The Accusation

The villagers publicly tried their village chief—this was something unheard of and unthinkable in Jialan Village and even within a hundred miles!

In the villagers' deeply ingrained belief, even the smallest master is still a master, a lord who is inherently superior to them, these peasants.

If your master beats you, scolds you, takes your things, or even abuses your wife and daughters, it's all "justified" or "you're just unlucky to have it." At most, you might curse him secretly behind his back. Who would have thought that one day you could accuse him face-to-face and demand that he confess and submit to the law?

This completely upside down their understanding of the natural order!

Therefore, when Karl loudly called on everyone to stand up and plead their cases, a brief, almost frozen, deathly silence fell over the square.

People looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief, deep fear, and a long-suppressed, almost extinguished spark of hope.

They looked at John, Edward, and the others kneeling in the center, their faces ashen, and then at Lord Karl sat high on his horse, holding the "Royal Decree" and with a calm gaze. A fierce internal struggle ensued.

Should I say it? What if... what if this Prince Consort consort is just putting on an act and then leaves afterwards?

Wouldn't Master John retaliate even more severely? Those who step forward today will likely suffer a terrible fate for their entire families!

But should I keep quiet? Seeing the fate of Tommy's family and the Lex and Finn families, seeing the ruthless and decisive actions of the Lord's cavalry, it seems... it seems this time really is different?

That bright yellow Imperial Edict, as if possessed by Magic Power, represented in their hearts a distant yet powerful force that transcended local authority.

Quiet, tentative murmurs began to spread among the crowd, like wild grass swaying in the wind.

"Really... can you tell me?"

"That gentleman... doesn't seem to be faking it..."

"But... but that's Master John..."

"My father's leg was crippled by their vicious dog, and they haven't paid a single penny for medical expenses..."

"My family's prime land by the river was seized by Edward through cunning and force..."

"My daughter..."

The voice was faint and timid, full of hesitation and fear. The courage to be the first to step forward, built up over many years of prestige, is the hardest to muster.

In that suffocating silence and whispers, a trembling voice, heavy with sobs, as if drawing upon all its courage, finally rang out timidly yet with unparalleled clarity, piercing the stillness of the square:

"Your Prince Consort... I... I want to report! Report that beast John!"

All eyes immediately turned to the source of the sound.

From the edge of the crowd, a woman in tattered clothes, patched upon patched, and with a hunched back, led a girl of about ten years old, with disheveled hair like a tangle of straw and timid, evasive eyes, as they struggled to squeeze through.

The woman's face was sallow, her cheekbones were high, and her eyes were sunken, making her look more than twenty years older than her actual age. Only her eyes burned with a flame that was a mixture of immense grief, deep-seated hatred, and a desperate, resolute determination.

She pulled her daughter along, stumbling to a spot ten paces in front of Karl, then with a thud, she knelt down, her forehead striking the cold, frozen ground.

The girl also knelt down, clinging tightly to her mother, trembling all over, not daring to raise her head.

The woman looked up, tears streaming down her face. She pointed to John, who was kneeling not far away, his face even paler. Her voice was broken and hoarse with agitation and hatred, but she tried her best to utter each word clearly:

"Prince Consort Excellency! Your Honor! You must do justice for me! My husband, Andrew, is the best carpenter in the village. He is honest, hardworking, and his skills are impeccable!"

"Three years ago... just three years ago, that beast John took a liking to Andrew's skills and insisted that he make another set and deliver it to his house, without paying him a single penny for labor or materials!"

"My husband... my husband is a simple-minded man. He felt this job was too big, and that doing it for free would starve the whole family, so... so he knelt down and begged him, saying he could charge less, but he couldn't not pay... and... and that angered this devil!"

At this point, the woman nearly broke down in tears, sobbing uncontrollably. After a long pause, she continued her accusations, each word seemingly soaked in blood and tears:

"He... he had my husband tied up and hung from the old locust tree at the village entrance! He whipped him day and night with a cowhide whip soaked in salt water! I knelt under the tree and kowtowed until my head bled, begging him to spare my husband... that beast... that inhuman creature!"

"He... he pulled me aside, grinning maliciously, and said he'd release my husband if I spent the night with him... I... I was desperate to save my husband, and I was both afraid and hateful... so... I was defiled by him..."

A suppressed gasp and curses rose from the crowd. Many women turned their faces away, tears welling in their eyes, while the men clenched their fists, their eyes blazing with fury.

The woman seemed to have used all her strength, but her voice became even more shrill. "But! This liar! This devil! He didn't keep his promise at all! After he violated me, he went even further, having people continue to beat my husband!"

"A whole day and night! My husband... my husband was hanged and whipped to death on the tree! His body... I wasn't allowed to collect his body for three days, and it was... it was unrecognizable!"

Hearing this, the girl beside her let out a soft whimper, burying her head deeply in her mother's arms.

The woman's tears had dried up, leaving only boundless hatred and the madness born of despair. "This isn't over yet! My family is ruined. My two daughters, the eldest, the one beside me, was only fourteen years old that year. She witnessed her father's tragic death and was so terrified... so terrified that she went completely insane! Even now, she's sometimes lucid and sometimes confused!"

"And... and they forcibly dragged away my second daughter, who was only twelve years old, and sold her to a passing human trafficker from the south! They said she was sold to a brothel in the south! It's been five years now, and there's been no news of her. We don't even know if she's dead or alive! You, sir!"

She kowtowed several more times, blood quickly seeping from her forehead, her voice hoarse like a cuckoo crying blood, "I've lived to this day, barely clinging to life like a stray dog, keeping my poor, insane daughter by my side, just to wait! To wait for a place where reason can prevail! To wait for someone to punish him!"

"Today! I've finally waited for this! Your Prince Consort! I beg you! I beg you to seek justice for this woman! I want him dead! I want him to pay for my husband's life! I want him to pay for my daughter's life! I want him to go to the eighteenth level of hell!!"

The piercing accusations echoed in the square like the most mournful lament. All the villagers were shocked by this bloody tragedy; many had tears in their eyes and were clenching their teeth.

Even some of the Carnford cavalry, accustomed to the bloodshed of the battlefield, showed anger on their faces and placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.