AWB Chapter 132 Witness
Chapter 132 Witness
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old lady walk in. Her temples were a little gray, and she was wearing a blue robe.
"This humble woman, Gu Chenshi, greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Get up. Today, Lord Zhang is presiding over the trial. What do you have to say to Lord Zhang?"
"Yes, this humble woman greets all of you."
Lord Zhang nodded: "Who is below?"
"Your Excellency, I, Gu Chenshi, am the mother of Gu Mingtang and Gu Minghai."
These words caused an uproar among the people underground.
"What brings Lord Gu's mother here?"
"That's right, they even said Lord Gu was guilty, but what crime did they say? Didn't they just prove that Lord Gu is innocent?"
"Tsk, his mother has personally exposed him, there must be some heinous crime that hasn't been discovered yet, otherwise why would his own mother come to expose him?"
"That sounds reasonable, let's wait and see."
Su Xiuran's heart jumped into her throat. She regretted that she hadn't noticed Gu Chenshi in the crowd because her attention was focused on the hall.
If she had found out earlier, she would have had her dragged away. She's ruining her husband!
Gu Yu'an helped his mother up and said softly, "Mother, don't worry, Lord Zhou has a way. Otherwise, I'll have Chunhe take you home first."
Su Xiuran shook her head: "No, I'll just watch from here." She clutched the handkerchief to her chest until it was almost deformed.
Lord Zhang looked at Gu Mingtang: "Is the person who came your mother?"
Gu Mingtang didn't even glance at Gu Chenshi: "We severed our mother-son relationship long ago. She is no longer my mother. My birth mother is someone else."
The eyes of the others lit up immediately. What kind of gossip is this?
Chu Yuan also looked at the two with a curious and inquisitive gaze. Not her biological mother? Interesting.
"Even if she wasn't my biological mother, she was still my legal mother, and she must have raised me all these years."
"Exactly, severing ties just because she's not your biological mother is incredibly cold-blooded."
"Exactly, no wonder Madam Gu came forward to report him."
"quiet"
Lord Zhang: "Why did Madam Gu say that Gu Mingtang is guilty?"
Madam Gu Chen knelt down: "This humble woman is guilty. Gu Mingtang, as a first-rank minister, wields immense power. He has allowed this humble woman to collect money from his subordinates under the guise of filial piety, but in reality, it is a blatant sale of official positions."
"I kept advising him that what he was doing was wrong, but since he was still my son, I helped him anyway. However, after doing these things, I couldn't sleep at night and started arguing with Gu Mingtang. We disagreed, which is why we separated and broke off our relationship."
The people underground were talking about it.
"Oh, I see."
"I thought Lord Gu was a good official."
"Buying and selling official positions is utterly despicable!"
The most furious were the students watching the case below. Wasn't the whole point of studying hard for ten years to become an official?
But there's a specific position for everyone, so what happens to them if all the positions are bought out by others?
"Severely punish those who buy and sell official positions."
"These are the parasites of the imperial court; the Daqing dynasty will one day be destroyed by people like them."
"Severe punishment without leniency"
"Severe punishment without leniency"
Madam Gu lowered her head to hide her excitement. Although she was also a little scared, the man said that as long as Gu Mingtang stepped down, he would support his son to take the throne.
As an accomplice, I won't be in any serious trouble. My good deeds and bad deeds cancel each other out because I reported and exposed the crime. Even if I'm detained for a few days, I'll be released.
Zhou Zhixing, standing nearby, thought to himself that it was fortunate he had taken this step; a few days ago, he had specifically gone to Su Xiuran to inquire about the conflict between Gu Chenshi and them.
He had promised Gu Xinyi that he would rescue his future brother-in-law, so he considered whether the person behind it would use the conflict between them to their advantage.
Zhou Zhixing: "Lord Zhang, I have witnesses and evidence in this matter."
"Summon witnesses and evidence"
The officers brought in a man with a leg disability.
As the man was about to kneel, Chu Yuan waved his hand, saying, "No need for formalities. If your legs are weak, you can't answer while standing."
"Thank you, Your Majesty"
"Isn't that Li Dazhi?" Chunhe whispered.
"His mother was kicked out, but his leg was saved by the madam; who knows if she'll say anything out of line?"
"He wouldn't be spouting nonsense just because we drove his mother away, would he?"
Su Xiuran also looked at Li Dazhi nervously, wondering if he was another ingrate.
Lord Zhang: "Who is this person in the courtroom, and what testimony are you giving?"
"Your Excellency, I, Li Dazhi, used to be a servant in the Minister's mansion. Before, because of a leg problem, my wife found me a doctor, and now I do simple work on the estate. My wife was worried that it would be difficult for me to find a wife because I was a slave, so she released me from slavery."
Lord Zhang nodded: "Then what is your testimony?"
"This humble citizen testifies that Lord Gu did not buy or sell official positions. On the contrary, it was Old Madam Gu who, behind Lord Gu's back and with the help of some servants, secretly increased taxes on the estate, forcing the people on the estate to sell their children."
Lord Zhang: "How do you, a mere servant, know that you, sir, did not do these things? Are you protecting Gu Mingtang because Madam Gu has been kind to you?"
"Your Excellency, if I were to go against my conscience to protect my master, I wouldn't have mentioned the kindness my mistress showed me. On the contrary, my mother was kicked out of the mansion by my mistress a few months ago for stealing ingredients from the kitchen. In that case, I should be the one holding a grudge against the Minister's mansion, so why would I be protecting her?"
"I am merely stating the truth. The people on the estate and my mother's affairs can all attest to this. As for the buying and selling of official positions, before my legs recovered, I did run errands for the old lady. Now that my legs are weak, the old lady has not allowed me to do such a thing."
Madam Gu flew into a rage, pointing her finger at Li Dazhi's nose and yelling, "Bullshit! If you keep spouting nonsense, believe me, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Li Dazhi instinctively shrank back, seemingly somewhat afraid of him.
"Your Excellency, I have not spoken falsely. You may immediately send people to the Minister's residence and the estate to investigate. Many servants on the estate have injuries, all because the Old Madam would beat and scold them when she was unhappy. Given the Old Madam's character, she is absolutely capable of framing her son."
"You fart"
Gu Chenshi's eyelids twitched violently, and her blood rushed to her head with anger. She immediately got up and was about to tear Li Dazhi's mouth apart.
"How dare a mere servant girl falsely accuse her master? Do you have a death wish?"
"Quickly, grab her!"
Lord Zhang's eyelids twitched. The stepmother of a first-rank minister was so shrewish. What was the difference between her and a common shrew?
Gu Chenshi was still cursing.
Lord Zhang slammed his gavel.
"Shut up! Get out of here! How many heads do you have to hurt people and speak such vile words in front of the palace?"
Madam Gu Chen was so frightened that she shrank back and immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I was just too angry about his false accusations. Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Chu Yuan waved his hand dismissively. If it weren't for the large crowd outside, he would have had someone slap them: "Get up. If you spout nonsense again, I'll slap you."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Your Majesty."
Lord Zhang whispered a few words to the constable, who nodded and immediately ran out.
Zhou Zhixing: "Lord Zhang, you have witnesses."
"Anything else? Send it quickly."