usatvline Chapter 250 Court Hearing
Chapter 250 Court Hearing
Chapter 250, 250 Courtroom Trial
With a loud "bang," the gavel made the kneeling people below tremble. Especially the matchmaker, Madam She, was so frightened that she fell to the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"My lord... I, I do not know what crime I have committed..." However, although she was afraid, she kept her mouth shut.
With another loud "bang," Feng Ling roared, "What crime have you committed? The corpse is right there, and you still dare to argue! Wang Bao, repeat what you said on the mountain!"
Wang Bao looked up at the matchmaker and recounted in detail how Master Zhao had taken a liking to Xue Ling, how he had conspired with the matchmaker to lure Xue Ling to another courtyard, how Xue Ling had resisted to the death, and how Master Zhao had cruelly murdered Xue Ling and drowned her body in the pond.
Wang Shusheng only knew that his wife was dead, but he was unaware of the complicated process that had taken place. Thinking of his wife struggling to survive in the hands of these villains, he was so angry that he trembled all over and his eyes turned bloodshot. If Ye Lingyue hadn't stopped him, he probably would have pounced on the matchmaker and torn her to pieces.
After hearing Wang Bao's words, the matchmaker cried out, "Your Honor, I'm innocent! It was all that Zhao Yuanwai's idea. He's the one who killed the girl. He forced me to sink the girl's body to the bottom of the lake. He said that if I didn't do as he said, he would kill my whole family. I had no choice..."
Since Master Zhao was already dead, and she couldn't come out to refute her, Madam She simply shifted all the blame onto Master Zhao.
"Forced by him?" Feng Ling sneered. "Do you think I'm a fool? Guards, bring Li Shi to the court!"
At Feng Ling's command, a moment later, a woman in gray was brought into the courtroom and knelt before Feng Ling. Upon seeing the woman, the matchmaker, Madam She, changed her expression, realizing something was wrong.
Who is kneeling below the hall?
The woman in gray, surnamed Li, replied, "I am Li, the owner of 'Li Jinbu Shop' in the West Market. I pay my respects to Your Excellency."
Feng Ling asked, "Do you recognize the person kneeling next to you?"
Li said tremblingly, "I recognize her. Her name is She Yao'er. She's a matchmaker who specializes in abducting women. She's been doing this for five years. At first, she only sold people to brothels, but then she realized that this wasn't profitable enough, so she bought an empty house outside the city to use exclusively for prostitution. Initially, she lured women passing through the capital to her house. Later, she found that it was difficult to abduct ordinary people, so she went to the West Market to find a woman, gave her a lot of money, and asked her to cooperate with her. If there were girls from out of town, she would lure them into the hall under the pretense of looking at cloth, and then... she would drug them and take them to her other house..."
Li couldn't continue speaking at this point, and the matchmaker, hearing this, quickly shouted:
"Nonsense! Your Honor, this woman is surely slandering me. Please investigate thoroughly!"
"Silence!" Feng Ling slammed his gavel again and shouted, "Did I give you permission to speak?"
The matchmaker trembled and could only kneel there with her head bowed, her eyes filled with resentment.
"Mrs. Li, fifteen days ago, Mrs. She and Master Zhao drugged a woman and took her away from your shop, is that right?" Feng Ling asked.
Li said in a trembling voice, "Yes, yes..."
Upon hearing this, Wang Shusheng could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down his face.
"Is Wang Hengzhi here?" Feng Ling asked.
Wang Hengzhi was indeed the name of that scholar Wang. Hearing Feng Ling call his name, he stepped forward with difficulty, restraining himself from looking at the corpse placed in front of him, knelt down, and said in a hoarse voice:
"This humble citizen, Wang Hengzhi, greets Your Excellency."
Seeing the grief on his face, yet his forced composure, Feng Ling sighed deeply and asked softly:
"Fifteen days ago, you reported to the Shuntian Prefecture that your wife had gone missing in the West Market. Before she disappeared, she went to a cloth shop. Now take a look at the person next to you. Is he the owner of that cloth shop?"
Wang Shusheng clenched his fist and said, "It's her."
“During our investigation, we found a female corpse outside the city. The corpse was submerged in water for a long time and its appearance was unrecognizable. Come up and take a look, see if she is your wife,” Feng Ling said.
Wang Shusheng dragged his heavy steps to his feet and walked step by step to the female corpse. The coroner lifted the white cloth for him, revealing the female corpse's appearance.
The female corpse was swollen and rotting from being submerged in water for a long time, emitting a foul odor. Upon seeing the corpse, Wang Shusheng immediately knelt down, tears streaming down his face.
No matter what his beloved person looks like, even if they only have one hand or foot, he can recognize them at a glance.
This is his wife, the wife who accompanied him through his nightly studies, who added fragrance to his wine, and who shared his joys and sorrows with him!
Why! Why did such a tragedy happen to him! It was just a turn of the head, but when they met again, they were separated by death. Why did God treat this couple like this?
He wailed endlessly in his heart, but he would never get an answer.
Although Wang Shusheng didn't speak, his reaction confirmed the woman's identity. Feng Ling frowned, slammed his gavel, and said to the matchmaker, "You sinner, Madam She, you ran a brothel in the suburbs, using various means to persecute respectable women and force them to have sex with others—that's one crime. A woman refused to submit to you in order to maintain her chastity, so you and Zhao Chengde murdered her and dumped her body at the bottom of the lake in an attempt to destroy the evidence—that's a second crime! The evidence against you for both crimes is conclusive. What else do you have to say?"
The matchmaker knew she was guilty and couldn't escape punishment, but for some reason, she still stubbornly persisted: "Sir, I know I'm involved in that girl's death, but the idea of running a brothel is absolutely unique! That villa was the private property of that Master Zhao, and I only led that girl there from beginning to end; there was no one else!"
"You scoundrel!" Feng Ling roared. "Do you think I'm blind? What about the woman I rescued in that courtyard? How do you explain that?"
"Those are all hidden there by Master Zhao. Who in the capital doesn't know Master Zhao's evil deeds? He has nine concubines in his household, yet he still goes around searching for beautiful women. He's worse than a beast!" the matchmaker said.
Feng Ling narrowed her eyes and looked at Wang Bao: "Wang Bao, is what she said true?"
Wang Bao's back was already soaked with cold sweat. He said, "That...that villa...is indeed our master's private property..." Under Feng Ling's scrutinizing gaze, Wang Bao recklessly said:
"However, this woman is not under the command of our master! She often deals with brothels and has been involved in the buying and selling of women countless times. Her background is definitely not clean! Moreover, the scholar's wife was not chosen by our master first. It was Li and She who saw that she was beautiful and had a foreign accent. They drugged her and then informed our master!"
Upon hearing this, the matchmaker shouted venomously at Wang Bao, "You're spouting nonsense! Sir, this despicable man killed Master Zhao on the mountain just now using some unknown method. You can't believe his words!"
None of these men were innocent, yet none were willing to confess first. With the courtroom nearly spiraling out of control, Feng Ling had no choice but to pound the gavel again to quell the commotion. Just then, a constable came to report:
"Sir, there is a woman outside who claims to be able to testify in court."
Feng Ling was overjoyed and immediately said, "Summon her in!"