When everyone heard this, they all knelt down and saluted.
County Magistrate Zhu's face was even paler. He walked down from the top with shaking legs and knelt in front of Jiang Yueyang. His voice was trembling, "Your subordinate... Your subordinate greets the princess. Your subordinate has... I am blind. Please forgive me, princess!"
After he pleaded guilty, he knocked his head to the ground with a bang.
Jiang Yueyang did not immediately ask him to stand up, but humbly asked Governor Yan: "Governor Yan, I know that scholars do not need to kneel down to show respect when meeting the county magistrate, but do you still need to do so when meeting the princess?"
Hearing this, Governor Yan immediately looked at Master Tao. Seeing that he was still standing straight, his face suddenly darkened.
He shouted coldly: "Mr. Tao, the princess is here, why don't you kneel down! Are you trying to commit treason?"
Young Master Tao immediately came back to his senses from his shock and knelt down hurriedly, "I pay my respects to the princess, and hope that the princess will forgive my poor eyesight."
Jiang Yueyang snorted coldly, "Master Tao was so arrogant earlier, I almost thought that this Luoyang County Government was run by your family!"
"I dare not!" Young Master Tao had cold sweat on his forehead.
"Don't dare?" Jiang Yueyang smiled, "You dare to set your sights on this princess? What else is there to be afraid of?"
"Princess...Princess, please spare my life!"
"I am not sure what crime the scholar has committed for coveting me, so I'll have to trouble Lord Yan to handle this matter."
Governor Yan bowed and responded, "I will give the princess a satisfactory explanation. Someone come..."
"Wait." Jiang Yueyang called out, "There is another case here that needs Mr. Tao's cooperation in the trial. The punishment will be dealt with later."
"promise."
Then, Jiang Yueyang turned to Magistrate Zhu and said, "Magistrate Zhu, as the chief official of Luoyang, you have no self-judgment at all. You want to use punishment just based on the instigation of others. Don't you want to keep this official hat?"
County Magistrate Zhu was so frightened that he kowtowed and begged for mercy, "Princess, please calm down. I know my crime and will never do it again."
"Alright, this princess is here to attend the trial today. I don't have time to listen to you admit your mistakes and beg for mercy."
Upon hearing this, Governor Yan immediately said, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and try the case!"
"Yes... yes, yes." County Magistrate Zhu stood up hurriedly.
After a while, Jiang Yueyang and Governor Yan sat below and listened, while County Magistrate Zhu sat upstairs and sweated profusely.
He swallowed and looked at the two of them, then asked according to procedure: "Who is here?"
"Mrs. Xue."
"What grievance have you suffered?"
"My husband is a farmhand of the Tao family. Three days ago, Mr. Tao asked my husband to move things to the Tao family.
But after a while, someone from the Tao family came to tell me that my husband had stolen something and beaten up the eldest son of the Tao family, and asked me to go over there.
When I went to the Tao family, I found that... my husband had been beaten beyond recognition by them.
Young Master Tao asked me to pay him three hundred taels of silver, otherwise he would hand my husband over to the authorities.
Even if my whole family doesn't eat or drink for a lifetime, they can't earn three hundred taels. Where can I get three hundred taels to compensate him?
Then, Mr. Tao said that if he had no money, he could give him his daughter as a concubine. The woman refused, so he sent her husband to the government.
My lord, my husband has worked as a farmhand in the Tao family for six years and has never taken a penny from them.
The neighbors all knew what kind of person he was. He would never steal, let alone hit anyone!
He is innocent, please investigate!"
After hearing what Xue said, County Magistrate Zhu looked at Master Tao and said, "Mr. Tao, is what Xue said true? Did you beat Zhou Daqiang?"
"Your Excellency, I did call Zhou Daqiang to my house that day, and I did have someone beat him up, but that was because Zhou Daqiang wanted to escape after being caught red-handed, so I had no choice but to do so."
"My husband doesn't steal!"
"You said he wouldn't? What evidence do you have to prove that he didn't steal?"
Xue was questioned and had no answer. She had no evidence and all she did was out of trust in her husband.
Seeing that Xue didn't say anything, Master Tao smiled complacently, "If you want to use his usual behavior as an excuse, then I don't think that proves anything. People are not static!"
Jiang Yueyang looked at Master Tao thoughtfully. He seemed to be a real scholar with a good tongue.
Master Tao continued, "You have no evidence, but I have witnesses and physical evidence. On that day, I and a few servants saw it with our own eyes. After we caught Zhou Daqiang stealing something, he tried to escape by climbing over the wall."
"Then let's call a witness." Jiang Yueyang suddenly spoke.
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Zhu immediately said, "Send a witness!"
After a while, several servants of the Tao family were brought up.
Magistrate Zhu stared at the men and asked, "Did you see Zhou Daqiang stealing something with your own eyes? I'm telling you, perjury will be severely punished!"
One of them answered without thinking: "Your Excellency, I saw Zhou Daqiang stealing things with my own eyes.
In the eldest son's room, he was holding the eldest son's jade pendant and some gold.
"Princess, what do you think..." County Magistrate Zhu asked Jiang Yueyang what she thought.
Jiang Yueyang was almost laughing at his anger. He was ready to make a decision before the person involved came forward to ask questions?
Is this how the Luoyang County Magistrate handles cases?
She couldn't help but turn her head to look at Governor Yan, who was sitting below her, and asked with a smile, "Sir Yan, why don't you come to do the trial?"
As soon as Lord Yan heard this, he knew that Jiang Yueyang was leaning towards the Xue family. "The princess is holding the imperial edict, as if the emperor is here in person. If the princess feels that Magistrate Zhu is unable to supervise this case, she can handle it on his behalf."
"Is this... okay?" Jiang Yueyang asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course you can."
"Then I will be the judge. I hope Lord Yan can give me some pointers to avoid mistakes."
"I will follow the princess's orders."
As Governor Yan's voice fell, Jiang Yueyang stood up and walked towards County Magistrate Zhu.
This time, County Magistrate Zhu was very considerate. He stood up and gave up his seat without waiting for Governor Yan to remind him.
Jiang Yueyang handed the white fox in her arms to Qingzhi, and then she picked up the gavel on the table and slammed it hard.
This sound was so loud that it frightened everyone present.
[So cool! ] Jiang Yueyang shouted subconsciously in her heart.
[Host, you scared me. ]
[Little melon, don't force me to slap you when I'm happy! ]
Governor Yan had heard about Xin Sheng's story, and at this moment he was speechless and a little surprised.
County Magistrate Zhu had no idea what he was thinking. Now he was looking at Jiang Yueyang as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes full of horror!
"county……"
"Shut up!" Governor Yan glared at him and warned, "The county magistrate is in charge of the case, just listen quietly!"
The lawyer tugged at Magistrate Zhu's clothes and shook his head at him.
After warning Magistrate Zhu, Governor Yan looked at the people in the hall and said, "Answer whatever the princess asks you. Don't waste your words!"
After these words were spoken, everyone had nothing to understand. Governor Yan was warning them not to talk nonsense.
Jiang Yueyang let go of the gavel in his hand, looked around and said with a stern face: "Bring the suspect Zhou Daqiang!"
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