Don't Be Nervous

Zhao Ruxi stood before the couple and said, "I am Zhao Zhiwei, the newly appointed Prefectural Magistrate. Please tell me your grievances." Xiang Ming brought out a bamboo chair from somewhere and placed it in the open space in front of Wang Houde's residence. Zhao Ruxi sat down.

The kneeling couple quickly turned around and kowtowed to Zhao Ruxi, saying, "Please, Your Honor, grant us justice!"

Zhou Chun had been with Zhao Ruxi for so long and knew that his daughter disliked being bowed to so deeply.

He quickly came out and helped the man up, saying, "Alright, stop stomping. Say what you have to say."

The man then choked out, "My daughter... my daughter was driven to her death by Wang Houde's son some time ago, sob sob, I beg you, Your Honor, to do us justice."

After giving his instructions to the steward, Wang Houde stood there, coldly observing everything.

Only then did he step forward, bow to Zhao Ruxi, and say, "Lord Zhao, please forgive me, but things are not as he says."

Upon hearing this, the woman, who had been weeping with her head down, became anxious and raised her head, saying urgently, "Sir, my daughter was really forced to her death by her son! My daughter said she didn't want to marry him, but his family forced her. His son... Waaah, his son even tried to humiliate my daughter. My daughter was driven to desperation and jumped into the river to commit suicide."

As she spoke, she burst into tears.

The man pointed at Wang Houde and said, "He also threatened us, saying that if we reported him to the authorities, he would make sure our whole family was wiped out."

Wang Houde couldn't hold back any longer and bowed to Zhao Ruxi, saying, "Lord Zhao, things aren't as they say. My son did indeed take a liking to their daughter, but we sent people to formally propose marriage. If they're unwilling, they can simply refuse; even if they're afraid of my family's power, they could at most move to the city. Why would they want to drown themselves?"

"His daughter drowned herself in the river. Who knows if she did something shameful and was too ashamed to face the world? How can you blame it on my son? Don't think that just because my family is rich, you can extort money from me like this."

Upon hearing this, the man turned red with rage and lunged forward to strike Wang Houde, shouting, "You killed my daughter and now you're ruining her reputation! I'll fight you to the death!"

Wang Houde's servants rushed forward to stop him. The man's arms were grabbed, and he tried to kick Wang Houde.

Wang Houde took a few steps back, bowed to Zhao Ruxi, and said, "Lord Zhao, everything I said is true. If you don't believe me, you can ask the villagers."

He then looked at the couple with disgust. "Moreover, their daughter has been dead for over ten days, and they haven't gone to the authorities to file a complaint. Instead, they only came and started crying after you came to our door. I feel their actions are suspicious; they're deliberately trying to frame someone in front of you to extort money. It's even more likely they're being instructed by someone else. I hope Your Honor will investigate this matter thoroughly and clear my family's name."

"Bah! Your family has no reputation? You bully others and do all sorts of bad things." The man was furious upon hearing this and lunged forward to kick Wang Houde again, but was stopped in time by Wang's servants.

Chen Kang, having received several silver notes slipped into his hand by the Wang family steward, secretly tucked them into his sleeve and squeezed forward to whisper to Zhao Ruxi, "Lord Zhao, Village Head Wang, is an upright and fair man, and he is very strict in managing his household. Moreover, his son has always been mentally ill. To say that his son forced that family's daughter is utterly absurd."

Zhao Ruxi ignored him and looked at Wang Houde, saying, "You said they were acting under someone's orders. Who is this 'someone' referring to?"

"This..." Wang Houde looked around, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Sir, may I speak to you privately?"

Upon hearing that Wang Houde was going to take Zhao Ruxi into his home, the couple hurriedly cried out, "Sir, sir, we weren't instructed by anyone! We're telling the truth! Although his son is mentally challenged, his mind is that of a seven or eight-year-old child. He's capable of bullying people, and because he's so immature, he acts without any restraint and has absolutely no concept of morality or shame."

Zhao Ruxi stood up and said to the couple, "One-sided listening leads to ignorance, while listening to both sides leads to clarity. I can't just conclude that the Village Head Wang on your one-sided account, can I? Of course, I need to hear both sides' opinions."

Wang Houde and Chen Kang were overjoyed upon hearing this.

They were initially worried that Zhao Ruxi would be difficult to fool. After all, she seemed to have plenty of money and genuinely wanted to gain experience by becoming an official. People like her were the hardest to deal with, and bribes were simply ineffective.

Given her intelligence and methods, Chen Kang felt that ordinary explanations were simply not enough to convince her.

But now I think it's still easy to handle.

Women are all soft-hearted and lack willpower. After a while, she went inside and had Wang Houde's wife come out to cry and complain, and then bring out his mentally challenged son for her to see. Even if she didn't completely believe him, she would definitely not convict Wang Houde today.

Once back at the yamen, Chen Kang subtly suggested and persuaded the matter, and the matter was dropped.

After all, these kinds of things are always a matter of each side having their own version of the truth, and it's not so easy to distinguish between them. As long as there's a chance to back things up, things will be much easier to handle.

The couple probably understood this as well, and their faces immediately turned to despair. The woman collapsed to the ground and burst into tears.

Zhao Ruxi glanced at the woman and said, "However, since you said you wanted to listen to both sides, all I've heard is your two families arguing back and forth like a broken record, and you still can't figure out the truth after several days. So, I'll have my guards walk around the village in a bit and ask the elderly folks for their opinions."

She raised her hand and bowed to the onlookers. "Please, elders, tell the truth, so that good people are not wronged and no bad person goes unpunished. If you condone bad people today, you will be bullied by them tomorrow. I believe you all understand this principle."

She glanced around and raised her voice slightly. "I am today's newly appointed top scholar, and also the newly appointed Assistant Prefect of Nanyang, taking over the affairs previously handled by Lord Cai. As you all know, a new official always makes a strong impression, and newly appointed officials are the most energetic. So if any of your villagers are dissatisfied with Village Head Wang, feel free to speak up when my guards ask later. I guarantee that what you say will only be known to my guards and will not be leaked so that you will be retaliated against."

"But this is your only chance. If you don't speak up this time, I won't believe you even if you do later. So if anyone is dissatisfied with the Village Head Wang and wants a replacement village head, just say so. As long as the majority of villagers are dissatisfied with him, I will stand up for you."

Wang Houde and Chen Kang were completely dumbfounded.

They had just thought this young woman was easy to fool, but they never expected her to pull this trick.

This is practically blatantly encouraging the villagers to replace the village head in front of Wang Houde!