Chapter 143 Confrontation in Court
Soon, the doctor from Huichuntang and the medicine boy from Tongxintang entered the lobby.
"I am Doctor He from Huichun Hall, greeting the county magistrate."
"I am the medicine boy from Tongxin Hall, greeting the county magistrate."
When County Magistrate Hua met the two men and looked at Jun Moye's confident face, he knew that this matter was basically just a routine procedure and he spoke as a routine.
"You two recently sold the Thousand Withered Grass."
The doctor from Huichun Hall bowed.
"Yes, a few days ago, someone came to Huichuntang to buy a large amount of Thousand-bone Grass. Thousand-bone Grass isn't very useful, so few people buy it. Therefore, the store doesn't have much stock. That person bought up all the Thousand-bone Grass in the store in one go, so I was deeply impressed by the person who bought the Thousand-bone Grass."
The medicine boy from Tongxin Hall also bowed.
"In reply to the County Magistrate, someone came to Tongxin Hall a few days ago and bought all of the Thousand Withered Grass there. Naturally, I remember that person for buying such a large amount of Thousand Withered Grass."
After hearing this, County Magistrate Hua looked at Jun Moye.
Jun Moye glanced at Yan Shaofeng, raised his eyebrows and smiled, then looked at County Magistrate Hua and spoke.
"Your Excellency, County Magistrate, a few days ago, the Yan family's steward, Tian Dafu, entered Huichun Hall and Tongxin Hall. He has been brought here. Let's confront them in court."
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Hua nodded.
"pass…………"
Yan Shaofeng was really panicked at this time. Seeing Tian Dafu being brought in by Lu Zhan and Fang Zhiyi, he looked at the butler with a warning look on his face.
The medicine boy from Tongxin Hall has already spoken.
"Your Excellency, County Magistrate, this is the man. He bought so much Qianku Grass all at once, and there's a mole on the corner of his mouth. I was particularly impressed by him."
The doctor from Huichuntang has spoken.
"Yes, it was him. At that time, I was curious and asked why he bought so much Qiankui grass. He said impatiently, 'Don't meddle in other people's business.'"
Yan Shaofeng spoke in a panic and anxious manner.
"My Lord, this is slander. These people were brought by the Jun family. They must have been bribed by the Jun family to deliberately frame my Yan family. My Lord, you must investigate this matter."
The doctor of Huichuntang looked at Yan Shaofeng angrily.
"Master Yan, I have heard a little about the Yan family. We are indeed well-traveled merchants, but Huichuntang will not be slandered lightly. I have been practicing medicine for over 20 years and would not do anything that goes against my conscience."
The medicine boy from Tongxin Hall also spoke.
"That's right. We doctors wouldn't wrongly accuse anyone. We didn't accept any bribes from anyone when we came to the county government to testify. We just heard that Guanping Village lost a whole year's harvest because of Qiankui grass. After all, it was sold from our pharmacy. We felt bad about it, so we volunteered to testify. Besides, there were many people who got medicine that day, and I believe some of them could recognize Tian Dafu."
With irrefutable evidence and Jun Moye holding the dragon pendant, Magistrate Hua had no choice but to act according to the law.
"Yan Shaofeng, the evidence is conclusive. Since the land purchase negotiations failed, we should have called it quits instead of resorting to underhanded tactics. This has already caused adverse consequences, and the Yan family should be held accountable. I order the Yan family to estimate the value of Guanping Village's rice and compensate them based on this year's rice price."
After saying that, he subconsciously glanced at Jun Moye.
When Yan Shaofeng heard that it was just compensation, he felt relieved, and at the same time a hint of pride appeared on his face. It was true that money could make the world go round. It was just compensation. The Yan family had plenty of money. Even if the Yan family didn't have it, that big shot would not be short of money either.
Su Hanchu was completely dissatisfied with this verdict.
He reached out and pulled Jun Moye's clothes.
Jun Moye spoke immediately.
"My Lord County Magistrate, this matter involves the livelihoods of hundreds of villagers. If compensation alone is considered a punishment, I'm afraid that someone will continue to oppress the people. After all, if it's not exposed, they will take advantage of the people's interests. If it is exposed, it will just be a small amount of compensation.
This kind of punishment isn't really a punishment for wealthy merchants; it's actually an indulgence. If all merchants in the world follow suit, wouldn't it only foster the desires and ambitions of countless unscrupulous merchants?"
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Hua frowned slightly and looked at Jun Moye and asked.
"Then according to your opinion, how should the punishment be?"
When Yan Shaofeng heard this, he immediately panicked and spoke in a warning tone.
"Jun family, the county magistrate has already made the judgment. Don't push your luck. It will not benefit you to offend my Yan family."
However, Jun Moye couldn't even bear to give him a glance. He just looked at County Magistrate Hua indifferently, opened his lips slightly, and spoke in a calm tone.
"The Yan family destroyed so much rice. If I hadn't noticed and found witnesses in time, the villagers of Guanping Village would have been living in misery. After all, as ordinary people, without food, there is only one way out, death. So strictly speaking, the Yan family also committed attempted murder.
Because no one in history has ever been so cruel as to destroy the people's food, Tianyuan has not yet issued a criminal law regarding the destruction of food, but it can specifically punish those who participate in robbing other people's property.
According to statistics, there are about 400 mu of rice in Guanping Village. One mu of rice is worth about one tael of silver plus three hundred wen (one tael of silver equals one thousand wen). So the value of 400 mu of rice is 520 taels of silver.
According to Tianyuan law, robbing someone of 300 taels of silver is punishable by three years in prison, and 1,000 taels is punishable by death. Therefore, Yan Shaofeng, the mastermind, should be sentenced to at least six years in prison and must compensate the villagers for the loss of their rice and their emotional distress at ten times the price of the rice.
His voice was not loud, but it was powerful, like a heavy hammer, hitting Yan Shaofeng's heart hard.
Yan Shaofeng's face turned pale in an instant, his body trembled slightly, and a trace of despair flashed in his eyes, but he still wanted to make a final struggle.
"My Lord County Magistrate, my Yan family has been doing business for many years. You know how much tax we have paid to the northwest..."
Before he could finish his words, Jun Moye was playing with the jade pendant in his hand, and there was already a hint of impatience in his tone.
"Your Excellency, there are countless merchants in the world, and the Yan family is just one of them. Since this matter has been proven beyond doubt, please make a judgment according to the law."
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