She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 262 - 261 Facing a Formal Lawsuit

Chapter 262: Chapter 261 Facing a Formal Lawsuit

Zhou Bingyi, seeing that Jinrong’s tone had softened, quickly responded, "This official understands, this official understands."

Jinrong asked, "You’ve come several times already, and must have thought about how to proceed. Tell me what you intend to do."

"Yes," Zhou Bingyi said, "This official has inquired with Lord Jiang and the government officials and clerks in the county. Although there were quite a few people making a fuss in front of the Yamen two days running, when the real trial began, these people behaved properly, and Lord Jiang handled things swiftly. After starting the trial, no one came to make trouble again. This official thinks that we can re-examine the case, take... Liang Qiyuan’s confession as the primary evidence, and then support it with other testimonies and material evidence, which would change the nature of this case."

Jinrong stared at Zhou Bingyi for a long time and then laughed, "Lord Zhou is indeed experienced. With one move you can turn this case around; your years of service in the officialdom are not in vain. So, your wife’s brother is willing to speak now?"

Zhou Bingyi said with embarrassment, "This official visited him in prison on the very first day I arrived, and he... is willing to confess."

Jinrong slightly narrowed his eyes and asked, "Did you ask him why he did this? From what I understand, neither the Qi family, Qi Ye, nor Lord Jiang have any grudges with the Liang Residence. What could Liang Qiyuan’s purpose be for spending so much effort and Silver Coin on this matter?"

Because he didn’t realize his own limitations, after being rebuffed by Qi Ye and having his face thoroughly slapped, instead of backing down and inquiring into the reasons, he grew even more ambitious and plotted to remove Jiang Yifan from his position as magistrate.

Zhou Bingyi sighed, choosing to only mention the apparent reasons and said, "My young daughter has gotten along with Lady Qi and has been a guest at the Clear Water Village’s Qi family twice. The Liang family’s mother and daughter highly disapprove of this, especially the Liang daughter, who has expressed disdain for Lady Qi on multiple occasions. This official thinks that Liang Qiyuan has had a smooth few years, grown accustomed to others’ flattery. Suddenly seeing a farmer’s family respected by my daughter, seemingly more esteemed than him, he wanted to disgrace Lady Qi, and hence, step by step, made things the way they are now."

Jinrong didn’t dwell too much on the reasons given by Zhou Bingyi, but instead suddenly asked, "I’ve heard your second daughter is currently visiting Qi Ye’s household. How comes your daughter, just visiting relatives in Qingyuan County, has gotten so close to Qi Ye?"

Zhou Bingyi felt he had made the right decision by letting his daughter stay with the Qi family, as His Highness Prince Yu was indeed paying close attention to the Qi family’s movements. He hurriedly replied, "My daughter came for a short stay last time and happened to find out that Lady Qi manages a snack shop on her own and takes care of the business. She greatly admired and looked up to her. If you’re talking about getting along, it was my granddaughter’s aspiration to become friends with Lady Qi. As for what attitude Lady Qi has towards my daughter, this official is not aware."

With Prince Yu’s Mansion having servant women from the Qi family, and being well-aware of the situation of Qi Ye, Zhou Bingyi dared not carelessly claim his daughter was on good terms with Qi Ye, and had to stick to the truth. As long as Prince Yu knew his daughter was able to stay with the Qi family and that Qi Ye didn’t reject his daughter, that was enough.

Jinrong indeed changed the subject, laughing and saying, "I heard from Lord Jiang that at the Yamen’s Second Hall, he gave Liang Qiyuan two chances to speak, both of which Liang Qiyuan refused. With the situation having escalated to this point, does your wife’s brother still think you can cover the sky with one hand and keep him out of harm’s way? Or is it that you once made him a great promise?"

"This official wouldn’t dare... he is just a fool who doesn’t know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is." Zhou Bingyi felt like covering his face in shame upon being mentioned in such a tone by Jinrong. Liang Qiyuan had to be incredibly foolish not to speak up for himself and instead dragged him into this, causing them both to lose face and suffer reprimand.

Hu Jing, seeing Zhou Bingyi’s awkwardness, spoke up to smooth things over, "Perhaps Elder Liang was just overwhelmed by the magnitude of the situation and didn’t dare speak, fearing that one wrong word could bring more charges upon him."

Jinrong snorted coldly, "You do a good job making excuses for him. How do you know that Liang Qiyuan is not just waiting for his illustrious brother-in-law to come, ensuring that he remains unscathed?"

Zhou Bingyi’s face took on an awkward hue, and Hu Jing also chuckled softly twice, lowering his head to drink tea.

Jinrong pondered for a moment before speaking, "Given that Lord Zhou has already spoken, and I too believe that Liang Qiyuan harbors no thoughts of rebellion, but people’s talk is to be feared. At the time, there was indeed a scene of numerous troublemakers clashing with the county government office. You must know, there is no flawless deed in this world. If this matter were to be dug up in the future, I, Sixth Master, would also be difficult to extricate from involvement."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Bingyi hurriedly stood up and was about to kneel again.

"Enough, speak your mind, there’s no need for such empty formalities. Even if you kneel for ten days and a half month, the situation will remain the same, without the slightest change. Stand up and speak," said Jinrong impatiently, waving his hand.

Zhou Bingyi hurriedly stood up again, "To have troubled the Sixth Master, I shall forever remember the Sixth Master’s kindness. This case is not solely about the Liang family; it occurred within the jurisdiction of Yuyuan Prefecture, which is under my governance. If it were truly judged as inciting civil unrest, I, as the brother-in-law, could not escape responsibility, and I fear my career would thus come to an end. I am truly helpless, which is why I am imploring the Sixth Master so persistently. Should the Sixth Master have any commands in the future, I will certainly do my utmost."

Zhou Bingyi was a perspicacious man; otherwise, he would not have risen to the position of prefect without any support. With the matter of Liang Qiyuan, he had run back and forth so many times that he had begun to speculate in his heart, but without having seen Prince Yu, he dared not make any conclusions.

The back-and-forth responses he had just now made him understand that in this matter, as long as Qi Ye did not insist on pursuing it, his own stance was key.

Getting Qi Ye to agree was easy, and it was not difficult to get the Qi family to soften their stance, but his own stance was rather delicate. Taking a position in front of princes often involves struggles for the throne and the Crown Prince, a matter in which one must be extremely cautious. Fortunately, the Sixth Prince only sought a leisurely position, and he had weighed his options before deciding to marry his daughter into Prince Yu’s Mansion. Compared to the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince, following the Sixth Prince felt much more stable.

Zhou Bingyi made up his mind, and after that, things were easier to manage. With Hu Jing providing prompts from the side, a discussion ensued, and Zhou Bingyi was preliminarily branded with the loyalty of Prince Yu’s Mansion, though his loyalty still awaited further testing.

Then, Hu Jing proposed his suggestion regarding the case of Liang Qiyuan.

"Lord Zhou, regarding the Liang family’s case, for the good of all, Liang Qiyuan cannot simply be let off," Hu Jing said, seeing that Zhou Bingyi was neither surprised nor disgusted, and continued, "Judging from this incident, Liang Qiyuan is not a cautious character, yet he is not content to remain uninvolved; such a person must be suppressed at all times to avoid serious trouble. Not to mention whether he would rebel, just taking his action of summoning Lady Qi to serve pastries is a disaster-waiting move. If this were in a more significant place, he would probably have been raided immediately, and even ruining his wealth might not fix the situation. If he were to show off with a few more words like ’brother-in-law,’ even Lord Zhou could end up miserably implicated without being aware."

Zhou Bingyi felt a sinking feeling in his heart, but he could not refute Hu Jing; Liang Qiyuan indeed was capable of such actions.

"According to Mr. Hu’s view, how shall Liang Qiyuan be sentenced?" Zhou Bingyi asked with some difficulty.

Hu Jing laughed, "I am merely giving Lord Zhou a heads-up so that you can be prepared. As for how the Yamen rules, it will still depend on the examination of the case. In my opinion, Liang Qiyuan should face a proper lawsuit, one without room for personal feelings."