Chapter 76

（Sorry, sorry, I'll send the chapter from last night earlier...）

‘Whisper...’ The crowd burst into a clamor, with people shaking their heads. They had almost forgotten, but many present had witnessed that scene. Who would have thought that the Su family, known for their propriety, would engage in such scandalous behavior.

Song Dynasty laws, following the Tang system, punished adultery far less severely than in the Han Dynasty... In the Han Dynasty, the punishment was castration, and those who caught adulterers could kill them without penalty. However, in the Tang and Song Dynasties, the maximum punishment was two years of imprisonment... Nevertheless, it was still a despicable and immoral act.

Moreover, the genealogy stele set up by Su Xun was known throughout the city. If his daughter committed adultery, the scriptures inscribed on the stele would be a slap in his face.

Was there really such a thing? People's gazes turned to the man the lawyer pointed at—a young scholar with a delicate face.

The young scholar looked bewildered, as if he were in a daze. However, a spirited young man beside him stepped in front of him and pointed at the lawyer, saying, "No wonder they say, 'Rabble-rousing lawyers should all be killed!' I'll bet my head that they are innocent. Do you dare or not?"

"Who is causing a disturbance in the court!" Zhou Dalin slammed the gavel.

"I am the brother of the person being slandered..." Chen Ke was about to step into the hall with a dignified air but was held back by his second brother.

"Second Brother..." Chen Ke turned back, displeased. He saw the usually mild-mannered Second Brother with an unusually resolute expression. He heard him say solemnly, "Third Brother, you've done enough for me. Let me handle the rest."

With that, he stepped past Chen Ke, walked into the hall, and bowed deeply to Zhou Dalin, saying, "I am a student of Qingshen County, Chen Chen, paying my respects to the magistrate."

"Rise and speak," Zhou Dalin said. "Do you admit to the charges made by the Cheng family's lawyer?"

"Absolutely not!" Chen Chen shook his head. "I am also willing to bet my head that we are innocent!"

"I am not afraid of you," the lawyer chuckled. "But the law stipulates that human lives cannot be used as stakes..."

‘Slam...’ Zhou Dalin sternly said, "Silence unless called upon!" He then looked at Chen Chen and asked, "What is your relationship with Su Jia's Eighth Daughter?"

Chen Chen glanced at the pale and wobbly Eighth Daughter, took a deep breath, and said, "We are siblings."

"You do not share the same surname."

"Our families are old friends," Chen Chen said calmly. "We have a close relationship."

"On the Qingming Festival, did you carry Su Jia's Eighth Daughter out of the Cheng family's house?"

"Yes," Chen Ke nodded.

There was a murmur in the hall. Accusations of adultery often rely on indirect evidence, as catching them in the act is rare. It's hard to have solid evidence, but it's enough to make people believe... Ask Ouyang Xiu, and he would surely say with tears, "Three people make a tiger, and repeated defamation can destroy a person, my friend."

This was exactly the Cheng family's plan... Even if they couldn't convict you, they would tarnish your reputation, making it impossible to shake off the label of a promiscuous woman, achieving the same effect.

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‘Slam...’ Zhou Dalin slammed the gavel again and questioned Second Brother, "Since you are a scholar, why don't you know that men and women should not touch each other, as a matter of propriety?"

"The words of the sages, I naturally remember," Second Brother said with a faint smile. "But why did you only say half of it?"

"The second half is 'If a sister-in-law drowns, it is permissible to save her with your hands, as a matter of emergency,'" the official, who was also a literatus, said without feeling offended. "But was Eighth Daughter drowning at that time?"

"Though not drowning, she was in grave danger," the usually tongue-tied and easily blushing young man finally showed his other side. "At that time, I was studying in Meishan and was called by Uncle Su to go to the Cheng family to pick up someone."

"Pick up someone?"

"Eighth Daughter was on the verge of death," Second Brother said solemnly. "The Cheng family obstructed Uncle Su from taking her back, even saying, 'If she lives, she is ours; if she dies, she is our ghost.' So we decided that he would distract the Cheng family, and I would carry Eighth Daughter out when they were not paying attention!"

"Is this true?" Zhou Dalin looked at the Cheng family.

"Nonsense!" Song Shi naturally would not admit it. "There were many people present that day. Magistrate, why not ask them?"

Zhou Dalin knew that asking would be futile and said, "Both sides have different stories. This matter will be put on hold until you provide clear evidence. Then we will reconvene the court." He paused and looked at Chen Chen, saying, "Scholar Chen, as a result, you will not be able to participate in the imperial examination this year." In the Song Dynasty, anyone who had taken the local examination, whether they passed or not, was called a scholar, and later, the term was used for all literati.

The imperial examination was not just a regular test but also a selection process for government officials, so there was strict eligibility verification... A 'suspected adulterer' like Chen Chen would not be allowed to take the exam unless he could prove his innocence.

"..." Chen Chen was stunned and then bowed his head, saying, "I understand..."

"Magistrate..." A male and female voice spoke simultaneously, which turned out to be Eighth Daughter and Chen Ke.

"What is it?" Zhou Dalin looked at Chen Ke and then at Eighth Daughter.

"I have evidence to prove my second brother's innocence..."

"I can prove my own innocence..." They spoke simultaneously again.

"One at a time," Zhou Dalin said. "Eighth Daughter Su, what evidence do you have to prove your innocence with this scholar?"

"Magistrate, I am the evidence," Eighth Daughter said with a bitter smile, uttering a shocking statement, "I am still a virgin!"

‘Boom...’ Everyone in the hall, inside and out, nearly fell out of their seats. Even Zhou Dalin, regardless of his dignity, opened his mouth wide. After a moment, he stared at Eighth Daughter and said, "You are not joking, are you?"

"Please have the midwife from the county check me in the back room."

"Agreed." Zhou Dalin ordered the female officer responsible for examining women to take Eighth Daughter to the back room for an examination.

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Soon, the midwife returned with Eighth Daughter and reported to the magistrate, "This young lady is indeed still a virgin."

There was another uproar in the hall, with various expressions. The Su family looked incredulous, Chen Second Brother was overjoyed, Cheng Zhi's eyes glowed with resentment, and Song Shi stared at her son in disbelief.

‘Slam...’ Zhou Dalin slammed the table and said, "What is the truth here? Speak quickly!"

"Magistrate," Eighth Daughter, her face flushed, said in a low voice, "For two years, Cheng's eldest son has not consummated our marriage."

‘Huh...’ Everyone looked at Cheng Zhi with strange expressions. At his age, full of vigor and desire, how could he treat his beautiful wife like a decoration, never touching her?

"Scholar Cheng, what do you have to say?" Zhou Dalin turned to Cheng Zhi.

Cheng Zhi retracted his resentful gaze, took a deep breath, and bowed to Zhou Dalin, saying, "Magistrate, I am a current student, and my father taught me to prioritize my studies and not indulge in the bedroom. Therefore, I vowed not to approach women until I passed the imperial examination."

"If you were to abstain from women, why did you take two concubines?" Zhou Dalin frowned. "And why did you accuse the Su family's young lady of being barren? What is your intention, is this not slander?"

"This, I focused on my studies and paid no attention to outside matters. They did it all," Cheng Zhi quickly shifted the blame.

Song Shi had been in a daze since hearing that Eighth Daughter was still a virgin. Now, she came to her senses and took full responsibility, saying, "Yes, he knew nothing. I had the lawyer write it. Even the concubines were my idea, as my son has always been shy, and I, as his mother, was unaware!"

"This petition bears Scholar Cheng's name..." Zhou Dalin shook his head. "Even if you take the blame, he will still be punished." He then looked at Eighth Daughter with sympathy and said gently, "Eighth Daughter Su, if you have suffered any other injustices in the Cheng family, speak up now, and I will see justice done for you!"

How could a local magistrate be so easily fooled? Zhou Dalin had already seen that Cheng Zhi had a hidden reason, and Eighth Daughter was a genuine victim. Now, the accuser was falsely accusing the victim. Fortunately, the girl was still a virgin; otherwise, she and the scholar would have been unable to defend themselves, and he would have been a foolish official.

Recalling the Cheng family's past bullying and their disregard for him as the county magistrate, Zhou Dalin finally decided to settle old and new scores, making the arrogant Jiang family understand who ruled the Song Dynasty.

However, Eighth Daughter shook her head.

With her upbringing and understanding, Cheng Zhi's excuse of 'focusing on studies' would have been acceptable to her, even for ten or twenty years. She would not have been reduced to near death by her mother-in-law's cold words...

She had seen something she should not have seen.

Even now, whenever she closed her eyes, the scene she had accidentally witnessed floated in her mind... the study, the rolling bodies, Cheng's eldest son and his servant... The lie was instantly exposed, the world shattered, and she collapsed. If not for her father, her family, Chen Third Brother, and Chen Second Brother, she believed she would have already turned to dust and left this absurd world.

Eighth Daughter was ultimately kind. Despite Cheng Zhi being selfish, cold, and completely indifferent to others' lives, she did not want to drive him to his death. Since she had proven her innocence and Chen Second Brother would not be implicated, she decided to keep this secret buried in her heart.

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When writing about Wu Lang, I thought of Kendrick Perkins. When writing about Cheng Zhi, I thought of... the must-see for yaoi fans, "Frost Flower Shop."

Additionally, I solemnly declare that I respect and understand same-sex relationships, but in the work, I must write according to the actual situation of the time.

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