Chapter 172: The commoner is wronged

Three days later, this case that shocked the entire Wutou Xian was finally brought to trial.

According to the rules, the county Ya Men posted a notice in advance, specifying the type of case, as well as the names of the plaintiff and the defendant.

In other words, this case was tried publicly and could be watched by anyone.

The people were boiling, running to tell each other. Especially those who had already placed bets were even more excited, wishing they could drill into the public hall to cheer for the side they bet on.

Just past noon, the outside of the public hall was crowded with people watching the excitement, whispering and discussing.

"Yo, Boss Ning, you're here too? Who are you betting on to win?"

"Of course, the Jiang family. I know Bu Tou Jiang, he looks talented and upright, he looks like an honest good person, good people won't frame bad guys."

"That's not necessarily true, good people can also have selfish motives. I heard that there is a deep grudge between the Lin family and the Jiang family, maybe it's a miscarriage of justice."

"If you say that, then you should bet on that woman surnamed Lü, anyway I believe Bu Tou Jiang..."

Lin You Tian and Lin Qingshuang were also among them. Hearing these idle gossips, the father and daughter's faces were very unpleasant.

They came over today, not just to listen to the trial, but because they received the summons from the County Magistrate, all involved parties must be present and could not be absent.

As the husband and daughter of the defendant Lü Xiuhua, naturally they had to come.

Lin Qingshuang looked around, wanting to see if Du Ruo had come.

She didn't see Du Ruo, but she saw the big-bearded man who pushed her to the ground that day. The big-bearded man was holding a knife and standing on the inner side of the public hall, smiling, looking heartless.

Wang is here, then where is Jiang Li?

Why didn't he see anyone?

Lin Qingshuang withdrew her gaze, pulled Lin You Tian behind a stone pillar, and whispered, "Father, no matter how the Magistrate questions us later, we must insist on one thing: Mother didn't poison anyone, the medicine was bought to poison rats, and we don't know anything else."

Lin You Tian straightened his hat that was blown crooked by the wind and nodded. "Father naturally knows this point, as long as we don't admit it, they can't nail your mother."

After a pause, he sighed again, "I'm just afraid your mother can't hold on. That bastard Jiang Li, this time it seems he's going to strike hard. In case he uses torture to force a confession on your mother..."

I heard there are eighteen kinds of cruel punishments in jail, each one making people beg for life and death, Xiuhua has never suffered that kind of bitterness, how could she bear it?

I'm afraid she won't be able to withstand it.

"Shouldn't be." Lin Qingshuang wasn't worried about this, smiled and said, "Father, you forgot, this is a public trial. If the people see Mother being dragged to the hall with injuries, what will they think? Even if the Jiang family wins, they will be criticized for forcing a confession, Jiang Eldest Brother isn't that stupid."

Lin You Tian thought it was true, looking at this smart and beautiful daughter, his eyes were full of regret.

It's a pity, if Shuang'er were a boy, how good would it be, then the Lin family would have a successor, and there wouldn't be this unprovoked disaster today.

"Lü Xiuhua, the County Magistrate is bringing you to trial!" Two jailers walked to the cell door, took out the key, and opened the door with a *clatter*.

Lin Shenzi stood up, stretched, "Finally brought to trial, I've been waiting."

The jailers looked at each other and sneered at the same time.

Really, I've seen people in a hurry to go to the toilet, but I've never seen people in a hurry to die.

Although they weren't in the front hall, they had heard that this woman poisoned Jiang Head's whole family, and the evidence had already been collected in the file, so conviction was only a matter of time.

If it were anyone else, they would have been scared out of their wits and crying for their father and mother by now.

This Lü Xiuhua was good, except for crying and making a scene for the first two days, jumping and cursing, later she seemed to have accepted her fate, eating and drinking, hiccuping, like nothing happened.

Truly ignorant and fearless.

"Let's go, lead the way." Lin Shenzi was leisurely.

The two jailers couldn't stand her posture, curled their lips, clamped her two arms from left and right, and dragged her to the front without saying a word.

Lin Shenzi's hands were pulled painfully, but contrary to her usual behavior, she didn't make a scene.

When she arrived at the public hall, the jailer threw her to the ground like a dead dog. "My Lord, suspect Lü Xiuhua brought!"

Lin Shenzi looked up and saw a man wearing official robes, about thirty years old, sitting above, looking very majestic.

Just as she wanted to look carefully, a sound of water-fire sticks suddenly sounded in her ears, *dong dong*...

"Majestic—"

The court was in session.

The whole venue was silent, not a sound.

The County Magistrate slapped the gavel and asked, "Who is kneeling in the hall?"

Lin Shenzi didn't dare to be presumptuous, lowered her head and answered obediently: "Commoner Lü Xiuhua, from Longquan Village, Xiushan Zhen, just turned forty this year, husband is Village Head Lin You Tian, and there is a daughter, named Lin Qingshuang, nineteen this year..."

"Enough." The County Magistrate interrupted her chatter. "Answer what I ask, no need to talk nonsense about what I don't ask."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Lü Xiuhua, turn your head and look, do you recognize the two people beside you?"

Lin Shenzi turned her neck and saw a man and a woman kneeling a few steps away. The man was handsome and expressionless; the woman was quite amiable, and even bared a mouthful of glutinous rice-like little white teeth at her.

It was exactly Jiang Li and his disaster wife Du Shi.

Pfft, what are you proud of? Wait until I turn the tables, I'll make you cry until you can't even cry!

Lin Shenzi withdrew her gaze and replied respectfully: "Commoner recognizes them, they are Jiang Li, the eldest son of the Jiang Family's Second Branch in the same village, and his wife Du Shi."

The County Magistrate nodded and continued to ask: "Jiang Li and Du Shi accuse you of poisoning their family, do you plead guilty?"

"Commoner does not plead guilty!" Lin Shenzi stiffened her neck. "Who in the whole village doesn't know that our Lin family and the Jiang Family's Second Branch have always had a grudge, and have torn our faces apart several times. Especially Du Shi, who has always held a grudge against me. This time their family members were poisoned by eating something bad, and they couldn't find the murderer, so they wanted to frame me and pull me to be buried with them."

She lay on the ground and wailed loudly. "Commoner is wronged! Begging the blue-sky official to make the decision for the commoner!"

A buzzing sound came from outside the hall, and the crowd watching the excitement became restless.

Lin You Tian and Lin Qingshuang breathed a sigh of relief.

Very good, at least they won in momentum from the beginning, letting outsiders have a preconceived notion that Du Shi was just taking the opportunity to retaliate, and whatever she said later would be questioned.

"Silence!" The County Magistrate frowned, the gavel slapped *pa pa* loudly. "During my questioning, no noise is allowed!"

The crowd then quieted down.

The County Magistrate looked at Du Ruo again. "Du Shi, do you agree with what Lü Xiuhua said?"

Du Ruo looked calm. "My Lord, Lü Xiuhua is measuring a gentleman's belly with a villain's heart. I have never held a grudge against her, let alone framed her. On the contrary, it is Lü Xiuhua and her husband who have been holding onto our Jiang Family's Second Branch, not only targeting us everywhere, but also wanting to put me to death. Everyone in Longquan Village can testify to this matter, My Lord can go and check."

"Oh? There is such a thing?"

The County Magistrate was very sensible and immediately asked outside: "Are there any people from Longquan Village here to listen to the trial?"