Reborn to marry the emperor, I just want to confuse the emperor and seize the throne

Xie Shang followed Jiang Fenghua all the way and saw her visit several shops. She also bought some things. Finally, she entered the Mansion of Duke Zhang. Zhang Yumo personally opened the door to welcome her into the mansion. He did not follow her and turned to go to the Jingzhao Prefecture government office.

After returning to the yamen, he directly retrieved the case file of the daughter-in-law who killed the mother-in-law. He then had someone bring the person to the court, summoned the daughter-in-law's family members to the court, and summoned her husband.

The retrial of the case caused quite a stir. The prefect, who had taken three days off, returned to work the next day. For a while, the entire Jingzhao Prefecture was in a state of chaos, and even the yamen was surrounded by people.

Xie Shang was seen wearing an official uniform, looking majestic and solemn. He sat behind a desk, with four majestic runners holding whips in their hands standing on each side. There were also legal advisors and clerks assisting him. The whole court was majestic and solemn.

By the time the criminal, Mrs. Hu, was escorted to the scene, her family members had already burst into tears, "My dear mother...my mother is here."

Hu Jiaoniang was locked up in a dark dungeon all day long. She thought she was doomed and had lost the will to live. When she saw her loved ones again, she burst into tears, "Dad, Mom... I am an unfilial daughter."

The people watching outside the gate were also pointing and commenting, "I heard that woman was so cruel that she killed her own mother-in-law."

"How dare such a cruel woman cry out for injustice? How dare she cry out for injustice? Killing someone means paying for one's life. She should have been sent to hell long ago..."

A neighbor who knew the truth spoke up to defend her, "There are reasons for this. Hu Jiaoniang has been married to the Gao family for more than ten years. She has been abused by her mother-in-law. Her husband would beat her up whenever he was not happy with her. He beat her up badly. She is very pitiful. She has three children at home. Since Hu Jiaoniang was detained, no one has taken care of the children. She was forced to kill people."

"Killing is killing, and killing requires a life for the consequences... You can't kill anyone no matter what!"

For a moment, there was a commotion outside the door. The prefect's gavel banged loudly, and the bailiffs' whips banged. In an instant, the majestic atmosphere in the court shocked everyone, and the noisy court became silent.

"Who is in the hall? Tell me your name."

"I am Hu Jiaoniang..." Before going to court, Hu Jiaoniang already knew that her family had helped to overturn the verdict and that the newly appointed Jingzhao prefect wanted to re-examine her case. So, Hu Jiaoniang restated her story, "She was the one who beat and scolded me and even threatened to kill me, so I accidentally took the axe and chopped her. I didn't mean to do it."

"Send Gao Xiaohu to the classroom."

Soon Gao Xiaohu was also brought up by the yamen runners. He reeked of alcohol and spoke drunkenly when he saw Hu Jiaoniang kneeling in the hall, "You vicious woman, you are not dead yet, I will strangle you to death, you still dare to kill someone, I will make you pay with your life, bitch..."

As he said this, he wanted to rush up and beat and scold Hu Jiaoniang, but was stopped by the yamen runners and forced to kneel in the middle of the hall. Gao Xiaohu refused to accept it, "Who are you and why do you arrest me? It was that bitch who killed someone. Let her pay with her life. Kill her."

Seeing that he was not behaving himself, the yamen runner hit him on the leg with a stick and said, "Kneel down! You dare to be so presumptuous in front of the prefect. You don't want to live anymore."

Gao Xiaohu felt a pain in his leg and fell to his knees, burping.

"Gao Xiaohu, the person next to you is your first wife, Hu Jiaoniang, who has been married to you for thirteen years." Xie Shang asked him coldly.

Gao Xiaohu was shocked by him and said honestly, "That's right, she killed her mother-in-law and my mother with her own hands. Please help me, sir. The Hu family are all wicked people. Please arrest them all and kill them."

Hu Jiaoniang's mother cried, "I am a good daughter who has been married to your family for thirteen years. I have worked hard to support the family and gave birth to children for your Gao family, but how have you treated her?

Either you beat or you scold me. My daughter hasn't even complained yet, but your family is turning the tables on her. Gao Xiaohu, we married our daughter to you because of your character. We didn't expect that your true nature would show after you got married. You are not a human being!

Your mother doesn't even treat my daughter as a human being. You make her work like a slave and you won't stop until she is exhausted to death.

How you Gao family treat my daughter is watched by all the neighbors...

You beat Jiao Niang whenever you are unhappy. Has she ever had a good day in your Gao family?"

Gao Xiaohu pointed at Hu's mother and cursed, "You old woman, your daughter is such a slut. If you don't beat her for three days, her skin will itch. She doesn't respect her mother-in-law. Women like this should be beaten and used as a tool. She killed my mother and should have died long ago. Now I want your daughter to pay for my mother's life."

Xie Shang knocked the gavel, and the hall quickly became quiet. He did not ask about the woman's murder, but asked, "Gao Xiaohu, so you admit that you abused your first wife, Hu Jiaoniang."

Gao Xiaohu was still drunk, "What's the use of beating her? If you don't beat a woman, she won't behave herself."

Xie Shang asked again, "Did you beat your mother the night she died?"

"I beat her, that loser. She broke a bowl and nearly scalded me. She wanted to murder her husband, but I only gave her a small lesson. She cried and made a scene, and even dared to throw my bottle of wine. So I beat her up and made her obey me."

Gao Xiaohu was like a fool, thinking that Hu Jiaoniang would definitely die if she killed someone. He only beat his own woman, which was not a big deal. Every man should beat his woman. Women should be beaten if they are disobedient.

"According to Mrs. Hu's own confession, on the night your mother died, you not only beat her, but also locked her in the woodshed."

"She wanted to run away, so I locked her up in the woodshed. Who knew she would kill my mother? Sir, you have to help me! Make the Hu family pay the money, and make Mrs. Hu pay with her life."

Xie Shang frowned, "Come here, beat Gao Xiaohu with twenty sticks."

The yamen runner stepped forward and hit Gao Xiaohu with the first stick, knocking him down. There was no yamen runner holding him down, so he jumped up in pain.

Xie Shang watched coldly and did not ask the bailiffs to arrest him. However, the bailiffs chased him and beat him in order to complete the twenty strokes of the stick, making him cry out in pain.

At this point, Gao Xiaohu was completely sober and instinctively wanted to run away. Xie Shang gave him a look, and then the yamen runners came forward and pinned him to his knees on the ground from both sides.

Gao Xiaohu begged for help again and again, "Please spare my life, sir. Why are you beating me? I have not violated any law."

"Hu Jiaoniang ran away after you beat her. Why did you run away too after I beat you?" Xie Shang asked him.

Gao Xiaohu said directly, "Because it hurts. Anyone who doesn't run is a fool!"

"After you locked her in the woodshed, did your mother go into the woodshed to insult and beat Hu Jiaoniang? Tell the truth, otherwise you will be whipped." Xie Shang's voice was cold, revealing the majestic aura of a king, which forced Gao Xiaohu to tell the truth.

"My mother went into the woodshed, so she was killed by that vicious woman Hu Jiaoniang in the woodshed."

"I am asking whether your mother beat and insulted her, and threatened to kill her." Xie Shang asked again, "The neighbors have testimony, you can't lie."

Gao Xiaohu nodded, "But my mother didn't kill her either. Instead, she viciously killed my mother."

"Hu Jiaoniang, do you admit that you killed your mother-in-law?" Xie Shang suddenly changed the subject.

Hu Jiaoniang said, "I plead guilty, but my mother-in-law beat and scolded me, and she said she wanted to kill me, so I killed her in a moment of desperation."

"So you only took action when your life was threatened by her." Xie Shang asked again.

"Yes, she was not satisfied with beating me, and she even said she wanted to kill me. There was a big fuss in my family at the time, and many neighbors knew about what happened in my family." Hu Jiaoniang told everything.

“Gao Xiaohu, when the bailiff was beating you just now, you not only wanted to run, but also wanted to rush up and fight back.” Xie Shang’s eyes were stern, “Answer truthfully, and I can spare you the rest of the whipping.”

"I want to, but I don't dare. Even if you lend me ten lives, I still won't dare to hit the official!" If Gao Xiaohu said he didn't want to, it must be a lie. If he was beaten, he would naturally fight back.

"But your mother dared to beat her daughter-in-law and even wanted to kill her. You, Gao Xiaohu, dared to beat your first wife and abused her for more than ten years. You even told her not to resist. Once she resisted, she would be beaten severely. You can't live like this for even one day." Xie Shang suddenly got angry, his voice was deafening.

Gao Xiaohu was terrified.