Chapter 282: The Dust Settles

Liang.

Qiao Guang.

As the corpse of Wang was carried up, the expressions of this group of people all changed drastically.

Although they did not know what would happen next, this new style of courtroom that Liu Zheng had created today gave them an ominous feeling.

Could it be...

Would something really happen?

"Husband..."

Seeing the corpse of Wang, Zhou wept very sorrowfully again.

Wang's body was covered with a piece of white cloth, so only his face could be seen. The commoners also looked at each other, covering their noses as they watched.

This corpse...

What kind of evidence is it again?

Jiang Xuan summoned all the clerks of Yinzhou Prefecture, as well as the physicians who had just arrived here.

And then...

He gave a cold smile and suddenly lifted the white cloth.

"Ah!"

"This..."

"Ugh..."

The entire crowd was terrified. Because the corpse's belly had been completely sliced open, and the internal organs inside appeared before everyone's eyes in a dark, murky mess; the sight was simply extremely disgusting...

Sliced open?

They actually sliced the corpse open! This undoubtedly dealt a severe blow to the ancients' respect for and superstitions regarding corpses. Especially the family members, who began to wail and create a scene as if they had gone mad.

"Silence!"

"What we are pursuing is the truth!"

"If the truth can be found from a corpse, I, Jiang Xuan, will bear this evil consequence!"

Jiang Xuan looked around coldly, and soon the Yinzhou Army pulled those family members to the back one by one. The commoners also had very ugly expressions, but they were right... they wanted to know the truth now! As for the matter of slicing open the corpse, that could be discussed later!

"Mercury, mercury!"

"Mercury poisoning!"

"This was not caused by external force, but by internal causes!"

"This..."

The clerks had already seen it, and as soon as the physicians looked, their expressions changed instantly, and they shouted out loud.

It was not just mercury poisoning, but the ingestion of a large amount of mercury, both long-term and sudden, which caused the internal organs to be unable to bear the burden, finally leading to a rupture...

The entire scene was deathly silent.

Qiao Guang was left speechless, unable to utter even half a word.

Soon.

The burly groom from the Wang residence was also escorted up under guard.

Seeing the corpse of Wang, he immediately collapsed to the ground.

Zhou had originally been angry that her husband's corpse had been sliced open, but upon hearing the words of these physicians, she turned back to glare at Liang and cursed bitterly: "You bitch, it was you! It really was you! Why? Why? Since you were brought into the residence, my husband treated you with great affection and granted your every wish, why do this? Everyone in the family also tolerated you in every way..."

She could not believe it.

Liang jumped up from the ground like a madwoman, her expression ferocious: "Heh, you think that was good? Was that good? I am the eldest daughter of the Liang family, raised in luxury since childhood, only to end up married to a pig, and as a concubine at that! Do you know how disgusted I was when he crawled on top of me?"

"Hmm? Do you know?"

She looked around like a madwoman and roared at the tens of thousands of people at the scene: "Do you know? Why don't you try it! The stench is suffocating, why don't you try it!"

She laughed ha-ha, but her eyes were filled with tears. She looked at Jiang Xuan, her eyes full of the flames of hatred: "So what if it's Chen Mingze? So what if it's Chen Mingze? If he were a real man, how could I have ended up like this? How could I have ended up pregnant with a groom's son!"

Boom!

The whole scene exploded.

Everyone cursed Liang one after another for being unchaste and shameless, saying she should be drowned in a pig cage!

Liu Zheng watched all of this quietly.

In truth, he still felt some sympathy for this Liang. The fate of women in ancient times was just like this; when you were still the eldest daughter of the Liang family, you could still have some freedom in choosing a spouse. However, when your Liang family began to decline, her fate was actually already sealed.

Forced to marry Wang as a concubine, whose fault was it?

Was it her fault?

Or was it the fault of this society?

Liu Zheng did not know.

At least for now, he could not change this status quo. The traditions of a feudal dynasty spanning thousands of years were not something he could easily touch.

If he were Liang...

He would also fight for his own fate, right?

Jiang Xuan listened, gritting his teeth: "Chen Mingze treated you with deep affection, why do this?"

Liang mocked with a sneer: "Deep affection? If it weren't for you Yinzhou people, if it weren't for your Governor Liu, if it weren't for your Liu Dahao, if it weren't for my father offending you, how could my Liang family have ended up like this? My hatred for the Yinzhou Army is irreconcilable!"

"Besides, I am already pregnant, already pregnant..."

"Do you think I could still be with Cheng Mingze?"

"Could I?"

"If Chen Mingze can die for me, that would be your Yinzhou Army repaying me, repaying the debt owed to my Liang family!"

Hysterical.

Hysterical screaming.

The atmosphere of the entire venue was ignited in an instant.

"Slut!"

"Adulterers!"

"Drown them in a pig cage, drown them all in a pig cage!"

At this point.

Following the appearance of Jiang Xuan's chain of evidence, and its subsequent confirmation and admission... the truth of this case was finally brought to light. In the end, a disheveled Chen Mingze was also brought up; when he saw the hysterical state of Liang and heard those words, his face was clearly filled with pain.

After the pain.

He looked at this woman he had once loved with eyes full of heartache.

He knew.

When Prefect Liu became serious, this case would eventually be overturned. He also knew that this meant Liang would certainly not escape death...

He had tried his best.

Yet he still could not let her live...

He still could not help her save her child.

"Take these two into custody and execute them at a chosen date!"

The Counselor of the Judicial Department finally delivered the verdict on the spot.

Adultery, in the Longyan Dynasty, was a capital offense in itself; furthermore, they had taken the life of Wang, which was a crime upon a crime.

Without a doubt, execution!

The entire crowd cheered one after another; for a time, the sounds of applause, cheering, and clapping could not be stopped.

Zhou knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to Liu Zheng: "This commoner woman thanks Prefect Liu!"

"Thank you, Prefect Liu!"

"Thank you, Prefect Liu, for letting my husband rest in peace; he will have no grievances on the road to the Yellow Springs."

At this moment, the family members no longer cared at all whether the bodies had been dissected. What they wanted was the truth!

At the same time.

Those who had previously doubted whether Liu Zheng's splitting of the judicial department into three was a good thing or a futile effort were now stunned.

This...

Just by arguing, the case was solved?

By presenting evidence, the facts of the case were sorted out?

Good stuff!

Having three agencies manage the judiciary was truly a wise move!

Only then did Liu Zheng slowly walk toward Qiao Guang and chuckle: "Lord Qiao, according to the investigation, the identity of this groom is your cousin, is that so or not?"

"Ah?"

Qiao Guang was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he knelt down.

Upon hearing this, the men of the Liangzhou Army glared at him in anger.