Chapter 66 She Will Pay Back
A young girl dressed as a maid knelt in the courtroom, weeping as she recounted what had happened: "I served the young lady. That day, Granny Yuan, who served Lady Hou, brought over a bowl of medicine, saying it was to nourish the young lady's body. The young lady guessed it was an abortifacient and refused to take it, but it was forced down her throat. Soon after, she suffered excruciating abdominal pain and bled profusely... Waaah, the young lady died so tragically..."
"It seems that Zhao Si suffered a blow from the sudden death of his beloved and developed a desire for revenge—" The Prefect of Jingtian Prefecture pondered as he looked at the Marquis of Xiping and his wife.
Lady Xiping was deathly pale. She could only stand with the help of her maid, and cried out, "No, Ming'er has always been kind and considerate. He would never have intended to kill someone! Ming'er, say something!"
In Daxia, there are different categories of murder, with premeditated murder being the most serious. Everyone present knew that if Zhao Ming were convicted of murder, even if the attempt failed, the punishment would be severe.
The Lady of Xiping now only regrets that she didn't secretly get rid of the maid who served that vixen, which has led to the Marquis's mansion being in such a passive situation.
At first, she only wanted to make that vixen miscarry, but the vixen was unlucky and suffered a hemorrhage, which she considered bad luck. There was no need to kill someone to cover it up for such a thing, but who would have thought that Ming'er would try to harm Miss Qiu and be caught by many people.
Upon hearing that the Lady of Xiping Marquis still wanted to lessen Zhao Ming's crime, Lady Lan sneered, "Lady Marquis, you ordered your servants to administer poison that caused someone's death. You should worry about yourself instead."
The Prefect of Jingtian Prefecture silently tugged at his beard as he listened to Lan's words.
I never imagined that my son's crime would lead to my own criminal activity.
The Lady of Xiping's actions could be considered murder at worst, since the purpose of the medicine could be interpreted as an abortion or even a life-threatening act. The verdict would depend on the evidence presented and various other factors.
Given her status as the wife of the Marquis of Xiping, she certainly wouldn't be convicted of murder, but she would inevitably be charged with manslaughter. Although manslaughter could be covered up with money, the Marquis of Xiping's reputation would be ruined.
The most troublesome issue is convicting Zhao Si.
The Prefect of Jingtian looked at the dazed and confused Zhao Ming and secretly shook his head.
This young master of the Marquis's mansion is truly a fool. If he doesn't know how to defend himself, then he can only be judged as an attempted murderer.
"You little beast, you're still only thinking of yourself!" Marquis Xiping kicked Zhao Ming to the ground, ostensibly out of anger, but actually to warn him.
Zhao Ming's dazed expression changed as he felt the pain, and fear gradually filled his eyes.
He finally realized he was afraid.
Knowing fear means the restoration of reason.
"I...I didn't mean to!" Zhao Ming cried out, tears and snot streaming down his face. "I was so heartbroken over my cousin's death. I suddenly saw Miss Qiu alone at Ganquan Temple, and on impulse, I wanted to vent my anger...I was out of my mind and did something stupid..."
Marquis Xiping breathed a huge sigh of relief.
This wicked child isn't beyond redemption yet!
The Prefect of Jingtian also breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't want to be too harsh on the sons of officials and nobles, lest he incur their hatred.
Madam Lan retorted, "You clearly planned this all along! The day before, I took my daughter to Ganquan Temple and ran into your mother, and the very next day you went to Ganquan Temple. What a coincidence!"
Zhao Ming remained kneeling, not even looking at Lan Shi, repeatedly saying, "It was my moment of confusion, it was my moment of confusion..."
Lan was so angry she gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do.
Whether it was premeditated or an impulsive act, without evidence, we can only listen to what this beast has to say.
Master Qiu tugged at Madam Lan's arm quietly and whispered, "This is fine too."
Without the intervention of the Imperial City Guard, it certainly wouldn't have been so easy to find out that Zhao Si had an affair with his cousin, and the case would have dragged on for who knows how long.
With no objections from the Yongqing Marquis's residence, Zhao Ming's punishment was quickly decided: fifty strokes of the cane.
Given the status of the Marquis of Xiping's mansion, and the fact that Qiu Xuan was not injured, and considering that Zhao Ming insisted it was an impulsive act, such punishment was appropriate.
As for the Lady of Xiping being convicted of manslaughter, she could atone for her crime with gold and silver, but what she truly lost was her reputation. For a lady like the Lady of Xiping, the impact would be far-reaching.
The execution took place right at the entrance of the yamen (government office).
Zhao Ming was forced to pull down his pants and was publicly flogged.
The area in front of the yamen was packed with people, all there to watch the spectacle. Those in the know excitedly recounted the whole story to those who didn't, eliciting gasps of amazement. News of the Marquis of Xiping's misdeeds quickly spread.
In the crowd, Qiu Xuan stared intently at Zhao Ming, who had no dignity whatsoever, and felt a sense of satisfaction.
The physical wounds from fifty lashes may heal quickly, but the infamy will stay with him, affecting him and letting him know that there is a price to pay for doing evil.
"Let's go back." Madam Lan patted her daughter's arm.
In the Thousand Pine Hall, Yongqing specially summoned the people from each room and said with a stern face, "This time, the Imperial City Guard intervened, so let it go. In the future, when such a big thing happens, no one is allowed to act on their own."
The old lady added, "Especially you girls, you are not allowed to go out this month."
She causes trouble every time she goes out; it's practically shortening her lifespan. The Ghost Festival is for commemorating ancestors; let's not let her be the last one to celebrate it.
After leaving Qiansongtang, the sisters all went to Lengxiangju.
"Sixth Sister, did you really pull Zhao Si's hair out like those people said?" Qiu Ying asked curiously, though she was absent from those occasions.
Qiu Fu and Qiu Yun also cast curious glances their way.
"I'm not bald, I just pulled off a lock." Qiu Heng frowned as she thought of the oily hair on her hands, her tone becoming increasingly nonchalant.
The three sisters all grinned in unison.
It's true! It's actually true!
What a scene that must have been! I can't even imagine it.
"So, if you encounter a man you can't beat, you can just pull his hair," Qiu Ying said, seemingly enlightened.
Qiu Fu also fell into deep thought: she often envied those daughters of military families, but it turned out there was such a shortcut...
“That’s how we fight in the countryside, but I don’t recommend that the older girls do it unless absolutely necessary.”
Qiu Heng didn't want to lead people astray.
An ordinary woman would easily be controlled by a man if she did this, since she wouldn't be strong enough. But she did it out of necessity to avoid revealing her skills.
Of course, they are still useful when fighting other women.
Qiu Fu and Qiu Ying nodded in unison.
Qiu Yun felt dizzy: Did they still remember that they were from respectable families?
Qiu Xuan had already expressed her gratitude to Qiu Heng many times, but now she was worried about something else: "Sixth Sister, Lord Xue of the Imperial City Guard has helped us so much, shouldn't our family do something in return?"
The elders were unaware of the truth, so wouldn't the debt of gratitude fall solely on Sixth Sister? And after what happened with Zhao Si, she felt that getting involved with a young man who was neither a relative nor an acquaintance was not a good thing.
Qiu Heng understood Qiu Xuan's meaning and smiled at her: "Second sister, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
She would do everything in her power to save him from disfigurement and prevent him from being executed.
She will repay all the kindness and help Xue Han has shown her.
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