Qi Zhenzhen put down the rag in her hand, untied her apron, and called Lin Ruixue and Zhang Xiaoniu to follow Li Jiang to the yamen.
Lin Ruixue was a little uneasy. Qi Zhenzhen held her hand, "Auntie, don't worry, I'm here."
Qi Zhenzhen understood Lin Ruixue's unease. She had been with the Li Shan couple for many years, and they thought they would grow old together. However, Li Shan did such a thing halfway. Mustering the courage to completely sever ties with Li Shan had already taken all her strength. Now, Li Shan shamelessly came to their door, how could she remain calm?
Soon, the group arrived at the yamen.
The six people taken from the noodle shop were kneeling on the ground, while Li Shan stood beside Bai Xuelian.
Qi Zhenzhen led Lin Ruixue and Zhang Xiaoniu to bow to the county magistrate. Wen Cen, standing nearby, gave Qi Zhenzhen a reassuring look.
The county magistrate looked serious and struck his gavel, beginning the inquiry.
"You two accuse Mianmian Ju Dao of poisoning people. Do you have any conclusive evidence?" the county magistrate asked Li Shan and his wife.
Li Shan and Bai Xuelian were unaware of what had happened at the noodle shop during lunch. They thought the kneeling individuals were all there to testify and that everything was under control at Fumanlou. Thus, they boldly pointed to one of them, "Your Honor, he is the physician who diagnosed my wife. He said she had a mild poisoning, and we stayed at the inn for several days. For the food, lodging, diagnosis fees, and medicine, their noodle shop has to compensate us! My wife is also pregnant, and if it affects the baby, their noodle shop must also compensate!"
After Li Shan finished speaking, he looked smugly at Qi Zhenzhen and Lin Ruixue. They owed him, and he intended to get it all back.
Qi Zhenzhen bowed to the magistrate and then spoke, "Your Honor, I now suspect that Li Shan and these people have colluded to falsely accuse our noodle shop. All the constables can testify that this so-called physician is not a physician at all but was impersonating one under instruction. How can the words of someone who is not a physician be trusted?"
Qi Zhenzhen pointed at the physician Li Shan mentioned and refuted him word by word.
Li Shan was a bit stunned. "Qi Zhenzhen, what nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean he's not a physician?"
Qi Zhenzhen stared coldly at Li Shan. "Don't pretend you don't know. This person is not a physician at all. He took benefits from someone and was acting. Li Shan, I now suspect you have ulterior motives and are colluding with others to frame us. Do you know the crime of framing? Thirty strokes of the cane, one month's imprisonment, and a fine of thirty taels of silver. If you have no money, you will be imprisoned for a whole year."
The scribe next to the county magistrate stroked his goatee and nodded secretly. This young lady understood Da Feng's laws very well, and what she said was accurate.
"Your Honor, I am not framing anyone. Everything I say is the truth," Li Shan said anxiously. "My wife felt unwell after eating their noodles. As for the physician being fake, I had no idea. My wife and I are new here, and we found a physician in our haste. If he is fake, then I am also a victim."
Li Shan's mind worked quickly. The physician wasn't found by him; he just needed to pretend he didn't know.
"Nonsense! How can you allow such slander in court?" the county magistrate struck his gavel heavily, making Li Shan's legs tremble.
Wen Cen stepped forward. "Your Honor, why don't we first ask them why they intended to frame the noodle shop owner? Oh, and a person came to the noodle shop a couple of days ago, one of the owners, named Zhang Erniu. Should we bring him here?"
The county magistrate nodded, approving Wen Cen's suggestion.
"Your Honor is asking you, why did you frame the noodle shop?" Wen Cen sternly questioned the five people.
They had already identified the person who instructed them when they were at the noodle shop. Now that the magistrate was presiding, they had to say it again.
The person captured in the crowd had not had time to go back and send a message. Even if there were accomplices in the crowd, there was no time to discuss countermeasures. He could only improvise. He wondered if the shopkeeper had received the news and would send someone to rescue him, after all, their Fumanlou had a significant background.
The five people said in unison, "Your Honor, we don't know anything! He found us! We did everything he said! And he hasn't paid us yet!"
"He told you to do it? What if he told you to commit arson and murder? Do you have any brains? Would you do something against your conscience for such a small amount of money?" Wen Cen reprimanded with a cold face. "You are considered accomplices, and you will be sentenced to fifteen strokes of the cane and a fine of ten taels of silver."
"Your Honor, we know we were wrong."
"If we had money, we wouldn't have been deceived by this person's few words."
"Your Honor, we promise we won't dare to do it again."
"Please, Your Honor, be lenient and let us go. We didn't intend to do anything bad; we just wanted to earn some money!"
"The mastermind is this person."
The five people babbled, accusing the person who found them, revealing everything about when that person approached them, how much money he gave them, and what he wanted them to do.
Wen Cen turned his gaze to the person the five were accusing. Seeing that his face showed no signs of panic, he couldn't help but feel curious. Normally, people brought to the yamen would be terrified. Those who weren't afraid either had strong backing and were fearless or were desperate and didn't care about the consequences.
"Speak, why did you frame Mianmian Ju Dao? Is it revenge? Or unfair competition? And who is behind you?" Wen Cen asked with a half-smile.
The person's eyes flickered. "There's no one behind me. Yes, yes, he found me!"
The person pointed at Li Shan. "He said he wanted money and asked me to partner with him. Once the noodle shop was acquired, he would give me twenty percent of the profits. Although it's just a small noodle shop, the monthly income is forty to fifty taels of silver. Twenty percent would be at least eight taels of silver, which is a hundred taels a year. So I was tempted and helped plan this."
Li Shan stared at the person dumbfounded. After a long while, he remembered to defend himself. "Your Honor, he's talking nonsense. I never planned anything with him. I'm just a country bumpkin; how would I understand these things? Clearly, this person did something wrong and wants to find someone to take the blame. Your Honor, you cannot believe his words!"
Qi Zhenzhen stood aside, stunned. Was this a trial or a shouting match? She felt like she was watching a catfight.
"Your Honor, everything I say is the truth!" the person stated confidently. "Your Honor, Li Shan also said that one of the owners of this noodle shop was his former wife. He said that this woman was unfaithful and ran off with someone, and he wanted to teach them a lesson to let them know the consequences. Yes, the person who was just taken away is that woman's lover! Your Honor, if you don't believe me, you can ask them."