Seeing her eldest brother drop to his knees, Ye Chuchu hurriedly knelt down as well, keeping her head lowered with reddened eyes, looking thoroughly pitiable.
Ye Changlin also wiped away his old tears.
The crowd: This god-forsaken Chen-shi, murdering a wife to steal a husband, and behaving with such rampant debauchery, she deserves to be executed!
Lord Ye’s family is truly too pitiful!
Chen-shi frantically let out muffled “wuuu” sounds.
Zhang Ting was shocked beyond measure, and it took him quite a long while to find his voice.
“Young General Ye, you say these male actors were all purchased by Chen-shi from the Xiongfeng Pavilion?”
Ye Jinmo nodded, “If Lord Zhang does not believe it, you may summon the brothel keeper of Xiongfeng Pavilion for questioning, and you will know at once.”
Zhang Ting immediately raised his hand, “Come! Bring the brothel keeper of Xiongfeng Pavilion here.”
Zhang Ting then looked back at Ye Changlin and Ye Jinmo, “You say Chen-shi hired an assassin to commit arson and murder, but do you have evidence?”
Handling cases at the Court of Judicial Review demanded strict evidence!
Moreover, Chen-shi was the legitimate second daughter of the Grand Tutor.
The Grand Tutor’s influence in the imperial court was like a towering, deeply rooted tree; this case had to be handled with extreme caution.
Ye Jinmo nodded, “Naturally, there is evidence.”
He raised his hand, and from within the crowd, Wufeng came forward dragging a woman dressed in a brocade skirt with a gold hairpin in her hair.
Wufeng forcefully pushed the woman to the ground.
With the smelly sock still stuffed in her mouth, Chen-shi’s eyes widened even more upon seeing this woman.
Ye Jinmo said, “Lord Zhang, the murderer Chen-shi originally hired was precisely Chen Dagou, the husband of this Zhou Dahua.”
“When Chen Dagou committed the murder, he ended up losing his own life as well. Zhou Dahua used this matter to blackmail Chen-shi.”
“Over these years, she has extorted a vast amount of silver from Chen-shi’s hands.”
Wufeng presented a pouch filled with silver, saying respectfully, “Lord Zhang, these are the silver pieces I searched out from Zhou Dahua’s room.”
“Starting fifteen years ago, Zhou Dahua has idled about without working, yet she has had massive amounts of silver to spend.”
“This servant has already questioned her regarding the source of this silver.”
“Every bit of it was taken from Chen-shi’s hands.”
Wufeng kicked the kneeling Zhou Dahua and barked furiously, “Speak up, quickly!”
Zhou Dahua stole a glance at Chen-shi, who was tightly bound and gagged. She sat dejectedly on the ground, slapping the floor with her hands as she began to wail.
She knew Chen-shi was the legitimate second daughter of the Grand Tutor, and she thought that as long as she could blackmail Chen-shi indefinitely, she would have endless wealth and splendor for the rest of her life.
Seeing Chen-shi’s current state, she knew that all of her beautiful dreams had been shattered.
“My Lord, back then Chen-shi spent thirty taels of silver to hire my man to kill Lord Ye’s first wife.”
“Who knew that my man would actually be burned to death alive as well.”
“Leaving me, a miserable woman, alone in this world.”
“My Lord, if this civilian woman didn’t extort some silver from Chen-shi, I wouldn’t have been able to survive.”
“My man’s life was also a living, breathing soul!”
“My life is so bitter…”
Zhou Dahua wailed hysterically.
Zhazha: 【Little Chuchu, don’t look at how miserably this woman is crying. After her husband died, she actually opened a jar of wine at home to celebrate.】
【Afterward, relying on the silver Chen-shi gave her, she sought out Old Man Cai from the east end of the village who was about to starve to death, then Scholar Lin from the west end of the village who lacked travel expenses for the imperial exam, Li Zheng from the south village who was quite good-looking, and even several young beggars under the big bridge. She used the silver to play around with plenty of men.】
【She has been living a life as carefree and leisurely as an immortal!】
Ye Chuchu: 【Wow, this Zhou Dahua really takes men of all ages, she didn’t even spare beggars and old men.】
【Is she not afraid that her husband, Chen Dagou, will crawl out of his coffin to strangle her to death?】
Zhazha: 【She is afraid! That’s why this Zhou Dahua hangs a Bagua talisman around her neck, and she even worships a statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva inside her house.】
Wufeng: …
When he went to apprehend Zhou Dahua, he had indeed seen her holding three incense sticks and bowing to a statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
Those who could hear Ye Chuchu’s inner thoughts pricked up their ears, looking at the still-wailing Zhou Dahua with faces full of disgust.
Flaring up with rage, Zhang Ting slammed his gavel down, “Silence!”
“Zhou Dahua, do you have evidence to prove that Chen-shi used thirty taels of silver to bribe your man to kill…”
Zhang Ting looked toward Ye Changlin.
Ye Changlin hurriedly said, “My late wife’s name was Feng Yaoyue!”
Zhang Ting nodded and looked back at Zhou Dahua, who had stopped her wailing, “Is there evidence to prove that Chen-shi used thirty taels of silver to bribe your man to kill Feng Yaoyue?”
Zhou Dahua shook her head, “My Lord, back then an old nanny dressed in all black came to my house in the middle of the night to negotiate with my man.”
“Evidence… I don’t have any evidence.”
Hearing that there was no evidence, Chen-shi let out two more furious, muffled “wuuu” sounds.
This woman clearly told her that she had evidence, and even claimed she had hidden it elsewhere, warning that if she wasn’t given silver or if anything happened to her, someone would report it.
Could it be that over all these years, she had actually been played for a fool by an old hag?
Looking at the gagged Chen-shi making noises, Zhang Ting raised his hand.
A bailiff stepped forward and yanked the smelly sock out of Chen-shi’s mouth.
Instantly, a foul stench soared to the heavens. The bailiff froze on the spot, his expression fracturing repeatedly as he hurriedly threw the smelly sock to the ground and retreated back to his original position.
Whose sock was actually this smelly?
He had nearly fainted.
As the smelly sock was pulled out, the odor permeated the surroundings.
The crowd instantly covered their noses and mouths, looking at Chen-shi with utter disdain.
Chen-shi, however, seemed to have already grown accustomed to the smell of the sock, shouting loudly, “No! I did not kill Feng Yaoyue!”
Besides, the silver used to hire Chen Dagou back then was fifty taels!
Chen-shi glared, “Ye Changlin, Ye Jinmo, do not push people too far.”
Zhang Ting looked toward Ye Changlin, “Lord Ye, Chen-shi is currently your first wife, is it possible…”
Before the words “a misunderstanding” could leave his mouth, Ye Changlin cut Zhang Ting off.
“Chen-shi is no longer the wife of me, Ye Changlin.”
“I have already divorced her!”
Ye Changlin placed the letter of divorce right in front of Zhang Ting.
Zhang Ting wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Could this Ye Changlin be insane?
Does he not even want his own official career anymore?
Chen-shi is the legitimate second daughter of the Grand Tutor!
Yet he actually divorced her!
Ye Jinmo said, “The nanny who went to Chen Dagou’s house in the middle of the night back then was Nanny Ma, who looked after Chen-shi since childhood.”
“She passed away two years ago.”
“But her son knows about this matter.”
Ye Jinmo raised his hand, and a man was escorted to the front of the hall.
Ye Jinmo’s gaze was heavy, “Speak out everything you know.”
The man knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly with loud thuds, “My Lord, Nanny Ma was this lowborn one’s mother. Chen-shi gave her fifty taels of silver to bribe Chen Dagou to commit murder.”
“But I was sick at the time, so my mother skimped twenty taels of silver to treat my illness; Chen Dagou only received thirty taels.”
“This lowborn one only learned of this matter by chance while overhearing my mother and father talking.”
Chen-shi roared, “You ungrateful wolf! I looked after your family so well, and now you actually dare to testify against me in open court!”
The man looked at Chen-shi with fury, “Looked after us? How did my mother die back then?”
“She was beaten to death alive by you!”
Chen-shi: “Nonsense! Your mother died of an illness!”
“You have no evidence whatsoever, yet you dare to slander me?”
“Believe it or not, I can make your entire family die without a burial place in the capital!”
Ye Chuchu rolled her eyes: 【This old witch can barely protect herself, yet she is still so arrogant.】
Zhazha: 【Who lets her have a Grand Tutor father whose hand blocks the heavens!】
【Little Chuchu, do you want to know why Nanny Ma was beaten to death alive by Chen-shi?】
Ye Chuchu’s gossiping heart burned furiously: 【Yes, yes, yes! Quick, tell me, tell me…】