Chapter 64: The Intentions Are Clear

"The officials are coming!"

A path was cleared through the crowd, and a team of yamen runners walked in.

They were patrolling the streets when they heard that there was a disturbance at the Lufeng Rice Shop, so they rushed over to take a look.

Shang Wan turned around and saw a familiar face among the five people.

Shan Dajun also recognized Shang Wan. He had a good impression of Shang Wan. After their eyes met, he nodded to Shang Wan.

"Sir, help me, sir!" Shopkeeper Ge finally saw his savior. He staggered to Shan Dajun, holding his head, and pointed at Shang Wan and the others, "They want to kill us to silence us!"

Seeing his face covered in blood, Shan Dajun took a half step back in disgust and shouted, "What on earth happened?"

Shopkeeper Ge took the opportunity to exaggerate the complaint, which made Shan Dajun frown.

Didn’t Mr. Lu have a leg injury that made it difficult for him to walk? How could he still bully decent women?

"My brother-in-law is innocent." Shitou glared at Shopkeeper Ge fiercely, speaking up for Lu Chengjing. "They deliberately set up a trap to frame my brother-in-law."

Just as Shopkeeper Ge was about to retort, Shan Dajun sternly rebuked him, "If you have anything to say, let's talk about it in court. Come on, take them all back and let the adults interrogate them!"

The lobby of the county government office.

Everyone in the rice shop stood together. The wound on Manager Ge's head had been simply treated and wrapped with a thick layer of gauze. There was still some blood on his face that had not been wiped clean, and he looked quite pitiful.

The woman also put on her clothes and combed her messy hair. Several red marks were clearly visible on her white neck.

Lu Chengjing fell asleep leaning against the wheelchair, Yuanyuantuan was also sleeping soundly in his arms, Shang Wan, Shitou and Xiaohuan were standing behind the wheelchair.

Shang Wan's gaze fell on the woman not far away. The marks on her neck did not seem fake, as if a dog had bitten her hard.

The people who came to watch the excitement formed a circle outside the court, craning their necks to look inside and pointing at the people inside.

"The Lord is here."

Following the announcement, Lord An, dressed in a crimson official uniform and a black veil on his head, walked out from the back hall. He glanced at Shang Wan and the others with a complicated look in his eyes.

Mr. Lu is really unlucky. Even with a broken leg, people still care about him.

Shang Wan used his strength to press on Lu Chengjing's head and woke him up.

Lu Chengjing had a good sleep, and except for the pain in his wound, his head was no longer as dizzy as before. When he saw that he was in the lobby of the county government office, he had a general understanding of his current situation.

"Open the court!"

The gavel was banged, and the killing stick followed suit.

Manager Ge and others immediately knelt down, followed by Xiaohuan and Shitou. Lu Chengjing was exempted from kneeling because he had the title of scholar. As for Shang Wan, Lord An specially allowed her not to kneel.

Everyone looked at Shang Wan in surprise, secretly guessing the reason for Lord An's special treatment.

Shang Wan calmly let everyone look at him.

Lord An asked solemnly, "Who is the victim, and what is your complaint?"

Shopkeeper Ge immediately said, "I am Ge Shunliang, the shopkeeper of Lufeng Rice Shop. My victim Fang Cailian has been bullied by Lu Chengjing. I beg you to intervene and punish the culprit severely."

Lord An stared at him, "What is your relationship with the victim?"

Shopkeeper Ge bowed his head and said respectfully, "Fang Cailian's brother Fang Bao is an employee in my shop. I have always treated Fang Cailian as my niece. Now that my niece has been bullied by evil people, I am deeply indignant and beg you to give her justice."

"After I have thoroughly investigated, I will give justice to the victim." Lord An glanced around the hall, "Where is the victim?"

"I am Cailian, a commoner, and I pay my respects to you, sir." Fang Cailian took two steps on her knees and kowtowed to Lord An.

Lord An frowned as he glanced at her red and swollen eyes and the red marks on her neck. He said sternly, "Tell me the whole story."

"Yes. I went to the rice shop to bring some clothes to my brother. I didn't get enough rest last night from working on my needlework, so I felt a little dizzy. Shopkeeper Ge was understanding and asked my brother to take me to the backyard wing to rest for a while."

Fang Cailian's voice was soft and small, and a little hoarse because she had been crying for a long time.

"I heard the door open in a daze. I thought it was my brother calling me, but the person suddenly fell on me..."

She paused, glanced at Lu Chengjing quickly, hunched her shoulders and lowered her head, and when she spoke again, her voice was filled with tears.

"I woke up in shock. He covered my mouth to stop me from shouting, and tore my clothes off...."

She raised her hand to cover the red mark on her neck, her face filled with shame and anger, and she almost burst into tears.

After a pause, she continued, "I couldn't push him away. I finally broke free from his hand and cried for help, but no one came. I was still... by this villain..."

The following words all turned into sobs. Fang Cailian fell to the ground crying, her whole body shaking with fear.

Even if she hadn't finished speaking, everyone could guess what happened next just by looking at her expression.

"Bah! Bastard!"

"To bully weak women is unworthy of being a scholar!"

"What a waste of such a good-looking face!"

"Sir, you must severely punish the evildoers!"

The excited voices of the people came in. If the yamen runners had not stopped them, I am afraid that some righteous people would have rushed in to teach Lu Chengjing, the beast, a lesson personally.

"Silence!" Lord An slammed the gavel with a sullen face and asked Fang Cailian, "Do you have any evidence for what you just said?"

Before Fang Cailian could say anything, the shop assistants all spoke up.

"Sir, I can testify for Cai Lian."

"I saw Cailian running out of the wing room crying."

"I also saw that Cailian hadn't even put on her outer clothes at that time."

"Besides Cailian, there's only Lu Chengjing in the wing room. Cailian must have been bullied by this guy!"

"Sir, my sister is only sixteen years old and has not yet been promised to anyone. Now that something like this has happened, who would be willing to marry her?" Fang Bao kowtowed to Lord An with red eyes, her voice filled with regret and self-blame. "Cai Lian's life has been ruined by this beast. I beg you to help Cai Lian."

Shopkeeper Ge chimed in, "Please have mercy on my niece, sir."

"Shopkeeper Ge, you sound really nice," Shang Wan said sarcastically. "If you really cared about your poor niece's reputation, why would you make this matter known to the whole city and attract so many people to watch?"

"Your good niece wasn't even fully dressed at the time. As an uncle, you're really heartless. You wish others wouldn't know she was being bullied, right?"

In this world, a woman's innocence and reputation are extremely important. The normal way to deal with it is to minimize the impact of the matter on the woman and handle it secretly. The fewer people who know about it, the better.

Shopkeeper Ge was so good that he almost shouted "Come and take a look" with a loudspeaker, which shows his intention.

"Don't confuse right and wrong! Do you think we should keep Lu Chengjing a secret? This kind of villain should be punished according to the law to prevent other women from being caught off guard and falling prey to his vicious hands!" Shopkeeper Ge scolded, "You are the one with ulterior motives and such a vicious heart!"

Shang Wan was about to retort when Lord An suddenly coughed twice and looked at him, as if reminding or warning him, "In court, whoever I ask is the one who answers. No one else is allowed to speak carelessly. This time, let it go. It won't happen again."

Shang Wan: “…”

Okay, she remained silent.

Lord An then turned to Lu Chengjing and said, "Mr. Lu, do you take Fang Cailian's words seriously? You must answer truthfully. If you dare to lie in the slightest, I will show no mercy!"

(End of this chapter)