BSI Chapter 114 Witnesses and the Search for the Corpse
Chapter 114 Witnesses and the Search for the Corpse
"That young lady Zhu often sneaks over to see me, always carrying some small trinkets like porcelain plates. I always take them for a bargain, and then resell them for a good price."
"Miss Zhu is generous and can always get some cloth. I'm an old woman with no skills, so I make a living by doing needlework for my neighbors. She came to me and said I had connections, and encouraged me to sell that cloth. That's how we got to know each other."
"I've also met Miss Zhu..."
An old man, an old woman, and a man who looked shifty-eyed.
The three of them talked amongst themselves, without saying anything negative about the deceased, but everyone understood the underlying meaning.
Isn't this implying that the deceased, Ju Lan, was dishonest?
Standing to the side, Zhang's eyes widened in fury: "You're talking nonsense! My daughter has always been honest, how could she steal from the master's house? What kind of sin have you committed!"
The old man and woman felt a pang of guilt and turned their heads away, not daring to meet her gaze, but the man was not afraid.
He glared back at Zhang: "What are you saying? You've already sold your daughter, and you won't even let her change her ways? Who knows what she'll be like in a few years?"
"You, you..."
Zhang pointed at him with trembling hands. Overwhelmed with anger and anxiety, she fainted and lay there on the ground.
"Mother! Mother!" The child rushed over and cried loudly. Zhu Li also supported his wife and kept helping her catch her breath. Finally, she woke up.
Zhu Bingzhong watched with schadenfreude, then looked up at Li Chong and said, "Your Honor, there are still a few witnesses to question, and this woman is already shouting in court. She is clearly showing defiance. Your Honor cannot show favoritism."
Li Chong looked to the side with a gloomy face. There were several other witnesses brought by Zhu Zhicheng, all of whom were servants of the Zhu family.
It goes without saying how they would fabricate stories about the deceased, Juran.
That old bastard Zhu Zhicheng just wants to ruin the deceased's reputation, and then it will be too late to say anything else.
Zhu Lanzhen died in vain.
Fortunately, Li Chong had anticipated this and wasn't too panicked for the time being.
Seeing Li Chong's silence, Zhu Binghe assumed he was embarrassed and, after exchanging a glance with his father, stepped forward.
"Your Honor, in my opinion, the woman's theft was exposed, and she couldn't think straight, which led her to commit suicide. Although she took her own life, it happened in my house after all. My Zhu family is willing to pay some compensation, and we'll close this case here, how about that?"
"The county magistrate is busy with official duties, and it is really not worth delaying his important business because of this matter."
Li Chong's anger intensified: "Not worth it? A human life, and you call that not worth it?"
He gave Zhu Binghe a cold glance, which startled the latter.
"Snapped!"
Li Chong slammed his hand on the table and said, "There are other hidden circumstances in this case. Let's adjourn the court for now, take the person away, and we will continue the trial on another day!"
After saying that, Li Chong turned and went into the back hall, ignoring everyone else.
Two constables stepped forward and lifted Zhu Bingzhong up. He couldn't help but turn back to look at Zhu Zhicheng: "Father, Father, save me, save me!"
Watching his son being taken away, Zhu Zhicheng's old face couldn't help but twitch.
At this moment, Zhu Binghe came to his side: "Father, letting Erlang experience something might not be a bad thing. He will be more sensible in the future."
"But he is frail after all, and I'm afraid something might happen to him," Zhu Zhicheng sighed.
Zhu Binghe helped his father walk outside, with servants keeping others away from them.
Zhu Zhicheng couldn't help but ask, "Eldest son, do you think we could try to negotiate with the county magistrate again?"
A fleeting gloom crossed Zhu Binghe's face, then he said gently, "Father, how can you not understand? If the magistrate had truly wanted to negotiate, none of this would have happened today."
Zhu Zhicheng shook his head, sighed deeply, and said no more.
The father and son walked for a while longer, then Zhu Zhicheng turned to his son and said, "We need to teach Erlang a lesson, but you also need to keep an eye on him and make sure nothing happens to him."
"I will remember this." Zhu Binghe bowed and clasped his hands.
Zhu Zhicheng patted his son on the shoulder and left, surrounded by servants.
Zhu Binghe straightened up and watched his father leave. After a long while, he turned around and went back to the yamen.
On the other side, Li Chong went into the back hall and took off his official robe.
Facing Zhong Mei who came to greet him, Li Chong instructed, "Go and call Wu Dalang here for me. I have something to arrange for him."
Zhong Mei, who had listened to the whole thing in the back room, was naturally furious. Seeing that Li Chong seemed to have a plan, she immediately went to call someone.
A short while later, Wu Dalang stood in front of Li Chong.
"Send a few more men and make sure you find Zhu Lan's body. Firstly, to solve the case, and secondly, after all, she was that family's daughter; it wouldn't be right to bury her in the wilderness."
Wu Dalang clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I understand. I will take men to search for him immediately."
"Okay, go down."
Li Chong waved for Wu Dalang to leave, then rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat annoyed.
"If the body is found, how do you plan to convict Zhu Bingzhong?"
A pair of slender fingers gently rested on Li Chong's temples. Zhong Mei massaged him while asking softly.
Li Chong was initially surprised, but after a moment he slowly closed his eyes.
"We'll see when the time comes. At least we can't let him get away with it so easily. But it might be difficult to avenge her."
The limitations of this era prevented Li Chong from upholding justice through procedures.
Li Chong noticed from the reactions of others during just one trial that most people thought he was retaliating against the Zhu family and had no idea that an innocent girl had died.
This deep-seated prejudice was not something a mere county magistrate like him could change.
Zhong Mei's gaze softened further as she gently pressed her hand, remaining silent.
After spending so many days in the yamen, she gradually realized that many things could not be solved by brute force. More importantly, doing so would also implicate Li Chong.
Without an official like Li Chong, the people of Yanggu County might have suffered even more.
The two remained silent as time slowly passed.
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The next morning, Li Chong ascended the throne again amidst the shouts of "Majesty!" from the bailiffs.
"Bring the defendant along!" Li Chong shouted imposingly.
Exhausted, Zhu Bingzhong was dragged up by two people.
With Zhu Binghe present, Li Chong knew it was inappropriate to torture Zhu Bingzhong, but that didn't mean he couldn't do other things.
After resting yesterday, Li Chong sent someone to deliver a message, telling Zhu Bingzhong not to be too comfortable.
Sure enough, following Li Chong's instructions, someone handcuffed Zhu Bingzhong in the cell, making him unable to squat or stand up.
That night will be enough to make him drink a lot.
Strangely, Li Chong thought Zhu Binghe would come to his brother's rescue, but he never came, leaving Zhu Bingzhong feeling miserable all night.
Looking at the dejected Zhu Bingzhong, Li Chong asked, "Zhu Bingzhong, do you admit that you killed the maid Zhu Lan?"
Zhu Bingzhong was confused for a moment, then came to his senses.
"Didn't I already say yesterday that she accidentally fell into the water? What does it have to do with me?"
Li Chong sneered, "Is that so? Then take a look at what's behind you!"