Qingyun's Love: Tiger Boy Falls in Love with a Pretty Lawyer

As they were about to fall asleep, they suddenly heard a cat meow outside the window. A calico cat stood on the eaves of a nearby house, wagging its tail and glancing over. Its eyes gleamed brightly in the pale moonlight.

Ranmo wondered if this was the same tabby cat she'd seen during the day. She had a vague feeling that there was some connection and message between her and the cat. Could she possibly be uncovering some hidden secrets from that case?

Seeing her frown, Qingsheng thought the cat had disturbed her sleep, so he leaned her head back against his chest. Soon, they both fell asleep.

When they woke up the next day, it was already bright and clear. They got up, washed up, and went downstairs for breakfast. They decided to visit the family again that day.

At this time, a man who looked like an official walked in. After seeing them, he came over and saluted, saying that the county magistrate asked them to go to the county government office because he had made some new discoveries.

The two followed the officer to the county magistrate's office, where they were received. The magistrate informed them that the investigators had reported back that morning, saying that the pharmacy in the west of the town had discovered that the daughter-in-law of the Zhu family had indeed purchased arsenic from them half a month ago.

Upon hearing this news, the county government immediately sent someone to arrest the daughter-in-law. She cried and said she was wronged and asked her mother-in-law to testify to her innocence. But the mother-in-law remained silent.

After interrogation, the daughter-in-law said that it was true that she bought arsenic, but it was only used to poison rats and would never be used to harm her husband. She also said that her mother-in-law knew about this, but was angry and refused to come out to testify for her.

The yamen summoned the mother-in-law to the court for a confrontation. She simply said that she was old and confused and could not remember anything. The arsenic was bought by her daughter-in-law, and no one could stop her from using it to do evil.

The magistrate had called in Qingsheng Ranmo to help him figure out some way to get the truth out of her. After hearing this, Ranmo asked the magistrate to meet the mother-in-law alone.

The magistrate agreed and led the two men to a secluded wing room, where someone was guarding the door. The magistrate opened the door and found an elderly woman sitting in a chair, lost in thought. Seeing the magistrate and his men enter, she rushed over, weeping and begging the magistrate to redress her son's injustice.

The magistrate consoled her with a few words, telling her that these two men were hired by the yamen to assist in the investigation. She was required to listen carefully to their questions and answer them truthfully. The old woman glanced at them and nodded slightly.

The magistrate stayed outside to listen to the news. Ran Mo asked the old woman to sit back down and expressed his sympathy for her grief over the loss of her son.

The old woman shed tears and said nothing. Ran Mo then asked, "If your son was really murdered, would you be willing to let the real murderer be brought to justice?"

The old woman looked up and said, "Is that even a question? I naturally hope to execute the murderer and avenge my son!" "As a mother, we all understand your feelings. So, do you want to see the real murderer escape and someone else take the blame, or do you want to let one of the real murderers go free?"

The old woman looked at her bewilderedly. Ran Mo continued, "Although your daughter-in-law and her husband may have had some disagreements, if she had gone so far as to kill him, it would surely be a case of extreme hatred between the couple, and they would be determined to do it. Think back, has their relationship ever reached that point?"

The old woman was silent for a moment, then shook her head, but then she continued, "If that woman's heart is smaller than a needle tip, she might be willing to take ruthless action over the smallest of matters. Who knows."

Ran Mo smiled slightly and said, "You've said it before, too. If that woman is petty, it means you're not entirely sure about this. You should have seen how your daughter-in-law treats you. Even if there are minor offenses, being accused of murder without reason is a huge injustice, and no one would be at peace."

The old woman bowed her head and remained silent. Ran Mo said sternly, "You must now report the truth to the government office so that we can take further action. This may also help influence your daughter-in-law. Your relationship with your mother-in-law is not frozen. If you can reveal some hidden secrets, it will be of great benefit to the investigation and even to seeking justice for your son. You should consider this carefully."

The old woman was so exhausted she could barely cry. She sighed and said, "To be honest with you, young official, I'm still angry and can't tell you the truth. The daughter-in-law did tell me about the arsenic she bought earlier."

I was only saddened by the death of my child by poisoning, and I wished I could let her not explain the poisoning to relieve my anger. Now that I think about it, I'm a bit narrow-minded."

Ran Mo breathed a sigh of relief. She had finally figured out the problem. Now she could look for a breakthrough. Qing Sheng smiled approvingly at her.

Ranmo then asked if her daughter-in-law had behaved unusually or if she was close to anyone. The old woman simply said she had been grief-stricken and drowsy for the past few days and asked her to think it over before reporting back.

Ran Mo nodded and told her to think about it slowly. If it was there, it was there. If it wasn't there, it wasn't there. There was no need to deliberately make up stories. The old woman agreed.

When they opened the door, the magistrate was standing nearby. Seeing the two of them emerge, he greeted them with a smile, saying, "Thank you for your hard work." He had heard everything that had been said through the window, so he told his men to let the old woman go.

He also wanted to ask the two of them to go and question his daughter-in-law again. Although the daughter-in-law had said nothing wrong before, she seemed to have a flicker in her eyes, as if she was hiding something.

The magistrate feels that their attitude and approach to questioning are conducive to lowering one's guard and encouraging one to tell the truth. He hopes the two of you will continue your efforts and do your best to uncover the truth.

The two men did not refuse and followed the magistrate to a place with stricter supervision. The magistrate said that the person was temporarily detained there. After bringing him over, they would ask the two of them to question him.

The woman was wearing a plain silk dress, her face was beautiful but haggard. She stood there without saying a word, as if she had lost confidence in everything.

Ran Mo looked at her for a while and said soothingly, "The dead cannot be resurrected. Don't be too sad. Cooperate with the government to sort out the follow-up matters.

Your mother-in-law has already told us that she knew about the purchase of arsenic. This shows that she is reasonable and has a bond with you."

The woman burst into tears upon hearing this. After Ran Mo's counseling, she sobbed, "Originally, we only had occasional arguments in our family, and our lives were quite harmonious. Who knew this disaster would befall us? It destroyed the love between me and my husband, and shattered our family!"

Qingsheng, listening from the side, felt a pang of sadness. He said to the woman, "Now that things have come to this, what's the point of just crying? If you want your husband to rest in peace, tell him the truth. Don't leave any regrets, and don't harbor any grievances."

The woman stopped crying and prepared to answer questions. Ran Mo paused. He couldn't directly ask her if she had done anything wrong. So he changed the subject:

"Before your husband got into trouble, besides quarreling with you, did he have any other arguments or even enemies with others?" Her mother-in-law said that there was a quarrel. Ran Mo quoted it and urged her to try her best to provide more clues.

The woman wanted to make some excuses, but seemed to give up. After a while, she shook her head and said that her husband was kind to others and never caused trouble outside. He would never make enemies with others and suffer such harm.

Ran Hei's heart was slightly moved when he heard this. The woman had taken the initiative to say the word "hurt." Could it be that she also suspected that her husband had been hurt?

At this moment, an officer came in and asked the two of them to come out temporarily, as the magistrate had something to say to them.

The two men were released from the cell. The magistrate informed them that the detectives they had sent back had reported that after conducting investigations, several people had provided clues, saying that the daughter-in-law had been seen chatting and laughing with a man surnamed Lu from a nearby household, and that she had been careful to avoid being seen. However, there was no definitive evidence that either of them had engaged in any inappropriate behavior.