Chapter 36 My daughter has a grievance to seek redress
The door of the private room was kicked open, and officials from the yamen rushed in with sticks in their hands.
Prefect Yang stepped over the threshold with his hands behind his back in a proud manner. He first looked around at the situation inside, glanced at Yang Sharen who was lying on the ground, and then walked to Xiao Zhinian.
Before he could finish his words, Yang Sharen rushed to his feet, surprised and happy, "Uncle, save me! These people said they want to kill me!"
Prefect Yang waved his hand and ordered the yamen runners beside him to stop him, blocked his mouth, and pointed in the direction of the door: "Take him away."
Xiao Zhinian sarcastically asked, "Is Magistrate Yang trying to protect his nephew in public?"
Among the clients who were crowded in the corridor, someone recognized Yang Sharen and pointed at him, saying, "Wow! Isn't that the boy from the Yang family? What's wrong? I don't usually see Prefect Yang mobilize so many troops to arrest people. Could he have committed a crime?"
There was also a naked hooligans who was eating melon seeds and spitting the shells on the ground, and said with a click of the tongue: "You don't know anything about the Han family? You are a dead man! Yang Sharen is even more of a hooligan than me. He is always thinking about the little girl of the Han family! If he can't eat the swan meat, he will kill the grandfather!"
When Yang Sharen heard this, his face turned blue and red, and he screamed and kicked people.
The official drove away the gossipers outside and said, "Go, go, go, go to the side. You are hindering the work of the government. Believe it or not, I will lock you up and torture you!"
The birds scattered.
Prefect Yang said righteously, "I have always been upright and honest, and I would never bend the law for personal gain. Your Excellency, I am grateful for your help in catching this criminal."
Want to do the same old trick again?
Xiao Zhinian refused, so he said, "How about this, now is the best day. Since the thief has been caught and there are witnesses and evidence, let's just hold a public trial to avoid any more trouble."
Prefect Yang was cornered and had no choice but to agree with him, "Your Excellency is right. Go to the government office immediately and go to court!"
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The four large characters "明堂如静" were engraved on a plaque, which was hung high in the center of the court. The red sun was rising, and clouds and cranes were auspicious, reflecting a picture of fair punishment.
It's a pity that it's covered in dust.
Prefect Yang was sitting in an armchair behind the wooden desk, looking calm and composed. Even though the criminal he was interrogating was his nephew, he did not seem panicked.
The gavel was banged and the whole room fell silent.
"The criminal Yang Sharen has repeatedly committed shameful acts of forcing innocent people to commit crimes. What's worse, he murdered the old man of the Han family to cover up his evil deeds. He totally disregards human ethics! Do you admit it or not?"
These words were very majestic.
Xiao Zhinian sat on a rosewood chair that had been brought nearby, watching coldly as Prefect Yang staged a show of holding his nephew accountable for the greater good of his family, while Shen Zhejiang stood behind him with a cold expression and a handsome and upright figure, more like a green pine or bamboo.
Xiao Zhinian originally wanted to move an armchair for him so that he could sit next to him, but he declined on the grounds that it was against etiquette.
It was true that Shen Zhejiang's current identity was just a teacher. He had never been involved with the government, and no one would have thought of his relationship with Xiao Zhinian.
In fact, he himself didn't want anyone to notice anything.
When Shen Zhejiang got stubborn, no one could change him. Xiao Zhinian couldn't persuade him either, so he had to let him go.
Yang Sharen's face turned pale, and he defended himself loudly: "Uncle! I didn't kill anyone! You are not like this normally, please save me!! My mother entrusted me to you, are you going to watch me die without saving me?!"
Yang the Magistrate scolded, his chin beard trembling as he spoke: "Shut up! How can you casually identify relatives in court! I'll ask you again, do you plead guilty or not?"
“No!”
Yang Sharen was used to showing off in public, and even in the hall, in front of so many people, he found it difficult to restrain himself, for he was sure that his uncle would not do anything to him.
Suddenly, the situation was at a stalemate.
Xiao Zhinian was too lazy to listen to their long-winded chatter. It was such a waste of energy. He rubbed his fingers on the handle of the chair and said lazily, "Let's put things in order. Present the evidence."
Shen Zhejiang looked at Xiao Zhinian with a little doubt, what was he going to do?
The emerald jade dagger was brought to him. Xiao Zhinian picked it up, glanced at Yang Sharen, and asked, "Is this dagger yours?"
"How could it be mine!" Yang Sharen denied.
"Okay, you didn't kill Old Man Han."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, the crowd gathered in front of the government office gate all exclaimed in shock. It turned out that it was an unchanging truth since ancient times that officials should protect each other. Gradually, some people started to curse angrily.
"You bastard! All crows are black!"
"You are a bunch of snakes and rats! What's the point? I don't want to watch it anymore. Let's go!"
The public anger is hard to appease.
Han Weiwei had already changed into a white linen dress and stood in the noisy crowd, feeling shocked. He clearly did not promise her this at that time. Could it be that she had trusted the wrong person?
Xiao Zhinian didn't care. He pulled out his dagger, and his face was reflected on the sharp blade. He said, "The following is another case. I want to ask you, have you ever raped anyone?"
Yang Sharen was stunned by what he had just said. He thought Xiao Zhinian was on his side and that it would be alright as long as he denied it, so he said, "No!"
"Is that so?" Xiao Zhinian waved his hand, sheathed the blade, and said coldly, "Everyone present, who will come first to complain?"
There was a sudden silence.
Naturally, there were many people among this group of people who were intimidated by Yang Sharen, but no one was sure of Xiao Zhinian's thoughts. It was obvious that the old man of the Han family was killed by Yang Sharen, but it was definitely not his doing. Who knew whether this group of corrupt officials tricked the man out and then killed him in secret.
For a moment, no one dared to stand up.
Han Weiwei clenched her hands, hesitant.
Xiao Zhinian looked at the huge group of people: "No?"
"Your Majesty, you are too hasty. What you just said should not have been appropriate. Let me do it," Shen Zhejiang reminded him quietly beside him, making sure that no one else could hear. Then he looked up and vaguely saw Han Weiwei's sorrow, and said loudly, "The court is the place where grievances are declared. If you have any grievances, tell me the truth. I, Shen, guarantee that I will give you a fair hearing."
Many people in Luocheng knew Shen Zhejiang because he was a good teacher and opened a school. Even if the students were poor and could not afford the tuition, Shen Zhejiang would still teach them and treat them equally.
"Why is Mr. Shen also in the government office? Isn't he deceiving us too?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?! Everyone knows what kind of person Mr. Shen is. He would never plot against us!"
It was as if they were divided into two factions, one questioning whether Shen Zhejiang was bribed by the government, while the other firmly believed that Shen Zhejiang was upright and fair. The argument continued, like oil dripping into boiling water, making crackling sounds.
"My daughter has grievances to be redressed."
With great force.
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