Chapter 192: A Stunning Explosion
When Qiao Shouyi heard that He Ziqi was going to go to court to personally try this case, he felt something was not right. He wanted to leave first to make some arrangements.
Unexpectedly, He Ziqi said to him, "Master Qiao, let's try this case together."
Qiao Shouyi forced a smile and agreed, "Okay." Now he couldn't leave even if he wanted to. He could only instruct his confidant to go to his son's place and ask him to send someone to warn that old lady Ma not to talk nonsense!
Unfortunately, this confidant failed to pass the message to Qiao Yingzhe. As soon as he came out, he was caught up by He Ziqi's men, and eventually he fainted in a secluded corner.
So, when the court was opened, Qiao Yingzhe was dumbfounded when he saw that it was He Ziqi sitting in the middle of the hall, while his father was sitting next to him.
Qiao Shouyi shook his head at him implicitly. Qiao Yingzhe's heart sank and he stood aside with a gloomy face.
While He Ziqi was in court, the Liucheng County Government Office was crowded with onlookers.
This kind of adultery case is more eye-catching and exciting than a murder case.
After the two parties (two slots) were in place, Qiao Shouyi discovered that the lawyer Zhou Bo, whom he had sent for, did not show up!
Okay, he could already foresee the outcome of this case.
Qiao Shouyi didn't know this. He sent someone to invite Zhou Bo, and Zhou Bo gave him face and was already on his way to the county government office. He also had a general understanding of the case, but when he heard that the person going to court was the county magistrate He Ziqi, he found an excuse and slipped away.
He knew this move would most likely offend the Qiao family, but he had no choice. If he showed up, it would mean he had chosen to side with the Qiao family, but in reality, he wasn't so optimistic about them. The previous county magistrate had been tricked by the Qiao family and left Liucheng, and that was how Qiao Shouyi failed to ascend to power.
The current county magistrate, He Ziqi, had a certain reputation outside. It was said that after he succeeded Zhang Xianzhi, he had managed Changli in an orderly manner. He had to see the county magistrate's ability before he could decide on his side, right?
At first, he was willing to come because the person who came to deliver the message said that it was Lord Qiao who was going to the court, so he gave him face and came.
But halfway through, I heard that the person going to court had changed to the county magistrate!
This was different. The county magistrate had been in office for over ten days, and today was his first appearance to preside over official business. Zhou Bo felt this was not right. He was afraid that the county magistrate's first act after taking office would burn him, so he left the city directly. He went to a relative's house in the next county, intending to stay there for a while and wait for the outcome of the fight between the two tigers before returning.
This case is actually a confusing one.
Old Mrs. Ma insisted that her eldest daughter-in-law Qi Zhenniang had an affair with her cousin Meng Yun. Apart from emphasizing that she saw it with her own eyes, there was no other witnesses or evidence, but she insisted on throwing the adulterous couple into a pig cage.
Qi Zhenniang insisted that she and her cousin were innocent and was willing to die to prove her guilt.
Ma Zhongping himself had no idea whether to believe his mother or his wife.
In addition, Qi Zhenniang wanted to divorce after proving her innocence and take away her only daughter who had an ear disease. Ma Laotai and Ma Zhongping were unwilling to do so.
The difficulty lies in the fact that no one can provide evidence to prove whether Qi Zhenniang had an affair with her cousin.
Xue Xu, the lawyer representing the defendant, began by saying, "Please present relevant witnesses and evidence to prove that Qi Zhenniang and her cousin had an affair."
"Why do you want me to prove it? Ask Qi to prove her innocence!" Old Mrs. Ma was furious.
Xue Xu remained unmoved. He wasn't one to be frightened. "Where's the evidence?"
Old Lady Ma: "I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false? She is my eldest daughter-in-law. If she wouldn't do such a shameful thing, why would I expose such a scandal?"
The onlookers all felt that what Old Lady Ma said made some sense.
"This lady is right. As the saying goes, family disgrace should not be made public. If there really is no such thing, why would she expose it and embarrass her family?"
"Poor old lady, this couple is so shameless, doing it in someone else's home!"
…
Hearing the discussions and support from the people around her, Old Lady Ma glanced at Xue Xu with pride.
Xue Xu suddenly said, "Mrs. Ma, I know you're having an affair with the uncle next door."
"What nonsense are you talking about? I'll tear your mouth off!" Old Lady Ma really jumped up this time. "Why do you say that to me? What evidence do you have?"
“I saw it with my own eyes!”
“Bullshit!”
"I saw it with my own eyes. If you think I'm lying, then you can provide evidence to prove your innocence."
Old Mrs. Ma choked.
"You are slandering me!"
"Am I slandering you? What evidence do you have to prove your innocence?"
Old Mrs. Ma choked.
He Ziqi just watched Xue Xu perform quietly from above, thinking of giving him a push when necessary.
Among the onlookers, a middle-aged man with a mustache muttered, "Don't women usually prove their innocence in cases like this? Why is this lawyer trying to embarrass an old lady?"
Xue Xu looked at the other person and suddenly said, "You killed someone at midnight last night."
The other party was dumbfounded. "What nonsense are you talking about? Don't talk nonsense!"
"I'm not kidding, I saw it with my own eyes."
As soon as Xue Xu finished speaking, everyone around the middle-aged man with a small mustache dispersed and stayed away from him, treating him as if he were a murderer.
The middle-aged man with a small mustache stomped his feet and said, "You're talking nonsense. I didn't kill anyone!"
"What evidence do you have to prove that you didn't kill anyone?" Xue Xu asked back.
The middle-aged man with a mustache said hurriedly, "I didn't go out last night!"
"Who can prove it?"
"My youngest son." The middle-aged man with a small mustache lost his wife two years ago and has been sleeping with his youngest son.
"Did he see you at home during the hour of the Ox? Is he sure you were home and didn't sneak out to kill someone?"
The middle-aged man with a mustache was speechless by his question. Who wouldn't be fast asleep at that time?!
Someone else whispered, "Can't this be done?"
Xue Xu glanced at the young man. He leaned forward slightly and asked, "Young man, did you eat the leek and egg dumplings diagonally across the street this morning?"
"How do you know?"
"Of course I know. I was right behind you at the time. After you left, the owner of the Jiao Er tea shop realized that you ate two bowls but only paid for one."
"Nonsense! I only ate one bowl!"
"How do you prove it?"
How can you prove that a young man is holding his breath?
"Are you going to commit seppuku to prove your innocence?"
The young man retorted, "Why would I commit seppuku? You said I ate two bowls, then show me the evidence!"
Xue Xu smiled and said, "That's right. If someone says you ate two bowls, that person has to provide evidence that they ate two bowls, instead of asking you to prove that you didn't eat two bowls."
Then he turned to the middle-aged man with a mustache and said, "Have you learned what I mean by that? When I told you you killed someone, you should have asked me to produce evidence that proves you did it, instead of you desperately trying to prove you didn't kill anyone."
Others praised him, "That's right. You can't just say someone killed someone, right? You need evidence."
"Mrs. Ma, do you understand? You are the one who brought the charge of adultery between your eldest daughter-in-law and her cousin, so you have the responsibility to provide evidence. You can't ask your daughter-in-law, who is innocent, to prove something she didn't do. Otherwise, you have to prove that you and your uncle next door are innocent."
Old Mrs. Ma was completely caught off guard. She didn't know whether to advance or retreat, and was completely speechless.
"Do you all agree?" Xue Xu asked.
The middle-aged man with a mustache and the young man nodded quickly, "That's right." They didn't want to prove themselves anymore!
Everyone he questioned lowered their heads, not daring to say it was wrong. If they did, would they be embarrassed and slandered like the bearded middle-aged man and the young man just now?
"I think the old gentleman is right. If you can slander someone without any evidence, and the person being slandered has to scramble to prove their innocence, the world will be in chaos."
"Yes, that's how it should be. Like that bearded uncle and that young man, if they were hot-tempered, they might actually commit seppuku to prove their innocence."
"Once you've filed a lawsuit, you have to go to the trouble of producing evidence. Otherwise, there's nothing to do. Everyone would want to be the plaintiff, and the world would be in chaos."
Xue Xu's words made many ordinary people who were watching suddenly realize the truth.
Qiao Yingzhe, who was watching this scene, cursed in his heart, "What an idiot! Kill him as soon as possible, and the status of the victim (plaintiff) and the criminal (defendant) will be reversed. The Ma family will become the established beneficiaries and the defendants. It will be difficult for the other party to produce evidence."
This is what Xue Xu was thinking. If they had chosen the role of the victim (plaintiff) at the beginning and sued Old Lady Ma for defamation, they would not only have to produce evidence to prove her defamation, but also have to prove their innocence. This would mean they would have done everything.
Finally, Old Lady Ma said unwillingly, "Ms. Qi wants a divorce. Doesn't she have an adulterer? Would she dare to do that?"
Xue Xu: "Again, where's the evidence? If you can't produce evidence, it's slander."
He Ziqi clenched his fist and coughed lightly to hide the smile in his eyes. He found that his teammate was very sharp. He turned the disadvantage of the case around by just one person.
Qiao Shouyi felt that if he didn't say something to save the situation, the case would be doomed.
"Sir, even though Old Madam Ma has no evidence, there's no smoke without fire. Doesn't that mean the Qi family is completely innocent?"
He Ziqi simply threw the question to Xue Xu, "Mr. Xue, what do you think about Mr. Qiao's question?"
"Your Excellency, the County Magistrate, in this case—the evidence of corruption is suspected, but there are no witnesses; or there are witnesses, but the matter is not suspected at all. There is suspicion of guilt, but there is no circumstantial evidence. Although there is circumstantial evidence, there is no suspicion of guilt."
What Xue Xu meant by this was that this case was a case of doubtful guilt.
Xue Xu continued, "The Book of Shang says: 'When there is doubt about guilt, it is light; when there is doubt about merit, it is heavy. It is better to kill the innocent than to commit an offense.' The ancients also said: 'When there is doubt about punishment, pardon follows punishment; when there is doubt about punishment, pardon follows exemption.' We should thoroughly investigate and find the truth."
In cases of doubtful guilt, the punishment should be lenient or even non-punished. In cases of doubtful merit, that is, when the severity of the merit is uncertain, the reward should be heavier. It is better to let a criminal go than to kill an innocent person unjustly.
Xue Xu was well-versed in the laws and regulations of Dali, and was well-versed in classics. He could quote from them effortlessly.
"Good!" As He Ziqi finished speaking, the gavel was slammed down.
The innocence of Qi Zhenniang and her cousin Meng Yun was finally established by the government. As for Qi Zhenniang's request for a divorce, after inquiring about her wishes, Lord He granted her consent and even allowed her to take her daughter with her.
Old Mrs. Ma disagreed with Qi Zhenniang's idea of taking her granddaughter away. As long as she had her granddaughter in her hands, they would not be able to turn the tables.
However, in Qi Zhenniang's narration of her life over the years, everyone heard about the Ma family's harsh treatment and indifference towards her and her daughter, and the common people who were listening could not bear it.
For a time, public opinion was surging, and people were all scolding Old Lady Ma for being unkind. Some even asked the county magistrate to let the child live with his mother.
He Ziqi took advantage of the situation and got the job done.
It all ended smoothly.
He Ziqi had never expected this result. At first, he thought it would take a lot of effort.
Before going to court, he had someone confirm that this Lü Mingzhi was the one mentioned in his mentor's letter. He had been wondering how he could pretend to be fair and impartial and favor his own people.
Finally found out that he just wanted to handle things impartially?
Xue Xu was also puzzled. This was not a difficult task. He only used 50% of his strength, and it was done?
Lu Mingzhi was in a daze.
Oh my god, Mr. Xue is really a man who either keeps quiet or makes a big splash when he does.
His eloquence is comparable to that of his father, Lu Desheng.
I wonder who will be the winner if the two of them have a fight when his father comes to Pingzhou?
Also, what are his sister's eyes like?
This little old man was just an ordinary old man before, very skinny. Apart from being greedy for life and death and often trying to run away, he didn't show any talent at all.
How could his sister see his extraordinary abilities from his ordinary appearance? I want to learn.
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