Chapter 85: In the courtroom, I met a pair of clear, peach blossom eyes. ...
Zhang Bosheng's family members in the hall began to cry again, "Sir, please make a decision for me!"
Banditry and robbery were a common occurrence these days, and the county magistrate lacked the courage and perseverance to pursue the thieves. He was deeply concerned, seeing growing public resentment and the impending arrival of the imperially appointed inspector. Just then, someone accused Huishengtang of colluding with bandits. The county magistrate naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to appease the people and achieve some political success. Just as he was about to order the suspects to be imprisoned, he heard a voice from below, suppressed in anger: "Sir! The accuser alleges that I am 'colluding with the bandits.' Did you ever see me meet with the bandits? Did you find any almanac? If it's just rumors from neighbors, there's no basis for it. Please understand!"
At this time, more and more people gathered outside the county government office, and many of them had previous interactions with Huishengtang, and they all pleaded for Lin Meizhu.
The county magistrate had no choice but to shout for silence. He then turned to Lin Meizhu and said, "Of course we have a witness. Come on! Bring him up!"
When the Huishengtang staff saw the person being brought up, they all cursed: "It turns out you are a Zhongshan wolf! You ungrateful dog!"
Zhang Cong cowered, not daring to meet Lin Meizhu's gaze. Hearing the county magistrate's question, he quickly replied, "I was robbed yesterday and escaped by hiding in the bushes. It was then that I saw a blue-clad clerk secretly communicating with the thieves from the Golden Tiger Village. They exchanged a few words. Fearing they would be silenced, I've been hiding for a long time. I wanted to keep it to myself, but my conscience has driven me to tears. That's why I've informed Huichun Hall and asked for justice, sir!"
Zhuzi, who was kneeling in the hall, cursed loudly, "Sir, he's lying! I only watched from a distance and didn't speak to any thief at all!"
The county magistrate slammed the gavel and said, "Lin Meizhu, you have no witnesses, no written agreement, and nothing more to prove your point. You lied about accepting refugees, but you colluded with the bandits. We had signs long ago that you harbored evil intentions and led the pharmacy to refuse to provide medicine and treatment to the garrison. Today, I will enforce justice for you! Someone, come..."
"Who said I don't have a witness?" Lin Meizhu suddenly turned around, her eyes scanning the crowd before gradually locking onto someone. "My witness is right behind me!"
The crowd looked at each other, but no one responded. Just as the county magistrate was about to forcefully detain the man, an old man's hoarse voice rang out, "I can testify that the young man was half a mile away from the scene at the time and had no contact with the thieves."
Two other men pushed through the crowd with great force: "I can also testify."
"I, a villain, can also testify!"
Finally, a thin figure stood up with red eyes: "I can testify for Doctor Lin."
Zhang Cong looked at Qiao Niang who suddenly appeared and asked in a trembling voice, "Qiao Niang, why are you here?!"
Qiao Niang looked at her husband, tears streaming down her face. "I can prove that my husband lied."
Lin Meizhu closed her eyes and slowly let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she had a backup plan. Fortunately, she had not misjudged the person.
She had noticed something was amiss as early as when Zhang Cong arrived at the inn, because he only had some minor injuries, but he was the last one to arrive. If he were an ordinary person, it could be explained that he did not know the way, but Zhang Cong had been in business for several years and was already familiar with the route, which only meant that he was likely to go somewhere else along the way.
Even more bizarre was that while Chuchu was devastated by the loss of her daughter, Qiaoniang was heartbroken, yet Zhang Cong's face was more apprehensive than sorrowful. Lin Meizhu had been on the lookout, sending people to monitor Zhang Cong and the whereabouts of the other refugees. After the incident, several of her staff immediately went to invite the relevant individuals over.
Now seeing Zhang Cong appear in the court and seeing Qiao Niang's shocked and ashamed reaction, all the doubts in Lin Meiju's heart were explained.
Zhang Cong's daughter wasn't killed at all, but was held hostage by the Golden Tiger Village. The Golden Tiger Village was short of medicine, and they wanted Zhang Cong to find leverage over the drug dealer. It's foreseeable that if Lin Meizhu hadn't been forceful, she would have been imprisoned. To escape the charges, she would have had to ask Zhang Cong to withdraw the lawsuit or change her confession. By then, she would be in a very difficult position, and would have had no choice but to agree to be an accomplice to the Golden Tiger Village.
If you fall into that situation, you will really be in collusion with the robbers.
After hearing Qiao Niang and her husband's confession, the county magistrate pursed his lips and pointed at Lin Meizhu, saying, "But there are still doubts about you, especially since you can't produce the painting contract. I have reason to suspect that you are deliberately misleading the public and covering up the fact that you bribed the thieves in the Golden Tiger Village!"
At this moment, the sound of hurried horse hooves was heard outside the door, and people saw a black megaphone rushing into the court.
Jiang Jin was carrying a fat baby on his back, panting heavily. He reached out and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, "Painting, the painting contract is here!"
When Zhang Cong and his wife saw the baby behind Jiang Jin, they burst into tears: "Tiger Girl! It's my Tiger Girl!"
Jiang Jin breathed a sigh of relief, he finally made it. In fact, he could have arrived earlier. For some reason, the little kid insisted on clinging to Shen Changfeng and would not let go. Jiang Jin started crying when he hugged him, and his head was sore from the noise.
The people sighed and pointed at the county magistrate.
The county magistrate wiped his sweat off his face and flipped through the petition rapidly. Suddenly, his eyes widened, as if he had discovered something surprising. He exclaimed, "Got it! You are a commoner, yet you presumptuously purchased a second courtyard? Do you think you can hide it from me?"
There was another noisy shouting outside the door. Lin Meiju's ears twitched and her face changed slightly.
Chen Huisheng was dragged into the courtroom by two yamen runners, twisting his arm. Lin Meizhu could clearly see two or three footprints on his trouser legs, and her anger surged. She had clearly instructed Xiaoman to stay home. Although Chen Huisheng had a short temper, he was not impulsive or reckless. There was only one possibility: Chen Huisheng was out on a medical consultation, and they had forcibly brought him here.
When the county magistrate saw the man being brought in, he shouted, "Chen Huisheng, the criminal, kneel down!"
Lin Meizhu, who had been kneeling in the hall, suddenly became furious. She pounced on him like a leopard, pointing her finger at him and cursing, "You corrupt official! You idiot! You have such a rat-like eye! In the early years, when floods and famines ravaged Lingnan, my grandfather donated grain to provide relief and support orphans, earning him the title of 8th rank righteous official by the imperial court. The Guangzhou prefect, Liang Wenhao, personally gifted him wine and a ribbon. Why can't I live in the second courtyard? You want my grandfather to kneel before you. Do you think you can handle this, you corrupt official?"
The county magistrate nearly slammed the gavel against his hand. Just as he was about to question his attendants, the chief clerk rushed in, holding a purple box. Upon opening it, he found the imperially bestowed wine cup and brocade sash. The county magistrate was secretly surprised: "It seems this woman is telling the truth." But Chen Huisheng was only a figurehead, without real power. How could he swallow her disrespect for authority in court?
The chief clerk leaned over and whispered a few words into the county magistrate's ear. The magistrate was shocked and said, "Why are you saying this now?"
The county magistrate hurriedly ordered someone to untie Chen Huisheng and take his place, then declared Huishengtang innocent in court and declared it was just a misunderstanding. Considering that Zhang Cong was eager to save his daughter and confessed his guilt in time, he was given twenty beatings and the matter was settled.
The county magistrate ordered someone to send Chen Huisheng back to his house in a sedan chair. As he escorted Lin Meizhu out, he kept saying, "Look, this incident is like a flood that has washed away the Dragon King Temple! It turns out we are all family..."
Jiang Jin, who witnessed the second half of the farce, looked at Lin Meiju with an extremely complicated expression.
Luo Shanchang was very considerate and kept his mouth shut, not spreading the news about Shen Changfeng and Lin Meizhu. However, this made Jiang Jin even more puzzled: Why was Shen Changfeng like this?
To a young man who was still not very clear about love, Lin Meiju was just an ordinary woman with good looks, graceful figure, wealthy family and good business sense.
Aren't there a lot of little widows like this? Why would Shen Changfeng, who is so decisive and ruthless in killing people outside, obey her orders?
Just like this time, when Shen Changfeng returned from suppressing bandits and saw Lin Meizhu had left without saying goodbye, he was still worried that she would be framed. He urgently asked me to deliver the new contract and return the rescued Hu Niu. But Fubo Village hadn't received the money yet. Wasn't Shen Changfeng afraid that Lin Meizhu would deny it? If Shen Changfeng had a broken finger, wouldn't he blame or vent his anger on her?
Jiang Jin racked his brains but couldn't figure out what was going on.
Seeing the magistrate's dramatic change of heart, Jiang Jin's daring suspicions were reinforced: Lin Meizhu must have a hidden secret. Perhaps she possessed some secret technique to manipulate men's hearts, or perhaps cultivated some kind of love insect, or perhaps engaged in some kind of sorcery? Could it be some strange medicine? Since she was a doctor, it was quite possible!
So when he met Lin Meizhu and met her beautiful, charming yet sharp eyes, Jiang Jin sensed danger and was afraid that if he looked at her for a moment longer, his mind would be drawn away. He forgot for a moment that Shen Changfeng had something to say to Lin Meizhu and ran away.
Lin Meizhu watched Jiang Jin, who had practically fled, and pinched the folded contract in her hand. Her eyes shifted several times as she gazed at the powerful handwriting that threatened to seep through the paper. She felt a sudden pain in her temples, and finally ordered her attendants, "Send someone to count the silver and deliver it to the people in Fubo Village."
After leaving the county government office, Lin Meizhu finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was as if all her strength had been drained from her body. She had been shaking with anger just now, and even now, her blood was still boiling. She didn't understand why the county magistrate had been so arrogant at first and then respectful. Chen Huisheng's status as a benefactor or the contract with Fubo Village alone wouldn't have caused such an effect.
Could it be because of Chuqi? But to avoid bringing trouble to Chuqi, she and Chen Huisheng had never revealed their relationship. She took two steps before her head felt dizzy and her steps unsteady. Then she remembered she hadn't eaten in the past two days and hadn't slept all night. Her energy was running low. She quickly stopped and reached out to steady herself on the Xiezhi statue.
But the tentacles of the statue were warm.
When she looked carefully, she found that someone was holding her up with his arms. Lin Meiju shook her head lightly twice and saw clearly from bottom to top the cloud-head shoes and jade-colored robe worn by the person. Suddenly, an indescribable sense of dependence and closeness surged in her heart. She wanted to pour out all the fear, relief, panic, grievance and other emotions brought about by the ups and downs of the past two days.
Heat welled up in her eyes, and she wanted to hug him and cry without caring about anything, waiting for him to say, "Don't be afraid, brother is back," as he always did.
She raised her head happily and met a pair of clear peach blossom eyes like autumn water. The man looked at her with a smile and said softly, "Eleventh Lady, how are you?"
The one who came was not Chuqi, but Lu Qingyan, the top scholar of the same year as Chuqi.
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