Chapter 199: Not Afraid
Due to insufficient manpower and inability to fight against the angry people, Magistrate Cao brought the Cao family's servants, a group of lackeys who acted arrogantly.
"This is Ruyang. What good will it bring to you if you go against the county magistrate?"
Manager Cao pointed at the sturdy man standing in the front, stroked his beard and said slowly, "I recognize you. You are Liu the blacksmith from the east of the city. You are here to help Miss Xu. Have you ever thought that you also have children?"
Now, taking advantage of the chaos, the people are banding together for warmth. When the situation calms down, Magistrate Cao will settle the score.
If the law does not punish everyone, then catch the people who lead the trouble and punish them.
When Manager Cao mentioned the children of Liu the Blacksmith, the threat in his words was very obvious.
"Everyone is responsible for their own actions. If the disaster does not affect their family, how does it have anything to do with my children?"
Blacksmith Liu's eyelids twitched violently, revealing a look of humiliation.
That’s right, he wanted to do his best to seek justice for the Xu family. If he really implicated his family, Liu the blacksmith would become a sinner.
Thinking of this, Blacksmith Liu squatted in the corner and scratched his hair in annoyance, feeling extremely conflicted.
If he continued to make trouble, Magistrate Cao would not let his children go, but if he just stood by and watched, Blacksmith Liu would feel guilty for the rest of his life.
Seeing that this move worked, Manager Cao became more confident and pointed at the leaders of the riot and said, "If anyone dares to slander my master again, they will all be sent to the government office and put in jail, and their families will be punished as well!"
"Miss Xu had a secret meeting with Master Shi, and suddenly fell ill and passed away. Is it worth your intervention for such a fickle woman?"
Magistrate Cao downplayed the incident and concluded that Miss Xu's illness and departure had nothing to do with the Shi family, let alone Magistrate Cao.
Making such a big fuss is tarnishing the reputation of the officials.
"My master is broad-minded and will not pursue the matter. If you continue to put the blame on me, I will not be polite. We will see you in court!"
After Manager Cao finished speaking, the restless people stopped what they were doing and were obviously hesitant.
Although everyone wanted to help the Xu family, they were all poor people and were humbled to the dust in front of Magistrate Cao.
The scene quieted down. Magistrate Cao nodded with satisfaction and pretended to be generous: "It's getting late, let's go! I will regard you as someone instigating me and will not pursue the matter!"
After Magistrate Cao finished speaking, he winked at his runners.
While Liu the blacksmith and the others were not making any move, the bailiffs rushed forward to snatch Miss Xu's body.
During the robbery, Miss Xu's sleeve was torn, revealing a snow-white arm.
"ah……"
The people took a closer look and immediately gasped.
His arms were covered in bruises, with a few bloody streaks and blood marks from the ropes rubbing against his skin.
As Miss Xu struggled, the ropes bit into her flesh. The places where she was bound were already bloody and blurred, forming a sharp contrast with the white and tender spots on her body.
Now, the people, who had been dead silent, became excited again.
Liu the blacksmith was the first to stand up and curse, "You dog official, you are protecting your brother-in-law and taking human lives lightly. If I don't stand up today, it will be my turn tomorrow. The rest of us will just stand by and watch. If you don't give us an explanation, we will burn down the government office!"
Miss Xu is 28 years old and has a gentle personality. Although she is not good at speaking, she always does good things silently.
Liu the blacksmith wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said, "Fellow villagers, you all know that my mother is old and confused, and she usually stays at home."
"My mother suddenly went missing some time ago, and our whole family went crazy looking for her. Later it turned out to be a false alarm. It was Miss Xu who went to the south of the city to sell tofu and brought my mother back on a small cart!"
Miss Xu was afraid that Liu the blacksmith's family would be worried, so she did not sell the tofu and sent the man back in a hurry.
Not only that, he also bought buns for his mother.
"Such a kind-hearted girl died in an unclear manner and was abused after death. If I, Liu the Blacksmith, don't take action, I don't deserve to be a human being!"
Blacksmith Liu looked like he was fighting for his life. No matter who threatened him now, it was useless. As long as he was still alive, he would not be scared back!
Seeing this, Magistrate Cao waved his hand nonchalantly and said with a trembling face: "What a stubborn rascal! Arrest Liu the blacksmith!"
If you don't use him as an example to scare others, do you still think he is an easy person to talk to?
"Quick, hang him in front of the government office and let the troublemakers open their eyes and see!"
Magistrate Cao took drastic measures. He sent someone to get a large barrel of tung oil, intending to pour it on Miss Xu and burn her to death.
If they act like this, even if the imperial envoy comes to investigate the case, he won't be able to find any strong evidence.
The yamen runner followed orders and Hongli could not bear to watch. He shrilly cursed, "You dog official, how dare you!"
After Hongli took the lead, the people finally reacted and wanted to fight back. They pushed away the yamen runners who were blocking them and ran straight towards Liu the blacksmith.
In the end, the two groups confronted each other, with a clear distinction between them.
Magistrate Cao was slightly surprised when he saw this, but he didn't take it seriously: "Are you all stubborn? Beat them up!"
No matter whether they are men, women or children, as long as they make trouble in front of the yamen, they will be treated equally.
"Bring Miss Xu's body here!"
The corpse was the evidence. Magistrate Cao secretly cursed his brother-in-law Shi You for being unreliable and for having to clean up the mess.
At a command from Magistrate Cao, the bailiffs targeted women and children, and immediately sharp screams were heard from the crowd.
When the men saw their mother and daughter-in-law being beaten, they wanted to rush back to save them, but they heard shouts of unwillingness to admit defeat: "Quick, protect Miss Xu's body, and don't let the dog officials take it away. We must keep the body and appeal for Miss Xu's injustice!"
Jiang Yuzhu was deeply touched by this scene.
It is a disaster if an official cannot work for the benefit of the people.
"Hongxiu, Hongjin, go and help, and find a way to carry Miss Xu's body to Zhai Village first."
The people in the government office have long been in cahoots with each other and no one of them is trustworthy.
The eventual overthrow of Magistrate Cao was entirely due to the concerted efforts of the people.
The commotion lasted until late at night. Liu the blacksmith led a few people and headed straight to Zhaijia Village. They decided to first put Miss Xu's body in the abandoned vegetable cellar, and then find a coroner to perform an autopsy.
Jiang Yuzhu washed off her makeup, revealing a bright and beautiful face. She said calmly to everyone, "No need to ask for a coroner. I'll do it."
After hearing this, Old Man Zhai immediately led the people of Zhaijia Village to kneel down, and explained to Liu the blacksmith: "It's Madam Xie, the wife of the imperial envoy!"
Xie Zhao was a second-rank official, and Jiang Yuzhu was Xie Zhao's wife, who was awarded a title by the court.
The ancestors of the common people had never seen such a high-ranking official. When they heard that Madam Xie was willing to serve as the coroner for the autopsy, the common people kowtowed respectfully after a moment of silence and worshipped Jiang Yuzhu as a god.
Liu Tiejiang and the others were already too late to react and were still in shock. Old Man Zhai had dealt with the imperial envoy before, so he bravely asked, "Madam Xie, are you... not afraid?"
Miss Xu had already passed away. It was a relief that the delicate official's wife did not faint from fright after seeing such a tragic scene.
Jiang Yuzhu's expression was calm, but she exuded an irresistible aura of calmness. She said firmly, "Don't be afraid."
In his previous life, he was a forensic doctor, and his job was to speak for the dead. After his rebirth, he still had this skill.
As the people said, a kind-hearted woman like Miss Xu should not have ended up like this.
"However, I want to make one thing clear. The results of the autopsy may not be what you think."
Although it has been generally confirmed that it was homicide, for the sake of rigor, Jiang Yuzhu still used the autopsy results to speak.
After all, the dead don’t lie.
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