WEI——WU——
The call of court officers rang out.
Majestic. Solemn.
Yan Tongshu spoke: "Last time we examined Wu Bing's perjury, and conveniently enough, Wu Bing has now confessed."
Zhao Kuangzhi jolted violently.
Confessed?
Hadn't the jailer they'd bribed at Kaifeng Prefecture said he hadn't talked?
Yan Tongshu: "Bring in Wu Bing."
Wu Bing was escorted in by Xu Qiu.
His legs were caked with blood, his hair in disarray. He prostrated himself on the ground: "Lord Yan, I confess, I truly confess everything."
Yan Tongshu asked: "Repeat what you confessed."
Wu Bing wept, snot and tears smearing his face: "I'm a peddler who trades between the north and south, making two or three trips a year. About seven days ago, Lawyer Zhao found me, gave me fifty taels of silver and a forged travel permit, and asked me to give false testimony claiming I'd delivered money to Jiangzhou for Consort Chen. Everything I've said is true, with no deception whatsoever. Please spare my life, Your Honor."
Yan Tongshu: "Do you have evidence?"
Wu Bing quickly replied: "Yes, yes—the fifty taels Lawyer Zhao gave me are still at my home."
Zhao Kuangzhi berated Wu Bing: "Wu Bing, I act on behalf of Her Highness the Princess. How dare you fabricate accusations against me—mind that the Princess doesn't punish you for it."
Wu Bing cowered in fear.
Zhao Kuangzhi turned to Yan Tongshu and bowed: "Lord Yan, this man hasn't spoken a single true word, yet with nothing more than fifty taels, he dares to sling mud at me and Consort Chen. Such a villain—please apply severe punishment, Your Honor!"
Zhao Kuangzhi twisted black into white, but Yan Tongshu remained unhurried: "Oh? Then what would he stand to gain by doing so?"
Zhao Kuangzhi was prepared: "If I may explain, Your Honor—Consort Chen did indeed give Wu Bing a letter and a hundred taels of silver to deliver to Jiangzhou for Granny Chen. But this man's greed got the better of him; he pocketed the silver, destroyed the letter, and then lied that the task was done. This man is avaricious and faithless, deceiving both sides. His conduct is vile, and his intent deserves death."
Wu Bing, seeing Zhao Kuangzhi pin all the blame on him, panicked: "You—"
"Hm?"
Princess Tijia cast an indifferent glance in his direction, and Wu Bing immediately fell silent in terror.
Yan Tongshu smiled slightly: "Even if we take your words as reasonable."
Li Fulin objected at once: "Lord Yan, what Zhao Kuangzhi just said is clearly—"
Yan Tongshu raised a hand to stop him, a note of amusement in his voice: "Lawyer Zhao acts as Consort Chen's attorney—without him, how could this play continue to unfold?"
Zhao Kuangzhi's brow furrowed deeply.
The same ominous feeling from last time, when Yan Tongshu had so readily agreed to postpone the trial by five days, crept over him again.
He eyed Yan Tongshu with suspicion.
What scheme was this Lord Yan cooking up?
Yan Tongshu ordered Xu Qiu: "Take Wu Bing away for now and see that he's properly settled."
Xu Qiu acknowledged: "Yes."
Yan Tongshu smiled faintly: "What Lawyer Zhao has just said can neither be proven nor disproven. So, does Consort Chen have any other new evidence?"
The more casually Yan Tongshu dismissed it, the more unsettled Zhao Kuangzhi became.
Suppressing his growing unease, he said: "Although Wu Bing never delivered the letter and money to Granny Chen, Consort Chen is kind-hearted and mindful of his family—he did not send money only that one time..."
"Wait." Zhang Jiu cut him off: "If Wu Bing never delivered the letter and money, why did Granny Chen say she had received silver from Consort Chen?"
Zhao Kuangzhi spoke with confidence: "Granny Chen is advanced in years, and her memory is prone to confusion. Consort Chen actually sent money to Jiangzhou twice—once five years ago, and once three years ago."
Yan Liangrong, steadying Lady Qing, gave a cold snort: "The fifth year saw a bitter winter, and the third year brought fine weather and good harvests—what a coincidence."
Zhao Kuangzhi remained unruffled: "The late Emperor ruled by Heaven's mandate, and our Great Wu is blessed by Heaven's protection. Naturally, the harvests were bountiful."
Zhao Kuangzhi had Granny Chen, Chen Jiangge, and Wang Qiang brought in.
Wang Qiang was a north-south cloth dealer, who, like Wu Bing, traveled between the regions year-round.
Yan Tongshu picked up his teacup and slowly blew the floating leaves aside: "Come, let's see the travel permit."
Wang Qiang presented the permit.
Yan Tongshu examined it and nodded: "Not bad—effort was put into this. The permit is without flaw."
This manner of speech, like a teacher evaluating a poor student, irritated Zhao Kuangzhi even more.
He clenched his jaw. What in the world was Yan Tongshu playing at?
Princess Tijia, who had been sitting in leisurely confidence, now began to feel restless too.
Something was very wrong.
Outside the gates of Kaifeng Prefecture, among the gathered onlookers, Qin Yi, accompanied by Lu Xi, slipped quietly into the crowd, with Meng Yi following alongside.
Yan Tongshu turned to Granny Chen: "Granny Chen, what do you say? Three years ago, did you truly receive a letter and a hundred-tael banknote from Chen Sizhen?"
Granny Chen rested her hands on Chen Jiangge's shoulders, her dark lips trembling, her eyes full of guilt.
Yan Liangrong reminded her: "Granny Chen, a person cannot lose their conscience. Think carefully—for seven years, who has worked endlessly to support this family and feed you?"
Granny Chen's hands shook with shame, and then she spoke: "Yes—my son Ah Si was very filial. He truly sent me a letter and a hundred-tael banknote. In the letter he said he had married the Princess, and asked me to help him explain the matter to Qingniang. This old woman was selfish—I couldn't bear to lose such a good daughter-in-law, so I burned the letter and said nothing."
Yan Liangrong: "If you received a hundred-tael banknote, why has your life been so hard all these years?"
Granny Chen lowered her head, reciting what Zhao Kuangzhi had coached her to say: "Qingniang has a terrible temper—she's a famous shrew in these parts, always quarrelsome and loud. I was afraid that if she found out, she'd come to the capital to make a scene and ruin Ah Si's marriage with the Princess. So I didn't dare spend it openly. I could only save it quietly, exchange a little at a time, and gradually help make ends meet..."
Yan Tongshu: "Where did you cash the banknote?"
Granny Chen: "This old woman can't read, so I had someone else cash it for me."
Yan Tongshu: "When did you cash it? And who did you ask?"
Granny Chen never expected Yan Tongshu to probe so deeply. Panic rose in her chest—Lawyer Zhao hadn't taught her this.
Granny Chen: "This old woman can't remember."
Yan Tongshu nodded knowingly: "Can't remember the exact date—but you can at least recall the time? Was it within a month of receiving the money, within a year, or within three years?"
Granny Chen looked at Zhao Kuangzhi.
Zhao Kuangzhi quickly interjected: "The old lady is old and her life has been hard—it's natural she can't remember. It should have been shortly after receiving the money. Around that time."
Yan Tongshu lowered her eyes. Lies are like that—they can't withstand close questioning.
She continued: "Granny Chen, did you cash the entire hundred-tael banknote into silver, or did you change it into smaller denominations?"
Such a detail—Granny Chen had even less of an answer. So she repeated what Zhao Kuangzhi had drilled into her, over and over: "Qingniang has a quick temper and loves to curse. I'm afraid of her too, so I always hid from her and kept out of her way. It happens often, and I truly can't remember the details."
Princess Tijia lounged lazily against the back of her chair. Hearing Granny Chen's words, she let out a contemptuous laugh: "So she's a shrew after all. No wonder the Consort didn't care for her."
From the very start of this case, Chen Sizhen had been trying to pin the names of shrew and virago onto Lady Qing, hoping to whitewash his own crimes by smearing her reputation. And now, here he was, still doing the same thing.
Yan Tongshu and Yan Liangrong exchanged a glance. Yan Liangrong smiled faintly. “The Princess is right. Who in this world could ever put up with a shrew?”
Yan Liangrong turned to face Princess Tijia. “Throughout the ages, women have all been mediocrities—none possess the boldness and spirit of Your Highness. I hear that years ago, when Your Highness went to the brothel to catch your former consort, you beat five flower girls to death on the spot for seducing him, and broke the former consort’s legs. Yet in all of history, men visiting brothels has always been considered normal. Your Highness, as a woman, so fiercely breaking your consort’s legs—are you not, by the same measure, a violent shrew yourself?”
A needle only hurts when it pierces your own skin.
Now that Princess Tijia herself had been branded a shrew, she trembled with rage. She pointed furiously at the veiled Yan Liangrong. “Who are you? How dare you insult this Princess?”
Yan Liangrong let out a dismissive snort. “Did this common woman speak falsely? Did Your Highness not, in those days, lead a throng of servants to the Spring Breeze Pavilion to catch your husband in the act? Did Your Highness not slash the faces of the five flower girls there and have them beaten to death on the spot? Did you not order the former consort’s legs broken before swaggering off in triumph? As a woman, you are bound by the Three Obediences and Four Virtues—once married, you obey your husband. Since Your Highness can act the part of a shrew, why can others not speak of it?”
“How dare you!” Princess Tijia slammed her hand against the armrest of her chair. “I am a first-rank Princess of the realm, born of gold and jade! How dare you compare me to those vile women?”
“Obey my husband?” She laughed coldly, raising her chin in haughty disdain. “Hah! What I did was not marriage—it was taking a consort. My former consort Wang Qie spent his days chasing flowers and nights drowning in wine, haunting the alleys of pleasure, failing in his consortly virtues. Breaking his legs was his own doing. The Spring Breeze Pavilion, shameless as they were, seduced a consort of the imperial house—I only killed a few cheap slave-girls. Not razing the place to the ground was already an act of mercy.”
After Princess Tijia finished her tirade, Yan Liangrong’s expression did not change. It was Lady Qing who looked at Princess Tijia with a touch of sympathy.
Both were women betrayed by their husbands. The Princess’s iron will was admirable, but her cruelty was too much—she had actually killed people. Truly terrifying. Truly vicious.
Once Princess Tijia had spoken, Yan Tongshu turned to the clerk responsible for recording. “What was just said—did you write it all down?”
The clerk was puzzled but answered respectfully. “Yes, Lord Yan, it is all recorded.”
Yan Tongshu: “Word for word?”
The clerk said solemnly, “Court records are transcribed exactly as spoken—whether coarse or fine, relevant or not, every word and sentence is preserved. This instance is no different.”
Yan Tongshu smiled. “Then let us continue the trial.”
Princess Tijia had erupted in fury, yet no one rose to meet her. Her chest seized with rising heat, and she nearly vomited blood.
Yan Tongshu turned to Zhao Kuangzhi and Chen Sizhen. “Even if Granny Chen has forgiven you, and the charge of abandoning your birth mother does not stand—what of abandoning your wife and children? At most, Granny Chen’s testimony confirms that she was an accomplice to Consort Chen’s desertion of his family.”
Princess Tijia was still standing, but Yan Tongshu had already moved on to the next topic.
Zhao Kuangzhi found himself in an impossible position—respond or not, neither was right.
In the end, he yielded to the demands of the case. “For that, we must speak of Feng Qingniang.”
Lady Qing pointed at herself, startled. “Me? What about me? I never received a single coin.”
Zhao Kuangzhi’s voice was ice-cold, laced with pressure. “No, you did receive it. You simply grew greedy and spun lies. Five years ago, Consort Chen entrusted Wu Bing with sending money to Granny Chen. Wu Bing lied, claiming the money and letter had been delivered, while secretly pocketing the hundred-tael banknote. Consort Chen, troubled in his conscience, confided his distress to a friend. That friend happened to be traveling to Jiangzhou on business and kept the matter in mind.
Consort Chen had once done this friend, Zhou Hui, a great favor. After the new year, Zhou Hui arrived in Jiangzhou and, under the pretense of doing business, gave Lady Qing fifty taels in banknotes. Later, he feigned urgent business requiring his return to the capital, and the venture came to nothing—the money was simply left with Lady Qing. Lady Qing, thinking it a windfall, secretly feasted on fine food and drink at home, squandering it all. What she did not know was that after Zhou Hui returned to the capital, Consort Chen had already repaid the fifty taels to him. That money was Consort Chen’s alimony to her.”
Yan Tongshu took a sip of tea. Trying this case against Chen Sizhen was truly exhausting.
Especially with a litigation shark like Zhao Kuangzhi in the mix.
Yan Tongshu: “Is there evidence?”
Zhao Kuangzhi: “Yes. Zhou Hui can be called as a witness.”
Yan Tongshu waved a hand dismissively. “No need. I can’t be bothered to listen.”
Zhao Kuangzhi was stunned. The onlookers were stunned too.
Even Li Fulin was bewildered.
Who tries a case like this?
What does “can’t be bothered to listen” even mean?
Having endured Zhao Kuangzhi’s rambling nonsense, Yan Tongshu’s patience had run dry. “Fine. Aside from Zhou Hui, do you have any other evidence?”
Zhao Kuangzhi, still reeling from Yan Tongshu’s unorthodox move, sputtered in anger. “Lord Yan, a trial is no laughing matter! How can you simply refuse to listen?”
Yan Tongshu said impatiently, “So do you have any other evidence or not?”
Zhao Kuangzhi’s mouth twitched violently. “Yes—there is Lady Qing’s own son, Chen Jiangge, as a witness. When Lady Qing secretly ate roast chicken at home, Chen Jiangge saw her. She then told him the reason. The two of them spent those fifty taels together.”
Zhao Kuangzhi said, brimming with confidence. “Lord Yan, Chen Jiangge is Lady Qing’s own flesh and blood. Since ancient times, no son has ever falsely accused his own mother.”
Zhao Kuangzhi shot Granny Chen a look. Granny Chen nudged the Chen Jiangge in her arms, urging him to speak.
Yan Tongshu raised a hand. “Enough. I already know what Chen Jiangge is about to say. No need to say it. I’m tired of listening. Let me just ask one thing—the banknotes you gave Lady Qing and the ones you gave Granny Chen—which money house were they drawn from?”
Zhao Kuangzhi: “Jufeng Money House.”
Yan Tongshu: “That’s all. I have what I need.”
Yan Tongshu wore a look of weary indifference, and many were confused. But Chen Jiangge grew anxious, wrenching free of Granny Chen’s grasp and dashing to the front of the court, crying out, “No, Lord Yan, you must hear me out. What I have to say is not what Lawyer Zhao and the others said.”
Now that was different.
Yan Tongshu’s interest was piqued. “Go on, then.”
Chen Jiangge broke free of Granny Chen’s hold, ran to Lady Qing’s side, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Lord Yan, my father never gave my mother any money! I never saw her sneak food, and I never ate with her. I went home with them only to see what they were up to.
They bought me lots of roast chicken, gave me lots of money, bought me fancy clothes, and said they would send me to school later. They wanted me to give false testimony—to frame my own mother.”
Chen Jiangge was only six years old. His voice was young and tender, yet every word rang out clear and strong, heard by all inside and outside the courtroom.
Yan Tongshu had prepared for every possibility—except this one. The variable named Chen Jiangge had never crossed her mind.
Lady Qing stood frozen for a long time. Only when Chen Jiangge reached out and hugged her, tears streaming down his face, did she sink down, clutching him tightly. “Good son. My good son. Your mother was right to love you. You have a conscience—unlike those white-eyed wolves in the Chen family.”
Hearing that, Granny Chen swayed as if she might collapse.
Li Fulin was so moved by this that he could no longer stay seated, and declared in a loud voice: "Lawyer Zhao is right. How could there be a child of one's own flesh and blood who would wrong their own mother? If such a person exists, then they are worse than beasts! Likewise, there is no case of a son slandering his own father! In this world, justice lies in the hearts of the people!"
The words Zhao Kuangzhi had spoken came back like a boomerang, striking him squarely between the eyes.
Chen Sizhen tugged desperately at Zhao Kuangzhi, thoroughly panicked now: "Lawyer Zhao, think of something, quickly. We paid you a hefty sum to stand here and gawk, not to freeze up!"
Zhao Kuangzhi steeled himself and spoke up: "Lord Yan, Chen Jiangge is only six years old. Boys of that age are the easiest to manipulate. His testimony cannot be trusted."
Yan Tongshu did not refute Zhao Kuangzhi's words. Instead, he went along with him and said: "In this court, I value confessions, but I value evidence even more. A single confession has never been the sole reason for my verdicts."
Chen Sizhen was overjoyed upon hearing this, believing that Yan Tongshu's words meant he would not accept Chen Jiangge's testimony.
Zhao Kuangzhi, however, was not so optimistic: "What does Your Honor mean?"
Yan Tongshu's originally gentle face turned completely cold: "What I mean is this—the show you, Lawyer Zhao, and Consort Chen have put on has gone on long enough. I have watched enough. Now it is time to wrap things up."
Princess Tijia gripped the armrest of her chair tightly, her expression tense.
Wang Tuwei's right hand rested on the sword at his waist.
Meng Zheng stepped half a pace forward with his right foot, his toe pointed in Wang Tuwei's direction, on guard against any sudden move from him.
Yan Tongshu's voice was crisp and clear: "Assistant Magistrate Zhang, you will conclude this case."
Zhang Jiu rose to his feet and bowed: "Yes, Lord Yan."
Zhang Jiu picked up a ledger from the table and walked to the front of the hall. He lowered his eyes slightly, his jade-like hand flipping through the pages as he spoke: "Consort Chen, earlier, in this courtroom, in the presence of Lord Yan and myself, you stated that on two occasions—five years ago and three years ago—you had sent bank drafts to Lady Qing and Granny Chen through others. All of those bank drafts came from Ju Feng Money House. The ledger in my hand is the account book of Ju Feng Money House."
Chen Sizhen and Zhao Kuangzhi both craned their necks forward at the same time.
Zhang Jiu raised his head, his eyes as cold as ice: "All money belonging to the Princess Estate is kept in only two of the largest money houses in this dynasty—Ju Feng Money House and Hui An Money House. Princess Tijia's personal expenses pass through Hui An Money House. All other expenditures of the Princess Estate pass through Ju Feng Money House.
The Consort receives his monthly stipend from the Princess Estate, so all the bank drafts he received are from Ju Feng Money House. Therefore, after the first hearing concluded, Lord Yan dispatched me to Ju Feng Money House to retrieve the past seven years of account books. So no matter who has tampered with the accounts at Ju Feng Money House since then, they can never change the original data in my hands."
Zhao Kuangzhi reached out to grab the ledger, and Zhang Jiu allowed him to.
What he held was a copy of the detailed account records of Chen Sizhen's transactions over the past seven years.
Zhang Jiu's voice was as heavy as ice: "According to the account books of Ju Feng Money House, all of Consort Chen's expenditures are clearly recorded. Every single entry matches up. There are no transactions beyond food, clothing, housing, and travel. The Princess, having been deceived by her former consort, kept extremely tight control over Consort Chen. She did not allow the Consort to have money, and in the earlier years, did not give him a single coin of pocket money.
It was only in the past two years, after Little Junjun was born, that the Princess began giving Consort Chen ten taels of silver per month. All of Consort Chen's expenditures at the study, silk shops, jade stores, restaurants, and so on were charged to the Princess Estate's account and settled at the end of each month. With ten taels of pocket money each month for two years—if he spent not a single coin—that would only amount to two hundred and forty taels. He gave two hundred taels to Lady Qing. That leaves only forty taels. Subtract the various small expenses Consort Chen incurred in the capital..."
Zhao Kuangzhi flipped through the ledger hastily and struggled to argue: "Consort Chen might also have gotten money from the Princess, or secretly sold items belonging to the Princess Estate..."
Zhang Jiu gave him a calm glance and produced a second piece of evidence: "These are the testimonies and evidence I sent people to gather in Jiangzhou. Jiangzhou is far from the capital. The capital's money houses are dominated by Hui An and Ju Feng. But Jiangzhou is a small place, and its money houses have a distinctly local character.
Most of the money houses in Jiangzhou belong to Nan Jin Money House, especially in Chen Family Village, where Nan Jin is the only money house in the vicinity. Hui An and Ju Feng only have one or two branches within the center of Jiangzhou City. For cashing large-denomination bank drafts of one hundred taels or fifty taels, the only money house near Chen Family Village is Nan Jin. This is the account book from Nan Jin Money House."
Zhang Jiu hurled the ledger onto Chen Sizhen: "You dared to bribe witnesses and forge evidence, claiming you had sent money to Granny Chen. But you would not dare to claim that Granny Chen lost the hundred-tael bank draft, or that it was stolen. Because the law states that unless Granny Chen actually spent that money, Consort Chen cannot escape the charge of abandoning his family. So Granny Chen absolutely had to spend that money. But in order to spend it, the draft had to be cashed. And cashing it required going to a money house.
Lord Yan once said that money is not like water—water leaves no trace, but money always leaves a trail. Lawyer Zhao just said himself that Granny Chen cashed the draft shortly after receiving it. Yet the Nan Jin Money House nearest to Chen Family Village has no record of any large-denomination cash transactions in the past three years."
Zhao Kuangzhi lunged at Chen Sizhen, snatched the ledger, and rifled through it frantically: "How, how is this possible?"
Zhao Kuangzhi struggled to argue: "What about other money houses? Perhaps she went to a farther one."
"True, but the standard of living does not lie." Zhang Jiu produced yet another thick stack of testimonies: "These are the statements of over half the villagers from Chen Family Village, Consort Chen's hometown. Consort Chen was once the beneficiary of great generosity from his clan, and he promised to repay them. He said that after he became wealthy, he would return to the village to build a school so that more children could study. But for seven years, there has been no word from him at all."
Zhang Jiu brought out another stack: "These are the statements of Consort Chen's maternal uncle, his uncle-in-law, his second uncle, his second aunt, and others. They live next door to the Chen family and know best the circumstances of their household. They personally confirmed the hardships the Chen family has suffered over these years. Six years ago, Chen Yingge fell ill with a fever that burned for three days and nearly killed her. They had no money for medicine, and Lady Qing went door to door, kneeling to borrow money."
Zhang Jiu: "These several statements are from the neighbors of Lady Qing's parents' family. Four years ago, the year Consort Chen claimed Lady Qing had squandered fifty taels of silver, Lady Qing was harassed by a bachelor in the village. She took Granny Chen and her two children and fled to live in the pigsty shed at her parents' house. To earn money for food, she carried cargo for other people and lost at least twenty jin. If she had money to secretly squander, could she have lost twenty jin?"
Zhang Jiu: "This stack is from five years ago, during the great cold. Granny Chen almost froze to death, and Chen Yingge went out to sell herself to get grain for the family. She was discovered by Lady Qing's younger brother, who pulled her back home. Many villagers witnessed it and could only sigh at how pitiful it was..."
Zhang Jiu: "This stack is from three years ago. Lady Qing went out to sell her sesame cakes, encountered some thugs, and broke her leg in the ensuing struggle. Granny Chen also injured her back. Lady Qing kneaded dough and made sesame cakes while leaning on a crutch, while Granny Chen lay on the bed, unable to move, at death's door. The two children went out at dawn and returned at dusk, carrying sesame cakes to sell. When they finally made some money, they were robbed by thugs, and the children were beaten black and blue."
Zhang Jiu raised his hand and swept, flinging stack after stack of testimonies into the faces of Zhao Kuangzhi and Chen Sizhen, falling like snowflakes.
He roared in fury: "Evidence is not something you can fabricate by having one or two people say this and that. It requires corroboration at every level. Take these confessions—each one is mutually corroborated. An entire village can attest to what happened over these seven years. One or two people can lie, but the testimony of an entire village cannot. Likewise, testimony must be supported by physical evidence. This..."
Zhang Jiu opened the chest that had been sitting at the feet of the co-assessor: "This is a complete inventory of the Chen household's current assets, along with seven years of expenditure records. The expenses all check out. Lady Qing's current residence and the Chens' old home—I had my men dig both places up to the foundation. Everything found between the two sites combined is worth less than one tael of silver.
Tell me—if Granny Chen and Lady Qing truly had money, would they have watched themselves starve to death, watched their children get beaten, and done nothing?"
Zhao Kuangzhi collapsed to his knees, the testimony papers covered in red fingerprints clutched tightly in his hands, his eyes vacant as he muttered: "How is this possible? How could you have found this much? How is it this detailed? It can't be..."
Chen Sizhen's face was ashen, his hands desperately clutching the hem of Princess Tijia's robe, his voice trembling: "Your Highness, save me, save me..."
Li Fulin bent down and picked up the scattered testimony to examine it closely.
Zhang Jiu gave a cold snort: "What's so impossible about it? You kept stalling the case, dragging it out again and again. You thought you were buying yourself time to fabricate evidence and weave lies. But you never realized—it was exactly the opposite. You were just giving the Kaifeng Prefecture more time to solidify the evidence."
"Impossible. That's impossible! It can't be!"
Zhao Kuangzhi staggered to his feet, his composure utterly shattered, screaming: "You set a trap for me on purpose!"
Yan Tongshu's brows were frostbound, her voice ice-cold: "A trap? Do you even deserve one?"
She rose slowly, her gaze like a blade. "Zhao Kuangzhi, in the two previous hearings, I repeatedly reminded you that courtroom trials hinge on evidence, not public sentiment. And legal judgments do not change because of public opinion or sympathy.
It was you who refused to listen, who thought yourself clever—believing that with your sophistry, with those base tricks, you could stir public sympathy, forge evidence, bribe witnesses, and turn black into white.
It was you who were short-sighted, narrow-minded, seeing only what was right in front of your nose, with no grasp of the bigger picture. You hopped around like a clown on a stage, ignoring my warnings, stubbornly going your own way."
Yan Tongshu: "Guards!"
The gavel slammed down with a resounding crack!
Two constables stepped forward: "At your command."
Yan Tongshu said coldly: "Zhao Kuangzhi bribed witnesses, fabricated evidence, and distorted the truth—a grave violation of the fundamental professional ethics of a barrister."
Yan Tongshu drew a black-headed verdict token and hurled it to the floor: "Drag him out. Twenty strokes of the cane. Revoke his barrister's license."
Constables: "Yes, sir."
