Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

The trial went quite smoothly, and only when Xu Yan was left was Xiaoqian brought in by the bailiffs. She cowered, kneeling in terror below the courtroom. Only then did she realize what she had done wrong.

Looking back on everything that had happened, she knew she had been terribly wrong. Although her eldest sister spent her days shuttling between the Wei residence and the clinic, she had never done anything out of line. She was absolutely certain of this.

She was simply envious of her older sister's ease and skill in dealing with wealthy young men. Her sister had never intended to introduce them to her, and her jealousy had driven her to make that mistake. But now it was too late; she had to pay the price for her actions.

Her father had repeatedly warned her to be rational in dealing with everything around her. He told her to be more mature, more sensible, and not to get stuck on trivial matters or be petty. Unfortunately, she always ignored him. As it turned out, although her father had a bit of a temper, his approach to things was generally correct.

Just as she was filled with regret and contemplation, the gavel struck with a resounding "thud." Xiaoqian was so frightened that her whole body went limp, and she almost collapsed to the ground. Following the sound of the gavel was the magistrate's calm and powerful voice:

"Who is in the hall? Tell me your name."

Xiaoqian answered tremblingly, "This humble woman is Li... Li Xiaoqian."

The magistrate was quite satisfied with Xiaoqian's performance and asked, "Li Xiaoqian, do you know why I have summoned you to court today?"

Xiaoqian took a few deep breaths to calm herself before answering, "Reporting to Your Excellency, I was consumed by jealousy and falsely accused my cousin Xiaonuan. I also participated in spreading rumors."

Seeing that Xiaoqian's attitude in admitting her guilt was very sincere, the magistrate was somewhat satisfied. He then asked, "Now that you know you have made a mistake, do you know what kind of punishment you will receive?"

Xiaoqian swallowed hard, and with a reckless attitude, replied loudly, "My lord, I know I cannot escape my punishment. Whatever punishment you deem fit, I am willing to accept it."

The magistrate was quite satisfied with Xiaoqian's answer. He held the Li sisters in even higher regard. The elder sister, facing such a situation without any fear, displayed remarkable composure and courage. The younger sister, knowing her mistake and correcting it, possessed a natural air of pride.

Looking at the two sisters who had once fought each other, the magistrate thought of all the people he had tried before, each of whom had offered countless excuses and denials. And then there was Xu Yan, who, knowing she was about to die, showed no remorse and even took the opportunity to kick someone when they were down.

"Li Xiaonuan, your cousin Li Xiaoqian has confessed. Do you have anything else to say?"

Li Xiaonuan nodded to the magistrate to show her sincerity before saying, "Your Excellency, I have some questions I would like to ask my cousin. I wonder if Your Excellency might be able to make an exception for me?"

The magistrate stroked his beard and nodded, his goodwill towards Li Xiaonuan increasing even more.

"I grant your permission. Please ask."

Li Xiaonuan smiled and thanked him, saying, "Xiaonuan thanks you, Your Honor."

Then she turned to Xiaoqian and asked, "Xiaoqian, has your sister ever done anything to wrong you?"

Xiaoqian knelt upright and turned to answer, "Big sister, it was Xiaoqian's fault. Big sister has been very good to Xiaoqian and has never done anything to wrong her."

Li Xiaonuan asked again, "So what were you thinking when you started spreading rumors about me?"

Xiaoqian lowered her head in shame and replied in a trembling voice, "I'm sorry, big sister. I was just thinking about seeing you suffer, and I couldn't think of anything else. You come and go every day, and everything you do is praised. Compared to you, I'm so useless."

“I saw how hard you worked and how well you did everything, so I started to be jealous of you. Later, when I learned that you knew the Second Young Master Wei and that you could even teach him how to make pastries at his residence, I became even more jealous. After that, I saw that you got along very well with Doctor Qi, but he was very distant from me, so I lost my temper.”

After listening, Li Xiaonuan felt that Xiaoqian's thoughts were similar. However, she could clearly hear Xiaoqian's admiration for Qi Ji in her words. Knowing the root of the problem, Li Xiaonuan earnestly said to Xiaoqian:

“Xiaoqian, listen carefully. Your older sister wasn’t always good at everything. But after being pushed into the water, she felt like she had almost died, so she decided to do more for the family to avoid regretting it later.”

“The reason why my eldest sister works so hard in everything she does is to survive. You know, before, my eldest sister’s family was almost out of rice. Your uncle’s condition worsened, and your aunt’s health was also not good. In order to earn a bite to eat and to save money for their medical treatment, I racked my brains.”

"So, Xiaoqian, what I want to tell you is that you must use your brain when you do things in the future. If jealousy is used correctly, it can be a driving force to motivate you to move forward. But if you continue as you have before, then jealousy will stifle your kindness."

"I hope you'll learn from this experience and face everything in life positively from now on. I don't want to plead for you, because I've really been hurt badly this time. Can you understand me? Will you blame me for not helping you in the future?"

With each word Li Xiaonuan spoke, Xiaoqian felt more ashamed. By the time Li Xiaonuan finished, Xiaoqian had fully realized her mistake. Therefore, she replied in a trembling voice, "Thank you, elder sister, for still being willing to comfort me. I willingly accept the punishment and won't blame you. Elder sister, will you treat me the same way as before?"

Seeing that Xiaoqian's attitude was sincere and she didn't seem to be dissatisfied at all, Li Xiaonuan said, "We are sisters, of course we will get along the same way as before."

Hearing this, Xiaoqian was relieved. She turned to the magistrate, kowtowed, and said, "Your Honor, I beg for punishment." The magistrate was shocked by the sisters' conversation and felt admiration for them. Therefore, when pronouncing the sentence, he intentionally reduced Xiaoqian's punishment.

"The offender, Li Xiaoqian, has committed the sin of verbal offense by spreading rumors and framing others. She is hereby punished with ten slaps to the face, fifteen strokes of the cane, and hard labor in lieu of a fine of twenty taels of silver. Do the Li sisters in the court have any objections to this punishment?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaonuan knew that the magistrate had intentionally let her off the hook, and said gratefully, "I thank you, Your Excellency, for your mercy. I have no objections."

Xiaoqian kowtowed and replied, "This humble woman thanks Your Excellency for your mercy, and this humble woman has no objections."

"Hehehe, what a touching scene! Sisterly affection? Mercy beyond the law? Hehe, they're nothing but thieves and prostitutes, scoundrels in sheep's clothing. I'd like to see what you'll become in the future. Hahaha..." Xu Yan, who was slumped over, suddenly spoke up after the magistrate pronounced the sentence.

The magistrate was so enraged by her words that he almost lost his mind. Fortunately, his advisor reminded him, preventing him from ordering her to be dragged away and beaten to death on the spot.

"You audacious female slave, how dare you falsely accuse an official of the imperial court in court! Your crime is unforgivable! Guards, put this wicked slave in the rack, lock her in a prison cart, and parade her through the streets for three days!"

This verdict was undoubtedly a death sentence for Xu Yan. Li Xiaonuan felt a sense of relief, thinking that she had finally avenged the original owner's death. With a huge weight lifted from her heart, she felt much lighter.

Happy Dragon Boat Festival! During this precious holiday, remember to eat a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling) to commemorate Qu Yuan!