Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 31: Trying to Escape Punishment?
The next morning, at the entrance of the county government office.

Miss Gu and Xiaoyue arrived first and waited at the door for a while before Chen Qing followed. Upon seeing the two of them from afar, Chen Qing strode forward, first looked at Miss Gu's face, and then smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Miss, you've arrived so early."

Xiaoyue couldn't help but say from the side, "Young master, you're too late. The court hearing is about to begin."

Miss Gu looked at Chen Qing and said softly, "I asked Xiaoyue to call you this morning. I saw that you seemed to be practicing martial arts, so I didn't disturb you."

Chen Qing said speechlessly, "I was a bit weak a few years ago, and the doctor told me to learn some kung fu to strengthen my body, but I haven't found a teacher who can teach me."

"I happened to run into him in Deqing recently, so I thought I'd take good care of my health."

Miss Gu nodded without saying anything more, but turned to look at the county government office.

"Just now, a yamen runner came out to say that once everyone was present, the magistrate would immediately begin the trial."

"Waiting for everyone to arrive" naturally means waiting for both the plaintiff and the defendant to arrive.

Chen Qing nodded, looked at Miss Gu, and asked, "Has anyone from the yamen said who tied up the person?"

"said."

Miss Gu lowered her head and sighed, "It's Uncle Yong."

"Uncle Yong?"

Miss Gu nodded and said as she walked toward the county government office, "We are of the same clan, but we are quite far apart now. He was of the same generation as my father. When my father was young and lived in our hometown, Uncle Yong was his neighbor."

At this point, Miss Gu looked at Chen Qing with a somewhat sad expression: "Uncle Yong is an extremely honest person. He is very down-to-earth in everything he does, and he is also a very good person who gets along well with everyone."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing understood: "That's why he was able to so easily coax that child out of the house."

At this point, Chen Qing snorted: "If he were really honest, he should have stood up and explained things after the child got into trouble, instead of following Gu Shouzhou to the Gu family to cause me trouble."

Miss Gu shook her head: "Among the people who came to the house to cause trouble that day with Qi... with Gu Shouzhou, Yongshu was not one of them. Yongshu was at Shouyi's house, helping with the funeral arrangements. He was also questioned by the yamen at Shouyi's house and finally told them what had happened."

Chen Qing shook his head and sneered, "Magistrate Hong told me that the murderer was confessed by Gu Shouzhou."

Miss Gu was stunned by these words. It took her a few breaths to come back to her senses. She followed Chen Qing and tears streamed down her face. "If even Uncle Yong is a bad person, I wonder if there are any good people left in this world."

At this moment, the two had arrived at the entrance of the county government hall. Chen Qing turned around and looked at her, his expression calm: "There are good people, of course."

Young Master Chen paused for a moment, then added, "My mother is a very good person."

After the other soul stopped having much of an effect on him, the vague memories in Chen Qing's mind seemed to be gradually becoming clearer.

He remembered many things, such as his gentle and kind mother.

Miss Gu saw the sadness in Chen Qing's eyes and sighed softly: "Once this matter is settled, young master, please tell me about your family."

Chen Qing nodded and said okay, then led the Miss Gu into the main hall of the county government.

In the main hall of the county government, Gu Shouyi and his wife had been waiting for a long time. At this moment, the couple sat on the ground, both of them with blank stares and no spirit.

Gu Shouyi's mother, however, had fallen seriously ill and was bedridden.

Just a month ago, the family was happy and harmonious, but now it is shattered, and there is even a sense of loss and death.

After Chen Qing and Miss Gu arrived, a clerk from the yamen's criminal division came forward to ask them questions in detail. After confirming their identities, a clerk immediately went to the back office to report to the county magistrate.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the county magistrate, dressed in official robes, appeared in the main hall. He first looked at Miss Gu and Chen Qing, nodded slightly to them, and seemed to have a smile on his face, but the smile quickly disappeared.

He sat down and slammed the gavel down hard.

The sound of the wood was crisp and loud. The entire hall was completely silent. Even Miss Gu, who had seen a lot of the world, was startled because it was her first time experiencing a courtroom.

After a sharp sound of the gavel, Magistrate Hong exhaled and said in a deep voice, "Bring the criminals!" The constables lined up on both sides, striking the ground with their batons, one row shouting "No evil!" and the other row shouting "No evil!" Their voices were in unison and quite shocking.

Soon, the criminals were brought into the courtroom.

There are four people in total: Gu Yong, whom Miss Gu mentioned, and the three brothers Gu Shouzhuo, Gu Shouye, and Gu Shoucheng.

After the four men entered the courtroom, they were all forced to kneel down. Magistrate Hong struck the gavel once more and shouted, "Prisoners below, do you know your crimes?"

Gu Yong, who occupied the largest area, was now emaciated. He knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing with his head: "I know my crime, I know my crime!"

At this point in the case, the Deqing County government had basically obtained all the necessary evidence. This court hearing was merely a formality. Magistrate Hong slammed his gavel and angrily said, "That child was only five years old this year, and he was even from the same family as you. How could you harbor such evil intentions and take his life!"

"According to the county's detailed investigation, that child often called you 'Grandpa' before he died, yet you still managed to kill him!"

Gu Yong was in tears, sobbing uncontrollably. He kept kowtowing, his voice trembling with sobs: "This humble one...this humble one never imagined there would be poisonous snakes, never imagined there would be poisonous snakes..."

Magistrate Hong sneered, then looked at Gu Shouzhuo and demanded, "Gu Shouzhuo, according to Gu Yong's confession, he kidnapped Gu Shouyi's son at your instigation. So it seems that you are the mastermind. Do you plead guilty?"

Gu Shouzhou placed both hands on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Your Excellency is wise."

He lowered his head and said, "A few days after Chen Qing came to Deqing, he had a conflict with my brother Shouyi, and my brother Shouyi was imprisoned as a result."

“Xiaomin and Shouyi grew up together since childhood and were as close as brothers. When he was imprisoned, we brothers were naturally resentful. At that time, we only thought about hiding Shouyi’s son and then going to find that Chen guy to scare him.”

Gu Shouzhou lowered his head and shed tears: "Many of the Gu brothers who were in Deqing at the time knew about this matter. The county magistrate could find out by sending someone to inquire."

Magistrate Hong raised an eyebrow, then said coldly, "Regardless of your true intentions, killing someone by accident is still killing someone! You instigated this, so you are the mastermind, and you can't escape!"

"The victim was a child. This is utterly outrageous. This county..."

"Your Excellency!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Gu Shouzhou suddenly gritted his teeth and shouted, "Your Excellency, it was indeed I who asked Uncle Gu to bring the child out and hide him somewhere that day, but I did not ask him to tie the child up!"

"He acted on his own initiative!"

Gu Shouzhou looked up at Magistrate Hong and said through gritted teeth, "That child is already five or six years old. If he hadn't been tied up, he would most likely have been able to escape if he had seen a poisonous snake. Therefore, it was not I who ordered the murder!"

"It was Gu Yong who, without authorization, killed my nephew!"

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Hong couldn't help but frown.

Although Gu Shouzhou's words clearly implied a desire to shift blame, it must be said that he did a very good job of doing so.

At least in terms of reasoning, it is reasonable.

The courtroom fell silent for a moment, with only Gu Yong's sobs remaining.

Chen Qing, who had been observing the situation with a cold eye and had been standing silently with his hands behind his back, stepped forward and looked at Gu Shouzhou, saying indifferently, "Gu Shouzhou, you said you wanted to hide this child and use this opportunity to scare me."

“If a five- or six-year-old child is not bound hand and foot or gagged, he will run around and shout, and no one can hide him.”

Gu Shouzhou turned to look at Chen Qing, his eyes wide with anger: "Take him to the countryside, give him good food and drink, and watch over him. How could the child run away?"

Chen Qing sneered and bowed to Magistrate Hong, saying, "Your Excellency, I believe that regardless of the cause or the process, Gu Shouzhou should bear at least half the responsibility for this child's death."

He is absolutely guilty!

Chen Qing's voice boomed: "Please, Your Excellency, make the judgment!"

(End of this chapter)