According to legend, during the Qing Dynasty, an unsolved case occurred in the area bordering Tengxian County, Yixian County, Shandong Province, and Tongshan County, Jiangsu Province.
The scene was like this: a young man was cutting grass, kneeling on the ground with both hands tightly holding the scythe (a scythe used to cut lake grass). His head was chopped off by the scythe and rolled down two steps away. On the grass, the corpse was kneeling there like "King Zhou Wu Zheng" without falling.
The land security guard recognized that the dead man was the son of his village owner, Old Man Li, and hurried back to the village to tell Old Man Li, and then went to the Yixian County Yamen to report the case. The county magistrate of Yixian County felt that this place was at the junction of Yi, Teng and Tongshan counties, so he immediately wrote a document inviting the magistrates of Tongshan and Tengxian counties to rush to the scene of the accident on the same day to conduct an autopsy together. The three county magistrates led their brothers to the scene at the time agreed upon in advance. After an inspection, they all believed that the body was still alive and the grievance must be great, so they jointly reported it to the Shandong and Jiangsu Futai Yamen. According to instructions from the government, the three counties are in their respective jurisdictions to conduct careful investigation and understanding, and must get to the bottom of this murder case.
They questioned all the farmers who harvested lake grass, but did not find any clues; they asked the victim, Old Man Li, who was an honest and honest farmer who only worked hard and had never fought or made trouble with others. He never made any enemies. Who killed it? The three counties jointly conducted a detailed investigation and undercover investigation for more than a month, but they could not find any clues. What they saw at the scene was a samarium head, a samarium rod, and a headless corpse. This case is like a gourd without a handle. How can we get a clue? Everyone was puzzled.
Besides, Mrs. Yayin of Tengxian County has read the Five Classics and Four Books, and has also read books from hundreds of schools of thought, so she has a lot of knowledge. People say that she is a powerful person who knows astronomy and geography. She is always a hair ahead of others when she comes up with plans, strategies, and analysis. I heard that she has helped the county magistrate solve many difficult cases in private.
The magistrate of Teng County couldn't eat well or sleep well because of this matter, and he was very worried. On this day, while he was pacing back and forth in the inner hall, he suddenly thought of his wife's talent in solving cases, so he went to her and told her everything in detail, asking her to help her think about it and come up with a good idea. In fact, the official's wife had heard about this case for a long time, and now that she heard what the elder said about it, she knew better. That day, she asked the county magistrate to take her to the site of the accident for a closer look. She accidentally discovered that where the corpse had been kneeling, there was a small hole with the mark of having been stabbed by a samarium rod. She thought, why did the young man poke this small hole? There must be an article here. She thought about it secretly for a long time before she asked the county magistrate: "Master, have you noticed the small hole poked by the samarium rod?"
"I didn't pay attention to the hole." the magistrate replied.
"I feel that this young man killed himself by mistake, not a homicide." Mrs. Oshiyin seemed to be very confident and spoke slowly and softly.
"How do you see it? Tell me quickly." The county magistrate asked.
The wife said, "Don't worry. Let's dig down from this small hole first. If we can find something, it will prove what I think is right. Then it won't be too late to tell you."
After hearing this, the county magistrate immediately asked the government officials to dig down along the entrance of the cave. Sure enough, when the digging was more than two feet deep, a little white mouse suddenly jumped out of the hole. But everyone still doesn't understand, can this little white mouse kill someone?
Seeing that everyone was in a panic, the wife said, "This young man saw this little white mouse crawling into the hole. He thought it was strange, so he ran over and knelt on the ground and stabbed it down hard with the hammer rod. Maybe he used too much force and was shocked. The head of the samarium fell, and it fell along the samarium rod right on the young man's neck. He cut off his head and lost his life. And because he was holding the samarium rod with both hands and kneeling on the ground, with such support, the body did not fall down. "Master, do you think so?" The county magistrate heard this and admired it from the bottom of his heart. But this is just a judgment. Who can prove that he used a samarium rod to poke this white mouse hole?
Seeing that the eldest man was doubting this matter, the wife then said: "On the desert beach at the end of the lake, there is more than one person cutting grass in the lake. I think it might be possible to confirm it by asking those who often cut grass with him. That’s why this young man was beheaded.”
Following his wife's advice, the county magistrate summoned all the people who usually harvested lake grass with him, and asked them one by one, asking them not to be afraid, not to worry, and to answer truthfully. If you don't tell, you will be severely punished when you find out who knew it! After being enlightened by the county grandpa, he really took care of things. When he asked a middle-aged farmer, he said: "Back to the grand master, that day, he and I went to the deserted beach by the lake to cut grass. When the sun was setting, we both After stacking the hay, I picked up the hay and went home. On the way, I met a white mouse and ran past his feet. I went home first. When I walked far away, I turned around and saw him squatting there looking at something. Unexpectedly, I heard that he was killed by someone, and I didn’t know who it was.”
"Why didn't you report these things earlier?" the county magistrate asked.
"This is a matter of life and death. I'm afraid of being implicated. Who dares to mention this!" the middle-aged farmer answered truthfully. The county magistrate nodded. All the farmers who came here were sent home.
With the help of his wife, the magistrate of Tengxian County finally figured out the facts of this unsolved case and thought it could be closed. He, together with the magistrates of Yi County and Tongshan County, reported the whole story of the case to Shandong and Jiangsu Prefectures. Tai Yamen was approved to settle the case.
The magistrate of Teng County solved the case and made a great contribution. Later, after negotiation by the Futai Yamen of Shandong and Jiangsu, the territories of Yi County and Tongshan County adjacent to Teng County were divided into three communities and placed under the jurisdiction of Teng County. This is the "Nan Sanshe" in Teng County that ordinary people know.
—Wonderful ghost stories are all in the ghost house: guiguaiwu.com—
Evaluation: This story shows the process of local officials handling criminal cases during the Qing Dynasty, and the important role of wisdom and knowledge in solving crimes. The wife of the Tengxian County Grand Master not only possesses a wealth of knowledge, but also possesses keen insight and analytical skills. Her reasoning helped uncover the truth of the case. The story also reflects the legal system of society at that time and the responsibilities of local officials, and how they handled cases involving multiple administrative regions. In addition, the story also reveals the complexity of human nature. For example, middle-aged farmers chose to remain silent for fear of being implicated, which was not uncommon in the social context of the time. In the end, Tengxian County Master's successful solving of the case not only won him honor, but also brought practical benefits to Tengxian County. This story tells us that when facing difficulties and challenges, wisdom and courage are the keys to solving problems.