HCB Chapter 235 The Instigator
Chapter 235 The Instigator
"Since both of you said that you bought arsenic to poison rats, let me ask you, your arsenic should still be there, right?" County Magistrate He asked again.
Qian Duoduo nodded repeatedly, "It's still there, it's still there. Some are on the floor in the back kitchen, mixed with some small pieces of food to lure the mice. There are also some that haven't been used up, still in my house."
"Come here, send someone to get it." After saying that, he looked at Wu De again, "Wu De, where is the arsenic you bought?"
Wu De shook his head. "The arsenic I bought has been used up. I threw it away after poisoning the rats."
During this period, Zhao Ergou glanced at Wu De from time to time, but every time he saw Wu De, he immediately retracted his gaze, as if he wanted to look but didn't dare to.
At this time, Lin Jingcheng said, "Sir, there is one more thing. About ten days ago, Shopkeeper Wu sent someone to Mingyue Tower, saying that he wanted to buy the milk tea recipe, but I refused."
Shen Wanning had already talked about the alliance model of milk tea before, so he did not make a decision for Shen Wanning, but talked about this model with Wu De. Who knew that Wu De left angrily.
County Magistrate He looked at Wu De. Wu De blushed for a moment, then immediately said angrily, "If you don't want to sell it, then don't sell it. I don't want it anymore! But this doesn't mean that I was the one who poisoned you, right?"
"Wu De, you've used up all the arsenic in just five days. Isn't that unreasonable? And Zhao Ergou, where did the three hundred taels of silver you owed for gambling come from? If you don't tell the truth, I'll torture you!" After saying that, County Magistrate He slammed the gavel again.
"Sir, you have forced me to confess under torture. I refuse to accept the result! Everyone in the county knows that you often go to Mingyue Tower to drink milk tea. So you are biased towards Mingyue Tower. I refuse to accept the result." Zhao Ergou continued.
"Since you won't give up, come, tell Sun Xiang to come."
Sun Xiang is Zhao Ergou's neighbor.
After a while, Sun Xiang came to the classroom. Seeing Sun Xiang, Zhao Ergou was stunned for a moment, "Sun Xiang, what are you doing here?"
Sun Xiang pointed at Zhao Ergou and cursed, "Zhao Ergou, I told you long ago that those who do evil will eventually perish! I saw you throwing paper out that day. This piece of paper is yours, right?"
After saying that, Sun Xiang presented the paper and said, "Sir, this is the paper that Zhao Ergou secretly threw away on the day Zhao Bo died."
Coincidentally, the three drugstore owners were still there. Shopkeeper Yu pointed to the piece of paper and said, "Yes, this is the paper we use to package our arsenic. Because arsenic is highly toxic, the paper we use to package it is different from other paper. Most people may not notice it, but there is a small word "stone" in the upper right corner of the paper that packages the arsenic."
County Magistrate He gave a look, and someone immediately came forward to check and reported, "Your Excellency, there is indeed a word 'stone' in the upper right corner of this paper."
"Shopkeeper Yu, take another look. Who has bought arsenic from your store recently?"
Without even looking through the documents, Shopkeeper Yu immediately pointed at Wu De and said, "It was Wu De, the owner of Jufulou, who went to Caomin's shop to buy arsenic a few days ago."
County Magistrate He slammed the gavel and said, "Wu De, Zhao Ergou, we have witnesses and evidence. What else do you have to say?"
The evidence was overwhelming, and Zhao Ergou knelt on the ground. "I plead guilty, but I am only an accomplice. It was Wu De who instructed me to do this. Wu De is the main culprit. Your Excellency, please understand."
Wu De didn't expect Zhao Ergou to give him out so quickly. He pointed at Zhao Ergou angrily and said, "You..." but he couldn't say anything else.
"Wu De, you hired someone to kill someone, which is a heinous crime. You are now imprisoned and sentenced to ten years in prison. Zhao Ergou, you killed your father with your own hands. You are sentenced to death by beheading and the execution will be carried out immediately!" After saying this, County Magistrate He slammed the gavel again.
Zhao Ergou was still kneeling on the ground, kowtowing, "Sir, please spare my life! Sir, please spare my life! I am only an accomplice, Wu De is the principal offender!"
"Drag him away!" Lord He said sternly. "Mingyue Tower Manager Yang and Second Master Lin are acquitted!"
A bailiff came and grabbed Wu De's arms and tried to drag him away.
Wu De shouted, "He Chaoyang, if you dare to put me in jail, my sister and brother-in-law will never let you go! My brother-in-law is the governor of Fuzhou. You are just a small county magistrate, and you dare to arrest me? My brother-in-law will not let you go!"
County Magistrate He sneered and ignored him. "Drag him away and put him in the largest cell."
The officer knew what it meant as soon as he heard it. It meant being locked up with other prisoners, which would be difficult.
The case was settled, and the onlookers left. County Magistrate He brought them all to the inner hall.
Shen Wanning asked in confusion, "Since Brother He already has evidence, why did you ask me to come back?"
County Magistrate He sighed, his tone filled with worry, "This frame-up isn't just targeting Mingyue Tower. I'm worried they're targeting you!
I've long known that the owner of Jufulou has connections to the governor, and I'm worried they might embarrass you in Fuzhou. I called you back this time to remind you of this. You're about to open a shop in Fuzhou, and the governor is there, so I'm worried about your safety."
After hearing what County Magistrate He said, Lin Jingcheng's frown never relaxed, and he kept looking at Shen Wanning with worry.
Shen Wanning smiled and said, "Brother He, don't worry. Even if the governor doesn't like me, he won't do anything to me."
County Magistrate He was unaware of Yan Hui's taking the account book, but she did know. She had heard that the original owner of the mansion where she was currently living, Qin Sheng, had been promoted by the governor, yet his property had been ransacked. She had a suspicion in her mind, but she had no evidence.
"You need to be more careful about everything. I can only make decisions for you within the limited scope of Qinghe County, but it's difficult to control the situation in Fuzhou."
When he said this, Shen Wanning could tell that County Magistrate He was sincere.
"Thank you, Brother He, for the reminder. I will pay more attention." Shen Wanning smiled and bowed to express her gratitude.
"By the way, there is one more thing. I heard that Jingyou has won the first place and will take the palace examination soon!" County Magistrate He told them the good news again.
Shen Wanning's eyes widened instantly. "Really? That's great! I knew Third Brother could do it. I hope he can pass the palace exam smoothly and get three top honors!"
Lin Jingcheng stood up excitedly, "My third brother really won the first place in the imperial examination, and he won first place again! This is such a great news, I must tell my parents when I get home."
County Magistrate He laughed, "I knew Jingyou could do it. This kid is confident, but he also has the capital."
"Brother He, how could you know this news so early? Brother He, you must be almost aware of the developments in the capital, right?" Shen Wanning joked with a smile.
"That's not the case. Since you and Jingyou call me big brother, I naturally pay attention to his news. I asked the elders in my family to take care of him. As for the news that he won the first place in the imperial examination, it was sent by carrier pigeon. Otherwise, how could the news come so quickly?" County Magistrate He explained.