Chapter 20

(Third update, really tired, please recommend and support...)

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When Hu Butou returned to the yamen to report, it was already late in the afternoon. County Magistrate Wei was still anxiously waiting. Upon learning of their success, the magistrate was overjoyed and immediately ordered the arrest of Zhao Meiniang's father and brother.

By the time the suspects were brought in, it was already dusk. County Magistrate Wei wasted no time, ordering the lighting of lamps and fires. He was determined to conduct a closed-door night trial of this perplexing case!

The sound of the gavel echoed through the hall.

"Order... order..." The bailiffs pounded their staffs on the floor tiles, the sound making everyone's scalp tingle.

With a loud slap of the wooden block, County Magistrate Wei shouted, "Is the one kneeling below Zhao Meiniang?"

"I am Zhang Linghua," the beautiful woman, her face pale, replied in a trembling voice.

"At this point, you still dare to lie!" County Magistrate Wei said coldly. "If you are not Zhao Meiniang, why were you hiding in the tunnel? What are you trying to hide?"

"This..." The woman was already terrified by the authority in the hall, trembling and unable to speak.

"What kind of heart do you have!" County Magistrate Wei continued. "You fled, causing your husband's family to be ruined. Now he is about to be executed. Don't you feel any guilt?"

"What?" The woman was bewildered. "I fled, not him. Why would he be executed?"

"Admitting you are Zhao Meiniang now?" County Magistrate Wei snorted.

"Yes, I am Zhao Meiniang," the woman finally nodded. "But I didn't harm my husband. He beat and scolded me, and even reported to the authorities that I had fled with a lover. I was afraid of being caught and punished, so I hid at Mr. He's house. I never harmed anyone..."

"I will let you see someone," County Magistrate Wei said coldly. "Bring him in."

Two prison guards then brought in Lin Rongxing, who had been tortured. The once handsome scholar was now emaciated, covered in injuries, and his disheveled hair hung to his chest. He looked neither human nor ghost, and Zhao Meiniang was startled, her body involuntarily moving backward.

"Look carefully at who he is," County Magistrate Wei ordered, stopping her.

Zhao Meiniang finally calmed down, opened her eyes wide, and after a long look, recognized her husband, Lin Rongxing. She immediately burst into tears, hugging him and crying out in anguish, "How could this happen? Why are you like this?"

Lin Rongxing, however, remained expressionless, not even glancing at her.

At this scene, even the hardened clerks were moved, some sighing and some shedding tears...

County Magistrate Wei, suppressing his emotions, slapped the wooden block and said, "Zhao Lin's wife, confess the truth!"

Zhao Meiniang, naturally, did not hide anything, sobbing as she recounted the events...

It turned out that the night before she disappeared two years ago, Lin Rongxing had invited his classmates to drink at home. Zhao Meiniang had joined in, drinking a few cups and becoming unrestrained. Lin Rongxing, harboring anger, scolded her after the guests left. Zhao Meiniang, who never tolerated his abuse, argued back, and they ended up fighting. Her father-in-law and sister-in-law had to intervene to stop them.

Zhao Meiniang, increasingly angry, left home early the next morning with a bundle. Because she had a history of returning to her parents' home after arguments, the Lin family did not pay much attention.

However, on her way home, Zhao Meiniang encountered one of Lin Rongxing's classmates. His name was Feng Nian, a tall and handsome man. They had been flirting for some time, and now, seeing her alone and sad, Feng Nian naturally seized the opportunity to be overly attentive, inviting her to his home.

Zhao Meiniang, a fickle woman, had a good impression of Feng Nian, who was handsome, charming, and gentle. She thought he was a hundred times better than her dull husband. Thus, she half-reluctantly followed him to his home.

At first, she planned to return to her husband after a while, but after they became intimate, they were inseparable and enjoyed each other's company for half a month. After half a month, Feng Nian said he would send her back to her parents' home, but instead, he had her taken to Mr. He's house in a sedan chair.

At Mr. He's house, Feng Nian disappeared, and she met Mr. He and her father.

They told her that Lin Rongxing had reported to the authorities that she had fled with a lover and taken money. The county was offering a reward for her capture. If she showed up, she would be arrested, paraded on a wooden donkey, and executed by slicing.

Zhao Meiniang, believing this, was terrified and asked what to do.

Mr. He smiled and said, "Stay at my house and don't show your face. Who can find you?"

Her father also said, "Yes, Mr. He's house is large and far from the county, very safe. Stay here."

Although she found it boring not to go out, she valued her life more and agreed. Soon, she was seduced by Mr. He's charm and completely gave up the idea of returning home, content to be a caged bird...

After she finished her confession and signed the document, County Magistrate Wei ordered her father to be brought in.

Seeing that Zhao Meiniang had confessed, her father had nothing to hide and admitted that he had thought his daughter was killed by the Lin family and, in anger, accused his son-in-law of murder. Soon after, Feng Nian came to confess that Zhao Meiniang was not dead but was with him.

Hearing that his daughter was alive, Zhao Lao was both relieved and afraid. He was relieved, but afraid of the consequences of false accusation, which would double his punishment.

While he was in a dilemma, his old friend Mr. He came to visit and asked about Zhao Meiniang. Zhao Lao, knowing that Mr. He was well-informed and resourceful, could not help but tell him the truth.

Mr. He said, "It's right that you didn't confess to the authorities. Otherwise, you would be punished, and it could cost you your head. As a respected grain commissioner, my words are credible." This frightened Zhao Lao, who begged Mr. He for a solution.

Mr. He thought for a moment and said, "Since that's the case, let Meiniang stay at my place. You pretend she is dead and continue to accuse." Zhao Lao, seeing no other choice, had Feng Nian take his daughter to Mr. He's house...

A month later, a female corpse appeared. The authorities notified the Zhao family to identify the body. Zhao Lao quickly informed his son-in-law, and Mr. He instructed them to insist that the dead woman was Zhao Meiniang, leading to the scene at the autopsy!

However, County Magistrate Chen ultimately determined that the dead woman was not Zhao Meiniang, and Zhao Lao had to give up.

Just when Zhao Lao thought the matter was over, the Inspector of Zhejiang West, Mr. He, came to review wrongful convictions in the county. Mr. He urged him to sue the officials of Fuyang County.

Zhao Lao naturally dared not. Mr. He assured him that if he sued, he would win and be free from future troubles. Zhao Lao still hesitated, but Mr. He threatened to send Zhao Meiniang back to the Lin family, forcing him to comply...

In the end, they won the lawsuit, not only winning the case but also bringing down the officials of Fuyang County.

Later, when he heard that Wang Xing's son was seeking to overturn the verdict, he quickly informed Mr. He. Since Wang Xian was a gambler and a rogue, and Fuyang was in chaos without a magistrate, Mr. He sent a few men to kill him in a casino...

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When the son of Zhao Lao was interrogated, he gave the same confession. At this point, the case was almost clear, but there was one thing County Magistrate Wei did not understand. He asked the two, "Why do you listen to Mr. He so much? It's not just because your daughter is in his hands, is it?"

The two hesitated, not daring to answer. Under pressure, they finally revealed the truth: Mr. He was not only a grain commissioner but also a hundred-man commander in the Jinyiwei!

County Magistrate Wei's heart trembled. He instructed Li Xing, the clerk responsible for recording, "Erase this part."

Li Xing nodded, but he had not dared to write those three words in the first place.

The Jinyiwei were notorious for their brutality, and under the command of Commander Ji Gang, they had become lawless and indiscriminate in their killings. In their eyes, nobles and high officials were like grass. They could exterminate entire families by labeling them as remnants of the Jianwen Emperor!

These were ruthless beings who defied the law. Even a low-ranking hundred-man commander was someone County Magistrate Wei could not afford to offend!

Hu Butou, listening, was terrified. No wonder the man was so arrogant, with the Jinyiwei backing him!

When it came to interrogating Mr. He, County Magistrate Wei's authority was much weaker...

Mr. He had already regained his composure. As a hereditary grain commissioner, he could sit on equal terms with officials and was exempt from torture. This title could only be revoked by the Ministry of Households, not by the county or prefecture. Therefore, he sat confidently on the stool, answering County Magistrate Wei's questions.

County Magistrate Wei asked why he had hidden Zhao Meiniang, and Mr. He said it was to help a friend.

County Magistrate Wei asked why he had urged the Zhao family to identify the body, and Mr. He said it was to help a friend.

County Magistrate Wei asked why he had coerced the Zhao family to sue, and Mr. He said it was to help a friend...

County Magistrate Wei asked why he had sent people to murder Wang Xian, and Mr. He said it was to help a friend...

County Magistrate Wei, even as a man of principle, could not help but sarcastically ask, "So, keeping a woman in a golden house is also to help a friend?"

"Yes," Mr. He nodded, as if he were the most helpful person in the world.

"Why did you try to escape and attempt to kill someone?" County Magistrate Wei asked coldly.

"I didn't escape, did I?" Mr. He said shamelessly. "I wanted to tear Wang Er to pieces for falsely accusing me, but I stopped myself, thinking it was illegal. Otherwise, how could a cripple knock me down?"

County Magistrate Wei had no choice but to order his temporary detention. Mr. He, however, said, "Magistrate, according to the regulations of Emperor Hongwu, a grain commissioner can pay to avoid punishment. Could you please calculate how much I need to pay for all these crimes?" He then left the hall calmly.

The impressive trial ended in such an anticlimactic manner. Back in the inner chamber, County Magistrate Wei was devastated. Was he really useless, having failed again?

Mr. Sima, his clerk, comforted him, "Sir, there's no need to be so hard on yourself. We have already succeeded. Why be overly critical?"

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