Chapter Twenty-Three: Must We See the Body?
Upon returning to the residence, a servant stepped forward and knocked on the side door.
During this time, Shen Zhiyi also asked a few questions about the people guarding the gate of the house and the main road. She was relieved to learn that no one was coming in or out.
"They're here! This is a century-old elm door. If you damage it, you won't be able to afford to pay for it!" the person inside called out. The door opened, and the first thing you saw was a pair of appraising eyes. The person's voice was full of laughter. "Officer Lu, what brings you here? Oh, even the county magistrate is here."
The two different attitudes demonstrate the extent of the servant's affection for them.
"Quickly call Steward Mo out," the head constable, Lu, said in a deep voice.
"And there are people we need to redeem!" Shen Zhiyi boldly declared, unwilling to waste any more time here.
After all, there was an unpleasant incident before, and we don't know if they have any hidden tricks up their sleeves. We need to finish this quickly!
"Do as she says," said Magistrate Mu, his eyes filled with official authority as he looked at the servant.
With such confidence, Shen Zhiyi could only rely on the servant's power. When the servant looked at her, she slightly raised her chin. Who doesn't look down on others?
With government officials by her side, Steward Mo arrived quickly. However, when Shen Zhiyi looked up, she didn't see anyone else following behind him. It seemed that simply intimidating him like this wouldn't be enough.
"Where are they?" Shen Zhiyi asked first, not wanting her side to appear weak.
"Hmph, if we had to call the person out to wait for us every time someone came to our manor to redeem them, what would become of our rules?" Butler Mo said coldly.
"I brought the contract I signed back then and the ransom!" Shen Zhiyi replied loudly. "We must hand over the person to verify their identity, issue a ransom order, and destroy the contract! Lord Mu, is that correct?"
“That’s how it should be,” Magistrate Mu said solemnly. “With me here as witness, everything will be handled according to the law.”
When the word "law" was mentioned, Magistrate Mu spoke with great emphasis, and Steward Mo could only reluctantly say, "Then let's start the verification. I'll call someone over once you've brought out your money."
To ensure fairness, Shen Zhiyi respectfully handed the contracts of the six people to Magistrate Mu, saying, "Then Magistrate Mu will read out the names. After I pay the ransom, Steward Mo will call the people out to verify them, and then the contracts will be destroyed. The matter is settled!"
"Alright." County Magistrate Mu took the contract and nodded slowly, completely ignoring Steward Mo's side. "Ge Niu."
Shen Zhiyi deliberately rearranged the order of the contracts, placing the two contracts that Butler Mo was unwilling to hand over at the beginning.
Noticing the menacing look in Butler Mo's eyes, she fearlessly returned the gaze, took out ten taels of silver from her bundle, sighed softly, and said, "This silver was painstakingly saved up little by little by our village. If it weren't for the fact that the village later planted chili peppers, and Lord Lu had the foresight to buy them, we wouldn't have been able to gather all this..."
After saying the necessary sentimental words, Shen Zhiyi weakly presented the loose silver, still warm from her body, to Magistrate Mu, and said, "I was really frightened by Steward Mo's previous attitude of refusing to hand over the person. I would like to trouble you, Lord Mu, to check if the amount of silver is accurate. If it is, please ask Steward Mo to call the person out."
Hearing Shen Zhiyi's words, the village chief subtly raised his hand to the people behind him. Several women who had come with him saw this and began to sob softly, adding to the somber atmosphere.
County Magistrate Mu seemed to be moved and said, "Steward Mo, call Ge Niu out. The amount in the contract is correct."
Despite his dissatisfaction, Steward Mo still gave a few instructions to the servant beside him.
A short while later, a woman wearing a brand-new light pink cotton shirt and dress was led over.
She was visibly uncomfortable, yet seemed forced to take small, hesitant steps. Her eyes lit up when she saw Shen Zhiyi and the others. She wanted to speak, but upon seeing Butler Mo's expression, she immediately shut her mouth and could only stand with her head bowed.
"Niu Niu!" a woman in the crowd shouted, rushing forward without thinking of anything else, followed by a man.
The moment they touched, Ge Niu recoiled in fear and whispered, "It hurts."
The woman was so frightened that she withdrew her hand and asked repeatedly, "Where does it hurt? Tell your mother quickly."
But Ge Niu didn't say anything more, she just hid, clearly having some reservations.
"Now that the person has arrived and the ransom has been paid, please, Lord Mu, cancel the contract between the two parties," Shen Zhiyi called out. There were still five families waiting to be redeemed, so it was best not to create any more complications.
County Magistrate Mu handed over the money, and Steward Mo reluctantly took another contract from the servant. After reading the two identical "work contracts", he said to the servant, "Bring a brazier over."
The servant glanced at Steward Mo, then obediently replied "Yes," and went inside to bring out the brazier.
During this time, County Magistrate Mu took the opportunity to say, "Sun Sanni."
“She’s long dead,” Butler Mo said through gritted teeth.
“You’re lying! Sanni has been locked up somewhere! I saw her just three days ago!” Ge Niu shouted anxiously from the crowd, her parents still secretly wiping away tears beside her.
"Little brat, don't talk nonsense!" Butler Mo said in a stern voice.
"Where is the body?" Shen Zhiyi asked, following the previous question. Seeing that Butler Mo was about to speak, she preemptively said, "Ge Niu saw Sun Sanni three days ago, so let's just assume she died three days ago."
"Then this humble woman must ask the expert, Officer Lu, if the body was either buried or thrown into the mass grave, given the temperature over the past three days, shouldn't it still be recognizable?" Shen Zhiyi asked earnestly.
The constable, who was not in a good mood, was immediately pulled back to his senses by the question and said, "I can still recognize him."
"I need to see her alive or dead, so where is she?" Shen Zhiyi asked coldly, her eyes like sharp swords, staring straight at Butler Mo.
"She..." Butler Mo was suddenly stunned, realizing he had almost let something slip, and quickly shut his mouth.
"Mo Congru, if you continue to be so stubborn, do you want me to bring men to search us?" Magistrate Mu said in a deep voice, his official authority fully displayed at this moment.
Butler Mo's gaze sharpened instantly. He raised his head slightly and said, "Try it if you dare."
The atmosphere between the two seemed tense, and Shen Zhiyi frowned involuntarily.
Even now, Butler Mo still won't back down, which means Sun Sanni's situation is very bad!
Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but think of what she had heard about Master Lin's family in Yugou Village, and tentatively asked, "Could it be that you sent her out to please the master? She didn't want to, so you locked her up or beat her until she agreed?"
Butler Mo raised an eyebrow slightly, as if to say that he had been right!
"My lord! Lord Mu, this humble citizen has a grievance to appeal!" As soon as Shen Zhiyi finished speaking, Sun Sanni's parents also stepped forward and knelt down in front of Magistrate Mu. She was just too late to kneel down.
"What are you doing? Get up quickly!" Lord Mu immediately called out and helped the two people nearby to their feet.
Shen Zhiyi also stood up at this moment and said enthusiastically, "Sun Sanni signed a labor contract with Master Lin's family. We in Xiaba Village all accept that she resigned before the end of her term and paid a ransom. But now, this laborer is being sent to the master's side by villains under various pretexts to be humiliated. This is absolutely against the law! Even if she is being taken as a concubine, her parents and close relatives should be informed, but none of that has been done!"
"Is this the home of the local gentry Master Lin, or some filthy place?!" Shen Zhiyi said, emphasizing her words. Just then, sobs rose from the crowd of women. She quickly raised her hand, pretending to wipe away tears, revealing her vulnerable side.
To put it nicely, Master Lin was a local gentry; to put it bluntly, he was a "nouveau riche." Since his family had no official titles, they naturally couldn't employ servants.
Although the stewards and servants did the work of servants, they still had to be officially called "helpers".
Shen Zhiyi grasped this point perfectly.
"Don't you dare..." Butler Mo said angrily, about to curse, but was interrupted by Magistrate Mu: "I also want to ask if the Lin family is a filthy place! Hand over the person immediately, lest I report to Lord Lu, and then it won't be something a mere butler like you can handle!"
"Mu Qingming, you've really got some nerve!" Butler Mo shouted angrily, pointing at Magistrate Mu, "Back then you..."
"Stop talking nonsense, where is he? Hand him over right now!" Magistrate Mu said coldly, his official authority evident, abruptly interrupting Steward Mo.
Butler Mo had no choice but to swallow his resentment and said rudely to the servant beside him, "Bring the person out."
"But what about the young master..." The servant wanted to say something, but under Butler Mo's fierce gaze, he could only leave.
"Wait a minute, call out the others as well, it'll save you a lot of trouble." County Magistrate Mu said coldly, while Shen Zhiyi very sensibly handed over the remaining ransom money, "They've raised enough money, so don't be so stingy."
Steward Mo could only grit his teeth in frustration. When he saw the servant turn around to look at him, he angrily shouted, "Hurry up and go!"
The servant hurriedly ran inside.
After waiting for a while, people finally came out. Everyone behind Shen Zhiyi craned their necks to look inside, and when they saw a familiar face, they couldn't help but shout out.
"What's all this noise about!" Butler Mo roared impatiently, and everyone had no choice but to shut up timidly.
"It's inevitable for relatives to lose their composure when they meet again, so please don't be so petty, Butler Mo." Shen Zhiyi responded politely, but in reality, she was giving a sharp rebuke.
She finally understood that Magistrate Mu and Steward Mo didn't get along, and that he reacted strongly to the word "petty".
We should at least take advantage of this advantageous position to carefully curry favor with Magistrate Mu.
Didn't you see how smiling the other person was at that moment?
Shen Zhiyi suppressed her scrutiny and reminded County Magistrate Mu, "Some people haven't all arrived yet."
As she finished speaking, someone carried over a stretcher. The woman lying on it was pale, and the cloth covering her back was stained with blood. Shen Zhiyi's breath caught in her throat at the sight.
"Sanni! Sanni!" Sun Sanni's parents emerged from the crowd, looking completely bewildered.
"Hmph, stealing from the master's property and refusing to admit it, naturally he should be punished according to family law." Butler Mo said coldly, "If he were sent to the authorities, he would be severely punished! It is only because the master is merciful that he has only given a minor punishment."
"You're talking nonsense! Sanni is an honest child, how could she steal!" Sun Sanni's father said angrily, and he was about to impulsively hit Butler Mo.
"Uncle Sun!" Shen Zhiyi called out hurriedly, "Let's get Sanni to the hospital quickly! Nothing else matters!"
Sun Sanni's parents didn't dare to delay either. They took the stretcher and carefully carried it out. Led by the village chief, a group of people first escorted them to the town.
Shen Zhiyi remained there, watching as the contracts that had nearly ruined the family were burned. Only then did she bow to Magistrate Mu and say, "Thank you, Magistrate Mu, for upholding justice for our village!"
As she spoke, Tang Huaya obediently knelt down and kowtowed, and the others quickly followed suit.
County Magistrate Mu said, "No need for such formalities," and left in a cheerful mood.
Just as the gates of the Lin family mansion were about to close, Shen Zhiyi turned her head and saw Butler Mo silently saying to her: We'll see.
Things don't seem to be that simple yet.
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