Mistakes (Part Two)

This room is only ten centimeters in size and is built differently from the usual ones. It has only a small window in the southwest corner, so it is neither warm in winter nor cool in summer.

The wooden table and chairs were solid black, and Ma Yuhua even felt that the green plants on the table had turned into a deep black, so dark that they seemed to roll towards her.

The adults walked up behind them one after another. After looking around, Lord Zhang sat down in the main seat. The dark atmosphere in front of him seemed to be awed by him, and no longer made people feel so uneasy.

After a moment, Lord Zhang spoke: "Ma Yuhua, did you see that clearly? These words... how frivolous you are?"

Ma Yuhua raised her head and said firmly, "Yes! This humble subject saw clearly! I beg Lord Zhang to do justice for this humble subject!" Before she could finish speaking, two lines of tears had already streamed down her face, and she had no choice but to raise her sleeve to wipe them away.

Lord Zhang waved to his attendant on the right.

A moment later, the black door opened gently, revealing a sliver of light from outside. However, the people who entered quickly extinguished the light, and the room became dark again.

The attendant threw the document on the ground, and Ma Yuhua was startled. Although the document was dressed in a bright and beautiful manner, there was something strange about the person in it.

His head was always tilted slightly, and his eyes were also slanted, easily revealing a contemptuous look. He lay on the ground without getting up, and instead closed his eyes on the other side.

It's like they came here to sleep.

Lord Zhang, seated in the main seat, twitched his beard, slammed his gavel, and shouted, "You two, go and drag him up!"

Then he asked, "Zheci, can you see clearly where this is?"

"I ask you, have you seen her?"

He knelt for a long while before slowly turning his head to glance at Ma Yuhua, then casually looking away. He chuckled softly, his upper eyelids rolled upwards, his eyeballs seemingly hanging precariously.

Suddenly, he collapsed to the ground with a thud, staring blankly at a certain spot. After burping, he refused to crawl any further.

It turned out that Li Chu couldn't stand him and kicked him hard. She exhaled a breath of stale air, crossed her arms, and walked back behind Ma Yuhua.

Suddenly, her gaze swept across the screen behind Lord Zhang and she saw that a pair of eyes were watching her from behind the screen.

With round inner corners and slightly upturned eyes, even a deep worry couldn't hide her cleverness.

Li Chu smiled; she was a princess.

Time slipped away in silence. Zhang was visibly anxious, with fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Even though it itched like needles, he dared not wipe them away.

He looked at the document and said, "I ask you! Have you seen her?!"

He lay sprawled on the ground, sprawled out a mumbled "Never seen it before."

The voice was as light as a feather and lingering, circling in everyone's ears, and everyone's faces seemed to freeze.

"How dare you treat the courtroom like a child's game! Drag him up and give me a proper answer!"

Before the words had even finished, Zhe Ci sat up straight, as if he had suddenly become a normal person, and said, "Reporting to Lord Zhang, this humble subject remembers her. A few days ago, she was serving dishes in the Pinglou."

In the Qun Dynasty, the masters valued their reputation. If someone did two jobs, the others would accuse the master of negligence, stinginess, and other such things. Usually, when this happened, most people would simply kick the person out of the mansion without saying a word.

These words made Ma Yuhua feel threatened with death. Her eyes filled with tears, and she kept screaming, "Beast!"

He lazily raised his head, completely ignoring her insults.

Lord Zhang slammed his gavel again and shouted, "Stop making a fuss!"

Ma Yuhua excitedly crawled two steps onto her knees and said, "Lord Zhang, he's lying! He's the one who drugged me! I was just going to the bathroom when he drugged me! I'm not lying!"

Lord Zhang glanced at Ci out of the corner of his eye, "Do you have anything to say?"

"Your Excellency, I did not do that."

Lord Zhang then asked Ma Yuhua, "Did anyone see him drug you?"

Startled by the question, Ma Yuhua's face gradually lost its color. Behind her pale face was a dark wall, making her look inexplicably pitiful.

Suddenly she exclaimed, "I have physical evidence!" She pointed to Ci's back and said, "He has a mole on his back, there's no doubt about it! Lord Zhang, everything I've said is true, please do justice for me!"

Soon, two people ignored Ci's struggles and lifted his clothes, revealing a bulging black mole in the center of his back.

Ma Yuhua breathed a sigh of relief.

But Ci flung her away, mocking, "It's just a mole. Who knows who saw it on? What if he was peeping at me while I was changing?"

He met Ma Yulan's gaze indifferently, but shut his mouth when he saw Li Chu's approaching footsteps.

"A person of my status like me doesn't usually have much contact with others. It was he who went out for drinks on the 10th of this month and drugged me... it was..."

Just as she was about to say where it was, her mind went blank. It was Zhuo Ci who had someone throw it to her directly, and she hadn't seen it at all. The stone in her heart grew heavier and heavier, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Before she could finish her sentence, Zhuo Ci glared at her and said, "Is the Princess's mansion short of money? You not only go out to wait tables, but you also want to extort money from me?"

Suddenly a shadow swept by, and Ma Yuhua grabbed Li Chu's leg, which was about to kick Zhe Ci.

The line between Lord Zhang's eyebrows had deepened; not even an ant could escape it, let alone a fly.

Before he could even strike the gavel, a servant came running up to him and whispered a few words in his ear. He hurriedly waved and said, "Please come in quickly."

The small door creaked open, and a man wearing black boots with gold embroidered on his feet and a string of blue jade hanging from his waist entered the room, absorbing all the sudden light.

Chen Zhuangmu's eyes narrowed slightly. Seeing Zhao Yi here probably wasn't a good thing. Zhuo Ci was the son of the Deputy Privy Councilor, and Zhao Yi was in cahoots with the Deputy Privy Councilor. If the Privy Councilor hadn't let go of the matter, Zhao Yi probably wouldn't have been able to obtain the actual power of the Privy Council.

The clerk was known for his toughness, so what could Zhao Yi be doing here? It's easy to guess.

Chen Zhuangmu unconsciously held her breath, waiting for him to make a move.

Zhao Yi briefly greeted Lord Zhang, then sat down in a chair nearby and asked, "What do you want?"

These words stunned everyone present.

When everyone's eyes were on Ma Yuhua, she realized that the man was asking her the question.

For some reason, Ma Yulan didn't dare to look up and tremblingly extended a finger towards Lord Zhang.

Lord Zhang was bewildered. What was going on now?

Zhao Yi took in the trembling finger and said, "Lord Zhang, this case has been settled. The charge of kidnapping has been dropped, and your case file states the facts..."

He was incredibly arrogant, acting as if he wanted to take control of the case.

Suddenly, two knocks drifted into the quiet atmosphere, and everyone's eyes turned to the dark little door.

“We have physical evidence!” Li Chu said as she forcefully pulled open the door and snatched the envelope from her attendant’s hand.

She opened it and looked at it, barely managing not to kick Ci again. As she walked towards Lord Zhang, she said, "These are two whole names of young women, all of whom this guy framed! Lord Zhang, take a good look!"

An unreadable emotion flickered in Zhao Yi's eyes, and everyone else stared intently at the note.

Ma Yuhua's face looked even worse; if she was pale just now, she was now ashen, like a corpse about to die.

He puffed out his cheeks and laughed repeatedly, his face contorted in pain from his actions. "Hahahaha, I did it, I did it all, so what?! Ahahahahaha!"

His madness started so fast that no one present could react in time. This was the first time Lord Zhang had encountered something like this, and seeing his insane state, he prepared to re-interrogate him.

As a result, Ma Yuhua lunged forward, grabbed the table leg, and shouted, "Lord Zhang! I don't want anything else, I just want one hundred taels of silver! My mother is all alone at home, and I have no money to treat her illness! Lord Zhang...!"

Lord Zhang had no time to answer her. He was already at a loss for who to look at, so he simply closed his eyes and slammed the gavel down with a deafening roar, shouting, "This case involves a large number of people. We will decide on it at noon today!"

After saying that, amidst everyone's puzzled gazes, he bowed to the screen, then bowed to Zhao Yi, and before anyone could react, strode out.

Ma Yuhua was completely distraught and collapsed to the ground. Li Chu half-pulled and half-dragged her out the door to comfort her.

A group of people left one after another. Li Chu stayed with Ma Yuhua, while Yu Cong escorted Ci away. Only two people remained in the room.

"Come out." Zhao Yi took out a teacup and poured tea again.

Chen Zhuangmu emerged from behind the screen, took the tea, and sipped it. Still seething with anger, she flicked her wrist and splashed half the cup of tea at Zhao Yi. Zhao Yi turned his head, and most of the tea ended up in his hair. A few tea leaves clung to his nose, and water droplets hung from his eyelashes, but he didn't find it unsightly.

"Zhao Yi, what do you mean?" Chen Zhuangmu asked directly, without beating around the bush.

He swallowed hard, and the tea in front of his neck slid down to his collarbone as his Adam's apple bobbed.

“I will not accept this offer.” He said each word clearly, but she did not say anything, nor did her eyes change.

"You know?" Zhao Yi was surprised.

Chen Zhuangmu did not answer. As early as last night, Chen Zhuangmu had sent Li Chu to investigate this matter, and as a result, more than a dozen girls were brutally murdered.

But all the girls said that when they woke up, their clothes were still on them and nothing seemed wrong.

Later, I asked Pinglou and learned that Zhuoci had actually made the girl dance for him all night. When the girl finished dancing in his arms, he looked intoxicated, but also a little angry. Everyone could tell at a glance that the magic potion in his body was no longer working.

According to the laws of Da Qun, forcibly abducting a woman is punishable by death.

However, in reality, such cases are extremely difficult to adjudicate. First, people are too ashamed to speak out, and even if they insist they have been violated, they must be asked if they have any evidence.

Chen Zhuangmu didn't want to deal with this messy and tedious trial. She only knew that this trial would definitely not teach this bastard the lesson he deserved, so she would do everything in her power to send this beast to hell.

Zhao Yi noticed her somber expression and, with a flicker of his eye, asked in a deep voice, "Vice Envoy, what brings you here today to discuss this matter?"

"What does the princess believe should be the sentence?"

"If I were to reveal this, the deputy envoy would certainly do everything in his power to stop me."

"My arm can't reach that far."

"Multiple crimes will be punished concurrently," Chen Zhuangmu said resolutely, word by word.

Zhao Yi understood. He stood up and said, "Let's see what the princess does today. I have some new information here."

“Zhao Yi,” Chen Zhuangmu called out to him, “in your eyes, do these women deserve to suffer this kind of harm?”

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but every time Zhuo Ci gets into trouble, his father always settles it with money. This has gradually become a common practice, and many men disguised as women also want to make money from it."

"Guess whether they want money or a brain that is worthless to them."

After Zhao Yi finished speaking, he left, leaving Chen Zhuangmu alone to quietly process this unsettling information.

After a while, Chen Zhuangmu went out. Thinking about Ma Yuhua's condition today, she still had to go and check on her.

Upon entering the mansion, Ma Yuhua was sobbing. When she saw Chen Zhuangmu return, she knelt down abruptly.

"Princess, I don't ask for anything else. I only ask that he give me money. As long as he gives me money, I will forget about this matter."

At that moment, Chen Zhuangmu's head felt like it was spinning.

What exactly happened?

Suppressing the bitterness in her heart, she said, "Ma Yuhua, this may be cruel to you. But I hope you can tell me the whole story truthfully. Only if I understand, will there be a glimmer of hope for you."

Ma Yuhua blinked twice, two tear streaks on her face. She rubbed them uncomfortably and said, "Princess, my mother is dying and needs a lot of money. I did think about it, but I didn't dare. Now, the only job available was at Pinglou, so I went there. Who knew... I would encounter this beast."

"Princess, I deserve to die a thousand deaths, I only beg you to save my elderly mother."

"Go on."

"When I went to the washroom, I felt someone following me. I didn't pay attention, but then I was drugged and knocked unconscious. When I woke up..." (ellipsis)

"I have no clothes left, and that man promised to give me money, but I haven't seen him since..."

"Alright, that's enough."

Chen Zhuangmu waved her hand to interrupt her, filled with regret—

That beast should have been nailed to the ground just now.

The scorching sun baked Huijing, the temperature even drier and hotter than in summer, filling every corner and making people extremely irritable. Chen Zhuangmu kept Li Chu by Ma Yuhua's side and also sent people to investigate Ci's past misdeeds.

Just after lunch, as Chen Zhuangmu was studying the method of meditating, a maid walked up to her.

"Princess, a young lady is requesting an audience outside the manor."

Someone requests an audience? Chen Zhuangmu asked, "Did they say who it is?"

The maidservant approached her and whispered, "Call Xiao Hanfeng and say it's related to the case currently under the princess's jurisdiction."

Wasn't the case she was handling the one that was being publicly displayed the only one? Without further ado, she hurriedly had a maid invite her in and quickly went to the main hall.

The newcomer was dressed in an eye-catching red outfit, with many layers of light gauze piled on the ground. Her makeup was bright, and she exuded an air of unrestrained pride.

Xiao Hanfeng first bowed to her, then said, "I heard that the princess has a case involving a resignation, so I sent some evidence." As he spoke, he handed the items to a servant standing nearby.

Seeing that the items had been successfully handed over to Chen Zhuangmu, Xiao Hanfeng turned to leave, but was stopped by two servants behind her. Annoyed, she looked at the person sitting in the main seat and found that she was calmly looking at the evidence on the document.

She appeared calm, but in reality, she was well-prepared to conceal her true feelings with a heavy makeup.

This document not only contained the specific time and place of the kidnapping of the woman, but also included a statement from the Privy Councilor, Jian Landai. Every word and sentence could withstand scrutiny. Concealing her shock, she asked, "Where are you from?"

Xiao Hanfeng looked at her and said, "My father is the Left Minister."

It turned out to be the Left Minister, the only person at her banquet whose face didn't look sour. She had come alone to deliver this evidence, and was about to leave afterward. She guessed, "This evidence was taken from the Left Minister's study, wasn't it? I guess your father doesn't know yet."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hanfeng frowned and said, "How do you know?! You can't tell my father."

If the Left Minister wanted to give it, he would have given it to him.

She didn't say this aloud, but only said, "Miss Xiao, don't worry, I won't. I also want to thank you for the evidence you provided. I will definitely visit you another day to express my gratitude, no, I will thank you properly when I meet you."

When Xiao Hanfeng heard Chen Zhuangmu say "come to visit," he was momentarily displeased, but then he laughed when he saw her change her words. "It's nothing. It's my duty to punish evil and uphold justice. I knew I couldn't do something like kicking someone when they're down. See you next time."

"Please wait, young lady." Chen Zhuangmu was quite skeptical of the phrase "kicking someone when they're down," and asked directly, "If I were to actually come to thank you, would you be in any great trouble? How could it be considered kicking someone when they're down?"

“Of course.” Xiao Hanfeng paused for a moment, “The evidence for Ci was written by me, while the evidence for Jian was written by my father.” She smiled at Shen Zhuangmu’s surprised look, “I usually enjoy traveling around Huijing, and that’s when I stumbled upon this matter.” As she spoke, her voice lowered, “My father… I couldn’t directly confront Ci, and those girls were very worried and afraid, so I wrote it down and waited, and finally I met such a kind person as you!”

Her eyes lit up. "This is crucial."

Chen Zhuangmu nodded firmly. After seeing Xiao Hanfeng off, it was time to enter the hall.