The county lord sat on the circle chair on the left side of the Eight Immortals table in the main hall.

The young junior sat on a round table in the center of the main hall, on which were placed pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, which seemed to be the documents of the yamen.

The county magistrate looked at the old woman sitting on the drum bench and said with a straight face, "Who is in the hall?" Tell me your name. ”

"County master, don't you know who the old body is?" Mrs. Qin cried and said, "County Master, you have to be the master of the old body!" The husband, son, and grandson are gone, and now even the daughter-in-law is gone, how can the old man live in the future! ”

"Woo ......"

"Now there is only this county and the bitter master, please mourn." The county magistrate waited for her to cry before saying, "Please answer the county's questions seriously." ”

"The old body is cold! The husband's surname is Qin, and the husband has been dead for many years. Mrs. Qin respectfully reported her name.

"Mrs. Qin, do you know the two deceased?" The county magistrate took out a dusty handkerchief from his sleeve cage and wiped his nose.

Seeing this, Mrs. Qin hurriedly said, "The old man went to let the subordinates bring in a few braziers, what should I do if I am so ignorant and freeze my lord?" ”

Mrs. Qin got up and stood by the door and shouted, "Xiangming, Xiangming, go and bring a brazier in." ”

"Yes!" When the people heard the sound in the wing, they ran out, and soon came in with a brazier and put it next to the county master.

Xiang Ming blessed her body, withdrew again, and returned to the wing.

"Can the two deceased, Mrs. Qin, know each other?" The county magistrate stuffed the handkerchief into his sleeve, raised his eyes slightly and looked at Mrs. Qin and said.

"I know, one is my daughter-in-law, and the other is my housekeeper Qu Butler." Madam Qin replied solemnly.

"Where were you at the time of the crime?" The county lord asked as he stared at her with dark eyes.

"The old man has not rested in the Buddhist hall, copying Buddhist scriptures for my husband and son." Mrs. Qin said respectfully, "When I heard the movement and ran over, my daughter-in-law was already hanging on the beam of the house, and Steward Qu was bitten off by the vicious dog, and the old body chased by the vicious dog could only hide in the crutches in his hand on the round table and keep waving, so as not to let the vicious dog bite." ”

"Your house is brightly lit at night, so you can see so clearly." Hearing this, the county magistrate narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Mrs. Qin and said.

"My husband and son are gone, and the cold nights are cold, and my daughter-in-law and I like to sleep with the lights on." Mrs. Qin said sobbingly, pulling out the silk handkerchief in her sleeve cage and pressing the corners of her eyes, "It's as if her husband and son are still there." ”

"Mrs. Qin's day mourns!" The county magistrate looked at her sad and comforted.

"Mrs. Qin, the backyard is full of female dependents, can Steward Qu go in and out of the backyard at will this big night?" The county magistrate looked at her and asked.

Mrs. Qin was stunned when she heard this, and looked at the county magistrate with 120,000 spirits and replied, "Because there is a big yellow dog guarding the home, the gate from the front yard to the back yard has never been locked. Steward Qu has been with me for many years since he got married, and he is honest, and the old man also wonders why he appeared in his daughter-in-law's room and was bitten by a vicious dog. "What the hell is going on?" I also asked the county magistrate to find out and give an explanation to the old man, but nothing ugly can happen! ”

"This county came to ask you, does your big yellow dog bite people on weekdays?" The county lord looked at Mrs. Qin intently and asked.

"No!" Hearing this, Mrs. Qin shook her head slightly, put her hand on her knees, and squeezed her skirt tightly, "Because this dog is bigger, it is tethered during the day, and it is only released at night, and it is very well-behaved on weekdays." ”

"Who feeds it?" The county master asked again.

"We all like it, we feed it on weekdays, and the old daughter-in-law likes it the most, bathing it in the summer, feeding it bones, meat, and even holding it on the kang." Mrs. Qin said nostalgically, "This widow's life is hard, there must be a sustenance!" The old body doesn't like dogs very much, but the daughter-in-law likes them, so she keeps them. ”

"What is Qu Yanfu's relationship with you?" The county magistrate asked suddenly, looking at Mrs. Qin without blinking.

"Steward Qu has been with the old man for many years, and he is a servant, but he is also like a family." Madam Qin said carefully.

"What is the relationship between Qu Yanfu and your daughter-in-law?" The county magistrate looked directly at her and asked.

"Relationship?" Madam Qin's eyes turned and said, "There is a difference between men and women. The old daughter-in-law respects the housekeeper very much. This housekeeper is also very respectful to his old daughter-in-law. ”

The county magistrate nodded thoughtfully and said, "What kind of person is this deceased Liu Xiuying?" ”

"This child is just as miserable as his old body, and not long after he got married, my short-lived son was gone. As widowed as an old man. Mrs. Qin kept sobbing and said, "Fortunately, I have a son by my side, and our family is happy, but three years ago, my lovely little grandson went to play by the river, and was washed away by the surging flood, and even the body was not found." Our mother and soul are crying...... Only our mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are left to rely on each other. ”

"The county's question is over, you go back to the house to rest first!" The county magistrate looked at the emotional and she had to comfort.

Mrs. Qin stood up tremblingly on crutches, blessed her body, and retreated, carefully pondering whether she had made a mistake in speaking along the way.

The county magistrate recruited the maids to inquire one by one, and the details were correct with Mrs. Qin.

&*&

Ye Sanniang was taken to the main room, and the county magistrate squinted his eyes slightly, looking at Ye Sanniang, who was gorgeous and outstanding, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and said, "Who is in the hall?" Register your name. ”

"The folk woman Ye Sanniang visits the adult." Ye Sanniang blessed the blessed body.

"No courtesy, sit down!" The county magistrate pointed to the drum stool in the center of the main house, looked at Ye Sanniang who was sitting down, and said, "Listen to Mrs. Qin, you advocated reporting to the official." ”

"Yes! If a person is killed, there must be a government review. Ye Sanniang looked at the county master with calm eyes and said.

Ye Sanniang looked at the county master in front of her without a trace, this didn't look like the county master, his skin was rough and dark, and his face was full of wind and frost, not at all like a literati who was white and pure.

This county is poor enough, the official uniform of the county magistrate, and the face of the yamen are still patched! The complement on the chest is not embroidered, but painted.

"Why are you here?" The county magistrate looked at her curiously and asked.

"Our family and I were blocked by strong winds yesterday, so we couldn't move forward to the county seat in time for the curfew, so we had to stay in the village for one night." Ye Sanniang looked at him calmly and said, "I went to Luo Lizheng's house first, there is no suitable room in Lizheng's house, so I introduced us to Widow Qin's house." ”

"When did you come? What have they done? Hearing this, the county magistrate continued to ask.

"When we came, it was already evening, and we ate a simple sweet noodle soup and steamed buns, and then rested, and the wind picked up in the night, and we were awakened." Ye Sanniang said unhurriedly.

(End of chapter)