Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 6 The Incident
It rained heavily that night, and there was nothing to talk about the next day.

On the morning of the third day, shopkeeper Xiaojin removed the door panel and opened the shop. Suddenly, several servant-looking men rushed up. One of them, an elderly man, asked in panic: "Are you Mr. Xiaojin?"

Shopkeeper Xiaojin has always believed in being friendly and making money. He cupped his hands and said, "I'm just the one who wants to give you some advice."

The old man announced his family name: "This little old man is He Zhong, the steward of the He family in Zhuangyuanfang. Sir, does he know where my uncle has gone?"

"Uncle He family, He Xiucai?" Shopkeeper Xiao Jin was stunned, "Didn't he go home early?"

Uncle Zhong said: "My uncle said the day before yesterday that he was out visiting friends. He didn't come home that day. He thought he was delayed somewhere. There was still no sign of you yesterday. However, a neighbor said that he saw you eating noodles at Zhang's old shop the day before yesterday, so he came here to ask. you."

Shopkeeper Xiao Jin was a little confused and said: "This is strange. He Xiucai and I did have noodles at Zhangjia's old shop the day before yesterday, and then we went home. How come He Xiucai didn't get home?"

Seeing that Uncle Zhong was as helpless as a fly, shopkeeper Xiao Jin comforted Uncle Zhong and reminded him that Hejiaguang had real estate, and he had to go to several other villages to find out if anyone knew anything and refused to report it.

He himself also sent his shop assistants to look around, but He Xiucai was never heard from again and disappeared.

The He family could not find the uncle, so they reported it to the county government, suspecting that shopkeeper Xiaojin was seeking wealth and murder.

The county government reported that Shopkeeper Xiao Jin had gone to the court. Shopkeeper Xiao Jin asked himself whether he was innocent and went without any fear on his face.

Because the magistrate of Yin County went to the provincial government on business, the person who asked about the case was Wang Dianshi, the fourth master of the county.

The owner of the family, the He family, complained first. The eldest lady of the He family was a delicate official lady, so she was naturally not suitable to go to court. The He family was thin, so the person who represented her was the steward, Uncle Zhong.

Uncle Zhong then told the story about how He Xiucai went out to visit friends in the city the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and his neighbor Liu Erlang witnessed it. In the afternoon of that day, the uncle of the He family and shopkeeper Xiao Jin, who was visiting the Jin family for calligraphy and painting, had noodles at the Zhang family's old shop.

After that, He Xiucai never returned home, and the He family offered a reward for clues.

Three old residents in the county witnessed He Xiucai and shopkeeper Xiao Jin riding out of the west gate around [-] a.m. that morning. They also saw shopkeeper Xiao Jin riding into the west gate alone at around [-] o'clock in the afternoon. There were two people at that time, but only one came back. He Xiucai was most likely murdered by shopkeeper Xiao Jin.

Shopkeeper Xiao Jin repeatedly complained that he was wronged, so he and He Xiucai went to Yanshan Changle Village to visit the family of Ye Shangshu, but did not meet the owner. He returned to the county town, ate noodles at the Zhangjia old shop in the suburbs, and then returned home to talk to each other. Know why He Xiucai disappeared.

While talking, shopkeeper Xiao Jin recalled some details and reported it to Mr. Dianshi: "The villain suddenly recalled that He Xiucai once told the villain that day that he loved the countryside around Changle Village very much and wanted to go to the countryside in the future. Go live there and do some painting. Is it possible that He Xiucai quietly lives there in seclusion?"

This clue is more important. Wang Dianshi appointed Lao Li, the team leader, to go to Changle Village to ask the land security agency to handle the case. The He family also sent two servants to accompany him. This matter must be investigated carefully.

Jin's Calligraphy and Painting Shop is a long-established shop in the county. After handing over the shop's bond, they did not detain him and asked him to come whenever he was told.

Ten days passed, early in the morning on the first day of September, shopkeeper Xiao Jin was sitting in the shop feeling worried. He had not eaten well and could not sleep these days, and he had no intention of doing business.Suddenly, a team of officials came in, pushed him to the ground, chained him up, and dragged him away.

"Master, what are you doing?" Shopkeeper Xiaojin was panicked.

The leading official sneered and said: "It's all orders from the top. Don't blame the brothers for being unkind." Not far from the street, there was a figure lying on a high place, secretly taking a look at what was happening in the Jin family's shop. , and then walked deep into the alley. Soon, a carriage hurriedly drove out and headed for the city gate.

In the hall again, Wang Dianshi looked different from last time and said harshly: "Bold and cunning Jin Fuyou, how did you murder He Xiucai, a student in this county? It's better to recruit him truthfully."

Shopkeeper Xiao Jin tried his best to cry out for injustice and replied: "Everything the villain said in court last time is true. The villain has no grudge against He Xiucai, so why do you want to murder him?"

Wang Dianshi snorted and passed the witness to the court.

An old man clothed in gray knelt down in front of the hall and said: "This is Jin Dalei, the head of Changle Village. There are 96 households in Changle Village. After checking each household, we found that no outsiders who look like twenty scholars have stayed overnight in recent months. "

Another man in his thirties knelt down beside him and said timidly: "Xiaomin is Ye Jiu of Changle Village, and his predecessor, Ye Kangsu, is Xiaomin's grandfather."

Shopkeeper Xiao Jin looked out of the corner of his eye and saw that it was Ye Shangshu's useless descendant Mr. Ye.

In the past, Ye Shangshu had such a high and powerful position that everyone wanted to see him. However, within three generations, none of his grandchildren had even entered the county school. The county students did not kneel down when they saw the officials, but just called them students.

Just listen to Mr. Ye say: "On the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, I have been at home all day and have not seen any foreigners visiting."

Like an electric shock, shopkeeper Xiao Jin instantly realized what Mr. Ye meant. He pointed at Mr. Ye and cursed: "You prodigal son, what nonsense are you talking about? On August [-]th, I and He Xiucai arrived at your house. Your house lives at the entrance of the village and faces the west archway. The third house, the house is so old that it is about to fall down, and we saw Huang Da Chi’s paintings collected in your house, oh, the paintings can’t speak, well, and your old servant testified.”

Mr. Ye said sarcastically: "Master, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, all the creditors came to ask for their debts. The common people had no money to pay, so they had to hide out. They didn't dare to go home until the early morning of August [-]th, and the old servants at home also came to ask for their debts." He wanted wages, so the man asked him to go home and take a few days off, and let me think of ways to raise some money."

Shopkeeper Xiaojin said angrily: "Master, don't listen to his nonsense. Ye Shijiu is shirking responsibility because he is afraid of being involved in He Xiucai's case."

Mr. Ye said aggrievedly: "I have been wronged. Jin Fuyou made things out of thin air and wanted to frame the common people."

The two of them were arguing with each other and chattering endlessly, but Wang Dianshi was a soft-eared person. Hearing their father-in-law saying that the public was right and the mother-in-law saying that the mother-in-law was right, he couldn't tell the difference, so he had to retreat first and ordered Lao Li, the team leader, to temporarily take them into custody. .

For a time, this case was widely circulated in Lanxi County. Some people said that shopkeeper Xiao Jin committed suicide for the sake of wealth, or that Ye Shijiu committed murder because of hatred for rich people. Some even more bizarre people said that Grandma He was not a woman and murdered her husband.

Grandma He was very angry. The He family was a big family in the county, and within a few days they put pressure on the Yamen to solve the case.

Although Liu Xianzun, the magistrate of Lanxi County, had returned from the province, he knew that the case was a hot potato, so he still ordered Wang Dianshi to try it.

Liu Xianzun was a young and proud second-ranked Jinshi. He was newly appointed as the magistrate of Lanxi County this year. He looked down upon the county magistrate, chief registrar, and Dianshi assistant officials who were left behind by the original county magistrate in every possible way. Among them, the incompetent Wang Dianshi was the most despised. very.

After several more trials, Wang Dianshi was found to be useless. He neither had the knack of pulling out the cocoon to solve the case, nor the torture method of using severe torture. County Master Liu tried hard to force the case to be closed.

Wang Dianshi accepted the rebuke but ordered Lao Li, the leader of the team, to eat a meal every three to five days, and his subordinates complained about him.Under the circumstances, no confession can be obtained, but Wang Dianshi is very pedantic.

(End of this chapter)