northernbook Chapter 187 Going to Court
Chapter 187 Going to Court
Because on the way, there were people who knew the villagers of Lingwu Village, or who were relatives of the villagers of Lingwu Village, and those people had already heard the whole story.
As more and more people joined the group, more and more people started asking what had happened.
More people responded to them.
Although it wasn't embellished, it's pretty close to the truth.
However, this case involves a fight between children that resulted in death, and it also involves cousins who severed ties.
This was unprecedented, so the number of onlookers kept increasing.
From the city gate all the way to the government office, the crowds were truly immense, so large that it was impossible to move.
The news spread like wildfire throughout Ling'an County.
Those who knew Dongfang Jin's family, such as Manager Fu of Siji Shuzhai, Manager Xue of Ping'an Restaurant, and Zhao Yuming of Jinyulou, all sent people to the yamen gate to inquire as soon as they heard that the matter was from Lingwu Village.
Let's see if it's Dongfang Jin's house, because the most likely place in Lingwu Village where this could happen is Gu Chenglin's original house.
Zhao Yuming knew that Gu Chenglin had gone to the border, and he even took a lot of silver notes from him when he left.
Of course, it wasn't free; they gave him a lot of blueprints for jewelry designs.
He knew that the Gu family was guarded by the Dragon Guards, so he didn't send anyone over.
Now it seems……
……
As the news spread, it just so happened that the children were on holiday, and today was also a day off for Yunshu Academy.
Some of the people who came forward to watch were students from Yunshu Academy.
Most of the people out were out shopping with their children; today was the first day of the private school's official holiday.
Children all want to relax, and whether they have money or not, they all choose to bring their children out for a stroll so that the children can have some fun.
Hearing that the case was caused by children, people brought their children over to watch.
Some parents with children even offered money to those in front of them to make room for their children to watch from the front of the government office.
Ma Wencai and his companions were also in the crowd. Hearing the discussions, they quickly squeezed into the crowd.
At the same time, they also saw Dongfang Jin and Sun Xing, a married couple, standing next to Li Xiuwen in the center of the crowd.
Upon seeing them, the five of them disregarded everything else and squeezed through even faster.
Just as Dongfang Jin stepped into the threshold of the yamen, Fang Shiyu and Xie Wenke pulled him out from either side.
Fang Shiyu asked anxiously, "Jin'er, what's going on?"
They had just taken leave and were planning to go shopping today and stay at her house.
After discussing it, they decided to bring two pageboys, two maids to do laundry, and two cooks.
Right now, their pageboys are having a competition at the Ping An Restaurant; whoever wins will become their pageboy.
The positions of the old women and maids were all decided by the elders of the family.
The elders of these families were also happy for them to get close to Gu Chenglin. Putting aside everything else, they were also pleased with Jin Jie'er and Jun Qirui's scholarship.
Their mothers prepared a lot of jewelry and fabrics for Jin-jie and the Jun family mother and daughter, so that they could take them with them when they went to the Gu family.
The maids and servants chosen by the elders in the mansion were all the most honest and well-behaved old women in the mansion who accompanied them.
Dongfang Jin...
Looking at those people, I was utterly speechless.
What are you guys doing?
There are still so many people here.
Even if the people of Donglin are very open-minded, they still need to know the proper etiquette between men and women.
Is it appropriate to pull her like that in public?
Looking at their worried little eyes, Dongfang Jin sighed silently and then briefly recounted what had happened.
After hearing this, Fang Shiyu glanced at Xie Wenke, and the two of them tacitly pushed Dongfang Jin toward the yamen: "We're all here, don't be afraid."
Dongfang Jin: "..."
When did she become afraid?
Is this over?
He glanced at the few people at the front of the crowd, then silently turned around and followed the constable left behind by Li Xiuwen into the county government hall.
Everyone in the county government office knows Sister Jin, so no one would dare to bully her. Those who offend Sister Jin won't gain anything from the county government office either.
Fang Shiyu thought to himself, watching Dongfang Jin enter the main hall. The group huddled together and whispered a few words before Ma Wencai led Liu Lingzui away.
Fang Shiyu, Xie Wenke, and Guo Yuming each squeezed into the crowd from one direction.
As Dongfang Jin entered the courtroom, the bailiffs all came forward to greet her, some calling her "sister-in-law," some "Jin-jie," and others "little lady."
Dongfang Jin greeted and responded to each of them politely, and even took out a large bag of nougat from her sleeve and handed it to Gu Jingye, asking him to distribute it to these people before the county magistrate arrived.
Gu Jingye felt a pang of regret when he saw what was in his hand, but he knew the weight of the matter.
Silently, he took the bag of candy and distributed it to the yamen runners one by one, giving each of them two pieces. After distributing the candy, there was still a third left.
Just as he was hesitating whether to issue another round, County Magistrate Lu Yunqing, Dean Yan, Master Xu, A Ping, A Xi, A Dong, and four men dressed in simple official robes followed them out from the back office.
They happened to see Gu Jingye looking conflicted.
After smelling the sweet aroma, Axi quickly walked to Gu Jingye's side and snatched the small half-bag of candy from his hand. Last time, he had only eaten one piece before his young master confiscated it.
His tone was somewhat displeased: "You're not being fair, you've just wasted so much of this. These have been requisitioned."
Lu Yunqing...
This shameless person is a real pain.
Ah Dong...
This foodie doesn't even know the occasion! It's awful. I really want to say I don't know this guy.
Aping covered her face.
Master Xu had a big smile on his face.
Dean Yan also shook his head without saying a word.
The four people were stunned when they saw Lu Xi like this. They looked at each other and then remained silent.
Gu Jingye looked up at Axi: "..." Is the word "requisition" used here?
Are you bullying me because I'm young?
Uncle Axi, is this really okay?
"Bright robbery!" Before he could even ask that question, his stepmother interrupted him.
Dongfang Jin suppressed a laugh and said, "Stone."
Gu Jingye looked at his stepmother, then at the place she pointed to. When he saw the county magistrate, he quickly walked over to his stepmother and stood there. What a close call!
Lu Yunqing...
This doesn't look like a courtroom at all.
After they came out, the scribes and the stand-in were in place. Lu Yunqing sat in the main hall, with two people sitting on his left and right sides at the same time, and the clerk sat at the table on the other side.
Lu Yunqing snapped the boundary marker with a "snap".
Aping: "Court is now in session!"
Dongfang Jin...
Is this how court proceedings are conducted?
Then, the guards standing on both sides of the hall immediately began rhythmically jabbing the ground with their water and fire sticks, their expressions serious, and they muttered the words "Majesty!"
Their unified voices instantly made the already solemn place even more dignified and solemn.
The whispers outside the government office also stopped, and the surrounding area became quiet.
Next, the county magistrate asked the plaintiff who he was suing and what he was suing about. Then, the plaintiff, Shen Qijun, stated who he was suing and the reasons for it.
Dongfang Jin was truly amazed, becoming a plaintiff in ancient times for the first time.
The person she accused was Gu Jinshuo, a villager from Lingwu Village, who allegedly instigated his wicked servants to commit murder, and she accused the head of the Gu clan of extortion.
After questioning the plaintiff, the magistrate then asked the defendant if the plaintiff had made any false accusations. If so, the defendant would be punished with a beating.
Gu Jinshuo was too frightened to speak, and his pants were soaked. With the northwest wind blowing, he was trembling all over, whether from the cold or from fear, he didn't know.
His eyes were vacant, and his body was hunched over, making him look more like a big ball of flesh.
Seeing his condition, the magistrate could only ask the children from Lingwu Village who had committed the crime together.
Although the children were scared, with their parents with them, they still stammered out the truth, which was almost identical to what they had said in the village.