No one would have thought that Yu Shu would bring Zhao Hui to several exchange shops in advance to ask for evaluation reports, and she even mixed in the Kong and Liu family. The reputation of the Kong and Liu family in Yiyang City was no less than that of the Ji family. The evaluation reports they gave did not say that Zhao Hui had a problem, which meant that Zhao Hui did not have a bad fate. Obviously, there was something wrong with the evaluation report the Ji family gave that year.
Everyone thought, 'If there is something wrong with the Ji family's evaluation report, then wasn't the Dou family's case of claiming that the orphan girl was a jinx in marriage fraud a false accusation? Not only was it a false accusation, but it was also an embezzlement of someone else's dowry. These two crimes added together were not light. '
The onlookers knew this, and Dou Hong was even more aware of it. Since ancient times, it was taboo to embezzle someone else's family property. This crime was as serious as murder. The difference was that murder had to be paid with one's life, but embezzlement had to be returned in double, and the family property would be confiscated!
Dou Hong's expression changed, and the wrinkles under her lips turned into the shape of an eight. She no longer looked as calm and composed as before. In a panic, she knelt down and said, "Milord, you've wronged me! Don't listen to this unruly commoner's nonsense! " Yu Shu retorted, "How could I be spouting nonsense? The appraisal report that your family obtained from the Ji family was a fake to begin with. You falsely accused my godmother and conspired to steal my godmother's property. How are you being wronged? How dare you say that the Ji family's evaluation report is real! " County Magistrate Ma's eyelid twitched, and he felt something was wrong. He hurried to hit the gavel to stop the voice below, but he was still one step too late. "Of course it's real!" How could she say it was fake? If it was fake, didn't it prove that she had indeed falsely accused Zhao Hui and coveted her family property?!
"Pa!" Yu Shu sneered in her heart, 'Just as Pei Jing said, the eldest daughter of the Dou family is greedy, and the youngest daughter is shrewish. They are both selfish.'
"Milord, please investigate!" Yu Shu gritted her teeth and dragged half of her numb body up. She propped herself up with her hands on the ground and looked up at County Magistrate Ma. She said angrily, "This Dou Hong insists that the Ji family's appraisal invitation is real, but the day before yesterday, I did obtain an appraisal invitation for my godmother's horoscope from six trading houses. If this Dou Hong did not collude with the Ji family to steal my godmother's fortune, could it be that the Ji family miscalculated my godmother's horoscope and misjudged her to be a jinx? If that's the case, then the Ji Clan's title as the Yi Xue Clan is nothing more than an empty shell to deceive the world! "An empty shell to deceive the world!
After a moment of silence, there was another uproar outside the yamen. The hubbub of voices almost covered County Magistrate Ma's astonished voice!
"Slap! Slap!" "In the court! "No noise!" County Magistrate Ma looked at Yu Shu with a gloomy face. He didn't know whether to be angry or angry. How could this sloppy beggar have such a glib tongue? With just a few evaluation reports, he forced Dou Hong into a corner. Instead of arguing with the Dou family, she accused the Ji family. But he couldn't say that she wasn't from the Ji family. If the evaluation report was real, then it was the Ji family's misjudgment and tarnished their family's reputation. If the Ji family's evaluation report was fake, then it was the Dou family who colluded with the Ji family to steal their daughter's property and tarnished their family's reputation!
Now, it was impossible to tell whether it was real or fake!
Yu Shu lowered her head. Under the cover of her hair, a cold smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. Whether it was the Ji family or the Dou family, she couldn't escape this time.
"Who dares to say that my Ji family is deceiving the public!?"
Right at that moment, an angry shout came from the yamen entrance. The onlookers separated and saw two middle-aged men being escorted out by yamen runners in date clothes and black hats. One had a pale face and was slightly chubby while the other had a beard. Both of them looked unhappy because of the criticism about their Ji family.
"Milord, the second master of the Ji family, Ji Xiaochun and the third master, Ji Hyotani, have arrived."
Yu Shu turned her head to look at the two people who were striding towards her and lay back on the ground. She couldn't guarantee that Ji Hyotani wouldn't recognize her with her disheveled hair.
County Magistrate Ma looked at the two people who came late and secretly let out a sigh of relief. He was afraid that if they had come a little later, Dou Hong would have been coaxed by the wicked people to sell the Ji family.
What he didn't know was that Ji Hyotani and Ji Xiaochun didn't come late on purpose. They were delayed because of a "collision" at the intersection.
Ji Hyotani saw the situation as soon as he entered the hall. His second sister-in-law's eldest cousin, Dou Hong, was standing on the side in a panic. A beggar was lying on the ground, presumably the one who lied. Staring at the back of Yu Shu's head, Ji Hyotani didn't think that this was his stepdaughter who was kicked out of the family not long ago. Instead, he was more concerned about why there were so many people gathered at the door.
Ji Xiaochun frowned and looked at Dou Hong. He turned to Yu Shu on the ground and said coldly, "Diao Zi, was it you who sullied the reputation of my Ji family just now?"
Where did this dog come from? He really didn't know his place!
Yu Shu ignored him and said to County Magistrate Ma in a low voice, "I hope Daren will investigate this matter and give justice to my godmother.
Ji Xiaochun wanted to say something but County Magistrate Ma coughed and interrupted him. Although it was his second brother-in-law in the hall, there were so many eyes watching. He couldn't show favoritism. "Is she from the Ji family?" Both of them said, "Yes."
County Magistrate Ma raised his hand and pointed at Yu Shu on the ground, "This person accused your Ji family of colluding with the Dou family nine years ago. They made fake appraisals and slandered his godmother, Lady Zhao, by saying that her birthdate was fake and helping the Dou family to seize Lady Zhao's dowry property. There are witnesses, Huang Zhou, and six other shops made appraisals to prove that she is not a widow. Do you plead guilty?"
Ji Xiaochun and Ji Hyotani looked at each other. The former stepped forward and said unhurriedly, "Reporting to Daren, our Ji family is not aware of this matter." Yu Shu narrowed her eyes. It seemed that these two people had discussed this on the way here and refused to admit it no matter what.
But did they think that this matter could be cleared up with just one sentence?
"Reporting to Daren," Yu Shu said, "It was clearly the Ji family's shop that made the appraisals. Dou Hong just admitted it herself, and Uncle Huang testified. But now this Master Ji is saying that he doesn't know anything. Isn't he trying to lie? …
"Humph!" Ji Xiaochun snorted heavily. He looked calm on the surface, but he had a guilty conscience in his heart. He had some impression of what happened that year. Dou Hong did come to him for help, but he was careful at that time and didn't show up. He asked two traders in the shop to do it, and then he forgot about it. Who would have thought that this matter would be exposed again and jeopardize the family's reputation? He couldn't decide how to deal with it, so he looked up at County Magistrate Ma and gave him a look, hoping that his brother-in-law would give him a hint.
County Magistrate Ma was in a dilemma. When he saw the look in Ji Xiaochun's eyes, he couldn't say anything. With so many pairs of eyes staring at him in broad daylight, everyone knew what was right and wrong. If he made a mistake, he would definitely be criticized. Last year, the Emperor went to Jiangnan and dismissed several people who practiced favoritism and fraud, and some people were even beheaded. Nowadays, the most taboo in the officialdom was to cover up. It was fine if he didn't get found out, but if someone made a fuss about this matter, he might not be able to protect his reputation.
County Magistrate Ma is a cautious man. After a quick consideration, he glanced at the people in the hall. His eyes glanced at Dou Hong, Ji Xiaochun, and Ji Hyotani's faces one by one. He easily figured out the severity of the matter. He slammed the gavel and said, "Ji Xiaochun, you said your Ji family didn't know about it. Could it be that the people in the Yi Store were deceiving you? As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall turned pale. Yu Shu secretly sneered: they are indeed a family. This County Magistrate Ma wants to exonerate the Ji family. In order to protect the Ji family's reputation, he actually betrayed Dou Hong and chose to sacrifice the rook to save the king.
Dou Hong was not so stupid as to not understand what was being said. He turned to look at Ji Xiaochun in panic and met Ji Xiaochun's complicated gaze. Dou Hong felt a chill in his heart as Ji Xiaogu stepped forward to answer on his behalf. "Milord, please investigate this matter. My Ji family indeed had no knowledge of this dirty matter. Since the appraisal invitation had been leaked from my Ji family's trading house, it must have been due to the selfish motives of someone in the trading house. At that time, they were enticed by someone else to come forward and give false testimony. I would like to ask Milord to investigate the case file and find that fake appraisal invitation. I would like to see which scoundrel dared to tarnish my Ji family's reputation and collude with the Dou family to shamelessly seize other people's property."
Dou Hong turns around and sees Ji Hyotani's sharp eyes staring at her. Dou Hong falls to the ground on her butt and her face turns pale. She knows that the Ji family is trying to distance themselves from her for the sake of their reputation. They want her to follow Ji Hyotani's righteous words. She is very fearless and proactively proposes to find out the truth, which immediately makes many onlookers outside the hall change their minds.
"Bang!"
"Where's the registrar? Go to the back hall and look through the files of Zhao Hui's case nine years ago. Bring the fake appraisal invitation to the hall! "
Hearing County Magistrate Ma's order, Yu Shu sneers again. If she can find the fake appraisal invitation, she will take advantage of the time when the streamer goes to the back hall to "find" evidence. County Magistrate Ma slaps the gavel again and resolutely cuts through the Gordian knot. He says to Dou Hong, "Dou Hong, now we have both witnesses and material evidence. They all accuse you of fabricating the fake appraisal invitation to falsely accuse Zhao Hui of marriage fraud and embezzling other people's property. What else do you have to say?"
"I … I …" What else can Dou Hong say? If she says anything more, she will just be pouring dirty water on the Ji family. Now the Ji family clearly wants to distance themselves from her. If she doesn't let go, she is afraid that in the future … "Bang!"
"Since you have nothing to say, you can sign your name." County Magistrate Ma doesn't give Dou Hong more time to react. He waves his hand and asks the advisor to take the written statement of guilt. The runners grab Dou Hong's hand and press her fingerprint on it. The two crimes Yu Shu accused the Dou family of were considered to be light. Now, only the Ji family has not been decided.
County Magistrate Ma immediately sentenced Dou Hong to return the property she embezzled from Zhao Hui. Of course, Zhao Hui must come to collect it in person. Yu Shu can't do it on her behalf. In addition, the Dou family's property is confiscated and Dou Hong is sentenced to two years in prison. She is directly dragged to the side by the runners to be beaten with a board.
Dou Hong is not as tough as Yu Shu. She lives like a princess and is not young. Her screams are heard later, giving people goosebumps.
Yu Shu looks at this scene coldly. Finally, she stands up for Zhao Hui. She is angry, but she is also angry. Outside the yamen, people are still talking and arguing. It is noon, but the crowd shows no signs of dispersing. They are still waiting to see what the Ji family will say in the end.
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