nashuaworldcup Chapter 10 Court Hearing
Chapter 10 Court Hearing
Chapter 10 Court Hearing
Wang Wenzhou wiped the sweat from his brow and the drool from the corner of his mouth, and called Wang Qiang over.
"Xiaoqiang, you're really something! Good, very good!" Wang Wenzhou said angrily.
Wang Qiang's expression changed. The last time the young master praised him, he was so embarrassed that he didn't sleep for two days and two nights. He didn't want to be mistreated again, so he quickly leaned forward, pointed to the handprint on his face, and said aggrievedly, "Young master, I advised you yesterday, but you wouldn't listen! You see, it's really not my fault."
Old Wang really went all out; the handprint on Wang Qiang's face was very clear, and you could even see faint fingerprints if you looked closely.
Wang Wenzhou's tone softened, and he complained, "Who else is to blame but you? Are you stupid? What did you say to Old Wang? Bullying men and women? You saw it yesterday, I really had no choice! A grown man can't just die from holding his pee!"
"Young Master, I really just recounted what happened yesterday exactly as it happened. But Grandpa doesn't believe me!" Wang Qiang shook his head with a wry smile.
Wang Qiang wasn't lying, and Wang Zhixin genuinely didn't believe it. Given Wang Wenzhou's character, would anyone really be so eager to give their granddaughter to him as a concubine? Even if you beat Old Wang to death, he wouldn't believe it.
Wang Zhixin's imagination ran wild, and after some thought, he came to the correct conclusion: Wang Wenzhou, that wicked bastard, must have been a bully who preyed on women. He coerced and lured the kind and simple grandfather into giving his granddaughter to Wang Wenzhou, that corrupt official.
"Xiaoqiang, why doesn't Lao Wang believe you?" Wang Wenzhou asked.
Wang Qiang frowned and thought for a moment before speaking, "Young Master, do you still remember what happened to Xiao Lian more than a year ago?"
Wang Wenzhou recalled for a moment and suddenly realized that this was a previous offense.
However, this criminal record has absolutely nothing to do with the current Wang Wenzhou. And the former Wang Wenzhou was also wronged.
Xiao Lian was a maid in the household of one of Wang Wenzhou's classmates at the Imperial Academy. Several of Wang Wenzhou's classmates, who often teased him, suddenly invited him out for drinks one day for some unknown reason.
Back then, Wang Wenzhou was a bit simple-minded. He would always be the one being told to drink, and he would pick up his glass and down it in one gulp.
In the past, when someone occasionally asked Wang Wenzhou to pass on a message, they would invite him for drinks. If he drank too much, Wang Qiang would always get him home. That time, however, several young men who usually didn't treat Wang Qiang like a human being suddenly became like brothers with him, insisting that he join them for drinks.
Wang Qiang was deeply moved by this unexpected respect, and in doing so, he drank too much.
When Wang Wenzhou woke up, he found himself completely naked, with Xiao Lian lying next to him, also completely naked.
The men who had been drinking and calling each other brothers suddenly rushed in, punching and hitting Wang Wenzhou in the face with their shoes.
Then Wang Wenzhou was taken to the Xinjian Earl's residence. Even now, when Wang Wenzhou recalls what happened next, he still feels a deep pain in his heart.
Wang Wenzhou glanced back at Wang Zhixin, who was furious and looked like he wouldn't rest until he got a good beating. Wang Wenzhou thought to himself, "This is not going to end well."
He didn't want to get another beating. The wound on his back was burning and throbbing. Wang Wenzhou pondered for a while, then an idea came to him. He said, "Xiao Qiang, what do you think of doing this?"
Wang Wenzhou whispered his plan to Wang Qiang.
"Young Master, you're really daring! If you do this, Madam will beat you to death if she finds out!" Wang Qiang immediately objected after hearing Wang Wenzhou's plan.
Seeing Wang Qiang's opposition, Wang Wenzhou resorted to threats and inducements.
Wang Qiang had no choice but to nod in agreement.
"Bang!" Wang Wenzhou slammed the gavel down and roared, "Court is in session!"
The constables in the main hall had been wondering why the magistrate hadn't checked in yet and had been discussing matters with his entourage for a long time. It turned out the magistrate wanted to hold a trial.
Before taking office, Wang Wenzhou received pre-job training. Even though Wang Wenzhou wasn't very bright and was lazy before, he could still remember some simple procedures.
Hanshan County was a small county, and the only official appointed by the imperial court was the county magistrate. Unlike larger counties, it did not have other officials such as the registrar, clerk, and assistant county magistrate.
In Hanshan County, under Magistrate Wang Wenzhou were Clerk Li and Head Steward Ma. Clerk Li's real name was Li Yinshui, and he was Li Hechen's second uncle. The two men looked at each other, completely baffled as to what Magistrate Wang was up to. The previous magistrate had long since closed the old cases, and there hadn't been any new cases in the past few days. Why was the magistrate holding court to hear a case?
Li Yinshui cupped his hands and asked, "Sir, may I ask who the plaintiff is?"
Wang Wenzhou pointed at Wang Qiang: "He is the plaintiff, Xiao Qiang. What are you still standing here for? Hurry up and go down and file a complaint."
Wang Qiang reluctantly walked down the steps, glancing back every few steps at his grandfather's astonished gaze. He thought to himself, "I've really gotten myself into a mess." Since the young master fell into the water, he'd become a completely different person. Under duress and bribery, he had no choice but to comply.
Upon seeing that the plaintiff was Wang Qiang, Li Hechen, who was standing below, felt his heart race and his legs tremble uncontrollably.
Old Wu nudged Li Hechen and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? Are you sick?"
"It's over! It's over!" Li Hechen cried out in his heart, too weak to even speak. It would be better if he were really sick, but this was much more serious than being sick; it was practically fatal.
Lord Wang's attendant wanted to file a complaint, but it seemed that Lord Wang himself wanted to do so. Li Yinshui didn't know who the defendant was, but one thing he was certain of was that the defendant was doomed. A county magistrate who ruined his family, a prefect who would exterminate his entire clan. Lord Wang had just arrived in Hangzhou; who was so blind as to offend him? Considering the injury on Lord Wang's head, Li Yinshui guessed that Lord Wang had been beaten yesterday.
Li Yinshui cupped his hands in greeting to Wang Qiang and asked, "May I ask who you are suing, young brother? Do you have a written complaint?"
Wang Qiang glanced at Wang Zhixin furtively, then lowered his head and remained silent. His grandson had told his grandfather something, and he couldn't bring himself to speak up, especially since this was a trap his young master had set for his grandfather.
"Hmm..." Wang Wenzhou casually picked up a piece of white paper from the table and said in a serious manner, "The petition is here with me. Let me read it."
"I, Wang Qiang, am filing a complaint against the villain who murdered my young master." Wang Wenzhou cleared his throat and stared at the blank paper, making up a story.
"thump!"
Upon hearing this, Li Hechen felt dizzy and his vision went black. He collapsed to the ground and fainted.
When Li Yinshui saw that it was his nephew who had fainted, he quickly went over to ask what was wrong. Old Wu thought that Li Hechen was sick, so he recounted Li Hechen's series of abnormal reactions earlier.
Li Yinshui raised his hand to check his pulse. He felt a little weak. He guessed that his nephew must have gone crazy somewhere last night. He had been standing for a little too long today and had fainted.
Seeing that his nephew was alright, Li Yinshui ordered his men to carry him home. He then turned around and reported, "Your Excellency, my colleague fell ill and fainted, but he is not seriously injured. I have already instructed someone to take him home."
"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!" Wang Wenzhou slammed his fist on the table and demanded angrily, "Who is the team leader?"
"My name is Ma Fang, and I greet you, sir." Ma Bantou quickly stepped forward and answered respectfully.
"Head Constable Ma, is this your subordinate? A dignified constable, he fainted after standing for a while. How can a constable like this catch thieves? This is outrageous! Starting tomorrow, you will lead the team to run two laps around the county town every morning before roll call." Wang Wenzhou pointed at Head Constable Ma and reprimanded him.
The yamen runners now truly hated Li Hechen. "Li Hechen, you bastard!" they thought. "As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and on Lord Wang's very first day in court, you fainted! As a result, your brothers suffered along with you."
"Your subordinate obeys." Ma Bantou dared not disobey now, thinking to himself, "Li Yinshui, your nephew is really stupid. Why did he have to faint at any time? I'm over fifty years old. Every morning I run two laps around the county town. The county town is more than 5 li in circumference. One lap is 10 li. Two laps is 20 li. Isn't this going to kill me?"
“Alright, let’s continue. Where am I in the petition?” Wang Wenzhou asked.
Li Yinshui glanced down at the record and replied, "Sir, you read that we are suing the villain who murdered my young master."
Wang Wenzhou nodded and continued, "This villain's name is Wang Zhixin. Ma Bantou, listen to my orders."
Ma Fang clasped his hands in greeting and replied, "Your subordinate is here!"
Wang Wenzhou pulled a toothpick from the divination tube on the table, threw it down, and said righteously, "I order you to bring your men and immediately arrest the criminal Wang Zhixin and bring him to court for trial."
"Sir, you've picked up the wrong one. This is a torture warrant." The head stableman picked up the arrest warrant and looked at it, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. The warrants in the container were divided into red and green. The red ones were torture warrants, used to order executions, while the green ones were arrest warrants.
"You bastard! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Wang Zhixin was standing at the back gate of the government office, puzzled. But when he saw this, he couldn't hold back any longer. He took a few steps into the main hall, raised his leg, and kicked Wang Qiang to the ground.