After Chen Danian left, Gan Li felt uneasy. She wanted to understand where Chen Danian's confidence came from. However, with the court session approaching, it was too late.
She could only calm herself down and decide to deal with whatever came her way.
"Majestic!"
As the officials shouted their might, Magistrate Lu sat in the courtroom and slammed his gavel.
"Whom are you accusing in court?"
As a lawyer, Chen Danian quickly handed over the complaint he had helped Wu's father write.
Then he winked at Mr. Wu and said, "Master Wu, the magistrate is right here. He is a strict enforcer of the law. If you have any grievances, just tell him. I believe he will help you."
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Lu couldn't help but glance at the scholar, his eyes as cold as if he were shooting arrows.
What? Does he mean that if he doesn't rule in favor of Wu today, it's unfair and a failure to enforce the law?
But at this moment, Chen Danian had his back to him and was trying hard to wink at Wu's father, completely unaware that his flattery had backfired.
In his confusion, Wu's father didn't notice that he had received Chen Danian's signal. He immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and said:
"Your Honor, I, a humble citizen, wish to sue Gan Tao, a villager from Yuxi Village in Cangxi Town, for killing my son Wu Gang. This has caused my husband and me to lose our son in our middle age, and has left him to die with regret!"
Magistrate Lu's eyes narrowed, and he shouted, "Bring the criminal to the court!"
As he finished speaking, two constables carried Gan Tao into the courtroom. Her slender figure appeared quite petite in comparison to the two constables.
The crowd of onlookers immediately stirred.
"Wow, this is the murderer? I think they've arrested the wrong person. How could such a weak woman kill a man?"
"That's right, it's shameful that he can't even handle a woman like that. If I had such a useless person in my family, I would bury him tonight, how could I dare to tell anyone?"
"I heard it was done when the man wasn't looking."
"I've heard about it too! Apparently it happened during that time... Hehe, if that's the case, then I understand. When you're having fun, who has time to pay attention to anything else?"
Seeing that some people's words were going in the wrong direction, Magistrate Lu's face hardened, and he slammed his gavel down heavily:
"quiet!"
The loud bang of the gavel was awe-inspiring, and no one dared to say another word.
Magistrate Lu's stern gaze fell upon the woman kneeling below: "Is the one kneeling below Gan Tao?"
Gan Tao also heard what the people outside were saying, and she was so ashamed and indignant that she almost died.
However, remembering Gan Li's words, she suppressed the trembling caused by fear and nodded calmly: "It is indeed I, a humble woman."
"Wu Zhengtao, a villager from Caotougou, has accused you of murdering his son, Wu Gang. Is this true?"
"That is indeed true... But sir, I was forced to kill her!"
"Oh? Forced into a corner?"
Lord Lu already knew the details of the case, but he also needed to give the criminal a chance to clear his name and defend himself, so he took the opportunity to ask:
"Since you say you were forced, how were you forced?"
Gan Tao said, "I had never met Wu Gang before, yet he forced his way into my house and tried to do something to me! In order to protect myself, I had no choice but to fight back desperately and accidentally stabbed him to death!"
"You say Wu Gang broke into your house? Do you have any evidence?" Magistrate Lu asked.
“I have no evidence… but I have witnesses!” Gan Tao quickly said.
"Summon the witness!"
Ganli and Ganquan were already waiting on the side. Upon hearing this, they quickly followed the officials into the courtroom.
After the two men routinely gave their names, Magistrate Lu asked:
“Ganli, Gantao said you are a witness. Did you see Wu Gang forcibly break into her house?”
"I did not see it."
Gan Li shook her head, then changed the subject, saying:
"But when the woman received Gan Tao's distress signal and broke down the door with her men, she did hear the sounds of fighting coming from her room. In the middle of it, Wu Gang was spewing vulgarities. He was dissatisfied with Gan Tao for not obeying him and even threatened to sell her to a brothel."
"You're talking nonsense!" Father Wu angrily interrupted Gan Li, then turned to look at Gan Tao.
This was the first time he had ever seen the murderer who killed his son. The thought that this was the woman who had taken his son's life made him want to pounce on her and bite off a piece of her flesh!
He only held back because this was a courtroom. He pointed at Gan Tao and said:
"It was clearly this woman who seduced my son. She wrote to him, asking him to come to her house for a late-night talk by candlelight! Who knew she would kill him instead!"
Yes, I remember now. My son complained at home that a woman was pressuring him to marry her. But he felt that the woman had a history of inappropriate relationships with other men and refused!
That must be why Gan Tao harbored such resentment, lured my son over, and then killed him!
“It is true, and I can testify to that!” Chen Danian stepped forward and spoke at the opportune moment.
He bowed to Magistrate Lu, then looked at Gan Quan with ill intent and said:
"Your Excellency, Gan Tao does indeed have a lover, Gan Quan."
Their relationship was already ambiguous, and Gan Li is Gan Quan's aunt. Naturally, family members will side with family; how can you trust what she says?
Gan Quan did like Gan Tao, but their relationship was completely innocent. Now, hearing Chen Danian's ambiguous words, which seemed to be slandering him for doing something shameful with Gan Tao, he was so angry that he was about to go up and argue with him.
Ganli grabbed the man and shook her head at him—Don't be fooled!
Gan Quan took a deep breath and ultimately made no further move.
Gan Li looked at Chen Danian and spoke with a sarcastic tone:
"According to you, once the marriage is arranged, one cannot stand up and speak the truth. Then what about you, Scholar Chen? You are a well-known spineless coward in our Cangxi Town. You pounce on money like a dog seeing shit."
The Wu family offered you a huge reward, and you disregarded the truth to defend Wu Gang. What right do you have to speak here?
She knew that Chen Danian's words had set a trap for Gan Quan, and if she tried to prove herself in accordance with his wishes, she would only make things worse.
Faced with this self-proving trap, Ganli chose to turn the tables.
As soon as these words were spoken, a burst of laughter erupted outside.
"You...you're just talking like a woman, I won't argue with you!"
Chen Danian's face turned red with anger, and he became even more determined to teach Gan Li a lesson.
He turned to look at Wu's father, implying:
"Master Wu, since you say that Gan Tao seduced your son Wu Gang, this is a serious matter. You can't just make things up without evidence, can you? Do you have any proof?"
"Yes, there is evidence!"
As he spoke, Mr. Wu took something out of his pocket, then held it high and shouted:
"This is that bitch's thing. My son saw it, which is why he ran to Yuxi Village at dusk!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze fell upon Wu's father's hands.
Once they saw what he was holding, the crowd stirred again.
It turned out to be a pink bellyband!
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