Chapter 73 Murder Case
The table was already prepared with fish, meat, and even a pig's trotter. It was cooked perfectly and greasy, and you could tell what it would taste like when you took a bite of it.
Su Zhao stood at the door and looked out, but she didn't see her son. She couldn't help but frown: "Why hasn't he come back yet? Did something happen on the way?"
Su Lanzhang's stomach growled, and he quickly covered his stomach and pretended not to be hungry.
Su Zhao frowned and said, "Why don't we let Sanlang and Huihui eat first?"
Aunt Bai disagreed: "This is New Year's Eve dinner. Wait a little longer. Even if something delayed him, he should be back soon."
Su Lanzhang also said, "Mom, I'm not hungry. I want to wait for my second brother to come back and eat together."
"Good boy," Su Zhaoshi praised him. However, after waiting for another half an hour, she still saw no sign of him. By this time, she was more than just worried. "I shouldn't have agreed to let him go alone. If he falls on the way, no one will see."
At this moment, Su Zhaoshi regretted very much that she had not called Su Arong, or had not hired a servant to run errands earlier.
Aunt Bai was also a little worried, but she still advised: "Maybe that Mr. Lin invited Erlang to have dinner with him? It's a festival now, so nothing should happen."
They were not far from Hushan County, and they had never heard of any thieves on the road. What could happen to a grown man?
Su Zhaoshi couldn't wait any longer: "No, I have to go look for it."
"Madam, let me go with you." Madam Wei said hurriedly.
Aunt Bai also wanted to go with them, but Su Zhaoshi said, "You wait at home. Feng'er might come back soon."
Who knew that before Su Zhaoshi and Wei Niangzi had walked far, they saw a strange figure walking towards them. He looked like a scholar and was sweating profusely.
Su Zhaoshi's heart skipped a beat. Although she seldom went out often, she was familiar with the few scholars in the village.
"Where is this young man from? Have you seen my Feng Zhang? He went to the county school today." Su Zhao called out tentatively.
"Are you Aunt Su?" The scholar wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at her with some sympathy. "Brother Su is in trouble and has been imprisoned."
"What!" Su Zhaoshi felt dizzy and dazed. She clutched Madam Wei's arm tightly to prevent herself from collapsing. "How is this possible? Feng'er is a scholar, a proper scholar. How could he be thrown into jail?"
"Well, this is a long story." The scholar took a breath before continuing.
"I don't know exactly what happened, but I heard from the students at the county school that Brother Su and Brother Lin had an argument and accidentally killed someone. Someone reported it to the authorities, but the county magistrate was away, so the officials didn't dare to make the decision, so they just put him in jail."
The person who came was Liu Xiong. His home was close to the county government office. After hearing the news, he hurried over to report it.
The fact that Liu Xiong made this trip on New Year's Eve shows that he has a good relationship with Su Fengzhang.
Seeing Su Zhaoshi's pale face, he quickly comforted her, "That's just one side of the story. We all know how Brother Su behaves. He's definitely not an impulsive person. But he's in jail now, and all I can do to help is deliver a message."
After the shock and panic, Su Zhaoshi calmed down and shouted, "Yes, my Feng'er went out today to bring some food to Mr. Lin. How could she have hurt him?"
Liu Xiong looked at her, sighed and said, "Mr. Lin has already left."
Su Zhaoshi's hope was shattered. Madam Wei supported her tightly and asked tremblingly, "Scholar, do you know how my Feng'er is doing now?"
Liu Xiong could only shake his head: "People in prison cannot be visited at will. I didn't see him either."
After delivering the message, Liu Xiong hurriedly called out, "Aunt Su, since the letter has been delivered, I will leave first."
Su Zhaoshi thanked him sincerely, but her legs were weak when she returned home. She had been an official's wife, and that was why she knew how hard it was to be in prison. Ordinary people would be exhausted after going in there, even if they could get out.
Aunt Bai and the others were extremely worried when they saw this. Madam Wei explained the whole matter in a few words, which frightened them so much that their faces changed drastically.
Su Lanzhang shouted, "Impossible! How could my second brother kill someone?"
"That's right, Feng'er couldn't possibly have killed anyone. He must have been wrongly accused." Su Zhaoshi struggled to get up and shouted, "We can't let him stay in jail. I'm going to beg the county magistrate to let Feng'er go for our sake."
"Mom, I'm afraid the county magistrate is not in Hushan County now." Su Huihui suddenly shouted.
Su Zhao subconsciously looked at her. Su Huihui flinched for a moment before she said, "Today is New Year's Eve. According to the custom of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the government office will not open the seal until the eighth day of the first lunar month. Mr. Cai is not from Hushan County. He must have gone home to celebrate the New Year by now."
Su Zhaoshi also vaguely remembered Liu Xiong's words. Lord Cai was not in Hushan County. "What should I do, my Feng'er?"
Su Huihui added, "Mother, even though Lord Cai is not here, there must be someone on duty at the yamen. They must have just taken my second brother into custody first. He is already a scholar, so they would never dare to use torture on him."
"Mother, winter is bitterly cold, and the prison must be even damper and colder. Why don't we go and ask the village chief to take us to the Gu family? The eldest and second brothers of the Gu family are good friends, and they will definitely not sit idly by."
"We don't have any male members of our family who can come forward. My second uncle is not familiar with the government office. I'm afraid he won't even be able to see the masters there if he goes there."
"The Gu family has a village head here, and I heard they have always had a good relationship with the government. If they are willing to intervene, even if they can't get my second brother out directly, they can at least let him stay in there in peace. What do you think, mother?"
"Can the Gu family help?" Su Zhao asked uncertainly. After all, today is New Year's Eve, and if she goes to someone's house to ask for help for such a thing, she might be considered unlucky.
Su Huihui said firmly, "I don't know whether the Gu family would know, but if Big Brother Gu Beichen knew, he would definitely be willing to help. He and my brother have a very good relationship. He even sent a truckload of local specialties before the New Year."
Su Zhaoshi thought so too. This matter concerned Su Fengzhang, so she quickly cheered up and said, "Aunt Bai, you stay home and look after the children. I'll go out and ask the village chief for help."
Before leaving, she touched Su Huihui's hair and said, "Huihui looks like your second brother."
But Su Zhao went to find her second uncle Su, and the two of them came to the village chief's door together. When the village chief Su Wenhui heard this, he did not refuse, and without even bothering to eat, he hurriedly followed them out.
When they finally found the Gu family, the head of the Gu family was indeed not very willing to help.
According to the head of the village, if Su Fengzhang really broke the law and killed someone, he deserved to be arrested. If not, he would be released sooner or later and it would not be a big deal. Why bother going to the yamen today?
But Gu Beichen said, "Grandpa, Feng Zhang is a scholar. How can he handle the big bosses in the government office? If you don't help me, I will."
Village Chief Gu didn't really want his grandson to get involved in this mess, but seeing his grandson's determined face, he had no choice but to say, "Forget it, forget it. He's a scholar in our village after all. We can't just ignore him."
Although the words sounded nice, he had no intention of showing up in person. He just asked Gu Beichen to take his business card and go with them.
After everyone left, Gu Lichang grabbed his third son and scolded him, "Look at what Beichen has become after following you. He doesn't even know how to avoid danger and seek good fortune!"
Master Gu touched his nose and defended himself: "How can this be called cruel? Why would Su Fengzhang, a good scholar, kill someone? There must be a misunderstanding."
Gu Lichang said, "I don't care why he killed someone, or whether it was an accidental killing. But as long as there's even the slightest connection, his future career will be ruined. It's not enough to avoid people like this, but Beichen rushed to help."
On the other side, Gu Beichen was anxious, but he was also comforting Su Zhaoshi: "Aunt, Feng Zhang has never been an impulsive person. He and Lin Changqing have a good relationship. Even if there is a dispute, he will not fight. This matter must be just a misunderstanding."
Su Zhaoshi also believed that her son would never kill anyone, but she tugged at her handkerchief and said, "But Mr. Lin is dead."
Gu Beichen also sighed in his heart. He knew Lin Changqing's reputation. Before Su Fengzhang came, he had always been the number one in the county school. No matter what his character was, at least he had the ability.
After Su Fengzhang entered the county school, the top spot had been taken turns between the two of them. It was said that they tied for first place in this year's annual exam. He wasn't surprised that Su Fengzhang and Lin Changqing were close; after all, birds of a feather flock together.
Uncle Su could only slap his thigh in regret at this moment: "Why would Erlang go to the city during the New Year? If he hadn't gone, how could this have happened? This is a sudden disaster!"
The village chief Su Wenhui also frowned. You know, Su Fengzhang is the most outstanding talent in their village. If this talent fails, there will be no promising people in the village in the next ten years.
When they arrived at the yamen gate, Su Zhao and the other two were dumbfounded. They had all been to this place before, but Su Zhao had not been out for several years and was already unfamiliar with it. As a woman, she had never had such dealings with people before.
Second Uncle Su is a taciturn person. The village chief does have something to say, but he is three points less imposing in front of the people from the yamen.
On the contrary, Gu Beichen had been working outside for more than a year and was very good at dealing with people. He quickly smoothed out the relationship. Although the person on duty did not come out to meet them in person, he sent someone out to give them a message.
"The matter between Scholar Su and Scholar Lin is of great importance. We have to wait for Lord Cai to return before making a final decision. However, Scholar Su has made great achievements, so it's fine for you to meet him, but you can't stay for long."
The three of Su and Zhao were extremely nervous, but Gu Beichen breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. He turned around and whispered comfortingly, "Feng Zhang should be fine. If the evidence was conclusive, this lord would definitely not be so lenient. He must also feel that this matter is suspicious, so he is showing some leniency."
"Aunt, Second Uncle, Village Chief, don't worry. Let's go to the prison to see Feng Zhang first."
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The author has something to say: I suddenly thought that Shengge seemed to have used the name Changqing several times.
This is the chapter about calling Brother Gu.
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