Chapter 1889 Compensation for Zhou Tiedong

Qi Lie sneered and slammed his gavel down. "Chen Bing, even now you're still spouting nonsense. When you confronted Zhou Tiedong just now, you described in detail what the jade pot he embezzled looked like, what it was made of, and what its characteristics were. These features are exactly the same as the evidence Guo Zheng presented. What, are there two identical jade pots in this world?"

"I, I..." Chen Bing couldn't speak.

Qi Lie said, "You said you bought another one later, so where is the receipt for that jade pot? Which jade shop did you buy it from, and when did you buy it? I can have someone summon the witnesses to confront you. I think even if you don't have a receipt, for a jade item worth three hundred taels, the seller should have a receipt. Also, you said Zhou Tiedong embezzled your family heirloom. Since it was a jade item bought later, how can it be considered a family heirloom?"

Qi Lie's questions were increasingly sharp, and Chen Bing realized that the official sitting in the courtroom was not gentle at all, but rather carried a chilling aura.

His mind raced, but the more he tried, the more dizzy and disoriented he became.

His words began to fall apart, and Qi Lie's patience ran out. He slammed his gavel and roared, "I see you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. The evidence is conclusive, yet you still try to argue and deceive. You are in contempt of court. Guards, drag him away and give him a hundred lashes."

"Yes." The two officers came up and dragged Chen Bing away.

Chen Bing's face was completely drained of color. One hundred strokes of the cane? He had already felt like he was half dead after receiving ten strokes, and he was still trembling from the pain. One hundred strokes of the cane would kill him.

"My lord, spare my life! My lord, spare my life!"

Chen Bing's pleas for mercy faded into the distance, and soon after, the sounds of being beaten with a cane and pitiful cries could be heard.

After about ten strokes of the cane, Chen Bing couldn't take it anymore and started shouting that he wanted to confess.

Qi Lie had him dragged back, and Chen Bing was thrown to the ground as if he had been pulled out of the water.

He cried out in pain twice and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

Qi Lie looked down at him and asked, "You confessed?"

"Yes, I plead guilty, I plead guilty."

"Alright, then explain in detail how you framed Zhou Tiedong."

Chen Bing had run out of excuses. He was in so much pain that he couldn't think clearly. He was breathing heavily and slowly and haltingly explained the whole story.

Qi Lie nodded and had someone record everything he said in detail.

After it was written, it was sent to Chen Bing for him to read and confirm that there were no problems. Then, it was presented in front of everyone until no one had any objections. Only then was Chen Bing allowed to put his fingerprint on it.

Qi Lie looked at the indictment in his hand with satisfaction and said loudly, "Chen Bing colluded with Constable Li of Chenggu County to frame Zhou Tiedong, a shop assistant at a general store, causing him to be unjustly imprisoned and lose all his wealth. Now the evidence is conclusive, Zhou Tiedong is an innocent victim, and he is released without charge. All the money that the Zhou family paid to the Chen family will be returned, and an additional fifty taels of silver will be given to Zhou Tiedong as compensation for the physical and mental harm he suffered over the past two months."

Zhou Tiedong's eyes widened, and he and Wang Yue exchanged an excited glance. Both of them broke into big smiles and kowtowed in unison, "Thank you for your wise judgment, Your Excellency! Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Upon hearing this, the Chen family members' legs went weak, and they almost collapsed to the ground.

(End of this chapter)