Poisonous flowers?
That's all bullshit! The Yan family also uses these fresh flowers to make cakes, so why is her shop unaffected?
But she couldn't reveal that her family sold flower cakes, otherwise she would be falling right into the scholar's trap.
Even now, Cui Siniu still believes that Chen Jinyan made up the lie to deliberately extort her.
"Your Honor, I am innocent! What nonsense is this flower cake? I've never even heard of it. Perhaps this book killed my mother and drove me mad, causing me to mistake people for others?"
Cui Siniu knelt on the ground, not daring to lift her head.
Zuo Li naturally didn't notice her eyes darting around.
"Take them both in and question them separately. Xiao Wu, go to Anning Town and inquire about this matter. Go on horseback and come back quickly."
"Yes, boss."
Zuo Li's subordinates behind him each performed their duties.
He took Chen Jinyan and Cui Siniu inside.
He was left alone outside the county government office, lost in thought.
The county magistrate is currently busy with bridge construction and the handling of corvée labor. If this matter is reported rashly and turns out to be a misunderstanding, he will surely be reprimanded.
Zuo Li planned to investigate the matter himself first, and then submit the evidence and the culprit to the adults.
He arrived at Yan Xia's shop; the door was already open, but it wasn't open for business yet.
"Aunt Yan, I need to talk to you about something. May I speak to you in private?"
Yan Xia was tidying up her things at the counter when Zuo Li stepped into the shop and saw her.
"Okay, then come with me to the backyard."
The two walked to the persimmon tree in the backyard.
There was a wooden table there, with four wooden stools next to it.
Yan Xia casually picked up two fur cushions and placed them on the wooden stool.
"Sit down, Officer Zuo. Xiao Ji, go and pour two cups of tea."
She shouted.
"Hey, would you like some black tea?"
When Xiao Ji heard Yan Xia call her, she poked her head out of the kitchen to ask.
"Black tea, please. Green tea is too cooling in this weather."
"Okay, Auntie, the water has just boiled, I'll go make some tea right away."
Xiao Ji responded.
Yan Xia then turned to talk to Zuo Li.
What do you want from me?
"Aunt Yan, we know each other, so I won't beat around the bush. May I ask if the rose filling you use in your shop is poisonous? May I take a look?"
Yan Xia's eyelids twitched slightly.
"You can see that the roses have long since withered. The filling for the flower cakes I use in my shop is pre-prepared. As for poison, our own family has been eating them for so long; if they were poisonous, we would have died long ago. You, Officer Zuo, have eaten quite a lot too, haven't you? Are you feeling unwell? Or has something happened?"
Yan Xia pretended to be curious and asked him, but in her heart she already had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
It seems that Cui Siniu's sale of poisoned roses has been discovered.
But why did it take so long for this to happen?
She's acting a little strange.
“Just now, a student from a neighboring county dragged a woman to the authorities, claiming that the woman's flower cakes poisoned his mother, and that she was selling them under your name, and that many people had eaten them. Are you aware of this?”
Yan Xia's expression changed slightly.
Someone was poisoned?
Surely not. The roses she left for the Luo family would at most cause vomiting and diarrhea, and she would recover on her own in two or three days at most.
How come someone died?
Isn't it the Luo family?
"Is this really true? My shop's secret recipe was stolen back then, but after we got it back, we destroyed it long ago. It's impossible for anyone to steal it again. How could this happen again? It's like a disaster struck by heaven! Officer Zuo, you must investigate this matter thoroughly and clear my name. My shop sells so many bags of flower cakes every day, and not a single person has been harmed. Isn't this ruining my reputation? Come here and look at the rose filling. I pickled it all myself. How could it be poisonous? The outer crust is even less likely to be poisonous. I make the dough fresh every day. If we don't sell it all, we eat it ourselves. I will never sell leftover pastries from yesterday. This is also a specialty of our shop."
Yan Xia pretended to be innocent and showed Zuo Li the filling of the rose.
I also scooped out a small spoonful for him to taste.
It's the same as before.
"Don't worry, Aunt Yan. I just came to take a look and I have no intention of blaming you. Besides, I have already sent people to the neighboring county to investigate. If this matter is true, I will definitely clear your name. It is because of that woman's accusations against you that I thought of coming to your shop to take a look. Don't worry, your flower cakes are good, and I will also testify for you. If this matter is reported to the authorities, you may need to go to the county government office, Aunt Yan."
Yan Xia nodded.
"Alright, alright, thank you for your trouble, Officer Zuo. I was just anxious. Tell me, what's going on here? I was just going home to celebrate the New Year, and somehow I got involved with poisoned flower cakes. Who is this person? What did I do to offend her? How could she be so audacious as to poison someone? She must be severely punished!"
By the time Zuo Li came out of Yan Xia's shop, more than half an hour had passed.
His subordinate, Xiao Wuzi, had just rushed back from the neighboring county.
The two bumped into each other.
"Reporting to the boss, it is indeed true. Last year, Chen Tongsheng reported to the authorities that a couple who sold flower cakes were poisoned and killed his mother. Many local people also testified that they vomited and had diarrhea after eating the flower cakes. Look, here is a portrait of the couple who sold flower cakes, which they described. It is indeed posted outside the county government office."
Xiao Wuzi took out a notice and handed it to Zuo Li.
When Zuo Li opened it, he saw that the notice not only depicted the couple's appearance but also listed the reward amount.
From one tael to a full three taels of silver.
The female prisoner's portrait had a small mole on the side of her nose, which reminded me of the woman from earlier.
That does match.
Zuo Li's thick eyebrows furrowed deeply.
"Let's go back to the government office."
"Yes, boss."
Xiao Wuzi led the horses to the backyard and then went to rejoin the main group.
While Zuo Li was searching for Yan Xia, his men had already ascertained the woman's name, household registration, and address.
"What? Hundred Flowers Village?"
Zuo Li's eyes lit up when he heard this.
Isn't this the village where Aunt Yan lives?
"What is your relationship with Yan Xia, the owner of Yan's Pastry Shop?"
Zuo Li stood in front of Cui Siniu and asked.
"No, it's nothing, it's just a village. I really didn't sell flower cakes, officer. Please, let me go. My daughter-in-law is pregnant and is waiting for me to come back to cook brown sugar eggs for her. I've been away for a long time, and my family must be worried. I really didn't sell them. Don't listen to that silly scholar's nonsense."
Cui Siniu remained stubborn, even though the officials were deliberately trying to intimidate her with their fierce expressions.
After all, without evidence, they cannot force a confession.
Zuo Li took out the notice and placed it in front of Cui Siniu.
“Isn’t that you in the portrait? I’ll give you one last chance. The Chen family in your village stole the secret recipe of Yan’s pastry shop, and that’s why they were all thrown in jail. Do you want your family to follow suit? If you confess honestly, I’ll make sure you suffer less. If you still insist on holding back, Xiao Wuzi, get the long needles and whip ready. If this woman doesn’t confess, treat her well.”
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