Noble Lady

The rear court at this time.

Lord Mei hurried into the back court.

Then I saw a tall figure standing there, wearing a dark green robe, a silver belt, and a silver hair crown.

At this time, he had his hands behind his back and his head tilted up, as if he was looking at the plaque in the back yamen.

Lord Mei slowed down his pace and walked over, bowing and saying, "Your humble servant pays respects to the Crown Prince Cheng."

Hear the words.

The man with his hands behind his back slowly turned around. He was Situ Zhen, the prince of Prince Cheng, who was supposed to be on official business in the south.

However, if Xue Chenyu were here, she would recognize that he was much darker than before.

Although he used to have a bronze tan from frequent sun exposure, he is now a little tanned, with a hint of fatigue and bloodshot under his eyes. He is covered in dust, as if he had traveled a long way.

"Master Mei, there's no need to be so polite. I made this special trip not to cause you any trouble, but I just have a small matter and hope you can help me with it."

"No, no, no, I dare not..." Lord Mei's hands were almost shaking out afterimages. "Please tell me what you want, my lord."

Situ Zhen took a look at Lord Mei and felt that he didn't need to be so nervous.

He walked over, gently patted Master Mei on the shoulder and said, "Master Mei, it's easier. This prince is going to trouble you for a small matter, and it will never jeopardize your official position."

Lord Mei looked at the Prince of Cheng, who was half a head taller than him, and was about to cry: "You are a noble man, can't you just say what you want to say? What's the point of playing tricks on me, a minor official in Jingzhao Prefecture?"

"Master Mei, the eldest aunt of the Xue family from the Wu'an Marquisate is here to complain, right?"

Lord Mei nodded repeatedly.

"I remember that our Dasheng ruled the world with benevolence and filial piety, and had the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues, so there were 'Three Don'ts': citizens should not sue officials, sons should not sue their fathers, and wives should not sue their husbands."

"She sued her husband for borrowing a large sum of money and not paying it back, and also for having sex with women. In principle, even if she didn't get beaten initially, she would still be punished if she succeeded, right?"

Lord Mei was sweating profusely and nodded hurriedly.

Please, Your Excellency Prince Cheng, just say whatever you want to say.

Don’t you just want me to make an exception and exempt me from the penalty of rolling nail board? As long as you ask, I will exempt you.

At worst, if His Majesty asks me about it later, I can just say that I was biased and perverted the law.

"She is weak and cannot bear this torture. Marquis Xue is a pillar of the country, with a heavy burden on his shoulders, and he cannot bear this punishment either. Therefore, this rolling nail board punishment..."

Situ Zhen paused and said solemnly, "Let me take it for her."

"Your Excellency, what did you say?" Lord Mei almost thought he was hard of hearing.

The dignified Prince Cheng had to suffer the punishment of rolling on nails for the eldest aunt of the Marquis of Wu'an.

But she is already married and is the daughter-in-law of the He family.

He looked at Situ Zhen tentatively.

But when she really met Situ Zhen's eyes, she was calm and silent, and there was no sign of her joking at all.

Mei's knees weakened, and he almost fell to his knees. "Prince, Prince, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

"If His Royal Highness Prince Cheng and His Majesty knew about this, I wouldn't be able to keep my official hat, not to mention my head..." I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to save it.

"So you think that only His Royal Highness Prince Cheng and His Majesty can make you lose your head?"

The smile on Situ Zhen's face did not change, but that smile did not reach his eyes.

"Prince, spare my life!"

Lord Mei knelt down immediately, his legs trembling constantly, and his back was already wet with sweat.

He just moved slightly and sweat dripped down the brim of his hat, so salty that he couldn't open his eyes.

"Master Mei, we are still waiting for you, the Jingzhao Yin, to return and continue the court session."

At this moment, Lord Mei, the prefect of Jingzhao, wished there was a hole on the ground for him to crawl into.

Oh God, why did you let him, a small Jingzhao Yin, discover such an unspeakable secret?

But the situation is stronger than people.

Lord Mei smiled awkwardly and could only agree reluctantly.

……

When Lord Mei, the Jingzhao Yin, returned to the hall, he found the atmosphere extremely strange.

The group of people ignored He Minzhi, who hired a killer, and instead gathered around a few women, talking about them.

I could vaguely hear something, "What kind of immoral things has the He family done?"

"You're only saying half the words. Isn't that just keeping people on suspense?"

Looking closely, isn’t the one in the middle the eldest aunt Xue Chenyu from the Xue family of Wu’an Marquis Mansion?

Lord Mei's heart sank to the bottom.

"Sir, what instructions did that person give you that are causing you trouble?"

Master Mei pulled the corner of his mouth weakly, "It's okay, it's okay."

There is nothing wrong with giving orders, but it is really difficult.

"Has the court been summoned?"

Lord Mei: "Rise, rise!"

Damn it, if you stick your head out, you'll get a knife, and if you hide your head, you'll get a knife too.

With the bang of the gavel, everyone hurried back to their seats and dared not talk anymore.

Lord Mei asked the plaintiff Cui Hua to stand up, then slammed the gavel and said, "The one kneeling here is He Minzhi, a seventh-rank editor in the Hanlin Academy. He has been convicted of hiring a killer to injure someone, murdering his siblings, and attempting to murder someone."

"Wait for the Hanlin Academy and the Cabinet to deliberate and then decide a date for the verdict."

But the people refused to give in. They started to clamor, saying, "We've waited so long, and this is the result? Just because he's in the Hanlin Academy, can he do whatever he wants?"

"Isn't it said that studying is for the purpose of establishing a life for the people? What kind of sage book is he reading?"

If one person is dissatisfied, ten or a hundred people will follow suit and shout.

This time, Lord Mei knocked the gavel several times but it was of no use.

The yamen runners of Jingzhao Prefecture all came forward with water and fire sticks, but they could hardly resist the people who were trying to rush into the hall.

As the situation got out of control, a clear voice suddenly rang out amidst the chaos.

"Master Mei, I want to sue He Minzhi, the seventh-rank editor of the Hanlin Academy, for three major crimes: borrowing money and not repaying it, having sexual pleasure with women, and having an affair with a widow!"

Amidst the noise, this voice seemed to have great penetrating power. Everyone unconsciously quieted down and looked at her.

Mr. Mei: Embarrassing.

When Lord Mei saw the eldest aunt of the Xue family, whom he had been looking forward to seeing for so long, it was as if there were nails stuck in his stool, and he couldn't sit down at all.

When he thought about making the extremely noble Prince Cheng roll on the nail board, he felt that his future was over and his head was in danger.

But the procedures that need to be followed still need to be followed.

"Who is the one who is making the complaint? Come to the court!" Lord Mei said loudly.

Xue Chenyu held the petition above her head and walked forward step by step.

Everyone involuntarily made way for him.

Then, the beautiful woman walked calmly to the lobby step by step and knelt down straight.

He Minzhi's eyes were bloodshot in the hall. "Xue Chenyu, how dare you?!"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Xue Chenyu remained calm. "Not only will I sue you, but I'll also let everyone in the world know about the dirty deeds you and your son have done!"

"Shut up, you bitch! How dare you frame my Dalang and the reputation of my He family like this?!" Liu, who was sitting in the hall, was so angry that her eyes were about to burst out, and she tried her best to rush forward.

But Zhang and Camellia pulled him back together.

"Old Madam, please be quiet and listen to the trial."

"You, you bitch, how dare you?" Liu stared at Camellia in disbelief.

Camellia was too impatient to listen to her and took out a handkerchief to cover her mouth.

She calls me a bitch all the time. In her eyes, everyone except her and her son is a bitch?

"Who is kneeling in the hall? What is your name? Please state your name."

"My name is Xue, and my given name is Hui Chenyu. Last year, I married into the He family, a family of three generations of integrity. I am a He family woman. The man kneeling in the hall is He Minzhi, a seventh-rank editor at the Hanlin Academy. He is my original husband."

"So, you are a wife suing her husband?"

Xue Chenyu raised her head and said, "Master Mei, what He Minzhi did is outrageous and beyond description. I would rather be tortured by the rolling nail board than sue this man!"

The people watching the trial in the hall all gasped.

Rolling nail board, that's torture!

Not to mention she, a delicate and tender woman, even those men who were used to doing rough work and had strong bodies could not withstand such torture.

But even so, she still wanted to file a complaint. How wronged must she have been?!

The crowd in the hall started to talk again, and Lord Mei quickly slammed the gavel, "No noise is allowed. Anyone who roars in the court will be beaten out with sticks."

Only then did everyone calm down.

Then, as usual, Mr. Chen came down to take the complaint. Lord Mei read it with a frown and took a breath of cold air.

He Minzhi is really troublesome!