She Became A Downfall Noble Lady

Zhang Yue’s words were not yet finished when some of the plaintiffs’ faces changed, and whispers began to spread, with some standing restlessly.

"Bring in the suspect!" Magistrate Sir slammed the gavel and bellowed, restoring calm to the once noisy hall.

Then, the government officials threw in a few people who had been crying for justice in front of the yamen yesterday but were absent from the plaintiff’s ranks today, their hands bound.

Having their gags removed by the government officials, the detainees needed no interrogation before they began confessing one after another when and where they spoke, what they said, how much silver they received, and what they needed to do or say in front of the county government office, explaining everything in detail.

This also included where the silver taels they received had gone, whether they had spent it, stashed it somewhere, or handed it to someone else.

The magistrate, whose face grew darker with each confession, ordered the constable, "Send men to the locations specified by the criminals and recover the tainted silver. If anyone is hiding it and refuses to hand it over, apprehend them as well."

While Zhang Yue directed his subordinates to handle their respective tasks, Jiang Yifan addressed the crowd of plaintiffs, "All you fathers and elders came here to the yamen crying for justice, and the family members who were supposed to advocate for you are now detained. According to the investigations by the government officials, all the detainees are local hooligans and bullies who have long been causing trouble in the community."

The plaintiffs looked at each other, starting to get unsettled. Wasn’t it just a matter of coming here to make some noise for a few days to earn some silver? Why did it seem like things were not going the right way?