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"Your Honor, this is the good-for-nothing son of the old woman, Xiao Fu." Mother and daughter-in-law kneeled once again before Xiao Hongtao, their tears silently streaming down.

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Yang Mengchen raised an eyebrow, "How can you be so sure it's Liao Xiaofu?"

"Xiao Fu owed money to someone and couldn't pay it back; he had his right little finger chopped off," replied Grandma of the Liao family.

Hai Tang nodded to Yang Mengchen and Xiao Hongtao. She had examined the body when it was first pulled from the water and indeed, the little finger on the right hand was missing a piece.

"Old lady, please stand up," Xiao Hongtao lifted his hand, signaling the Liao family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to rise. "Death cannot be reversed, please conserve your grief."

The Grandma of the Liao family choked back tears, "Thank you for your concern, Your Honor."

Fang Qin stood with her head lowered beside the grandmother, large tear drops fell to the ground at her feet, her whole being exuded an aura of sorrow.

The crowd felt a surge of sympathy, and several older women and daughters-in-law came forward to console the pair.

"Uncle Xiao, the Jinquan villagers all confirmed that Liao Xiaofu was often drunk, and no one had a motive to kill him. I think he might have fallen into the well while drunk. Let's close the case," Yang Mengchen said to Xiao Hongtao, though his dark eyes were fixed on Dai Qiangsheng without blinking.

Xiao Hongtao nodded in agreement, "This indeed is the most logical explanation. Let's conclude the case as Chenchen suggests. Wei Lin, arrange for the body to be cremated as soon as possible to prevent any further harm to others."

In ancient times, only the most heinous criminals would suffer posthumous dismemberment and cremation to obliterate their remains, but Liao Xiaofu's case was exceptional, and such an action was justifiable.

The Liao family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were reasonable people and naturally had no objections to Xiao Hongtao's decision.

"Hold on, Your Honor!" Dai Qiangsheng suddenly interrupted loudly, "This is just Ninth Sister Yang's speculation. You can't close the case so easily."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongtao's expression darkened, "Are you questioning my judgment?"

The Jinquan villagers also looked at Dai Qiangsheng with confusion, not understanding what his intentions were.

In life, Liao Xiaofu caused no small trouble in the village, and after his death, he nearly led to its extinction with plague. Whether he fell into the well accidentally or was murdered, he deserved it. With him gone, the village was rid of one less scourge, and no one had to be wary of him anymore. Why was Dai Qiangsheng obstructing the County Magistrate from closing the case?

Especially since Dai Qiangsheng had a very bad relationship with Liao Xiaofu; shouldn't he be happy about Xiaofu's death?

Dai Qiangsheng quickly knelt down, his face a picture of righteousness and sincerity, "This commoner dares not! But I just feel that there's something fishy. I implore Your Honor for a thorough investigation!"

"Let's hear it," Xiao Hongtao commanded, his presence formidable yet calm.

Yang Mengchen's face remained serene as he slowly twisted the green jade bracelet on his wrist, his deep and clear eyes observing the exchange between the Liao family's women and Dai Qiangsheng without betraying any emotion.

Usually, when facing the village head or the Lizheng, Dai Qiangsheng was very nervous and scared, let alone before the County Magistrate and surrounded by a group of Government Officials wielding weapons. Naturally, he felt terrified but still mustered the courage to say, "Please look, Your Honor! There's a wooden frame around the well. Liao Xiaofu was about eight feet tall.

Even if he were dead drunk, he couldn't have fallen into the well. Most importantly, the Liao family lives on the eastern side of the village, while the well is on the western side. One wouldn't pass by this well when returning to the Liao's from the village entrance. Clearly, Liao Xiaofu was thrown into the well after he died.

I beg Your Honor to discern the truth and find the murderer to bring justice for Liao Xiaofu!"

The Jinquan villagers stared at Dai Qiangsheng as if he were a bizarre creature. Was he seriously seeking justice for a rogue? Was he out of his mind?

"You make sense," Xiao Hongtao said with a slight knit of his brow, "But earlier, your villagers said that there were only trivial disputes with Liao Xiaofu, and nobody had a motive for murder. Considering that you live next door to Xiaofu, do you know if he had a deep grudge against anyone powerful enough to kill him and then throw his body into the well, thereby endangering the entire village?"

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