Upon hearing this, Lord Zhang's forehead began to sweat. He knew that if he didn't give an explanation today, this little tyrant wouldn't let it go.
Having been immersed in officialdom for many years, he knew that if Su Ruojin really made a scene in the palace, the Emperor and Empress would certainly not offend the Princess of Da Chu for the sake of a mere doctor.
When the blame comes, he won't get away with it either.
Lord Zhang hurriedly said, "Princess, please wait. I will give you an explanation for this matter."
"Lord Zhang, don't get me wrong. This isn't an explanation for me, it's for Qinniang," Su Ruojin said calmly.
"Yes, yes, yes, give this lady an explanation." Lord Zhang nodded hurriedly.
“Guards, Zhou Lei has falsely accused someone. There are witnesses and physical evidence. He is guilty. He shall be given twenty strokes of the cane and compensate Qin Niang with one hundred taels of silver.”
As soon as Lord Zhang threw the two red warrants to the ground, two bailiffs came over and dragged Zhou Lei, who was already unsteady on his feet, to carry out the punishment.
Zhou Lei is already getting on in years, and his knees were injured from kneeling before. Now he has to endure twenty lashes. If he's beaten to a pulp, he'll be badly injured, if not killed.
He cried out in desperation, "Lord Zhang, Lord Zhang, spare my life! I am an old man, how can I bear twenty strokes of the cane?"
Lord Zhang winked at him, indicating that Su Ruojin was the only one who could spare him now.
Zhou Lei gritted his teeth, refusing to beg for mercy from Su Ruojin. Only after he was pressed onto the execution bench did he shout at Su Ruojin, "Princess, I have no grudge against you, why treat me like this? I am already over sixty years old, are you not afraid that people will say you are ruthless?"
Su Ruojin scoffed, "Doctor Zhou, what grudge do you have against Qinniang? Why are you targeting her? You are over sixty years old and cannot bear twenty strokes of the cane. How can Qinniang, a woman who has just gone through a difficult childbirth and barely crawled back from the brink of death, whose body has not yet recovered, possibly endure it! Lord Zhou, since you are not afraid of being called ruthless, why should I be afraid!"
"Lord Zhang." Su Ruojin called out to Lord Zhang, who immediately understood and hurriedly said, "Execute him."
Snap!
Snap!
Snap!
The paddle struck Zhou Lei again and again. He gritted his teeth and endured the first one or two blows, but from the third blow onwards, he cried out in pain.
Qin Niang watched from the side, tears streaming down her face. She wasn't heartbroken for Zhou Lei, but rather moved that Miss Yu had truly stood up for her.
Meeting a mistress like Miss Qinniang felt it was a blessing she had earned in her past life, and she was determined to follow Miss to the death.
After the caning was finished, Lord Zhang took a hundred taels of silver and gave it to Qinniang.
In fact, according to past practice, it would have been quite good if Qinniang had been awarded two taels of silver for her injury; there was no need for a hundred taels.
With Su Ruojin in charge, Lord Zhang simply gave her face, and one hundred taels of silver was nothing to Zhou Lei.
Over the years, Zhou Lei has only treated high-ranking officials and nobles. His consultation fees start at a few hundred taels of silver and often reach tens of thousands of taels.
Qin Niang glanced at Su Ruojin, who gestured for her to accept it, saying, "Take it; it's what you deserve."
“Princess, look…” Lord Zhang said cautiously, afraid that this little princess might still have something to be dissatisfied with.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Zhang. The people of Yuncheng are truly blessed to have an official like you!" Su Ruojin replied.
Lord Zhang finally breathed a sigh of relief, completely ignoring the coldness in Su Ruojin's words.
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