"I'll go first, my family suffered the most!" one of the men limped out.
Seeing this man, the others stopped arguing about who should go first and made way for him.
The limping man walked to the front, knelt on the ground, his nose and tears flowing, his left hand trembling as he pointed at Zhao Yaru, sobbing about the crimes she had committed.
"This commoner is from Zhangjia Village. I had over a hundred mu of fertile land at home. Through an introduction, I married Zhao Yaru. But before a year passed, my mother reprimanded her a few times because of her laziness. She held a grudge and found an opportunity to poison my parents. Afterward, she colluded with hooligans from town, not only breaking my leg but also, while I was unconscious from the pain, forging my fingerprints on the house deeds and land deeds and selling everything. I beg Her Majesty the Empress to bring justice for this commoner!"
Zhao Yaru was truly condemned by everyone!
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the person hiding behind Chen Haijuan and not speaking. She walked up to the man kneeling on the ground and asked, "Didn't you report it?"
The man was taken aback and shook his head slightly. "I dared not. Because you were already a Princess at that time!"
Just because of her status, this man had suffered so much. His parents were dead, and it was no different from his family being destroyed.
Zhao Jiaqi helped the man up and narrowed her beautiful eyes. "Zhao Yaru, do you plead guilty!"
"No... I don't. He did it willingly." Zhao Yaru poked her head out, glared fiercely at the man, and then retracted her head.
Truly, she wouldn't shed a tear until she saw the coffin. She gave Feng Xiao a look, and he directly dragged her out and threw her onto a small open space in front of the Empress.
Zhao Jiaqi looked down at Zhao Yaru on the ground, her gaze filled with a hint of hatred, and sneered, "Stubborn as a dead duck. It doesn't matter; I have many ways to make you speak the truth."
Standing up straight, Zhao Jiaqi instructed Feng Xiao, "Hand Zhao Yaru over to the county magistrate. Anyone who has been wronged by her should go to the county magistrate to make a statement. If the matters are verified, the county magistrate will handle it according to the laws of Yun Country."
Feng Xiao gagged Zhao Yaru, wrapped her up like a zongzi, and threw her onto the carriage. His only goal was to get her to the county yamen.
Behind the carriage followed many people, mostly middle-aged and young men, cursing and saying all sorts of unpleasant things.
As for Zhao Dagou, Zhao Hongchang, and Chen Haijuan, this family of three was so cursed by the common people that their transgressions were too numerous to count.
Zhao Jiaqi roughly summarized the charges based on the public accusations.
One, occupying neighbors' properties.
Two, occupying widows, even defiling their wives. Whomever their father and son fancied, they would not let go, even if the woman was five months pregnant.
Three, swindling and deceiving, extorting protection fees from shops in towns and cities under the guise of the Emperor and Empress.
Four, cheating for food and drink.
Five, intimidation and threats.
Six, kidnapping young girls and selling them to brothels, making considerable profit.
Each of these charges, each of these incidents, was enough to make Zhao Jiaqi want to tear them to shreds.
Even beasts wouldn't do such things. They were not even comparable to beasts, let alone human.
"Shi He, arrest these people and send them to the county magistrate. Tell the magistrate to punish them severely. If he dares to protect them, I will take his life!"
Shi He's lungs were about to explode upon hearing the words of these commoners. Before he could tie up these three people, the crowd had already taken action, helping him to tie them up. In no time, they were bound, and the commoners actively helped Shi He deliver them.
As for how the journey went, Zhao Jiaqi was not entirely sure. She only knew that by the time Shi He returned, the sky was completely dark.
From Shi He, she learned that as soon as they left the village, the three men were beaten by the commoners with every step they took. By the time they reached the county yamen, they were barely breathing.
This showed how much hatred the people had for them and also proved that the things these three had done were worse than that of pigs and dogs.
The county magistrate was also quick to judge. That very night, all the hooligans were arrested. After verification, the evidence was conclusive, and they were sentenced to death.
There was no need to wait for the autumn execution. The next day at noon, they were split in half at the marketplace. Even those hooligans were not spared; some were split in half, and others were torn apart by five horses.
This was met with cheers throughout the town and county. On the day these people died, firecrackers were even set off in celebration.
As for the man from Zhangjia Village, the county magistrate found the silver and jewelry from the hooligans' hideout. Compensation was paid to him according to the market price of his over a hundred mu of fertile land.
As for his deceased parents and his leg, since Zhao Yaru was already dead, the matter ended there.
The man from Zhangjia Village, after receiving the compensation, did not expect to have another chance to rebuild his life and was very grateful to Zhao Jiaqi.
May.
The family quietly left Yulin Town. The next destination was the inner city. The weather had warmed up, and various flowers and grasses were slowly blooming.
This trip was primarily for sightseeing and also to inspect Yun Country. They returned to the inner city after half a month.
The moment they stepped into the Prince's mansion, Steward Wang was so excited that tears streamed down his face. He grabbed Fan Zehao's hand and refused to let go.
He almost thought he would spend his retirement in the Prince's mansion and never see the Prince again!
"Stop crying. We're starving. Get us something to eat!" Fan Zehao was quite afraid of the steward's tears.
He immediately changed the subject, wanting to avoid the awkwardness.
News of the Prince's return, through someone's lips, spread like wildfire. By the afternoon, many people had arrived at the Prince's mansion one after another.
His godfather even brought cartloads of wine to the mansion: fruit wine, grape wine, Nu'er Hong, Zhuye Qing, and even Hua Diao.
In the evening, instead of stir-fried dishes, they had roast meat. Everyone sat around a bonfire, with wine jars scattered on the ground and some holding cups of wine, their laughter echoing.
After a lively night, the couple overslept the next day.
Fan Zehao sat on the bed and shook his head, chuckling. In his twenty-six or twenty-seven years, this was the first time he had drunk so much.
"Stop dawdling and get up quickly. The children have been up for a long time. They were just shouting outside, asking you to take them to the military camp to ride horses!"
Zhao Jiaqi threw her clothes on the bed, urging him to get up quickly. The sun was already high in the sky.
If they dawdled any longer, they would miss breakfast and have lunch directly.
As soon as he heard about his sons wanting to ride horses, Fan Zehao's mind cleared instantly. He put on his clothes, washed his face, and tied his hair in one go.
However, when they appeared in the dining hall, who could tell them what was going on with that family of five sitting there?
Pingting grinned at Zhao Jiaqi, her willow-like eyebrows twitching. "Sister-in-law, long time no see. Are you well?"
Long time no see?
Was it?
Why did she only feel like they hadn't seen each other for three months!
"What are you doing here?" Zhao Jiaqi couldn't help but want to retort.
Pingting looked innocent and pointed to someone sitting nearby drinking tea. "It's not just our family that came. Look, my mother is here too!"
Following her pointing finger, she saw Yao Jingyun sitting in a chair, smiling and waving at her.
Then she heard Pingting's voice again. "As for why we came... it's definitely because I missed you! Otherwise, why would I be here!"