Chapter 80 The Prefect Sentences the Shen Family to Death
She paused briefly before continuing her clear statement: "Regarding witness testimony, Lu Bohong, the ninth-rank patrol inspector of Yong'an County and my brother, can testify that Lin Yingyu 'assaulted an official'; Shi Tou, a servant of the Shen family, can testify that Lin Yingyu entered the house, acted presumptuously, and repeatedly insulted the mistress; furthermore, I requested the Linhai Navy to investigate, and several naval officers and soldiers can testify that Shen Rongzhi married and cohabited with Lin overseas and established a separate family."
"In addition, the two servants who came yesterday on Zhang's orders to handle the medicine bowl and the woman's 'funeral arrangements,' as well as He Qiang, the temple keeper of the City God Temple who assisted the Shen family in secretly sending money, have all been apprehended and are currently waiting for trial outside the courtroom..."
Finally, she raised her voice slightly: "This humble woman begs Your Honor to conduct an on-site inspection! Lin Yingyu's daughter is right outside the hall. She can be made to undergo a blood test with Shen Rongzhi to prove that Shen Rongzhi 'abandoned his wife and remarried' and that Lin Yingyu 'caused chaos in the family with a concubine'! All the witnesses have been brought here and are awaiting Your Honor's summons."
Xiao Yeming suddenly spoke in a low, hoarse voice: "I can also testify that I personally witnessed Lin entering the house and behaving presumptuously; I also personally witnessed her assaulting Lu Bohong, the inspector of Yong'an County, and repeatedly defying her superiors and insulting the mistress of the house, Madam Lu. As for Shen Rongzhi's marriage and cohabitation with Lin overseas, and his divorce and remarriage, these are evidence obtained by my subordinates through investigation, and can also serve as corroborating evidence."
Lu Zhaoruo looked at Xiao Yeming in surprise...
As soon as Xiao Yeming finished speaking, a clear and slightly mocking voice came from outside the hall: "Your Excellency, I was also present just now, and I am willing to testify that I personally witnessed and heard everything that happened to the Shen family."
How could I, the author, be absent from the brilliance of this play?
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Gu Xian leaning leisurely against the door, fanning himself with a folding fan, smiling as he looked into the hall, clearly enjoying the show.
Shen Rongzhi, Lin Yingyu, Shen Qingshu, and Zhang Shi were all shocked.
They never expected that Lu Zhaoruo had secretly sent someone to Yuliao'ao on Guiyu Island to obtain a copy of the paper marriage certificate!
Moreover, she asked Commander Xiao to do the work for her!
Only now did they realize...
Everything that happened in the hall today was a trap she had laid long ago, just waiting for them to walk right into it!
Zhang suddenly recalled Lu Zhaoruo's unusual calmness and aloofness over the past six months. It turned out that it was not forbearance, but rather a period of dormancy.
She blurted out, "How...how did you know the overseas address? And how did you find the location of those secret letters..."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake, pursed her lips tightly, and turned pale.
Lu Zhaoruo looked at her quietly, her gaze cold: "Those who do wrong will eventually reveal their flaws. I was just a little more careful than usual, so naturally I was able to find out."
If I hadn't been deceived by them for thirty years in my past life, and spent my whole life trying to see through this man-eating mansion, how could I have been so careful and cautious in this life?
Of course, Ah Bao also deserves credit!
The prefect immediately seized the opportunity and ordered: "Summon the physical evidence!"
The constables immediately presented the medicine bowl, secret letter, copy of the marriage certificate, and secret ledger, among other physical evidence, to the authorities.
The prefect carefully examined the soup in the medicine bowl and then looked through the marriage certificate that recorded overseas remittances and Shen Rongzhi's remarriage. His expression was solemn.
He added, "Bring witnesses!"
Then, Shi Tou, the temple keeper He Qiang, two servants, and naval officers and soldiers were led into the hall.
The prefect interrogated each of them individually.
Stone tearfully recounts how Zhang and Shen Qingshu mistreated their mistress and indulged Lin's overstepping of her bounds.
The temple keeper, He Qiang, confessed with trepidation to assisting the Shen family in transferring their money.
The two servants also admitted that they were ordered by Zhang to handle the poisoned soup and cover up the traces of the corpse.
The naval officers and soldiers clearly recounted what they had witnessed overseas: Shen Rongzhi and Lin Shi living together as husband and wife and having a child...
Every testimony fit perfectly with the physical evidence, firmly sealing the guilt of the Shen family members.
The faces of the four members of the Shen family gradually turned ashen...
Shen Rongzhi never expected that this deadly trap, which was closing in step by step and leaving no room for error, was actually carefully laid out by Lu Zhaoruo, who had been his childhood sweetheart and had confided in him!
She used to be gentle and obedient to herself in everything.
Lin Yingyu never expected that when she followed Rong Lang home from afar, she was filled with the thought that she would be surrounded by a life of luxury and servants, and that she would be able to compete with the so-called mistress for favor. She thought it would be nothing more than a pastime in her leisure time.
Unexpectedly, he found himself standing in court, facing a long list of charges against him...
She looked at Lu Zhaoruo, this woman from the inner quarters, who was more formidable than she had imagined.
"Bring the baby in as well, and fetch some clean water."
The prefect solemnly replied.
Dongrou carried the baby into the hall.
A bowl of water was immediately served.
The bailiffs pricked Shen Rong's fingertip as ordered, squeezing out a drop of blood that fell into the water. Then they carefully pricked the baby's fingertip again, and the blood droplet fell into the bowl.
As the entire audience held their breath in suspense, the two drops of blood slowly merged in the water.
There was no doubt whatsoever.
"Blood is thicker than water, our kinship is proven!"
The clerk sang loudly.
At this point, all the evidence against him was irrefutable.
The accusations leveled against Lu Zhaoruo, including "owning property under a different name," "marrying another woman while already married," "condoning crimes," and "murdering a minor," have all been substantiated!
The prefect slammed his gavel down, the sound echoing throughout the courtroom: "Shen Rongzhi! As a son and a husband, you have abandoned your family and fled overseas; while your parents are still alive, you have registered separate households and acquired property without authorization; you have taken another wife, divorced your first wife and remarried, disregarding the laws and etiquette of the country; you have even taken a concubine as your wife, causing disorder among wives and concubines, committing incest and moral depravity! For these multiple crimes, according to the 'Criminal Code,' you shall be sentenced to three years of penal servitude and exiled three thousand li!"
"Lin Yingyu! You, of lowly status, have overstepped your bounds in the main hall, causing disorder among your wives and concubines; your concubines have insulted your mistress, committing insubordination; and you have even assaulted a relative of the second rank or above—Inspector Lu is an official appointed by the imperial court, yet you dared to assault and humiliate him, which is tantamount to assaulting an official, a violation of justice and righteousness! With these multiple offenses, according to the law you shall receive one hundred strokes of the cane and three years of penal servitude!"
"However, considering that you are six months pregnant and your eldest daughter is not yet three years old, according to the law, you can only be executed 100 days after childbirth. You will then take your daughter to the place of execution! Starting today, you will be imprisoned pending execution!"
"Shen Qingshu and Zhang! As elders, you two have allowed your parents to live in seclusion and acquire property elsewhere, allowing your son to steal from your family and disgracing your family. Furthermore, you have condoned your descendants' violations of the family's teachings and failed to investigate or prosecute Shen Rongzhi's bigamy, instead covering it up. You have failed in your morals and responsibilities! According to the law, you shall each be sentenced to eighty strokes of the cane and two years of penal servitude!"
“Zhang! You have committed the heinous crime of murdering a junior by an elder! According to the law, you shall be executed by hanging!”
Upon hearing the words "hanging," Zhang was so terrified that she collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face...
Just the day before, she was still dreaming that the Shen family would one day become one of the most prominent families in Jizhou City, and that her grandson would one day become an official in the imperial court, and that the Shen family's wealth and glory would be just around the corner...
How come it's called 'hanging' now?
No! This shouldn't be happening!
She had schemed and worked tirelessly for this family her whole life, and was just about to reach the top... How could she just fall headlong into the mud and end up strangled to death?
Soon, she remembered something, straightened up, and cried out, "Your Excellency! You cannot judge us! Our Shen family is a family of 'loyal merchants' bestowed by the emperor! After the new emperor paid homage at the temple, he specially issued the 'Edict to Reward Loyal Merchants of Three Dynasties,' and my ancestors truly contributed military funds to the founding emperor!"
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