295 Song Renying Arrives
When Feng Wuji arrived, his brow was furrowed and his expression grave. However, when he left, he wore a smile and seemed entirely at ease.
Before departing, he gave Zhao Zhitong a waist token from Feng Mansion, saying that if she ever went to the Capital City, she could use this token to visit him at his home anytime.
Afterward, he happily returned to the Capital City with his medicine.
Following this, General Feng and Elder Zhang would occasionally come to De Ren Tang to procure toothpaste powder and mouthwash.
Gradually, De Ren Tang Medical Hall's toothpaste powder began to gain popularity within the Capital City.
Many noble and meritorious families would dispatch servants to their medical clinic to purchase it for household use.
Three years later, spring had arrived again, greening the willow trees.
In Anyang County, the streets were bustling with extraordinary activity.
Suddenly, a loud shout erupted from the street.
"Everyone, hurry and take a look! Little Master Qiao and De Ren Tang's little Divine Doctor are solving a case in the County Government Office again!"
With the shouts echoing through the street, the crowd began to surge in one direction.
"Let's go, let's go! Hurry and take a look!"
"Hey, who do you think is more formidable, Little Master Qiao or little Divine Doctor Zhao?"
"I say it's definitely Little Master Qiao! He's the smartest person in Anyang County and was the top scorer in last autumn's provincial examination. He must be the most formidable!"
"Hmph, I don't think so. Little Divine Doctor Zhao is the real top genius; her skill in examining corpses is extraordinary."
The discussing townspeople passed by a sedan chair as they headed towards the County Government Office.
The discussion outside caught the attention of Song Renying, who was inside the sedan chair. Curious, he lifted the sedan curtain and looked towards the surging crowd.
A moment later, he instructed the attendant beside the sedan, "Stop the carriage. I want to get out and see."
With that, the sedan stopped. Song Renying alighted and, along with his attendant, followed the crowd into the County Government Office.
By then, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered at the entrance of the County Government Office's main hall.
The County Magistrate was seated high above in the hall, flanked by two rows of Yamen clerks striking their staves and shouting, "Might!" A common woman knelt in the hall, and beside her stood a young man whose attire suggested he was a young master from a wealthy family.
"What's the situation now?" a newly arrived villager, not yet understanding the circumstances, asked curiously.
"Hey, isn't that Hao Youqian from Lord Hao's house? He insists that the woman passed by his melon field and stole melons from it. The woman denies this, claiming she's being wrongly accused. It seems she bumped into the County Magistrate, who happened to be passing by, so the matter was brought to the County Government Office."
"Oh, so it's a theft case!"
Thanks to the enthusiastic villager's explanation, Song Renying, who had just arrived, also grasped the details of the case.
At this moment, the County Magistrate struck the gavel and said sternly, "Silence in the courtroom!"
The hall instantly quieted down.
Magistrate Han asked again, "Hao Youqian, you state that this woman, while passing your melon field, stole melons from it?"
"Yes, Your Honor," Hao Youqian affirmed. "I personally saw this woman carrying a watermelon from my field and trying to flee. Fortunately, I caught her. My household servants can also testify for me."
Hearing this, the woman immediately cried out about the injustice, tearfully recounting, "Your Honor, I am being wronged! Today, I was merely passing by their melon field with my child."
"Then he emerged from the melon field, seized me, and wouldn't let me leave, insisting I had stolen his melon. I am truly being wronged!"
Qiao Muchen and Zhao Zhitong were both in the courtroom, taking in all the statements.
By this time, they already had a clear idea of what had happened.
When Magistrate Han looked towards them, Zhao Zhitong spoke first. She asked the woman, "Madam, may I ask, how old is your child?"
The woman answered truthfully, "He just turned one year old."
Because the child had been crying incessantly, creating a disturbance in the courtroom, he had been taken outside when she was brought in.
Zhao Zhitong nodded in understanding and said to Magistrate Han, "Your Honor, I understand now. The watermelon was not stolen by this lady."
Upon hearing this, Hao Youqian grew indignant and loudly challenged Zhao Zhitong, "Who are you? You have no right to spout such nonsense in this courtroom!"
The onlookers at the entrance also began to whisper among themselves.
"Isn't Miss Zhao's conclusion a bit too rushed this time?"
"Exactly! They haven't even heard the witness testimony, and she's already made a judgment?"
"SILENCE! SILENCE!" Magistrate Han struck the gavel, quieting the courtroom.
Then he said to Hao Youqian, "Miss Zhao and Young Master Qiao were invited by this county. They have assisted this county in solving numerous cases, so you can rest assured on this point."
Now that Magistrate Han mentioned Qiao Muchen, everyone finally noticed he was no longer in the courtroom.
Just as everyone was curiously searching for him, Qiao Muchen entered the courtroom holding a one-year-old child. He walked directly to Hao Youqian and said calmly, "Young Master Hao, here, hold this child."
Hao Youqian looked utterly dumbfounded. He stared at the wailing child, somewhat unwilling, but under the County Magistrate's order, he obediently took the child into his arms.
Meanwhile, Zhao Zhitong, who had gone to fetch the watermelons when Qiao Muchen entered with the child, returned just then. She placed the watermelons on the ground and said, "Alright, Young Master Hao, just as you described, try to pick up these two watermelons."
Hearing this, Hao Youqian froze, then immediately looked towards the County Magistrate.
Magistrate Han maintained a stern expression. "What are you looking at me for? Pick up the watermelons."
Hao Youqian gulped, then, holding the child with one arm, he squatted down and tried to pick up the watermelons with his other hand.
However, though his hand touched the watermelons and nudged them a few times, causing them to roll, he couldn't pick them up.
Ultimately, he could only kneel and confess his guilt.
The case concluded with Hao Youqian confessing his guilt and being sentenced to thirty strokes of the heavy bamboo by the County Magistrate.
The surrounding crowd clicked their tongues in admiration, praising Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen for their cleverness.
At this moment, Song Renying, standing in the crowd, stroked his beard and nodded, his face filled with satisfaction.
These two youngsters haven't disappointed my expectations. They truly are becoming more and more remarkable!
With the stolen watermelon case solved, Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen prepared to leave the County Government Office.
Just then, a bailiff rushed in to report that a corpse had been discovered on the riverbank outside the town!
Consequently, Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen immediately accompanied the County Magistrate to the riverbank.
By the time they arrived, Yamen clerks had already cordoned off the area around the corpse with ropes.
After Magistrate Han and Qiao Muchen arrived, they went to find the first person who had discovered the corpse, an ordinary boatman.
"Good heavens, that nearly scared me to death! I was rowing on the river when, from a distance, I saw something dark lying there. I thought someone had dropped something valuable. But when I got closer, I discovered it was a corpse! It scared me half to death!"
Qiao Muchen listened to the boatman's account for a while, his steps already taking him to the crime scene. The riverbed was still wet from the rain the previous day, so anyone who had passed through would have left clear footprints.
A moment later, he returned and asked the boatman, "After you discovered the corpse, did you linger anywhere near it?"