The passenger ship carrying the body came to Shimen County and saw the city wall houses and docks from afar. Xu Hao was on the boat because the murderer might be, and ordered the guards to stare at everyone. He quietly asked the boatman to inform the ship to come and wait.

The guests on the boat were still talking. Xu Hao felt that they really didn't look like the murderer, but in fact he felt a little bit.

Countless flies gathered in the cabin, and a guy blocked the front with two wooden boards so that he would not feel disgusting.

When the boat stopped to the shore, the local guard jumped onto the boat and got into the cabin, and the boatman also followed him in.

Di Bao brought the wooden board, lifted the deceased's quilt and looked at it, asking the boatman to touch if there was anything on the deceased's body. The boatman frowned and pinched his nose, reached out to touch it, and said, "There is a small bag, which seems to be all silver."

The local guard took out a sachet and opened it. He saw that it was covered with silver pieces. He picked out the small note inside, which read "Li Daiji" and a red stamp of Xinglong cloth shop.

Dibao said, "You have packed this thing and you will come back to the court. Looking at this note, this person should be surnamed Li. I don't know where this Xinglong cloth shop is. Since it has a font size, there is no one who can't find out."

After saying that, he said to Xu Hao, Dr. Pei and other guests: "You all understand. Did anyone hear some noise last night?"

Xu Hao said: "There is only the sound of falling into the water, and there is no other movement."

"Yes." Dibao said to the boatman: "In front of you, you count the guests' luggage so that I can count them according to the number of them."

While speaking, he took out a brush and wrote it on the notebook with a small bottle of ink. The boatman ordered one, and he wrote it down as soon as he saw it, and then wrote it down the color of the body's clothes, knife wounds, etc.

Finally, Di Bao said to everyone: "This matter is very important, and the owner of the ship will naturally be inseparable from it. Even if everyone is in trouble, we must bear some grievances to testify. We will do our best to do so. If you have urgent matters, you can only say that you are sorry. Now I will go to the county to report the case with my brother of the boat. Don't get off the boat first, just wait on the boat, and go back to the yamen to send someone to the autopsy and wait for a reply."

Everyone was very upset at the moment, but there was nothing we could do. Xu Hao saw him untied the iron chain on his waist and put it on the boatman's head.

The boatman repeatedly begged, and Dibao said, "Human life is at stake, and it's all right. I'm not happy to just set up a chain? Let's go quickly. It's early in the morning, for your nothings, and the water and rice are not yet stained, so you have to be decent."

Not only did he put on the iron chain, but he also wanted to add a lock. Seeing this, Xu Hao took out two taels of silver and said, "Brother. I have the right to buy a bowl of tea to quench my thirst. I am quite a bit of identity. Come with you to the county government and take the chain."

Di Bao smiled and said, "This guest knows friendship. I'm embarrassed not to accept it. What do we guys have to say? I'm going to spend money on you. It's just that the people in the yamen are broad-minded and have big hands, so it's hard to pass on. I'm taking care of you. How dare you ask what your identity is?"

Xu Hao said: "The former imperial guards with swords are now back home and start a business. Thanks to the care of brothers from all over the world, it is also considered a family property."

"Oh! That's a noble person with status." Di Bao immediately felt awe.

With the chains back, several people got ashore together. Xu Hao had to take his two daughters with him wherever he went and asked someone to hire a ox cart.

When I arrived at the county government office, I had the greatest favor in ancient times. I first invited Dibao to a restaurant and had a full meal. So Dibao helped them find an old scholar of scholars.

The boatman explained the whole story carefully. The old scholar shook his head for a long time, drank half a pot of wine, and then slowly said: "This case is very comparable. If a person dies on your boat, you are half the murderer. Now you want to be the plaintiff. Isn't this too cheap? It's also a blessing that you took the initiative to report the case. Otherwise, if the local security officer heard that you would catch you in the county, you would have to clamp you first, beat the forty boards again, and go to the prison. Is it still wrong for you?"

Xu Hao is familiar with these things, knowing that this is a common trick to sing and eating this business.

Di Bao said while burping, "Sir, it's my husband's business. Fortunately, Brother Chuan is not an outsider. Can this Chengzi be priced at the old price?"

The old scholar said, "Who told us that we are old lovers? There is no way, you can take ten taels of silver first, so I will be able to live a life like this."

The boatman was not Kaizi either. He immediately begged and bowed, and Di Bao was on the side and persuaded him in a fake manner, and he talked about four taels of silver.

After writing Chengzi, the Chuan family paid for the meal and the group walked to the county yard. The local guard asked the Chuan family and Xu Hao to sit in the teahouse. He went into the yamen first, found the on-duty team, and came to the teahouse together. He first showed Chengzi to others, said many good things about friendship, and told the price of help.

Xu Hao sighed in his heart. Isn’t this exactly the same as the later generations? Speaking of which, China’s human society has a long tradition. Of course, it is also a virtue in foreign countries. Even in the Western world, which is famous for its contract society, we have to negotiate the price first and then sign the contract? It’s just that the Chinese are too smart, with many twists and turns, and they produce many strange and strange things, which are not as simple as foreigners sometimes come.

I took care of everything I should do, and it was just that the afternoon hall had not left, and the county magistrate was sitting in the lobby.

Xu Hao was very confident in the administration of officials near the capital and even in Zhejiang. There must be corrupt officials, but he could basically ensure that the level of integrity is above the average. As for local protection, escorts, yamen runners, etc., it is just that. No matter any dynasty, you should not expect minor officials and other tragedies to be honest.

The county magistrate was named Cheng. He passed the imperial examination in his thirties and came to Shimen County to become an official. He was young and strong and focused on improving his mind, so he managed the county town well.

This time, all kinds of cases were tried since the morning, but it was still not finished at noon. The duty head handed over to Chengzi.

The magistrate Cheng opened the page and read it: "Ju Cheng's boatman Wang Fu, 45 years old, is from Jiashan County and is a businessman. On the second day of this month, he drove from Jinling to Jiashan, and there were 22 passengers.

Last night, the boat arrived at Guimen Bay in the county, and the guest was killed. The villain boarded the boat to check it out and saw that the corpse was lying on his side without a head, carrying silver and money, and his surname was Li, and his clothes were not lost.

I would like to issue a list and submit it to the review, with a list of paper, and the plan is: a bag, a luggage, a bedding, and a sachet with thirty-six taels of silver inside, and all the clothes for you."

When the Magistrate Cheng saw a murder case in the county, he was shocked and immediately picked up his pen to approve the child. He took the order with him.

The torture room immediately issued a signing order, and the constable took Di Bao and the boatman over, and the yamen runners shouted Di Bao into the hall in a stack of voices.

Di Bao ran in, knelt on the ground and said, "The little one is Di Bao nearby, named Zhao Xianliang."

County Magistrate Cheng asked: "Are the guests killed on the boat robbers or thieves? Or are they killed for money?"

Zhao Xianliang replied: "I have seen it on the boat. There is no damage on the boat, but the nails on the window in the west were cut off by a knife. It is obviously not a thief. If it is said to be a thief, the goods on the boat are not lost. Even the goods on the body remain intact."

County Magistrate Cheng said: "It seems that he was intentional murder."

Zhao Xianliang said: "The master clearly understands it, but the head of the body is unknown."

County Magistrate Cheng asked: "Did any guests on the boat steal it?"

"The young man has already ordered people to guard it, and there are twenty-one people in total, and no one dares to leave." Zhao Xianliang thought for a while and said again: "There is a guest who claims to be a guard in front of the imperial guard. At the time of the incident, he woke up the others first when he heard the news. He also advocated reporting to the officials and took the initiative to help the ship, and made great efforts."

"What's the name?"

"Author's surname is Xu."

The magistrate Cheng frowned slightly and said to himself: "The former guard, surnamed Xu? Could it be that he is a family member of the Duke of England's Mansion? Call the owner first."

The landlord retreated, and the yamen runner came forward with the trembling ship owner and knelt under the desk.

County Magistrate Cheng asked, "Are you Wang Fu?"

The ship owner hurriedly said, "The little one is."

Xu Hao walked to the door to watch. The yamen runners saw that he was dressed in decent clothes and had extraordinary temperament, and he brought two girls like flowers and jade, without stopping them. It was also County Magistrate Cheng who couldn't help but watch the people.

"Is the boat your own or rented?"

"Sir, it's mine."

"You drove the boat from Jinling. Have you stopped on the road?"

"Sir, because the ghost gate sways in the wilderness, there are so many rumors that I dare not leave at night, so I stopped there for an hour."

"It's the case that happened when the ship was stopped?"

"Yes, Mr. Xu woke up the guy when he heard the sound of falling into the water, but one guest said that the other guest's head was gone."

"Yes." County Magistrate Cheng nodded and asked, "Do you know the name of this guest? Did he come alone when he boarded the boat? Or was it sent by a friend and a family member?"

Wang Fu shook his head and said, "I don't know the name of the young one. The local warrior saw him carrying a call with him. He must be surnamed Li. When he got on the boat, no one saw him off."

County Magistrate Cheng asked, "How many guys are there on your boat?"

Wang Fu replied: "There are eight in total, one in the steward, six sailors and boatmen, one in the guest service, and one in charge of boiling water, cooking and keeping accounts are the villain brothers."

County Magistrate Cheng said, "Then I ask you, are these eight guys old or new?"

Wang Fu said: "No newcomer."

"When I parked last night, were there any ships traveling with me?"

"No."

"Then how many years have you been sailing?"

"It was originally a little brother who was born, but later the elder brother passed away. It has been more than three years since the young man took over."

Xu Hao, who was watching, admired him in his heart when he saw this. Although he often despises pedantic scholars, those who can pass the imperial examination and become officials are all good people. In addition, if the imperial court is in a clear and clear manner, he would not choose people who do not understand the worldly affairs to be officials in the local area. Those messy things in the officialdom are also full of birds.

At this time, County Magistrate Cheng suddenly shouted: "Bastard, you have been on a boat for many years and have been familiar with the road. Where is the peace and where is not peaceful, don't you know? The guest was killed and the head was taken away! I don't ask you, who else? If you come, drag it down and beat him."

Wang Fu was so scared that he was out of his mind and whined: "Sir, the young one is really wronged."

County Magistrate Cheng sneered: "When the thief started, he got on the boat and got off the boat. Except for the guest named Xu, you all heard it? What is the boat in charge? In this section, shouldn't you still beating?"

Wang Fu said, "The young one deserves to die, but the guys pulled the slim in the middle of the night, and the young one went down to help, so he was so tired that he hoped to stop the boat and rest for a while. He was asleep and didn't hear him. I beg for the grace of the Lord."
Chapter completed!