"Jiang Yushu!" Li Qigong understood everything. He gnashed his teeth and threw himself at the desk with his shackles on. His throat was split as he cursed:
"You vicious woman, you must have secretly started investigating us a long time ago. You are so cruel. You appear to value my brother-in-law, but you are actually hiding something behind your smile..."
Huang Yichun shouted, "How dare you! Shut up! Quick, shut his mouth!"
"Yes!" Several yamen runners rushed forward, and quickly subdued the manic Li Qigong by pressing him down and gagging him.
"You vicious woman, let me go! You vicious woman—" The handcuffs and shackles clanked sharply and piercingly. Li Qigong struggled hard, his face twisted, his eyes staring fiercely at the magistrate all the time, his mouth blocked, but he still cursed incoherently.
In the chaos, Wen Xi's face turned pale, and he knelt limply, trembling as he watched his brother-in-law struggling frantically. He didn't move, and didn't dare to say a word.
outside the hall
People were talking to each other, some were in high spirits, some were venting their anger, and gradually the sound of discussion began.
Guo Hongxuan was indignant at his sister-in-law's scolding, sneering, "Oh, a criminal who has committed countless crimes, facing death, still dares to insult the magistrate? How outrageous!"
"Calm down, that local tyrant surnamed Li will never have a good ending. He is most likely dead." The servant gloated.
In the hall
On the desk, there is a fortune stick box, which contains fortune sticks of different colors.
This wasn't the first time Jiang Yushu had been insulted. She remained expressionless and composed. She pulled two red sticks from the stick holder, flicked them, and threw them to the ground with a crisp "click" sound. She then shouted, "The prisoner, Li Qigong, is rude and arrogant. He insulted me in public and deserves to be punished."
"Come here, drag him away and give him twenty lashes!"
"Yes!" The bailiffs in charge of the execution received the order, worked together to lift Li Qigong up, and dragged him out to the open space next to the court. They held him down, and then two people formed a team, swung the boards, and started to torture him.
Beside them, there was a person counting, calling out earnestly: "One, two, three..."
Li Qigong was wearing shackles and had his mouth blocked. He struggled constantly, making "mumbling" sounds. He turned his head to look inside the hall, his veins bulging and his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Jiang Yushu.
outside the hall
The crowd was crowded and excited, as if they were watching a play. They sighed and said, "Oh, I've only seen him beat people with a stick before, but I didn't expect that he would be beaten today too."
"He used to be a censor, but now he's a criminal. Of course, his treatment is different."
"Humph, when he was the Dianshi, he abused his power and bullied others. He was a pervert and a local tyrant. He deserved to be beaten!"
"Hahaha, look at Fatty Wen. He's shaking with fear and can't act all cocky anymore."
…
Guo Hongxuan clenched his fist, "Good, good fight!"
Jiang Yushu frowned at the noisy discussions and glanced outside. Her subordinates understood and hurriedly ordered the yamen runners to go and stop them. They held the water and fire sticks horizontally and pretended to push them away. With their persuasion and admonitions, the discussions gradually died down.
"Wen Xi," her face had become much thinner, her eyes bright and resolute, and her dignity shone with majesty. She spoke slowly, "You and Li Qigong have committed countless evil deeds. The government has been secretly investigating for a long time and has sufficient evidence. Therefore, whether you admit it or not, the result is the same: the death penalty. However, it is best for you to confess quickly and sign your name honestly to avoid suffering the same torture as Li Qigong."
Wen Xi was sweating profusely, helpless. Seeing that the matter was already decided, in order to avoid the pain of torture, he finally chose to confess and kowtowed for mercy: "I confess, I confess everything! Please have mercy on me, sir, and don't torture me. As long as I know what you want to ask, I will confess!"
Jiang Yushu instructed, "First, tell us the details of Jing Jiaoyu's death, and then explain how you and Li Qigong exploited your official positions to enrich yourself, such as reselling textile workshop orders, explicitly and implicitly soliciting merchants to send gifts, and so on."
"I'll tell you, I, I confess." Wen Xi was frightened by the sound of the execution and trembled with fear. He wiped his tears and confessed.
Below the desk, the three clerks responsible for recording confessions were extremely busy, frequently dipping their pens in ink and writing quickly at their desks.
After a while, the twenty strokes of the cane were over. After asking for instructions, the yamen runners dragged the prisoner back to the court for trial. Li Qigong was beaten, his mouth gagged, but his eyes remained fierce as he stared at the magistrate until the yamen runners forced him to bow his head.
Jiang Yushu lowered her head, flipped through the case file in her hand, and continued to interrogate: "Li Chang, have you ever been abused by Li Qigong and beaten by him?"
"Yes, yes!" Li Chang responded and stepped forward. Recalling the past, he still felt angry and fearful.
Jiang Yushu ordered: "Tell me the whole story."
Li Chang glared at Li Qigong angrily and reported carefully, "That happened before Yongzhou fell. Back then, my sister was raped by Li Qigong's cousin. Heartbroken and desperate, she attempted suicide several times. My family was furious and reported the case to the authorities, but before the trial even began, the army erupted. The county magistrate and the county magistrate were busy dealing with the enemy, so the case fell into the hands of Li Qigong, who ordered my execution. Within two weeks, he not only beat me severely himself, but also ordered the jailers to do the same. I was nearly beaten to death, and I only escaped by pretending to be dead."
outside the hall
The onlookers were all focused, sighing and many of them showed sympathy.
Guo Hongxuan sighed again, "Tsk, you guys, Tu Ning, are really messy."
"The emperor is far away, and the mountains are high." The little errand boy was used to it. "Li Dianshi has been a local tyrant for many years. I wonder how many evil deeds he has done that have not been brought to justice."
"People like that deserve to die."
"Damn it!" The common people dared not speak out against the local tyrants and hated them deeply.
The case was complicated, and Jiang Yushu conducted the trial in an orderly manner, with Huang Yichun assisting and the clerks running around.
After a long time, there was a sudden sound of quarreling outside the yamen. Guo Hongxuan turned his head and before he could see clearly, he was pushed into a corner by two groups of people who looked embarrassed and could not move.
"Sir!" The deceased's family members and students arrived, most of them in tears. Among them, Jing Yuanshan's wife knelt outside the hall, grief-stricken. "My old man was indeed murdered. It turned out that Wen Xi and Li Qigong had worked together to kill him. I beg you, sir, to punish the murderer severely and seek justice for Yuanshan!"
"Please, sir, please do something for Mr. Jing and don't let the murderer off easily."
"Mr.'s death was so unjust!"
…
At the same time, the murderer's family also arrived.
Wen Xi and Li Qigong's parents, wives, and children all knelt down, kowtowed, and begged for mercy, all shouting, "Our son was just confused for a moment. Please spare his life for the sake of his usual respect and diligence."
"I have old people above me and young children below me. Once Qi Gong dies, my widow and orphan will have no way to survive. Please have mercy on me, please have mercy on me."
"We are willing to compensate, even if it means selling everything we have. We only ask that you show some mercy and forgive us."
…
When the deceased's family heard this, they were furious, some yelling, some pushing, "Who wants compensation? Let me tell you, we don't!"
"Human life is of paramount importance. Killing someone means paying for their life. We don't want a penny in compensation. We only ask the magistrate to severely punish the murderer so that my father can rest in peace."
"Yes, the murderer must be severely punished!"
The murderer's family felt guilty, hid with their heads in their hands, and screamed for help: "Help, help!"
"Mr. Magistrate, please take a look. They were fighting when we met on the road just now, and now they are fighting again."
"Bullying women and children, what kind of skill is that?"
…
“Bang!”
“Pah pah pah!”
The gavel rang out four times in a row.
Jiang Yushu's face darkened as she shouted sternly, "Stop, stop immediately! Any further noise will be considered disrupting the court, and everyone will be punished. Who wants to be spanked? Stand up and accept the punishment!"
When they heard the words "being beaten with a stick", the excited family members suddenly became timid, stopped arguing, and started wiping away tears.
Huang Yichun urged them repeatedly, and the yamen runners rushed towards the crowd and warned them one by one.
After a moment, no one was making a fuss. Jiang Yushu waved her hand and ordered Wen Xi, "Continue! You said that □□ was Li Qigong's idea. What evidence do you have?"
"Qi Gong is smart. I follow his instructions in many things." At this point, Wen Xi was frightened and upset. He had no intention of hiding anything. He told everything he knew, like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube.
At this moment, Hou Ya
The government officials inspected the farmland and Mulberry Mountain yesterday and are resting today.
In the garden, Ji Xuelian, dressed in casual clothes, picked a mulberry leaf and examined it carefully. He asked slowly, "I heard that a major case is being tried in the front hall. Why don't you go and take a look?"
Pei Wenfeng was admiring the flowers nearby. Upon hearing this, he rubbed his lower back and explained, "I climbed several Mulberry Mountains in a row yesterday. My back and waist are sore and I'm tired. I slept a little longer and missed the opening time of the court session, so I simply didn't go. If there's any need, the county government will raise it. We'll talk about it then."
"County Magistrate Jiang, she..." Ji Xuelian frowned, then smiled and asked curiously, "Minister Jiang is raising his daughter as a son, right?"
"Why does father-in-law say that?"
Ji Xuelian asked in return, "Among ordinary wealthy ladies, is there anyone as daring, capable, and heroic as her? Her personality is simply not like that of a woman."
Pei Wenfeng sighed deeply, distressed and helpless. "No, she used to be very weak, timid, and naive, completely different from what she is now. It's all because she married the wrong person—" He paused and said calmly, "As the saying goes, 'Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.' Yu Shu married Guo Honglei and suffered a lot. The originally delicate daughter of a minister was forced to become strong and gradually became what men call a 'woman who is as capable as a man.'"
"Hmm." Ji Xuelian admired sincerely, "It's true that 'unpolished jade cannot be made into anything useful'. Hardships truly refine a person! If nothing had happened at the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion, she wouldn't have needed to show up in public at all."
"Exactly."
Pei Wenfeng casually picked a flower and sighed, "Her appearance hasn't changed, but her personality has completely changed. Frankly, when I see her now, I actually feel a sense of unfamiliarity. Obviously, I watched her grow up, but I actually feel a sense of unfamiliarity with her? It's really, really... Alas, the world is unpredictable."
Ji Xuelian was pleased that his son-in-law could face his old relationship openly, and jokingly asked, "Cousin has become cousin?"
"Stop joking." Pei Wenfeng smiled bitterly, always willing to take care of his sister Shu in his heart. "No matter how capable Yushu is, she is still a woman. She can't compare to a man. A cousin is always a cousin and can never become a cousin."
"Hahaha~" Ji Xuelian changed the subject, "I think we can treat her like a man. The more capable, the more work."
Pei Wenfeng retorted in his heart: No, that would be too difficult for her.
At the same time, Northern Grassland
The two sides were fighting, with people roaring and horses neighing, and the weapons colliding, making sharp and piercing sounds.
“Kill—”
Guo Honglei's uniform was stained with blood, even his face was spattered with blood. His eyes were cold and hard as he bravely fought the enemy. He clenched his teeth, holding his breath in his chest, his fighting spirit high.
"You little thief, are you worthy enough to fight with me? Die!" Tong Jing was not far away, killing and cursing as usual, with great momentum.
As the fight went on, the two generals gradually got closer.
"Hey," Tong Jing took the opportunity to ask, "Where are the reinforcements? Why haven't they arrived yet?"
Guo Honglei was busy killing the enemy and answered without turning his head: "I don't know!"
"By now, we should be here. Why hasn't he shown up yet? Could he be lost? Or maybe he got stopped?"
"It's possible."
Under the scorching sun, Tong Jing was sweating profusely, panting like an ox, and extremely thirsty, but he didn't dare to distract himself with drinking water. He said anxiously: "What should we do? Damn, the enemy is numerous and we are few. It's a bit difficult to fight."
Being in enemy territory, repeatedly without support, fighting alone. Guo Honglei was anxious, but his expression remained remarkably calm. "Keep calm, fight while retreating, return the way you came, and lead this group of enemy soldiers to another tribe's territory. Then we can either shake off the pursuers or watch them fight among themselves."
"What if the two tribes join forces to encircle and suppress us?" Although Tong Jing was anxious, his saber was still powerful, frightening the enemy soldiers so that they dared not approach.
Guo Honglei sighed inwardly and replied calmly, "I'll do my best and leave the rest to fate. Dying for my country is a worthy death."
The author has something to say: Winter Solstice, tomorrow is the Winter Solstice~? (?????)?
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