Speaking of this, Zhao started crying, crying sadly. After a while, he continued: "I really didn't mean to strangle him to death. I was just too scared and was fainted. After I found out that he was dead, I was frightened and ran to Liu Xiangzheng to tell me what to do. He blamed me for not going to find him and asked me to go back and deal with the body. I asked what to do. He said he would cut the body into pieces with a knife and burn it in the stove. Moreover, he repeatedly told me that if the matter was exposed, he must not admit that they had affair, otherwise it would cause him to be implicated. If I was caught,

He could find a way to spend money to protect me from outside. If he also went in, there would be no way. After he came back, I did this. Unexpectedly, the body would not burn, and I heard Tong shouting to her son outside. I was afraid that I would come out of the fire and slept on the light. I knew that she could not find the child the next day and would definitely come to me to ask. She had to deal with the body before this. So I got up and put the body in the basket and rinse the ground with water. The next day, I would get up and throw out the body and clothes. That's it."

Xiao Jiading asked, "Did Liu Xiang tell you how he saved you?"

Xiao Jiading knew that Liu Xiangzheng might talk about how he saved people in front of Zhao, so that he could seek credit, and make Zhao grateful to him, and stay with him even more devotedly. Sure enough, Zhao nodded and said, "He just said that he gave a very heavy gift to Zhong Facao of the Prefecture Government and Deng Quansheng of the County Government, and then he also found witnesses, including Tong, who said that if the yamen asked them again, they would ask them to change their testimony. He also gave a lot of money, especially Tong, who gave a lot of money, saying that it was to compensate their family. He also threatened that if he did not change his words, he would cause trouble for them in the future. As a result, these people changed their words."

"Well," Xiao Jiading had already thought of this. His biggest doubt was the weapon. He asked: "You used that kitchen knife to dismember the body and wanted to cut off several hard bones. Why are there no curls or gaps on it?"

Zhao said: "The one who cuts bones is made with a small axe, and the kitchen knife is just a meat cut."

Xiao Jiading slapped his forehead and said that he was really stupid. Why did he always think about why the knife blade had no bent gap? He suspected that the evidence room was a traitor, and he also suspected that the coroner was a traitor, but he never thought that she could use two knives!

Xiao Jiading said, "Where is that little axe that chops bones?"

"I threw it together when I threw the bones."

"Where did you throw it?"

Xiao Jiading was very afraid that he would throw it into the river, which would be troublesome. Fortunately, Zhao said, "It was thrown into a tree hole outside a village."

"Take us to find it!"

This is very critical evidence. Xiao Jiading asked Captain Dai to take Zhao's family out of the back door, avoiding the crowd of Liu Xiangzheng who was teasing and parading in front, and went straight outside the village. Under Zhao's guidance, a small axe was indeed extracted from a tree hole. The blade of the axe had been bent several times, and there were two gaps. There were dark red blood marks on it.

Xiao Jiading ordered people to be taken to Luocunzheng's house, and asked the coroner to make a record of extracting physical evidence such as finger bones, axes, and asked the witness Luocunzheng and the gentry to testify in the record.

Xiao Jiading ordered Zhao to be taken down and detained, and at the same time, he ordered Tong to be taken away.

Tong seemed very excited. When she saw Xiao Jiading, she immediately knelt down. Before Xiao Jiading asked, she started talking nonsense: "Master, I didn't tell the truth before. I saw Zhao's affair with others. I clearly saw that it was a man, and his back looked very similar to Liu Xiangzheng, but I didn't see clearly and didn't dare to talk nonsense. Now I caught them affair, proving that he was indeed him who saw that day! A few days ago, he gave me a lot of money and asked me to change his testimony, otherwise he would make me look good in the future. I was scared, so I changed my words. I told a lie, I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

After saying that, kowtow.

It seems that Tong was very eager to severely punish the murderer who killed her son. She always believed that it was Zhao who had broken the affair. Now, Zhao and Liu Xiang were arrested for their affair. He let go of his concerns and his anger towards the murderer in his heart stood up. So, as soon as he saw Xiao Jiading, he immediately told the truth.

Xiao Jiading nodded: "I'm very happy that you can tell the truth. You told me the detailed story of Liu Xiang bribing you and asking you to change your testimony."

Tong told the story, and took Zaoli back, giving all the money Liu Xiangzheng bribed him to the government.

Then, Xiao Jiading sent someone to find the witness who witnessed Zhao's body throwing the body. He didn't spend much time. Seeing that Liu Xiangzheng had been arrested, the government was investigating the matter again. If he didn't say it, he would be afraid that it would implicate him. He admitted that Liu Xiangzheng gave money to change the testimony and also handed over the bribery money.

Finally, Xiao Jiading ordered Liu Xiangzheng to be brought.

This incident made Liu Xiangzheng fall into a shattering situation. He was escorted in, and Xiao Jiading and others immediately pinched their noses because Liu Xiangzheng's face was covered with shit and urine splashed by villagers, and the yellow smell was stenchless. Xiao Jiading quickly ordered him to be taken outside, and after rinsing, he brought him back and knelt on the ground.

Xiao Jiading asked: "Liu Xiangzheng, what else do you have to say?"

Liu Xiang was ashamed to death. Such a thing was caught on the spot, and there were so many people witnessing it. He had no choice but to quibble and bowed his head and said nothing.

Xiao Jiading said: "You might as well tell you that all the important witnesses, including the victim's mother, overturned the testimony. I knew that someone must have made a fuss in the future. And this person, if he wants to rescue Zhao, should be Zhao's adulterer! So I deliberately admitted that the evidence in this case was insufficient and Zhao should be released without acquit. I knew that if Xiaolang is released, Xiaolang will go to find Laolang and can bring the backstage to the front desk! So I asked someone to wait near Zhao's home. Sure enough, when the adulterer comes, he caught a current situation. But to be honest, I was surprised and could not have thought it would be you."

What Xiao Jiading said was half true and half false. He actually knew from Daisy that Liu Xiangzheng had an affair with a woman from Huangyan Village. This was what Liu Xiangzheng's sister-in-law said. The woman had an affair with Jin Laosan, a wealthy family in Huangyan Village, and Liu Xiangzheng threatened to Shentang. Liu's sister-in-law said this in public and threatened him. So Daisy heard it. She just didn't know who the woman was. Xiao Jiading soon suspected that it was Zhao. And only he, the town chief, had a wealthy family and had a good relationship with the prefectures and counties, and had such financial resources and relationships. Therefore, Xiao Jiading actually asked the beautiful girl Huiyi of the Emei Sect to arrange two groups of people to stay near Liu Xiangzheng and Zhao's family to follow him, and then caught him in one fell swoop. But Xiao Jiading didn't say that because the news came from Daisy, he was afraid of causing trouble to the little girl.

Liu Xiangzheng said dejectedly: "I was confused for a moment. Xiao Zhiyi, you will give up your hand and let it go..."

"I was confused for a moment?" Xiao Jiading sneered, "Isn't this possible? You spent money to bribe officials, use coercion and inducement to force witnesses to overturn the testimony, and help Zhao, a criminal who committed the ten evil crimes of "unrighteous" murder and dismemberment, get rid of the crime! You are not confused for a moment."

Liu Xiang was trembling and said, "What does Xiao Zhiyi mean?"

"What does it mean? Hehe, Zhao, Tong, and the villagers who witnessed Zhao appear at the scene of throwing the body have all told truthfully that you bribed them and asked them to change their testimony. They also took out the money you bribed and handed over, and said that you bribed the officials of the prefecture and county government offices. Do you still want to make a case?"

The reason why Xiao Jiading did not directly name the target of his bribery was Zhong Facao and Deng Quansheng because he didn't know how deep the matter was. He could not make a rash move before the situation was clear. Be careful in the officialdom. He didn't want to pull himself in for anything to uphold justice. In the end, justice was not upheld, and his life was gone.

Liu Xiang was lowering his head, thinking for a moment, and said, "I admit it if I say an affair, and I don't admit it if I say I'm bribery!"

The maximum punishment for bribery in Tang Lu was three years of prison, which was only one year higher than affair. Tang Lu's multiple crimes were punished by the principle of punishment for one serious crime. That is to say, those who commit multiple crimes were not punished together, and they were not punished at least two sentences, just as in modern Chinese criminal law, but only chose the heaviest punishment. So even if he admitted his bribery in front of sufficient evidence, it would only last more than one year. However, he was worried that he would implicate the bribery target Zhong Facao and Deng County Magistrate. Tang Lu was punished with the highest punishment for bribery, and the property he gave to Zhong Facao and Deng County Magistrate at least twice. He refused to say that he wanted Zhong Facao and Deng County Magistrate to come forward to protect him.

Xiao Jiading had fully considered Liu Xiangzheng's attitude, and he did not expect Liu Xiangzheng to tell him about it. Then he said, "Then you should talk about how to have an affair first!"

This was arrested and there was no way to deny it. Liu Xiangzheng did not hide it and told everything. He refused to admit anything except affair.

Xiao Jiading looked at him, changed his mind and suddenly asked, "How did your sister-in-law and Jin Laosan from Huangyan Village die?"

Liu Xiang couldn't help but tremble and lowered his head: "I don't know what you are talking about."

"You don't know? Then I'll remind you. Your sister-in-law had an affair with Jin Laosan from Huangyan Village. After being caught, you would have to sink them into the pond according to the patriarchal law, but your sister-in-law threatened that you had an affair with a woman from Huangyan Village, so you ordered them to be released. But after a few days, both of them died inexplicably. How did they die? Did you kill someone to silence me?"
Chapter completed!