Chapter 49 Apprehended and Bringed to Justice
In less than half an incense stick's time, Grandpa Dong's eyes regained focus.
"Liu, Liu..."
Hearing the whisper, Gao Shaoguang quickly lowered his head. "What are you trying to say?"
Grandpa Dong seemed to unleash his potential, gripping his arm tightly with both hands, his eyes almost bulging out, his voice hoarse.
"Hah...cough cough cough...Liu...Liu Rong!"
"It's him! He's the murderer!"
Tao Tao knelt on the ground, panting heavily, looking very tired.
Tu Miaoling rushed forward, "Tao'er, are you alright? Are you okay? Did you run into the murderer?"
She forced a smile: "It's alright, but I didn't see Liu Rong."
Upon hearing this, Gao Shaoguang stood up and instructed two men to take Grandpa Dong to the clinic before preparing to arrest Liu Rong.
Just as he was about to leave, he remembered something and turned his head, his gaze falling on the young woman on the ground.
“I see you have an injury on your hand too, go with them.”
Tao Tao looked up at him and said, "I've already seen the doctor. I know a little about Liu Niangzi's case. I'll go to the government office to explain it to the officials later."
Since she said that, he didn't need to say anything more. He turned around and led his men to Liu Rong's house to arrest her.
After they left, she looked down at her trembling hands, a hint of pain in her eyes. She bit her lower lip and tried to move her fingers.
Even the most oblivious Tu Miaoling could tell that she was in great pain.
When did you hurt your hand? Did the wound inside reopen?
"Should we go see a doctor?"
She stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and said, "I'll apply the medicine when I get back."
"I need to go back and apply the medicine first. Do you want to come to the government office with me?"
“If you don’t want to see a doctor, come to my house. I have some very good medicine. I used to slaughter pigs, and they would move around all over the place. Once, I accidentally cut myself, and I used the medicine my dad made, and it healed very quickly.”
"However, it will leave scars."
Tu Miaoling showed her a shallow scar below her thumb.
Moreover, her palms had thick calluses, which were caused by long-term knife handling, making the scars seem insignificant in comparison.
Hearing about the scar, Tao Tao hesitated.
The wounds on her hands were quite large, and the scars would definitely look bad. Although she was involved in funerals, she was still a woman and was somewhat concerned about the scars.
So she told the truth: "I'll take my time to raise it."
Tu Miaoling understood, but didn't know how to persuade her otherwise, so she could only nod.
After much deliberation, Tao Tao still felt that going home was too much trouble, so she decided to go to the government office first.
Judging by the timeline, they should have caught Liu Rong by now.
Gao Shaoguang stood to one side and gestured for his subordinates to knock on the door.
Before long, footsteps could be heard from inside. When the door was opened, Liu Da Niang's face showed a blank expression mixed with a hint of fear.
She forced a calm smile and said obsequiously, "What brings you here, sir? Wasn't my daughter-in-law's case already closed?"
He smiled faintly: "We have found the real culprit who killed Lady Liu."
She was overjoyed and said happily, "That's wonderful! It's too late now, I'll take my son to the government office to watch the execution tomorrow."
As she spoke, she moved her hands to close the door, but was stopped by the constables.
"Is there anything else?"
Gao Shaoguang's face suddenly turned cold: "Don't play dumb. Since I have come here in person, I must already know about the murder you have committed."
"kill?!"
Aunt Liu cried out in alarm, terrified, "I'm innocent, sir! I would never do such a thing as murder!"
The sound was loud enough for the people inside to hear.
Liu Rong was immediately panicked, as was Fang Yun.
She grabbed his arm in terror, "What do we do?! The officials are here!"
"What's the panic! I'm leaving through the back door. You just stay put and pretend you never saw me tonight!"
"I...I..."
She was terrified and at a loss for what to do.
In the midst of the chaos, Liu Rong immediately came up with a plan: without taking anything, he turned around and ran out the back door.
Gao Shaoguang, who was standing at the door, kept trying to come in, but the old woman blocked him in a tantrum, which angered him so much that he kicked her to the ground.
The constables filed in behind him, brandishing knives and charging inside.
Fangyun was terrified and screamed, "Ah! Sir, what are you trying to do?! We haven't broken any laws!"
While the constables were searching, he came to the backyard, saw the back door, and hurriedly sent people to chase after him.
On the deserted street, Liu Rong, pale-faced, fled for his life as fast as he could.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him. In the dim moonlight, Gao Shaoguang's fierce face instantly made him freeze.
"Liu Rong, you have committed murder. I, Gao Shaoguang, the magistrate of this prefecture, hereby arrest you in accordance with the law. Surrender immediately!"
Upon seeing that he was alone, Liu Rong's expression turned sinister, and he drew his knife and charged forward.
How could someone who doesn't even have a smattering of martial arts skills possibly defeat a highly skilled magistrate by relying solely on brute force?
In just two moves, Gao Shaoguang subdued him and handed him over to the pursuing constables.
This time, not only should Liu Rong be arrested, but the old woman Liu who obstructed the government's work should also be arrested, and the strange woman and child in his house should also be taken back to the government jail for interrogation.
Gao Shaoguang led his men back to the government office, where Tao Tao and the other man who had been at Master Dong's house were waiting at the door.
Liu Rong's family looked at Tao Tao standing to the side and their faces immediately turned ferocious. They stared at her and cursed her viciously. Their hands were held by the officers and they could do nothing but vent their anger with their mouths.
As I passed by Tao Tao and was about to go inside, she suddenly called out to me.
"Wait a moment."
Tao Tao looked at them with a dismissive gaze, slowly stepped forward, and a mocking smile played on her lips.
Snap!
He raised his hand and slapped Old Lady Liu across the face.
Grandma Liu's eyes widened instantly, and she remained motionless as if she had been struck dumb.
Seeing his elderly mother being beaten, Liu Rong struggled angrily, but couldn't break free no matter what he did. The next second, he was slapped in the face, and he was stunned.
Tao Tao frowned and shook her hands, which were sore from being hit.
"You guys are so shameless, you even hurt my hand."
Tu Miaoling covered her mouth, staring in disbelief at everything.
Clearly, she hadn't expected this seemingly innocent and harmless young woman to be so ruthless; the two men's faces instantly became red and swollen.
Gao Shaoguang stood behind her and waited until she finished before saying, "Alright, let's go in."
He knew this young woman would never suffer a loss; after all, she was a member of the Privy Council, so he could just hit her.
Gao Shaoguang did not take them to the prison, but instead took them to the reception room.
The coroner and clerk were also present.
Tao Tao began to recount what she knew and some things that were merely speculation.
"Typhoid fever?!"
He looked at the coroner with a puzzled expression.
"Sir, the symptoms of tinea versicolor are indeed as she described."
That explains why the body had neither external nor internal injuries.
Now we have witness testimonies, physical evidence...
Tao Tao took out a handkerchief containing something from her bag, opened it, and took a look.
"My lord, do you remember the crabapple blossoms on the corpse that day? I preserved them."
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