On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Xia Zhu took a deep breath, stroked the folds of the crimson official robe with his fingertips, and tightened the jade belt around his waist.

Her plain face was reflected in the bronze mirror, her brows were slightly furrowed, but her eyes revealed an unshakable determination.

She took off her jade hairpin and combed her black hair into a neat bun again, securing it with a simple sandalwood hairpin. She removed all unnecessary decorations, making her official robe look more solemn.

"Open the middle door." Xia Zhu said in a deep voice, his voice sounding particularly clear in the empty county government office.

The yamen runners looked at each other in bewilderment, but did not dare to delay. They quickly pulled out the bolt, and the heavy vermilion lacquered door slowly opened with a creak.

Outside the door, Wang Chunsheng was wearing silver armor and a long sword at his waist. Behind him was Cao Xiong with a stern look on his face and several officials from the Censorate.

Fifty light cavalrymen were stationed on both sides, their armor plates glowing coldly in the sunlight, and their aura was powerful.

Xia Zhu's eyes swept over the crowd and finally fell on Wang Chunsheng. This man had sharp eyes and a calm demeanor, and was obviously the leader.

She walked out gracefully, bowed gracefully at the bottom of the steps, and said in a clear voice, "Xia Zhu, the Magistrate of Penglai County, greets you all. I didn't know you were coming, and I hope you will forgive me for not coming to greet you."

Wang Chunsheng saw that although she was a woman, she was not afraid at all and her words and actions were neither humble nor arrogant, and he couldn't help but feel a little respect for her.

He quickly stepped forward and bowed in return, "Master Xia, you are very polite. I have long heard that you are a woman who is as capable as any man. Seeing you today, I can see that your reputation is truly well-deserved."

"Why waste your time talking to this bitch!" Cao Xiong couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and shouted sternly, "Maybe she accepted bribes and framed me. Let's tie her up first!"

Xia Zhu's expression changed slightly, and she looked at Cao Xiong coldly, but did not speak.

Wang Chunsheng quickly reached out to stop Cao Xiong, winked at him, and whispered, "Be patient, and find out the situation first."

He turned to Xia Zhu and smiled, "Don't blame me, Master Xia. I'm a bit impatient. Why don't we go into the hall and talk in detail?"

Xia Zhu nodded and stepped aside to lead the way: "Please come in, my lords."

Walking into the central hall, Wang Chunsheng's attention was immediately attracted by the pile of files on the desk.

I saw that the bookshelves on both sides were also filled with files, which were classified and organized in an orderly manner. Some of the files even had worn corners, obviously they had been read repeatedly.

He was moved. Could such a diligent county magistrate really be a corrupt official who framed a wrongful case?

Could it be that the information is wrong?

Everyone sat down and the bailiff served them tea.

Xia Zhu sat at the main seat, his hands folded on the table, his eyes swept calmly over the crowd: "I wonder what brings you all here this time?"

Wang Chunsheng put down his teacup and said straight to the point: "I'm here on the orders of the prince of the palace to investigate a rape case."

Upon hearing this, Xia Zhu curled up the corner of his mouth in a faint sneer: "Rape case? Haha, this county handles no less than several rape cases every month. I wonder which one you are talking about?"

"What? Several cases per month?" Wang Chunsheng frowned, clearly a little surprised. "Why are there so many rape cases in Penglai County?"

Xia Zhu's eyes turned cold, and her tone was filled with sarcasm: "How can I understand a man's mind? I only know that the tears of those women who knelt in the hall and cried were salty, and their grievances were real."

The Censorate's Chief Secretary, an old man with white hair and beard, slammed his hand on the table upon hearing this. "This is ridiculous! Magistrate Xia, please bring me the files on these six rape cases. I want to see how you make your decisions!"

Xia Zhu didn't get angry. She just said to the yamen runner beside her, "Go and get all the rape case files from the past month."

The bailiff received the order.

Soon, six thick files were presented.

The Minister of Justice twirled his beard as he picked up the first book and flipped through it. After reading just a few lines, he suddenly raised his head and glared at Xia Zhu. "Ridiculous! In the Huang Daxun case, the husband raped his wife, and you actually sentenced the husband to three years in prison? How can there be rape between a husband and wife?"

Xia Zhu said calmly, "Master Zhongcheng, regardless of whether you are married or not, as long as you force a woman to have sex against her will, it is rape."

"What nonsense!" The Zhongcheng was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, and picked up the second book. "The Sun Wen case, raping a prostitute in a brothel? Haha, what a joke! Prostitutes make a living by selling sex, how can it be rape? County Magistrate Xia, your judgment is completely blind and arbitrary!"

Xia Zhu stood up suddenly, his eyes piercing the Zhongcheng like a sharp sword: "Master Zhongcheng, this is wrong!"

She walked over to the desk and picked up the file on Sun Yat-sen's case. "Although this woman was a prostitute, she was also a living person. Since she had clearly rejected Sun Yat-sen, he couldn't force her to consummate the marriage. Otherwise, it would be rape! Does she deserve to be bullied just because she was a prostitute?"

"You...you're making a far-fetched argument! That prostitute must have received over a dozen clients every day, so how could she possibly have been raped? In my opinion, the prostitute probably wanted more money after the marriage, but Sun Wen refused to give it to her, so she reported the rape!"

"Impossible! This county has found the brothel's madam and her companions, and they can all prove that Sun Wen raped her without her consent."

"Hahahaha, I've been in office for many years, and this is the first time I've heard of a prostitute being raped in a brothel! What? In your opinion, if the woman calls for a stop mid-sentence and the man continues, is that still considered rape?"

"Of course it counts! As long as it's against a woman's will, it's rape! Regardless of before, during, or afterward!"

The Zhongcheng sneered, "Oh, you speak righteously. Now I suspect you're relying solely on your feelings when judging cases! I'm going to report you to the Crown Prince!"

Xia Zhu wasn't afraid of him at all: "Oh, if you have the ability, go and join."

"Don't think that just because His Majesty has appointed you, His Majesty can protect you. People like you who make arbitrary judgments and bring chaos to the place will never be tolerated by the official team!"

After that, another official from the Censorate said, "Master Xia, since ancient times, has there ever been a saying that a husband rapes his wife? Sexual intercourse between husband and wife is a natural right and a wife's duty!"

"Duty?" Xia Zhu sneered, a trace of sadness flashing in her eyes. "If this is an obligation, then how miserable are the women in this world? Just because they marry you men, can they hurt them at will? Your Excellency, you know that the woman surnamed Huang has been abused by her husband for many years. This time, she was beaten all over her body, and only then did she muster up the courage to report it to the police. If even the government doesn't stand up for her, how will she cope?"

Wang Chunsheng had been observing Xia Zhu silently. He saw that when she mentioned the case, there was a glimmer of justice in her eyes and her words were sincere, without any pretense.

But a lot of the words sounded really awkward, like... like... he couldn't speak very well either.

It seems that Xia Zhu is deliberately speaking up for women and improving their status, which is biased.

He picked up the file of the Dapeng case and read it carefully.

The file records in detail Liu Cuilian's confession, witness testimony and physical evidence.

A torn piece of clothing.

But he noticed that there were some contradictions in Liu Cuilian's description in her confession, and the witnesses were all neighbors of Liu the butcher, which seemed to be biased.

"Master Xia," Wang Chunsheng said, interrupting the three people who were arguing, "Can you tell me more about the Dapeng case?"

Xia Zhu looked at Wang Chunsheng, his expression slightly relaxed. "The Dapeng case is a rape case that was recently tried in this county. The plaintiff, Liu Cuilian, is the daughter of a butcher. She claims that Dapeng raped her. With both witnesses and evidence, this county has sentenced Dapeng to be executed in the autumn."

"According to the law?" Wang Chunsheng raised his eyebrows and handed the file to other officials.

"From what I know, Dapeng is an honest peddler who has always had dealings with Liu Cuilian. Why is he suddenly accused of rape?"

Xia Zhu's eyes narrowed. "Commander Wang, are you questioning our county's ability to judge cases?"

"I dare not," Wang Chunsheng shook his head. "You are the county magistrate appointed by His Majesty. You naturally have unique abilities. However, this case is full of doubts. I hope you can clarify them."

Xia Zhu took a deep breath and sat down again. "This case may seem simple, but it's actually not. Dapeng and Liu Cuilian had a relationship, but on the day of the incident, someone saw Dapeng enter Liu Cuilian's room and come out half an hour later. Liu Cuilian then ran out in dishevel, crying for help, claiming she was raped."

"Saw it with your own eyes? Who were they?" Wang Chunsheng asked.

"They are the neighbors of Liu the Butcher. There are three witnesses in total." Xia Zhu said.

"Butcher Liu's neighbor?" Wang Chunsheng sneered. "I'm afraid he has a close relationship with Butcher Liu, right?"

Xia Zhu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Commander Wang is right. These three are all good friends of Liu the Butcher. But besides the witnesses, there's also physical evidence. Liu Cuilian's torn clothes have Dapeng's fingerprints on them."

"Fingerprint?" Wang Chunsheng became interested. "How do you prove that the fingerprint is Dapeng's?"

"The county once asked Dapeng to press his fingerprints, and compared them with the fingerprints on the clothes, it was indeed the same person." Xia Zhu explained.

The Minister of Justice interrupted impatiently, "Commander Wang, why are you wasting your time with her? It's obvious she accepted bribes from Butcher Liu and is wrongly accusing a good person!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Zhu slammed the table and said, "How dare you! What evidence do you have to accuse this county of accepting bribes?"

"Evidence?" Zhong Cheng sneered. "Your judgment is so absurd, is it not because you've been paid?"

Wang Chunsheng saw that the two were about to argue again, so he quickly tried to smooth things over: "Okay, both of you stop talking."

He looked at Xia Zhu and said, "Master Xia, the file says that Dapeng was engaged to the woman, but the engagement was broken off after the rape case. In other words, the time when they consummated their marriage..."

Before he could finish, Xia Zhu said, "It's rape!"

"Okay, even if it's rape, then wasn't it after the engagement but before the divorce? In theory, they were husband and wife. How can a marriage be considered rape? And how do you know if the woman consented to the rape? Or if she regretted it afterward?"

"this..."

"Also, since you said the evidence is conclusive, why does Dapeng's father claim his son was wrongly accused?"

Xia Zhu's eyes were complicated, and he sighed: "Who among all parents in the world doesn't protect their children? Dapeng's father naturally refused to believe that his son would do such a thing."

"Really?" Wang Chunsheng stood up and walked up to Xia Zhu, his eyes sharp. "But I also heard that Liu the Butcher gave you a generous gift after the incident. Is that true?"

Xia Zhu's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. "That's true, but the county magistrate didn't accept it. Instead, the gift was returned intact."

"Oh?" Wang Chunsheng raised his eyebrows. "Why not keep it as evidence?"

"This county believes in the law and evidence," Xia Zhu said, looking directly into Wang Chunsheng's eyes. "As long as the evidence is solid, no matter how many gifts Butcher Liu gives us, this county will rule according to the law."

Wang Chunsheng stared at Xia Zhu's eyes for a long time, trying to find a hint of panic in them, but he only saw determination and a hint of imperceptible fatigue.

He gradually began to think that Xia Zhu might not really be a corrupt official, but a county magistrate who was too persistent in her principles. It was just that her standards for judging cases were so different from traditional concepts that she caused controversy.

"Master Xia," Wang Chunsheng said slowly, "The Dapeng case is of great importance and contains many suspicious points. This county needs to conduct a new investigation."

Xia Zhu's eyes flashed with displeasure when he heard this, but he still nodded and said, "Since Commander Wang wants to investigate, our county will cooperate. I just hope Commander Wang can find out the truth, give an explanation to the victim, and give justice to the defendant."

"Of course." Wang Chunsheng nodded. "General Cao, take your men and bring Dapeng here. We will interrogate him personally."

"Okay." Cao Xiong took the order and left.

The hall was silent for a moment, with only a few bird calls coming from outside the window.

Wang Chunsheng looked at Xia Zhu, while Xia Zhu looked down at the files on the desk, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, wondering what he was thinking.

The sunlight filtered through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on her and reflecting the complex expression on her face.

......

The afternoon sun scorched the bluestone square in front of the Penglai County Government Office. The crowds of onlookers were packed tightly together, and a buzz of discussion could be heard from the throng.

The jailers at the gate of the county government office were holding water and fire sticks, struggling to maintain order, and the atmosphere inside the hall was as heavy as ice.

Xia Zhu sat upright, his crimson official robe gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Wang Chunsheng and Zhongcheng sat on either side. The former had eyes as sharp as an eagle, while the latter twirled his beard with a gloomy expression.

"Bring the defendant Dapeng and the plaintiff Liu Cuilian to court!" Xia Zhu slammed the gavel, and the sound echoed in the empty hall.

Two yamen runners came in escorting Dapeng and Liu Cuilian.

Dapeng, wearing a patched coarse cloth jacket and disheveled hair, saw the officials sitting in the hall, especially Wang Chunsheng and others. A glimmer of hope ignited in his eyes, and he fell to his knees with a thud, his voice hoarse: "Sirs, help me! I am innocent! Please help me!"

He rested his forehead against the cold blue bricks, his voice filled with tears, "Cui Lian and I grew up together, climbed the same trees, and drank water from the same river. How could I possibly rape her?"

"How dare you!" Xia Zhu slammed the gavel down again, making the teacup on the table buzz. "I haven't even asked you any questions, so how can you just complain? Shut up! If you dare say anything more, I'll give you twenty beatings with the killing stick!"

Dapeng trembled all over, lowered his head in horror, and clenched the corner of his clothes tightly with his fingers, his knuckles turning white.

He remembered that three years ago, he was almost swept away by the river while trying to save Cui Lian who fell into the water. There were still scars on his legs from being scratched by stones.

Liu Cuilian was wearing a half-worn floral dress. She stood aside with her head lowered, her shoulders trembling slightly. She looked weak, but a trace of panic flashed in her eyes.