Huzhou government office.
Guo Langzhong said to Luo Shi who was kneeling below him: "Zheng Luo Shi, please think carefully. I'm afraid you won't be able to bear these thirty sticks!"
Luo Shi, who used to be quite charming, was already in a miserable state, with his black hair scattered, his clothes in tatters, and some places stained with blood. It seemed that he had been severely tortured.
Hearing Guo Langzhong's words, Luo Shi cried and shouted: "I said, I said." After saying that, he fainted. Dai Chang signaled the female jailer next to her to pour cold water on her to wake her up. After a while, Luo Shi slowly woke up. The female jailer helped her up and whispered in her ear: "These officials are already good-tempered. If Master Chen Dong comes later, you will die even if you want to." Difficult."
When Luo Shi shed tears, he was in terrible pain. He knew that his finger was broken and his ribs were in pain. Thinking of the rumors about Chen Dong, his heart trembled even more. He gritted his teeth and said, "I did change this tea cake mold. I Just to make those wolf-hearted people from the Zheng family go to the eighteenth level of hell."
Guo Langzhong shouted: "Why do you want to harm the Zheng family!"
Luo Shi chuckled: "Zheng Ping only cares about my beauty and takes care of me in every possible way. Don't you know that Zheng Ping was with the Qingyan girl in Wuzhang Building that day?"
Mr. Guo said seriously: "But I know that Zheng Ping has left the daily management of the tea shop in your hands. Both the Zheng family's inner house and the shop are in your hands. Is this true?"
Luo Shi turned around and said, "It is like this now, but in the early years, these things were not in my hands. When I ran the shop, I worked early and stayed late, and the money I earned was spent on the Zheng family."
Guo Langzhong nodded to the clerk next to him, and soon Zheng Ping was brought up.
"Why on earth are you doing?" Zheng Ping saw Luo kneeling in the hall and was being tortured. He couldn't help but lamented: "I have to ask myself, I treat you like a jewel. When you first entered the Zheng family, my eldest daughter made things difficult for you at every turn. How could I?" After a lot of maintenance, I asked Sister Ying to get married early, not just to make you live more comfortably at home. Later, I also handed over the management of the shop to you, so that you can be the wife of the Zheng family with peace of mind. What do you want? Huh? Do you know that poisoning the tribute tea requires beheading? You are also the wife of the Zheng family, so you cannot escape death. If you don't think about yourself, you should also think about our Duo'er."
Zheng Ping looked at Luo Shi and couldn't stop crying. He really didn't understand why Luo Shi wanted to harm him. In prison, Mr. Dai came over and told him that Luo Shi had poisoned him. He really didn't believe that Luo Shi would do this. He even thought that Dai Chang tortured Luo Shi in order to accuse him. Luo Shi's delicate woman must have been tortured. , but just outside the hall, he heard Luo Shi's confession with his own ears, and he must ask clearly why this happened.
Luo Shi sneered and said, "Do you know about your father Zheng Yishun robbing my tea tree?"
Zheng Ping was stunned, and then said in surprise: "My father once spent fifty taels of silver to buy twelve wild tea plants in your Shuanglin Village. Are you talking about this?"
"Oh, why did I buy wild tea for fifty taels of silver? My grandfather discovered it in the mountains behind my house. My grandfather knew how to make tea and made tea cakes from that batch of wild tea. Because the quality of the tea cakes is very good, we both A tribute from Lin Town. Although my Luo family was not rich at that time, we lived a peaceful and happy life. But your father bribed He Qing, the magistrate of Shuanglin County, which is now He Zhizhou. They said that this hilltop was originally a government office. All the tea trees must be returned to the government camp. My grandfather did not dare to fight with the officials, so he had to hand over the tea trees to the county government. Who would have thought that within a few days, people from the Zheng family would be guarding the tea tree near it, what a government camp, bah." Luo Shi spat hard at Zheng Ping.
"How is this possible? My father clearly paid fifty taels of silver to the Luo family. I saw my father take the fifty taels of silver from home with my own eyes." Zheng Ping said in shock, turning back to Guo Langzhong and others in the hall. He said: "My lords, these fifty taels were not a small amount back then. My father did buy tea trees from the Luo family and asked a middleman to testify. The delivery certificate was in triplicate, with the Luo family and our Zheng family each holding one. The other copy is on file at the county government office. Your Excellency will know this once you investigate."
Luo Shi sneered: "You have already colluded with that He Qing. It's just a document, you can just forge it."
Zheng Ping took a deep look at Luo Shi, wiped his tears, knelt down for a few steps, saluted and said: "If this is the case, everything will be decided by your mouth. My lords, you can ask someone to pick up the certificate from my home. This person is Li Zheng of Shuanglin Village. Adults can also ask. Fifty taels of silver was not a small amount back then. Although my family has been making tea for generations and has a lot of wealth, it took some time to raise money for this fifty taels. .My father told me all these things back then."
When Luo Shi was about to speak, Mr. Guo said to her: "You will know this as soon as you investigate. You don't need to say anything. You said that this tea tree was taken away by the Zheng family, so you want to take revenge on the Zheng family. Have you waited more than ten years for this revenge?" Moreover, you yourself will not escape death this time, and even your five-year-old daughter will not escape misfortune. The price of revenge is indeed quite high."
Hearing that his daughter was doomed, Luo stayed for a long time, with tears streaming down his face, and slowly said: "My grandfather was obsessed with making tea. He walked all over the mountains to find suitable tea trees. The leaves of these twelve tea trees Born with extremely fine white hair, my grandfather was overjoyed when he saw it. After grinding and brewing the tea cakes, they were as white as milk. With this tea, my grandfather became the tea king of Huzhou that year. The Zheng family took away After the tea tree, my grandfather became ill. In order to treat his illness, my father sold my sister Pingniang. I have brought up my sister since she was born. My mother was hurt when she gave birth to her and did not want to look at her. , and there was no milk. I carried her behind her back and asked for milk from family to family, so that I could feed her. Later, I saved my own food rations and made rice soup to feed her. Her clothes were all changed by me from my own clothes for her to wear. In this way, it was not easy for her to grow up to five years old. Although we are sisters, we are actually like mother and daughter. Sir, do you think this revenge is forced?" Luo Shi said, lying on the ground and saying no more.
After hearing this, Zheng Ping was anxious, angry and sad, and shouted: "Qiao Niang, do you know how serious this crime is? Do you think you dragged the Zheng family down to the eighteenth level of hell, how could your Luo family escape? What happened back then?" My father didn't tell any lies about this matter. Could it be that you were deceived by your father and second uncle? My poor Duo'er, she is your daughter, she was only three years old, you killed her, do you know!"
Mr. Guo was shocked and said: "Please be careful with your words in the hall. These things will be known once you investigate them, so you don't need to say anything. I will judge whether it is collusion or not. Zheng Luoshi, let me ask you where did that poison come from?" "
Luo Che replied: "The poison was made by my grandfather more than 20 years ago and has been kept unused. My grandfather not only made tea, but also made medicine. It was he who taught me how to put the poison into the mold." Then he looked at Zheng Ping, smiled and said: "In the past, you always said that I don't know how to make tea and don't mix it blindly. But I have told you many times to raise the temperature by another liter when it is over yellow. My grandfather has tried it hundreds of times. Don’t be afraid that the tea will burn. If you control the heat well, the tea will come out whiter."
Zheng Ping's lips turned white as he kept kowtowing and said, "Your Majesty, I have no idea that this happened. It was all done by this crazy woman. There are more than 20 members of my Zheng family who are all innocently involved. Your Majesty, I know it for sure."
Guo Langzhong continued to ask: "Zheng Luoshi, let me ask you, why did you put all the poison in Xiaofengtuan's mold? If you want to harm the Zheng family, you can put it in any mold."
Luo Shi endured the pain and sat upright and said: "I originally planned to put some in each mold, but the poison left by my grandfather was not much, and it was not enough for so many molds. I secretly tried to make this batch of molds, and only This little phoenix ball is the most delicate, and its weight is small, making it easy to poison."
Guo Langzhong said that this was exactly the same as when the An family girl saw Luo Shi drinking half of the cake and Xiaofeng Tuan.
Guo Langzhong asked again: "If you want to harm the Zheng family, why did you switch the molds of this Xiaofeng Tuan? Wouldn't it be better to let the Zheng family make those batch of poisonous molds?"
"Oh, I didn't expect that Shopkeeper Niu took out the mold alone to prevent others from using it. That day in the study, I heard Shopkeeper Niu saying that the tea cakes made from the Xiaofengtuan mold were lighter, and asked I wonder if the officials are still making it. I thought they were not going to use this batch of molds. That night I specially asked Yinhong to go to the warehouse to check it out. Shopkeeper Niu took out all the Xiaofengtuan molds. I was afraid that something would happen. If I missed it, After the tea ceremony, the mold would be useless next year, so Yinhong asked Yinhong to put the mold back." Luo Shi laughed and cried while shaking his head.
Doctor Guo said: "Take Zheng Luoshi down and see her injuries. Bring Luo Youde up for questioning and let Luo Youcai wait."
