Chapter 142: Confrontation in Court, Yu Qian is the Evidence
Zhou Yanqing even stopped yawning and stared at Xiao Ying intently.
He really didn't expect that this woman from the mountain village would be so beautiful. He had previously thought that she was just a vulgar and ugly village woman, but it turned out that she was more beautiful than many noble ladies he had seen in Beijing.
No, she is not only beautiful, but also has an aura that is beyond the reach of ordinary people.
He looks cold and indifferent, but he has a sense of authority, even more powerful than his mother.
This woman... He smiled meaningfully, quite interesting.
Similar to Zhou Yanqing, Ning Yuanze, who was sitting on the right, was also staring at Xiao Ying, but his eyes were clear, revealing a bit of surprise and confusion.
He always felt that this woman looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere, but he was sure that this was definitely the first time he saw her, which was strange.
Xiao Ying noticed the looks from both men. She was very displeased with Zhou Yanqing's look, but she couldn't understand the new county magistrate.
While he was thinking, Ding Fang had already spoken.
"Who is here? Come here quickly."
"I am Xiao Ying, a villager from Chenjia Village. Nice to meet you three gentlemen."
Xiao Ying answered calmly.
"Are you Xiao Ying? Someone has accused you of murder. Will you plead guilty?"
Ding Fang's voice turned cold and his expression was dignified. If it were an ordinary person, he would have turned pale and trembled with fear.
Xiao Ying remained calm, even frowning.
"May I ask, sir, who is accusing me of murder? And who did I murder?"
"Hmph, so you're not admitting your guilt?"
"I am just an ordinary village woman. I have always been upright and honest. How could I do such a thing as murder? Besides, if you accuse me of murder, there must be evidence. Even an official from the Dali Temple cannot slander someone without any evidence."
Seeing her like this, Ding Fang knew that she was not an ordinary village woman.
Even if ordinary people did not do anything, they would be timid after being scared by him. However, the person in front of him remained calm, with quick thinking, eloquence and a tough guy.
"Hmph, since I've summoned you, I must have evidence. Come, bring witness Yu Qian to the court!"
Xiao Ying suddenly realized that the person who was sent to Beijing was Yu Qian, who was also an old acquaintance.
But even Yu Qian couldn't have any evidence that she had committed murder.
Not long after, Yu Qian came into the hall. Compared with two months ago, he seemed to have aged ten years. It seemed that he had not had an easy time during this period.
Yu Qian almost didn't recognize her, she had changed so much from the last time they met.
Not only did she look several years younger, but her skin also became much whiter. She looked glowing and more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen.
Is this still the same Madam Xiao? Could it be that she's been replaced by someone else?
For a moment, I was actually stunned.
Suddenly, Ding Fang slammed the gavel and asked loudly, "Yu Qian, are you the one who wants to sue Xiao Ying for murder?"
Yu Qian finally came to his senses, feeling extremely upset, and quickly regained his composure.
"Your Excellency, I, Yu Qian, would like to sue Xiao Ying for murder!"
"This vicious woman was incredibly strong. Not only did she kill our son, Zhou Tianci, she also killed two of the Zhou family's servants: Yang Huai, the son's personal bodyguard, and Liu Laizi, the son's coachman."
"I even suspect she was responsible for the murder of the previous county magistrate and deliberately framed the bandits. I beg you to help the Zhou family!"
After saying that, he glared at Xiao Ying fiercely, a hint of relief rising in his eyes. This time, the murderer could finally be brought to justice.
However, Xiao Ying didn't even look at him, and her expression remained indifferent, as if she was not the one being sued.
"Xiao Ying, do you have anything else to say?" Ding Fang asked coldly.
Zhou Yanqing and Ning Yuanze also stared at Xiao Ying without blinking. Even if she showed the slightest sign of wrongdoing, they could take her down on the spot.
Xiao Ying said expressionlessly, "My lords, let alone the fact that I'm just an ordinary village woman, I don't have the guts to kill anyone."
"Even if there were, why would I kill these people? I've never met them and don't even know them."
Ding Fang paused, a hint of anger appeared in his eyes, and he stared at Yu Qian in frustration.
What an idiot! How can he get people to admit it without telling them that Xiao Ying doesn't even know these people?
Yu Qian suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. After thinking about it, he realized that Xiao Ying had never met these people in public.
No, she should have seen Liu Laizi!
"Sir, she's lying! Liu Laizi went to Chenjia Village to buy red strips, and she deliberately raised the price because she was also buying red strips to make that spicy sesame oil."
"That's right, it must be because of this. Liu Laizi bought up all the red strips from several nearby villages, and she didn't receive a single one. So she held a grudge and killed Liu Laizi!"
Ding Fang and Zhou Yanqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This idiot finally said something useful.
"Xiao Ying, is what Yu Qian said true?"
Xiao Ying's face suddenly showed understanding. "So the man who came to the village to buy red strips is called Liu Laizi. If Yu Qian hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known his name."
"Liu Laizi did come to Chenjia Village to collect red strips, and he offered a very high price, so I asked the villagers to sell all the red strips to him. By then, I had already collected several thousand kilograms and had no shortage of them. How could I kill him for such a trivial matter?"
Then he asked Yu Qian, "When did Liu Laizi die?"
Yu Qian had a bad feeling, but he still said, "That was the day when the fire burned down Manxiang Garden. He was found dead in the lobby with his neck broken. Do you dare to say it wasn't you who did it?"
Xiao Ying smiled faintly, "Of course it wasn't me. If I remember correctly, the fire at Manxiang Garden happened several days after Liu Laizi came to Chenjia Village to buy red strips. He should have collected quite a few red strips, right?"
"Why didn't I kill him sooner? Why did I have to wait until he had collected all the red strips from the nearby villages before killing him? What good would this do me?"
Ning Yuanze nodded. This really didn't make sense.
Ding Fang and the other two also frowned. This woman was really difficult to deal with.
Yu Qian said anxiously, "That's because Liu Laizi set fire to your spicy sesame oil."
When he said this, his face changed. He didn't want to talk about this at first, after all, it was shameful.
But when he thought that Zhou Tianci and Liu Laizi were already dead and there was no way to hold them accountable, he didn't care about that anymore.
Ding Fang and Zhou Yanqing didn't even take Zhou Tianci and the others seriously. As long as they could convict Xiao Ying, everything would be worth it.
Only Ning Yuanze looked thoughtful.
"So Liu Laizi came to my house and set fire to it, trying to burn my spicy sesame oil?"
Xiao Ying's expression finally changed, but it was not panic, but anger.
She stared at Yu Qian coldly: "Could it be you who ordered this?"
"Of course it wasn't me, it was Master Zhou Tianci! Humph, so you admit that you killed Liu Laizi?"
Yu Qian had already given up, he didn't believe that this woman could still make excuses.
"When did I admit it?" Xiao Ying sneered, "There was never a fire in my house, and my spicy sesame oil was never burned. The entire Chenjia Village can prove it."
"I see. It must be because Liu Laizi failed to succeed that you and Zhou Tianci took your anger out on him, so you killed him. It's really a case of the thief crying thief."
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