"And what is your name?" the magistrate asked, pointing to the man with a pointed mouth, monkey-like cheeks, and rat-like eyes.
"Your Excellency, my name is Mei Qian."
The man with the pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks knelt down and said.
Which two words?
"The plum blossom in plum blossom, the thousand in ten thousand."
Upon hearing the names of these two people, one named Qian Que and the other Mei Qian, which sounded like "lacking money" and "poor," Qin Chuan couldn't help but chuckle.
"How dare you, Qin Chuan!"
The magistrate slammed his gavel and roared, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you dare to steal and even show contempt for the court! Come here! Give him ten heavy strokes of the cane!"
Seeing that the constables were about to actually take action, Qin Chuan was dumbfounded.
The magistrate seemed quite shrewd, so why was he so careless when handling cases?
If this were a murder case, wouldn't countless people have died unjustly?
"Your Excellency! I have something to say!" Qin Chuan shouted.
To everyone's surprise, the magistrate didn't want to give him a chance to speak at all, but instead waved his hand and said, "Beat him!"
"Wait a minute! Lord Fan!"
As the woman's voice rang out, a beautiful woman dressed in a red wedding gown, phoenix coronet, and embroidered robe stormed into the courtroom.
Upon closer inspection, everyone realized that the woman was none other than Su Ruyan.
Su Ruyan gracefully moved her body, bowed to Magistrate Fan, and then said, "Lord Fan, this Qin Chuan is my husband. Could you spare him for my sake?"
"As for the matter of someone losing silver, I will return the silver and am willing to compensate double the amount!"
When Magistrate Fan Hutu saw that it was Su Ruyan, he immediately got up from behind his desk and came out to greet her: "Miss Su."
Fan Hutu felt a chill run down his spine. The woman in front of him was the youngest daughter of his superior, the prefect. How could he dare to offend her?
Although the crime of theft is entirely up to him in terms of sentencing, as long as it complies with the law, that is enough.
But now that Su Ruyan has come to plead for mercy, he has no choice but to make an exception.
They even have to persuade the person who lost the money to drop the lawsuit.
This is all to give Miss Su face.
“Miss Su, this is easy to discuss. Since Miss Su says so, then… you’re short of money! If you withdraw the lawsuit, Miss Su will compensate you!”
Seeing the magistrate's words, Qian Que appeared reluctant to agree, but in reality, he was overjoyed.
Unexpectedly, by performing a play and shedding a few tears, he earned thirty taels of silver for nothing...
"If that's the case, then let's disperse!"
Fan Hutu flicked the sleeves of his emerald green official robe, preparing to leave the court.
"etc!"
Just as everyone was about to leave, Qin Chuan became unhappy.
He stepped forward, first pointing at the county magistrate, then at Qian Que, Mei Qian, and several others who had falsely accused him: "With such careless handling of cases, how many wrongful convictions have you, Lord Fan, already caused! And you scoundrels! You've formed a gang to defraud people of money and corrupt social morals; you deserve to be executed!"
“You…” Fan Hutu was furious. In all his years as an official, no one had ever dared to speak to him like that.
Regardless of how angry the magistrate was, Qin Chuan continued, head held high, and said in a loud voice:
“Officials should have the well-being of the people in mind. As the sage said, ‘To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations.’ You petty and despicable people despise the law, and there is no justice in the judiciary. I am not satisfied! Your Honor, you must review this case for me!”
Meanwhile, the crowd watching the play outside the hall was buzzing with discussion and whispering amongst themselves.
"Why is this fool Qin so imposing?"
"This Qin idiot... isn't an idiot anymore?"
"Yes, how can he suddenly speak so much so fluently?"
At this moment, Su Ruyan's beautiful eyes were filled with surprise and doubt.
How could he... how could he say something so philosophical? Could it be that he...?
To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations…
What an earth-shattering and awe-inspiring sentence! Only someone with extraordinary talent could utter such words...
She suddenly remembered a rumor.
Legend has it that there was once a child prodigy surnamed Qin who could compose poems at the age of six, making him famous throughout Jiangnan. His father took him traveling around, hoping to make money from his talent. However, unexpectedly, after the age of eleven, this child prodigy surnamed Qin could no longer read or write, and became increasingly mentally challenged...
Could it be that the Qin-surname prodigy from before is the person standing before us?
...
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Qin Chuan pointed at Qian Que and continued, "Since you, Qian Que, say that this silver is yours, then let me ask you, is your name engraved on this silver?"
"This..." Qian Que was momentarily stumped by the question.
Who would have their own name engraved on silver? Could it be... that this silver really belongs to Qin Chuan and has his name engraved on it?
For a time, I was short of money and unsure what to do with it.
Su Ruyan stood gracefully to one side, her eyes sparkling with concentration.
After watching Magistrate Fan's trial, she also felt that Qian Que and Mei Qian were only trying to extort money, but since no one else was arguing about the ten taels of silver, something was clearly fishy...
Could it be... that these ten taels of silver really belong to Qin Chuan?
Filled with questions, Su Ruyan shouted at Qian Que, "Speak quickly!"
Qian Que was not afraid of Qin Chuan, but he was afraid of Su Ruyan, after all, she was the daughter of the prefect.
Qian Que's eyes darted around, and he said, "Who would have their own name engraved on their money! This ten taels of silver is mine. I have witnesses and physical evidence to prove it. Lord Fan has already awarded it to me. What more do you want?"
"This silver is not yours at all, because it is official silver. You are just a tailor shop owner, not a royal merchant or official merchant. Where would you get such a large ingot of official silver?" Qin Chuan pointed at the ingot of silver and said loudly.
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