Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 139 A Reluctant Act of Kindness

Shen Yu sighed, this probably means that the parents are not at fault.

She nodded, indicating that she understood what Jiang meant. As an authentic ancient person, Li immediately understood the pros and cons of the matter after hearing what Jiang said.

She said bitterly, "She got lucky this time. What good fortune did she have in her previous life to have such a filial son?"

The three of them returned to the front of the crowd. Li laughed dryly and said, "Sir, we have discussed it. Zhou Dalang is so filial that even I can't bear to blame Hu. We are willing to let Mrs. Hu pay for her crime with money."

The county magistrate had read many books on sages, so he naturally put filial piety first. When he heard that the victim agreed, he nodded with satisfaction and said, "This is a benevolent act."

The corners of Li's mouth twitched, but she tried her best not to roll her eyes at the county magistrate.

The fourth young master and the chief constable standing behind the county magistrate looked disapproving but could do nothing about it.

The county magistrate said, "In that case, then we will give each of them ten full strokes of the board, a small punishment and a big warning, and then pay silver to the Shen family. Then pay another 100 taels of silver."

When Mrs. Hu heard this, it was more painful than if her flesh had been cut. Just as she was about to speak, Zhou Dalang knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you very much for your forgiveness, sir. I am willing to hand over all the money."

After saying that, he knelt down and walked away to the side.

Shen Yu cried out in his heart: "This is also possible, isn't it a crime? As long as there is money, it will be fine."

While he was thinking about this, there was the dull "crackling" sound of the board hitting the flesh, and Mrs. Hu and Old Man Zhou were howling in pain.

The executioner seemed to have understood the magistrate's intention. Although the boards were whirring and crackling, after the ten strokes of the boards, Mrs. Hu and Old Man Zhou still had the energy to curse.

After the execution, the runners dragged up Mrs. Hu and Old Man Zhou, brought them before the county magistrate, and ordered them to kneel down.

Although there was some ulterior motive in the beatings, after all, they were hit on two people who were over 50 years old. The two men lay there and could not kneel at all.

The county magistrate took one look and said, "Now that you two have been beaten, you should know that you are in the wrong. Go home quickly. Within seven days, divide up your property and pay the compensation to the government office."

After thinking for a while, he made an exception and said, "Considering that you two are old, you should stay at home to recuperate for half a month. When you are well, you can serve your sentence of exile."

Mrs. Hu said, "Sir, we are old. If we are exiled to that bitter cold place, there is no way we can come back alive. We are willing to pay the penalty of exile with money."

Zhou Dalang also said, "Please, sir, please approve it for the sake of my elderly parents."

The county magistrate pondered for a moment and said, "Forget it. Considering that you two are first-time offenders, I will allow each of you to pay 200 taels of silver in exchange for exile. However, even if I use silver as an offset, I cannot let you go with just these two beatings. I will punish you two to clean the market road for half a year."

After that, he added in a stern tone, "You must not be lazy, and you must not make mistakes. If you do it again, I will not forgive you."

When Mrs. Hu and Old Man Zhou heard that they would not be sentenced to exile, they hurriedly knelt down and responded, kowtowed and thanked him repeatedly.

When the county magistrate saw that the matter was settled, he lazily said, "The case is settled, let's go."

After saying this, he went back to the inner court.

The Fourth Young Master glanced towards Shen Yu, hesitated for a moment, and then quickly followed his father's footsteps back.

The head of the criminal police came over and said to Shen Yu in a gentle voice, "Fourth sister was imprisoned for no reason. Fortunately, she has been cleared of the injustice. Come to my house first. Your third sister has been waiting for you at home."

Shen Yu squatted down and bowed, then smiled and refused: "Thank you, Third Brother-in-law, but I have been in the women's prison for a night and I am very dirty. I want to go home first and not bother Third Sister."

The head of the criminal investigation glanced at the wrinkled clothes on Shen Yu and nodded in understanding: "I was negligent. Then Fourth Sister, please go back quickly. I am worried about Qiqi being alone at home, so I asked your Third Sister to come over today. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, I will ask your Third Sister to come over to see you."

Li said, "Today, my Yuzhi was able to clear her name, thanks to Captain Xing and the fourth young master. In a few days, I would like to ask Captain Xing to host a banquet for the fourth young master. We want to thank you two very much."

The head of the police waved his hand indifferently, "Madam, you are too polite. Not to mention that the fourth sister is not an outsider, even if she is an ordinary citizen, if she is wronged, it is my responsibility to find out the truth. It is my responsibility. As for the fourth young master, he usually doesn't mind his own business. It's rare that he is willing to come forward this time. I really have to thank him."

Li nodded and said, "Then after the Mid-Autumn Festival, when Chief Constable is free, we can have a banquet at Xingsheng Restaurant in the county town."

Shen Yu was secretly surprised. When did Li, who was usually stingy and money-loving, become so generous that he even wanted to host a banquet at the best restaurant in the county.

The head of the police said with a smile, "That's not necessary. The Fourth Young Master is not that kind of person. So, now is not the time to talk about this. I still have work to do. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, I will ask my wife to take you home and we can discuss it then."

Shen Yu smiled and nodded in response: "Since my third brother-in-law has an errand, go and get busy. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, I will go home to visit my sister."

When the chief constable saw that the matter had been settled, he bowed, turned around and went into the county government office.

Here, Zhou Dalang was busy calling for a mule cart and was helping Mrs. Hu onto the cart.

The old woman Hu continued to talk non-stop: "You little bastard, you are so attentive now. What were you doing before? You want to divide the family property and pay so much money to the government. I want to see how much you can get."

Zhou Dalang said nothing. Old Man Zhou couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted, "Old woman, please stop talking. If it weren't for Dalang, both you and I would be dead."

Li shook her head and said to Shen Yu, "This family will have a bad ending sooner or later. Let's go back. Yucheng and the others must be waiting anxiously."

The three of them called a mule cart, got in, and without paying any attention to Mrs. Hu's family, they rushed home.

When they arrived at Liushu Lane, the three got out of the car, and Shen Yu was the first to go home.

Li hurriedly followed behind and shouted, "Yuzhi, don't go in yet, wait for mother."

Shen Yu hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and hadn't slept all night. He was tense and exhausted. He wished he could just fall into bed and sleep for three days and three nights.

Jiang was also confused and couldn't help asking, "Sister Li, is there anything else you haven't done? Miss Yuzhi must be very sleepy and hungry now, so you should go home first."

Li knocked on the door in a hurry and turned back to say, "Don't come in yet, you must wait."

Yutao and the other two had been waiting at home for a long time, feeling panicked and scared. When they heard the noise, they hurried over to open the door. Yucheng jumped out and saw Shen Yu. He grinned and wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. He said in a crying voice, "Sister, you are back."