Article: Li Xia
Once upon a time, the farmer Chen Tai's family lived in a valley in Fukang Township. Live a life of being indifferent to the world, men farming and women weaving! Chen Tai is a native man. He is a man of the countryside. He is loyal, honest, diligent, and not afraid of hardships. His wife, Li, is a woman from a poor family. She is gentle, virtuous, beautiful and generous! They work from sunrise to sunset. One farms and the other weaves cloth and sews. The husband and wife are loving and vow not to separate. I often sing mountain songs in the fields, and the husband and wife sing with me, which is extremely comfortable. The couple lived a sweet life!
Chen Tai’s field is ten miles away from home. Every time he goes to these fields to cultivate, he does more work in order not to waste time. I don't go home for lunch. Instead, it was sent by his wife. Hanged on the old locust tree by the edge of the field.
On this day, the weather was clear and cloudless. It's a good day to do farm work. Chen Tai was working hard in the fields, and it was already noon before he knew it. His wife, Li, wore a straw hat and carried a bamboo basket filled with steaming food. He walked towards the field with small steps. Chen Tai happened to straighten his waist and wipe the sweat from his face with a sweat towel, and saw his wife's graceful figure. A joyful smile appeared on his face. He sang loudly:
"I'm here to plow the fields and you weave cloth, and you're worried and bored all the time.
Growth of grains fills the granary, and you're not afraid of the mighty people collect rent.
Weaving thousands of cold clothes, in exchange for cattle and sheep for me to slaughter.
...
Ten miles of scenery and ten miles of road, and a pair of jade feet on the journey.
The lady gently moves the lotus steps, and her smile is as bright as a flower!"
The singing is loud and echoes between the mountains and fields. The old man next to him praised in unison, "It's good to sing!" When Li heard this, his face was filled with red clouds, he hung the bamboo basket on the tree, stroked a strand of hair hanging on his chest, and sang:
" I was born with thin skin, so don't let my tongue be in front of others.
I brought the food to you. It's just because the journey is ten miles away.
The shoes are wet through mountains and rivers, and the man comes to laugh at each other!"
The singing is like a lark in the mountains singing, melodious and beautiful! "
Good, okay" "Hahaha..." Everyone praised and smiled at each other. Li looked at Chen Tai with affectionateness, then turned around and went back shyly. Chen Tai rested on the ridge of the field for a while, and then helped the neighbor to load a cart of dry firewood, and then he felt hungry. After wiping away the sweat, I went to the locust tree and picked up the food to eat. A bowl of chicken and a large bowl of rice, there is still heat left. Chen Tai muttered. My wife is so nice to me!" So she started eating. Before she had eaten half of the food, she suddenly felt a pain in her stomach and her face changed drastically. When she was young, Chen Tai died with a scream of "Ah"! The old farmer next to her looked at it and was shocked and shouted, "Come on, it's dead..." Soon, the news of Chen Tai's death reached his wife Li, and Li fainted and fell to the ground, unconscious! The neighbor finally rescued her.
Chen Tai's parents saw the body of his son who was carried back by the door panel and cried endlessly. As soon as they heard that they died after eating the food given by their daughter-in-law, the old lady Chen insisted that the food was poisonous. The poisonous one is nothing else. It is Li. Old Chen wiped his tears and came to Li, saying tremblingly: "Why are you vicious, you killer and murder your husband... and return it to my son!!" Chen's mother also wailed aside. Mrs. Li was still in shock and her face was pale, shouting, "No, no, I don't have any, I don't have any, I don't have any, I don't have any," she said before she finished speaking, staggering a few steps and threw herself on Chen Tai's body. She said in a lost voice: "Lang, my Chen Lang..." The onlookers whispered and talked, "It seems that it must be poisoned in this way." "Yes, if it was not very poisonous, I would have died suddenly." "Miss Li was gentle, considerate, kind and virtuous, and had a pair of love with Chen Tai, without doubting it. I have never seen any rumors, how could I kill my husband?" "It's not unreasonable to listen to my brother's words, which is really puzzling..." "Is it someone else poisoned me? Chen Tai is friendly and friendly, and he has never made enemies with anyone..."
Mr. Chen was already blinded by sadness at this moment, and he did not listen to everyone's defense at all. He insisted on suing his daughter-in-law Li as a murderer. He stepped forward and pulled Li away, saying, "Don't touch my son again, kill someone to pay his life, and pay the debt. Go with me to see the county magistrate." At the time of the incident, someone had reported the case to the government. Not long after, the county magistrate sent a coroner to take the autopsy. It proves that Chen Tai died of poisoning, but he was unable to find out what poison he was infected with.
said that the county government received a report and after being investigated for autopsy, the county magistrate chose to go to the hall on the day. After the three drums, the county magistrate sat upright, and two squads of yamen runners lined up left and right, shouting "Magnificent" in unison, and officially promoted to the hall. Above the lobby, a plaque engraved with the words "The mirror is hanging high". More than ten tall signs with words such as "High-Royality", "Clean-Sleeve", and "Honorable" were inserted on the shelves on both sides of the left and right. It can be seen that this magistrate is a good official who loves the people as his son and is honest and upright.
The magistrate summoned a person involved in the case, including Li, Old Chen and his wife. At this time, the lobby was already crowded with people from all over the countryside and eight miles to watch the fun. The magistrate slapped the agglomeration and said, "Where is the plaintiff?" "Xiaomin is here," Old Lady Chen responded. The magistrate said, "Who is the one who sued him?" "Xiaomin sued his daughter-in-law Li, poisoning him to murder his husband." "Put the paper on it." Old Mrs. Chen took out the paper from his arms and handed it to the servant, and said in a trembling voice, "Please Master Qingtian be the leader." When Li, who was dressed in a mess and disheveled hair, heard it and knelt forward with his knees and said in a crying voice, "No, it's unfair, sir, the girl from the people did not poison..." Li's old father also shouted, "It's unfair, the Chen family slandered people, please tell me!" Suddenly, shouts in the lobby were everywhere, and a mess! With a loud "bang", the sound of the agglomeration hitting the table before it fell. The magistrate shouted loudly, "You are quiet." "The loud noise will disturb the court, how can it be!" Everyone took the majesty of the county magistrate, and bowed their heads one after another, silent.
The magistrate looked at the paper and pondered for a moment. I think this case is extraordinary. It takes time to break it. He said: "This case is a major case of life. The case is strange. There is no evidence of what the plaintiff said. With just one-sided words, how can we conclude that Li is the murderer?? After this official finds out the truth, then make a verdict. Now the plaintiff, the defendant and others return home and wait for the summons. Retreat!"
After several days of visiting and investigating, it was found that all Chen Tai's relatives and friends had no motive for murder. Moreover, Li is kind and virtuous, and there is no conclusive evidence to kill his husband. If it weren't for killing him, there would be no possibility of suicide by taking poison. The magistrate suddenly realized that this case was very difficult. For a moment, I had no idea where to start! After several days of forgetting to eat and thinking hard, the magistrate decided to open a breakthrough from the "poison" in Chen Tai's office, hoping for great progress in the case.
After a senior coroner's autopsy and a well-informed doctor in the local area checked the death. Finally, it was concluded that Chen Tai died of a life of one of the "Five Poisons". The magistrate suddenly felt like the clouds clearing the sun, and his mind suddenly opened! "Oh! Why didn't I expect it??" Slapping my head. "Li's confession said that she gave her husband chicken and rice that day. Yes, the problem should be in this chicken..." The magistrate was confident and calm. He asked his servant to kill a chicken and filled a full bowl. Wearing casual clothes, carrying two or three servants. With the chicken, I came to the old locust tree where Li usually hangs bamboo baskets. He also sent someone to pass on Li, Chen and his wife. After waiting for a group of people, the magistrate said, "The murderer who killed Chen Taizhi is on this old locust tree. Let's see how I arrested it!" Everyone was surprised and confused, not knowing what medicine was sold in the county magistrate's gourd.
The servant hangs the food on the same branches according to Li’s confession. Everyone hid aside and saw what was going on. Soon, a big red centipede as big as a thumb and more than a foot long crawled out of the crack of the tree, climbed into the chicken along the bamboo basket, and pissed. Sprayed poison. The magistrate thought, it was indeed not as expected. Everyone was stunned. Taking advantage of this moment, the magistrate stepped forward and caught the big centipede with his pliers. Put it into a small bamboo cage."I have lived for decades and have never seen such a big centipede!" "I'm afraid I've become a sperm, lord," a constable said with a smile. The magistrate said, "The murderer is not Li, but a centipede." "The centipede is used to peeing in chicken. On the day of Chen Tai's sudden death, he ate chicken." After hearing this, an old monk clasped his hands and said, "Amitabha, sin, sin!" The onlookers had different opinions. "I didn't expect that the real murderer in this case was actually a centipede." "A strange case! Unknown, never heard of it, never seen!" "The adults judged the case like a god, it was simply the rebirth of Bao Gong."
"Now the evidence is conclusive, the culprit has been brought to justice. The truth has been revealed and the truth has been revealed. But the Li family is innocent!" The magistrate said with a righteous spirit. Everyone said, "The master is wise!" The next day, the magistrate was promoted to the court and the Li family was acquitted, and the case was settled. (End)
