Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 112.2
Is Lord Li crazy to marry a wife while being married to another? Is he tired of being an official?
People were whispering outside the hall as several white pigeons flew together.
Minister Yao knocked on the table and said, “Does Lord Li recognize what the victim said?”
Li Di scratched his brow awkwardly and said with a smile: “That’s not the case, it’s just a misunderstanding.”
Li Di looked at Shen Shu and sighed, “Shu Shu, I know you have a knot in your heart. In that case, I will ask her to come and explain it to you in person.”
Li Di asked again: “My Lord, can you allow me to explain?”
Minister Yao gave him a gesture to please go ahead.
Li Di whispered a few words to the officer beside him. After a while, He Wanru limped in slowly.
Minister Yao asked, “Who is this?”
He Wanru whispered, “I am the concubine of Lord Li, Concubine He.”
He Wanru walked to Shen Shu’s side, and instantly burst into tears, “Madam, what do you want me to say so that you will believe me? Although I have known you for a long time, it is not what you think.”
He Wanru was born honest and decent, and because of her disability, people couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her as soon as she walked in.
“Six years ago, I injured my foot while trying to save Madam. Madam took pity on me and was afraid that I would have a hard time getting married in the future, so she took me in as a concubine.” As she spoke, He Wanru’s tears really rolled out of her eyes. “Madam, are you doing this because you can’t tolerate me? If you can’t tolerate me, just say it.”
Shen Shu looked into He Wanru’s eyes and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her.
She had been with Li Di for four years, so she naturally knew his ability to coax people. However, she didn’t expect that he could make the He family woman, who hated her so much, confess in front of everyone that she was a concubine.
Minister Yao didn’t want He Wanru to continue talking, so he said to Shen Shu, “Shen shi, do you have anything to say about this?”
Shen Shu said: “I would like to ask someone to come up as a witness.”
As soon as these words came out, Li Di frowned.
Then, Li Di’s eyes widened…
The man in front of him, dressed in gray-blue coarse linen, was very familiar to him. He was He Wanru’s third uncle.
He Wanru and Madam Wen were both shocked.
The man bowed and said, “Your Excellency, I am He Wanru’s third uncle.”
Minister Yao straightened his back immediately and asked with interest, “Do you know this Lord Li?”
“Of course I recognize him.” The man glanced at Li Di, “Six years ago, he came to my He family to propose marriage. Before my eldest brother passed away, he married his only daughter to him.”
After that, the man in blue said to He Wanru: “Do you still know your last name, He Wanru? Being someone’s concubine? Ha.”
Li Di’s eyes were deep as he stared at this third uncle.
This person seems to be very upright in life, but what about in reality? Li Di spends a lot of money on him every year, including keeping singing girls and going to underground gambling houses. There is nothing he won’t do.
Li Di chuckled and said, “I call you Third Uncle, and you frame me like this?”
To be fair, Li Di was not yet in a state of panic.
After all, the household registration, documents, and marriage certificates were all destroyed by him. Even if what he said was true, it was useless as it was just empty words.
Minister Yao said to the man, “If you slander an official of the imperial court, you will be imprisoned. I want to ask you, do you have any evidence?”
The man took out a yellowed list from his pocket and presented it to Yao Bin. “The marriage certificate has long disappeared. All I can find now is this marriage dowry gift list. Your Excellency, just check the handwriting and you will know whether I have slandered him.”
Shen Wenqi, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stood up and handed over a document from the Ministry of Works. “This document was compiled by Lord Li.”
Yao Bin took it with both hands, and then checked the handwriting with the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice. After a moment, Yao Bin said directly: “The evidence is conclusive.”
Upon hearing this, Li Di panicked instantly, “My Lord! There are so many talented people in the world. It’s easy to imitate handwriting. How can we make a decision based on a mere gift list…”
“That’s enough.” Minister Yao said, “According to Jin dynasty law, if someone marries another by deception, they can be divorced in court.”
After that, Minister Yao directly pressed the official seal on the petition submitted by Shen Shu and said, “Miss Shen, from now on, you have nothing to do with the Li family anymore.”
“Wait!” Li Di was horrified when he saw his actions!
Minister Yao did not stop his movements and continued, “As for Lord Li, having remarried while having a wife is punishable by flogging for forty-nine years, and ……”
Before Madam Wen had finished listening, as soon as she heard the word “flogging”, she covered her eyes and fainted.
Li Di supported Madam Wen and glared at Yao Bin, saying sternly, “Master Yao, do you think you are justified by believing her one-sided words?”
Then he looked at Shen Shu again and said sinisterly: “I told you long ago that if I don’t live well, no one else will live well either.”
Soon, he glanced at Shen Wenqi again and said, “Okay, in that case, I also have something to tell you!”
Yao Bin straightened the black hat on his head and said with a smile, “What does Lord Li think my Ministry of Justice is? You want to file a complaint without even opening a petition? You just spoke nonsense. I did not convict you in court, which is considered to be the courtesy of a colleague. If you are not satisfied, you can go to the Dali Temple to apply for a retrial! Let’s see if I have wronged you!”
Li Di was so angry that his face turned red. He said “Okay” several times in a row. He looked at Shen Shu fiercely and said, “Shen Shu, I’m giving you one last chance.”
Shen Shu covered her face, turned around and stopped looking at him, and there was a lot of discussion behind her.
Shen Zhen took the eldest sister’s hand and stepped forward and said, “Lord Li, you can go wherever you want to complain, be my guest.”
Li Di sneered and turned to leave the Ministry of Justice.
After helping Madam Wen onto the carriage, he went straight to the Dali Temple, and then ordered his men to deliver a message to Empress Xu.
The Ministry of Justice cannot be trusted, and Jingzhao Prefecture cannot be visited. Only here can he clear his name.
Li Di walked into the Dali Temple with a petition in his hand, and under the guidance of the officers, he met Zhou Shu’an.
Seeing the person who had been waiting for a long time, Zhou Shu’an put down the wolf hair brush in his hand, leaned back, and said to him calmly: “What’s the matter with Lord Li coming to Dali Temple?”
Li Di handed over the petition in his hand and said, “I would like to ask Lord Zhou to review this case.”
Zhou Shu’an held the petition in his hand without opening it, and asked, “What case is it?”
“Shen Shu, the daughter of the Shen family, first killed my offspring,and then fabricated false evidence to frame me. Please make a clear judgment.”
Zhou Shu’an looked at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled and said, “Okay.”
