The magistrate of Hongzhou originally didn't want to offend the Princess of Jin for an ordinary girl. But now that public resentment was boiling over, he had no choice but to send people to investigate and collect evidence on Lin Mountain and summon the relevant parties.
Lin Mountain Academy was some distance away from the yamen, and it took quite a while to go back and forth. So the court session was reconvened the next day.
"Gu Cheng, the Lin couple accuses you of abducting their daughter, defiling her innocence, and causing her death. Do you admit it?"
Gu Cheng disdainfully blew a puff of air upwards, making a wisp of his hair flutter. "Of course not. What evidence do they have to accuse me? If there's no evidence, it's just slander!"
"Our daughter has always been a home - bound girl and has never offended anyone. Who else could it be but you?!"
The Lin couple said excitedly and tried to rush forward, but were stopped by the yamen runners.
"Silence in the court!" The magistrate of Hongzhou slapped the gavel.
Gu Cheng said nonchalantly, "Who can prove that I abducted her? Maybe she had already hooked up with a lover and wanted to elope with him. But after being abandoned by her lover, she wanted to frame me!"
He was the legitimate son of the Gu family, and the Gu family was the most prestigious family in the south of the Yangtze River. His elder sister was the Princess of Jin, the future empress. For a woman, he could do as he pleased.
Since no one had seen it, who could do anything to him?
"Impossible!"
Hearing him mention the "lover" again and again, the Lin couple's eyes were blood - red. But the area around the academy was sparsely populated, and he had covered his tracks. Except for their family members, no one could prove it.
The Lin couple felt desperate. Did they have no way out at all?
This scoundrel had bullied their daughter and now was slandering her innocence in front of so many people, not even allowing her to rest in peace after death!
The magistrate of Hongzhou was also in a difficult situation. "Mr. and Mrs. Lin, although the current evidence can prove that your daughter was abducted, defiled, and then killed, no one can prove that it was Mr. Gu who did it."
Come on, Mr. Gu was the younger brother of the Princess of Jin, a future relative of the royal family. Even if there was evidence, he had to say there wasn't, let alone when the evidence was incomplete.
The court session ended with the Lin couple's grief and despair and Gu Cheng's nonchalance.
Although the on - looking commoners sympathized with the weak, due to the lack of evidence, they couldn't do anything to help.
The magistrate of Hongzhou was relieved to see that no one was causing trouble, and he soon forgot about this matter.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, a person suddenly emerged, claiming to be Gu Cheng's classmate. He said that he had seen Gu Cheng skipping school that night and had secretly followed him. He had witnessed with his own eyes that Gu Cheng had someone abduct Miss Lin.
This time, the matter directly reached the Prince of Jin.
When the magistrate of Hongzhou received the summons from the Prince of Jin, he was completely stunned.
He had already sent someone to tell the Gu family to clean up the mess. How could this "witness" have emerged?
When he entered the Prince of Jin's study, a teacup was thrown at him as soon as he stepped in.
The magistrate of Hongzhou didn't dare to dodge and took the hit head - on.
The boiling hot tea spilled on his chest, and he wanted to scream in pain. But when he met the gloomy gaze of the Prince of Jin, he endured it.
The magistrate of Hongzhou didn't know that the Prince and Princess of Jin had fallen out. Seeing Gu Cheng kneeling on one side, with his head down like a quail and a wound on his head, his heart trembled. Suddenly, he felt that the burn on his chest was nothing.
"Your humble official pays respects to the prince."
"Magistrate Liu, I entrusted you with the security of Hongzhou, but you blatantly shielded the culprit, deceiving those above and hiding the truth from those below. Now there is public outrage in Hongzhou. What crime do you deserve?!"
The magistrate of Hongzhou was so scared that his official hat almost tilted. "Your Highness, your humble official didn't expect such a thing to happen..."
At this time, Gu Cheng still didn't take it seriously and whispered, "It's just a peasant girl. Brother - in - law is making a mountain out of a molehill..."
"Say that again?!"
The Prince of Jin roared, and Gu Cheng immediately fell silent.
"Such a big thing, and you still think it's a minor matter?! Your sister..."
The Prince of Jin was about to say "How did your sister teach you on weekdays", but suddenly remembered that the princess was no good either. So he changed his words.
"Your sister is ill now, and all you know is causing trouble for me outside!"
These two fools had caused him to lose so much popular support. He didn't know how long it would take to win it back!
The Prince of Jin was so angry that he wanted to throw something again, but there was nothing left within reach.
"My sister is ill?"
Gu Cheng was stunned. He had been staying at the academy and could only go home on the ten - day holidays, so he didn't know what had happened.
"Stop changing the subject. I can't protect you this time!" the Prince of Jin said coldly.
The Gu family really never let him have a moment of peace.
Previously, he had asked them to raise silver, and they had almost provoked the aristocratic families to rise up against him. They had raised a venomous woman like the princess who was two - faced, and now Gu Cheng was also causing trouble for him!
Gu Cheng felt wronged too. Previously, whenever he caused trouble, although his sister would punish him, she would also settle things for him first. Who would have thought that his sister would be ill this time.
Without his sister, what should he do?
Thinking of this, Gu Cheng shivered. "Brother - in - law, you can't ignore me..."
The Prince of Jin was too lazy to pay attention to him. He rubbed his temples and ordered, "Drag him out and give him thirty strokes of the cane. Beat him hard enough for everyone to hear!"
The guards standing at the door immediately came in and were about to drag Gu Cheng out.
Seeing that the Prince of Jin was serious, Gu Cheng's face turned pale. Only then did he start to panic. "Brother - in - law, you can't treat me like this. Brother - in - law..."
"I want to see my sister! Where is my sister? I want to see my sister!"
The only response he got was the falling cane.
The cry to see his sister was replaced by screams.
"Ah—"
The cane fell mercilessly. Gu Cheng had been delicately raised since childhood and had never even scratched his skin. How could he endure thirty strokes of the cane?
The Prince of Jin knew this, but that was exactly why he had to beat him, and beat him hard.
The magistrate of Hongzhou listened to the dull sound of the cane hitting the flesh and the screams mixing together. With each stroke, his heart skipped a beat, as if the cane was also hitting him from afar.
The Prince of Jin didn't forget about him either. "You are an unrighteous official. I don't want to bother with other things. You should resign from office and return to your hometown on your own initiative."
The magistrate of Hongzhou's face instantly turned as pale as paper. He thought that the prince would only beat him up or at most demote him by two ranks. Who would have thought that the prince would directly deprive him of his official position!
"Your Highness, your humble official..."
The Prince of Jin already knew what he was going to say. "If you're reluctant to part with your official hat and want to die in office, I can also grant your wish."
The magistrate of Hongzhou, or rather, the former magistrate, suddenly stiffened. "Your humble official, no, your humble commoner will go back and draft the resignation letter immediately."
He could tell the difference between keeping his official position and keeping his life.
Soon, the thirty strokes were over.
Because the Prince of Jin had given special "instructions", after these thirty strokes, Gu Cheng's skin was split and his flesh was torn. He lay on the bench, unable to even cry out.
When Gu's father and mother rushed over, this was the scene they saw.
"Chenger!"
Gu's mother let out a scream.