Chapter 104 Release from Prison
"That's good! Let's go, let's go pay our respects to the Prefect!" He Man was beaming as he led Song Yushu and her son, along with two guards, out of the prison cell, watching the others with envy.
"This humble woman greets Your Excellency the Prefect!" Song Yushu helped Zhou Chengzhu to bow.
"No need for formalities. I called you here to ask how you came to have this jade tablet?" Prefect Liu asked directly about the jade tablet as soon as he saw the man arrive.
"The jade token was given to me by Xue Huai'an, the teacher of Wenxuan Academy. He is a friend of mine. When he learned that I was coming to the prefectural city, he gave me the jade token, saying that the new prefectural city prefect had a past relationship with him and that if I was in danger, I should take this token to see the prefectural magistrate." Song Yushu could not say her relationship with Xue Huai'an in public, so she could only say that they were friends.
"Yes, I have indeed known Xue Huai'an for a long time, but it has been almost eight years since I last saw him. I wonder how he is doing these days?"
Seeing the nostalgia on his face, Song Yushu guessed that the two were old friends and replied, "Master Xue is doing well now."
"I didn't expect him to be at Wenxuan Academy. It's true, as he said, that he's a teacher here. It's only a two or three-day journey from the prefectural city. We could invite him for a gathering... But what grudge do you have with Clerk Jiang? Tell me in detail. If there's any injustice, I will certainly not protect this person," Prefect Liu said, having learned about Xue Huai'an's situation. He then began to inquire about the important matter.
"Your Honor, I came to the city to accompany my son to his studies. The restaurant has only been open for two months, and I have never had any conflicts with anyone. I never expected that Madam Jiang would rush in and accuse my daughter of seducing her son, causing him to fail his exams. I saw that she was too agitated and was afraid that she would hurt someone, so I stopped her and went to find someone to call the officers. I never expected that the officers would listen to her without asking any questions and lock us in the cell!"
“At the time, my daughter and I did not know her son’s name. We had been doing business normally since we opened the restaurant. Even the scholars in the restaurant said that her son had never studied hard at the academy. Her unreasonable and domineering behavior not only ruined our reputation, but also almost cost my daughter our lives. If it weren’t for the help of this prison guard, we would probably be dead by now!”
"Please, Your Honor, do us justice!"
Now that Song Yushu has finally gotten his chance to rise in the ranks, he naturally wants to file a proper complaint; he can't let himself suffer for nothing.
After listening to Song Yushu's entire story, Prefect Liu immediately sent people to verify it. While waiting, he told Song Yushu and her daughter to rest first, and to call them over when there was a result.
Seeing that Zhou Chengzhu was still ill, Song Yushu thanked Prefect Liu and took Zhou Chengzhu to rest.
The room for rest was arranged in the government office. Song Yushu and Zhou Chengzhu were served to wash and eat early in the morning. The mother and daughter had been in the prison for a day and a night and were exhausted. They took a bed and slept for the night.
The next day, when Prefect Liu sent someone to summon them, the entire Jiang family had also arrived.
"Sir, why have you summoned me here...?"
Jiang Dianli was somewhat relieved at this moment. If it was official business, why did they have to call his wife and children over?
"Ask your wife what she did to that person! I'm giving you a chance to explain, considering you've been quite diligent lately," Prefect Liu said, his eyes now devoid of yesterday's appreciation, subtly revealing his dissatisfaction.
"Yes, I will ask right away," Jiang Dianli said, turning to look at his wife beside him.
Madam Jiang was initially displeased to see her son acting as if he had been bewitched ever since Song Yushu and her daughter came out. When she realized that she was in the government office, she panicked and became somewhat absent-minded.
"What exactly did you do? Tell me the truth now!" Seeing that she was still in a daze, Jiang Dianli quickly reminded her.
"This...it's just a small matter, how could it be..."
"Speak! What exactly did you do?" Jiang Dianli knew his wife's character, but he didn't expect her to try to get away with it at this point. He shouted at her directly.
"I... Qi Feng's grades plummeted to the bottom this month in the exams. I'm really worried, sir. Qi Feng used to be praised by the teacher for his academic achievements. How could he suddenly fall like this? I went to his room to check, and I saw that all he wrote on his papers was the name Cheng Zhu. I felt something was amiss. Upon further investigation, I found that there was a woman named Cheng Zhu at the restaurant he frequented every day. I concluded that this mother and daughter had seduced my son, and that's why..."
"Master, I didn't mean it. I only spent one night in the jail, nothing serious happened. Besides, if it weren't for that mother and daughter running a restaurant, how could our Qi Feng have neglected his studies!"
Now that she had made a mistake, Madam Jiang had no intention of admitting it. She explained to Clerk Jiang as usual, completely disregarding where she was.
"What kind of person is your son? Do you really not know? The students at the academy all said that your son is a good-for-nothing. Now that his studies have fallen apart, you're blaming us, mother and daughter, for it. You're talking about locking him up for a day and a night, which almost cost my daughter her life!"
Seeing that she didn't realize she had done anything wrong and was even trying to shift the blame onto her and her daughter, Song Yushu felt extremely disgusted with this Madam Jiang.
“Clerk Jiang, I thought you were a practical person, even though you were conservative. I never expected that I had misjudged you. How could someone who spoils his wife and children to the point of being completely ignorant of manners be an ordinary person?” Upon hearing Madam Jiang’s words, Prefect Liu realized where he was wrong and began to dislike Clerk Jiang, whom he had previously found agreeable.
"My lord! I truly had no idea that this foolish woman would be so audacious. I will make her apologize right now!" Jiang Dianli realized the seriousness of the matter and immediately pulled his wife in front of Song Yushu, making her kowtow and apologize.
"I didn't do anything, I just locked it up for a moment, why should I kowtow!" Madam Jiang was also mentally unstable and refused to kowtow no matter what, and the scene became somewhat chaotic for a moment.
"Enough! This is not a place for your nonsense!" Prefect Liu shouted, finally stopping the farce.
"My lord, this Madam Jiang is abusing her power, ruining the reputation of my daughter, and even vandalizing my restaurant. I beg you to do me justice!"
Now that the matter was clear, Song Yushu directly demanded justice.
Prefect Liu stopped listening to the Jiang couple's excuses and dragged them away to give each of them thirty strokes of the cane. Jiang, the clerk, was replaced, and Jiang's wife was sentenced to three years in prison. The Jiang family was also ordered to pay one hundred taels of silver in compensation.
After handling the matter, Prefect Liu sent people to escort Song Yushu and Zhou Chengzhu back.
As soon as Song Yushu brought Zhou Chengzhu out, he saw Xue Huai'an standing next to the carriage, having waited for who knows how long.
Having not seen each other for more than two months, and especially having just escaped from prison, Song Yushu was somewhat stunned when he suddenly saw Xue Huai'an.
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