Red Dust Daqian

Chapter 112: Zhou Sen is executed

Zhou Sen's trial. Witnesses: the playboy, the servants, and everyone in the inn. Physical evidence: the dagger on Zhou Sen's body. The deceased: Ouyang Zongxin.

There are witnesses and evidence, and Zhou Sen also admitted that he had hurt Ouyang Zongxin. The outside world would think that the case is clear and that Ouyang Zongxin was killed by Zhou Sen.

Zhou Sen wanted to argue that he only injured Ouyang Zongxin's calf and would not kill him, but before he could explain clearly, the Chief Clerk Ouyang Changzong was furious. Without waiting for the governor Zhu Deling to speak, he directly sentenced Zhou Sen to death and executed him immediately.

Zhou Sen was frightened. This was too hasty. Didn't they need a coroner to do an autopsy? Didn't they need to determine whether the wound on the calf was the cause of death? A stab wound to the calf with a knife couldn't have caused death. Was the case just decided like this? And it was decided by the father of the deceased. This was too absurd!

He couldn't be executed just like that, could he? He couldn't die just like that. Zhou Sen panicked and shouted angrily, demanding that the coroner perform an autopsy to find out the real cause of death. But in Ouyang Changzong's opinion, it was Zhou Sen who killed his son, there was no doubt about it, and he was already furious, so he couldn't let Zhou Sen go.

The governor Zhu Deling acted as if it was none of his business and kept aloof. Although he was dissatisfied with Ouyang Changzong's overstepping of authority, he did not want to offend Ouyang Changzong for a small Taoist priest, so he tacitly agreed to execute Zhou Sen.

Outside the court, Xiangcao, Shen Qianrou, Shen Yueer, and Zhao Tiezhu were all furious when they heard that Zhou Sen was sentenced to immediate execution. Especially Xiangcao lost her composure and pulled out a knife to force her way into the court, risking her life to rescue Zhou Sen. Although Shen Qianrou, Shen Yueer, and Zhao Tiezhu did not carry any weapons with them, they did not care about that at the moment and followed Xiangcao, shouting in grief that they were wronged and that human lives were being taken lightly.

However, this is the government office of Jiangxia Prefecture. No matter how loyal or skilled in martial arts one or several people are, they cannot take it down. If they really start fighting, they will all be asking for their lives.

The situation was tense and a war was imminent. Zhou Sen was somewhat desperate. Not only was he going to die, but Xiangcao would also be implicated. I'm afraid that Shen Qianrou, Shen Yue'er, Zhao Tiezhu, and even the people of Qianmutang who followed the riot would also be implicated. After so much time of division, it was in vain, and Qianmutang still couldn't escape.

Zhou Sen once again felt how insignificant he was. His power was too weak. Compared with the state apparatus, it was like an elephant and an ant.

Just when Zhou Sen was on the verge of despair and wanted to give up, someone outside the court shouted: "The princess has arrived." The voice was sharp and clear, instantly attracting everyone's attention. Outside the governor's office, a gorgeous carriage drove in, and guards in brocade and gorgeous clothes followed on both sides.

Whether it was Zhou Sen, Shen Qianrou, or the governor, the chief secretary and other officials, they were all very confused: Is this true? Why did the princess suddenly come to the governor's office? No one had informed them before. The governor confirmed the situation with his advisor Ma Piwen again, and Ma Piwen shook his head to indicate that he had not received any notice that the princess was coming.

The princess was in Jiangxia Prefecture, and the governor Zhu Deling knew it. No one would dare to pretend to be the princess and come to the governor's office. Zhu Deling didn't care about the case that was being tried in court. He asked the yamen runners to keep an eye on Zhou Sen, and led the chief secretary, the legal advisor and other officials to the outside of the yamen to welcome the princess.

Everyone knelt down, and a maid helped the princess, who was covered with a scarf, get off the carriage and walked into the government hall under the escort of the guards. Zhou Sen watched the princess walk straight to the court, still dressed the same as the day of the poetry meeting, with a scarf wrapped tightly, and her real face could not be seen at all. Zhou Sen recognized the chief guard who arrested him that day, who was following the princess closely.

The governor Zhu Deling asked the princess to move to the back court, as a case was being handled in the court and the crowd was complicated, so he was afraid that the princess's safety would be threatened. The princess did not say anything and had no intention of moving to the back court.

Zhu Deling asked helplessly, "Princess Wanning, what is the purpose of your visit to the governor's office? What do you need me to do?" The princess still did not answer directly, and the chief guard passed on the message on her behalf, "Princess, I heard that Taoist Zhang Mumu, who wrote three best poems in one day at the Qixi Poetry Competition, was involved in a murder case. Princess highly respects Taoist Zhang's literary talent, and is afraid that a villain has deliberately framed him to damage the literary fortune of Daqian. So I came here to listen in order to understand the most real situation."

Before Zhu Deling could reply, the angry Chief Clerk Ouyang Changzong answered first: "The fact that the demon Taoist Zhang Mumu assassinated Ouyang Zongxin is clear and the evidence is irrefutable. There are witnesses and material evidence, and even the demon Taoist himself has admitted it. The case has been concluded. I hope the princess will sentence the demon Taoist Zhang Mumu to death."

Zhou Sen, who had ignited hope, could not allow Ouyang Changzong to frame him at this moment. He struggled hard to break free from the restraints of the yamen runners and argued, "Nonsense, when did I admit to killing someone? I only said that I stabbed Ouyang Zongxin's calf with a dagger, but that place would not cause death. The murderer is someone else. I am innocent!"

Ouyang Changzong had just experienced the pain of losing his son and had lost his mind. He didn't want to listen to Zhou Sen's explanation at all, and directly ordered the bailiff to cover Zhou Sen's mouth and prevent him from speaking.

Princess Wanning whispered something to the maid, and the maid said, "The princess said that since Taoist Zhang did not admit to the murder, there should still be doubts in the case, and it needs to be examined carefully again."

Although Zhu Deling also believed that Zhou Sen was undoubtedly the murderer and the case did not need to be retried, the princess insisted and he had no choice but to obey her orders. He arranged for people to set up screens and set up elegant seats behind the screens so that the princess could listen to the trial.

The arrival of the princess gave Zhou Sen, Xiangcao, Shen Qianrou and others hope of survival. At this moment, they did not bother to ask why the princess appeared here. They racked their brains to think about how to get rid of the suspicion and prove that Ouyang Zongxin was not killed by Zhou Sen.

As Princess Wanning was listening in the court, the governor Zhu Deling became serious and took the initiative to take back the initiative of the trial, and did not continue to let Ouyang Changzong do whatever he wanted.

The trial resumed, and the two sides once again discussed what happened in the case. Through Zhou Sen, the playboy, the servants, and the onlookers' retelling, integration, and mutual verification, the complete case situation was restored.

At 7:00 p.m., Zhou Sen and Ouyang Zongxin had a conflict in the teahouse. Zhou Sen stabbed Ouyang Zongxin in the leg with a dagger. Ouyang Zongxin fainted on the spot, but was later awakened by his companions and did not die on the spot. Later, Zhou Sen fled the scene, and most of the playboys went to track Zhou Sen. The remaining playboys and servants sent Ouyang Zongxin to a famous medical clinic in Jiangxia Prefecture for diagnosis and bandaging. The doctor applied ointment to Ouyang Zongxin and boiled a decoction, and then said that it was nothing serious.

After the playboys took the herbs according to the doctor's prescription, they sent Ouyang Zongxin back to the Ouyang Mansion. There was nothing unusual in the process.