Chen the county magistrate excitedly unfolded the paper, but upon inspection, he realized it was not any written document - it was a painting.
The painting depicted two young girls hand in hand, standing under a peach tree in full bloom. Their smiles were as radiant as the flowers. In the bottom right corner was a line of small text: "My home has daughters as fair as spring blossoms, their beauty fragrant on every branch." - A gift for my beloved daughters, Chunchun and Xiangxiang.
After reading the inscription, Chen the county magistrate looked again at Mei Chun standing below the hall, carefully comparing her features to the shorter girl on the right. Through the exquisite brushwork, he could discern that a younger Mei Chun had once been a beauty beyond compare.
But what did this have to do with the present case?
Chen the county magistrate casually set the painting aside on the table's corner.
"Hmm?... That face is awfully familiar," Qi Huan whispered as she leaned in for a closer look.
Seeing her lingering by the table, Chen the county magistrate waved her away impatiently.
Qi Huan took a few backward glances at the painting before suddenly exclaiming, "Ah, that's Lady Mei! When Mr. Lu was first injured, she came to my home seeking treatment for him. I never imagined she was such a beauty in her youth. Her full name is Mei Xiang - 'Mei' for plum blossom, 'Xiang' for fragrance from bitter cold. What a lovely name."
Her words sparked a realization, and all the evidence linked together like a chain.
Stunned, Chen the county magistrate slammed his hand on the wooden bench, summoning guards to bring Mei Chun before him to face the painting.
"Mei Chun, Lady Mei is the concubine of Lu Baiian and your sister. So to help her nephew inherit the Lu family fortune, you conspired with her and Lu Baiian to poison Lu's wife surnamed Du, intending to frame Lu Yueming. Do you admit to this, or not?"
"...No."
Mei Chun's dress was stained red from the blood seeping from her legs. She could barely stand, supported only by the guards. Uttering that single word seemed to drain her of all strength, as blood trickled from the corner of her lips.
Gazing at the portrait that had somehow ended up in the magistrate's hands, Mei Chun let out a faint, flower-like laugh.
It was a painting her father had made of her at age thirteen and her sister Mei Xiang at fifteen.
Later, when famine struck their hometown and the streets were littered with corpses, only she and her sister had survived.
To save Mei Chun from starvation, Mei Xiang had sold herself to an opera troupe's master.
Sustained by her sister's sacrifice, Mei Chun lived, eventually becoming a maid at the Du mansion, then following Mrs. Lu to Mo County upon her marriage to Lu Baiian.
When Mei Chun reunited with her sister and learned she was Lu Baiian's concubine, she resolved to help Mei Xiang however she could as repayment for saving her life.
First convincing Mrs. Lu to accept Lu Zhi Ming as the heir, then poisoning her - Mei Chun did everything in her power to honor her sister's selflessness.
So she gritted her teeth and refused to confess the truth.
Seeing her stubbornness, Chen the county magistrate stopped wasting time and summoned Lady Mei instead.
Two quarters of an hour later, the guards brought in two disheveled figures.
Qi Huan chuckled merrily at the sight, turning to purchase some roasted peanuts from Peddler Shen to snack on.
Lady Mei's hair was tousled, her neck bore faint red marks, and the burly man trailing behind her was equally unkempt.
The adults present immediately understood the implications.
Chen the county magistrate gaped at Lu Baiian. "But I thought she was your concubine?"
Lu Baiian blinked, then his face contorted in outrage. "You little...!" (Omitting 10,000 characters of traditional curses...)
Fearing his spittle, Qi Huan retreated while giving the guards who brought them a thumbs-up.
Well done!
Then her gaze shifted from the guards to Lady Mei and her paramour.
"Hey, doesn't that strapping fellow look a bit like your brother, Yueming?"
Before Lu Yueming could respond, the man cut in indignantly, "Nonsense, you silly girl! It's not me who resembles Zhi Ming - he looks like me!"
"Oh~" Qi Huan replied meaningfully, eyeing Lu Baiian with an inscrutable smile. "Uncle Lu, that shade of emerald green on your robe is quite fetching today. Don't tell me Lady Mei tailored it for you herself?"
Lu Baiian turned crimson and fainted on the spot.
"Quick, slap his face!" ordered Chen the county magistrate, determined not to let him pass out during such a critical juncture.
As the sun began to set, the magistrate hoped to swiftly conclude the trial so he could return home for dinner.
Once Lu Baiian came to, Chen the county magistrate chastised him gravely, "Old friend Lu, these sisters have made a fool of you. You treasured that fickle woman, even raising her son all these years.
...Now that the truth is out, surely you won't still defend them?"
Blinded by his resentment, Lu Baiian exploded, "Defend them? I want to flay them alive right now!"
In his fury, he shouted hoarsely, "It was her! Mei Xiang ordered Mei Chun to poison the wife, and the poison itself came from an old opera troupe contact she enlisted. Just investigate and you'll know the truth, Your Honor."
Unwilling to be implicated alone, Mei Xiang retorted indignantly, "How dare you sully my name, you scoundrel Lu. What does this have to do with me? Didn't you say your fat wife Lu's wife surnamed Du was beneath you, and demand I take her place?
Didn't you insist Lu Zhi Ming was the sole heir to carry on your family's legacy, destined for boundless glory and riches? So you ordered my sister to poison her and frame your daughter. This was all your vile scheme!"
"Shut your filthy mouth, you scheming vixen!... And you still had the gall to take a lover behind my back, you little..."
"If you weren't so utterly useless in bed, why would I need another man? With your manhood, it's amazing Mrs. Lu even managed to bear you a daughter at all..."
As they bickered, their quarrel veered off course. Chen the county magistrate rapped his bench forcefully to silence them.
"Enough! Since you've both confessed, I shall pass judgment swiftly!"
Glancing at the setting sun, the magistrate hastened his verdict. "The servant Mei Chun committed high treason by poisoning her master. Her crime is unpardonable - drag her out and beat her to death!"
As a servant, Mei Chun's life was as worthless as grass to Chen the county magistrate, so he condemned her to execution without a second thought.
As for the masterminds Lady Mei and Lu Baiian, since Lu's wife surnamed Du had not died, their crime amounted to attempted murder.
"The accomplice Lady Mei plotted for wealth with attempted murder. Sentence: facial disfigurement and thirty years of hard labor."
Upon hearing her sentence of facial tattooing, Lady Mei collapsed to the floor, caressing her once beautiful face in anguish. To forever bear such a grotesque disfigurement was a fate worse than death for the former beauty.
"Your Honor, is there no other punishment?" she pleaded desperately.
"Do you think this is a vegetable market for haggling?" Chen the county magistrate scoffed, impatient to conclude the trial before nightfall.
With a dismissive wave, his guards stuffed a rag into Lady Mei's mouth to silence her protests.
"As for the mastermind Lu Baiian, same crime and sentence: facial tattooing and thirty years of hard labor."
Just as the sentencing concluded, Chen the county magistrate noticed his son Chen Jinyou peeking in from outside - clearly sent by his wife to summon him home for dinner.
Chen the county magistrate was about to leave when he noticed the foolish smile on his son's face, causing him to pause.
"Lu Baiian, ten more strokes! Strip his pants off and beat him!"
Years ago, Lu Baiian had spanked Mei Xiang's buttocks ten times in the theater. Today, Chen was going to avenge his son.
The book says: A gentleman's revenge may take ten years, but it won't be late.
The book does not deceive me either.
Chen the county magistrate was extremely satisfied. He said "Court dismissed" and walked towards Chen Jinyou, giving him a slap on the shoulder. "Go home and eat."
Inside the courtroom, Lu Baiian was pressed down on the long bench. He looked resentfully at their father-son bond, almost vomiting blood.
Why was his punishment heavier than Mei Xiang's?
Chen the county magistrate's judgment was unfair! He would not accept it!
At that moment, Chen Jinyou suddenly turned his head and made a face at him, causing distant memories to flash through his mind.
Lu Baiian realized: Chen the county magistrate's judgment was somewhat influenced by personal grievances.
Soon, his pants were stripped off, and the rods fell upon him.
Nearby, Li Shuchen and Xiu Wen covered the eyes of Qi Huan and Lu Yueming respectively.
