Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 183 Such a layout
Inside Ping'an Inn.

Steward Cui was pouring tea for his young master. He asked in a puzzled tone, "Young master, are you sure that Zhou Xiancai was the one who poisoned you?"

Cui Mingyuan took a sip of tea and said calmly, "This kind of mediocre person has no great wisdom, but is full of small tricks. If you give him a little hint, he will become smart and self-righteous."

Steward Cui was shocked. The young master's grasp of people's hearts was like that of an emperor. The young master had the potential to be an emperor, but it was a pity that he fell in love with someone he shouldn't have. Otherwise, with the young master's ability, there would be no worries about not achieving great things. Among the princes in the court, who could compare to the young master? Except for the eldest princess, who had some ability.

"I don't understand, since there is no possibility between Ye Aniu and the princess, why does the young master still want it?" When Butler Cui saw Cui Mingyuan finished his tea, he hurriedly poured more tea.

Cui Mingyuan seemed to be in a good mood and was particularly willing to explain today.

"That Ye Aniu is a talented person. He will go to Beijing to take the imperial examination."

After a pause, Cui Mingyuan continued, "When do you think a person is most grateful to another person?"

When? Butler Cui was stunned. It was naturally when he was in the most difficult time that he suddenly received help from another person. It was like a timely help in a difficult situation.

Hiss. Thinking of this, Butler Cui finally understood that the young master was preparing to win over Ye Aniu in the future. This was a precautionary measure.

"I see." Steward Cui nodded and said, "Sir, what if Ye Aniu can't escape?"

"That only proves that he's not the person I'm looking for. He's not worth winning over. His death is not a pity." Cui Mingyuan said calmly, "If he's smart, he'll definitely be able to find the loophole I left for him."

"Besides," he continued in a sudden, cold tone, "that Zhou Xiancai has offended the princess and will undoubtedly die."

Butler Cui's hair stood on end. It was too terrifying. If they didn't have a little bit of wisdom, this family would have disappeared without a trace. Who would have known that this seemingly ordinary murder case was actually controlled by someone silently behind the scenes?

Then Cui Mingyuan said in a relaxed tone: "Let's go! Let's go to the county government office to see what's going on."

the other side.

Ren Youlan and his family of three were taken to the lobby of the county government office by yamen runners. Mr. Ren looked pale and beads of sweat were oozing from his forehead.

Mrs. Ren lowered her head, her eyes slightly red, obviously she had been crying.

The county magistrate sat high in the hall, holding a case file in his hand. He said in a deep voice, "Who is here? Tell me your name!"

Master Ren quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said in a trembling voice, "My Lord, I am Ren Dafu from the Ren Family Tofu Shop."

"This is my wife and my daughter Ren Youlan."

The county magistrate snorted coldly, slammed the case file on the desk, and said sternly, "Ren Dafu, someone died of poisoning after eating your tofu today. Do you have anything to say?"

When Master Ren heard this, he panicked and waved his hand quickly, saying, "County Magistrate, please understand! The tofu I made is always clean."

The county magistrate narrowed his eyes and spoke in a harsher tone, "Clean? Then why is it that your tofu has the problem?"

Mr. Ren was speechless for a moment. How could this be explained?

Seeing this, Aunt Ren couldn't help but cry out in injustice: "County Magistrate, my family are all honest people, and we usually treat others kindly."

"This tofu shop has been open for over a decade, and our neighbors all trust us. How could we do something so outrageous? Please, County Magistrate, clear our name!"

The county magistrate frowned, turned to look at the legal advisor beside him, and asked in a low voice, "What are the results of the coroner's autopsy?"

The lawyer stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, Li Dahu was poisoned by arsenic, and that piece of tofu contained arsenic."

The county magistrate nodded, then turned his gaze to Ren Dafu again and said sternly, "What else do you have to say?"

Mr. Ren was so anxious that he stamped his feet and cried out in injustice, "County Magistrate, I really didn't poison you!"

The county magistrate raised his eyebrows and said sternly, "It seems you won't cry until you see the coffin! Come, punish me severely."

"Wait." At this moment, a hurried voice came. It was Ye Aniu who arrived.

"Whoever dares to roar in the court, bring him here." The county magistrate said calmly.

Soon, Ye Aniu was brought up.

"Who are you?" the county magistrate asked calmly.

"Sir, I am Ye Aniu." Ye Aniu bowed and said, "I have a few words to say."

"Say it!"

Ye Aniu began to speak: "Sir, what was Ren Dafu's motive for killing people? There was no grudge or hatred, so why did he kill people?"

"Well, maybe they had a private quarrel?" the county magistrate said vaguely.

Ye Aniu nodded, agreeing with this statement, and then continued, "Li Dahu did die from eating Ren's tofu, but that doesn't mean the Ren family poisoned him. Has your Excellency investigated whether the tofu was also poisoned when it was bought back?"

"Well, I'm investigating this and will have a conclusion soon." Zhang Zhiwei answered vaguely again.

Ye Aniu nodded and continued, "Also, there's the arsenic poisoning in Li Dahu. Arsenic needs to be strictly registered. Did you go around and ask who else bought arsenic?"

"Uh," County Magistrate Zhang Zhiwei was asked again, and hesitantly said, "I am currently investigating."

"Please investigate thoroughly, sir." Ye Aniu bowed and said, "Restore the innocence of the common people."

As soon as Ye Aniu finished speaking, the county government office fell silent.

The county magistrate frowned, waved his hand and had the criminal detained and taken away, saying, "Ye Aniu, you are quite eloquent."

After a pause, the county magistrate continued, "However, I will naturally investigate what you said. I will never wrongly accuse a good person, nor will I let a bad person go."

Ye Aniu was neither humble nor arrogant, and said, "Thank you very much, sir."

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate nodded slightly. He turned around and whispered a few words to the legal advisor beside him. The legal advisor immediately hurried away with several yamen runners.

Seeing that the situation had eased, Master Ren said in a trembling voice, "Your Excellency is very insightful!"

Seeing the sincere expressions of the three members of the Ren family, the county magistrate felt a little shaken. These three people did not look like murderers at all, and they had no motive for killing.

After a moment's silence, he waved his hand and said, "This case is full of doubts. The three members of the Ren family will be detained for the time being while I investigate the truth."

Ye Aniu was not in a hurry and said in a deep voice: "Sir, may I help you investigate this case?"

The county magistrate pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "You are just a commoner, what qualifications do you have to investigate this case?!"

at this time.

Cui Mingyuan walked slowly into the county government office with his steward Cui. He was smiling, as if he were just a bystander who came to watch the fun.

"Mr. County Magistrate, how did the question go?" Cui Mingyuan asked calmly.

When the county magistrate saw Cui Mingyuan arrive, he quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Mr. Cui, what brings you here?"

Cui Mingyuan nodded and said with a smile, "I'd like to sit in on the conversation, is that possible?"

The county magistrate quickly said, "It is my honor."

Cui Mingyuan smiled slightly, his eyes fell on Ye Aniu, and he said lightly: "Brother Ye, we haven't seen each other for a few days since your wedding. I didn't expect to meet you in court today."

Ye Aniu's heart trembled. This guy is helping me? Why would he help me? He remained calm and said, "Thank you, Mr. Cui."

Cui Mingyuan chuckled, said no more, turned around and sat aside, quietly looking at everyone in the hall.

The county magistrate immediately looked bitter. What kind of luck did Ye Aniu have? He had the princess in front of him and the prince of Jingzhao to help him from behind.

Ye Aniu bowed to the county magistrate and said, "Sir, can I go to Li Dahu's house to check it out?"

The county magistrate nodded and said, "Alright, I'll send someone to take you there."

Ye Aniu thanked the county magistrate and hurriedly left the county government office with two yamen runners.

Cui Mingyuan looked at his back, a meaningful smile flashed in his eyes, and he nodded slightly.

Seeing the young master's curious smile, Steward Cui asked in a low voice, "Young master, should we..."

Cui Mingyuan waved his hand and said, "No need, just wait and see what happens."

I have just helped him secretly. If he is a smart person, he will naturally feel it. If he is not a smart person, just think of it as a good deed. There is no need to take it to heart and let him fend for himself.

at the same time.

Ye Aniu has arrived at Li Dahu's home.

Li Dahu's wife, Li, was sitting in the house crying. When she saw the yamen runners and Ye Aniu coming, she quickly stood up to greet them.

Ye Aniu said in a gentle voice: "Madam Li, I am deeply saddened by your loss."

Li wiped her tears and choked up, "Thank you, everyone. My Dahu has always been honest and upright, never had any grudges with anyone, how could he have suffered such a misfortune?"

Ye Aniu nodded and asked, "Madam Li, what else did Li Dahu eat today besides tofu?"

Mrs. Li thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Da Hu went to work in the fields early this morning. When he came back for lunch, he only ate a piece of tofu, saying he bought it from the Ren family's tofu stall. Who would have thought... who would have thought that not long after he ate it, he foamed at the mouth and collapsed to the ground..."

Ye Aniu frowned and continued to ask, "Did Li Dahu buy the tofu himself, or was it given to him by someone else?"

Li shook her head and said, "Da Hu bought it himself."

Ye Aniu nodded and thought to himself.

If Li Dahu bought the tofu himself, then the person who poisoned it might have tampered with it after he bought the tofu.

He continued to ask: "Has anyone come to the house?"

"No." Mrs. Li wiped her tears and cried.

The clue is broken again? Ye Aniu began to think, since there is no way to break through here, go outside and have a look.

the other side.

On the way, Butler Cui was following Cui Mingyuan cautiously.

"Sir, do you think Ye Aniu can really find it?"

Butler Cui was still skeptical. How could such a clue be discovered?

In a yard not far from Li Dahu's house, there is a small attic, where a peasant woman weaves every day.

She was sitting in front of the window weaving, and her sight happened to be facing Li Dahu's door.

In other words, she could easily see Li Dahu's door, but it was difficult for others to notice her.

If it weren't for my young master taking me with him once and telling him the layout personally, I would probably be confused.

Cui Mingyuan said calmly, "When people are driven by the desire to survive, they will push their potential to the limit. I think he should be able to discover it."

"What if that kid finds out that it was the young master's plan?" asked Butler Cui. If he could find out that it was the young master's plan, this guy's wisdom would probably be no less than the young master's.

"Then he must die," Cui Mingyuan said calmly, "A person like this cannot be controlled."

Cui Mingyuan seemed to be in a good mood on the way. He pointed at a beautiful hairpin on the side of the road and said, "Hey, do you think she will like it?"

Butler Cui hurriedly flattered, "Of course she will like it. As long as it's a gift from you, Her Highness will definitely like it." Shaking his head, Cui Mingyuan sighed and said, "You don't have to say nice things. I'm just deceiving myself."

"Pack it up, I'm going to give it to her." Then he slowly walked towards Li Dahu's house: "Let's go! By now, he should have noticed the place, let's go and watch the show."

the other side.

Ye Aniu was observing carefully and walked to the attic wall opposite Li Dahu's house. This was the back of the attic, and he had to go around the wall to get to the front.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
Suddenly, Ye Aniu heard a regular whooshing sound, like the sound of a shuttle.

A loom? Ye Aniu was stunned. Standing under the wall, his vision was obstructed and he couldn't see the attic. He quickly took a few steps back.

"What's wrong with that kid?" the yamen runner who followed said to another yamen runner.

"Whoever finds out, we'll just follow him and report back when the time comes."

"Keep watching!"

Ye Aniu looked up against the sunlight and suddenly found that a window was slightly open, and the direction of the window was facing Li Dahu's door.

There! Ye Aniu was excited. If someone had been weaving there, could he conclude that someone had seen them? If so, there was hope of acquitting himself.

In the pavilion not far away from the front of the attic, Cui Mingyuan was leisurely drinking tea, with Butler Cui standing respectfully beside him.

"Sir, just as you expected, Ye Aniu has appeared at the door of the attic." Butler Cui found Ye Aniu knocking on the door and said in an anxious tone.

Cui Mingyuan smiled calmly, as if everything was under control.

On the other side, Ye Aniu knocked on the door for a long time before someone opened it.

The person who opened the door was a young woman. There was still paint on her hands, and it seemed that she had not had time to wash it off when dyeing.

"Who are you looking for? Hey! Aren't you the son-in-law of Ren's tofu stall?" the young woman asked in confusion. Such a young and handsome guy, alas, is a little younger than my dead husband.

The Ren family is so lucky, but it's a pity that they have to deal with such a thing.

Ye Aniu bowed and said, "Sister."

Then he said, "Sister, I think everyone must know about my father-in-law's affairs."

The young woman was delighted. Such a handsome man called me sister.
She shook her head and sighed softly, "I know that Boss Ren is kindhearted. Seeing that my husband had passed away and I was left alone, he often gave me extra tofu when he bought it."

Ye Aniu bowed again and asked, "Were you the one weaving just now?"

"Yes. Why do you ask this, sir?" the young woman asked in a puzzled tone.

"I want to ask my sister, did you notice anyone passing by Zhang Dahu's house just now?" Ye Aniu asked directly.

"As for me! I weave right in front of his house every day, and I hardly ever see anyone passing by." The young woman said confidently, but then she suddenly whispered, "That's not right."

"What's wrong?" Ye Aniu caught the change in her expression and asked quickly.

The young woman immediately hesitated. She had indeed seen a man, Zhou Xiancai from the Zhou family, who appeared stealthily at the door of Zhang Dahu's house. However, as an orphan and a widow, she was afraid that she could not afford to offend the Zhou family.

So she quickly said in a panic: "Nothing, nothing."

Ye Aniu immediately knew that something must have happened, but this person was very powerful, and she was afraid of offending him, so she didn't dare to say anything.

Seeing her panic, he became even more determined. How could he get her to talk? It seemed he could only use coercion and inducement.

She took a deep breath and made her tone more gentle and sincere: "Sister, don't be afraid. If you know the truth but don't report it, and it leads to a false case, I'm afraid there will be evil spirits coming to take your life."

"Ah?" The young woman showed a frightened expression, biting her lip, her eyes full of hesitation, but still shook her head and said, "Sir, but I really don't know anything."

Ye Aniu looked at her firmly and continued to threaten her, "Sister, if you don't tell me the truth, I will also go to the government to sue you. Then I will tell you that you know the truth."

"By then," Ye Aniu said calmly, "even if sister doesn't tell me, that man won't let her go. Think about it, he even dares to kill people."

The young woman's eyes were evasive and her hands were twisting the corners of her clothes unconsciously. Why am I so unlucky? My husband died and I still have to deal with this.

Seeing that the intimidation was almost enough, Ye Aniu started to offer inducements, striking while the iron was hot. His tone suddenly softened and he said, "If you tell the truth, not only will that person die, but you will also be less of a threat."

Then he took out a hundred taels of silver and said, "I can give this money to my sister. Then she won't have to weave anymore and can live well wherever she goes with her son."

The young woman raised her head, glanced at the banknote, swallowed, and quickly lowered her head, saying in a trembling voice, "That man is powerful. I'm afraid I can't afford to offend him."

Ye Aniu quickly took a step closer and said softly, "Sister, don't worry. As long as this case is proven, this family will never come to harm you again."

The young woman hesitated for a moment, then finally raised her head as if she had made up her mind. She said with a hint of hesitation, "Sir, I can only tell you that I saw Zhou Xiancai come to Zhang Dahu's door and exchanged a few words with him."

Ye Aniu was delighted and quickly said, "Sister, can you tell me more about it?"

The young woman nodded and began to recall the scene: "Today, I was weaving and accidentally looked out the window. I saw Li Dahu and Zhou Xiancai exchanging a few words."

"Then," the young woman thought for a moment and said, "it seems that Li Dahu came in and scooped out a ladle of water for Zhou Xiancai to drink. After he finished drinking, Li Dahu took the ladle back."

"Zhou Xiancai entered the room at this time, but came out very quickly. I don't know what he did specifically."

Ye Aniu listened carefully and asked, "Is there anyone else passing by?"

The young woman thought about it carefully and shook her head: "No, I weave cloth every day, I remember this very clearly."

Ye Aniu bowed and thanked him: "Thank you very much, sister. I will ask you to testify for me when the time comes. When my father-in-law and his family are released, I will present the banknotes with both hands."

After saying that, Ye Aniu turned around and hurried away, returning to the county government office. Although this alone could not directly convict Zhou Xiancai, as long as the record of purchasing arsenic was found, it would be easy to deal with.

the other side.

In the pavilion, Cui Mingyuan was resting with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, he heard his housekeeper Cui whisper a reminder. "Sir, as you expected, Ye Aniu has come out."

Cui Mingyuan opened his eyes faintly and said calmly, "It's faster than I thought."

Then he stood up and said, "Let's go! Let's follow him and go to the county government office with him to join in the fun."

Butler Cui nodded. The young master didn't want power to affect the fun of the game, so he was helping him balance the power!

Inside the county government office.

The lawyer was reporting the situation and listing the people who were found to have bought arsenic.

"Sir, there have been fifteen people who bought arsenic in recent days. After our investigation, we have found that only three of them are missing. They are Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Mazi. Interestingly, all three are neighbors who live next door to each other. Please take a look, sir."

After reading the list, the county magistrate said slowly, "Have these three been taken into custody?"

"He has been taken into custody." The lawyer bowed.

At this moment, a yamen runner suddenly came to report: "My lord, the son-in-law of the Ren family, Ye Aniu, wants to see you. There is also a young man in brocade clothes beside him."

"Splendid clothes?" The county magistrate was stunned and immediately said in a hurried tone, "Quick, please come in, no... I will see you in person."

The county magistrate held his official hat and walked towards the outer hall with quick steps.

Not a moment.

He saw Cui Mingyuan who looked a little impatient and Ye Aniu who looked a little anxious.

"Oh, Master Cui," the county magistrate said, extending his hand hastily. "How could you trouble me so much?"

"Please come in quickly."

Led by the county magistrate, several people passed through the front hall and soon arrived at the back hall.

The county magistrate flatteringly prepared a chair for Cui Mingyuan. After Cui Mingyuan sat down, the housekeeper stood beside him.

"Sir Zhang, how is the investigation into the source of the arsenic going?" Cui Mingyuan said in a light tone, but this tone made the county magistrate Zhang Zhiwei's hair stand on end. Last time, he was slapped ten times just for saying the wrong thing.

"My lord," the magistrate said respectfully, bowing. "In the past month, fifteen people have purchased arsenic. The whereabouts of three of them are unknown. I'm currently investigating. Here's the information. Please review it."

"Bring these three up for questioning." Cui Mingyuan took the information, glanced at it, and said calmly.

"Yes," the county magistrate said flatteringly, bowing. He then turned to the yamen runner and said, "Go and bring those three people up here."

Not a moment.

The three men were brought up immediately. The county magistrate looked at them sternly and said, "You three, answer this young master's questions carefully! If you don't answer well, you'll lose your head."

However, Cui Mingyuan handed the information to Ye Aniu and said calmly, "Mr. Ye, how about you come and ask?"

Butler Cui was stunned. The young master was testing him again!

Ye Aniu was also stunned. Let me do it? Well, let's try it out. He carefully checked the information and found that several of them were neighbors. They saw each other every day. It seemed that the difficulty of breaking the deadlock was much lower.

So he said, "Sir, I would like to question the three of them separately, is that okay?"

"Okay." The county magistrate glanced at Cui Mingyuan and found that he nodded slightly.

After a while, the three men were taken to three rooms with evasive eyes and frightened expressions.

Ye Aniu began to ask questions room by room.

"Zhang San and Li Si said that you sold your arsenic to someone else? Is that true?" Ye Aniu asked sternly.

"Nonsense, Li Si is lying." Zhang San vehemently denied it.

Ye Aniu said nothing and walked into another room.

"Li Si, Wang Mazi said that you sold the poison to someone else, is that right?"

"I didn't do that, I didn't do that. It must have been Wang Mazi who did it, that's why he lied. I saw a lot of rats in his house recently, so he must have sold the medicine to someone else, that's why the rats weren't poisoned to death. I secretly made the medicine to poison the fish." Li Si said in a panic.

Ye Aniu nodded and went to another room.

"Wang Mazi, Zhang San and Li Si both pointed out that you did it. They said you didn't poison the rats, but there were a lot of rats in your house. How do you explain it?" Ye Aniu shouted.

"I didn't. I can guarantee that they were both lying. It was Zhang San. It must have been Zhang San who did it. He borrowed some of the medicine from me, so I didn't poison the rat."

Ye Aniu nodded, understanding.

Then, Ye Aniu returned to Zhang San's room and said calmly, "Confess!"

"I didn't do anything wrong, why should I complain?" Zhang San cried out in injustice.

"Li Si and Wang Mazi both pointed you out. They also said there were a lot of rats in your house and that you borrowed arsenic from Wang Mazi, right?" Ye Aniu shouted, "Tell the truth now, or you'll be suspected of poisoning Li Dahu."

Zhang San was immediately anxious when he heard this. He was just selling medicine, so how could he be involved in a murder case? He quickly explained, "It was the Zhou family's son, Zhou Xiancai, who bought my arsenic, but I don't know what he bought the arsenic for."

Call.
Nodding, Ye Aniu slowly walked out the door.

(End of this chapter)