The next morning.
The sky is bright.
There is frost on the ground.
Under the intense work of the government officials, the corpses in the county government office have been removed, all the blood has been cleaned up, and everything has returned to its normal appearance.
However, although the appearance has recovered, the massacre last night has long been engraved in everyone's heart, making them like a nightmare that cannot be erased.
The entire Yamen seemed to still be filled with lingering blood.
Sima Xin's followers should all be ruthless characters who have been on the battlefield. Suddenly, the fight turned into a massacre, and not even one of them was injured.
On Cui Xiaotian's side, a total of nineteen people died, and countless others were injured.
All the corpses were sent to Yizhuang, and Yizhuang was already overcrowded with corpses.
Old Man Li who had committed suicide in the prison before, Magistrate Tong who had just passed away, Lu Yusheng, Liu Sanyang, and even the maid Sang'er who died in Pan Yulang's house were all lying there.
Fortunately, it's cold winter now. If it were summer, I don't know how stinky it would be...
At this moment, Song Zhili, Xu Zhen and others were in a guest room in the backyard of the Yamen.
Because Cui Meng's condition suddenly worsened, he had been transferred here and was treated by a specially invited doctor.
I have asked Cui Xiaotian's subordinates before, and they said that Cui Meng's disease is called sheep sickness. Once it attacks, he will foam at the mouth and twitch all over. It takes several days to recover. He has been treating it with traditional Chinese medicine.
The arrest and interrogation last night caused Cui Meng to become ill. Although he is not in a coma now, he keeps rolling his eyes and his body is shaking. He cannot even communicate with him, let alone the interrogation.
Song Zhili was naturally very anxious and asked the doctor when he would be able to recover. The doctor shook his head repeatedly and said that the patient needed careful treatment and it would probably take two or three days...
Looking at Cui Meng, who was still foaming at the corners of his mouth, Xu Zhen naturally knew that he had severe epilepsy. As long as he doesn't bite his tongue, his life should be fine for the time being.
In fact, he remembered that the medical chapter of "The Way of Demons" recorded a formula for a pill similar to adrenaline. After taking this medicine, Cui Meng could immediately regain his energy and accept the interrogation.
However, that kind of medicine is extremely harmful to the body and may even kill one's life.
Of course, Xu Zhen doesn't plan to prepare any elixirs now, because Cui Meng's current situation is what he wants to see the most.
However, Song Zhili was going crazy. After coming out of the ward, he insisted on interrogating Cui Xiaotian in person to make Cui Xiaotian reveal the fact that Cui Meng was the ghost-faced killer.
Chen Houlu, Shen Mingchen and others quickly dissuaded him, saying that Cui Xiaotian had rich experience and strong will. They said that if Lord Sima refused to torture him, nothing would come out of him even if he was tortured.
Moreover, Song Zhili has no interrogation experience, so it is possible that the interrogation will fail and Cui Xiaotian will trick him into extracting information, which would be more than worth the loss.
"What should I do? I don't have experience, but you do," Song Zhili had become nervous. He pointed at Cheng Xiao and said, "You have experience, go and interrogate Cui Xiaotian for me. Go quickly, go!"
"Sir..." Cheng Xiao quickly defended, "It's useless for me to go. If I'm not allowed to be tortured, how...how can I interrogate him? Who is Cui Xiaotian? It's useless to just scare him!"
"Then let me go too!" Song Zhili yelled crazily, "Threaten him with his son's life. If he doesn't tell the truth, he will kill his son..."
It was obvious that Song Zhili had lost his mind, and his words were simply flawed logic. If Cui Xiaotian didn't tell the truth, he would kill his son. If he told the truth, his son would be the Ghost-Faced Killer. Wouldn't he die anyway?
"I...I..." Cheng Xiao was also stunned. It seemed that he really wanted to interrogate Cui Xiaotian.
"No, no!" Shen Mingchen quickly dissuaded him, "None of us can interrogate Cui Xiaotian before we are fully prepared. Think about it, Cui Xiaotian will definitely intimidate the interrogator, scare him or bribe him. If he succeeds, then All our previous efforts have been in vain!”
Shen Mingchen's words were straightforward enough, that is, if the interrogator could not resist the temptation and defected, it would be a waste of time.
Take Cheng Xiao as an example. He is currently in various troubles. Once Cui Xiaotian agrees to help him solve these troubles and give him a bright future, then based on Cheng Xiao's character, the possibility of being "recruited" is definitely not small. .
In this case, it would be better not to go to trial.
"What should we do? What should we do!? What do you think we should do!!?" Song Zhili howled, "It's already the eighth day, it's the eighth day! The ghost-faced killer has been caught, Cui Xiaotian has also been caught, but... We can't do anything, why!?
"No...we...we can't wait anymore, I can't wait, I can't wait anymore..."
Unexpectedly, because Song Zhili was too excited, he didn't even come up for a breath, and actually rolled his eyes and fell down on his back.
"Sir Song!" Shen Mingchen had quick eyes and quick hands and quickly held him up.
But Song Zhili kept twitching and seemed to be breathing hard, but couldn't get in fresh air.
"Master Song!"
The others were all frightened and immediately gathered around.
Shen Mingchen quickly pinched Song Zhili, and Chen Houlu also lifted up his robe and fanned Song Zhili's face...
After waiting for a long time, Song Zhili finally woke up, but his complexion was extremely weak.
But when I saw Mr. Song's hair was messy, his face was gray, his clothes were messy and stained with blood, he looked very embarrassed.
"Quickly," Chen Houlu quickly called his personal servant and ordered, "hurry up and help Mr. Song go home to rest. In the past few days, your Excellency has been worried and worried and can't rest. Please quickly let Mrs. Song make some ginseng soup for you. Take it and get some rest!”
"Yes Yes Yes……"
The servants were all frightened and immediately helped Song Zhili to the backyard.
On the way home, Song Zhili kept repeating: "Think...find a way, you guys have to think of a way, think of a way quickly..."
Unexpectedly, as he was talking, he found something in his hand.
When he looked down, he saw that it was a piece of paper. Who had pushed it to him?
He immediately pushed the servant away and opened the note, only to see a line of small characters written crookedly on it: "Water can carry a boat and also capsize it."
Seeing these words, Song Zhili's brows suddenly furrowed at first, but after thinking about it for a long time, they gradually relaxed. It seems that I have realized something...
…
After Song Zhili was sent away, Chen Houlu also lost the strength to pace. Like a deflated rubber ball, he slumped on the Taishi chair in the inner hall.
By this time, he was no longer anxious about signing.
Because even if Song Zhili signed it, it would be of no use.
Whether it was the monk incident, the resumption of the investigation of the Ghost Faced Killer, or the arrest of Cui Xiaotian, he was present throughout the whole process. Even if he could retire now, how could he stay out of it?
well……
The only thing he regrets now is why he didn't retire earlier a few years ago. Wouldn't it be nice to share the joy of family life with the group of concubines at home?
such a pity……
I'm afraid the concubines will have to serve other masters soon...
"Song Zhili, Song Zhili... come out!"
Just when Chen Houlu sighed, Sima Xin suddenly strode in, calling Song Zhili's name as he walked.
Chen Houlu stood up hurriedly and explained to him that Song Zhili had gone to the backyard to rest because he was feeling unwell.
"What did you do?" Sima Xin slumped down on his chair and complained, "No one from the Criminal Department has come yet, and we have been kept waiting all night in vain!"
"Yes, yes, yes," Chen Houlu lowered his head to hit the bear, but when he heard it, he felt something was wrong.
Didn't you ask us to prepare last night?
We have been waiting all night in vain. Now that no one has come, why are they complaining about us?
"That's good. The people from the Criminal Department didn't wait, but Cui Xiaotian did." Sima Xin was still complaining angrily, "If you hadn't informed us so early, we wouldn't have caught up with this mess, hum. …”
Why?
The more Chen Houlu listened, the more something seemed wrong.
its not right?
Who notifies whom?
It was obviously you who sent someone to notify us last night! The young man who delivered the message even forgot to ask for the reward from me...
Why?
etc……
Chen Houlu suddenly realized something, and his heart suddenly thumped.
Yes, why did what happened last night feel so coincidental and so deliberate?
If it weren't for the meeting with the Criminal Department, Sima Xin and others would not have come to the Yamen, and they would not have clashed with Cui Xiaotian's people, prompting the Yamen to catch Cui Xiaotian on the spot...
Also, it seems that the person who reported the news was not among Sima Xin’s entourage?
Could it be...
Could it be...
The whole thing is being manipulated by someone behind the scenes...
In shock, Chen Houlu quickly raised his head and wanted to confirm with Sima Xin who informed whom first?
But at such a critical moment, the office guard suddenly ran over in a hurry and shouted:
"Sir, the people from the Criminal Department are here, here..."
…
