Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Ma San, Zhang Ka and fourteen others were hooligans who were found by Manager Shen to spread the news that Chen Shao had accepted bribes in order to prevent her from affecting Fenglong Commercial Bank during the period when Chen Shao was investigating Shi Xing's case.

At that time, Chen Shao's punishment for them was to clean and maintain order outside the prefectural government office, and they would finish when the vendors praised them. Later, she was busy with various cases and put this matter behind her. But in recent months, the streets outside the prefectural government office have always been clean, and she can still see it.

Ma San, Zhang Ka and fourteen others came over hesitantly, each with a look of fear on their faces. When they got close, before Chen Shao said anything, the fourteen people knelt down one after another.

Chen Shao did not let them get up. In the crowd around him, he asked indifferently, "How have you been sweeping the streets for the past few months?"

"We have corrected it, and we will never do it again," Ma San said with trembling lips, "If you don't believe me, you can ask the uncles and aunts around here."

Ma San looked at the vendors around him for help.

The vendors doing business outside the prefectural government basically have their own fixed positions. The dozen or so vendors around where Chen Shao stood have dealt with Chen Shao more than once because they are close to the gate of the prefectural government. Seeing Ma San asking them for help, several vendors rushed to speak:

"They have indeed been very honest in the past few months."

“Very hard-working too.”

"If you see someone who needs help, you don't need to call, people will come."

When the fourteen people heard these words, they were moved and tears welled up in their eyes.

Seeing this, Chen Shao curled his lips slightly and said, "Since you have changed, you don't have to come here to be punished starting tomorrow. Just do what you need to do in the future. Just don't do anything sneaky and get caught by me again."

Inevitably, expressions of joy appeared on the faces of the fourteen people.

Amid the congratulations and admonitions from the vendors around him, when Chen Shao was about to turn around and leave, one of the hooligans suddenly asked, "Sir, can I come back tomorrow to continue sweeping the streets?"

Chen Shao stopped and looked at the gangster who was talking.

The ruffian who spoke immediately blushed and said hesitantly: "There is no one at home, so I want to stay here and continue sweeping the floor."

Chen Shao glanced at the street, then at him: "Then stay. I'll go find Miss Quan to register later. Since you're no longer being punished, I won't let you lose any salary you should get in the future."

The ruffian who was speaking kowtowed excitedly and said, "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir!"

"Sir, we..."

"Okay," Chen Shao said generously before they finished speaking, "Those who want to stay can go to Miss Quan to register later. You can follow Miss Quan's arrangements on what to do and what not to do in the future."

"Thank you, sir!"

Chen Shao said "hmm" and went back to the prefectural government.

Chan Yi went to find someone to copy the evidence of the crimes of the Wen, Zhu, Fan and Qi families. Chen Shao stayed alone in the study. After reviewing the process of interrogating Mr. Fan and Mr. Qi last night, he took out paper and pen and carefully wrote a letter to Chen Zhao.

After handing the letter to Li Tianliu and asking him to arrange for someone to send it back to the capital as soon as possible, Chen Shao went to the second hall and interrogated the second and third branches of the Zhu, Gu, Fan, Qi and Wen families one by one.

The trial lasted until dark.

After returning to Chengfeng Courtyard and eating a few simple bites of food, Chen Shao went into the study again.

The second and third wives of several families each managed a quarter of the family's property, including shops, courtyards or farms, etc. Despite this, the second and third wives of each family did not know much about the dealings between the first wife and the main family, or in other words, they only knew about the business in public, but not the dirty deeds in secret.

We still have to examine the people from the first house.

So in the following days, Chen Shao traveled back and forth between Fengyuan and Ertang every day, interrogating several large families and their managers over and over again, but he did not get much new information.

No one has ever seen the great-great-grandson of the previous dynasty's crown prince.

All we know is that he is now 24 years old, and his family or the governor of the county where his family lives calls him Master Huangfu.

As for where home is, it is unknown.

The only gain was probably that the great-great-grandson of the crown prince of the previous dynasty sent a letter to several generals of the Shan State through the Zhu family. It was through this letter that the jade trade between several companies and the Shan State was opened up.

"Master, we are back!" Just as Chen Shao was frowning, thinking about where to make a breakthrough, Chan Yi and Quan Shuyu entered the study one after another.

Fu Jiu also followed behind the two of them.

Chen Shao raised his eyes and saw Chan Yi's angry face and Quan Shuyu's pale face, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Fu Jiu looked at Chan Yi, then at Quan Shu Yu, and habitually tried to interrupt. Chan Yi glared at him and said, "When Shu Yu went to deal with the jewelry shop jointly opened by the Zhu and Gu families today, Wang Su and Xu Cheng Mei's family members knelt outside the shop, slapping themselves in the face and kowtowing to admit their mistakes, just to force her to let Wang Su and Xu Cheng Mei return to the dyeing workshop. Shu Yu was kind enough to reason with them, and even gave each of their families two taels of silver. Not only did they still refuse to leave after taking the silver, but they also whipped Wang Su and Xu Cheng Mei with a bull whip in front of so many people who were watching the excitement, scolding them for being willing to be lowly, and even killing their brothers, and saying that they would beat them to death to make amends for Shu Yu. Wang Su and Xu Cheng Mei have only been home for a few days, and they are so thin that they are just skin and bones. Now they are beaten so hard that they can't even get out of bed in Huimin Pharmacy!"

After saying this, she pulled Quan Shuyu over and rolled up her sleeves, revealing the red and swollen scars on her forearms. She said, "This is the whip that Shuyu received when she tried to stop them. This is the result of blocking them. Deng Yuandou and Zhang Yijiu blocked them."

Chen Shao looked at the wound on Quan Shuyu's arm and asked, "Where are their two families?"

Chan Yi said angrily, "I asked Fu Jiu to temporarily detain them in Huimin Pharmacy!"

"When we came back, they were still shouting that there was no need to save Wang Su and Xu Chengmei," Fu Jiu turned her back when Chan Yi rolled up Quan Shuyu's sleeves. When Chan Yi stopped talking, she quickly added, "They also said that even if we saved them, they wouldn't give us money."

Chen Shao frowned: "Don't they know that those families whose daughters were abducted and did nothing were punished to dig up bones in Bianhe Village?"

"They know," Chan Yi said with even more hatred, "but they said Wang Su and Xu Chengmei were willing, and they also said that they killed their brothers, so they should be punished."

Chen Shao asked: "Are they both willing?"

Chan Yi said: "I asked, and they said no!"

Chen Shao nodded: "How are they doing?"

"Xu Chengmei is better, she only has some flesh wounds." Although Chan Yi hated the two of them, she felt pity for them when she saw their current fate. "Wang Su broke a rib, and her right hand and right calf were also fractured. I gave her acupuncture and prescribed medicine, but when I left, she still had a high fever, so whether she can survive depends on whether she can hold on."

Chen Shao glanced at the interrogation record in his hand, stood up and said, "Prepare the carriage, I'll go over and take a look."

Fu Jiu subconsciously looked at Chan Yi.

Chan Yi said unhappily, "What are you looking at me for? Hurry up and prepare the carriage!"