Chapter 19: They married in masks and became husband and wife, and they became like one root.
Married as husband and wife, they are like roots.
Everyone thought that Fang Dalang's first wife, Jiang, must have a huge quarrel with Fang, because it was her husband who died, and he was the pillar of the family.
Among the ordinary people gathered at the government office, there were many who had met Jiang before. It was said that Jiang and Fang Dalang had a close relationship. If so, why did she refuse to review the case and seek compensation? Jiang's behavior left everyone puzzled.
Although Fang is her sister-in-law after all, there is no need for her to retreat to such a situation, right?
During the private discussion, Zhang Qian asked again, "Jiang, once you take your place in this room and accept the outcome of the trial, it's like a nail in the coffin. Have you truly thought it through?"
Jiang met Zhang Qian's gaze and said with absolute certainty, "Yes, I will not pursue any responsibility."
Jiang, a family member, was not anxious. Instead, You Yan, who had nothing to do with the matter, became furious. He approached Jiang and demanded, "She killed your husband! And you just let her get away with it so easily?! Did you get kicked in the head by a donkey?"
Jiang glanced blankly at the kneeling Fang Xuyin. She said calmly, "My husband was at fault first. He was the one who initiated the beating. It's not that I condone Sanniang. On the contrary, Sanniang has suffered this pain in vain because of my husband."
Fang Xuyin's heart was moved. She seemed to see the shocking bruises on her elder sister-in-law's forearm, and when she thought about Jiang's statement on the trial results of the case, what else did she not understand?
Although the brother and his wife appeared to be in harmony and love, it was difficult to say for sure in private. If the brother could do such a heartless thing, wouldn't it be easy for him to abuse his wife? No wonder Jiang Shi often found excuses to stay at her mother's house. It was because of this relationship. When her mother was in trouble, Jiang Shi happened to be staying at her mother's house.
You Yan still refused to acknowledge the case. He strode towards Jiang in a hurry. Zhang Qian made a face at the yamen runners, and several officers took Jiang away from the hall.
Because of this, You Yan felt even more furious. He recalled what happened in the inner hall today. Zhang Qian was like a completely different person. In the past, he was obedient and helped him resolve disputes and cover for him. During the initial trial of this case, he was biased towards him in every way. In comparison, what was wrong with Zhang Qian today?
Seeing Jiang's figure completely lost in the crowd, You Yan grew increasingly frantic. The strings of his rationality snapped at that moment. He glared at Zhang Qian, who sat high in the hall, and demanded, "Master Zhang, you have accepted so much money from the common people until now. You wouldn't have forgotten all of it, would you?"
This matter is not a secret. From the elders to the children in Huaicheng, who doesn't know about the secret bribery between You Yan and Zhang Qian over the years?
You Yan now looked so bold and confident that he simply threw everything into the air in court.
That’s right, the officials from the capital have not arrived for the trial today. In this case, what should the eldest son of the You family, who is the local boss of Huaicheng, be afraid of?
Zhang Qian couldn't help but sneer when he heard this. He suddenly stood up from his armchair, walked around the wooden table and stopped at the edge of the steps between the upper and lower halls.
Zhu Hao was slightly startled, because Zhang Qian had just sat down so low that he didn't notice how tall he was. When Zhu Hao looked down, he was stunned again.
There was a sachet hanging on Zhang Qian's leather belt. The embroidered pattern on it was puzzling. Zhu Hao squinted his eyes and looked at it carefully. He saw a black and white cat with a round head and brain embroidered on the lilac-colored sachet with crude embroidery techniques?
I don't know whether the embroiderer is not well-educated or if it was intentional, but this cat doesn't look like a pet. There's even a crown between its ears, and its hind legs are so long that it looks like a human standing on two legs, which is really puzzling.
It was a custom in Dacheng for wives to embroider sachets for their husbands, but Zhang Qian had no legal wife. Which young woman could have embroidered it for him? Even if a young woman did, how could a heartless man like Zhang Qian actually carry such an item? Furthermore, this woman's embroidery skills were astonishingly... crude. A strange thought struck Zhu Hao. She considered Zhang Qian's words and actions, finding them strange. During the initial trial, Zhang Qian sat high in the courtroom throughout, making it difficult to judge his stature. However, one incident remained fresh in Zhu Hao's memory: Zhang Qian used to use a gavel to intimidate the crowd, but today, he didn't use one. Furthermore, the man who had escorted her into the courtroom with a machete on his back wasn't a government official, and certainly didn't behave like one willing to be bound by convention. Yet, he bowed deeply and respectfully to Zhang Qian, and Zhang Qian was even more bizarre!
Not only was he not biased towards You Yan today, but there was also another detail: Zhang Qian's voice was not as loud as it was three days ago, but Zhu Hao had excellent hearing since childhood. During the initial trial, Zhang Qian's voice was as hoarse as a duck's, but the Lord Zhang in front of him had the same voice as before, but without the dullness caused by his age.
Could it be that the person before him wasn't the real Zhang Qian? But who else could he be if not Zhang Qian? Furthermore, he did indeed resemble Zhang Qian.
Zhang Qian, with his hands behind his back, asked with a smile, "Mr. You, please tell me clearly how much gold and silver I have accepted from the You family?"
You Yan choked at the question, his thoughts racing as he said sinisterly, "Master Zhang and I are both on the same side of the fence. How could it be so difficult for Master Zhang to grasp such a simple truth on the day of the trial?" He laughed and exclaimed, "Only relying on natural treasures, even a thousand taels? How could Master Zhang, after years of collusion with me, want to turn over a new leaf? Master Zhang plans to return the money and part ways with me, right?"
Zhang Qian listened to this without getting angry. He simply asked, "Youshi, words are not enough. Since you claim that I accepted a bribe of 1,000 taels, do you have any proof? If there is no solid evidence, the accusation will be three times more severe."
"Real evidence? I've got plenty!" Then, You Yan pulled out a stack of paper books, half as tall as his pinky finger, from his collar, sleeve pouch, and boots. "All the inscriptions are from Lord Zhang himself, and there's proof of him accepting gold and silver. I'm trying to prevent treacherous villains like you from accusing me! And I'm also trying to prevent you from abandoning me in front of the officials today. Lord Zhang, don't you know I have a backup plan? The evidence I burned in front of you three days ago was all fake!"
Zhang Qian: "Present the evidence."
You Yan clutched the paper tightly in his arms, "Master Zhang, are you planning to destroy the evidence? I'm telling you, no way! The people outside the yamen are watching, hundreds of thousands of eyes are watching! What is Master Zhang planning to do?"
There was silence in the hall for a moment, and Zhang Qian suddenly raised his hand to touch his lapel. Everyone in the hall could only see his five fingers fiddling with his collar, and then, a thin film appeared on Zhang Qian's neck as if he was shedding skin.
Zhang Qian pulled the film longer and longer, and the skin underneath the film was well-proportioned and exuded a youthful air.
The membrane was connected to the facial skin. With a "hiss", Zhang Qian tore off the entire "skin". Everyone was surprised, and finally got a glimpse of the man's true appearance under the mask.
Zhu Hao was stunned. He really wasn't Zhang Qian.
I saw that this man was a young man with a handsome face, a heroic demeanor, and an air of being able to take on the wind and leap into the clouds.
The paper books in You Yan's arms fell to the ground.
At the same time, Cang Gong stepped into the hall. Seeing the horrified expressions on everyone's faces, he couldn't help but bow to the man who entered the hall. "Master Pei, You Lang's body is waiting outside the yamen. The hunter Cao Zi is also waiting for your summons. I..." Cang Gong paused and lowered his body. "Your Excellency can summon the coroner to inquire about the body at any time."
"Present the body evidence first and ask the coroner to accompany you."
Everyone, inside and outside the hall, focused their attention on Pei Yingchen. They were stunned to find that the person trying the case wasn't Zhang Qian, but the official from Beijing who was supposed to have been attacked on the way. At the same time, they were filled with doubts: how could the prestigious Junior Official of the Dali Temple be such a handsome young man? How bizarre!
Pei Yingchen fiddled with the tassel of the sachet at his waist. He asked casually, "Ms. You, could you please present the evidence now? Also, I just saw you walking quite nimbly when you approached Mrs. Jiang. You mentioned the excruciating pain in your legs at the beginning of the meeting. If they've healed now, please kneel." He glanced to the side. "Ms. Zhu and Mrs. Fang, please stand."
You Yan didn't know how to explain himself. His knees had already gone weak. Seeing the papers and documents scattered on the ground being handed over to Pei Yingchen by the yamen runners, he knelt down and struggled, "Master Pei! Although I bribed Master Zhang, I absolutely cannot bury someone alive with him! Fang Sanniang committed suicide by hitting her head against the coffin. She was already dead! The entire You family can testify to this! My brother is known as a gentleman in Huaicheng! He can testify to this too! Ah Heng would never lie! Otherwise, how could I have dared to bury Fang with her father? I really didn't know Fang had woken up in the coffin!"
He kowtowed repeatedly, "Please, Lord Zhang, please understand! I am truly wronged!"
While flipping through the hard evidence of bribery in his hand, Pei Yingchen said, "There's no need to rush to clear yourself. Once your father's body is brought into the court, everything will be clear."
As soon as these words fell, Cang Gong and his group slowly walked into the hall. In an instant, a disgusting stench of corpses filled the entire hall.
You Lang's body was placed in the inner hall. As he had been dead for several days, his body had already begun to decay. However, considering the large number of people watching in the government office, it was still covered with a layer of white cloth.
Pei Yingchen said, "Just in case, please ask Mrs. You to uncover the body and identify it. You Yan, you must look carefully, this man is my father."
Upon hearing this, You Yan stood up with trembling knees, covered his nose with his sleeve, and walked slowly to the side of his father's body.
He only lifted a corner of his upper body, then hurriedly covered his mouth and nose and retreated several steps. You Yan clutched his chest and began to retch like a raging sea.
The body was brown and black all over, with loose skin, a swollen abdomen, sunken cheeks and almost empty eyeballs. One could even see rot worms wriggling in the eye sockets. Despite this, it was not difficult to recognize that this person was his father You Lang.
You Heng stepped forward and also lifted a corner of the shroud. The stench of corpse instantly hit him. He tried his best to suppress the urge to vomit and maintain a very elegant demeanor. He replied, "Your Excellency, it is indeed my father without a doubt."
A young woman stood before the corpse. She wore no makeup, yet her natural beauty was breathtaking. She leaned forward slightly and said, "The body has been dead for nearly a month. It was immersed in a preservative decoction before it died, preserving it for half a month. During that time, I discovered a medicine called 'Di Ling' that can gradually weaken the body. If taken by a healthy person, it can induce sleep, induce drowsiness, and relieve pain. However, You Lang was already old, and taking this medicine could easily lead to his death in his sleep. Therefore, You Lang's death was not caused by heart palpitations."
The woman glanced at You Yan, who was still retching. "You Lang's date and cause of death are inconsistent with what You said."
The author has something to say:
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This part is indeed closer to the group portrait
The case review part is almost finished!
Next up is Xiao Song and Pian Pian's wedding.
I will take a few days off and post a leave note tomorrow. Graduation and internship are over, and there are some things I need to deal with. I also have to move.
But I will also write in my spare time, don't worry
Don't take it, woooo ...
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