Aoyama

Chapter 312: Opening of the Court, Interrogation, and Witnesses

The roosters haven't crowed yet and the sky outside the window is still dark.

"Master!"

Chen Ji suddenly sat up from the bed, still in shock.

It was not until he saw Xiaoman napping beside the bed that he suddenly realized that it was all a dream. In the dream, he saw Old Man Yao killing his way up to the Changbai Mountain Martial Temple, a sword like a meteor piercing through his chest, and blood dyed the snow on the top of the mountain red.

Master went to kill Lu Yang...but that was Lu Yang.

Chen Ji only hoped that the mean old man would not do anything stupid. It was not like he had to ascend to the forty-ninth heaven. Wasn't it good enough to stay in this world?

Besides, Lu Yang is so old already. If he hides in Ning Dynasty, he can surely outlast the other party.

When Lu Yang died, he would immediately go to the Martial Temple to kill his disciple. By then, Lu Yang's disciple should have just started practicing sword skills and would be easy to kill.

If you can’t beat the old one, beat the younger one.

At this time, Xiao Man was holding the little black cat in his arms, and he opened his eyes dazedly and asked, "What's wrong, Master? Did you have the same nightmare again?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "No, what time is it?"

Xiaoman replied, "The fourth watch gong just struck. It's still early."

Chen Ji threw back the quilt, got out of bed, and looked around his new home.

The exquisite bed was carved with a unicorn delivering a child, and the quilt was made of gold satin and filled with silk cotton. On the table in the distance were the four treasures of the study, and next to it was a copper stove with smoke rising slowly from it.

This was no longer the shabby dormitory of the Taiping Medical Clinic. He no longer needed to go out to fetch water across the street early in the morning, and he no longer needed to sweep the floor or snow.

Chen Ji suddenly said, "Xiao Man, wait until I finish what I have to do, and then let's go back to Luocheng together."

Xiaoman's eyes lit up: "Not bad, Sister Liqiu is still in Luocheng, I don't know if she has left the house and married."

Chen Ji smiled and asked, "Do you want me to write a letter for you?"

Xiaoman lowered her head: "No need, there's nothing much to say. Sister Liqiu said that we maids are destined to be like cats and dogs. We should follow the master wherever he goes. Don't think about the people and things in the past."

"You are not a kitten or a puppy anymore, you are Xiaoman," Chen Ji rolled up his sleeves, "Where are the wooden barrel and the shoulder pole? I'll go fill the water tank in the side room."

Xiaoman hugged the little black cat and widened her eyes: "Master, you don't have to do this. There are servants in the mansion who are responsible for fetching water."

Chen Ji walked out: "It's okay, I'm free anyway, I like to fetch water... Where is the well?"

"Who likes to carry water?" Xiaoman thought for a moment and said, "Turn right after leaving Ginkgo Garden... Never mind, I'll take you there."

The two walked out one after the other, and saw a servant coming towards them with a lantern: "Sir!"

Chen Ji stopped and asked, "What's the matter?"

The servant hurriedly said, "The ancestor summoned you to the Wendan Hall for questioning."

Chen Ji glanced at the dim sky: "At this time?"

The servant nodded: "Yes, the first, second and third masters have already gone."

Chen Ji turned to Xiao Man and said, "Go find the wooden barrel and the shoulder pole and put them in the yard. I'll go see what's going on."

Xiaoman whispered, "No, I'll go with you. My second sister specifically told me last night to take good care of you and to be on guard against their dirty tricks."

Chen Ji asked in confusion: "Your second sister specifically reminded me of this?"

Xiaoman pulled out a piece of paper from her sleeve, turned her back and showed it to Chen Ji: "Look, my second sister wrote down all the little tricks she heard about in the Xu family, and asked me to be careful. There are servants who deliberately lead people to smuggle into the forbidden area; there are also those who bribe midwives to falsely report the death of children. They are so cruel. After the child is born, the midwife will smother the baby and say that the baby has no heartbeat at birth. But we don't need to be careful about this for the time being. When the young master gets married, I will help you keep an eye on the midwife..."

Chen Ji took the paper and saw that Zhang Xia had densely written more than 80 things to be careful of, such as being framed by witchcraft in the yard, being harmed by food incompatibility for a long time, having land deeds tampered with, and being drugged before ancestor worship, thus delaying the ancestor worship...

It’s messy and varied, but behind each one is a price paid in blood.

Zhang Xia was afraid of missing anything, so he wrote down everything in detail.

Chen Ji handed the paper back to Xiao Man and said, "Keep it. You'd better go back, lest someone hide something in the yard and frame us while we're away."

Xiaoman was surprised: "That's right, then be careful, young master."

Chen Ji nodded, lifted his clothes and followed the servant into the depths of Qinzheng Garden. Along the way, maids and servants came and went in an endless stream, and the kitchen was brightly lit and bustling with people.

The Chen Mansion in the early morning did not look like a large mansion, but rather more like a carefully rehearsed temple fair stage during the Lantern Festival.

Behind the hustle and bustle, Chen Ji also saw hidden agents standing guard at every intersection with swords in hand. When Chen Ji and the servant passed by, one of the hidden agents saw a stranger, looked at him carefully, and then looked away.

……

……

Chen Ji and the servant walked through the deep "Xiaoying Island" one after the other. He looked around vigilantly all the way until he saw the light of Wendan Hall in the distance, and still nothing happened.

Chen Ji looked up and saw that the eight red doors of Wendan Hall were open.

There is a plaque hanging in the Wendan Hall with three large gold-painted characters reading "Teacher's Honor".

The couplet on the left reads: "Although poverty is deep-rooted, there is still a way to live. It is better to study than to starve to death."

Couplet on the right: "If you are not satisfied with your studies, you must hone your skills in various ways. A good literary talent will lead to a good fortune."

It turns out that the Wenyun Hall of the Chen Mansion in Luocheng was learned from here.

In the hall, Chen Luchi, the head of the Chen family, sat on the armchair, while Chen Liqin and another middle-aged man who had never been seen sat on the left and right sides, and all three wore red official robes. The middle-aged man who had never been seen was probably the head of the second branch, Chen Lizhi.

Outside the hall, Chen Wenzong and two other young men stood with their hands hanging, not saying a word.

At this moment, everyone heard the footsteps and looked up at Chen Ji. It was like a three-judge trial, with the official authority overwhelming them.

Chen Ji stood outside the hall and bowed, saying, "I am Chen Ji, the unworthy descendant, and I am honored to meet the master of the family."

Chen Ge Lao had gray hair and a lean body. He was wearing an official robe, like a cloak. “Come closer and talk.”

Chen Ji lifted his skirt and stepped over the threshold, standing upright in the light of the Wendan Hall.

Elder Chen sat on the armchair and looked him over carefully before he spoke, "I saw the Crown Prince's memorial pleading for you to be rewarded for killing 107 Jing Dynasty thieves in battle. Is that true?"

Chen Ji lowered his head and said, "Not true."

Chen Ge Lao asked again: "Is it too much or too little?"

Chen Ji said truthfully: "Less."

"Okay, okay, if you want to accomplish something, you should not have power, money and influence first, but courage first!" Elder Chen said "Okay" three times in a row: "The monthly silver is proposed to be 60 taels, and the betrothal gift is the same as that of the legitimate son; ten pieces of Yunjin, ten acres of family land, a Hu brush, two ingots of Hui ink..."

Chen Lizhi, the head of the second house opposite Chen Liqin, suddenly said, "Master, he has no one around him, so give him two more maids and two servants. I just bought a batch of servants yesterday, and he can choose from them." Chen Ge Lao nodded, "Yes."

Chen Ji was slightly startled. He originally thought that the situation in the hall was that he was going to be questioned and tried by three judges, but he did not expect that he would be rewarded as soon as they met.

Chen Liqin coughed lightly and reminded, "Why don't you thank the head of the family?"

Chen Ji bowed again: "Thank you, Patriarch."

Chen Ge Lao instructed Chen Liqin: "Write an article when you return, send it back to the states by express horse, and spread it among the clans. The young talents in the clans should take this boy as an example."

Chen Liqin agreed: "Yes, I will write it today."

Elder Chen waved his hand to Chen Ji and said, "Go away."

"Wait a minute," Chen Lizhi said solemnly, "Master, I heard something recently and I need to ask him about it."

Elder Chen slowly closed his eyes. He didn't say that he could ask, nor did he say that he couldn't ask.

Seeing this, Chen Lizhi waved to the door.

A young man walked into the Wendan Hall and bowed to Chen Ge Lao, saying, "I am the unworthy descendant, Chen Wende, the eldest son of the second house, and I am honored to meet the head of the family."

Elder Chen hummed, without raising his eyelids: "Go ahead."

Chen Wende turned to face Chen Ji: "The clan has clear rewards and punishments. Those who have made contributions are rewarded, and those who have made mistakes are punished. Let me ask you, when we were in Guyuan, your third-class maid Yao Man reported to Hu Junxian, causing Chen Wenxiao to be ruined. Is this true?"

coming.

This is the real drama of today, the real purpose is revealed.

Chen Ji said calmly, "Everyone knows what my brother Chen Wenxiao did, and we can't hide it."

Chen Wende said slowly, "You must not disobey your brother in front of the Wendan Hall. You should answer whatever I ask, and there is no need to talk about other things. I will ask you again, has your personal maid Yao Man informed Hu Junxian about Chen Wenxiao's matter?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "No."

Chen Wende was stunned. He was silent for a few breaths and then said, "Since you don't admit it, I will ask a witness to come forward."

After saying that, he waved toward the door, and another young man who was waiting outside hurried away.

After an incense stick of time, she led Liang to come forward. Chen Liqin's expression changed and he stood up suddenly: "What are you doing here in Wendan Hall as a woman? This is also a place you can come to!"

But Liang was seen kneeling on the blue bricks outside the Wendan Hall, about to cry: "Reporting to the master, that day in Guyuan, I saw Yao Man inform Hu Junxian with my own eyes!"

Chen Wende waved his sleeves and turned to face Chen Gelao: "Master, our Daning Law states that the affairs of land, marriage, debts, etc. among the people are left to the clan to deal with. If there is a criminal matter, relatives can hide it. Chen Ji and Chen Wenxiao are brothers, but they indulged the maid to persecute the clan's reputation. Today I want to apply family law. Chen Ji will be caned 20 times and guard the ancestral temple for life. Yao Man will be caned 100 times and the livestock farm will be sold."

Chen Ji lowered his head and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Brother, Chen Wenxiao betrayed his country and his crime is unforgivable."

Chen Wende said calmly: "Chen Wenxiao deserves to die. Even if he didn't die in Guyuan, the clan would make him die suddenly. We will give an explanation to the court and the soldiers of Guyuan. We will never shield him."

Outside the hall, Chen Wenzong couldn't help but step forward, but heard Chen Wende shouting, "Did the elder call you to come forward to talk? You don't know the rules, leave!"

Chen Wenzong froze in place.

Elder Chen looked at Chen Liqin and said, "Chen Wenxiao is your second legitimate son. What do you think?"

Chen Liqin hesitated for a moment, and finally stood up: "I think that Chen Wenxiao has committed a serious crime and should be executed. Yao Man, as a maid, bullied her superiors, and her crime is also unacceptable in the Chen family. However, Chen Ji has done nothing wrong, so we can only punish Yao Man with a stick and sell him off."

Chen Ji clenched his fists.

Elder Chen looked at Chen Ji and said, "What do you think? Please defend yourself."

Chen Ji bowed and said, "Master, since my brother has invited a witness, I also have a witness to prove that Yao Man did not inform on anyone."

Chen Wende frowned: "Are you still going to quibble?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "It's not a quibble, it's just to prove my innocence."

Chen Lizhi, who was sitting upright on the chair, finally spoke: "Who is the witness?"

Chen Ji raised his head and looked directly at everyone in the hall: "Hu Junxian."

Really loud.

The candlelight in the hall flickered, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Chen Ji as if they wanted to see through him.

But Chen Ji did not retreat or give in, and said calmly: "What Yao Man said to Hu Junxian that day was just a casual chat. At that time, my stepmother was several feet away, so she naturally could not hear it clearly, or there might be a misunderstanding. Since the second master said that Yao Man informed Hu Junxian, then I will write a letter to Guyuan and ask him and we will know the answer."

Chen Wende remained silent, pondering over a countermeasure.

He never expected that Chen Ji not only denied it, but also brought Hu Junxian up.

But the strangest thing here is, how can Chen Ji be so sure that Hu Junxian will stand on his side and speak?

Liang said shrilly outside the door: "Hu Junxian will definitely protect you..."

Chen Ji asked back softly, "My dear mother, I have no connection with General Hu. He is a second-rank general of the border army, and I am a commoner. He is a member of the Hu family, and I am a member of the Chen family. What reason does he have to protect me? You really heard it wrong. If Hu Junxian's testimony is not enough, I can write another letter to Zhou You, the former deputy general of Guyuan, who is also present."

Liang angrily scolded: "Because of your mentor Wang Daosheng, they are familiar with Wang Daosheng!"

Chen Ji added, "My stepmother has misunderstood. Hu Junxian once said publicly that the Guyuan Border Army does not want people like me. I think he doesn't like my style of doing things. Since he doesn't like it, he will naturally not give false testimony for me."

Wendan Hall was quiet again.

After a moment, Chen Ji took the initiative to break the silence: "Master, I will write a letter today, and all the elders can read it. I will never hide anything or collude with others. As for whether Yao Man is guilty, you can wait for Hu Junxian's reply before making a decision."

Elder Chen in the hall stroked his graying beard and said, "Yes."

The second master Chen Lizhi's face darkened. He glanced at his son Chen Wende. Chen Wende spoke again: "Master, I have something else to ask."

Elder Chen still closed his eyes and said, "Speak."

Just as Chen Wende was about to speak, he heard someone hurrying in from outside the hall.

Everyone looked and saw Chen Lizun walking into the hall with the hem of his official robe lifted.

Chen Liqin asked in confusion: "Didn't my brother go to Tanggu?"

Chen Lizun sneered: "If someone hadn't come to report it quickly, I wouldn't have known that someone wanted to open a court in the mansion to judge the case while I was away!"

He looked at Chen Ge Lao and said, "Father, Chen Wenxiao is a traitor to the country. This crime is above the clan rules. If we conceal it deliberately, we will be impeached by the censor. When the snowflakes of memorials fly into the Renshou Palace, it will give the eunuch party and the censor an opportunity to make use of the issue."

After saying that, he looked at Chen Ji again, and said in a slightly slower tone: "Don't be afraid, you did nothing wrong in this matter. The one who was wrong was Chen Wenxiao."

Chen Lizhi's eyes wandered between Chen Lizun and Chen Ji, his expression gradually becoming gloomy.

(End of this chapter)