Chapter 348 Is that Miss Zheng in the hall?

In the lobby of Jingzhao Prefecture, the court opened for trial.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three dull drum beats sounded.

"mighty……"

The two groups of yamen runners held water and fire sticks and shouted on the ground.

The yamen had been open for three consecutive days, and the crowds of people watching outside were not as huge as at the beginning, but there were still many curious people gathering at the yamen gate, looking inside.

Deng Hongyi sat upright in the main hall, with a plaque above his head that read "A Bright Mirror Hanging High", his face as gloomy as water.

The gavel slammed heavily: "Bring the prisoner!"

The criminals on trial today are a group of criminals who provided a hideout for kidnappers in the suburbs of Beijing. There are about ten of them, all ruffians from the same village.

The old man in the lead rented his idle yard to the kidnappers to detain the abducted women and children.

The rest of the people were responsible for guarding and preventing escape, cooking and delivering meals, and helping to drive the cart to transport the "goods".

The money earned from this wicked business is much better than digging for food in the dirt.

The bailiffs pushed the crying prisoners into the hall.

"Oh my Lord! This is so unfair!"

Without waiting for questions, the old man who rented the yard fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm just an honest farmer. How could I have known that those damned people who rented the yard were going to do such evil things?"

"Yes, Master!" A big, strong woman also howled.

"I'm just a common woman who cooks and delivers meals to earn a living. I don't know anything! Please, sir, please understand!"

For a moment, the lobby was in chaos with shouting and shouting.

"Silence!" Deng Hongyi frowned and banged the gavel loudly.

"If you continue to shout in court and confuse the public, your crime will be even more serious! Bring witnesses!"

Those who survived until now are not the main culprits, and the case is simple.

Following the confession of the main culprit, the yamen runners destroyed several hiding places, one of which was the old man's yard.

The most crucial thing is that when the detectives rushed in, there were still more than ten victims in the yard who had not been taken away in time.

The evidence was overwhelming and there were numerous witnesses, leaving no room for excuses. Deng Hongyi was too lazy to waste time talking to them.

Soon, a dozen staggering victims were brought up by yamen runners.

In order to preserve the original state of their arrest as evidence, and also because the government office was overcrowded, these rescued people were temporarily placed in a simple servant's room in the backyard of Jingzhao Prefecture.

They were not allowed to wash and were only given some coarse food to fill their stomachs.

Now that he has been brought into the hall, his condition is so miserable that it is unbearable to watch.

They were all unkempt, with their hair disheveled like dead grass, and most of their faces were covered with dirt and dust.

Their clothes were extremely tattered, and some were even torn, revealing skin with bruises or whip marks underneath.

A strong smell mixed with sweat and mildew instantly filled the courtroom.

Deng Hongyi said in a deep voice, "Please examine carefully. Have those kneeling here ever supervised or humiliated you?"

These victims have already learned that they have been rescued, and now is the time to identify their enemies and bring them to justice!

The anger and grievances that had been suppressed for a long time burst out, and everyone became excited and rushed to point fingers:

"It's him! It's that black-hearted old fellow who rented the yard to those damned bastards!"

"And this evil woman!" A plump woman pointed at the cook, her voice hoarse and full of hatred.

"She feeds the traffickers meat and fish every day, but what we eat is worse than pig food. The porridge is rotten. She is an accomplice!"

"And the guy in the gray coat. Last month, a kid tried to run away, but he caught him, pinned him down in the firewood pile, and beat him to death."

"I saw it with my own eyes. That guy died...he passed away!"

Accusing cries and angry accusations mixed together, and the lobby was noisy and chaotic.

The yamen runners had been running around for days and were already exhausted.

When it came to this last batch, the trial was conducted with accomplices, so the initial rigor was lacking.

Especially for these witnesses, the identities were not carefully checked one by one. They just wanted to complete the procedures as quickly as possible and brought them all up at once.

These victims were originally rescued from different dens and were not completely familiar with each other.

In this chaos, two women in the witness team, with disheveled hair and tattered clothes, had dull expressions like puppets and never spoke a word.

Suddenly, they both smelled an extremely faint but unusually clear fragrance.

The fragrance was like an ice needle, instantly piercing the chaotic fog that shrouded their consciousness.

Chunying suddenly raised her head, and her originally empty and numb eyes suddenly became clearer.

She could hardly believe her eyes, staring intently at the disheveled figure beside her, and screamed:

"Miss...?!"

Zheng Huiyin was startled by the shrill cry, and her consciousness struggled to rise from the deep sea like a sinking ship.

I raised my head in confusion, and what caught my eye was a face that was also covered in dirt, with matted hair and an indescribable stench emanating from the body.

"vomit……"

Her stomach churned, and the intense nausea made her vision black out. Her body swayed uncontrollably, and she almost fell on the spot! Fortunately, Chunying, who was beside her, was quick-witted and held her up, despite her own discomfort.

"Miss! Miss, what's wrong with you?"

Chunying's voice was filled with tears. In fear and panic, she reached out her hand and used her sleeve to wipe the dirt off the young lady's face.

After just two wipes, the movement froze.

My mind wasn't clear just now, but now I suddenly realized, something's wrong. Where are they? Why is this happening?

Looking around, everyone's eyes, including Deng Hongyi in the hall, the yamen runners on both sides, the kneeling prisoners and other victims, were all focused on the two of them.

Miss? Are there any young ladies from wealthy families here?

The bailiffs looked at each other in surprise.

That shouldn't be the case. I didn't notice it when I registered.

Deng Hongyi, the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, also frowned tightly.

After being rescued, these people were preliminarily registered. If they were really women from wealthy families with sensitive identities, they should have been placed separately or their families should have been notified long ago. How could they have been mixed in with these low-level victims and stayed until now?

Subconsciously, I reached out to flip through the file list next to me, and my heart skipped a beat. Could there be an oversight at the last minute?

His gaze once again turned to the woman called "Miss". Although her face was covered with dirt, her profile, which had been barely wiped clean, still showed her beautiful features even in such a miserable state.

Why does it seem more and more familiar the more I look at it?

Just as Deng Hongyi was feeling confused and trying to recall the past, a commotion suddenly broke out among the crowd of people watching outside the yamen.

An unbelievable yet decisive high-pitched exclamation rang out:

"Oh my God! Isn't that Miss Zheng from the Duke of Zheng's mansion?"

This earth-shattering cry was like a huge rock thrown into a stagnant pond, instantly plunging the entire Jingzhao Mansion hall into dead silence.

You can hear a pin drop in the hall!

The reason is simple. The fact that Zheng Huiyin was not on the list yesterday has already pushed her name to the forefront.

The former talented woman of Fengjing and the noble eldest daughter of the Duke's Mansion became the hottest topic of conversation in the streets, teahouses and taverns overnight, and countless people speculated about the reason.

Some said that she did not deserve the title and was afraid of being embarrassed if she failed the exam, so she did not dare to sign up.

Some say that it is difficult to live up to one's reputation, and those poems in the past might have been written by someone else.

There were also those who said that she was all show and no substance, and that the Duke's Mansion was afraid of embarrassing her, so they simply chose not to participate.

…

All kinds of malicious speculations are rampant and negative rumors are spreading like a plague.

And now he actually said that the person in the hall was Miss Zheng?