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Chapter 74
In the hall, Mei Chun heard Lord Lu mention her, and her wandering gaze gradually focused as she opened her mouth to speak.
When she decided to betray her master, she had already prepared for certain death. However, her death could not be in vain; she had to ensure that Mrs. Lu and Miss Lu went down with her.
Taking out the carefully planned words, she quickly said, "My lord, this servant has realized her mistake. I am willing to confess the truth, and I hope my lord can be lenient."
Facing the stern gaze of County Magistrate Chen, she subconsciously wanted to avoid it, shifting her eyes uneasily and speaking faster.
"Lord Lu has already mentioned Miss Lu's motive for the crime. I will not repeat it. I will directly speak of the evidence in hand.
To dispatch me, Miss Lu gave me a box of valuables. My lord can have someone retrieve it and confront Miss Lu.
Furthermore, Miss Lu also gave me a packet of poison, instructing me to add a little to Madam's tea each time, saying that this way Madam would quietly pass away. From now on, no one would scold her as a dead servant, or force her to take care of that illegitimate brother.
My lord, this servant was momentarily blinded by greed and did something unforgivable to Madam. I hope my lord can be lenient. Miss Lu's attempt to harm her mother challenges ethics, and I hope my lord can uphold justice for Madam."
As she finished speaking, Chen Jinyou, who was watching from outside the hall, chuckled, "Haha, clearly she directly poisoned her, yet she still dares to ask for leniency. She is eagerly demanding my father to punish her ladyship, but my father is not foolish and won't be fooled by her..."
Listening to his son's laughter like a goose, County Magistrate Chen gave him a look, and Chen Jinyou was dragged away by the officials by the door.
Although he had left, his words still echoed in County Magistrate Chen's ears.
His son was right, this servant girl was not honest.
A glint flashed in County Magistrate Chen's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Since you say there is evidence, then first retrieve the evidence. Clearly state the location of the evidence, and my men will search for it!"
"My lord, I placed the money Miss Lu used to bribe me in a wooden box, wrapped in clothes and hidden in the wardrobe. The officials can easily find it.
As for the poison, I hadn't finished using it when Madam had an accident. The remaining poison is hidden in the embroidered shoes under the bed, placed towards the front and blocked by socks, so it might be difficult to find. But these shoes are newly made by me and have not been worn, so the officials should look for the newest pair."
After she finished speaking, County Magistrate Chen ordered his men to quickly retrieve the evidence from the Lu residence.
During the wait, Lu Yueming caught a glimpse of Qi Huan outside the door, and instantly felt relieved.
At that moment, she was truly forced into a corner, bringing Lu Baiian and Mei Chun to the county yamen. But things happened suddenly, and she wasn't prepared, feeling somewhat anxious.
However, she trusted Ah Huan.
Lu Yueming's tightly clenched fist quietly loosened, her palm slightly itchy. She turned her head and saw Xiu Wen handing her a handkerchief.
After wiping her hands, she casually tucked the handkerchief into her bosom.
With the clatter of horse hooves, the officials who retrieved the evidence finally returned.
"It's this wooden box," Mei Chun excitedly pointed out.
The golden jewelry box was requested by Lu Baiian from Mrs. Lu, claiming that it was a gift for Lu Yueming to ease the relationship between father and daughter. When Mrs. Lu inquired, he only said that Yueming did not welcome him, so he had not received it yet, and would send it another day.
In reality, he had already handed the jewelry over to Mei Chun, asking her to use it as evidence to frame Lu Yueming.
Mei Chun did not disappoint his expectations, revealing the crucial information on the spot: "Because Miss Lu's name is Yueming, the golden jewelry made by Madam Lu all have a curved moon symbol engraved on them, which can be easily identified."
At this moment, Chen the county magistrate also opened the box, raising an eyebrow and casually asking, "Where is the golden jewelry? Isn't the box filled with silver?"
He could distinguish between something golden and something silver.
Lu Baiian was shocked.
What's going on? Could it be that Mei Chun took the golden jewelry and casually put some silver in it?
Lu Baiian's anger surged, silently cursing: This useless Mei Chun, how short-sighted can she be? With the moon symbol on the golden jewelry replaced by silver, who could still identify its owner?
He nervously watched Chen the county magistrate, and when he saw him pick up a silver ingot to examine, Lu Baiian's heart suddenly raced as the silver looked familiar!
Chen the county magistrate examined the silver ingot, and upon seeing the inscription at the bottom, his expression changed, thinking to himself: This is official silver. 𝔣𝖗𝔢𝖊𝔴𝖊𝔟𝔫𝔬𝖛𝔢𝖑.𝔠𝔬𝔪
Upon closer inspection, he saw a line of small characters at the bottom of the ingot - "Received official grain price of ten taels in the tenth year of Longshun, Officer in charge: Xu Ziheng, To be collected by: Dong Jia, Silversmith: Liu Da."
Official silver could only be used by officials, and any inscriptions could trace back to its source.
Therefore, Chen the county magistrate sent someone to the military camp to check the account books, causing a delay that extended past lunchtime.
Some of the onlookers went home to eat, while others squatted at the door, calling out to passersby to order from Qiji's takeout.
With the case unresolved, Yueming was temporarily unable to leave the hall, so Qihuan ordered a table of dishes. Thoughful Mr. Xu even considered that the county government did not have a dining table, so he sent a few more waiters to bring tables and chairs under the eaves.
The waiters took out a series of delicious dishes from the food box and placed them on the wooden table, enticing in appearance, aroma, and taste.
Lu Baiian glanced over, feeling his stomach growl.
Hearing the commotion, Yan Qinghe picked up a few pieces of braised pork and put them in a bowl, carrying a stool to sit across from Lu Baiian, eating and saying, "It smells so good!"
Lu Baiian closed his eyes, pretending to rest, wishing his hand wasn't broken so he could make this kid look good.
After everyone finished their lunch and took a nap, anxiously waiting, the official messengers finally returned.
"The magistrate is truly perceptive and wise. The records in the military camp indicate that this batch of official silver was indeed issued as military pay five years ago, and no one other than military personnel could have it."
According to the Laws of the Li Country, official silver could only be used by officials; it was a serious crime punishable by death for common people to use it.
This ingot of silver with the inscription directly pointed to Lu Baiian, as only he in the Lu family received military pay.
Facing the accusations of Chen the county magistrate, Lu Baiian finally remembered why the silver looked familiar. It was the one he had instructed Lady Mei to give to Qi Huan. He roared, "The magistrate is insightful! This is not mine, it belongs to that despicable Qi Huan!"
Outside the hall, Li Shuchen touched the dagger hidden in his sleeve, his eyes cold. Since someone no longer wanted their tongue, he would grant their wish.
However, Qi Huan was unfazed. She innocently blinked her eyes and defended herself, "Lord Lu, how can a plain and ordinary woman like me have official silver?"
"You despicable woman, still pretending. This is the medical fee I had Ah Xiang give you!"
"Oh, do you have evidence? Making false accusations without evidence is called slander. Dong Geqiu, who falsely accused me before, received a good ten slaps for it."
Lu Baiian's eyes burned with anger.
He finally understood what it felt like to shoot oneself in the foot.
The official silver given to Qi Huan was meant to deceive her, but in the end, he was the one deceived.
Having Lady Mei confess and provide evidence was to shift the blame onto Lu Yueming, but unexpectedly, it backfired on himself.