Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

"Although you're just a clerk, you attacked me when I wasn't looking that day. Donkey Three may be strong, but he's a coward; his legs go weak at the sight of blood. How could he dare to chase you if you ran away?"

"Not to mention the kitchen knife. Aren't the kitchens all on the east side of the yard? Even if you've never been to my house, you can find the kitchen, right?"

He spoke with great enthusiasm, his voice growing louder and louder, as if he were using his voice to embolden himself.

Donkey Three nodded vigorously beside him, "Yes, yes, I'm a coward, I faint at the sight of blood."

Zhang Sanlang didn't look at him.

He turned to Kong Youan, "Chief Kong, since this is a case of a finger being severed as a result of injury, we should have the coroner and the physician examine the injury. When did Qian Laohei's finger break off? An examination will tell us."

Kong Youan's teacup stopped at his lips.

Tao, the clerk, placed the teacup on his lap onto the bench beside him and stood up. "Clerk Kong, what Zhang, the postmaster, said makes sense. In a case involving a severed finger, how can it be severed without an examination of the injury?"

Qian Laohei subconsciously pulled his left hand, which was wrapped in bandages, into his sleeve. "Director Zhang, my finger has already been treated with medicine and can't withstand any more abuse. Don't push your luck."

Tao, the clerk, ignored Qian Laohei and nodded to Zhou Qianxing. Zhou Qianxing turned and went out, returning a moment later with a coroner and a physician.

The coroner's surname was Qin. He was in his early fifties, thin and with large finger joints. He dealt with corpses all year round and always carried a soapy smell.

The physician, surnamed Hu, was in his sixties and was a resident physician appointed by the county government, specializing in examining injuries.

The two entered the signing room one after the other, and first bowed to the two clerks.

Doctor Hu untied the bandages binding Qian Laohei's hands, picked up silver tweezers, gently parted the edges of the wound, bent down to examine it closely, and then sniffed it, his brows furrowing slightly.

"The skin around the wound is rolled back and swollen, with dark red edges and no new flesh growing. Judging from the healing process, it must have been cut off for two days..."

The coroner, Qin, spread out the "Injury Examination Records" and recorded Hu the physician's descriptions one by one. The size, location, direction, and color of the wound were all filled into the records.

Qian Laohei's eyes widened. "Two days ago? It was clearly three days ago..."

Zhang Sanlang laughed, "Qian Laohei, you just said that you went to my house at the beginning of the 5-7 PM on the eighth day of the ninth lunar month, and that you were followed and attacked that night, losing a finger. The eighth day of the ninth lunar month is three days ago. But the doctor said that your finger was lost two days ago."

He looked at Qian Laohei and asked in a calm voice, "When exactly did you break your finger?"

Old Qian's mole trembled uncontrollably. "It's...it's the eighth! The physician made a mistake!"

Physician Hu's face darkened. "The Hu family has practiced medicine for a hundred years, and I have practiced medicine for forty. Can't you tell whether a wound is two days old or three days old? A three-day-old wound has edges that are starting to turn white, while a two-day-old wound is still dark red. Take a look for yourself!"

He pointed to Qian Laohei's fingers and showed them to everyone.

The flesh at the break was indeed dark red, showing no signs of turning white.

Tao, the clerk, picked up his teacup and blew on the tea foam. "Clerk Kong, the dates on this wound don't match up. It's been three days from the eighth day of the ninth month to today, but Physician Hu said it's been two days. I'm afraid even Qian Laohei himself can't say for sure when his finger was broken."

Kong Youan put down his teacup. "The time it takes for a wound to heal varies, perhaps because the healing speed differs. It's common for physicians to misdiagnose."

Physician Hu's face flushed red. "Chief Kong, if you don't believe me, you can find another doctor to examine you."

"No need," Kong Youan waved his hand. "A difference of a day or two in the time it took for the wound to heal won't affect the case."

Zhang Sanlang chimed in, "Kong Yashi, what are you saying? Qian Laohei said he lost his finger on the eighth, but the doctor said it was the ninth. He can't even say for sure when he lost his finger, how can he be sure he cut it off?"

He looked at Qian Laohei and asked, "Who was the doctor who treated your injuries? We'll find out if we call him over and ask."

Qian Laohei's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he glanced at Kong Youan.

Kong Youan did not look at him.

Tao, the clerk, laughed. "Clerk Kong, the postmaster is right. A severed finger is no small matter; the doctor who treated the injury will surely remember. Call him over and ask whether it was the eighth or the ninth day. We'll know soon enough."

Kong Youan remained silent for a moment, then nodded to Yu Shoufen.

The remaining hands were distributed.

In less than a quarter of an hour, he brought in a gaunt old man.

The old man, dressed in a gray cloth shirt and carrying a medicine bag over his shoulder, bowed to Kong You'an as he entered. "I am Zhou Daoquan, and I run a small pharmacy in the north of the city. I treated Master Qian's hand."

Kong Youan picked up his teacup. "Which day?"

"The eighth day. The eighth day of the ninth month. It was getting dark that day when Master Qian came to me, his hands covered in blood. I applied some ointment to his wounds, wrapped them with bandages, and told him not to get them wet."

Zhou the pharmacist spoke fluently, as if he had recited a text eight hundred times.

Physician Hu suddenly spoke up, "Pharmacist Zhou, what medicine did you give Old Man Qian?"

Zhou Daoquan was taken aback. "A wound medicine. Just a regular wound medicine."

"What prescription for wound medicine?"

"It was...it was my own composition. Dragon bone, Bletilla striata, Sanguisorba officinalis..."

Physician Hu interrupted him, "Dragon bone and Bletilla striata coagulate when they come into contact with blood, and a yellow membrane will form on the wound within three days. Look at his wound, is there a yellow membrane?"

Zhou Daoquan leaned closer to examine it, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "This... perhaps I've misremembered. Perhaps I applied a different medicine..."

"You can't even remember what medicine you were given, how can you remember which day the injury was treated?" Doctor Hu's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail.

Sweat rolled down Zhou Daoquan's face, trickling down his nose.

He wiped his face with his sleeve again and again, his lips trembling as he couldn't speak.

Zhang Sanlang smiled at him, "Pharmacist Zhou, don't be afraid. It's common for older people to forget the date. Go back and think about it again, is it the eighth or the ninth?"

Zhou Daoquan glanced at Kong Youan, then at Qian Laohei, his lips trembling even more violently.

Kong Youan placed the teacup on the table, the porcelain and wood making a soft sound as they touched.

Zhou Daoquan's shoulders trembled slightly.

Zhang Sanlang turned to Kong Youan, "Kong, the witness, Donkey San, is one of Qian Laohei's men. It's a case of one's own people testifying for one's own. The physical evidence, the silver beans and the kitchen knife, were found in my house by Yu Shoufen, but I wasn't home when Yu Shoufen went there."

"We have no idea which places he searched, how he searched them, or whether anyone else saw him."

He paused, then said, "False accusation is punishable by three degrees more according to the law. Framing someone is the same crime as false accusation. Clerk Kong, you are more familiar with these legal provisions than I am."

Kong Youan picked up the teacup, took a sip, and slowly put it down.

He looked at Zhang Sanlang, a slight smile playing on his lips. "The posting officer speaks well. False accusations are punished the same as false accusations. As the clerk of the criminal division, I can only adjudicate according to the law. If the posting officer feels wronged, he can submit a petition to defend himself."

He stood up, straightened his cuffs, and said, "Let's end the interrogation here for today. We'll discuss it again after we've thoroughly investigated Qian Laohei's wounds. The postmaster is also requested to return home and not leave Juancheng for the next few days, and be ready to be summoned at any time."