He thought for a moment and said, "I remember that you are the top of the criminal record...... It seems that before the scientific expedition, he had already won Yang Pingzhang's appreciation by relying on the transfer of Yanzhou before the battle, and he also got Chen Jiedu's blue eyes. ”

Gu Yanzhang smiled politely and said, "The prefect smiled." ”

He only responded simply, but grabbed another copy of the inquest copy in his hand and read it carefully.

Tian Feng didn't see him answer, and when he heard these two perfunctory sentences, he only thought that his question was so difficult for the other party to answer, and said again: "You used to do so many things in Ganzhou and Yongzhou, in fact, it is no different from what ordinary Zhizhou did. ”

Gu Yanzhang was thinking about things in his heart, and when he heard him ask, he only smiled slightly, and then turned his head to look at the people in the coffin.

In the field, the inquest, the Xu officials transcribed, everyone was very busy, lest they miss something, but there was a small official who was squatting on the ground to clean the cloth, he was not a pretend, no autopsy, nor a transcription, but just a start, compared to the rest of the people, it was really leisurely, and he was looking at the words between Fang Cai Gu and Tian on the side, and the interaction between Tian and Gu at this time was in his eyes, and he only felt that it was just a few words of effort, and the position of the two officials and guests had been transferred, and one person asked, and one was too lazy to answer, The one who is now too lazy to answer asks diligently, and the one who originally chased the question, answers coldly, but it turns so obvious that people can't pretend to be blind.

The little official is not very old, he has not been in the government for a long time, and his face is not as good as that of the old man, so he didn't laugh out loud.

Tian Feng also sensed a little bit of meaning, he followed Gu Yanzhang's eyes, and asked again: "What do you think about the inquest?" ”

Originally, he just asked, but then glanced at the copywriting in Gu Yanzhang's hand, and the place he was staring at happened to be the expression of the depth of the iron nail into the bone and the situation.

Tian Feng was born as a pusher, and he was just thinking about the cause of Xu Sanniang's death, and he had no intention of taking care of the rest of the place, and at this time he was waiting for the servants to do another autopsy, but he made room in his mind to think about the rest of the things seriously, he thought about it for a while, and he already felt that something was wrong, and couldn't help but be surprised: "The iron nail is buried deep in the bottom of Xu's chest, and there is no outcrop, how can you see that it is wrong?" ”

Whether it is in the county, the state, the army, or the rest of the people who have sat in the seat of the pro-people official, there are almost no people who do not know one or two sentences and prisons, Tian Feng himself became an official far earlier than Gu Yanzhang, and when he saw the copywriter at this time, he only felt that it was unreasonable, and where would he not be suspicious.

Gu Yanzhang had already turned around and looked at Li Chengwei not far away.

He just talked to Tian Feng, and compared the behavior of this person who he had heard from others before, and he already knew that he was a person, and knew that this was a person who was quite open-minded and dedicated to doing things, so he didn't go around the bend as carefully as before, and directly turned his head to Tong Tian Feng and said: "There is no inside story in this matter, please wait a while, and the lower official Yue will act on his behalf, and I want to ask Li Chengwei a few words, I don't know if it's okay?" ”

Tian Feng is a man of affairs, and he never adheres to such strict rules, so naturally he has no objections.

For a while, Gu Yanzhang walked over, and Tian Feng followed behind step by step, and did not intervene, just stood aside and watched.

When Li Chengwei saw Tian and Gu coming, he shouted injustice in his mouth, and put aside the excuse he had just said.

Gu Yanzhang listened attentively, and asked a few words from time to time, his face was very gentle, and the questions were simple.

Li Chengwei saw that the other party seemed to really believe what he said, and thought that it was the relationship between his own family and the daughter of the Ji family, so that Gu Yanzhang also had a heart to help, although his heart was not put down, he was a little more relaxed in the end.

The two of them asked and answered, and nothing mattered.

I only heard Gu Yanzhang ask: "When Xu died that day, you didn't stay by her side, right?" ”

Li Chengwei should be.

Gu Yanzhang asked again: "When did you return to the mansion, and what was the situation of the Xu family at that time?" ”

Xu Liang sued Li Chengwei to the Kyoto Mansion, and the yamen naturally couldn't ignore it, and had already asked about the previous situation one by one, and what Gu Yanzhang asked was just a re-introduction of the questions that Li Chengwei had originally answered.

Li Chengwei is such a cautious person, all the words that come out of his own mouth, all the words are carefully considered, and he pushes and pushes backwards and backwards many times, and he thinks that he will never make a mistake, and he also keeps every word in mind the content of the over-drawn, and never allows inconsistencies.

At this time, he heard Gu Yanzhang ask, and he replied according to the original confession without hesitation: "I only thought that Sanniang was just an ordinary summer heat and other symptoms, although I was in a hurry, but I had my own business to do outside, and I had no time to accompany me, so I had to explain to the next person to take care of my life, because I hung the inside, I went back to my home at noon that day, when Sanniang drank medicine and was sleeping, I went in to see her, only sat down slightly, and never even drank tea, because there was something outside, so I went out to do things." ”

Speaking of this, he said with a sad face: "At that time, there happened to be something in Yunnan, my family business encountered some trouble, I was the head of the family, had to run around, when I found a friend, in his house talking, want to ask him for help, tea only after two glasses, suddenly someone came to the house, said that Sanniang is not good, call me home." ”

"I didn't think I was joking at the time, because when I went back at noon, Sanniang slept soundly, and there was nothing bad about it, but when I got home, she was out of breath......"

Li Chengwei sighed as he spoke, his hands clenched into fists, and the corners of his eyes were faintly filled with tears.

"What was Xu Sanniang's face at that time?" Gu Yanzhang asked again.

Li Chengwei made a look of reminiscence and said: "I didn't pay attention to it at the time, because I was sad in my heart, I only knew that I was crying, as if it was no different from ordinary times, just a little sick." ”

Gu Yanzhang continued to ask, "What did the doctor say that day?" ”

Li Chengwei said: "It is said that it is a summer cold, the disease comes quickly and severely, Sanniang was actually pregnant with a child at that time, but she couldn't keep it, and it was gone in the second month of pregnancy, she has a hard temperament, because her mother's business is difficult, my family is not easy, she is anxious, Xiaoyuezi also refuses to sit full, so she can't help but help run outside, the summer is under the scorching heat, and I don't know where to eat bad things, a few times mixed together, I took medicine at noon that day, not long after I left, I vomited it all, The person is stunned, and he wants to speak, but he has phlegm and cough stuck in his throat, and the phlegm cough is blocked for a while, and the person has fainted, and he has not been able to get up again......"

One-one-two-two, very clearly, and there is no appearance of concealment.

Gu Yanzhang said: "Is it because you weren't by her side when Xu's illness occurred that day?" ”

Li Chengwei said yes.

Gu Yanzhang asked again: "Who was guarding at that time?" ”

"Liniang is guarding my mother's side, and there are several servant women that Sanniang is used to, and a doctor who is urgently invited."

"Where are you now?"

Li Chengwei said: "Li Niang...... Liniang married to Quanzhou, a few years ago got sick, after Sanniang left, I asked once, in order to accumulate Yin virtue for her, anyone who wants to go home, all made up more money, told them to go back, want to stay in the house, then dialed to Liniang, half of them scattered, half of them followed Liniang to Quanzhou, as for how at this time, I don't know......"

Speaking of this, he also actively helped to come up with ideas, saying: "If there is a search in the yamen, Xiaomin will find the former roster to see if he can find those people in Beijing again, and he can also send people to Quanzhou to see if there are people who knew about this in the past are still in the Wei family." ”

It really gave a feasible way.

"When Sanniang was dying, I was not by her side, as for why she had this iron nail in her body, it really has nothing to do with me! At that time, it was impossible for his daughter to do such a terrible thing, the doctor had been walking around for many years, his medical ethics were very good, and he was quite famous in Beijing, and it could not be him, but I was afraid that it was those servants who were waiting......"

Li Chengwei said again: "Although my lady has a hard temperament and acts a little strongly, she has always been a knife mouth and a tofu heart, even if she is stricter and has a more powerful temperament, she has never really harmed half a person, and I don't know who is so vicious and wants to kill her!" Official, please find out clearly, and return me to an innocent body, and give my lady an explanation, don't let her be wronged and aggrieved, and die blindly! ”

After saying that, he actually washed himself cleanly, and there was not even a single mud speck left on his body.

Even if an iron nail was found in her body at this time, it could not rely on a mere iron nail and the symptoms of arsenic poisoning, so it was judged that the poisoner and perpetrator were Li Chengwei himself, or he was instructed by him.

Even if the coffin has been opened and many problems have been found from it, the piles all point to Li Chengwei, but Li Chengwei is still not afraid at all.

As he spoke, there was a chorus of neighbors not far away, and some of them felt that what "Li Yuanwai" said made some sense, and they whispered to each other.

"That Xu Sanniang has a great temperament, someone in my family has seen her scolding people in the past, and her words are very ugly......"

"Don't stop scolding, I've seen her beat people, sure enough, she was born in a horse shop, and the whip made it really ruthless! Whiplash can beat people to blood! ”

"It's that Li Yuanwai is kinder, and I've never seen him angry."

There are also humanitarians: "Where there are so many things to say, I just think there must be something strange in it, and the surname Li may not be able to get rid of it." ”

Everyone was discussing, but Gu Yanzhang asked again, "What time are you going back to the house at noon?" ”

Li Chengwei thought for a while and said, "It's about the beginning of noon." ”

Gu Yanzhang asked again: "When did you arrive at that friend's house?" ”

Li Chengwei said: "A while ago, the official in the yamen asked, I went to find the previous post, and the appointment was about two moments, I have been in business for many years, and I am used to talking and counting, and I have never asked people to wait, I am afraid that I only arrived early, not late." ”

Gu Yanzhangfu asked again: "Do you remember when Xu Sanniang fell ill?" ”

Li Chengwei said: "I have already explained to the yamen, it is about to be sick from time to time, and then I hurriedly invited the doctor over, and the person disappeared in a moment." ”

Gu Yanzhang said: "When you returned home, Xu Sanniang was resting and never woke up, so you didn't talk to her?" ”

Li Chengwei said: "I saw that the lady was sleeping soundly, only sat on the edge of the bed for a while, and then went out, without tea, did not wake her up, and never talked to her." ”

Gu Yanzhang asked, "Was there someone in the house from beginning to end at that time, or was it just you?" ”

Li Chengwei swallowed his saliva and said, "Many years ago, the officials asked so carefully, I really don't remember it very clearly...... It seems that at first Li Niang and a few servant women were also inside, and then she went to serve the medicine and walked away for a while, leaving only me ...... There must still be someone, maybe only one or two people were in there for a while, but I don't remember who it was. ”

Gu Yanzhangfu confirmed with him again: "You were in a room with Xu Sanniang at noon, sat for a cup of tea, and immediately went out, when Li Liniang walked away and took away a few servants, maybe you were the only one with Xu Sanniang for a while, yes or no?" ”

Li Chengwei frowned, hesitated for a while, and replied: "When someone accompanies you, or even if you walk away, it's just a few ......words to go out to find something."

Gu Yanzhang asked, "You can enter Xu Sanniang's house, do you have any cronies with you?" ”

Li Chengwei shook his head and said: "My lady is sick in bed, her clothes are not neat, and most of my cronies are men, so naturally I can't bring them into the house." ”

"The people left in that house are all Xu Sanniang's cronies, yes or no?"

"I'm afraid there are still ...... who are serving by Liniang's side" Li Chengwei thought for a while and said, "It's been a long time, I don't remember it very clearly, you might as well wait until the next person who served that day comes and asks to confirm...... I'm afraid that if I say it at this time, if it is wrong in the future, I actually have no intention of talking nonsense, but it makes people think that this is a deception of the yamen, which is really not good. ”

He replied to these many roundabout, unfocused words, as if there was no great connection between the questions, as if to induce him to admit that he was once the only one in the room.

Li Chengwei acted cautiously, and only answered after thinking about every word in his head, so as not to contradict what he had originally stated in his confession to the Kyoto prefectural government, and when he encountered an unconfirmed answer, he would rather not answer than cause anything to happen because of the wrong answer.

The people originally listened carefully to Gu Yanzhang's questioning, but then they listened to him ask and asked, but they didn't ask anything, they were somewhat impatient, some people couldn't stand, and they buzzed and whispered, and others called the officials on the side softly, asking when it would be over, the weather was too hot, and their health was not good, so they couldn't hold on.

This place was making a commotion, and it didn't take long for someone to come to the coffin and say to Tian Feng and Gu Yanzhang: "Two officials...... In the corpse...... Another thing has been solved! ”

As soon as the little official's words fell, the noise in the field suddenly fell silent, and those who had been shouting to return to the city quickly, and those who wanted to rest, all shut up, and everyone looked at him, waiting for him to say more.