Chapter 736: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 736: A Perfect Counterattack at the Trial (1)
Inside the spacious Taihe Hall, only the witnesses’ testimonies about Mo Qingze’s examination fraud were heard.
“... We three are friends of Mo Qingze. Naturally, we did not want to see him go astray. After we learned that someone had given him the exam questions and answers, we repeatedly tried to persuade him. However, not only did he refuse to listen, but he also said he wanted to share the questions and answers with us, so we could memorize them overnight in preparation for the upcoming seven-day examination! Unable to persuade him and feeling that revealing this would be a betrayal, we decided to keep it to ourselves and let it fester in our hearts!”
At this point, the witness paused and glanced at Emperor Huian and the judges, but was disappointed to find their expressions impassive, revealing nothing about whether they believed his words.
With the situation having reached this point, there was no room for retreat. The witness licked his dry lips and continued, “Later, when the results of the autumn examination were announced and Mo Qingze successfully passed, we thought he had finally achieved his long-held wish and didn’t want to expose him. However, later we heard about someone who, unable to bear the blow of failing the examination, jumped into the moat on the day the results were posted, and even the body could not be recovered! Thinking of the deceased’s family waiting for him to return and their immense grief, we felt a surge of resentment seeing someone achieve fame through improper means. Thus, we reported Mo Qingze’s fraud to the Ministry of Rites...”
Seemingly ashamed of his actions, the witness lowered his head, not daring to look at anyone.
The other two witnesses nodded in agreement, adding details that the first witness had missed, including the fact that Mo Qingze had worn a moon-white robe and used a rosewood hairpin.
Such detailed testimony, with no apparent flaws, led more than half of the people present to believe in Mo Qingze’s guilt.
The presiding judge from the Ministry of Justice, after listening to the testimonies, did not comment but turned to Mo Qingze and asked, “Do you have any evidence to prove that their testimonies are false?”
Mo Qingze remained silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head.
On the day he had stayed at the Han family’s villa, he had planned to visit a bookstore when he unexpectedly encountered these three.
The four of them picked out several books and went to a restaurant. During this time, when he went out for a moment, someone had indeed blocked his way, offering to sell him the autumn examination questions and answers at a cheap price.
He had never considered resorting to fraud and did not believe in the authenticity of the questions and answers, so he firmly refused. Unexpectedly, the person had then threatened and enticed him.
Just as the situation was escalating, the three witnesses had arrived and witnessed the scene. In the end, the person had forcibly given him the so-called questions and answers and ran away, not even taking the three hundred taels of silver offered earlier. As he left the restaurant, he loudly proclaimed how cheap the items were.
Aside from the claim that the questions and answers were meant to be shared with the three witnesses and the fabricated testimonies, everything the three had said was true. There were people in the restaurant who could testify to the events of that day. Even if he refuted now, claiming it was a deliberate setup, it was unlikely anyone would believe him and he would be seen as making excuses. Therefore, he chose to remain silent.
Seeing his father shaking his head, Mo Yan became anxious. The once quiet hall became noisy again, with some who had been doubtful suddenly turning against Mo Qingze.
The presiding judge from the Ministry of Justice, noticing the change, asked with a hint of alteration in his expression, “So, you admit to the examination fraud?”
“No!” Mo Qingze shook his head decisively, glanced at the three witnesses, and cupped his hands in respect. “My lord, may I ask these three a few questions?”
(End of Chapter)
TRANSLATION COMPLETED To Read advance Chapters, Please read it on Patreon or Ko-fi. Your support helps us continue bringing you great content!
►►CLICK HERE FOR LISTS OF CHAPTERS◄◄
No comments: