Upon hearing this, Wu Shih-ren's expression panicked for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.
He gave everyone the day off that day, and even sent his daughter Wu Cuihua to visit her maternal grandfather, so no one could have seen them beating people.
Wang Decai regained his composure and didn't take Chen Qingqing's words to heart at all.
Who would testify for a young girl with yellow hair? She's just someone who's made a few pennies and can't swallow her pride.
Qin Shousheng paused, then slammed his gavel, "Guards, bring the witnesses to court!"
Chen Qingqing secretly thought that Wu Shiren was cunning and stingy, yet he had a daughter who was bursting with righteousness. Fortunately, her eldest brother was usually kind and generous, so the chefs in the kitchen were willing to come out and testify for him, proving his character.
The three master chefs are head chef Wang, whose specialty is stewing vegetables in large pots.
Liang Caidun's skill with a kitchen knife is extraordinary; he can cut vegetables as finely as hair.
Liu Dashao is a master at using a wok, and his stir-frying skills are unparalleled.
They and Wu Cuihua were led to the main hall by the yamen runners.
Wu Cuihua had been sulking for the past two weeks, angry that Chen Feng had left without saying goodbye.
Even if he wanted to leave, couldn't he at least say goodbye to her?
After three years of being together, he still doesn't understand his own feelings.
She also wanted to visit him in Nanshan Village, but her father repeatedly stopped her, saying things like "men and women must be kept separate," so she had no choice but to give up.
Chen Qingqing found her early this morning.
When she learned that Chen Feng had almost been beaten to death, she was so heartbroken that she nearly fainted and wished she could see Chen Feng immediately.
Chen Qingqing asked her to testify at the yamen, and she was of course willing.
But the thought that her father was definitely involved made her hesitate; she couldn't disobey.
Just as she was caught in a dilemma, Chen Qingqing told her again,
"Sister Cuihua, your father didn't do it himself. It was all Wang Decai's doing. My older brother knew that Wang Decai was embezzling money from your family's accounts, and he was afraid of being exposed, so he killed him. Even if it weren't for my brother, for the sake of your family's business, shouldn't you get rid of this parasite?"
Wu Cuihua had long harbored suspicions, having discovered discrepancies between the money and the records on several occasions.
But Wang Decai, being cunning and shrewd, would always hand the account books to Wu Shiren for review.
He solemnly assured them that he had kept accounts his whole life and would never make a mistake, and made up all sorts of excuses.
This person is wicked; we must not allow evil to run rampant while good people suffer.
When Wu Shih-ren saw his daughter enter the main hall, he was so angry he almost choked.
"Cuihua, what are you doing here? Stop messing around and get out of here."
Wu Cuihua shook her head, "Father, your daughter is unfilial and cannot do as you say."
"You, you, you're trying to drive your father to his death!" Wu Shiren slammed his fist on the head.
Wang Decai glared angrily at the other three master chefs and gave them a fierce warning.
"I know you have a good relationship with Chen Feng, but don't go against your conscience and give false testimony, that's illegal."
"That's right, you traitors! The manager has treated you well, how can you just blindly follow along and make a fuss!" Zhao Tian chimed in to support him.
Wang Guotou glanced at him, then respectfully kowtowed, "Your Excellency, Chen Feng is an upright man. In the three years he has worked in the shop, he has no other hobbies besides his work, and he would never go out at night to sleep with women. Therefore, it is impossible for him to harass someone's wife."
“Yes, Chen Feng would never do such a despicable thing.” The other two chefs quickly chimed in.
Qin Shousheng glanced coldly at the group and asked sternly, "How can you prove that Chen Feng was injured by them? Did you see it with your own eyes?"
Wu Cuihua shook her head. "My lord, I did not see it with my own eyes, but Wang Decai said that Chen Feng was beaten for seducing a young wife. I cannot agree with that. I would give my life to guarantee Chen Feng's character. He would never do such a despicable thing."
The three master chefs spoke up one after another.
“We can vouch for him. We’ve worked together for many years, and Chen Feng has never gone out in the middle of the night.”
"Yes, our restaurant has always closed at 7 PM for the past ten years, but on the day Chen Feng had his accident, the manager dismissed us early. There must be something fishy about this."
Wang Guotou hesitated for a moment, then said, "That's right. It must be that Wang Decai deliberately sent us away so he could make his move."
Qin Shousheng's face darkened, and he slammed his gavel down, shouting sternly, "This is utter nonsense! How can speculation be used as evidence? If this is how cases are handled, what use is the government? Get out of here now, and I will let bygones be bygones."
Hearing him say this, Chen Qingqing couldn't help but speak up, "Sir, according to you, their claim that my elder brother harassed respectable women is also baseless and hearsay, isn't it? They are clearly making things up and fabricating facts. There is no crime scene at all. Please send someone to investigate on-site, and their lies will be exposed."
Seeing Chen Qingqing's aggressive attitude, Qin Shousheng was furious. He waved his hand dismissively and said, leaving no room for argument.
"I don't care who is lying. I judge cases based on evidence. If neither of you has substantial witnesses or physical evidence, it constitutes defamation. If you dare to continue this, I will lock you all up in jail and convict you of the crime of provoking trouble."
Chen Qingqing frowned. It seemed that her elder brother was right. The county magistrate did not even conduct an investigation and was obviously trying to protect Wu Shiren.
Wang Decai's lips curled up slightly, feeling quite pleased with himself. Wu Shiren's annual tribute money was indeed well spent; it could truly save lives in critical moments. In fact, the truth would come to light if a little investigation were conducted in Qingshui Town.
He gave Chen Feng a provocative look.
Chen Feng's eyes blazed with fury. "My lord, everything I said is true. My injuries were caused by Wang Decai. It was because I knew he was embezzling money from the restaurant that he attacked me so viciously. I beg you to see the truth."
Chen Qingqing added, "What my brother said is true. Wang Decai instigated Wu Shiren to deal with my brother. He was afraid that after my brother left, he would start his own business, which would inevitably affect the restaurant's business and hinder his wealth. So he set a trap and falsely accused my brother of stealing silver. He thought that if he made my brother sign and put his fingerprint on the document, my brother would be accused of theft and exiled."
But Wang Decai never expected that my elder brother not only knew he had embezzled money, but also knew he had used the embezzled money to keep a concubine on East Street. So, in a moment of panic, he killed my brother.
These words caused an uproar among those present.
Wu Shiren was stunned, clearly finding it hard to believe. Wang Decai had followed him for many years, how could he have embezzled money?
"De Cai, is what they said true?"
Wang Decai felt a pang of anxiety, but quickly regained his composure.
His ledger of embezzled money has long been destroyed, and no one will find out. Even if Chen Feng knew, what could he do? Without evidence, it would be slander.
"Shopkeeper, don't listen to their nonsense, it's not true at all."
Chen Qingqing sneered, "Wang Decai, aren't you being a bit too confident? Do you think that by destroying the ledgers, this matter won't be discovered?"
As the saying goes, "If you don't want others to know, don't do it in the first place; there are no secrets that stay hidden forever."
......
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