Written by | Shassie
During the Kangxi Dynasty, Lan Dingyuan was demoted to Chaoyang County Ling. One day, he was working on official documents in the county court when a farmer named Chen Agong came to complain that his eldest daughter was missing.
Chen Agong's eldest daughter, qinniang, married Lin Azhong of a neighboring village three years ago, but has never been able to give birth to a man and a half woman. Mother-in-law Xu Shi saw that she would not have children, and she scolded every day.
On September 13 of that year, Chen Agong went to the Lin family to visit Qinniang, but found that her daughter was missing, and he could not ask the reason, so he decided that the Lin family had either killed her daughter, destroyed the body, or sold her daughter to a foreign country. Therefore, in a moment of urgency, he came to the yamen to file a complaint.
Lan Dingyuan listened to Chen Agong's story and immediately sent someone to detain Lin Azhong's mother and son in court and ask about the case together.
He first asked Chen Agong, "Has your daughter ever returned to her mother's house?" ”
Chen Agong replied, "I came back once in August, and I didn't leave until the sixth day of September." There is Wang Asheng who can testify. ”
As soon as his voice fell, Lin Azhong's mother, Xu Shi, cried and cried, complaining: "My daughter-in-law went back to her mother's house twice in July, and went back again on August 6, and I asked Xiao'er to go to pick up the invitation on August 17, 24 and the first three days of September, but she refused to come back." On September 13, Chen Agong suddenly arrived and asked us for his daughter. This must be that he wants his daughter to remarry and deliberately frame us. ”
Lan Dingyuan saw that the Chen and Lin families were accusing each other, pondered for a moment, and asked Chen Agong again: "You just said that your daughter Qinniang returned to her in-laws' house on what day?" ”
Chen Agong said: "My daughter returned on the sixth day of september, and I also asked her brother Aju to send him to the halfway point. ”
"How far apart are you two?" In a car or on foot? ”
Chen Agong said: "The two families are more than ten miles apart, and our poor family has no palanquins, only walking. ”
At this time, Lin Azhong's mother and son shouted loudly again: "Qin Niang has indeed not returned, and the neighbors can come to testify!" ”
Lan Dingyuan ignored them, and sent someone to detain Wang Asheng for questioning: "Where did you meet Chen Agong's daughter Qinniang returning to her mother-in-law's house?" ”
Wang Asheng replied, "I didn't see it with my own eyes, I listened to what Aju said." On the sixth day of the first month of September, I was planting vegetables in a vegetable garden on the side of the road, and Ah Ju came out of the Three Mountains King Temple on the side of the road and told me: 'My father asked me to send my sister back to my in-laws' house.' I casually asked him, 'Why didn't you see your sister?' He said, 'My sister is gone.' That's all I know, the rest don't know. ”
Therefore, Lan Dingyuan asked Chen Agong to come forward and asked him, "What is your family situation?" ”
Chen Agong did not know his intentions, and replied truthfully: "My family is very poor, and I often eat the last meal without eating." ”
Lan Dingyuan listened and asked, "Since the family is poor and the daughter is married, what do you let her go back to her mother's house every day?" Moreover, the Lin family sent someone to please, you did not promise to let her go back, why did you send her back on the sixth day of september? ”
Chen Agong listened to Lan Dingyuan's rebuke and cried: "The old man does not know that our poor family has a deep father-daughter relationship, and I insist on not letting her go back because I am reluctant to do so; I let Xiao'er send her back, because I consciously did too much, sorry for the Lin family." ”
Lan Dingyuan saw that he was repeatedly cunning, and he had no choice but to ask again: "Why didn't you let Xiao'er send her sister to her in-laws' house, but let him turn back halfway and tell Wang Asheng, who had nothing to do with it." Is it a deliberate trick for you to let your daughter remarry? ”
When Chen Agong heard this, he began to cry and said, "Lord, my youngest son Aju is still young and does not dare to go too far from home, so he only sent it halfway." I also scolded him for returning too quickly, saying that he had passed the Temple of the Three Kings of the Three Mountains and had been seen by Uncle A sheng. Now that my daughter is gone, Wang Asheng is implicated, so why does the old man have to believe that I let my daughter remarry? Although I am a farmer, I also understand the truth that women end from one end, how can there be a son-in-law in the world who lets his daughter marry another father? ”
Lan Dingyuan was speechless for a while, he had decided countless cases in his life, but he was dumbfounded by a farmer's question. He had no choice but to have Chen Agong's youngest son, Ah Ju, who was only ten years old, bring him, but no matter how he seduced and frightened, Ah Ju always said, "My sister is not married!" ”
Lan Dingyuan thought about it for a moment, and suddenly had a plan, saying to the Chen and Lin families: "Neither of you has exact evidence now, and it is difficult to determine who is right and who is wrong." Since Chen Agong said that he had sent his daughter to the Sanshan King's Temple, and the Xiangbi Temple God Sanshan King must have known about it, it was better that I ask the temple god first and retry it tomorrow. Subsequently, he announced his retirement.
The next day, Lan Dingyuan asked Chen Agong directly: "I have already asked the King of the Three Mountains, and he said that you are not a human at all, and you dare to hide your daughter and remarry, and then frame others." Don't you know that people can be deceived and heaven cannot be deceived? I know who your daughter remarried to, and how much silver you got. You hurry up and redeem your daughter now, or don't blame this official for being ruthless! ”
Chen Agong listened to Lan Dingyuan's verdict, trembled with fright, and quickly knelt down to beg for forgiveness, promising to go and redeem his daughter.
Originally, Lan Dingyuan saw that Chen Agong was extremely cunning, and Chen Aju was young and ignorant, and it was difficult to interrogate him with torture, and suddenly thought that the southerners were afraid of ghosts, so he designed a temptation, and it worked.
In fact, at this time, Chen Agong had already married Qinniang to a family surnamed Li in Huilai County, and also accepted three or two pieces of silver from others.
After Lan Dingyuan learned about all the facts of the case, he had Chen Agong hit chen on the spot on the spot, asking him to immediately redeem his daughter and return him to Lin Azhong, otherwise he would have to be paraded on the street to show the public, and the shackles would be finished.
Chen Agong was so frightened that his soul was scattered, so he had to let his wife Wang Go to Huilai County to redeem Qinniang, who knew that the Li family sat on the ground at the starting price, and asked for six or two silver before they were willing to release people. The Wang family had no choice but to sell one of the family's cattle and little daughter in exchange for six or two pieces of silver.
Lin Azhong resented Qinniang's remarriage and loss of discipline, and when he learned that Wang had six or two pieces of silver in his hand, he rushed to make peace with her privately, asking her to give her own silver to marry another wife, while Qinniang was still given to the family surnamed Li.
Wang Clan gave Lin Azhong's words to Chen Agong, who was in prison, and Chen Agong had no choice but to agree, and said regretfully: "I knew that the temple gods had so many mouths, I really should have sold the cattle and my little daughter to redeem Qinniang as soon as possible, so as not to be beaten thirty times." Now that the matter is over, I still need to ask the old man to let me go! ”
Therefore, the Wang clan went to the county court to tell Lan Dingyuan what Chen Agong said, and Lan Dingyuan smiled and did not speak, and ordered the dying Chen Agong to be released home.
At this point, this strange case of thieves shouting to catch thieves is over. But in this case, why must Chen Agong's eldest daughter be redeemed, while the younger daughter can be sold and left unattended?
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