Chapter 80: Self-Clearance (II) Self-Clearance (II)
Normally, the county government office is an extremely majestic place, and ordinary people avoid it. Even when it is open, the number of people watching is limited.
But this case has many twists and turns. It was said to be a murder case at first, but later it was turned into a matter of a writer ghostwriting and making up a poem in class. This was already legendary enough, but now there is a change.
The case lasted from morning until noon. Some people's stomachs were rumbling, but they were reluctant to leave for a moment, fearing that they would miss the exciting part.
Most of them actually didn't care about the students' life or death, or who was right or wrong in class. They were just watching the play, and it was a very exciting play at that. They were completely fascinated.
But after watching for such a long time, not only Su Fengzhang's relatives and friends were worried, but the common people who were originally just watching the fun also began to think about it, and felt that this scholar named Su was really amazing.
County Magistrate Lu handled matters very quickly. After Su Fengzhang finished speaking, the three men were quickly brought to the court.
Uncle Liu knew what was going on, but the other two city gate guards were completely confused.
County Magistrate Lu accepted their kneeling greetings and then asked, "Mr. Su, the people have arrived. Please ask whatever you want."
Su Fengzhang turned and nodded to the three of them before asking, "Excuse me, Brother T, do you remember when I arrived at the city gate on New Year's Eve?"
The two guards looked at each other and answered honestly, "I remember, it's the afternoon."
Before he finished speaking, Mu Wei shouted, "It's been a few days, how come you still remember it so clearly?"
County Magistrate Lu was unhappy that he had interrupted the witness's answer. He slammed the wooden stick and shouted, "Mu Wei, be quiet! If you have anything to say, wait until I ask you. If you dare to disrupt the order of the court again, don't blame me for punishing you."
Under the warning from County Magistrate Lu, Mu Wei had no choice but to shut up and looked at Su Fengzhang with a poisonous look in his eyes.
"Thank you for your understanding, sir." Su Fengzhang said this, and County Magistrate Lu's thoughts became even more distracted. "Go ahead and ask."
Su Fengzhang asked again, "Since Mu Tongsheng has doubts, could you two brothers explain why he remembers it so clearly?"
The two guards said quickly, "There were not many people coming in or out of the city gate on New Year's Eve, and in the afternoon, only Su Xiucai was there. He spoke to us when he entered the city, so I remember it clearly now."
Everyone agreed when they heard this. Everyone was at home on New Year's Eve, so who would go to the city gate? It was natural that fewer people would remember clearly.
Su Fengzhang asked again, "Uncle Liu, do you remember when I went to the county school?"
Uncle Liu was somewhat afraid of the court and the elders, but he was not the foolish type to guard the county school. He nodded and replied, "I remember, it was no more than a quarter after the 3:00 PM."
This was not only Mu Wei's surprise, even County Magistrate Lu couldn't help but ask: "Old Liu, is this time certain?"
After all, there was no clock in the county school gatehouse, so how could Lao Liu remember the exact time?
Uncle Liu explained, "This is the right time, because the most auspicious time for New Year's Eve this year is the 15th hour of the Shen Dynasty. At that time, people in the surrounding houses will set off firecrackers. When Su Xiucai arrived, the firecrackers were still going off."
The custom in Hushan County is to set off firecrackers before eating the New Year's Eve dinner to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. Some families who are more particular will even specifically seek an auspicious time and set off firecrackers at that time to pray for good luck.
When Old Uncle Liu mentioned this, the onlookers nodded in agreement: "That's right, the first quarter of the evening on New Year's Eve is indeed the best auspicious time. My family also sets off firecrackers at that time, so it can't be wrong."
Su Fengzhang continued, "It takes exactly a quarter of an hour to get from the city gate to the county school gate. Unless the students can fly, they will definitely be on the road during this time and there is no way they can enter the county school early."
County Magistrate Lu also thought it made sense: "Even if we confirm that you entered the county school at 1:00 PM, it doesn't prove that you are completely innocent."
"Excuse me, Mr. Yuan, do you remember when you heard Su knocking on the door?" Su Fengzhang asked again.
Yuan Xiucai frowned and said helplessly, "I don't remember that at all, but I vaguely seemed to hear the sound of firecrackers around me. When I heard it at that time, I just felt annoyed and a little sad."
Su Fengzhang didn't force him to recall. He turned around and asked Uncle Liu, "Uncle Liu, after you poured out the small bowl of braised pork, you followed me?"
Uncle Liu nodded and said, "Yes, I wanted to eat it originally, but I happened to have a stack of peanuts, so I thought of giving it to Mr. Lin as a side dish. I rinsed the jar, filled it with peanuts, and went over."
"Excuse me, sir, the testimonies of Mr. Yuan and Uncle Liu corroborate each other, which may prove that the student knocked on the door shortly after 1:15 PM, and some people's firecrackers were not even burned out yet." Su Fengzhang asked.
County Magistrate Lu nodded and said, "That's true, but what does this have to do with Scholar Lin?"
Sun Zhubu also said: "If you kill the person first and then knock on the door, wouldn't that be okay?"
Su Fengzhang asked again, "From the moment I heard him knock on the door, to the moment I pushed it open and heard Old Liu's cry, to the moment the three students discovered the crime scene, all happened in a flash. Do you remember what happened at that moment?"
Uncle Liu was the first to say, "Mr. Lin was lying on the ground, dead, covered in blood."
Yuan Xiucai and the others also said, "That's exactly what happened. Xiucai Su was supporting Xiucai Lin, holding a bowl of water in his hand. The ground was covered with blood. The blood was flowing everywhere, and the color was dark red. It was scary to look at."
Su Fengzhang bowed and said, "Sir, is the coroner available?"
The coroner had been waiting nearby. He bowed and said, "Your Excellency, this man's head was smashed open, and it's impossible for him to bleed so much blood instantly. I wasn't at the scene at the time, but from the subsequent investigation, I can see that Mr. Lin looked like he must have been bleeding for at least a quarter of an hour, which is why the room is covered in blood."
Su Fengzhang nodded and asked Yuan Xiucai, "Do you remember how long it took from the time you heard the quarrel to the time you heard me knocking on the door?"
Yuan Xiucai frowned and said hesitantly, "Probably, about a quarter of an hour."
County Magistrate Lu frowned and cursed, "A quarter of an hour is just a quarter of an hour. What do you mean by 'approximately'?"
Yuan Xiucai helplessly complained: "Sir, how could I remember it so clearly, but I certainly didn't hear the sound of firecrackers at the time. Everyone knows how noisy firecrackers are. If someone had set off firecrackers at the time, I probably wouldn't have heard anyone arguing."
"That is to say, when people next door were arguing, it was definitely not the moment of quarreling, right?" Su Fengzhang asked.
County Magistrate Lu also nodded: "This inference is reasonable. The county school is next to residential houses. If firecrackers were set off, it is impossible for Yuan Xiucai not to hear them. Besides, not every household sets off firecrackers on New Year's Eve."
Su Fengzhang bowed and asked, "If that's the case, I haven't even stepped into the gate of the county school at 3:00 PM. How could I have argued with Chang Qing, let alone killed someone? Please, sir, clear my name."
County Magistrate Lu thought this was reasonable and nodded, saying, "There are multiple witnesses who can confirm that Su Fengzhang entered the house at 1:05 PM. Furthermore, the testimonies of Scholar Yuan and the coroner prove that he had nothing to do with Lin Changqing's death."
Mu Wei screamed, "Sir, even if Su Fengzhang had only just arrived at 5 p.m., if he had run faster and inflicted a larger wound on his head when he struck someone, perhaps that much blood would have flowed out."
At this time, the coroner was unhappy and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? I was the one who examined Lin Changqing's body. The wound on the back of his head was not big. It is impossible for so much blood to flow out in such a short time. Are you doubting my skills as a coroner?"
Before Mu Wei could say anything, Su Fengzhang suddenly shouted, "How do you know Chang Qing was injured on the back of his head?"
Mu Wei's face changed drastically, and he quickly explained: "I, I was just saying it casually. If he hadn't injured his head, how could he not call for help? Only a head injury at the back would be so serious."
"Brother Yuan, Uncle Liu, did you four see clearly where Changqing was injured at that time?" Su Fengzhang asked.
Yuan Xiucai quickly shook his head: "I didn't see it clearly. We wrongly blamed Su Xiucai at the time and wanted to report him to the police. Lin Changqing died so tragically, his body was covered in blood. How could we dare to go over and take a closer look?"
Su Fengzhang sneered, "Even the people at the scene didn't see it clearly, but you, Mu Tongsheng, knew it clearly. Could it be that you were the one who entered the room before me and had an argument with Chang Qing?"
"You, stop slandering me!" Mu Wei's face turned pale, and he cried out in injustice, "Sir, I was wrong to falsely accuse Su Fengzhang just now, but Changqing died tragically, and I misunderstood in a hurry, which is also excusable. This Su Xiucai can't slander me!"
County Magistrate Lu frowned and asked, "Su Xiucai, do you have any evidence? You were falsely accused. If you have no evidence, you will be the accuser."
Su Fengzhang said, "Sir, I was very surprised when I saw this Mu Tongsheng in the court just now."
"Everyone in the county school knows that Mu Tongsheng and Changqing are at loggerheads. They even had a quarrel and even a fight. Does everyone still remember it?"
The students around nodded one after another. Scholars rarely took action, but they all remembered that time.
Mu Wei argued, "Yes, Lin Changqing and I do not have a good relationship on a daily basis, but we are from the same place, fellow townsmen, and you two are soulmates. Can't I have a little friendship with Lin Changqing as a fellow townsman?"
Su Fengzhang said, "Of course we can have friendships with fellow townspeople, but I clearly remember Mu Tongsheng returning home early on New Year's Eve. It's only the third day of the Lunar New Year, and the county school won't reopen until after the fifteenth. Why is Mu Tongsheng in Hushan County now?"
It would have been fine if no one mentioned it, but as soon as he said it, everyone felt strange. The common people and scholars standing here watching the excitement were all from the county town. Just as Su Fengzhang said, it was Chinese New Year, and students from other places were still celebrating the New Year at home.
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The author has something to say: Second update~
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