Long Pozi looked flustered and seemed somewhat exhausted when faced with Tian Sangui's forceful questioning.
"Third Manager, what time is it now? Why are you still struggling like this? Quickly confess your crimes and beg for leniency from the magistrate, instead of clinging to these trivial issues."
Grandma Long is adept at using minimal force to achieve maximum effect; she's clearly not just a simple farmer who only grows vegetables. Her courage and communication skills are beyond what a typical farmer should possess.
Lord He couldn't stand it anymore. He felt that Granny Long's words made him think that Tian Sangui was just avoiding the important issues and saying things that were irrelevant to the case.
"You audacious Tian Sangui!"
“I gave you a chance to defend yourself, but you treated it like a joke and even pressured the old woman in public. How can I tolerate your insolence any longer?”
"Come here! Tian Sangui has harmed the people and her crimes are heinous. The evidence is now irrefutable and she has no way to deny it. Take her to the dungeon and wait for the court to decide her fate!"
"yes!"
Lord He threw a command sword down to the court. Two soldiers standing on either side immediately came out, picked up the sword, and were about to drag Tian Sangui away.
Everyone present wore smiles, especially the shopkeepers who hated Tian Sangui the most; they all had smug looks on their faces, and some even spat at her.
Just when the two men in black, Granny Long and Little Tang, thought that Tian Sangui was completely doomed and would never rise again...
"The imperial tablet is here; why don't you all pay your respects immediately?"
As soon as the powerful voice fell, the people on the outskirts were filled with fear. Without even glancing at him, they all prostrated themselves on the ground in devout worship.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Lord He was startled and sat up abruptly. He lifted the hem of his official robes and led the crowd in the hall out to kneel in worship.
"Your humble servant, He Quan, Prefect of Fuzhou, respectfully welcomes Your Majesty!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Lord He, how arrogant you are! You want to punish my goddaughter without even knowing the facts?"
The familiar voice of the old woman emboldened Lord He to raise his head. Before him was not the Emperor, but clearly the old lady of the Shen family.
Upon seeing her holding the golden imperial token, he obediently knelt on the ground and explained with a melancholy air.
The Emperor personally bestowed two imperial plaques; one is in the hands of the eldest daughter of the Shen family, and the other is in the hands of Old Madam Shen.
The Shen family is so favored by the Emperor that even the Emperor himself has to give them some face. If he had known earlier that Tian Sangui was her adopted granddaughter, he wouldn't have dared to arrest Tian Sangui so easily, let alone take her to the dungeon.
Isn't this like rubbing salt in the wound? They're asking for trouble!
"Oh dear, Madam, you've misunderstood. It's all a misunderstanding. I had no idea that Miss Tian was your goddaughter. Otherwise, even if you gave me a hundred lives, I wouldn't dare let Miss Tian suffer any injustice!"
While smiling and comforting Old Madam Shen, Lord He inwardly resented Tian Sangui for not telling him sooner that she was the Shen family's adopted granddaughter.
This girl has only been here a few days, yet she's already climbing the social ladder by associating with the Shen family and making connections with powerful figures, leaving him severely restricted and his old face practically swollen with fear.
"Get up, all of you. I also want to see how my Shen family's goddaughter got involved in this disappearance case!"
After speaking, the old lady, supported by the second master, steadily entered the main hall of the government office as the people made way for her on the wide avenue.
The old lady's eyes immediately locked onto Tian Sangui. Seeing her thin body kneeling on the ground, she felt a pang of heartache.
He leaned on his cane, bent down, and helped Tian Sangui up.
This caused Granny Long and the man in black, who were watching from the side, to twitch their facial muscles and glare angrily at Old Madam Shen as she helped Tian Sangui up.
They had put in so much effort, and it seemed like Tian Sangui was about to be the final outcome, but then Old Lady Shen suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Holding the imperial token, even the highest-ranking official in the prefecture had to be mindful of her presence.
Tian Sangui is also her goddaughter, so it's easy to imagine that the Shen family will definitely side with Tian Sangui and give her a lot of help.
The situation had become one-sided, with the man's sinister gaze fixed on Old Madam Shen and Tian Sangui.
The young man beside him hurriedly leaned close to the middle-aged man's ear and asked anxiously, "Dad, the situation is not good for us, what should we do now?"
"What's the panic? It's not over yet. How do we know it might be disadvantageous for us?"
Even so, at most, due to the power of the Shen family, Tian Sangui was eventually released without charge, and they could find another way to get rid of her in the future.
The middle-aged man was clearly unwilling to give up such a good opportunity; he didn't know when he would get another chance.
Anyone he targeted never survived; Tian Sangui was the first and the last.
"My child, you've suffered so much!"
When the old lady spoke, she looked directly into Tian Sangui's eyes and nodded heavily.
Tian Sangui's expectant eyes suddenly brightened, and his confidence soared.
When she heard Old Mrs. Shen's voice coming from outside, she knew she had made the right bet.
Otherwise, Old Mrs. Shen wouldn't have risked the entire Shen family's future to help this outsider she had only met a few times.
Unless the evidence is conclusive!
"Luckily, Grandmother arrived in time, otherwise San Gui... would have been wrongfully imprisoned!"
As soon as the old lady picked him up, Tian Sangui began to cry with grievance after saying only a few words.
Grandma Shen quickly used her own handkerchief to stop her tears.
"Good child, don't cry. Grandma will never let those heartless people bully you. With Grandma here, let's see who dares to stop you from speaking up!"
Taking the opportunity to talk, Old Mrs. Shen nodded solemnly to Tian Sangui.
Then he looked at Lord He, who was bowing beside him.
Sensing that Old Mrs. Shen was giving him a meaningful look, he immediately spoke to Tian Sangui.
"It was all my fault for being too hasty and interrupting Miss Tian's explanation. Miss Tian, please continue your argument. I will listen patiently and will not interrupt again!"
"Then let's continue. I'll sit here and won't disturb Lord He's investigation!"
"Yes, yes, please, please, please!"
Lord He wiped his face and forehead with his sleeve. Old Madam Shen was the biggest disturbance in herself, so why did he need to speak?
But he only dared to say these things in his heart; he would never dare to offend them verbally.
He carefully helped Madam Shen to her seat on the lower left, then went to sit down behind the table in the hall himself.
This time, Lord He dared not strike with his tablet casually because Old Madam Shen was present, for fear of frightening her and causing her unbearable consequences.
"Miss Tian, please continue with your question!"
Tian Sangui resumed his original state and pressed the resentful Long Pozi for answers again.
Answer me!
Seeing that she couldn't handle the situation this time, Granny Long casually came up with a dish that was indispensable in the restaurant every day, so that she could be sure of everything.
"Yes, spicy...chili peppers, cabbage, and scallions. There were too many other vegetables to remember!"
Granny Long's words revealed a lack of confidence, and she looked up to look at Tian Sangui and the old lady behind her halfway through her sentence.
The words she had painstakingly come up with were instantly forgotten, leaving her mind blank. She once again used her poor memory as an excuse.
Tian Sangui wouldn't tolerate her being fooled. The more Granny Long wanted to get it over with, the more Tian Sangui wanted to ask for details.
"Alright, tell me, did you send red chili peppers or green chili peppers?"
"Pfft, hahaha, of course chili peppers are red. There's no such thing as a green chili pepper in the world. That's hilarious."
Granny Long burst out laughing on the spot, pointing at Tian Sangui and mocking her ignorance.
Little did she know that she was falling deeper and deeper into the deep pit that Tian Sangui had dug for her.
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