She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 246 - 245: Two Courtrooms Questioning the Case

Chapter 246: Chapter 245: Two Courtrooms Questioning the Case

Zhang Yue’s words were not yet finished when some of the plaintiffs’ faces changed, and whispers began to spread, with some standing restlessly.

"Bring in the suspect!" Magistrate Sir slammed the gavel and bellowed, restoring calm to the once noisy hall.

Then, the government officials threw in a few people who had been crying for justice in front of the yamen yesterday but were absent from the plaintiff’s ranks today, their hands bound.

Having their gags removed by the government officials, the detainees needed no interrogation before they began confessing one after another when and where they spoke, what they said, how much silver they received, and what they needed to do or say in front of the county government office, explaining everything in detail.

This also included where the silver taels they received had gone, whether they had spent it, stashed it somewhere, or handed it to someone else.

The magistrate, whose face grew darker with each confession, ordered the constable, "Send men to the locations specified by the criminals and recover the tainted silver. If anyone is hiding it and refuses to hand it over, apprehend them as well."

While Zhang Yue directed his subordinates to handle their respective tasks, Jiang Yifan addressed the crowd of plaintiffs, "All you fathers and elders came here to the yamen crying for justice, and the family members who were supposed to advocate for you are now detained. According to the investigations by the government officials, all the detainees are local hooligans and bullies who have long been causing trouble in the community."

The plaintiffs looked at each other, starting to get unsettled. Wasn’t it just a matter of coming here to make some noise for a few days to earn some silver? Why did it seem like things were not going the right way?

Some began to ponder whether it would be possible to withdraw their lawsuits and drop the charges now? As for those in jail, spending a few more days there would mean a few more days of peace at home, wouldn’t it?

"If any of you plaintiffs have objections to the investigations of the government officials, the yamen can summon the real victims to testify. However..." Jiang Yifan paused, his piercing gaze sweeping over the crowd before continuing, "However, if the real victims are summoned, the yamen will treat the endangerment of the community as a separate case to be adjudicated, and if the allegations turn out to be true, both the detained and those who made false accusations will be dealt with according to the law, and they cannot avoid a period of hard labor."

Most had already been intimidated, but a few still felt indignant. When the terms ’real victims’ and ’those who made false accusations’ were mentioned, hesitation showed on their faces.

"We will now begin the trial of yesterday’s case where a small eatery was framed, with the plaintiffs presenting their grievances in the order they filed their petitions yesterday. The first to testify should explain what the criminals did at the small eatery. The food at the eatery is quite expensive, so if the criminals patronized the place, speak to the financial capacity of their households and where the silver they spent came from. Come, one by one."

Sitting to one side of the hall, Zhang Yue received a signal from Jiang Yifan and began the questioning.

Faced with the sequence of events they had just witnessed, the families of the hooligans, who were already doubtful, were beating drums in their hearts. How could they clearly explain how the families of the hooligans could afford to frequent a small eatery? They couldn’t very well admit that the silver was given to them; wouldn’t that confirm the fact that they were bribed to disrupt the proceedings?

For a moment, as the plaintiffs who had been ordered by sequence and discipline began to push and shove one another, nobody was willing to step forward first. The large hall of the county government office became filled with a raucous din.

With a loud "snap," Jiang Yifan forcefully slammed the gavel and shouted, "How dare you!"

The water and fire sticks of the government officials were struck in unison, accompanied by the officers’ resounding chants of authority, and the noise came to an immediate halt.

Jiang Yifan said sternly, "Impudent scoundrels, you do not restrain the wrongdoers in your family and instead take the opportunity to gain benefits. You even dare to come here and join in the chaos, what are your intentions?"

One of the more faint-hearted among them bent his knees and fell to the ground. When one person knelt, a large number followed, creating a wave of kneelers.

"Please, your honor, forgive us," "Please show your great mercy," the pleas unceasingly erupted, causing another round of clamor.

The gavel struck once more, and Zhang Yue bellowed, "What is this ruckus? Continue disturbing the peace and you will all be tied up, and we shall search your houses for tainted silver and charge you with crimes! Stand properly, speak quickly if you have grievances; if not, all of you should leave. Cease your clamor in the court, and stop disrupting the Yamen’s work!"

Upon hearing that leaving was allowed if they admitted to having no grievances, and with no threats of having their homes searched for tainted silver, the scores of plaintiffs immediately kowtowed, crying out ’Thank you, Magistrate Sir, for your grace,’ before shuffling back on their knees a few steps, then scrambling up and running through the gaps in the crowd outside the Yamen.

In the blink of an eye, the group that was so emotionally charged just yesterday had left the county government office’s main hall entirely clean, leaving only the officials and government officials planning to proceed with the court session.

Jiang Yifan watched the government officials disperse the onlookers, shook his head slightly, and said to Zhang Yue, "Bring that gentleman from the Liang family to the second hall for interrogation." With that, he stepped away from the desk and walked toward the back, to the second hall of the Yamen.

The gatekeeping government official opened a small door behind the main hall, and there, slumped on a chair next to the door, was Liang Qiyuan, bound tightly and gagged with a piece of hemp in his mouth, flanked by two officials.

At this moment, Liang Qiyuan, who, in a single night, had completely lost his previous arrogance and pride, wore a haggard face filled with panic and helplessness.

Last night, he was captured by the officials and thrown into a dark, damp cell. Until the morning, not a single person had come to speak to him or inform him why he had ended up in such a state.

He had fiercely thought about how, once his brother-in-law got him out, he would trip up Jiang Yifan, cause trouble for him so he would be dismissed from his post like the previous Magistrate, and shamefully kicked out of Qingyuan County, never to return to an official career.

But when the officials gagged him again, bound him, and brought him to the small room next to the main hall to hear the interrogation, Liang Qiyuan panicked. If he were truly charged with assaulting the Yamen, that would be an undeniable act of rebellion. Rebellion could be of varying degrees, but openly assembling a mob to attack a court was a major crime.

The second hall was more than half the size of the main hall for interrogations, where Jiang Yifan sat with a stern face in the seat of honor, flanked by the Chief Registrar and the Commander of the County Yamen, with two clerical officers holding pens behind a desk, ready to record the proceedings.

As soon as Liang Qiyuan entered the room, he was pushed to the floor by two escorting officials, and made to kneel.

Jiang Yifan’s cold voice inquired, "Liang Qiyuan, did you understand the interrogation in the main hall just now?"

By this time, the piece of hemp had been removed from Liang Qiyuan’s mouth. He looked up, his face ashen, at the Magistrate, who once spoke with a light touch and courteous air but now bore a gloomy expression and eyes sharp as blades. His lips trembling, he found himself unable to utter a word.

Jiang Yifan asked again, "Your silence, is it a refusal to acknowledge the court, a defiance of the court’s laws?"

Another charge.

Frightened, Liang Qiyuan stuttered out, "The commoner doesn’t dare, does not dare. The commoner heard, heard everything."

Jiang Yifan continued, "Good that you heard. The officials and constables of the county government have already been dispatched to arrest people. It can now be confirmed that two menial workers from your household had frequent contacts with several detainees. And these two have also confessed that all the hooligans stirring up the trouble were arranged by the Liang Residence’s steward.

The situation is now straightforward, the steward from Liang Residence can be arrested immediately, we have witnesses for confrontation and, supplemented by interrogation or even torture, the details of the event can be easily clarified."

Liang Qiyuan’s face turned deathly pale as the strategy he had spent so much silver and effort planning was so easily seen through and shattered in an instant.