Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Deng Ding was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dark, thin and short.

Whether looking at his stature or appearance, it is hard to believe that he was one of the people who responded to Zhou Fang and provoked this incident.

Deng Ding lowered his head and followed the imperial guards obediently. He knelt on the ground with a plop, and without waiting for anyone to ask, he said dully: "It's all my fault. Please execute me, sir."

Glancing at the Deng family members following in the distance, Chen Shao asked, "Then tell me, what did you do wrong?"

Deng Ding cried in fear: "They said that if I responded to a few of Zhou Fang's words, they would give me food, meat, money, and my family would have enough food and clothing. I thought that if I responded to those words, at most they would quarrel. I didn't know that they would fight and kill so many people."

"They said..." Chen Shaozheng calmed down and asked as calmly as possible, "Who are they?"

Deng Ding answered truthfully: "They are the town's shopkeepers Lin and Qi."

Chen Shao asked: "Which town?"

Deng Ding replied: "Qingxi Town."

Chen Shao: "What do Shopkeeper Lin and Shopkeeper Qi do?"

Deng Ding: "Shopkeeper Lin sells rice, and Shopkeeper Qi is a butcher."

At Li Tianliu's signal, the two Yulin Guards hurried to Qingxi Town. Chen Shao reminded them loudly, "Bring their families back together!"

The Yulin Guards responded loudly, "Yes."

Chen Shao retracted his gaze and continued to interrogate: "How did they find you, and what did they tell you?"

Deng Ding: "There was not a grain of rice left at home. When I went to the forest to pick wild vegetables, a clerk in Manager Lin's shop found me and said that Manager Lin wanted my help with something. As long as I went to the town with him, he would give me a liter of rice regardless of whether I agreed or not. So I followed him. Manager Lin gave me a liter of rice and told me that when they came to distribute grain and money today, whenever Zhou Fang from Qingping Township complained about unfairness, I would reply to him, 'If you feel it's unfair, go find the Zhu and Gu families if you have the guts. They took your land first, and then they took ours.' And 'You just went hungry for an extra year. What's the big deal? Why should we give you more grain and money?' With just these two sentences, he gave me two dou of rice, twenty catties of meat, and a coin."

Chen Shao looked at him carefully for a moment, but couldn't see anything special about him, so he asked, "Besides you, has he looked for anyone else in your village?"

Deng Ding shook his head.

Chen Shao: "No, or don't know?"

Deng Ding replied: “I don’t know.”

Chen Shao frowned slightly: "Do you still remember who in your village agreed with you after you replied these two sentences?"

Deng Ding was silent for a while before he said, "Second uncle, fourth uncle, and second master all agree."

Chen Shao was about to ask who the second uncle, fourth uncle, and second master were, but Deng Ding answered first: "Second uncle, fourth uncle, and second master have always taken good care of me. They are afraid that I will be bullied, so they followed suit."

Chen Shao couldn't quite keep up with his train of thought. After pondering for a while, he still couldn't figure it out, so he simply asked, "Are the Second Uncle, Fourth Uncle, and Second Master relatives of your family?"

Deng Ding shook his head: "He is just a villager."

He added: "Everyone in the village takes good care of me. Second uncle, fourth uncle, and second master responded first, and after they finished, Uncle Qiang and Aunt Fang followed suit."

Chen Shaoxu clenched his fist, gently hit his forehead, and concluded: "In other words, after you responded, everyone else in the village followed suit, right?"

Deng Ding nodded.

Chen Shao paused for a moment, then continued, "Do you know Zhou Fang?"

Deng Ding shook his head.

Chen Shao questioned: "If you don't know them, how do you know who to answer?"

Deng Ding said honestly: "Shopkeeper Lin said that we only need to answer the first person from Qingping Township."

Chen Shao: "How did your second uncle and fourth uncle respond to your words?"

Deng Ding thought for a moment: "Second uncle held my arm and told me not to say that. Fourth uncle saw the people from Qingping Township jumping up and scolding me, so he said that I was right. If they felt it was unfair, they should go to the Zhu family and the Gu family to seek justice."

Chen Shao was silent for a while before continuing to ask, "Have Manager Lin and Manager Qi also found someone from Dangnan Village?"

Deng Ding shook his head and said he didn't know, then continued, "He was the one who beat to death the students who came to share the food and money."

Chen Shao's expression suddenly darkened: "Who?"

Deng Ding: "It's the person who answered the phone in Nancun."

Chen Shao looked at him steadily: "Did you see it?"

Deng Ding nodded and told him everything he saw. Because he was small and was protected by many people, after the people from several villages started fighting, he saw Ran Yuanfei squeeze in front of a student who was trying to stop the fight, grab the student's collar, and hit the student's vital parts. After the student was knocked to the ground, he saw Ran Yuanfei stepping on the student many times. After beating the student to death, he went to catch another student, but was blocked by another older man. Because the older man was also protecting the student, he was also beaten to death by Ran Yuanfei for a long time. As for whether he was beaten to death, he was pushed out of the circle by the villagers and did not see clearly.

Swish!

The seven or eight Yulin guards beside Chen Shao and Li Tianliu drew their swords and pointed them at him.

Deng Ding was so scared that he collapsed to the ground.

Chen Shao did not stop him, "Besides you, who else saw Ran Yuanfei beating and killing students?"

Deng Ding looked at the swords and said incoherently: "And when Muramasa of Nancun, Ran Fei, beat the student and the people who protected the student, he was next to him!"

Chen Shao looked at him steadily for a moment before ordering, "Go and bring his family over."

Deng Ding, who was so frightened that he couldn't speak clearly just now, crawled over and knelt down almost instantly, "It's my fault, you can kill me or chop me up if you want, please don't look for them, please don't look for them..."

Of course Chen Shao ignored him.

Deng Ding's family members all claimed that they did not know that Deng Ding was bribed by Manager Lin and Manager Qi, and all confessed that what Deng Ding told them was that he borrowed food and meat from Manager Lin and Manager Qi, and would return them when the farm distributed the food and money. When they suddenly heard that Deng Ding was bribed by Manager Lin and Manager Qi, and that he was the one who caused the chaos in several villages, they could not help but pounce on him and beat and scolded him.

Chen Shao naturally did not believe them or let Deng Ding go. The riot had already happened. Whether they admitted it or not, it would not change the outcome or Deng Ding's fate. The interrogation of them was just a routine procedure and to make the process of the case clearer.

The Yulin Guards have escorted Zhou Fang and his family back.

After asking Deng Ding and his family to move aside, Chen Shao began to interrogate Zhou Fang on the spot.

When Zhou Fang first arrived, he pretended to be honest and tried to argue that he just said a few more words because he felt it was unreasonable, and he had no intention of instigating them to quarrel or fight.

Chen Shao was too lazy to dismantle his lies. He said coldly, "Zhou Song has been beheaded. Do you want to keep him company?"

She didn't know whether Zhou Fang knew Zhou Song, but he was the leader in the riot. Even if he didn't know Zhou Song, he must have heard of him. Even if he hadn't heard of him, it didn't matter. Even if he couldn't understand other words, he would always understand the word "beheading".

Zhou Fang's face turned pale. After a long while, he insisted, "I know you are just trying to scare me. I have never done anything I have never done, no matter how hard you try."

"Alright," Chen Shao said coldly, "Since you haven't done it... someone, drag him down and give him ten beatings, then drag him back up!"

There was no need for Yulin Guards. Li Tianliu took a step forward, kicked him to the ground, and ordered: "Go and get me a stick."

The imperial guard beside him quickly went to the corner, took off a hoe handle and handed it to him. Li Tianliu took the hoe handle, tried the feel of it, and hit him on the butt with a stick. Zhou Fang howled in pain, and before the second stick fell, he shouted: "I'll tell you, I'll tell you..."

The Zhou family originally wanted to step forward to stop him, but when they saw his appearance, they were all scared and retreated back.

Li Tianliu did not give Zhou Fang a chance to regret. He hit him with one stick after another. After ten sticks, Zhou Fang fainted from the pain.

Throwing the hoe aside, Li Tianliu said coldly, "Go get a basin of cold water."

A basin of cold water was poured over him, and Zhou Fang immediately woke up. Before he could even cry out in pain, he met Li Tianliu's cold gaze and screamed, "Stop hitting me. I'm telling you, it was Shopkeeper Lin and Shopkeeper Qi who told me to say those words. If you want to hit me, go ahead and hit them. It's none of my business..."

Chen Shao glanced at him, then at the Zhou family, and asked deliberately: "Why did they ask you to say those words?"

As if his vital point had been hit, Zhou Fang stammered and couldn't explain it for a long time.

"Is this the way you said to adopt a child?" A woman from Zhou Fang's family couldn't help but ask.

Zhou Fang blushed and said in panic, "Shut up!"

"Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. For your sake, I have kept my mouth shut for nearly ten years. I've kept my mouth shut enough!" The woman suddenly stood up and pointed at him. She looked at Zhou Fang's parents and said coldly amid his angry shouting, "You always scold me for being an old hen that doesn't lay eggs. Have you ever thought that it's not that I don't lay eggs, but that your good son is not fertile!"

"Stop talking nonsense in front of outsiders!" Zhou Fang's father quickly got up and slapped her hard. "I spent so much food to marry you, but you can't even lay an egg, and you still want to throw dirty water on my Zhou family. I'll beat you to death!"

The woman staggered after being hit, and after hearing Zhou Fang's parents cursing, she couldn't help crying and shouting, "Does he have guts? Why did you hit me? If you have the guts, go ask him if he dares to divorce me!"

Zhou Fang's father stepped forward and kicked her twice, while Zhou Fang's mother shouted, "Son, write her a divorce letter, write it now, with adults as witnesses, so she won't regret it!"

"Okay, you write it, and whoever doesn't write it is a grandson!" The woman was provoked to resist by Zhou Fang's mother. She hugged the foot that Zhou Fang's father kicked at her, pushed him down, and quickly got up, looking at Zhou Fang with a frown and anger.

"You, don't force me," Zhou Fang avoided the woman's gaze and said in a timid tone, "If I really divorce you, do you think anyone would want you?"

"Whether anyone wants me or not is my business and has nothing to do with you!" the woman said angrily.

"How can it have nothing to do with me?" Zhou Fang said unreasonably, "After all, you have slept in the same bed with me for so many years. If you don't live well, where will I put my face!"

The woman sneered: "In the end, you are just afraid that if you divorce me, you will marry another woman who still can't lay eggs, and then you can't hide your infertility from others?"

Seeing that they had almost finished arguing, Chen Shao calmly winked at Chan Yi.

Chan Yi walked up to Zhou Fang in two or three steps, shouted "Shut up", and then forcibly pulled his arm and took his pulse. After a moment, she threw his hand away and said, "Don't argue. Your meridians are blocked, so you can't have children! But the situation is not serious. Just give it a few injections and recuperate for three to five months and it will be fine."

"Can it really be cured?" Zhou Fang asked.

Chan Yi snorted, "It's just a simple meridian blockage, what can't be cured?"

"Please, doctor, save me!" Zhou Fang endured the pain and got up, kneeling on the ground and kowtowed to her.

Zhou Fang's parents saw this and no longer cared about their dignity. They walked over, knelt down with Zhou Fang, and kowtowed, begging, "Godly doctor, please be merciful, please save my son!"

The woman looked at them in disbelief: "So you already knew it was his problem!"

Zhou Fang's parents ignored her and kept begging Chan Yi. Chan Yi was unmoved and said, "It's okay if you want me to save him, but you have to explain everything to me first!"

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you," Zhou Fang's father said quickly, "I know where Shopkeeper Lin and Shopkeeper Qi are hiding. I'll take you to find them right now!"

"What do you mean?" Chan Yi asked immediately.

Zhou Fang's father said as a matter of course: "They promised to give my son an adopted child and another thirty taels of silver after the deal is done. Merchants are the most cunning and treacherous. Who knows if they will deny it after the deal is done? I have to keep an eye on them, right? Humph, just as I expected, this morning, after the commotion here, the two families packed up their stuff and hid. Unfortunately, the mantis stalks the cicada, and the oriole is behind. After I followed them for most of the day, I finally found their hiding place!"

Li Tianliu stepped forward and said, "Lead the way!"

"I can lead the way, but you have to..."

The Imperial Guard drew out his long sword and put it on his neck. "If you don't want to die, lead the way!"

Zhou Fang's father took two steps to the side, and seeing Chang Jian was not giving up, he was frightened and said quickly: "They are hiding in the twelfth and thirteenth houses of Qiwan Lane, Shipailou, south of the city!"

The Imperial Guard said coldly: "Lead the way!"

Zhou Fang's father quickly stood up and said, "Lead the way, lead the way, I'll lead the way now."

"Since we are in the county town, you can follow us and see what the situation is." Chen Shao instructed Li Tianliu.

Knowing that the terrain of Qiwan Lane in Shipailou was complicated, she was worried about letting others pass by. Li Tianliu did not delay and asked the Yulin Guards to take Zhou Fang's father away on horseback, and then arranged another party before leaving on horseback.

Watching their backs going away, Chen Shao pondered the clues he had found so far: the kudzu case was handled by Zhou Song. Although he did not get the mastermind from him, judging from Zhou Fang's previous reaction, it was undoubtedly Shopkeeper Lin and Shopkeeper Qi. Ran Yuanfei has not yet been brought to justice. Judging from Zhou Fang and Deng Ding's statements, it was Shopkeeper Lin and Shopkeeper Qi as well. Zhou Fang's father missed his grandson so much that he secretly followed Shopkeeper Lin and Shopkeeper Qi and accidentally learned their hiding place, which is also the most critical clue at present.

What we need to prevent now is that Shopkeeper Lin and Shopkeeper Qi move their hiding place again.

If they move again...

"Prepare the horses and go to Qingxi Town immediately!" Chen Shao ordered.

She had to go to the shops or homes of Shopkeepers Lin and Qi in Qingxi Town to take a look. Since Deng Ding knew them both, it proved that they had been running shops in Qingxi Town for quite some time. Even if they had prepared for this transfer, it would be impossible to erase all traces!

Chan Yi reminded: "The Yulin Guards who went to Zhujiawan to ask for help are back."

"Let them wait and go to Qingxi Town first!" Chen Shao ordered.

The remaining Yulin Guards quickly brought the horses over. Chen Shao climbed on the horse and looked at Mrs. Zhou Fang who was still standing stupidly on the side. He ordered Chan Yi: "Take her with you and set off immediately!"