bayedsolid Chapter 8 Gathering Evidence
Chapter 8 Gathering Evidence
Despite her grief and hatred, Madam Gao stepped back into the Gao mansion, a place that chilled her to the bone. She knew that if she wanted to uncover the truth about her son's death, she had to continue navigating this den of thieves.
Upon returning to the manor, seeing that all the maids serving her were new faces, the concubine, upon hearing of Madam Gao's return, could not contain herself and repeatedly deliberately encountered Madam Gao in the courtyard, her words full of sarcasm and provocation: "Oh, who do we have here? Isn't this the first wife whom her husband has rejected? How dare she come back?"
Madam Gao gripped the hem of her dress tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms, yet she remained silent, turning away in silence. She understood that her current forbearance was for the sake of ultimate victory.
Countless nights, Madam Gao, in her cold and quiet room, carefully searched through the clues in her husband's study by the dim candlelight. Finally, in a hidden compartment, she found a stack of letters.
As she opened the letter with trembling hands, lines of cold handwriting came into view. It was a secret letter between her husband and the prefect's wife, the contents of which gradually revealed a shocking conspiracy: it turned out that her husband and the prefect's wife had long coveted her rich dowry. Ever since her father passed away and entrusted all his assets to her, they had been secretly plotting. The appearance of the concubine was just a pawn in their conspiracy. First, they favored the concubine and neglected the wife, causing Madam Gao to lose power in the household. Then, they plotted to kill her son, causing her to completely break down. In this way, they could rightfully seize her dowry and put this wealth into their own pockets.
Tears welled up in Madam Gao's eyes and dripped onto the letter, soaking the wicked words. Her anger burned fiercely, and she vowed to make these evil people receive the punishment they deserved, no matter the cost.
Madam Gao carefully tucked the crucial letters into her bosom, wrapped herself tightly in her cloak, and hurriedly made her way to Li Changchun and Xu Xiaoxiao's residence under the cover of night. Her eyes held both the excitement of discovering the truth and a hint of worry about the future.
Upon seeing Li Changchun and Xu Xiaoxiao, Madam Gao eagerly handed over the letter, her voice trembling slightly: "Gentlemen, I have found conclusive evidence that my husband and the prefect's wife were indeed plotting against my dowry, and even caused the death of my child because of it."
Li Changchun took the letter, quickly glanced at it, and his face grew increasingly gloomy. Xu Xiaoxiao gently patted Madam Gao's shoulder to comfort her.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Changchun said, "The key now lies with the prefect. He is known for his impartiality and might not know about his wife's misdeeds. We need to come up with a comprehensive plan to convince the prefect of everything."
Xu Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement: "We can first present a copy of the letter to the prefect and request an audience. During the audience, Madam Gao must recount her experiences in the mansion, from the time she was a favored concubine to the time her child was murdered, in detail and in a clear and organized manner. She must not panic. My master and I will assist her by adding details and evidence."
Madam Gao took a deep breath: "I will cooperate fully, as long as justice can be served for my son."
So the three of them went to the prefectural government office together, and after requesting an audience with the prefect, they were granted permission to enter the main hall.
Madam Gao was the first to kneel down, presenting a copy of the letter, and weeping: "My lord, I have been wronged. Please do justice for me. This letter contains the conspiracy of my husband and your wife. They killed my innocent child in order to take my dowry. I have suffered all kinds of humiliation in the mansion. Now the evidence is conclusive. I hope my lord will investigate."
The prefect received the letter, initially showing surprise, then frowned and fell into deep thought.
Seeing this, Li Changchun stepped forward and said, "Sir, we know that you have always been fair and honest. This matter concerns two lives and Madam Gao's innocence. We hope that you will not be blinded by personal feelings and will thoroughly investigate this case. This will surely restore justice to Jicheng and make your reputation spread far and wide."
The prefect slowly rose to his feet, his gaze resolute: "If the matter in the letter is true, this prefecture will not tolerate it and will investigate and prosecute it according to the law, giving the victims justice."
Subsequently, the prefect immediately ordered the yamen runners to arrest Gao Qi, the husband of Madam Gao, his concubine Liu, and his own wife Gao Zhu, in preparation for further interrogation. Thus began a trial concerning justice and truth.
The prefect sat in the courtroom with a cold expression, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Gao Qi and Gao Zhu. He first laid out the evidence presented by Madam Gao in front of the courtroom, and then summoned several old servants of the Gao family. These old servants had served the Gao family for many years and knew many secrets of the inner quarters.
They asked, "Have you ever witnessed Young Master Gao and his elder sister Gao Zhu plotting something about the dowry? Tell us the details, or you will be severely punished if you utter even a single falsehood."
The old servants, trembling with fear, dared not conceal anything and recounted what they had seen and heard in their daily lives, such as Gao Qi and Zhu's frequent private meetings and their conversations involving money. Upon hearing this, Gao Qi turned pale but still vehemently denied it: "My lord, this is all slander. My sister and I are just having normal interactions."
The prefect sneered and summoned the maids and servants who were present when Madam Gao's son was injured. One of the maids, timid and fearful, knelt down with a thud upon seeing this scene: "My lord, it was the eldest young master's concubine, Liu. While Madam was out, she lured the young master to a secluded corner. During the scuffle, the young master fell down the stone steps and was injured. Liu also threatened us not to make a sound, or she would take our lives."
The prefect immediately ordered his men to arrest Liu. When Liu arrived at the court, she still tried to argue, but the prefect shouted, "There are many witnesses who have identified you. If you still do not confess, we will use torture instruments to make you suffer."
Liu was frightened, but she still tried to hold on. The prefect said again, "I have had people investigate the dowry list of Madam Gao. It seems to correspond to some of the property accounts found in your room. How could a concubine like you have so much property of unknown origin?" Upon hearing this, Liu's defenses began to crumble.
The prefect continued, "If you confess now, considering that you were instructed by someone, you may be given a lighter sentence. But if you remain obstinate, once the truth comes out, you will be made to wish you were dead."
After much deliberation, Liu could no longer withstand the pressure and confessed her guilt, revealing that Gao Zhu had instructed her to murder Madam Gao's son in order to control the Gao family's assets in the future, and that she herself could also share in the benefits after Gao Zhu gained power. Gao Zhu was shocked to see that Liu had confessed.
The prefect, though troubled by Gao Zhu's stubborn denial, was determined to investigate thoroughly. He first separated Gao Zhu's maids and servants for individual interrogation. One of the maids, under the prefect's stern questioning and promise of leniency, revealed that she had seen Gao Zhu and the concubine exchanging glances secretly on several occasions, and that the night before the incident, she had heard Gao Zhu whisper to the concubine in her room, "Don't mess things up."
He ordered his men to search Gao Zhu's room and find some fragments of letters related to Madam Gao's dowry. Although they were just fragments, they revealed Gao Zhu's covetousness of Madam Gao's dowry. Holding these pieces of evidence, he summoned a respected old nanny from the household in front of Gao Zhu.
Seeing that things had come to this, the old nanny sighed and said, "Madam, I have long suspected your thoughts. You often complain about Madam Gao's generous dowry and are dissatisfied with her status in the Gao family. I thought you were just saying it, but I did not expect you to actually do such a thing."
The prefect looked at Gao Zhu and said with deep sorrow, "Madam, the evidence is conclusive. Do not try to deny it anymore. As an official's wife, you should set an example, but you are so blinded by greed. I cannot bend the law for personal gain."
Seeing that everyone had already testified and that the situation was hopeless, Gao Zhu slumped to the ground, speechless and with a blank stare. Suddenly, taking advantage of the crowd's inattention, she rammed her head against a pillar in the courtroom, bleeding profusely. The prefect rushed down to help Gao Zhu, as they had been husband and wife and he did not want to see her end up like this.
"My lord, for the sake of our marriage, this matter was caused by me, it was all my idea, it has nothing to do with my brother Gao Qi... Please let him go..." Gao Zhu used her last bit of strength to grab her husband's hand, deeply regretting her own infatuation with what did not belong to her.
Seeing his wife Gao Zhu like this, the prefect aged considerably in an instant. After serving as an official for so many years, he had failed to manage his own family well.