boyutpedia Chapter 267: County Office Eating Watermelon
Chapter 267: County Office Eating Watermelon
"Did you all hear that? My master was poisoned! It's Shuxiangju's fault!" The woman's shrill voice made Huanxi's eardrums hurt.
"Shuxiangju poisoned! Murderer! Murderer!"
Huanxi rubbed his ears and said coldly:
"Quiet! The doctor hasn't even taken my pulse yet! You're all so anxious, like they've planned this all along! Are you so eager to frame me? Are you afraid I'll run away? Don't worry! I won't run away!"
Her shout silenced everyone for a moment. Just kidding, she was known for her loud voice. It was just that there wasn't usually a time in the village when she needed to be harsh.
Doctor Shen squatted down and was about to put his hand on Mr. Liu's pulse when the woman pushed him. If Xu Qingzhao had not caught Doctor Shen, the skinny old man would probably have fallen to the ground.
"You, why are you doing this? We must find out what kind of poison it is. Could it be that you poisoned it? Are you scared?" Doctor Shen also raised his voice and questioned the woman.
"You're the doctor they hired! You're in cahoots with each other! I don't believe you! I don't believe you!"
"I am the official physician of the Pang's Escort Agency. If you don't trust me, you can invite all the doctors in town to come for a consultation. If I tell a lie, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"
Xu Qingzhao also understood that this trick was a plot by someone to deal with Shuxiangju.
But who is it...it's most likely Xiang Manlou.
At this time, the government officials also arrived. Two young detectives ran over and shouted at the crowd:
"It's broad daylight! What are you doing? Who reported this to the authorities?"
Huanxi went down the stairs, bowed, and said:
"Yes, I am the shopkeeper of Shuxiangju."
"What happened?"
Huanxi told the whole story. The constable narrowed his eyes and then asked the same question to the woman on the ground. The woman also told him everything.
The constable turned around and said to everyone:
"This is a serious matter! All outsiders, please step back! Everyone else, go to the county government office! Let the county magistrate make the decision!"
He thought it was just a small quarrel between neighbors, but since it had caused a fatality, he should take it to the county government office...
Huanxi ordered people to close the shop, and took the account books with a group of people from his family to the government office. He had just mixed in the crowd and felt that something was wrong and wanted to escape, but was caught by Xu Qingzhao and brought to the court.
Snapped!
"Who is in the hall?"
The yamen runners on both sides also struck the ground with the water and fire sticks in their hands. As they struck, they shouted:
"mighty……"
The people kneeling below did not dare to look up at Magistrate Bu.
"Your Excellency, I am Zhao Huanxi, the owner of Shuxiangju in Dashi Village."
Huanxi took the lead in revealing his identity. County Magistrate Bu was also a semi-acquaintance of his. The calligraphy and paintings he received as a reward for killing the bandits were still kept at his home.
County Magistrate Bu also found the identity of the person in front of him in his mind. He had heard of the name of Shuxiangju a long time ago, and his wife even said that she wanted to go there.
He also said that he would take his family out for a trip when he had a day off, but he didn't expect that the shopkeeper was the woman from Dashi Village.
"What happened? Tell me quickly!"
Huanxi repeated the entire story and took out the appointment book for that day and handed it to the county magistrate.
"Sir, there was no Mr. Liu visiting Shuxiangju that day. Only Mr. Liu's wife and family were there, and they had booked the 'Xiangxi Pavilion,' not the 'Wanfang Pavilion' that this lady mentioned."
County Magistrate Bu frowned after flipping through the account book.
This doesn't seem to be that simple...
"You are Liu Song's wife? What's your name?" he asked coldly.
The woman was so guilty that she dared not look directly at Magistrate Bu. She lowered her head and said tremblingly:
"I...I am Liu Song's wife. My last name is Zhou..."
"What is your relationship with the young lady of the Zhou family who went to Shuxiangju seven days ago? Tell the truth! To avoid physical pain!" The county magistrate shouted coldly.
The woman was so frightened that she immediately began to kowtow and said:
"That...that's my sister...my dear sister..."
The relationship had been revealed, and the county magistrate looked at Liu Song, whose life or death was unknown on the ground.
"Is he alive or dead now?"
Doctor Shen looked up and said:
"Sir, I am a doctor, the official physician of the Pang's Escort Agency. If you trust me, I can examine you."
If someone dies, just call the coroner. If there is a doctor available, it’s okay to take a look.
"I agree."
Doctor Shen finished his examination in a short while and said to the magistrate:
"My Lord, the patient's breathing is stable and his pulse is normal. As for the reason for this, it is because he was poisoned."
"What poison?"
"This poison is Floating Corpse Powder, also known as Breath-Suppressing Powder. And Master Liu was poisoned five days ago, not seven days ago."
By the time he finished speaking, the woman surnamed Zhou was shaking like a sieve, lowering her head and not daring to move.
"Go, call Doctor Liu."
This doctor is from the Pang's Escort Agency, and the daughter of the Pang's Escort Agency is good friends with Zhao Huanxi, so she might stand on her side.
Doctor Liu was the doctor that his family hired to diagnose his pulse, and he brought him from the capital.
After a while, an old man with a white beard came in from the back hall carrying a medicine box. He saluted Magistrate Bu and began to examine the lying Liu Song.
As expected, the conclusion reached was exactly the same as Dr. Shen's. The detoxification was also simple, so Dr. Liu retreated to prepare the antidote.
Magistrate Bu nodded, picked up the gavel beside him and slammed it hard.
He said coldly:
"Zhou! You murdered your husband!"
Zhou was startled and immediately started to defend herself:
"Your Excellency, you are being wronged! It was clearly Shuxiangju that poisoned first. Your Excellency is very persuasive!"
"Ms. Zhou, you won't give up until you see the Yellow River. Seven days ago... it was Liu Song who went to Shuxiangju with your sister, right? Why didn't you go? Is it because you didn't know?"
Zhou's pupils were wide with shock, and she hesitated for a long time without being able to explain what was going on.
The few men who were making a fuss nearby also looked dejected, like eggplants hit by frost.
"Are you guys the Liu family's servants?"
Zhou was speechless at this time and subconsciously looked at one of the men.
"Someone come! Punish him! Beat him with a stick until he talks." He pointed at the man Zhou had just looked at.
Some of the people watching the excitement outside recognized the man's identity as the Liu family's steward.
The bailiff didn't care about that. He grabbed the steward, pressed him to the ground and started torturing him. Immediately, a man's screams were heard in the hall.
"Sir! It's unfair! Sir, it's unfair! It was Madam who ordered me to do it! Sir! Spare my life!"
County Magistrate Bu raised his hand and said:
"Tell me the truth. If you tell me any lies, I will make you suffer all 36 torture instruments in this county government office!"
The housekeeper was beaten with about ten sticks. He was lying on the ground, grimacing in pain, and looking at Zhou with a vicious look.
"Sir...it was Madam's order. Madam discovered the Master's secret meeting with Miss Zhou and wanted to take revenge on the Master, so she poisoned the Master and falsely claimed that it was Shuxiangju who did it..."
"Sir, you are lying! How could I, a woman, get the poison?" Zhou hurriedly defended herself.