Chapter 20: Slut | You still owe Pianpian and my wife, a word of apology...
You Yan no longer cared about the nausea caused by his father's corpse.
"You're talking nonsense!" He forced himself to suppress the urge to vomit, pointing at the woman standing beside the corpse. "My father clearly died of a heart attack on the night he welcomed his concubine half a month ago! You crazy woman, you're here in court, spouting nonsense. What's your intention? The Mingtang is not a place for little women like you to have your say."
"You Yan." Pei Yingchen's eyes were as sharp as lightning, and there was a cold frost in them. "Everyone is equal in the court, regardless of gender. No one should be treated as inferior because of their gender. This court was the place where grievances were brought to justice, not the imperial palace. There are no distinctions between high and low. Besides, she is a coroner under the Dali Temple. How can I let you vent your anger?"
You Yan was horrified by what he heard. He knelt and took a few steps, urgently arguing, "Master Pei is right. I shouldn't have said that! But, sir, I truly have never sacrificed a living person! My father is old and seriously ill. I have sought medical advice from renowned doctors, but none have been able to alleviate his condition. So I had no choice but to pray to the gods and Buddhas, paying a large sum of money to ask the renowned Taoist Master Qiu to draw talismans and perform rituals. Taoist Master Qiu told me that my father is actually haunted by a ghost, and the way to break the ghost is to marry him two new wives. The implication is that he is hoping to bring him happiness."
Zhu Haoming sarcastically said, "Young Master You just kept calling me 'little women'. So, does your father need 'little women' like us to keep him alive?"
The people watching outside the hall burst into laughter.
Pei Yingchen took out a piece of plain cloth the size of a handkerchief from somewhere. When Pei Yingchen unfolded it, everyone was shocked when they saw it.
"Mr. Qiu hanged himself three days ago. Before he did, he wrote a petition and presented it to me." Pei Yingchen waved the blood-written letter between two fingers. "He didn't hesitate to cut his wrist and write it in blood. He complained that you used your wealth, power, and blood relatives to force him to testify for you. Mr. Qiu said that you poisoned your father and brought him to the West. Since then, you have been haunted by the ghost of the wronged man and cannot sleep, so you asked him to perform a ritual to exorcise the evil spirit. To protect your blood relatives, Mr. Qiu told you that the only way to let your father's soul rest in peace is to bury him with two young women. And you have indeed been subjected to this evil law."
You Yan narrowed his eyes and stared at the blood-stained cloth in Pei Yingchen's hands. "Master Pei, how can a mere blood-lettered letter put all the blame on me? Taoist Qiu can also slander me! Besides, why did I poison my father? I am the eldest son of the You family! Everything in the You family will belong to me sooner or later! In this case, why should I do this? No matter how stupid I am, how could I be so reckless?"
Yes, it was true that he had invited Taoist Qiu to exorcise the evil spirit, but when had he ever used his power, wealth, and family to coerce this person?! And why did he hang himself and write a bloody confession to falsely claim his life?
Pei Yingchen said, "A month ago, you brought gold to Qizhou on behalf of your father to discuss business. However, you gambled away all of it at Qianjinlou. As a result, you owed the young master of the Qizhou prefect a thousand silver coins. The young master was pressing for payment, and due to the power of the Qizhou prefect, you had no choice but to take your attendants hostage and stay in Qizhou. You then returned to Huaicheng to raise the money yourself. Unexpectedly, You Lang learned of this. He, despite their father-son relationship, allowed you to owe the money. Not only that, he even planned to pass the You family's century-old foundation to his second son. You were at your wit's end, and with the young master constantly demanding repayment, you had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure: killing your father and stealing his wealth."
"However, the You family has been a century-old family, and how can their successive successions and inheritances be swept away overnight? Therefore, you have not yet returned the debt to the young master. You Lang has been haunted by your death, and you have been unable to sleep. Therefore, you have requested that Taoist Qiu come to your home to perform a ritual and offer the unorthodox method of burying your father alive to appease his soul."
Pei Yingchen carefully kept the blood letter and asked, "Is it true or not?"
You Yan hesitated, and Pei Yingchen added, "Zhang Qian doesn't know the whole story, and you haven't dared to reveal it all. It's simply because you owe the young master a heavy debt, and you're afraid Zhang Qian, under the pretext of being the governor of Qizhou, will have to confess you. You, there's no need to deny it. The young master will be going to Huaicheng with me. If you have any objections, I can summon him to the court to confront you at any time."
"Also, this morning you sent assassins to ambush me and my men on Yishui Street. Unfortunately, I wasn't on that carriage. Are you wondering why I was so sure this was your doing?"
Pei Yingchen said sternly, "Many people in the Jianghu are desperate. Although they are not afraid of life and death, they have their weaknesses. I just want to ask Mr. You how much reward you will give me. I am willing to pay three times the amount to buy this information. You can use money to make them sacrifice their lives, and I can also use a higher amount to make them confess."
However, even if he had not tempted him with huge wealth, he would have guessed that the mastermind was You Yan, and this was just multiple confessions.
You Yan was so frightened that his lips and teeth were trembling, and beads of sweat fell from his forehead onto the cold bricks in the hall.
Pei Yingchen ordered the coroner and the body evidence to leave the courtroom, and then sent the hunter Cao Zi back in. In front of everyone, Pei Yingchen explained the details of his rescue of Zhu and Fang. After ensuring that his account was consistent with Zhu's initial testimony, Pei Yingchen inquired, "Mr. Cao, is the thatched cottage at the foot of the cliff your permanent residence?"
This question had little to do with the burial alive case, but Cao Zi was hesitant to answer it casually. He subconsciously glanced at You Heng, and seeing that You Heng pretended not to notice, Cao Zi said, "Your Excellency, the thatched hut is indeed where the common people live. However, because we hunt, we often sleep in the open air and do not rest every night in this hut."
Pei Yingchen didn't look at Cao Zi, but instead looked at You Heng. After a moment, he ordered, "Cao, if you have nothing else to report, you may leave the court."
Everyone couldn't help but feel suspicious. The way Beijing officials tried cases was very different from that of local officials. Not only were Pei Yingchen's questions strange, but his questions were only two sentences.
Pei Yingchen: "Youshi, do you need to explain yourself?"
You Yan slowly raised his head, his face as pale as death. "The You family owns a pharmacy, and I'm suspicious. 'Di Ling' mixed with other medicines is difficult to verify. The coroner said my father had been dead for a month, so how could they have found this medicine in his body? Someone must have injected this medicine into my father's body recently, hoping to frame me!"
Seeing that he was still stubborn, Pei Yingchen had no choice but to nail down the case. "Ms. You, have you heard the saying 'there are always people better than you?' It's true that if the lingzhi is mixed with other medicines, it is indeed difficult to verify, but there is still a way. Moreover, this official is not convicting you based solely on this medicine."
"Firstly, your father was already very old, so it makes sense that he would have had a coffin made before his death. But the strange thing is, if you didn't know Fang would 'die' on the night she entered the You family, why did you specifically order a coffin to be made a month ago? Furthermore, they had two nearly finished coffins, exactly the right number for Zhu and Fang."
"Secondly, although your father's body was immersed in an embalming bath when he died, it only preserved the surface from decay. In reality, his internal organs were already infested with rotten insects. Therefore, Zhu could only smell a strange odor when passing by the funeral procession. This further confirms that your father's date of death is different from what you claim."
"Thirdly—if it's true, as you say, that you were framed, the degree of decay of your father's body, coupled with the antiseptic bath that went into his skin, all of this requires careful consideration and long-term planning, not just one day. Madam You, how do you interpret this?"
"We have the witnesses, the evidence, and the complaint." Pei Yingchen's tone suddenly turned cold. "Will You recognize it?"
Just as Pei Yingchen had said, the case was a done deal. How could he deny it? The only solution now was to find a way to mitigate the sentence. So You Yan kowtowed repeatedly, blood dripping from his brow as he pleaded guilty. With all his heart, he said, "I know my crime! I know my crime! Master Pei, I was momentarily blinded by selfishness! Fortunately, Madam Zhu and Madam Fang are safe. Otherwise, even if I died, I would never be able to repay you two young ladies!"
The implication was to remind Pei Yingchen and everyone else that although You Yan had indeed done something illegal, neither Zhu nor Fang had died as a result, and the case should be given a lighter sentence.
Zhu Hao's teeth were cold. She had been tortured recently. Seeing that the situation was beginning to turn around, she was unwilling to let You Yan find a chance to breathe. Zhu Hao suddenly knelt down and said, "Master Pei, I still have grievances to complain."
Pei Yingchen nodded, indicating that he wished him well and spoke frankly.
Zhu Hao spoke each word with a powerful voice: "During the initial trial of this case, Master You and Master Zhang colluded and used private punishment. The punishment should have been thirty lashes, but they allowed me to receive four more. Not only that, they even secretly dipped the whipping rod into the ground with chili sauce! Afterwards, I sought treatment from Dr. Qin of Zhongchun Hall. I intended to spread this information widely, so everyone knows about it. I'm sure Master You knows too." Zhu Hao bowed to Pei Yingchen. "Master Pei, perhaps you can invite Dr. Qin to the court for questioning."
You Yan was not worried when he heard this. Instead, he urged, "Okay, Zhu, please do as you please! If you make a false accusation, don't forget that the crime will be tripled!"
Zhu Hao gouged out her eyes at You Yan. She continued, "Young Master You isn't afraid because he bribed Dr. Qin long ago?" She laughed, "You probably don't know, but although I invited Dr. Qin to my house for treatment, I also asked other doctors to follow up, but I kept this a secret. Oh, even if Young Master You had the means to bribe all the Zhu family doctors with money and power, the whip marks on my back won't deceive anyone. I only need to undress in the hall and let everyone see it."
This was why she was willing to endure the pain and did not ask Song Xieqing to heal the whiplash on her back.
Wounds can also be used as sharp weapons.
"Master Pei, I can testify that Master Zhang did indeed impose four lashes during the initial trial."
You Yan couldn't believe it. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was indeed You Heng. Although he hadn't mentioned You Yan by name, how could his good brother not know about Zhang Qian's dealings with him? What difference was there between accusing Zhang Qian and accusing him? At this point, what was there that You Yan didn't understand?
He suddenly remembered what Pei Yingchen said when he was still showing off Zhang Qian's mask to the public - it is a great blessing to have such a virtuous brother.
It's ironic.
You Yan looked unwilling and glanced at You Heng with resentment in his eyes. However, at this critical moment, he had to deal with Zhu Hao first.
You Yan spoke angrily, "You shameless slut! You're about to get married, how can you do something so revealing? Taking off your clothes in public? I dare to ask if Zhu's fiancé is aware of this? Will he allow it?"
At this point, You Yan suddenly thought of another unusual incident. "Master Pei! This woman has always had a terrible reputation in Huaicheng, but half a month ago, a nobleman named Song suddenly appeared and redeemed Zhu's indenture from a commoner for a hundred gold coins. This woman must have used some shady tactics! Otherwise, why would a nobleman of such a noble family offer a hundred gold coins to marry a slut? Moreover, Master Zhang didn't meet Song during the initial trial, and his search for her has been fruitless! Master Pei, perhaps you could invite Song into the court to present her opinion!"
"No need to undress." Pei Yingchen glanced at the people in the hall. "Before I came to the hall, I had already questioned the doctors who came to the Zhu residence for treatment, as well as the officers who conducted the initial trial and execution. Fang Lian Zhang Qian also admitted to the crime. According to him, the unauthorized private execution was planned by the two of you."
"As for the Song family." Pei Yingchen thought for a moment. This case actually had little to do with Zhu's future husband, but this person had not arrived at the first trial. Now You Yan wanted to use this person to throw dirty water on Zhu. Although You Yan's guilt had been basically established, he still had a chance to defend himself.
He was about to send an officer to summon Song, but an officer outside the hall rushed forward and reported, "Master Pei, there's a man outside the yamen claiming to be Mr. Song, requesting an audience. He's here to appeal for justice for his wife."
Pei Yingchen nodded and said, "Please invite Song into the hall."
Zhu Hao had already stood up, feeling inexplicably uneasy. She turned sideways and looked out into the distance, only to see the man turning in from the corner. He was wearing a smoky blue silk gown, and his manners were elegant and graceful.
Their eyes unexpectedly met, and Zhu Hao looked away at first.
He stopped at Zhu Hao's side, the two of them only an arm's length apart. He bowed slightly, but did not kneel. His gestures were naturally elegant. "I, your humble servant, am here to greet Master Pei."
After saying that, Song Xieqing raised his eyebrows and glanced at You Yan who was still kneeling on his knees. You Yan looked extremely embarrassed at the moment. You Yan accepted his gaze and glanced at him. He clearly saw a trace of contempt in this person's eyes.
He suddenly heard Song Xieqing say, "I can clarify all of Youshi's suspicions. During the initial trial, I returned to the capital for my mother's birthday, so Lord Zhang and the other officials didn't find me at my residence. Furthermore, everyone's biggest suspicion is that despite my noble birth, I'm deeply in love with Pianpian. It's because of this affection that Pianpian has been criticized, and what Youshi calls 'a tactic to keep things hidden.'"
"Although this case has nothing to do with me, Mrs. You insisted on asking me to come to court. I guess she just wants to hear a joke, or... postpone the trial? Now that everyone is here, Xieqing will explain everything clearly."
"When I was young, my parents took me to live permanently in Kyoto. The move happened to be on March 22nd, which coincided with the Huaicheng Fairy Festival. The long streets were packed with people, and I was separated from my parents. I was scattered in the narrow alleys. Fortunately, I met Pianpian during this time. She helped me find my parents. Over the years, I have never forgotten her kindness. Since then, I have been deeply moved by Pianpian, and this love is the reason I returned to this city."
Song Xieqing looked at Zhu Hao with affection in his eyes. "Pian Pian is kind and resilient, with a beauty like a fairy and a smart mind. Moreover, matters of love should not be compared with family background. If two people are in love, they are well matched. Therefore, why is it abnormal to love Pian Pian? Such a good young lady deserves the love of the best in the world. After many years, I met Pian Pian a month ago. With just a glance, I was determined. I... am very fond of Pian Pian."
"Let me ask you, Master You, do you have any doubts about this? If not..." His voice suddenly turned cold, as sharp as a snowy mountain. "Just now, you called Pian Pian a slut. How can you question the reputation of this young lady? Not to mention that I am not yet Pian Pian's husband. Once Pian Pian is my wife, she doesn't need my approval for anything she does. She should be my wife first, and then my wife. You should not use the term 'other woman' to force a woman to do anything."
Song Xieqing said in a deep voice: "You Yan, you still owe Pian Pian and my wife a sentence of apology."
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