Chapter 3 Chapter One

The magistrate of Puyang County, Di Gong, went to Jinhua, a neighboring county, to take a photo, but the official business has not yet been returned. Qiao Tai and Ma Rong are temporarily in charge of the county affairs.Three days were safe and sound, and on the last evening—— After finishing the routine business in the yamen, Qiao Tai and Ma Rong went to Cuiyu Pavilion to drink to relieve boredom and pass the time. Cuiyu Pavilion is located in the shade of willows beside a small river in Xicheng.At this time, the sun is sinking to the west mountain, the sky is full of colorful clouds, the breeze is coming slowly, and the sound of waves is faint.The two of them poured wine in a big pot and ate a large piece of meat. They felt their mouths were smooth and their intestines were soothed.

Ma Rong said: "It turned out that those gangsters have been here for several days. They perform on the street during the day and go to Huguo Temple to perform at night." Qiao Tai said: "Brother Ma Rong is right. The leader of the team is named Bao, and he is called Bao Shilang. He is an upright person. Only his wife, Mrs. Wang, and a man and a woman are in the team. They entrusted Lao Songfu, the head of the rice market, to come to the yamen. Registered here. I heard that Bao Shilang is very good at dancing swords, so I just watched it and opened my eyes." Ma Rong smiled and said, "We'll just look in front of this window. It's clear and easy to drink."

A square reed mat was spread out in the shade of willows by the small river, surrounded by crowds of onlookers.An eight or nine-year-old boy did a few somersaults on the reed mat, and then circled the field on his head.Bao Shilang and Wang stood at the corners on the left and right, as a shield.A young woman is squatting behind the bamboo box for props, beside the bamboo box is a wooden knife holder, and above and below the knife holder are amphibious and gleaming swords.The four of them were all in black clothes, with red silk sash around their waists and red horn scarves on their heads. They were very energetic.At the corner of the reed mat was an old man in ragged clothes, with a sheepskin drum clamped between his knees, beating constantly according to a certain rhythm.

Ma Rong sighed: "But I can't see the girl's face clearly. Hey, shopkeeper Lao has started arguing with a big guy next to him." Qiao Tai lowered his head and took a closer look, and the shopkeeper Lao was indeed entangled with a tall and unkempt man, and he was still chattering endlessly when he wanted to shake hands. On the reed mat, the boy stood upside down and walked around the field again, holding a large wine jar on the soles of his feet. "Brother Ma Rong, I've never seen that sloppy guy, he must have passed by from another county." The crowd cheered, and the boy left with a smile.Then came the stacked arhat. Bao Shilang's thick body supported Wang and his son and daughter, and they walked slowly around the field.The old man who played the drum beat the drum desperately.There was another burst of enthusiastic applause from the crowd, and copper coins were thrown into the field like raindrops.The young girl smiled and held a wooden box, and while flatteringly thanking the onlookers who threw money, she quickly picked up the scattered copper coins that had fallen on the reed mat and put them into the wooden box.

Ma Rong smiled and said: "That girl is really beautiful, come here, I will give her a few pennies too!" As he spoke, he grabbed a handful of loose money from his sleeve and yelled at the window, then dropped it in the air.The woman understood what she heard, and while receiving the money, she raised her head and smiled sweetly at Ma Rong who was standing in the window of Cuiyu Pavilion. The drums sounded again, Bao Shilang entered the arena with his fists arched, ordering the boy to stand in the middle of the reed mat.While going to the wooden stand next to the bamboo basket, he took down a gleaming sword, danced it around, and suddenly pierced the boy's chest like lightning.Blood gushed out immediately, Bao Shilang smiled and pulled out the sword, the boy fell back on the ground with a "wow", and the crowd uttered horrific cries.

"I've seen this old trick a dozen times, and it's nothing special. The sword is fake, and it's equipped with tricks. Come, drink..." There was a commotion under the window, and the surrounding area of ​​the reed mat was filled with water. A woman's mournful cry became louder and louder. Qiao Tai said in shock: "No! Brother Ma Rong, go down to the pavilion to have a look, what is a trick? The fake has come true! The boy was bleeding profusely, lying on the ground dying." The two rushed down to the Cuiyu Pavilion, pushed everyone away, and saw Wang crying and fell to the ground, the boy was lying in a pool of blood, his nose opened and closed, he could only breathe out, not in.Bao Shilang and the girl were dumbstruck, standing to one side in a daze.Bao Shilang's right hand was still holding the blood-spattered sword.

Ma Rong snatched the sword from his hand and shouted, "Bao Shilang, why did you kill your own son?" Bao Shilang woke up suddenly, looked blankly at Ma Rong with a livid face, and replied with a trembling voice: "I... took the wrong sword." "Mr. Ma, this is purely accidental injury, not intentional killing." Lao Songfu flashed out of the crowd and said angrily. Ma Rong glared at him and ignored him.On the one hand, he called to Lijia of the workshop to transport the boy's body to the yamen for inspection, and on the other hand, he ordered Bao Shilang and his wife, Miss Bao and the old man to pack up a set of props and knives, and first went to Cuiyu Pavilion to wait for questioning.

When he was about to look for the sloppy man who quarreled with Lao Songfu, he had already disappeared. Ma Rong and Qiao Tai escorted Bao Shilang and Lao Songfu to Cuiyu Pavilion.Ma Rong let Bao Shilang, Mrs. Wang, Miss Bao and the old man playing drums sit at a table, and ordered the bartender to warm up the wine to calm them down, and first called Lao Songfu to question them. "Treasurer Lao, just now you said that Mr. Bao was injured by mistake, what evidence do you have?" Lao Songfu replied: "Mr. Ma, Bao Shilang is a performer, and this juggling and juggling is his skill." He grabbed the sword with a clean frosted edge from the old drummer's hand, and said, "This kind of sword The inner cavity of the sword is hollow, and it is filled with pig blood. Although the blade is a foot long, it is equipped with a mechanism, and when it hits a hard object, it shrinks and slides into the hollow cavity of the sword, seemingly piercing into the chest and abdomen of a person. At the same time, the pig's blood was pressurized and spewed out like human blood. After the sword was withdrawn, the edge of the sword was stretched out again, just like a real sword, with a shining edge, which is frightening. You might as well try it yourself, Commander Ma."

Ma Rong took the sword and stabbed it hard at the wooden stool. The blade of the sword really retracted into the cavity of the sword, and blood gushed out——Ms. Wang screamed again and almost fainted. Bao Shilang quickly helped her to rest.Ma Rong took a sneak peek at Miss Bao, and saw her sitting on the side in a daze, with lingering fear and pale complexion. Ma Rong grabbed the blood-stained real sword again, weighed it with both hands, and felt that the weight was similar. "These two swords are too similar. There is almost no difference in shape and weight. How can there be no accidents?"

Lao Songfu hurriedly said: "The real one should be placed on the lower shelf of the wooden frame, while the fake one should be placed on the upper shelf, so that Bao Shilang can't take it wrong. After the boy fell back on the ground, there was a lot of pig blood. Immediately, he picked up the real sword and danced with Bao Shilang." Bao Shilang was enlightened at this time, and shouted in a hoarse voice: "Who changed the two swords secretly?! I clearly remember that the fake sword was placed on the wooden stand." Ma Rong asked: "Mr. Bao, can you be sure?"

Bao Shilang was in a hurry: "This trick has been performed thousands of times, and I have never missed it. But today...someone must have secretly exchanged two swords." Qiao Tai turned to Lao Songfu: "Who was that scoundrel standing next to you arguing with you when the boy stood upside down and walked around in circles? ——I clearly saw you two standing behind the sword holder." Lao Songfu frowned and said: "That's a beggar on the street, I don't know him. He reached out to ask me for money, but I refused to give it. He cursed angrily, and fought with each other, almost fighting." Qiao Tai asked the crowd again: "Who knows that beggar? He is unkempt and his clothes are filthy." Bao Shilang, Mrs. Wang and Miss Bao all shook their heads.The old drummer gasped and said: "I know him. His name is Wu Dachong. He is just a rascal. He comes to Huguo Temple to watch our performance every night without paying any money." Qiao Tai asked, "Did you see anyone else squeeze behind that knife holder or bamboo basket?" The old drummer replied: "I just played the drums and looked at the field. I didn't pay attention to who squeezed behind the knife holder. Besides, there were many people watching in the field, crowded in a circle, and I didn't see it clearly for a while." Qiao Tai had no choice but to order Lao Songfu to take Bao Shilang and the others back to the lower place for a rest, and told them that the county magistrate, Mr. Di, would return to the yamen tonight, and that all of them must come to the yamen tomorrow morning for a hearing, and there must be no mistakes. Lao Songfu led Bao Shilang and the others to resign from Qiao Tai and Ma Rong, and left Cuiyu Pavilion in panic, returning to their lodgings without question. Here, Ma Rong was still sullen, sucked up the leftover wine on the table, and shouted: "It's a poisonous plan to ask the father to assassinate the son himself. We must find out the murderer who killed the man with the knife as soon as possible." Qiao Tai comforted: "The master can go back to Puyang tonight, let's go back to the Yamen to see the autopsy report, and report the case in detail when the master returns to the Yamen." Ma Rong was unhappy: "In this case, the master will blame us for not using our brains. Human life is at stake, how can we miss this opportunity? Brother Qiao Tai, why don't we start investigating now?" Qiao Tai clapped his hands and said yes, and then said: "Whenever the master comes to a crime, he always starts from the motive and opportunity of committing the crime. Obviously the murderer does not have a deep hatred with an eight or nine-year-old boy, so it can be inferred that the murderer must be very jealous Bao Juro." "Brother Qiao Tai's words are very true. Bao Shilang and his party have just come to Puyang, so the suspicion can only be found from the people who have been related to their team in the past few days." "Bao Shilang met his old enemy here, it's unknown," Qiao Tai said again. "If encountering an old enemy, why didn't Bao Shilang say it? Why didn't he understand it in his heart. Besides, although a child of eight or nine years old will not have an enemy, if he sees or hears a very secret secret or inadvertently intrudes Entering a place that should not be, will also induce the murderer to kill and silence, so as to avoid future troubles." Qiaotai admired him in his heart, and couldn't help asking: "Then what about the chance of committing the crime? Both Wu Dachong and Lao Songfu may have secretly exchanged two swords. They are always standing behind the knife holder and the bamboo box - do they have any motive to kill?" ?” Ma Rong scratched his head, and said with a smile: "Wu Dachong is a beggar and rascal, will he move Mrs. Wang and her daughter's evil thoughts? Perhaps Bao Shilang saw through it, so he harbored hatred and used this vicious trick." Qiao Tai nodded, and asked again: "So did Lao Songfu also have this evil idea?" "No, Lao Songfu is an old-fashioned and pedantic person. He is enthusiastic about making contributions to Bao Shilang's team, but he only cares about martial arts. He wants to have fun, so why don't he go to Huajie and Liuxiang to do business, but he is infatuated with these two women who are wandering in the rivers and lakes?" Qiao Tai said: "It seems that Wu Dachong is the main suspect. Yes, I have to try to find him and find out what he said. Brother Ma Rong might as well go to the Huguo Grand Theater to see, maybe he can get more details about Bao Shilang's family.— —I think this is what the master wants to know most.” Ma Rong readily agreed: "It's not very difficult to find out some inside information from the mouths of those two women. If they are still performing at the Huguo Temple tonight, it will definitely not be an empty trip." Qiao Tai searched for several low-end tea shops and restaurants, and only found out Wu Dachong's whereabouts from a craftsman - he often went to a small restaurant in Dongchenggen. When Qiaotai arrived at the small restaurant in Dongchenggen, it was already dark.A dirty oil lamp was lit in the restaurant, and three ragged rogues were chatting and drinking at a dilapidated table.Qiao Tai immediately recognized one of them as Wu Dachong! When Wu Dachong saw a big man coming in, he was overjoyed, and waved his hand to signal to the two scoundrels next to him to come forward to provoke him, thinking he wanted to extort a few pennies for the wine.Qiao Tai laughed and said, "Brother Ang, why bother to see outsiders. I am also a poor brother who lost my money! It's just bad luck these days, even the copper coins for a bowl of wine have been cut off." Wu Dachong said: "So you know me? Could it be that you are also doing something worthless." Qiao Tai sighed and said, "Brother Wu is guessing. The only way is that he is hungry. Does Brother Wu know if there is any exciting business in the past few days. My little brother jumped the wall in a hurry and didn't care about many crises." Wu Dachong said dejectedly: "I've had bad luck these few days, all the cooked quail flew away! That day I just overturned a cart driver by the forest, and a cart of rice was about to be obtained, but a young official came rushing in." I screamed recklessly. I was so frightened that I hid in the woods. Suddenly a group of people came behind, driving a big wheeled cart. When I looked carefully, it turned out to be a troupe of charlatans. They helped the driver. The two They merged into one place and hustled away! ——I broke a cart of rice in vain, so I was so depressed.” Qiao Tai pretended to be surprised and said: "Yesterday I saw a troupe performing arts on the street, and there was a young official, about eight or nine years old, who was good at somersaulting, and could walk around a few laps while standing on his head. Could it be that little elf? Wu Eldest brother should be careful to avoid it, if he recognizes it, wouldn't it be a big deal?" "Brother, I don't know, that little elf has already recognized me. The other day when I was watching their performance at the Huguo Temple, I saw them face to face, which made me very timid. Now it's all right, the little elf died for no reason, and the whole world How can there be such an effective retribution!" Qiao Tai thought in his heart, it really was the evil that this big worm did!He said it was retribution, wasn't it the trap he set up to kill someone with a knife?He lied about "died for no reason" to deceive me.Thinking of this, his face immediately darkened, and he shouted: "Wu Dachong, how can there be no retribution for killing someone? Now follow me to the Yamen for a walk!" Wu Dachong turned pale with shock: "What do you say, brother? What are you doing in the yamen?" Qiao Tai said: "You really don't understand? Are you here to pretend? Let me tell you the truth, I am the official in the yamen, and I only interview the villains who commit crimes. That young man is the one who was raped by you." Killed by a poison scheme!" If Wu Dachong didn't listen, he heard that Qiao Tai was a man from the yamen, and he was here to arrest him. He immediately became angry, cursed, and threw his fists at Qiao Tai. Qiao Tai had been on guard for a long time, stood firm, acted with luck, and faced Wu Da Chong. The two crickets fought like they were biting and fighting, and they used all their moves, making it hard to distinguish.After all, Qiao Taiyi hit Wu Dachong's left arm with a punch, knocking him out of the socket.Wu Dachong groaned involuntarily, and took another punch between the eyebrows, only to feel his eyes turned black, gold stars burst out, his legs were unsteady, Qiaotai kicked him down, his head hit the leg of the wine table, and he did not move up. Qiao Tai ordered the hotel clerk to call Lijia in the workshop, bound Wu Dachong with ropes, and ordered the team members to carry him to the county government prison and put him in prison. ——The other two scoundrels were so frightened that they ran away, Qiao Tai adjusted his clothes and walked happily to the county government office.