Mrs. Tian hesitated for a moment before she said cautiously: "Master Hou, I brought a calming pill, do you want to ..... Do you want to give her two? ”

"Oh?" Qi Ning thought that if this was the case, he would dare to be kind, and nodded: "Then you will have to work." ”

These days, it is not easy to do a small thing for Qi Ning, Mrs. Tian is overjoyed, and hurriedly said: "Then I will go and get the medicine now." As if this was an unparalleled event, I hurried back to the house to get my medicine.

Wei Yujiang came over at this time and said softly: "Hou Ye rest early, if the Dongyang County Decree comes, you can explain to him." ”

Although he is only the chief judge of the Autumn Trial Division of the Criminal Department, his grade is still much higher than that of a county order.

Qi Ning shook his head and said, "I can't sleep for a while, I just think this thing is a little weird." ”

"Master Hou is talking about that woman?"

"She said that her husband was taken away by the ghost, what do you mean by the ghost?" Qi Ning thought thoughtfully: "Did she imagine it herself, or did she see something that shouldn't be seen." Wei Sizhen, you also saw it just now, when the woman mentioned the ghost, she trembled, it was a fear that went deep into the bone marrow, and it seemed to leave an extremely terrifying memory in her mind. ”

"Hou Ye is saying...... Could that be true? Wei Yujiang was slightly surprised.

Qi Ning said: "It's not easy for me to judge, after all, she is delirious, as you said, I can't tell if she is cranky or true." ”

"If it's true, she can really see the ghost?" Wei Yujiang frowned and said, "Master Hou, could it be that when his husband was dying, he was sent by a ghost, but she saw it?" ”

Qi Ning was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, how could you say such nonsense, how could there really be a ghost? But suddenly I thought, after all, this is a different era, from top to bottom, I still believe in ghosts and gods, although Wei Yujiang is a cadre, but after all, it is the times, and it is understandable to believe in ghosts and gods.

Qi Ning smiled slightly, and said softly: "Actually, I don't believe in the theory of ghosts and gods, Zi Bu is silent, and the so-called ghosts and gods are nothing more than people's hearts." ”

Wei Yujiang bowed slightly, and didn't say much.

The two didn't wait too long in the inn, about half an hour, Wu Dalin had already brought the Dongyang County Commander over, the Dongyang County Commander was dressed in an official robe, as soon as he entered the inn, he saw Qi Ning sitting on the chair, turned his head and glanced at Wu Dalin, Wu Darin nodded slightly, Dongyang County Commander immediately trotted forward, knelt down in front of Qi Ning, and said respectfully: "Xiaguan Dongyang County Commander Meng Da, please see Hou Ye!" "The scalp is pressed against the ground, and it is very respectful.

A local county magistrate, the status of the hereditary candidate of the empire is different from the world, and it is natural to be terrified to see Jinyi Hou here tonight.

Qi Ning raised his hand and said, "Meng Zhixian, get up and speak." ”

Dongyang County ordered Meng Da to get up in a hurry, trembling and standing aside, Qi Ning saw that he was in his early fifties, fat, with a lock of black beard under his chin, and motioned for Meng Da to sit down next to him, Meng Zhixian hurriedly said: "The lower officials don't dare, the lower officials don't dare!" ”

Qi Ning didn't talk nonsense, and asked straight to the point: "Meng Zhixian, there is a matter to be handed over to you here, you can take someone there after a while, and send someone to investigate." ”

Meng Zhixian was confused, and didn't know what Qi Ning meant, but he still said: "Yes, yes, the lower officials will definitely do their best." ”

"Do you know what's going on?" Qi Ning asked, staring into his eyes.

Meng Zhixian said embarrassedly: "The lower official doesn't know, but the errand that the Hou Ye explained, even if the lower official goes up the knife mountain and goes down to the sea of fire, he will definitely do his best." ”

Qi Ning smiled faintly and glanced at Wei Yujiang, Wei Yujiang said: "Meng Zhi County, we found a woman here, her husband is missing, and she is looking for her child everywhere, I heard that her child died of illness, this woman can't stand the stimulation, so she is crazy." But what is the reason for her husband's disappearance, you, as a magistrate, always have to investigate clearly. ”

Meng Zhixian hurriedly said: "Is this what Master Hou said? Xiaguan ..... The lower officials knew about it. ”

"Know this?" Qi Ning frowned and said, "Since you know, why didn't you investigate?" ”

Meng Zhixian immediately said: "Back to Master Hou, more than a month ago, the woman went to the yamen and claimed that her husband had been arrested..... No, the woman said that her husband was captured by a ghost, and begged the lower officials to make decisions for her and find her husband. Spread out his hands and looked embarrassed: "Master Hou, that woman talked nonsense from the beginning, and she was a magistrate..... How did the lower officials help her find it, and after careful interrogation, she couldn't say anything, only that her husband was caught by ....... ghost! ”

"Was her child still alive then?"

"Here, little doll of three or four years old." Meng Zhixian said: "Xia Guan asked her to go back with the child first, and then come over to report the case when she understands it, and then ..... Then someone sent her out of the county office. ”

"Send it out?" Qi Ning stared at Meng Zhixian with sharp eyes.

Meng Zhixian's heart was cold, and he lowered his head and said, "Xiaguan.... Xia Guan only thought she was messing around at the time, so he sent someone to kick her out. ”

Qi Ning snorted coldly and asked, "Did she go to the Yamen again later?" ”

"This ......!" Meng Zhixian hesitated slightly, and Wu Dalin said coldly on the side: "Hou Ye asked, still don't answer honestly?" "He was the deputy commander of the Royal Feather Forest Battalion, so how could he take the local county order in his eyes.

Meng Zhixian didn't dare to hide it, and immediately said: "Back to Hou Ye's words, the woman went two or three times later, but the lower officials only thought she was talking nonsense, so they ..... I never let her enter the yamen. ”

"Do you know where that woman came from?" Wei Yujiang asked on the side: "Since she has been to Dongyang County, she is naturally from Dongyang County, where is her home, and what other family members are there, can you send someone to find out?" ”

"Xiaguan ......!" Meng Zhixian sweated on his forehead, bowed his head and didn't dare to speak.

Wei Yujiang frowned and said: "As a parent official, since someone has sued the county government, no matter how big or small the matter, you should always send someone to find out the ins and outs of the matter, even if the woman is talking nonsense, you must always find out why she said such ridiculous words?" ”

Meng Da fell to his knees and said in fear: "The lower official is derelict in his duties, and the crime deserves death, please forgive the Hou Ye." ”

"Meng Zhixian, Ben Hou will not cure your sins today, and give you a chance to atone for your sins." Qi Ning said lightly: "You take that woman away tonight, find out the ins and outs of this matter, Ben Hou will turn back in a few days, and then he will ask you about the case in detail, and if you can't give Ben Hou a satisfactory answer, then don't blame Ben Hou for turning his face and being ruthless." ”

Meng Da hurriedly said: "The lower officials will definitely do their best to investigate this matter clearly." ”

"You wait here for a while." Qi Ning got up: "When she finishes eating, you take her away." ”

"Yes, yes, yes." Meng Da got up, and when he saw that Qi Ning was leaving, he suddenly said, "Master Hou, the lower official..... There is one thing in the lower officials, I don't know whether to talk about it or not. ”

"Oh?" Qi Ning asked, "What's the matter?" ”

Meng Da thought for a moment before he said: "Although the lower officials did not investigate this case, they ..... But several other cases have been pursued. ”

Qi Ning sat down again and asked, "What about those cases you are talking about?" What does it have to do with this woman? ”

"Back to Master Hou, those cases are all missing cases." Meng Da said cautiously: "Since the year before last year, until this year, there have been a total of five or six such cases, without exception, all of them are people who suddenly disappeared inexplicably, and their whereabouts are completely unknown. ”

Qi Ning and Wei Yujiang glanced at each other, and the two of them felt that there must be something strange in this, Qi Ning had already asked: "You mean that there have been disappearances since the year before last?" ”

"Back to Master Hou, in June of the previous year, someone ran to the yamen to report the case, it was an old couple, and their son suddenly disappeared one night." Meng Da recalled: "Xia Guan still remembers, they said that all along, their son is sunrise and sunset, very obedient, has been set up to be married, seeing that the family affair is approaching, but one morning did not see the child come out, this thing has never happened, they went into the room to see, there are traces of sleep on the bed, but the child is gone." ”

Qi Ning frowned, and Wei Yujiang had already asked, "What happened later?" ”

"The old couple immediately searched everywhere, but they searched the whole village, even in their own fields, but there was no trace." Meng Dadao: "I searched for four or five days, but there was no news, it seemed that the world had evaporated, and all the relatives and friends had never seen the whereabouts of the child, so I found the county yamen." ”

"How old is that kid?" Wei Yujiang asked.

Meng Dadao: "I was seventeen years old at the time, because I was born in farming, but I was also strong. ”

"Seventeen?" Wei Yujiang thought for a moment and continued to ask, "Then can you send someone to investigate?" ”

"At that time, the fighting on the front line was still unsettled, and all localities were preparing food and wages to supply the frontline war." Meng Dadao: "All the energy of the lower officials is focused on preparing for food, unless it is a major case of human life, some ordinary cases can only be detained, although the missing case is bizarre, but the manpower in the yamen can't be freed up to find it, so ......!" ”

Qi Ning can also understand, after all, at that time, the Chu State was fighting with the Northern Han in Qinhuai, and at that time, the war was in full swing, and both sides naturally needed the supply of grain and grass in the rear, and the local government raised food and salary for the front line, so naturally there was not much energy to deal with other affairs.

"What about the other cases?" Wei Yujiang asked.

Meng Da was busy: "Several other cases are also similar, all of them are mysterious disappearances, and then they are like evaporating from the world, and there is no whereabouts, at the end of last year, a fifth case of the same kind has been received, and the lower officials asked people to find out the previous similar cases together, and investigate them together." ”

"Then you can investigate the clues?"

Meng Da said embarrassedly: "The officials of these cases have sent the county catcher to investigate them personally, but ..... So far, though, there hasn't been a single clue. ”

Qi Ning looked at Wei Yujiang and asked, "Wei Sixian, do you think these cases and today's disappearance of this woman's husband are all the same cases?" ”

Wei Yujiang thought for a moment before he said, "Master Hou, even if it wasn't done by the same group of people, it must have a great connection. Thinking of something, he immediately asked Meng Da: "Meng Zhi County, are the people who disappeared all male?" ”

"Exactly." Meng Da replied: "The youngest is sixteen years old, and the oldest is twenty-seven years old, both of whom are strong young men. ”

"And the others can mention the Oni Soo?"

Meng Da shook his head and said, "Absolutely not." The others were only discovered after the man had disappeared, and almost all of them disappeared in the middle of the night. After a pause, he continued: "Only that crazy ..... The woman claimed that her husband had been taken away by a ghost..... Xia Guan felt that it was just nonsense, talking nonsense. ”