Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Yang was alert instantly: "Why are you asking this? This yard is the compensation given to us by Gao Han after he ruined Meilan's innocence. No one can take it away!"

Chan Yi said unhappily, "We have all kinds of courtyards in the Duke of Chen's Mansion. How dare you think of stealing your courtyard!"

Yang remained alert and asked, "Then why are you asking this?"

Li Tianliu scolded impatiently: "Just answer when I asked you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

Before coming to Hongyuan County, he had seen many dirty things, but it was the first time he had seen such a thing as them letting his daughter have an affair with his uncle, and finally marrying him with the child, and even brazenly robbing and beating others. Especially when they saw the failure of the matter, they did not feel ashamed, and could still shout and say stupidity, which really opened his eyes!

Yang wanted to refute, but after meeting the fierce light in his eyes, she hid behind her two sons in fear and replied, "No money was spent."

Li Tianliu asked coldly: "Why didn't you spend any money?"

Yang pouted and said, "This is the yard that the shopkeeper bought to bribe Gao Han for his son's admission to the Imperial College."

Go ahead!

Yes, in ancient times, you had to go through the Yahang to buy a house. How could she forget this! As expected, if you want to find clues, you have to investigate bit by bit. Chen Shao looked at them and continued to ask, "Where is the yard that Shi Xing bought?"

"When did that bastard buy the yard?" Yang loudly questioned the Xue Wanqing brothers, "Why didn't I know about it?"

Xue Wanqing didn't know either. He recalled how he had gone to the dock a few days ago to ask for money and had finally gotten twenty coins. He couldn't help but say angrily, "I'll block the entrance to the prefect's mansion tomorrow morning. If he dares to come out, I'll beat him up!"

Chen Shao stood up and said, "You are very brave to go to the prefect's mansion and block the door."

Xue Wanqing slapped himself quickly and fiercely, "I'll break your stinky mouth for talking nonsense again!"

Yang was still cursing angrily, "This ungrateful bastard, he said he didn't have 500 coins when we asked him for them, but he secretly bought the yard without our knowledge. Meilan even gave birth to two big fat boys for him. Ugh!"

Chen Shao really didn't want to waste his breath talking about the immoral things that his family had done. Seeing that they knew nothing, he simply turned around and left. Just as he walked out of the door, Xue Wanqing suddenly chased him out and said, "Sir, Gao Han not only tarnished my sister's innocence, but also forcibly abducted a woman and forced her family to be destroyed. He is a beast, and he must not be let go!"

Chen Shao stopped and asked: "Who did you rob?"

"The one who was robbed was Miss Luo from Luo's Rouge Shop," Yang followed out and said, "Miss Luo had been engaged to the second son of the Wang family for a long time. Gao Han relied on his position as the headmaster of the Imperial College and threatened the eldest son of the Imperial College, not only forcibly ruining their engagement, but also taking Miss Luo for himself. The second son of the Imperial College could not bear the humiliation, so he jumped into the river and committed suicide that night. When Miss Luo found out, she also hanged herself. The Luo and Wang families were afraid of revenge from the headmaster Gao, so they quietly moved away not long after they committed suicide. I am not talking nonsense, they can all testify!"

The neighbors were originally just secretly watching the fun through cracks in their doors or windows, but after hearing her loud yell, they had to come out and testify for her.

Listening to their chatter, Chen Shao asked, "Where did they move to?"

"I don't know where they moved to..." Xue Wanqing was halfway through his words when his eyes suddenly rolled around. "Don't worry, sir. No matter where they moved to, I will definitely find them!"

Not only did he not give him money, but he also beat and scolded him. He had to find the Luo and Wang families and prevent them from leaving the prefect's mansion easily!

"Thank you for your hard work." Chen Shao said without any emotion. She knew that Gao Han and Luo Zhengxin had done a lot of dirty things, and she had planned to investigate them slowly after Shi Xing's case was over. Since he was willing to help, why not?

Xue Wanqing got the job and went home happily.

Chen Shao also got on the carriage and left the Second Lane of Dong'an Street.

When she was leaving the alley, she asked the yamen runner who came with her: "How many young men are there in Hongyuan County?"

Some of the yamen runners said three, some said four, there was no definite number. Seeing them like this, Chen Shao stopped them and ordered two of them, "Go and inform the mayor, and ask him to invite all the shop owners and their children to the prefectural governor's mansion before noon tomorrow!"

It was getting later and later, and there was no one on the street. After pinching his brows, Chen Shao went to the second lane of Xizheng Street.

Wu Tao's parents live in Lane 2, Xizheng Street.

Wu Tao's family was simple, with only a blind mother, He, and a sickly brother, Wu Zheng, who was already thirty-five years old and still unmarried. In the afternoon, after hearing from the neighbors that Shi Xing, Wu Tao, and Shi Cheng'an were all arrested and taken to the prefect's mansion, He and Wu Zheng hurriedly closed the door and hid in the house, not even eating dinner.

Hearing the bailiff knocking on the door, the two men quickly shrank into the cupboard, covered their mouths tightly, and dared not say a word.

"They are at home." A neighbor heard the noise and came out to say.

The yamen runners continued to knock on the door, but no one came out to open it. Li Tianliu winked at the Yulin Guard beside him, who turned around and entered the courtyard and opened the door.

There are chickens and ducks roaming around in the yard, and chicken and duck manure and rotten vegetable leaves are everywhere.

Chen Shao carefully moved into the room, looked around inside and out, then stood in front of the cabinet where the two men were hiding and signaled the bailiffs to drag them out.

"Don't arrest us, we know nothing." He and Wu Zheng huddled together in fear, quickly distancing themselves from Wu Tao.

Chen Shao glanced at the neighbors who were joining in the fun in the yard, and after trying to appease them with a few words, he asked, "Where is the yard that Shi Xing bought?"

The two shook their heads: "We don't know, we don't know anything."

A neighbor shouted, "Shi Xing killed so many people, he deserves to be cut into pieces. You are protecting him like this, do you have any humanity?"

The two still said: We know nothing.

Chen Shao stood at the door and asked the neighbors inside and outside the courtyard: "Will Shi Xing come here often?"

"I don't think I've seen him here."

"I don't know what he looks like."

"I heard from them that Wu Tao married a teacher from some academy, and that this courtyard was bought by that teacher. But since they moved here, I haven't seen any teacher come to their house."

Hongyuan County is very large, and although Shi Xing is a teacher at the Imperial College, not many people know him. Chen Shao listened to their discussion for a while, then went back to the house and asked He and Wu Zhengdao, "Who bought this yard for you?"

They both still answered that they didn’t know.

Chen Shao's face turned cold: "Since you don't know, then take him back to the prefect's mansion!"

"Yes, it was bought by Gao Shanchang!" He said in a sharp voice while hugging Wu Zheng.

"Who is Mr. Gao Shan?" a neighbor asked in a low voice in the yard.

Chen Shao did not answer. Seeing that they really didn't know about Shi Xing's purchase of the courtyard, he left and returned to the prefect's mansion.

Fu Jiu had already returned from the gambling house, and Shi Xing had never been to the Yin Gou gambling house.