"Li Dou is not with me." Li Sheng also said that if he left, Li Dou must not leave, so that he and his aunt would have a way to rescue him.
Lu Ji'an remained expressionless, merely giving a few instructions to his attendants. As they hurried away, he solemnly declared, "According to the laws of the land, forcing a woman to be forced into a position of slavery is punishable by hanging; for those who are not yet slaves, they are punished by 100 strokes of the cane and exile three thousand miles away. Come, drag Li Sheng down and beat him with the cane."
Soon, the bailiffs brought a bench, and two bailiffs pressed Li Sheng down on the bench to torture him.
Just as Chen Heng was thinking, "A hundred strokes of the cane would surely kill someone, and even exile three thousand miles away wouldn't be enough?", she saw the staff the executioner brought over was about the thickness of a three- to five-year-old tree branch, not at all the elbow-sized staffs you see on TV.
Got cheated.
Come to think of it, if they were to use a stick like they do on TV, they would have been beaten to death long ago. Generally, caning is just a lesson, not a real death sentence.
The next moment, screams were heard.
Except for Xie Jian and a few others, everyone was terrified.
Shen Heng had a blank expression on her face, feeling nothing at all. Just as she was about to look away, she saw Li Dou staring at her fiercely with a threatening look in his eyes.
She sneered. From the moment she decided to support Xie Jian, she had no reason to retreat. To deal with such a villain, she had to face the challenge head-on. This would make him hesitate when thinking of attacking her. Otherwise, he would not have any scruples at all.
Just when the sixtieth stroke of the cane was reached, a man was brought in from the yamen. It turned out to be a member of the Xie family.
When Xie Changgen saw the person coming, he immediately knew that something was wrong.
Seeing Li Sheng being beaten, the man's legs went limp, and he knelt down in fear and kowtowed: "Sir, I know I was wrong. I know I was wrong. It was Li Dou who dragged me out." Soon tears and snot streamed down his face. "I really didn't do anything. I just squatted outside the wall for a while, and Li Sheng inside was discovered. I beg you to see clearly, and please spare my life."
"Thank you, Quan." Li Dou was about to rush forward, but was pinned to the ground by the yamen runners. "We didn't say anything."
Xie Quan was stunned, looking at Li Dou with bloodshot eyes, and instantly realized that he was set up. He looked at the county magistrate sitting on the hall with a sullen face.
Lu Ji'an had been a county magistrate for many years and often had to deal with these hooligans, so there were naturally many ways to make them confess.
A bailiff came out from the back hall and leaned over to whisper something to him.
Lu Ji'an looked at the man named Xie Quan seriously, his eyes full of hope. "Xie Quan, you're going to take the imperial examination next spring, but you've done something so foolish. You're unworthy of being a scholar."
"Please spare my life, sir, please spare my life."
"Li Dou, Li Sheng, and Xie Quan colluded with each other and conspired to rape a woman. According to the Great Cong Law, they should each be punished with 100 strokes of the cane and exiled 3,000 miles before the actual punishment. Xie Quan was a scholar, but he ignored the teachings of sages. His crime is one level higher. From now on, he will be disqualified from taking the imperial examination. Come, execute it." Lu Ji'an shouted.
When Xie Quan heard this, he knew his life was ruined. He closed his eyes and passed out.
Li Dou collapsed to the ground.
Seeing the unconscious Xie Quan, the second and third uncles of the Xie family were anxious. The second uncle knelt down and begged for mercy: "Sir Lu, there are only three people in my Xie family who can participate in the imperial examination next year. The family is looking forward to them bringing honor to the family. Please show mercy."
"Yes, sir, please show mercy." Third uncle also knelt down hurriedly.
Seeing this, Xie Changgen also knelt down in a hurry.
Lu Ji'an said nothing, instead coldly gazing at the two elders of the Xie clan. He waited until they lowered their heads in shame before remarking, "In ancient times, people associated with many aristocratic families simply to accumulate virtue. Ultimately, the best character in the world is cultivated through study. But this man has studied for years, yet his mind is filled with vile thoughts. And you still want him to bring honor to your family?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
