Without waiting for the three to say anything more, Magistrate Xu pronounced: "Lin Zhaoshi, Yao Zhangshi, and Yao Qingfeng are guilty of forging marriage certificates. Each of them shall be given fifteen strokes of the cane and fined three hundred taels of silver. Court adjourned."
Having just received five strokes of the cane, they were now to receive another fifteen. Zhao Jiao and the other two's expressions changed.
When Zhao Jiao came to the capital this time, she only brought 1,200 taels of silver. She gave 1,000 taels to Lin Jiao and only had a little over 100 taels left. Where would she get the 300 taels to pay the fine?
Yao Zhangshi fared even worse; both she and Yao Qingfeng were fined, and together they had to pay six hundred taels of silver.
The Lin family paid for their travel expenses to the capital; where would they get six hundred taels to pay the fine?
Even if you emptied the Yao family's coffers, they still couldn't come up with six hundred taels.
According to the laws of the Great Chu, those who fail to pay the fine within ten days of a court judgment will be exiled to a desolate land.
Given the physical condition of Zhao Jiao and the other two, it's hard to say whether they can even survive until they reach the place of exile.
Zhao Jiao panicked and looked at Su Ruojin, crying and pleading, "Xiaojin, the Lin family has raised you for over ten years, you can't just stand by and watch you die!"
Yao Qingfeng didn't care about anything else and got up, trying to grab Su Ruojin and ask her to save him.
Before he could even get close to Su Ruojin, Hu Qing pressed a sword against his chest, and Yao Qingfeng turned pale with fright.
He dared not take another step forward, but cried out, "Sister Ruojin, I truly love you. As long as you are willing to save me and my mother, we will get married now. I swear that I will only have you as my wife and will never take a concubine. Sister Ruojin... Waaah..."
Before Yao Qingfeng could finish speaking, Hu Qing stuffed a tattered sock into his mouth with something he didn't know he had found, and then he was taken away by two constables.
Then I heard the sound of a board being slapped repeatedly...
With the matter concluded, Su Ruojin rose and bowed to Prefect Xu, saying, "Thank you, Prefect Xu, for standing up for my daughter."
If Magistrate Xu still can't see that Xiao Yanchu's feelings for Miss Su are special, then he has wasted all those years in officialdom.
He dared not presume and hurriedly replied, "Miss Su, you flatter me. I was merely enforcing the law impartially."
After Xiao Yanchu and Su Ruojin left, a trusted yamen runner stood next to Prefect Xu and asked in a low voice, "Sir, why did the Regent come in person for such a small case?"
Prefect Xu glared at the yamen runner: "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Remember to be polite to this Miss Su whenever you see her in the future, and help her out if you can."
The yamen runners repeatedly agreed.
Yao Huihui, who was observing the proceedings from outside the courtroom, was completely stunned by what she saw.
My brother likes Sister Ruojin, and my aunt agrees. Shouldn't this be a natural progression?
In the end, my mother, brother, and aunt were all beaten, and they were still fined so much money.
Yao Huihui had never seen her usually aloof aunt so disheveled.
After the three men had been given fifteen strokes of the cane, they were unable to walk. Yao Huihui and Granny Zhang were also unable to support them, so they had to pay a driver to take them back to the inn.
Yao Qingfeng was convicted and, according to the law, was barred from participating in the imperial examinations for the next three years. He was so distressed that he developed a high fever upon returning to the inn.
Enraged, Yao Zhangshi forced Yao Huihui to help her to Zhao Jiao's side: "Zhao Jiao, if you don't pay the fines for me and Feng'er, I'll make sure all the dirty deeds you instigated me to do are known throughout the capital. Let's see how Lin Zhengshan will be able to rise in rank in the future."
Zhao Jiao was much weaker than Yao Zhangshi, and she fainted from anger after Yao Zhangshi's outburst.
She deeply regretted it; how could she have cooperated with such an idiot?
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