They were still completely bewildered and had no idea what was going on.
Upon seeing the county magistrate sitting in the high hall, the men felt their legs go weak and they all knelt on the ground, shouting and yelling.
"My lord, we've been wronged! We...we didn't do anything! My lord!"
"Yes, sir, I'm innocent!"
They just wanted to find an opportunity to go to Qingshi Village again and find a way to take over the soap workshop. They had only just come up with the idea when the authorities found out.
Song Quanzhao frowned, and was about to ask in a cold voice when he heard Jiang Yaoguang say, "Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, don't be afraid. The adults are just asking a few questions about my relationship with this Miss Chen. We just escaped the famine together. This case has nothing to do with us."
After saying that, he gave Jiang Yimian and Chen Shaofu a smug look.
Did these two think they would be so stupid as to tell him themselves?
Although she hadn't discussed it with her family beforehand, these people wouldn't tell the truth about Chen Shaofu at all. Coupled with his reminder just now, Jiang Yimian shouldn't expect them to tell the truth.
Song Quanzhao frowned even more deeply upon hearing this, but he couldn't say anything more. With the Minister's wife present, he couldn't easily punish anyone even if he wanted to.
Just as he was starting to worry about how the case would proceed, his gaze fell on Jiang Yimian, who remained calm and showed no sign of concern.
It made him both curious and uneasy.
If there is no evidence to prove the relationship between this case and Jiang Yaoguang, Miss Jiang may offend the entire Song family, as well as the Ministry of Personnel behind the Song family, which is not a good thing.
With a sigh, he then asked about the relationship between Jiang Yaoguang and Chen Shaofu from the second branch of the Jiang family.
As expected, thanks to Jiang Yaoguang's reminder, they all said they weren't very familiar with Chen Shaofu.
"Sir, we are not very familiar with this Chen family. We only lent a hand on our way to escape famine. Who would have thought that this woman would be so wicked as to throw mud at us?"
"My lord, you must do us justice!"
Jiang Yaoguang glanced at Jiang Yimian, his voice tinged with displeasure, "Cousin, things have come to this point, are you still going to be so stubborn?"
Not only have you tarnished my reputation, but you've also made a huge fuss over my grandparents' poor health.
If, after a while, no evidence is found to prove my relationship with Chen Shaofu, I hope you will apologize to me and the Song family.
That scoundrel is a complete menace. Once this matter is over, he will never let him live any longer.
Song Changfeng quickly added, "My lord, this slander may not have much impact on ordinary people, but it will have a significant impact on the Song family. I hope you will grant Yaoguang's request."
This guy is dreaming if he thinks he can drag the Song family down with him.
As long as the Song family outwardly forgives the other party, and afterwards he deals with those who dared to slander the Song family's reputation, he believes no one will dare to bring up today's incident again.
Hearing this, Granny Wu and the others, who were still confused, finally realized what was going on and immediately started cursing at Jiang Yimian.
"You little hussy, you traitor! You actually colluded with outsiders to frame your cousin. Aren't you despicable? You can't stand to see your brother doing well."
"That's right, you traitor! Sir, they must be punished, otherwise anyone can slander people without any basis."
Song Quanzhao felt a headache coming on as he listened to their words. He slammed his gavel down heavily and said, "Silence! This is not a place for you to hurl insults."
If you do it again, you'll be slapped.
Upon hearing that they were about to be slapped, Granny Wu and the others immediately shrank back and dared not speak again.
Jiang Yaoguang frowned and looked at the magistrate with some dissatisfaction. "Your Honor, I hope you can give me an answer to what I just said. Both I and the Song family are victims. I hope you will not show favoritism to others."
He finally understood that the magistrate was clearly on Jiang Yimian's side, which explained why the other party agreed to everything Jiang Yimian said.
Song Quanzhao gritted his teeth in hatred. If Bai Shi hadn't been there, he would have slapped Jiang Yaoguang first.
Just as he was hesitating about how to refuse, he heard a casual voice from below, carrying a hint of reminder, "Sir, you have repeatedly questioned the authority of the officials in court, which is insubordination and contempt for the law. Shouldn't you slap me?"
Jiang Yimian's voice was calm, but her eyes were full of malice.
Jiang Yaoguang was so angry that his face turned ashen. Just as he was about to curse, he heard Jiang Yimian continue, "This Miss Xie and Madam Bai have said that the case is from Qingshui County and it will be handled entirely by you, sir. They will not interfere."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Yu burst out laughing, his beautiful phoenix eyes full of interest.
How interesting!
Her trip was truly worthwhile; where else in the capital could she find such a vibrant woman who could so skillfully leverage the power of a powerful figure?
Song Quanzhao was hesitating when Xie Yu spoke up to remind him, "This young lady is right. This case will be handled entirely by the adults; we will not interfere."
Bai was so angry that she clenched the handkerchief in her hand, but because of the status of the person in front of her, she didn't dare to say a word. She just secretly blamed Jiang Yimian for losing face today.
Upon hearing Xie Yu's words, Song Quanzhao immediately shouted sternly, "Guards, give these people who have defied their superiors, disrespected their official authority, and disrupted the order of the court twenty slaps each."
Seeing this, Ma Ming and Zhang Li quickly led a few brothers forward and slapped Jiang Yaoguang and the second branch of the family in the face.
They had been waiting for a long time and were eager to make their move.
Anyone who dares to provoke an adult will be punished with twenty lashes.
For a time, the only sounds that could be heard in the yamen were the sounds of several people being slapped and various cries of pain.
"Ugh, help!"
"I...oh dear, I was wrong."
"My lord, spare me! Ah, it hurts!"
After twenty lashes, all of their mouths were swollen, and Jiang Yaoguang even had blood seeping from his mouth, clearly indicating that the person who did it had given him special attention.
Seeing this, Song Changfeng clenched his fists in anger and glared fiercely at the instigator.
Jiang Yimian merely smiled faintly and said calmly, "My lord, the witness has arrived."
Upon hearing this, the crowd snapped out of their daze from the slaps and assumed that Zhao Da had arrived with the Song family servants. They all looked towards the outside of the yamen.
But then they saw Lu Cijian, dressed in a black robe, walking straight through the crowd, carrying a pale-faced, half-dead person in his hand.
As everyone was wondering, Jiang Yaoguang's face suddenly turned pale. His face was already bloodless from the beating, and now it was as pale as paper, his eyes filled with panic.
This... this Li Sidan actually didn't die! He personally watched the other party drink the poisoned wine before leaving.
How could that be?
As soon as Lu Cijian entered the yamen, he met Jiang Yimian's gaze.
He curved his lips into a smile before bowing to the person in the hall and saying, "My lord, this man is Li Sidan, the one who hired them to kill."
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