"My lord, the night was dark and the light was dim. Although I couldn't see very clearly, I could still make out the general outline. He was a very strong man, and I wouldn't mistake him. Besides, I recognized his voice, so there's no mistake."
With a witness in hand, Bai Bai slammed his gavel. "Wang Erma, what else do you have to say? If you don't admit to kidnapping Su Ruanruan, I can summon other witnesses. You don't think I've only found this one witness, do you?"
Wang Erma panicked and immediately kowtowed, "Please spare my life, sir! I will never dare to do it again. It was all the master's doing, it has nothing to do with me!"
"I ask you, why did you kidnap Su Ruanruan?"
Wang Er wiped the thin layer of sweat from his palms onto his body. "Yesterday, I was just about to close up shop when I didn't notice someone throwing a wad of paper on the table. I didn't want to bother with it, but the owner happened to wake up and snatched the paper away."
"The landlord couldn't read either, so he told me to go find someone to ask what was written on this paper."
Bai Bai asked, "What's written on that paper? Tell me the truth."
"Replying to your question, sir, the note said that Su Ruanruan would appear in Willow Lane after nightfall."
"Have you been able to find out who passed the note?"
"No, the master originally planned to go to the brothel, but after receiving the note, he changed his mind and sent me to Willow Lane to investigate. If I really see that woman, I'll bring her back."
"You've never seen Su Ruanruan, how do you know if it's her? Aren't you afraid you've arrested the wrong person?"
Wang Erma pursed his lips, "No, the boss said... the one with the most exquisite figure is her."
Mu Bai's hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched tightly as he angrily rebuked, "You're abducting women in broad daylight! Is there no law left?"
"Although Butcher Zhou has been murdered, his crimes are too numerous to count. Even you, his accomplice, cannot escape the punishment of the law."
"What people do is seen by Heaven! There are gods watching from above, just you wait and see!"
Wang Erma shrank back, now truly terrified; he hadn't expected things to escalate to this extent.
A low laugh came from the crowd outside the hall, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
But then they saw a man dressed in a deep blue brocade robe, his hands behind his back, a mocking smile on his lips. Standing next to him was a refined and gentle man with some bruises on his face; it was Zeng Yuan.
The person who made the mocking noise was Zeng Yuan's lackey; his face had the most severe bruises, clearly indicating he had been beaten.
Huo Yan squinted as he observed, already sensing the strong tension between the man and Mu Bai.
Wearing a veil, Suhe stood at a distance, only able to see the crowded hall outside.
I wonder what's going on inside.
Bai Bai tapped his long, slender fingers on the table.
What are they doing here? How utterly annoying.
He has already locked his daughter up. Why aren't they home recovering from their injuries? What are they doing here causing trouble?
Is he trying to cause trouble for Mu Bai again?
"Young Master Mu, are you so indignant because you're speaking out for your beloved? As far as I know, the woman you cherish is of questionable character. She's a woman despised by everyone in Maoshan Village."
"She was kidnapped by a womanizer not long ago. You're the only one who would cherish a woman like that, who has lost her chastity. If you ask me, maybe she'd rather serve Butcher Zhou."
"In the end, it must have been for the money that they killed Butcher Zhou while he was asleep."
"Don't you all agree?" the lackey said with a smile, and Zeng Yuan also revealed a smug smile.
Outside the hall, everyone started talking at once, saying all sorts of things.
For a moment, the courtroom resembled a bustling vegetable market.
Mu Bai's eyes were icy cold as he approached Zeng Yuan and the others step by step, mocking, "As expected, people with dirty thoughts will imagine others to be a certain way. It seems the beating they received wasn't lenient enough!"
"Do you even know what happened? Spreading rumors based solely on those filthy, smelly yellow teeth? You call yourselves educated people!"
"Scholar Mu, please calm down. My daughter and I have some acquaintance with Miss Su, and we naturally trust her character. I advise everyone not to blindly follow the crowd and lose your own judgment."
"If what that young master said is true, that Miss Su did not resist and followed Butcher Zhou willingly, then she should not be in this state now."
Bai Bai waved his hand, and the constables carried Su Ruanruan out.
Instantly, a foul stench wafted out, and everyone covered their noses.
Only Mu Bai stayed by Su Ruanruan's side, wiping the fine sweat from her forehead.
She remains unconscious and has not yet woken up.
Everyone tiptoed to look inside, and when they saw Su Ruanruan covered in blood and her face tortured beyond recognition, they all gasped.
Mu Bai looked up at Zeng Yuan and said, "If Ruan Ruan describes it like that, how could she possibly kill Butcher Zhou? If she hadn't been clinging to life, she would have been dead long ago."
"You say Ruan Ruan killed Butcher Zhou, but the coroner also said that Butcher Zhou was murdered at Chenshi (7-9 AM), and Ruan Ruan was still lying on her bed in the tofu shop, barely alive, at that time. How could she have killed that bad man?"
Bai Bai also said, "Scholar Mu, please calm down. I have also found Zhou the Butcher's neighbor. Let's hear what he has to say."
A middle-aged man knelt on the ground with his two sons. "Sir," he said, "our house is not far from Butcher Zhou's. Last night, when I got up to use the outhouse, I heard cries for help outside. At first, I thought I had misheard. But when I looked through the crack in the door, I saw Butcher Zhou chasing a woman who had run away."
"Do you know if he was chasing the woman lying on the ground?"
The middle-aged man shook his head. "It's too dark for me to see clearly."
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