Chapter 4 Chapter two

The words are divided into two ends.Let's say that Ma Rong returned to the county office, took a shower, changed into clean clothes and hats, and hurried to Huguo Temple. As expected, there was no break on the stage of Huguo Temple.Although Bao Shilang lost his son unfortunately, he did not dare to neglect the contract he had signed.Red and green tables and chairs are placed on the high stage, and Bao Shilang and Wang Shi are wearing costumes to cooperate in a play.At this time, Mrs. Wang was waving her sleeves and singing mournful lyrics to the beat of the drum board. Miss Bao was not seen on Ma Rong's stage, so he was overjoyed and hurried to the backstage. ——The backstage and the front desk are separated by a big bamboo mat.

Miss Bao had just finished a scene and retreated to the backstage. Feng Guanxia was sitting on an armchair resting.She looked up and suddenly saw Ma Rong rushing in, she couldn't help being startled. "Mr. Ma? What are you doing here?" Ma Rong bowed politely, and said softly: "Miss Bao, don't panic, I came here to ask you a few words on behalf of Miss Bao." Miss Bao covered her face with her hands and couldn't help sobbing: "He's not my brother..." "Isn't it your brother? Could Miss Bao be too sad and confused for a while?" "No, no, my mother only brought this son back half a year ago. He is not my father's, and he has been fostered outside for eight years. Alas, I can't bear this kind of life anymore. You know what I'm playing? Princess! Golden branches and jade leaves, charming and beautiful, my father regards me as the apple of his eye. How ridiculous! But what a miserable life I have lived... Alas, my father is a poor man, he has no choice but to recognize this son."

Ma Rong nodded: "Today's matter, who did it in secret, could it be that your father has an old grudge here." Miss Bao said: "Those two swords are very similar, maybe someone has changed them, maybe it was my father who accidentally took the wrong one." "Didn't Mr. Bao conclude that someone had changed the sword? It's clear and unambiguous." Miss Bao seemed unwilling to talk about her brother's murder, she lowered her head and kept silent. Ma Rong couldn't ask any more questions, so he changed the subject: "Miss Bao just said that life is miserable, is it true? Could it be that your parents abused you?"

A slight blush flashed across Miss Bao's sad face: "Thank God, I'm about to jump out of this cage. There is a rich gentleman who is willing to marry me as a concubine, and he has promised to give my father a generous gift. " Ma Rong didn't think so: "Is it easier to be a concubine?" "No, no, his main wife is already ill and blind, and the doctor said she won't survive this year. He said that he would set me up right after the woman died." "Who is that sir?" Ma Rong couldn't help feeling jealous. Miss Bao hesitated for a moment, and replied with a twist: "To tell you the truth, Mr. Ma, my future husband is the shopkeeper Lao Song Fu Lao. He is saving up money now, and will take it out to marry me in a dignified manner on that day. He also said that the wedding should be more beautiful. Although the shopkeeper Lao is a bit older, he is a good-natured man, old-fashioned. To be honest, I hate the current group of dandy boys. , squandering your parents’ money.”

"How did Miss Bao know Shopkeeper Lao?" "On the day we came to Puyang, he caught my eye. He kindly arranged the performance venue and dormitory for our team, and went to the yamen to register for us..." There was a burst of warm applause at the front desk, Miss Bao stopped talking, and said, "It's my turn to play, my father is going to recruit a son-in-law for the princess." Saying this, she hurriedly stood up, lifted the curtain and turned out of the front desk. Ma Rong went back to Neiya to meet Qiao Tai.Qiao Tai told Ma Rong the whole story of his capture of the suspect Wu Dachong; Ma Rong also told Qiao Tai about his meeting with Miss Bao.They speculated that Ms. Bao might have hooked up with Lao Songfu and Wu Dachong, which led to a quarrel between them.But what did that have to do with killing her brother?

Qiao Tai led Ma Rong to the Houya prison to interrogate Wu Dachong. Qiao Tai signaled to the prison to open the cell door, and the cell was dark, stuffy and damp.Wu Dachong was covered with wounds and was chained, one end of which was tied to the wall. Qiao Tai sternly said: "Wu Dachong, I wronged you to come to the yamen prison, just to try a murder case. Once you are proved innocent, you can be released. Now I ask you: if you knocked down in the forest The coachman really snatched a cart of rice, how will you get out? Please note that you have not joined the rice market guild."

"I know Lao Songfu, he has a way. He is the head of the rice market guild." Wu Dachong said without hesitation. Ma Rong asked anxiously, "How did you know Lao Songfu?" "We have known each other for many years. At that time, I was inseparable from him in a large courtyard in a neighboring county. Lao Songfu had an acquaintance there, but he was a yaksha. He also gave birth to a son for him, and he was raised outside. for eight years." Ma Rong suddenly realized something, and asked again: "How did you know Miss Bao?" "Miss Bao and I fell in love at first sight. We met when she was acting in Huguo Temple on the first day. We went back and forth three or four times, and we were like fish in water. One day, we were in the side hall of Huguo Temple During the rendezvous, her brother suddenly barged in and couldn't avoid it. Although Xiao Langguan is eight or nine years old, he is sensible after all. Miss Bao is very disturbed by being so obedient and ugly."

Qiao Tai said: "At dusk today, they were performing arts under Your Excellency Cuiyu. I saw you and Lao Songfu arguing endlessly. At that time, you both stood beside the bamboo box sword stand, did you see someone move those two swords? Wu Dachong frowned, shook his head and said: "I was paying attention to the art skills on the field, and I didn't forget to glance at Miss Bao, but Lao Songfu was chatting with me again, I pushed him, and he almost I fell down by the bamboo basket. I remember that there was a dense circle of people around the field at that time, God knows who moved the sword."

"What about you?—Did you secretly exchange those two swords?" Ma Rong said coldly. "You two Mr. Niao, you have the same intention to blame me for that crime! I, Wu Dachong, will eat people in front of me, and I will never do such inconspicuous deeds behind my back. Why do I have any complaints with that young man?" Why do you want to take his life?" Qiao Tai gave Ma Rong a wink, and the two left the cell silently, only to hear Wu Dachong shaking the iron chain in his hand and clanging behind him. Qiao Tai and Ma Rong returned to the inner office.Ma Rongnai raised his eyebrows and said, "Brother Qiao Tai, it seems that the sword really wasn't replaced by Wu Da Chong."

Qiao Tai was puzzled, and said after a long while: "Lao Songfu was originally a lustful person. He had another son with a dominatrix in a neighboring county, and now he has evil thoughts about Miss Bao again because of his wealth. Bao Didn't Shiro already agree to take his daughter as his concubine? Why did he plan to kill Bao Shilang's son? No matter what, we'd better put him in prison. Master Wu will have to go back to the Yamen to try Wu Dachong. testimony." "That's right!" Ma Rong said, "We Suoxing detained Bao Shilang, Mrs. Wang, Miss Bao and that old drummer together and brought them to the yamen for supervision. The master will go to court tomorrow, and the trial will begin. Those who have anything to do with this case Now, we are also good at explaining."

So Qiao Tai ordered the old scribe to draft a detailed case file for Duke Di to read. It was nearly midnight when Di Gong returned to the Puyang county government office.The cars and horses were exhausted all the way, and they were full of dust, and looked tired.As soon as he saw Qiao Tai and Ma Rong, he hurriedly asked, "What happened here? There was a lot of discussion in the valet. They all said that the Yamen detained two murder suspects, and four witnesses came out." Ma Rong hesitated and said: "Master, that's exactly the case. The person who was killed was an eight or nine-year-old young official. The case was bizarre. We dare not judge arbitrarily. We detained the person for hostage first, and waited for the master to come back for trial. This case file records Please take a look at the details, sir." Di Gong took the case file and sat on the grand teacher's chair to read it carefully. Ma Rong and Qiao Tai stood by and watched Di Gong's expression anxiously, only hoping to show an appreciative smile. Di Gong's thick eyebrows were frowned for a while, then gradually relaxed, his cheeks were slightly flushed, and finally he put the case file on the table, smiled and said: "The ancients said that after three days of farewell, you will see each other with admiration. I will go to Jinhua In just three days, the two of you not only managed the affairs of the county government in such an orderly manner, but also were able to draw out the clues of this strange and tortuous case, took timely and decisive actions, and made necessary preparations for the final investigation. You are worthy of following me for so many days. In the future, I can rest assured that you will be punished independently." Ma Rong and Qiao Tai couldn't help grinning when a big stone fell to their hearts, their faces flushed with embarrassment, and they felt their tongues tied up, unable to speak. Di Gong continued: "Wu Dachong and Lao Songfu are the biggest suspects in this case. Immediate arrest of the prison guards is the most important thing to solve this case. But we still need to figure out the reason for the crime carefully and try to find as many suspects as possible. Considering unexpected situations. For example, Bao Shilang may have accidentally picked up the wrong sword. Because it was almost dark when the accident happened, and they had to go to Huguo Temple to perform at night, so they missed it in panic. It is not impossible to pick up the wrong sword. Bao Shilang has been in the rivers and lakes for a long time, and he is well-versed in the world. Firstly, he is afraid of the government, and secondly, he wants to shirk his responsibility, so he lied that someone changed the sword secretly, which happened to be held accountable by the government. Let’s look at the other side However, if it is true that someone is changing swords secretly, not only Lao Songfu and Wu Dachong, but even Bao Shilang himself is a suspicious person. "Bao Shilang? How could he kill that child?" Ma Rong was shocked. "That child was obviously born to Mrs. Bao, Mrs. Wang and Lao Songfu. Bao Shilang would not have known about it. After eight years of foster care outside, now that Mrs. Wang has taken it back publicly, it shows that she has no scruples. Although Bao Shilang is not happy angry, but he pretended to be indifferent, but he was jealous in his heart. Burn in the fire.Before he danced the sword, he saw Lao Songfu watching from the outside circle, and he immediately thought that this was an excellent opportunity.Assassinating the boy with a single sword just shifted the blame to Lao Songfu, killing two birds with one stone, and trapping Lao Songfu in an irredeemable quagmire.Of course, Lao Songfu is more likely to change his sword secretly. Once Bao Shilang is imprisoned or sentenced to death, he can not only seize the opportunity to occupy Miss Bao, but also relive Wang's mandarin dream, and save a generous dowry. " Di Gong paused for a while, thought for a while, and said: "I see that Miss Bao is also absurd. I have promised to be a concubine with Lao Songfu, but I have no scruples to hang out with Wu Dachong. Besides, she She speaks out loud and reveals her mother's secrets. I just wonder if she knows that Lao Songfu is the boy's biological father." Ma Rong said: "I see that Miss Bao's poems are sad, and I think she has encountered many misfortunes. Her insistence on escaping from the cage of the theater troupe shows that she has unspeakable difficulties in her heart." Di Gongdao: "On the stage of this kind of female opera singers, there are sometimes princesses and beauties, golden skills and jade leaves, sometimes fairy fairies from Yaotai, concubines from Luo girls, sometimes pink heroes, and heroines. But most of them are wandering in the audience. Life is rough, bullied, and life is miserable. Even if there are some whimsy and unethical behavior, there is no need to be harsh." Qiao Tai asked: "Master, what about Wu Da Chong?" "Of course, he knows more about the secrets of dancing swords. It's easy to plot Bao Shilang deliberately. Didn't he have been smashed by that child when he was having a secret tryst with Miss Bao? This also planted the seeds of jealousy. Okay. , I’m going to take a shower right now, and when I’m done, I’ll personally interrogate several people involved in this case. If the inside story is successfully found out, the case will be closed in court.” The spacious main hall of the government hall is brightly lit, and dozens of large oil lamps are hung high.In the middle is a large desk, on which there are neatly placed stick holders, pen holders, cinnabar boxes and gavels.In front of the case, Lao Songfu was kneeling on the left side, Wu Dachong was kneeling on the right side, and Bao Shilang and his wife were kneeling in the back row.Miss Bao and the old drummer.Eight yamen servants stood on the left and right, like evil spirits. With the sound of a gong and the sound of the three-way drum, Mr. Di opened the curtain and walked into the lobby.The black hat and jade belt are neat, and the water green official robe is shining.Qiao Tai and Ma Rong followed from left to right, and the hall was suddenly solemn and silent. Di Gong's sharp eyes swept over the kneeling people in the hall, and saw that they all looked tired and sad.Wu Dachong and Lao Songfu had another layer of fear, and the Bao family was deeply saddened. "Bao Wang!" Di Gong suddenly said. "The deceased is not Bao Shilang's own son, is he?" Surprised, Mrs. Wang kowtowed like pounding garlic, and timidly replied: "Yes, sir." "Why did you let him go to foster care for eight years before taking him back?" "Because...don't dare to hide the truth from the master, he is not a member of the Bao family, so he has never dared to take it back. The child's biological father agreed to adopt him, and said that his wife was already ill, and once he died, he would marry me as a successor." ——Later, I found out that he was a hypocrite with bad conduct, so I told him to make a clean break from now on. He couldn’t force me, so he threw the eight-year-old child back to me. I explained the reason to my husband Bao Shilang and begged him Forgive and take in the child. My husband is kind-hearted and did not blame me deeply. He recognized the boy as his son, taught him skills and acting, and loved him very much, as if he were his own." "Have you told Bao Shilang who the boy's biological father is?" "No, no." Wang said in embarrassment. "Even though that man is vicious and mean, I don't want to damage his reputation. Besides, Bao Shilang never asks me. My husband is very generous." "So that's how it is." Duke Di let out a long sigh, he already understood in his heart who changed the sword secretly, and also understood the reason for it. ——Ma Rong and Qiao Tai guessed from the very beginning that they would kill people to silence them, but they didn't go further into the exposed facts.At this moment, he must strike while the iron is hot, reveal the truth in court, and expose the criminal. "Lao Songfu, you are dignified and dignified in Puyang, like a gentleman, but you are secretly doing shady things. You have told the truth about your behavior in the neighboring county. Now I want to ask you a word, you must tell the truth. Come on, don't be vague and vague. Is Bao Wang's lover back then you? Tell me quickly!" Lao Songfu replied calmly: "Yes, sir. I beg you, sir..." Suddenly there was a sharp hiss from the hall, Miss Bao's almond eyes widened, and she rushed to Lao Songfu in despair, slapped Lao Songfu severely, and cried and cursed: "My way is to be trusted all my life, but It turned out to be such a beast in clothes. He lied to my mother back then, and now he is coming to tarnish me again. I hate that I have no eyes and no eyes, and was deceived. It was because I was afraid that my brother would publicize the matter between me and Wu Dachong, and make you laugh at me, that I frantically I secretly exchanged those two swords, killed his mouth, and wholeheartedly longed to be your concubine and live a good life. God! What am I still doing alive? I misidentified you as a human-faced animal and committed a crime. A sinful sin..." She grabbed Lao Songfu's collar like crazy, crying and cursing, panting.Di Gong nodded, and motioned with flying eyes, two yamen servants stepped forward quickly, escorted Miss Bao back out of the hall.While struggling, Miss Bao cried out in a shrill, piercing voice. When the Baos woke up from the dream, they couldn't help crying and hugging their heads, almost fainting on the ground. Di Gong patted the gavel wood: "After dawn, the wooden hall will listen to Miss Bao's confession, confirm the case, and prepare documents to submit to the superior. Although Lao Songfu and Wu Dachong are not criminals, they are immoral and behaved Forget it, the etiquette and law cannot be tolerated, and I will be sentenced to a year of hard labor in the town army camp to get rid of bad habits and return to good." The four yamen servants agreed to come forward, and detained Lao Songfu and Wu Dachong separately to retreat from the hall. There was a long period of silence in the lobby, only the sobbing and sobbing of Bao Shilang and his wife could be heard slightly. Duke Di silently looked at the poor couple kneeling in the hall—they lost their son and daughter in one day, and the pain in their hearts can be imagined.He comforted them with good words, and finally said: "The sky will soon be dawn, the night and the nightmare are over, you should raise your heads and bravely walk towards a new life." The Baos stood up unsteadily, wiped away their tears, and walked down the courtroom with heavy steps. Behind the dark clouds in the sky, the bright moonlight is faintly shining.