Wanjin Lady

Yan Shouli wiped the sweat from his forehead. Not long ago, he was glad that he was not the governor of Bingzhou and did not have to bear the brunt of two superiors. Now, it was his turn!

Xiong Daiping and a group of officials had just been taken away by Yan Shouli for a lecture. After hearing the evil words such as "We must unite at critical moments", "Go back quickly to check for omissions and fill in the gaps, and don't let the governor catch us", "Behave yourself these days", and "Help the old ladies crossing the road", Wen Wan's voice of complaining finally rescued him.

Before leaving, Yan Shouli repeatedly warned and instructed that since someone was seeking justice, the re-investigation must comply with the procedures, the chain of evidence must be complete, and it must not be used by people with ulterior motives, otherwise all the officials in Bozhou would be buried with him.

Xiong Daiping thought to himself: I haven't taken a single penny of money, why should I be afraid of the governor?
As soon as Xiong Daiping entered the hall, he saw a beautiful young woman, and standing next to her was... a familiar face.

Isn’t this Cheng Yunzhang, the literary star of the Cheng family?

I met this boy once at the Lu Ming Banquet before and was quite impressed by him. I am afraid that he will definitely take part in the imperial examination next spring.

Why is Cheng Yunzhang involved with the young lady from the Wen family?
The two men stepped forward to greet each other, and Wen Wan said, "Master Xiong, there are many suspicious points in the case of my father, Wen Weiming, who raped a decent woman. Yesterday, I submitted the relevant evidence to the Ministry of Supervision, and today I will bring the witness to the court. My father's case... is an injustice. I beg Master Xiong to investigate and give my father justice!"

The staff presented the information submitted by Wen Wan. Xiong Daiping took a quick look and thought to himself that this young lady was lucky. It happened to be the time when the governor had just arrived in Bozhou. Otherwise, Yan Shouli would never have given in so easily.

Cheng Yunzhang bowed and said, "Master Xiong, Manager Wen is my junior sister. This time, I was asked by the teacher to accompany her to class. I hope you will forgive me if I am being abrupt."

"Your junior sister?" Xiong Daiping raised his eyebrows and looked up from the documents at the young lady. He saw that the young lady was of delicate stature, with her hair tied up in a bun, fair skin and clear eyes. She looked like a capable and efficient person.

This young lady is a brave one, otherwise she wouldn't dare to speak up for her father.

He remembered... Cheng Yunzhang’s teacher was... Yao Shizhen!

The young lady in front of me is Yao Shizhen’s adopted daughter!
Xiong Daiping's eyes lit up, and his tone turned gentle. "I have reviewed the evidence you presented, and there are indeed doubts in this case. If you have solid evidence to overturn the case, I will handle it impartially and give your father justice."

Adhering to the official code of conduct of not pulling down those above him, Xiong Daiping looked around at the curious common people, coughed softly, and said loudly, "Of course, this is also what Lord Yan meant."

Wen Wan thanked him repeatedly, "Thank you very much, sir."

"No need, if you have any grievances, just tell me!"

"Master Xiong, the story of my father raping a decent woman at Baihua Tower is a complete fabrication! While the evidence seems complete, it simply doesn't stand up to scrutiny! Master Xiong, a criminal investigator, must have noticed something fishy about this case. However, the evidence is incomplete, and to give the people an explanation, we can only presume the crime is innocent."

Mr. Xiong: Oh, this young lady is really a wonderful person. She still remembers to help them out at this time.

So he agreed with her, "That's right. This case happened at Baihua Tower, in full view of the public, and Widow Wang died a horrific death. The consequences are far-reaching, and the nature of the death is serious, so a severe sentence must be imposed! Therefore, Lord Yan's point is that since there is new evidence, we should be extremely cautious!"

Wen Wan gestured for Qiao Niang to step forward. "Lord Xiong," she said, "my father did not rape any woman, much less any respectable woman! That widow Wang… has three sons. She came from Jue County penniless, and to support them, she had no choice but to become a prostitute!" Qiao Niang then boldly continued, "That's right, Your Honor, that widow Wang is no respectable woman at all. I've seen her around the docks; she's a prostitute under Brother Song's patronage. For the past three or four years, she's been intermittently taking on casual clients under the guise of selling fish to supplement her income…"

Lord Xiong angrily asked, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Oh, my lord—most of these women who hang around the docks have nicknames. She's not called Widow Wang around the docks, but Shu Niang! How would we know she was Widow Wang? It was only when this Madam Wen came looking for her with her portrait that we realized she was the widow who died in Baihua Tower! If you don't believe me, lord, feel free to go to the third-to-last courtyard at the docks and look for her. The girls under Brother Song all know her!"

Mr. Xiong looked at Wen Wan.

Wen Wan then said, "Sir, when I went to visit the three children left behind by Widow Wang, I accidentally discovered that Widow Wang had mixed reviews. Some said she was honest and refined, while others called her a whore. Curious, I followed the clues and found out what Widow Wang did for a living at the dock."

Xiong Daiping secretly thought that this young lady was very capable. Although the case was judged in a sloppy manner at that time, Lord Yan had sent his men to interrogate Widow Wang's neighbors. They all said that Widow Wang was an honest person, who did sewing and laundry for others and also sold fish at the dock. They actually didn't find out that Widow Wang was a prostitute!

"I'm sure Master Xiong is also curious about why Widow Wang risked her life to frame my father!" Wen Wan strolled leisurely in the garden, recounting the story. Seeing the gossip-filled eyes of the onlookers, she slowly said, "Because she has a terminal illness and will not live long!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire government office fell into dead silence!
"She has syphilis, and there's no cure! The only thing she's worried about is her three sons!"

Doctor Luo then said, "Your Excellency, Madam Wen is absolutely right. My nickname is that I am a doctor at the Hulu Lane Clinic. I specialize in gynecology and have considerable experience in treating venereal diseases. Widow Wang became ill from her shady dealings and sought my treatment. The prescriptions and files were submitted to the court yesterday for your review."

Lord Xiong was puzzled. "Even if Widow Wang was a dying woman, what was her motive for framing your father?"

The young lady said in a steady voice, "Rui fruit juice."

"Rui fruit juice?" Xiong Daiping frowned slightly, feeling that these three words were somewhat familiar.

Cheng Yunzhang bowed and said, "Rui Guojiang is the new wine released by Wen Family Winery this year. It was unveiled at the wine brewing conference this spring and became very famous, attracting many wine merchants to place orders."

now it's right!

Xiong Daiping's brows relaxed.

When it comes to the overt and covert struggles in the business world, it's more reliable than that nonsense of drunken promiscuity! It also stands up to scrutiny!
No wonder I always felt that this case was strange when I was investigating it earlier.

Xiong Daiping had never expected that the matter of Widow Wang would involve so many people. He was so anxious that he urged her urgently, "Tell me everything you know!"

"My lord, please be patient and allow me to explain in detail." Her gentle voice was calm and unhurried. "Widow Wang, with the heart of a loving mother, naturally wanted to secure a way out for her sons in her final moments." (End of Chapter)