Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 584 Confrontation! Injustice? Logical reasoning? Ironclad evidence?
Zhao Wenyuan wanted to swear another oath, saying something like "May I be struck by lightning if I have no such intention," but suddenly noticed that dark clouds were indeed gathering in the sky outside, and it seemed as if lightning was flicking its tongue. He quickly swallowed his words and instead said:

"The imperial court has entrusted the people of this county to me. How could I dare to fail the emperor's grace, and how could I fail the people of this city!"

He declared righteously and solemnly, "The laws of the Ming Dynasty are clear and unambiguous; they will neither wrong an innocent person nor let a villain go unpunished!"

"Regarding your brother Xi Yunlang's murder case, there is a written confession here, in black and white, with his own signature, absolutely no falsehood!"

After speaking, Zhao Wenyuan raised his hand and beckoned, and the clerk immediately presented a dossier respectfully.

Zhao Wenyuan took the file, but didn't even look at it. He just pinched one corner with two fingers, as if it were something filthy.

A cruel sneer played on his lips as he suddenly jerked his arm, sending the confession flying like a white arrow straight at Xi Zhaoxue. It finally landed with a "thud" on the bluestone slab in front of her.

The paper turned, revealing the dark ink stains.

"Open your eyes and look carefully. This is your brother's handwritten note. Is this fingerprint genuine?"

"I was tortured into confessing!" Xi Yunlang, who had been pinned to the ground, struggled violently upon seeing the confession, as if branded with a hot iron, and roared hoarsely, "They used torture, I... I really couldn't bear it anymore and that's why I signed it!"

"Insolence!" Zhao Wenyuan's face darkened, and he shouted sharply, "Your handwritten confession is irrefutable. How dare you recant it in court? Do you know that this will only make your crime worse?"

"I didn't kill anyone! I really didn't kill anyone!" Xi Yunlang screamed to the sky, his voice hoarse and broken. He tried desperately to get up from the ground, but two fierce-looking constables held him down by the shoulder blades.

He struggled desperately, the shackles clattering against the ground, veins bulging on his wrists, but all to no avail.

"Stop roaring in court!" Zhao Wenyuan roared, his voice like thunder. "If you dare to speak nonsense again, you'll be slapped in the face immediately!"

Xi Yunlang trembled violently, a sob like a trapped beast escaped his throat, and he dared not shout again. Only tears streamed down his face, silently soaking his clothes.

Xi Zhaoxue gritted her teeth, slowly raised her head, and looked directly at Zhao Wenyuan. Her voice trembled slightly with anger, but every word was clear: "I do not accept your judgment!"

"Today, I will make you submit wholeheartedly!" Zhao Wenyuan said coldly. "Your brother committed the crime, and not only is there a confession here, but there is also ample witness testimony and physical evidence!"

He slowly turned his head, his gaze like a hook, and stared at the woman with a high belly standing to the side: "Tan Zhu, come forward and tell everyone in the hall the whole story of how you met Xi Yunlang, how he coerced you, and how he ultimately caused the bloodshed!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the candle in the pool burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

This time, all the officials in the hall remained silent, letting her mournful cries echo.

Even Zhao Wenyuan didn't urge her; he simply stood with his hands behind his back, quietly waiting for her to calm down.

After a long while, the crying gradually subsided, and Tan Zhu finally raised her face, which was streaked with tears, and spoke haltingly, her voice choked with sobs: "I am Tan Zhu, a native of Tan Family Village in the East of Jiulong Mountain."

"Because of poverty and her elderly parents, the young woman went to the city a year ago to work in a factory to make a living."

About ten months ago, through a matchmaker, my parents betrothed me to Xi Yunlang.

"Because I work in the factory year-round, I thought that like my other female colleagues, I should meet my future husband privately before the wedding."

"Although this action is against etiquette, since His Majesty implemented the new policies, the social atmosphere has changed drastically, and such incidents are not uncommon."

"I informed my parents in advance and received their permission before I dared to meet with him."

“Unexpectedly,” she changed her tone, with a hint of lingering disgust, “I found out that he was short and fat, nicknamed ‘Fat Tiger,’ but in reality, he was weak and frail, just a ‘sick tiger.’”

"His appearance... is unremarkable, one could even say ugly. To be honest, I am... extremely disappointed."

Upon hearing this, Xi Yunlang suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at her, his voice seemingly torn apart: "That's not what you said back then! You clearly said you loved me! You even said I... was handsome and dashing! Were all those words lies to me?!"

Upon hearing Xi Yunlang's angry rebuke, Tan Zhu's crying stopped abruptly. Her tear-streaked face instantly lost all trace of sorrow, replaced by an almost harsh indifference. Her tone was as cold as frost: "I was just being polite and casually responding."

"I can't exactly tell you to your face that you're ugly, can I?"

"You actually believed a few insincere compliments that were just said offhand?"

"Fine, fine, fine!" Xi Yunlang gritted his teeth, each word seemingly ground from the depths of his throat, filled with hatred. "You poisonous woman! From beginning to end, you haven't uttered a single word of truth!"

He looked Tan Zhu up and down and said sarcastically, "You say I'm ugly, but what kind of stunning beauty are you?"

"You're just an ordinary woman of average looks, or even somewhat ugly!"

Faced with these accusations, Tan Zhu remained unmoved, her expression as calm as still water: "Women are born to admire the strong; who doesn't hope their husband is a great hero?"

"Although I am an ordinary woman, I have dreamed that my future husband will be handsome and talented, or even one day pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official."

Her voice grew colder and colder, like a knife chilled to ice, stabbing into Xi Yunlang's heart: "But the moment I saw you, all my dreams shattered."

"Isn't it only natural to feel disappointed?"

After a brief pause, Tan Zhu's expression turned sorrowful again: "That may be true, but marriage is a major life event, a matter of parental command and matchmaker's words. How can a weak woman like me defy it?"

"Even with a thousand unwillingnesses and ten thousand resentments, I can only accept my fate..."

She gave a bitter laugh and continued softly, "It's just that I swallow all my grievances and tears alone at night."

At this point, Tan Zhu seemed to recall that grievance again. His originally cold and hard expression instantly crumbled, and he once again became tearful, his shoulders trembling violently as he sobbed uncontrollably.

"As the saying goes, a woman follows her husband wherever he goes. Although he is not yet my husband, I dare not disobey my parents' orders."

"I know that I am destined to marry him in this lifetime."

"That's why on the day we first met, I lowered myself and flattered him as his future wife, hoping that I could live a peaceful life after marrying him!"

Even though he's not a good match, I accept it.

Tan Zhuo lowered his eyes with tears: "That day, he suggested taking me outside the city to relax."

"Although I was unwilling, I dared not disobey him because he was my future husband, so I agreed."

"Who knew...who knew he would take me to a deserted place, and seeing that there was no one around, he...he took liberties with me!"

At this point, Tan Zhu's sobs suddenly became shrill, filled with terror and pain. "You...you're spouting nonsense!" Xi Yunlang roared like a mad tiger, his eyes wide open, veins bulging from his neck to his temples, "When have I ever done such a beastly thing! It was clearly you who repeatedly tempted me, and I always politely refused!"

"Xi Yunlang!" Zhao Wenyuan's face turned ashen, and he shouted sharply, interrupting him abruptly, "I haven't even questioned you yet, so you mustn't speak recklessly! This is the last warning. If you dare to roar in court again, I will have your mouth sewn shut!"

The magistrate's voice was stern, his official authority crumbling like a mountain. Xi Yunlang felt a chill in his heart, forcibly swallowing back his pent-up grievances and anger, leaving only his bloodshot eyes, like poisoned blades, fixed on Tan Zhu.

However, Tan Zhu never met his gaze, as if he were nothing but air. She continued to sob helplessly, saying intermittently, "How could a weak woman like me possibly withstand his strength? He... he is, after all, my future husband, and I dare not... dare not resist too much."

He also said... I'll be his sooner or later, what difference does it make if it's sooner or later...

"I struggled but could not break free, my heart filled with fear, and in the end... in the end I could only submit to him in humiliation... I thought that since he had taken my body, he would at least take responsibility for me, but who would have thought that he was... he was a beast... Waaah..."

In the end, Tan Zhu completely broke down and collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

"You...!" Xi Yunlang's eyes blazed with fury, and he roared as he lunged at Tan Zhu like a wolf.

Before he could even get up, two constables on either side of him grabbed his shoulders like iron clamps and shoved him back to the ground.

Before Xi Yunlang could finish his sentence, a greasy rag, torn from who-knows-where, was roughly stuffed into his mouth by the bailiffs, silencing him completely.

"Woo...Woo..."

Xi Yunlang struggled desperately, veins bulging in his neck, his body twisting violently on the ground, but how could he possibly withstand the relentless suppression of the two burly men?

In the end, all resistance was in vain. He could only let out a low growl from the depths of his throat, and the murderous intent that almost overflowed in his eyes was extremely terrifying.

Zhao Wenyuan glanced at him indifferently, his expression as if he were looking at an ant, without the slightest ripple, and said coldly, "Keep a tight grip, don't let up."

He then turned to Tan Zhu, his tone softening but still as cold and hard as iron: "Tan Zhu, continue."

“You must recount in detail how Xi Yunlang treated you and what beastly acts he committed, word by word, without concealing anything.”

"This is to clear your name and clear your reputation for life. You must explain yourself clearly!"

Tan Zhu's delicate body trembled. She raised her tearful eyes, her gaze pitiful, like a frightened deer. She pursed her lips and choked out, "My lord, such filthy things... I really can't bring myself to say them."

“Speak!” Zhao Wenyuan’s voice brooked no argument.

"Yes, I obey." Tan Zhu took a deep breath, her fingertips trembling slightly with nervousness, and finally spoke in a low voice, her voice trembling with sobs, as she slowly recounted what had happened that day.

Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear, like a small hammer striking the heartstrings of everyone present in the deathly silent courtroom.

From how Xi Yunlang suddenly attacked, to how his hands restrained her struggles; from how his hand reached into her clothes, to how he roughly tore at her silk robes... she described in every detail, even the crisp sound of the clothes tearing, the foul breath from his mouth, and the rough touch on his skin, as if that unbearable scene was being reenacted in the hall.

Below the hall, Xu Miaojin's pretty face was already flushed red, her heart pounding like a deer, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.

Although she was already a woman and no longer an innocent girl who knew nothing of the world, she had never heard such a blatant description before.

The words she heard were so embarrassing that she dared not look up and wished she could disappear into the ground immediately.

Zhu Yunwen, however, remained expressionless, as if what he had heard was nothing more than ordinary gossip.

But a subtle, unseen, and enigmatic glint flashed in those deep eyes.

It seemed as if he was carefully considering the truth or falsehood of what Tan Zhu had said.

After Tan Zhu finished recounting the entire incident while sobbing, the atmosphere in the hall became so heavy that it was suffocating.

Zhao Wenyuan took a deep breath, breaking the silence, and coldly shot his gaze at Xi Zhaoxue: "Your brother committed such a beastly act. Now that the witnesses are here, what else do you have to say?"

Xi Zhaoxue sneered, "These words are nothing but the venomous lies of this poisonous woman!"

“I know my brother better than anyone else; there is absolutely no way he would do such a heinous thing!”

Pressed firmly to the ground, Xi Yunlang's mouth was gagged, yet he still shook his head desperately, his eyes as ferocious as a wild beast, roaring with all his might, but only muffled sobs escaped his lips. Yet his expression clearly conveyed a tearful accusation: She's lying! It's all a frame-up!
Xi Zhaoxue suddenly raised her eyes, her clear voice echoing with questioning: "The lord just said that my testimony alone is not enough to prove my brother's innocence."

"Then why now, based solely on Tan Zhu's words, are you condemning my brother for a heinous crime?"

"This is different!" Zhao Wenyuan shouted sternly, "Which woman in the world does not value chastity as her life?"

"How could an unmarried woman risk the wrath of the world, ruin her reputation, and fabricate a story of humiliation out of thin air?"

"This act is contrary to human ethics and common sense!"

He turned and scanned the room, then said loudly, "Rape cases often occur in private places, and there is very little corroborating evidence."

"Therefore, in all rape cases, the victim's testimony is the most direct and irrefutable evidence!"

"Based on reason and logic, you are Xi Yunlang's elder sister and are trying to protect him. Therefore, I cannot accept your testimony!"

"By the same token, no woman in this world would unjustly use her own innocence to frame someone else!"

"This situation and reason are plain for all to see, how can there be any doubt?"

Zhao Wenyuan's voice boomed like a bell, causing the beams of the hall to tremble slightly: "Moreover, the details of what Tan Zhu described are all there, and no one but someone who experienced it could possibly know them!"

"Such a detailed description could never be made so clearly without firsthand experience!"

"The fact that she can explain it so clearly proves that she was indeed personally humiliated!"

"Your younger brother, Xi Yunlang, committed the heinous crime of raping Tan Zhu. I will not allow him to deny it!"

"How long are you going to keep making excuses?"

……

(End of this chapter)