Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Zhang Qiaoniang's mother burst into tears again. She picked up her sleeves but couldn't wipe them away. "Qiaoniang is a filial child. It's me as her mother who has let her down. Since her father passed away, the family has been supported by her."

As she spoke, she wiped away two more tears: "She worked as an embroiderer, and she would give me 500 coins every month, no matter how hard it was. During festivals, she would give me another 100 or 200 coins. I asked her to save some money to buy herself two sets of good clothes, but she always refused, saying that she didn't need to go out in the embroidery workshop, so there was no need to buy those good clothes."

really.

Chen Shao seemed to have expected this. He glanced at Zhang Qiaoniang's two younger brothers and asked casually, "I heard that they are studying at Tailan Academy?"

Zhang Qiaoniang's mother nodded and said, "Yes, I am studying there."

Chen Shao asked: "How are your grades?"

"The two brothers are good kids," Zhang Qiaoniang's mother replied. "They know that it's not easy for their sister to make money, so they study very hard. They even swore in front of their father's grave that they would repay their sister after they finish their studies. Who would have thought..."

Zhang Qiaoniang's mother started crying again.

The two younger brothers also started crying.

Chen Shao said calmly: "Now that their sister is in trouble, no one is making money to pay for their tuition. They probably won't go to school anymore, right?"

"I can make money!" The sixteen-year-old brother Zhang Mancang said immediately, "Uncle Li has wanted to take me in as his apprentice for a long time. As long as I learn the craft from him for a few months, I will be able to make money quickly so that Shitou can continue his studies."

"Uncle Li has always wanted to take me in as his apprentice," said his thirteen-year-old brother Zhang Shitou. "You study harder than I do. I will learn the craft from Uncle Li. After I learn it, I will earn money to support you."

Zhang Qiaoniang's mother was sobbing at first, but when she heard what the two brothers said, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

Zhang Shitou quickly raised his hand and stepped forward, wiping her tears while comforting her: "Last year I didn't want to study anymore and wanted to follow Uncle Li to learn a craft. My sister threatened to die, so I had no choice but to return to the academy. With my grades, I wouldn't be able to get any honors if I continued studying. Now that my sister is gone, I can take on the responsibility of supporting the family."

"I should be the one to support the family. How old are you?" Zhang Mancang came forward and wiped their mother's tears as he said, "Your grades are not as good as mine. That's because you haven't worked hard enough. As long as you work harder, you will have no problem passing the exam to become a scholar!"

Gu Feiyan looked at the two brothers who were yielding to each other and raised her eyebrows calmly: This Zhang Qiaoniang seems to have a big problem. She told outsiders that her two younger brothers were lazy and would commit suicide if they were not allowed to study. She told her family that no matter how hard it was to make money, she would force her two younger brothers to study, just to stand out. She lied to both sides, and the money she saved with hard work was not used for herself.

interesting.

"We'll talk about who supports the family and who studies later." Chen Shao let them argue for a while before speaking out to stop them. "Auntie, I have one more thing I want to ask. I heard that when Zhang Qiaoniang's father was sick, she was engaged to a family next door. Later, that family suddenly found the embroidery workshop and broke off the engagement with her. Do you know why?"

"Brother Wang is a good man." Zhang Shitou said immediately.

"Qiaoniang is unlucky," Zhang Qiaoniang's mother said sadly, with red and swollen eyes, leaning on Zhang Mancang, "When Danian got engaged to her, he was already 19 years old. After all these years, he is already in his twenties. People of his age have several children at home. Qiaoniang...always said that she wanted to earn more money for a few more years and didn't want to get married so early. Danian saw that she didn't want to, so he had no choice but to break off the engagement with her."

Zhang Shitou said again: "Brother Wang often comes to our house to work."

"Yes, Da Nian is a good child, but Qiao Niang..." Zhang Qiao Niang shed two more tears before she said, "Qiao Niang makes money by embroidery, but those who hire her for embroidery are all rich people. She is used to seeing those people and has become arrogant. I can see that she dislikes Da Nian, but she just won't listen to my advice. I can't delay Da Nian any longer, so I asked her to cancel the engagement against my conscience. He is also a simple-minded person and doesn't believe that Qiao Niang is 'ungrateful', so he decided to go to the embroidery workshop to confront her."

Zhang Shitou said again: "Big Brother Wang has returned all the money that my sister gave to us."

Chen Shaoshun said, "I heard from the owner of the embroidery shop, Ma, that Wang Danian is a very handsome young man."

Zhang Shitou said with certainty: "Brother Wang is very tall, very strong, kind and hardworking. All the girls in the surrounding villages like him, but he doesn't like anyone except my sister."

Chen Shao looked at Zhang Shitou's admiring and protective look when he talked about Wang Dashi, and couldn't help but laugh and joke a few times before continuing to ask: "Wang Danian is so good, why doesn't Zhang Qiaoniang want to marry him? Besides not liking him, is there any other reason?"

Zhang Qiaoniang's mother said sadly: "I don't know if there are other reasons. I didn't dare to ask her too much. When I pressed her too hard, she said that she wanted to stay at home for a few more years to make more money for them to study, and asked me not to chase her away."

"That's not the reason," Zhang Shitou suddenly said, "Brother Wang said that after we get married, she can still give all the money she earns to the family."

Seeing that there was no rejection on their faces when they said this, Chen Shao secretly sighed that it was worth it for all the preparations she had made for so long, and finally asked, "Does she already have someone in her heart?"

Zhang Qiaoniang's mother suddenly shut up.

Even Zhang Shitou stopped talking.

but……

There is a play.

Chen Shao waited quietly for almost half a cup of tea before speaking: "Auntie, I am not asking these questions to pry into Zhang Qiaoniang's privacy, nor to ruin her reputation, but to learn more about the real situation so that we can quickly catch the murderer who killed her."

Zhang Qiaoniang's mother kept crying, but this time she asked very perceptively, "Is he the one who harmed Qiaoniang?"

It seems that this person really exists. Chen Shao said tactfully: "I can't guarantee whether it is him or not, but at present, he is the most likely one."

Zhang Qiaoniang's mother took two steps back.

Chen Shao quickly supported her arm.

After a long while, Zhang Qiaoniang's mother said shakily, "I don't know if she has someone in her heart. I don't know if that person is him. Just one month before her accident, she went home only two hours ago and was in a hurry to go back to the embroidery workshop. When I was rushing to send her off, I saw a carriage waiting outside the village from a distance. After she hurriedly left the village, someone in the carriage waved to her, and she got in the carriage and left."

Chen Shao asked quickly: "Have you asked her who that person is?"

Zhang Qiaoniang's mother shook her head and said, "After she left that day, she never came back home."

Chen Shao asked: "Did you see what that person looked like?"

Zhang Qiaoniang's mother shook her head again: "It was far away, I didn't see anything."

Shopkeeper Ma said that Zhang Qiaoniang earned more than 670 coins in a month, but she only gave 500 coins to her family every month.

Zhang Qiaoniang was unwilling to marry Wang Danian because she already had a lover.

The embroiderer surnamed Wu and her friends did not know their beloved.

Zhang Qiaoniang's family also didn't know this lover.

A month before the accident, this lover came to her home to pick her up.

The engagement with Wang Danian was broken off in August or September last year.

In other words, she has known this lover for at least a year.

When this beloved went to pick her up, he drove a horse-drawn carriage with a driver, proving that he was not short of money...

wrong.

In this dynasty, it was normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines.

Zhang Qiaoniang is just an embroiderer.

Even if his beloved was already married, given the demeanor he displayed, it would not be difficult for him to take her as a concubine.

He cannot take a concubine unless he has a compelling reason.

Considering that after Zhang Qiaoniang gave her family 500 coins every month, she still had a lot of money left, but still had no money to spend. I'm afraid that all her money fell into the hands of this lover.

Style, but no money.

Combine all the conditions.

Someone's name suddenly came to mind.

These are just speculations.

Substantial evidence is needed.

evidence……

After Chen Shao persuaded Zhang Qiaoniang's mother and two brothers, she had them taken to the side hall to rest for a while. Then, she whispered a few words to Gu Feiyan in a low voice. After listening, Gu Feiyan said thoughtfully: "No wonder you looked at him like that just now, but if the murderer is really him, based on his previous performance, it would be difficult to force him to reveal his true colors without catching him off guard."

"The fact that I can doubt him proves that his disguise is not very good." Chen Shao said disapprovingly, "Even if he doesn't show his true colors, his lies will be exposed once everyone is present."

The unexpected test is just to make the evidence more solid.

Gu Feiyan had never investigated a case, so she didn't have as many twists and turns in her thinking. She recalled what he had said and done, and asked curiously, "When did you start to suspect him?"

Chen Shao told her the process of his deduction.

After listening to her, Gu Feiyan gave her a thumbs up and was about to go out to make arrangements, but Chen Shao stopped her and whispered a few words to her again. Gu Feiyan nodded and quickly went out to make arrangements for her.

Chen Shao lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. After she came back, she called Sun Wangchun and Sun Shouyi's entourage, the servants who were on duty on the night Sun Shouyi had the accident, and those who were drinking and having fun at Sun's house on the night Sun Shouyi had the accident into the hall and questioned them one by one. After confirming some of her guesses, she deliberately kept two teachers who taught at Lantai Academy and asked them about the learning situation of Zhang Mancang and Zhang Shitou.

One of them happened to be the Master who taught them The Analects.

After learning that the two not only studied hard in the academy but also lived a simple life, Chen Shao sent the two teachers away and called Tian Gensheng's family in to ask them again.

Although Tian Gensheng's family did not give a clear answer, under her guidance, they also recalled several small things related to it.

Finally, Chen Shao invited Huijue and Huishan into the lobby.

Huijue and Huishan were both smart people, and they had guessed the moment she asked the question. However, they were also smart not to ask more questions. After recalling her words for a while, although they did not give a direct answer, they all proved that the suspect had indeed been to Huiguang Temple many times.

enough.

There is enough evidence of sufficient contact between the suspect and the victim.

All that’s left now is to find enough evidence to bring the criminal to justice.

And the evidence...

Chen Shao focused his breakthrough on Zhang Qiaoniang.

Chan Yi has returned with Zhang Qiao Niang's clothes.

Gu Feiyan's people have also invited Sun Sanniang from Caisifang.

Chan Yi brought back the wooden box that Zhang Qiaoniang had put her clothes in. Judging from her expression, she had made a major discovery. After asking Sun Sanniang to wait for a moment, Chen Shao motioned for her to speak first.

"What those embroiderers said was right. Her clothes were indeed embroidered with crabapple blossoms. But..." Chan Yi said as she opened the box and took out two bellybands from it. "Here are two more bellybands embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water. Judging from the embroidery, they are similar to the one she was wearing when she was murdered."

Chen Shao took the bellyband and compared it with the bloodstained one.

Although the patterns are different, the fabric and embroidery are the same.

"And this." Chan Yi handed over a sachet embroidered with a crabapple tree.

The moment Chen Shao got the sachet, he frowned. After he opened the sachet, took out the porcelain bottle, pulled out the cork, and saw the ointment inside, his eyebrows knitted even tighter.

Gu Feiyan came closer and sniffed twice: "What kind of fragrance is this? Why does it smell fishy?"

Chen Shao said calmly: "Musk."

After a pause, he continued, "The Qianjin Yaofang records that applying this ointment made from musk to the navel can cause infertility."

Gu Feiyan raised her eyebrows: "So..."

Chen Shao said "hmm".

When we examined her body in the morgue just now, we discovered that she was no longer a virgin.

After putting the cork back in and the porcelain bottle back into the sachet, Chen Shao asked, "Did you find anything else?"

Chan Yi shook her head: "No more. I brought this wooden box back because I didn't want those embroiderers to see these two bellybands and this sachet."

"Then please invite Sun Sanniang in." Chen Shao ordered.

After Sun Sanniang entered the hall, Chen Shao simply handed over the two bellybands that Chan Yi had brought back: "Take a closer look, are these two bellybands made by you?"

Sun Sanniang took the bellyband, took a look at it, and said, "It was made by me."

Chen Shao asked: "Do you remember who asked you to order these bellybands?"

"I remember." Sun Sanniang said affirmatively, "It was ordered by the daughter of Manager Xu of Moxiangzhai. A total of 20 pieces were ordered. It took me almost three months to embroider them all."

Chen Shao asked again: "Do you remember the exact time?"

Sun Sanniang nodded: "I saw the design on March 12th, and the goods were delivered on June 3rd."

Chen Shao: “Is there any record?”

Sun Sanniang nodded again: "Yes, but it's in the embroidery workshop, you need to find our shopkeeper."

Chen Shao looked at Chan Yi and said, "Follow her and get the records."

After Chan Yi left, Chen Shao looked at Gu Feiyan.

This time, before she could speak, Gu Feiyan had already said with foresight: "I know. Please ask Miss Xu from Moxiangzhai to come to the county government office."

Chen Shao shook his head: "We are not asking her to come over, we are going to Moxiangzhai."

Moxiangzhai is located on the main street of Xitang County.

We got on the carriage and arrived in less than a cup of tea.