Chapter 886

First Volume, Chapter 886: Want to Claim My Marquis's Woman?

Li Xiaolan stood tall in the DaTang, her once cold and haughty expression subtly changed—her lips curved slightly upward, revealing a faint, triumphant, and joyful smile; only before Qin Feng did Li Xiaolan ever show this tenderness.

Li Xiaolan's lips moved slightly, suppressing the joy of reunion, and whispered softly: "Your Excellency, we did not collide with the plaintiff; rather, the plaintiff falsely accused us first. Please Your Excellency render justice."

No sooner had these words been spoken than Chen Biao, beside him, could no longer contain himself and immediately retorted.

"Nonsense!"

"My Lord, these women are clearly deceiving you!"

"The injuries on my comrade's body are proof!"

Chen Biao firmly insisted that Li Xiaolan's carriage had struck Zhang Dahu and had permitted evil servants to injure Wang Gang; the bystanders who witnessed the incident had already been arrested by Chen Biao's men, leaving no witnesses—while he held physical evidence. Unless Qin Feng deliberately favored them, Chen Biao was certain he had these women cornered.

Earlier, when Zhang Dahu and Wang Gang had taken the golden dangling hairpin to Chen Biao to exchange for silver, Chen Biao had been stunned—he had never seen such a thing. The golden dangling hairpin was forged entirely of pure gold, its craftsmanship exquisitely refined, utterly unlike anything from Folk!

These fools didn't recognize its worth, thinking it worth only Three Hundred Taels; Chen Biao bought it outright without a second thought.

This kind of jewelry, at its lowest, was worn only by the Jia Guan of high-ranking court officials, worth at least seven or eight hundred taels of silver! Chen Biao could resell it for a profit of Five Hundred Taels.

But earning just this much clearly didn't satisfy Chen Biao's appetite. Considering even men like Zhang Dahu and Wang Gang could extort such valuable items from these four women, what if he took matters into his own hands? He could squeeze them dry!

Moreover, Chen Biao had heard these four women were all as beautiful as Celestial Immortals. Heh, if he could seize them and keep them as concubines, it would be a delight beyond measure!

Thus, Chen Biao acted decisively, immediately allying with Zhang Dahu and Wang Gang to file a formal complaint against the four women, aiming to drive these suspected Crime Minister's Family Members to utter ruin—steal their wealth, claim their bodies, and leave nothing behind.

Qin Feng knew exactly what Chen Biao was scheming—after all, their shameless conversation at the Yong'an Treasure House had been overheard by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and relayed word-for-word to Qin Feng.

Want to steal my woman? Heh…

Qin Feng didn't lose his temper; he spoke calmly: "How do you explain the injuries all over the plaintiff's body?"

Li Xiaolan replied without hesitation: "They assaulted our coachman, attempting to board the carriage; our maid defended herself—this was entirely reasonable."

Qin Feng nodded: "If so, then the matter is settled. Only the collision remains. Can you prove your innocence?"

Li Xiaolan didn't even pause: "No. This is the plaintiff's territory. Since the case has reached the DaTang, the officials have surely been bribed. All evidence, both testimonial and physical, is stacked against us."

Upon hearing this, Chen Biao immediately grew triumphant.

Look at this woman's speech and sharp wit—how could any Folk woman match her? She must be a Crime Minister's Family Member without doubt!

At that moment, Chen Tian leapt to his feet, his face pale with panic, waving his hands frantically: "I had no knowledge of Chen Biao's bribes downward! But I certainly did not bribe upward!"

Chen Tian hurried to distance himself—he didn't want to get dragged in.

Moreover, this fellow Chen Biao's lecherous eyes kept wandering over the four women, clearly harboring vile intentions.

This man was charging headlong toward his own death.

Seeing Chen Tian so panicked, Chen Biao couldn't help but wonder—how could a County Magistrate be so terrified? But considering Qin Feng was right beside him, he understood: Chen Tian was surely afraid that an unfair verdict would draw Qin Feng's wrath, hence why he was distancing himself.

Once he grasped this, Chen Biao no longer cared. He immediately bowed to Qin Feng.

"My Lord, since these women cannot prove their innocence, there is nothing more to say. I humbly request Your Lordship enforce the law impartially."

Qin Feng inwardly sneered, then asked casually: "I will enforce the law impartially. These four women struck a commoner in public. According to statute, they must be imprisoned for at least one month."

At this, Chen Biao waved his hands frantically—he did not want these women locked in the Prison.

"Please, My Lord, show mercy. These women appear to be of noble birth. To imprison them would be a waste of heaven's gifts."

"To be frank, I've just secured a fine position for my comrade—he earns Five taels of White Silver per month, totaling sixty taels per year."

"My comrade is twenty-five. He has at least another twenty-five years of life ahead—he could earn fifteen hundred taels in silver over his lifetime."

"But now, these wicked women have broken his leg, robbing him of fifteen hundred taels. His entire family has lost its livelihood. The defendants must compensate him."

Zhang Dahu and Wang Gang exchanged glances, both simultaneously expressing admiration.

No wonder he's the boss—just one move and you know his caliber.

They themselves dared only extort a few dozen taels; their boss demanded over a thousand! What audacity!

And his argument was flawless—no loopholes, leaving these wicked women no chance to overturn the case!

The two were utterly awed by Chen Biao.

At that moment, Chen Biao feigned kindness: "Fifteen hundred taels is a fortune—no one carries that much cash. If the defendants cannot pay, I can arrange work for them to repay the debt."

Chen Biao sneered inwardly—he was certain these women had no such silver on hand, nor any Silver Notes.

After all, Crime Minister's Family Members must remain discreet. Unless forced, they would never appear in places monitored by the Official Residence. To exchange Silver Notes at a moneyhouse would expose their whereabouts—and mean certain doom.

The "arrangement of work" was merely an excuse. Once he took these women out of the Yamen, he could enjoy them night after night, at his whim—how delightful!

Qin Feng sighed, feigning reluctance: "Handing the defendants over to you? That might not be appropriate."

Chen Biao seized the moment: "My Lord, even if you let me take just one, it would be enough! It's unjust for the guilty to neither pay nor work!"

Chen Biao withdrew and sought the next best—after all, all four women were Celestial Immortals; taking any one would be a blessing.

Qin Feng nodded: "Very well. Choose which one you want."

At this, Chen Biao trembled with excitement. His lecherous eyes darted back and forth across the four women, his throat bobbing as he swallowed repeatedly.

Finally, his gaze locked onto Li Xiaolan—this woman was so haughty. To subdue her… heh heh…