Transmigration: Becoming the Wicked Stepmother of Four Children

Chapter 55 Helping the County Magistrate Solve the Case

The county magistrate glanced at Lin Yunlan and the village chief.

Lu Qingqing immediately understood and introduced:

"My lord, this is my husband, Lin Yunlan. You have met him once before."

This is our village chief, Uncle Lin Feng.

No matter what you say today, they will keep their mouths shut.

"I don't want to cause you any trouble."

The magistrate nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yunlan and the village chief, and said:

“If it is Madam Lu who said it, then I can trust her.”

Lin Yunlan quickly clasped his hands in a salute:

"Rest assured, sir, my wife and I will keep our mouths shut and not utter a word of it."

The village chief quickly added:

“Your Excellency, I swear on my honor that I will not utter a single word of dissent.”

Lu Qingqing continued:

"Sir, please speak freely."

The magistrate coughed lightly, his expression turning serious:

"Recently, several murders have occurred in the city."

The coroner said that all of them died of poisoning, but no matter what kind of poison they tried, they couldn't find it.

The doctors in the city are also at a loss, so I would like to ask for your help, madam.

Lu Qingqing's expression tightened, and she said:

"My lord, this matter is of utmost importance. I can only say that I will try my best."

But I wonder if these deceased individuals had anything in common during their lives?

The magistrate shook his head and said:

"These people come from different backgrounds; some are merchants."

Some are ordinary people; it's really hard to see any connection between them.

Lu Qingqing frowned, lost in thought:

"That's strange, sir. May I examine the body?"

The magistrate hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Madam, this body has been left here for several days; I fear this is not appropriate."

Lu Qingqing said firmly:

"My lord, we can't worry about anything else now. Perhaps we can find some clues from the corpse."

Seeing her determination, the magistrate nodded in agreement:

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements right away."

Afterwards, Lu Qingqing followed the coroner to the place where the body was kept.

The room was filled with a pungent, putrid stench.

She showed no fear, her face was calm, and her gaze was focused as she examined each corpse.

She carefully examined the deceased's skin color, pupils, mouth, and nose.

After examining the items, Lu Qingqing frowned and fell into deep thought.

The coroner, waiting anxiously, couldn't help but ask:

"Madam, have you discovered anything?"

Lu Qingqing did not answer immediately, but checked it several more times.

Suddenly, she noticed something in common among the deceased.

The fabric they wore was different from ordinary fabric.

It appears to be dyed with special materials.

Lu Qingqing had a sudden realization; she finally knew why.

She strode quickly to the magistrate and the coroner, and said firmly:

"My lord, this poison is caused by a rare toxin."

Named 'Shadow Poison', this poison is extremely strange, and infection is not caused by a single factor.

Moreover, all of the deceased had come into contact with a special tie-dyed fabric before their deaths.

When this fabric comes into contact with a certain type of food they eat,

It will produce a deadly toxin, causing immediate death.

Upon hearing this, the coroner's eyes lit up; his previous doubts instantly became clear.

He said excitedly:

"Hearing what you said, Madam, has cleared up my doubts."

I suddenly remembered a case from a while ago.

One of the deceased's families ran a fabric business.

His family owns this special fabric.

Moreover, one of his family's employees had been acting suspiciously recently.

The magistrate's brow relaxed, and he said:

"Excellent! We finally have a lead. This matter must not be made public."

To avoid alerting them, we must conduct a covert investigation.

Lu Qingqing nodded in agreement: "What you say is absolutely right, sir."

The magistrate immediately issued the following order:

"Men, immediately send someone to investigate secretly and get to the bottom of this case."

Afterwards, the group returned to the county government office to await news.

Before long, the dispatched constables returned to report that they had obtained conclusive evidence.

The suspect was taken to the county government office and questioned by the county magistrate and the coroner.

He appeared flustered and eventually confessed to his crime.

The case was solved, and the county magistrate was extremely grateful to Lu Qingqing:

"Madam is truly an extraordinary woman. We owe our great gratitude to her this time."

This brought the truth behind these murders to light.

Lu Qingqing replied with a smile:

"It is your good fortune to be able to relieve the worries of the adults and bring peace to the people."

The case that had been giving the county magistrate a headache was finally over.

The magistrate was delighted and immediately ordered two hundred taels of silver to be prepared as a reward.

Lu Qingqing quickly waved her hand and said:

"My lord, this is unacceptable. I can help you solve your problems."

"It is my duty as a woman to accept such a generous gift."

The magistrate said with a smile:

"Madam, please don't refuse. If it weren't for you..."

"This case may never be solved; this is what the lady deserves."

Lu Qingqing couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to accept it, saying:

"Then I thank you, sir."

Seeing that it was already dark, the magistrate wanted to invite the group to stay for dinner.

Lu Qingqing refused, saying:

"I appreciate your kindness, sir."

The woman was worried about her children at home.

I'll visit again next time.

The magistrate nodded and said:

"In that case, Madam, please go back quickly, lest you keep the child waiting."

Li Xiuming had the gifts from the old lady loaded onto the oxcart.

Lu Qingqing thanked the magistrate again and then left the county office with Lin Yunlan and the village chief.

Along the way, the village chief couldn't help but say:

"Qingqing, you are truly a great hero of our village."

Lu Qingqing smiled and said:

"Village chief, you flatter me. I just happened to find the clue."

Lin Yunlan also said:

"Qingqing, you've had a hard day."

Lu Qingqing looked at Lin Yunlan, her eyes filled with tenderness:

"It's not hard work. I'm just glad I can help everyone. Besides,..."

Didn't we get the reward money?

The village chief said happily:

"Qingqing, don't be afraid of being laughed at by Yunlan."

Today was absolutely terrifying for me; I never imagined it.

Today I had dinner with the county magistrate.

If you tell the other village chiefs, they'll be incredibly envious!

Lu Qingqing and Lin Yunlan laughed heartily, and Lu Qingqing said:

"Village chief, you've now gained some respect from the county magistrate."

Who knows? Maybe I can even do something decent in the future, hahaha.

The village chief quickly waved his hand and said with a smile:

"Oh dear, Qingqing, please don't tease me."

I'm lucky if I can manage our village well; I wouldn't even dare to dream of being a good judge.

But what happened today is something I can brag about to them for ages!

Lin Yunlan continued, "Village Chief, about solving the case today..."

The village chief immediately said solemnly:

"Yunlan, Qingqing, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

I'll pretend I don't know anything, but Qingqing...

It's rare for the magistrate's family to appreciate us so much; we must cultivate a good relationship with the magistrate.

Lu Qingqing nodded solemnly: "Village Chief, I understand, and I will act with caution."

Lin Yunlan replied, "Village Chief, please rest assured."

The village chief said with emotion:

"You are all good children, I believe in you."

If the village encounters any difficulties in the future,

Perhaps we'll need Qingqing to put in a good word for us with the magistrate.

Lu Qingqing quickly said:

"Village chief, we will definitely do our best to help in any way we can."

Lin Yunlan said with a smile:

"Yes, village chief, we are all from the same village, so we should support each other."

The group chatted as they walked, forgetting their fear of the dark.

Before long, the oxcart arrived at Lu Qingqing's house.

Lu Qingqing took out a packet of tea and a packet of pastries from the gifts and asked the village chief to take them home.

The village chief quickly declined, saying:

"Qingqing, this won't do. We've already benefited a lot from you today."

"How could I possibly want your things again?"

Lu Qingqing said with a smile:

"Village chief, please don't stand on ceremony with me. Besides..."

These tea leaves and pastries belong to the magistrate's household; wouldn't you like to take some back and try them?

The village chief was still a little embarrassed:

"I can't accept this."

Lin Yunlan also said:

"Village chief, please accept this as a token of Qingqing's goodwill."

The village chief, thinking that it was a gift from the county magistrate, was somewhat tempted and had no choice but to say:

"Alright then, thank you Qingqing, thank you Yunlan."

Lu Qingqing said:

"Village chief, you're too kind. I'll need your help in the future."

The village chief patted his chest and guaranteed:

"That's for sure. Don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything."

After saying that, the village chief took his things and happily got into the oxcart and went home.