I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 731 Poison

Chapter 731 My Darling

Zheng Sanjun said irritably, "Lord Wang! Stop making a fuss! Young Master Qian is still young, a child. How could he bribe an official of the court? Besides, Lord Qian giving Wen Tiren this calligraphy was just a courtesy exchange between colleagues. How can it be considered bribery?"

"Reciprocity?" Wang Wenzhou said coldly, "Isn't this gift a bit too much? This authentic work by Huang Tingjian is worth at least several thousand taels of silver! Are all the officials of our Ming Dynasty so rich that they don't even care about a few thousand taels of silver?"

Bah! Zheng Sanjun cursed inwardly. "Mad dog Wang Wenzhou, you're biting people again! Do you think you care about a few thousand taels of silver? Your career started as a county magistrate. 'A clean prefect earns ten thousand taels of silver in three years,' do you not know that saying?"

Although Zheng Sanjun was furious, he wasn't stupid. He knew he couldn't argue with Wang Wenzhou; if he did, he would be in the wrong. While officials were aware of the unspoken rules of officialdom, this matter couldn't be openly discussed. Anyone who spoke out would be considered foolish and become an enemy of the bureaucracy. The people all admire upright and just officials; who would like a corrupt one?

“Lord Wang, Young Master Qian is still young. I guarantee with my integrity that Young Master Qian would never bribe an official of the court. There must be some misunderstanding here. Please wait a moment, and when Lord Qian Qianyi arrives, he will surely explain everything to you.” Zheng Sanjun could only wait for Qian Qianyi to arrive.

“Lord Zheng, you’ve gone too far! What’s wrong with a child? Aren’t children human? Can’t children break the law? Can’t children kill people? Even princes are subject to the same laws as commoners. Qian Qianyi isn’t the emperor, and his son isn’t a prince either. So what? Does the law of the Ming Dynasty not apply to him?” Wang Wenzhou said coldly.

"Hoo..." Zheng Sanjun took a deep breath. Mad Dog Wang Wenzhou's mouth was truly formidable; he was speechless. But no matter what, he couldn't let Wang Wenzhou use torture. Thirty strokes of the cane would likely cost Xiao Qian his life.

"Lord Wang! Stop this nonsense! You have no evidence, how can you abuse the law? It's just a child, you're trying to force a confession out of him! I ask you, do you have a personal grudge against Lord Qian, are you trying to settle a personal score?" Zheng Sanjun said angrily.

"Bah!" Wang Wenzhou cursed, "You surnamed Zheng, don't spout nonsense! I am Wang Qingtian, a judge dedicated to the people. How could I possibly seek personal revenge? The laws of the Ming Dynasty are clearly written in black and white. As the presiding judge, I have the right to use torture on suspects. You are just a juror. I don't need to explain to you what I do. I am only responsible to the Emperor!"

"Guards!" Wang Wenzhou said coldly, "Drag Qian Ruyi away and give him thirty lashes!"

"Yes!" The constable accepted the order and pulled Qian Ruyi away.

Upon seeing this, Madam Zhu burst into tears, pleading, "Lord Wang! Please, spare my life!"

"Shut up!" Wang Wenzhou said coldly, "This is a courtroom. If you dare to yell in court again and disrupt my trial, I'll give you a beating!"

Zheng Sanjun shook his head with a wry smile, walked to Zhu Shishen's side, and whispered to her, "Madam Qian, don't cry! Wang Wenzhou is a mad dog; he's capable of anything when he's in a rage. Don't worry, I'll send someone to inform Lord Qian immediately. As long as Lord Qian arrives quickly, Young Master Qian will at most suffer minor injuries; his life will not be in danger!"

Madam Zhu nodded repeatedly, saying with a wronged expression, "Lord Zheng, I'm troubling you. Please inform my master as soon as possible!"

"Don't worry!" Zheng Sanjun reassured Wan Zhu Shi, and then quickly waved to his servants to go find Qian Qianyi.

Qian Qianyi was working when he learned of this, and his heart ached so much he almost had a heart attack. Qian Ruyi was his fourth son, but his first three sons had all died young.

When Qian Ruyi was born, Qian Qianyi was already over fifty years old, a late-in-life father. Qian Qianyi adored his only son, Qian Ruyi.

Despite his heartache, Qian Qianyi rushed to the Dali Temple. Fortunately, his office was not far from the Dali Temple. However, by the time Qian Qianyi arrived, Qian Ruyi had already been beaten more than a dozen times and was crying uncontrollably.

"Stop! Stop right now!" Qian Qianyi shouted angrily.

The constables weren't stupid. Although Wang Wenzhou ordered thirty strokes of the cane, and they had no choice but to obey, they were also careful. The canes struck with great force, but in reality, they only caused minor scrapes, and the blows were delivered very slowly. They wanted to curry favor with Qian Qianyi and prevent him from retaliating against them. Otherwise, by the time they waited for Qian Qianyi to get on the road, the thirty strokes would have been finished long ago.

"Lord Qian, we are just following orders!" the squad leader said hastily.

"Stop fighting! I'm here. I'm going to confront Wang Wenzhou!" Qian Qianyi said sternly.

"Yes!" the squad leader nodded.

Qian Qianyi glanced at his son lying on the ground with heartache, not daring to comfort him. As a father, he was truly heartbroken. He was afraid that if he tried to comfort his son, he would break down in tears in public, which would be too embarrassing.

"Wang Wenzhou! I'm not done with you yet!" Qian Qianyi snorted coldly and stormed into the hall.

"Wang Wenzhou! What do you want?" Qian Qianyi roared at Wang Wenzhou as soon as he entered the room.

At this moment, Wang Wenzhou was holding Da Yu'er and drinking.

"Pfft..." Wang Wenzhou was so shocked that he spat out a mouthful of wine. Da Yu'er and Gao Guiying quickly helped Wang Wenzhou wipe it off.

Wang Wenzhou said irritably, "Old Qian, can't you speak properly? What's wrong with you? I didn't do anything to you, why are you yelling at me like that?"

"Mad dog!" Qian Qianyi cursed inwardly. "You didn't provoke me? My beloved son has been tortured beyond recognition by you! If I had arrived a moment later, I would probably have had to bury my son!"

Qian Qianyi pointed at Wang Wenzhou and said angrily, "Wang Wenzhou, how dare you abuse your power? I will impeach you!"

"Go, go! Come back quickly!" Wang Wenzhou waved his hand dismissively.

"Hmph!" Qian Qianyi snorted coldly and said to Zhu Shi, "Take Yi'er home first, and I will go to the palace to seek justice for Yi'er!"

"Yes!" Madam Zhu wiped away her tears and nodded repeatedly.

"Hey!" Wang Wenzhou said irritably, "Old Qian, are you shameless? Is this your home? You think you can do whatever you want? Are you kidding me? I'm the presiding judge now. Without my orders, you dare to take away the suspect? This is a prison break!"

"Bah!" Qian Qianyi roared angrily, "Wang Wenzhou, I ask you! My son is not yet an adult, he is just a child, what crime has he committed?"

Wang Wenzhou winked at Dayuer, who quickly took a sip of wine and fed it to Wang Wenzhou.

Wang Wenzhou took a sip of his drink and said with a smile, "Old Qian, are you stupid? When did I say your son was guilty?"

"Wang Wenzhou, I'm not done with you yet!" Qian Qianyi was furious. "Wang Wenzhou, you mad dog! My son is innocent, why are you beating him?"

"Old Qian, don't be angry. I understand your feelings. Children are the apple of their parents' eyes. But, I'm on orders to handle this case, and I can't just do it half-heartedly. No matter what, I have to find out the truth about this case. Men, have you finished giving him the beating? Keep going!" Wang Wenzhou waved his hand at Jiang Zhenghe.

"Yes!" Jiang Zhenghe quickly accepted the order.