Chapter 151: Scattered Like Dust, Crushed into Mud

Chapter 151: Scattered Like Dust, Crushed into Mud

The phrase echoed repeatedly in her mind: "A pitiful person driven to hardship and struggle is more likely to win the world's sympathy and pity than a woman of loose morals."

She not only wanted to escape the Cheng family but also to establish her own independent household.

If possible, she wished to take her household registration and travel documents to start a new life in an unfamiliar place.

Zhang Cheng, who had once promised to help her, seemed to have disappeared without a word.

She had also inquired with the jailer and learned that the Sun family in Changhe County was indeed on the verge of collapse, as Lu Mingchao had said.

Cheng Zhi slowly made up her mind.

Magistrate Xu reiterated the statements of the Yang aunt and nephew in a tactful yet fair manner, his expression stern. "Miss Cheng, do you have any objections?"

Cheng Zhi prostrated herself and kowtowed. "Your Honor, I have objections."

"Although I was once involved with that scoundrel surnamed Yang, it was not of my own volition. First, Old Lady Yang coerced me with threats, then she burned an intoxicating incense, causing me to lose my senses and act against my will, ultimately leading to this terrible mistake."

"In matters between men and women, one thing leads to another."

"A month later, when my period was late, word reached Old Lady Yang."

"Old Lady Yang, without informing my father or brother, secretly took me to see an itinerant doctor."

"After taking my pulse, the quack doctor concluded that I was pregnant and gave Old Lady Yang an abortion prescription."

"Old Lady Yang, cautious and fearing any evidence, visited nearly every clinic in Lotus Town to gather the ingredients for the abortion medicine."

"Unexpectedly, the skills of the itinerant doctor were quite crude, and he failed to carefully measure the dosage, nearly killing me during the miscarriage. To avoid implicating herself in a death, Old Lady Yang went to a quiet clinic in the northern part of Lotus Town, named Juren Clinic, seeking a tonic to restore my health after the miscarriage."

"At that time, I was young, naive, and fearful, and under the influence and threats of Old Lady Yang and her nephew, I was too afraid to speak the truth and could only endure in silence, keeping my pain buried deep inside."

"Your Honor, everything I’ve said is true, without a single falsehood."

Magistrate Xu's furrowed brow relaxed slightly, and his dark expression softened a bit.

In comparison, Cheng's words were much more pleasant to hear.

She spoke calmly and composedly, her logic clear and well-reasoned.

Unlike the day she had accused the eldest son of the Lu family of seduction, when she could only cry and lament. There was now a hint of Lu Mingchao's demeanor in court.

He knew that Lu Mingchao had visited Cheng Zhi in prison.

Upon hearing Cheng Zhi's words, the man surnamed Yang instantly became furious, jumping up and cursing while lunging toward Cheng Zhi.

But he was no match for the Yamen Runners' batons.

With a lift, a swing, and a fall, the man surnamed Yang was knocked to the ground, face-first.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, along with a tooth, and sneered viciously, "You slut, you came to me with just a gesture, no need for me to waste any incense."

"I can jump over walls, crawl through dog holes, frequent brothels, and mess with sluts like you."

"Do you really think you're some pure, chaste maiden? You haven't been a virgin since you were twelve or thirteen..."

Magistrate Xu's nerves twitched, and the frown that had just relaxed tightened into a deep crease. He could no longer tolerate it. "Gag him!" he ordered.

After a pause, she took a deep breath to calm herself and shifted her gaze to Cheng Zhi, her intention to ask was clear.

Cheng Zhi didn’t beat around the bush, and her words were shocking, "Many years ago, Juren Hu from Changhe County took my chastity."

"So it’s true I was no longer a virgin when I succumbed to the scoundrel Yang under the influence of the incense."

"But it is also true that Old Lady Yang and her nephew schemed to seduce me."

Magistrate Xu's pupils contracted, his hand gripping the gavel tightly, feeling as if the sky had fallen.

Juren Hu...

Juren Hu is involved again.

Juren Hu is a prominent figure in Changhe.

After passing the provincial examination, he failed to advance further for many years, so he settled into a comfortable life as a local gentry.

When the people of Changhe County see him, they call him Master Hu.

A few years ago, Cheng Zhi was still young and carefree.

And Juren Hu?

He was in his forties.

If he remembers correctly, Juren Hu and Master Cheng were classmates.

This tangled relationship made his head spin.

"In the court, you must stand by every word you say, and must not talk nonsense."

Suddenly, Cheng Zhi knocked her head heavily on the ground, abruptly raising her voice to carry her words out of the courtroom, "Your Honor, I speak the truth."

"It was Juren Hu."

"On the ninth day of the ninth month, Qiyong Year 8, at the first hour of the night."

"I was sent by my father and brother into Juren Hu's residence in Hewan Lane."

Magistrate Xu’s fingers absently traced the gavel, his expression inscrutable.

Juren Hu, with his title and wealth, has connections throughout the county and prefecture, and is quite respected even in front of the prefect.

This small seduction case has far-reaching consequences.

For a moment, he felt the weight of the gavel.

Sun Zhiye’s act of revenge has caused a major problem.

Magistrate Xu pursed his lips, his mind racing.

The courtroom fell silent.

"Why are you bringing up Juren Hu?"

Cheng Zhi caught the unfinished words of Magistrate Xu and interjected, "I’m not here to accuse Juren Hu, only to respond to the scoundrel Yang's slander."

"I didn’t choose to lose my chastity so young."

"So, this is not enough to justify Yang the rascal's innocence."

Magistrate Xu's lip twitched. He seemed to hesitate, holding back his words.

Although she had no intention of filing a lawsuit, her voice was clear and crisp, like snowflakes carried by the cold wind, impossible to ignore.

What is Cheng Zhi really after?

Magistrate Xu's eyes darkened. He subtly observed Cheng Zhi a few more times, his suspicions growing stronger.

Outside the county office fence, Lu Mingchao exhaled lightly, rubbing her icy hands. A sharp glint in her eyes quickly darkened.

Cheng Zhi's revelation that her father and brother had sent her to Juren Hu's house in Hewan Lane left her heart cold and shocked.

Master Cheng, the esteemed and virtuous teacher.

Cheng Zhi's elder brother is also well-regarded in Lianhua Town.

Stripping away the facade of respectability reveals a horrifying truth.

If Cheng Zhi's lawsuit against Lu Lei concludes and she is punished for false accusation according to the law, and if she seeks justice and a place to stand, she will find the best lawyer for Cheng Zhi.

With such a father and brother, it would be better to leave the Cheng family.

Let's just say she suddenly felt compassion.

From afar, Lu Mingchao seemed to see the plum blossom held in Cheng Zhi's palm.

Well, if she must find an excuse for her sudden compassion.

This wild plum blossom that Cheng Zhi kept could also be a reason.

Fallen into mud and crushed into dust, only the fragrance remains.

Cheng Zhi's reputation is ruined.

But the hand that was choking Cheng Zhi's neck and suffocating her has been cut off.

Master Cheng no longer has the right to clamor for Cheng Zhi to be drowned in a pig cage.

Seeing you happy.