Except for A Yu who stayed behind to guard Leng Yu and two other men who stayed behind to guard the gate, the rest of the people in Prince Yu's mansion went out to pass on messages to the people.
When Luo Lan and others arrived, the Shuntian government office was already surrounded by people inside and outside. It seemed that these people were there to watch the fun.
In the Daning Kingdom, when officials are trying cases, the people can watch and even express their opinions. This is the rule set by the late emperor.
Today, Princess Yu and Nie Changan were in court again. Just as Luo Lan had said, the people came to watch the fun.
In the Shuntian Prefecture court, Lord Lu sat upright in the main hall. He had a pair of shrewd little eyes and kept looking around.
When Luo Lan appeared with Xiao Zhi and A Gang, Ah Hou shouted to the crowd:
"Everyone, make way. Princess Yu is here."
Hearing this, the crowd immediately made way for them. Luo Lan, with a serious expression, brought Xiao Zhi and A Gang into the courtroom.
At this time, Nie Changan had arrived first. He was drinking tea and talking with Master Hu, the lawyer who had snatched Luo Lanyu Ruyi. When he heard her coming, he frowned, winked at Master Hu, and stood in the hall with his hands behind his back.
Luo Lan looked around the court for a week but didn't see Captain Zhang, whom she thought was very upright. She didn't know whether he would show up in the near future.
When Lord Lu saw Luo Lan come in, he hurriedly slammed the gavel and cleared his throat.
"Now we are in court. Everyone here, what are you doing? Tell us one by one."
As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Changan took the lead and clasped his fists and said:
"My name is Nie Chang'an, the owner of Changshou Hall. Today, I'm suing Princess Yu of Prince Yu's Mansion. She ordered her men to steal from my Changshou Hall. I caught them, but she broke into my mansion in the middle of the night and took them away. She's blatantly condoning her men's evil deeds! Lord Lu, please help me."
Lord Lu glanced at Luo Lan and asked sternly, "Princess Yu, you are a member of the royal family. Why would you do such a disrespectful thing? Aren't you afraid that the emperor will find out and punish you?"
After hearing this, Luo Lan knew that this Lord Lu was indeed as Leng Yu said, he and Nie Changan were in cahoots.
She snorted contemptuously, then raised her voice and replied:
"Lord Lu, your questioning seems against the rules. You should at least understand the reasons before making a final judgment. From what you said, you are concluding the case based solely on Manager Nie's one-sided statement? Manager Nie said he came to sue me, and I said I came to sue him. He took my people into his house without authorization and tortured them, forcing them to admit that I ordered them to enter Changshou Hall and steal things. This is a typical case of lynching, which is not allowed in Daning State. Lord Lu, please seek justice."
"You're talking nonsense."
Nie Changan suddenly pointed his finger at her and roared, "Don't try to slander me in front of Lord Lu. Why would I resort to lynching? I, Nie Changan, have practiced medicine in the capital for many years. I've always been upright and honest. How could I do such a despicable thing?"
Lord Lu also nodded in agreement. "What Manager Nie said makes sense. Changshoutang is a well-known medical clinic in the capital, the one most trusted by the people. How could they possibly do what you say?"
"Lord Lu..."
Luo Lan suddenly raised her voice, "Last night, Captain Zhang from your mansion personally led people to Changshou Hall. He saw two people from my Prince Yu's Mansion being beaten by people from Changshou Hall. You can call him out for questioning."
When Zhang Yuan was mentioned, Lord Lu covered his mouth and coughed lightly. "Zhang Yuan was fired for some reason and has returned home to farm. His testimony is unreliable."
Got fired?
Luo Lan frowned and looked at Lord Lu and the proud Nie Changan.
She knew that this must be Nie Chang'an's doing. Captain Zhang must have worked for a long time to get the position of captain, but he was dismissed because of this incident. It seems that Shuntian Prefecture is really a dark place.
She chuckled and nodded, "Okay, in that case, then please tell me, folks back there, did you see these two men lying badly injured in the woodshed of Changshou Hall last night?"
Under such circumstances, how could the people dare to testify? Everyone lowered their heads and whispered to each other, but no one was willing to stand up.
At this time, the Empress brought all the servants and maids from Prince Yu's mansion to the front of the crowd.
"We can testify that Xiaozhi and Ah Gang were locked up in the woodshed in the backyard of Changshou Hall last night. When they returned, they were already dying."
Lord Lu half-closed his eyes and slammed the gavel, asking, "Who are you?"
Nie Changan pointed directly at them and snorted in response:
"Lord Lu, they are all from Prince Yu's Mansion. They must have colluded with each other. Please investigate."
Hearing this, Lord Lu snorted coldly, "How ridiculous! You are all from Prince Yu's Mansion, so your testimony is naturally unreliable. Are there any other witnesses?"
This Lord Lu seemed to have guessed that these people would not dare to come forward to testify, so he asked this question.
Sure enough, although the people were discussing something in private, no one was willing to come forward to testify.
At this time, Xiao Zhi took two steps forward and rolled up his shirt directly, and the place where the iron plate had burned was clearly visible.
He raised his voice and shouted:
"You don't need to testify. I'll prove it myself. This is what the people from Changshou Hall left behind when they tortured me last night. They not only burned me with chrome iron, but also hung me up and whipped me, forcing me to admit that it was Princess Yu who ordered me to steal from Changshou Hall."
Having said that, Xiao Zhi lifted his clothes and walked around the court. When the people standing at the door saw this scene, they were all amazed.
He continued:
"Yesterday afternoon, I was passing by Changshou Hall when two people suddenly came over, covered my mouth, and took me to the backyard of Changshou Hall. They then tied me up. They asked me if Princess Yu had asked me to steal things from Changshou Hall. I said no, and they started beating me."
After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves again and said, "This is where they whipped me, and here too."
As he spoke, he took off his pants again, and his buttocks, which should have been clean, were covered with whip marks.
Seeing this scene, Luo Lan's eyes turned red. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes slightly, not daring to think about how Xiao Zhi had endured it at that time.
The people also shook their heads and sighed, expressing their sympathy towards Xiaozhi.
After everyone had seen his wounds, he pulled up his pants again and said, "I was just passing by Changshou Hall and had no intention of going in. I don't know why they insisted on accusing me of stealing. They also insisted that Princess Yu sent me there. When I denied it, they beat me to death."
At this point, Xiao Zhi began to sob softly with his head down. He looked extremely aggrieved, which made people feel distressed.
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