Chapter 109: Proving Innocence

Fang Fengxian was about to preside over the case, and Liu Cheng found himself utterly powerless to refuse. As the assistant magistrate, he indeed had the authority to adjudicate lawsuits, yet Fang Fengxian was cunning and usually avoided taking on such matters personally. It was clear today that he was doing so deliberately.

Perhaps he had been waiting for this moment all along.

The courtroom was soon arranged properly. Fang Fengxian took his seat at the high bench, with two rows of bailiffs below, and the clerk ready to record the case details. Suddenly, a sharp knock on the judge’s wooden block echoed through the hall. “Bring in the accused!” The crowd gathered at the entrance stretched their necks toward the prison.

Before long, the tavern owner, the cook, and over a dozen workers were brought into the courtroom.

“Bold scoundrels! Confess your crimes immediately!” Fang Fengxian’s voice rang out.

The sharp knock startled the onlookers, but the tavern owner remained unafraid, kneeling straight on the ground. “My lord, this humble man knows not what crime he has committed.”

“Still daring to deny it! Your tavern poisoned the patrons—there is both eyewitness testimony and physical evidence. What more do you have to say?”

“My lord, as one who runs a tavern welcoming guests from all directions, naturally wishing for prosperous business and harmony, how could I commit such self-destructive folly as poisoning my own customers? I believe none present here would do such a thing.”

Many in the crowd nodded silently at his words. Indeed, who would openly poison their own establishment? What would be the point?

“Furthermore, I hold no grudge against Wei San, neither past nor present. If there were ill-will, I could have quietly poisoned him at his home, so why poison my own tavern? Also, why were the other diners who ate that day unharmed?”

Hearing this, the crowd found his reasoning quite convincing.

Fang Fengxian furrowed his brows. The tavern owner was crafty. If not for these inconsistencies, he would have been dealt with long ago.

“Enough with the excuses! How do you explain the poison found in the brine?”

Unfazed, the tavern owner replied calmly, “My lord, as you know, my tavern has only been open for two months, yet business flourishes and customers praise it. I have always treated others kindly, harboring no enemies. Why would such misfortune befall me? After much thought these past days, it must be someone envious of my success, framing me with this wicked plot. I implore you, my lord, to judge wisely and restore my innocence.”

Fang Fengxian narrowed his eyes. “You claim someone framed you. Who is this person?”

“I do not know, and ask my lord to investigate thoroughly.”

“Nonsense! It seems torture will be necessary. If you refuse to confess, bring out the instruments!”

A bailiff stepped forward, pinning the tavern owner to the ground, raising a wooden paddle to strike.

“Wait, my lord, the case has not been fully investigated. Using torture now might be unwise.”

Fang Fengxian shot a sharp glare at the hesitant bailiff, who immediately stopped. Then he turned to Liu Cheng, saying coldly, “Mr. Liu, is this your case to judge, or mine? If you speak again, I shall charge you with disrupting the court.”

“You...” Liu Cheng was furious, nearly spitting blood, but utterly helpless. Secretly, he had already dispatched Captain Zhao to seek out his father, unsure when he might return.

Yet no matter how anxious he was, it was of no avail.

The bailiff raised the paddle high, ready to strike the tavern owner.

“Mother! Mother!”

A burly man pushed through the crowd, stumbling into the courtroom. He collided with the bailiff, causing him to stagger, then fell beside an elderly woman with white hair, clutching her and weeping uncontrollably.

The white-haired woman was stunned for a long moment, until the man called her “Mother” again. Only then did she regain her senses, trembling as she reached out to touch his face. “San’er, San’er,” she whispered, then broke into loud sobs.

Her crying stunned everyone in the courtroom; all were bewildered. What was happening?

“Who dares disrupt the court? Seize them at once!”

Fang Fengxian finally reacted, shouting in frustration.

“My lord, I am no stranger—I am Wei San, the very man who was supposedly poisoned to death.”

What?

Wei San, the poisoned man?

Was he alive or a ghost?

Like a stone tossed into a calm pond, his words rippled shock through the crowd. Everyone wore expressions of astonishment, murmuring among themselves. Fang Fengxian was taken aback, and even Liu Cheng was dumbfounded.

Some timid bailiffs shrank back in fear, as if witnessing a ghost in broad daylight.

“San’er, what on earth is going on?”

“Mother, I am not dead. That day, I was possessed by a reckless impulse and tried to extort the Qiongjiang tavern but failed. Feeling frustrated, I returned home thirsty and saw a bowl of water on the courtyard wall, so I drank it.”

“What? You drank that water? That was poison rat bait Mother bought, meant to be mixed into the food. Aunt Sun from next door called me, so I placed it on the wall temporarily. How could you be so careless? Didn’t you want water? Why not go to the kitchen?”

Fang Fengxian finally caught a clue and felt unease stirring in his heart. He struck the wooden block again. “Nonsense! If you drank rat poison, how could you come back to life? Seize this impostor at once!”

“Wait, my lord. He truly is my son.”

Wei San knelt and kowtowed. “My lord, I am indeed Wei San. I accidentally drank rat poison and faked death. I awoke last night and crawled out of the coffin. Fearing to frighten my mother, I did not reveal myself until she forced me to appear here today. I do not dare deceive you, my lord. You may send men to verify at my home. As for why I survived, perhaps the poison was counterfeit.”

A murmur rose among the crowd. This matter had become tangled and bewildering.

Not long after, the bailiffs sent to inspect Wei’s home reported that the coffin in the courtyard was indeed empty.

“My lord, I know who poisoned me.” Wei San pointed at one of the smaller figures in the group of workers. “It was him.”

The accused worker trembled visibly and collapsed to the ground.

“My lord, that day I deliberately went to the backyard to cause a disturbance and saw him secretly sprinkling something into the brine. He must be the culprit.”

“Xishui, how could it be you?”

Facing the shocked and accusing gazes of the Qiongjiang tavern crew, Zhu Xishui stammered, “I... I...” Tears streamed down his face.

The situation was spiraling wildly beyond expectations, far from the script anyone anticipated.

Fang Fengxian’s mind roiled with turmoil, though his face remained impassive.

Just as he considered adjourning the court temporarily to devise a plan, the trembling voice of the worker Xishui broke through: “I confess! I confess!”

It turned out his stepsister was acquainted with a wealthy young master who envied the tavern’s success. On the condition of becoming his concubine, the young master asked her to secretly poison the food. When she returned home, she and their stepmother forced Xishui to comply. He refused, but was beaten, scolded, and starved until he gave in.

Afraid of being seen and hindered by the constant presence of others in the kitchen, he finally surreptitiously sprinkled poison into the brine in the courtyard.

Now the crowd understood the whole story and turned to harshly condemn the Zhu family women.

Fang Fengxian found himself trapped and had no choice but to order the bailiffs to bring in Zhu’s stepmother and stepsister.

Liu Cheng watched as Fang Fengxian was cornered and felt a surge of joy in his heart. At the same time, he silently scolded his little sister harshly. Little sister, little sister, why did you cause such a commotion without warning? It’s so inhumane, making your big brother worry so much—truly not worth it.

In the mansion, Liu Qin sneezed several times, awkwardly wondering whether it was Father or Brother who was scolding her. (To be continued.)