Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Sun Qi immediately answered attentively: "It was Master Shi who taught us horse riding and archery. His name is Xing."

"Sounds familiar," Chen Shao thought for a moment, "Is it Mr. Shi who passed the exam from that famous martial arts village in Tongwang County?"

Sun Qi, Liu Deming and others said in unison: "Yes, it's him."

Chen Shao asked: "What happened to him?"

"Some time ago, when Sun Chengyi was learning horseback archery, the horse suddenly went crazy," Liu Deming said quickly. "The mad horse threw Sun Chengyi off its back and then ran around the academy, injuring many students. There were many teachers in the academy, but no one dared to step forward. At the critical moment, it was Master Shi who rushed forward without caring about his own safety and forcibly pulled the mad horse. He was dragged for forty or fifty feet before he finally subdued it."

Sun Qi added: "The horse was restrained, but Master Shi's right arm was broken, and his palm was rubbed to a bloody pulp. If we hadn't taken turns to take care of his daily life, I'm afraid he would have difficulty eating and drinking with his injuries."

There were four people who followed Sun Qi, namely Li Shengjie, Qiu Shiying, Zeng Yun and Guo Zitao.

They were all team members who had followed Sun Qi to search for clues some time ago.

Four people also joined in and told some thrilling stories about Shi Xing subduing Crazy Horse.

His right arm was broken, his palm was bloody... How could it be such a coincidence? Chen Shao looked at the expressions of the few people without leaving any trace: "You seem to admire him very much."

"Yes." Li Shengjie said emotionally, "Master Shi is the most compassionate and kind-hearted person I have ever met. He knows how difficult it is for a family like ours to support a student. When he has free time, he always finds ways to help us or our family do what he can."

Qiu Shiying said: "He never hesitates to help not only us and our family, but also the families in our village who are in need."

Zeng Yun followed up and said, "Two days before Mr. Shi was injured, he came to our village to harvest wheat for Uncle Niu."

Chen Shao's mind suddenly lit up with a bolt of lightning: Zhao Rong from Zhaojia Village, Huang Fuming from Xiaochang Village, Cheng Zihe from Wenhai Township, Zhao Ren from Pinggao Township, Liu Deming from Daqiao Town... Every village and town involved in the case has students from the Imperial College!

It turns out that the common point of these villages and towns is not the victims, but here!

Chen Shao suppressed the shock in his heart and asked calmly, "You just said that you have been taking care of Master Shi's daily life these days. How old is your Master Shi?"

Liu Deming said: "It should be fifty-five or fifty-six."

The age of the murderer was not much different from that provided by the blacksmith shop owner Sun Rende. Chen Shao continued to ask: "At this age... the children should be not young anymore, why would they let you take care of them?"

"His sons..." Liu Deming snorted, "Let's not talk about them!"

Chen Shao looked at Sun Qi and the others.

Sun Qi sighed and said, "Although Master Shi has always been kind to others, I don't know why his sons are so arrogant."

"They are more than arrogant," Zeng Yun, Li Shengjie and others said with disdain, "They simply have no respect for elders and the law. To put it more bluntly, they are even more arrogant and domineering than those hooligans on the streets!"

"What about his wife?" Chen Shao asked calmly, "Doesn't his wife take care of him?"

Liu Deming and the others were silent. Master Shi's son was of the same generation as them, so it was okay for them to say something. Master Shi's wife was their master's wife, so no matter how many faults there were, it was not their turn to say anything.

After a while, Qiu Shiying mustered up the courage to say, "Master Shi's wife said that when Ma went crazy, there were so many teachers there, but he was the only one who wanted to show off, so he deserved to break his arms and legs."

Zeng Yun whispered, "Mrs. Shi has always disliked Master Shi for being useless."

"What right does she have to look down on Master Shi for being useless?" Liu Deming couldn't help but sneer. "The silks and satins she wears, the gold and silver on her head, and the courtyard where her parents live now, the doctors her mother and brother use to see a doctor, all of which were paid for by Master Shi?"

Seeing that they had said so much, Sun Qi couldn't help but sigh, "The previous Shi's wife was at least the matchmaker of Gao Shan Changbao, and she was also the niece of Madam Gao's family. She looked down on Master Shi and always scolded him for being useless. Now this Shi's wife... a few years ago, when Master Shi hadn't bought a house for her family in the county town, her mother and brother would stay at Master Shi's house every now and then, and stay for half a month at a time. Master Shi served them with food, drink, and toilet. Now that the house has been bought, they are still not satisfied, and they have to compare themselves with the previous Shi's wife in everything. Her mother and her brother are the same, always saying that Master Shi used to give his monthly salary to the previous Shi's family, and now he should give it to them, otherwise he would look down on them."

Chen Shao was certain that Master Shi was the murderer. However, subjective judgment alone was not enough to identify the murderer, there had to be evidence to prove it.

After taking two sips of tea to suppress his joy at catching the murderer, Chen Shao asked, "Did he marry two wives?"

Sun Qi nodded, "The first mistress was introduced by Gao Shanchangbao, and he married Mrs. Gao's niece. Master Shi's first two sons were born to the first mistress. The current mistress was introduced by Jiang Fuzibao, and Master Jiang is one of Master Shi's few friends."

Liu Deming added: "This master's wife is from the same village as Master Jiang. Her father passed away early, leaving only a blind mother and a sick brother. This master's wife has also given Master Shi a son, who is only six years old this year."

Zeng Yun said impartially: "The first mistress relied on the support of Gao Shanzhang and looked down on Master Shi from the beginning. After they got married, she never got involved in the household affairs. When this mistress first married Master Shi, she was still very hardworking and kept everything clean at home. It was only after Master Shi bought a house for her family in the county town the year before last that her personality suddenly changed."

Guo Zitao hesitated and said, "It's not their fault that they despise Master Shi for being unsuccessful. Master Shi has been a teacher in the academy for nearly 20 years. The monthly salary of other teachers who entered the academy at the same time as him has increased to two taels of silver, but Master Shi only has one tael."

"Then why didn't they despise him when they used Mr. Shi's money to buy clothes and jewelry, and also bought houses and land for his parents?" Liu Deming said indignantly, "They spent the money and used him, but now they turn their backs on him. How are they any different from ungrateful people?"

Chen Shao asked him, "Did Master Shi also buy a house for the first wife's family?"

"Yes!" Liu Deming was so angry that he said without thinking, "Only Master Shi has a good temper. If it were me, I would have divorced them eight hundred times already!"

Chen Shao was silent for a while, then looked at the others and asked, "Master Shi only has a monthly salary of one or two taels of silver. After deducting the expenses of his family, there shouldn't be much left. Where did he get the money to buy a house?"

Sun Qi, Liu Deming and others seemed to have never thought about this question before. They were all stunned when she asked this question suddenly.