The Heir

Сhарtеr 233: Rеversal

Тhе mаttеr оf Li Jingfu colluding with the Таrtars stirred uр the entirе Нuizhоu оvеrnight.

Тhus, earlу the next morning, a largе сrowd gаtherеd аt thе еntranсе оf thе рrefеctural yаmеn, waiting tо hear the triаl.

At the еxaсt hоur оf Сhеn, thе уamen gаtеs oреnеd. Sevеral grоuрs of yаmеn runners stоod in rows on еither side of thе еntrаncе.

The Li familу, lеd bу Old Маdаm Li, аррeаrеd at thе yаmen gatеs. Seеing thе dоors ореn, thеy straightenеd their backs and entеred the yаmen with heаds held high.

"Вring Fеng Daniu аnd Li Jingfu," the prefect declared, slamming his gavel. The crowd outside immediately fell silent. Several yamen runners took the order and went to fetch the two men. Soon after, Feng Daniu and Li Jingfu were brought before the court.

The spectators outside couldn’t help but whisper among themselves at the sight of the two. Feng Daniu looked somewhat ashen, while Li Jingfu remained remarkably composed.

"Feng Daniu, Li Jingfu, quickly confess the truth about how you colluded with the Tartars to rob and kill the merchant caravan back then," the prefect said, slamming his gavel again as the two stood before him.

"Your Honor, I am wronged. I was the victim back then, fortunate to have been rescued by the Qin family when they passed by. I cannot bear the accusation of colluding with the Tartars to rob and kill the caravan. I implore Your Honor to investigate thoroughly and not fall for the slander and false accusations of villains," Li Jingfu knelt and kowtowed, speaking with utmost sincerity.

"Nonsense! Inspector Cai of Suzhou has already confirmed that Feng Daniu was indeed involved in the collusion with the Tartars to rob and kill the caravan. A warrant was even issued for Feng Daniu’s arrest. Now, Feng Daniu was captured at your home, proving that you have long been in contact. Confess the truth now, or you will suffer the consequences," the prefect said sternly, slamming his gavel once more.

"I beg Your Honor to see clearly. I am not speaking nonsense. Feng Daniu was a horse bandit in the northern regions, and I have never had any dealings with him. To be honest, I was also surprised when Feng Daniu appeared at my home yesterday. In fact, the warrant for Feng Daniu’s arrest from the Suzhou Judicial Commissioner’s Office was issued over a month ago, yet he suddenly showed up at my home yesterday. And within just half an hour, Your Honor’s men surrounded my home and caught him red-handed. Doesn’t Your Honor find this all too coincidental?" Li Jingfu spoke according to the plan they had previously discussed.

Hearing Li Jingfu’s words, the prefect couldn’t help but frown. Before Li Jingfu said this, he hadn’t given it much thought, but now that Li Jingfu had spoken, he too found it suspicious. Such a coincidence was indeed questionable.

At that moment, the clerk on the side handed over several sheets of paper. The prefect read them, and his frown deepened.

He then turned to Feng Daniu and said, "Feng Daniu, this is the confession you gave last night when Clerk Wu questioned you. You claimed that Luo Wenqian and Li Jingfu colluded, bribed you to deliver information to the Tartars, and ultimately robbed the caravan’s goods and killed people. Do you have any evidence for all this?"

Feng Daniu remained kneeling, his expression somewhat blank. His eyes occasionally glanced toward the curtain at the side of the hall.

He was feeling uneasy. Last night, during Clerk Wu’s questioning, he had spoken according to the plan. But according to the plan, he was supposed to repeat these words in today’s court session. However, recalling what Li Jingfu and Luo Wenqian had said yesterday, he was now uncertain.

Meanwhile, inside the curtained-off area of the second hall, Wang Decai and Third Master Qin were also growing restless.Today, the two of them had no intention of appearing in this case, so they had bribed the clerk Wu to observe from behind, just as a precaution in case anything unexpected happened.

Third Master Qin had long since bribed a Tartar named Jihan. When the time came, as long as Feng Daniu acted according to plan, Jihan would be summoned to present the evidence.

In this way, the case of Luo Wenqian and Li Jingfu colluding with the Tartars could be settled. However, at this moment, Feng Daniu was clearly hesitating, causing the two of them to grow increasingly anxious.

"Speak the truth quickly, or you'll suffer the consequences!" Seeing Feng Daniu remain silent, the prefect slammed the gavel heavily once more, while the bailiffs on the side began shouting to assert the court's authority.

"His Excellency Cai, the Inspector of Suzhou Circuit in Nanjing, has arrived!" Just then, the voice of the gatekeeper announcing the arrival echoed from the entrance.

"Wow, even the Inspector has come..." The spectators outside the courtroom quickly made way, sensing that today's case had stirred up something significant.

Upon hearing of Inspector Cai's arrival, the prefect immediately rose to welcome him. He then had a chair brought for Inspector Cai to sit on and said, "Your Excellency has arrived at a most opportune time. Yesterday, I apprehended the fugitive Feng Daniu, and it has also come to light that Li Jingfu of the Li family is connected to the case of the Suzhou merchant caravan that was robbed and murdered in the northern regions years ago. I am currently conducting a detailed inquiry."

"Hmm, I have also been investigating recently and received word that Feng Daniu had arrived in Huizhou. Therefore, I came to Huizhou to discuss with Your Excellency the matter of capturing the fugitive. I did not expect that upon arriving in Huizhou today, I would hear that Your Excellency had already apprehended Feng Daniu. So, I came directly here. Since the key suspect in this case has been captured in your jurisdiction and it also involves people from Huizhou, I will leave it to Your Excellency to conduct a thorough investigation. I will simply observe from the side." Inspector Cai clasped his hands in acknowledgment.

"Very well, as Your Excellency wishes," the prefect replied. Then, both he and Inspector Cai took their seats, and the trial resumed.

"Confess now!" the prefect demanded of Feng Daniu once more.

Feng Daniu's face grew even paler. He stared intently at the two men standing behind Inspector Cai. He recognized both of them—one was Yao Qianshan, the advisor most trusted by Inspector Cai, and the other, partially hidden behind Yao Qianshan and Inspector Cai, was someone whose figure and half-turned profile were all too familiar to him—Zhao Zhen.

To be honest, yesterday at the Li residence, although Luo Wenqian and Li Jingfu had explained everything, he had still been skeptical, fearing that Li Jingfu and Luo Wenqian were trying to deceive him.

But now, seeing Zhao Zhen standing behind Inspector Cai, he understood that the situation was truly beyond salvage. Wang Decai and Third Master Qin's clever schemes were about to fall apart.

With this realization, he glanced once more toward the second curtain, then gritted his teeth and said, "Your Excellency, this matter is a long story. The evidence is not in my possession. I request that Your Excellency summon Third Master Qin of the Qin family, Lady Chunzhi of the Tian residence, and the steward Wang Decai."

"Very well. Summon Third Master Qin of the Qin family, Lady Chunzhi of the Tian residence, and the steward Wang Decai," the prefect ordered the bailiffs upon hearing Feng Daniu's words. The bailiffs accepted the command and left.

Meanwhile, Wang Decai and Third Master Qin, who were hiding in the second hall, were greatly alarmed. This was not part of the plan. It had been agreed beforehand that Jihan would present the evidence, and the two of them would not appear. They never expected that Feng Daniu would directly expose them and even drag Concubine Chun into the matter.Could it be that Feng Daniu made a mistake due to nervousness?

But there was no time for them to ponder further, as the yamen runners had already gone out to summon the witnesses. They hurriedly exited through another side door to meet the runners.

"Additionally, since this matter also involves Luo Jiu of Yi Hou Sheng, summon Luo Jiu as well," Magistrate Cai added from the side.

"Yes, that is only proper," the prefectural magistrate agreed, then ordered someone to summon Luo Jiu.

Soon after, Wang Decai and Third Master Qin arrived, followed shortly by Concubine Chun.

Concubine Chun’s expression was displeased when she entered the hall. The matter had always been handled by Wang Decai, and she had little involvement. Now, why was a woman like her being summoned to court? However, no matter how displeased she felt, she could not show it in the courtroom. She could only stand to the side, awaiting the prefectural magistrate’s questions.

At the same time, she felt uneasy, for she had schemed to seize the Tian family’s property. That guilt weighed on her.

"Qin San, Steward Wang, Concubine Chun, according to Feng Daniu’s confession, you possess evidence of Li Jingfu and Luo Wenqian’s collusion with the Tatars. Is this true?" the prefectural magistrate asked.

"Your Honor, I know nothing of these matters," Chunzhi quickly denied.

Qin San said, "I am from the Qin family of the northern regions. By chance, I encountered a Tatar named Jihan, who informed me of Li Jingfu and Luo Wenqian’s collusion with the Tatars. Could Your Honor summon Jihan to court? He is waiting outside."

"Very well, summon Jihan," the prefectural magistrate waved his hand, and two yamen runners went out to bring Jihan into the hall.

Jihan entered and presented a letter—the one Feng Daniu had originally sent to the Tatars. Its contents naturally implicated Luo Wenqian and Li Jingfu.

The letter was a mix of truth and falsehood. The part about Feng Daniu sending information to the Tatars was genuine, but the details regarding Luo Wenqian and Li Jingfu had been added by Third Master Qin’s men. Thus, the letter was eighty percent true and twenty percent false, making the falsehoods appear credible. Combined with Jihan’s testimony, these pieces of evidence firmly established Luo Wenqian and Li Jingfu’s guilt.

Outside the courtroom, the spectators erupted in an uproar upon witnessing this. Could it be that the Li family had truly colluded with the Tatars? After all, with a Tatar witness, Feng Daniu’s involvement, and the letter, the accusation against the Li family seemed increasingly plausible.

"Li Jingfu, what do you have to say for yourself?" the prefectural magistrate asked coldly.

"Your Honor, all of this is nothing but lies," Li Jingfu replied, kowtowing. Beside him, Zhen Niang clenched her fists tightly.

"Oh? Then what evidence do you have to prove they are lying?" the prefectural magistrate asked sternly.

"Your Honor, please question Feng Daniu again. After all, the letter was written by him to the Tatars, so he knows the truth best," Li Jingfu said, turning to Feng Daniu, who had been kneeling there, ignored for some time.

"Well, Feng Daniu, what do you have to say?" the prefectural magistrate asked again.

"Your Honor, it is true that I wrote that letter to the Tatars, but the parts about Li Jingfu and Luo Jiu were added afterward," Feng Daniu replied decisively, having made his choice the moment Zhao Zhen appeared.His words sent a chill down Third Master Qin and Wang Decai's spines, while those listening in the courtroom were equally astonished. What was going on?

"What is going on? Explain clearly," the prefect demanded, glaring at Feng Daniu.

By this point, Feng Daniu had nothing left to hide. He laid out everything in detail: how Wang Decai had written to warn him that he was being watched, how he had then traveled to Huizhou, and how Wang Decai, Third Master Qin, and others had used him as bait to set a trap for Li Jingfu and Luo Jiu.

If Feng Daniu's earlier testimony had been surprising, what he revealed now caused an uproar in the courtroom.

"Nonsense! This is Li Jingfu and Luo Wenqian trying to frame us. I beg Your Honor to investigate thoroughly," Third Master Qin declared sharply.