The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 779 Unyielding (4)_1

Chapter 779: Chapter 779 Unyielding (4)_1

Zhou Cai was shocked and looked at Lady Chen. Had she betrayed the lady?

Lady Chen quickly denied it, "No, no! It was under duress, after you beat me and tortured me, that you forced me to say it! It was him! It was this Zhou Cai! I saw him sneaking out of Pei Wenjie’s room, and then slipping away!"

"How dare you, Lady Chen! Are you trying to fool me?!" Jiang Benxin was furious.

The commoners at the doorway were all whispering and pointing, saying that Zhou Cai was a scapegoat, coming out to take the blame for Pei Wensheng. Lady Chen had already confessed, and now she was recanting her testimony.

Lady Chen screamed injustice, crying and shouting that she was dying from the beating, that she was beaten to death.

Jiang Benxin immediately ordered someone to check if Pei Wensheng had awakened, and if so, to bring him to court as soon as he did. Hearing he had not, he immediately had Lady Chen and Zhou Cai thrown into the dungeon, and released the wet nurse.

The wet nurse cried and kowtowed, calling him an uncorrupted official.

The progress of the matter quickly reached the small separate courtyard.

"Let the one who came out to take the blame have a taste of it!" Pei Qian cursed.

Pei Qin’s face was grim, and he remained silent for a moment.

Suddenly, the whole of Yuanyang County was discussing the case, which was incredibly complicated and bizarre, with a different murderer emerging every turn. Who was the real culprit!?

Pei Wensheng regained consciousness that afternoon, and being closely watched by the government officials, was soon brought to the great hall.

At the new court session, Pei Zongli and Qian Wanxiu, Zhao Liniang, and Lady Zhu, all arrived with Pei Wensheng.

Pei Qin and Mo Heng, Pei Qian too arrived.

The outside was packed with commoners, all waiting to see how this case would be judged, who the murderer who smothered Pei Wenjie to death was.

The appearance of Zhou Cai once again directed Zhao Liniang’s hatred towards Qian Wanxiu. Zhou Cai belonged to Qian Wanxiu’s silk shop, and he was the one brought over from Runing Prefecture; if he was the murderer, then he must have been instructed by Qian Wanxiu!

Zhou Cai denied being instructed by anyone, saying he killed Pei Wenjie to remove a problem for Qian Wanxiu, so he could get the Shu Hua as a reward. It was after he overheard a few complaints from Shu Hua and saw that Qian Wanxiu was also upset that he came up with the idea on his own and acted.

Pei Wensheng, pale-faced and in poor spirits, immediately responded when Jiang Benxin asked him, "...I...I saw... I saw Zhou Cai! It was Zhou Cai who killed the man; he came out of that room."

Lady Chen also shouted that she saw it too, that the killer was Zhou Cai, and both she and Pei Wensheng had caught him red-handed, the evidence was incontrovertible.

"Zhou Cai! I ask you once more, is your confession true?" Jiang Benxin asked.

"Your Honor! Everything the commoner has said is true! I acted on impulse, and now I deeply regret it, I beg for your leniency outside the law!" Zhou Cai begged, kowtowing and crying.

The Master had the confession written and then presented it.

Zhou Cai glanced at it and immediately made his mark.

As Qian Wanxiu watched him sign, and the case was settled, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Now, she just needed to be wary of Pei Qin and Pei Qian not letting the matter drop.

Pei Qian, however, didn’t hold onto it, seeming to acknowledge it as a done deal and pointing at Lady Chen and Pei Wensheng, said, "You both saw the murderer, yet you did not confess the truth when questioned in court, which means you’re covering for Zhou Cai’s crime. You can’t escape the charge of complicity!"

Lady Chen’s face changed, and she burst into tears, "I’ve confessed already, I’ve confessed!"

"Not just the two of you, but you, Lady Qian! You knew that Pei Wensheng had seen Zhou Cai commit murder, but he hid at home, and you fabricated his going out to play, instead slandered the wet nurse for murder, slandered the Third Rank Lady. What punishment do you deserve?" Pei Qian then pointed at Qian Wanxiu, grunting angrily.

Qian Wanxiu’s complexion turned pale, "Ignorance is not a crime! I thought he was terrified because he saw the wet nurse commit murder, not knowing it was Zhou Cai who killed the man."

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