strictlysupreme Chapter 105: All of them were flogged!
Chapter 105: All of them were flogged!
"Tian Wangshi Xiuying, you have committed a false accusation, made unreasonable demands, and disrupted the court proceedings. Your crimes are unforgivable. Guards, give her thirty strokes of the cane as a warning to others!"
Li Huaiyuan gave the order without expression.
As his verdict was handed down, everyone in the hall held their breath, fearing they might be the next to be punished.
The bailiffs stepped forward and pressed Wang Xiuying onto the bench.
"My lord, spare my life! I dare not do it again!" Wang Xiuying struggled and cried out.
As for the rest of the Tian family...
Not only did they not plead for mercy, but their expressions also carried a hint of schadenfreude.
"Snap!" The first slap landed, and everyone in the hall was slightly startled.
Wang Xiuying's cries echoed in all directions.
Some people in the crowd whispered among themselves.
"Lord Li is wise."
"That's right. If people like this aren't severely punished, wouldn't that encourage false accusations?"
These whispers became even clearer amidst Wang Xiuying's screams.
Li Huaiyuan sat up straight with a slight sense of smugness, glanced around the courtroom, and said, "As an official, I judge cases by examining evidence and hearing the truth."
"If anyone dares to fabricate lies and try to deceive the law, don't blame me for enforcing the law strictly!"
Wang Xiuying took all the blame, but Li Huaiyuan didn't let the others off the hook either.
On the grounds of being implicated, Tian Zhongqing, Wang Yulan, and Tian Zhigao were all given ten strokes of the cane and then ordered to go home and reflect on their actions.
As for the other villagers, they were all given ten strokes of the cane without exception.
As soon as the court session ended, Li Huaiyuan sent his yamen runners to the Baishi Teahouse.
Led by Xiao Si, the yamen runners arrived at the backyard and saw Tian Tian coming out of the kitchen.
"Miss Tian, our superiors are handling the case..."
Upon hearing about the case, Tian Tian immediately pulled him aside, asking, "What's wrong?"
"We adults have investigated the case... Wang Xiuying received thirty strokes of the cane, and the others received ten strokes each..."
"The letter requesting the prefectural government to revoke Tian Bonian's title of Juren has already been sent to the prefectural city..."
Tian Tian was very satisfied with the result.
She went back to the kitchen and packed several brown paper bags of food for the yamen runners.
"Could you please thank Lord Li for me, young man?"
"This one is for the adults, and the rest can be divided among you brothers."
The bailiff, clutching the brown paper bag, repeatedly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Second Miss."
"Second Miss, I'll take my leave now."
"If the Second Miss needs anything in the future, please feel free to come to us brothers."
As soon as Tian Tian returned to the kitchen, Lu Tao looked up and asked, "Who is it?"
“They are yamen runners from the county government,” Tian Tian said.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing," Tian Tian said, still intending to keep it from her.
Tian Xiang walked over, squeezed next to her, and winked at her.
Tian Tian nodded, then whispered something in Tian Xiang's ear, telling her the result of the case.
Tian Xiang's eyes lit up and she grinned.
Seeing her smile, Tian Tian smiled too.
Seeing the sisters laughing so heartily, Lu Tao became even more suspicious.
"What's wrong? Why are you two sisters so happy?"
Tian Tian and Tian Xiang exchanged a glance and said in unison, "It's nothing."
The two sisters were in high spirits, thinking that the bad things were finally over, but little did they know... money can be blinding, and some people will have unrealistic ideas.
The first person to come to them was Tian Zhicheng.
He stood opposite the Baishi Teahouse, his eyes fixed on the activity inside.
Envy, resentment!
The teahouse's entrance curtains weren't particularly luxurious, but customers came and went in a constant stream.
The clever young man at the door greeted the guests, "Gentlemen, please come in!"
"The food at our Baishi Teahouse is all freshly steamed, and the tea is all freshly brewed."
The guests nodded in agreement and followed him inside.
Looking at these scenes, Tian Zhicheng felt a mix of emotions.
He began his formal education at the age of five. Through his uncle's recommendation, he entered the county school. The teachers at the county school often praised him to his uncle, saying that he was intelligent and would surely pass the imperial examinations in the future.
From then on, he became the most important person in the family.
Everything in the family revolves around him!
The eldest brother always coaxed him, while the second brother was not good with words.
He disliked his second brother, so he told his parents, and they refused to let him into the house.
Whether it's summer or winter, my second brother always has to sleep outside!
Later, the second brother married his second sister-in-law, but she wasn't as flattering as the eldest sister-in-law, so he didn't like her either.
Their parents then sent them to a small room to the side.
He always told his parents that his second brother and sister-in-law's family was the most useless and worthless, and that if he passed the imperial examination and became an official in the future, he would not want to take them with him.
But now...
He always thought his second brother and sister-in-law were the most useless and incompetent family, yet they owned such a large shop.
Just as a bitter feeling was welling up inside him, Tian Tian came out of the teahouse and exchanged pleasantries with a merchant.
Her clear voice carried across the street, "Manager Liu, you've come to patronize us again today. Please come in and have a seat. We have a new dish called char siu bao. Please try it."
Her voice was cheerful and natural, and the shopkeeper, Liu, responded with a smile, "I'm becoming more and more dependent on the tea and snacks here, Miss."
Tian Zhicheng felt a tightness in his chest.
Tian Tian was just a girl, and... the most inconspicuous girl in their family.
But now...
It's amazing that Baishi Teahouse has become so prosperous.
On the contrary, he, a respectable man and a scholar, lived such a miserable life...
Tian Zhicheng clenched his fists tightly.
He knew that even standing at the entrance of this teahouse, he was nothing more than a passerby.
That bustling prosperity had nothing to do with him; it only made his destitution stand out even more.
but!
Tian Zhicheng gritted his teeth and stood there for a while...
Seeing Tian Tian turn and go inside, he finally mustered up the courage to walk to the other side.
"Sir, how many are in your party?" Xiao Si, who had never met Tian Zhicheng before, greeted him warmly.
Tian Zhicheng's back was slightly hunched, his head was down, and he stammered, "I'm looking for...I'm looking for your manager."
"Looking for our manager?" Xiao Si was slightly taken aback.
Ever since those people approached the shopkeeper a few days ago, he's been keeping a close eye on things.
"Which manager are you looking for?" he asked.
"I'm looking for Tian Tian, Miss Tian the Second," Tian Zhicheng said, announcing Tian Tian's name.
Xiao Si glanced in the direction Tian Tian had just left, then turned back and asked, "What do you want with our Second Miss?"
Tian Zhicheng kept his head down, "I'm looking for her..."
He suddenly looked up at Tian Tian, who was about to walk into the backyard, "Tian Tian!"
Tian Tian had already taken a step forward, but upon hearing the sound, she pulled her foot back and turned around.
She spotted Tian Zhicheng, who was hunched over, almost immediately.
She came up to him, but didn't say anything to him. Instead, she instructed Xiao Si, "He and I are going to the reserved room on the second floor. Have someone bring up some tea and snacks."
After saying that, she didn't even look at Tian Zhicheng, "Let's go."
Tian Zhicheng followed her slowly upstairs to the second floor and into the side room...
Tian Tian sat facing him without saying a word.
After the tea and food were served, Tian Tian went to close the door herself.
She turned around. "What do you want to do?"