Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

On the night when Sun Shouyi got into trouble, there were fourteen people drinking and having fun with him.

When Chen Shao arrived at the county government office, Magistrate Jin had already invited all fourteen people.

The fourteen people had different identities, including teachers, students, scholars, and sons of merchants. Their ages ranged from 20 to 47 years old.

These fourteen people were obviously not the first to return to the county government office for interrogation. Although the person interrogating them this time was Chen Shao, they were generally able to remain calm.

Chen Shao sat at the desk and looked around at everyone silently.

Among the fourteen people, there were five who roughly met her speculations about the murderer's height, weight, leg length, identity, etc.

Since it was the first time he met them, Chen Shao couldn't remember their names. He picked up the gavel and knocked twice before saying, "Tell us your name, age, and identity one by one, and then tell us the time and place you met Sun Shouyi."

After the fourteen people finished speaking, Chen Shao circled the five people who met the requirements with a pen and said, "Tell us one by one about what happened on the night when Sun Shouyi got into trouble, such as the reasons for drinking and having fun, and whether Sun Shouyi was absent-minded or suddenly ecstatic while you were drinking and having fun? If so, when did it happen? Also, while you were drinking and having fun, did Sun Shouyi reveal that he had an appointment with someone else?"

The first eight people shook their heads and denied it.

When it came to the ninth person, Li Fugui, who was also one of the five people in the circle, Li Fugui hesitated and said, "I don't know if that can be considered as sudden ecstasy. Brother Zhao and I were discussing about traveling in the martial arts world next year in the Bi Bo Pavilion. We were so excited that we drank all the wine without realizing it. When I was about to go to the Yule Pavilion to get a few more pots of wine, I heard Brother Sun in the pavilion next to me suddenly asked excitedly, 'Really?' and laughed a few times afterwards. But I was thinking about traveling in the martial arts world, so I just looked over there and went back to the Bi Bo Pavilion."

Chen Shao asked, "Did you see clearly who is in the pavilion next to it?"

Li Fugui shook his head, "I saw that the two were about the same height, and both were wearing black clothes."

——"No one wore black that night?"

——"Brother Sun is not wearing black clothes."

——"Brother Sun seems to be wearing a blue-black robe with a precious pattern."

——"I remember Brother Liu was also wearing blue and black clothes."

——"Yes, Brother Liu is also wearing blue-black clothes, but with a round blessing pattern."

——"Brother Liu and Brother Sun did talk for quite a while in the Lotus Viewing Pavilion. I wanted to go over to join in the fun, but Brother Sun stopped me."

Following the discussion of the crowd, Chen Shao looked at Liu Pingkang.

Liu Pingkang, a teacher at Lantai Academy, married the daughter of Xu, the shopkeeper of Moxiangzhai. They loved each other very much and had a son and a daughter. He was also one of the five people who were circled.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Liu Pingkang blushed anxiously and said, "Brother Sun and I did talk for a while at the Lotus Viewing Pavilion. The word 'really' and the loud laughter that Brother Li heard were indeed his excited words when Brother Sun and I were talking, but what we said was..."

Liu Pingkang gritted his teeth and said resolutely after a while: "We are talking about Miss Yuzhan from Qunfangyuan who will lose her virginity in a few days."

Someone immediately said "Huh?" and asked in a bad tone, "How did you know that?"

The person questioning was Xu Changshou, Liu Pingkang's brother-in-law.

Liu Pingkang blushed, "Brother Sun has been thinking about Miss Yuzhan for a long time, and he has said that he wants to take her virginity. I just happened to hear the news that Miss Yuzhan was going to lose her virginity that day, and when we were drinking and having fun at night, I found an opportunity to secretly tell him!"

Xu Changshou took two steps forward and said, "I want to ask you how you knew that!"

Liu Pingkang's face turned even redder. "I overheard you talking to Lai Xi."

Xu Changshou glared at him with dissatisfaction, then asked doubtfully, "Are you sure you only told Brother Sun that Yuzhan was going to lose her virginity, and didn't ask him to take you out to have fun?"

Li Fugui muttered, "With your sister's toughness, who would dare to take him there?"

"That's right." Xu Changshou nodded in agreement and stepped back.

Chen Shao looked at him, then at Liu Pingkang, and waited until they were quiet before he took over the conversation and asked Xu Changshou: "Where did you get the news that Yuzhan was about to lose her virginity?"

Xu Changshou scratched his head and said complacently, "It was the madam of Qunfangyuan who sent someone to inform me."

Chen Shao asked: "Are you also thinking about the jade hairpin?"

Xu Changshou said as a matter of course: "Miss Yuzhan is as beautiful as a flower. Not only I am thinking about her, but many people in Xitang County are thinking about her as well."

As if to prove that Miss Yuzhan was indeed as beautiful as a flower, Xu Changshou looked at Jin Zhiyuan at an unexpected speed and said, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Brother Jin for confirmation. The madam of Qunfangyuan also sent someone to inform him of Miss Yuzhan's first night."

Chen Shao looked at Jin Zhiyuan.

Jin Zhiyuan's face flushed red, and he opened his mouth to explain, but he swallowed the words back helplessly. This kind of thing was impossible to explain clearly. Even so, he still took two steps forward, bowed and said, "Ms. Yuzhan's piano skills are unparalleled. In the past, when I was free, I would occasionally go to Qunfangyuan to listen to her play a few songs. Maybe because I went there too often, the madam of Qunfangyuan had a misunderstanding, so she sent someone to inform me of Miss Yuzhan's virginity day."

"Not only that," Xu Changshou continued in a tone that was not to be outdone, "On the night when Brother Sun got into trouble, Brother Jin also went there, but he left within an hour. I even tried to keep him for a long time. Oh, and there's more..."

Xu Changshou walked quickly to Liu Pingkang, pulled him out and said, "My brother-in-law and Brother Jin are brothers who studied martial arts together."

Chen Shao glanced at Jin Zhiyuan, then at Liu Pingkang, and finally at the case file in his hand.

There is no record in the case file that Jin Zhiyuan participated in the drinking and reveling on the night when Sun Shouyi had the accident.

Did he miss it, or did he just not say it?

"On the night when Sun Shouyi had the accident, did my nephew also go to Sun's house?" Zhou Laofa asked incredulously.

County Magistrate Jin was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "My Lord, please be wise. On the night when Sun Shouyi got into trouble, I discussed his marriage with my wife until late at night before going to bed. All the housekeepers and servants in the family can testify for him, and I can also use my own life to testify for him."

Jin Zhiyuan knelt down and said, "Brother Sun often invites me to his house for a drink, and I have postponed it no less than ten times. On the night of his accident, he invited me again, and I really couldn't postpone it, so I went and sat for half an hour. The reason why father didn't record this incident in the case file was because after returning from Sun's house, I talked with mother until late at night."

Chen Shao took out the topographic map of the Sun family and the embroidery building that he had drawn, and looking at the handwriting on it that was almost the same as the word "Quan" left by the murderer at the scene, he ordered in a cold voice: "Go and invite the servants and the gatekeeper who were on duty in the back garden on the night Sun Shouyi had the accident, as well as Sun Shouyi's entourage."

Zhou Lao volunteered, "I'll go!"

After Zhou Lao left, Chen Shao looked at Jin Zhiyuan and said, "Since you are not the murderer, and your father, mother, and the servants in your house can all prove your alibi, then why didn't you tell us last night and this morning when you were at Sun's house?"

Then he looked at Magistrate Jin and said, "You too, since you have determined that he is not the murderer, why did you hide it from us?"

Xu Changshou betrayed Jin Zhiyuan just to show off, but when he saw Chen Shao's questioning, he realized that he had gotten into trouble. He secretly glanced at Chen Shao and made sure that she didn't notice him, then he quickly retreated stealthily.

"Your Excellency is very observant..."

"It's all my fault," Jin Zhiyuan began to speak, but Magistrate Jin interrupted him hastily, saying, "It was my fault that I didn't allow him to talk about his visit to the Sun family. If you want to punish me, come at me."

Chen Shao asked: "Why don't you let him speak?"

This time, Jin Zhiyuan spoke before him: "Because the word 'Quan' left by the murderer is the same as the handwriting of the villain, father is worried that the adults will misunderstand that the villain is the murderer, so he decided to keep it a secret."

Gu Feiyan and Chan Yi looked at him in surprise. Chen Shao was also slightly surprised for a moment, and then asked, "Since the word 'Quan' at the crime scene was not left by you, then think carefully about who can imitate your handwriting so vividly."

To imitate handwriting, you must first be familiar with his handwriting.

His father was the magistrate of Xitang County, and judging from the two topographic maps he drew, his handwriting was not very good. If it was not good, then there was no way for his calligraphy to be circulated outside.

Given the limitations of their identities and channels, the only people who were familiar with his handwriting were those who served him or his relatives and friends.

The issue is……

Why did the murderer go to such great lengths to frame him?