The next day, Ye Ningxin brought Zhao Zhiping to the county magistrate’s office to file a lawsuit.
After completing the procedures of submitting the petition, presenting the case details, and conducting the injury examination, they waited for the constables to arrest Ye Dacheng and bring him to justice.
After waiting for half a day, the constables returned not with Ye Dacheng but with his wife—Ye Ningxin’s mother, Li Shi.
Since crossing over, this was the first time Ye Ningxin had met the original body’s mother.
The woman’s plump figure was hunched over as she knelt trembling in the main hall of the magistrate’s office. Facing the magistrate’s questioning, she answered with extreme caution.
The man of the household had committed a crime and was now hiding somewhere unknown. Yet she, a woman who had never seen much of the world, had to face such a situation.
Ye Ningxin felt a surge of sorrow.
For her, this was an entirely unfamiliar emotion.
In her previous life, she was an orphan. Even though she was later adopted, her adoptive father was devoted to medicine and never married in his lifetime, so she naturally never had the chance to experience a mother’s love.
Now, this feeling of pitying her misfortune and anger at her lack of resolve must be a lingering trace of emotion left behind by the original owner.
When she was young, her mother had occasionally been kind to the original owner. Later, because her father favored only the younger daughter, her mother, who had always been obedient to her husband, grew increasingly indifferent toward her.
It was clear that compared to her father, the original owner still held some affection for her mother.
That was why, when something like this happened, she felt both a sense of satisfaction and sorrow.
Seeing Ye Ningxin also present in the courtroom, Li Shi suddenly gained some confidence.
“Child, what on earth is going on?”
Ye Ningxin replied, “Father blocked the road and robbed someone, injuring them with a knife.”
She couldn’t bring herself to treat the original owner’s mother with cold indifference.
“Th-this… how could that be?” Li Shi’s bewildered eyes grew panicked again.
“Your father may drink a little and gamble, as you know, but how could he possibly have the nerve to rob someone?”
“Child, tell the magistrate, your father isn’t that kind of person!”
After saying this, the woman, oppressed by life to the point of numbness, began to wail loudly.
“Silence!” A single command from the bailiff instantly cut off the noise.
Ye Ningxin said, “Mother, I witnessed the incident with my own eyes.”
“Th-this… how could it be…” Li Shi collapsed completely.
Magistrate Liu was familiar with this family. Because Ye Ningxin was the woman the Prince had purchased, he had even sent someone to investigate. It was said that this woman was physically strong but simple-minded, which didn’t quite match the person before him.
Logically, as a low-ranking county magistrate, it was rare to encounter someone of the Prince’s stature. Since he had, he naturally should have tried to curry favor—such opportunities didn’t come to everyone.
However, the vague orders from above subtly indicated that the Prince was to be left to fend for himself here, meaning someone in the capital didn’t want him to return.
In that case, if his superiors found out he was flattering and pandering to the Prince, not only would he lose his official position, but he might even lose his life.
Since he couldn’t curry favor and didn’t dare to suppress the Prince, he simply chose to ignore the situation, offending neither side. He hoped the Prince would remain quiet and peaceful until the end of his term.
Now, with such a prominent Princess Consort suddenly coming to file a lawsuit, it was like a hot potato for Magistrate Liu—too hot to handle, yet impossible to discard.
Fortunately, the Princess Consort’s request was simple, and since it was a matter within their own family, the county magistrate was happy to do her a favor.
He addressed Li Shi, who was standing below the hall: “This matter, if taken seriously, involves Ye Dacheng committing daylight robbery on the road. Given his audacity, it’s possible he has already joined the bandits of West Mountain. Those desperadoes are all wanted by the court, and if convicted, the entire family would be exiled to the southern frontier.”
After glancing at Ye Ningxin’s expression, the magistrate continued: “But if treated lightly, although he wielded a knife and caused injury, no lives were endangered. As long as he is punished with flogging, compensates with some silver, and obtains the victim’s forgiveness, the case can be closed.”
Ye Ningxin gave no feedback on either proposal, clearly dissatisfied with both, leaving the magistrate momentarily unsure of how to proceed.
Fortunately, Ye Ningxin then spoke up: “Your Honor, how many strokes of flogging should be administered?”
The magistrate replied: “According to the law, 20 strokes are appropriate!… Or perhaps 5… 50 would also be acceptable… In my opinion, given his usual misconduct, he should be severely punished—100 strokes!”
Magistrate Liu lifted his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“Your Honor, 100 strokes could be fatal!” Upon hearing the magistrate’s words, Li Shi burst into tears again.
Seeing the original host’s mother crying so heart-wrenchingly, Ye Ningxin felt a pang of pity. Besides, she didn’t want Ye Dacheng’s life either. So she asked the magistrate: “Isn’t 100 strokes too severe?”
The magistrate thought to himself: Isn’t this based on your expression? You showed no reaction to 20 or 50 strokes—didn’t you want more?
However, despite his inner grievances, he maintained a humble smile on his face: “Actually, 20 strokes are sufficient as punishment.”
Once an agreement was reached, the magistrate solemnly asked Zhao Zhiping: “I hereby sentence Ye Dacheng to compensate you with five taels of silver and receive 20 strokes of flogging as punishment. Do you have any objections?”
Zhao Zhiping glanced at Ye Ningxin, who gave a slight nod.
He quickly kowtowed to the magistrate: “Thank you, Your Honor, for upholding justice for this humble one!”
All three parties were relatively satisfied with this outcome.
Zhao Zhiping, of course, had no complaints. Although he was injured, he received a total of 15 taels of silver—truly worth it!
Ye Ningxin’s original intention was to intimidate Ye Dacheng. Now, Li Shi should also realize that the Prince’s name still carried weight in the county court, achieving her goal.
As for Ye Dacheng, although he had to pay compensation and endure flogging, this was the lightest punishment possible, thanks to Ye Ningxin’s plea for leniency. Li Shi would surely understand the stakes once she returned home.
Thus, the case was closed.
The magistrate instructed Li Shi to return home and prepare the silver, and ordered Ye Dacheng to come to the county court voluntarily to receive his punishment. Otherwise, the penalty would be doubled after three days.
…
After leaving the county court, Li Shi looked at her daughter and felt she was quite different from before.
She seemed thinner, but more importantly, her eyes had become brighter and more determined. She was no longer the foolish, timid girl she used to be.
After all, she had married the Prince. With her new status, it was only natural for her to change!
Previously, her family had always thought the down-and-out Prince had no money or influence, only an empty title, and would eventually die here. But now, it seemed they, as country folk, had been too narrow-minded.
“Mother, go back and tell my father that since you sold me to the Prince, I am now the Prince’s person. The wealth I previously brought home is more than enough to repay the silver you spent on me over the years. Although the Prince cannot see, he is very clear in his heart. If he truly decides to act, your entire family could lose their lives. From now on, when you see me, keep your distance.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Li Shi repeatedly agreed. Even if Ye Ningxin hadn’t said these words, she had already come to understand them herself.
If the old man dared to cause trouble for their daughter again, he would be courting death!
She just didn’t know whether, if their daughter rose to prominence through her husband’s status in the future, their family might be able to benefit a little from it? It seemed they would need to curry favor with this daughter more in the future.