Zhou Delin, Lord Zhou, wandered around the east of the city all morning.

Early this morning, Miss Cheng asked someone to bring him a message, reminding him that it was best to start with the relationship between the little blacksmith who surrendered and Mrs. He's family.

Lord Zhou was originally a smart person, but he was still young and inexperienced, and there had been no homicide in Qingping County for several years, so when he encountered such a strange case at first glance, he felt a little at a loss for a while, and he couldn't figure it out.

Now after the reminder of the girl, I only feel like seeing the blue sky through the clouds, and suddenly my eyes suddenly brightened.

Yes, of the three prisoners who surrendered, the identity of the little blacksmith was the most suspicious.

Wuyi Lane where the crime occurred is in the west of the city, his blacksmith shop is in the east of the city, and the local people don't go out at night, how could he go to the west of the city in the middle of the night to have an argument with Mrs. He and then there was a bloody case?

There must be something else going on here.

He couldn't help but feel a little admired for his little aunt.

It seems that she and Ye Feng, who is rumored to be the smartest person in the world, have been wandering the rivers and lakes together for so long, and they really have some experience in solving the case. In such a strange case, she was able to see through the key points at a glance in one sentence.

Lord Zhou came to the east of the city with confidence, and asked the neighbors near the blacksmith shop for news, but these neighbors saw that the county magistrate came to investigate the case, and there were many onlookers, but once asked, they were all silent.

Except for the unanimous saying that the little blacksmith was a good man, often helping his neighbors, and never charging money for repairing for the poor, all other clues related to the murder were inferred.

Master Zhou asked for a long time, but didn't ask anything, he still didn't know why the little blacksmith would run to Wuyi Lane in the west of the city in the middle of the night, and what was the relationship between him and Mrs. He, and he couldn't help but feel a little anxious in his heart.

It is said that the little blacksmith is a good man, but no one is willing to stand up and provide useful clues to prove his innocence.

Lord Zhou shook his head, these selfish villains!

In vain, since the little blacksmith was generous and righteous on weekdays, most of them had been helped by the little blacksmith, and at this moment they all cowered, did the little blacksmith really want to be wronged and die?

To be honest, Lord Zhou actually didn't believe that a good person like the little blacksmith would be a murderer, just like he didn't believe that Mrs. He's children were murderers, but this case was really confusing and too strange, and Lord Zhou felt a little helpless.

Could it be that there are no corpses in repairing bridges and roads? Lord Zhou couldn't help but sigh.

Just when he was a little discouraged and was about to go home, he turned his head and saw a middle-aged woman looking at him with some cringe and curiosity in front of a stall selling melons and fruits at the corner of the street.

Lord Zhou recognized this person, this woman is the stall owner of the melon and fruit stall, known as Aunt Li, is a famous long-tongued woman in the city, and she likes to chew the root of the tongue around the east and the west the family the most.

I remember last year, it was because she chased the wind and talked nonsense, saying that the daughter-in-law of the Hu family in the east of the city had a personal affair with outsiders, which made the Hu family restless and almost divorced the daughter-in-law.

In the end, the truth was revealed, this is pure nonsense, the Hu family was angry, and took Aunt Li to court, and finally Lord Zhou also sentenced Aunt Li to compensate the Hu family's silver, and apologized in public.

Lord Zhou still remembered this incident, and naturally recognized Aunt Li.

It seems that Aunt Li still remembers the lesson of that time, and she is still quite afraid of Lord Zhou, so she still hid far away from such a lively scene and did not come forward to join in the fun.

Lord Zhou couldn't help but smile, if you want to inquire about the news, there is probably no more suitable than a long-tongued woman like Aunt Li.

He retreated from his retinue and walked alone to Lee

In front of Auntie's melon and fruit stall, she smiled and nodded to Aunt Li, and greeted, "Aunt Li, has always been good?"

Aunt Li didn't expect the county magistrate to come to her melon and fruit stall in person, she was startled, and said with some fear: "Thanks to the blessing of the lord, it has always been peaceful." ”

Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, and hurriedly pleaded: "My lord, the little woman has learned the lesson of the last time, and this time she has always been at peace, and she has never chewed her tongue again, and has never said the rights and wrongs of others, if you don't believe it, you can ask the neighbors on the left and right." ”

Lord Zhou smiled secretly, the so-called easy to change nature is difficult to change, and it is even more difficult to ask this long-tongued woman to stop telling right and wrong, and no longer talk about the strengths and weaknesses of others.

It's just that the ruler is long and short, and sometimes this long-tongued woman will naturally have the wonderful use of a long-tongued woman, such as Aunt Li in front of her, who is afraid that she may know all the big and small things that happen in the city every day.

Thinking so in his heart, Lord Zhou made a serious appearance on the surface, nodded very firmly to express his belief in Aunt Li's words, and said: "Aunt Li knows that she can change it, and the official has also heard about it, I just hope that I won't get into any trouble in the future." ”

Aunt Li smiled a little embarrassedly, she didn't know what to say, and she looked a little helpless.

Lord Zhou was not in a hurry, first chatted with her, talked about the harvest of this year's melons and fruits, the market price level, after a while, seeing that Aunt Li gradually relaxed, no longer so nervous, then the topic changed and asked: "Aunt Li has always been well-informed, do you know that something big has happened in the west of the city?"

When Aunt Li heard the word "big event", her ears pricked up, and she asked, "What's the big thing?"

Lord Zhou said unhurriedly: "This little blacksmith in the east of the city went to Wuyi Lane in the west of the city late at night and killed Mrs. He there, and now he has been convicted and is about to be beheaded." ”

This matter has been in an uproar in the city recently, and it is naturally impossible for Aunt Li not to know.

After hearing what Master Zhou said, she was a little surprised at first, and said to herself: "You have already been convicted?"

After thinking about it, he shook his head again, and said to Lord Zhou categorically: "Impossible, it can't be him! If you want to say who killed Mrs. He, I can believe it, but this little blacksmith is absolutely impossible!"

She also said to Lord Zhou with some concern: "Your Excellency has really found out, don't misjudge the case, wronged a good person, and affect your reputation." ”

Seeing that she was so sure, Master Zhou was a little strange and asked, "Why is Aunt Li so sure that the murderer is not him?"

Aunt Li looked at Lord Zhou and didn't seem to believe her, her voice suddenly rose an octave, and said, "That's natural, because the little blacksmith ...... him."

Halfway through speaking, she suddenly closed her mouth, looked left and right mysteriously for a while, and made sure that the passers-by did not notice them, so she pulled Master Zhou to the hidden place behind the melon and fruit stall, lowered her voice and said: "If you want to talk about this, there is no one who knows it better than the people's women." ”

Lord Zhou nodded secretly, she really knew something inside!

So he said softly: "Aunt Li, don't be in a hurry, and speak slowly." ”

Aunt Li saw that Master Zhou was interested, and suddenly came to her senses, it seemed that her eyes were shining, she thought about it, and then started from the beginning: "The folk woman has been setting up a stall here for more than ten years, and she is on the same street with the little blacksmith, and she has known this child since she was a child." Speaking of this little blacksmith, he is also a hard-working man, since his parents died when he was a child, everyone sees that he is pitiful and has a lot of care, he grew up by eating hundreds of meals. ”

Later, he learned the trade from the old blacksmith here, who had no children and no daughters, and left the blacksmith shop to him when he died. This kid is kind-hearted, saying that the big guys are kind to him, so he often helps his neighbors on weekdays, and has an excellent reputation in the city, but he is a well-known good person. ”

Lord Zhou shook his head and said, "Is it impossible for a well-known good person to kill someone? ”

Aunt Li said, "Great."

Don't worry, listen to the women first. This old lady He also knew each other, lived in Wuyi Lane in the west of the city, and made a living by sewing and mending for others, and her family background was not very good. Her husband died early, and there was no one else in her husband's family, leaving only a bunch of children to live on her, which was actually not easy. ”

Lord Zhou asked, "Does she know the little blacksmith?"

Aunt Li smiled and said: "Mrs. He is doing needlework for a living, she is diligent and hardworking, so she often needs to repair some scissors and needles or something, I heard that the little blacksmith in the east of the city has good skills, the fee is low, and he is also helpful, so he often comes to the little blacksmith." ”

Lord Zhou nodded: "They really know each other." ”

Aunt Li continued: "At first, Mrs. He came by herself, but then she took on a lot of work, and she couldn't be busy, and her daughter grew up again, so she often asked her daughter to help me get things and come to the little blacksmith to repair them. ”

Lord Zhou was stunned: "What? You mean Mrs. He's daughter and the little blacksmith, they ......?"

Aunt Li rolled her eyes: "What's the matter, although our little blacksmith is poor, but he has a good craft, and he is kind-hearted, he is a sincere person, and besides, her daughter is not a lady, Miss Qianjin, is she not worthy of her?"

Lord Zhou smiled bitterly, and hurriedly explained: "This official has no such intention, but does Mrs. He know about them?"

Aunt Li blinked and thought for a while and said, "You should know, the two of them are eyebrows, their words and demeanors are getting closer and closer, even we can see it, how can this mother not know?"

Lord Zhou asked, "So she agreed?"

Aunt Li said: "Anyway, I haven't heard of her objecting, originally, it was also her blessing to find such a down-to-earth and reliable son-in-law." It's just that she didn't expect that she was not such a blessed person at all. ”

Lord Zhou seemed to be a little dissatisfied with Mrs. He when he heard her words, and he was not easy to ask, so he listened quietly and did not interrupt her.

Aunt Li said: "Originally, our eldest family looked at this pair of children as a good match, and we were happy for them in our hearts, and we also privately discussed how to prepare for the two of them in the future. ”

"This Mrs. He also has a son, because the family is poor, he can't afford to go to school, and he has been helping outside to subsidize the family since he was a child. This Mrs. He didn't care much about this son, and she didn't even look at it all year round after she was sent out. ”

Unexpectedly, two years ago, this Mrs. He suddenly changed her temperament and cared about her son, not only took him back to the house, but also asked her husband to teach him to read, saying that she was going to Beijing to take the exam and have a good future. ”

Two years ago, Mr. Zhou thought about it, wasn't that the time when he came to Qingping County to work after high school?

He asked casually, "How old is this son?"

Aunt Li said, "I am about my early twenties, and I should look like an adult." ”

Lord Zhou was surprised: "Why is this too old, and his son is only in his early twenties?"

Aunt Li sighed: "Do you think Mrs. He is old? Don't look at everyone calling her Mrs. He, in fact, she is not yet fifty, but her life is difficult, her hair has long been gray, and she looks much older than her real age." ”

Master Zhou shook his head, a person who has never read since he was a child, only remembered to go back to study when he was in his twenties, and dreamed of going to Beijing to take the high school imperial list, which is really tantamount to a fool's dream.

After thinking about it, Lord Zhou opened his mouth and asked again: "Then what does this son have to do with the marriage between his sister and the little blacksmith?"

Aunt Li snorted, and said angrily: "The bad thing is that this old lady He is whimsical, she daydreams, and wants her son to go to Beijing to take the high school entrance examination, so as to glorify her ancestors, but it turns out that she harms her daughter and our little blacksmith!"