Chapter 34 Innocent, I'll come and take you back.
Yu Man, leading Deng San Niang, didn't choose secluded paths but deliberately walked along the most bustling main street of the county town, heading step by step towards the county government office. They made no attempt to conceal their presence, and others, eager for a spectacle, watched. The recent uproar surrounding the Manxin Food Shop had been making headlines, and now, seeing the shop owner daring to head straight for the county government office, some wondered if she was going to report them. Some even followed them, wanting to see what this Yu family lady was up to.
Upon arriving at the county government office, the guards on duty clearly recognized them, their faces showing surprise. One of them immediately turned and hurried inside to report. Yu Man didn't linger, walking straight to the left side of the entrance, where a long-forgotten, rarely used grievance drum stood. She took a deep breath, ignoring the growing crowd and whispers around her, and reached out to take down the heavy drumsticks.
"Thump—! Thump—! Thump—!"
A deep, muffled drumbeat suddenly rang out, and many people arrived from all directions. Yu Man's gaze was resolute as he struck the drumhead forcefully, again and again, producing a clear, resonant sound:
"I am a woman with a grievance, please, Your Honor, do me justice!"
"I am a woman with a grievance, please, Your Honor, do me justice!"
She called out several times until the yamen runner who had gone in to report came out again, his face a mixture of emotions, and led her inside. Behind them was a large, dark mass of people who had come to see what was going on.
In the courtroom, Magistrate Tao of Dongqing County arrived late. He was about forty years old, slightly plump, and his face showed displeasure at having his peaceful sleep disturbed. He had served as an official in this place for several years and knew well that it was a place where people would neither become rich nor starve, where there was no hope for promotion but it was also a stable place. He usually enjoyed his leisure time and had just been leisurely tending to his flowers and plants in the backyard.
"Who is below? Beating the drum to appeal for justice, what is your grievance?" Magistrate Tao yawned, his tone languid.
Yu Man knelt below the hall, her back ramrod straight, holding the prepared petition high above her head: "I am Yu Man, the owner of Manxin Food Shop. Some time ago, someone slandered my shop, claiming that the food was unclean and had caused deaths, ruining the shop's reputation! I swear to heaven that all the ingredients used in my shop are fresh and clean, and there has never been any dishonest act! This is a great injustice, and I implore Your Honor to investigate and restore my Yu family's innocence!" Her words were clear, neither humble nor arrogant.
Magistrate Tao gestured for his clerk to take the petition, glanced at it briefly, and frowned. These kinds of civil disputes were his biggest headache, especially those involving death. He instinctively tried to smooth things over: "Yu Man, you keep claiming innocence, that you didn't die from eating your family's food, but that's just empty talk. The person is dead; without proof, how can you prove your family's innocence? Do you expect me to exhume the body and perform an autopsy?" His intention was to discourage the other party.
Unexpectedly, Yu Man looked up, her gaze intense, her voice resolute and clear, reaching everyone's ears: "This is exactly what I intend! If the coffin is opened and the body is examined, and it is confirmed that the person died from eating my family's food, I am willing to confiscate all the land deeds and house deeds of Manxin Food Shop and accept punishment without complaint! But if it is found that the person did not die from eating my food, or if there is another hidden story, I beg you, sir, to give my Yu family justice and severely punish the person who made the false accusation!"
Upon hearing this, not only was Magistrate Tao stunned, but the crowd watching outside the hall was also in an uproar! To risk everything to prove her innocence, this lady of the Yu family has great courage!
Magistrate Tao was a bit annoyed by the man's stubbornness, which reminded him of the shrewd and pretentious officials in the capital.
Moreover, the facts were a mess, and anyone who got involved would get their hands dirty. He originally wanted to gloss over it, but someone in the crowd watching outside the hall shouted, "Let's examine it! Let's see clearly!" This immediately drew a chorus of agreement, and the voices grew louder and louder, with some saying that Magistrate Tao was the reincarnation of Bao Zheng and would definitely be able to get to the bottom of the matter.
Now he was truly in a bind. Magistrate Tao's face turned somewhat grim, and he could only slam his gavel to maintain his authority: "Silence! Since that's the case... Guards! Bring the Wan brothers, who caused trouble that day, for questioning! And... go and find out where the deceased is buried!"
The constables obeyed and left. Before long, the Wan brothers were brought to the court. The two were clearly prepared, and they insisted that the incident was caused by eating wontons from the Manxin Food Shop. They described in great detail how Cao Daniu had foamed at the mouth and convulsed.
Yu Man listened calmly, and only spoke slowly after they finished, her questions sharp: "You keep saying he had an attack after eating in the shop. Then let me ask you, which bowl did he eat? When did he eat it? Who else was at the table with him? When did he collapse and not get up, or did he walk out on his own? When you carried him back, which road did you take, and did anyone see him?"
"You say he comes from a poor family, so where did the money for the doctor come from? And who paid for the coffin?"
"Since the incident happened in my shop, why didn't you report it to the authorities immediately that day, but instead waited until the next day to cause trouble and demand compensation?"
She asked one question after another, her logic clear and to the point. The Wan brothers were left stammering, their answers incoherent. They subconsciously glanced at the clerk in the hall, who narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded almost imperceptibly.
The Wan brothers retorted defiantly, "You think we can't speak? The person... the person is buried in the mass grave! Sir, just open the coffin and check! We're not afraid!"
Magistrate Tao had no choice but to send his constables. After waiting for more than an hour, under the anxious gazes of the crowd, several constables returned, covering their mouths and noses, carrying a corpse wrapped in a tattered straw mat. They claimed that it was hot and the body had decomposed, making it unrecognizable. They feared that this would disturb the court proceedings, so they covered it up.
"Coroner, step forward and examine the body!" Magistrate Tao ordered.
The old coroner stepped forward, lifted the corner of the mat to take a look, and then examined the body before reporting, "Your Honor, judging from the symptoms, it is indeed a case of death by poisoning."
"Whoa—!" The onlookers outside the hall erupted in chaos, shouting and cursing! It seems there really is something wrong with the Yu family's food stall!
Deng Sanniang's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she almost collapsed. Yu Man remained calm. She stepped forward, her clear voice cutting through the noise: "My lord! I have doubts! First, according to the Wan brothers, this person had only been dead for a few days. Although it is summer, the mass grave is not a closed, humid place. How could he have decomposed to such an extent, to the point of being unrecognizable? Second, even if he was poisoned, we need to determine what kind of poison it was, when he was poisoned, and whether it matches the contents of his stomach! Please, my lord, investigate thoroughly and have the coroner examine him again, focusing on the contents of the deceased's stomach!"
Magistrate Tao's headache worsened. He waved his hand, signaling the coroner to examine the body again. The coroner dared not be perfunctory any longer. After a careful examination, he replied, drenched in cold sweat, "Your Honor... this... this person's time of death is likely more than half a month ago! Definitely not within a few days! Moreover... his stomach was empty, with no trace of recent food intake. The poison... seems to have been forcibly administered after death!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the clerk's expression suddenly changed. What could have happened? He had clearly looked for...
Yu Man immediately said, "My lord! This corpse is not Cao Daniu who died that day! Someone has impersonated me, using an unidentified corpse to create the illusion of poisoning and frame me! I also have witnesses. Please summon them to court, my lord."
Pan Yue, who had been waiting outside the yamen, immediately pushed the trembling Cao Daniu inside. Upon entering the courtroom and seeing the scene before him, and realizing his scheme had been exposed, Cao Daniu collapsed to the ground in terror. Before any torture could be administered, he confessed everything: someone had paid them to fake poisoning and cause trouble, ruining the reputation of Manxin Food Shop!
Immediately afterwards, Granny Sun, who had been found, was also brought to the court. Under the irrefutable evidence and Yu Man's questioning, Granny Sun honestly confessed to being bribed to put the dirty things into the kitchen in advance.
Thus, the wrongful conviction that someone had been poisoned at the Manxin Food Shop was completely overturned! Public opinion among the onlookers outside the hall instantly reversed, with everyone condemning the Wan brothers, Granny Sun, and the heartless person behind it all.
However, Yu Man did not give up. She bowed again, took out a second petition from her sleeve, and spoke in a clear voice:
"My lord! The food shop's reputation has been cleared, but my father, Yu Chengfu, is still imprisoned! I want to sue Huitong Money Shop for lending money at exorbitant interest rates, harming ordinary people, forging loan agreements, and framing innocent citizens, causing my father to suffer an injustice! I implore you, my lord, to interrogate the manager of the money shop and the accomplice Manager Wang, and severely punish their illegal acts!"
Magistrate Tao's face darkened, and he withdrew his hand from the gavel he was about to strike. Yu Man then took out a thick stack of papers from her sleeve and presented them with both hands: "These are twenty-three copies of IOUs issued by Huitong Money Shop, which I have collected over the past few days, as well as a petition from nearly a hundred villagers in Xiahe Village!" She emphasized the words "petition from the villagers," her gaze sweeping over the crowd watching outside the courtroom, her voice carrying a stirring power, "These IOUs, seemingly in black and white, are in reality mostly the result of money shops colluding with local thugs, using coercion and inducement to force villagers to borrow money! The interest rates are so high, it's like sucking blood! How many families have been forced to sell their children, their homes destroyed and lives lost because of this! This Huitong Money Shop is clearly a poisonous insect sucking blood from the people of Dongqing County!"
The bailiffs presented the stack of evidence, and Magistrate Tao felt a chill run down his spine after just one glance at the densely packed handprints and the complaints. This Yu Man had secretly accomplished so much in such a short time!
Before Magistrate Tao could process this, Yu Man added, "I have witnesses!" She gestured for the bailiffs to bring in the scarred man who had been subdued by Gu Qiu earlier. Having witnessed Gu Qiu's methods and seeing that the situation was hopeless, the scarred man dared not conceal anything in order to reduce his sentence. He knelt on the ground and recounted in great detail how the money shop had made loans, how it had used violence to collect debts, and how it had colluded with Manager Wang to forge Yu Chengfu's IOUs. The details were so vivid that the crowd outside the courtroom was filled with rage and began to discuss the matter animatedly.
Seizing the opportunity, Yu Man addressed the dense crowd outside the hall, proclaiming loudly, "Fellow villagers! I am here today not just to seek justice for my own family! This Huitong Money Exchange has committed numerous evil deeds, and I'm sure many of you here have relatives or neighbors who have suffered as a result! Although I am but a humble person, I believe that the magistrate will surely uphold justice for the people! If any of you have been coerced by them, or have any clues or evidence, please speak out here! I am willing to join you all in pleading with Your Honor to eradicate this scourge upon our village!"
Her words were like a spark, instantly igniting long-suppressed public resentment. The crowd stirred; some muttered curses, others wore sorrowful expressions, but for a moment no one dared to step forward.
Just then, a rough voice rang out from the crowd, filled with a desperate courage: "I! I, Zhang Hu, will testify!"
All eyes turned to Zhang Hu, who pushed through the crowd, strode to the front of the hall, knelt down with a thud, and said in a loud voice, "My lord! I, Zhang Hu, saw Manager Wang respectfully accept a money bag in the alley while unloading goods at the dock that day. The man even told him to keep his mouth shut! I found it suspicious at the time! Later, when the Yu family ran into trouble, Manager Wang happened to be able to lend out one hundred taels of silver. The timing is so coincidental! Although I am a rough man, I know that Manager Wang must have conspired with someone to frame Master Yu! I am willing to confront Manager Wang!"
Zhang Hu's testimony, like the last straw, definitively confirmed that Manager Wang colluded with the money shop to frame someone! With witnesses and physical evidence, the evidence was irrefutable!
Magistrate Tao sat in the courtroom, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles, his back soaked with cold sweat. All he wanted now was to get rid of this menacing figure as quickly as possible. He pounded the gavel repeatedly: "Silence! Silence! The case is clear! Yu Chengfu was indeed framed and is to be released immediately! As for the matter of the Huitong Money Shop, I will personally send people to investigate! Dismissed..."
"Your Honor, please wait!" Yu Man interrupted him for the third time. Under the almost collapsing gaze of Magistrate Tao, she slowly took out the third and final petition. This time, her gaze was even sharper, and she spoke each word with deliberation:
"I, Yu Man, hereby file a complaint against Chen Jing'an, the owner of Fengyulou Restaurant in this county! He has instigated others to make false accusations, frame others, collude with banks, forge debts, and attempt to seize my Yu family's property and ruin the reputation of my 'Manxin Food Shop'! His heart is despicable and his actions are contemptible! I implore Your Honor to summon Chen Jing'an and punish him severely according to the law, so as to uphold justice and reassure the people!"
Suing the Chen family!
The courtroom fell into a deathly silence! Everyone gasped! The Chen family! They were a behemoth in Dongqing County, and the second young master of the Chen family was even an official in the prefecture! This Yu Man, he really dared to do that!
Magistrate Tao felt dizzy and his hand trembled, almost dropping the gavel. Looking at the petition, he saw it as if it were a red-hot iron, too afraid to even touch it. He waved his hands frantically, his voice trembling: "Nonsense! Utter nonsense! Without any evidence, how can you arbitrarily accuse a local gentry? This matter… this matter will be discussed later! Court adjourned! Court adjourned!" He practically stood up in a panic, abandoning all decorum, and fled into the back hall as if escaping.
Although the lawsuit against the Chen family was suppressed, the name Chen Jing'an of Fengyulou, along with Yu Man's resounding accusations, was deeply etched in the minds of all the onlookers. The gazes of the crowd towards Yu Man were filled with shock, admiration, and a hint of understanding—the mastermind behind it all was actually the Chen family!
Inside the inner hall, Magistrate Tao, still shaken, looked at the clerk who had followed him in. Recalling his dealings with the Chen family, a surge of anger rose within him. He raised his hand and slapped the clerk hard, hissing angrily, "You worthless wretch! You want to climb the social ladder? You'll have to be born with the right fate! Look at the trouble you've caused! If you implicate me, I'll skin you alive!"
Before long, Yu Chengfu was brought out of the prison by the yamen runners. Although he looked haggard and his clothes were slightly disheveled, he hadn't suffered any severe torture and was still in relatively good spirits. Deng Sanniang immediately rushed over to him, tears streaming down her face. Looking at the two of them, Yu Chengfu was also overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down his face as well.
"Father, you've suffered so much. Go home with Aunt Xiang and rest to calm your nerves," Yu Man said softly as she stepped forward.
Yu Chengfu looked at his daughter, his eyes filled with complex emotions—heartache and guilt. He nodded and, supported by Deng Sanniang, walked out step by step.
Yu Man stayed behind to handle the follow-up matters and process the relevant documents with the yamen runners. When she finally stepped out of the county yamen gate, she was startled by the scene before her—
Outside the government office, the lingering crowd spontaneously parted to make way, many people expressing their apologies and admiration as they spoke:
"Madam Yu, I'm so sorry! I misunderstood you the other day!"
"You're a good man! You dare to fight against those heartless bastards!"
Someone asked the question they were most concerned about: "Madam Yu, when will your food shop reopen? We'd love to come and support you!"
Yu Man smiled and gave a slight curtsy to everyone: "Thank you all for your trust! Manxin Food Shop will reopen in three days! New products will be available then, and the prices will remain affordable. We will certainly live up to your expectations!"
As soon as she finished speaking, as if sensing something, her gaze inadvertently swept across the crowd and landed on a spot not far across the street. There, a tall, upright figure in a blue robe stood quietly, seemingly having been there for quite some time.
The two looked at each other from a distance.
He didn't look at anyone else, but smiled gently at her, his voice clear and melodious like the clinking of jade: "I've come to take you back."
Someone nearby stared in disbelief, only snapping out of their daze when he spoke, and exclaimed sincerely, "This young man is truly handsome!" Then, looking at her curiously, they asked with a smile, "May I ask... who you are, Lady Yu?"
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