After a few words of conversation, Hou Feng, the general of the city guard, left in a hurry because he had something important. So, Yu Hong and Tai Hao waited until three o'clock in the Shen hour, until eight officials escorted Ah Lu to the public court, and another official came to the front hall and respectfully invited the city lord of Yuhong to move to the public court. Just as he was about to get up, a man hurriedly broke into the front hall and shouted: "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, I heard the second child in the store say that you have something to look for me?" ”

When Yu Hong heard this, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the man, and his tone revealed dissatisfaction: "Why are you late? A few hours ago, I asked the shopkeeper to call you over. ”

This man is Niu Xing, the shopkeeper of Snow Lotus House, because Yu Hongna has a concubine, who is Niu Xing's sister-in-law, so he is called his brother-in-law.

Niu Xing sneered: "Brother-in-law, didn't I go to have a pastime just now, and when I returned to Snow Lotus Residence, I knew that you were looking for me, what was the matter?" ”

Yu Hong frowned and said, "Could it be that you went to the casino to fool around again?" Look at your virtue, when will you be able to change your mind? ”

Niu Xing smiled disapprerovingly: "Oh, brother-in-law, I'm just itchy and unbearable, just a little gamble." ”

Yu Hong said coldly: "I heard that you drove out the inn's shopkeeper Ah Lu, what is the reason?" ”

Niu Xing caught a glimpse of Tai Hao on the side, so he whispered to Yu Hong: "Brother-in-law, I will talk to you about this matter later." ”

Yu Hong raised his eyebrows and said, "Is there anything unspeakable?" Now that Ah Lu has been arrested and brought to justice, the official is about to be interrogated, and you are waiting here to discuss your matter after the trial is over. ”

At that moment, Yu Hong and Tai Hao walked into the public hall together, and a solemn atmosphere lingered in the spacious hall, symbolizing that the righteous trial was about to begin. Their eyes focused on the hall, and they saw a figure kneeling on the ground, that was the defendant in this case, Ah Lu.

Yu Hong sat on a high seat, looking down at Ah Lu below, and his voice revealed majesty: "You are Ah Lu?" ”

Ah Lu's body was tense, and it was obvious that the tension in his heart had reached its peak. He spoke tremblingly, his voice trembling with an unconcealable tremor: "Back to the city lord, the little one is Ah Lu." ”

Yu Hong continued to ask, his eyes were like torches: "Then explain to this official one by one, what did you do last night?" ”

Ah Lu was about to open his mouth to defend himself, but saw a servant come forward with a brocade box and solemnly place it on the desk in front of Yu Hong. The official's voice was sonorous and powerful: "City Lord, this is the stolen goods found from Ah Lu's residence. ”

The servant carefully opened the brocade box, and a faint metallic aura suddenly diffused. Yu Hong stared at the box, and Tai Hao couldn't help but take a closer look. What is astonishing is that there is actually half a box of golden gold bars in the brocade box, which shimmers with an alluring light. Tai Hao was stunned for a moment, it turned out that what Ah Lu stole was the brocade box containing gold bars, so whose hands did the brocade box containing the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" fall into?

Seeing this, Ah Lu was like being struck by lightning, and kowtowed frantically and begged for mercy: "The city lord spares his life, the city lord spares his life!" The small ones know that they are wrong, and the small ones know that they are wrong! Ask the city lord to be merciful! His forehead slammed against the hard floor, making a muffled "thump" sound, revealing the fear and despair in his heart.

Yu Hong stared at Ah Lu closely, and his tone was cold: "Where did you get these gold bars?" ”

Ah Lu hesitated for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons. Seeing this, Yu Hong's voice raised by a few decibels, and he asked sharply: "Don't say it quickly!" Where did it come from, exactly? His voice echoed through the courtroom, showing unmistakable majesty.

Ah Lu's voice trembled like a leaf in the wind, and he said tremblingly: "Small...... The small one was stolen from Vice Admiral Taihao's room. As soon as the words fell, he kowtowed again and again, his voice was full of desperate pleas, "The city lord spares his life, the city lord spares his life!" Every word seemed to be squeezed out of his heart, revealing a deep fear.

Hearing this, Yu Hong's eyes turned to Tai Hao on the side, his eyes were full of scrutiny: "Vice General Tai Hao, is this gold bar yours?" His voice was calm, but with a pressure that could not be ignored.

Taihao's heart tightened, he knew that if he admitted that these gold bars were his own, he would be severely punished for the crime of accepting bribes. Even if he didn't know where the gold bars came from, he was breaking the law if he didn't turn them in time. He shook his head resolutely and denied: "These gold bars are not from the lower officials. Then, he turned his gaze to Ah Lu, "You said that it was stolen from the official's room, so how did you get it?" Be clear. ”

Ah Lu took a deep breath, although his voice was still trembling, but there was more firmness in it: "Yes, the little one swears to tell the truth." Last night, when the little night patrol was underway, I happened to pass by the door of Vice Admiral Taihao's room. At that time, the door was half open, and the little one, out of duty, called out the name of Adjutant Taihao a few times, but received no response. The lantern in his hand shone faintly, and through this dim light, he caught a small glimpse of a few pieces of clothing scattered on the ground. My heart tightened, thinking that the bandits had infiltrated, so I had the courage to go into the room to check. His eyes fell on the open closet, and he could vaguely see something shining in the darkness. When I got closer, I found that it was an open brocade box, and inside the box, there were gold bars full of yards. At that time, Vice Admiral Taihao was sleeping deeply, and his cry shook the sky. Under the temptation of money, the little ghost was obsessed and secretly took away this box of gold bars. ”

From Ah Lu's narration, Tai Hao keenly captured many unreasonable details, which quietly set off layers of doubts in his heart. First of all, Ah Lu mentioned that he found that the door of his room was half open during his night patrol, but he was used to closing the door tightly at bedtime, and this subtle difference made Taihao fall into deep thought. If what Ah Lu said is true, then before Ah Lu, there must be another uninvited guest quietly sneaking into his room.

Moreover, Ah Lu has called his name several times, but has not received any response. In the past, I slept very lightly, and even a slight noise was enough to wake me up from my deep sleep. However, last night, why did he fall asleep like this, ignorant of the movements of the outside world? This made Taihao feel very strange.

Even more puzzling is the fact that Ah Lu claims that the brocade box containing the gold bars is open. Who exactly opened it? Was it the first bandit to infiltrate the room? If that was the case, why didn't he take the priceless box of gold bars with him? Could it be that his goal was not gold and silver, but something else? Could it be that he really wanted the cheatbook?

These questions are intertwined into an intricate web in Taihao's mind, and every detail is like a mystery to be solved, waiting for him to uncover them one by one.

The sharp gaze of the Yuhong City Lord turned to another subtle detail, and he said in a deep voice, "You said that the brocade box you saw last night was full of gold bars, so why is there only half of it left now?" ”

When Ah Lu heard this, his face changed slightly, and he snorted: "The little one doesn't dare to say it." ”

The voice of the Yuhong City Lord revealed an irresistible majesty: "Why don't you dare to say it? Who did you give those gold bars to? ”

Ah Lu took a deep breath and seemed to be recalling the scene of last night: "After the little one got this box of gold bars last night, he panicked and hurried downstairs. At the top of the stairs, I unexpectedly met a teenager......"

"You gave him the gold bar?" Yu Hong didn't wait for him to finish, and then interjected eagerly.

Ah Lu hurriedly shook his head and denied: "I didn't give it to him, the little one saw the young man next to the Mu family brothers before, because he knew that he had something to do with the Mu family, so he didn't stop him and let him go upstairs." ”

When Yu Hong heard this, a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes: "You know that he is not a guest of the inn, why do you still let him go upstairs?" What's the secret? ”

Ah Lu's voice revealed a deep helplessness and remorse: "The little one had a plan at that time, and felt that he could skillfully transfer the theft of the gold bar to the young man. However, people are not as good as heaven, and as soon as he walked downstairs, he unexpectedly bumped into Niu Xing's shopkeeper. He was quick and snatched the brocade box from my arms. When he caught a glimpse of the gold bars in the box, he first reprimanded me severely, then accused me of stealing the guest's belongings, and threatened to hand me over to the government for punishment. I was terrified and begged him for mercy. At this time, he lowered his voice and said, 'Only God knows about this, you know it and I know it.' He offered to divide the bars equally with him. In that case, the little one had no choice but to agree. There were originally twenty gold bars in this brocade box, but I gave fifteen to Niu Xing's shopkeeper, and I only kept these five. Then he asked the little one to leave the Snow Lotus House immediately and go home to avoid the limelight, and the little one returned to his home overnight. ”

Yu Hong took out the gold bars from the brocade box and counted them, and sure enough, there were only five. A hint of determination flashed in his eyes, and he decisively ordered the official standing aside: "You go to the front hall immediately and bring Niu Xing!" Make no mistake! ”

It didn't take long for Niu Xing to be brought to the court. As soon as he stepped into the court, his eyes met Ah Lu, and Ah Lu instantly lowered his head, not daring to look at him. Niu Xing had already guessed eight or nine points in his heart, but thinking that the city lord Yu Hong was his brother-in-law, he tried his best to pretend to be calm, even if he stood on top of the court, he still stood upright. He tried to break the tense atmosphere in a relaxed tone: "Brother-in-law, why did you call me?" ”

However, Yu Hong did not intend to get married to him. He slapped the startled wood, and his voice resounded throughout the court: "Niu Xing! You don't kneel down when you get to the court, do you want to be related to this official? This is not your home, this is the court of trial! ”

Niu Xing was frightened by this drink, and hurriedly knelt on his knees. Yu Hong stared at him tightly, and his tone was stern: "Niu Xing, how many gold bars did you take from Ah Lu last night?" Recruit truthfully! ”

A sly smile flashed across the corners of Niu Xing's mouth, trying to hide his weakness with the ingenuity of his words: "Gold bars? Brother-in-law...... City Lord, if you have to be discerning, how can you believe this Lu's one-sided words, saying that I have obtained some gold bars? This is a false accusation! His tone was full of disdain and ridicule for Ah Lu, as if he wanted to divert everyone's attention.

Yu Hong was unmoved, his eyes were as sharp as a sword, piercing Niu Xing's heart: "Until now, do you still dare to quibble?" Niu Xing, the official asked you again one last time, how many gold bars did you take from Ah Lu? Recruit truthfully! There was unmistakable majesty in his voice.

In front of Yu Hong's powerful aura, Niu Xing's sophistry seemed so pale and powerless. He knew he couldn't hide it any longer, so he admitted in a low voice, "Fifteen." ”

When Yu Hong heard this, a trace of anger flashed in his eyes: "You know that these gold bars are stolen, not only did you not report them to the official, but you even dared to take these ill-gotten gains for yourself!" Niu Xing, Niu Xing, you are really bold and lawless! Every word he said was like a hammer smashing into Niu Xing's heart, leaving him with nowhere to escape.