The Min County magistrate became even more convinced that something was fishy going on. Seeing that he could not get any information from her, he had Xia taken away but did not torture her. After hearing what the villagers of Xiaozao and Zhao Wu had said, the Min County magistrate expressed deep sympathy for Xia. He then ordered Constable He to lead his men to Xiaozao Village to apprehend Zhao.
Constable He, Zhao Wu and others went to Xiaozao Village again.
The villagers were terrified to see these vicious men coming back. Xu Lizheng bravely asked, "Master He, Master Zhao, what are you doing here again?"
Zhao Wudao said, "We are here to arrest the Zhao family who is suspected of murder."
Mrs. Wang was lying on the kang, secretly happy. Without those two annoying people, the house was finally quiet. When Sanni and Jincai came back, she would lead them to live a good life, find a good family for Sanni, and find a good wife for Jincai in a few years...
Suddenly, there was a loud bang at the courtyard door, followed by the curses of Constable He. When Mrs. Wang heard this, she trembled with fear. The day before yesterday, she had been taken to the county jail by this wicked man, and he had kicked her several times; the bruises were still there.
Trembling, she went to open the door, pretending to be calm and saying, "Hey, gentlemen, I've said everything I needed to say in the lobby. Is there anything else?"
Constable He put the rope around her and kicked her, cursing, "Damn you, damned old woman! You've made me run all the way here again."
Mrs. Wang was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground and cried, "I am the victim, why are you tying me up? It's unfair, it's unfair..."
Zhao Wu snorted coldly, "I advise you to save some energy and go to the county magistrate to appeal for justice."
Xu Lanyin also opened the door and watched Zhao Wu and others take Wang Po to the county government office again. Xu Lizheng, Xu Qingming, and several brave villagers went to watch the fun.
The villagers began to talk again, and someone asked Xu Lanyin, "Girl Yin, did Master Zhao tell you what Wang Po did wrong?"
Someone else speculated, "Could it be that Mrs. Wang was an accomplice and helped Xia to kill people?"
Xu Lanyin shook her head and closed the door.
Qin asked suspiciously, "Have you told Wu'er about your suspicions?" Seeing Xu Lanyin nod, she said anxiously, "This is a serious matter. If Wu'er is wrong, he will be beaten."
Xu Lanyin said, "The county magistrate has asked them to arrest him, which means my suspicion is correct."
When Mrs. Wang was brought into the courtroom, the Min County Magistrate slammed the gavel and shouted, "Ms. Zhao, do you admit your guilt?"
Old Lady Wang was so frightened that she trembled all over. She crawled on the ground and trembled, saying, "No, no, I don't know."
The Min County Magistrate shouted, "Ms. Xia has recanted her confession, saying that you were the one who asked her to buy the arsenic and that you were the one who poisoned Old Man Wang. After he was poisoned to death, you stabbed him several more times. Do you admit your guilt?"
Mrs. Wang kowtowed and cried loudly, "It's unfair, it's all Xia's fault. Xia poisoned the old man and then stabbed him several times with a kitchen knife. I dare not lie. She killed him..."
The Min County Magistrate shouted, "You still dare to quibble! Come, torture him!"
When the bailiff brought the torture instruments and threw them in front of her, Wang Po was frightened and confessed everything as soon as the instruments were put on her fingers.
Mrs. Wang had always resented Old Man Wang for taking his daughter-in-law and beating her, and she hated Mrs. Xia for being shameless and pretending to be pitiful. A few days ago, she finally came up with a plan to get rid of both thorns in her side. She sent Mrs. Xia to the town to buy arsenic, and sent Wang Sanni and Wang Jincai to celebrate her brother's birthday.
At night, after she poisoned Old Man Wang to death, she remembered that she had been beaten by Old Man Wang often in her life, with wounds all over her body. She was so angry that she stabbed him a few more times.
Wang Po did all this without sparing Xia Shi. Xia Shi, who was slow to react to begin with, was so frightened after seeing what happened that she collapsed to the ground, unable to speak.
After the incident, Mrs. Wang said to Mrs. Xia, "That old man is dead. I'll be beheaded for murder, and you've committed the crime of harboring someone. You'll probably be exiled three thousand miles away. If we both leave, what will happen to Jincai? My son has already made it clear that he has a woman outside, and that woman has given him a son. She won't care about Jincai. Once Sanni gets married, little Jincai will be in trouble..."
All Xia was thinking about was her son. After hearing what Wang Po said, she burst into tears and said, "What should I do? What should I do with Jincai'er..."
Mrs. Wang was delighted and said, "Why don't you confess to the murder? The villagers will sympathize with you and intercede for you. You won't die, and you'll be released after a few years in prison. I will stay at home to take care of Jincai, ensuring he has enough food and clothing. I will marry him off in the future, and I will leave him the yard, the land, and the money at home. You've seen how good I am to Jincai..."
Although Xia was a bit foolish, she knew that Wang Po was truly kind to her son. She was frightened and bewitched by Wang Po and agreed to take the blame, thinking that even if she died, as long as her son had a good life...
Mrs. Wang confessed her guilt and was taken into custody.
The Min County magistrate reclassified the case as "Zhao murdered her husband" and sentenced Zhao to be executed in the autumn. The case was reported to the Ministry of Justice. Zhao and Old Man Wang were also sentenced to "righteous separation," meaning they were divorced. Zhao was barred from the Wang family's ancestral tombs and ancestral halls, and no longer received incense and worship from the Wang family's descendants.
This case had already caused a stir in Nanping County, and the reversal by the Justice was a resounding success. People rushed to tell each other about the Justice's wisdom and his work for the people, and the public was excited, and the reputation of the Min County Magistrate also improved.
The magistrate of Min County was secretly happy. With this reputation, and the fact that the people of Min were here to witness everything, his political achievements were further enhanced.
Two days later, the father and son of the Min family held a banquet to see Min Hu off, as he was going back to the provincial capital the next day.
At the banquet, the Min household said to the Min County Magistrate, "Although Zhao Wu is young, he is very careful and meticulous, and his martial arts skills are also good. I want to transfer him to the Judicial and Criminal Department. If we train him well, he will have a bright future."
The Min County Magistrate was also willing to see Zhao Wu have a smooth career ahead, as he had, after all, come from under his command. He smiled and said, "Zhao Wu is highly regarded by Lord Min and will surely have a bright future. I will not delay him. Let him finish his current affairs and then come to the provincial capital to find you."
After dinner, Min Hu went to the backyard to say goodbye to Madam Min. Madam Min had prepared some gifts for him, all for his daughter Min Jia, including two sets of clothes and four baskets of snacks from Xu's pastry shop.
Minhu smiled and said, "Auntie is thoughtful."
Mrs. Min laughed happily at first, then sighed, "Although I haven't seen that child many times, I think she has a lucky face. I believe the disease can be cured."
Minhu said, "Aunt, I hope so." He sighed and added, "Old Doctor Zhang lived in Oat Mountain for six months and also stayed in Jinzhou Prefecture for two days. It's a pity that he was gone when I was transferred to Jinzhou Prefecture last autumn. If I had known to ask him for medicine earlier, Jiaer and I might have been cured."
He was about to yawn again, so he quickly clenched his fist and pressed it against his mouth. His chest ached at the thought of missing out on seeing Dr. Zhang.
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