Outside the courtyard, everyone saw the officers tying up Zhang San and bringing him out. They curiously asked, "Official, what's going on? Could it really be that Zhang San beat his wife to death and hanged her on the beam?"
The arresting officer said, "Just now, we examined the body. The deceased had bruises all over her face, and a front tooth was knocked out, all recent injuries. It is evident she was beaten to death by this wretch and hanged, falsely claiming she hanged herself."
Zhang San shouted, "Official, I, the humble one, lost money gambling yesterday and was in a foul mood. It's true I hit my wife a few times to vent my anger. Perhaps she couldn't take it and hanged herself. I really didn't kill her; I don't even have the guts to kill anyone. Please have mercy, official!"
