After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Shen Yi nodded. "I'll row over there by boat and ask. The town magistrate can also send people to inquire in other villages in Moshi Town. This person's features are distinctive, so it shouldn't be difficult to confirm his identity."

"Okay! Go to town if you get any news." Liu Tiechui was quite confident in Shen Yi's abilities.

Shen Yi made this trip just to put on a show. In fact, like Shen Dagou, he was about 70-80% sure about the identity of the corpse.

When he returns from the village, it will surely be nothing.

Shen Ying breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help worrying, "You said this person isn't from here or across the river, so who is he? It looks like he's been dead for more than a day or two, and no one's even questioned him? That's not right!"

Shen Yi comforted her, "Village chief, don't worry. Although the person died in the Daxun River, it's fine as long as they're not from our township. I have to go to town. Could you please go to my house and let Xiaotai know so she won't worry?"

"Yes, yes, just be careful." Shen Ying gave a few instructions and then returned to the village.

Encountering something like this on the very first day of spring in the fields is somewhat unlucky, and the villagers are distracted while working, all trying to figure out the identity of the corpse.

Shen Yi rushed to the Liu family's house.

Liu Tiechui politely invited him in, his gaze now filled with scrutiny. "I've already had someone identify the body, and we're just waiting for his family to come and confirm. Do you know who he is?"

Shen Yi slowly lowered his eyes. "To be honest, I actually have some guesses in my heart. Not only that, but others have also guessed a thing or two, but we just don't dare to say it."

"You guessed it?" Liu Tiechui continued to probe.

Shen Yi replied frankly, "I suspect it's Xiong Kai. The body is missing an arm, which is the right one, just like Xiong Kai's. Also, Xiong Kai had a scar on his face, and the body has one too, but I'm not sure if the scar was from being hit by ice spikes after falling into the water or if it was already there."

"You're quite frank!" Liu Tiechui chuckled and shook his head. "I guessed right, that person is most likely Xiong Kai. Shen Yi, Xiong Kai had a grudge against your family and died in the Daxun River. Aren't you afraid of being implicated?"

Shen Yi stood up straight. "I've done nothing wrong, so what's there to be afraid of? Besides, there's always a motive for murder. My feud with Xiong Kai was settled long ago when he was tried by the authorities. If I really wanted to pursue it, I had plenty of opportunities to do so over the years on the border. Why wait until Xiong Kai returned home and then let him die in the river near Shenjiazhuang? Don't you think that doesn't make sense?"

Liu Tiechui wholeheartedly agreed, "I know your character; you certainly wouldn't do such a thing. It's just that the place where Xiong Kai died was too coincidental. As the town official, I must ask as a matter of routine: besides you, what other enemies did Xiong Kai have?"

Shen Yi thought about it carefully and shook his head helplessly. "I don't know much about this person. If he hadn't provoked my family, I wouldn't have even given him a second glance. If you ask me about his enemies, I can't answer a single one. But I know that there must be quite a few people who hate him. At least his wife and in-laws hate him to the core."

Of course, I heard all this from my parents-in-law; it's all hearsay, and the town official will have to investigate to find out for sure.

Liu Tiechui nodded and told Shen Yi to go back first.

The county officials arrived quickly, and the coroner completed the examination of the body in just half a day.

Shen Yi had only been home for half a day when the officials came knocking on his door.

"Shen Yi, someone has accused you of murdering Xiong Kai. Please come with us." The constable knew that Shen Yi had returned from the battlefield with merits and that his family had an imperial plaque, so his attitude towards him was relatively mild.

Shen Yi was somewhat surprised, but he didn't say anything. He just looked at Su Tai. Before he could speak, Su Tai called Xu Shi over to help take care of the child. "Don't say anything. I'll go with you. I want to see who dares to put the blame on you."

When the group arrived at the county government office.

The magistrate ascended the court.

Su Tai finally saw the culprit.

All that could be seen was Mo Chunxiang, covered in wounds and emaciated, kneeling in the hall, protected by Mo Laotian and Guan Shi, crying pitifully.

When Mo Chunxiang saw Shen Yi and Su Tai, her eyes flashed with intense hatred. "It was them! They're the ones who killed my husband! Waaah! My lord, you must seek justice for my husband!"

"Silence!" The magistrate slammed his gavel, and Mo Chunxiang reluctantly shut her mouth.

The magistrate asked, "Is the person before you Shen Yi from Shen Family Village?"

"I am indeed a humble commoner," Shen Yi replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Because he held a title in the army and had received imperial gifts, the magistrate did not make him kneel. Instead, he gently explained the situation: "The body that was just retrieved from the Daxun River has been identified as Xiong Kai from Ximen Village. Xiong Kai's wife, Mo, insists that you killed her husband. What do you say?"

Shen Yi had been on the battlefield and faced thousands of troops, so he wouldn't say anything about such a small scene.

He calmly retorted, "Sir, where is the evidence? The Mo family accuses me of killing Xiong Kai; there must be evidence."

"Mo, where is your evidence?" the magistrate asked Mo Chunxiang.

Mo Chunxiang trembled with fright, and pitifully lowered her head to cry. She had no evidence whatsoever; she just wanted to take the opportunity to get revenge.

Seeing the magistrate's displeasure, Mo Laotian immediately said, "Your Honor, my son-in-law died in the river at Shenjiazhuang. Isn't that proof enough?"

"Pfft!" Su Tai laughed out of turn, noticing the three members of the Mo family glaring at her unhappily.

She bowed slowly to the magistrate and said gently, "I am Su, the wife of Shen Yi. I couldn't help but laugh just now. Please forgive me, sir."

The magistrate was fairly satisfied with Su Tai's attitude, and reminded her, "In court, do not be frivolous. Su, what do you have to say?"

Su Tai stepped forward and said in a clear voice, "My lord, I want to say that Xiong Kai climbed over my wall and was punished by you. You should still remember this. Later, the court conscripted soldiers, and Xiong Kai was exiled to the border because of his crime. My husband also went to the battlefield. If you want to say that my husband wanted to kill Xiong Kai, he had plenty of opportunities. After all, my husband has some say in the army."

But my husband did nothing. He didn't even pay attention to Xiong Kai after he returned to his hometown. Our two families have never been enemies again. What was my husband's motive for killing him?
For money? Is there any need for that? If I'm not mistaken, the Xiong family should be dirt poor! Jealousy and resentment? A disabled person has nothing to be jealous of in my husband! Think about it, is it reasonable to say that my husband committed murder?
On the contrary, the Mo family is more suspicious! It is said that Xiong Kai's wife is unkind and unfilial, and does not care about her mother-in-law and children. After Xiong Kai returned to his hometown, she hid in her parents' home and did not come out. Later, Xiong Kai asked his relatives to go to her house, arrest her and take her back. She was beaten in front of the whole village. The villagers of Ximen Village can all testify to this.

Mo's parents begged and pleaded with everyone they could think of, but their family had long been disgraced in Ximen Village, and no one was willing to help them. They could only watch their daughter being brutally beaten by Xiong Kai day after day, suffering torment night after night. Who do you think had a stronger motive to kill?
I think these three members of the Mo family are just guilty and trying to shift the blame! (End of Chapter)