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Back to the plot, the court hall is quite lively with so many accusations flying around. The crowd is having a gala time for sure (and all of us too hehe) 😛 Also, JR is such a great actress. * slow clap *
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Chapter 25: The Final Objective (Part I)
Once these words were spoken, everyone present in the hall sucked in a shocked breath.
"How could you say such things?" Imperial Censor Wang asked.
Lian Qiao once again gave an account of the day Chen Zhao had taken liberties with his words when speaking with Jiang Ruan, and how she had been forced to fall into the pond. When she got to the point where Jiang Ruan was lying sick in bed, yet no medicine was procured for her, Lian Qiao could barely choke out her words. "Let everyone judge what is right or wrong. Even children of ordinary families- having to suffer in such a way would be rare. Therefore, a servant with the guts to come up with this kind of plan to seize someone's life is really too savage!"
There was a truth to these words; there will always be incidents where people are being harmed. However, this was the first time that a servant had abused their master in such a way. In the midst of the crowd, Zhang Lan had long since fainted away, and many people started spitting on her. The little servant girls by her side were too scared to come forward to help her as they feared the crowd's rage.
Qian Wan Li had not made a sound. The more complex the situation became, the greater its significance and impact on the future. These were not the waters that he wished to wade in, and so, he decided to hand the entire situation over to Imperial Censor Wang to do as he saw fit. He himself would just watch the show from the side.
Imperial Censor Wang asked, "Jiang Ruan, what your servant girl said, is it true?"
"Not a word is false," Jiang Ruan said lightly. "However, my thoughts on the matter differ in some ways from Lian Qiao's."
"How so?" Imperial Censor Wang raised his eyes and looked at her.
"At the end of the day, Auntie Lan is still only someone who oversees a residential compound. Who gave her such power and authority to abuse me? If she did abuse me, a few hundred people reside in the compound; how is it that not a single one came to my aid while I have been facing such difficulties? It is almost as if they all agreed without prior consultation to refuse to treat me as their mistress. In my opinion, Auntie Lan was born into this household, and her entire family also makes a living within the compound. She would not have the guts to abuse me, unless there was someone encouraging her in the background."
Imperial Censor Wang's eyes flashed. "Who is it?"
Jiang Ruan shook her head and said, "This is a matter for the government office to look into. I don't know who it is, either."
Upon hearing this, the densely packed hall was once again abuzz with discussion. They also felt that what Jiang Ruan had said was highly reasonable. Still, she was such an educated and sensible young lady, who would harden their heart to such an extent and abuse her in this way?
Imperial Censor Wang nodded. "I will carefully examine every aspect of what you have stated. However, there is still something I don't quite understand. You are the young mistress of the residence, but how could it be that the servants bullied and humiliated you to this point, and your family was not at all concerned? If there is some secret grievance behind this situation, I will have to judge you together with everyone else and hold you responsible."
Imperial Censor Wang made his intention known to make Jian Ruan take responsibility if she were somehow involved. The crowd guessed that since this crudely dressed high-ranked superior official had the authority to make someone take responsibility, his ability must not be inconsiderable.
However, Jiang Ruan simply shook her head lightly. "It's only a matter of loathsome servants abusing their master. My family . . . it's just that they don't know."
"Could you possibly be taking me for a fool?" Imperial Censor Wang suddenly raised his voice. "Since this residential compound belongs to your family, and it is not far away from your family home, how could it be that not even the tiniest hint of news reached your family? Are you trying to imply that all the servants in this residence, from the highest ranks to the lowest ones, are in the habit of hiding things from their master? Then, I will have to look into this even more carefully!"
"Daren," Jiang Ruan spoke louder, with a hint of irritation on her features. "Please do not make rash conjectures. I am the eldest daughter of high-ranking government official[1] Jiang. My father is fair and impartial, and shows me every consideration. It is only that he has been deeply deceived!"
[1] Bing shu shang shu ( 兵书尚书 ) – refers to someone who holds a high rank in the military as well as in the government.
As soon as this statement was made, everyone was taken aback!
Translated by : shl
Edited by : Anks & Ely