I am imprisoned in Kaifeng Mansion

"A man and a woman who have an adulterer will each be imprisoned for one and a half years, and those who have a husband will be imprisoned for two years." Cui Tao and the Song family recounted the punishment for adultery in the "Song Xingtong".

Song was still puzzled, what does this punishment have to do with Widow Sun not being able to see officials at all?

"Let's look at the whole matter, who is not relentless to the widow grandson, and must be dealt with if she is noisy? Zhang Ergou's wife. Even if her husband has committed adultery with others, it is both at fault, but she raised the issue Conditions, asking Widow Sun to pay compensation, how much money and how many acres of land, she clearly mentioned it with a single word, obviously she had planned it long ago."

Song Shi nodded, agreeing with Cui Tao's statement.

"It's not uncommon. There are countless people in the world who are short-sighted when they see things, and take advantage of the opportunity to threaten them for profit. Normally, we may meet one as soon as we open our eyes." When Cui Tao judged here, his eyes just turned Song.

Song: "..."

She always felt that Cui Tao was mocking her again, but she had no proof.

"To deal with people like Zhang Ergou's wife, not only will she not be able to enjoy the sweetness, but she will also suffer. Let her know that it hurts and dare not open her mouth, and the matter will naturally be resolved. In fact, there is one less shrew to make trouble, and the matter will be overturned." If you don’t get up, there won’t be so many people watching the excitement, and there will be a lot of discussion.” Cui Tao continued to explain.

It was only then that Mrs. Song suddenly realized why Cui Tao had to go out of her way to mention the law dealing with adultery just now.

If the crime of adultery is reported to the official, both men and women must be dealt with together.In other words, Zhang Ergou will also be punished and will be imprisoned for one and a half years.

Cui Tao: "People in the village need the hard work of men most in farming, and the men who come out of prison will not show face to their parents, and may even delay their children's marriage. With the calculation of Zhang Ergou's wife , would you really dare to throw your husband into prison?"

Song Shi nodded again and again, agreeing that what Cui Tao said was reasonable.

"On the contrary, Widow Sun insisted on reporting to the police, which might prove her innocence? If Zhang Ergou's wife didn't want her husband to go to jail, she had to defend him. Then Wuyou who didn't dare to speak for Widow Sun at that time The Taoist priest will also stand up at that time and explain what he witnessed."

The reason why Daoist Wuyou couldn't speak out at that time and was stopped by his mother was because his mother was afraid that he would offend Ergou's wife by telling the truth.If it is not the case of offending Zhang Ergou's wife, but is helping, then naturally dare to say it.

Song couldn't help but feel that Cui Tao's method is wonderful, she never thought of this solution to the problem, but simply frightening the other party with the words of reporting to the official, can resolve the crisis that originally killed the widow grandson.

"Isn't life and death just a matter of thought? If Widow Sun could have thought of this way at that time, it wouldn't be such a pity to die."

Cui Tao agreed, and said with emotion: "How many people can calmly deal with things when they encounter troubles? It's not about themselves, and they are held high; if the things are about themselves, they are in a hurry. Especially when a person is forced to When people misunderstand and slander, they are even more angry. How can there be so many smart ideas in their minds.

If there hadn't been the aggressive wife of Zhang Ergou, things wouldn't have ended in such a tragic end.Therefore, it is better to be a good person, to keep virtue in your mouth is to be kind, and it will last for a long time, no one can say for sure. "

Song looked back at Cui Tao cautiously, always feeling that there was something in her words, so this time she did not respond to Cui Tao again.

At this time, He An added some fruit snacks and steamed cheese with cherry sauce.

Cui Tao smiled and asked Mrs. Song to taste it, telling her that the taste of this steamed cheese was not found anywhere else, and it was the most rare.

Mrs. Song tasted it as she said, and it was ice-cold in the mouth, full of milky taste, and the sweet and sour fruity aroma of cherry sauce was the most fascinating.If it is said that the season when the cherries came down, the cook in her house had made cherry sauce, but the taste was not as good as this one, it must be that the cherries are different.These cherries are rare and hard to come by, and they are carefully selected. I think this bowl of steamed cheese with cherry sauce will not be cheap.

In front of the cheese bowl was a plate of walnut crisps, cube-shaped, one bite at a time, and it tasted clean and neat.Mrs. Song just took a piece and put it in her mouth. The salsa was soft and had a salty and sweet taste. It was just right to eat with cheese, dry and thin.

Cui Tao also ate two pieces of snacks, and when Mrs. Song stopped, she also stopped.

Mrs. Song saw that her dining etiquette was proper, but she still had to say what should be said, otherwise she would have met Cui Tao in vain today.

"We've talked so much, I won't be polite to you now."

When Cui Tao heard that the topic was coming, she smiled and nodded to Mrs. Song, asking her to go ahead.

"It is reasonable to say that you have experienced ups and downs in the past, and I shouldn't take it as an issue, but—"

"Understood." When Song's tone was hesitant, Cui Tao immediately nodded her head to show her attitude, "My past, in the eyes of any family of scholars and poets, is unjustifiable, and it is a matter of losing face."

Song was surprised, she didn't expect Cui Tao to be so sensible.

Just now when Cui Tao was telling the story of Widow Sun, she clearly carried a gun with a stick, as if she was 'training' her.Song originally thought that when she had a serious talk with Cui Tao, Cui Tao would make some good remarks to ridicule her.Unexpectedly, she spoke frankly and frankly.

Earlier, Mrs. Song held back her energy and didn't want to admit that she liked Cui Tao's temperament, but at this point, she really had to admit that she really liked this girl's temperament a little bit, and she understood why Han Qi would treat her like that. like infatuation.This kind of strange woman is indeed attractive, and it is very easy to arouse the interest of smart men.

"Now you work in the yamen, not only show your face in public, often go to forbidden places, but also do autopsies, touch those corpses with your hands—"

"Understood." Cui Tao continued to nod in agreement, expressing her meaning for Mrs. Song, "An autopsy is a job that outsiders regard as unlucky and taboo. It is unbearable for any family of scholars and poets."

Song looked at Cui Tao even more surprised, she really spoke out what was in her heart.Originally, Song was afraid that Cui Tao might have other meanings when she said this, but Cui Tao was sincere no matter his tone or demeanor, which made her dispel her doubts in this regard.She shouldn't be like Han Qi who "suppresses her desires first and raises them first".

"Good boy, you are the most sensible, but I like it very much." Song said that if she was lucky enough, she would like Cui Tao to be her goddaughter.

When Cui Tao heard that Mrs. Song liked her, she immediately put on an exaggerated look of surprise, and asked if it was true.

Song nodded, indicating that it was true.

"If you really like it—" Cui Tao stretched out her white and tender hands in front of Mrs. Song, "Would you like to hold hands with me? Although I just went to the mortuary to examine a female corpse this morning, I have washed my hands before." , specially washed with water soaked in wormwood and pomelo leaves, except for bad luck."

Song's face suddenly became embarrassed. Seeing that Cui Tao's outstretched hands wanted to dodge, but he couldn't make an exaggerated dodge posture, his whole body looked very awkward and stiff.

Cui Tao chuckled lightly, with a smile in Crescent Moon's crooked eyes.But when her eyes swept over Song Shi, Song Shi suddenly felt extremely embarrassed, as if all the ugliness in her heart had been seen through by Cui Tao's eyes.

Cui Tao raised her hands for a while, and then retracted them, but the smile on her face did not fade.Immediately, her slender and delicate hand landed next to the teacup, and she took a sip of the tea, calm and calm, not at all embarrassed by Mrs. Song's reaction just now.

Song shi lost most of her aura, at this moment she absolutely did not dare to underestimate Cui Tao.In terms of calmness, Han Qi is not as good as Cui Tao. Cui Tao is better at numbing the opponent with a kind expression, and she was paralyzed just now.This is the real smiling tiger, killing people invisible.

"My lady's intentions for coming here, I have already guessed seven or eight from the time I read the letter."

Song: "..."

Where is the seven or eight, I guessed it right [-]% of the time!

"I understand, understand, and even agree with the eldest lady's thoughts." Cui Tao continued.

Song raised her eyebrows and looked at Cui Tao cautiously, full of precautions.She found out that Han Qi and Cui Tao are very consistent in giving people 'surprises', and they are better than each other.

"But what does this matter have to do with me?" Cui Tao really lived up to Song's 'vigilance', changed the subject, and started to annoy people.

At this point, Cui Tao saw that Mrs. Song was staring at her and had something to say, so she smiled innocently at Mrs. Song, then picked up an almond cake and put it in her mouth, and tasted it leisurely.

Song: "Is it true that he wants to be engaged to you? If true, Zensheng has nothing to do with you?"

"Officer Han's intention to get engaged to me is indeed related to me. But the matter of the eldest lady has nothing to do with me." Cui Tao happened to eat an almond cake in the middle of Song's conversation, and continued to speak. Delay, "It was he who asked for marriage, but if he didn't ask for it, what happened after that?"

Cui Tao's implication is that if you want to take care of this matter, you should take care of your sixth brother first. It is your sixth brother who is rushing to marry me.

Song was stunned for a moment, unable to react for a while.This girl actually directly pushed everything to her family, Liu Lang!It seems that she doesn't want to marry, is it because her family Liu Lang is rushing to beg?

"It seems that the eldest lady and Han Tuiguan haven't had a good chat for a long time." Cui Tao came to such a conclusion based on Song's reaction.

When Song Shi heard this, she was even more angry and vomited blood.This Cui Tao was obviously mocking her for not understanding Han Qi's situation, and was completely unaware of the fact that Han Qi was rushing to marry her.

Originally, at the beginning, Song felt that she was standing in a high position to pick Cui Tao, so she felt that no matter how harsh her words were, Cui Tao would accept it out of etiquette.But now the situation is completely reversed. At first, when she first met Cui Tao, she was not successful in establishing her prestige, and now she is even more humble.He said he despises other people's post-mortem work, but his brother is eager to marry, and he may not be happy!

In the end, Mrs. Song said goodbye with a trembling body. Fortunately, she ate a full meal and her feet were strong, otherwise she might have a weak foot and fall down when she was going downstairs.

Followers go first and pay at the counter.

Si Bo He An immediately said: "A total of thirty pens and 780 taels."

Mrs. Song's eyes widened in surprise when she heard the price, but she still kept her dignified face, and she definitely couldn't lose her manners in front of everyone.

The attendant was shocked, "Thirty sticks? So expensive? Are you cooking vegetables or gold?"

Song expected that Bianjing was not as small as Quanzhou, and that the Eight Immortals Restaurant was one of the best in Bianjing, so the dishes might be a little more expensive, but she thought that those dishes cost ten guan, but she didn't expect that it was two yuan more than she expected. More than double.

"Guest officer, you can't say that. If we were to make gold, how could we get this price? It must be more expensive."

He An complied with a smile, and then explained how expensive the dishes were.By the way, I mentioned the steamed cheese with cherry sauce. The goat milk used in the steamed cheese comes from colostrum, which is the thickest and most mellow. The cherry sauce is specially ordered from Hu Sanniang’s house in the south. Her cherries are big and round. The taste is the most authentic, and the cherry sauce made is better than all others.How much would it cost to transport cherry jam from the south alone?Not to mention that this rare cherry sauce is precious because it is rare.

At this time, a well-dressed guest happened to pass by, and when He An explained it to someone, he couldn't help laughing: "Yo, I sent someone to order steamed cheese with cherry sauce from your house yesterday, and they said no, even if I paid five times the price. Why did you sell it to such a stingy family today?"

He An, as the waiter in the restaurant, he must be thoughtful and comprehensive, and he must not embarrass any guests.He An hurriedly smoothed things over and said that he was not being stingy, because the guest was from out of town and did not understand the situation, so it was appropriate to explain.After coaxing the guest away, he smiled again and wanted to continue explaining to Mrs. Song and the others.

Mrs. Song didn't want to lose her position in front of outsiders, so she just ordered her followers to pay.Besides, when she tasted the steamed cheese with cherry sauce, she realized that it was indeed not cheap.The same is true for the dishes I ate before. Since they are extremely delicious, they must have been painstakingly cooked.

At this time, another servant came and said to He An: "The shopkeeper said, since it is Mrs. Cui's distinguished guest, there is no need to settle this account."

He An agreed and sent Song and the others away with a busy smile.

Song didn't expect that Cui Tao's face in the restaurant would be so big, and thirty pennies is not a small amount, so that the shopkeeper of the restaurant said it would be waived?Song Shi came out and asked He An why.

"Miss Cui is amazing, our Eight Immortals Building today depends on her suggestions." After He An said, he didn't stay any longer, and after saluting with Mrs. Song and others, he returned first.

Song was stunned for a moment before getting into the carriage.

Cui Tao watched Song's carriage go away from the window, and told Wang Siniang and Ping'er that they don't have to pretend.

"Oh, I'm so exhausted. I've been standing there for a long time, shrinking my neck and bowing my head!" Wang Siniang shook her neck, turned her arms twice, and then sighed, "That's why the boss is so powerful. A few words can make a difference. If something happened to me, I would probably only get punched."

"I'll probably cry all the time, it's too bullying." Ping'er followed up.

Both of them expressed that they were hungry, and just now watching Cui Tao and Song Shi eat, they were so hungry.The two unanimously begged Cui Tao to reward them.

"Any order." Cui Tao let the two of them eat to their heart's content, and she went back to Kaifeng mansion first.

Originally, Cui Tao went back to Kaifeng Mansion to find Han Qi, and informed him about the Song family's coming to find her, but before she could find her, Han Zong stopped her halfway, saying that another body was found in Dayu Lane.

The ghost house in Dayu Lane is one of the crime scenes of the previous eye-gouging case in the ghost house.This case has just been concluded, and someone died again, which is shocking to hear.

Cui Tao immediately took the autopsy tools and arrived at the scene with Han Zong and others.

The deceased was an old man in his sixties, with gray temples, and he fell in the middle of the road in front of the main gate of the haunted house.The time of death was less than an hour. There was no sign of a struggle at the scene, and the body did not have any wounds. The most obvious feature was that the lips were purple, and a basket of vegetables was spilled on the ground next to the body.

Li Yuan went to ask the vendors on Xitou Street of the alley. Someone saw the old man enter the alley with a vegetable basket half an hour ago. At that time, there was anything unusual about the old man, and no one was seen following the old man.

"This alley is well known. There are no people in the alley during the day, and the residents have all gone out to work. Today, a resident happened to ask for leave because of a stomachache. He woke up feeling hungry and wanted to go out to buy food. He found the old man lying on the road. It's gone." Li Yuan told how the body was found.

Cui Tao asked the resident who reported the case, Ye Sanlang: "Did you ever hear any abnormal noise when you were sleeping?"

Ye Sanlang shook his head, "I didn't hear any special noises. The villain sleeps heavily and can't be shaken by thunder. But last night before going to bed, everyone heard ghosts screaming!"

"Ghost call?" Cui Tao asked in confirmation.

"Yes, it's the ghost screaming. We all heard it. We were so scared that we didn't dare to turn off the oil lamps. We slept with the lamps on last night." When Ye Sanlang mentioned this, he was still a little scared.

"What kind of ghost is called?"

"It's the ghost screams that often come out of the haunted house. We are all afraid. If it weren't for the lack of money and the poverty, who would live in this alley. Fortunately, many of us live in the same room. Here, there are many people who are masculine and strong, so they are not hurt by ghosts."

Not long after Ye Sanlang finished speaking, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew.

Woo-woo-go-die-

Ye Sanlang trembled in fright, and quickly hid behind Li Yuan.

"Guiguigui... There's another ghost screaming!" Ye Sanlang looked at the source of the sound - the ghost house in fear, and shouted tremblingly while holding Li Yuan's sleeve.

Cui Tao looked at the haunted house, and she naturally heard a sound that sounded like someone crying and cursing.

After a while, the wind stopped and so did the sound.

Cui Tao looked up at the clouds in the sky, dark clouds were drifting over, and it felt like the sky was about to change.

Then the cold wind blew again, and there was another shrill sound of 'Wooooo die' in the haunted house.

Cui Tao glanced at the death of the old man on the ground, then asked Li Yuan, Li Cai and the others if they remembered the wind blowing half an hour ago.

Li Yuan recalled it carefully, and immediately told Cui Tao that there was indeed a strong wind.

"I remember very clearly that about half an hour ago, I was feeding fodder in the stable when a gust of wind suddenly blew the shredded grass in the stable flying all over the sky, blinding my eyes."

Li Cai and others followed suit, and they also remembered that there was indeed a strong wind half an hour ago.

Then the identity of the victim was confirmed. His surname was Yu. Everyone called him Old Man Yu. He had two sons under his knees. They both married and lived together.Old man Yu has a good temper and is very friendly with his neighbors. He has no conflicts with his two sons and daughter-in-law. It can be said that he is a good old man and has never offended anyone.

Old man Yu is also very diligent, and is responsible for buying and cooking for the family every day.

Before the old man Yu was killed, he walked from the west end of the alley to the east end. There are many vegetable sellers on the street connected to the west end of Dayu Alley, and the prices are relatively cheap.Old man Yu often came here to buy groceries, and today he seemed to be finishing his groceries, and wanted to take a shortcut to go home, so he took the Big Rain Lane.

This point was basically confirmed when I asked the old man's family.Old man Yu would go out to buy vegetables every day, and then go home to cook.I went out a little late today because I was busy with other things at home.

Usually, after Old Man Yu sells vegetables, he will take a detour to go home instead of taking the heavy rain alley.The elderly believe in the theory of strange powers and chaotic spirits very much, so they don't leave because they are taboo that there is a haunted house in Dayu Lane.

Today, presumably, the old man Yu was in a hurry to go home and cook, so he took a shortcut in his anxiety.

"The cause of death is almost certain, he died of fright." Cui Tao sighed.

This is a conclusion drawn from a comprehensive assessment based on the characteristics of the corpse and the investigation of the deceased's condition before his death.

"In other words, he was probably scared to death by the sound of the haunted house." Cui Tao then asked the old man's two sons if the old man had chest tightness in his life.

The two sons nodded in amazement, feeling that this was indeed the case.

Old man Yu is most afraid of ghosts, and his heart condition is not good. After being frightened, he panicked too much, which may have caused sudden cardiac death.Often the cadavers of cardiac and suffocation-related deaths have purple lips.

"Unexpectedly, this haunted house is also haunted in broad daylight!" Li Cai was a little scared, and blindly asked Cui Tao if he had a talisman to keep him safe.

At this time, a strong east wind blew, and the sound of humming sounded, almost resounding throughout the entire Dayu Lane.

Li Cai shivered in fright, and hurried behind Cui Tao.

"Ghost, ghost, here it is again! It must be because the victim who died unjustly in the eye-gouging case was too miserable and too hostile, so she turned into a fearless ghost, which even appeared during the day!" Ye Sanlang exclaimed again.

Han Zong was confused by Ye Sanlang's battle, and he was also a little scared, mainly because everyone heard the ghost screams, one after another.

"It seems that Taoist Wuyou's spells are not very good. I know a master ghost catcher, so I invited him to perform deeds and completely purify this haunted house!"

"It's a good thing to do! It's best to catch two ghosts and show me!" Cui Tao was a little excited, and immediately agreed, "But this sound is not a ghost, telling people to split the house. If the seam on the east wall is blocked, there will be no sound."

Everyone was still a little unresponsive.

Cui Tao asked Ye Sanlang to think about it carefully, whether every time the wind blows, especially when the east wind blows, the ghost screams come from the haunted house.

After Ye Sanlang seriously recalled it, he suddenly clapped his hands and realized, "It's really true, the ghost screaming that we are afraid of is actually just the wind?"

"That's right, sometimes when the wind blows and the windows are not closed tightly, there will be some sounds. Here in the haunted house, it is probably because of the special situation of the cracks in the wall that it forms a different sound. But it happens that it sounds human at first glance. Because it is a haunted house, it is easier for everyone to think about it."

Cui Tao sighed again, but she didn't expect to lose a life because of this reason.

The case was settled on the spot, and the rest of the finishing work can be done by Li Yuan and others.

Wang Siniang and Ping'er came running out of breath, one on the left and the other on the right, holding Cui Tao's left and right arms mysteriously, telling Cui Tao what they saw just now.

"We saw Zhang Susu and Judge Wang together, they are holding hands!"

Judge Wang?That Judge Wang in Kaifeng Mansion who always asks for sick leave?