their fields.

Xingguo Prefecture is a well-known Fuzhou in the lake, the acres of fertile fields are convenient for irrigation, and the production is extremely rich, once the new fish scale album is compiled, the tax will be levied according to the number of registered acres for many years in the future, for the squires this is a good thing to invest in lifelong benefits, and they are naturally willing to invest, and they have thrown out large bribes, so the bribe income of Fang Tangjin and others has reached 18,000 taels of silver.

At the same time, the examination law limits that the tax amount of the state and county cannot be reduced, otherwise the state official will be demoted, and Master Fang wants to give an explanation to Hu Zhizhou, so he can only add the tax amount reduced by the large households to the ordinary township farmers.

Qi Cao, as the lieutenant chief, accompanied the household secretary office to participate in the inventory of acres of fields, and when he saw the way here, he moved his mind and actively assisted the secretary office to complete the inventory work, won the trust of the secretary office, and then took him to participate in the inventory of acres in several places across the state.

Who knows that Qi Cao has other plans, how many acres of land will he undercount for the major households, how will the secretary office spread these acres into the tax amount of ordinary villagers, and how will the wasteland and graves be counted as acres...... and other means are recorded in a book, and then use this booklet to blackmail Master Fang.

Fang Tangjin is also a ruthless guy, knowing that people like Qi Cao are insatiable, and it is inevitable that there will be a second and third time to satisfy him, so he doesn't do anything, he simply buys Zhang Lei and Wang Sheng to catch fast, and sends them to call Qi Cao to Yushixuan, hypothetically to negotiate with him.

Because of this incident, Qi Cao went from Fuchi Town to Zhoucheng, separated from the two men from the beginning of the dock, and wore a broken hat to cover people's eyes and ears, and when he arrived at Yushixuan, he also entered through the back door, so no one else found his whereabouts.

Master Fang didn't go to Yushixuan, but Zhang Lei and Wang Sheng tricked Qi Cao into eating and drinking, and quietly put sweat medicine in his wine, and when the medicine attacked, he supported Qi Cao left and right, pretending to be drunk and left Yushixuan, took the boat that had been prepared to the center of the river, tied a big stone to him, and pushed into the middle of the river.

Things were done unconsciously, although Wang had gone to the yamen to make noise, she had no real evidence, more than half a month passed, Fang Tangjin, Zhang Lei, and Wang Sheng all felt that this matter was done seamlessly, and it would never be discovered again.

Unexpectedly, Qi Cao's corpse swelled, broke the rope that was blistered by the river and floated to the river, and was discovered by Qin Lin, he was relentless, got to the bottom of it, and even dared to gamble with Zhang Lei, and finally exposed the conspiracy, and revealed the crimes of Fang Tangjin and others to the world!

Zhang Lei was forced to tell the truth, Fang Tangjin's legs trembled, and he stumbled out, and he didn't run a few steps before he knew when Han Feilian was already standing in front of him, smiling: "Master Fang, what are you running?" ”

Hu Zhizhou sat down on the ground, pointed at Fang Tangjin and scolded: "The surname Fang, it's so hard to hide from me!" You've made this official miserable! ”

"What are you doing in a daze?" Qin Lin made a gesture towards the lieutenants in brocade clothes, and Feng Xiaoqi immediately led the captains to rush up, took off Hu Zhizhou's official hat, took off Fang Tangjin's square scarf, and tied it up with a rope.

The officials had not seen this scene in the public gate for decades, and they looked at each other and didn't know what to do, and finally some of the older ones started and shouted in unison: "Wei ~~~ Wu ~~~"

In Hu Zhizhou and Fang Tang, the familiar voice of Tang Wei has already become a great irony......

(To be continued)