The sudden voice interjected at just the right moment, interrupting everyone’s discussion. Wang Yushi waved his hand: “Bring them in!”

The person who had spoken was brought in by the bailiffs – also a girl dressed as a maid who knelt down immediately upon entering, but spoke quite articulately: “In response to My Lord, I know Miss Jiang was wrongly accused.”

“How so?” Wang Yushi asked urgently.

The girl raised her head, revealing a round face still showing traces of youth. It was Lu Zhu, who had some friendship with Lian Qiao. She scratched her head: “On the night Chen Zhao said Sister Chunying died, I was carrying washed clothes back from the outer courtyard and passed by Miss Jiang’s courtyard. At that time, I heard movement from the well. Initially I was quite frightened, but later thinking it was cats calling, I paid no attention.” Lu Zhu thought for a moment: “But at that time I had wanted to find Sister Lian Qiao to talk, yet there was no one in the room. Miss Jiang wasn’t in the courtyard at all, so it couldn’t possibly have been her who threw Sister Chunying into the well.”

Just as Lu Zhu finished speaking, another voice came from outside: “I can also testify for Miss Jiang. That day I encountered Chen Zhao outside. At that time Chen Zhao was hurrying along, and though it was already late, he looked extremely flustered. Initially I didn’t understand, but thinking about it now, I’m afraid he had just killed someone and wanted to splash this dirty water on Miss Jiang!”

This time, it was Xiao Yuan speaking.

The situation seemed to have reversed. All evidence pointed to Chen Zhao, and he hadn’t expected so many maids to come forward and identify him all at once. For a moment his mind was in complete chaos. He looked at Jiang Ruan in confusion, unable to figure out when these maids had been bought off by Jiang Ruan.

While Chen Zhao was at his wit’s end, Zhang Lan outside was frantic with anxiety, wishing she could break through the bailiffs’ blockade and rush in. Her mouth never stopped cursing. At this life-or-death moment, she couldn’t care about the distinction between master and servant, letting loose a string of crude words that indirectly cursed Jiang Ruan. The surrounding people frequently turned to stare, but their admiration for the composed Miss Jiang only grew.

Qian Wanli could see clearly that Chen Zhao wouldn’t gain any advantage today. As for this Jiang Ruan, whether through luck or having noble assistance, she could find life in such desperate circumstances. He looked toward Wang Yushi: “My Lord, what do you think about this…”

Wang Yushi waved his hand: “Qiu Yan, you say you personally witnessed Chen Zhao killing someone. Do you have any physical evidence?”

Chen Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. That day he had been extremely careful in his actions and was absolutely confident he hadn’t left any traces. Even if people went to investigate, they definitely wouldn’t find anything.

Qiu Yan nodded: “Yes!”

Chen Zhao was stunned. Wang Yushi asked: “What evidence?”

“In response to My Lord, at that time this servant personally witnessed Chen Zhao strangling Chunying’s neck. Chunying must have desperately resisted, because Chunying scratched Chen Zhao’s neck. My Lord need only check whether there are fingernail scratches on Chen Zhao’s neck, then see if there are bloodstains under Chunying’s fingernails, and the truth will be known.”

Chen Zhao’s heart jumped in alarm, and he instinctively covered his neck. Wang Yushi, however, waved his hand without hesitation and ordered several bailiffs: “Step forward and examine!”

Chen Zhao tried to struggle, but unfortunately his body couldn’t compare to the sturdy men working in the yamen. He was subdued in just a few moves. Li Mi stepped forward to examine and reported to Wang Yushi: “In response to My Lord, there are indeed scratches.”

Wang Yushi nodded: “Someone go check if there are bloodstains under Chunying’s fingernails.”

Chen Zhao knew the general situation was lost. His body went limp and he collapsed on the ground. Soon the investigators returned, confirming bloodstains under Chunying’s fingernails.

Wang Yushi shouted loudly: “Audacious Chen Zhao! Killing to silence witnesses, destroying evidence, yet slandering others with false accusations – a case of the thief crying ‘catch the thief!’ Now with both witness and physical evidence present, there’s no room for denial. Do you confess your guilt?”

Chen Zhao frantically knelt down and kowtowed, calling out while knocking his head: “My Lord, spare my life! My Lord, spare my life! This humble person was only confused for a moment – no, it was an accident. I never intended to kill her deliberately. She threatened me, I was angry, I didn’t do it on purpose. My Lord, please forgive me…”

Seeing this scene, Zhang Lan felt her vision go black and fainted in the crowd.

Wang Yushi ordered people to take Chen Zhao away. A trial reaching this point could be called dramatic with many twists. The people of East Street hadn’t seen such an exciting case in a long time – the steward’s son crying thief while catching the thief, killing someone himself yet framing the young miss. Truly heinous crimes.

Just when everyone thought the matter was nearly concluded, an untimely voice rang out again. A bailiff came to report: “My Lord, someone else is beating the grievance drum.”

“Ah, again?” Qian Wanli nearly jumped up. Looking at Wang Yushi, he felt even more guilty. He didn’t know why so many people were beating the grievance drum today. In Wang Yushi’s view, this must be due to his lax governance, causing so many unjust cases to emerge. Thinking of this, despite his countless misgivings, Qian Wanli had no choice but to say sternly: “Bring them up!”

The person brought up was also a maid. The crowd couldn’t help discussing – what kind of day was this that all those beating the grievance drum were maids?

After the maid was brought up, Wang Yushi asked: “What grievance do you have?”

The maid kowtowed: “In response to My Lord, this servant is crying grievances for my young lady.”

“Your young lady – who is she?” Qian Wanli asked strangely.

“My young lady is Miss Jiang,” the maid said.

Jiang Ruan looked at Lian Qiao with a smile. Lian Qiao also smiled at her, her eyes somewhat red. She turned and kowtowed to Wang Yushi: “This servant dares to ask My Lord – as a servant who mistreats her master, even deliberately plotting to harm her master, what should be done?”

Wang Yushi straightened his neck: “The nation has national laws, families have family rules. Though servant matters fall under family law, regarding legal matters, family rules follow national law. Plotting against human life is already a grave crime and should be severely punished without mercy.”

“Good.” Lian Qiao nodded: “Then My Lord, I cry grievances on behalf of my young lady, accusing Zhang Lan and her son. My young lady has been on the manor for five years, suffering harsh mistreatment, living worse than servants. The Zhang Lan family bullied my young lady’s kind nature, seized my young lady’s property, and abused her at will. Making her chop wood in the mountains during the coldest days, washing clothes in the river during winter, giving her coarse food and thin bedding. In five years on the manor, my young lady never had a full meal or enjoyed a single good day. Sewing clothes, embroidering to earn money, living with rats, being gnawed by insects, falling ill with no medicine – withering like weeds…”

Lian Qiao spoke eloquently, moving everyone around to sadness and tears. Among the crowd were many soft-hearted women who began cursing the Zhang family’s cruelty and pitying this small young lady. Even Qian Wanli couldn’t help sighing – even ordinary families’ children lived better than Jiang Ruan.

But Lian Qiao’s words weren’t finished yet. She raised her head: “If all this could be overlooked, this servant could only blame heaven and earth for injustice and have nothing to say. But murder must be paid with life, and even attempted murder must have consequences. Chen Zhao pushed my young lady into the water, attempting murder. Who knew my young lady’s life was so resilient that she managed to return alive from the King of Hell’s hands. Please, magistrate, seek justice for my young lady and punish those evildoers with ill intentions!”