He Liangzhong felt as if he had fallen into an abyss. He subconsciously looked at Xiao Yuan, only to see him expressionless, staring at the phantom in mid-air... watching Yao Yuniang being carried into Cloud Brocade Workshop in a sack.
Watching her get beaten to death with a stick, and Xiaju clinging to the wall.
The illusion shifted again, this time showing He Liangzhong, disheveled, pulling Chunju into the house. The other embroiderers, seeing this, all closed their eyes.
However, the phantom did not present the scene they had imagined. In the blink of an eye, Chunju's body was carried out and buried under the peach tree.
Qiuju witnessed all of this, and the phantoms shifted with Qiuju... seeing them working tirelessly day and night, and also seeing their miserable state when their addiction flared up.
I saw Bai Yunjin forcing the embroiderer to sign a loan agreement, and I saw the embroiderer being beaten and scolded by the nanny for the slightest mistake.
I saw the scene of him beating Xiaju to death, as well as the process of more than a dozen embroiderers conspiring to kill Bai Yunjin.
They also witnessed Zhou Yan cleaning up the scene afterward and instructing Bai Yunduan to cooperate in a conspiracy to annex the Meng Household family's assets.
The phantom vanished, and the lobby was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Xiao Yuan looked at the group of officials opposite him with a serious expression. They were all ashen-faced and staring at the air in terror.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhu Huaizhang handed all the evidence to Xiao Yuan. After reading it, Xiao Yuan was so angry that he grabbed a teacup and smashed it heavily on the official opposite him.
He said coldly, " Lord Zhu, please proceed with the judgment. I'll sit here and see who dares to act recklessly."
Upon hearing this Zhu Huaizhang took a deep breath and slowly spoke, "The embroiderers of Cloud Brocade Workshop have long suffered inhuman torture, being poisoned and controlled, their freedom imprisoned, and forced to work. This murder was truly out of desperation and a desperate attempt to survive. They will not be prosecuted and are found not guilty in court."
The Bai Household embroidery workshop used violence, fraud, and insidious means to imprison women, force them to work, and cause deaths. Their crimes were heinous, even worse than the ten evil deeds.
The female members of the Bai Household, as beneficiaries of the system, were considered accomplices for failing to report the incident.
According to the Sheng Dynasty Laws, all male members of the Bai Household shall be beheaded, and the female members shall be exiled three thousand li. All officials involved shall be imprisoned and severely punished!
"The case of Cloud Brocade Workshop is now closed. Court adjourned."
"Mighty..."
Upon hearing the verdict, Bai Yunduan collapsed to the ground. The officials fared no better, each unable to straighten their backs.
Qiuju wanted to laugh, but tears streamed down her face first.
The emotions that had been suppressed for too long finally erupted. Cries echoed throughout the hall, sending a chill down everyone's spine.
After the Bai Household and various officials were imprisoned.
Qiuju pushed herself up from the ground, and led the embroiderers to kneel upright, kowtowing heavily in the direction of Zhu Huaizhang and Xiao Yuan.
"Lord Xie has stood up for us; Prince Xie has upheld justice for us."
Zhu Huaizhang clenched his fists tightly; the images of the embroiderers struck his heart, causing him to tremble with pain.
Xiao Yuan was no better. As the crown prince, he was merely acting in accordance with the law and fulfilling his duty when such corrupt officials appeared in the court, yet now he was expected to kowtow and express his gratitude to the people.
This wasn't gratitude; it was a slap in the face.
Zhu Huaizhang followed the Crown Prince into the second hall, while Lu Chi didn't forget to wink at Jin Shanyao a couple of times.
Just as Jin Shanyao was distracted, Madam Yao stumbled forward and knelt down beside her with a thud. She grabbed Jin Shanyao's leg and looked up at her, her face already covered in tears.
"Girl... I beg you, please let me see Yuniang one more time, just one more time!"
Jin Shanyao down to help, startling Madam Yao, who quickly tightened her arms around her. She pleaded frantically, "I know you're very capable, but please, please let me see my daughter, just one glimpse, even just one glimpse!"
Her pleading voice was so low it was almost hushed, her eyes fixed on the Jin Shanyao, desperate for a word of 'yes'.
"Auntie, please get up first..."
"I won't get up! My daughter was only fourteen when she passed away, and I didn't even get to see her one last time. I've heard that you can summon spirits, you must have a way... Please, please..." she said, about to kowtow.
Jin Shanyao quickly supported her, while Yao Dahai, standing to the side, trembled for a long time before finally managing to utter a single sentence.
"Girl, how much money do you want? We'll sell the house if you want, please grant us our long-cherished wish."
Jin Shanyao looked at them and sighed softly, "One coin. Tonight I'll be holding a soul-summoning ceremony at Cloud Brocade Workshop. Xiaju, Chunju, and Yao Yuniang will all come."
Madam Yao looked up abruptly, her eyes lighting up. "Really? You can really see it?"
Jin Shanyao.
"Then... then can I hug her? Can I touch her face?" Madam Yao stammered, clutching the Jin Shanyao tightly. "When she was little, she loved it when I touched her face. She could only fall asleep with me touching her face every night..."
Jin Shanyao grasped her hand in return, her voice softening, "Yes."
Madam Yao was stunned for a moment, tears welling up again, but she nodded frantically, "Okay, okay..."
She stuffed the whole bag of money into Jin Shanyao, but Jin Shanyao only took one coin.
Supported by Yao Dahai, Madam Yao walked out, turning back every few steps. After only a few steps, she suddenly turned back, gazing at the Jin Shanyao.
"Girl, you won't lie to me, right?"
Jin Shanyao a mix of emotions, and said in a muffled voice, "No, you can buy some paper money for her."
The Yao couple nodded solemnly, "Yes, yes... we'll go buy it right away, we'll go buy it right away."
After the two left, Qiuju, accompanied by the embroiderer, blocked Jin Shanyao's path, hesitating for a long time before finally saying, "Thank you, Miss Jin..."
In court, they were terrified of witnessing anything unspeakable, but nothing happened, not even a single scene. They knew then that Jin Shanyao had deliberately concealed it...
Jin Shanyao looked at them and said in a heavy tone, "I can cure your addiction. If you have nowhere to go, you can come back to Qingzhou Prefecture with me."
I own a manor in Qingzhou Prefecture, where all the homeless live.
Qiuju's lifeless eyes finally lit up. "You mean, young lady, our addictions can be cured, right?"
"Right..."
These words excited the group of embroiderers. Qiuju glanced at her sisters, then turned to Jin Shanyao and said, "It's already a great kindness that Miss Jin was able to detoxify us."
How could we trouble the young lady again? We used to be their slaves, but from now on..." She paused, "We want to work for ourselves."
Jin Shanyao and asked no further questions.
Meng Anzhi chimed in, "If you don't have any start-up capital, I can lend it to you first."
Qiuju smiled and said, "Miss, you are kind-hearted... We appreciate your kindness, but we have the skills and we can take our time and make a good living."
That's enough, no further explanation is needed.
Jin Shanyao led several people to the Jiang family's medical clinic, where they used the space to examine the pulses of each of the embroiderers.
After writing the prescription, Meng Anzhi handed it to Jin Shanyao. After checking Jin Shanyao handed it to Qiuju and gave each person a ginkgo nut.
"These ginkgo nuts have undergone special processing and can alleviate your discomfort."
He then handed out one pill to each person.
The embroiderers held the ginkgo nuts, hesitant to eat them, afraid that the old story of Cloud Brocade Workshop would repeat itself.
Once the Jin Shan was given, it was no longer considered; whether they ate it or not was entirely up to them.
Only Qiuju took it and popped it into her mouth without hesitation.
As soon as the ginkgo nuts entered my throat, warmth quickly spread throughout my body, and my heavy body felt as if it had been untied, making me feel light and refreshed. Even the pent-up frustration in my heart dissipated.
Seeing that she was alright, the others hesitated before swallowing the ginkgo nuts. Since their cravings were going to kick in tonight anyway, they figured they might as well take the gamble.
Many years later, when someone asked Qiuju about what happened in court, she thought for a long time and only remembered the taste of that ginkgo nut... warm, warming her from her throat all the way to her heart.