In the fifth year of Ming Xuande, Nei Zhong became the prefect of Suzhou. On this day, Nei Zhong and his entourage Ma Rong and Wang Min rushed from the capital to Suzhou to take office. Passing by a grassy beach outside Suzhou, they saw a cattle herd stomping his feet anxiously next to a fallen calf. Nei Zhong went to ask, and the cattle herd said that the calf had been bitten by a local green snake, and it released enough poison to kill a strong cow.

He first carefully inspected the area where the calf had been bitten. Then he took out some silver needles from his bag and stuck them on acupoints of the calf. He then fed the calf a special pill for snake venom. Soon the calf let out a cry and stood up from the grass to eat. The herd was grateful, and when Zhong saw that it was getting late, he asked him to lead the way to find a place to stay.

The cowherd drove the herd of cattle and led the master and servant of Nai Zhong to a small town not far ahead and checked into a hotel. The three of them had just fallen asleep after dinner when they heard someone knock on the door. Nai Zhong opened the door and saw the cowherd standing in front of the door panting, saying that the owner Sun Weimian and his wife were bitten by a snake, begging him to hurry up and save their lives. Nai Zhong didn't have time to think about it, so he took Ma Rong and Wangmin to follow the cowherd.

On the way, Nai Zhong learned from the cowherd that Sun Weimian's first wife passed away early, leaving a daughter named Mengyun. Three years ago, Sun Weimian married Zhang's wife again and gave birth to a son.

Besides, Zhong rushed to the Sun family and saw the Sun family couple lying in bed, unconscious, with Meng Yun, the young lady of the Sun family, and their three-year-old son crying in fright. Neighbor Guan Second and his wife Zheng were in a hurry.

After taking the pulse of the two of them, Zhong Yu said to Meng Yun, "With all due respect, your mother has already been poisoned and can't be saved. Fortunately, your father used a towel to tie his arm tightly and didn't allow the venom to spread, otherwise, it would have died long ago." As he spoke, he stabbed a few silver needles into Sun Weimian's arm and pried open his teeth to feed him pills.

After a few stitches, black and purple blood appeared on Sun Weimian's arm, and after a while Sun Weimian gradually woke up. The first thing Sun Weimian did when she woke up was to ask Mengyun, "How is your mother?" Hearing that Mrs.

Mengyun said that just now, when she was embroidering flowers in the west wing, she suddenly heard a woman's piercing scream from outside, which made people shudder. Because the sound seemed to come from the upper room, she ran to the upper room.

Under the candlelight, I saw my stepmother's face was pale, foaming in her mouth, spasms all over her body, and she was unconscious. The three-year-old little brother was crying while his father pricked his arm with a towel and said, "Mengyun, your mother and I have been bitten by a snake, go and invite your husband!" Before his father could finish his words, he fell unconscious. Mengyun was so flustered that he only knew to call his father, but fortunately the cowherd came in time when he heard the sound. Mengyun said in a trembling voice, "Brother Cowherd, save people! My father and my mother were bitten by a poisonous snake."

The cowherd said that he knew someone who could cure snake venom, and asked Mengyun to take care of the injured person. He went to find that person himself, and then hurried out the door. The hustle and bustle in the house alerted the second cousin Guan and his wife Sun Weimian, who were neighbors to the east, and the two also rushed over.

The bedding in the room was messy, and in the north corner of the bedroom, the bell found a gap. Could it be that the poisonous snake crawled in from here and bit Sun Weimian and his wife to death?

Near this gap, Nai Zhong found a pinch of fine yellow powder, dipped it with his finger, and smelled it carefully. There was a pungent smell. Nai Zhong knew that this fine powder was sulfur. The effect of sulfur in repelling snakes is very obvious, no matter what kind of snake will be avoided because of the smell emitted by sulfur. In this way, it can be concluded that the snake did not get into the house through the gap in the corner of the wall, but was thrown into the bedroom through the window. So who threw the poisonous snake into the bedroom through the window? At this time, the sky was already bright. Someone wanted to report to the official, and Nai Zhong revealed his identity as the prefect.

Nai Zhong went around to the back window to check. Due to the heavy rain last night and the muddy ground, Nai Zhong noticed a row of obvious footprints outside the back window. If Sun Weimian and his wife were poisoned by a snake, there is no doubt that the footprints were left by the murderer. But who can harm them? If the murderer threw a snake through the window, the snake must crawl out of the window after biting the person. Maybe the snake may still be near the window. Nai Zhong asked Wangmin and Ma Rong to look carefully for the snake outside the window. The two searched for a while and found no trace of the green snake except for a few non-venomous grass snakes. He decided to ask Sun Weimian, and Sun Weimian told him what happened last night.

Sun Weimian said that yesterday was his 50th birthday, and in the evening Zhang shi accompanied him to drink a few glasses of birthday wine. While sleeping, Zhang shi said that she was bitten by something on her waist. Sun Weimian hurriedly lit the candle, and under the candlelight, Zhang shi could see clearly that the thing that bit her was a green snake! Sun Weimian also found out that he was afraid that the snake would hurt his son who was sleeping soundly, so he quickly took the pillow and wanted to cover the snake's head. Unexpectedly, the snake turned around and bit his arm. He knew that this green snake was extremely toxic, so he tied his arm with a towel. At that time, Mengyun broke in.

Sun Weimian's eyes dripped with tears, and she said sadly, "I didn't expect that Madam was short-lived and abandoned me..." Nai Zhong asked him if he could be sure that the snake had crawled in from outside the house, and Sun Weimian said he couldn't tell. Nai Zhong asked again if he heard any noise outside the window at that time. Sun Weimian said that it was raining and thundering, and he didn't hear any strange noises outside.

Besides, Zhong decided to find out about the Sun family among the neighbors. Neighbours all regretted the death of the Zhang family, saying that the couple were affectionate and loving, and the Zhang family treated Mengyun more than her own daughter. Maybe it was Zhang's kindness that touched God, and she gave birth to a boy the year before last. How could such a couple with excellent reputation be killed by snakes?

Besides, Zhong knew that nothing could be seen on the surface of this case, and the top priority now was to find the person who left the footprints outside the window.

At this time, Guan Laoer, who was present, said, "My lord, I know who the murderer is who threw the snake to murder my cousin and cousin's sister-in-law." Besides Zhong asked who it was, Guan Laoer said it was the cowherd. Because Mengyun and the cowherd were good friends, but cousin and cousin disagreed that the cowherd was poor, and he concluded that the cowherd had a grudge and wanted to kill. Guan Laoer's suspicion was not unreasonable, but if the murderer was the cowherd, how could the cowherd go to the hotel to ask for help on the night of the rainstorm? Zhong decided to interrogate the cowherd.

The cowherd said that that night he drove the cattle back to the pen and went to the cousin's house in the south of the village for a drink. It was midnight when he came back, and as soon as he returned to the cowshed, he heard his wife's screams. He hurried to the Sun house, stood outside the back window and listened, but heard Mengyun's cry for help, and rushed in.

Nai Zhong carefully observed the shoes worn by the cowherd, and the size of the shoes matched the mud footprints he found. So could the cowherd be the snake-thrower standing behind the window? Nai Zhong recreated the scene of the cowherd's crime in his mind. The cowherd had long been dissatisfied with Sun Weimian's opposition to his marriage to Mengyun, and after returning from drinking at his cousin's house, he had a murderous intention. He went around to the back window of Sun's house and threw a prepared green snake onto Sun Weimian and his wife's bed. After throwing the poisonous snake, the cowherd did not run far away. After hearing the woman's scream, he ran back to Sun's house. It was false that he saved people, but it was true whether he succeeded or not. Because the cowherd said that when he heard the cry for help, he immediately went into the house, but Mengyun said that when she entered the room of Sun Weimian and his wife, she immediately called for help, and the cowherd came after at least one cup of tea. The time here is not right, the cowherd is lying! Could it be that he is delaying time to wait for the poison ?

Besides, Zhong turned around and thought about it, and found a new doubt: Zhang shi was bitten by a snake first, and the poisoning was naturally deep, so she died of the poison before she could take care of it. Sun Weimian survived, one of the reasons is that he was bitten later, and then he tied a towel on his arm in time, otherwise his life would be at risk. Also bitten by a poisonous snake, why did Sun Weimian know to tie her arm with a towel, but not her wife? Is it really too late? At that time, Nai Zhong thought of sulfur powder under the bed again. Could it be that the owner knew in advance that there would be a snake, so he sprinkled sulfur? It seems that one of Sun Weimian and his wife knew the inside story, and it was even the murderer! According to common sense, if the water soaked in sulfur is applied to the body, the venomous snake will definitely detour, which can better prevent the snake from being bitten. Thinking of this, Nai Zhong jumped up and inspected the bodies of Zhang shi and Sun Weimian again. Zhang shi actually exuded a faint smell of sulfur! In other words, Zhang shi knew in advance that there was a venomous snake tonight and took precautions. But why was Zhang shi bitten first? At that time, Nai Zhong found a thin embroidery needle on the bed. What is this embroidery needle used for?

Besides, the clock asked Guan Laoer to tell the story of his arrival at the crime scene. Guan Laoer said that he and his daughter-in-law were sleeping in the middle of the night when he heard Mengyun's cries coming from next door. He thought it was his cousin who was scolding his niece. Because Mengyun and the cowherd were on good terms, the cousin scolded his daughter every now and then, and Guan Laoer didn't care. As the cries grew more and more urgent, he and his daughter-in-law dressed and went to the Sun's house. At this time, the cowherd had already gone to the husband, and Guan Laoer knew that his cousin and sister-in-law had been bitten by a poisonous snake.

"Cousin-in-law is this life, her ex-husband was also bitten to death by a poisonous snake!" Zheng shi sighed.

Zheng said that Zhang was originally the owner of Liu Ji's blacksmith shop in the county seat. Four years ago, Blacksmith Liu was bitten to death by a snake, and later remarried the Sun family. Yu Zhong asked them if they saw anything containing snakes in the house. Zheng said she didn't care, but when she saw her little nephew crying when she entered the house, she found something fun to coax him and picked up a bamboo tube on the bed for him to play with.

"A bamboo tube?" Nai Zhong's eyes lit up, "Where is it?"

Zheng thought for a while and said, "After I coaxed the child, I saw that it was dirty, so I threw it in the pyre in our kitchen."

After listening to Zheng's words, Nai Zhong got up and walked to Guan Second's house. In the kitchen firewood pile, he found a bamboo tube that was more than a foot long. Nai Zhong put the bamboo tube under his nose and sniffed it, and couldn't help but be overjoyed. At this time Guan Second came in, and Nai Zhong told him that it was getting late, and he was going back to the yamen to rest. If there were any clues, he should report them in time. Guan Second nodded and agreed. Walking outside the alley, Nai Zhong called Ma Rong and Wang Min and told them to go.

In the evening, Second Brother Guan complained about his wife, Zheng shi: "What are you doing in front of Lord Kuang during the day today? If you don't speak, who can treat you as a mute?" Zheng shi was scolded, and her face was full of grievance: "I didn't say anything." Guan second child became more and more angry: "Stinky woman, I will die in your hands, you said something that shouldn't have been said!" Zheng shi cried helplessly like a lamb. At this moment, two men jumped in from the back window: "Second Brother Guan, come with us to the yamen!" It turned out that these two people were Ma Rong and Wang Min.

The next day at noon, Guan Laoer was brought to the hall. The cowherd, Sun Weimian, and the others stood under the hall. Yu Zhong was shocked and said coldly, "Guan Laoer, what else do you have to say now? This official has long expected that you will complain about your daughter-in-law tonight, so he sent two catchers to hide behind your house to monitor you. After I returned to the yamen, I checked the file on the death of Blacksmith Liu four years ago. Blacksmith Liu was also bitten to death by a poisonous snake while sleeping. At that time, the government also intervened in the investigation. At that time, you were the apprentice of the blacksmith shop who assisted the government in the investigation! At that time, the government mistakenly believed that Blacksmith Liu was bitten to death by a poisonous snake, and in the end it was all over. I heard from your daughter-in-law that Blacksmith Liu, the former husband of the Zhang family, was also bitten to death by a poisonous snake. I didn't think it would be such a coincidence, so I went to the Liu family to visit. From the Liu family, I learned that you are Blacksmith Liu's apprentice, and you have an ambiguous relationship with the Zhang family. The Zhang family married to the Sun family, and you are a matchmaker, so I concluded that you and the Zhang family are still in love. Last night, Ma Rong and Wang Min heard you complain about the Zheng family, which further confirmed my judgment. Second Brother Guan, I didn't expect you to do the same trick again! "

"Lord, I beg." Guan Laoer knelt on the ground and admitted that he and the Zhang family conspired to throw snakes to harm Sun Weimian.

It turned out that Guan Laoer and Zhang shi had been dating for a long time. That year, Zhang shi and Guan Laoer conspired to kill Blacksmith Liu. Just as Guan Laoer wanted to marry Zhang shi as his wife, his father asked him to marry Zheng shi according to the marriage contract. Guan Laoer couldn't, so he had to lose Zhang shi. It was precisely at this time that his cousin Sun Weimian died, and Guan Laoer introduced Zhang shi to his cousin. At first, the two could still abide by the ceremony of uncle and sister-in-law, but later, Sun Weimian often stayed away from home, and as they came and went, their old relationship rekindled. In order to be a long-term husband and wife, the two discussed getting rid of Sun Weimian first, and then resting Zheng shi. Guan Laoer bought a highly toxic green snake and sealed it in a bamboo tube. After starving the snake for three days, he handed the bamboo tube containing the snake to Zhang shi. Unexpectedly, Zhang shi was not good enough and harmed himself.

Guan Second finished telling the story of the crime and asked, "My lord, the villain admires you for solving the case like a god, but how did you conclude that I was the real murderer of the snake?"

"It's not easy," Zhong said. "At first, I suspected the cowherd, because his confession was out of time. But when I saw the sulfur left in the house and smelled the smell of sulfur on Zhang's body, the direction of investigation changed to Zhang's. Obviously Zhang knew of the appearance of poisonous snakes in advance and took precautions, so it was likely that she put the snake. The sulfur on the ground was not to prevent snakes, but to lure snakes. Sprinkled with sulfur thread on both sides, and left a path in the middle to lure snakes out through the gap in the wall. But I only saw a small amount of sulfur powder at that time. I know that someone must have cleaned up the traces of the crime scene, and only you can do this, because you are the first person to enter the scene except for the cowherd and Mengyun, but you have not cleaned it up. Since there is sulfur in the room, it is impossible for the snake to get in from the outside. It must have been installed in a utensil first. I didn't expect your daughter-in-law to accidentally say that she used a bamboo tube to coax the child to play, so I knew that the snake must be hidden in this bamboo tube. At your house, I found the bamboo tube and confirmed my judgment, because there is a smell of snakes in the bamboo tube. Guan Laoer, you thought you did it seamlessly, but you still showed your feet. "

Second Brother Guan was convinced, and everyone in the hall cheered. Unexpectedly, the bell slapped the alarm again: "Second Brother Guan has already confessed to the law, but he is not the only murderer in this case. There are two murderers in this case.

Everyone was stunned for a moment. Nai Zhong said slowly, "In fact, there were three people who caused Zhang's death, one was Guan Second, and the other was Zhang's own! There was another person who almost blinded my eyes!" Nai Zhong said that his eyes were like electricity and he shot directly at the crowd, "That person is Sun Weimian, who was also bitten by a poisonous snake!"

Sun Weimian shouted. Besides, Zhong said, "Sun Weimian, I don't want you to be one of the murderers in this case, but that's the truth."

A layer of sweat appeared on Sun Weimian's face. Besides Zhong said, "In the middle of the night, Zhang shi hid the bamboo tube under the quilt, and then pretended to be gentle with you, trying to open the plug of the bamboo tube quietly while you were not careful, but you found it. You snatched the bamboo tube with your hands, took an embroidery needle, and stabbed the small hole in the bamboo tube with the needle, hurting the green snake inside. After the snake was stabbed, it pushed the plug of the bamboo tube and crawled out and bit Zhang shi. Zhang shi struggled, and the smell of sulfur on his body made the snake turn its head and bite you hard. You know how toxic it is, and you tie your arm with a towel to prevent the snake venom from spreading. If you hadn't stabbed the snake with a needle, how could the snake have bitten her? However, the Zhang Clan is unkind first, and you are unrighteous later. There are extenuating circumstances.

Sun Weimian was relieved and thanked: "The lord decides the case like a god, he is really the parents of the people. Xiaomin thanks the Lord here."

Everyone present applauded Nai Zhong's wonderful case, especially the cowherd, who was even more impressed. Nai Zhong said, "Nai Zhong, this time I want to ask you, you heard a call for help behind the Sun family's house that night and didn't go in immediately. What are you talkingabout?"

The cowherd blushed and said that that night, when he came back from drinking at his cousin's house, he saw that the back window of the Sun family was lit, so he quietly walked over. He wondered if the Sun family disagreed with him and Mengyun, so he was talking about them at the moment. At this time, it was raining heavily, and the cowherd stood under the back eaves and listened carefully. Sure enough, the owner was discussing how to separate him and Mengyun. The cowherd felt uncomfortable, so he ran into the rain, wanting the rain to initialize his oppression. But as soon as he returned to the cowshed, he heard Zhang's screams and Mengyun's cries for help, and he ran back again, which delayed time. Because it involved his sweetheart Mengyun, he hid this at that time.

What he didn't know was that he was almost caught as a murderer for it. Fortunately, Zhong Ming found the real murderer.