Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

It was originally said that he would be detained for only three days, but in the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.

Now that it has finally come out, none of the doctors and shop assistants at Huimin Pharmacy are happy, because no one knows what is waiting for them behind.

Enter the second hall.

Twenty-seven doctors and thirty-nine waiters were divided into two sides, and they knelt on the ground one after another, unable to tell whether out of fear or numbness.

Chen Shao glanced at everyone and said slowly, "Get up."

No one dared to move.

Chen Shao said it again, and everyone stood up one after another.

"It shouldn't have taken so long," Chen Shao explained. "Unexpectedly, before the Ye Kudzu case was solved, incidents broke out in Qingping Township, Sanwan Village, and Dangnan Village. Because the incidents there were more serious than the Ye Kudzu poisoning case, we dealt with them first."

The doctors and waiters were locked up in the prison, so they naturally didn't know what was happening outside. Hearing her say this, many people secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Shao calmly glanced at Shen Lian, Zhu Chongliang, Yu Chengchun, Che Yonggen, Liu Tieniu, and Hu Changcun, and then, as usual, he interrogated each of them one by one about their movements on the day of the incident. Most of them still remembered their whereabouts on that day, and after confirming with each other and finding no problems for the time being, Chen Shao told them to stay in Huimin Pharmacy for the time being and not go anywhere, so that they could be summoned at any time, and then let them go.

In the end, only nine people were left from Chen Shao.

Among the nine people, there are Shen Liming, Zhu Chongliang, Yu Chengchun, Che Yonggen and Hu Changcun.

Chen Shao noticed that Yu Chengchun, Che Yonggen, and Hu Changcun's faces changed the moment they heard they had to stay. Especially Yu Chengchun, his face turned pale almost instantly. The others, including Shen Limin, were mostly uneasy and afraid.

After letting them feel uneasy for a while, Chen Shao began the second round of interrogation.

The content of the second round of interrogation was almost the same as the first round, except that the order was disrupted.

Then came the third, fourth, and fifth rounds... The content of the interrogation was always the same, but the order was different every time. After an unknown number of rounds, when only six of the nine people were left, Fu Jiu also returned with Yu Chengchun's family, the owner of Xu's perfume shop, and Miss Xu Er.

Taking a look at the dark sky outside, Chen Shao rubbed his brows and had the six people taken away and put back in jail. Then he asked Fu Jiu to invite in Yu Chengchun's family, as well as Manager Xu and Second Miss Xu of Xu's Incense and Powder Shop.

Perhaps it was because he was ignorant and fearless. Yu Chengdong followed Miss Xu in a fawning manner, scratching his head and showing great courtesy, without realizing that he was in a serious and formal occasion. Yu Chengdong's parents were the same, both of them held their heads high, as if they were not here to be interrogated, but to be worshipped.

Fortunately, there were some normal people. Yu Chengchun's two children followed their mother closely, and the three of them looked uneasy and terrified. Shopkeeper Xu bowed slightly, also looking uneasy. Second Miss Xu looked humiliated and cold, and ignored Yu Chengdong.

Seeing that they were still not quiet after entering the second hall, even Yu Chengdong's parents, after seeing that Miss Xu Er had always ignored Yu Chengdong, were very unhappy and went forward to pull Miss Xu Er and started to scold her, saying that she had no manners and that since she was already a member of his Yu family, she should be treated like this and like that... Chen Shao finally couldn't help but picked up the gavel and slammed it hard.

The loud noise startled everyone.

Subconsciously, they all knelt on the ground.

"Have you had enough of the trouble?" Chen Shao looked at Yu Chengdong and his parents coldly, "Do you think this is your home?"

Yu Chengdong's parents lowered their heads in embarrassment, while Yu Chengdong shivered and buried his head in the ground, not daring to look at her at all.

Chen Shao snorted deliberately, then looked at Shopkeeper Xu and Second Miss Xu first, "I heard that the Yu family gave you a betrothal gift of fifty taels of silver?"

"I've said it before, if you dare to ask for such a large betrothal gift, sooner or later you will be in trouble!" Yu Chengdong's mother said viciously.

Shopkeeper Xu's face froze, and he said hurriedly, "I'll return it to them when I get back."

Not wanting Yu Chengdong's mother to be proud, Chen Shao said coldly: "If anyone dares to interrupt me when I'm asking questions, I'll slap them in the face!"

Yu Chengdong's mother quickly shut her mouth and dared not speak.

Chen Shao looked at Shopkeeper Xu again, "What kind of silver is fifty taels?"

Shopkeeper Xu's brain was no longer able to think, so he could only answer the question: "It's ten taels of silver per ingot, a total of five ingots."

Chen Shao: "When did you collect it?"

Shopkeeper Xu: "On the night of the 7th."

The crime happened on the 9th, and Yu Chengchun returned home two days before the crime. The time was exactly right. Chen Shao took out the investigation results of Yu Chengchun, confirmed it again, and continued to ask: "You asked them for a betrothal gift of fifty taels of silver, because you thought they didn't have it, right?"

Shopkeeper Xu opened his mouth and said dejectedly, "Yes."

Chen Shao saw that Yu Chengdong's mother was looking proud again. "In that case, when they sent the fifty taels of silver to the Xu family, did you ask them where the silver came from?"

Shopkeeper Xu lowered his head and said, "I asked, but they didn't say anything."

Chen Shao looked at Yu Chengdong and his parents: "Where did the fifty taels of silver come from?"

Yu Chengdong's mother said quickly, "He only asked for a betrothal gift of fifty taels of silver, but he didn't say he had to tell him where the silver came from."

Chen Shao said calmly: "Then let me ask you now, where did the fifty taels of silver come from?"

"The fifty taels of silver is of course..." At this point, Yu Chengdong's mother suddenly changed the subject and said, "Speaking of which, we should thank you, sir. If you hadn't left Chengchun at Huimin Pharmacy, that nobleman wouldn't have come to give us fifty taels of silver."

"Who is that noble person?" Chen Shao asked.

"Of course he came to our house to make friends with our Chengchun because of his reputation." Yu Chengdong's mother said as a matter of course.

Chen Shao endured it for a moment: "What's your name?"

Yu Chengdong's mother: "He said his last name was Ren, so we should just call him Old Ren. We didn't ask him his specific name, and he didn't tell us."

Chen Shao took out the portraits of Shopkeeper Lin, Shopkeeper Qi, and the "uncle", "little uncle", and "nephew" who often visited them, "Take a good look, is there any of them that old Ren?"

Yu Chengdong and his parents all looked up at the portraits. Yu Chengdong's mother said, "We also have their portraits posted in our village, but Old Ren is not among them."

Another 'Shopkeeper Lin' or 'Shopkeeper Qi'? Chen Shao picked up the pen and asked, "What does Old Ren look like?"

Based on the descriptions of the three of them, Chen Shao drew a picture of Lao Ren for them to identify. As they kept saying "Yes, Lao Ren looks like this", Chen Shao asked a few more questions and told Shopkeeper Xu: "Go back and bring me the fifty taels of silver."

After Shopkeeper Xu agreed, she looked at Miss Xu II and said, "The marriage between the Xu family and the Yu family is over. From now on, the Yu family is not allowed to threaten or harass the Xu family for any reason."

Miss Xu was slightly stunned, then immediately leaned forward and said excitedly: "Thank you, sir!"

"No, we've already given the betrothal gift, but she refuses to marry..." Chen Shao glanced over coldly, and Yu Chengdong's mother shut up in indignation.

"I say it again, from now on, you, the Yu family, are not allowed to threaten or harass the Xu family for any reason, otherwise I will chop off your heads!" After a pause, Chen Shao said sternly, "As for what you said about having given a betrothal gift, I might as well tell you that Old Ren is the mastermind behind the Ye Ge poisoning case! You used my name to forcefully marry the second Miss Xu, and I haven't settled the score with you yet. If I find out that you are also involved in the Ye Ge case..."

"It's unfair," Yu Chengdong's parents finally got scared and cried to deny the connection, "We don't know that old Ren at all. He came to us on his own and said he wanted to make friends with Chengchun and insisted on giving us money..."

Chen Shao timely introduced the real purpose of inviting them over: "Then tell us how he found you, why he wanted to make friends with Yu Chengchun, how you tricked Yu Chengchun back home, and how Yu Chengchun made friends with him after he returned home. Tell us everything."

Yu Chengdong's mother was afraid of being wronged, so she couldn't wait to speak as soon as she finished speaking.

To sum it up, there are only three sentences: Yu Chengdong met Lao Ren while wandering outside. Lao Ren asked him if he was Yu Chengchun's younger brother, and then said that he admired Yu Chengchun very much and wanted to make friends with him. He gave him twenty coins and asked if he could do a favor. He would reward him handsomely after the favor was done. Yu Chengdong took him home. Lao Ren took out the fifty taels of silver given to them and asked Yu Chengdong's parents if they could find a way to let Yu Chengchun go home. Yu Chengdong's parents were thinking about the fifty taels of silver and immediately agreed. What happened later was no different from the results of the Yulin Guard's investigation.

After asking Shopkeeper Xu and Second Miss Xu to go back to get the money, Chen Shao thought about it and also let Yu Chengdong and his family go back.

Yu Chengdong and his parents could hardly wait to leave.

Yu Chengchun's daughter-in-law hesitated for a moment before leaving with her two children.

When they were about to reach the door, Chen Shao stopped them and said, "Can I ask you if you know about Yu Chengchun's friendship with that old Ren?"

Yu Chengchun's daughter-in-law glanced at her father-in-law, mother-in-law and brother-in-law who had already walked away, turned back and answered softly, "I don't know."

"The night before the Ye Ge poisoning case, that is, on the evening of the 8th, Yu Chengchun asked for another two hours' leave to go home to visit his mother," Chen Shao stared into her eyes, "but as far as I know, he did not go home. Do you know where he went?"

Yu Chengchun's daughter-in-law subconsciously avoided her gaze.

Chen Shao reminded: "If you know, you must answer honestly. Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about the two children."

Yu Chengchun's wife opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, tears began to fall. After a long while, she raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and then said, "I don't know where he went, but when he returned home on the 7th, Old Ren gave the fifty taels of silver to his parents and told him to find a quiet place in the county town tomorrow to talk to him. I don't know where that quiet place is."

"That is to say," Chen Shao confirmed, "Yu Chengchun asked for leave on the night of the 8th to meet him?"

Yu Chengchun's wife shook her head: "I don't know, he didn't tell me."

"Okay, I got it." After signaling the Yulin Guards to escort her, Chen Shao asked Fu Jiu and the Yulin Guards, "Where is the quiet place in the county town?"

Fu Jiu and the Yulin Guards shook their heads, indicating that they had never heard of it.

The Yulin Guards who had gone to investigate Shen Liming just came back. Chen Shao couldn't think of any quiet place, so he returned to Chengfeng Courtyard with the results of his investigation.

There was no difference in Shen Liming's home before and after the incident, which was somewhat beyond Chen Shao's expectations. Not to mention his performance on the day of the incident, even during today's interrogation, he had several rounds of inconsistent answers.

Holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, Chen Shao leaned back in his chair and asked the Yulin Guards who went to investigate: "What do the neighbors say?"

One of the Yulin Guards who went to investigate almost said with a smile: "He is kind-hearted. In addition to treating patients, he always does good things with bad intentions."

Another Yulin Guard who went with him to investigate said, "It is said that he could only speak when he was six or seven years old. His family always thought he was dumb. Later, he finally learned to speak, but his speech was halting and difficult for people to understand. It was not until he was sixteen or seventeen that the problem was corrected. But when he was nervous or scared, he would tend to stutter again."

In other words, she had wronged him?

Chen Shao thought for a moment and continued to ask, "What do his family members think of his involvement in the kudzu poisoning case?"

The first Yu Linwei to answer said, "His family doesn't seem to be worried at all. They said that he couldn't have poisoned her. As long as the young master catches the murderer, they will naturally let him go."

Chen Shao nodded and asked no more questions. After asking the Yulin Guards to send him back to Huimin Pharmacy, he started reading today's interrogation records again.

Excluding Shen Liming's share, there are still five shares.

In addition to Zhu Chongliang, Yu Chengchun, Che Yonggen and Hu Changcun, there was also a doctor named Deng Tianze.

This Deng Tianze... In order to avoid another special situation like Shen Liming, Chen Shao arranged for the Yulin Guards to investigate him the next day.

Day two.

After still not being able to figure out where the quiet place was, Chen Shao started a new round of interrogation. Just like yesterday, he shuffled the order and went through the same questions twice before calling Yu Chengchun out and asking him straight to the point: "On the evening of the 8th, which was the night before the Ye Ge poisoning case, where did you go during the two hours you asked for leave?"

Yu Chengchun, who was originally kneeling, suddenly collapsed as if he had been sentenced to death.

Chen Shao stared at him, waiting for his answer.

After a long while, Yu Chengchun finally spoke hoarsely: "Go, go..."

Under the horrified gazes of Che Yonggen and Hu Changcun, Yu Chengchun said with difficulty: "I went to see a man named Lao Ren."

Chen Shao pressed, "Where did you meet him?"

"In..." Yu Chengchun's hands tightened and loosened, and he was unable to speak for a long time.

Chen Shao reminded calmly, "I have interrogated your family and know the whole story of your acquaintance with Old Ren. I have also taken back all the fifty taels of silver that Old Ren gave to your parents, and your brother Yu Chengdong's marriage with Miss Xu has also been cancelled. In other words, I already know everything I should and shouldn't know. If you tell the truth, everything will be fine. If you don't tell the truth, I don't need to remind you of the consequences."

Yu Chengchun shrank back in fear, and after a long while, he whispered, "I met him in the back street of Huimin Pharmacy."

Chen Shao patiently pressed the issue again, "Did you meet him there, or did you go somewhere else after meeting him?"

Yu Chengchun hesitated and said, "He went somewhere else again."

Chen Shao: "Where is elsewhere?"

As Che Yonggen and Hu Changcun moved uneasily, Yu Chengchun closed his eyes and said, "Juxian Tower."

Juxian Building!

Chen Shao stood up suddenly.