There were five people brought out by Nanxing, all of them were elderly men with white hair.
They were either using canes or being supported by younger people.
When Fu Bai saw them come out, he respectfully cupped his hands in greeting.
"Elders, thank you for your trouble."
An elderly man at the head of the group also bowed to Fu Bai, saying, "Your Highness is too kind."
After saying this, he stepped forward with his grandson's help, his white beard swaying slightly in the breeze.
"I am the patriarch of the Chen clan of Luozhou," the old man said. Although he was old, his voice was full of energy.
"You may not know the Chen family of Luozhou, but you must have heard of the Chen family of Jingzhou in the previous dynasty. We are a branch of the Chen family of Jingzhou."
The Chen family of Jingzhou!
The common people present may not know what the Chen family of Jingzhou represents, but there are also many scholars in the crowd who are filled with respect upon hearing the name of the Chen family of Jingzhou.
Seeing that the people around them looked blank, the scholars respectfully explained to them what the Chen family of Jingzhou was.
The Chen family of Jingzhou was a renowned family of physicians in the previous dynasty, producing many famous doctors who were all concerned about the well-being of the people.
Physicians of the Chen family in Jingzhou, after reaching adulthood, would go out to gain experience and treat thousands of people before returning to Jingzhou. They were highly skilled in medicine and often conducted free clinics in various places, saving countless lives.
During the final period of the previous dynasty, wars broke out frequently.
The Chen family of Jingzhou refused the offer of amnesty from the rebel king, thus offending him.
At that time, the patriarch of the Chen clan knew that he could not fight against the rebel king, so he took advantage of the chaos to divide the family and let the members of the Chen clan go into hiding in various places, change their names and start a new life.
The outside world only believed that the Chen family of Jingzhou had offended the rebel king and had been slaughtered by him.
The patriarch of the Chen clan in Luozhou revealed the secrets of that year.
He said, "My Chen clan members separated and started new lives all over the country. At that time, my Luozhou Chen clan was in charge of the Chen clan's genealogy."
As he spoke, he glanced at Nanxing, who then stepped forward carrying several large family genealogies.
The clan head of the Luozhou Chen clan continued, "According to the genealogy, the branch that the princess belongs to is the main branch of our Jingzhou Chen clan. When the family divided, they took the Chen clan's medical classic with them."
The old patriarch sneered, his cloudy eyes sharp as he asked, "Doctor Chu, is this medical manual the culmination of your Chu family's efforts?"
Chu Yimeng felt a chill run down her spine under the old clan chief's gaze and instinctively hid in Li Jun's arms.
The old patriarch snorted and gracefully withdrew from public life.
Another old man stepped forward. He was not a member of the Chen family, but his grandfather and father had been servants of the Chu family ancestors.
The whole truth is in his words.
Chen Qiwen was not initially a disciple of the Chu family ancestor, but rather the son of a friend of the Chu family ancestor.
Both families are medical families, have exchanges with each other, and have a very good relationship.
One day, Chen Qiwen's parents had to leave home temporarily, so they entrusted their five-year-old son to the care of their friend, the Chu family ancestor.
Two weeks later, when his parents returned, they had already become victims of bandits.
The Chen family's vast fortune fell on Chen Qiwen's shoulders, and it was at this time that the Chu family ancestor stepped forward and said he was willing to adopt Chen Qiwen as his son.
The adoption was just a public statement; in reality, the Chu family wanted to use this opportunity to seize the Chen family's assets.
Chen Qiwen was only five years old at that time. What could he do?
They could only watch helplessly as their family's assets were completely swallowed up by the Chu family.
The Chu family had no intention of letting Chen Qiwen go, because he was already five years old, an age when he could remember things, and the Chu family planned to eliminate him completely.
They secretly added slow-acting poison to Chen Qiwen's daily food, hoping to kill him little by little.
Unfortunately, Chen Qiwen was precocious and exceptionally talented from a young age. He not only secretly hid his family's medical books but also secretly studied medicine, and he had long been aware of the Chu family's murderous intent towards him.
He pretended to be stupid and dealt with the Chu family in a perfunctory manner, but in reality, he was honing his medical skills and secretly saving money.
When Chen Qiwen turned sixteen, he left the Chen family.
When Chen Qiwen left, the Chu family ancestor was still alive. Chen Qiwen left him a note that read: I now know the truth of what happened back then. One day I will come back to take back everything that belongs to my Chen family.
Whether out of guilt or for some other reason, the ancestor of the Chu family was so enraged by the note left by Chen Qiwen that he fainted. After waking up, his health deteriorated and he passed away not long after.
Soon after, Chen Qiwen's name became famous in the medical field, and he met many talented and extraordinary people.
His son, Chen Cangshu, surpassed his father even more, managing to save the late emperor when he was traveling incognito.
The late emperor then invited the Chen family to the capital and appointed Chen Cangshu to a position in the Imperial Medical Academy.
When the news reached the Chu family, Chu Yimeng's grandfather was consumed by worry that the Chen family would take revenge on them, and he passed away not long after.
Chu Yimeng's father, however, was an ignorant and incompetent man who spent his days chasing after thieves and dogs. One day, he offended someone he shouldn't have and was beaten to death.
0-0
At this point in the old man's speech, some people in the crowd did not understand.
"The Chu family has only seized the Chen family's assets, so why should we worry about Dr. Chen Qiwen retaliating against them?"
It's just embezzling money; why not just return the money to Chen Qiwen?
The old man took out a stack of yellowed letters and said in a trembling voice, "These are the letters between the Chu family patriarch and the bandits that my grandfather left me. It was the Chu family that bribed the bandits to take the lives of Dr. Chen Qiwen's parents."
“Dr. Chen Qiwen once saved my grandfather’s life, so my grandfather kept these pieces of evidence, hoping to give them to Dr. Chen Qiwen one day.”
The old man choked up for a moment, then continued, "Unfortunately, he passed away before he could even see Dr. Chen Qiwen."
The old man handed the yellowed letter to Fu Bai, saying, "Now I am handing this evidence over to the descendants of Dr. Chen Qiwen, which can be considered as fulfilling my grandfather's last wish."
Fu Bai accepted the gift with both hands and expressed his gratitude to the old man.
The truth is now clear.
The truth is not what the Chu family said at all. Chen Qiwen did not betray his master and ancestors. He and his descendants did not even seek revenge against the Chu family. The Chu family died in constant fear.
"Good! It really is a case of tit for tat!"
"The Chu family is truly vicious! They clearly committed murder and seized the family property, yet they turned around and falsely accused the Chen family of betraying their master and ancestors! Every single member of the Chu family deserves to die!"
The witnesses' evidence is complete and can withstand scrutiny.
“Lord Yuan, you may take these pieces of evidence back and examine them one by one. I also ask Lord Yuan to clear the name of my Chen family and seek justice for my ancestors.”
Yuan Kunlin cupped his hands in greeting and solemnly assured her, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will not shirk my duty!"
Then, with a stern face, he waved his hand and said, "Take Chu back to the yamen."
Seeing that Chu Yimeng was still struggling, Yuan Kunlin said imposingly, "Chu Yimeng, you are the one who deceived the emperor and plotted to harm the imperial relatives. Come with me to the Ministry of Justice prison to reflect on your actions!"
He then declared without room for argument, "Take him away!"
Fu Bai casually reminded her from the side, "Is it just Chu Yimeng alone?"
Yuan Kunlin paused, took a deep breath, and said, "Take the commoner Li Jun with you!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com