The prefect said: "That's what happened. However, these three people are not criminals."
"Why?"
"That Jijigui was working in the fields at that time, and many villagers saw it. Moreover, his land is not near here, but on the other side of Dapo, about ten miles away from here. Therefore, he cannot
He was in two places. That Jiji is even more impossible. Two days ago, he went to the home of his father-in-law and mother-in-law in a neighboring village eighty miles away to pay New Year greetings. On the day of the incident, he was also having wine at a relative's house in that village. Many people in the village were
I can testify that he only came back the day after the crime. That Jijifu had diarrhea for several days, dozens of times a day, until his feet were weak. On the day of the crime, he lay in bed and couldn't get up. He had diarrhea several times that day.
The creditor who called him to collect gambling debts stayed at his house until the afternoon to collect the debts. These people can testify that he stayed in bed that day and never went out at all. This government has conducted detailed investigations and confirmed it.
It can’t be wrong.”
Todayama was very disappointed, but he still decided to check again. If there is a glimmer of hope, he must make a hundredfold effort.
hts asked other people in Jiji’s family and it was almost the same as what Jiji’s boss said.
Todayama decided to visit these three families who had enmity with Jiji's family.
They first came to Jijigui's house. The leader who led the way quickly walked in and shouted in the yard: "Jijigui! Come out quickly, the prefect and Mr. Todayama are coming to your house to investigate the case! Hurry up!
Come out to greet us!”
Na Jijigui was cooking in the kitchen. When he heard this, he quickly dropped the spatula and ran out, limped out, knelt down and kowtowed.
Todayama asked him to get up and talk. They entered his house and came out immediately, because the house was so messy that it was like a barn and there was no place to stay.
The headmaster said: "Forget it, bring out some stools and we'll make the deal in the yard."
Ji Jigui hurriedly agreed, limped into the house, took out a few low benches, and placed them in the yard. He also took a few broken porcelain bowls from the kitchen, and scooped a few ladles of boiling water from the pot.
He took it out in a bowl and placed it in front of Todayama and the others with great respect.
Todasan said: "Stop working so hard. We'll ask you a few questions and then leave without delaying you."
Ji Jigui agreed naively and stood aside with his waist bent.
Todasan said: "What's wrong with your legs?"
Ji Jigui glanced at the mayor and said vaguely: "It's nothing."
Jiji did not ask any further questions and said, "Where were you on the day when the eldest young master of the Jiji family was killed?"
"My wife, I, and two sons were farming. At that time, Uncle Jiji's family, my sister-in-law's family, and a businessman's family from the capital city of Wuji Kingdom were also farming there until the sun went down.
We came back together. When I came back, I heard that the eldest son of the Jiji family had been killed. The Jiji family refused to say that it was me, so they beat me up and sent me to the Yamen. The Jiji family is simply...,
Our family also has the surname Jiji. We were one family fifty years ago, but now..."
Having said this, Ji Jigui glanced at Li Chang again and swallowed the rest of his words.
The chief glared and said, "What are you just looking at me for? If the master asks you anything, just answer it. I won't go to Jiji's house to complain."
Jijigui smiled and said, "That's not what I meant."
"Then what do you mean?"
Ji Jigui lowered his head and said nothing.
Todayama said to the prefect: "I want to go to the house with Jijigui to inquire alone, is that okay?"
The prefect hurriedly said: "Of course. It's your job to investigate the case now. I've said it, you can investigate it however you want."
Todayama smiled, stood up and said to Jijigui: "Go to the house and talk."
"The house is very messy..."
"It doesn't matter!" Todayama walked into the house with his hands behind his back. He walked to the back bedroom, stopped, turned around and looked at Ji Jigui who limped in, and said, "Where are your wife and children?"
"Going back to my parents' house."
"Why?"
Ji Jigui unconsciously glanced back at the door, and whispered with a sad face: "I can't live anymore. If I don't leave, what else can I do?"
"What's wrong?"
Ji Jigui lowered his head and said nothing.
Todasan said: "I am the capital secretary of Baoxiang Kingdom in Kyoto. Your village now belongs to Baoxiang Kingdom. I am here to assist in investigating the case. I am not from your prefect. If you tell me, I will not tell the third person.
.”
Jijigui still doesn’t say anything.
Todayama added: "I can guess that it must be related to the Jiji family. Let me tell you, this case is of great importance. The government must find the real culprit. Only by finding the real culprit can the Jiji family possibly
If I don't cause you any more trouble, you will be able to live a normal life again. Therefore, you must answer my questions truthfully and provide us with as many clues as possible.
Ji Jigui nodded heavily: "My family was originally from Kyoto, and we came here later, because there is a big pond here, and there is a Dragon King in it. Whenever the two countries fight, the Dragon King will come out to stop it, so for hundreds of years
, Baoxiang Kingdom and Wuji Kingdom have never fought a battle here. The Dragon King has blessed this place, so the weather here has always been smooth and it is a comfortable place for people. But since this Master Jiji came, we..."
Ji Jigui said bitterly: "He talks about benevolence and morality, but his heart is more vicious than a wolf..." Once my family borrowed 4 loads of millet from him and agreed to pay back 5 loads for the autumn harvest. But when I went to return it, he said
The price of grain was very high that year. If he kept his four dans of millet and sold them in the autumn, he could sell them for at least ten dans, so he asked me to pay back ten dans. I had already agreed when I borrowed it, so why should I change it?
What? I tried to be reasonable, but he was so unreasonable that he came directly to my house and took away my cattle. I was so angry that I had no choice but to agree to pay back ten loads, but he refused to return my cattle, saying that the cattle were sick and died.
Those ten loads of grain were offset by the compensation for the cattle. - If I took the cattle to sell, I could sell twenty or thirty loads of grain at will! Of course I refused and came to reason with them. They ignored me and wouldn't even let me in.
Come in. Just in time, I heard that the eldest son of the Jiji family raped Jijicai’s third sister. I was even more angry. I stood in front of his house and scolded him, saying that the old man was fake and compassionate and was really a wolf. They just
He beat me so hard that all my teeth were knocked out.”
Toda-san ignored the Dragon King, a small Tan Dragon King. He hadn't seen it yet. Toda-san said: "The eldest young master of the Jiji family raped the third sister of Jijicai. Is it true?"
Jijigui said: "Of course! Jiji just saw it with his own eyes. Two servants of the eldest master of the Jiji family held down Sanniang's hands and feet and asked him to do it. Sanniang resisted with all her strength and even scratched his face!"
"Why don't Jiji just report it to the official?"
"Don't you dare go! Jiji's family is not someone to be trifled with. His family is a high-ranking official in the Wuji Kingdom. One person is above all others, but ten thousand people are below."
Todayama smiled after hearing this and asked, "Then what's going on with your legs?"
Jijigui said: "Let Jiji's family beat him! After that beastly young master was beaten to death, they suspected that it was me who did it. They arrested me and hung me up and beat me for questioning. I said I was farming, but they didn't
Listen, if I was forced to admit it, I would fight to the death and refuse to admit it, so they beat my legs like this!"
Todasandao: "Don't you have several witnesses proving that you were doing farm work in a field ten miles away that day?"
"Originally! But they said I must have hired someone to do it. How can I not! Although I hate the Jiji family for bullying others and seizing my cattle, I wouldn't hire someone to kill him! Besides,
My family is extremely poor, how can we afford to hire people to kill people? My ancestors all farmed the land honestly, and I don’t know those killers!"
"Besides arresting you, who else did they arrest?"
"Both Jijicai and Jijigao were arrested, but I was beaten the worst. After Jiji's family beat us, they tied us up and sent us to the Yamen. The Yamen locked us up for a few days and then released us.
.However, the Jiji family did not let us go and often made trouble for us. My wife was very scared. After discussing with me, she took the children back to her parents' house to hide. She will come back when the situation calms down."
Todayama patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry. I will do my best to help you get justice!"
Ji Jigui said with tears in his eyes: "Thank you so much, sir!"
Todayama and the prefect came to Jijicai's house. When they got to the door, they knocked on the door, but no one came out to open the door. The head of the house called the neighbor next door and asked, saying that someone was at home and they didn't know why they didn't open the door.
The chief got angry and kicked and shouted loudly. After a long time, someone finally came out and opened the door, but it was a child.
The chief asked: "Where is your father?"
The child glanced at them warily. He didn't answer. But he was about to close the door again. The mayor pushed the door open and stepped into the yard. He said loudly: "Jijicai! I know you are at home! Come out quickly!"
The prefect is here to investigate the case!" He walked straight to the door of the main house and knocked on the door, but the door was not closed, just closed. The chief pushed open the door and walked in. There was a smell of urine inside.
The smell turned out to be from a toilet in the corner of the house, with the lid uncovered.
Todayama followed him in and saw a man lying on a wooden bed in the back room with a sick face. There was a curtain hanging on the bed, and something was moving behind the curtain.
The lieutenant said angrily to the man on the bed: "Jijicai! What are you doing? I told you that the master is coming to investigate the case. Why don't you get up to greet him? What are you doing lying on the bed? What time has it been and you are still here?
There is a corpse on the bed. Did he never get up, or was he just going to sleep? Where is your wife?"
As soon as I finished saying this, I heard a scream from behind the wooden bed. It was a woman's voice, as if something was crawling under the bed.
Todayama knelt down and looked under the bed. He saw a thin woman crawling and hiding under the bed. Her face was full of panic. When she saw Todayama, she huddled into the corner under the bed, holding a hand tightly in her hands.
One of the sharp tips of the scissors has broken off.
The chief briefly introduced several officials. When Jiji heard this, he panicked and struggled to get up. He opened the quilt and tried to get out of bed. Todayama had already stood up and saw that he was swaying and unsteady.
, his whole body was trembling, but his cheeks were burning red. He hurried over to help him. Feeling that his hands were hot, he hurriedly said: "Are you sick? Don't get up, lie down quickly!"
Jiji was helped by Todasan to lie down, saying thank you repeatedly.
The chief squatted down and saw the woman under the bed. He couldn't laugh or cry, and said: "Ji Ji Cai's wife, what are you hiding under the bed? Come out quickly! It's the great master who is here! Here to investigate the case!" He stood up and said to the prefect's household.
Tianshan and the others said: "Sir, please don't take offense. His wife has been a little crazy since the last incident."
