The beating of drums sounded at the entrance of the government office. They were fast and loud, as if voicing a grievance. The county magistrate must hold the court hearing no matter who was beating the drum.
The drummer was in fact Xiao Baoshan. He was back with enough evidence to prove that Lai Er had been the poisoner and that Sister Xiang had been the instigator behind the scenes.
Immediately, quite a few people crowded around the entrance of the law court. Hearing about this, Xiao Tieshu and Xiao Tongshu hurried over to see what was happening.
Xiao Baoshan had brought witnesses with him; the pub owner, Lai Er’s neighbor and the owner of the only pharmacy that sold amaranth powder.
The county magistrate opened the court session and struck his wooden block. “What is your name?”
“I am Xiao Baoshan!”
“Why were you beating the drum?”
“Several days ago, my wife was wrongly accused as the poisoner and was put in jail. I want to defend her.”
The county magistrate sneered. “Oh? Do you mean the case of the Xiaos’ restaurant? Despite endangering people’s lives, Ye Xiaoxian put poison into the dishes, harming 12 innocent customers in total. There’s no doubt that she’s the poisoner.”
Xiao Baoshan said, “Sir, my wife is the owner of this restaurant. She has no motive for poisoning her customers. If the customers are poisoned, what can she gain get from that?”
Xiao Baoshan’s words made sense. How could she poison her customers? The onlookers outside began having a heated discussion.
The county magistrate snorted. “How should I know her motive? Perhaps her businesses was doing so well that she wanted to stir up something to break the peace.”
Xiao Baoshan suddenly raised his head. His stare was as sharp as a zipping arrow, which gave the county magistrate quite a start.
“How dare you! Did I say you could raise your head?”
Xiao Baoshan took back his harsh glare and said, “Sir, it makes sense only for a rival in the same industry to do such a thing.”
“A rival?” the county magistrate repeated, visibly panicked. “Then tell me who would want to frame her?”
Xiao Baoshan replied, “Sir, as far as I know, the customers were poisoned with amaranth powder. I have three witnesses. The first witness is the pharmacy owner. He says that Lai Er bought amaranth powder in his shop before he died several days ago. It is noted that Lai Er went to the Xiaos’ restaurant to visit his relative when the case occurred.
“The second witness is the pub owner. That day, Lai Er went to the pub to buy liquor with a silver tael and claimed that he had paid off his debts. Someone must have asked him to commit the crime with for a large sum of money. The third witness is Lai Er’s neighbor. Two days before the incident, he saw the owner of the Xiang Lin Inn entering Lai Er’s house.”
After he had said this, tongues wagged more loudly outside. The evidence clearly showed that Sister Xiang was the instigator.
Both the onlookers and the office attendants began to look thoughtful. They knew that Sister Xiang had an unusual relationship with the county magistrate. She usually went to the backyard of the government office and he always went for a drink at the Xiang Lin Inn.
After listening to Xiao Baoshan’s statement, the county magistrate became flustered. He hadn’t expected that Xiao Baoshan would investigate the case and link all the clues so precisely. What should he do now? Should he cover up for Sister Xiang? Or should he summon her to the court and just muddle through?
The people were all waiting for him to make a fair judgment. Under public supervision, he finally sent his people to summon Sister Xiang.