Master Yan smiled slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes, "Master, he did not provoke me."
The master was obviously relieved.
Master Yan went on to say, “The people who want to sue him are the people of our town. They asked me to come along, mainly because Shopkeeper Niu said that his brother-in-law is a legal advisor and he is not afraid of anyone!
Everyone was afraid that they wouldn't get justice here, so they asked me to come along.
I told them that the master was not as conscienceless as the shopkeeper Niu. It was impossible for him to turn a blind eye when he knew that he had put something that shouldn't have been put into the brine.
They still didn’t believe it and were very uneasy!
There is nothing we can do. Common people are afraid of officials.
What’s more, Manager Niu said that he has someone above him.
This is not…”
Mr. Yan spread his hands, indicating that there was nothing he could do and he did not want to come here to embarrass him.
The master's expression changed again and again.
What Mr. Yan said may sound fine at first glance, but upon closer listening, there are big problems.
The lawyer was secretly furious.
But so many people are watching.
What can he say?
Even private settlement is not acceptable!
There is no other way, but with so many people entering, there is no room in the court.
So, Master Yan let the important people go in together. Seeing that Master Yan was willing to offend the lawyer to support them, everyone was grateful.
They all listened to whatever Master Yan said.
Those who stayed outside, although they couldn't do anything inside, could satisfy the gossipy county residents outside.
Soon! The master's brother-in-law not only used despicable means to ruin the reputation of the other family, but also put something that should not be put into the brine.
Some people even recounted the arrogant words of Shopkeeper Niu in vivid detail.
This made some people suspicious that there was something wrong with the master.
No matter which dynasty or era, public opinion and rumors have terrible destructive power.
On the second floor of the teahouse opposite the yamen, a man in fancy clothes stood in front of the window, watching the hustle and bustle in the yamen.
Behind him stood two attendants in black.
"Master, we followed you from that small town to here. Did you find anything?"
The man's mind was filled with the image of Gao Zhi's cute face.
If that child were still alive, he would probably be this age, and would probably be as quirky, sweet and pretty as this.
But...how is that possible?
Six years ago, he rushed here and found those criminals. With their guidance, he found the mass grave, and saw pieces of clothes and a sachet on the ground.
He always carried the sachet with him.
The man pressed his chest, which ached violently, as if it were being stabbed by a knife.
It has been more than six years, and the pain has not diminished at all.
But what if it’s painful to die?
He can't get back the person he loves the most!
And he couldn't even die if he wanted to, because he still had things to finish.
"I didn't expect a bladder shell to appear here. Take my token and go find the magistrate. Ask him where the bladder shell came from, no matter what."
"Yes, sir."
In the yamen, faced with witnesses and evidence, the lawyer wanted to help Manager Niu, but he didn't dare to do so.
During the trial, the magistrate left for a while and soon came back with a serious look on his face.
"Someone, come! Start the punishment! Give Niu Chao thirty lashes first."
Shopkeeper Niu and his lawyer looked at the magistrate in surprise.
The magistrate had a cold face and slammed the gavel hard.
"beat!"
The officer immediately stepped forward, pinned Manager Niu to the ground, and beat him with a stick.
The board hit his flesh, making loud slapping sounds, and soon Shopkeeper Niu's clothes were covered in blood.
He cried out in pain.
The others in the lobby sounded very happy.
He deserves it for being so conscienceless!
Shopkeeper Niu was beaten with thirty sticks and felt like he had lost half his life.
The magistrate announced the verdict on Manager Niu in public.
Shopkeeper Niu instigated others to cause trouble at his home, ruined other people's reputation, and added prohibited substances to the food. He was sentenced to six years in prison and exiled to work in a mine in the west.
Compensate Xie Xianglan for her reputation loss with one hundred taels of silver.
All the braised meat shops in this town must close immediately!
The other four people who were instigated by him were beaten with twenty sticks and apologized to Xie Xianglan in public.
This is what happened openly.
Master Yan was also quite satisfied.
After the court was dismissed, Manager Niu was immediately dragged to the study. The magistrate, without even taking off his official uniform, immediately began to interrogate him about the origin of the sac shell.
The lawyer wants to plead for mercy.
The magistrate looked over coldly and said, "Master, you should think carefully. If you plead for him, it will not only be ineffective, but also cause trouble.
I just left for a while, do you know what I saw? "
The master shook his head, "Please make it clear, sir!"
"Prince Zhan's token. Prince Zhan knew that the cyst shell appeared here, so he ordered us to find out where the cyst shell came from immediately.
In this case, do you still want to protect him?"
The master knelt down immediately and said, "Sir, I dare not!"
Shopkeeper Niu looked pale and said, "Brother-in-law, save me."
The master turned his head and looked at him, "No one can save you at this time, you can only save yourself.
Speak up!
Where did the stuff come from?”
Shopkeeper Niu shook his head and said with a sad face, "Brother-in-law, I really don't know where this thing came from?
I met a man who claimed to be a great chef, and I bought Xie's braised pork for him to eat.
He said he could tell what ingredients were in the dish after eating it.
I opened a braised meat shop, and he gave me all the seasoning recipes.
He said that the stuff in that bag was the most important, it was his exclusive secret recipe, and asked me to grind it into powder and then put it into the brine.
Usually you have to hide things.”
The magistrate said, "Master, you get up first."
"Thank you, sir!"
The magistrate then asked the shopkeeper Niu, "Do you know that the cyst shell is addictive?
To be honest, if you dare to tell even a single lie, I'll have your tongue plucked out."
Shopkeeper Niu nodded, "He said so! That's why he asked me to hide."
The magistrate slammed the table and said, "Great, great! Since you know what this thing is used for, why do you still dare to put it there?"
The master also looked disappointed.
He couldn't save his wife's brother.
Shopkeeper Niu was severely tortured, but he was never able to find out where the sac shell came from.
Because he really didn't know!
…
It was already late when Gao Zhi and his group came out of the yamen. By this time, it would be dark when they walked back to the village or town from the county.
Gao Zhi took Xie aside and talked to her for a while.
Xie hurried to find Mr. Yan.
She asked Master Yan to help rent an ox cart or a horse carriage to take everyone back to town.
The people from Lao Zhuang Village were sent directly back to the village.
Xie gained another wave of goodwill.
…
When we returned to the village, it was already dark.
Li Mei and her husband were guarding the door of Xie's house.
It was long past dinner time, and the food at home was ready and reheated several times.
We were supposed to celebrate today, but we didn't expect something like this to happen.
I don’t know what’s going on now?
"Boss, there seems to be the sound of horse hooves?"
"I heard it, too!"
"Maybe they are back."
The couple hurried towards the entrance of the village, and soon saw two carriages coming towards them.
“It’s really them!”
The carriage stopped, the coachman took the money, turned around and left.
Li Mei ran over and asked, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
"I can't finish this in one go. I'll tell you slowly later."
Gao Ronghua asked: "Is your mother cooking dinner at home?"
"It's been ready a long time ago, just waiting for you to come back. We agreed to have dinner together tonight to celebrate for Gao Miao and Gao Yunting." Gao Shan replied.
Gao Ronghua looked at Si Ke and said, "Sir, shall we go eat first?"