Damn it!
Xiaodong said, "When performing in the building, the ropes are mostly used for binding. And the ropes are durable. A rope can be used for a long time. The place with the most wear and tear is where it is wrapped and knotted. It is impossible for only one end to wear out."
Although he was thirteen or fourteen years old and thin, he spoke clearly and articulately, which Li Huan appreciated. "What you said makes sense. Since there is controversy, it cannot be used as physical evidence."
Outside the government office, people had unknowingly gathered in layers upon layers.
Aunt Hong knelt on the ground, with the clear sky above her head, and cried out, "My lords and Your Highnesses, please understand that the weapons in this box are all props commonly used on stage. In order to make them realistic, I specially asked craftsmen to make them according to the real ones, but they were not sharpened, just to avoid accidentally injuring people."
"Inside, there is only that thin sword used for sword dancing. Because the blade is so thin, it is very easy to accidentally injure someone even if it is not sharpened. Just now, when the official tested her, Dan Niang rushed to help, which shows that she is kind-hearted."
“We are all honest businessmen, just wanting a place to live. Our fancy skills are only for self-defense. Why does the official want to kill him?”
She spoke louder and louder, and then burst into tears, so that even those on the outermost edge could hear her clearly.
The people first whispered among themselves, then gradually raised their voices in condemnation, creating a noisy and heated discussion.
Li Huan slammed the gavel three times and shouted, "Silence! Silence!"
"Guards, quickly drag Wu Da out and give him ten lashes!"
Gu Jinning volunteered, "Lord Li, I have also been flogged before, and I know the best way to administer punishment. I want to personally administer the punishment."
Before Li Huan could speak, Gu Jinning went to the courtyard, snatched the board from the bailiff's hand, threw it into salt water to soak, and then ordered him to strip Wu Da of his clothes and make him lie on the torture bench.
Once the board was soaked with water, Gu Jinning slowly pulled it out, secretly using a blade to make sharp spiky cuts along the surface where her hand had touched.
Ten strokes of the cane weren't many, but they covered Wu Da's entire back. The cuts from the sharp spikes, soaked in salt water, blossomed all over Wu Da's body.
Wu Da gritted his teeth and endured the pain, his whole body turning red from the effort, which only made the wounds more visible.
Gu Jinning tossed the board aside, admiring her work with satisfaction, but not without complaining, "Oh dear, Lord Li, this board of yours is too old, it's all splintered, it's killing me."
Gu Jinning stretched her hand out to Xiao Heng'an, revealing a red streak of blood on the web of her hand, and said aggrievedly, "Look, it's pricked."
Xiao Heng'an held her hand and said meaningfully, "Damn it."
Li Huan hurriedly stepped down from the platform to apologize, ordering the yamen runners to throw away the old wooden board and replace it with a new one. He also ordered Wu Da to be imprisoned for five days of reflection. He then requested that a doctor be summoned.
Gu Jinning said, "There's no need to call a doctor. You should close the case quickly so I can treat my wound as soon as possible."
Li Huan said "yes" several times, but bent over and turned around almost completely, observing Xiao Yi's expression and glancing at Xiao Liao's attitude, hesitating.
Xiao Yi asked Xiao Liao, "Does the big guy have any other evidence?"
Xiao Liao replied arrogantly, "No."
Xiao Yi smiled and said, "If that's the case, then let's decide it however we want, so as to give the people an explanation."
Having received the explicit instruction, Li Huan returned to his seat as judge, cleared his throat, and slammed his hand on the table to pronounce his verdict:
"Upon investigation, all individuals at the teahouse were found to be operating legitimate businesses and have no criminal suspicion. Therefore, this court will not file a case. The teahouse is hereby reopened, and Aunt Hong and the others are released on the spot."
He paused, then continued, "Given that Wu Da is a retainer of the Prince of Qin's court, and that he injured someone without cause, resulting in serious injury, in addition to being punished with imprisonment and caning, the Prince of Qin must compensate the injured party with one hundred taels of silver as a warning."
Li Huan didn't want to punish Xiao Liao with silver, but given Zhou Bing's example, if he didn't speak up today, His Highness the Crown Prince would have to, so he might as well do it himself and play both the good guy and the bad guy.
With the matter resolved satisfactorily, Gu Jinning borrowed Xiao Heng'an's carriage and sent Qinglian to escort the group from the teahouse back. They, young and old, had been kneeling for a long time, their legs were already weak, and Danniang needed to be treated by a doctor as soon as possible.
Once everyone left the hall and the servants removed their boxes, the high-hanging sun shone in, instantly brightening the hall.
Only Xiao Liao stood in the shadows, his face as dark as ink, his eyes filled with hatred as he looked at Gu Jinning.
Gu Jinning looked him straight in the eye and returned his smile with a victor's. "Prince Qin, if you have any questions next time, come directly to me. Don't go around bothering the people around me. Isn't that tiring?"
Xiao Liao said, "Even the most cunning fox can't outsmart a hunter. Don't be too happy yet."
"Oh." Gu Jinning brushed past him, defiant. "Then we'll see who's the hunter and who's the fox."
After saying that, she turned around and smiled at Xiao Yi, "Cousin, I need to cultivate a relationship with His Highness Prince Jin, so I'll be going now."
Before Xiao Yi could speak, Gu Jinning pulled Xiao Heng'an away.
Inside the hall, Li Huan presented the recorded case files to Xiao Yi for review.
Xiao Yi did not accept it, but said only: "I trust Lord Li to do things properly, so please file it."
Li Huan repeatedly agreed and personally sealed the file and sent it to the archives.
Xiao Liao was about to leave when Xiao Yi called him back, saying, "Brother, investigating the case is of utmost importance, but if we proceed so rashly and arrest innocent people indiscriminately, we risk inciting public resentment."
Xiao Liao turned his face away, "Your Highness, there's no one else here, you don't need to pretend to be a good person. You'd be happy if this case went nowhere and you wanted me to stay away from the capital so I wouldn't get in your way, right? Zuo Wenzhong is your teacher, and you're happier than anyone else that he's been saved."
Xiao Yi said, "You're overthinking it. I didn't mean that. I just wonder why we brothers can't get rid of our differences and live together peacefully?"
Xiao Liao let out a few mocking laughs, "You really are like the cynical, 'Why don't you eat meat porridge?' You were born the Crown Prince, superior to everyone else. Even though I am the eldest son and superior to you in every way, I can only look up to you. How can I possibly be your brother?"
"You protect your teacher, disregard the position of crown prince, and want to drag me down with you? A vassal king, never to enter the capital again—what about all my efforts over the years?"
"You want to show your benevolence and brotherly love? Fine, then go and ask the Emperor to depose me and recommend me as the Crown Prince!"
Xiao Yi listened calmly to his complaints, neither annoyed nor angry, and sincerely said, "If you want it, I can give it to you."
Xiao Liao couldn't bear to hear the word "yield," especially when it came from Xiao Yi's mouth; it only made him feel more humiliated.
"Stop your hypocritical act. I don't need your charity. What I want, I always get myself."
Xiao Liao tore away the last layer of pretense between them and left in a huff.
Xiao Yi watched the angry figure disappear into the distance and sighed deeply.
Outside the yamen, Gu Jinning hid behind the wall, watching Xiao Liao leave in a rage before jumping onto her horse with satisfaction, putting her arm around Xiao Heng's waist and saying, "Let's go."
Xiao Heng'an pulled on the reins and asked, "Where to?"
Gu Jinning said, "Of course it's the teahouse. As the landlord, I have to go and offer my condolences. But there's no rush, let's take our time."
The horse slowly started moving, and the crowd of onlookers dispersed. Song Ming and Song Hui also went with Qinglian to escort the carriage. At this rare moment of peace and quiet, Gu Jinning felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"I haven't seen Deputy General Yang lately?" she asked, trying to start a conversation.
Xiao Heng'an replied, "I'm on official business."
"That's good. I thought he was holding a grudge against me for throwing the knife at him, and that's why he was always ignoring me."
"It's good that you remember," Xiao Heng'an said calmly.
Gu Jinning, sitting in the back, couldn't see Xiao Heng'an's expression, but she could tell he wasn't happy.
"What, are you angry? Are you upset that I didn't tell you about the brothel, or about Dan Niang?"
Gu Jinning pretended to think for a moment and guessed, "I guess it's the latter. Didn't you figure it out?"
She poked Xiao Heng'an's lower back with her fingertip and said ingratiatingly, "I didn't tell you out of respect for Dan Niang. Now that the Prince of Qin has brought this up, I'll tell you. Actually, Dan Niang is very pitiful. She has a twin sister, whom you've met."
Before Gu Jinning could ask him to guess, Xiao Heng'an blurted out, "It's Bai Sheng, right?"
Gu Jinning gave a thumbs up and praised, "Your Highness Prince Jin has excellent eyesight; you saw right through me."
Dan Niang and Bai Sheng are twins, one older sister and one younger brother. Dan Niang is the older sister, and Bai Sheng is the younger brother. Although they were born of the same mother and look almost identical, Bai Sheng is more beautiful and resembles a little girl. He is also physically weak and prone to illness.
They were once considered well-off, but when they were fifteen, their parents were murdered by the local gentry, leaving them orphans. The gentry forcibly took them into his household to work as servants.
At that time, when important figures from above were inspecting the area, local gentry and officials, in order to please them, would hold banquets every day to entertain them, and would especially send Bai Sheng there.
Dan Niang learned from the cook about the important man's quirks and knew that her younger brother would not return after he left. So she switched identities with him, asking him to dress as a woman while she dressed as a man, pretending to be a scholar, and went with the local gentry.
That night, the front hall was filled with revelry, and the cooks left Dan Niang alone to keep watch.
In the middle of the night, urgent cries came from the front yard: the important man was dead, the local gentry was dead, and the murderer, Bai Sheng, had escaped.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Danniang set fire to the woodshed and escaped.
They agreed to meet outside the city gate if they successfully escaped.
Unfortunately, when Danniang left the city gate, she heard that Baisheng had been arrested and was to be burned at the stake.
At that time, Gu Jinning was new to the martial arts world. She stumbled upon Dan Niang, who had fainted by the roadside. Her blood boiled with passion, and she immediately sneaked into the city to rescue Bai Sheng. She also gave them ten taels of silver, telling them to come to the capital to find her if they ever encountered any difficulties in the future.
Their martial arts skills were learned later, but they were not bad. Because they had to make a living and avoid being hunted down by enemies, life forced them to become strong.
When they met again, they still disguised themselves as men and women as men, which was the best way for them to protect each other.
Aunt Hong had just opened a teahouse and was short of staff. Dan Niang had loved opera since childhood and could help out, so she stayed at the teahouse to sing.
Bai Sheng then follows Gu Jin Ning in her travels, becoming the liaison for the ever-changing young man, and sometimes even playing the role of the ever-changing young man himself.
They hadn't known each other for very long, but they were truly sincere to each other and could be considered half-family.
Gu Jinning trusts them a lot, including Xiaoqiu and Xiaodong.
Gu Jinning leaned on Xiao Heng'an's shoulder and whispered, "I'll let you in on a secret: Old Master Zuo was created by Xiaoqiu and Xiaodong. It's a pity that Prince Qin has no evidence."
"These two brothers were kidnapped by unscrupulous acrobats when they were young and forced to practice bone-shrinking skills and acrobatics. They were forced to beg on the streets and suffered all kinds of abuse. By the time they were fourteen, their bodies had been ravaged to the size of a ten-year-old child, and they were extremely thin. Ironically, they ended up helping each other."
As for the other employees in the shop, as Aunt Hong said, when hiring, they tended to prefer people who had experienced hardships in the world. When everyone came together, they had a home, and they treated each other with sincerity, and gradually they became one of their own.
Xiao Liao was able to find out that they were wandering people from the martial arts world, but most of them were orphans and refugees, making it difficult to find out their background.
"Xiao Heng'an, now I'll tell you everything, there's nothing left to hide."
Xiao Heng'an said, "There is one more thing."
Gu Jinning's heart skipped a beat. Was there anything else that hadn't been explained? Nothing more.
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