Chapter 24: Witness
A sudden voice cut in at just the right moment, interrupting the ongoing discussions. Imperial Censor Wang waved his hand: "Bring them in!"
The speaker was escorted in by bailiffs—another maidservant, who knelt immediately upon entering. Her words came out crisp and clear: "Your Honor, I know Miss Jiang has been wrongfully accused."
"How so?" Imperial Censor Wang asked urgently.
The maid raised her head, revealing a youthful round face—it was Luzhu, who had some acquaintance with Lianqiao. She scratched her head: "On the night Chunying died, as Chen Zhao mentioned, I was carrying freshly washed clothes back from the outer courtyard and passed by Miss Jiang's residence. I heard noises from the well at the time. At first, I was terrified, but later thought it might just be a cat, so I ignored it." Luzhu paused, then added: "I originally wanted to speak with Lianqiao that night, but her room was empty. Miss Jiang wasn't in the courtyard at all—there's no way she could have thrown Chunying into the well."
No sooner had Luzhu finished speaking than another voice came from outside: "I can also testify for Miss Jiang! That day, I encountered Chen Zhao outside. He was in a great hurry, looking extremely flustered as night fell. At the time, I didn't understand why, but now it seems clear—he must have just committed murder and was trying to pin the blame on Miss Jiang!"
This time, the speaker was Xiaoyuan.
The tide seemed to have turned—all evidence now pointed to Chen Zhao. He hadn't expected so many maids to come forward accusing him all at once, leaving his mind in complete disarray. He stared at Jiang Ruan in bewilderment, unable to fathom when she could have possibly won these maids over to her side.
While Chen Zhao was thrown into confusion, Zhang Lan outside was nearly mad with anxiety, desperately trying to break through the bailiffs' barricade while hurling a stream of curses. In this life-or-death moment, she abandoned all pretense of propriety between master and servant, her coarse words dripping with insinuations against Jiang Ruan. The onlookers cast frequent glances her way, their admiration for the unflappable Miss Jiang growing by the minute.
Qian Wanli could see how things stood—today, Chen Zhao wouldn't be gaining any advantage. Whether by luck or divine intervention, Jiang Ruan had managed to snatch survival from the jaws of certain doom. He turned to Imperial Censor Wang: "Your Honor, what do you think...?"
Imperial Censor Wang waved his hand and asked, "Qiu Yan, you claim to have witnessed Chen Zhao committing murder with your own eyes. Do you have any physical evidence?"
Chen Zhao breathed a sigh of relief—he had been extremely thorough that night, confident he'd left no traces behind. Even if they investigated, they'd find nothing.
Qiu Yan nodded: "Yes!"
Chen Zhao froze. Imperial Censor Wang asked: "What evidence?"
"Your Honor, when I saw Chen Zhao strangling Chunying, she must have fought back desperately because she scratched his neck. Your Honor need only check whether there are nail marks on Chen Zhao's neck and whether there's blood under Chunying's fingernails to know the truth."
Chen Zhao's heart lurched, and he instinctively covered his neck. Without hesitation, Imperial Censor Wang gestured to several bailiffs: "Inspect him!"
Chen Zhao struggled, but his physique was no match for the burly officers. Within moments, he was subdued. Li Mi stepped forward to examine him and reported to Imperial Censor Wang: "Your Honor, there are indeed scratch marks."Imperial Censor Wang nodded and said, "Someone, go check if there are traces of blood under Chunying's nails."
Chen Zhao knew the situation was beyond redemption. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground. Soon, the examiner returned, confirming the presence of blood under Chunying's nails.
Imperial Censor Wang bellowed, "Audacious Chen Zhao! You committed murder to silence a witness, destroyed evidence, and falsely accused others—a thief crying 'stop thief'! Now, with both witnesses and material evidence present, there’s no denying your guilt. Do you confess?"
Chen Zhao frantically knelt and kowtowed, pleading, "Your Honor, spare my life! I was only momentarily confused—no, I acted in a moment of recklessness! I never intended to kill her. She threatened me, and I couldn’t bear it. I didn’t mean to do it! Your Honor, have mercy on me..."
Outside, Zhang Lan witnessed the scene and immediately fainted into the crowd, her vision going black.
Imperial Censor Wang ordered Chen Zhao to be taken away. The trial had reached such a dramatic climax that the people of East Street hadn’t seen such a thrilling case in years—the steward’s son crying "stop thief" after committing murder himself, framing the young lady. It was truly heinous.
Just when everyone thought the matter was about to conclude, an untimely sound rang out again. A bailiff came forward to report, "Your Honor, someone else has struck the grievance drum."
"What? Again?" Qian Wanli nearly jumped up. He glanced at Imperial Censor Wang, feeling even more uneasy. Today, for some reason, people kept striking the grievance drum. To Imperial Censor Wang, this could only mean lax governance, leading to so many injustices. Suppressing his displeasure, Qian Wanli solemnly declared, "Bring them forward!"
The person brought forward was another maidservant. The crowd couldn’t help but murmur—what kind of day was this, with maidservants continuously striking the grievance drum?
The maidservant knelt, and Imperial Censor Wang asked, "What is your grievance?"
She kowtowed and replied, "Your Honor, this humble servant is here to seek justice for my lady."
"Who is your lady?" Qian Wanli asked, puzzled.
"My lady is Miss Jiang," the maidservant answered.
Jiang Ruan smiled at Lianqiao, who smiled back, her eyes reddening slightly. Turning to Imperial Censor Wang, Lianqiao kowtowed again and said boldly, "Your Honor, may I ask—what should be done with servants who mistreat their master, even plotting against their life?"
Imperial Censor Wang stiffened his neck. "The state has its laws, the family its rules. Though servants fall under household discipline, the law supersedes all. Attempting to take a life is a grave crime and must be severely punished."
"Good," Lianqiao nodded. "Then, Your Honor, I am here to seek justice for my lady. I accuse Zhang Lan and her son. For six years on the estate, my lady endured harsh abuse, living worse than a servant. The Zhang family, taking advantage of my lady’s kindness, seized her property and subjected her to cruelty. In the coldest winters, she was forced to chop wood and wash clothes in freezing rivers. She ate meager meals, wore thin clothes, and slept under threadbare blankets. For six years, my lady never had a full meal or a single day of comfort. She sewed clothes and embroidered to earn money, living with rats and insects, falling ill without medicine, withering like wild grass..."Lianqiao spoke word by word, her tale moving everyone around to tears. Among the crowd, many tender-hearted women had already begun cursing Zhang Lan's family for their cruelty and pitying the poor young girl. Even Qian Wanli couldn't help but sigh—ordinary children lived far better lives than Jiang Ruan.
But Lianqiao wasn't finished yet. She raised her head and declared, "If these were the only grievances, I could only blame the injustice of heaven and earth and say no more. But murder must be repaid—even attempted murder must be punished. Chen Zhao pushed my young lady into the water, trying to kill her. Yet by sheer fortune, my lady escaped the clutches of death. I beg Your Honor to uphold justice for my lady and punish those wicked souls who harbor evil intentions!"
(End of Chapter)
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