Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

When they realized what was happening, the Ji family began to fight back in anger.

After being stunned for a moment, Lu Dayou also joined in.

The noise was noisy, similar to that of a vegetable market.

Chen Shao did not stop them. He let them argue for a while before picking up the gavel and knocking: "Silence!"

Everyone quieted down one after another. Chen Shao knocked the gavel twice and asked Yang Dong: "Whoever advocates must provide evidence. Since you said that it was the Ji family who instigated Lu Dayou, what is the evidence?"

Yang Dong said confidently, "The Lu family is the most timid. If no one instigated them, how dare they come to you to complain?"

Chen Shao was shocked and laughed at his shameless words: "You mean, even if Lu Dayou's family was deceived, they can only suffer in silence and cannot seek justice for themselves?"

Yang Dong said: "Of course he can seek justice, but he doesn't have the courage. None of the Lu family has it!"

If there was, they would have gone to his house and forced him to hand over the forty taels of silver.

But after so many years, only one or two of them would come to him from time to time and cry or kneel down to beg him, and there had never been even one instance of coercion or threat.

How could such a weak family have the courage to sue him?

Don’t you want the forty taels of silver anymore?

Seeing the determination on his face, Chen Shao asked slowly, "Then tell me, what do you mean?"

Yang Dong glanced at the Ji family members beside him, "Even if Lu Dayou went to the prefectural governor's mansion to file a complaint, he would not come alone quietly. He did this because there must be someone behind the scenes, and this person can't be anyone else, only the Ji family members!"

"After all, shouldn't the Lu Dayou family seek justice for themselves even if they suffer losses?" Chen Shao laughed angrily, "Okay, let's go by what you said, Lu Dayou was instigated by the Ji family, tell me, what's wrong with that? The Ji family and the Lu family, one family member was beaten to death by your son, and the other was cheated of a life by you using ten taels of silver. Even if they join hands to sue you, isn't that right?"

"I didn't lie to Lu Dayou," Yang Dong argued, "it was Lu Si who volunteered to take the blame for my son."

Seeing that he still refused to admit his fault, Chen Shao lost his patience to argue with him. However, letting them pay with their lives like this would be too easy for them. An idea suddenly occurred to Chen Shao, "Even if he did it voluntarily, so what? Yang Wu has confessed to the case of beating Ji Quan to death, and the cause and result of the matter are already clear. Killing someone means paying with one's life, which is the first crime; you asked Lu Si to replace Yang Wu, even if Lu Si was voluntary, it is an indisputable fact that you deceived the government, which is the second crime. Both crimes should be punished together, whether it is you or Yang Wu, you should be beheaded according to the law! Come on, take them..."

"I didn't kill him on purpose!" Yang Wu yelled, and then he kowtowed to Ji Quan's family members, "I will give you the two hundred taels of compensation you asked for now, no, I will give it to you when I get back! I was wrong, I shouldn't have hit Ji Quan, please let me go."

The Ji family looked on coldly without saying anything.

Yang Dong was frightened by Chen Shao's words that he should pay with his life. When he heard Yang Wu begging for mercy and Chen Shao did not stop him, he quickly said, "I will give you another fifty taels!"

Then he turned to Lu Dayou and said, "I can give you another fifty taels!"

Seeing that Lu Da was hesitant, Yang Dong immediately said, "Lü Si volunteered to take the blame for my son. I have already given you ten taels, and I will give you fifty taels, which is sixty taels. No matter how many taels I promised you at the beginning, it has now far exceeded the original promise! You came to report to the authorities just for money. I can give you money, but you must withdraw your accusation against me!"

Without waiting for his response, Yang Li turned to the Ji family and said, "The dead cannot be resurrected. My son should not have done that. Ji Quan has been dead for five years and has long since turned into a pile of bones. In the past five years, you have been keeping an eye on us all the time, and a lot of the land has been abandoned, and..."

Yang Dong looked at Ji Tang and said angrily, "You have more than one son. In the past few years, in order to avenge Ji Quan, two of your sons have missed the age of getting married. My son can indeed pay for Ji Quan's life, but after that, you won't get a penny! Given your family's current situation, even if you avenge yourself, no good family will marry their daughter to you. But if you have my twenty-five hundred taels of silver, it will be different. Many people can't earn that much money in their lifetime. By then, let alone marrying your two sons, it will be more than enough for all your sons to marry again!"

Yang Dong's words really hit the sore spot of the Ji family.

In recent years, not only have good families refused to marry their daughters to our family, but even the several sons who have already married have had serious troubles in their families.

If there really were two hundred and fifty taels of silver...

Including Ji Tang and Ji Neng, all members of the Ji family couldn't help but imagine what life would be like with this money.

Seeing that the fish had taken the bait, Yang Dong continued, "Once you pass this village, there will be no such temple anymore. I have said everything I need to say. Do you want money or do you want my son to pay for Ji Quan's life? You can choose for yourself."

The Ji family members did not say anything for a while. Ji Tang quietly looked at the rest of the Ji family members. Seeing the hesitation on their faces, he felt a pain in his heart and two lines of tears fell.

After a long time.

Ji Tang closed his eyes and said resignedly, "Sir, if Yang Dong is really willing to give us twenty-five hundred taels of silver, we, we won't sue..."

Chen Shao looked at Lu Dayou without comment.

Lv Dayou avoided the Ji family's gaze and said hurriedly, "If they don't sue, then I won't sue either."

Unlike the Ji family, his purpose in coming to file a complaint was to get back the forty taels of silver. Yang Dong was willing to give him another fifty taels, and he was already very satisfied.

Chen Shao still turned to the three members of the Yang family without commenting.

Yang Dong, Yang Wu and Yang Feng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when they heard them say this.

But just as he let go of his anger, he immediately raised it again. Because Chen Shao spoke, his voice was flat and there was no emotion in it: "How much silver did you promise to the Lu family back then?"

Yang Dong thought that he would have to give Lü Dayou fifty taels of silver anyway, so he said frankly, "It is indeed fifty taels of silver."

Chen Shao asked Chan Yi to grind ink, and then quickly wrote down two indictments. After having the three members of the Yang family sign and seal, he said, "Yang Dong and Yang Wu treated other people's lives as worthless, and caused the government to bear the wrongful murder case. Come, drag them out and behead them! Yang Feng knew about it but did not report it, and lied to the government as evidence. He shall be sentenced to three years in prison and sixty strokes of the cane. Execute immediately!"

Yang Dong was stunned for a moment, then realized in an instant that the reason why Chen Shao argued with them for so long was to get the facts about Yang Wu's murder and that he bribed Lu Dayou with fifty taels of silver but regretted it afterwards!

He was fooled!

If he had not been careless and admitted the fifty taels just now, even if he was guilty, he would not be sentenced to death!

Yang Wu was crying and begging for mercy, but his voice soon faded away.

Suddenly, only the Ji family and Lu Dayou were left in the lobby.

The people of the Ji family and Lu Dayou looked at her in panic. They thought that since they agreed to take the money, the matter was settled, but they didn't expect that she would suddenly kill someone.

Chen Shao also looked at them for a while before speaking to Lu Dayou, "You can go back now. Don't even think about the 40 taels of silver that Lu Si took for Yang Wu. Considering your age, I won't hold you responsible."

After Lu Dayou shook his body, he said "yes" with trembling lips.

After taking a look at the gray sky outside and his trembling back, Chen Shao signaled to Fu Jiu, "Arrange someone to send him back!"

After Fu Jiu hurriedly made the arrangements, Chen Shao's eyes fell back on the Ji family. After Fu Jiu arranged for the people who escorted Lu Dayou to come back, he spoke, "Take them to Qingshui Town and ask Yang Dong's family for 300 taels of silver. Give them 260 taels and bring the other 40 taels back!"

A huge surprise surged into the Ji family's hearts like a tide. They thanked her with tears in their eyes and followed Fu Jiu away.

Chen Shao also stood up and returned to Chengfeng Courtyard.

"Remember, ask Ding Lisheng to come see me early tomorrow morning." Before going to bed, Chen Shao instructed Chan Yi.