Besides, I have been in charge of the judicial department in charge of criminal prisons for several months, but I have never been to the county below. Even if there are no grievances and no problems in this case, it is also a job to take this opportunity to go down to do an investigation and research, understand the situation in the county, and take a walk in your own jurisdiction.

Thinking of this, Lu Jinping nodded and said, "Old man, since this is the case, then I will go with you to the county to find out if your son was murdered." ”

Su Laohan couldn't help but be ecstatic when he heard this, his body was trembling, and he hurriedly beckoned the little girl and said: "Third sister, come quickly, kowtow to the eldest master, thank the eldest master for your father's grievances, serve the eldest master well in the future, and repay the kindness of the eldest master." ”

The little girl walked up the steps quickly and was about to kneel, Lu Jinping hurriedly hugged her and said, "It can't be like this, I promised to investigate this matter, not that I want to accept you as a servant and a concubine, I just do official business, go down to investigate the case, don't have to be like this, get up quickly." ”

Ye Qingqing, who was next to him, also hurriedly stepped forward to help him.

So what is Su Sanmei a girl in the flower season, how could she have been touched by a man like this? Now she was supported by a young man holding her arms, and she couldn't help blushing with shame, her thin and petite body made a fortune, but fortunately Ye Qingqing supported her from the side, otherwise she was afraid that she would fall under Lu Jinping's arms.

Su Laohan gratefully bowed his hand to Lu Jinping and said, "Master, let's leave now, okay?" ”

Lu Jinping nodded and said, "In that case, let's set off immediately." ”

When Ye Qingqing next to him heard this, he hurriedly said: "Sir, I'll go and order the horses to be prepared, and let people go to the yamen to tell the master that the master is investigating the case." ”

Lu Jinping nodded, and said to the old man and Su Sanmei: "You hurry up and go into the house to warm up, it's too cold outside, I have a few sets of clothes for you to change, otherwise it's cold and cold, and if you get sick, you won't be able to leave." ”

Su Laohan hurriedly shook his head and said, "The old man can redress my son's grievances, and the old man is grateful." Where do you dare to accept the gift of the master? Moreover, the old man and his granddaughter Sanmei have become accustomed to wearing like this all winter, not cold, really not cold at all. ”

Lu Jinping said: "You are not cold. Could it be that your granddaughter is not cold either? ”

"It's not cold, she's not cold, she's been wearing very little since she was a child, and it's okay to be barefoot in the winter."

Hearing that Lao Han said this, Lu Jinping and Ye Qingqing's eyes fell on Su Sanmei's feet. I saw that her straw sandals were covered with mud, and there were even ice slags hanging on them.

Lu Jinping said: "Then you also have to wait in the first room, I have to prepare things, I am afraid that I will not be able to come back in ten days and half a month." I've got to get ready, -- bring this girl in and change her into thick clothes. Lu Jinping said to the maid-in-law next to him.

The maid quickly took Su Sanmei and Su Laohan into the courtyard to drink tea in the flower hall, and then went to find clothes and shoes for her to change, but Su Sanmei refused to do anything, so she had no choice but to give up.

At the same time, Lu Jinping had already sent someone to the yamen to inform Xiong Zhutou to follow him with a team of arresters to investigate the case, which was necessary for him to be an official.

Quickly clean up. Lu Jinping took Ye Qingqing in a carriage and prepared a carriage for Su Laohan and his granddaughter Su Sanmei, but they didn't refuse, because it was impossible for them to catch up with the carriage barefoot.

Xiong Zhutou and the others didn't know what case Lu Jinping was going to investigate this time, and Lu Jinping didn't say that they could only follow.

After a day, I finally came to Tongguan.

Before this, the catcher he sent out had already notified the county commander and county lieutenant of Tongguan City, and the officials of Tongguan went outside the city to greet them.

When the county commander and the county lieutenant saw Su Laohan and his granddaughter Su Sanmei who got out of the car. I can't help but change color on my face. Because this old man has come to the county government many times and asked for justice for his son, but after the county government investigated, Dongguatou did have clear evidence that he was not at the scene. So the case was not filed. Unexpectedly, this old man Su actually had great powers, and invited all the judicial lords of the state capital yamen, and the county commander and county lieutenant were of course very frightened, for fear that Lu Jinping would reprimand them.

Although Lu Jinping, the judicial justice of the same state, is only an official from the seventh grade, at the same level as the county order, Lu Jinping is a lord. The founding county man is a five-grade man, how can he be compared to a small county order? It is natural to reprimand him, not to mention that he is still from the same state and is his superior.

But they didn't expect Lu Jinping to look unhappy at all, they didn't know that Lu Jinping had actually decided in his heart that there was no evidence of homicide in this case, it was not hombidice, but he just wanted to check it out and give an explanation to the old man. At the same time, I just came down to investigate and visit. However, Su Laohan was still waiting in the front hall, of course Lu Jinping would not greet them too much, and things such as research and visits could only be arranged afterwards. Therefore, after eating the welcome banquet arranged by the county government, Lu Jinping told the county lieutenant that he was going to Qilipu to investigate the case of Su Laohan's son falling off the cliff, and asked the county government to assist.

Originally, according to the normal situation, Lu Jinping should have listened to the report of the county government first, and then reviewed the case through the county government. Lu Jinping's direct intervention in the case like this is somewhat inconsistent with the rules, but the rule is that the dead are alive, and if the superior wants to directly intervene in the case, then there is no room for negotiation, and the subordinate cannot say anything.

Therefore, Tong County Ling was busy and ordered to prepare the carriage, and led the people to personally follow Lu Jinping to investigate the case. If this case is found to be a homicide, but Dong County Order has not filed a case, I am afraid that he will be held responsible. Therefore, he could only show his spirit and personally accompany Lu Jinping to investigate.

Su Laohan and Su Sanmei were originally arranged to have dinner in the yamen, and he didn't expect Lu Jinping to set off to check it out immediately, after all, he also knew that the official office had a lot of pomp, but he didn't expect that after lunch, he was notified to go to their Qilipu immediately, and Lord Lu wanted to go to investigate the case in person, so he couldn't help but be happy and grateful, and took his daughter to follow to Qilipu in a carriage.

There is no direct post road to Qilipu. There are still seven miles to go down the post road to reach the village.

When you get to the outside of the village, you first have to pass the cliff where Huang Laohan's son fell to his death.

At that moment, Su Laohan led the climb to the bottom of the cliff and went to the scene of the crime. Because there is no road, the carriage cannot go there, so you can only walk up the mountain.

Tong Xianling is already an old man in his fifties and sixties, his hair is a little gray, and he is fat, so he is out of breath when he walks on the mountain road, but he has to follow forcibly, because Lu Jinping walks very fast, although he has no martial arts, but in the end, he is young, and it is not a problem to climb the mountain.

The reason why Lu Jinping did not listen to the report on the situation of the case in the yamen was that he was afraid that he would have a preconceived idea, so he had to go to the scene to see it first, and then come back to ask them after grasping the first-hand information.

And Lu Jinping's approach made Tong County Ling and the county lieutenant nervous, this lord looks different from others, it is not easy to deal with it, and he has to deal with it carefully.

Finally, they came to the cliff. At this point, Su Laohan looked very sad, pointed to a boulder under the cliff, and said, "Sir, my son was pushed down by the thief at the head of the winter melon and fell to his death here, you see, the blood on it can still be recognized." ”

Lu Jinping stepped forward and took a look, and sure enough, a large pool of dark red marks on the stone, although it had been eroded by wind and snow, was vaguely recognizable.

Lu Jinping looked up at the cliff above again, it was dozens of zhang high, the trees on the top of the cliff looked like toys, such a high cliff fell down, it was really broken, it seems that the old man's son died miserably, no matter what the reason was.

Lu Jinping looked around, this piece of mountain is very steep, there is no way to grow crops, there are some shrubs and trees of different sizes. There is no road leading here. Just now they were caught and forced out of a road.

Lu Jinping turned his head to Su Laohan and said, "Take us to the top of the cliff to see the situation." ”

Su Laohan said: "It is not easy to walk from here to the top of the cliff, the mountain is too steep, and there is no road, so it is better to follow us to the village first, and then there is a road from the village to the top of the cliff, because the top of the mountain is relatively flat, and there are fields in the distance, but there is no road to the edge of the cliff, and you need to open the road to get there."

"In that case, let's go."

Climbing to the foot of the mountain, the chubby Tong County Commander was already tired and out of breath, and now he had to climb to the top of the cliff, he was simply distressed, but he didn't dare to show half displeasure on his face, smiled and nodded, carried his official robe, and continued to follow Lu Jinping down the mountain, they were going to walk to the way into the village, and then detour to the top.

After crawling for a long time out of breath, they finally arrived at the mountain village, and then Su Laohan led them out of the mountain village and followed a winding and rugged path to the top of the mountain cliff.

The trail terminates a few hundred paces from the edge of the cliff, which is gentle enough to grow crops, but leads to a gentle slope with shrubs and lush trees.

Lu Jinping stood on a rock, looking at the half-human-high mess of thorns and trees, and couldn't find any way to the edge of the cliff. Because everyone in the village knows that it is dangerous to go to the edge of the cliff, and no one goes to that place. Lu Jinping said to the old man: "If your son is pushed off the cliff by that winter melon head, then where will they get to the edge of the cliff?" ”

"Whoever separates the thorns and can go to the edge of the cliff, come with me, and I will open the way."

With that, Su Laohan stretched out his hand to grasp and pull apart the thorns, and then used his feet in straw sandals to trample the bushes and thorns along the way, splitting a so-called road.

Lu Jinping couldn't help but smile bitterly when he saw him walking towards the edge of the cliff with difficulty, thinking to himself, if the winter melon head really wants to push his son down from the top of the cliff, it will indeed be too laborious, why can't he be killed if he wants to be killed? Do you have to push him down the cliff so hard? It would be nice to say that there was a way to the edge of the cliff, but these hundreds of steps away are full of thorns and shrubs, and trees, and it is indeed incomprehensible and unreasonable to think that it is very difficult to be on the edge of the cliff.

Lu Jinping is now more certain that his previous judgment was right. There is indeed no evidence in this case, and judging from the situation at the scene, it does not support Su Laohan's judgment. (To be continued.) )