Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Although the evidence was conclusive, Chen Shao did not interrogate him immediately.

Sun Sanniang has returned with the record of Xu Caijin's order for the bellyband.

Fu Jiu also brought back the records of Jin Zhiyuan's purchases of various items at shops around Jinsefang before and after Zhang Qiaoniang's accident.

Magistrate Jin also brought back the owner of the shop that sold Zhang Qiaoniang's silver bracelet and the records.

Jin Zhiyuan also came back, and Wang Chunsheng stood beside him angrily.

Seeing Liu Pingkang kneeling in the middle of the hall, Jin Zhiyuan was stunned, while Wang Chunsheng sneered twice and became even more angry.

Chen Shao first looked at the record of Xu Caijin's order at Caisifang, and then confirmed it with Xu Caijin.

Afterwards, Chen Shao looked through the records of Jin Zhiyuan's purchases in shops around Jinsefang.

The record starts from the ninth day of September and ends on the tenth day of November.

In September, I bought things from five stores, mainly between September 9 and 17. In October, I bought things from seven stores, mainly between October 11 and 24. In November, I bought things from two stores, one on November 6 and the other on November 9.

"Was Liu Pingkang with you when you went to buy these things?" After looking through all the records, Chen Shao asked Jin Zhiyuan.

Jin Zhiyuan was still a little dazed. He was pulled by County Magistrate Jin before he turned his gaze away from Liu Pingkang. He slowly clenched his fist and answered vaguely, "Yes, he is with me."

Chen Shao glanced at him and asked, "Are you together every time, or only occasionally?"

Jin Zhiyuan clenched his fists tightly, his voice dry and firm: "We are together every time."

If he had just seen Liu Pingkang kneeling in the lobby, he was still doubting whether Chen Shao had made a mistake. With her two words of "instruction", no matter how stupid he was, he understood that he was being used by Liu Pingkang.

Liu Pingkang not only used him as a cover-up, but also attempted to frame him as the murderer!

Although he still couldn't figure out why Liu Pingkang did this, after taking a deep breath, Jin Zhiyuan looked at Liu Pingkang and said angrily, "He has been teaching at Lantai Academy for nearly ten years. This September was the first time he asked me to help him buy something. He had planned it long ago! And the time he invited me to dinner to thank me, he and Miss Xu have been married for nearly seven years and have been kicked out of the house many times. Every time, I helped him find accommodation. He never thanked me before! And..."

Because he was too angry and excited, Jin Zhiyuan's voice became louder and louder. At the end of the speech, he was choked by his saliva, and his face turned red. County Magistrate Jin hurried over to pat him on the back: "Speak slowly, don't worry, he is already here, he can't run away."

Jin Zhiyuan coughed a few times, and after he recovered, he lowered his head and took a few deep breaths. When his emotions calmed down, he spoke again: "I originally refused to go to Sun's house for drinking and fun, but Brother Liu... Liu Pingkang kept saying beside Sun Shouyi that Brother Sun had invited me many times and I refused every time, so I should give him a favor this time, so I agreed to go. After I went there, I really couldn't adapt to their lofty talk, so I left early. And the day before Master Huiren got into trouble, he also went to Huiguang Temple with me. He said that he had been feeling depressed recently and wanted to ask Master Huiren to comfort him."

Having said this, Jin Zhiyuan suddenly stopped.

After a pause, he took two steps forward and said, "I have always treated him well since the day I became his disciple. I don't know why he wants to frame me like this!"

Chen Shao glanced at him, then at Liu Pingkang, who looked unwilling and even a little sinister, and asked calmly, "Are you done?"

Jin Zhiyuan was silent for a while before answering, "That's it."

"Then step back." Chen Shao said nothing more and turned to look at County Magistrate Jin.

Magistrate Jin took the account book from the silver bracelet seller and handed it to Fu Jiu along with the silver bracelet. He said loudly, "Your Excellency, I have already checked and found out that this bracelet is the one that Miss Xu ordered at Manfulou at the beginning of the year. There is only one of its kind."

After Magistrate Jin finished speaking, he quickly looked at Xu Caijin.

Chen Shao cooperated and handed the bracelet to Xu Caijin.

Xu Caijin took the bracelet, turned it around and looked at it, then said coldly, "I was wondering why she was so eager to clean up my house two months ago. It turns out that this was her plan. Zhang Qiaoniang is only a teenager, right? If you want to please her, why do you steal such a worthless thing?"

Liu Pingkang subconsciously lowered his head and avoided her gaze.

Xu Caijin sneered: "Now you feel ashamed, why didn't you feel it when you stole it?"

Liu Pingkang suddenly looked up and stared at her.

Xu Caijin said disdainfully: "Why, was I wrong? You stole my bracelet and my bellyband, can you be more capable?"

Liu Pingkang gritted his teeth and said, "Don't force me!"

Xu Caijin disagreed: "I give you one tael of silver a month, and Lantai Academy gives you nearly one tael of salary every month, nearly two taels of silver, and you don't have to pay for food, clothing, housing and transportation. You can buy a bracelet like this, but you can't buy it. You want to steal it from me, and you still want me to stop forcing you? I think I'm giving you face!"

Under her cold gaze, Liu Pingkang lowered his head in humiliation.

"This bracelet is mine." Xu Caijin sneered twice and returned the bracelet to Chen Shao.

Chen Shao held the bracelet and motioned Fu Jiu to open the wooden box and lay out the practice papers where Liu Pingkang had imitated Jin Zhiyuan's handwriting.

Then he asked him to put the bloody stick in front of the box.

Finally, let Chan Yi put out the two bellybands.

"Liu Pingkang," Chen Shao tapped the table twice with his bracelet, "Tell me why you killed someone."

Liu Pingkang lowered his head and said nothing.

Chen Shao knocked on the table twice with the bracelet.

Liu Pingkang still didn't speak.

Chen Shao smiled calmly: "If you don't say anything, I will take it as your acquiescence in the fact of murder. Magistrate Jin, there is an executioner in the county government, right?"

Magistrate Jin said awkwardly, "No, no."

Chen Shao glanced at him and said, "What about the brave yamen runners? Aren't there any?"

"Why bother with so much trouble?" Gu Feiyan casually pointed at two elite soldiers, "You two, drag him out... Should we kill him directly, or should we give him a beating first?"

"To torture?" Chen Shao curled his lips coldly, "The means of murder were cruel, and the evidence was irrefutable, but he still refused to plead guilty. According to the law, his crime should be aggravated, and he should be sentenced to death by slow slicing, and it will be executed immediately!"

Gu Feiyan nodded slightly to the two elite soldiers she had pointed out earlier. The two elite soldiers immediately stepped forward, dragged Liu Pingkang and walked out.

Liu Pingkang was still stubborn at first, but when he was dragged out of the county government office and tied to the newly erected cross, he finally panicked. Seeing that the two elite soldiers had already started sharpening their knives, he was so scared that he shouted to the increasing number of people who gathered around him: "I have killed people according to your request, and you promised to save them..."

Without warning, a sharp arrow shot towards Liu Pingkang from behind the crowd.

Gu Feiyan pulled out the whip wrapped around her waist like lightning, knocked down the sharp arrow, and then chased in the direction where the arrow came from like a startled wild goose.