Chapter 586 - 217: Holding Court (Part 3)
Chapter 586: Chapter 217: Holding Court (Part 3)
The three of them chatted as they made their way to Mrs. Zhao’s courtyard.
They had just told Mrs. Zhao about Magistrate Xu’s upcoming visit and hadn’t even had a chance to calm her overwhelmed state when another young maid hurried over.
"Master, Madam, a crowd of scholars and students has gathered in front of the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office. One of them, a man named Fan Ju, is causing a commotion. He’s saying... saying the physical evidence has been found and that he wants Mr. Gong to be punished..."
The three exchanged a look and understood at once. Mr. Sheng’s men must have found the physical evidence. The news had somehow leaked, reaching all the students, so Fan Ju had taken the lead to demand justice for himself.
This was a huge spectacle. De’an jumped to his feet and headed for the door. "Hurry, Jing! Let’s go watch the show."
Jing, in turn, pulled Chen Wanqing by the hand. "You should come with us, Wanqing."
Chen Wanqing said, "It’s an affair for you scholars. It wouldn’t be right for me to go, so I’ll stay behind."
"Come on. If Xiang’er wants to, she can come along too."
Xiang’er let out a cheer.
Mrs. Zhao waved them off, telling the children to go. She needed time to digest the news that her son’s future uncle-in-law—a magistrate, no less—was coming to visit. She also took the opportunity to order the maids and servants to give the house a thorough cleaning, inside and out, and to start thinking about a menu for her important guest.
By the time Chen Wanqing and the other three rushed over to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office, the area was already packed with a crowd several layers deep.
When they got closer, they learned that things had taken another turn in the short time it took them to arrive.
Fearing that Gong Yuanxiu would refuse to show his face, Fan Ju had taken the direct approach: he beat the petition drum outside the government office.
As they drew near, the BOOM! BOOM! of the drum echoed through the air, setting everyone’s nerves on edge.
The people of the Prefecture heard there was a show to watch and immediately dropped everything. Street vendors left their stalls with acquaintances, noodle and rice sellers shut their doors, and even the acrobats in the middle of a performance promptly packed up.
By the time the crowd had surrounded the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office until it was impenetrably packed, the Provincial Governor had convened the court, summoning the plaintiff and defendant for a hearing.
When Gong Yuanxiu was escorted over by the constables, he had a black cloth covering his face.
After two days of festering, the bruises on his face had become an unsightly mass of purple and black. His face was swollen like a pig’s head. Terrified that his humiliation would become the talk of the entire Prefecture, he had been holed up in the official lodge for the past two days, refusing to go out.
If he didn’t have to confront Sheng Mingchuan, if leaving now wouldn’t look like he was fleeing in disgrace, and if failing to clear his name wouldn’t negate the credit he’d earned for overseeing the exam—he would have fled this nest of trouble long ago.
He had imagined a private confrontation, a quiet debate of right and wrong in a back room. He never expected someone to advise Fan Ju to blow the matter up, escalating it to a point where he would be publicly cornered with no way out.
’Despicable!’
’I’ll be utterly disgraced this time.’
’But there was an upside. It prevented any possibility of Sheng Mingchuan playing favorites or covering things up, which was actually more advantageous for me.’
As Gong Yuanxiu was lost in these thoughts, the cloth covering his face was suddenly snatched away.
By the time he felt a chill on his cheeks and reflexively moved to cover his face, gasps were already erupting from the crowd.
"Is that even a human face?"
"He must have done something truly wicked to get beaten that badly."
"He has a villainous face—clearly not a good man. He must have committed some unforgivable crime to be beaten into a pulp like that!"
Gong Yuanxiu seethed with rage.
’My face is beaten to a pulp, so how can they still tell I have a ’villainous face’?’
’Harsh lands breed worthless peasants. Even the so-called scholars are just cut from the same cloth—all of them vile creatures.’
Gong Yuanxiu wanted to strike back but didn’t dare. In the end, swallowing his indignation, he could only cover his face with his hands as he entered the courtroom.
Strangely, the man presiding over the court was not Sheng Mingchuan, but the Provincial Governor, Mr. Zhou.
Mr. Zhou looked drowsy. His silvery-white hair drooped over the bench, and his face was dotted with age spots. He even seemed to be dozing off again while waiting for the proceedings to begin.
Gong Yuanxiu felt a strange sense of relief at the sight.
Sheng Mingchuan was clearly recusing himself to avoid any suspicion of bias. Not having to face Sheng Mingchuan was a genuine relief.
As both Gong Yuanxiu and Fan Ju held scholarly titles—and Gong Yuanxiu, moreover, held official status as an imperial envoy personally appointed by His Majesty—neither was required to kneel.
But for Gong Yuanxiu, simply being made to stand in a public courtroom was a tremendous humiliation.
He gave Mr. Zhou a perfunctory bow. "Fan Ju accuses me of inciting insubordination and of encouraging him to falsely accuse a superior. Does he have any evidence?"
Evidence consisted of both witness testimony and physical proof.
The witnesses—the waiter and the Shopkeeper from the Golden Jade Restaurant—were summoned and promptly arrived.
All that was missing now was the physical evidence.
When no physical evidence was immediately presented, Gong Yuanxiu relaxed. He felt he had given Sheng Mingchuan far too much credit.
’Just because he said he’d find the evidence in two days, does that mean he can? He might as well say he wants to be the Grand Secretary. Does he think he’s capable of that?’
Gong Yuanxiu’s expression slackened. He bowed to Mr. Zhou. "Your Excellency, when an official presides over a case, both witness testimony and physical evidence are required. Without physical evidence, I cannot possibly plead guilty. Furthermore, I am still on an imperial mission, and Fan Ju’s false accusation has already delayed my journey. Any further delays and I may not be able to return to the capital in time to report. I intend to depart tomorrow. There is no need to inform me of any further developments in this matter. Seeing as this is Fan Ju’s first offense, I will be magnanimous and not press charges. However, for a mere student to spout such utter nonsense... how could such a person ever be worthy of becoming a respected community leader? Ah—"