Chapter 21 Zhao Zhao She wants to survive.

After hearing what Song Xieqing said, Zhu Hao just wanted to cover her ears and find a hole to crawl into. She could clearly feel that all eyes were on her because of Song Xieqing's words.

Song Xieqing's ability to make up stories has never been rivaled.

Although You Yan was already half a prisoner, he had been tyrannical in Huaicheng for more than several decades. How could he be willing to apologize to Zhu Hao just because of a few words from Song Xieqing?

He was about to retort when Pei Yingchen, who had been watching from the sidelines, spoke first, "Ms. Song has a point. Moreover, I have just made it clear that men and women are equal in court. Youshi, you shouldn't insult Mrs. Zhu by calling her a slut."

You Yan was furious. Seeing Pei Yingchen's harsh words, how could he not apologize to Zhu Hao? Therefore, You Yan looked indignant and bowed to Zhu Hao from a distance, saying, "Just now, You Yan was so angry that he lost his temper. I hope Miss Zhu will not blame me."

"Excuse me, Master You, to whom are you apologizing?" Zhu Hao wasn't about to forgive him so easily. "You're standing so far away, how can I know if you're truly repentant? Besides, your voice is so soft and whispery that it's hard to hear clearly."

Song Xieqing echoed, "In that case, please, Master You, please go over to Pian Pian and apologize."

Seeing that Pei Yingchen did not stop him, You Yan thought that he condoned their behavior.

How ridiculous! She and her husband are singing the same tune here, it's simply too much!

Under the invisible pressure, You Yan had no choice but to move forward. He bowed again, his tone this time sounding somewhat sincere. "I feel guilty towards Miss Zhu. I shouldn't have called her a slut. All the mistakes are my fault."

After You Yan finished speaking, Pei Yingchen, who was standing in the courtroom, immediately continued, "Now, I think there is no doubt that You has anything to do with Song. All the evidence has been presented in court. If the victim and the defendant have no further complaints, I will make a final decision according to the law."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's heart tightened. Zhu Hao and his group were worried that the sentence was too light, while You Yan was afraid that the sentence was too heavy.

At this moment of deep silence, a servant from outside the hall came forward and announced, "Master Pei, Chief Clerk Lin wishes to see you."

"pass."

Chief Clerk Lin? You Yan remembered him. Which of the Huaicheng officials hadn't had some connection or kinship with the You family? But Chief Clerk Lin was apathetic, viewing fame and fortune as mere vain objects. You Yan had repeatedly offered him millions of taels of silver, but to no avail. He'd even asked Zhang Qian to repeatedly find fault with him. Now that Chief Clerk Lin was in court... had he finally come to his senses?

Well, You Yan sighed secretly, although he was just a small clerk of the ninth rank, it would be good if he was willing to say a few words of leniency for Pei Yingchen.

Lin Zhubu came forward in his official robes, with his back straight. He was less than fifty years old, but already had thick eyebrows and white hair. When You Yan saw him enter the hall and he knelt, his expectations increased a little.

Lin Zhubu straightened his sleeves and kowtowed, "Your humble servant greets Master Pei."

Pei Yingchen: "What do you want to report, Chief Clerk? Stand up and continue."

"Yes." Chief Clerk Lin stood up, propping himself up on his knees. He first looked at You Yan, who was kneeling in the hall, and then said, "Ten years ago, my daughter had an argument with You Yan's concubine. When You Yan learned of this, he and his servants cornered my daughter in the wilderness. She was only twenty years old and seven months pregnant, but she was beaten to death by a group of people over a trivial matter. It's ridiculous that I, as a local official in this city, couldn't even protect my daughter!"

As he spoke of this, tears streamed down his face. "Your Majesty, I was once a father. I beat the drum to report my wrongdoing, and like Zhu, I was flogged and even punished! What was the point? Ten whole years! My daughter is still a pile of unjust bones, with weeds covering her grave several feet high?! This man, You Yan, actually wants to buy my life with gold and silk? How dare he? He has harmed countless people throughout his life, and he has even abandoned my daughter. But as a father and an official, I dare not ignore these unjust cases. I must redress the wrongs and make my heart clear!"

"What the hell?" You Yan shouted angrily, "You dog official! Now that I'm in such a desperate situation, you still have the nerve to keep saying 'restore order'? Since Chief Secretary Lin is such a righteous man, may I ask where you took refuge before..."

You Yan suddenly shut up, because Pei Yingchen's eyes looking at him were extremely cold, like a blunt knife buried deep under the frost and snow in the dead of winter, as if it was about to cut his throat.

Pei Yingchen said, "Master Lin, do you have the actual evidence? If so, please submit it to me after this matter is concluded."

Lin Zhubu knelt in thanks, "This humble official is a broken body, and I only hope that the wise official will come to Huaicheng. Fortunately, God will not let me down!"

At this point, everyone thought that the matter was about to end. Unexpectedly, a shaved-headed child of about ten years old suddenly appeared in the crowd outside the yamen. Zhu Hao recognized him. He was the child who spoke up for her during the flogging and gave her an umbrella.

"Master Pei! Master Pei!" The child raised his hands and squeezed to the front. His face flushed red from holding back his anger. "I have grievances too! I have grievances too! Master!"

He hugged a side pillar tightly to avoid being swept to the back by the crowd. "My name is Qinggui. I'm almost ten years old now. I live in the second house in the East Village of Qiuxing Lane. My mother was a prostitute in Shihuafang. Eleven years ago, You Yan came to the brothel to listen to music. He took advantage of the situation and raped my mother. Unable to bear the humiliation, she committed suicide."

You Yan frowned. "Suicide? If that's the case, what does it have to do with me? Besides, your mother is dead, so what evidence is there? According to what you said, when the incident happened, you little brat wasn't even born yet. How can you tell the truth from your own words? Shihuafang is a place for prostitutes. How could your mother be so clean? Couldn't bear the humiliation? Even committing suicide? Who are you trying to fool? Bah! If she was so pure, how could she be a prostitute?"

Pei Yingchen ordered the officers to invite Qinggui into the inner hall. Qinggui stood in the middle, straightening his back and continuing, "Although my mother was a prostitute, she never sold her body. Since you forced my mother to do something against human nature, you should be punished!" After saying this, Qinggui stared straight at You Yan, his eyes bloodshot and tears welling up. "I can be a witness, and I can also be physical evidence, which is more concrete evidence!"

"Are you trying to call me 'bastard'? I hate that your blood is flowing through my bones, but I... am also proof that my mother once lived, and I am the ironclad evidence of her injustice. Therefore, for ten years, I have lingered on, just to see you go to hell with my own eyes."

For decades, countless people in this city have suffered from You Yan's bullying, and the number of people who have lost their lives because of him is countless. Although the victims are heartbroken, they have no choice but to keep quiet and seek peace. Now they see that a ten-year-old child has such courage to compete with him. In addition, everyone suddenly remembered the bold words of Zhu Niangzi outside the yamen, and their mood was stirred up by the two of them, which later became a huge trend.

"Master Pei! I, too, have a grievance to report! Last month, my family and I went to a cloth stall on West Street. Because Youshi wasn't paying attention to the road and bumped her knee into the corner of the stall, she then completely destroyed my stall! Furthermore, Youshi refused to compensate me! She even threatened to kill me with the lives of my entire family!"

"Master Pei! Five days ago, my mother was passing through Quexiang Street. Because she was old and walked slowly, You Yan felt that she was blocking his way, so he beat her up. My mother is still bedridden now!"

"Master Pei! You Yan passed by my house in the middle of the night. I have two dogs in my outer courtyard. When they saw You Yan hiding his head and tail, they barked wildly. Unexpectedly, the next morning, You Yan poisoned both of my dogs! Da Huang and Xiao Hei have been with me for years. How are they any different from my family? You Yan is worse than pigs and dogs!"

One person started it, and others followed suit, crying out for justice and wailing against you, cursing You Yan to pieces.

Amidst the roar of abuse, an officer from the yamen struggled to squeeze into the inner hall. "Sir, Aunt Zhu is outside asking to see you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Hao curled the corners of his mouth calmly.

Zhu Lanxiang entered the hall, and the crowd's voices gradually died down. She bowed and said, "Master Pei, I'm here only to serve as a witness for Pian Pian. Young Master You did indeed buy Pian Pian as his father's concubine for twenty taels of silver half a month ago. I never thought about it carefully. He actually wanted to use Pian Pian to do such a secret!"

In fact, there was no need for her to go to court to testify in this case. After all, You Yan's guilt was already established. Zhu Lanxiang came here only to win the favor of Zhu Hao and Song Xieqing, so that she could make a small profit from their pockets afterwards.

Pei Yingchen also felt that her confession was full of unnecessary talk. He nodded to indicate that he had understood the matter and was about to send her away when You Yan interrupted, "Zhu Lanxiang, I almost forgot about you. It's amazing that you're always thinking about me. Don't think I don't know what you're planning. Since you've come here on your own initiative, don't even think about getting away with it!"

He took out a small piece of paper from his underwear, and everyone was shocked. You Yan had just confiscated a stack of documentary evidence, but they didn't expect... there was something else hidden in his underwear.

You Yan unfolded it, and everyone could only vaguely make out two seals on the paper. "I hope Lord Pei will see it for himself! This letter was signed by me and Zhu Lanxiang. It clearly states that I bought Zhu Hao only to use him as a burial companion! Zhu Lanxiang also signed and stamped it! Since she is my accomplice, how can she testify? I don't need to say anything else, right?"

He spat at Zhu Lanxiang, "Luckily I prepared for a rainy day! You all want me dead, right? Well, I'll drag you all away! At least I have a companion on my journey to the underworld! Who else?! Ah?"

How could Zhu Lanxiang sit still? She hurried over to You Yan, only to be stopped by the two guards guarding him. Her heart and lungs burned with anxiety. Zhu Lanxiang remembered the written contract. You Yan had only said it served as proof of their relationship. Because You Yan was pressing her, she didn't even have time to examine the ink on the paper. After all, with Zhu Hao's reputation from half a month ago, selling it for twenty taels was already a great deal. Unexpectedly, she had been tricked by You Yan!

Judgments in court must be based on concrete evidence.

The written contract in You Yan's hand is the real evidence.

Zhu Lanxiang turned around and grasped Zhu Hao's wrist. She cried, "Pianpian, Auntie really didn't know. This contract... was made by You Yan to trick Auntie! Pianpian, can you help Auntie, please?"

Zhu Hao was already in tears. She looked at Zhu Lanxiang and sobbed, "Pian Pian lost his father when he was young. I thought my aunt was his only family. I never thought that my aunt would conspire with Master You to harm Pian Pian."

She sobbed and sobbed, and in the end, she cried so much that her whole body became limp and she could hardly stand. She covered her face with her hands and lay sadly in Song Xieqing's arms, which made everyone feel pity.

Zhu Lanxiang roughly pulled at her sleeve, but Song Xieqing brushed her hand away. She gritted her teeth and said, "I know! You little bitch, did you do this on purpose?! Fine, Zhu Hao! You are so cruel! I came to the court to testify for you, but you just stood by and watched me die! Did you know that You Yan wouldn't let me go easily? You knew it all along, didn't you?! For this reason, you deliberately lured me into the court..."

She was about to take a few steps forward, but the yamen runners grabbed her shoulders and she could not move.

Pei Yingchen closed his eyes and rested, saying, "First, put You Yan and Zhu Lanxiang in jail. I will make the final decision."

…

By the time Zhu Hao and Fang Xuyin walked out of the government office, the sky was already setting. Fang Xuyin looked at Zhu Hao and Song Xieqing calmly.

The two of them were like the jade goddesses in the painting, a perfect match. Fang Xuyin knew that she shouldn't disturb them, so she said goodbye to Zhu Hao. Before leaving, Zhu Hao leaned over to Fang Xuyin's ear and reminded her to pay attention to You Heng.

She smiled miserably and then nodded.

Zhu Hao chased the setting sun in the direction of Zhu's house, followed by the bored Song Xieqing.

She was in a good mood, her steps light and graceful, occasionally jumping on tiptoe. Zhu Hao happened to look back and saw Song Xieqing still there, so she teased, "Could it be that Song Lang wants to escort Pian Pian back home?"

Zhu Hao recalled that when they were in the inner hall, Song Xieqing praised her without hesitation. She felt funny in her heart, but because he was there, she had to suppress her smile.

Under normal circumstances, given Song Xieqing's temperament, he would have choked her with a few words, but he didn't hear anything like that now. Not only that, but when Zhu Hao saw this man looking at her, he said softly, "There are people everywhere along the way. We have to put on a good show. How can a lover not send the young lady home? What's more, I'm playing a devoted and affectionate lover." He pondered for a moment, then continued, "Tomorrow morning, I'll pick you up at Zhu's house."

Zhu Hao paused, "Pick me up? Why?"

Song Xieqing said, "I've asked someone to carefully predict an auspicious date, and the wedding is two days from now. Now that you've handled the case and put Zhu Lanxiang in jail for now, you've finally put an important matter behind you. Since we're getting married, we need to procure the necessary items. I've seen that most of these tasks are done jointly by you, my dear husband and my young lady, so you and I shouldn't be left behind."

Best wishes: ...

She originally found it strange that Song Xieqing was so meticulous, as if the two of them were not pretending to get married. It turned out that he wanted to reduce errors and tried to perform every step personally.

Thinking of this, Zhu Hao's heart sank. If all matters of marriage had to be done personally, then the wedding night...

…

It is late at night and the moonlight is hazy.

Zhu Hao finished embroidering the headband and snuggled up on the bed for a nap.

The night wind was raging, carrying a wisp of black smoke into the courtyard.

The cigarette flew into the small window and climbed onto the curtain embroidered with gardenias. When Zhu Hao woke up, she felt a sore throat. When she opened her eyes completely, the moonlit night outside the window had turned into a scene reflected by bright flames, and the thick smoke was pressing in.

She hurried downstairs, remembering the dowry her parents had left her. Zhu Hao wanted to try her best to open the secret layer and take out the deposit slip from the wooden box, but the fire grew bigger and bigger, and the long night was as bright as day. She had no choice but to give up her beloved items and made up her mind to push the door and run away.

However, just as he stepped out of the door room, he was forced back by a roll of blazing fire.

The beams of the house collapsed in an instant, flames shot up into the sky, and the night wind added fuel to the fire, ending her life.

Zhu Hao crawled in the sea of ​​fire. The tears and snot that were choked by the billowing smoke were instantly dried by the hot fire. Debris flew all over the room, and the smoke opened its mouth as if to swallow her.

She was not willing to accept this. The cause of her father's death had not yet been revealed, she still had many things to do, and she had not yet become the most skilled embroiderer in the city.

Zhu Hao tried her best to climb out. She could clearly feel a cluster of fire burning from the edge of her sleeve to her arm.

At this moment, she suddenly saw a figure in the blazing fire. He stepped on the sea of ​​fire, and wherever he walked, the wind stopped and the fire extinguished.

Zhu Hao endured the pain and raised her burned arm above her shoulder, towards the man - she wanted to survive.

The author has something to say:

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Ahhhh thank you everyone, I found a lot of new cute people popping up in the comments of the last chapter, so happy ~ I always thought that there might not be many people reading it (bitter smile)

It has reached 70,000 words so far, and it will probably be released on Thursday (that is, the next chapter will be updated at midnight on Thursday). The 10,000-word chapter for that day has also been written and is currently in the revision stage. Since it is basically finished, I can reveal that the next chapter will be about a wedding + kissing (hehe). I have also read everyone's suggestions, and the paragraphs will be divided into smaller parts in the future. I still have a lot of shortcomings. Thank you for your tolerance and patience. You have followed the chapter I updated and every time you can't help but click in to comment. You are all my motivation~ Thank you very much (bow)