Liaozhai Great Sage

Chapter 56

"Listen? The trial is open, go and have a look."

"Let's go, let's see what crime our Master Li from Guobei County will be convicted of."

"I heard that Mr. Li used sorcery to make money and kill him. I don't know if it's true or not."

As the sound of being promoted to the hall sounded, there was a crowd of people outside the county government office, and they all wanted to get in to see how the case of Mr. Li would be heard.

Some people hope that Li Dafu will be safe and sound this time. Of course, some people hope that it would be better for the Li family to collapse like this. After all, the Li family has been in Guobei County for several generations, and it is inevitable that there will be jealous people.

"Come here, bring up Mistress Wang who is suing Li Dafu." In the lobby, County Magistrate Liu on the main seat suddenly said.

All the yamen servants looked at each other in blank dismay, didn't the witch Wang die yesterday?How can I go to court?

Soon, two people carried the stretcher and moved the body of Mistress Wang to the lobby.

"Look, Goddess Wang is dead?" The squires and clan elders outside the lobby were suddenly startled.

"Well, how can this dead person file a complaint? Seeing that the sorceress Wang has been dead for several days." There is also an old man with more poisonous eyesight who said; "There are already spots on the corpse. Got caught?"

"Yeah, people have been dead for several days, how could they go to the county government to sue Li Dafu."

"But I heard people say that Goddess Wang was arrested a few days ago, but she didn't die."

For a while, doubts and discussions continued.

Li Xiuyuan, who was in front of the crowd, looked calm, and just glanced at the corpse of the witch Wang.

I saw that the body of Witch Wang was covered with bruises from being beaten, and there were bruises and purple spots all over her body, as if she was beaten to death by someone alive, and the wounds were in patches, which was very strange.

"Those two ghosts are desperate enough." Li Xiuyuan thought to himself.

At this time, County Magistrate Liu suddenly shouted: "Who said that the dead cannot sue, and do you know how Goddess Wang died? I have been an official for many years, and I have never seen such a bold person who dared to sneak into the county at midnight last night. The most important witness in this case, Mistress Wang, was beaten to death inside the Yamen."

"What does this mean? It's clear that someone wants to kill someone to silence the witnesses and destroy the evidence. I suspect that this matter has something to do with the Li family. It is very likely that the Li family sent people into the county government office and killed Mistress Wang."

When everyone heard the words, there was an uproar again, and they started discussing one after another.

County Magistrate Liu snorted softly, not giving everyone a chance to discuss, and said: "Come here, pass on the son of Li Dafu, Li Xiuyuan."

"Young master, look, this." A guard came over and said with a embarrassed face.

"It's okay, let's see how County Magistrate Liu plans to slander my Li family." Li Xiuyuan waved his hand and walked out immediately.

"Son of Li Dafu, Li Xiuyuan has met the county magistrate."

He came out, with a bit of cold eyes, and calmly saluted.

County Magistrate Liu said coldly: "You are Li Xiuyuan? Let me ask you, give me an honest account, where were you at midnight last night?"

"My lord, at midnight, I'm naturally at home." Li Xiuyuan said.

"What are you doing in the mansion?" Magistrate Liu asked.

"My father was imprisoned. Naturally, I was worried about my father's affairs and stayed up all night." Li Xiuyuan said calmly.

"Sleepless? Hmph, can someone prove it?" County Magistrate Liu hummed softly.

At this time, Tieshan outside the lobby hurriedly shouted: "I can prove that the young master sat in the lobby of the Li family last night and never went out for half a step."

"Never going out for half a step does not mean that Li Xiuyuan will not order his servants to do things. You are a servant of the Li family, and your words cannot be trusted. Now I suspect that you sent the servants of the family to murder the life of Goddess Wang overnight and kill the case. The most important witness, Li Xiuyuan, can you plead guilty?" Magistrate Liu stared at Li Xiuyuan and said.

Unexpectedly, the so-called public trial of County Magistrate Liu did not try Li Dafu, but instead rushed to Li Xiuyuan.

Take down Li Dafu and sentence Li Xiuyuan to a felony, this is to kill everyone.

Li Xiuyuan smiled lightly: "Just relying on Liu County Magistrate's empty words to convict, isn't Liu County Magistrate suspected of turning black and white and wronging good people?"

"You, Li Xiuyuan, are considered a good person? Don't think that I don't know what you have done. Since you don't plead guilty, it doesn't matter. Come and bring Wang Chuan, the guard who kept watch at night yesterday." Magistrate Liu said again.

After a while, an officer named Wang Chuan knelt down in the lobby.

"Little Wang Chuan, I greet you, my lord."

"Wang Chuan, I want to ask you, did you hear and see what happened in the house of Madam Wang when you were on vigil yesterday?" County Magistrate Liu asked.

Wang Chuan tremblingly said: "My lord, when I was on duty last night, I heard the sound of fighting and screaming in the room of the Witch Wang, but when I arrived, I saw two people. A masked man rushed out of Mistress Wang's room, the two masked men in black ignored the young one and left quickly, but when the young one arrived, she saw that Mistress Wang had died suddenly Inside."

"By the way, my lord, when the little one came, I vaguely heard a man in black shouting something."

"What? Tell me in detail." Magistrate Liu asked.

Wang Chuan trembled all over, and tremblingly said: "The man in black said: The matter has been completed, hurry up and report to the young master."

"Young master? Are you sure that the man in black said something about you?" County Magistrate Liu asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." Wang Chuan lay on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

Immediately, the country gentry and clan elders outside the lobby were startled again, and all looked at Li Xiuyuan in unison.

"No, no way, Li Xiuyuan really bought the murderer to kill Goddess Wang?"

"Sending people to kill Mistress Wang overnight is to prevent today's public trial. It seems that Li Dafu's charges are true."

"It's really true that you know people, face, and heart. I didn't expect the young master of the Li family to do such a cruel thing. Hey, I still can't believe it."

"Yesterday, I saw some signs that something was wrong. I heard that the Hei San who was working in the yamen was cut off by Han Meng of the Li Family Security Company, and a hamstring was broken. Although the Hei San is a famous man in Guobei County The local ruffian, but Hei San didn't do anything outrageous, this Li Xiuyuan's attack was too ruthless."

All of a sudden, people's hearts changed.

The country gentry who supported Li Xiuyuan before, the elders of the clan immediately fell to one side, thinking that Li Xiuyuan was the murderer who ordered his servants to kill Goddess Wang.

As soon as this charge is confirmed, as for today's defendant Li Dafu, he doesn't even need to be tried, and the charge can be found to be true.

If his son is like this, his father can be imagined.

County magistrate Liu smiled when he saw this scene.

The Li family wants to fight with him?
I have been an official for nothing all these years. Those squires and clan elders have enough status and old status, but in the end they are just a group of fools.

It's best to fool such people. With a few words, all those who support the Li family believe that the Li family is the murderer.

"Li Xiuyuan, the evidence is solid now, what else do you have to say?" County Magistrate Liu said.

"unambiguous evidence?"

Li Xiuyuan said; "The so-called conclusive evidence of County Magistrate Liu is nothing more than one-sided words of the yamen servants under your command. Why does County Magistrate Liu only believe in his subordinates and not other people's words? I can also say that Magistrate Liu deliberately put this Goddess Wang was beaten to death, and then a servant was sent to frame me and ordered me to send someone to kill Goddess Wang, so wouldn't two generations of my Li family fall into the hands of County Magistrate Liu alone?"

"Absurd, I am the county magistrate of this county. You are a mere sinner, how can you slander randomly, and your father Li Dafu has already pleaded guilty." After the county magistrate Liu finished speaking, he said: "Master, show this sinner Li Dafu's testimony."

"Yes, my lord," said the master.

Immediately walked over with a piece of testimony.

County magistrate Liu said: "Li Xiuyuan, you have to see clearly, there is your father's signature on it."

Li Xiuyuan glanced at it, and there were all his father's crimes recorded on it, and at the end there was his father's handprint.

The fingerprints are real, but the charge is false.

My father was arrested in the yamen for several days, not to mention torture, it is not difficult to forcibly press his fingerprints.

"It turns out that County Magistrate Liu has prepared everything in the past few days. I really admire, admire, but I just couldn't even get in a word."

After Li Xiuyuan finished reading it, he clapped his hands and smiled immediately: "Since that's the case, why don't you know how County Magistrate Liu will deal with my father and me?"

When Tieshan saw Li Xiuyuan stroking his palm, his eyes flashed and he retreated from the crowd.

"Huh, are you willing to plead guilty now? According to the previous sentence, the judge should sentence Li Dafu to be sent to the frontier, and give out 40 taels of silver to compensate all the victims in the county, but today's case has changed. Hurting people, killing people, committing heinous crimes, colluding with your father Li Dafu."

"So the crimes of the two are added to the same level. Today, the judge sentenced Li Dafu to seek wealth and murder with sorcery. The crime is extremely heinous. He was sentenced to be executed by Qiu Houwen. Li Xiuyuan's murder is also an unforgivable crime. He should be deprived of his fame and immediately sent to prison. Search the mansion, and all the fields, shops, and workshops under the Li family."

County Magistrate Liu looked envious, and then pronounced the verdict in a dignified manner.

(End of this chapter)