Chapter 371: Immediate Execution
Is the Fan family really in danger?
The same thought flashed through the minds of everyone in the Fan family.
The servant was roughly pulled up, his legs trembling, and he said with tears in his eyes, "She, that woman said she had evidence, and she wanted to, to, to sue the elder for protecting his illegitimate child, and to sue the Fan family for being Fan Dongping's backer and instructing County Magistrate Chen to destroy the evidence and kill... to silence the witnesses."
Lord Fan gritted his teeth, and his kind face twisted into a shape like an evil ghost with its painted skin peeled off.
"What evidence? What evidence!"
The servant said, "It seems... to be the account book written by Fan Dongping."
Elder Fan was furious, "Idiot!"
"What an idiot! If there was no other choice, why would I have spared his life?"
Elder Fan paced a few steps angrily, then turned around and asked:
"Who did that bitch get the evidence from? Tell me!"
The boy's face turned pale as paper. "She took it herself."
"Nanyi County. She said she just came back from Nanyi County this morning."
The prefect asked Lu Jing in court how he obtained the evidence.
Lu Jing told him frankly.
As early as the day after she went to Jingzhao Prefecture to submit her petition, she had already been targeted.
Fortunately, with the help of friends in the underworld, she was able to avoid being followed by spies and was taken to several places.
Lu Jing survived because of this, but she didn't want to continue waiting for the Jingzhao Prefecture to open the court, day after day.
She has to take the initiative and get the evidence on her own.
Nanyi County, Fan Dongping's home and the county government office, the more dangerous the place is, the safer it is at this time.
The Fan family and the assassins they sent out would never have imagined that the person they were looking for all over the city yesterday had already obtained evidence from Nanyi County and was on his way back to the capital.
Elder Fan raised his head and sneered, "Hahahaha... the more dangerous it is, the safer it is."
"I have been playing tricks on people for most of my life, but I was fooled by a yellow-haired girl!"
The servant collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
Everyone looked unhappy.
Someone said, "Uncle, calm down! How could a country girl have such a plan? Someone must be helping her."
"The Prince Regent! He has always been at odds with our family, and it was he who arrested Fan Dongping this time!"
Elder Fan sat down slowly, as if to comfort the whole family, or to comfort himself, and murmured: "Don't panic, don't panic."
"It's not the worst yet."
"I have never directly instructed Magistrate Chen to do anything, so he can't produce any evidence."
"So he made a wild guess about my intentions and took it upon himself to collude with Fan Dongping to oppress the people. I am far away in the capital, how could I know this?"
"Even if Jingzhao Prefecture makes a final judgment today, I will at most be charged with the crime of failing to educate my son properly, doting on him, and failing to supervise him."
"I will go to the palace to plead guilty immediately. Your Majesty will at least give a lighter punishment to the Fan family because of their contributions to the emperor."
As Lord Fan spoke, he felt a little more at ease.
The others looked at each other, either breathing a sigh of relief or grinning with pride.
The elder is the elder.
As long as he is here, the Fan family will not fall.
Even if the regent has been eyeing the Fan family, what will be the result?
There must be two heads to silence the world's gossips.
County Magistrate Chen, and that "illegitimate son" who is not of the Fan family's blood at all, just kill them.
Outside Jingzhao Prefecture.
An Qinghe was very curious, "Miss Lu knows any friends in the underworld?"
"We were so worried about her, but she kept it a secret and didn't tell us anything. That's really not nice of her."
"But...it's still understandable."
Gu Xixi stared at the movements in the courtroom and said, "In fact, you also know the friend she mentioned."
"We are still old friends."
An Qinghe felt like his brain wasn't enough, "Ah? Why can't I think of who it is?"
He Jinglan glanced at Gu Xixi and had to give the answer herself, "Meng Chengping."
"Meng Chengping, he is a military officer in the Jinwu Guard."
An Qinghe slapped his forehead, "I knew he didn't go back to the northwest, but he actually stayed in the capital?"
He said unhappily, "He's not very nice! He knew we were in the capital, but he didn't show up yet. Is he afraid that I would ask him to treat us to a meal?"
He Jinglan laughed, "Recently, besides being on duty in the palace, he also has to take turns with his friends in the martial arts world to protect Miss Lu. How can he get away from work and eat and drink with us?"
"Also, this time, when Miss Lu went back to Nanyi County to look for evidence, he also arranged the route and personnel."
"If he had openly shown his closeness to us earlier, there's no guarantee that someone with ulterior motives wouldn't have noticed and created further trouble."
"So it's better for him to stay out of the spotlight until the case is concluded."
An Qinghe suddenly realized, "This kid is doing great things without any effort!"
Gu Xixi saw that he was still smiling and asked, "We kept it a secret from you, aren't you angry?"
An Qinghe shook his head. "I understand! For Miss Lu's safety, the fewer people who know about this, the better."
"Firstly, you two have known General Meng for a long time and are more familiar with him than I am, so it is natural for you to come forward."
"Secondly," he said with a bright and sunny grin.
"How could you two deliberately hide it from me? You haven't told me yet because it's not the right time to make it clear."
He Jinglan broke out in a cold sweat. This guy really could coax himself into submission.
Although what he said was right.
The atmosphere in the court was solemn.
The evidence produced by Lu Jing, plus the confession issued by the Regent Prince.
There is also a blood petition written by thousands of victims and their surviving relatives.
Magistrate Chen and everyone in the county office had no way to deny it.
He could only tell everything about what he had done in connection with Fan Dongping.
Including the death of Lu Jing's parents.
It was Fan Dongping who intended to seize the Lu family tea garden and beat Lu Jing's father to death.
In order to accuse Lu Jing of another crime, they fabricated a charge of tea poisoning and silenced Lu Jing's mother in prison.
Because County Magistrate Chen was an official appointed by the imperial court, the case had to be transferred to the Ministry of Justice by Jingzhao Prefecture for further investigation into whether he had committed other crimes while in office.
The rest of the county officials followed the crowd and were sentenced more severely according to the Daye laws, ranging from exile to caning.
As for Fan Dongping, he had confessed to all his accomplices, so it didn't matter whether he spoke or not.
The prefect took a deep breath and pronounced his sentence loudly, "Fan Dongping from Nanyi County, forcibly abducted women, sold good girls, and murdered for money. He directly or indirectly killed 32 people. The evidence is irrefutable and his crimes are extremely heinous."
"Sentence! Behead immediately!"
"All the properties and wealth that were taken by trickery and robbery will be returned to the original owners after being counted and verified."
Fan Dongping raised his head with difficulty, his lips trembling and his eyes wide open in disbelief.
"No! You can't kill me! My father is the most powerful Lord Fan!"
"He has the utmost power in the world. You officials have to be subservient to him. Do you dare to kill me?"
"My father will definitely come to save me!"
Lu Jing looked at these sinners, feeling both sad and happy, hatred and pain.
To redress the injustice and take revenge.
Her parents will never come back.
The onlookers were delighted to see with their own eyes that evil would be punished.
An Qinghe grinned, but when he looked down he found that Gu Xixi didn't seem that happy.
"Xixi, do you seem to have something on your mind?"
"Miss Lu finally got her revenge. We should be happy for her."
Gu Xixi said, "This case is not over yet."
"Fan Dongping may not die for the time being, at least... not today."
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