Chapter 45 The Thief Testifies
Upon hearing this, Shen Lingyi's entire body of fat trembled violently, and her eyes, which were narrowed by the fat, suddenly widened.
Isn't it true that once you've taken the money and explained everything, even if you get caught, you have to insist that it was Tu who ordered it?
Zhang and Shen Qingshu looked grim.
The thief continued, "She gave me two strings of cash to steal silk from Chenji Cloth Shop. I stole three bolts before, but when I tried to steal a second time, I was caught by the shop assistant. I then ran away when they weren't looking and have been hiding ever since. I haven't dared to sell those ten bolts of silk."
Two soldiers stepped forward carrying the silk.
Lu Zhaoruo stepped forward slowly, her slender fingers gently stroking the silk surface, and said, "The warp and weft are fine, and the hidden patterns are exquisite. It is undoubtedly the top-quality silk that was stolen from the shop."
Shen Lingyi stubbornly retorted, "You're spouting nonsense! I've never seen such a despicable person as you!"
The thief hurriedly said, "When you found me, I wasn't the only one there! Several other brothers heard it too! Now we can bring them all here for questioning!"
Lu Zhaoruo asked, "Why did you insist that my mother had instructed you that day?"
Thief: "It was all Miss Shen who instructed me to say that."
"you……"
Shen Lingyi slumped to the ground like a puddle of mud.
Zhang looked at her daughter, gritted her teeth, and dared not say anything.
Shen Qing's face turned ashen, and he glared fiercely at Shen Lingyi.
"Aren't you going to let go?"
Lu Bohong shouted, startling the guards who hurriedly untied Tu Shi from her restraints.
Tu Shi, who had been slumped on the ground, jumped up and pointed at Shen Lingyi, cursing, "You heartless little bitch! You've framed me! It was clearly your idea that day... I only got a share of the silver."
She put her hands on her hips and said, "Now that we have both witnesses and physical evidence, let's see how you still try to deny it!"
Shen Lingyi, who wasn't very bright to begin with, glared at the thief and yelled, "You dog, you betrayed me!" as her fat face turned bright red.
These words confirmed that she had instructed thieves to steal silk from her own shop.
Zhang grabbed her arm tightly, cursing inwardly, "You're stupid."
Ban Ling raised a thick eyebrow, his tiger-like eyes sweeping across the faces of the Shen family members, and suddenly let out a sneer: "Heh! This general has certainly broadened his horizons today."
He strode up to Shen Lingyi and looked down at her condescendingly: "How could the eldest daughter of the Shen family commit such a heinous act of embezzlement?"
She then turned to Shen Qingshu, her voice laced with sarcasm: "Master Shen, you're quite the manager of your household. Even your daughter managed to empty out your own storeroom."
Shen Qing's face was ashen, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead: "General, please understand, this humble subject truly did not know..."
"Don't you know? You don't know your own daughter's temperament?"
Ban Ling interrupted with a cold laugh.
Shen Qingshu naturally understood the implication.
Banling waved his hand and said, "Guards! Take all these people to the county office and ask the magistrate to make a fair judgment!"
The soldiers immediately stepped forward and apprehended the man.
Shen Lingyi grabbed Shen Qingshu's sleeve and cried out, "Father, save me! Your daughter knows she was wrong!"
Madam Tu panicked and grabbed Lu Zhaoruo's sleeve: "A'ning! Mother doesn't want to go to the yamen! Go and say a good word to General Ban?"
Zhang suddenly spoke up: "General, you are wise... Even if this villain points to my daughter, it is a fact that my mother-in-law, Lu, was involved."
She gripped the handkerchief tightly, her voice strained, "Not to mention breaking in with a weapon... Both crimes combined would be no lighter than my daughter's punishment."
She deliberately feigned concern: "I'm afraid that my mother-in-law's health won't be able to withstand the hardships of imprisonment."
Upon hearing this, Madam Tu grabbed Lu Zhaoruo's arms with both hands and burst into tears: "A-Ning, I don't want to go to the county government office, I don't want to be exiled or go to jail, and I don't want to lose my dignity. Please... please, for your father's sake, don't send me to the county government office."
Lu Zhaoruo looked at Lu Bohong: "What do you think, brother?"
Although Lu Bohong was worried about his mother, he was reasonable and knew that it was his mother's fault, so he said, "Little sister, you can decide."
Lu Zhaoruo looked at her mother's terrified expression.
She wasn't feeling sorry for her, but rather for Lu's father...
"Xianxi..."
Seeing her expression soften, Shen Qingshu quickly stepped forward, "We're all family, why make a scene in court? It's our own silk that's being lost anyway, let's settle this privately..."
Banling also knew that if the master's family did not want to take the matter to court, the "theft among relatives" and "disputes between in-laws" could indeed be settled privately.
Lu Zhaoruo asked, "Then what should be done about Uncle?"
Shen Qingshu smiled and said, "Let's let this matter rest! Although my daughter was at fault, my mother-in-law barged in with the scale first, so both sides are at fault..."
Upon hearing this, Madam Tu immediately jumped up and down: "What? It's clearly your daughter..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Zhaoruo stopped him with a look.
Ban Ling pondered for a moment, then looked at Lu Zhaoruo: "What does Madam Lu think?"
Lu Zhaoruo lowered her eyes, her voice soft yet clear: "Since Uncle says he wants to settle this privately, I will naturally comply, but..."
"My aunt embezzled first and then framed me; although my mother knew about and received a share of the loot, she did not participate in the theft. Now, my mother is certainly wrong for injuring someone with a weapon, but if my aunt goes unpunished..."
Her gaze slowly shifted towards the ancestral hall, and her lips parted slightly: "Is the Shen family's century-old reputation destined to be tarnished by the infamy of 'allowing their daughter to become a thief'?"
Before she finished speaking, she turned to Ban Lingying and bowed gracefully: "Moreover, General Ban is here in person today, so this matter is no ordinary family affair. If we let it go so easily, wouldn't that be disrespecting an official appointed by the court?"
Upon hearing this, Ban Ling said, "Indeed, I am here. If you act as if nothing happened, what would you take me for? Today, I am acting on behalf of the general to 'settle the dispute'."
Dong Rou, standing nearby, instantly understood why the eldest lady had specifically instructed General Ban to come along.
She looked at her wife's straight back and couldn't help but smile secretly.
The old lady's move was truly brilliant!
Finally, the thief was given one hundred strokes of the cane, which was carried out on the spot. He was beaten until his skin was torn and his flesh was ripped open, and the two strings of cash given to him by Shen Lingyi were confiscated.
Shen Lingyi was forced to return three bolts of Quanzhou silk, worth eight taels of silver, and was also fined three times the amount of the stolen goods, for a total of twenty-four taels of silver.
For knowingly accepting a share of the spoils and for injuring someone with a weapon, Tu was fined 20 catties of copper, equivalent to 10 strings of cash.
The twenty-four taels were naturally paid by Zhang on behalf of her daughter.
Lu Zhaoruo was pleased, after all, she had received so much silver.
Shen Qing's expression was unpredictable.
Shen Lingyi still looked unconvinced.
Lu Zhaoruo smiled slightly and suggested gently, "The public punishment has been decided, and the family rules should not be abolished either."
Family rules?
Zhang Shi, Shen Qingshu, and Shen Lingyi's entire family all looked at her.
What does she mean?
Lu Zhaoruo's gaze shifted slightly as she looked at Shen Lingyi: "How about... having my aunt personally deliver the silk back to the shop, and in front of Manager Chen and the shop assistants, offer tea and apologize?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Lingyi's expression changed drastically.
The punishment may seem lenient, but it was actually a public humiliation that made Shen Lingyi lose face.
"you……"
Just as she was about to raise her voice in protest, Ban Ling interjected, "This is a very good idea. Let Miss Shen carry out the 'repentance' ceremony at the shop."
He looked at Shen Qingshu: "What do you think, Master Shen?"
Shen Qingshu's temples bulged with veins, and he finally gritted his teeth and squeezed out, "As Xian's wife says."
The matter is finally over.
Lu Zhaoruo saw Ban Ling to the door and gave him a graceful bow, saying, "Today, we are very grateful to General Ban for upholding justice."
She suddenly looked up, a hint of inquiry flashing in her eyes: "But... how come it's such a coincidence that the general happened to run into my brother apprehending thieves?"
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