"Who is the name of that young lady we ordered someone to investigate last time?" Prefect Wu suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked the clerk beside him.
The clerk thought for a moment and said, "Hong Xiaoduo." Then, the clerk's eyes widened suddenly. Could it be? What a coincidence?
Prefect Wu and his advisor took a closer look at Hong Xiaoduo, noting her appearance, height, attire, and the sword and whip at her waist.
This must be the young lady Jin Yao had an argument with in the clothing shop a little over ten days before the New Year!
At the time, people were sent to investigate her background, and they only found that she could freely enter and leave the military camp. At the time, they were unsure who she was with in the military camp. It turns out it was General Lin!
Thinking back to how he was so focused on scheming to get Lin Ansheng and Jin Yao to have sex, he completely forgot about this young lady.
Later, when his scheme failed and he was constantly worried about General Lin's revenge, he stopped thinking about the young lady altogether.
Unexpectedly, the powerful figure behind her was Lin Ansheng? The young lady who offended Zhao Guangtai's son was the same person who caused Jin Yao to suffer?
Prefect Wu was so annoyed that he wanted to bang his head a few times. He looked at Zhao Yongze with hatred, thinking it was all his fault!
Feeling uneasy, he respectfully invited the governor to the seat of honor.
The governor, with an air of righteousness, sat down solemnly and, without further ado, asked what case was being heard.
Prefect Wu dared not lie, nor could he lie, so he immediately told the story of Zhao Yongze's accusation against Hong Xiaoduo for harming and crippling a servant.
After listening, the governor looked at Hong Xiaoduo and said, "Miss Hong, it's your turn to speak now."
Hong Xiaoduo also spoke the truth and gave a brief summary of what happened that night, highlighting the key points.
Seeing the atmosphere and realizing the situation was not right, Zhao Yongze stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed: "Your Excellency, this matter was my fault, but I was so hungry at the time that I only thought about filling my stomach as soon as possible before giving them the money."
I never intended to take the gun for free, but seeing how selfish this young woman was, I lost my composure and allowed the servants to attack.
Looking back now, it was indeed my fault. I will withdraw the lawsuit and pay the penalty for false accusation.
Hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo was very surprised. Was this how things were in this dynasty? Not only did they not file a lawsuit, but they were also willing to pay the false accusation fee?
She looked at the governor again, straining her ears to hear clearly how this matter would be judged. Could it be that as long as this young man surnamed Zhao paid the money, the matter would be over?
"Hmm, you're Zhao Guangtai's youngest son, right? Then you should know the law very well, and you should know even more about this case. Besides paying the fine for false accusation, you'll also have to endure the punishment you deserve," the governor said sternly.
"My lord, I also wish to use silver to offset the debt. Could you please wait a quarter of an hour?" Zhao Yongze asked nervously.
That's true, but Zhao Yongze doesn't want to get punished!
After that beating, your whole body will feel like it's been run over by an oxcart, and you might even be crippled.
Therefore, if something can be solved with money, then of course it should be settled and resolved with money.
Unexpectedly, the governor slammed his gavel: "I have important cases to investigate, where do I have the time to haggle with you here? Guards, have Zhao, who falsely accused an innocent person, flogged fifty times."
What? Fifty strokes of the cane? Zhao Yongze panicked upon hearing this and knelt down with a thud: "Isn't it enough that I accept the punishment? Fifty strokes of the cane will kill me!"
However, his shouts and screams were useless. Immediately, someone grabbed his arm, dragged him to the middle of the hall, and placed him on a wide bench that had just been set up. Then, the wooden cane struck his buttocks and back mercilessly.
"Lord Wu, Uncle Wu, save me!" Zhao Yongze cried out desperately for help after only a few blows.
Upon hearing this, the governor, seated at the head of the table, looked at Prefect Wu standing below and said, "I was just arriving and had no idea that you, Prefect Wu, had such a good relationship with Zhao Guangtai?"
Before Zhao Yongze could figure out how to respond to the question, he fainted from the pain.
Prefect Wu was no longer concerned about the life or death of his friend's son. The men who had just spoken to him were not his yamen runners, but rather people from the governor's side.
Hong Xiaoduo, who was standing to the side, was quite amazed. Even though the young master of the Zhao family had already fainted, the wooden cane that was hitting him did not stop and continued to beat him without being affected at all.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the fifty strokes have been completed," the lord's guard stepped forward and reported.
Upon hearing this, the governor waved his hand, and several men stepped forward, each grabbing one of Zhao Yongze's limbs, and dragged him out of the government office gate, casually placing him on the roadside.
"Alright, it's all over now, you can leave," Lin Ansheng said to Hong Xiaoduo.
Having helped her today, Lin Ansheng found that facing her didn't seem so difficult anymore.
In my heart, I was thinking, "You helped me once, and I've already repaid that favor!"
"Didn't they say they were going to try a big case? Can I stay and watch the excitement? No, I just want to listen, is that okay?" Hong Xiaoduo asked, reluctant to leave.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ansheng's lips twitched. With such a commotion, who knows what would have happened if he had arrived a moment later?
Shouldn't she be scared? Why does she still have the leisure to stay and watch the show?
"No, the governor is going to try a serious case next, and no one is allowed to attend the hearing," Lin Ansheng replied firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
After hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo realized the seriousness of the problem, so she stopped arguing and greeted the governor sitting at the head of the table with a fist and palm salute.
Then, he lifted his foot and walked towards Tian Shu and the others. After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned around and saw that Lord Wu was looking in his direction.
Prefect Wu looked very uneasy. Hong Xiaoduo waved to him with a smile and said goodbye.
Then he quietly greeted Peng Xi and the others before walking outside.
At this time, the people who had gathered at the gate of the government office were also driven out by the yamen runners.
"Aren't you feeling quite disappointed?" Upon arriving outside the government office, seeing Hong Xiaoduo's disappointed expression, Quan Jinghuai couldn't help but ask.
"That's right, I was just about to have some fun, but it ended right at the beginning." Hong Xiaoduo was naturally disappointed.
Looking back at the outside of the government office, it was clear that the guards on both sides were no longer just the original yamen runners, but also a group of guards.
Looking up at the sun's position, it was already noon; time for lunch.
"There's no excitement to see, let's go to Sihai Restaurant for lunch." Hong Xiaoduo took Yao Guang's outstretched hand, determined the direction, and walked in that direction.
Upon arriving at the Sihai Restaurant and ordering, the waiter went to the owner's resting room. Seeing him rummaging through the tea cabinet, the waiter asked, "What kind of tea are you looking for?" The owner followed him in and asked...
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