Chapter 370 Breaking through defenses one after another
A common woman actually dared to directly name and sue Lord Fan. This development of the situation was beyond expectations.
Not to mention that the officials attending the trial were unable to make any statement for a while.
Even the prefect was stunned for a moment, and then he sat up straight before saying solemnly, "Plaintiff Lu Jing, do you know that suing an official of the imperial court is no small matter?"
"If this person deserves his punishment, then that's fine. But if your accusation cannot be proven, then it's a false accusation."
"According to Daye law, falsely accusing an imperial official will result in fifty canings. You'd better think carefully."
Lu Jing knelt there, his back straight as pine or cypress, his expression firm as steel.
"Thank you for your reminder, sir. However, when I decided to go to the capital to seek justice, I knew what the road ahead was."
She slammed her forehead heavily on the ground, "Every word I say today and every piece of evidence I present are guaranteed with my life!"
Even a man in his prime may not be able to endure fifty lashes of the cane.
Lu Jing dared to persist despite the risk of false accusation, which was indeed equivalent to gambling with his life.
The prefect looked at the thin woman and couldn't bear it. "What if there is a thorny road ahead or a bottomless abyss?"
Lu Jing raised his head, without a trace of hesitation in his eyes, "I don't care if my skin is torn to pieces or my bones are shattered!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall fell silent and was moved.
The prefect sighed and nodded, "If your parents knew about this filial daughter, they would be very happy."
Since the plaintiff is determined, there is no need to waste time.
The prefect changed the subject and said sternly, "Plaintiff, what evidence do you have? Please state it one by one and then present it."
Lu Jing methodically unpacked the bundle and divided the items into portions.
"This is the account book collected by Fan Dongping's family. It contains records of him robbing innocent people's land, houses, shops, etc., as well as the trafficking of innocent women, and the corresponding stolen money."
Ever since Lu Jing walked into the lobby, Fan Dongping gritted his teeth and glared at her like a ferocious beast.
However, Lu Jing is not afraid of Fan Dongping at all now. Even if his eyes occasionally fall on him, he is as calm as if he is looking at a dying person.
Seeing Lu Jing take out the account book, Fan Dongping was completely panicked, "You've been to my house?!"
"Who allowed you to take my things without permission? You are breaking into a private house! You are robbing!"
"Sir! Sir, this woman's crime is obvious, why don't you arrest her immediately!"
The prefect frowned and slapped the wooden stick, "Shut up!"
"The plaintiff has voluntarily accepted the responsibility of fifty lashes, so I have the obligation to listen to her!"
Fan Dongping has always been domineering and struggled to object.
But the prefect shouted, "Roaring in court, punishable by fifteen strokes of the cane!"
As the command arrow fell to the ground, before Fan Dongping could figure out the situation, two yamen runners came over and dragged him out swiftly, one on the left and one on the right.
Benches had been prepared outside the court, and a beating began right away.
Hearing Fan Dongping's screams like a pig being slaughtered, one scream after another, the people watching outside all applauded.
The bailiffs in charge of the execution seemed to be encouraged and worked even harder.
When the board hit the flesh, the sound was not crisp and loud, but muffled.
An Qinghe is quite knowledgeable about this.
He looked at the bailiffs carrying out the execution and grinned wickedly, "This guy named Fan is really hated by everyone."
"This time he has fallen into the hands of an expert, and he will suffer."
He Jinglan was curious, "From the sound, the beating wasn't severe."
Although Fan Dongping howled miserably.
But for such evil people, there is no worst, only worse.
An Qinghe curled his lips and said, "Beating with a stick is the same as the long whip we use."
"The louder the sound, the more force will pass through the skin and flesh, and at most it will only cause minor injuries."
"It's scary to see the blood thorns rustling, but it will be fine after a few days of treatment with some medicine."
"But if the sound is muffled, it means that the force was all real. Maybe there will be no blood, but at least the muscles will be injured, and at worst the injury may go deep into the bones."
While he was explaining, Fan Dongping had already finished being beaten.
I don’t know if he fainted, but he was thrown into the court like a dead pig.
An Qinghe shook his head and sighed, "What a pity, there are only fifteen boards."
"If he can be beaten thirty or forty times, he won't need to use his legs for the rest of his life."
Gu Xixi looked into the courtroom with a calm look in her eyes, "Who doesn't have a wife, children, and parents? Who wouldn't let others push them forward?"
"Fan Dongping relied on his backers to bully men and women, and he was so arrogant."
"The yamen runner is also an ordinary person who eats the government's rice. If you don't like him and use some shady tricks on him, he deserves it."
During this process, Lu Jing was sorting out the evidence piece by piece.
"This is the list of people Fan Dongping bribed in the Nanyi County government office, from the county magistrate to the jailers and yamen runners. The dates and amounts of money are all recorded in detail."
County Magistrate Chen, standing by, was shocked and angry, pointing at Fan Dongping while trembling all over.
Faced with a sudden blow, County Magistrate Chen no longer cared about keeping his mouth shut.
"You! Didn't you say you wouldn't write anything down? How dare you lie to me!"
"Asshole! Are you going to kill me, you damn lunatic!"
When Fan Dongping made the bribery list, it was not because he was smart but because he wanted to keep some evidence to protect himself.
He was just greedy and planned to use this as leverage to make the entire county government his own.
Just like those evil slaves he kept at home.
But at the moment, Fan Dongping was lying there, in so much pain that he had no strength to respond to County Magistrate Chen's duties.
The evidence Lu Jing produced continued.
"These are the correspondence between Fan Dongping and the capital. In them, he once claimed to be a family member, called the eldest master of the Fan Mansion "brother", and mentioned the word "father" more than once..."
After the clerk finished recording the plaintiff's oral statement, he personally handed over the evidence and exhibits in front of Lu Jing to the prefect's desk.
The prefect looked up at the regent first.
Mu Nanzhao said calmly, "This prince has said that I will only listen today and will not participate in the interrogation."
"You can pass the evidence around among yourselves. You don't have to bring it over."
The prefect nodded, then looked through it carefully.
After he read each copy, he passed it to other examiners to circulate in turn.
The officials became more and more shocked as they watched, and couldn't help but exchange glances secretly.
They are all experienced and experienced people who have been in the officialdom for many years.
Who can't see that there's something weird about the relationship between Fan Dongping and the Fan family?
Not to mention that given Lord Fan's status, having an illegitimate child was no big deal.
Considering the power that the Fan family has enjoyed over the years, it would be easy for them to hide an illegitimate child in the capital.
Why send him to Nanyi County?
Besides, if he was so afraid of people knowing, why did he give him the surname Fan?
It's already noon at Fan Mansion.
The servant who went to Jingzhao Prefecture to inquire came back, drenched in sweat as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
"In reply to the elder, the case in Jingzhao Prefecture is still ongoing. That woman, she, she is not dead..."
The servant panted, not daring to look up at his masters' faces. "She also said, said..."
Elder Fan slammed the table, "What a fool! Tell me what she said!"
The servant was so frightened that he fell to the ground.
Everyone in the Fan family was also stunned. The elder never showed his emotions.
No matter how big the problem is, as long as it comes before the elder, everything will be under control in the end.
But at this moment, Lord Fan actually got angry.
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