Reborn on the day of marriage! After the marriage exchange, the elder sister went crazy

The debate in the court has reached a fever pitch.

The fire squad produced evidence: "After our investigation, we found that the store did have signs of arson."

"It's just that," the fire squad soldier hesitated for a moment, "the fire was set inside the store."

Inside the store?

Hearing this, everyone looked at Lu Bozhou.

When Lu Bozhou heard Huo Ban's words, he was obviously stunned for a moment.

Seeing that the fire squad soldier's words caused a commotion among everyone, County Magistrate Xu threw the gavel and asked, "Besides this, is there any other evidence?"

Neighbor A knelt down and answered: "My lord, the shopkeeper said he went to bed early and was woken up by the smell of cigarettes. He is lying..."

Neighbor A pointed at the shop owner and said resentfully, "But someone saw the shop owner in the shop before the fire started. He is lying! He must have set the fire."

soon.

Another witness came forward.

"My Lord, I am the night watchman. I happened to be patrolling the street where the bamboo shop is located during the first watch, and I was the one who spread the fire alarm."

"When I was on patrol, I saw a light on in the bamboo shop."

"I went up to warn him that it was dry and he should be careful with fire. The shopkeeper said he was sorting out the goods and immediately turned off the lights and went to sleep."

"After I turned a street, I found that the street where the bamboo shop was located was on fire. The fire was very fierce, so I raised the fire alarm."

boom!

Everyone inside and outside the court was stunned.

Lu Bozhou couldn't help but look at the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper lowered his head, his body trembling slightly, and said nothing.

Several neighbors shouted, "So it was you who really set the fire!"

"Give me back my money! My family and I have earned this money for most of our lives!"

Li Jinglan's eyes narrowed slightly as she stepped out of the crowd.

Magistrate Xu slammed the gavel and said, "Confess the truth. If you don't, I will torture you."

The shopkeeper put his hands on the ground and sobbed softly, "I'm guilty! I'm guilty!"

"It was my mistress who ordered me to do this! I was just bewildered for a moment."

Magistrate Xu was stunned for a moment, then swung the gavel again.

"Tell the truth!" Magistrate Xu shouted.

"Everyone in Nanli County knows that our case leader Lu has been abused by Lu Xuande's family for four years. But Lu Xuande has not received any punishment, and our lady is very upset."

The shopkeeper didn't even dare to look up when he spoke: "My lady told me that the bamboo shop is not worth much anyway. It would be better to burn the shop down and put the blame on Lu Xuande's family."

"In this case, Lu Xuande's family will definitely be arrested. Their family's great hatred will be avenged!"

"You are talking nonsense!" Lu Bozhou was furious and pointed at the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper looked up at Lu Bozhou, his voice trembling but firm, "Otherwise, why would the lady leave Nanli County on the day of the fire? This is to create evidence of your absence."

"I, I did what the lady said and sprinkled jujube kernel powder on my food, then pretended to sleep... and then set fire..."

When the shopkeeper said this, he knelt down and pleaded with Magistrate Xu loudly: "Please understand, sir. I am only a shopkeeper, and the lady is a scholar. I dare not disobey her."

Everyone inside and outside the court was stunned.

Everyone turned to look at Lu Bozhou.

"It's his family who set the fire." A neighbor couldn't help but shout, "Pay me money! Pay me money!"

"Arson is a capital crime. Master, you can't protect this guy named Lu!"

Some people also spoke well of Lu Bozhou: "It was his wife who set the fire, not him."

"His wife and he are family. She set the fire and blamed Lu Xuande's family to vent his anger. You said he was not an accomplice, but I don't believe it."

"The bamboo shop is indeed not worth much money, but my home is next to the shop, and my shop is the result of our family's hard work for several lifetimes! You take your revenge, what does it have to do with me?" A neighbor burst into tears.

For a moment, there was chaos inside and outside the court.

Just then, the sound of ceremonial gongs and drums came closer and closer.

"Good news! Nanli County's Lu Bozhou won the first place in the Zhili Province. I am here to announce the good news!"

The procession announcing the good news meandered into the county government office.

The entire county government should have been filled with jubilation.

But no one was happy at all when they saw this ceremony.

Everyone was silent, watching the ceremony silently.

Some even whispered, "He passed the imperial examination? Then the case can be closed now? Officials are protecting each other, and the government will definitely make a muddled judgment on this case."

When the shopkeeper who was kneeling in the hall heard the word "Jieyuan", he was shocked.

Then he turned around and looked at the guard of honor.

There was despair in his eyes.

His whole body was prostrating on the ground.

County Magistrate Xu also found it difficult to deal with.

Winning the first place in the imperial examination is a great thing.

But now, the shopkeeper of Lu Bozhou's own family accused his wife of arson.

This?

After hesitating for a moment, County Magistrate Xu lifted up his official robe and walked out of the court.

Receive the good news.

"Nanli County, great news!" The person who reported the good news did not know what was happening at this time.

"The results were announced last night, and the winner of the Jieyuan Prize was from Nanli County. The ceremonial procession set out from the capital early this morning, announcing the event as they went. They hurried along but finally arrived."

"Winning the first prize in the imperial examination is a great event that will bring honor to your ancestors and change the family's status. The ceremonial procession brought craftsmen with them, waiting for the winner to come home and change his family's status for him!"

The person who brought the good news smiled and looked at Magistrate Xu: "Where is the official Jie Yuan? We will go and tell him the good news."

There was deathly silence inside and outside the court, and no one spoke.

County Magistrate Xu smiled awkwardly, "Today is a big day for Nanli County, so we will not hold the trial today. Court is adjourned!"

Following the announcement of the adjournment, the bailiffs took all the people in the courtroom away and put them in jail.

Magistrate Xu called Lu Bozhou forward and said, "This is Lu Bozhou."

The person announcing the good news hurriedly bowed and said, "Congratulations to Mr. Jie Yuan for winning the first place in Zhili."

Did you win the first place in the imperial examination?

However, Lu Bozhou felt no joy in his heart.

He humbly bowed: "I'm ashamed, I have a case."

"Ah?" The person who brought the good news didn't react until then.

Could it be that the court today is trying the judge?

Some people also blamed County Magistrate Xu.

The list was just released last night, why are you so impatient to start reviewing it today?

If you have anything to say, please wait until the list is released.

It's better now.

I walked a hundred miles to announce the good news...

County Magistrate Xu thought for a moment and said, "How about this? You go back and receive the person who brought the good news. The world is big, but the imperial examination is the most important thing."

County Magistrate Xu really felt that the situation was difficult.

The testimony was unfavorable to Lu Bozhou.

But now Lu Bozhou suddenly got enlightened.

If this case is not handled properly, it will be a stain on his life.

If the arson was really done by Lu Bozhou's wife, it would be a stain on Lu Bozhou!

Hard to do!

"Go home first and receive the good news." County Magistrate Xu repeated again.

Lu Bozhou bowed to Magistrate Xu and walked out with a heavy heart.

He picked up Li Jinglan outside the court and walked out of the yamen.

The Wang brothers and Zhou Jin followed behind, also with a lot on their minds.

When they returned home, there was another group of people standing at the door reporting the good news.

These people had no ceremonial guards and looked like yamen runners from Jingzhao Prefecture.

"Congratulations to Mr. Zhou Jinzhou from Beijing Zhili for winning the second place in Zhili. I heard that Mr. Zhou Jinzhou lives in Lu Jieyuan's house. May I ask who is Mr. Zhou Jinzhou?"

"We are the servants of Jingzhao Prefecture, and we have come to tell Master Zhou the good news."

"Congratulations to Mr. Lu Jieyuan. We are the servants of Jingzhao Prefecture and we have come here to announce the good news."

There were sounds of good news coming one after another, but no one present was happy at all.

Wang Yongqing quietly grabbed a yamen runner and said, "My name is Wang Yongqing. Is there a name for me?"

A yamen runner quickly bowed and said, "It turns out that it is Master Wang who is here. Nanli County took the exam for seven people and three of them won. Congratulations. You and another master named Wang Zhenyan also won. It's just that I was so busy announcing the good news to the Jie Yuan Gong that I forgot to check your ranking. You really deserve to be beaten."

Wang Yongqing said hello to his elder brother Wang Zhenyan and Lu Bozhou, and hurried home to receive the good news.

Li Jinglan met the head of the yamen runners at the corner gate and whispered a few words to him.

The head of the yamen runners bowed and left.