Wei Wei was dressed in pure white, with a white flower in her hair. Her beauty was stunning, and she attracted a lot of attention as soon as she went out.
The servants followed behind and rushed out of the door. They didn't even want to stay at the mourning hall anymore. Instead, they started to grab the onlookers with tears in their eyes and began to tell them what had happened at the mourning hall.
"I've never seen those two people before. As soon as they came in, they started spouting nonsense and making unreasonable demands!"
"We were only worried they would disturb the spirits of the old lady and master in heaven, so we had them tied up and taken to the yamen (government office). We never expected it to turn out like this..."
"What sins has our Meng family committed! The final journey of the master and madam has been disturbed time and again!"
"The young mistress was already in poor health and was only managing things by sheer willpower. Now she's been bitten in return. I wonder how much worse things will get!"
The people from the Meng family recounted the hardships they had endured over the past few days, stirring up sympathy in those around them.
"Perhaps the prefect simply wants Madam Meng to go and inquire about the situation..."
"Yes, yes, the prefect is a good official, he will definitely handle this matter impartially."
Surrounded by people offering words of comfort, Wei Wei stopped, her eyes red with tears: "Fellow villagers, now that the Meng family has encountered a major incident, it's understandable that everyone in the manor is terrified."
"They feel uneasy because yesterday's matter has not been properly resolved."
"The prefect summoned me today to stand up for those two thieves."
"Our Meng family has suffered so many disasters in succession, and in the end, most of our property was divided up. We are already weak and defeated."
"I only hope that when the time comes for a crisis, my fellow villagers will speak up for me. Wei Wei will never forget your kindness!"
After speaking, he bowed tremblingly to those people in return.
People sympathize with the weak and resent the strong. They loudly proclaimed, "Don't worry, Madam Meng, we will definitely help you!"
Then, they spontaneously followed behind Wei Wei, gradually approaching the yamen (government office).
The official at the front was restless. He wanted to turn around and yell at them, but when he saw the crowd of people on the street, his eyebrows twitched and he firmly shut his mouth.
He dared not utter a single word, yet his pace quickened.
The court had already convened, and the couple who had just been brought over, along with Granny Chun, were all kneeling on the ground.
Granny Chun couldn't understand why she was being questioned for no reason when it was supposed to be a rewarding job.
He breathed a huge sigh of relief after seeing Wei Wei walk in.
Meanwhile, the couple on the other side had excited and smug expressions on their faces.
The official wiped the sweat from his brow and eagerly bowed to the prefect, who was sitting at the head of the table dozing off, saying, "Sir, Madam Meng has arrived..."
He wanted to say that the people following behind him were all busybodies, but once the prefect opened his eyes, it was no longer his turn to speak.
Before he could even fully open his eyes, he slammed the gavel down on the table and shouted, "Wei Shi, kneel down!"
The sound was so sudden that it startled many people.
It leaves one utterly speechless.
The prefect of Loucheng had always been incompetent, but this was the first time he had ever discovered how utterly incompetent he was.
Her belly, so large it looked like she was ten months pregnant, stretched her clothes taut, and there seemed to be drool still lingering at the corners of her mouth, as if she hadn't wiped it clean while dreaming.
Wei Wei could see it, and naturally, the onlookers outside could see it too.
The whispers never stopped.
The prefect, however, thought that others were showing great awe for his authority and looked smug.
Wei Wei didn't struggle and readily knelt on the ground.
A frail-looking woman knelt between fierce-looking officials, with two men and women of ill intent beside her.
This scene would be extremely pitiful in anyone's eyes.
The prefect, looking impatient, pointed at Ma Bao and questioned him, "These two accuse you of plotting to murder your old lady. Do you admit it?"
Wei Wei straightened her back and said in a clear voice, "Your Honor, may I ask a question first?"
The prefect glanced at her, then rolled his eyelids upwards: "Speak!"
Wei Wei then said, "I remember that yesterday, a relative of yours, who is from an official family, deliberately led people to cause trouble at the Meng family's house, and also injured me."
"Later, when that person came, he not only failed to arrest Miss Jiang, but also joined forces to humiliate the woman."
"I sent my maid with my blood-stained clothes to report the crime. Why has Your Honor not sought justice for me?"
The prefect coughed and said guiltily, "Of course I already know about this matter, and I am investigating it."
After saying that, he glared at her and said fiercely, "But we're talking about something else now!"
He slammed the gavel again: "Don't change the subject!"
Wei Wei was not afraid, but continued to speak, word by word: "What happened yesterday is very clear, and all the people present can testify for me!"
"I beg Your Honor to seek justice for me now!"
The prefect was speechless, and Wei Wei's attitude was also very clear.
The obese man looked flustered, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know how to answer.
Seeing that he was about to be forced into making a fool of himself, his advisor immediately leaned over and whispered something in his ear.
The unease he had just felt vanished, and the prefect's eyes lit up, revealing a look of relief.
He shouted, "I've actually already investigated what you're talking about! I just didn't have a chance to ask earlier!"
"Now I can tell you that those people knew they were in the wrong and have fled Loucheng, their whereabouts unknown. How should I proceed with the trial?"
"However, I will also send people to hunt them down, so don't worry."
Wei Wei was quite surprised to hear this.
Her eyes flickered as she stared intently at the prefect: "Does Your Excellency mean that Miss Jiang, who caused trouble at my residence yesterday, and her brother who protected her, fled Loucheng together and their whereabouts are unknown?"
"good."
The prefect nodded impatiently: "So now let's investigate what exactly happened today!"
Wei Wei smiled.
The knife that had been hovering high above his head was suddenly removed, and he was so happy that even his straight back relaxed a little.
The reason she took such a desperate gamble was because she considered the special circumstances at hand, and that they had temporarily abandoned their plans to take their own lives.
Jiang Changhe got injured, and it was her own fault.
And all I'm getting is blamed on them.
Her thinking was simple: after being played by them for so long, her small act of resistance was just a way to get back a little bit of interest.
She sighed contentedly and turned to look at Ma Bao and his wife beside her.
"These two men are impersonating my grandmother's brothers; they clearly have ulterior motives."
She scrutinized them carefully: "Your Honor, look at them, with their shifty eyes and sneaky appearance, how could they possibly be relatives of the Meng family?"
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