roccoschili Chapter 370 One after another, defenses are breached.
Chapter 370 One after another, defenses are breached.
The fact that a commoner woman dared to directly accuse Grand Secretary Fan by name has led to an unexpected turn of events.
Not to mention that the officials in the spectatorship were unable to make a statement immediately.
Even the prefect was taken aback for a moment, straightened his posture, and then solemnly said, "Plaintiff Lü Jing, do you know that suing an official of the imperial court is no small matter?"
"If this person deserves his punishment, that's fine, but if your accusation cannot be substantiated, then it is a false accusation."
"According to the laws of the Great Ye Dynasty, falsely accusing an official of the imperial court will result in a fifty-fold cane punishment. You'd better think it over."
Lu Jing knelt there, her spine as straight as a pine tree, her expression as resolute as steel.
"Thank you for the reminder, sir. However, when I decided to go to the capital to seek justice, I already knew what kind of path lay ahead of me."
She slammed her forehead heavily against the ground, saying, "Every word I have uttered today, every piece of evidence I have presented, I guarantee with my life!"
Fifty strokes of the cane are a heavy blow that even a man in his prime might not be able to withstand.
Lu Jing's willingness to persist despite the risk of false accusation is indeed tantamount to gambling with her life.
Looking at the woman's thin figure, the prefect finally couldn't bear it. "What if your path ahead is thorny and treacherous, or a bottomless abyss?"
Lu Jing raised her head, her eyes showing no hesitation, "I'm willing to be torn apart and shattered to pieces!"
Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent, and everyone present was deeply moved.
The prefect sighed and nodded, saying, "If your parents knew in the afterlife that you had such a filial and righteous daughter, they would surely be gratified."
Since the plaintiff is determined, there's no need to waste any more time.
The prefect changed the subject and said seriously, "Plaintiff, please explain what evidence you have before presenting it."
Lu Jing methodically unpacked the bundle and separated it into individual portions.
"These are account books kept in Fan Dongping's home. They contain records of his plundering of farmland, houses, and shops from honest people, as well as the trafficking of innocent women, and the corresponding proceeds of the crime."
From the moment Lü Jing entered the lobby, Fan Dongping gritted his teeth and glared at her fiercely like a ferocious beast.
However, Lu Jing is not afraid of Fan Dongping at all now. Even when her gaze occasionally falls on him, she is as calm as if she were looking at a dying man.
Seeing Lü Jing produce the account book, Fan Dongping panicked completely. "You've been to my house?!"
"Who gave you permission to take my things without permission? This is trespassing! This is robbery!"
"My lord! My lord, this woman's crimes are obvious, arrest her at once!"
The prefect's face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the wooden clapper. "Shut up!"
"Since the plaintiff has voluntarily agreed to bear fifty strokes of the cane, this official has an obligation to listen to her continue!"
Fan Dongping, who had always been domineering, struggled and tried to object.
But then the prefect shouted, "A riot in the courtroom! Fifteen strokes of the cane!"
Before Fan Dongping could even figure out what was happening, two constables came over and swiftly dragged him out, one on each side.
Long benches had been prepared outside the courtroom, and a good beating immediately ensued.
Hearing Fan Dongping's pig-like screams, each one more piercing than the last, the onlookers outside clapped and cheered.
The constables in charge of the execution seemed encouraged and worked even harder.
The sound of the board hitting the flesh was not crisp and loud, but rather a dull thud.
Anqing is quite knowledgeable about this.
He watched the bailiffs carry out the execution, grinning wickedly, "That guy surnamed Fan is really hateful."
"This time it's fallen into the hands of an expert; he's in for a rough time."
He Jinglan asked curiously, "Judging from the sound, the beating doesn't seem very serious."
Although Fan Dongping's howling was quite pitiful.
But for such evil people, there is no worst, only worse.
An Qinghe curled the corners of his mouth and said, "Beating someone with a board is the same principle as using a long whip back home."
"The louder and clearer the sound of the blow, the force will just glide across the skin and flesh, at most causing some external injury."
"It looks scary with all that blood, but it will be fine after a few days of treatment with some medicine."
"But if the sound is muffled, it means that the force is all real. It may not draw blood, but it can damage muscles and bones at best, and even penetrate to the bone at worst."
By the time he finished explaining, Fan Dongping had already received his punishment.
I don't know if he fainted, but he was dragged to the courtroom like a dead pig.
An Qinghe shook his head and sighed, "What a pity, only fifteen strokes."
"If he could be hit thirty or forty times, he would never need to use his legs again in his life."
Gu Xixi looked calmly into the courtroom, "Who doesn't have a wife, children, and parents? Who can't put themselves in others' shoes?"
"Fan Dongping, relying on his powerful connections, bullies men and women and is still so arrogant."
“The constables are just ordinary people who eat the government food. If you don’t like them, you can use dirty tricks on them. They deserve it.”
During this process, Lü Jing was also sorting out the evidence piece by piece.
"This is a list of people that Fan Dongping bribed in Nan Yi County, from the county magistrate down to the jailers and yamen runners. The dates and amounts of money are all recorded in detail."
Magistrate Chen, standing to the side, was filled with shock and anger, his whole body trembling as he pointed at Fan Dongping.
Having been dealt a heavy blow, Magistrate Chen no longer cared about keeping his mouth shut.
"You! Didn't you say you wouldn't remember anything?! How dare you lie to me!"
"You bastard! Are you trying to kill me, you damn lunatic!"
When Fan Dongping compiled the list of bribe-givers, it wasn't because he was clever and wanted to preserve evidence for his own future protection.
He was simply insatiable, plotting to use this as leverage to one day bring the entire county government under his complete control.
Just like the wicked servants he kept in his own household.
However, at the moment, Fan Dongping was lying there, in too much pain to respond to Magistrate Chen's duties.
The evidence presented by Lü Jing is still ongoing.
"These are correspondence between Fan Dongping and the capital. In them, he referred to himself as a family, addressed the eldest master of the Fan family as his elder brother, and mentioned the word 'father' more than once..."
After the clerk finished recording the plaintiff's oral statement, he personally presented the evidence and exhibits in front of Lü Jing to the prefect.
The prefect looked up and first glanced at the regent.
Mu Nanzhao said calmly, "As I said, I will only listen in today and will not participate in the interrogation."
"You can pass the evidence around and look at it yourselves; there's no need to bring it over."
The prefect nodded, and then carefully began to examine the contents.
After reviewing each document, he passed it on to the other judges for their perusal.
The officials were increasingly shocked by what they saw and couldn't help but exchange glances secretly.
They were all seasoned veterans of officialdom, seasoned and shrewd individuals.
Anyone could see that the relationship between Fan Dongping and the Fan family was strange!
Not to mention that given Grand Secretary Fan's status, having an illegitimate child wouldn't be a big deal.
Given the Fan family's power and influence over the years, hiding an illegitimate child in the capital would be incredibly easy.
Why send him to Nanyi County?
Furthermore, if he's so afraid of people finding out, why did he insist on having the surname Fan?
It was already noon at the Fan residence.
The servant who went to the Jingzhao Prefecture to inquire ran back, his body drenched in sweat as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the Jingzhao Prefecture is still holding the trial. That woman... she... she's not dead..."
The servant was panting, not daring to look up at his masters' faces. "She also said... said..."
Grand Secretary Fan slammed his hand on the table. “Foolish thing! What did she say? Explain yourself right now!”
The servant was so frightened that he fell to the ground.
The Fan family members were also stunned, as the Grand Secretary was always one to keep his emotions hidden.
No matter how big the matter, as long as it reaches the Grand Secretary, everything will eventually be under control.
But at this moment, Grand Secretary Fan suddenly became angry.