"Let's do an autopsy first."
Zheng San didn't say anything, so the first thing to do was to find out who the deceased was. Of course, after hearing Chuan Wen's thoughts, he knew that the deceased were Zheng San's wife and his wife's lover, but that didn't mean they needed to produce any substantial evidence.
Li Feng led his men to perform an autopsy, and Zheng San was temporarily detained as a suspect.
As Zheng San was being taken away, he kept shouting that he was innocent, but he was becoming increasingly panicked, feeling that the situation was getting out of control.
As Zheng San was led away, Tu Sandao and the onlookers were dumbfounded. A bullying case had inexplicably turned into a murder and body-concealing case! This change was too drastic!
"Could it be Zheng San's wife who died?"
The neighbor who had brought Zheng San stared blankly as Zheng San was taken away, shocked and confused.
Around this time a year ago, a neighbor hadn't seen his wife for several days and asked him why she wasn't taking care of him after he was slashed like that. He replied that his wife had run off with someone else.
Zheng San's wife wasn't honest; she often flirted with men. Some people said she would run off with another man sooner or later, so no one doubted Zheng San's statement; in fact, they felt quite sorry for him.
The more the neighbor thought about it, the more convinced he became that Zheng San must have been furious that his wife was having an affair, so he killed her and her lover!
The people in the courtroom quickly dispersed because they all went to Zheng San's house to watch the excitement.
Chuanwen watched them run away, a little bewildered. [Huh? Huh? I haven't even offered my knees yet, everyone!]
The emperor and his companions suppressed a smile, almost wanting to laugh, but they knew they had to restrain themselves in such a serious setting.
In the courtroom, Tu Sandao blinked his small eyes, his gaze lingering on the direction Zheng San had left in. Zheng San... he'd killed someone!!!
Tu Sandao felt a chill run down his spine. He had been spitting and hurling insults at Zheng San earlier, and now he was terrified just thinking about it. Zheng San! He was a murderer! What if Zheng San got angry and stabbed him a few times? Wouldn't he be asking for death?
Zhang De slammed his gavel down and shouted, "Court adjourned!"
Tu Sandao was also taken away. Whether he actually killed anyone will be determined later, but in any case, his theft and oppression of the people are enough to warrant several years in prison.
The two men were dumbfounded. They had only come to report a theft, how did it end up involving a death!
However, despite this outcome, the two had no choice but to leave. In any case, the fat thief who stole their hats was sent to jail, so they took their leave.
After everyone else had left, Zhang De, having announced the end of the court session, eagerly came over to bow to the emperor and his entourage.
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"
The emperor frowned and looked over. Zhang De had already knelt down in front of him. The emperor frowned again. How did Zhang De know that he was the emperor?
Not only the emperor, but also Shen Congliang and the other two were puzzled.
The emperor, puzzled, asked, "How did you know my identity?"
Although Zhang De was a county official in the capital, according to his official rank, he was not qualified to attend court. At any major events, he would stand in the last row, so you should never have seen his face.
"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, with an extraordinary appearance and imposing presence. Just by standing here, his noble aura is different from that of ordinary people, and I recognized him immediately."
Zhang De was secretly delighted. This was a way of showing his face to the emperor, which would increase his chances of promotion in the future!
Although Zhang De had his head down, his obsequious manner was enough to catch the emperor's eye.
[I've learned something! Old Zhang really knows how to flatter! Even though the emperor's hair is almost down to his heels, he still looks extraordinary and imposing, hahaha!]
The emperor's expression went blank for a moment. Bald all the way to his heels, was he really that badly bald?
Zhang De had little contact with Chuanwen and was unaware that she had said even more treasonous things. At this moment, his smile froze on his face. Would the emperor drag the second daughter of Chuanwen out and execute her?
Zhang De was so frightened that he didn't dare to lift his head, but at this moment the emperor's face was smiling. He was used to it, he was used to it, he wasn't angry.
[Haha! Lao Cheng, why are you looking at the emperor's head? Do you also think Lao Zhang's attempt at flattery was bad, hahaha!]
Chuanwen's lips twitched; he looked like he was about to burst out laughing. The Emperor: ......
Cheng Gonghuan, who was looking up at the emperor's head to see how bald he looked, was startled. When he met the emperor's gaze, he quickly looked up at the sky and looked away. Waaah! Chuanwen, you've ruined me!
The key point is that the emperor was wearing a hat, so he couldn't see exactly how bald he was!
The emperor's facial muscles twitched. "Fine, fine! Vice Minister of Works, I'll remember you. I can't do anything to Wen'er, but I can certainly do something to you! You just wait!"
Having met the emperor, it wouldn't be proper not to pay their respects. Chuanwen and the astonished Su Yue and the others bowed to the emperor, though Chuanwen remained standing while the others knelt down completely, especially Su Li, whose shoulders trembled with excitement. The emperor! The emperor!
"Get up, everyone."
This is why the emperor didn't want to be recognized; if he were, a whole bunch of people would kneel down. Alas.
After watching the spectacle, and seeing that the emperor had been recognized again, he wanted to turn around and leave. As for Zhang De, he would have someone investigate how this guy had been promoted when he got back!
But before he could turn around, he heard Chuanwen's inner thoughts: "Wow! No wonder Old Zhang recognized the emperor. This study is full of portraits of various powerful figures, and even the emperor's... wait? Why is the emperor's portrait faceless?"
[Hooray! Who is this radiant woman in the portrait? Hahaha! It's me!]
I'm so beautiful! I'm drooling just looking at myself! Sigh, who understands the struggle of waking up every day because I'm so beautiful?!
Chuanwen's narcissistic eyes sparkled, but those who heard his true feelings thought: Uh... who understands the torment of having to listen to such narcissistic words every day!
However, the emperor looked at Zhang De, who was sweating slightly. "Don't you even know how to respect other people's privacy? Why do you have to dig up everything about me?"
"In which year did you become a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination)? What achievements have you made since becoming an official? What have you done as an official in the capital? How many cases like today's have you handled?"
The emperor bombarded Zhang De with a series of questions, leaving him somewhat bewildered. Was this... a test for him? And then... a promotion for him?
Thinking of his promotion, Zhang De was overjoyed and quickly replied, "I was a Jinshi in the thirteenth year of Zhenbao. I previously served as the magistrate of Sanqiu County in Gaizhou. Because of my honest and upright governance, the people under my jurisdiction lived in peace and prosperity. Two years ago, I was promoted to the capital. The people of the capital are well-informed, and there are many capable officials. Therefore, I have not yet made any major achievements. However, I am diligent and conscientious in my duties every day!"
Hehe! Your Majesty! Promote me quickly, I am definitely a talented person!
Zhang De seemed to have forgotten how poorly he had performed just now, and was filled with joy. He could almost see the emperor waving his hand and promoting him three ranks, and then his legendary life being written into a popular story and widely circulated.
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