A Public Trial
Outside the door.
Jing Rong obediently stood outside. Even though he was standing under the eaves, the slanting rain still assaulted him with all its might. Fortunately, he had the straw raincoat to shield him from the rain.
"Are you done?" he asked her.
She nodded.
"Then let's go."
Ji Yunshu had just put on her straw raincoat and bamboo hat when she heard a voice from afar. "Who's there?"
Two yamen runners with lanterns in their hands rushed over, their hands holding the broadswords ready to strike.
Jing Rong immediately hugged Ji Yunshu. With a leap of his feet, he leaped onto the roof beam and disappeared into the rainy night.
The two yamen runners missed their target.
One of them wanted to open the door of the morgue to check but was stopped by the other.
"What are you doing?"
"Checking to see if there's anything missing."
"There are only corpses and the stench is terrible. What could be missing?"
"What about those two just now?"
"That's enough. It's already so late. If you go inform the lord, we'll be busy."
That's true!
Therefore, the two of them suppressed the matter just now.
They left with the lantern swaying in the wind.
… …
The next day.
The heavy rain turned into a light drizzle and the weather improved.
Because the case of murder by burying a corpse was going to be held in the yamen, the news had already spread throughout the small city of Jinjiang. The citizens who were concerned about this matter all gathered outside the public hall, their curious eyes trying their best to look inside.
Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong went as well, but they hid in the crowd.
Out of curiosity, Tang Si also followed them. However, Ji Yunshu held her back to prevent her from jumping up and down and messing things up.
Soon, Liu Qian came out from the left door of the public hall in his official robes and sat down.
This person had a fierce face, and his eyebrows were tightly pressed against his pair of sharp eyes. He had a short and fine beard on his face, and his tightly pursed lips gave people a feeling that he was not angry. At first glance, he did not look like a father or mother, but more like a mountain bandit. He did not have the temperament of a scholar at all. It was probably because he came from a military background that he gave people a sense of oppression and distance.
Liu Qian grabbed the gavel next to him and slammed it down with all his might.
"Bang!"
That sound was much more powerful than when Liu Qingping swung down.
The people outside the court kept their mouths shut, not daring to make a sound.
"Men, bring the suspect here."
Liu Qian gave the order!
Soon, Uncle Fu was dragged into the court by two yamen runners. They mercilessly hit his knees with the hilt of their swords, forcing him to kneel down.
Everyone was in an uproar!
It was not because of the appearance of the suspect in the case, but because of the seven or eight streaks of blood on Fu Bo's body. His clothes were torn, and the whip wounds on his skin and flesh were vaguely visible. However, Fu Bo's face was not injured. He knelt on the ground, swaying, without any strength to support himself. Finally, his whole body fell to the ground.
Everyone began to discuss in low voices.
Tang Si was an impatient person. She stomped her foot and said angrily, "What kind of official is this? To actually beat an old man to this state, was there still any law? He actually dared to use a whip to hit people. I must teach him a lesson. "
As she spoke, she grabbed at her waist with both hands, preparing to pull out the silver whip.
Jing Rong immediately blocked his way.
"If you continue to do this, I'll have Lang Po send you back."
Her hand paused, and she instinctively looked at Lang Po. When she saw that he was also looking at her, she could only suppress the fire in her heart and reluctantly let go of the silver whip.
At this moment, the sound of a gavel being struck came from inside the court.
Liu Qian stared at Uncle Fu, who was lying limply on the ground. "Do you know your crime?"
Uncle Fu propped his head up, his body trembling violently.
"I didn't kill anyone."
"With the witness and material evidence here, don't even think about denying it. If you confess, you'll be spared the pain of the flesh. "
"Milord, I didn't kill him."
"Fine. Since you won't admit it, this official can only place the evidence in front of you."
Liu Qian's sharp gaze swept over the yamen runner beside him. The runner nodded and quickly presented the evidence.
The long belt was placed on the tray.
The yamen's coroner had also arrived at the court as well.
Liu Qian stared at Uncle Fu on the ground and questioned, "Take a good look. Is this thing yours?"
"Yes... it's mine, but I..."
He was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.
"That's right, it's yours." Liu Qian looked at the coroner in his forties. "Old Chu, tell me, what did you find on the corpse?"
Old Chu bowed and nodded. He pointed at the belt and said confidently, "My Lord, this belt was in the hands of the deceased at that time. After comparison, the cause of death of the deceased was strangled by this belt. I also found some fine honey locust powder in the grooves of the soles of the deceased's shoes. The honey locust powder is usually sprinkled in the coffin home. Furthermore, there are bruises on the deceased's wrists. In addition, someone saw Fu Bo burying something in the forest. It can be seen that the deceased must have been to the coffin home before she died. Fu Bo became lustful and the woman resisted, so he held the woman's wrists tightly. After he raped her, he strangled her with his belt."
Whoosh!
The crowd was shocked.
They began to whisper again. Some said that Uncle Fu was extremely cruel, while others were skeptical.
However, it made Ji Yunshu's teeth itch and she wanted to curse.
She couldn't go in now. She was still waiting!
Uncle Fu shook his head in frustration. He wanted to defend himself, but the words were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word. His eyes could only widen with helplessness.
Liu Qian's resolute face tensed up. "Uncle Fu, what else do you have to say?"
Yes!
Of course there is!
He choked with sobs for a while. "Milord, I'm innocent."
"Then how do you explain why your belt was in the hands of the deceased? And how do you explain why you buried the corpse in the forest? "
"I..."
"If you don't speak, this official will convict you."
Uncle Fu opened his mouth and finally revealed the truth. "A few days ago, that young lady suddenly came to my memorial hall. She said that she had been harmed and lost her chastity. She no longer had the face to live in this world and hoped that I would bury her in the mountains after her death. She also asked me not to inform her family to avoid shame. At that time, I tried my best to stop her and comforted her. After she calmed down, I thought that she had given up on seeking death. Who would have thought that after I left for a while, she had already hung herself from the beam when I returned.
I wanted to report this to the authorities, but the young lady was already dead. What people fear the most after death is unease. The young lady was already quite pitiful, so I fulfilled her last wish and buried her. However, she refused to let go of the belt before she died, so I buried her as well. Milord, I really didn't kill anyone, nor did I do such a thing. "
He spoke with sincerity, his eyes glistening with tears.
However, Liu Qian didn't believe him at all. He was determined to convict Uncle Fu.
"This is all your one-sided story. It's not worth it for this official to believe you."
Just as he finished speaking …
A voice suddenly came from the crowd.
"Then, do you believe this humble one?"
Everyone turned to look at the voice. The crowd couldn't help but open up a path, retreating to the sides.
Ji Yunshu walked past the crowd and entered.
Her figure was slender, and she exuded an air of righteousness.
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