Fu Changfeng? How could he be here? Did he find out about the news so quickly? Xichun was stunned. She kept staring at him, hoping to help if anything happened.
"My lord, I am from Weinan County and I am the top scorer in this year's prefectural examination. I am about to participate in the provincial examination, but my elder brother has been framed for murder and imprisoned. I have come to ask you to uphold justice." Seeing that the yamen runners were about to arrest him, Fu Changfeng loudly explained the situation with bloodshot eyes.
"Wait, bring this examinee here to the prefectural office to present the case." The prefect stopped him in time and glanced at the magistrate.
"Your Excellency, the magistrate of Weinan County is unaware of this matter. It seems that the magistrate of Weinan County has not yet reported the case." The prefect immediately defended himself when he saw the governor's glance. He couldn't help but feel fortunate that this was not a matter of the prefectural city, otherwise he would have really been in trouble this time. That damned magistrate of Weinan County, how could he not report such an important matter?
"Brother Qiangzi, let's go see what happened to Young Master Fu." Seeing the constables taking Fu Changfeng away, Xichun also found Qiangzi and wanted to go to the government office together.
Inside the government office, Fu Changfeng knelt in the main hall, above him were the governor and the prefect, and on the other two sides stood many other officials. Outside the door, many people had come to watch the spectacle.
"Is this the student Fu who topped the list in the imperial examination in the prefectural city a while ago? I remember hearing a lot of people say in April that he was so young and had achieved first place, and that he had a bright future ahead of him."
"It's a pity that the family of this scholar could also be wronged. If this matter hadn't been investigated, then obstructing officials in the street would probably have resulted in the cancellation of his scholar status, and he wouldn't be able to take the exam for several years."
The words of those around Xi Chun were also changing in her mind. It turned out that the magistrate dared to target the Fu family even after Fu Changfeng passed the imperial examination. If Fu Changfeng did not dare to gamble his future and had control over the rest of the Fu family, they would have no choice but to pay money if they wanted to save Fu Changjin's life.
When Fu Changfeng explained his elder brother's situation in the courtroom and stated the time when the yamen runners had arrived at the scene, which Xichun had previously discovered, the governor above him did not rush to make a judgment. Instead, he asked him if he had any solid evidence.
"Your Excellency, I have not yet been able to return home, so I have not found any more conclusive evidence. However, I can vouch for my brother's character with my life. He would never do such a thing. Please, Your Excellency, see the truth."
"Since there is no evidence, sir, I believe that the magistrate of Weinan County should investigate before reporting it. This student's behavior can be described as 'overstepping his authority to file a complaint.' If everyone did this, the government would be in chaos." The prefect secretly resented that he had almost ruined the good thing he had worked so hard to organize today.
"My lords, I have something to report. Fu Tongsheng and I are both from Weinan County. We have come to the prefectural city to report the injustice done to the Fu family to the prefect. I beg you gentlemen to investigate." Hearing the words of the two officials, Xichun was afraid that they would not be willing to investigate, so she shouted in the crowd.
"Who is outside the door? Bring him up." Upon hearing this, the governor immediately ordered his yamen runners to bring Xichun to the courtroom.
When the prefect heard that Xichun had come to him to plead her case, he breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she didn't say that she was there for the governor, it proved that he still had authority in their eyes.
"Reporting to Your Honors, my name is Chen Xichun, and I live in Taoyuan Village, Weinan County. Due to a family tragedy, I brought my fellow villagers to the county town to start a small business. That's how I met the Fu family. I believe the eldest son of the Fu family was innocent. I have three reasons for this: First, someone stumbled upon the murder scene, and it took less than a quarter of an hour from the time the report was made to the arrival of the yamen runners. However, it takes a quarter of an hour to get from the crime scene to the county yamen."
Secondly, the woman had visited Young Master Fu, who said that he was invited to the scene of the crime to discuss business. When he saw that the other party was not a businessman, he suspected that it was a scam. Just as he was about to leave, he was knocked unconscious and had marks on his head from being hit with a stick. After the woman's investigation, it was highly likely that the two businessmen were the thieves who committed several robberies in Weinan County a few years ago. Therefore, the woman suspected that there was a scam involved.
Third, after the eldest son of the Fu family was imprisoned, several tenant farmers of the Fu family stated that the Fu family pretended to collect rent, usually collecting 40%, but publicly announcing 30% to create a good reputation. However, many villagers that the woman knew were indeed tenants of the Fu family's land, and in reality, they paid rent at 30%, so the situation claimed by those people did not exist. Therefore, the woman suspected that someone was deliberately trying to frame the Fu family.
We urge you, esteemed officials, to see the truth and ensure the victim's innocence is proven.
Xi Chun's words were reasonable and well-founded, and there were even more witnesses, which made people inside and outside the yamen start discussing it. For a moment, no one paid attention to Xi Chun and Fu Changfeng.
“Xichun, I’ve already heard from my father about how you helped our family, and I’m very grateful to you. However, you shouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess. I think this is probably the magistrate’s problem, and you shouldn’t have taken this risk.”
Although Fu Changfeng was very moved by Xichun's courage in standing up for him, he was still worried that if officials protected each other, Xichun would also be harmed, and he didn't want her to get hurt.
"What's there to be afraid of? You helped me without expecting anything in return. I'm just returning the favor now. Anyway, I'm all alone, and my mother has married someone else, so it won't affect her. Your brother was wronged, and I can't just sit idly by."
"I never imagined that Guangming Prefecture would have such a heroine. Lord Jia, your place is truly blessed with outstanding people. Even a village girl can be so organized. I will personally oversee this matter, ensuring that no innocent person is wronged and no guilty person is let off the hook." After saying this to the prefect with a smile, the governor also confirmed his authority over the case.
"Yes, yes, it's all thanks to your wisdom, sir. Otherwise, I might have had to watch an innocent person be wronged. I will definitely manage my subordinates well in the future and prevent such a serious mistake from happening again."
The prefect breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the governor had not blamed him. He was also relieved that the magistrate of Weinan County had not yet reported the case, otherwise he would have been implicated.
"You two will accompany me to Weinan County. I want to see for myself how cases are handled there," the governor said kindly to Fu Changfeng and Xichun.
"Thank you, sirs. Thank you, gentlemen. I have no way to repay you, so I can only offer you my homemade chili sauce." Xi Chun put on a simple and honest look and asked Qiangzi to bring the remaining chili sauce from the cart, as if she wanted to repay them.
"Hehe, the people are indeed simple and honest. This is your own way of making money, so I won't accept it. Let's go now, as lives are at stake." The governor was quite impressed with Xichun's courage and frankness at this moment.
Unbeknownst to him, Xichun actually wanted to use this opportunity to advertise his own chili sauce.
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