Chapter 1379: Xia Zhang
Chapter 1379: Chapter 1379: Xia Zhang
Mrs. Cen had already calmed down and quickly bowed her head to apologize to Lu Chong: "It’s my fault, please don’t be angry, husband."
After saying this, she held Sister Tang in her arms and jogged back to the Lu Family’s mule cart.
The old servant of the Lu Family, Old Lady Xia, hurriedly went to receive Mrs. Cen, helping her onto the mule cart.
Old Lady Xia and her husband were low-priced purchases from Lu Chong during the flood of refugees five years ago. The couple also had a twenty-year-old grandson, who now served by Lu Chong’s side.
The whole family was devoted to serving Lu Chong and his wife.
The Xia Family was also considered clever, having figured out the temperaments of Lu Chong and Mrs. Cen, realizing that neither were kind and avoiding much talk, eating, or meddling.
But even though Old Lady Xia carefully helped Mrs. Cen onto the mule cart, she was still fiercely pinched several times inside the cart, scolded in a low voice: "Old thing who only knows how to watch the master’s jokes, get out of here, today you’re not allowed to eat."
Old Lady Xia was pinched painfully, but it couldn’t compare to the hurt in her heart.
Thinking back fifty years, she was of good register, with land and a house, and now had fallen to such a state. Even though she had already worked diligently, she was still being beaten and abused by the master.
But Old Lady Xia dared not resist, for Mrs. Cen had control over her grandson’s marriage. If she and her husband disobeyed, their grandson would never have a chance to marry in his lifetime.
Old Lady Xia got off the cart with her head down and sat silently beside Old Man Xia on the front bench, quietly shedding tears.
Inside, Mrs. Cen was still cursing: "Dumb thing, can’t even utter a word when retiring, an old good-for-nothing who just eats for free."
When she succeeds, she will have the Ding Family cut out Old Lady Xia’s tongue, making her truly mute, so she won’t be able to speak sweet words!
Old Man Xia was used to such scenes, ignoring Mrs. Cen’s curses, he squeezed Old Lady Xia’s hand, silently comforting her, and signaled their grandson who looked over, telling him not to look and to follow Lu Chong on the journey.
Xia Zhang’s eyes reddened, feeling very sorry for his grandparents. They endured Mrs. Cen’s abuse quietly all for his sake.
He had told his grandparents that even if he never married in his lifetime, he couldn’t bear to see them suffer anymore.
But his grandparents did not agree, saying that he was the only surviving male in the family, and he had to marry and have children to carry on the family line. Otherwise, who would offer incense to the family members who perished on the refugee road in the future?
Old Man Xia, seeing Xia Zhang still looking this way, became anxious, waving his hand fiercely until Xia Zhang turned his head and ran forward with the soldiers.
In his heart, he silently vowed that when he reached the Northwest, he too would go to the battlefield. As long as he achieved military merit, he could apply to become part of a military family, take his grandparents away from the Lu Family, and no longer watch them live a life worse than pigs and dogs!
...
While Gu Jinli and the others headed west, Gu Jin’an, along with Brother Cheng, Young Master Dou, Qi Kangming, Gu Dexing, Gu Qingliang, Gu Qingtian, Tian Erqiang, and others, arrived at the Prefecture of He’an, beating the drum to complain of injustice.
Learning that those beating the drum included Gu Jin’an and that Young Master Dou and Ah Song from Master Ouyang’s side accompanied them, Magistrate Gu immediately dropped his current tasks, instructed the Government Official to accept the petition, invited them inside the government office, and told the Government Official: "Remember to bring a chair for Young Master Dou, we cannot afford to offend this God of Wealth."
We must serve him well, or else if he closes the Dou Ou Bank in He’an and opens it in another prefecture, it could spell the end for me as a magistrate.
"Yes." The Government Official dared not delay, hurriedly inviting Young Master Dou and the others in.
Shortly after, Magistrate Gu, accompanied by Judge Tang, personally began the trial. Seeing Young Master Dou not sitting down but instead looking ready to make a scene, he felt quite troubled and quickly looked at the petition paper and the testimony presented by County Magistrate Fang.
After reading it, Magistrate Gu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This case is clearly one of Manager Feng from Changfeng Building, jealous of the Gu Family’s wealth, framing them with clear evidence of both witnesses and objects, along with the victim’s testimony and the trial records from the Tianfu County Government."
There’s no need for further trial.
However, Magistrate Gu still followed the protocol, conducted a perfunctory trial, interrogated the fake Government Official, and then gave out his verdict.
The verdict was extremely severe; Manager Feng was sentenced to be beheaded and displayed, the whole Feng family was implicated, the men sent to the mines to work, and the women were reduced to slaves of the lowest status.
Upon hearing the verdict, Manager Feng almost fainted, quickly shouting for injustice: "My lord, injustice, this is a misunderstanding, it was all done by Chai Sanfu, it has nothing to do with me!"
Old Lady Chai, upon hearing this, cursed: "Pah! Nothing to do with you? Feng Shiwen, where do you get the face to say such words? You are the mastermind, you were so jealous of the Gu Family’s business being profitable that you couldn’t sleep, and you came up with this poisoning scheme to frame the Gu Family, to seize their assets!"
During the few days traveling from Tianfu County to the prefecture, Old Lady Chai had seen clearly that the Gu Family was not to be trifled with, and that Young Master Dou was even more formidable, a person with connections high up. The Chai Family did not want to be exterminated, so they must help the Gu Family take down Manager Feng.
Thus, Old Lady Chai went all out, after cursing Manager Feng, she cried while hugging Chai Sanfu: "Elders and young fellas in the prefecture, look here, my Sanfu was poisoned by Feng Shiwen into this state. Feng Shiwen told him that the poison would only make someone gravely ill for a few months and was not fatal, but who knew Feng Shiwen gave him a deadly poison, see my Sanfu, he is on his last breath... Feng Shiwen, you must compensate, if you don’t pay a thousand taels, I’ll die right here in the court!"
Uh, Magistrate Gu turned green hearing this, thinking you wept so bitterly expecting Manager Feng to pay with his life for Chai Sanfu, but unexpectedly you just want money.
However, Old Lady Chai’s words were greatly helpful, with what she said, the case was practically a done deal.
Chai Dafu, who had also been beaten soundly these past few days, cried out with Old Lady Chai: "Wah wah wah, third brother, my poor third brother, harmed by Feng Shiwen to this state, doctors said even if his life could be saved, he’d be bedridden his whole life. Compensate, the Feng family must compensate, to support my third brother’s family for a lifetime!"
Chai Dafu and Old Lady Chai hugged Chai Sanfu, crying loudly, almost smothering the weak Chai Sanfu to the point of suffocation.
Doctor Wu and Doctor Du hurriedly went over, dragged the two of them apart: "Stop squeezing, if you continue, Chai Sanfu will die!"
With a few claps, Magistrate Gu hurriedly banged the gavel and said: "Quiet those women in the court, this is a courtroom, not a market, cease your clamor."
He continued: "Your Chai Sanfu was an accomplice; it’s his rightful punishment to end up like this, no need for wailing."
Why bother doing it in the first place?
After hurting others and being caught, then shouting injustice, did you think the government office was where you could buy regret medicine? That you could repent at will?
Old Lady Chai, hearing this, became anxious and asked: "My lord, what do you mean? Isn’t our Sanfu being poisoned like this worth a bit of compensation silver? Can’t let Sanfu be poisoned for nothing, can we?"