When Xiaozhuang and Constable Li met and told each other what they already knew, they came to a rough conclusion.

On the day Hu Qiang got into trouble, he said that something good would happen in the evening, and this good thing might be related to Su Wei. Before meeting Su Wei, Xiao Zhuang didn't believe it, but after meeting her in person, Xiao Zhuang thought that Su Wei's appearance could definitely make a man who was obsessed with alcohol and sex lose his mind.

Therefore, it is very likely that Su Wei made an appointment with Hu Qiang that night, and then Chen Yan knocked Hu Qiang unconscious, stripped him naked and threw him in Old Man Chen's house, wanting to teach him a lesson.

But after Chen Yan left, Xu Can, who had always had a grudge against Hu Qiang and wanted to avenge his sister, appeared and effortlessly killed Hu Qiang and threw his body into the well...

Both of them believed that this inference was fact.

But the difficulty lies in the fact that there is no evidence.

Old man Chen's house has been completely destroyed, leaving no clues.

As for the well water, Xiaozhuang suspected that the body had been tied to rocks or something, which was why it hadn't been found. Plus, it was winter and the weather was cold, so it hadn't decomposed too badly...

But no trace was left.

The testimony of the only eyewitness, Wang Ming, may not be credible. As Chen Yan said now, Wang Ming could see him go out, so he could also say that he saw Wang Ming go out to kill people.

Frankly speaking, there is no evidence.

Therefore, Xiaozhuang suddenly spoke in order to trick Chen Yan.

An ordinary person would have panicked and revealed their true identity, but who was Chen Yan? His mental fortitude was stronger than a city wall. He simply looked at Xiao Zhuang calmly and said, "Catch whoever said that. I know nothing."

After saying that, he continued to dig the ground and plant vegetable seedlings.

Su Wei also noticed it and said with a forced smile, "Detective Li, it's not okay to use public power to settle personal grudges."

She then said to Xiaozhuang, "It's not okay to help the tyrant."

The two constables were furious.

So the two decided to start with Xu Can, and Chen Yan went to Xu's house after listening to Su Wei's words.

Xu Lan's tomb is in a dark and damp place. It rained before and the place was flooded. The loose soil underground collapsed again, and Xu Lan's bones disappeared. When the rain receded, there was nothing left.

So there was a rumor that Xu Lan turned into a ghost to seek revenge.

When Xiaozhuang and Constable Li arrived, Xu Can was burning paper. He was thin and small, with a pair of eyes that were a little scary, but he still smiled at the two constables.

"Are you two officials here to see my sister? She would be very happy if she knew. No one cared about her when she was alive, and she was an eyesore after she died. Now that her body is gone, it's surprising that someone still cares about her."

This was not right. Constable Li hated people who were so sarcastic, so he said gloomily, "Chen Yan has said everything. You'd better tell the truth too. How did you kill Hu Qiang?"

Xu Can watched them throw the burning paper into the brazier one by one.

"Are you two officials going to use me as a scapegoat because you can't solve the case?" He laughed. "That's right. Everyone in the village has a family. In my family, my sister is dead and my grandfather is old. Even if they drag me out to take the blame, no one will say anything."

He stood up and walked calmly to Constable Li and Xiaozhuang.

"When will you take me to the government office?"

The casual posture is as if asking, when will we eat?

Constable Li frowned. He felt that Xu Can and Shen Yan were both unscrupulous and helpless.

Xiaozhuang frowned: "We don't mean that."

"Oh..." Xu Can didn't ask anything and went back to burn paper.

Constable Li looked at Xu Can with a gloomy face, then turned to Xiao Zhuang and said, "Take him back to the yamen and torture him severely. If you don't believe him, he won't tell you."

Xiaozhuang also looked at Xu Can. He thought that he might be the murderer, and maybe he and Shen Yan had done it together...

But... there is no evidence.

Torture was common in the Great Xia Dynasty, but Xu Can was only twelve or thirteen years old, and Old Man Xu was in his eighties. If he tortured them and forced the old and weak to confess, would the county magistrate's reputation be ruined?

To take a step back, even if they confessed, who would believe it if it was obtained through torture?

Unless there is irrefutable evidence in this case, there is no solution.

Constable Li didn't think as much as Xiaozhuang thought.

He was eager to catch Chen Yan. He believed that no one could withstand the torture in the yamen. He just wanted to take Xu Can there and scare him. He didn't believe that a teenager would dare not tell the truth.

"Since you don't want to tell us, just come with us to the yamen and tell us." Constable Li walked forward viciously and wanted to take Xu Can away.

Xiaozhuang stopped him: "Captain Li, you can't..."

Constable Li relied on his seniority and did not take Xiaozhuang seriously at all. Although Xiaozhuang was sent in by the county magistrate, the county magistrate's surname was Fang, and he never asked any questions about Xiaozhuang after sending him in. He told his lawyer privately that he thought Xiaozhuang was just a distant relative of the county magistrate, and every family has a few poor relatives.

"I have my own way." Constable Li pushed Xiaozhuang aside and whispered, "Just scare him. When we catch the murderer and prove ourselves meritorious, you'll also be able to earn respect in front of the county magistrate."

Xiaozhuang still felt that it was inappropriate, but Constable Li insisted on doing so.

The peach blossoms at Shilipu are in full bloom.

Chen Yan delivered the cakes to the temple and came back to work with Su Wei. Su Wei even murmured curiously, "Mother Zhao is here again today."

She looked gossipy, and Chen Yan asked, "Did you really see it clearly that day?"

"Absolutely true." Su Wei said, "That Master Deming is probably not a serious person either."

Chen Yan smiled.

Su Wei was stunned for a moment. She rarely saw Chen Yan smile, so she pointed at him and said, "Look how beautiful you are when you smile. Don't keep such a stern face in the future. You're scaring away all the customers."

Chen Yan withdrew a smile.

And I regretted laughing just now.

The two of them were busy until noon and all the cakes were sold out.

The weather is very sunny and the sunlight is glaring, making people feel irritable.

Su Wei took out the kettle and drank some water, but Xiao Wu was nowhere to be found.

"Maybe he was delayed by something." Chen Yan packed up his things and prepared to go to the foot of the mountain to find a shady place to wait for Xiaowu.

But no matter how long I waited, Xiaowu didn't come.

Now Su Wei was a little worried.

"Is there really anything wrong?"

Just as Chen Yan was about to get up to inquire, Xiao Wu came back in a hurry, his face full of anxiety and sweat dripping down his cheeks.

Chen Yan frowned: "What's wrong?"

Xiao Wu said, "Xu Can from our village...was arrested by Constable Li and taken to the government office."

"What?" Chen Yan stood up.