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The witness, Wei Shuqin, was only twenty-three years old. With her tall and sturdy build, along with her slightly dark complexion, she appeared to be in her thirties. Qi Chong couldn't help but blush upon realizing this; just yesterday, he had grabbed her arm at the medical clinic.
Yu Chunmiao was led into the court, and this time it was a proper courtroom setting. The official seated at the desk was not Xian Cheng; she guessed it must be the county magistrate since Xian Cheng and Shu Li were sitting at two smaller desks on either side.
On both sides stood four Zao Li, each holding a threatening staff, their expressions stoic and imposing. Even though Yu Chunmiao knew she was innocent, she began to feel a bit intimidated. Fortunately, Lu Ziyan had informed her that County Magistrate Pei Zhongyuan was a decent man who, despite his stern demeanor during trials, was kind-hearted in private and would not punish commoners for minor offenses.
Lu Zi had persuaded her that as long as she didn’t speak out of turn, the magistrate wouldn’t get angry, and the threatening staff wouldn’t be directed at her. Yu Chun was also brought in.
With a commanding voice, Shu Li called the court to order. The eight Zao Li shouted in unison, their authority palpable. Without needing Shu Li to command them to kneel, Yu Chunmiao was the first to drop to her knees, forgetting even to bow her head in reverence.
The dramas on television hadn’t lied; she had been too careless. This time, no one shouted for anyone to rise; they spoke while kneeling.
The magistrate asked few questions and immediately summoned the witness. Wei Shuqin entered the courtroom without a hint of fear and began recounting the events while still kneeling before anyone could ask her anything.
The magistrate didn’t seem to hold anything against her; it was as if he had seen it all before. Yu Chun couldn’t help but interrupt: “Your Honor, she’s lying! My sister must have bribed her to provide false testimony.”
The magistrate struck the wooden bench with authority, and Xian Cheng spoke up: “You can only speak after being asked. If you continue like this, the staff will be used on you.”
Yu Chun fell silent. The magistrate turned to Yu Chunmiao: “Defendant, do you have any evidence to support your claims against the witness?”
Startled by the sudden noise of the wooden bench, Yu Chunmiao took a moment to gather herself and stared blankly for a while. Xian Cheng clarified: “I mean other evidence that proves your witness is telling the truth.”
After thinking for a moment, Yu Chunmiao replied: “There were others at the medical clinic that day; however, my husband only sought out this Sister Wei. As for the others, Sun Daifu only noted their names but didn’t record their addresses; my husband couldn’t find them.”
Wei Shuqin seemed as if she wanted to say something but hesitated when the magistrate didn’t prompt her further. She looked at him with an expression that suggested she had something important to convey. Noticing this, the magistrate encouraged her to speak.
On that day, along with the Min Girl, there was another sister who lived at No. 26, Tiehua Alley in Qing Shui Town. Her name was Zhao Liping, and she should have seen it too.
Yu Chunmiao was speechless; why hadn’t she mentioned it earlier? They could have brought Qi Chong along as well.
The official stated, "I will send someone to gather evidence. Is there any proof? If not, this case will be dismissed. We will reconsider once new evidence is presented."
Yu Chunmiao quickly raised her hand and said, "Yes, yes! Villagers from Old Pine Village saw Kong Dongmei being pushed to the ground by Yu Chun. Isn’t that why she lost her pregnancy and went to the medical clinic?"
The official pondered for a moment before replying, "I will send someone to investigate whether the miscarriage was indeed caused by the defendant pushing her down. We need evidence from the clinic to determine this; no one is allowed to make baseless assumptions."
Yu Chunmiao obediently responded with a soft "Oh."
With that, the court session concluded. Yu Chunmiao glanced at Gambler Brother, who clearly looked guilty.
After leaving the Yamen, Wei Shuqin was informed that she could go home, and Lu Ziyan had arranged for a carriage.
When Wei Shuqin was sent back home, the coachman handed her a silver note worth ten taels. "This is a token of gratitude from Qi Gongzi for you, Miss. The Yamen didn’t give it to you directly because they were worried about bribery, so they specifically asked me to give it to you."
Wei Shuqin's family was not impoverished, but ten taels as a thank-you gift was indeed quite generous. She didn’t refuse and accepted it, thinking that she would return it to Yu Chunmiao when they met again in the future.
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