Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

After Fu Jiu left, Li Tianliu looked at her and said slowly, "Master Li has been investigating for so many years without any results. How long have you been investigating? Isn't it normal to find the murderer in a short time?"

Chen Shao said calmly: "If we can't find the murderer in a short time, we have to find a way to find the murderer in two and a half hours."

She knew he was trying to comfort her, but she didn't need it.

Li Tianliu said disapprovingly, "Aren't Zhang Boshan and Ding Lisheng still searching? They haven't finished their search yet, but you are so anxious. Are you afraid that I will laugh at you? Yes, although I really want to take advantage of your misfortune and persuade you to return to Beijing, I will consider laughing at you less because you have found so many clues."

Chen Shao looked at him with contempt, "You are laughing at me? What qualifications do you have to laugh at me?"

Li Tianliu raised his eyebrows, "Why am I not qualified?"

Chen Shao walked out while saying, "I have been bedridden for so many years, so it is natural for me to suffer some setbacks as a rookie. What about you? You have fought in battle more than once, and killed countless enemies. Now you have come to Hongyuan County with me, but you can't even catch such a murderer. You still have the nerve to joke with me?"

Li Tianliu sneered: "What does it have to do with me? It's not me who is investigating the case."

Chen Shao stopped and turned around, looking him up and down, and asked with disdain: "Why did you go into battle and kill the enemy? Wasn't it to protect Datong and its people? Now, the murderer is threatening the safety of the people here, and you say it's none of your business? Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk."

Li Tianliu couldn't help but look back at Chanyi because of her sigh: No, he did go into battle to kill the enemy in order to protect the country and people of Datong, but what does this have to do with catching the murderer?

Chan Yi naturally stood on Chen Shao's side, and deliberately said with disdain: "I didn't expect you to be such a heartless and ungrateful little general. I really misjudged you!"

“I’m heartless and ungrateful…” Li Tianliu pointed at himself, looked at the two people’s backs that had already gone away, and forced an angry smile, “Alright! Alright! I’ll take this loss, just wait for me!”

Daqiao Town is a little far from Hongyuan County.

Coming out of the west city gate where Zhang Boshan was on duty, facing the afterglow of the setting sun, after passing the teahouse and the horse farm, it took nearly an hour to arrive at Daqiao Town.

Daqiao Town was the site of the third case this year. The victim was Wang Yuexin, 20 years old, who had been married for less than a year. These were recorded in the case file submitted by Zhang Boshan earlier, and also in the information found by Xu Guang.

It’s not that Chen Shao didn’t trust them, but her many years of work experience in her previous life told her that the breakthrough in many cases is often an insignificant word or an inconspicuous trace somewhere.

So she had to come here in person.

The sun has set.

But many villagers had just returned from harvesting wheat in the fields.

After asking for directions, Fu Jiu walked along the way and finally found Wang Yuexin's pancake shop.

However, the pancake shop was closed.

Fu Jiu jumped off the carriage and went to knock on the door.

After knocking for a long time, a young man from the opposite door came over and told him: "No one is home. They went back to their hometown a long time ago."

Fu Jiu turned around and recognized Liu Deming, who was once a member of Sun Qi's team. She asked cautiously, "Why are you here?"

Liu Deming first bowed to Chen Shao who was getting off the carriage, and then replied: "My grandmother's old illness relapsed, and I was worried, so I took leave and came back to visit her."

Afterwards, he pointed diagonally across the street and said, "The student's home is over there."

Fu Jiu glanced in the direction of his finger, and then instinctively asked, "What old illness is it? Is it serious?"

Liu Deming answered truthfully, "I have seen many men, but I can't find out what disease he has. He just feels dizzy, nauseous and tired every time he has an attack. Sometimes he falls and faints when it is serious. A few days ago, he suddenly fainted when he was harvesting wheat with my father. I asked a doctor to see him, and he prescribed three medicines, but he hasn't recovered yet."

After answering, without waiting for Fu Jiu to ask again, he looked at Wang Yuexin's house and took the initiative to say, "They went back to Tongwang County. They are from Tongwang County. They rented this shop from Uncle Daqing. After Wang Yuexin was killed, they took her body back."

Xu Guang's file mentioned their return to Tongwang County. Fu Jiu had seen this passage when she was free these days, looking through the files on Chen Shao's desk, but she didn't pay much attention to it at the time. After he reminded her, she vaguely remembered it and asked, "Will they come back?"

Liu Deming said: "They should be coming back. I haven't heard Uncle Daqing say that they won't come back."

Fu Jiu looked at Chen Shao, waiting for her to make a decision.

Chen Shao first looked around the pancake shop for a while, then looked at the neighbors, and then looked at Liu Deming and said, "Uncle Daqing, do you have the key to this shop?"

"There should be," Liu Deming said uncertainly, "but Uncle Daqing lives in the county town. If we want to get the key, we can only go to the county town to find him."

Chen Shao inquired without leaving any trace: "Is Uncle Daqing doing business in the county town?"

Liu Deming nodded. "Uncle Daqing is very good at cooking fish. When he was still in the town in the early years, many people from the county town would come here to eat. Later, when he made money, Uncle Daqing simply opened a shop in the county town."

Chen Shao glanced at the villagers who had stopped to watch and continued to ask, "Does he still have land in the town?"

"Yes," Liu Deming said, "He originally had nearly ten acres. After making money in the county town over the years, he gradually added more than ten acres. However, his family hired people to cultivate the land, and they only come back to take a look when they have time."

Chen Shao glanced at the shop and asked, "Has Uncle Daqing's family returned since Wang Yuexin's accident?"

"They came back," Liu Deming said seriously, "Uncle Daqing and his friends came back on the afternoon of the day Wang Yuexin got into trouble."

After taking a look at the neighbors around him, Liu Deming swallowed his words that they were back to ask Wang Yuexin's family for compensation.

Chen Shao saw through his concealment, and also saw that he concealed it because of concerns, so he said: "See if there is anyone in your family who knows where Uncle Daqing lives in the county town. If there is, please ask him to show you the way."

Liu Deming immediately said: "I'll go call my elder brother."

Liu Deming's eldest brother is Liu Derong, who is already 35 years old. He followed Liu Deming and bowed awkwardly, saying, "I greet you, sir."

Chen Shao nodded and asked, "Can you ride a horse?"

Liu Derong glanced at Liu Deming and shook his head.

Chen Shao said, "Then let's go by carriage. Fu Jiu, you take Brother Liu with you. While you're getting the keys, bring Uncle Daqing back as well."

Looking at the carriage parked on the side, Liu Derong quickly refused: "I, I can learn."

Chen Shao did not force him and still called Fu Jiu: "You teach Brother Liu how to ride a horse first. If he doesn't know how, you can take him over."

Liu Derong was about to refuse, but Liu Deming saw that Chen Shao wanted to ask him questions, so he pushed his elder brother and said, "Riding a horse is very simple, just like riding a mule or a donkey. Go quickly, elder brother, and come back soon."

Liu Derong had no choice but to follow Fu Jiu with trepidation.