Chapter 28 Exoneration [VIP]

Chapter 28 Exoneration [VIP]

Chapter Summary: The words are rather shallow.

Under the sycamore trees by the eaves, birds chirped. In late summer and early autumn, the midday sun was still scorching.

Beneath the spacious and imposing county government hall, the Yanggu magistrate, hunched over his desk, glanced down at Pan Yue, who should have been in the county jail but was now standing in the hall with her superior. His beady eyes darted around for a moment, then he turned slightly to the side and looked up at Chen Wenzhao, the Dongping prefect, who was sitting in the hall, quickly flipping through yesterday's case files.

"grown ups……"

After a moment's hesitation, the magistrate of Yanggu County took a half-step back, trying to gauge his superior's thoughts. He glanced up furtively while bowing respectfully and cautiously began, "This humble official was unaware of Your Excellency's arrival and has failed to greet you properly..."

"This is outrageous!"

With a sharp "snap," a gavel abruptly interrupted the magistrate's rambling remarks.

Chen Wenzhao sat up straight, holding the gavel in one hand and the scroll tightly in the other, his gaze fixed on the audience with a burning intensity.

"Someone come here!"

A warrant flew down to the floor.

He ignored the county magistrate bowing beside him and sternly ordered the people below the hall, "Bring Li San from the steamed bun shop into the hall!"

"yes!"

The constables, led by Chief Lin, were taken aback. They looked at each other, unsure whether to accept the order, when suddenly a gust of wind swept past them. It was two attendants who had come with Prefect Chen. Before they could react, they had already strode out of the corridor.

"Behave yourself! Go inside!"

With a bang, the corridor suddenly went dark.

Everyone looked up and saw that Li San, who had been so arrogant yesterday, had been slapped on the back by the servant named Wang Jin. He lost his balance and stumbled into the hall.

"you!"

Li San, supporting his lower back, stood up cursing. His leg, broken half a month ago, had somehow healed without medicine. The most offensive words were already on his lips as he looked up and saw the hallway.

The usually arrogant and domineering county magistrate was cautiously attending to the officials at his desk; the bailiffs on either side hung their heads, completely lacking in authority. In the hall sat a completely unfamiliar official, whose bearing clearly indicated he was the county magistrate's superior!

Out of the corner of his eye, Li San caught sight of Pan Yue's calm figure beside him. He froze, and the hand he had been supporting his waist suddenly fell.

Like a rooster with its neck slung over its shoulder, Li San glared at Pan Yue, making unintelligible sounds from his throat, his cheeks turning even redder.

Until a glare came from above, Li San trembled all over, his legs shook, and he fell to his knees with a thud, his face ashen.

"This humble commoner, Li San, kowtows to Your Excellency!"

Before he could even speak, cold sweat had already soaked his eyelids.

"Bang!"

"Li San!"

Before anyone could guess, a single strike of the gavel was enough to seize the moment.

When the surroundings fell silent, Chen Wenzhao coldly glanced down at the people below and said in a deep voice, "Half a month ago, you came here with a property deed to accuse Pan, the owner of the pancake shop in front of the county, and Wu Song, the head constable, of abusing their power and forcibly occupying your family's ancestral shop. Is that right?"

"Bang!"

Another gavel fell, and Li San knelt down in the courtroom, trembling with fear.

"Yes, yes! This humble subject..."

"The county government records were hastily written..."

Chen Wenzhao interrupted, glancing down at the haphazardly compiled dossier. He looked down at the people below and said in a deep voice, "Please repeat it again: When and where did the two men forcibly occupy the shop and break your leg? Besides you, are there any other witnesses?"

"Replying to your question, sir..."

Unable to see the faces of those around him, Li San bowed and knelt before the hall until his body was stiff and aching. He let out a soft breath and replied with his eyes lowered, "It was the fifth day of last month, past noon..."

"The fifth day of last month? Past noon?"

Chen Wenzhao suddenly spoke, staring at Li San's suddenly tense back, his face ashen.

"Such a coincidence? Li Sanlang, you don't know? I knew of Wu Dutou's reputation when I was in Dongping. That's why I heard a few anecdotes about Wu Dutou when I passed by the county just now, and I kept them in mind."

The expressions on his left and right changed slightly.

Chen Wenzhao, seemingly oblivious, stroked the file beside him and slowly began to speak: "One of the cases concerns the incident on the fifth day of last month, in which Commander Wu and his sister-in-law, along with two matchmakers and a group of women, were trapped in a narrow alley in front of the county. Does Li Sanlang know about this?"

Before Li San could answer, Pan Yue, who was sitting in the corner below the hall, suddenly looked up, startled.

The official in the hall, with his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, stared at the trembling Li San below. He slammed his gavel and demanded in a stern voice, "The lady from the alley and the matchmaker are both outside the door. Li Sanlang, do you dare to confront them in court?!"

"This humble citizen, this humble citizen..."

Li San trembled all over, supporting himself on his side, his eyes darting around unconsciously.

Meeting the magistrate's piercing gaze, Li San choked up, lowered his head abruptly, and said weakly, "This humble subject is old and has some memory loss."

"Memory impairment?"

A hint of mockery flashed in Chen Wenzhao's clear black and white eyes. He snorted softly and then turned to Wang Jin, who was waiting below the hall, and said, "Wang Jin, tell him what we heard when we passed through the neighboring county of Nanyang?"

"yes!"

Upon hearing the word "Nanyang," Li San trembled all over, his legs shaking, and he collapsed to the ground.

Wang Jin glanced down at the crowd below, bowed to the magistrate at the other end of the desk, and then turned to the people below, saying, "The other day, Your Excellency, while passing through Nanyang, you stopped briefly at a teahouse in front of the county. You overheard the locals talking about how the Li family in Nanyang County has produced a very filial son. His mother passed away on the third day of the lunar month, and the filial son, Sanlang, rushed back from a neighboring county on the fifth! The people in the teahouse also said that Sanlang is so successful that his steamed bun shop in front of Yanggu County is doing very well..."

Li San, standing below the hall, looked ashen-faced as if he had broken his leg a month ago. He slumped down in the hall, panting heavily.

Wang Jin seemed completely oblivious, giving him a cold glance before continuing, "The teahouse in front of the county is always crowded and noisy. Right now, some people are saying that although Sanlang is very filial, just a few days after the funeral of Li's mother, some people saw Sanlang's wife dressed up in finery, as if there was a happy occasion in the family..."

"Some of Li's relatives were in the teahouse and loudly retorted that it was not that Sanlang's wife was unfilial, but that the day after Li's mother's funeral, a man from Yanggu County came under the guise of offering condolences and sent Sanlang's family a whole box of silver. Who wouldn't be overjoyed to see so much silver?"

The more Wang Jin talked, the more ashen-faced Li San became.

As soon as he uttered the words "beaming with joy," his eyes glazed over, and he mumbled "commoner," "commoner," his words incoherent.

"Li San, I have a question for you..."

"Report"

Chen Wenzhao glanced coldly at the crowd below the hall, and was about to speak when a servant rushed in to report that "Master Ximen has come as summoned."

"Announce!"

The people below exchanged glances, their expressions varied.

"Master Ximen!"

Before anyone could speak, the moment Ximen Qing appeared in the corridor, Li San's eyes lit up, as if a drowning man had seen a lifeline. He rushed forward, grabbed Ximen Qing's clothes, and burst into tears.

"My lord! My lord, save me!"

"Tsk! Get lost!"

Ximen Qing clicked his tongue, gathered his clothes, and kicked him in the chest.

"Ouch"

Sensing the unusual atmosphere around him, Ximen Qing paused, glanced around the hall, and suddenly abandoned his usual unrestrained demeanor. He strode across the porch, clasped his hands in greeting, and quickly stepped forward, saying, "This humble subject, Ximen Qing, pays his respects to Your Excellency! Your Excellency is wise; this humble subject has always been law-abiding and has no knowledge of the person below, nor of why he has suddenly gone mad!"

Li San rolled around a few times and stopped, clutching his chest and wailing repeatedly. Upon hearing this, he was stunned, staring at Ximen Qing with disbelief in his eyes, but dared not utter a sound.

"Don't know?"

Chen Wenzhao withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, tapped his knuckles on the desk, looked down at the stunned Li San, and slowly said, "Master Ximen has a well-known reputation... So, the framing of Wu Dutou and Madam Pan was not done by Li San alone?"

Chen Wenzhao's hand, which was tapping on the desk, suddenly paused. He turned to the magistrate and said in a deep voice, "In your opinion, sir, what should be done about this case..."

"grown ups!"

The magistrate ignored it, and Ximen threw mud at him... Li San clutched his aching chest, his vision blurring.

Since it's already a dead end...

Li San steeled his heart, seemingly oblivious to the fierce gaze the magistrate was casting from the hall, and suddenly prostrated himself on the ground, saying in a hoarse voice, "Your Honor, I did lie, but not for my own sake. It was actually Ximen Dalang who blackmailed and instigated me!"

"You're spouting nonsense!"

Enraged, Ximen Qing momentarily forgot that "times have changed," and suddenly turned around, kicking Li San in the shoulder.

When he cried out in pain again, Ximen Qing suddenly came to his senses, his expression darkening slightly. He cupped his hands and said to the people in front of him, "Your Excellency is wise. This fellow is usually good at cheating and swindling. His words are not to be trusted!"

"oh?"

A hint of a smile flickered across Chen Wenzhao's lips as he looked down at the audience and said unhurriedly, "Master Ximen has a past relationship with the magistrate, and I naturally believe what you say."

Ximen Qing's brows relaxed, and he was about to get up when he heard him say, "But..."

A glint of light flashed in Chen Wenzhao's eyes as he stared at Ximen Qing and said in a deep voice, "Master Ximen, your words are as good as gold. When you entered, you asserted that you did not know the scoundrel below. In just a few words, how could you know that this person is cunning and deceitful?"

"this……"

Ximen Qing paused for a moment, his thoughts racing, then leaned forward again and said calmly, "Your Excellency, everything I have said is true! Although I do not know him, I have heard the shop assistants mention him. They say that Li Sanguan from the steamed bun shop is cunning and often plays tricks on the people of the county."

"...So that's how it is."

Chen Wenzhao paused slightly as he tapped the gavel. He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before turning to Li San, whose face was flushed, and asked, "Li Sanlang, did you hear what Ximen Qing said?"

When he looked up, Chen Wenzhao paused slightly, his voice suddenly becoming low and somber.

"Making accusations without evidence is absolutely unacceptable!"

evidence?

"There's evidence!"

Li San crawled forward on his knees several steps, his eyes wide open, and cried out, "My lord, I have evidence!"

Chen Wenzhao suddenly stood up, glanced casually at Ximen Qing whose expression had slightly changed, and asked, "What evidence?"

"Your Majesty, please be clear!"

Li San fell to the ground with a thud, and without bothering to speak coherently, he rattled off a string of words: "What Officer Wang just said about sending the silver back to my hometown was the reward that Master Ximen paid me for suing Madam Pan!"

"Nonsense!"

Ximen Qing didn't care at all, gave him a cold glance, and interrupted him in a deep voice: "Without any evidence, you lowly scoundrel are being arrogant!"

"Only Ximen Dalang doesn't know!"

Li San was furious. He glared at him fiercely, then turned to the hall and said, "His family runs a medicinal herb shop. The box containing the silver has been stored in the warehouse for a long time, and it has also developed a lingering smell of raw herbs! If you don't believe me, sir," Li San suddenly raised his head and said righteously, "send someone to my home to see for yourself!"

"you!"

"grown ups……"

On the other side, Ximen Qing's eyes widened, about to erupt in anger, when the county magistrate, who was bowing to the side, suddenly turned around, glanced at him, and said unhurriedly to the people in front of the hall: "The fact that the silver has the smell of raw medicinal herbs is really a bit far-fetched!"

"The magistrate is right!"

Chen Wenzhao frowned subconsciously, tapping the table lightly, looking troubled. Li San, sitting below, couldn't hold back any longer and looked up, saying, "My lord, I have evidence!"

Chen Wenzhao's eyes lit up, but before he could speak, he heard him say, "Sir, the house deed that I used as evidence in court actually belonged to Ximen Dalang, but now it's in Wu Da's hands! It's because Ximen Dalang wanted to thank him for identifying Madam Pan in court that day!"

"Wuhan University?"

Chen Wenzhao, whose expression was usually calm, changed his demeanor upon hearing the words "identify Madam Pan." He gripped the gavel tightly and looked down at the courtroom below, saying, "Chief Zhu, go to the county office and bring up Wu Da!"

Zhu, the head constable, was taken aback for a moment, then quickly cupped his hands and said, "Yes!"

After the sound of heavy footsteps, the hall fell silent for a moment.

After a moment of darting around, the magistrate in the courtroom exchanged glances with Ximen Qing, then abruptly lowered his gaze. Without much thought, he turned to Chen Wenzhao and said, "Sir, Li San is afraid of being tortured, and now without any evidence, he's making baseless accusations... One-sided statements are probably unacceptable!"

"Witnesses?"

Chen Wenzhao glanced up at him, then turned to survey the people below, his expression subtle and enigmatic.

"My lord, I..."

"Chief Lin?"

Li San was so frightened that his eyes turned red. Just as he was about to speak in rebuttal, Chen Wenzhao turned to Lin Dutou, who was waiting quietly to the side, and said, "I have seen you hesitate several times. Is there something you want to say?"

Lin, the head constable, was taken aback and was about to deny it when he looked up and saw Pan Yue's trusting expression. His eyes then darted away.

"Oh!"

Ximen Qing narrowed his eyes, saw his timid appearance, and smiled slightly, his expression becoming more and more confident.

"Chief Lin?"

The words of Xi Niangzi from years past suddenly surfaced in his mind, along with the care Wu Song had shown him and the evil deeds of Ximen Qing… Lin Dutou steeled his heart, stepped forward abruptly, bowed deeply, and said, “Sir, I can be your witness!”

Before anyone could stop him, he lowered his head, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a deep voice, "Your Honor, I witnessed with my own eyes how Ximen Dalang entered the county jail as if it were his own backyard on the day Madam Pan was imprisoned; I also heard with my own ears that Ximen Dalang threatened Madam Pan, saying that if she didn't want to spend the rest of her life in prison, she should comply..."

"Empty words!"

"This is outrageous!"

Ximen Qing pointed his finger at Lin Dutou's nose, about to unleash a torrent of abuse, when Chen Wenzhao in the hall suddenly flew into a rage.

"Bang!"

"Wang Jin, Ma Chong!"

Wang Jin and Ma Chong stepped forward and grabbed his arms from both sides to prevent him from struggling or resisting.

"Lord Chen, I... Waaaaah!"

Not wanting to hear his ramblings, Chen Wenzhao gave him a look, and a handkerchief was stuffed into his mouth, leaving only the sounds of struggling and sobbing in the room.

"Someone come here!"

Chen Wenzhao glanced at Ximen Qing, who was forced to kneel in the hall, with disgust, and said coldly, "Ximen Dalang has committed evil deeds and disturbed the neighbors. He shall be given forty strokes of the cane and exiled five hundred li away!"

"yes!"

With a clatter, the order slip fell to the ground, and two responses rang out simultaneously, echoing throughout the county government office.

"grown ups!"

After Ximen Qing was dragged out, the county officials seemed shocked by his impartiality and strictness. As their eyes exchanged glances, Chief Lin suddenly stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Sir, what about Li San and Wu Da, who aided and abetted the wicked?"

"snort!"

Chen Wenzhao snorted coldly, glanced down at the people below, and said sternly, "Give them twenty strokes of the cane first, find out the cause and effect, and then deal with them accordingly!"

"yes!"

The people below responded in unison.

Half an hour later.

People took their leave in twos and threes. As dusk fell, for some reason, only Pan Yue and Chen Zhaowen remained in the large county government hall.

Fearing she might unknowingly break the rules, Pan Yue lowered her eyes and was about to bow and take her leave when a faint murmur suddenly came from the empty hall.

"...Truly terrifying!"

Pan Yue paused in her leaning motion and suddenly raised her head.

The setting sun cast its rays through the west window, creating a soft halo around him.

With his shifty eyes and the way he pats his chest, how could he possibly resemble a high-ranking official who has long held a position of power?

Pan Yue narrowed her eyes, lost in thought.

Without asking about her background or how she escaped, he believed her words without a doubt from the very first meeting...

She knew where Wu Song lived and what their past was like; recognizing the county magistrate was quite common, but she also recognized Chief Zhu and Chief Lin...

The Dongping Prefectural Government Office was a long way away, and by sheer coincidence, the teahouse where we stopped for a bite was in Nanyang. And by sheer coincidence, the anecdote we heard there was related to Li San…

One or two incidents might be coincidences, but if every single one is a coincidence...

Her clear eyes were bright and sparkling.

Pan Yue's hands, which were clasped around her waist, suddenly tightened. She subconsciously took a half-step forward, as if afraid of disturbing something. She looked up at the person in the afterglow and whispered, "Songsong?"

The person in the hall suddenly froze.

Chen Wenzhao glanced down at the people below, then abruptly looked away. The hand that had been lightly patting his chest suddenly clenched into a fist as he stared at the piled-up desk, motionless.

"Come back..."

Overwhelmed with joy, as if fireworks had suddenly burst forth in the dead of night, Pan Yue involuntarily took several steps forward.

A glint of light swept across the hall, revealing the unease in his eyes, and Pan Yue was taken aback.

The unease and embarrassment of parting yesterday suddenly surged into Pan Yue's heart. She paused, abruptly looked away, and her expression turned somber.

Loose...

Songsong is neither Wu Song nor Chen Wenzhao. His imposing presence or refined appearance are merely superficial. From beginning to end, he was just a carefree little fox on Jingyang Ridge...

The little fox Songsong has always disliked the complexities of human relationships and the chaos of the world. His first descent from the mountain was to find his own kind, and his second descent was to...

Pan Yue suddenly looked up.

The soft glow of the setting sun illuminated the hall, outlining his features and softening her heart.

Why go down the mountain?

His words are mostly shallow.

"Speaking of which..."

A moment later, Pan Yue suddenly woke up, turned her head to look outside the door, frowned slightly, and turned to "Chen Wenzhao" and said: "Although no one knows what Prefect Chen looks like, Songsong, what about Wang Jin and Ma Chong?"

Songsong glanced up at her and said awkwardly, "I wasn't lying, those two are indeed Lord Chen's confidants."

"A trusted confidant?"

Pan Yue was taken aback for a moment, but then her eyes revealed her understanding.

How could Songsong, so innocent and naive, have come up with such a bold and meticulous plan as impersonating Chen Wenzhao?

Since Wang Jin and Ma Chong's identities are genuine, his act of rescuing them on the way to the capital must also be true.

Now, the three of them appeared together in front of Yanggu County...

"Did Prefect Chen hear that you saved his two children, and send two trusted confidants to thank you?"

After a moment's thought, Pan Yue spoke softly.

"Songsong may not know the complexities of the world, but she clearly understands that Li San is crucial in restoring Yunyun's innocence..."

As if he knew she would press the matter, Songsong nodded slightly, playing with the hem of his clothes hanging to his side with his ten fingers, glancing at her from time to time, and said sullenly: "After coming down from Jingyang Ridge, Songsong originally wanted to go back to Zishi Street to find Yunyun, but remembering that Yunyun was in trouble now, he changed course and went to the neighboring county of Nanyang to confirm whether Li San's return home for the funeral was true or not... While inquiring about the news in the teahouse in front of the county, he happened to meet Wang Jin and Ma Chong on their way to Yanggu."

"The two of them hit it off immediately. When they heard that I had been dismissed by the county magistrate and that I had gone to Nanyang to investigate the truth, they were furious and swore to the heavens that they would do whatever it took to get justice for us!"

"During their discussion, they learned that I was skilled in disguise, so they suggested that I impersonate Lord Chen... Given the temperament of the magistrate of Yanggu County, he certainly wouldn't dare to confront me at the Dongping Prefecture government office..."

"...So that's how it is!"

As dusk settles and birds return home.

Noticing the somewhat uneasy gazes cast upon her from below, Pan Yue forced herself to suppress her inner anxiety, and her eyes suddenly drooped downwards.

"Your Excellency is wise!"

She slowly took half a step forward, her clear eyes reflecting the gentle evening light and the beautiful scenery. She curtsied and said to the front of the hall, "After today's matter is settled, would you be willing to return to my humble abode with me, sir, so that I may host a welcoming feast for you?"

The person in the hall suddenly raised his head, his perky ears tinged with the crimson of the setting sun, and his clear eyes sparkling.