Chapter 55: Finger Bones

  Those two men and women were scared out of their wits, wanting to find clothes to cover their shame, but they were pressed down by the soap bubbles and couldn't move.

  Xiao Jiading said to Dai Boutu: "Call others in!"

  Outside the small forest, there were several lantern-carrying slaves who, upon receiving orders, rushed in with their lanterns. Under the bright light, it became clear that the two naked men and women being pressed to the ground were Liu Xiangzheng and Zhao Shi!

  Xiao Jiading coldly gazed at Luo Cunzheng, whose face had turned pale: "They were having an illicit affair, and I'm going to take them back to punish them. However, this happened in your village, and I've heard that your village has its own rules and regulations for dealing with adulterers. Is that true?"

  Luo Cunzheng and several other villagers looked at each other in dismay, and for a moment no one spoke.

  Xiao Jiading knew what they were worried about, and said: "Don't be afraid, the Tang Dynasty's laws are very clear: a man who commits adultery with another man's wife will be sentenced to two years of hard labor! He has already committed such a heinous crime, it is impossible for him to remain as the village head, just wait for his punishment!"

  As soon as Xiao Jiading said this, Luo Cunzheng and several others immediately plucked up their courage. Among them, there were a few rural gentry who had been bullied by Liu Xiangzheng before and had grievances in their hearts. They took the opportunity to kick him while he was down and shouted: "According to the rules, we should first parade him through the streets! Then send him to the government office for punishment!"

  Liu Xiang was originally very arrogant and bullied others, the other rural gentry although not directly oppressed by him, also looked down on him. After hearing that Xiao Jia Ding said he committed a crime, he would definitely not be able to become the rural head, so this fat job, they had hope, suddenly came with energy, shouting: "Parade in the streets! Parade in the streets!"

  Luo Cunzheng and Liu Xiangzheng had a good private relationship, but this time, Liu Xiangzheng was caught in the act of private communication, and it was County Magistrate Xiao Zhixi who personally led the arrest. It's likely related to the Zhao family's murder case. Behind Xiao Zhixi is the former Minister of Justice Tang Sima, with a strong backing, so this crime may be unavoidable. Looking at Xiao Zhixi's intention, he wants to make a big deal out of this matter, and now is the time to see one's own attitude. If handled well, Liu Xiangzheng himself might have hope.

  Then, Luo Cun rushed up and kicked the two of them several times, scolding: "Shameless dog man and woman, what face does our Huangyan Village have left? Come on! Tie up this pair of dogs and parade them through the streets!"

  Several attendants immediately rushed up and used soap chains in their hands to tie the two men up naked.

  Liu Xiangzheng was frightened just now, and only reacted at this moment. He loudly begged: "Xiao Zhiiyi, spare my life! You lift your hand and let me go, I will surely repay your kindness heavily..."

  "Bribing in public? Hehe, so many people saw it this time, who can help you?"

  Liu Xiangzheng wanted to say more, but Luo Cunzheng had already grabbed Zhao's pants and stuffed them into her mouth, ordering her to be paraded through the village!

  Xiao Jiading gazed at Zhao's slender and delicate body, white as snow, and sighed, saying: "Get something to cover her up a bit, this isn't good."

  Luocun Zheng and others did not know what Xiao Jiading's intention was, and for a moment they did not know what to do. It was the middle-aged nun who led the way in and took off her own black shirt, wrapped it around her slender body, only revealing her arms and thighs. Zhao thought that Xiao Jiading would take care of her only face, and looked at him with gratitude.

  Xiao Jiading was very pleased with the middle-aged nun's reaction and cupped his hands: "How should I address you, Master?"

  Pin Ni Hui Shi. She is Hui Yi's senior fellow apprentice.

  Xiao Jiading nodded and said, "Hui Shi Shitai, please follow her and don't let anyone bully her."

  Upon hearing this, Zhao's family was even more grateful. They gazed at Xiao Jia Ding with a hint of sadness and then lowered their heads to sob quietly.

  Several servants pushed and pulled the two of them towards the village, with some servants already running quickly into the village, shouting all the way: "Come see, Zhao's shameless one is having an affair with Liu Xiangzheng, they've been caught, paraded through the streets..."

  At that time, the villagers came out to watch and discuss. Many villagers who had already gone to sleep got up, hearing that it was this kind of thing, they were all laughing abnormally excitedly.

  There were also servants who had gone to fetch copper gongs, which they struck loudly. The onlookers held lanterns and torches, illuminating the scene brightly. Although Zhao's body was exposed and his feet were bare, the most critical parts were covered by a black shirt, making them invisible. This was the most thrilling part of the spectacle, so some villagers tried to reach out and grab him, but were pushed away by Huiyi, who stood beside him. The onlookers threw vegetables and eggs at the two men, and some even tried to grope Zhao, but were blocked by Huiyi. Liu Xiangzheng, however, was ignored, and soon became covered in filth beyond recognition. Even his younger brother, whom he had brought along, was kicked several times and cried out in pain.

  After making a round in the village, Xiao Jiading ordered to bring people to Zhao's house, leaving Liu Xiangzheng outside to tease and play with the villagers, and brought Zhao into the house.

  Xiao Jiading ordered Hui Shi to bring Zhao, who was shackled with iron chains, to the bedroom, put on her clothes, and then take her to the kitchen. Also present were Luo Cunzheng and several other rural gentry as witnesses.

  Zhao's family, already dressed, was filled with gratitude towards Xiao Jia Ding, and came in to kneel down and kowtow, sobbing: "Thank you, sir, I will repay your kindness in the next life by being a cowherd or a grave guard."

  "You don't have to wait until the next life, you can repay me now. I know you killed your nephew, and if you honestly confess to killing him, that will be considered repayment to me."

  Zhao's body trembled slightly, and she lowered her head without saying a word.

  Xiao Jiading sneered: "You don't shed tears until you see the coffin! Fine, I'll show you a few things!" He took out the broken bones and hair that were found during the last search, and placed them in front of Zhao Shi: "These are what we found in the drain under your kitchen floor. They must have been washed there when you dismembered your nephew."

  Zhao looked at him and his face turned pale.

  Xiao Jiading said to the two servants: "Take down the pot on the stove and search it carefully to see if there's anything inside."

  Two servants began to search. Soon, one of the servants found what Xiao Jia Ding had discovered last time in the largest stove and brought it to him.

  This is a slender little finger bone!

  Xiao Jiading said: "Take it away and let Zhao Shi, the criminal's wife, take a look!"

  The doctor placed the finger bone in front of Zhao. As soon as he saw it, his face changed drastically and he collapsed to the ground.

  Xiao Jiading sneered and said, "This should be your nephew's finger bone! After you dismembered him, you originally planned to burn the body in the stove to destroy the evidence. However, you later discovered that the corpse was difficult to burn. So you took the dismembered body out and threw it away. This finger bone is what was left behind when you were burning the body! It's your nephew's. If necessary, I'll reopen the coffin for another autopsy and compare them again, and everything will be clear! Moreover, I also found a partially burned straw in the deceased's pelvic cavity, which is the same length as the remaining ash in the stove where the finger bone was found! At this point, do you still want to deny it?"

  Zhao slowly raised her eyes and looked at him, wanting to speak but hesitating.

  Xiao Jiading said: "I know, you still have illusions, hoping that Liu Xiangzheng can save you like last time, right? This time is different, he and you privately colluded, which is a serious crime punishable by two years in prison! And this also confirms your motive for killing your nephew! These finger bones, hair and broken bones prove the fact that you dismembered your nephew in the kitchen! I believe Liu Xiangzheng used his methods to coerce and bribe Tong Shi and others, making them overturn their previous testimony. This time, he is put in prison, who can still help you? Now, don't you want to confess?"

  Zhao's lips trembled violently, she was caught in adultery and paraded through the streets, making her feel like death would be better than life. But then Xiao Jia Ding gave her a piece of cloth to cover her shame and also had someone protect her from direct humiliation. She was both consumed by despair and grateful to Xiao Jia Ding, but when she heard that her protector Liu Xiang Zheng could no longer hold her, the last line of defense in her heart finally collapsed.

  Zhao knelt on the ground and cried: "I confess..."

  Xiao Jiading had already learned from Chrysanthemum that this village had a rural rule, according to which adulterers would be paraded through the streets. He suggested that Luo Cunzheng and others follow the rural rules to parade the two through the streets, in order to disrupt their normal thinking, form a psychological advantage over them, and at the same time give Zhao's wife some respect for her dignity, so as to win her gratitude, and then let her confess. Now hearing that she was willing to confess, he couldn't help but feel triumphant, his plan had succeeded! He said calmly: "Speak up! I'm listening."

  The clerk on the side had already made preparations for recording.

  Zhao said with a sob: "Liu Xiangzheng gave me a lot of money and asked me to be good with him... I was confused at the time, so I agreed... He liked to do that in the wild, and was worried that someone would see us at home, so every time we went to the small woods behind the house... That day, Tong Shi saw us, he ran away, and I was very afraid that Tong Shi would tell others about this. Two days passed, and I didn't hear any news, so I thought she hadn't said anything. Unexpectedly, that night, my nephew came to my room to play, and actually laughed and said that I was hugging a man with my butt exposed... I was scared to death, and asked him who told him? He said it was his mother who had just said it to his father while hiding in the house, and he heard it at the door, and was going to tell other kids... I... I was so scared, didn't think about anything, and strangled his neck, killing him..."