"What? The county magistrate? That important figure is actually the county magistrate!"
"My God, what did I just hear? How could the county magistrate do such a thing?"
The county constable was an official position below the county magistrate, mainly responsible for maintaining public order.
“If it were Qian Rong who committed the act of a brother taking his brother’s wife, we might still believe this county magistrate…”
The people outside the courtroom were terrified by Rong Zheng's words, their jaws nearly dropping from their shock.
However, many rational citizens analyzed: "The county magistrate has always had a good relationship with the Qian family, and the Qian family is very wealthy. Since the county magistrate became friends with the Qian family, his life has completely improved. Every time I see the county magistrate, he is all smiles. I don't believe that the county magistrate has nothing to do with the Qian family!"
"That's right! Qian Rong did indeed force Qian Ye, the second young master of the Qian family, to have his woman taken by him. This is no secret. It's just that the second young master of the Qian family is willing to wear this green hat, so we can't say anything! But... it's not impossible that the county magistrate is on good terms with the Qian family and is doing immoral things with Qian Rong!"
"Think about it, Qian Ye's concubine, Hao Zhi, is as beautiful as a fairy. Although she comes from a poor peasant family, her figure, her looks, and her voice as melodious as a nightingale's song—which man could resist her? So I don't think Rong Zheng is lying!"
"Speaking of which, it reminds me of something. As you all know, my home isn't far from the county magistrate's house. I know that the county magistrate and his wife are having a fight, and it's been going on for quite a while. I used to laugh at the county magistrate's wife for not knowing how lucky she was, but now that I think about it... who knows, the county magistrate's wife's fight with the county magistrate might be related to the Qian family, especially that woman Hao Zhi!"
"Who can say for sure? But no matter what, if it's true that the county magistrate did such a thing, then it's an outrage against heaven and earth. He must be removed from his position as county magistrate, otherwise we common people will be doomed."
The public's discussions grew louder and louder, making it impossible for Zuo Li to continue the trial.
He slammed his gavel, and the gavel immediately began to move, the bailiffs shouting in authoritative voices, "Majesty!"
The people were so frightened that they fell silent. "No noise is allowed in the courtroom! How many times do I have to remind you? If you continue to discuss this, I will expel you all from the county office and forbid you from watching the case unfold!"
The people all lowered their heads silently, not because they disrespected the county magistrate, but because Rong Zheng's words were too shocking.
The situation was out of control for a time, which is why it affected Zuo Li's trial.
After the crowd quieted down, Zuo Li looked at Rong Zheng and said, "Rong Zheng, do you know what the punishment is for slandering an official of the imperial court?"
Rong Zheng kowtowed and solemnly said, "This humble subject knows that if it is not true, at best I will be slapped and beaten, at worst I will be exiled and imprisoned, and in the most serious cases, this entire family will be ruined."
"Since you know the consequences of slandering an official of the imperial court, then you should know that Xie Yiqing is the county magistrate of Wenhong County, in charge of maintaining public order. He has always been conscientious and diligent, serving the people and has never done anything wrong. How can I believe you when you speak of the county magistrate like this?"
The voiceover says: If you want me to believe you, you must produce evidence.
After all, Xie Yiqing hadn't done anything malicious that would leave any evidence against him.
As for Hao Zhi's matter, Hao Zhi is already dead, and the Qian family is speaking up for Xie Yiqing, so Rong Zheng's fate is predictable.
Rong Sheng's dark eyes flashed, she kowtowed, and said loudly, "Your Honor, my brother said this because they saw and heard it with their own ears at the Qian family's house. There is no substantial evidence pointing to the County Magistrate being a lecherous and vicious person. However, I have a way to prove that County Magistrate Xie Yiqing is indeed related to Hao Zhi's death!"
"Oh? Tell me about it!" Zuo Li said.
Rong Sheng said, "The reason the Qian family approached my father was to treat their patients! My father, Rong Dong'an, just said that all the patients he had seen had syphilis, including the deceased Hao Zhi! To prove that the county magistrate is innocent, we only need to bring him here and find some skilled doctors to treat him, and we can get a result!"
Furthermore, this humble woman believes that we could send a constable to summon the county magistrate's wife for a proper examination! If the county magistrate suffers from syphilis, then his wife... won't escape either!
Zuo Li nodded: "That is indeed a good method!"
Zuo Li immediately made the arrangements.
Especially doctors, highly skilled doctors, must be their own people.
Otherwise, Xie Yiqing would have run away.
Watching Zuo Li make the arrangements, Rong Sheng curled the corners of her lips, then said, "My lord, I believe that since this matter has escalated to this point, why not summon the entire Qian family for questioning one by one? Including the already deceased Hao Zhi! Although Hao Zhi is dead, we can determine through her body how she died, or whether she truly suffered from syphilis!"
Zuo Li raised an eyebrow: "Don't worry, these people are already at the county government office!" It will be their turn soon.
But first, we need to summon the county magistrate and others so that the doctor can examine them one by one.
Therefore, the trial of this case has been temporarily suspended until the outcome is determined.
To prevent Xie Yiqing, the county magistrate, from colluding with the Qian family, Zuo Li specifically sought out the men left to him by Prince Yi and instructed them to bring the county magistrate over and keep an eye on him and the Qian family.
In this way, even if the county magistrate and his men resisted, they would be no match for Prince Yi's men.
Just as Zuo Li had expected, Xie Yiqing, relying on his position as the county constable of Wenhong County, refused to obey the 'yamen runners' and threw a tantrum for a while. As a result, these 'yamen runners' knocked Xie Yiqing down and took Xie's family to the county yamen, handing them over to Zuo Li.
The Qian family, however, wanted to resist. They brought along the Qian family patriarch, Qian Rong, Qian Rong's wife, Madam Lü, Qian Ye's wife, Madam Gao, their personal maids, the Qian family's doctor, and others.
Two midwives were also brought along and placed in the inner courtyard of the county government office. They were kept under the watchful eyes of the yamen runners and were not allowed to leave the office or whisper to each other or send messages.
Then the doctor came over and examined the pulses of the Xie and Qian families one by one, and wrote down the results on a piece of paper and handed it to Zuo Li.
Zuo Li's face turned very pale after seeing the doctor's diagnosis.
It should be noted that he has only been back in Wenhong County as magistrate for three years, and he has always gotten along very well with Xie Yiqing, and they have never quarreled over anything.
At first, when Prince Yi sent someone to deliver the evidence of Xie Yiqing's crimes to him, he didn't believe it, but then...
Zuo Li was very angry, but also fortunate to have received guidance from Prince Yi, otherwise he really wouldn't have been able to win over Xie Yiqing.
So the case was brought to court, and this time, everyone involved in the case was brought to the courtroom.
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