This is what Shen Qing's father, a criminal lawyer, told her when she was a child, after watching ancient detective dramas and not being able to distinguish between murder and crimes of passion.
Therefore, as long as it can be proven that the original owner did not plan or premeditate the crime, there is a high probability that the murder charge can be dropped.
On the night of the incident, the original owner was doing embroidery in her room when the creditor broke into her room and was injured by her.
Chunju, the maid, must have been fully aware of all of this.
Thinking of this, Shen Qing quickly perked up and looked at the county magistrate, calmly asking, "May I ask, Your Honor, you say that this woman committed murder, but is there any evidence? For example, physical evidence, witness testimony, or investigation records?"
The county magistrate paused for a moment, then shouted, "Of course I have evidence! The wounds on Master Zhao's body, which you severely injured, are the evidence!"
The clerk retrieved the injured man's statement and the investigation report from the crime scene.
The county magistrate read from the document: "On the night of the incident, Master Zhao led his men to the Gao family to collect a debt. Madam Gao Shen hid in the shadows beforehand and, holding a large vase, smashed Master Zhao, causing him to fall into a coma and remain unconscious to this day."
After listening quietly, Shen Qingjing asked in return, "Is there any witness who can prove that the woman did indeed commit the crime against Master Zhao on the night of the incident?"
The county magistrate choked and remained silent.
Shen Qing was certain that they hadn't even prepared fake witnesses.
After all, the first round of court hearings was aimed at killing the original owner of the body.
Once a person dies, all sorts of false accusations become inevitable, so why bother preparing fake witnesses in advance?
Shen Qing looked at the dark curtain behind the desk that was moving slightly.
We must turn the tide of the case before these people force her to be convicted!
"I have a witness who can testify how Master Zhao was injured that night. Please allow my maid, Chunju, to come to court and testify."
The county magistrate then realized what was going on and immediately slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "Gao Shenshi! Stop playing tricks!"
This reaction was exactly what Shen Qing had expected.
These people are in cahoots, determined to kill her. How could they possibly give those who know the truth the chance to tell it?
Without hesitation, she knelt down, turned around, looked at Chunju standing in the crowd, and shouted, "Chunju! Tell everyone what happened that night!"
Chunju said with red eyes, "Last night at midnight, Master Zhao led more than twenty men into the Gao family's house. First, they ransacked the place, taking away all of our master's treasured calligraphy, paintings, and porcelain. Finally, they also..."
She didn't dare to continue.
There were too many locals watching, and revealing in front of everyone that their master had been humiliated by Master Zhao would cause their master to lose face.
Shen Qing knew about her hesitation, but Shen Qing didn't care about it!
What use is reputation if you're about to lose your life?
She yelled at Chunju, "Speak up! Otherwise, I'll be beheaded!"
Upon hearing this, Chunju trembled with fright and immediately cried out, "Master Zhao barged into the young mistress's room, pinned her to the ground, and tore her clothes. The young mistress, unable to bear the humiliation, smashed him with a vase! More than a dozen maids and servants from the Gao family can testify to this!"
The crowd gasped and whispered among themselves, all believing Chunju's words to be true, for reputation was more important than life and death.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Qing turned to the county magistrate and said sternly, "The Han law stipulates that anyone who enters another's home without cause shall be killed without charge! Even if Master Zhao is beaten to death by the woman for breaking into her room without cause, she is innocent!"
The county magistrate looked bewildered.
Perhaps because he had never heard of a woman knowing the Han law, he momentarily forgot to bang on the door and stop her.
"The Zuo Zhuan also stipulates that a husband who kills his wife who has raped him is not guilty, and the family members of the criminal are not allowed to seek revenge! The Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice have precedents that those who cause the death of a rape victim should be exempted from punishment!"
With reason and evidence, the county magistrate came to his senses and hurriedly pulled out a warrant from the divination tube, throwing it on the ground: "Guards! Drag Gao Shenshi away and behead her as a warning to others!"
The constables immediately stepped forward and grabbed Shen Qing's arms.
With his body restrained, Shen Qing could only glare at the county magistrate and roar, "The murder charge in this case simply cannot stand up to scrutiny! Even if this woman were killed today, her family and friends will certainly continue to appeal! They will appeal to the prefect! They will appeal to the Court of Judicial Review! They will appeal to the Ministry of Justice!"
She was warning the corrupt official to consider whether it was worth losing his position and going to jail for petty gains.
A flicker of hesitation crossed the county magistrate's face.
The onlookers were so frightened by the scene that they fell silent.
This small town in Jiangnan, where people make a living by raising silkworms and producing silk, has a simple and honest folk culture, and has not had any serious cases of beheading for many years.
As a frail woman is about to be dragged out and beheaded, while everyone feels sorry for her, they also feel a chill down their spines, fearing that they might one day face such a death sentence.
Shen Qing was dragged out of the courtroom by the bailiffs.
Knowing her life hung in the balance at this final moment, she struggled to stay put and shouted to the crowd, "This is a miscarriage of justice! Someone killed innocent people to seize the Gao family's extinction! If I am beheaded today, you will be beheaded tomorrow for having your family property coveted! My today is your tomorrow!"
Only then did everyone realize that the chill down their spines was the fear of becoming the next Gao Shenshi.
An uproar erupted outside the courtroom as people shouted, "There's a miscarriage of justice! There's a miscarriage of justice! Retrial! Retrial!"
Seeing this, the clerk walked over to the county magistrate and whispered a few words in his ear.
Upon hearing this, the county magistrate raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute!"
The constables released Shen Qing.
Shen Qing was dragged for several meters, and his wounds began to bleed again.
She endured the excruciating pain, slowly crawled back into the courtroom, and knelt before the county magistrate, saying:
"Your Honor, on the night of the incident, Master Zhao broke into my room and insulted me. In self-defense, I accidentally injured Master Zhao in the heat of the moment. It was not premeditated, and there was no murder! Please, Your Honor, grant me justice!"
The county magistrate squinted at her, wondering what he was up to now.
During this time, the clerk went in and out of the curtain several times, relaying messages to the county magistrate.
Shen Qing guessed that the corrupt official must have realized that things had escalated and were no longer easy to fool, so he went to ask the person behind the curtain if she could be spared to appease the people.
The person behind the curtain will most likely release her today and find another opportunity to deal with her later.
The thought of facing danger to his life made Shen Qing feel utterly exhausted.
But for now, all we can do is pull ourselves together and try to find a way out of here.
First, stay alive; we'll worry about the rest later...
After the clerk relayed the message several times, the magistrate slammed his fist on the court and announced: "Given the presence of a new witness in this case, I hereby declare that Gao Shenshi is not guilty of murder! However, the Gao family's debt of 100,000 taels of silver to Master Zhao must be repaid immediately! Gao Shenshi, do you have the cash to repay the debt?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qing did not dare to relax.
The corrupt official only pretended to release her, but in reality he still wanted to kill her!
If she cannot repay the money today, she will inevitably go to jail, and then... be tortured to death in prison.
Therefore, she also needs to prove that this debt is fake!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com