Magistrate Li was overjoyed and immediately questioned him personally.
With only one eye remaining, tears streamed down Ye Ting's face as she muttered, "My lord, my life is more bitter than bitter herbs!!"
I lost my mother when I was little, and everyone bullied me. I was always hungry and cold. Only he was good to me. He gave me so much silver at once and promised to give me a thousand taels of silver after the matter was settled..."
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Li knew there was hope and hurriedly asked her who "he" was and why he was giving her a thousand taels of silver.
Magistrate Li said, "Ye Ting, if you cooperate well, the government will not only reward you with silver, but also find you the best doctor."
Ye Ting desperately wants to regain her appearance, as Zhang Xiangliang likes her because she's pretty. If she can regain her looks, she begs Zhang Xiangliang to take her back, promising to live a good life with him and never think about anything else again.
"That man gave me a jade pendant and said that if I needed anything, I should go to the Prime Minister's residence in the capital to find the Second Young Master."
Ye Ting took out the jade pendant and showed it to the county magistrate.
Magistrate Li looked at the jade pendant. The front was engraved with the word "Anger" and the back with "Prime Minister's Residence." He was greatly surprised. Could this really be the token of the second son of the Prime Minister's residence?
Something doesn't make sense. How could a second son of a prime minister's family and a village woman be together?
"Ye Ting, who are those people?"
Tears welled up in Ye Ting's one eye again: "They're all liars! I was so stupid, so stupid. I only knew that Jin Yi was stupid and crippled, but I didn't know he was faking it. His leg wasn't broken, and he wasn't stupid!"
She seemed deeply wronged, choking back tears. If Jin Yi hadn't lied to her, she would have received a thousand taels of silver.
Even if Zhang Xiangliang was sick, she had the money to cure him, and she and Zhang Xiangliang would never have ended up like this.
"Do you know who they are?"
"The most powerful one calls himself 'This King,' claiming to be a prince, while the one in brocade robes says he is the son of the deceased Empress Wei."
Magistrate Li plopped down on the ground.
Two princes?
Anyone who can call themselves "this king" and is so young—according to Manager Sheng's feedback, Magistrate Li received a chilling answer—
Could this charred remains, not quite dead yet, be the remains of King Liang?
If it is the King of Liang, then he is the legitimate son of the Queen of Chu and the eldest nephew of the Prime Minister of Chu!
Magistrate Li wished he had never taken on this case; given the current situation, his entire clan should be wiped out.
Ye Ting continued her incessant rambling, recounting Chu Bu Nu's story and the one she had to tell—
"He gave me silver and told me to trick Jiutian into leaving, and to have Zhang Xiangliang carry the brocade robe to the street, saying he wanted to see him..."
Ye Ting cried through her one eye, "I was so stupid, really. I only knew he wanted to see Jin Yi, I never thought he wanted to kill Jin Yi."
Magistrate Li looked at her and cursed inwardly, "What a shrew!"
You don't know? What the hell are you pretending to be so innocent for?
Zhang Xiangliang carried the brocade robe, but he wasn't an accomplice. The innkeeper, Manager Sheng, and the greeter both testified that Zhang Xiangliang was very honest, and that Ye Ting had actively sought out those people to sell information for money.
"How did you convince Zhang Xiangliang to lure Jin Yi out onto the street?"
“I told Zhang Xiangliang that Jin Yi’s leg was broken and needed to be exposed to the sun to heal faster. Zhang Xiangliang was honest, so he agreed to carry him out to sunbathe.”
Magistrate Li was furious. He spat and said, "Ye Ting, you took advantage of Zhang Xiangliang's kindness and his feelings for you. You really are a good woman to have tricked him like this!"
Ye Ting didn't know what Magistrate Li meant; all she knew was how pitiful she felt.
"Your Honor, may I receive the reward you promised to me? I have told you everything I know."
"You're ugly, dreaming big! If you hadn't come to collect your reward, I wouldn't have known that I'd overlooked you, the murderer."
Magistrate Li roared, "Zhang Xiangliang was murdered by you, wasn't he? You're also an accomplice in trying to kill the Imperial Guards. He's His Highness the First Prince! How dare you conspire with others to murder a prince!"
Want more reward money? After you've taken the reward money, are you going to eat your fill and then continue to harm people?
However, with Ye Ting's testimony, the whole case became clear.
The murderer, the victim, and the accomplices are all present.
Magistrate Li chose a date to hold court, summoning Aunt Zhang, Zhang Xiangliang, Ye Xuyang, and the head of the Ye family to conduct a small-scale public trial of the entire case.
Finally, the verdict was announced.
The crimes and punishments of the Prince of Liang and the two princes of Chu in their attempted murder of the eldest prince were to be determined by their superiors.
The compensation for the victim Jin Yi will also be determined separately after being reviewed and approved by the superior.
However, the crime and punishment of Ye Ting, the accomplice, are quite simple and can be decided by Magistrate Li.
"The criminal, Ye, was audacious and greedy. She colluded with Chu Bu Nu, the second young master of the Chu family, and the Prince of Liang to lure the victim, the eldest prince, into an ambush, whereupon she attempted to kill him and caused Zhang Xiangliang to lose his mind."
The criminal woman, surnamed Ye, committed heinous crimes that were unforgivable. She was sentenced to beheading, and her entire clan was also implicated and exiled three thousand li away.
The above sentences are subject to approval by the Ministry of Justice and will be executed accordingly.
After the verdict was read aloud, Magistrate Li shouted, "Imprison the convicted woman, Ye, and her entire family. Release Zhang Xiangliang without charge."
Ye Ting burst into tears, pleading, "I didn't harm anyone! I didn't get the silver! It was Zhang Xiangliang who was ambushed while carrying the brocade robes! It was Zhang Xiangliang who harmed me..."
Aunt Zhang was so angry that she fainted on the spot.
Magistrate Li announced, "Court is adjourned."
The Ye clan patriarch collapsed to the ground, completely dumbfounded.
An outrageous traitor has emerged from the Ye family! He's having an affair with a man outside the family and plotting to murder a prince for a thousand taels of silver, ultimately leading to the extermination of the entire Ye clan!
Ye Xuyang, Ye Wei, and Wu grabbed Ye Ting and beat her violently. If it weren't for the bailiffs stopping them, Ye Ting would have died on the spot.
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