Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 586 Zhu Yunwen's Question! The True Colors Are Revealed! The Final Conclusion!
boom!
Shen Mo, sitting at the head of the table, slammed his gavel down heavily, his gaze sharp as a hawk, fixed on Xi Zhaoxue, and coldly shouted: "The evidence and witnesses are all here, Xi Zhaoxue, now that things have come to this, what kind of sophistry do you still want to offer?"

Xi Zhaoxue retorted, "Where is the physical evidence? From beginning to end, it was just Tan Zhu spouting nonsense. Are you going to convict my brother and disregard human life based solely on her one-sided story?"

"Hmph, stubborn fool!" Zhao Wenyuan let out a sneer of confidence. With a wave of his hand, a clerk immediately presented a dossier.

Zhao Wenyuan took it, raised it high, and said loudly, "In handling cases, I have always valued evidence!"

"This is the record of the autopsy conducted by the county. It clearly states: Scholar Chu Xue died from a deadly poison! The time when the poison took effect was exactly the same as the day your brother Xi Yunlang sneaked into the Chu family!"

"And how do you intend to explain this!"

Xi Zhaoxue trembled, and her face instantly drained of all color.

Xi Yunlang, with his mouth gagged on the ground, struggled desperately like a mad tiger.

Seeing the despair on her brother's face, she felt a chill and said sharply, "My brother can't speak!"

"Why won't you listen to a single word of his explanation, instead of forcibly concluding this case? How is this any different from extracting a confession through torture!"

"Insolence!" Zhao Wenyuan glanced at Xi Yunlang with disdain. "What is there to say about a prisoner who recants his confession in court? It's nothing but the ravings of a dying man!"

He held the autopsy report in his hand, walked up to Xi Yunlang, and waved it down at him condescendingly: "Xi Yunlang, the evidence is irrefutable. Do you admit it or not?"

Xi Yunlang's eyes were bloodshot as he shook his head frantically.

"Fine! What a stubborn and unruly fellow!" Zhao Wenyuan roared in anger, slamming the dossier to the ground. "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! Since you won't admit defeat until you see the coffin, then I'll grant your wish today!"

He abruptly flicked his sleeve and shouted sternly, "Guards! Bring on the torture! I want to see whether his bones are harder or the laws of my Great Ming Dynasty are harder!"

"Yes, sir!" Two fierce-looking constables stepped forward, brandishing barbed instruments of torture, and grinned as they approached Xi Yunlang.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly plummeted to freezing point, and the people below all turned pale.

At this critical moment, a clear and steady voice rang out, not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"Wait a minute."

In an instant, the clamor and violence in the hall seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, and everyone's eyes turned to the source of the sound.

Zhao Wenyuan was about to enjoy the intimidation brought by the torture when he was interrupted by this uninvited guest. He was immediately enraged and roared at Zhu Yunwen, who was speaking: "How dare you!"

"Who dares to disrupt a public trial and interfere with my handling of the case!"

"Do you know that based on this alone, I can punish you with forty strokes of the cane and expel you from the courtroom!"

Despite Zhao Wenyuan's roar, Zhu Yunwen still had a faint smile on his lips.

He stepped out slowly, his gaze calmly meeting Zhao Wenyuan's: "Your Excellency, what a display of official power."

Zhu Yunwen looked around and said loudly, "If the road is uneven, someone will clear it; if there is injustice, someone will take care of it."

"Since this case is a public trial, we should strive for fairness and justice."

"If the innocent are wronged due to unclear evidence and ambiguous conclusions, wouldn't that not only tarnish the meaning of 'a clear mirror hanging high,' but also damage the dignity of the laws of our Great Ming Dynasty?"

Shen Mo, sitting at the head of the table, stared intently at Zhu Yunwen, his brows slightly furrowed.

This person may appear to be dressed in ordinary clothes, but his calm and composed demeanor is something that is not something that ordinary people can possess.

He felt that the person looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen him before.

Despite his doubts, Shen Mo still asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? What is your name? What is your identity?"

“Just now, Magistrate Zhao presided over the case. My colleagues and I listened in on the whole process. Magistrate Zhao’s questioning was based on evidence and his judgment was reasonable. There was nothing wrong with it.”

"Are you implying that this case was not tried fairly?"

What evidence do you have?

Zhu Yunwen strolled into the hall.

Xi Zhaoxue, who was kneeling on the ground, felt that the voice sounded somewhat familiar when she first heard it. But when she raised her tear-filled face and saw the young man's appearance clearly, she was struck by lightning and froze on the spot!
It's him!

It's really him!

Although she had only met him once when she stopped his carriage, his face and demeanor were already deeply etched in her mind.

The person before me is clearly the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty!
Xi Zhaoxue was greatly shocked and subconsciously wanted to kowtow to the emperor, but she saw Zhu Yunxuan glance at her slightly and make a gesture to silence her.

She immediately understood that His Majesty was traveling incognito and did not want to reveal his identity!
She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look any longer, but her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, almost leaping out of her throat.

Looking back a moment earlier, she felt utterly hopeless.

He thought that by appealing to the emperor, his injustice would be redressed, but the retrial turned out to be the same.

These officials protected each other, only wanting to make this case airtight, and she had already fallen into the deepest abyss of despair.

Who would have thought that at the very bottom of this abyss of despair, one would actually witness the Emperor himself coming here for this very case!

Dawn finally broke through the sky!

There is now hope for my brother's exoneration!

At that moment, overwhelming joy and sorrow surged forth, instantly shattering all her strength. Xi Zhaoxue collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face, sobbing uncontrollably.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on Zhu Yunwen, who had suddenly barged in, and no one noticed her dramatic emotional change.

Shen Mo's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

In this courtroom, ordinary people, let alone speak, would be so intimidated by the official's power that their legs would turn to jelly.

The man before them, facing a hall full of officials, could speak eloquently and calmly, even subtly overshadowing the county magistrate in his words—something no ordinary person could achieve.

This person must be someone of extraordinary status.

Those who can establish themselves in officialdom are not fools.

The other officials were also deeply concerned, exchanging cautious glances and deciding to wait and see before making a decision.

Zhu Yunwen seemed not to have heard Shen Mo's words, and did not even glance at the seat of the provincial inspector, nor did he answer his question or state his name and identity.

He turned his gaze directly to Tan Zhu, who was kneeling below the hall, and said in a calm voice, "I have a few questions I would like to ask you, young lady."

Tan Zhu raised his head, the sorrow in his eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by a wary and cautious coldness, and asked in return, "You are not the presiding judge, why should I answer your question?"

She was crying her heart out just a moment ago, but now she can calmly retort.

Zhu Yunwen thought to himself, "This woman's resilience and quick thinking are truly rare."

Ordinary village girls would never possess such cunning.

He smiled faintly and said calmly, "A public trial is intended to demonstrate to the world that it is 'fair'."

"Since there is the word 'public,' there is room for the word 'discussion.'"

"If any observers have any concerns, they may raise them, and the officials conducting the public trial will decide whether to accept them."

"If the young lady refuses to answer, even if the government supports you, it will be difficult to silence public opinion."

He changed the subject, his voice soft but each word striking a chord in everyone's hearts: "You should know that this case has already reached the Emperor's ears. His Majesty is on a northern tour and has already arrived in Shan County. He is currently resting at the post station outside the city."

"If the doubts in this case are not cleared up and the situation continues to cause trouble, and the Emperor is alarmed again, it may be necessary to retry the case, and the young lady will have to endure another trial in court."

"On the contrary, if the young lady is upright and has nothing to fear, and answers frankly, wouldn't she be able to prove her innocence sooner and avoid criticism from the world?"

These words were addressed not only to Tan Zhu, but also to all the officials in the hall.

As expected, Shen Mo, Zhao Wenyuan, and the others all changed their expressions slightly, and no one dared to speak up to stop them.

Tan Zhu remained silent for a moment. Seeing that the officials in the hall all tacitly acknowledged the man's existence, and knowing that he could not avoid the question, he nodded slightly and said in a cold voice, "Alright, ask away."

Zhu Yuntong said, "The first question. I heard that Xi Yunlang spent all his family fortune on you in the few months that you met."

"The reason he has no money to pay the betrothal gifts is because all the money has been spent on you. Is that true?" "That's not true." Tan Zhu immediately retorted, "In the past few months, Xi Yunlang has indeed spent some money, but not for this woman, but for his own face."

“He is very competitive. Every time we meet, he insists on going to the best restaurant in the county town; for the sake of a moment’s pleasure, he also insists on booking the best hotel rooms.”

"In addition, he did send some pearl flowers and jewelry to please the women."

"I am but a country girl, how could I have ever dared to dream of such extravagance?"

"These were all just his own willful actions."

"As for how much it cost, I am a woman, so why would I ask in detail? I suppose it was just some ordinary expenses, not too much."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xi Zhaoxue, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly raised her head, and a voice filled with suppressed anger and grief exploded like thunder:
"One hundred and twenty-three taels and three hundred and sixty-seven coins!"

“My brother is always frugal and never spends money recklessly.”

“He would record every penny he spent with pen and paper, and also write down the reason for the spending.”

Therefore, every penny he spends on you is accounted for!

"Which restaurant and which shop it was, we have a record of it all!"

"If you don't believe me, you can bring the managers of the restaurants and shops here for a confrontation!"

"If it weren't for you, why would my brother have spent so much money?"

"Do you know that he himself is the kind of person who wouldn't even buy an extra steamed bun?"

"He clearly needs to eat three steamed buns to feel full, but he forced himself to eat only two, just to save a little money so he could buy you more jewelry!"

Upon hearing this, the people in the courtyard immediately erupted in uproar.

One hundred and twenty-three taels!
For ordinary farmers, even if they saved for a lifetime without eating or drinking, they might not be able to have this much!
Xi Yunlang actually spent all his time on one woman in just a few months?
This is no "ordinary expense," it's practically bankrupting them!

Tan Zhu's nonchalant "I didn't know" sounded like he was treating everyone like fools.

Xi Zhaoxue said that his younger brother couldn't even bear to eat a single steamed bun, and in order to save money to buy jewelry for Tanzhu, he would rather go hungry himself, which will surprise many people.

For a time, there was a lot of discussion.

boom!
Seeing the sudden shift in the courtroom's atmosphere, and realizing that they were being led by the nose by an outsider, Shen Mo was both shocked and furious. He slammed his gavel down and shouted sternly, "The matter of money is a private matter between two people. What does it have to do with a murder case! Don't create any more trouble and confuse the issue!"

"How is it unrelated?" Xi Zhaoxue was about to argue, but when she saw Zhu Yunwen still looking calm and composed, as if he had everything under control.

A thought struck her, and she instantly understood.

His Majesty is here; he will surely uphold justice for her.

If I were to get entangled with these biased officials now, it might disrupt His Majesty's plans.

Thinking of this, Xi Zhaoxue swallowed back what she was about to say, but still stared intently at Tan Zhu, the hatred in her eyes growing stronger and stronger, like a raging fire.

"Alright, then I have a second question." Zhu Yunwen ignored the topic that Shen Mo had forcibly suppressed and did not pursue it further. He simply swept his calm gaze over the officials in the hall, but no one could decipher the meaning in his eyes.

He turned back and fixed his gaze on Tan Zhu: "Just now, the young lady said that you wanted to drown yourself in the lake, but you were rescued by the scholar Chu Xue."

"I would like to ask, are you and this Scholar Chu complete strangers before, or have you known each other for some time?"

This question, like a sharp sword, precisely pierced Tan Zhu's weak spot.

Her delicate body trembled almost imperceptibly, but Zhu Yunwen pressed on before she could answer, reminding her, "Think carefully before you answer, young lady."

"It should be understood that there is no place for child's play in the courtroom."

"If even half a word is false, it is a contempt for the law, and the crime will be compounded."

"This matter can be easily resolved by sending someone to the village to inquire. At that time, all the witnesses will be there, and it will be too late for you to change your story."

Tan Zhu fell completely silent.

She subconsciously bit her lip hard, and the hands that kept twisting the hem of her clothes betrayed the turmoil in her heart.

This expression was tantamount to admitting guilt without being asked.

boom!
Upon seeing this, Shen Mo above felt a chill in his heart, realizing something was amiss.

He could no longer let this person continue asking questions!
He slammed the gavel down again and shouted angrily, "Enough! Whether Tan Zhu knows Chu Xue or not is a personal matter and has nothing to do with Xi Yunlang's poisoning case!"

"Why are you repeatedly questioning these trivial details? What is your purpose?"

"Could it be that they're deliberately trying to delay the trial and disrupt the court proceedings?"

Zhu Yunwen slowly turned around, meeting Shen Mo's gaze, and asked in a calm tone, "Is it really unrelated?"

"Has Your Excellency forgotten that the motive for Xi Yunlang's conviction for murder was his accusation that Tan Zhu had an affair with Chu Xue?"

"So, whether the two of them knew each other beforehand is the key to whether this 'affair' theory can stand?"

Faced with this retort, Zhao Wenyuan could no longer contain himself. He strode forward and shouted angrily, "Nonsense! Utterly absurd!"

"Chu Juren was a leading figure in the literary world of Shanxian County. He was a man of official rank and always kept himself pure and cherished his reputation."

"How could I lower myself to have an affair with a mere countrywoman?"

"Such foul language is nothing but mudslinging by that scoundrel Xi Yunlang to evade punishment; it should not be believed!"

Upon hearing this, suppressed snickers and boos erupted from the crowd below.

At this point, Zhao Wenyuan and Shen Mo's almost blatant favoritism made their intentions as clear as day.

They relentlessly pursued Xi Yunlang, yet deliberately ignored the relationships between the people involved in the case. Who among the common people couldn't see through that?

Zhu Yunwen ignored their roars as if they were just two annoying cicadas.

He smiled faintly and posed the third, and most fatal, question:
“Tan Zhu, you just said that on the night of the incident, you personally saw Xi Yunlang appear near the Chu family’s residence and heard him admit to poisoning them.”

"I want to ask, of all that you've described, from catching a glimpse of his back in the kitchen, to confronting him in the alley, to him attempting to harm you, to you screaming for help, and him fleeing in panic, is there anyone else besides you who can testify for you?"

"Have the Chu family servants you summoned for help actually seen Xi Yunlang?"

This problem is even more fatal than the previous one.

Tan Zhu's face turned deathly pale in an instant. His eyes darted away, unable to meet Zhu Yunhu's gaze. His voice lost its strength: "It was...it was the beginning of the month, a dark and windy night. By the time the Chu family came out, Xi Yunlang had already vanished without a trace. Naturally...naturally they couldn't see him clearly!"

"is it?"

After listening, Zhu Yunwen did not ask any further questions, but simply nodded slightly.

He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the panicked Tan Zhu, the ashen-faced Zhao Wenyuan, and the solemn-looking Shen Mo.

Finally, Zhu Yunwen's voice became clear and cold, echoing throughout the hall:

"No one can testify for you; all your statements are one-sided."

"And your explanation is full of holes."

"The motive for lying lies precisely in your private affair with Scholar Chu, whom you have known for a long time."

He paused, allowing everyone to process the shock of his words, before declaring his conclusion in an unquestionable tone:
"So, there is only one truth."

"You, Tan Zhu, are the real culprit who killed Chu Xue."

"You poisoned your lover and then framed Xi Yunlang."

"Now that you're in this courtroom, do you still refuse to plead guilty?"

……

(End of this chapter)