Chapter 543 Interrogation 2 (Additional chapter 5 for the reward from the book friends who contributed to the crowdfunding leader)
Xiao Erlang was still dressed in white and had disheveled hair. After a night of fear, his face was extremely haggard, and he looked almost like a ghost.
County Magistrate Tang took a closer look and nodded, saying, "No wonder some people think you're a ghost."
He banged the gavel and shouted, "Who is this person in the hall? What crime have you committed? Confess the truth!"
Xiao Erlang cried and said, "Sir, I am Erlang of the Xiao family in Kangxue Street. I, I, I shouldn't have been sick and pretended to be a ghost servant. Please spare my life, sir."
County Magistrate Tang had already heard the report from the night patrol officer last night. He sneered and said, "Are you sure you are crazy?"
"Yes, yes, I've had this problem since I was a kid. I don't mean to scare anyone."
"Then I'm asking you, who opened the vegetable garden in the Yan family?"
"I don't know. When I'm sick, I just like to cry, walk around, and burn paper money. Other than that, I don't know anything."
County Magistrate Tang sneered, glanced at the bailiff who had said they had been held separately, slammed the gavel and said, "Since you say so, all right, let's assume you're telling the truth. Come, gag him, drag him down to the hall and hold him down, and bring Xiao Jia Dalang up here."
The bailiff agreed and went to bring Xiao Dalang.
As soon as Xiao Dalang entered the courtroom, County Magistrate Tang slammed the gavel down and shouted, "Drag him away and give him ten lashes!"
"yes!"
Before Xiao Dalang could come to his senses, he was dragged into the yard by the yamen runners. Their clothes were lifted up and they started beating him.
Manbao was startled and covered her eyes with her hands. Zhou Silang was afraid that she would be frightened, so he quickly hugged her in his arms.
It wasn't the first time that Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang saw someone being beaten with a stick, but they were still not used to it and turned slightly to the side.
County Magistrate Tang finally noticed them and, taking advantage of a break from beating them, pointed at them and asked, "Who are they?"
The yamen runner sensed the county magistrate's displeasure and quickly bent down and said, "It's a witness. They were the ones who caught the ghost last night."
"So it's them," County Magistrate Tang's face looked better, and he couldn't help but feel curious. The ghosts on Kangxue Street had been causing trouble for two years. During this period, he not only sent people to investigate, but also went to see it himself, but all came back empty-handed.
In addition, it was just said to be haunted, and nothing happened. He himself didn't even hear any crying or anything like that, so after checking, he just thought that the person was suspicious.
It is quite impressive that these five people can catch ghosts, especially since the two boys and one girl are standing in the front.
County Magistrate Tang then waved his hand and said, "Go and bring them up here. I will ask them a few questions."
The five people quickly walked into the hall. Man Bao and the other two stood at the front and bowed to County Magistrate Tang.
Xiao Dalang was being beaten and screaming in the yard, but County Magistrate Tang turned a deaf ear to him and asked Bai Shanbao and the others curiously, "Is that the ghost you caught?"
Bai Shanbao bowed and replied, "Yes."
"Why did you think of catching ghosts, and how did you catch them?"
Bai Shanbao glanced at his two friends and replied, "Your Excellency, we heard the female ghost crying the other day when we were home. She said she died unjustly, so we wanted to ask her what her grievance was. So we hid in the firewood pile last night. When she appeared, we went to see her, and she was startled and screamed."
County Magistrate Tang looked at them suspiciously. A man who had been pretending to be a ghost for years should be very alert. How could he be scared by the sudden appearance of three people?
He looked back and forth at the three of them and asked, "What were you wearing?"
Bai Shanbao said calmly, "It's just ordinary clothes."
Manbao and Bai Erlang nodded repeatedly as if testifying.
In just two or three sentences, Xiao Dalang was beaten with a stick and was dragged in by the yamen runners.
The beating from the yamen was not so delicious. Although there were only ten strokes, it was still quite severe. Xiao Dalang lay on the ground with a pale face, completely confused.
County Magistrate Tang waved Bai Shanbao and the others aside and slammed the gavel again. "Xiao Dalang, do you plead guilty?"
Xiao Dalang's eyes widened, and he quickly shouted, "My Lord, what crime do I want to confess? Although I knew that my second brother was crazy, I really didn't think he would sneak into the Yan family..."
County Magistrate Tang sneered and said, "Xiao Erlang confessed everything. He said that the reason he went to the Yan family to open the vegetable garden was because of your instructions. You deliberately took advantage of his madness to make him work. Otherwise, who would go to such trouble to bring this upon themselves?"
County Magistrate Tang said, "The Yan family's vegetable garden is quite extensive. Xiao Erlang is very tired, and you've made a lot of money, right? Xiao Erlang is a lunatic, and he didn't do these things on his own initiative. His crime is not serious. The most serious crime is you, the one who orchestrated it."
When Xiao Dalang heard that Lao Er was putting the blame on him, he couldn't help but get anxious. He wanted to turn around to look at Xiao Erlang in the yard, but County Magistrate Tang slammed the gavel and shouted, "Xiao Dalang, why don't you confess the truth? Do you want me to torture you again?"
"No, sir, I am innocent. I am not the mastermind." Xiao Dalang was frightened when he heard that he was going to be tortured. He said quickly, "My second brother is not crazy at all. He was the mastermind of this matter. It has nothing to do with me."
Xiao Dalang said, "Since two years ago, he sneaked into the Yan family to farm and even dressed up as a ghost to scare people. He has nothing to do with us."
Xiao Erlang, who was gagged and pinned down in the courtyard, began to struggle in anger. County Magistrate Tang slammed the gavel and asked, "Are you telling the truth?"
"Yes, it's the truth, that's the truth."
"Then tell me, why did Xiao Erlang go to the Yan family's garden to grow vegetables? When did he start? And why did he disguise himself as a ghost servant?"
Xiao Dalang swallowed, his mind a jumble of thoughts, and he spoke subconsciously, "A corner of the utility room behind my house collapsed due to a flood. When we cleaned it out, we found a big hole in the wall connecting to the Yan family's house. At that time, Master Yan was arrested, and no one in the Yan family noticed the big hole. We didn't have the money to repair it, so we just left it there. Later, the Yan family was raided, and my second brother was naughty. He would sneak over to the Yan family to play from time to time. I don't know when he started to secretly grow vegetables there."
Xiao Dalang said, "Because the Yan family's house and the Yu family's house are also separated by a wall, we, no, it's because he was working over there, which might alarm the tenants of the Yu family, so he pretended to be a ghost to scare people."
"Wuwuwuwu..." Xiao Erlang, whose mouth was blocked in the yard, suddenly jumped up and struggled violently.
County Magistrate Tang smiled slightly and said, "It seems Xiao Erlang has something different to say. Come, bring Xiao Erlang up to me."
After saying this, he turned around and whispered to the yamen runner, "Go and bring the two elders of the Xiao family to the yard and gag them. Don't let them make a sound."
The bailiff responded and retreated.
Manbao was amazed and couldn't help but look back at Bai Shanbao.
Bai Shanbao was also amazed and turned his head to look at her.
Good night
(End of this chapter)
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