Chapter 17: Brother-killing His good brother actually wanted to put him in jail. ...
After Zang Gong and Zhu Hao entered the inner hall, they bowed deeply towards the upper hall naturally before retreating.
Hearing the noise, several people in the hall turned around to look. When they saw that the person coming was Zhu Hao, they all had different expressions, but You Yan looked arrogant.
Zhu Hao didn't kneel, but asked suspiciously, "Today's trial should be handled by the officials in Beijing! Why is it still Master Zhang?!"
Although she tried her best to suppress her anger, it was easy to hear her indignation in the second half of her speech.
Zhang Qian sat high in the Mingtang, his black gauze hat juxtaposed against the painting of "Sea Water Rising Sun" behind him. "Lord Pei was attacked while traveling and is still recovering. It's unlikely he'll be able to attend the court due to this unforeseen situation. Therefore, I will still be in charge today. What do you think? Does the Zhu family have any objections?"
"Who doesn't know that the court trial is today?! And Lord Pei happened to be attacked today?" Zhu Hao, showing no fear, stood in the hall and shouted, "Could it be that someone deliberately did this? I would like to ask Lord Zhang, regarding such a serious matter as the assassination of a Beijing official, have you sent anyone to investigate? Have you ordered the yamen runners to preserve any clues left at the scene?"
Zhang Qian angrily said, "How can you, the common people, be qualified to speak to me like this?"
He instructed the yamen runners standing by, "In the courtroom, there is no room for childishness. I see that many people are ignorant of legal principles and criminal law, so I will recite the etiquette and laws that must be followed in the courtroom for everyone to hear."
The yamen runner bowed and nodded, stepped forward, and chanted the court's etiquette and laws word for word. He added two extra lines at the end: "In any case involving murder, whether the victim or the accused, everyone must kneel and present the case. False accusers and those who tell lies will be punished three times more severely."
Zhu Hao sneered when he heard this, but did as he was told and walked a few steps closer to kneel on Fang Xuyin's left side.
Zhu Hao took a closer look at Fang Xuyin. She had turned herself in and was destined to spend the rest of her life in prison. She was still wearing the cloth dress with worn shoulders. Fang Xuyin's hair was tangled and messy, and it smelled even more sour and smelly.
Fang Xuyin smiled in response to her gaze, indicating that he was fine.
At the same time, Zhang Qian suddenly asked, "Ms. You, did you hear what the general and the officer said?"
You Yan laughed and said, "I'm not deaf, I can hear it naturally!"
Zhang Qian pressed, "If that's the case, why don't you kneel?" He nodded to the scribe holding a wolf-hair brush in the hall, "I've written down everything that was said in the hall, word for word. If Lord Pei doesn't appear in court for the trial until the case is concluded, I must present this letter to you for your own inspection."
Although You Yan harbored suspicions, he still jokingly replied, "If Zhu and Fang truly had the nerve to pin such a false accusation on me today, I would even kneel and walk around the city! But I haven't been convicted yet. Besides... I've been having trouble walking lately. Sir Zhang, could you please be flexible?"
"Oh?" Zhang Qian was puzzled. "You's legs hurt so much? She can't even bend her knees?"
You Yan nodded vigorously, "That's right. I beg you, Master Zhang, to be lenient with me."
Zhang Qian didn't answer You Yan's question about whether he should kneel. You Yan accepted that he didn't need to kneel, so he stood upright in the inner hall. Seeing this, Zhu Hao rolled his eyes at You Yan without revealing anything.
Zhang Qian stared at the people in the hall. Zhu Hao and the other two had their own thoughts. Since she had already explained the whole incident in the preliminary trial three days ago, Zhang Qian naturally had no other details to ask. Zhu Hao saw that he was taking a break from the case, so he pointed at the desk and asked insinuations one by one.
Zhang Qian must have intentionally controlled his strength, as the sound of his knuckles hitting the wooden table was not loud. However, being in the inner hall where the case was being heard, one could hear a pin drop, and this sound became a thorn in the hearts of the three people.
Zhu Hao quietly looked up at the hall. Zhang Qian was about forty years old. The skin on his cheeks was not only pale but also had shallow wrinkles. However, his hands were well maintained. His knuckles were slender and the bones were distinct. His nails were trimmed clean and smooth. There was not even the slightest yellowing or wrinkling on his fingertips. Such hands did not match his age.
Zhang Qian was wearing a red robe embroidered with official patches and a black gauze hat. When he bent his fingers to knock on the table, his sleeves shortened by half.
Suddenly, Zhang Qian raised his head and his eyes met Zhu Hao's. He stopped knocking on the table. Zhu Hao saw thick calluses on his palms where he lay on the table. Zhu Hao frowned and thought, but saw that Zhang Qian was still staring at her. Zhang Qian's eyes were deep, like hail in winter. Zhu Hao subconsciously lowered her head and looked at the ground.
Zhang Qian is the chief official of this city. Although he has no wife, he has many concubines and servants, so he does not have to do any work himself. Moreover, she has never heard that Zhang Qian is interested in martial arts. If that is the case, why do he have calluses on his hands?
The inner hall fell into silence again.
The people watching outside the yamen were all puzzled. They thought that a shocking show was supposed to be staged today, so why was it so quiet now?
Everyone was wondering when Zhang Qian would begin the trial, when he suddenly said, "You Heng found the bodies of the hunters Cao Zi and You Lang at the Xiefu Yamen yesterday. That night, they sent someone to deliver the bodies to Lord Pei's residence. Lord Pei specifically ordered the coroner to come along for a personal examination. Unfortunately, Lord Pei and his entourage live far away, and today they were attacked by criminals while traveling. While no one was killed, the accompanying subordinates and female relatives were injured. Therefore, the bodies could not be presented to the court as scheduled."
"Wait!" You Yan exclaimed in shock. "Who are you talking about?! Who handed my father's body over to the imperial officials? Wasn't it the yamen runners who were looking for it? How did Ah Heng suddenly become the one looking for it?"
"Second Master You has gone to great lengths to find his father's body. This is all for your own good. You are truly fortunate to have such a virtuous brother."
You Yan was puzzled, "Is this behavior directed at me?"
"Youshi, have you been wronged?"
"I have been wronged! I don't know why Zhu and Fang falsely accused me!"
"In that case..." Zhang Qian looked at You Yan and suddenly smiled, "Only by finding the body as soon as possible can we clear the injustice, right?"
You Yan was still in a state of confusion a moment ago, but after Zhang Qian's question, he suddenly became enlightened.
He needed to avoid being personally tried by the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple. He was also the one who had caused the attack on the officials on their way today. However, the officials on guard were unable to penetrate the defense. Even with dozens of desperate men gathered by You Yan, they still failed to retrieve You Lang's body.
However, the attack had temporarily prevented the imperial officials from visiting the government office, which was a boon. As long as Zhang Qian could rule on the case before the imperial officials arrived, he could escape completely. Although the Dali Temple's Shaoqing was a respected imperial official, if he overturned Zhang Qian's case the first time, wouldn't it be criticized if he overturned Zhang Qian's findings a second time? Such an action could be seen as abusing his power!
And what Zhang Qian just said, didn't it imply that although You Lang's body was presented by his brother, Zhang Qian and You Heng had already done enough to tamper with the body, making it impossible to reveal any clues from the corpse?
Thinking of this, You Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Anyone could betray him, except Ah Heng.
The trial ended that day, and what Zhu Hao and he said was deeply engraved in his mind. After You Yan returned home, he sent someone to secretly investigate his brother and learned that he was indeed suspicious in secret. However, the spy found it difficult to uncover the details. As a result, You Yan became unfamiliar with his brother's suspicions. It was not until he heard Zhang Qian's words that he understood that You Heng's recent actions were all to help him exonerate himself from the case.
Ah Heng had always followed his elder brother's lead since childhood, so how could he betray him? They were close relatives, connected by blood.
Zhang Qian continued, "Because the corpse evidence has not arrived, this case will be postponed for a moment."
Zhu Hao and Fang Xuyin looked at each other and had the same idea. No matter what strategy they used today, they had to bring You Yan down. Otherwise, they would be bullied and abused by You Yan in the future.
"This judge must first examine the case of Fang's brother-murder." Zhang Qian pulled out a piece of paper from under his desk. "Mr. Fang, I have read your complaint and examined his brother's body. The cause of death is consistent with your allegations: a direct blow to the abdomen, resulting in excessive blood loss. You do have wounds on your body from being beaten, and there were signs of the body being dragged at the scene. Although you clearly stated on your complaint that you were seeking medical treatment to save your brother and that you were heading to a clinic, there are still doubts in this case. You must speak truthfully according to the law."
Fang Xu was startled when she heard this. He had chosen this very moment to try her instead of earlier or later. She was apprehensive, fearing that this case would implicate Zhu Hao. However, Zhang Qian was determined, and as the murderer, Fang Xu had no choice but to obey. She lowered her forehead to the ground and said, "Master Zhang, please tell me, I will not conceal anything."
You Yan's face was full of energy. If Zhang Qian convicted this woman, it would be a loophole for him to escape punishment. After all, how many people would believe the words of a bitch with a murder case?
Zhang Qian inquired, "Ms. Fang, since you were taking your mother to seek medical treatment, why did you carry a sickle? Did you know that his brother would be returning home by this route?"
Fang Xu remained silent for a moment before replying, "There are at least five ways to get home from the gambling den, but I'm not a deity, so how could I have predicted which way my brother would have returned? And the reason I had my sickle was because I was cutting grass in the fields before the incident. When I returned home to see my dying mother, how could I have the time to put it down?"
Zhang Qian glanced at You Yan, thoughtfully. "You wrote in the complaint that the money for his mother's medical treatment was a gift from You Heng. What kind of friendship do you have with him? Why would he give you this money for no reason? If you really had a close relationship with the second son of the You family, why... falsely accuse You Yan? In other words, why would You Yan choose you as his burial companion?"
Upon hearing this, You Yan suddenly turned to look at Fang Xuyin, only to hear the woman continue, "When I was young, the Second Young Master You accidentally fell into a well. I came across this well and rescued him. Since then, I have been friends with him. I and the Second Young Master You are in love with each other, so he has been especially caring for me. However, because of the huge difference in status between me and him, this relationship has never been made public."
Before Zhang Qian could say anything, You Yan couldn't hold back any longer. "You're talking nonsense! How could Ah Heng have feelings for a woman like you?! If... if you really had this kind of relationship with him..."
You Yan secretly denied it, saying that this was absolutely impossible!
He had originally planned to choose Zhu Hao as the person to be buried with him, but was worried about finding a suitable second person. Fang Xuyin was recommended to him by You Heng.
You Heng said that this girl only had her mother and brother left at home, and was extremely poor and destitute. She would definitely marry into the You family as a concubine for money, and then find a reason to hang herself. Anyway, Zhu and Fang had experienced many ups and downs in their lives, and no one cared about their life or death, so they would not arouse suspicion.
If You Heng really had feelings for Fang Xu, why would he resort to such a desperate measure? You Yan suddenly remembered the Taoist priest who had taught him to sacrifice a living person in exchange for his father's peace of mind. Unless... all of this was You Heng's plan! His good brother actually wanted to put him in jail!
You Yan shouted, "You have no evidence! Master Zhang! Why not summon Ah Heng into the hall? Do not believe this woman's one-sided statement!"
Zhang Qian threw the summons, "Come here, call You Heng."
The author has something to say:
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Why is it so bleak at the end of the day?
Where are my readers? Ahhhhhhhhh (going crazy) (crawling on the ground) (rolling) (screaming) (distorted)
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