Arresting Lady Wei

When Zhang Changshen, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, returned from court, he saw the case handed over by the Vice Minister of the Right Court of Judicial Review.

"Where is the midwife?" he asked.

Seeing his superior's calm demeanor, the Right Vice Minister suspected that he had known about the matter for a long time, so he quickly said, "It has been sent up and is currently being held in the women's prison."

He paused, then continued, explaining how he had sent his clerk to the capital to retrieve the case files and the wet nurse from the prefect, "I felt that since this was a single case, it would be better to try it together, so I took the liberty of retrieving them."

"Well done," Zhang Changshen praised, standing up. "Come on, let's go interrogate the prisoner."

The midwife gave up her comfortable life to turn herself in, because the lives of her children and grandchildren were in the hands of others. During the first interrogation by the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, she cooperated fully and recounted everything that had happened back then in detail.

After the midwife was interrogated, the steward brought the wet nurse back. Zhang Changshen interrogated the wet nurse again, then slammed his gavel. "Guards, go and arrest Wei Liniang!"

The Right Vice Minister's eyelids twitched, and he whispered to Zhang Changshen, "Sir, this... I heard that Lady Wei was sent back to her parents' home because she disobeyed her mother-in-law and angered the old lady of the Marquis of Suiping so much that she suffered a stroke."

As the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review of Judicial Review, Zhang Changshen had tried countless cases throughout his life and had a group of capable subordinates under his command.

He waved his hand and instructed his men, "It's best not to alert the Wei Residence when you capture Wei Liniang."

"Yes, sir."

The Right Vice Minister was alarmed again: Was the Lord intending to make the case airtight before letting Lord Wei know, to prevent it from being overturned? Who was the mastermind behind this case? Who exactly had Wei Qiu offended?

Just half an hour later, Lady Wei was escorted to the Court of Judicial Review Court of Judicial Review by two burly old women, with a rag stuffed in her mouth.

Those arrested with her included Matron Li, who was recovering from a serious illness, Chunfen and Chunjing.

Upon seeing the insignia on Zhang Changshen's official robes, Lady Wei's eyes lit up, and she struggled to make "uh-uh" noises.

"Sir, she was peeking around outside the Marquis of Suiping's Residence, looking like she was up to no good, so I arrested her," the constable said.

At this moment, the old woman, at Zhang Changshen's signal, removed the cloth from Lady Wei's mouth.

"Your Honor, I'm innocent! Your Honor, I'm innocent!" Lady Wei immediately cried out.

Suddenly being kidnapped without alerting passersby, she was utterly terrified, fearing she had encountered villains.

Now that she realized he was an official of the imperial court, she felt a little more at ease. "I am the daughter of Wei Qiu, the Minister of the Court of Court of Imperial Sacrifices. You and my father serve in the same court, so you must know my father."

She first invoked her father's name before explaining, "The Marquis of Suiping's Residence is my husband's family. The day before yesterday, I had a quarrel with my mother-in-law, and she fell ill from anger, sending me back to my parents' home. I felt guilty and wanted to go back to apologize to her, which is why I was lingering outside the Marquis's residence. I didn't mean to do anything wrong."

Before the interrogation even began, Wei Liniang revealed her name, much to Zhang Changshen's satisfaction. At least he hadn't arrested the wrong person.

He slammed his gavel. "Lady Wei, what you did fourteen years ago has come to light. Confess honestly, and you'll suffer less. Otherwise, I don't care who your father is; you'll still be punished."

Upon hearing this, Lady Wei nearly wet herself in fear.

She was indeed terrified for a long time after the baby was switched. Later, when those who knew the truth either died or fled, her heart calmed down.

When Xu Xi was brought back, she was worried, but seeing that everything had calmed down, she was relieved.

Several things happened during this time, but after thinking it over, she was convinced that what happened back then would never be discovered, and so her heart settled down again.

Suddenly, a deafening thunderclap struck.

"W-what is it? I, I haven't done anything wrong, I don't know what you mean." Naturally, she refused to confess.

"Is that so?" Zhang Changshen's expression remained unchanged, calm, but he slammed his gavel down. "Bring the prisoner."

The first person brought up was the midwife.

This midwife received a large sum of money from the Lady Wei back then. Although she had to live in hiding with her whole family, she had indeed lived a good and comfortable life over the years. Fourteen years have passed, and although she has a few more wrinkles on her face, she hasn't changed much, and people who know her can recognize her at a glance.

This face had appeared in Lady Wei's dreams many times, so she naturally recognized it.

"You, you, you..."

Upon seeing the midwife, Lady Wei was terrified and pointed at her, speechless for a long time.

Seeing her like this, Zhang Changshen was very satisfied. He slammed his gavel again and said, "Lady Wei, why don't you confess the truth? Do you want to suffer physical pain?"

"I... I..." Knowing that she could no longer hide the truth, Lady Wei trembled all over, her mind racing, trying to find a glimmer of hope in this terrifying situation.

"I... I am Wei Qiu's daughter. I want to see my father. Please send a message to my father, sir, and we'll discuss this matter when he arrives." Wei Qiu was the Lady Wei's only lifeline.

Although it's unknown what the consequences of switching children will be, imprisonment is almost inevitable. She's already disobeyed her mother-in-law, and now she's been imprisoned for the child-switching incident. Even if she's sent back to the Wei Family, Wei Family probably won't tolerate her.

At this moment, Lady Wei was truly terrified.

Only her father, a high-ranking official of the third rank, could save her. Even if the official before her was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, he was only of the same rank as her father. Surely he would give her father some face and let her go?

The Right Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, standing behind Zhang Changshen, gently shook his head.

That Lady Wei is truly foolish. If the magistrate were really giving Wei Qiu face, would he have simply arrested Lady Wei? He would definitely have notified Wei Qiu beforehand, and the two of them would have discussed and devised a plan before even starting to handle the case.

This woman is not only brainless but also incredibly audacious; she actually managed to replace a marquis's heir. Wei Qiu is truly unlucky to have such a daughter.

However, Lady Wei is ultimately a married daughter. Wei Qiu will be reprimanded by the Emperor for this, and may even be demoted by one rank, but that's probably the end of the punishment. Wei Qiu has won the Emperor's favor, so perhaps he will be promoted again in a while.

So why is our master handling the case this way? What exactly is his purpose?

"Even princes are subject to the law." Zhang Changshen slammed the gavel again. "Will you confess or not? If you don't, I'll have to use torture."

He set down the gavel, reached into the container and picked up the summons slip, shouting, "Guards!"

"Tch!" the constables responded in unison.

"Beat him..." Zhang Changshen was about to throw the warrant in his hand to the ground.

"I confess, I confess!" Lady Wei cried out hastily.

Confessing is fine; her father will come and change her statement soon. But being beaten with a cane is a real ordeal. Even if her father comes, it won't help. They can't just beat her back, can they? If they do, all her suffering will have been for nothing.

She not only suffered, but also endured humiliation. How could she ever face anyone again?