A vivid portrayal of the sad life JR trio was forced to live in that residence under Zhang Lan.
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Chapter 24: Witness (Part II)
In a frenzy, Chen Zhao got on his knees and kowtowed. As he kowtowed, he called out, "Daren, have mercy, Daren, have mercy, this humble person had a moment of confusion, no, it was a moment of error. I did not intend to kill her, but when she started to threaten me, I was consumed by anger. It was not intentional, so Daren, please have mercy on me…"
Zhang Lan, having watched the whole scene unfold from outside the court, felt her vision gradually turn black before fainting in the midst of the crowd.
Imperial Censor Wang instructed the guards to take Chen Zhao into custody and escort him to a prison cell. For the court investigation to arrive at such an outcome, was liken to emerging from a somber period. The common folks of East Street had not encountered such an exciting and intriguing case in a long time. It was not just the fact that the family's son had committed a crime, but to add to it, he had incited trouble and shifted the blame onto someone else- going so far as to implicate and lay charges against an innocent young lady. This was absolutely reprehensible and he was truly guilty of the crime.
But, just when everyone thought that the case had come to a close, suddenly, an untimely sound was heard. The bailiff came forward to report, "Daren, someone else has just beaten the drum of justice."
"What, another grievance?" Qian Wan Li almost forgot to stand up, however casting a glance towards Imperial Censor Wang, he could only feel even more diffident. He did not know why today of all days there would be someone beating the drum of justice. From Imperial Censor Wang's perspective, it would reflect back on his [Qian Wan Li's] incompetency to govern, and thus, resulting in so many judicial issues. Coming to such a conclusion, Qian Wan Li knew in his heart that he had to be prepared for every kind of eventuality. So without much ado, he resolutely called forth, "Bring the person in!"
The person who was brought in was yet another servant and after seeing this, the crowd could not resist commenting and discussing- indeed what was it about this day, all the grievances were brought forward by servants.
When the servant was brought forward, Imperial Censor Wang inquired, "Please state your grievance."
The servant kowtowed before answering, "In response to Daren, I am seeking justice on behalf of our family's young lady."
"Who is this young lady of yours?" Qian Wan Li asked out of curiosity.
"My family's young lady is none other than Miss Jiang Ruan."
Jiang Ruan looked at Lian Qiao and smiled, Lian Qiao also smiled back. Her eyes appeared to blaze red, as she turned and kowtowed to Imperial Censor Wang, "Can this servant be so bold as to ask Daren a question? If a servant was mistreating her master, to the extent of deliberately conspiring to plot the demise of said master, what should be done in such an instance?"
Imperial Censor Wang tilted his neck, mulling, "The county has the state laws, while families have their familial laws, and the governance of servants does fall under the familial laws. In saying that, with regards to the law, familial laws are derived from the state law, and premeditation to take a life is a severe crime and will definitely be punished accordingly.
"Good." Lian Qiao nodded, "Then, Daren, I would like to seek justice on behalf of my young lady, and file a lawsuit against Zhang Lan and her son. My lady has stayed in the residence for five years and has been made to suffer hardships under tyrannical oppression. She has been treated worse than the servants of the household. Zhang Lan and her family have taken advantage of my lady's goodness, seizing all her assets and properties, while mistreating and abusing her at every turn. During the coldest time of the year, nine days after the winter solstice when it is the coldest, they would make her go up into the mountain to gather and chop firewood. On cold, wintry days, they would instruct her to head down to the river to wash clothes. She was given plain bread and water for food, and for winter, a coat that was merely made out of a thin quilt. In the five years that my lady has lived in the residence, she has not once had a full meal, and not once has she lived a good day. She has to sew her own clothes and linens, and make a living through her embroidery work. She has been forced to live in such poor conditions, cohabitating with rats and rodents, and even eating ants and critters for survival. Even when she was sick, there wasn’t any medication to aid her recovery. Essentially she has been a grass left to wither and die.
Lian Qiao's earnest entreaty moved the hearts of those, who had congregated, to the point of tears. There were some soft hearted ladies whose hearts were breaking upon hearing the plight of this young genteel lady, and they began to rebuke Zhang Lan and her family for their and treacherous acts. Even those who were affluent could not help but sigh, as even the life of a child from an ordinary household would be better off than what Jiang Ruan had to endure.
However, Lian Qiao was still not done with her plea. She raised her head, "Even if we don’t quibble about those mundane things, as servants, we can only lament to the heavens for being unfair and simply accept our fate. However, there should be consequences for taking a life – a life for a life. Even if it was accidental, there has to be a price to be paid for such actions. Chen Zhao has dragged my lady through the mud, setting her up to take the the fall for murder. It is indeed by a stroke of luck that my lady was gifted, and able to escape from the jaws of death. Please, Daren, impart justice for my lady. Please punish these evil and devious miscreants.
Translated by : minodayz
Edited by : Anks & Ely