bookcurios Chapter 197: Betrayal and separation
Chapter 197: Betrayal and separation
The two servants were so frightened that they came back to their senses in an instant. They turned around and knocked their heads to the ground.
"My Lord, I shouldn't gamble or hit anyone. I know I was wrong. Xiao Gu didn't steal my money. He just lost a tael of silver from me before and didn't pay it back. I don't want it anymore. I'll use it as medical expenses."
"No, no, sir. I owe him money, and I am willing to pay it back. I will not sue him. Just write the IOU and give me some time. I know I am wrong."
"Master, please spare my life."
They knelt down, both of them looking like trembling common people, and anyone could see that the probability of them lying was not high.
boom!
Another gavel fell.
This time, Mr. Bao settled the cases of the two people with just two sentences. No case would be filed, no investigation would be conducted, each person would bear half of the responsibility, and Xiao Gu would return the five hundred coins to Xiao Wu.
Afterwards, both of them said they had no objection and thanked him on the spot for accepting it.
Then, Mr. Bao pointed to Ling Wenzhan on the side:
"I will ask you again, who is he? You must see clearly before you answer. If you tell a lie, you will be severely punished."
The two looked at each other, then looked at Ling Wenzhan at the same time, swallowing their saliva without saying anything.
Then Mr. Bao pointed at Xiao Gu first, and remembered that a man in black had promised to give him 100 taels to find trouble with him, and that he should come to the yamen to recognize someone at this time. He rubbed his aching eyes, gritted his teeth, and said:
"Reply, reply sir, he was a manager of Lucaifang before. I only know that he seems to be the son of a manager of an outer manor in Pingyong Marquis's mansion. His name is Wang Wen, and he can be the owner of our Lucaifang."
"He often came to our store to check the accounts. He would disguise himself when he went there, and would stick on a fake beard and so on, because there was actually a gambling house in the store, and many people who went there would disguise themselves, but he went there often. One time, by chance, he got his clothes dirty and went to change, and I happened to see him when I was delivering something."
"In fact, he comes here quite often. After a while, many people in the store know about him even without being told. One time, I happened to run into him when I was out of town on business. I wanted to say hello, but I unexpectedly followed him all the way to a persimmon forest outside the city. I saw him and his wife together and was deeply impressed."
"At that time, several of us were..."
These were actually told to him by the mysterious man. He didn't believe it at first, but when he saw the man in front of him, he did feel a sense of familiarity. Moreover, he had not lied about Manager Wang. The more he talked, the more true it seemed, and he did not feel guilty at all.
"Yes, I seemed to be there at that time, and I have seen it too."
He had no idea that Xiaowu had actually been bribed. After hearing what Xiaowu said, Xiaogu nodded and looked at him gratefully, wondering if he had really participated.
Both of them thought so, and the more they felt that the mysterious man's advertising was powerful, the more confident they felt. When they thought of the money and the deadly poison, they nodded in unison.
"You are lying, I didn't--"
Ling Wenzhan was anxious. He never expected such a thing to happen. He raised his voice, and his ferocious appearance and hoarse voice frightened everyone.
Raising his hand, Mr. Bao slammed the gavel again:
"I didn't ask you a question, so don't make any noise."
Then, he pointed his finger at Mu Lianzhi again:
"Is that his wife you saw? And I will ask someone to verify every word you say, including the persimmon forest. You should think it through carefully."
The two of them looked at it together. Xiao Gu recalled the appearance of the portrait and shook his head:
"No, the lady is not that pretty, nor that young. She wears very old-fashioned clothes, all dark-colored. It's different."
He had personally visited the persimmon forest, and he was not at all panicked.
Nodding, another servant echoed:
"Sir, everything we said is true. If you don't believe me, you can check. It seems that Steward Wang was reported dead before, and the government should have a record of the cancellation of the document. Besides, so many servants and guests have been to Lu Cai Fang. If you ask around, they should all know this Steward Wang. It's just that his appearance may be different."
"Sir, you may want to ask the people in Pingyong Marquis's mansion about Steward Wang's true appearance. After all, he is the son of their outer manor steward, and the servants in the outer manor must have seen his true appearance."
"Yes, we saw him by accident. However, Manager Wang is a very handsome man. If he shows his true appearance, it would be quite conspicuous. No wonder he has to disguise himself every time he comes to our place."
"Sir, we really didn't do anything. We just gambled for fun in our spare time. The Lucaifang was confiscated and fined, and we have long since reformed and stopped doing it."
"We shouldn't be held responsible for this, right?"
The mysterious big man said he would keep them safe.
The two of them blinked their innocent yet fearful eyes. On one side, the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion pounded her chest and almost passed out. Ling Yuchi and Jiang seemed to be petrified and could not move for a long time.
"Okay, it's none of your business, go down."
Mr. Bao waved his hand and the bailiffs dragged the two men away.
boom!
Another gavel fell, and this time, Mr. Bao's face turned black:
"What else do you have to say?"
With a flip of his hand, he directly displayed the circle of two crosses drawn by the old lady of the Marquis's Mansion and the three people from the first house in public by inserting a needle on a tray with a black background.
"Do you still need me to go to the Household Registration Department to gather evidence and go to the persimmon forest of the Marquis' Mansion to collect evidence? If I remember correctly, the Marquis' Mansion sent persimmons to my wife last Mid-Autumn Festival. Is there a distant relative in your mansion who specializes in this?"
In one sentence, the case was concluded.
In fact, from the moment Ling Feier appeared, the mole that disappeared too coincidentally, to the words spoken by the two servants, which fit perfectly with Ling Wenzhan's injuries and excuses, everyone had a clear idea of what was going on.
One coincidence is a coincidence, but too many coincidences are deliberate.
At this moment, the Emperor and Prince Xian also walked out from behind the screen. Without saying a word, their attitude was clear.
Waving his hand to signal everyone not to be polite, the emperor turned around and left.
The ironclad facts could not withstand scrutiny at all. The Marquis's family never dreamed that a dead person's destroyed past would be dug up by someone.
You really shot yourself in the foot!
The old lady couldn't believe her eyes at all. She stared at the two crosses, stood up, and pointed at Ling Yuchi and Jiang on the side. For a long time, she didn't make a sound.
She never dreamed that the eldest wife would fail at the critical moment.
She was already extremely angry, and after a series of blows and unexpected events, and seeing the emperor's attitude, she thought that not only had Mu Lianzhi become a hidden danger, but she was also out of control, and her beloved youngest son was also in danger. A strong feeling of being deserted by everyone surged into the old lady's heart, and she fainted.