Shen Qing was brought to the courtroom by the bailiffs.
With a "thud," he was pushed to his knees, making a crisp sound.
The county magistrate took his seat behind the desk, slammed his hand on the table, and asked, "Are you Gao Shenshi?"
Shen Qing kowtowed with great pain: "This humble woman is Gao Shenshi!"
Do you know what crime you have committed?
"This humble woman knows nothing!"
The advisor brought over some envelope-shaped papers and unfolded them one by one in front of Shen Qing.
She glanced at them a few times but couldn't see the contents clearly. She could only vaguely make out that there were several letters in English and several in Chinese.
The clerk turned the letter around and pointed to a red seal on it, asking, "Gao Shenshi, is this your seal?"
Shen Qing carefully examined the imprints.
It is indeed the original body's seal.
But she did not admit it, and kowtowed, saying: "I have never written these letters, nor have I ever stamped my seal on any letters. Moreover, seals can be forged, and this does not prove that these letters were written by me."
The clerk said nothing, collected all the letters, and presented them to the county magistrate.
The county magistrate took out one of the letters and read its contents aloud.
The letters contained plots to rebel and overthrow the Qing Dynasty, but what shocked Shen Qing even more was that the recipient of the letters was Mr. Han, whom she had already dismissed!
It turns out that Mr. Han's identity as a revolutionary party member had been exposed a couple of days ago.
Shen Qing knew what kind of miserable situation he would be in. Although she felt sorry for him, she was also in dire straits and had no time to take care of him.
The county magistrate continued reading the letter.
This time it was a letter in a foreign language, addressed to a German technician who had previously assembled machines for the factory.
In the letter, she suggested that the German army attack from Jiangzhou Port, and also included a secret passage from Jiangzhou to Tianjin.
Without exception, all of these letters were signed with Shen Qing's seal.
The key is that the imprint is genuine, making these so-called "evidence" irrefutable.
Shen Qing was certain that the seal had always been kept in a drawer inside the house, and that someone must have stolen it and used it to stamp these letters!
A short, stout figure flashed through Shen Qing's mind.
Gao Yuanxiang!
She sneaked into the house yesterday, but none of her money or jewelry was missing!
It turns out that the stolen item was a seal that Shen Qing hadn't noticed!
This discovery gave Shen Qing hope of being exonerated.
However, before she could raise any objections, the county magistrate announced the witnesses in Mr. Han's treason case, who had seen the German technician at the factory, and quickly brought them to court to testify.
They proved that the two men had a close relationship with Shen Qing.
One was a convicted revolutionary, and the other was a genuine German; both had indeed had considerable contact with Shen Qing.
With witnesses, testimonies, and irrefutable written evidence, the case is complete with both witness testimony and physical evidence!
The entire court hearing proceeded at an astonishing pace, with various pieces of evidence appearing and disappearing in rapid succession, giving Shen Qing no chance to speak at all.
The order slip fell rapidly in front of her.
"Execute immediately!"
The bailiffs came forward to escort her to the execution ground.
If you go out like that, your head will be separated directly from your neck!
Shen Qing's legs went weak, but she forced herself to stay upright and not collapse.
She knelt on the ground and turned to look at the people gathered at the entrance of the courtroom.
Several female relatives from the eldest and third branches of the Gao family stood in the crowd watching the commotion, including Gao Yuanxiang, whose eyes revealed guilt, unease, and fear.
Shen Qing was even more certain that Gao Yuanxiang was up to something!
She knelt and turned around, loudly proclaiming to the county magistrate, "Your Honor! The crime I committed is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of my family. Now you have only executed me and let the rest of the Gao family go. Aren't you afraid that there are still accomplices in the Gao family who will continue to commit treason and collusion with the enemy?"
The county magistrate slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Gao Shenshi! I have investigated thoroughly, and these matters were solely your doing, with no involvement from the rest of the Gao family! Don't even think about dragging others down with you!"
The crowd gathered at the entrance to watch the commotion also chimed in with their own righteous spirit:
"The magistrate is right! One should take responsibility for one's actions!"
"She betrayed her country and even dragged her whole family down with her! What a wicked woman! Truly a wicked woman!"
"Yes! Behead her! Drag her out and behead her!"
Several women from the Gao family pointed at her and cursed, while Gao Yuanxiang looked terrified, her eyes were red, and she was biting one corner of her lip, as if she was sticking to a decision that terrified her.
Shen Qing knew that she had begun to waver.
We must strike while the iron is hot!
She turned to the county magistrate and said loudly, "Gao Yuanxiang and her children lived with me in the Gao family's house. They had a very close relationship. I am a traitor to the country, and Gao Yuanxiang and her children not only knew about it, but also joined me in committing treason!"
These words immediately sparked outrage among the crowd.
Everyone was pointing fingers at Shen Qing, calling her the most vicious woman in the world, who wouldn't even spare a baby!
Ignoring the insults, Shen Qing continued, "My lord, please look at the jade pendant around Gao Yuanxiang's neck. It is Hindustan jade, which has always been a tribute to the imperial court from the Western Regions. It is extremely expensive, and ordinary people simply cannot afford it, nor do they have any way to buy it! Aren't you all curious about the origin of this jade?"
Everyone then went to look at Gao Yuanxiang's neck.
The pale silver jade pendant was completely translucent and carved into a plump Pixiu, which was lifelike and perched on her neck.
Everyone couldn't help but think—
How could an object intended for the emperor's enjoyment not be expensive?
How did Gao Yuanxiang, a merchant's wife, obtain this item?
Could it be that he conspired with Gao Shenshi to commit treason and obtain this item from Westerners?
Once that was thought out, everyone understood.
The crowd was outraged and spontaneously formed a circle, trapping Gao Yuanxiang in the middle.
"They're dealing with foreign devils! What if those foreign devils really take over this country? Then nobody's going to survive!"
"Yes! Arrest the Gao family girl too!"
"If sisters-in-law conspire to rebel, they shall all be beheaded!"
"If we leave this scourge of the Gao family alive, this place will be occupied by foreign devils in the future!"
The crowd poked Gao Yuanxiang in the back and cursed her, wishing they could tear her to pieces on the spot.
Shen Qing knelt down again and said loudly, "This humble woman begs Your Excellency to behead Gao Yuanxiang and her three children as well! Eliminate all factors that are detrimental to the country and the people!"
The county magistrate stared at her with a gloomy face, remaining silent for a moment.
He had dealt with Gao Shenshi before and knew how formidable this woman was. He also knew that she had been wronged this time, so how could Gao Yuanxiang be her accomplice?
Although I don't understand why she insisted on dragging Gao Yuanxiang down with her, I think that killing Gao Yuanxiang as well wouldn't be a bad thing.
First of all, as sisters-in-law, they would always talk about things on a daily basis, and Gao Yuanxiang might know some secrets that only she knows.
Secondly, as the only child of the Gao family, Gao Yuanxiang was destined to inherit the Gao family mansion. If Gao Yuanxiang were killed as well, the Gao family would only have an old woman who could die at any moment, making it much easier for the adults to deal with the Gao family mansion.
Thinking of this, the county magistrate raised his hand and drew out a warrant.
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