webnovelfull Chapter 142: Insulting an official of the imperial court, caning 1
Chapter 142: Insulting an official of the imperial court, caning 1
Qin Shu looked at the two yamen runners standing in front of her and asked in surprise, "Are you suing me for murder?!"
She stretched out her hand, looked at her palm, and pointed at the tip of her nose with her backhand, "Are you sure you are a commoner girl?"
The yamen runner also often received benefits from Qin Shu, and upon hearing this, he quickly explained to her, "I just went to the court. This morning, Liu Yang accused the young lady of murdering her daughter, and placed the body outside the government office, asking the governor to administer justice. The governor can't just drive her away, right?"
Ji Jue came over with a bunch of wormwood and asked, "What happened?"
The yamen runner looked at Ji Jue, who exuded the air of a scholar, and repeated what he had said.
After saying this, his eyes kept moving between Ji Jue and Qin Shu, as if he was thinking about something.
Ji Jue heard this and said, "Since this case also involves me, I will naturally go to court with Miss Qin. I will go back with the yamen runners."
Zheng Zhun came over and asked, "What's the matter?"
The yamen runner looked at Ji Jue and then at Zheng Zhun. Having seen many high-ranking officials, the yamen runner immediately judged that the old man in front of him must be of extraordinary status.
He immediately apologized with a smile, bowed, and repeated his purpose for the third time.
Zheng Zhun snorted coldly and said, "I am also very curious about how Zhang Yu will judge this case. Since you are going, you can count me as one of them."
When the yamen runner heard the old man calling the governor by his name, he was so frightened that cold sweat broke out.
I prayed in my heart that Lord Zhang would not make the wrong decision.
When the group returned to Jinzhou City, it was already completely dark.
Ji Jue and Zheng Zhun went to find an inn to rest, while Qin Shu, as the defendant, was taken directly to the government office.
With the gift Qin Shu had given to Mr. Zhang when he first took office, as well as the gold card and two boxes of cream, Miss Zhang even bought shares in Qin Shu's store.
Therefore, as soon as Qin Shu entered the government office, she was directly invited to the governor's residence in the backyard.
Mrs. Zhang held a banquet, and after the banquet, Mrs. Zhang asked about Qin Shu's situation at the farm.
Qin Shu told the story about the trial planting.
The news about the trial planting of new crops had already spread on the birthday of the old Concubine Liang, and Madam Zhang was also there that day.
After Mrs. Zhang asked a few questions, she turned the topic to the rouge shop.
Early the next morning, Lord Zhang went to court to hear the case.
As soon as Yang came to the court, she cried out without waiting for Lord Zhang to ask, "Master, please help me. Qin Xiaoqi had an affair with someone and was caught by me. Because I scolded her, she wanted to kill me."
She sobbed, kowtowed hard, and cried out in a mournful voice: "I beg the Lord of Heaven to seek justice for my daughter. I must make that whore pay for my daughter's life!"
Lord Zhang slammed the gavel and said, "This case has not yet been heard in court. After the coroner's examination, the cause of death has been determined. It was actually suicide. Liu Yang, do you know what the crime should be if it is a false accusation?"
When Yang heard this, she was stunned: How could it be a false accusation?
This senior official has not even started the trial yet, but he has already made an assertion that it is a false accusation. Could it be that Qin had already bribed the official yesterday?
Thinking of this, Yang immediately said, "Sir, you can't accept the benefits of that whore and then..."
"How dare you!" Lord Zhang slammed the gavel with all his might, his face livid with anger. "How dare you, Liu Yang, accuse me of taking bribes in public. Someone, come here!"
"Wei!"
The yamen runners pounded their sticks with force and shouted in unison.
Lord Zhang shouted angrily, "Liu Yang has no evidence and insulted me in public. According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, she should be punished with 100 strokes of the cane and one month's shackles."
He threw a hanging stick to the ground and shouted, "Execute immediately!"
Yang was immediately terrified. When the yamen runners came to drag her away, she collapsed to the ground and screamed like a pig being slaughtered: "Sir, please spare my life. I know I was wrong. Sir, please spare my life...ah!"
There was a dull sound, like a stick hitting a sack.
The only sound echoing in the entire hall was Yang's shrill screams.
Liu Sicheng knelt on the ground, moved his knees to the side, and then stopped timidly.
Liu Baocai simply knelt aside and pretended to be dead.
The killing stick hit Yang's back again and again, and blood came out after a few hits.
After only twenty blows, Yang was beaten so badly that she didn't even have the strength to cry out.
She lay on the ground, crying weakly and repeatedly, "I know I was wrong, I won't sue anymore... I won't sue anymore, I know I was wrong."
When Lord Zhang saw Qin Shu coming, he snorted coldly and said, "Stop! The remaining caning will be recorded first, and we will impose punishment after the trial of this case is over."
Liu Baocai hurried over and helped the groaning Yang up.
Ji Jue and Zheng Zhun, as well as Nanny Liu and Li Youlin who rushed over after hearing the news, stood outside the hall. After Qin Shu was brought into the hall, Ji Jue and Zheng Zhun followed in.
When Lord Zhang saw Zheng Zhun, he was surprised.
Zheng Zhun shook his head at him calmly.
Ji Jue walked to the central hall, straightened his sleeves, bowed to Master Zhang, and said, "Student Ji Jue greets Master Futai."
"Ji Jue? But he is Ji Jue, the son of Ji Chong, the magistrate of Changyuan County and the winner of the first prize in the 28th year of Hongtai?"
Ji Jue bowed again, "Yes, I am your student."
Lord Zhang looked down at the complaint and asked, "Liu Yang is suing Qin Xiaoqi for having an affair with you. Do you admit it?"
Ji Jue said: "Your Excellency, the relationship between me and Qin is innocent and we have no private relationship."
Yang said angrily, "You are talking nonsense! You have no personal feelings for her? If you have no personal feelings for her, why are you helping her farm? There are so many wheat fields, why do you choose to farm hers?"
Ji Jue's expression remained unchanged, and he replied in a clear voice: "In the past, when the winter wheat was in the early stages of growth, I often walked in the wheat fields. The people of Changyuan County can all testify to this."
"A few days ago, I happened to see Miss Qin working in the fields with her maidservants. I went up to ask her and learned that Miss Qin was trying to plant the new grain that her father brought back from a foreign country in the fields to fulfill her father's wish."
The people of Jinzhou City also heard about this incident.
Ji Jue spoke calmly and slowly, "I have loved studying crops since I was a child, and I have been looking for ways to have two harvests a year."
"I heard Miss Qin mention that corn can be interplanted with winter wheat, and winter wheat can be planted after the corn is harvested. I feel that the question I have been looking for for so many years has finally been answered, so I shamelessly ask Miss Qin to allow me to participate in the corn planting trial."
He looked at Qin Shu and added, "I and Miss Qin have only known each other for three or four days. How can there be any private relationship?"
Yang said anxiously, "Sir, I saw it with my own eyes. This pair of dogs... This Mr. Ji and this whore not only flirted with each other, but also teamed up to blackmail me!"
Qin Shu said calmly, "Sir, I have never blackmailed anyone."
Yang said angrily, "You still want to tell me? My Erni stepped on a few of your wheat ears, and you asked me to compensate you with one thousand taels of gold. What else can this be but extortion?"