Chapter 405 The Witness Arrives
This statement effectively ruined the students' path to success.
They might still be able to take the imperial examinations and become officials, but they will never be given important positions again.
This rally and protest has become an indelible stain on their record.
Lu Qingqing looked at them coldly, without a trace of sympathy.
What is the purpose of reading?
In order to understand the truth and distinguish right from wrong.
First you unreasonably criticized me, then you blindly believed the prisoner's arguments! How are you any different from a soulless, dim-witted fool with your eyes and ears closed to reason?!
The students all knelt down on the ground with a "plop," their bodies trembling.
I'm so regretful! I shouldn't have come! I shouldn't have come!
It's too late to regret it now!
"What are you doing? Get up! I'll double your money!" The wealthy merchant tried to drag them away.
The students were embarrassed and disoriented.
"Shut up! If you keep making a scene, you'll be disobeying the Crown Prince, and that's a capital offense!"
No, it's the Emperor and the Crown Prince who are about to ascend the throne.
Do you want your family and property confiscated and your entire clan exterminated?
The wealthy businessman's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.
"The Emperor's Sword! Slaying evil and cleansing impurities!"
Lu Qingqing slapped the hilt of the sword, causing Qi Huai Ren to bend it down three inches.
"Execute, dismemberment—"
The executioner immediately stepped forward, removed Qi Huai Ren's clothes, and with a flash of the blade, sliced off a piece of flesh from his back.
"Ugh, uh..."
Qi Huai-ren let out a painful wail, emitting a terrifying sound that was neither human nor beast.
An old woman suddenly rushed over.
With murky eyes, he glared at Lu Qingqing with hatred, pointing at her and shouting, "Others may be afraid of you, but this old woman isn't! My grandson is gone, and I'm all alone now!"
Doctor Qi is such a good man. If it weren't for him, my family and I would have starved to death long ago!
He couldn't possibly harm anyone, he couldn't possibly harm anyone!
Injustice! A tremendous injustice!
Qi Huai Ren sobbed, "Grandma Jiang, please stop talking. Otherwise, you'll lose your life too. We can't fight them. I... I accept my fate..."
In fact, many people in the audience thought the same thing as the old woman, but they were so intimidated that they dared not say anything.
Although I want to protect Qi Huai-ren, I am powerless to do so now!
Qi Huai-ren's words were an insinuation that Lu Qing-qing was abusing her power to harm people.
The old woman looked at Qi Huai Ren's bloodied body as if it were her own son, her heart aching terribly.
He cried out, "Kill me! Kill me! I'm willing to die in place of Doctor Qi!"
“His good deeds and his evil deeds are two different things. This bit of kindness is far from enough to offset the evil he has done!” Lu Qingqing said.
"The government has thoroughly investigated Qi Huai-ren's crimes, and the evidence has been submitted to the Dali Temple for filing. Now, I am only announcing the results; I have no obligation to present all the evidence to you!"
There is indeed insufficient evidence to prove that Qi Huai-ren participated in the production of Dazao Pills; only some burnt ash was found in his home.
Lu Qingqing knew the ingredients of Dazao Pill, so she could smell several familiar scents in the ash.
The prescriptions collected by Ouyang Bingyan record the origin of Dazao Pills as a secret ancestral recipe of the Qi family in Raozhou, which was presented by Qi Huai Ren.
Without strong evidence, she didn't bring it up again.
The only ones who can now provide evidence to accuse Qi Huai-ren of other crimes are those eighteen humiliated girls.
But apart from Feng Shuang, no one else dared to step forward.
In the end, Lu Qingqing couldn't bear to let them come forward as witnesses and suffer from further gossip.
She gave up on producing evidence, and even if some people thought she was abusing her power, there was nothing she could do.
She knows she has done the right thing and has a clear conscience, and that's enough for her.
"Qi Huai-ren, you don't need to try to rally people anymore. No one can save you today!"
Anyone here who's willing to die for you, go ahead and die! People who can't distinguish right from wrong are just wasting food by living!
Continue the execution, first take his tongue…
“It’s dawn—” A mournful cry interrupted Lu Qingqing’s words.
Like a heavy hammer striking a drum, it carries the weight of injustice and long-suppressed accusations.
"Dawn is breaking—dawn is breaking—the sky over Fancheng has finally brightened!"
"Heaven above, divine healer, we have been wronged—"
An elderly woman held aloft a tattered cloth with a large character for "injustice" written on it in blood!
Beside her were seven women whose faces were covered.
The group walked together toward the platform.
The soldiers didn't stop them; everyone made way for them, staring in astonishment.
That old woman was the same old woman Lu Qingqing had seen under the tree that day.
Xiaomei's mother!
Among the girls beside her, Lu Qingqing recognized one as Feng Shuang, and the others...
Needless to say, it's them!
Unexpectedly, seven people showed up!
Lu Qingqing suddenly felt her eyes sting, and a surge of emotions seemed about to burst out of her chest.
She felt that her strength had increased significantly.
She never forced the eighteen girls to be witnesses. She had tried to persuade them before, but later she couldn't bear it anymore. As she became more deeply involved in their situation, she gave up the idea.
What followed were more words of comfort and encouragement.
She believed that raising women's status and awakening their awareness would take a very, very long time...
She never expected them to give her such a big surprise!
The old woman and the seven girls all knelt down.
"I, Zhao, am here to testify! My daughter, Yang Xiaomei..."
"I know that Yang Xiaomei!" The old woman spoke viciously, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
"Your daughter was immoral and seduced Doctor Qi. When people found out, she was so ashamed that she hanged herself. And you still have the nerve to ask for an explanation?"
Everyone at the clinic knew that Doctor Qi was deeply devoted to his deceased wife. Did you really think some country bumpkin could possibly become Doctor Qi's wife?
"You old hag, you're speaking up for a beast! You'll die a horrible death!"
Zhao's eyes immediately turned bloodshot, and she looked as if she wanted to jump up and tear him apart.
Lu Qingqing: "Interrupting a witness's speech, slap him!"
Two soldiers stepped forward, grabbed the old woman, and began slapping her mouth repeatedly.
I've wanted to beat that old hag for ages! What kind of nonsense is she spouting?!
Lu Qingqing didn't tell them to stop, and they didn't stop either.
Lu Qingqing probably forgot, because she continued to let Zhao Shi continue.
After Zhao finished speaking, Feng Shuang spoke.
Halfway through Feng Shuang's story, the old woman was struck so hard that she lost her last eight teeth and fainted.
After Feng Shuang finished speaking, the other girls spoke.
Young and ignorant, he was humiliated by Qi Huai Ren for various unavoidable reasons, leaving him feeling anxious and helpless.
She could only be lured step by step by Qi Huai-ren and become his plaything.
Each of them did it so that their family could take the medicine. They thought they were ruined and wanted to get something in return, so they had to make some sacrifices.
But in the end, they found out that the medicine was the rope that held them together.
It's not about giving and receiving, it's about being manipulated.
My family member's health will never get better; they will always need medicine.
The girl's cries were stained with blood and tears, revealing the filthy soul hidden beneath Qi Huai Ren's kind exterior.
Some people were angry, while others felt sympathy.
Someone loudly questioned Qi Huai Ren.
Some people even stared at the girls, peeping and curious, as if they were looking at something strange.
"Why are you young ladies covering your faces to act as witnesses? How will anyone know if you're impersonating witnesses?"
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