"My lord, you see? Even though Madam Li is imprisoned, she still manages to contact the outside world. And look, the people she's contacting include government officials. How can this not be a case of turning black into white? How can I feel at ease?"
As soon as everyone came out, they saw Wu Yong and Lord Gu standing together. Wu Yong pointed at these people and said to Lord Gu.
"Wu Yong, stop talking nonsense!" Zhang Niangzi said excitedly.
“Sir, we have a personal relationship with Madam Li, which is why we came to visit her. It’s only natural. I know we’ve broken the rules, and I beg you to punish us. But we absolutely did not do what Wuyong said, such as trying to distort the truth. Madam Lin has been wronged.” Li Si stepped forward and said.
“Zhang San, Li Si, because of your personal relationship with Madam Li, you are no longer allowed to get involved in this matter. If I find out again, you will have to leave the yamen,” said Lord Gu.
"Sir!" Zhang San and Li Si called out together.
"My lord," Wu Yong said, "why not suspend them both from their duties first, and let them come back after this is all over? Otherwise, they'll be threatening the people everywhere with their badges, and I'm afraid that Lady Li will eventually get them released without charge."
"Wu Yong, you're talking nonsense! When have we ever done such a thing?" Zhang San said fiercely.
"Then let's leave it at that for now. Zhang San and Li Si, hand over your waist tokens to avoid gossip," Lord Gu instructed.
Then some yamen runners came forward and confiscated Zhang San and Li Si's waist tokens. Zhang's wife was so angry that she gritted her teeth and was about to rush up and beat Wu Yong up.
Wu Yong quickly hid behind Lord Gu and shouted, "My lord, look! His wife dares to act like this in front of you. If she were to do this behind your back, who knows what she would do to me? If anything happens to me, it will definitely be this lady's doing. You must stand up for me!"
"How dare you, Madam Zhang! How dare you commit violence in front of me? Do you not respect me at all?" Lord Gu was enraged.
"My wife, please don't be impulsive. I'm sorry, my wife is just a bit impulsive. She didn't mean any harm."
As Zhang San was speaking, Erni rushed forward and bit Wu Yong's hand hard. Wu Yong winced in pain and pushed Erni away.
Erni turned nimbly and wasn't pushed over as before. However, Wu Yong had a deep bite mark on his hand.
"You framed my mother! You wicked person, I'll bite you to death!" Zhao Erni said fiercely.
"My lord, look, these are the children Li Rouniang raised. They're all so fierce, talking about life and death all the time. It shows what kind of person she is," Wu Yong said sharply. Lord Gu frowned; the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for Li Rouniang.
Old Man Mo quickly stepped forward: "Lord Gu, please forgive him. This child is very filial. He was a little impatient when he saw his mother being wrongfully imprisoned. We will go back and wait for news. I believe that Lord Gu will investigate Qiu Hao thoroughly and clear my daughter's name."
Lord Gu found these words more agreeable and, not wanting to make things difficult for them, waved for them to leave.
Before leaving, Li Si suddenly thought of something and said to Lord Gu, "Sir, we originally wanted to check the pharmacies in this town. If someone buys medicine, someone will remember it from time to time."
"Li Si, I have my own plan. You are no longer allowed to participate in this case. Stay home for a while." Lord Gu did not answer Li Si, but simply waved for him to leave.
The group returned to the pastry shop, extremely anxious. What could they do? They couldn't investigate the case anymore; Rou Niang was still in jail.
"Lord Gu has always had a good reputation, so why don't we wait for further news before making any decisions?" Old Man Mo said.
The group had no choice but to nod.
They didn't have to wait long; the next day, Lord Gu announced a public trial for the case. The group rushed over to listen to the proceedings.
"Awesome!"
"Li Rouniang, do you recognize this person?" Lord Gu asked, pointing to a man beside her as he had Li Rouniang brought into the hall.
Upon closer inspection, Li Rouniang realized it was Zhao Ergou!
"Your Honor, I recognize him. His name is Zhao Ergou. He's from the same village," Li Rouniang said.
"Do you know where he is working now?" Lord Gu asked again.
Li Rouniang shook her head: "I don't know, I don't have a deep relationship with her."
"Sir, she's talking nonsense! She clearly knows I work as a shop assistant at Baoshengtang. That's why she found me and asked me to buy that harmful medicine. I initially disagreed, but I thought firstly, we're from the same village, and secondly, she had taken care of my wife and daughters before, so I went against my conscience and gave it to her. I never imagined she was trying to harm people. I thought she was just using it herself, so I gave it to her. I didn't even take any money from her; I even secretly took it from the counter to give it to her," Zhao Ergou hurriedly said.
“Zhao Ergou, what nonsense are you spouting? We haven’t had any contact for a long time. How would I know where you are working now? What you just said is completely untrue. I have never been able to find you,” Li Rouniang hurriedly said.
“My lord, I have witnesses. My wife, Zhao Xiu, can be my witness. Of course, no one else saw this. She came to me secretly, but when I got home, I told Zhao Xiu about it. She even advised me to help Rong Niang if I could, since Rou Niang had been kind to them. I originally wanted to keep it a secret, but who would have thought it would lead to a death? My conscience is not at peace. I can no longer hide it.”
On Tuesday, the dog's pet was taken down, causing an uproar throughout the venue.
"You can know a person's face but not their heart. I thought Madam Li was a good person, but I never expected her to be so vicious."
"She wasn't jealous of Zhao Dahua because she had her eye on that clerk Wu, was she?"
"Who knows? Tsk tsk tsk!"
"Zhao Ergou, you bastard, what nonsense are you spouting? Who taught you to say that?" Li Si said angrily.
"Silence!" Lord Gu slammed his gavel.
"Someone, summon Zhao Xiu."
"This humble woman, Zhao Xiu, greets Your Excellency!" Zhao Xiu knelt below the steps.
"Zhao Xiu, is what Zhao Ergou said true?" Lord Gu asked.
"Reporting to Your Excellency," Zhao Xiu glanced at Li Rouniang, her feelings complicated.
Initially, she felt guilty towards Li Rouniang, but during this time, she was living a life worse than death with Zhao Ergou. Gradually, this guilt turned into hatred.
Since they once lent her a hand and tried to save her from dire straits, why not save her completely? Now they're ignoring her, leaving her here to live in misery.
How could she not resent it?
Zhao Ergou told her to identify Li Rouniang. She initially disagreed, but Zhao Ergou said that as long as she confirmed that Li Rouniang had said those words to her, he didn't need to worry about anything else.
If this were the case, Zhao Ergou would agree to divorce Zhao Xiu and give her her freedom. This temptation was too great for Zhao Xiu. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and said, "Zhao Ergou did indeed mention this to me."
Li Rouniang closed her eyes in despair.
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