Ji Qingling was very impressed by this matter, and as soon as he heard Wang Pang's name, he immediately remembered it. I also heard that Chen Siqu's eldest daughter-in-law was a side branch of the Wang family, and she also moved all the rules of the Wang family, so she was a little moved.

Because he has dealt with a lot recently, there is nothing that he can't say to outsiders, so Ji Qingling asked Qiu Lu to help write a letter, planning to send it to Du Tanzhi in the name of Gu Yanzhang.

Qiu Lu was writing with a pen here, Qiu Yue was grinding ink on the side, she pondered for a moment, and couldn't help asking: "Madame, does this think that the Chen family's confession is missing?" ”

Ji Qingling nodded and said, "My room is also divided into two shifts a day, and there are two people in one shift, and the rest of the little girls will be arranged outside." ”

Before she finished speaking, Qiu Lu, who was writing a letter, reacted, looked up and said: "Yes, there are already rules in our house, and there are two people in the lady's room to serve in the room one day, and there is a little girl to accompany them, even so, I dare not say that there are people in the house all the time." ”

Qiu Yue woke up and said busily: "Yes, there is always something to go away." ”

Ji Qingling said: "The matter is too long, relying on people's brains to remember, how can you remember clearly, it is not intentional, there must be omissions, but if it is really as others said, the Chen family and daughter-in-law will do everything according to the Wang family, and they will also move this rule over in the future, but if the accounts are not thrown, as long as you check what you filled in that day, you can know who has been, and if there is a omission, you will come to interrogate again at that time, and you will not be able to make any progress." ”

As she spoke, she lowered her head and calculated, and sighed: "This case has dragged on for a long time, and if it is not closed, the Kyoto government will come to urge." ”

For a while, Qiu Lu wrote the letter, showed it to Ji Qingling, and then sealed it and sent it out.

***

When Du Tanzhi returned to Xiangfu County, it was already the second day, he had not yet stepped into the back office, and he met the county magistrate, because he saw the person walking in the direction of the right compartment, knowing that this was to find Jiang Chengde, he stopped the person and asked: "How was the court trial yesterday?" ”

The pusher's face was haggard, as if he hadn't slept well for many days, and when he saw Du Tanzhi at this time, he hurriedly saluted first, and said with a bitter face: "There has been no progress, both sides are bitten to death, I'm afraid that I have to wait for the county magistrate to hand over a document to the Kyoto government, and wait for the approval over there to come back, and then go to the big punishment." ”

The two stood here and said a few words, Du Tanzhi took the scroll in the other party's hand and turned it over hastily, and he had to go back, and then he walked to the back office, who expected that as soon as he entered the door, a small servant came up and said: "Deputy Envoy Gu sent someone to send a letter, saying that there is something important, and the official must read it first as soon as he returns." ”

Du Tanzhi thought that there was something in Beijing, so he hurriedly opened it and looked at it, only thought about it for a moment, and then went to the front office.

***

Jiang Chengde was already reading the documents written by the staff for the Kyoto government office, and when he saw Du Tanzhi enter the door, he put down the fold in his hand, said hello to him, and said: "It's just in time, I want to ask for punishment for this group, I don't know what Tan Zhi means?" ”

Du Tanzhi silently calculated the time and asked, "But it's almost the deadline?" ”

Jiang Chengde said: "Exactly, besides, that Zhang Qun's own virtue is at a loss, and he was wrongly punished by the Chen family, although he refuses to admit it, but the suspicion on his body is difficult to get rid of, and there are no other clues at the moment, so he has to be sentenced first." ”

After he said this, he couldn't help but sigh and said: "It's been too long, if this case could have come out a few years earlier, it wouldn't have been so difficult to try - it all depends on human evidence, and physical evidence is difficult to find at all." ”

The Dajin Yamen has its own time limit for trial, and if it fails to reach a result within the time limit, the company will deal with it according to the regulations. Jiang Chengde's last year's examination was Zhongping, and if he was reprimanded again this time because of the cases of the Chen and Zhang families, and stayed until the end of three years to become an official, I am afraid that he would suffer a big loss.

Du Tanzhi had some understanding, and said: "Zhongshu is also afraid that there will be a backlog of various cases and delay for time, but when encountering such a doubtful case, there is really not enough time." ”

He didn't bother here, chose a chair and sat down, and said: "I just met Zhou Tui, and I read the interrogation transcript, but I don't know that the number of visitors that day was all that the Chen family said?" ”

Jiang Chengde shook his head and said: "But one belt and two, where can it be all, don't talk about them, even if you ask me who I met with in Yazhong the day before yesterday, I may not be able to count them all, not to mention what happened many years ago." ”

He also said: "Fortunately, most of the people visit the sick in groups, as long as the Chen family brings out one, they will provide for me and I will provide for him, but they can barely make up most of them." ”

Du Tan Zhidao: "I don't know when I heard someone say that Wang Lao Hanlin's family has a very rare rule, all human relations must be copied one by one, and there is a special treasury, this Chen Shou's wife seems to be from the Wang family, it is said that the family is all in accordance with the rules of the Wang family, and I don't know whether this one is followed." ”

Jiang Chengde was already a headache by this case, and when he had no way to step on the ground, he was overjoyed when he heard Du Tanzhi say this, and said, "Tanzhi, you have done me a great favor!" If you can really have this thing, you can always pick it up if you ask it one by one according to the record above! ”

Regardless of 3721, he immediately called someone in and instructed him to go to Chen's house to inquire, and if there was really such a thing, he would take the book.

Du Tanzhi didn't have such confidence, but said: "It may not really be...... Even if there is, it is difficult to say that there will be no bamboo basket in the future, and nothing useful can be found. ”

Jiang Chengde sealed the fold on the table to ask for punishment, and while ordering someone to send it to the capital, he said with a smile: "The avenue has to be walked, and the path has to be found, I won't tell you, I have been an official for so many years, and such a troublesome case is really the first time I have encountered it, it is really like holding a round ball, and I don't know how to start." ”

The two sat together like this and discussed the case for half an hour. Du Tanzhi had the heart to wait for the Chen family to reply to the letter, and did not go away, and sure enough, after another cup of tea, he saw a small official outside asking the door to come in, and said with a smile on his face: "The patrol shop called the small two officials back and forth, and the Chen family really found dozens of books in the past, all of which were written about the old years' personal contacts, and now they are taking things and rushing to the yamen!" ”

He bowed down again and said quietly: "The villain is afraid that the two officials will be in a hurry in the yazhong, so he simply runs fast, so he will report the news first!" ”

Hearing this, Jiang Chengde couldn't even sit still, so he suddenly moved his chair and vacated it, and blurted out: "Call someone to the yamen, simply bring things here first." ”

rang the bell again and called the handyman outside, and said, "Go and find a few people from Zhang Tui!" ”

Du Tanzhi was also a little anxious. Although he was just the one who passed the word, he never thought that there was such a thing, and when he saw Jiang Chengde turning around in front of his house, he couldn't sit down for a moment, and he was so irritable that he also stood up.

About half an hour later, several officials outside carried a large box into the door and unloaded the things in the public hall.

At this time, the magistrates, prosecutors and others of Xiangfu County had already arrived, and they followed up together.

There is a thick layer of ash on the box, and the lock has given birth to several layers of thick green rust, and the patrol shop is quite thoughtful, and the steward of the Chen family has also brought a person over, the steward was only responsible for the inner house in the past, and has not seen the official, at this time to Jiang Chengde's office, and saw the first two green-robed officials, as well as all kinds of officials, officials, frightened a heart thumping, and the pestle only knew how to tremble on the side.

Zhang Tuiyi looked around, looked up and asked, "Where is the key?" ”

For a moment, several officials looked at the steward.

The steward swallowed his saliva, and for a while he couldn't speak, and only after a while did he say, "More...... I searched for things from many years ago, and I couldn't find them after rummaging through my home for a long time. He added, "The government is already looking for it, and said that if you see it, you will send it over immediately." ”

The people didn't bother to pay attention to him, but went outside to find a stone, hammered the lock in three or two strokes, and opened the box with his mouth and nose covered.

There are many people to do things, and it didn't take long for the things inside to be cleared out, and the rue and other things were put in the danger box to repel insects, and the box was thick, except for a musty smell, the books were not much damaged.

Those books are thick and thin, thick enough to half a foot, thin but only an inch high, each marked with the year, the first few years remember in great detail, the later but the simpler, the last ten years, I simply can't find it.

Zhang Tuiyi found out the book where Chen Siqu died, and when he turned to the days before and after, he could see the names and rituals of the people who were erected one after another, and he was already a little trembling with excitement, and when he wanted to turn the page back, his hands trembled, and he couldn't handle the page several times.

The officials of the Judicial Department leaned over to look at him, and surrounded him to the left, and someone shouted: "Go find the pen and ink, and copy it quickly!" ”

A group of people didn't care that Jiang and Du were still here, so they were busy copying or comparing the witnesses they had interrogated before to see if they had really missed anyone, and immediately started the case.

The steward of the Chen family was standing behind, and he didn't know what he was going to do, when he suddenly heard someone shouting on the side, and turned his head blankly, but it was a green-robed official who was questioning him.

He was stunned for a moment, and finally only heard one sentence - "This book is recorded as it is?" ”

The steward hurriedly nodded and said: "Exactly, because of the instructions of the lady of the house, the people in the account room must count the rituals every day, write down the number, things, doors, and names one by one, one person points, one person checks, and also draw a signature seal at the back, there will be no mistake!" ”

He saw that one of the two officials opposite had a booklet in his hand and looked through it, and he didn't know if he should shut up for a while, but if he didn't open his mouth, he was even more nervous, so he had to say indiscriminately: "In addition to these, there is also another booklet for the gift of our house, but I haven't taken it today." ”

The official on the other side asked, "Why haven't you seen it in recent years?" ”

The steward uh uh ah ”

In this place, they were still talking, and in that place, the people had cleared out the names of the people in the books.

The Chen family's books back then remembered in great detail, and they clearly wrote who gave what gifts during the day, whether they came to the door in person or sent someone to the door.

After the comparison, Zhang Tuiyan stepped forward and replied to Jiang and Du: "There are four people missing, three of them came to the door together, and the other one was originally a relative of the Chen family and went with the etiquette by himself." ”

Jiang Chengde said: "Don't delay, just finish asking today." ”

The people below got the order, and sure enough, they did not mention it.

This time, the case did not go well.

First of all, the Chen family was not in the county, and when they asked about their family, they said that they had traveled abroad a month ago, and they were going to Mingzhou, and they could only go home for three or four months.

The clan relatives were originally only engaged in business near the left, but now there is no reason, but suddenly ran so far, the procuratorate was afraid that he would get the news and flee, although he did not dare to Zhang Hai to arrest the documents, but he had secretly sent officials to chase him.

Then the three people came to the door together, one of them was not from Xiangfu County, and he didn't know the other two, but they met outside the door together, and they entered together.

At this time, I went to ask, but the two of them still had some impressions, only said that they remembered that they were young, handsome, and claimed to be the son of Chen Siqu's friend when he was in his hometown in the old years.

When everyone went to Zhuxian County according to the map, and found the name of the person registered in the book, the person did not admit that there was such a thing, although he raised three daughters and a son, but the son was ranked among the eldest, Chen Siqu was born not long after the accident, and he didn't even learn to walk, let alone visit the sick on behalf of his father.

The official brought the man over, and he recognized the two men who were visiting the patient that day, but they said that they were not the same person.

The man also said: "Although I have a good relationship with Boss Chen in the past, it's just that I haven't done this business for a long time, but my own family just eats with a craft, and I haven't had any contact with him for many years. Besides, I was so poor back then, how could I have the money to buy such precious things as realgar and borneol? ”

For a while, everyone went to check, and sure enough, at the time of Chen Siqu's funeral, this person did not come to pay respects, nor did he give a ceremony.

- As if for no reason, an inexplicable person suddenly appeared, and took up the identity of the man's son to visit Chen Siqu.

Because of this progress, when I asked the people who were waiting in the room that day, one or two gradually remembered something.

The second child of the Chen family received this trip that day, and only remembered that his family sent people out that day, and halfway through, the man was anxious to find a toilet.

Because one of the people in the group also came on behalf of his father, his father made a big effort when Chen Siqu was taken out of prison, and the second child of the Chen family wanted to send him out in person, and the two sides separated halfway.

asked about the person's appearance again, because it was too long, he only remembered that he looked like Sven, and he couldn't tell the specifics.

At that time, the two girls who were serving in the house died of illness the year before last, and there was another left.

The officials who tried the case were even frightened, and soon forced her to open her mouth, it turned out that one person did turn back that day, saying that he had lost the jade pendant he had with him when he was a guest, as if it had fallen on the tea tray in front of him, and begged her to help him get it.

Because the man was generous, and there were still people waiting in the room, and seeing that the patient had no sign of waking up, she and the girl on duty got a purse with a hundred dollars, so they separated one person to go to the back tearoom to find the jade pendant.

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