Chapter 23: Turning the Tables
A beauty like a poisonous flower, deadly even in her smiles.
Chen Zhao felt his legs weaken, realizing Jiang Ruan's gentle words had already laid countless traps—no matter how he answered, it would be wrong. From the very beginning, he had lost.
Qian Wanli wasn't faring much better than Chen Zhao. Jiang Ruan's dismantling of their case made it impossible to proceed with the trial. Though Qian Wanli had taken bribes, he had always maintained a flawless facade. Today's predicament, however, was beyond his expectations, especially with Lord Wang watching from the side. If he favored Chen Zhao, it would be hard to justify to the public, and he had no idea what Lord Wang was thinking. If he sided with Jiang Ruan, he’d have to return the silver he’d taken from Chen Zhao—something he was unwilling to do. Moreover, he still hoped to squeeze more out of Jiang Quan. The fat meat in his hands couldn’t just slip away. But how could he find a solution that pleased both sides?
Yet reality gave Qian Wanli no time to ponder. Within moments, the sound of a drum echoed from outside, reaching everyone’s ears. Li Mi entered and clasped his hands toward Qian Wanli. "My lord, someone is beating the grievance drum outside."
The grievance drum—no one on East Street had done such a thing in a long time. Everyone knew what kind of place the yamen was. For those with real grievances, silver worked far better than beating a drum. Without money, even pounding the drum for a year wouldn’t earn a single glance, and one might even end up thrown into prison.
Qian Wanli was stunned. "Who is beating the drum?" He glanced at Lord Wang for instructions. "My lord, what do you think?"
"Bring them in," Lord Wang snorted coldly, the sound striking fear into Qian Wanli’s heart.
The person was quickly brought in—a young woman dressed as a maid, who knelt as soon as she entered the hall.
"Who are you? What is your grievance?" Before Qian Wanli could speak, Lord Wang took the lead. Qian Wanli didn’t dare interrupt, inwardly lamenting that Lord Wang had firmly inserted himself into the case. There was no refusing him—this Imperial Censor Wang was a favorite of the emperor, notorious for his relentless memorials. Like a stubborn, unyielding rock, officials who fell under his scrutiny never met a good end. To the officials, he was nothing short of a plague god. Now that this plague god had spoken, Qian Wanli couldn’t afford to slack off. Silver was good, but keeping his official hat came first. He resolved then to abandon Chen Zhao’s bribe and forget about Jiang Quan’s potential payoff. With Imperial Censor Wang present, he would play the role of a just and righteous magistrate.
With this in mind, Qian Wanli spoke kindly, "State your grievance truthfully. This official and His Lordship will see justice done for you."
The crowd outside burst into laughter. Qian Wanli’s words were laughable—a notoriously corrupt official solemnly pledging justice was nothing but a farce. Chen Zhao stared at Qian Wanli in shock, a sudden wave of panic rising in his chest. Things weren’t unfolding as he’d imagined. Qian Wanli’s ambiguous stance was dangerous—what if he switched sides at the critical moment?
The maid kowtowed respectfully. "Thank you, my lords, for hearing this lowly servant’s plea. I am not here for myself, but for Miss Jiang. I am the head maid of the Jiang family’s estate, and I can testify that it was not Miss Jiang who killed Chunying—it was him, Chen Zhao!"She raised her head, revealing a familiar face—it was Qiu Yan.
"Qiu Yan... What—what nonsense are you saying?" After the initial panic, Chen Zhao was filled with disbelief. No matter what, Qiu Yan should have been on his side. There was no reason for her to side with Jiang Ruan. Why would she come forward to testify against him now?
"This servant is not lying," Qiu Yan didn’t even glance at Chen Zhao. "This servant and Chunying were both senior maids in the estate, living together most of the time. That day, this servant went out to buy something. When I returned, I heard strange noises from inside the room. Too afraid to enter, I peeked through a small hole in the window and saw Chen Zhao pinning Chunying to the ground, covering her mouth and nose. By then, Chunying had already stopped struggling. This servant was terrified and fled, afraid he would discover me. Afterward, I didn’t dare mention it to anyone. But yesterday, when I learned the young lady had been arrested and thrown into prison, I—though a coward—couldn’t stand by and watch an innocent person take the blame for this monster. After much deliberation, I decided to come forward as a witness."
"You damned wretch, what lies are you spouting? How much did Jiang Ruan pay you to slander my son? The honorable magistrate is just and will see who’s lying! Watch yourself—once you’re out of prison, I’ll tear your mouth apart, you little whore!" A familiar voice suddenly erupted from the crowd—Zhang Lan. At first, seeing Chen Zhao’s smooth progress, she had been complacent. But when Jiang Ruan began speaking, she grew anxious. Now, with Qiu Yan interfering, Zhang Lan sensed danger and, disregarding the setting, began screeching like a shrew.
Such vulgar language displeased Qian Wanli, and beside him, Imperial Censor Wang frowned. Qian Wanli struck the gavel. "Silence!" Once order was restored, he asked Qiu Yan, "Do you have any evidence to support your claims?"
Jiang Ruan gave a soft laugh, her voice clear in the quiet courtroom, like a gentle breeze soothing the heart. As all eyes turned to her, she spoke slowly, "Your Honor need not assume Qiu Yan is speaking for my sake. Everyone in the estate knows that, apart from Zisu and Lianqiao, none of the maids were particularly close to us."
Her smiling gaze rested on Qiu Yan. "I, too, was surprised that Qiu Yan was willing to testify for me."
Qiu Yan avoided her eyes. "This servant... this servant simply didn’t want to betray my conscience."
"You’re lying!" Chen Zhao roared. "You’re clearly spouting nonsense! You’ve conspired with her to frame me!"
"How amusing." Jiang Ruan arched a brow at him. "I spent the entire day in prison, with no chance to communicate with Qiu Yan. Unless you mean we planned this beforehand? But how could we have known you’d bring officers to arrest me yesterday? Am I some kind of Malevolent spirit?"
Chen Zhao stared at that exquisitely beautiful face—her eyes shimmering like spring water, yet luring one into a trap; her lips full as flower petals, yet always spitting venom. Enchanting as a Malevolent spirit, yet with hidden killing intent—not a fairy, but a demoness; not a beauty, but a viper.
A flicker of terror passed through Chen Zhao’s heart. It was as if she had transformed from a delicate beauty into a terrifying monster, exuding nothing but ominous energy."This servant can also testify for Miss Jiang. It was not Miss Jiang who committed the murder!" Another voice chimed in at the right moment.
(End of Chapter)
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