Chapter 266: Shen Qingbai's head is about to fall
Several managers argued with each other and labeled Sun Xiaotong a criminal.
The dark and thin girl screamed shrilly, "You are lying, you are lying...you are lying!"
Huang Youqing saw that many people were joining in the discussion, and the surrounding miners didn't dare to speak out. He immediately became more arrogant and said to the girl with a sneer, "Little Sister Liu, you said I molested you, why don't you look in the mirror? You look like a black coal ball and a stick of firewood. What do I like about you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the several managers who joined in the discussion burst into laughter...
The skinny Liu Xiaomei was filled with shame and indignation. She clutched Sun Xiaotong's body on the ground and trembled with gritted teeth, "You are lying, you are the murderer..."
The coal mine's general manager, a clerk, saw this and hesitantly stepped forward. "My Lady, this isn't a big deal. It's all Sun Xiaotong's fault. There's no need to alarm you. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Huang Youqing and the others immediately said, "That's right, it's a sin to alarm the princess. Princess, please return quickly. You don't have to worry about such a small matter."
Shen Ning glanced at them and smiled: "Oh, then how do you plan to deal with it?"
The chief steward glanced at Huang Youqing, who immediately said, "It's a human life after all. Even if I'm not to blame, considering their poverty, I'm willing to give them a tael of silver as consolation and bury Sun Xiaotong."
He acted as if he was a great philanthropist and that the Sun family had received a great favor.
"One ounce of silver..."
Shen Ning murmured softly, "A life is worth only one ounce of silver."
No one else could hear what she was saying, and there was a dead silence all around.
At this moment, Shen Ning looked up at the numb and silent miners around her, and she suddenly said, "Does anyone have anything else to say?"
No one spoke, only Liu Xiaomei's crying could be heard.
At this moment, Sun Xiaotong's father, Sun Dadan, fell to his knees and said, "Princess, my son died unjustly!"
The weather-beaten man was only in his forties, but he looked very old. He raised his hand and pointed at Huang Youqing and the others, his fingers trembling, "I want to file a complaint. I'm accusing Huang Youqing of murder, and He Guang and the others of perjury and aiding and abetting the evil. I beg your Highness to forgive me!"
After saying this, the man kowtowed.
Huang Youqing gnashed his teeth and said, "Sun Dadan, you ungrateful thing, I'm kind enough to give you funeral expenses..."
But before he could finish his words, another voice rang out.
"My Lady, I am willing to testify that Huang Youqing did intend to molest Liu Xiaomei."
A person walked out from the crowd and knelt on the ground. Shen Ning saw that it was Xu Ying.
Xu Ying's face was pale... She hesitated for a long, long time. This was not something she would do, but she walked out.
Because she remembered that when she first arrived in Beihai Prefecture, she and her brother were penniless, seriously ill and dying, and were thrown into the mine to help in the kitchen.
It was Liu Xiaomei who used her own ration - rice soup so thin that you could see your reflection in it - to help her catch her breath.
She couldn't remember how long it had been since anyone had shown her any kindness.
Previously, Xu Ying subconsciously wanted to play it safe, but when she saw Liu Xiaomei kneeling there crying, she thought of how Sun Xiaotong used to bring her snacks from time to time, and how Liu Xiaomei would always share some with her...
Thinking back to the day before, Liu Xiaomei shyly said that she would be invited to be the bride's bride.
Xu Ying couldn't even figure out what she was thinking, but she came out as if possessed by a ghost.
Shen Ning was actually quite surprised. She hadn't expected that Xu Ying would change so much after arriving at Beihai Mansion. However, she didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at the others and asked, "Does anyone else want to say anything?"
She spoke each word with great emphasis: "This princess once said that she would be responsible for every life in the mine, and today this statement still stands... This princess swears to heaven that she will never side with anyone."
She said, "I will give you justice."
There was still dead silence on the other side...
Just when Shen Ning was feeling helpless and ready to give up and wait for those people to speak, someone else stood up and said, "I, I can testify that Sun Xiaotong did not steal anything."
He is a boy about the same age as Sun Xiaotong.
Huang Youqing cursed angrily: "Qidunzi, how dare you frame me!"
But then someone else stood up and said, "I am willing to testify that the steward Huang Youqing has attempted to molest Liu Xiaomei many times."
"I can testify. Sun Xiaotong stood with me and didn't steal anything. Huang Youqing tried to drag him away to teach him a lesson. Sun Xiaotong struggled, and then Huang Youqing grabbed his head and slammed it against a rock, killing him!"
"I am also willing to testify that the manager, He Guang, and Huang Youqing were in cahoots. They had planned to kidnap Sun Xiaotong. While struggling, Sun Xiaotong was struck by a rock and died."
"The guilty are willing to testify..."
"I can testify..."
Huang Youqing's expression became increasingly grim as he watched the originally silent and cowering civilians and exiled prisoners around him stand up one after another.
At first he was still struggling to defend himself, but as more and more people stood up, he was left with a pale face, kneeling on the ground and looking at Shen Ning with an uneasy face.
"Are all of them framing you?" Shen Ning said expressionlessly.
Huang Youqing stammered, "I, little... I..."
Shen Ning looked at He Guang and the other managers who were helping Huang Youqing testify. They avoided his gaze and lowered their heads without saying a word.
The common people and prisoners stared at the managers who usually acted tyrannically, their eyes full of blazing fire.
In the past, they did not dare to stand up against those in charge because they knew that there was no point in doing so.
No one cares about the truth, and no one will give them justice.
However, no one is willing to endure oppression forever...
More than two months ago, Princess Yong'an kept her promise and paid off the wages that had been in arrears for several years. She also reinforced the coal mine and installed fans... From the resumption of work to now, she has given the miners an extra meal once a week and has never broken her promise.
She said she would never take sides with anyone, she said she would be responsible for the lives of everyone in the coal mine... they wanted to believe it.
I believe that there are always people in high positions in this world who have not lost their conscience, and I believe that the light they see is not just a temporary false cloud.
They wanted to fight once, for Sun Xiaotong... and for themselves!
Everyone looked at Chen Ning. There were so many people around, but everything was silent.
Huang Youqing was filled with uneasiness, but he also had a sense of hope. After all, he was not an ordinary citizen... he was a relative of the Nie family.
It would be fine if it was just a minor punishment, but if Princess Yong'an wants to punish him severely to establish her authority, then I'm sorry, she might have to bring up Lord Nie.
Lord Nie has been entrenched in Beihai Prefecture for many years and has a very good relationship with the officials and commanders at Liaodong Pass. He even has a name in the eyes of the Empress and the Eastern Palace in the capital. The little princess has to give face to Lord Nie no matter what.
Thinking of this, Huang Youqing calmly winked at a small follower in front of him.
The little henchman also knew the relationship between Huang Youqing and Prefect Nie. Seeing that the situation was not right, he quietly withdrew from the crowd, left the yard, and ran away.
He had gained a lot from following Huang Youqing, so naturally he didn't want to see Huang Youqing fall.
Huang Youqing breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the minion running away.
As long as Lord Nie knew what was happening here, he would not sit idly by... After all, not long ago, Lord Nie specially called him to the Nie family and hinted that he should keep an eye on the coal mine.
Huang Youqing breathed a sigh of relief, and his originally hunched back straightened a little.
He was just a pariah. If he died, he died. At most, he would have to pay a few more taels of silver... There was no way the little princess would let him pay with his life.
After this incident is over, none of those untouchables who stood up against him will have a good ending...especially those prisoners!
Huang Youqing turned around and glanced at the people who stood up to identify him, with a sneer in his eyes, as if he was ready to settle the score later.
The people he swept over quickly averted their gaze, gritted their teeth and lowered their heads.
Huang Youqing sneered silently. At this moment, he heard the young princess speak slowly, "The matter is very clear. Steward Huang Youqing has murdered Sun Xiaotong without mercy... This matter should be reported to the government office, but now that the officials have resigned, this princess will be handling it according to the law. Fortunately, this matter is not difficult to handle."
Shen Ning's tone was calm, and Huang Youqing became more and more fearless.
There's no sign of any serious punishment at all... The little princess is just deceiving those low-class people to gain a good reputation.
It's ridiculous that these untouchables actually believed it...
"Come here, drag Huang Youqing out and hang him at the entrance of Coal Hill. No need to bury him, just hang him there for everyone to see. Also, send one or two ounces of silver to his family as a consolation."
Just now, Huang Youqing said that Sun Xiaotong's life was worth one tael, so she gave him one tael.
Shen Ning said calmly, “No matter who it is, if someone kills someone, they must pay with their life.”
At first, Huang Youqing almost thought he had misheard, until he was pulled up and dragged out, then he suddenly woke up and screamed in disbelief.
"Princess, Princess, are you going to kill me?"
"Wait, no, no... I'm a relative of Lord Nie. I'm related to the prefect, Nie Rang. Princess, you're mistaken. Lord Nie will be here soon. Lord Nie will be here soon, Princess..."
However, no matter how Huang Youqing shouted, everyone saw that the princess just sat there and ignored him.
Everyone present followed him out involuntarily, because they couldn't even believe that Princess Yong'an would hang Magistrate Nie's relative for a lowly person.
Killing someone means paying with one's life? Princes are punished just like commoners when they break the law?
These were simply a joke in Beihai Prefecture... But today, everyone at the coal mine saw this scene: the usually domineering manager Huang Youqing was dragged out of the gate of Coal Hill. He struggled and screamed, but the rope was put around his neck.
Huang Youqing had already lost control of his bladder when he was hung up. He couldn't make a sound, his limbs were desperately struggling or twitching, his eyes filled with disbelief, despair, and terror...
No one knew if he regretted it or how scared he was. All they saw was his face getting redder and redder, then purple and swollen, and his eyes gradually bulging...
The miners working on the coal mountain also saw it.
Everyone watched the scene from afar, seeing the manager who oppressed and humiliated them being hanged on a tree.
So, is it true that killing someone means paying with your life?
Or does it mean that from today on, the untouchables of Beihai Prefecture will truly be considered human beings?
The several managers who had previously testified on Huang Youqing's behalf were all trembling with fear, and the chief manager of the coal yard was also extremely frightened and panicked.
Chen Ning looked at He Si and the others who seemed to be giving false testimony, and then said, "From today on, the chief steward of Coal Hill will be Xu Shuo, the clerk. He Guang... everyone, including the chief steward, will be expelled from Coal Hill and expelled from Beihai Prefecture."
This kind of thing has evil intentions and now has a grudge against her, so it’s better to throw it away as far as possible.
The coal mine manager and He Guang and the others sat down on the ground...
On the other side, the prefect Nie Rang was rushing to the coal yard in person.
Nie Rang didn't want to pay attention at first, but Huang Youqing was indeed his man, and he brought him out in public.
If Princess Yong'an punished Huang Youqing mercilessly, it would be a slap in the face of Nie Rang.
However, before he could reach the coal mine, the person who went to inquire about the news came back and told him that Huang Youqing had been hanged!
Hanged?
How could they just hang him like that? They didn't even care about the relationship between Huang Youqing and Nie Rang!
Nie Rang's face turned pale. "You mean, Huang Youqing publicly called out that he was my relative, and Princess Yong'an still hanged him without saying a word?"
“Yes… yes.”
Nie Rang was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered, "It seems that Princess Yong'an doesn't even have the slightest bit of respect for me."
"Go back to the mansion and send someone to inform Magistrate Zhou and the others."
Soon, County Magistrate Zhou and his men arrived at Nie's residence.
Nie Rang took out a letter and handed it to County Magistrate Zhou: "We said we would get Princess Yong'an kicked out of Beihai Prefecture. Now, the time has come!"
When County Magistrate Zhou opened it, he saw that it was a letter of accusation that the inspector Shen Qingbai had cut corners when building the Liaodong Pass city wall.
"I have already had people investigate. Shen Qingbai never bought a single grain of glutinous rice. There is no glutinous rice ash. The city wall he built only had lime..."
Nie Rang sneered: "Send this letter to Liaodong Pass, I will make Shen Qingbai's head fall off!"
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