Chapter 65
Yu Ying, her elder brother and her elder sister-in-law had to rush to Yu County before the court session began.
When the villagers of Lingshui Village learned that a retrial would be held today, some of them dropped their work and went to Yu County to watch the trial.
Even Uncle He and Aunt He went together.
On the way to Yu County, Yu Ying saw fellow villagers and looked puzzled: "Even if they like to watch the fun, they wouldn't put down their work to watch."
Aunt He beside her whispered to her, "Lingshui Village is almost entirely populated by criminals or descendants of criminals. They are ostracized by neighboring villages and often looked down upon. Although relationships within the village aren't great, if outsiders come to bully our village, we will definitely support our own people. That way, outsiders won't dare bully our village."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying turned around and looked at the villagers who she had perhaps only spoken to for a few words with, or perhaps had no impression of.
Indeed, no matter what era, no matter whether it is just a village or a family, although there are endless internal struggles, when facing external threats, they will unite to resist.
After a long journey, Yu Ying, who had never walked such a long distance before, finally arrived in Yu County when her legs were almost paralyzed from exhaustion.
First we arrived at the inn where Fu Wei was staying.
At the inn, Song Sanlang noticed Fu Jia Erlang repeatedly looking toward the inn door. He assumed he was waiting for his elder brother, so he said, "Your elder brother and the others should be arriving soon. The interrogation will resume today, and it will go smoothly. Don't worry, Second Brother Fu."
Fu Weiqing hummed and nodded absentmindedly.
After waiting for a long time, Fu Wei finally saw the figure he had been thinking about all night. There seemed to be a light in his calm and indifferent eyes for a moment, his lips curled up slightly, and a smile appeared on his face.
Yu Ying met Fu Wei's smile and smiled back at him, but the one and a half hour journey made her exhausted. She had no strength left after just a smile. She walked to their table, slumped down in the chair without a word, and kept gasping for breath.
Seeing her pale and exhausted face, Fu Wei quickly poured her a cup of tea and said gently, "Drink a sip of water first to calm down."
Yu Ying took the tea and drank it in one gulp.
After the cup was empty, Fu Wei continued to pour her tea.
After drinking three cups of tea and taking a break for a while, the exhausted Yu Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She was so tired. She had never walked such a long distance continuously like today. She was almost so tired that she couldn't tell east from west.
Fu Zhen and his wife were just a little tired, so in comparison, Yu Ying seemed like she had never suffered any hardship.
Fu Zhen and his wife both knew that their brother's wife was the daughter of an imperial physician who lived a life of luxury not long ago, so they had no suspicions.
Everyone in the inn was talking about today's retrial with great enthusiasm, and some people were puzzled: "The case has already been decided, why is there a retrial?"
There were many different opinions, and Yu Ying didn't listen carefully. After she recovered, she looked at Fu Wei and asked, "When will the trial begin?"
Fu Wei said, "It's the perfect time to go now."
Hearing this, Yu Ying took a deep breath, then stood up, holding onto the table. "Then let's go to the county government office now."
About a quarter of a minute later, several people arrived outside the county government office.
At this time, there were already many people outside the county government office watching the fun, some of whom were from Lingshui Village.
After they reported to the yamen runner, the yamen runner went back and reported to the county magistrate.
Only when everyone is gathered will the court be opened for retrial.
People who are not important will be tried outside the yamen. If they are related to the case, they will wait in the courtyard to be summoned into the court.
Yu Ying, her elder brother and sister-in-law, as well as Song Sanlang and He Dalang who caught the thief yesterday were all waiting in the courtyard, while Fu Wei was outside the court.
The people watching the trial outside looked at Fu Wei sitting on a plain carriage with curiosity.
If it were in the past, Fu Wei might have cared, but now he doesn't care at all.
Perhaps it was because of Fu Wei's unusual plain carriage and his outstanding face that everyone made way for him, allowing him to reach the front row seat unimpeded.
Uncle He and Aunt He, who were blocked outside: ...
Besides the people Yu Ying knew, there was also a middle-aged man she didn't know waiting in the courtyard.
The middle-aged man had a goatee, kept himself meticulously groomed, and wore a clean plain robe, looking quite upright.
But he had his hands behind his back, his chin always raised, and when he looked at Yu Ying who had just entered the yamen, his eyes were full of arrogance and disdain.
This was an arrogant and conceited person, reminding Yu Ying of a colleague she had met at work. He had some abilities, but he always looked down on people.
Yu Ying sensed the same professional aura from this middle-aged man.
If I'm not mistaken, this person is the Director Luo mentioned by the thief.
Facing the person who was playing dirty tricks on her, Yu Ying didn't have a good expression at all and turned her eyes away as if she didn't see it.
The woman's cold attitude made Director Luo frown and feel unhappy.
She's just a woman, what could she possibly endure?
The announcement of the court session made Director Luo calm down and concentrate on dealing with today's unexpected situation.
The magistrate of Yu County walked in from the back hall in official uniform and sat in the court.
Yu Ying was quite surprised when she met the magistrate of Yu County.
Unexpectedly, the magistrate was not an old man, nor was he a thin scholar.
But it was a strong, muscular man in his thirties...
The sound of the gavel snapped Yu Ying back to her senses from her surprise, and she no longer thought about why the magistrate of Yu County had such an image.
After a "Silence," the magistrate said, "Regarding the deliberate destruction of the medicinal fields in Lingshui Village, after yesterday's court hearing, I discovered some suspicious points, so I am re-examining the case today."
After saying that, he sent someone to bring up the thieves from yesterday.
Those thieves had already been beaten up by Fu Zhen and his men, and were beaten with ten sticks yesterday. They were half dead today.
As they were dragged into court, they saw Director Luo standing nearby and averted their eyes guiltily. Then, upon seeing the man who had violently assaulted them, the memory of the blows came flooding back, and their face paled even further as they averted their gaze in panic.
Seeing the miserable state of these people, Director Luo was secretly shocked and guessed - could it be that the magistrate had tortured these people?
But then they saw panic on the faces of those people when they saw the burly man next to the woman, and they realized that it was not the magistrate who tortured them, but that they were beaten by the man.
Director Luo then gave the man a straight look and frowned secretly.
Because I had investigated the woman's background, I knew her details, and I also knew which family she married into and who was in her family.
The woman's husband is a disabled person, and this man should be the woman's uncle. It is said that he is stronger than an ordinary person.
Even though he was twice as strong as an ordinary person, how could he deal with the large number of rogues in the city?
Fu Zhen seemed to notice the middle-aged man's gaze and looked back with a sullen face. Although his eyes were not fierce, they made people feel as if they were being stared at by a ferocious beast, and a chill ran down their spine.
Director Luo felt a little apprehensive and immediately looked away.
Suddenly, the magistrate in the courtroom asked sternly, "Have you destroyed the Fu family's medicinal fields in Lingshui Village?"
Several people shrank their necks and confessed.
"Did you also participate in the highway robbery?"
Because he was wearing a face mask when he was blocked on the road, several people refused to admit it yesterday, but they admitted it today.
The people watching the trial were shocked, not understanding why the person who denied his confession yesterday would change his confession today.
The common people naturally don’t know.
Last night, the magistrate went to the prison in person and said bluntly that he knew they were the ones who did it. The reason he didn't investigate further in court was simply because Director Luo was still useful.
But today he wants to overturn the verdict and make the truth of the case public. If they cooperate, their sentences can be reduced. If they insist on covering up, they will be jailed for life.
Several people are very aware of the current situation.
Compared to the county magistrate, offending Director Luo is really nothing.
The magistrate then asked Yu Ying and others to come forward and identify these people: "Are they the ones who blocked your way yesterday and asked you to leave with them?"
Yu Ying already knew it was these people, but she still carefully identified them and confirmed: "My Lord, it is indeed these people. Not only did they ask me to leave with them, they also threatened me that I would not be able to trade in medicinal herbs in the future, saying that I had offended someone I shouldn't have offended."
Originally, it was thought to be just a simple case of destroying medicinal fields, but no one expected that these people would actually do such a thing. There was an uproar outside the hall, and the villagers of Lingshui Village even asked the adults to severely punish these thieves and find out who was behind the scenes and punish him severely.
Listening to the words of those people outside the hall, although Director Luo was a little worried, he was sure that those thugs would not dare to give him up, so he still maintained his original dignified expression.
"So, who ordered you to do these things?" the magistrate asked slowly.
After swallowing their saliva, the ruffians all turned to look at Director Luo standing in the patio.
Director Luo secretly thought that something was wrong, and when he heard a few street thugs reveal the identity of "Director Luo of Luoji Medical Clinic", his face suddenly changed.
Director Luo said anxiously, "Sir, don't listen to their nonsense. I am a decent person and would never do such a thing!"
The thugs quickly confessed, "Director Luo asked us to teach a woman named Yu, who has four black spots on her face, a lesson. We had her locked up for a few days and then threatened her not to trade in medicinal herbs again. If we succeeded, we'd clear all the debts we owed the clinic!"
"Sir, please don't listen to their nonsense. They are clearly slandering us, sir..."
"quiet!"
The magistrate suddenly shouted in a deep voice, interrupting Director Luo.
Director Luo's face turned slightly pale.
The magistrate withdrew his gaze and looked at the prisoners: "Why did you owe the debt?"
The thug replied, "Your Excellency, it's common for people like us to get bumped into and bruised all the time. When we went to the clinic for treatment, Director Luo didn't charge us for our medical expenses. He just kept it on the account. Over time, we ended up owing a large sum of medical bills."
To put it nicely, it's a bump or a bruise; to put it bluntly, it's a fight.
The magistrate asked: "Why did I give you credit? You threatened the doctor at the clinic."
The thug hurriedly said, "Director Luo's brother is a censor in the government office. He holds a public office. Even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare threaten the clinic!"
The magistrate summoned Luo Guanzhang to the court and questioned him, "Why did you give them credit?"
Director Luo swallowed his saliva and replied, "Luo's Medical Clinic is kind and generous, so..."
As soon as he said this, there was a burst of applause from the outside.
"Bah, the one who's kind and generous is the Ji Clinic. What does that have to do with your Luoji Clinic?"
"That's right, Luoji Clinic is really mean. The medicine is more expensive than other clinics. If you can't pay, no matter how much you beg, it's useless. And they call them kind and generous? I'm not afraid of laughing at you if I say that!"
"I was wondering why those street thugs always obey Director Luo's orders. It turns out they're not just trying to curry favor with Director Luo, they've been bribed into becoming his lackeys!"
As the harsh words entered his ears, Director Luo's face turned pale. Even in this cold weather, cold sweat oozed out of his back.
Director Ren Luo refused to acknowledge him, and he couldn't explain why he wanted to buy on credit, let alone why those street thugs had such a close relationship with him.
Director Luo still wanted to argue, but the magistrate summoned Li Ji, Zheng Ji, and the director of Ji's Medical Clinic to the court to testify.
Seeing these people, Director Luo showed an expression of disbelief.
What he found most unbelievable was that Director Li and Director Zheng also appeared in court.
All three testified that Director Luo did have the idea of teaching this woman a lesson because Yu's medicinal herbs business had led other people to follow her example and he was afraid that the prices of these herbs would drop as a result.
Director Luo immediately understood that these two people wanted to sacrifice him to save themselves!
Suddenly, anger surged in his heart, and he pointed at the two directors and shouted angrily: "Sir, Director Zheng and Director Li are also accomplices, you must not let them go!"
Once the words were spoken, it was considered an indirect admission.
Directors Zheng and Li angrily shouted, "Director Luo, please stop accusing us. Although we have our grievances against that woman, as doctors, how could we possibly resort to such despicable means!"
The gavel slammed down heavily. "All the evidence points to you, and you, Luo, actually want to frame the witness. You're so bold!"
Director Luo wanted to beg for mercy, but the magistrate ordered him to pay Yu 500 coins as compensation and to be beaten with a stick 30 times. He was then detained and sentenced at a later date.
After the case is finalized, you can leave.
Yu Ying walked out of the yamen thoughtfully.
She felt as if everything was arranged in advance and she was just going through the motions.
Outside the yamen, villagers came forward to congratulate them.
After the villagers finished congratulating him, Fu Wei said, "I will stay in Yu County one more night today."
Then he looked at Yu Ying and said, "Sixth Lady, stay with me."
After what happened yesterday, and after offending those hooligans, Fu Zhen was still a little worried about them: "We should stay too."
Uncle He and Aunt He were old after all, so Yu Ying asked them to take a rest and go back in the afternoon to see if there were any ox carts heading towards Lingshui Village. If there were any, they could give them a ride for a while.
Uncle He and Aunt He were tired after all, so they agreed.
Just as he was about to leave, he ran into a few curators coming out of the yamen.
In the court, although Yu Ying was just going through the motions, she could see things clearly.
The two people identified by Director Luo were most likely involved.
Director Li and Director Zheng met the woman's gaze and looked away guiltily.
Only Director Ji, who was over fifty years old and had gray hair on his temples, hesitated for a moment, then walked over and looked at the woman in front of him calmly and uprightly.
"Whether Madam Yu believes it or not, I, Ji, was not involved in this."
Yu Ying was stunned for a moment, remembering that someone in the crowd had said that the Ji family medical clinic was kind and charitable. In her heart, she already believed 80% of what the old man said, and nodded slightly to the old man with respect.
After Director Ji finished speaking, he turned and left.
After watching the old man leave, the group returned to the inn.
Because my eldest brother and his family also wanted to stay in Yu County for one night, we opened an extra guest room so that Uncle He and Aunt He could also rest for a while.
After eating the noodles, I went back to the house.
Aunt He, Yu Ying, and the eldest sister-in-law rested in the same room, and the other grown men were in one room.
Yu Ying couldn't sleep because she was full of doubts, so she gave her bed to her sister-in-law and Aunt He.
Because they had to go to the city gate early to guard the ox cart, Uncle He, Aunt He, He Dalang, Song Sanlang and others only rested for half an hour before leaving.
Before leaving, Fu Zhen asked Song Sanlang to go to Fu's house to help guard it for one night.
After seeing everyone off, the couple returned to their rooms without much rest.
Yu Ying pushed Fu Wei into the house and asked, "How much does it cost to stay at the inn for one night?"
Fu Wei originally thought she was going to ask about the court affairs, but unexpectedly, she was most concerned about the money. He smiled helplessly: "Thirty-five coins a night."
It was similar to what Yu Ying had guessed. She said, "Brother and sister-in-law are really busy with my affairs. When I get back, I have to return the money to them."
After closing the door, Yu Ying asked, "Did you arrange what happened in court today?"
Fu Wei stood up from the wheelchair and sat down in the chair next to the table: "I guess so."
Yu Ying looked puzzled: "What does it mean?"
Fu Wei flipped his cup over, poured out some tea, and said, "Actually, the magistrate knew everything. He was just feigning ignorance yesterday. After the trial yesterday, I asked a friend to go to the yamen and use my position to put pressure on the magistrate to investigate the case thoroughly. He will definitely put Director Luo in jail."
After saying that, he pushed a cup of tea in front of Yu Ying.
Yu Ying pondered for a moment after hearing this, then asked expectantly, "Is your friend a high-ranking official?"
Fu Wei shook his head slightly: "I may disappoint you, but his status is only enough to suppress the county magistrate."
Hearing this, Yu Ying was not too disappointed. After all, it was conceivable that if he were a high-ranking official, he would not have to go to great lengths to hide the fact that his legs had recovered.
Fu Wei continued, "I know two people may have been involved, but I realized that if you want to gain a foothold in Yu County, you'll need their help. So, I met with them yesterday as a patient and asked them to testify in court. Director She Luo was there to protect them."
Yu Ying was stunned and asked, "How do you know they were all involved?"
Fu Wei smiled. "I'm just guessing, with a 50% chance of success. But I still tried to test several clinics in Yu County one by one. The director of the Ji Clinic angrily rebuked me, saying he disdained such despicable tactics. He simply let me go and didn't chase me away. The other two, while also furious, mostly avoided me and had someone chase me away. From the details, it's clear they were very likely involved."
After hearing Fu Wei's words, Yu Ying didn't expect that Fu Wei had done so many things yesterday.
Surprised, she suddenly grasped the key point of the previous sentence: "You said I should stand firm, what should I stand firm on?"
Fu Wei smiled at her and said, "You are more capable than those directors who have no medical ethics. If they can open a clinic, why can't you?"
Fu Wei's words entered Yu Ying's ears and then fell into her heart.
She thought for a moment and said, "Whether to open a clinic or not, now is not the right time. Firstly, I haven't passed the doctor's exam yet, and secondly, I don't have enough money saved, so how can I dare to think about it."
"No matter when you open a clinic, as long as you have evidence, it will always be beneficial in the future."
Whenever a clinic closes down, a new one will rise.
Rather than bringing Zheng Ji and Li Ji down, it is better to keep them.
Furthermore, the county magistrate may not be willing to uproot these clinics all at once.
Speaking of these clinics, Yu Ying pondered and shared her thoughts with him: "They are afraid that the price of medicine will be disrupted by the current arbitrary price-cutting in the market, so they want to use me to intimidate the people. This approach is undoubtedly insidious, but if the price is chaotic, I will also suffer losses in the end, so I have come up with a way to prevent losses."
At this point, Yu Ying hesitated for a moment before saying, "You have connections now. See if you can make a suggestion to the magistrate. If that doesn't work, then forget it and think of another way to solve this problem."
Fu Wei nodded slightly, indicating that she should continue.
Yu Ying then briefly talked about the mechanism of market resource allocation that she had learned in school.
"Why not let the government regulate the prices of medicinal herbs on the market? Competition is allowed, but malicious price-cutting is not allowed. At the same time, the price that the clinic purchases medicinal herbs at should be set within a certain range and not be too low."
Yu Ying recalled that she had only received three cents for a large basket of herbs, while the clinic could easily sell them for seventy, eighty, or even a hundred. With such a ruthless attitude, how could the common people who made their living collecting herbs continue to send them to the clinic?
Fu Wei tapped the wall of the cup intermittently, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "What benefits does the government bring?"
Yu Ying looked at him and said, "When I was worried that Zhao the Pharmacist wouldn't come to Yu County to buy medicinal herbs, you told me that we could share the profits with the government, taking a smaller portion and sending it all to Cangwu County. Do you remember?"
Fu Wei understood what she meant when he heard this: "You mean, the government lets the medicinal herbs from Yu County sell to other places, and then the government earns the difference made by the medicine dealers?"
Yu Ying nodded slightly.
Fu Wei was silent.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Yu Ying pursed her dry lips and asked tentatively, "Am I being too bold to actually think of doing business with the government?"
After thinking for a moment, he added, "I'm just saying this. If you think it's not feasible, just pretend I never said it."
Fu Wei shook his head seriously. "No, I think it's a good idea. The difference the drug dealers can make is enough to tempt the county magistrate. Besides, the Yu County government is so poor. How could they refuse such a way to make money?"
At this point, Fu Wei told the magistrate about his meeting tonight: "I want to stay tonight because a good friend of mine recommended me to the magistrate to join the county government as a staff member. If it works out, I will make this proposal."
When Yu Ying heard that Fu Wei was going to work as a staff member in the county government office, she was stunned.
After careful consideration, it seems that in the original text, Fu Wei also entered the government office as a staff member at this time.
In the end, the plot development is back on track.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
