Chapter 324: Trial of Liu Laoer
When the eldest brother Wan entered the inner court, Jinniu and others hurried over to whisper with the second brother Wan.
"Jin Zhu, your elder brother looks completely different now than he did in the village. I can't even recognize him when he walks on the street now. Look at his aura, he really has the demeanor of a detective."
Wan Lao Er laughed and said, "Village Chief, my eldest brother is now a popular figure in front of the county magistrate, but we just need to know it among ourselves and we can't spread it around."
The village chief looked up at the plaque of the county government with envy and awe in his eyes, then quickly lowered his head and dared not look at it again.
Guihua was normal at first, but became a little flustered when she arrived at the county government office.
"Grandma, do you think I will be sentenced to jail? I killed my stepmother, does that count as a murder case?"
Old Lady Wan held Guihua in her arms and comforted her gently, "Guihua, don't worry, everything will be fine. Let's see what the adults say later."
Old Lady Wan's words did not comfort Guihua. Guihua was still very nervous and kept staring at the entrance of the county government office with fear in her eyes.
At this time, a pair of small hands gently held Guihua's hands, "Sister Guihua, it's okay. The county magistrate is a good official. He will not wrongly accuse you and will definitely make the decision for you."
Guihua looked down and saw that it was Xiao Fubao.
"Thank you, sister Fubao. I believe in you."
Boss Wan came out quickly and ordered the court to resume.
The Wan family, Jinniu's group, and Liu Laoer and his wife were all taken to the lobby of the county government office.
After a while, Shen Jinyuan, dressed in official uniform, strode out from the back hall and sat down on a high chair. There was a plaque above his head with four big characters inscribed on it: A clear mirror hangs high.
"Bang" Shen Jinyuan slammed the gavel, and a majestic voice rang out in the lobby.
"Who is kneeling in the hall? What's the matter? Do you have a petition?"
Taurus kowtowed quickly.
"I am Jinniu, the village chief of Shizi Village in Jinwu Town. I am honored to meet you, sir. I am a witness. Today I have brought the thieves Liu Laoer and his wife here. Please, sir, make the decision for the Wan family."
Then Wan Laoer told the story again: "Sir, I stayed in the county town last night and did not return home. I only had a little girl at home to watch over the door. Who knew that Liu Laoer and his wife climbed over the wall in the middle of the night and tried to steal. Fortunately, my little girl found them and caught them with her wits. Later, the village chief and the neighbors watched over the thieves for a night. They were brought to the county town early this morning. Please help me, sir."
After Wan Laoer finished speaking, he kowtowed.
Although Shen Jinyuan knew the general cause of the case, he knew nothing about the details, so he asked Wan Laoer.
"Where is your little girl?"
Wan Laoer quickly pulled Guihua forward.
"Sir, this is my youngest daughter Guihua. She was originally the daughter of Liu Laoer. Later, her mother used her to pay off a debt and sold her to my family as a servant. However, my family has never used Guihua as a servant. We always treat her as a daughter. When Liu Laoer saw that our family had all arrived in the county town yesterday, he took the opportunity to threaten Guihua and asked her to open the door for him. When Guihua refused, he helped Chen climb over the wall and enter the courtyard."
Shen Jinyuan looked carefully and found that it was indeed a little girl. He was shocked. How could this little girl capture two adults?
"Where is the osmanthus?"
Guihua was already nervous. It was her first time at the county government office. Her legs felt weak and when she heard someone calling her name, she was so scared that she wanted to turn around and run away.
"Guihua, don't be afraid, just answer truthfully, grandma is here."
Guihua felt more at ease when she heard the voice of Old Lady Wan behind her.
"The common woman is here."
Guihua's voice was small, but Shen Jinyuan still heard it.
"Tell me in detail what happened last night. Don't hide anything or omit anything. Did you hear me clearly?"
"I understand. I will explain everything clearly. Please make the decision for me, sir."
Guihua recounted what happened last night in detail. She had a good memory and expressed herself clearly, and Shen Jinyuan's original doubts were resolved.
Shen Jinyuan glanced at the defendant Liu Laoer and his wife again.
"Does the defendant have any rebuttal?"
After a night of recovery, Liu Laoer has now recovered a lot of his spirit. Hearing this, he quickly said, "My Lord, I am innocent. I wanted to go find my daughter Guihua. I work part-time outside all year round and rarely go home. It's almost the New Year, so I wanted to go home to see my children and wife. Who knew that I, a lazy woman, would sell Guihua? Usually the Wan family is at home, so I am embarrassed to go. I took the opportunity when the Wan family was gone to talk to my daughter, but was mistaken for a thief."
"You are lying. You have been back for more than a month." Er Gouzi was so angry when he heard Liu Laoer's sweet talk that he pointed at Liu Laoer and scolded him.
"Bang" Shen Jinyuan slammed the gavel again.
"No yelling in court."
Er Gouzi was so scared that he quickly lowered his head.
"Liu Laoer, let me ask you, you said you wanted to talk to your daughter, why did you go in the middle of the night? Why not go during the day?"
Liu Laoer was speechless for a moment, and a little nervous, he didn't know how to answer, and his mind went blank.
"Liu Lao Er, you are full of lies. The evidence is irrefutable. You still dare to quibble. Where is the witness?"
"Sir, we are all witnesses, and we have evidence. This is the stolen property that Liu Laoer stole from the Wan family. Please take a look."
Taurus presented the silver and bracelet wrapped in a handkerchief with both hands raised above his head.
Boss Wan quickly took it and placed it in front of Shen Jinyuan.
Shen Jinyuan picked up a pair of silver bracelets and asked the Wan family.
"Is this the property you lost?"
Old Lady Wan looked up and immediately replied, "Sir, this is my silver bracelet, and there are more than ten taels of silver placed together with it."
Shen Jinyuan took a quick look at the silver in front of him and found that it was indeed as Old Lady Wan said, these things undoubtedly belonged to the Wan family.
At this time, Liu Laoer shouted, "Sir, this is unfair. I didn't steal these things. They must have framed me. They stole them from the Wan family, but they framed me. I didn't even enter the Wan family's house, so how could I steal them?"
Jinniu was immediately anxious. "Sir, these things were indeed found on Liu Laoer. He was guilty of being a thief last night, so he jumped off the roof and fell into the manure pit. When he climbed out of the pit and we washed it with water, we found the valuables that fell from his body. Sir, you can smell it. There is still a smell of...manure on the silver."
When Jinniu finished speaking, his voice lowered. He was a little nervous. After all, how could a villager like him dare to let the judge smell manure? Jinniu felt a little panicked at this moment and quickly lowered his head.
Shen Jinyuan did not get angry. Instead, he really lifted up the handkerchief, put it under his nose and smelled it. Sure enough, there was a faint smell of manure. Maybe after being washed with water and wrapped in the handkerchief, the smell had become very light, but the smell on the handkerchief was still very strong, which was enough to prove that Jinniu and the others were not lying.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
