Chapter 63: What is the meaning of disrespect and unfilial piety?
Jiang Lianzhu decisively replied, "Your Excellency, no, I was acting in self-defense. The Wang family came to my house several times to harass me and insult me maliciously. I was acting in self-defense."
Lord Du choked and changed the question, "No matter what the reason, have you ever beaten Wang Liushi, Wang Laoer, Wang Laosan and others?"
Jiang Lianzhu replied, "If you insist on asking, then yes!"
At this time, an old man in a fine robe with wrinkled skin and white hair, who was sitting in the audience, sneered, "Master Du, the defendant has already confessed. There is nothing to judge. Such a wicked woman should be thrown directly into prison and her property confiscated! Our Emperor of Da'an sets an example by respecting the Empress Dowager and promoting filial piety. For such an unfilial and treasonous woman, hanging is not too much!"
Dabao, Erbao and the other cubs were panicked.
Even the third daughter rushed up and bared her teeth at the people in the hall, looking very fierce.
Want to arrest their mother? Raid their house? Whoever it is! Fight them!
Jiang Lianzhu comforted the cubs first.
Then, she looked over calmly. She had just heard the onlookers say that this person should be Mr. Ji from Shili Town.
The fact that a wealthy man could sit in on the court and listen to the trials in the government office showed that his status in Shili Town was quite extraordinary.
"Sir, I wonder what your position is? What qualifications and status do you hold? You're trying to convict me based on only one side of my story. If all officials tried cases this way, then how many innocent people would have been wrongfully killed in our Da'an Kingdom?"
Ji Yuanwai was taken aback by surprise. No common people had ever dared to contradict him like this!
He was furious inside, but he managed to hold it in.
"You just admitted it yourself. Who wronged you? This evil woman!"
Jiang Lianzhu replied, "Just now I admitted to beating up Old Wang's family, but I didn't commit any crime! May I ask, sir, can Da'an Country have such a law? Should we, an orphan and a widow, not fight back against those who maliciously come to our house to provoke and bully us, and instead allow ourselves to be bullied to death? If there is such a law, then I, Jiang Lianzhu, will obey the law. I am guilty, and I shouldn't have fought back. We, an orphan and a widow, deserve to be bullied to death by the village tyrants. It's just four lives..."
At this time, the people watching outside the yamen began to make a fuss.
They are all in response to Jiang Lianzhu.
Lord Du slammed the gavel again. "Jiang, what absurd nonsense you are saying! You will not be allowed to quibble in court. Don't try to change the subject. The plaintiffs are your parents-in-law. No matter the reason, you are not allowed to beat them or your brother and his wife! This judge is investigating you for beating your parents-in-law and your brother and his wife!"
Jiang Lianzhu straightened up. "Master Du, you've been deceived by the plaintiff, Wang Liu. I and my three children have severed ties with the Wang family. To us, the Wang family is just an ordinary villager. There's no such thing as a father-in-law or a brother-in-law relationship. How can you say you're disrespectful, unfilial, or even treasonous?"
Mrs. Wang Liu next to her interrupted, "Jiang, you're talking nonsense! We, the Wang family, have only separated you and your son from the family, but we haven't severed our relationship. Even after the separation, we are still your parents-in-law..."
Dabao, who was kneeling beside Jiang Lianzhu, spoke in a childish voice, "Wang Liushi, you're talking nonsense. You clearly kicked the four of us out of the house. Even though I'm still young, I remember it all. You said we had four mouths to feed, couldn't work, and only knew how to eat all day. We were a burden. You also called my mother a jinx, and called us three bastards, not my father's biological children, and a waste of food. You forcibly kicked us out of the house, and it wasn't a division of the family at all."
The villagers outside the door couldn't help but say, "This boy is so handsome. I didn't expect that despite his small size, he speaks so clearly. He will definitely be an extraordinary person in the future."
"Indeed, Dabao has been very mature since he was young. When he was three years old, he was smarter than my teenage boy."
"What Dabao said is true, and we can all testify to it."
…
Lord Du looked at the situation and slammed the gavel again. The constables on both sides shouted, "Silence, silence! Anyone who makes any more noise will be driven away. No more onlookers will be allowed."
Ji Yuanwai suggested, "Sir, these people must have been hired by Jiang Shi to cause trouble. Jiang Shi deliberately disrespected you in court and contradicted you three times. She should be beaten with thirty sticks before being tried. Otherwise, she will think that a village woman has dignity!"
Jiang Lianzhu looked at Mr. Ji with a sneer. This Mr. Ji is pretty good!
Are you going to torture her right away and force her to confess?
The cubs were all nervous and grabbed her sleeves tightly.
Before she could say anything, several people walked in from outside the yamen.
It was Mr. Lin and others from Lin’s Dim Sum Shop.
Shopkeeper Lin was sweating profusely as he hurried over. He heard that the government had arrested Jiang Lianzhu, so he ran all the way here. When he heard the reason on the way, he became even more anxious.
Upon entering the yamen, Manager Lin bowed to Judge Du in the courtroom and said, "Master Du, please forgive me. I just heard about this matter and rushed here specially. This Jiang is a partner of our Lin family and also half of our Lin family. If there is any offense, please bear with me. Mr. Ji, you are not a government official, but only an observer. You don't understand the laws of our Da'an Kingdom. It is inappropriate to use torture before the case is fully examined. Please do not damage Master Du's reputation!"
Ji Yuanwai's eyes darkened. "Oh, the Lin family's people are here. The news spread quickly. Manager Lin, I'm afraid it's not appropriate for you to trespass into the court like this!"
Shopkeeper Lin, still smiling like a businessman, asked, "Then how did Mr. Ji get to sit in on the trial?"
Ji Yuanwai: "Of course I have a special token. My family has made great contributions to Shili Town for generations, so I am qualified to attend the meeting."
Shopkeeper Lin also showed an official decree. "What a coincidence! I also have a token that allows me to sit in on cases at the Shamen County yamen. Lord Du, could you please grant me a seat? Just sit next to Mr. Ji."
The town's prominent figures all know something about the origins of the Lin family's dim sum shop.
There are people in the capital, so it is not surprising that there is such an official order.
It is also one of the forces that cannot be offended.
Lord Du had no choice but to offer him a seat. "You're welcome to sit in. This Jiang family has business dealings with your Lin family's pastry shop, so it's only natural that you should pay attention to this. This will save me from having to issue you an official explanation later after the case is resolved today."
"Thank you very much. Lord Du, you will enforce the law impartially. We will wait and observe the case and will not interfere with your judgment. The laws of our Da'an Kingdom have always been reasonable and well-founded, and we will not wrongly accuse people. If Jiang's behavior is truly problematic, our Lin Family Dim Sum Shop will naturally sever all ties with her. Lord, please handle the case impartially..."
Shopkeeper Lin sat down and gestured for invitation with a smile.
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