Chapter 352
As Zhan Feiyu had predicted, three days later, officers from the yamen arrived. It was Captain Hu again, likely aware of Zhan Feiyu's identity, and his attitude was exceptionally respectful.
"Miss Zhan, I am here on the orders of Magistrate Zhang..." Captain Hu first stated the purpose of his visit in a businesslike manner. Qian Shipeng had filed a lawsuit accusing He Nuan of assault, and the yamen had accepted the case.
Captain Hu glanced around and whispered, "Miss Zhan, because Young Master Zhao and a few others are also involved, Magistrate Zhang has assigned this case to Vice Magistrate Pang."
Although Zhao Yi was known as a dissolute young master, his father was the Vice Magistrate Zhao. It was normal for him to recuse himself from this case. However, the current complication was that Vice Magistrate Pang and Vice Magistrate Zhao were not on good terms. No one knew if Vice Magistrate Pang would use this opportunity to his advantage.
"Thank you for informing me, Captain Hu." Zhan Feiyu nodded understandingly. "Please wait a moment, Captain Hu."
"You are too kind, Miss Zhan." Captain Hu dared not presume familiarity and respectfully withdrew with two yamen runners to wait outside.
Inside the room, He Nuan acted as if nothing had happened. She brought over the fox fur coat and carefully helped Zhan Feiyu put it on. "Miss, you need not worry. Qian Shipeng only sustained minor injuries. It matters not how the yamen rules."
Although a dragon could not overpower a local snake, Zhan Feiyu was currently in Longyou Circuit, a vast distance from the capital. However, the reputation of Scholar Gu was definitely sufficient. Qian Shipeng's lawsuit against He Nuan indicated his intention to deliberately avoid Zhan Feiyu.
Thinking about it, it made sense. Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants! Zhan Feiyu now held official status. Qian Shipeng was merely a merchant. If he dared to sue Zhan Feiyu, he would first receive a beating.
"You are my head maid. If you break the law, it is my fault as your master," Zhan Feiyu said, looking at the slightly stunned He Nuan with a smile. "This is aimed at me. Let's see how things unfold."
Scholars valued their reputation above all else. Even if He Nuan was the one who committed the offense, if it was manipulated by someone with ulterior motives, Zhan Feiyu's reputation would ultimately be harmed.
She still had to return to Nanxuan Prefecture for the provincial examinations. Moreover, the academic administrator of Jiangnan Circuit was still Magistrate Chen. As the chief examiner, he could disqualify Zhan Feiyu from the imperial examinations if he wished. The reputation of her teacher might not be enough to deter the First Prince.
A quarter of an hour later, at the Suzhou Prefecture courtroom.
After the yamen runners announced their authority, Qian Shipeng knelt obediently in the center of the hall. His right wrist was bandaged, but crimson blood still seeped through.
"Your Honor, my right hand's tendons have been severed. Doctor Hao from Huichun Hall said my right hand is crippled..." Qian Shipeng, who had previously acted as an overbearing bully, was now weeping profusely, banging his head on the ground with a thud. "I implore Your Honor to deliver justice for me!"
Zhan Feiyu was genuinely surprised. She truly did not expect Qian Shipeng to be so ruthless towards himself. Even if Qian Shipeng had not dodged, He Nuan's knife would have only cut his wrist.
His tendons were severed? This was intended to nail He Nuan. A cold smile appeared on Zhan Feiyu's delicate face. Indeed, being ruthless to oneself was true ruthlessness!
He Nuan, the defendant, was also kneeling on the ground. She glanced at the weeping Qian Shipeng with surprise, her gaze sweeping over his right wrist. Then, her expression became calm, as if she were not worried about any punishment.
"Silence!" Pang Tongzhi, seated on the bench, appeared amiable with his smiling demeanor, but his face was stern. He slammed the gavel, and the authority emanating from it was enough to awe everyone in and outside the court.
His gaze swept over Zhan Feiyu and He Nuan, and Pang Tongzhi lowered his head to continue reading the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, outside the courtroom, besides the onlookers, Zhao Yi and several other young masters were also present.
"Xiao Wu, calm down!" Zhao Yi, quick to act, grabbed the hot-tempered Liu Xiao Wu and signaled to Hu Yan. The group quickly dragged Liu Xiao Wu away.
In the alley to the right of the prefectural yamen, Liu Xiao Wu, finally free, shouted, "Brother Yi, that guy Qian is not honest. The doctor at Huichun Hall said it was just a flesh wound, how did it become severed tendons!"
"Qian Shipeng is willing to sacrifice his right hand to frame someone, what can you do?" Hu Yan's expression was equally grim. Captain Hu was present at the scene. If Vice Magistrate Pang decided to make an issue of it, not only Captain Hu but all of them could be implicated.
After all, the yamen officials were present, and they still allowed He Nuan to commit assault. If they were charged with dereliction of duty, Captain Hu, even if he remained in the yamen, would likely only be a common constable.
"He who hunts geese all day is pecked in the eye by a goose!" Zhao Yi said coldly. He had initially thought Qian Shipeng was just a dissolute young man who indulged in drinking, gambling, and womanizing. He planned to use Qian Shipeng to establish connections with the Qian family. Now, he had been harmed by Qian Shipeng. He himself was at the inn at the time. If Magistrate Zhang imposed the charge of being a negligent father, his father would lose his chance at the position of prefect.
Liu Xiao Wu angrily wiped his face. The more he thought about it, the more indignant he felt. He kicked the wall behind him. "Brother Yi, is that young lady really Scholar Gu's disciple? How dare Magistrate Zhang?"
They might be dissolute young masters, but Liu Xiao Wu and the others were not brainless. A disciple of a Grand Scholar of the Grand Secretariat was someone Magistrate Zhang would try to curry favor with. How could he dare to make an issue of it and frame someone? Although the defendant was a maid, she was still Zhan Feiyu's maid. Without her master's command, would a maid dare to assault someone?
"I fear this case has become a tool for those adults to contend with each other in secret, and we are merely pawns being used." This was Zhao Yi's greatest concern.
Ultimately, Magistrate Zhang was the highest-ranking official in Suzhou Prefecture, only a fourth-rank official. Scholar Gu was a first-rank Grand Scholar and a trusted minister of the emperor! Those who dared to contend with Scholar Gu were high-ranking and powerful court officials, or princes in the palace.
Zhao Yi couldn't help but clench his fists worriedly. His greatest fear at this moment was that Magistrate Zhang had sided with someone else. If that were the case, his father's position would be in danger. Once Vice Magistrate Pang gained power, the Zhao family would have no place to stand in Suzhou Prefecture.
At this moment, Zhao Yi truly regretted his rashness in approaching Qian Shipeng that day. Later, in order to help Qian Shipeng regain face, he followed him to the inn. Otherwise, no matter what happened, he could at least have absolved himself completely.
"There's no use in talking too much. Let's go back and see how Vice Magistrate Pang handles the trial." Hu Yan suppressed the unease in his heart. If he had known Zhan Feiyu's identity earlier, even with the courage of a leopard, he would not have helped Qian Shipeng gain momentum, only to end up harming himself and possibly the entire Hu family.
When Zhao Yi, Liu Xiao Wu, and the other young masters returned to the outside of the courtroom, Vice Magistrate Pang, seated behind the bench, was questioning Doctor Hao from Huichun Hall. "Doctor Hao, please stand up and answer."
"Thank you, Your Honor." Doctor Hao stood up. After all, he was over sixty years old, and kneeling for a quarter of an hour in the cold weather was somewhat unbearable. "Reporting to Your Honor, on that day, Qian Shipeng arrived at Huichun Hall under the escort of Captain Hu. His right wrist was bleeding profusely..."
According to Doctor Hao's testimony, when he treated the wound, it was not too severe. The tendons in his hand were only injured, but not severed. However, the wound worsened, eventually leading to the severance of the tendons. Qian Shipeng's right hand would be completely crippled unless a highly skilled doctor could reattach the tendons.
Of course, even if the tendons were reattached, it was likely that his right hand would not be able to lift heavy objects in the future, and perhaps even prolonged writing with pen and paper would be difficult. It could be considered half-crippled.
Pang Tongzhi's expression darkened. "Doctor Hao, according to your words, Qian Shipeng's right hand is crippled because of your poor medical skills?"
"Your Honor, I am wronged." With a thud, Doctor Hao, who had just stood up, knelt on the ground again, kowtowing and proclaiming his innocence. "The sharp blade severed the tendons. We could only rely on medication to help the meridians heal on their own..."
Unless a highly skilled doctor could reconnect the meridians, the healing of injured meridians depended on fate. Qian Shipeng was simply unlucky. After using medication for several days, the injured meridians did not improve but worsened.
According to Doctor Hao's testimony, when he treated the wound, it was not too severe. The tendons in his hand were only injured, but not severed. However, the wound worsened, eventually leading to the severance of the tendons. Qian Shipeng's right hand would be completely crippled unless a highly skilled doctor could reattach the tendons.
Of course, even if the tendons were reattached, it was likely that his right hand would not be able to lift heavy objects in the future, and perhaps even prolonged writing with pen and paper would be difficult. It could be considered half-crippled.
Pang Tongzhi's expression darkened. "Doctor Hao, according to your words, Qian Shipeng's right hand is crippled because of your poor medical skills?"
"Your Honor, I am wronged." With a thud, Doctor Hao, who had just stood up, knelt on the ground again, kowtowing and proclaiming his innocence. "The sharp blade severed the tendons. We could only rely on medication to help the meridians heal on their own..."
Unless a highly skilled doctor could reconnect the meridians, the healing of injured meridians depended on fate. Qian Shipeng was simply unlucky. After using medication for several days, the injured meridians did not improve but worsened.