Prefect Xu had no time to think further. He sat back on his throne, struck the gavel, and began the trial.
Zhao Jiao and Yao Zhangshi took the initiative, repeating what they had said at the Regent's Palace, and presenting the marriage certificate that Yao Qingfeng had later written and the tokens exchanged between the two parties.
After seeing the evidence, Magistrate Xu glanced at Xiao Yanchu with a troubled expression.
Since the Regent accompanied Miss Su, he had already made his stance clear. However, the evidence presented by the defendant was very detailed, so it seemed that Su Ruojin was indeed in the wrong.
To his surprise, Xiao Yanchu didn't even look at him, acting as if it were none of his business.
Magistrate Xu had no choice but to turn to Su Ruojin and ask, "Miss Su, do you have any explanation for this?"
Prefect Xu secretly hoped that Su Ruojin could produce new and compelling evidence, so that he wouldn't be in such a difficult position.
Su Ruojin calmly spoke up: "Your Excellency, I have never seen these tokens and marriage certificate before. However, I have two questions that I need answers from Madam Lin and Madam Yao. First: Since Madam Lin says I am her adopted daughter, then please tell me if my name is written in the family genealogy? If not, how can you prove that I am an adopted daughter of the Lin family?"
Second: Please have someone check whether the ink on this marriage certificate was written a year ago or recently.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jiao, Yao Zhangshi, and Yao Qingfeng all showed signs of panic.
Whether the Lin family had included Su Ruojin in the family genealogy was unknown to Madam Yao, but she knew that the marriage certificate had been written by Feng'er not long ago, and that the handwriting couldn't lie.
If this matter is really investigated, Feng'er's reputation will be ruined, and how will he participate in the scientific expedition then?
Yao Zhangshi desperately tried to wink at Zhao Jiao, urging her to think of a solution quickly.
Zhao Jiao panicked for a moment. Although Su Ruojin was an adopted daughter when she came to the Lin family, Lin Zhengshan and Zhao Jiao never thought of putting her on the Lin family genealogy.
According to the laws of the Great Chu Kingdom, whether it is adoption or fostering, the relationship is only established if it is recorded in the family genealogy.
So much time had passed that Zhao Jiao had completely forgotten about it.
Having served as an official for many years and interrogated countless prisoners, Prefect Xu was extremely observant of people's facial expressions and reactions. After seeing Zhao Jiao and Yao Zhangshi's reactions, he breathed a sigh of relief.
That's great, he doesn't have to be in a difficult position anymore.
"Someone, go and examine the ink."
A yamen runner took the marriage certificate and handed it to the clerk who was recording it.
Those who could become the clerks of Shuntian Prefecture were no ordinary people; identifying ink marks was child's play for them.
The clerk was examining the ink stains when Magistrate Xu looked at Zhao Jiao and said, "Lin Zhao, you say Su Ruojin is your adopted daughter. Is she listed in the family genealogy? You should think carefully and tell the truth, otherwise I can sentence you to the crime of deception."
Faced with the prefect's questioning, Zhao Jiao began to break out in a cold sweat, and her previous confidence vanished.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but for a moment she didn't know how to defend herself.
At this moment, the clerk also stood up and bowed to Prefect Xu: "Sir, according to my examination, the marriage certificate was written within the last day or two, judging from the ink."
However, the date on the marriage certificate was the day when Yao Zhangshi brought her two children to the Lin family mansion.
Prefect Xu's voice turned cold: "Madam Yao, you kept saying that the marriage was arranged before, so why was the marriage certificate only recently written? If you don't tell the truth, you will be subjected to severe torture!"
Having held a high position for many years, Prefect Xu naturally exuded the authority of a superior, an aura that Yao Zhangshi, an ordinary village woman, could not possibly withstand.
The words "severe torture" terrified Yao Zhangshi so much that she cried and confessed: "My lord, I confess, I confess! It was I who took a fancy to Su Ruojin and wanted to force her to marry my son, so I came up with this plan. The marriage contract was written by someone I had arranged. The whole thing was done by me and has nothing to do with my son. Please, my lord, have mercy and let my son go."
For the sake of her son, Yao Zhangshi wanted to take all the blame upon herself.
In that instant, Zhao Jiao only wanted to strangle Yao Zhangshi. This good-for-nothing idiot was so easily frightened.
A marriage certificate can be written at any time; at worst, you can just say it was lost and rewritten. But the crime of forging a marriage certificate is not light.
As she frantically tried to come up with a solution, Magistrate Xu looked at her and asked sternly, "Lin Zhao Shi, is Su Ruojin actually included in your Lin family genealogy?!"
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