Xiao Youran quickly followed, "Madam Sun, my brother and I treated Manager Liu's son that day, so I am also one of the parties involved. Please take me with you, Madam Sun."
Madam Yun and Madam Su were also concerned about Madam Li and the others, and hurriedly said, "Let's go and see them too."
Yueyue tugged at her mother's hand and said sweetly, "Mother, let's go take a look too..."
The eldest princess hesitated for a moment, patted her daughter's head, and nodded, saying, "It's alright, let's go and take a look together."
Aunt Yun sneered, "Even if you go, what can you do? Can you disrupt the court proceedings?"
Madam Sun ignored them and, with several guests in a large entourage, hurriedly went to the county government office.
She never imagined that today's banquet for a few guests, which was supposed to be an elegant affair of appreciating flowers, would turn into such a menacing scene as they charged into the courtroom.
They happened to run into Yun Tiankuang, who was looking for someone, outside the door, and went over together.
When the group arrived at the courtroom, Jiang Youchen was being forced to kneel before Magistrate Feng, who was about to make him bow his head.
Upon seeing her son being forced to kneel on the ground with a rod by the officials, Madam Su cried out in alarm and rushed over, "Chen'er!"
Madam Sun was terrified and stepped forward, saying, "Your Excellency, Magistrate!"
Upon seeing that it was actually the magistrate's wife, Magistrate Feng was first surprised, then lazily said, "Madam Sun, this government office is a crucial place for me to adjudicate cases and handle affairs. How dare you, a mere woman, trespass into the courtroom?"
Madam Sun said urgently, "Your Excellency, they are all noblemen from the capital. Please have mercy on them!"
Magistrate Feng was nearly fifty years old and had spent decades in officialdom, only managing to rise from the ninth rank to the eighth. Magistrate Sun, on the other hand, had only passed the imperial examination a few years prior and had already obtained the position of seventh-rank magistrate in Wufeng County. He had always resented this young man who was above him.
Therefore, seeing Madam Sun causing trouble, he was even more displeased. "This case is currently being heard by this official. I request that all women leave immediately and not disturb the court!"
He slammed the gavel again, and the bailiffs beside him shouted in unison, "Majesty!"
Madam Sun was furious, but her husband always gave way to this local bully, so she could only smile and say, "Magistrate, this case is a bit complicated. Let's wait for Magistrate Sun to return before we hear it."
Magistrate Feng scoffed even coldly, "This official and Magistrate Sun each have their own duties. Besides, this case is clear and straightforward, with both witnesses and physical evidence. Why wait for him to conduct the trial?"
Madam Su pleaded, "My lord, my son is merely a witness in this case. Please, sir, show mercy!"
Seeing Madam Sun's arrogant demeanor and the group of women she had brought with her, Magistrate Feng became even angrier. He picked up a red-headed divination stick from the container and roared, "Everyone in the courtroom, quiet down! Jiang Youchen has shown contempt for the court and even brought women to disrupt the proceedings. Guards, take him away and give him ten strokes of the cane as a warning! All other irrelevant persons, leave immediately!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Su was terrified. "My lord! My lord, please have mercy!"
County Magistrate Feng pulled a red-tipped token from the table and threw it directly on the ground.
Madam Sun was anxious and wanted to step forward, but with Magistrate Feng's order, the bailiffs had already raised their batons and blocked everyone outside, pushing them toward the main hall door.
Just as the red token was about to hit the ground, Xiao Youran crawled in from under the stick, quickly took two steps of the Lingyun Eighteen Steps, and caught the red token in her hand in the blink of an eye.
She held the red-headed slip in her hands, cupped her hands in a gesture of respect, and pointed at Manager Liu, saying, "My apologies, sir! Manager Liu only agreed to transfer the cloth shop to the Yun family at the low price of one hundred taels of silver on the condition that her son's illness be cured. My lord, please investigate! The Yun family did not commit any deception!"
When Magistrate Feng saw another girl appear and catch her red-headed document, he became even more furious. "Outrageous! How dare you cause trouble in the courtroom?! Get out of here at once! If you don't leave, I'll beat you both!"
Jiang Youchen quickly pulled his younger sister behind him, "Sister, what are you doing here? I'm the only one who can testify in this case!"
Xiao Youran smiled and said, "Brother, although I often shift the blame to you, how can I stand idly by when I'm getting beaten up?! A family should share both good times and bad!"
Jiang Youchen: ...
He pushed his younger sister into his mother's arms, saying, "Mother, take your sister and get out of here quickly!"
Tears streamed down Madam Su's face. "Chen'er!"
Magistrate Feng was getting impatient. He was determined to vent his anger today, so he took out another red-tipped sign and said, "I told you to leave, but you wouldn't. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance! Guards! Give each of these three who are disrupting the court twenty strokes of the cane!"
Madam Su turned deathly pale with fright. "My lord! They're all just children!"
Old Madam Yun was terrified when she was taken outside. Twenty strokes of the cane—wouldn't that beat the two children to death?!
The Li family, the Yu family, and Yun Manwan, who were kneeling in the hall, were so frightened that they kowtowed repeatedly to Magistrate Feng, begging for mercy.
The hall was thrown into chaos in an instant.
However, the red slip had already been placed on the ground, so the bailiffs had no choice but to obey. They first pulled Xiao Youran away, then pulled Su Shi and Jiang Youchen away, and dragged the three of them onto the execution bench.
Jiang Youchen was extremely anxious, with her younger sister on her left and her mother on her right.
Xiao Youran was also anxious. She hadn't figured out how to help the mother and her two children escape this punishment. Being spanked in public was too embarrassing.
And it must hurt a lot, right?
Seeing that Madam Sun and her great-aunt were being stopped outside by the guards, as were the Princess and Yueyue, they did not want to reveal their identities, so they could not be expected to come to their rescue.
All I can rely on is that all-purpose wishing notebook!
Or, let it snow in June to show that their injustice is even more tragic than that of Dou E?
No, no, no, it's still January, so even if it snows, it won't be a June snowfall!
Or should we let all the servants on this mission get diarrhea?! Diarrhea to the point of dehydration?
No, no, no, this only delays the case and doesn't help the investigation at all...
Or...
As she was lost in thought, the constables were about to raise their sticks.
Jiang Youchen gritted her teeth.
The Jiang family were officials, and the Su family were the richest. When he was in Dingzhou, he never suffered such grievances.
But here in Taizhou, he had neither official rank nor prestigious status to intimidate others, and he was even implicating his sister and mother to be beaten... For the first time in his life, he felt so powerless to protect his family.
His face was pressed against the bench, and he looked at his little sister's small body from the side.
Such a small, soft body, yet it had to endure the punishment of being beaten with sticks?!
His eyes turned bloodshot, and his fists clenched tightly.
This case originally had the registrar as a witness and the official contract signed by both parties as evidence, making it a sure thing that the winner was in the end. Is this how officialdom is, so indiscriminate in its judgments?!
Outside the door, Yueyue anxiously tugged at her mother's sleeve, "Mother, please save my little sister Youran!"
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