The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 23 I also have witnesses

Shang Zishu was trying to commit suicide, and the county magistrate cast a cold gaze on Shi Houqiong.

He had said long ago that they would reopen the court session slowly. The Shang family was a wealthy family and would never run away. If they really ran away, it would be a confession. Shi Houqiong swore that the pain of losing his son made him dizzy and he insisted on detaining the Shang sisters immediately.

Shang Mingshu is a person who understands the law, so how could she allow them to detain her without authorization?
"Sir! The body has been found!" Just when the county magistrate was feeling headache and angry, a loud shout came from outside.

The county magistrate's expression eased slightly: "Carry him in!"

Two yamen runners carried in a corpse covered with white cloth, and the strong smell of blood filled the courtroom.

Shi Houqiong and his wife stared blankly at the corpse being carried in. The hideous expressions on their faces were frozen. Didn't they hold on to the hope that their son still had a glimmer of hope?

Mrs. Shi cried out and threw herself on the corpse, tears streaming down her face but no sound came out, only a low growl like a young animal with its throat strangled.

Shi Houqiong endured the pain tearing at her heart, and with a resentful look she swept over Shang Mingshu and her sister, then knelt down before the county magistrate, "Please, sir, make a decision for my son!"

"Sir, how can we prove that this man is Shi Dalang?" Shang Mingshu remained calm and composed.

The county magistrate looked at the young lady who showed no sign of panic. If a girl had really killed someone and carried the dead body in front of her, and could remain as calm as Shang Mingshu, she must have been a murderer.

In contrast, when a corpse was carried up, Shang Zishu, who was trying to commit suicide, looked a little unhappy. It was not because of guilt or fear, but because of her natural fear of the deceased.

"Come here, lift up the white cloth!" the county magistrate ordered.

The heartbroken Mrs. Shi was helped up, and the white cloth was lifted, revealing a bloody face. It was beyond recognition and there was no trace of good flesh, as if it had been torn apart by some wild beast.

Mrs. Shi couldn't bear it and fainted.

"Mr. Shi, look at this, is this your son?" The county magistrate could not help but avoid looking at the tragic state of the corpse.

Shi Houqiong clenched his fists, put his wife on the chair, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Sir, this is my husband. He is wearing this outfit today!" Luo Jin rushed to confirm.

Shi Houqiong's eyes were red, he couldn't recognize the person, and he had never seen Shi Guangchao wear this clothes. He moved to the corpse with difficulty, squatted slowly, and with shaking hands lifted the rag hanging on the arm, revealing the bloody arm with white bones.

Shi Houqiong didn't dare to look at him any longer. He said in a hoarse voice: "Sir, this man's height matches my son's. My son has three black moles on his arm. Now... now..."

Needless to say, the skin and flesh on his arm had been bitten off, so where could he find the mole?

"Where was the body found?" the county magistrate asked the yamen runner who brought back the body.

"Sir, we found it below the cliff that Luo Jin pointed out."

"Shang Sanniang, do you have anything else to say?" the county magistrate asked.

"Mr. Shi, are you sure that this is Shi Dalang?" Shang Mingshu did not reply to the county magistrate, but pressed Shi Houqiong instead.

Shi Houqiong stared at Shang Mingshu gloomily, his iron-green face covered with resentment and hatred: "You little brat, you are going too far!" "County magistrate, the victim has not admitted that he is the victim they are talking about." Shang Mingshu turned to the county magistrate and said.

Shang Mingshu's nagging disgusted the county magistrate, but he had no choice but to ask Shi Houqiong, "Mr. Shi, are you sure this is your son?"

Shi Houqiong's eyes pierced Shang Mingshu like a steel knife. He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Excellency, I confirm this!"

"Mr. Shi, please confirm." Shang Mingshu spoke before the magistrate could ask any more questions. "Sir, yesterday my sister and I did propose to set out at dawn to watch the sunrise on the mountain. However, before retiring last night, I overheard someone plotting to murder Shi Dalang and frame my sister and me. The plotter was a servant of the Shi family. I don't know who they were, but I followed them and saw them enter the Shi family compound with my own eyes."

"absurd!"

"Mr. Shi is right. I also find it absurd. How could I have asked Mr. Shi to murder your son and frame him?" Shang Mingshu raised her voice to pick up Shi Houqiong's words. "I wanted to laugh it off, but I couldn't sleep, so I set out an hour early. I still felt it was inappropriate, so I sent someone to secretly follow Shi Dalang, fearing that I would become a scapegoat..."

Shang Mingshu paused at this point, stretched out her words, and looked at Shi Houqiong with a half-smile: "I never expected that Mr. Shi would be so willing to even kill his own son to frame my sister and me."

"Shang Mingshu!" Shi Houqiong was so angry that his rage reached his head and he rushed towards Shang Mingshu.

Shang Mingshu dodged and kicked Shi Houqiong in the knee, and Shi Houqiong fell to the ground.

"How dare you!" The county magistrate stood up angrily.

"Sir, it was Mr. Shi who started it first." Shang Mingshu looked innocent.

"You caused someone to lose their child, and then you slandered him for killing his child and framing you. How could he not be angry!" The county magistrate was so angry that he lost all his reason. "Come here, arrest this person who is disrupting the court..."

"Sir, I have witnesses who prove that Mr. Shi killed his son and framed me!" Shang Mingshu's eyes were filled with frost. "If you want to help Mr. Shi without asking any questions, I have nothing to say."

The county magistrate nearly fainted from choking. The lawyer stepped forward to calm him down, but the magistrate, overcome with anger, laughed back, "Very well, this county wants to see how you can confuse right and wrong."

"Sir, if I prove my innocence, I will have the officials beat drums and gongs and proclaim along the streets that my sister and I are innocent." Shang Mingshu sneered, "After all, you say I caused the death of a child, and you say I am distorting right and wrong!"

"Madam San, this is a court, you are a suspect, and the master has a reasonable suspicion about you. You have been wronged, but the master has never stopped you from defending yourself. Even if the master's words are a bit harsh, it is out of hatred for the evildoer. How can you hold a grudge against him?" The lawyer hurriedly tried to make amends.

"Your Excellency is the father of a county, you should be fair. Madam Shi shouted for my daughter to be beaten and killed, the pain of losing a child can be forgiven. My daughter was maliciously framed by Mr. Shi, but I was just hiding from his attack. From beginning to end, I never made a noise, never questioned your Excellency. Yet, you accused me of disturbing the court on behalf of Mr. Shi, and even concluded that I killed Shi Dalang. It is so biased, and you want me not to complain? It is too much to ask." Shang Mingshu refused to give in.

The lawyer was embarrassed. Everyone present could see that the county magistrate was biased towards the Shi family.

"Sir, I have always respected you. If you cannot be impartial today, I will report this to the provincial government. I ask the prefect to make a fair decision." Shang Jinliang endured for a long time and was still very angry.

"Sir, you are really unfair." Cheng Mian condemned directly.

"You guys--" The veins on the county magistrate's forehead were throbbing. The legal advisor came closer and pulled his sleeve. Shang Jinliang was favored by the prefect for his meritorious service in capturing Japanese pirates. Cheng Mian was a person praised by the superintendent of education. There was also Cheng She who was said to have close ties with the capital.

He laughed in anger: "Okay, Shang Sanniang, please bring your witness up!"

"Go, bring Shi Dalang over here!"

(End of this chapter)