Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 335 - 333

Chapter 335: Chapter 333

Fu Yin, the magistrate, looked at the petition that described the events of the sixth day of the second month and how the principal of Rui’an County sent someone to force his mother to clarify to the public that they hadn’t done what the rumors claimed. Unwilling to bow to oppression, his mother hanged herself last night.

With a twitching smile, Fu Yin placed the expressive, detailed petition aside, coughed, and commanded with authority.

"Summon the Principal of Rui’an County and Marquis Shengping to appear in court."

Fu Yin cleared his throat after making this statement, then asked Xing Tao, who was kneeling below the court:

"You said your mother was forced to commit suicide by hanging, where is the body?"

As soon as the magistrate finished his question, a heart-wrenching cry came from outside.

"Oh, dear wife, you died so miserably! Magistrate, Lord Qingtian, I beg you to seek justice for my wife! Otherwise, she’ll never rest in peace! My wife chose death rather than submitting to oppression, I beg for justice for my wife!"

The onlookers crowding the entrance turned their heads to look and then instinctively moved aside to allow the man to express his grievances better.

"Really there’s a death?! Good heavens! Wasn’t it said the Principal of Rui’an County was compassionate, and the family of Marquis Shengping were great benefactors? How could they have driven someone to death after a few harsh words?"

"What great benefactors, all their deeds are for their own gain, and now their true natures are exposed!"

"This is too pitiful. Even if she was forced to clarify the incident, she shouldn’t have killed herself!"

"What suicide, she was forced to death."

...

Choosing death rather than submitting to oppression? This description is really...

Looking at the body that was lying in a cart, covered with a white cloth, and the man lying on top of it, wailing loudly, the magistrate’s temples began to throb.

"Silence!" He banged his fist on the table.

"Summon the coroner to perform an autopsy!"

"You say the Principal of Rui’an County sent someone to force your mother to death, who was it? Is there any witness?" Fu Yin asked Xing Tao again.

"It was someone named Yang Liu who serves the Principal of Rui’an County. She came to my house to find my mother yesterday, witnessed by our neighbors."

"Summon Yang Liu and the witnesses to court!" After the critical figures were summoned by Fu Yin, the trial began.

"Marquis Shengping, Principal of Rui’an County, Xing Tao accused you of bullying and oppressing the common people, forcing his mother to death. Is this really the case?"

"There is absolutely no such thing!" Shen Chengyao and Xiao’er, who stood side by side, spoke in unison.

"Alright, then I ask you, did you have a dispute with Xing Tao and his mother in front of the examination hall on the sixth day of the second month?"

"We did not!" Xiao’er stepped forward and confidently replied.

"Sir, the Principal of Rui’an County is lying. That day, my mother had collected five taels of silver from someone..." Upon hearing Xiao’er deny the events of that day, Xing Tao hurried to recount the events.

After listening to his words, Xiao’er replied calmly and confidently, "So, which words did my father, brother, and I say that constituted a dispute with your mother? The three of us didn’t say a word during the entire process, so how did we have a dispute with your mother?"

"You didn’t say anything, but your maid had a quarrel with my mother!"

"If I didn’t say anything, how would I command my maid to quarrel with your mother?! I remember clearly that the first words I said were: Father, Brother, let’s go home! Sir, all the onlookers, do you think my intention of asking my father and brother to go home was to end the incident and not stoop to the level of the deceased, or to persist and punish the deceased because of our status?"

"Of course, it’s to end the incident!" The crowd shouted in unison.

"Did you hear that? Everyone said it’s to end the incident. So how did you, the person about to take the scholar examination, interpret it as us bullying and oppressing your mother?"

"My mother was tormented by you to the point of having a broken forehead and a swollen face! Isn’t this oppression? I have a witness, Jia Zheng, who is also a candidate for this year’s Imperial Examination; he was present at that time."

"Summon Jia Zheng to testify!"

"I’m Jia Zheng, the student, greeting the magistrate."

"Jia Zheng, I ask you, how did Marquis Shengping and Principal of Rui’an County torment the deceased to the point of having a broken forehead and a swollen face on the sixth day of the second month?"

"To answer your question, Marquis Shengping and Principal of Rui’an County tormented the deceased with their status."

"Jia Zheng, I ask you, how did you know I was the Principal of Rui’an County at that time?"

"It’s because one of the bailiffs recognized your identities."

"Since we didn’t reveal our identities ourselves, how did we oppress others with our identities? If I remember correctly, the reason the deceased kowtowed and slapped herself was that after her son knew our identities, he told her: \"Mother, you were so rude just now. Quickly apologize to the Marquis and the Principal!\" Jia Zheng, isn’t this the truth?" Xiao’er imitated Xing Tao’s tone and accent, and recited his words verbatim.

When Xiao’er said this sentence, it was exactly like what Xing Tao said back then - anyone who hadn’t witnessed the scene firsthand would think that Xing Tao had said it.

Even Xing Tao himself thought it was his own words after hearing it.

The people present were shocked. The imitation by Principal of Rui’an County was too impressive!

Jia Zheng looked at Xiao’er in disbelief. Principal of Rui’an County’s ability to imitate was just too strong!

But the real shock was yet to come!

After asking Jia Zheng, Xiao’er didn’t wait for his answer before turning to Fu Yin:

"Sir, if you do not believe me, you can summon the bailiffs who were there that day to testify. If none of the bailiffs are willing to tell the truth, I am not afraid. I have some drawings here depicting everyone present that day. I believe there would at least be someone who will tell the truth. Jia Zheng, since you are a witness, please take a look whether you were standing there and whether these people were standing beside you." Xiao’er handed the drawing of Jia Zheng to him.

Jia Zheng happened to be standing in the front of the crowd that day.

Jia Zheng took the drawing. He was so frightened that his hands trembled - he wondered who exactly Principal Rui’an County was to be able to remember so clearly. Even the shoes he wore that day were accurately drawn. The drawing was so realistic that it seemed like a snapshot of the scene.

He came here to provide a false testimony, but at this moment, he didn’t dare to tell a single lie. He was afraid that any misspoken words would be caught by this insightful and meticulous Principal Rui’an County.

He was going to take the Imperial Examination and serve as an official in the future. If he was exposed for providing a false testimony now, he would definitely lose any chance of being an official, even if he passed the exam.

Although doing so would upset someone, he didn’t dare to gamble with his future.

"Sir, Principal Rui’an County has not lied. I was foolish and momentarily forgot that Marquis Shengping and Principal Rui’an County were just trying to leave as soon as possible, without even revealing their identities."

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