Accidentally dressed as an empress

On the second day, Yunxiu sat steadily in the main seat in the court. The yamen runners on both sides shouted at the top of their lungs: "威——武——" The sound made people's ears buzz, and the atmosphere in the court was particularly solemn.

Yunxiu's eyes were like piercing golden pupils. He sized up everyone in the hall and shouted, "Kneeling here, you know this is a courtroom, not a place where you can lie! Tell us everything about what you did at the well seven days ago. If you dare to tell even a single lie, you will suffer the consequences!"

Several people lowered their heads and remained silent, not daring to respond.

Yunxiu slammed the gavel with his right hand. The sound of "bang" made the whole hall buzz. He shouted sternly, "Why don't you tell the truth?"

The thin man with the pointed face among them rolled his eyes, hurriedly knelt and crawled a few steps forward, kowtowed and said, "Sir, we are just passing by, and we have nothing else to do."

Yunxiu looked at the flickering eyes of these people, and her voice became a little higher. She said sternly, "I've tried so many cases, and you still want to fool me? Don't dream on, don't think you can get away with it."

Yunxiu said: "If you tell the truth, I can give you a lighter sentence according to the circumstances. If you still refuse to speak, I will torture you severely and you will suffer the consequences!" After saying that, he waited for their reply with a serious face.

"Your Excellency, we really just wanted to get some water to drink, we didn't do anything else."

Yun Xiu's eyes widened in anger. He stood up suddenly, waving his long sleeves and shouting, "Still trying to quibble! Handymen, put on the splint!"

The yamen runners sprang to action upon hearing the noise, quickly picking up a splint, clamping the thin man's fingers, and tightening them with force. The thin man's face contorted in pain, his body twisting back and forth, but he still cried out that he was wronged.

Yunxiu's eyebrows raised when she saw this. She picked up the pliers herself, walked up to the thin man, grabbed his hand, put the pliers on, and squeezed out the words from between her teeth: "If you don't tell me, don't blame me for being ruthless!" She clamped her hands tightly.

The thin man screamed in pain and broke out in a cold sweat.

At this moment, the fat man beside him was so frightened that he trembled all over and collapsed to the ground with a plop, crying, "My Lord, I am willing to confess. It was Master Li who ordered us to do this. He said that if we throw the body into the well, he would give us a large sum of money."

Yunxiu's eyes widened in anger when she heard this. "How dare Mr. Li be so audacious and reckless, deliberately dumping corpses into waterways and wells! He is the culprit behind this plague!"

The news spread like wildfire. When the people in the city heard about it, they gathered outside the lobby of the prefectural government, all of them filled with indignation.

"Mr. Li is always tyrannical, and now he's committed such a heinous crime. He must not be forgiven!" An old man's beard trembled with anger, and he stomped his cane on the ground. "He must pay for his crime with blood, and give us justice!"

"That's right. I heard that many people have been inexplicably bullied by his family before, and now they have committed the evil act of dumping corpses. They deserve to be cut into pieces!" A woman holding her child echoed with an angry face.

"That's right! My neighbor was inexplicably bullied by his family. They ruined his small business!"

"The governor is wise and brave. He will definitely not let him go this time. Let's just wait and see this bad guy get his comeuppance!" The young man waved his fist, his face full of anger.

"The governor is our justice, he will definitely uphold justice for us and bring Mr. Li to justice, letting him know that we ordinary people are not to be bullied!"

"Such evil deeds are truly intolerable to Heaven. Master Li has long exploited the people of his village, and now he has finally crossed the line of the law. The Governor will surely punish him severely according to the laws of the Yun Kingdom, uphold justice, and restore peace to us."

A woman who looked like a craftsman chimed in, "I've always hated his arrogance, but if we can completely bring him down this time, our lives will be much more comfortable. We can work without worrying about his family withholding our wages or forcing us into hard labor."

Everyone nodded and talked about it.

At this time, an old man said worriedly: "Although the prefect is fair, Mr. Li has a large family and a complex network of connections. I am afraid that he will use some tricks in prison to escape punishment."

The young man immediately retorted, "Don't worry, since the governor dares to arrest him, he must be absolutely sure. We must trust the governor's ability and determination. He will never let this evil man succeed."

Amidst the clamor of anger and anticipation, Yunxiu threw the scissors in his hand heavily and ordered, "Su Da! Bring Master Li here for trial!"

Led by the grain protection team, the guards arrived outside Mr. Li's mansion. The high walls and large courtyard looked gloomy in the night.

Su Da pulled the reins, and the horse neighed loudly and raised its front hooves.

Su Da-ta dismounted, drew the sword from her waist, pointed directly at the gate of the mansion, and shouted, "Mr. Li, you have committed many evil deeds. Today is the day you will die. Why don't you come out and face trial!"

After saying that, she tapped the ground with her toes, jumped up, and was the first to climb over the wall.

The guards followed closely behind him and entered the mansion.

For a moment, the mansion was in chaos, with shouts of killing everywhere.

Su Da's eyes were as sharp as torches as she searched around. Seeing a closed door, she kicked it open with a clang. The man was about to escape through the back window.

Su Da swiftly stepped forward, swung his sword and cut off the hem of a man's clothes, causing him to trip. Then he used the hilt of his sword to press against the bully's neck and said coldly, "Go!"

The guards quickly found Mr. Li's family and tied them up and took them to the front yard. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Mr. Li feigned composure and shouted, "Why are you arresting me? I'm from a prominent family in the city. Someone must have framed me!"

Su Da stepped forward, staring at him with a cold gaze like a star: "You ordered your men to dump the body into the well, and you still dare to quibble here!

Mr. Li's face turned pale as he was tied up by the constables and taken to the yamen for trial.

On the way back to the yamen, the people surrounded Mr. Li and cursed him. "Mr. Li, you have come to this day!" "Where has your former prestige gone?"

Mr. Li's face turned paler amid the crowd's accusations.

Back in the yamen lobby, Yunxiu went to the court to try the case.

Master Li still refused to plead guilty, insisting he was framed by his men. Yun Xiu sneered and laid out before him the confessions of Fatty and the others, as well as the case-related letters found in Master Li's house.

When Master Li saw the evidence, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His lips trembled slightly, but he still tried to fight back: "These... these are all forged!"

Upon seeing this, Yunxiu angrily slammed the gavel. "Bold Li Jiaqi, you've committed countless evil deeds, yet you still try to get away with it. You've colluded with the bandits outside the city, oppressing the people and taking their lives. Every one of these crimes is clear as day. Who in this city doesn't know the evil deeds of your Li family? Who doesn't resent your tyranny? If you don't confess, don't blame me for being ruthless and punishing you severely!"

Upon hearing this, Master Li was stunned at first, and then, as if he had grasped the last straw, he shouted, "I donated money! You can't kill me! I donated money for the cleaning of waterways, the repair of temples and houses, and the paving of roads in this city. I also donated medicinal materials for the plague. I am considered a meritorious person. How can you treat me like this?" He straightened up, trying to excuse himself with his past "good deeds", but his face could not hide the panic and fear.

Yun Xiu sneered and said, "Do you think a few donations can cover up your heinous crimes? Your so-called donations are just a means to whitewash yourself and seek protection after committing evil deeds. Who are those corpses? Do you still remember?"

In the dim courtroom, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it made people feel breathless.

Master Li knelt in the hall, his body trembling slightly, beads of sweat trickling down his cheeks. He feigned composure and said, "I... I don't know what you're talking about. I've always lived an honest life in this city, treating everyone with kindness. How could I have been involved in such murder and robbery? My Lord, please don't accuse me of this."

Yunxiu stood up suddenly and roared angrily, his voice like a bell, shaking the beams of the courtroom. "Those people were all merchants killed by you! How dare you quibble here? You secretly colluded with the bandits outside the city, working together from inside and outside, setting numerous traps. Those innocent merchants were nothing but victims of your money-grabbing.

You thought you were doing it perfectly, but you didn't realize that this government already has solid evidence!"

Mr. Li's face turned pale instantly, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, but he still loudly retorted: "I didn't kill those people! It was the bandits who did it! I was completely unaware of their atrocities, sir, you have to be clear-headed!"

Yun Xiu said coldly, "You colluded with bandits, robbed and killed passing merchants, and donated even a fraction of the loot to charity. You think you can buy peace? That's simply wishful thinking."

Beads of sweat rolled down Master Li's forehead, his eyes wandering, but he still insisted: "No matter what, I have made contributions to this city. Your Excellency cannot convict me based on just one side of the story."