Chapter 53 His crime deserves death

Zhou He didn't know how Zhou Rong had offended the King of Chang'an and ended up being punished like this.

He had been the prefect of Nanzhou for ten years. In the Nanzhou government office, it was always others who knelt before him, and he never knelt before others.

However, at this time, King Chang'an sat high in the court, looking down at everyone.

Zhou He and his subordinates knelt trembling on the ground. "I, the governor of Nanzhou, Zhou He, pay my respects to the Prince of Chang'an. May I ask, Your Highness...what crime did my son commit to have his right hand cut off and be tied here?"

Huo Zheng looked down at Zhou He and the others and said in a deep voice, "Zhou He, what kind of person is your son? What kind of person could he be? Do you really have no idea?"

Zhou He naturally knew what kind of person his son was. Zhou Rong had always been lustful and had caused several deaths. It was only because of the protection of his father, the prefect of Nanzhou, that big things were turned into small things and small things were turned into nothing, and no unmanageable storm was caused.

Ever since Prince Chang'an came to Nanzhou, Zhou He was afraid that Zhou Rong would cause trouble under Prince Chang'an's nose, so he asked him to return to his old house in Linshui Town to live for some time. But Zhou Rong was still caught by Prince Chang'an.

Zhou He had already guessed that Zhou Rong had fallen for another girl and was about to take her by force when he was caught by the Prince of Chang'an, but he didn't show it on his face. He quickly said, "Your humble servant didn't know. I'm terrified..."

Zhou Rong was nearly fainted from the pain after his right hand was chopped off. Seeing his father was like seeing a life-saving talisman, and he cried out in a mournful voice, "Dad! Save me! You must save me, Dad!"

Zhou He gritted his teeth and said, "Shut up!"

Zhou Rong's severed wrist was still bleeding, and the huge courtroom was filled with the smell of blood.

Huo Zheng looked at the Zhou father and son coldly, then raised his hand to signal Jiang He to come forward.

Jiang He immediately stepped forward and said loudly, "The criminal Zhou Rong bullied men and women in Nanzhou City and took human lives without mercy. He deserves death!"

"Your Highness!" Zhou He immediately said, "How can we convict someone without evidence? To solve a case, at least there has to be a victim reporting it, right?"

When Zhou He arrived just now, he had already observed the surroundings. There was no victim in the court, only Zhou Rong who was tied up, and the men of King Chang'an.

Prince Chang'an was decisive and efficient in his actions. He did not shield the powerful and wealthy, and was willing to speak up for the people. He was well-known in the capital for his virtue.

But this is Nanzhou City, the fief of Prince Ning.

The emperor is far away and the sky is high. Even if the King of Chang'an comes, he has to consider his own weight.

Moreover, if an ordinary woman is forcibly possessed by someone, she will most likely commit suicide. Even if she manages to survive, she will not dare to report to the authorities. Zhou He took advantage of this point and dared to tell the King of Chang'an that he could not solve the case without a victim.

Huo Zheng had anticipated this and said in a deep voice, "Tell the victim."

A moment later, a dozen victims were brought to the court by the secret guards.

Zhou He's expression changed as soon as he saw these people.

These victims were all those he had driven away before. After their daughter was forcibly taken away by Zhou Rong, they had come to the yamen to make trouble. In order to calm the situation, Zhou He used various means to force them to leave Nanzhou and move away.

I don’t know what method King Chang’an used to find them all.

Huo Zheng sat high in the courtroom and said, "What grievances do you all have? Please tell us one by one."

The first to speak were a couple in their fifties. They had only one daughter, who was very pretty. Last year, when she was out on the street, she was spotted by that bastard Zhou Rong, who snatched her away and raped her in the street.

The girl couldn't bear the humiliation and hanged herself.

The couple vowed to seek justice for their daughter, but the Zhou family threatened and intimidated them in various ways, and even burned down their house. They had no choice but to leave their hometown and seek refuge with relatives.

The second person to speak was a blind old woman.

The old woman said, "I originally had a son who was a student. He married the most beautiful girl in the area. The dog Zhou Rong was my son's classmate. One day, when my daughter-in-law went to the academy to deliver clothes to my son, the damn dog Zhou Rong took a fancy to her. Not only did he want to defile my daughter-in-law, he also forced her son to watch with his own eyes. The couple fought back desperately, but he was beaten to death together..."

As the old lady spoke, tears began to stream down her face.

The third and fourth persons took turns to speak. Zhou He was all-powerful in Nanzhou, and his son Zhou Rong was a disaster to the village, causing them to have no way to seek justice. When they reported the case, they were filled with anger and wished they could kill Zhou Rong on the spot to avenge their family.

Zhou Rong heard them all calling him worse than an animal, and he couldn't help but shout angrily, "You lowly people! You deserve to die!"

Huo Zheng gave Jiang He a look.

Jiang He immediately strode over and kicked Zhou Rong, knocking him to the ground so that he could no longer scream.

Seeing this, Zhou He wanted to reach out to help his son, but he didn't dare to move.

"The criminal is Zhou Rong." Huo Zheng said in a deep voice, "What do you have to say about what the victims have said?"

Zhou Ronggang was kicked in the chest by Jiang He and couldn't say a word.

There is no way to express any objections.

Zhou He hurriedly said, "Your Highness, don't believe one side of the story! They claim to be victims, but where are the victims? Where are the witnesses? Where are the physical evidence..."

Huo Zheng angrily slammed the gavel, interrupting Zhou He's words, "Send the witness!"

How to go to court when the victim is dead?

The physical evidence had long been erased by Zhou's father and son.

The only witnesses were the common people who had previously feared the power of Magistrate Zhou. Huo Zheng's secret guards visited them one by one and persuaded them again and again to come out to testify in court today.

Cries of "witnesses" were heard outside the court. In every case, there was a witness who testified that Zhou Rong had done all kinds of evil things, and that Zhou He, the prefect of Nanzhou, protected his son.

The people outside the gate who were watching Prince Chang'an judge the case were talking about it. In the past, most officials who came to Nanzhou for inspection were just going through the motions. Unexpectedly, this prince was a man of action and started with the Zhou father and son.

Huo Zheng said coldly, "Zhou He, Zhou Rong, do you two have anything else to say?"

"I would like to remind Your Highness that this is Nanzhou." Zhou He knew that this situation would not end amicably today, so he simply stood up and said, "Even if I am to be convicted, it must be decided by Prince Ning."

"Really?" Huo Zheng said coldly, and threw the gavel in his hand like a hidden weapon, hitting Zhou He on the knee, making it difficult for him to get up.

Zhou He's legs were almost broken. He was sweating profusely and couldn't even stand up.

Huo Zheng said in a deep voice, "Zhou Rong and Zhou He have committed numerous evil deeds and deserve death. Zhou He is demoted from his position as prefect of Nanzhou and sentenced to death. They will be executed in three days and their heads will be publicly displayed."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took out a command arrow and threw it down in the hall.

Zhou Rong was so scared that he yelled, "Dad! I don't want to die, Dad!"

Several secret guards came forward, took off Zhou He's official hat, and pulled off his official robe.

Zhou He didn't expect that the King of Chang'an didn't care about King Ning at all.

He is King Ning's man!

When the verdict was announced by Prince Chang'an, there was cheering inside and outside the court.

However, at this moment, someone outside the court shouted loudly: "Prince Ning has arrived!"