Er Gouzi and Shuan Zhuzi are despicable; they helped the Wang family snatch a son-in-law for money.
But they also died a terrible death. Their heads were cut off and buried in the ground for many years. Their flesh rotted away, leaving only their separated bones, making it impossible to recognize each other.
The two families cried so hard they almost fainted, and kept cursing the Wang family.
The entire city was in an uproar because of this incident.
In the palace, a eunuch went out to make purchases and went back to tell his companions about the exciting story.
The news spread, and even the concubines heard about it. In private, they all felt sorry for Master Wang's miserable life and despised the Wang family for their cruelty.
When the Emperor was occasionally tired, he would sit for a while with his concubines, listen to a few words, and then return to his study to ask the chief eunuch about it.
The chief eunuch was well-versed in all matters of the palace, so he naturally knew about this matter and explained it to the emperor in detail, just to relieve his boredom.
The Emperor actually interfered in this matter, saying, "Wang Bowei is also a Grand Secretary from a scholarly family. How could he have caused such a scandal? His clansmen openly murdered a scholar with official rank. This is outrageous. Issue an order to investigate thoroughly and give that scholar justice."
The chief eunuch quickly accepted the order and dispatched a junior eunuch out of the palace to relay it.
At this moment, Master Wang was sitting in the back hall of the government office, chatting and drinking tea with the prefect. Although he appeared to be laughing and joking, he was actually very anxious inside.
Last night, his business in the neighboring county ran into some problems, so he rushed over to deal with it. But as soon as he got back, he heard that his cousin had been arrested, his uncle's scheme from back then had been exposed, and the Wang family's reputation was being trampled underfoot by the entire town.
He was furious and, without even consulting his father, went to the government office, hoping to suppress the case as soon as possible.
But the prefect pretended to be confused and refused to agree.
Master Wang's patience was wearing thin. Just as he put down his teacup, preparing to speak frankly, a young eunuch rushed in to deliver an imperial edict. He quickly knelt down to listen respectfully, but the more he listened, the paler his face became...
With the imperial edict at his disposal, the prefect was even more confident. He no longer played games with Master Wang and instead gave him a forced smile as he saw him off, saying, "Master Wang, as you have heard, the Emperor has issued an imperial edict that I must handle the case impartially and have no time to have tea with you."
Wang Sanye's face turned ashen. He bowed and left, rushing home as if his eyebrows were on fire to discuss a solution with his father...
Unlike the Wang family's anger, the people of the city were all happy to hear that the Emperor had spoken up to seek justice for Master Wang.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"Since the Emperor has spoken, this case will definitely be solved. It's just that Master Wang won't live much longer. Whose son is he? After he dies, he won't be able to enter the Wang family or find his own home. Won't he become a wandering ghost?"
"Yes, yes, let's all ask around, has anyone ever lost a son?"
"Yes, ask around, you never know, you might just find the right one."
"Whose family is from beyond the Great Wall? Have you heard of any family that lost their son?"
With the Emperor taking the lead, the people paid even more attention to the case, and even a wave of enthusiasm swept through the entire process of helping Master Wang find his family.
Anyone who hears of a relative or friend going missing or disappearing for years will ask them a few more questions.
Some people even rushed to Xindu just to confirm whether Master Wang was the child who had been missing for many years.
Amidst great anticipation, the Prefect did not keep everyone waiting long, resuming the trial two days later.
However, there was really nothing left to investigate in this case. Wang Zhong had already explained everything clearly, and the remains had been found.
Even Dr. Sun, known for his big mouth, wrote a testimony proving that Master Wang's illness had been delayed for more than ten years, leading to his current terminal condition and imminent death.
This time, the area in front of the government office was packed with people, dozens of times more than last time; it seemed like the entire city had come.
The private rooms on the second floor of the restaurant opposite the government office were being sold at exorbitant prices.
But the best private room was still impossible to book.
But this time, the guests sitting inside were not Liu Zhiheng and Madam Cui, but a distinguished guest!
Soon, all the plaintiffs and defendants from the last court hearing reunited, except for the wives of Er Gouzi and Shuan Zhuzi's families.
It's said that the elderly couple is too ill to get out of bed; no one can bear the thought of a parent outliving their child...
Wearing a dark blue long gown, Master Wang appeared even thinner and his face remained sallow. However, perhaps for the sake of his child, he mustered his spirits, and his eyes seemed to have a brighter light than before.
Only Wang Zhong and Wang E were in a particularly sorry state.
That's because prison is uncomfortable; they simply can't endure that kind of hardship!
The food was spoiled, rats and cockroaches scurried everywhere, and people even urinated in the cage. It was so filthy that it was impossible to eat or sleep.
Wang E, in particular, was hated by the officers for her cruelty, and they sent her to share a cell with other prisoners.
These past two days, she's been beaten frequently, hasn't had any food or water, and has been huddled in a corner the whole time.
So, at this moment, Wang E's hair was a mess like a bird's nest, and her clothes were dirty; she looked worse than a beggar on the street.
As soon as she entered the courtroom, she threw herself at Master Wang's feet, crying pitifully, "Master, I was wrong, sob sob, I was afraid that you would remember what happened and leave me and the child, that's why I dared not treat your illness, but I didn't mean to kill you! Master, please forgive me, okay? For the rest of my life, I will serve you like a slave, please, please don't send me back to prison!"
Master Wang took a step back and refused to answer.
As soon as the prefect slammed his gavel, a bailiff immediately rushed forward, dragged Wang E away, and forced her to kneel to one side.
With both witnesses and physical evidence readily available, the Prefect read them aloud one by one, ensuring that the people below could hear them clearly.
Finally, the prefect asked, "Wang Xinqiu, you are the biggest victim in this case. Tell me, what compensation do you want? Whether it's gold or silver or anything else, I will try my best to satisfy you."
Master Wang stepped forward and said, “Sir, I don’t want gold or silver. I just want my two children to be awarded to me. They are my bloodline and cannot continue the family line for my enemies! In addition, I would like to ask you to investigate thoroughly. There must be someone in Wang E or the Wang family who knows my name. I want to find my family and return to my ancestral home.”
This request was reasonable, so the prefect nodded and said, "Even if you don't tell me, I will still ask you clearly."
After saying that, he turned to Wang E, "Wang E, do you know Wang Xinqiu's original name? Your father forcibly took Wang Xinqiu to the Wang family and married you. Since he told you the truth, you must know his name. Why don't you quickly tell the truth!"
Wang E shook her head vehemently, "No, I don't know, my father didn't say!"
Hearing this, Master Wang gritted his teeth, his eyes red, and cursed, "Wang E, you're already trying to kill me! Won't you let me die in peace?"
Wang E clutched her clothes tightly and whispered, "If you promise not to pursue the matter and not to send me back to prison, I'll tell you."
"impossible!"
Enraged, Master Wang's vision blurred. He struggled to stay upright, turned to look at the sea of people below, and asked, choking back tears, "Fellow villagers, look at me! Does anyone know whose family I am? I don't want to die in my enemy's yard. I want to be recognized as one of my ancestors. I want to see my mother before I die. I want to be buried in my family's ancestral graveyard. I don't want to be a lonely ghost!"
The once refined and handsome official is now emaciated from torture. Years of hatred have finally been exposed to the world, yet he still cannot return to his ancestral home.
These heart-wrenching pleas are simply a plea to see one's family before death; anyone who hears them would be devastated.
The crowd roared, shouting, "Everyone, please help Master Wang!"
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