Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 54 Someone intervenes
"You saw what happened in the court just now. It may be difficult to sentence the defendant to death in this case." Yu Zhida said carefully.

He used to be an official in the Dali Temple and is quite professional in criminal matters. From the current perspective, it would be difficult to convict Liu Shancheng of this case.

Although there is physical evidence and a victim now, Liu Shancheng flatly denies knowing anything about it. As for Lin Zhenzong, he refuses to admit it and just says that Xiaohuan's death may have been caused by his subordinates and has nothing to do with him.

So what we lack now is witnesses. Without witnesses, the case cannot be proven. Although the two men have been detained on charges of murder, if there is no breakthrough later, this case will become a bit tricky.

"Don't worry, sir. The evidence in this case is irrefutable. Liu Shancheng can't get away at all." The man said this with a smile, and then whispered a few words into Yu Zhida's ear. Yu Zhida was stunned at first, then he laughed and nodded with satisfaction.

"In this case, I will wait for subsequent changes. However, I have to be frank about this case. If it is really impossible to do anything, I, as an official appointed by the court, will not make a random judgment..." Yu Zhida said meaningfully.

I cursed inwardly, it was obvious that Yu Zhida was a man who wanted benefits but was afraid of taking responsibilities.

None of these officials are good people, Yu Zhida is no exception. Don't be fooled by his sanctimonious appearance, he has a big appetite. Now he actually said such words?

But even though he was scolding her, he didn't show it on his face. He just smiled and told Yu Zhida to rest assured. As long as Yu Zhida handled the case impartially, there would be a satisfactory result.

Liu Shancheng and Lin Zhenzong never imagined that they would become prisoners after visiting the yamen and be thrown directly into jail.

In the blink of an eye, he became a prisoner. Not only was he wearing heavy shackles, but the conditions in the prison were also not very good. It was cold and damp, and the air was filled with a stench mixed with blood.

Both of them were beaten with boards during the trial. Although Liu Shancheng was beaten less, he had been pampered and his skin was torn after being beaten with ten boards. After being thrown into the jail, Liu Shancheng lay on the ground groaning, with cold sweat on his forehead. He had never experienced such suffering before.
"Master... Master..." In the next cell not far away, Lin Zhenzong was not much better off. He looked even worse than Liu Shancheng.

"Humph!" Liu Shancheng ignored him. Originally, according to his idea, Lin Zhenzong took the blame in court, so that he could get out of this murder case. After he got out, he would find a way to find someone to take care of it. By then, even if Lin Zhenzong couldn't get away with it, at least he wouldn't have too many problems.

Although according to the Ming Dynasty law, servants in the house were hired, in fact, the buying and selling of servants had become a common practice as early as the middle of the Ming Dynasty. Didn't the servants of the rich families have to be bought with money? Servants and maids were no different from goods. You could teach your own servants whatever you wanted, even if you beat them to death, as long as you cleaned up the mess.

Even if it was leaked, so what? It's not a big deal. It's just a matter of spending a little more money to make a few arrangements, and at most finding a scapegoat and an excuse for "failure".

But now, I was caught off guard by something like this. What was even more abominable was that Lin Zhenzong refused to admit it in court. Wouldn't this put me in a difficult position?
Thinking of this, Liu Shancheng was furious. If he had known that Lin Zhenzong was so irresponsible, he should not have used him. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. If Liu Shancheng's butt was not in so much pain, and the two of them were not locked in the same cell, he would have wanted to get up and beat Lin Zhenzong up to vent his anger.

After calling him "Master" twice, seeing that Liu Shancheng ignored him, Lin Zhenzong felt bitter. Of course, he understood why Liu Shancheng was angry with him, but he had no choice! Once he admitted this, Liu Shancheng might be fine, but he would be miserable. This was not a trivial matter. Someone died and the lawsuit was brought to the prefectural government. This matter had become a big deal.

It would be fine if someone else had made the judgment, and Lin Zhenzong would have gritted his teeth and admitted the crime on behalf of Liu Shancheng. But the problem was that the person sitting in the court was the prefect Yu Zhida, and this Yu Zhida was clearly a stubborn guy, and had no dealings with the Liu family. If he admitted the crime, he might even lose his life.

As for whether Liu Shancheng could save him after he was out of the way, Lin Zhenzong was not sure. It was not a smart thing to put all his hopes on others. Moreover, Lin Zhenzong had his own plans. If he dragged Liu Shancheng along, the situation could still change. Even if things went to the worst, he would not lose out.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard a noise outside. The clanging sound of an iron gate was very clear, and then footsteps gradually came closer and closer.

Liu Shancheng turned slightly to look forward, and soon saw a pair of black official boots. Then he looked up, and when he saw the person who came, his face instantly showed joy, and he struggled to get up.

"Master Li! Master Li, save me!"

The person who came was none other than Li Xun, the Tongzhi of Pingyang Prefecture. Li Xun was Liu Shancheng's biggest support in Pingyang Prefecture. Over the years, Li Xun and Liu Shancheng had colluded with each other and made a lot of money from Liu's business. Li Xun took a look at Liu Shancheng who was imprisoned inside and frowned slightly. The jailer moved a chair over and put it down. Li Xun sat down steadily and waved to the jailer, who understood and left first.

"How did it happen?"

"I spoke carelessly in class and was beaten with a stick by Lord Yu." Liu Shancheng said with a bitter face.

Li Xun sighed and lowered his voice to Liu Shancheng, "Lord Yu is opening the court today. I just learned about this matter. I am sorry for making you suffer."

"I understand, I understand. I have no intention of blaming you, sir. I just ask you to find a way to rescue me. The death of the maid in my house has nothing to do with me. It was all done by the mean servants below. I am really wronged!" Liu Shancheng is a smart man. Of course, he would not offend Li Xun. He now only hopes that Li Xun can rescue him.

You have to know that Li Xun is the Tongzhi. The prefect is the highest-ranking official in a prefecture, and under the prefect is the Tongzhi. In modern times, the prefect is the mayor, and the Tongzhi is the level of the deputy mayor. Now that Li Xun can come to visit him in prison, Liu Shancheng is overjoyed.

"I just asked about this matter..." Li Xun did not say that he would rescue him, but instead talked about the case. He said solemnly: "Tell me the truth, the maid's death really has nothing to do with you?"

His heart skipped a beat. Liu Shancheng smelled something unusual in Li Xun's words. He knew better than anyone how the maid Xiaohuan died. But at this moment he absolutely could not say that it had anything to do with him. He immediately insisted that he was indeed wronged and that this matter had nothing to do with him.

Li Xun's eyes fell on Liu Shancheng, as if he was looking at him carefully. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head, saying, "Whether it is unjust or not is not up to me to say. This case was tried by Lord Yu himself. Although I am the co-magistrate, it is not easy for me to intervene. Moreover, Lord Yu has not been close to me since he took office. My words do not carry much weight with him."

"If it was just the death of a maid, it wouldn't be a big deal. I can't say anything, but I can find someone else to speak for you. But you know, this case is not just a small matter involving a maid. Now it involves other people, so it's quite a big deal."

"Others? Lord Li, who are you referring to?" Liu Shancheng was puzzled. How could a maid be involved with other people? And judging from Li Xun's tone, this person was not an ordinary person.

"Didn't you pay attention to what was happening in class today?" Li Xun asked back.

Liu Shancheng was stunned, his mind racing to recall the past. After thinking for a moment, he asked tentatively. He said that in addition to the victim and the lawyer, there was another person sitting in the court today. This person looked dressed in ordinary clothes, but no one knew what he did. Could this be the person Li Xun was referring to?
Li Xun nodded and lowered his voice a little bit. He said to Liu Shancheng that this person was not an ordinary person. His background was not simple. He was the manager of the General's Mansion and represented the General's Mansion to stand up for the victim.

When Liu Shancheng heard about the General's Mansion, he was confused and asked Li Xun which general it was. Li Xun asked him where else the General's Mansion in Pingyang Prefecture could be, wasn't it the residence of Zhu Minfan, the auxiliary general?

Hearing this, Liu Shancheng opened his mouth in astonishment. He had never thought that the death of an ordinary maid was related to the general who assisted the country. Zhu Minfan, the general who assisted the country, was a member of the royal family. Since the lineage of the Prince of Jiaocheng was stripped of its title, he was the member of the royal family with the highest title in Pingyang Prefecture.

Although the royal family has long lost its actual power, it is a fact that their status is precious. Anyone who has any connection with the royal family, whether it is the emperor, the court or the local government, is treated with caution. But the problem is, how could a mere maid be connected to the auxiliary general Zhu Minfan?
Liu Shancheng was puzzled, and Li Xun then told him that it was his bad luck that the maid Xiaohuan who was beaten to death in the mansion was actually related to the general Zhu Minfan. Zhu Minfan's favorite lady Ru was a distant cousin of the maid's mother. Although this relationship was a bit far-fetched, it was real no matter what.

After the maid Xiaohuan died, her parents had been trying to find out the cause of their daughter's death. Through this relationship, they found the General Fuguo's mansion and asked for help from Zhu Minfan's wife, Madam Ru.

It was precisely because of this that Zhu Minfan took action and sent people to find Yu Zhida, and in the name of the royal family, asked Yu Zhida to handle the case impartially and find out the truth.

"Can a member of the royal family make Prefect Yu take action?" Liu Shancheng said in surprise. In his mind, although the royal family is noble, they are just a decoration. There are many ordinary royal family members in Pingyang City, and some of them can't even get enough food. If the government wanted to intervene, they would have done it long ago. They even pretended not to see this, so how could they intervene in this case?
"You, the affairs of the royal family are not as simple as you think." Li Xun told Liu Shancheng that other matters were fine, but this lawsuit involving human life was no small matter, not to mention that it was related to the royal family? Besides, General Zhu Minfan was not an ordinary royal family. He was the highest-ranking royal family in Pingyang Prefecture. Moreover, a relative of the royal family was beaten to death for no apparent reason. If such a matter was left unresolved, then where would the dignity of the royal family be?
The royal family has always been the most concerned about face, and the dignity of the royal family is also the dignity of the royal family. Moreover, the General's Mansion has not reported this matter to the Jin Palace. Once the Jin Palace knows about it and intervenes, there is no need to do anything else, just submit a memorial to the emperor, and the consequences can be imagined.

(End of this chapter)