A servant in blue came out from the inner courtyard and saw three people beside the mule cart. He exclaimed, looked around and saw no one was paying attention, so he waved to Yingbao.
Yingbao immediately ran over, tilted her head and asked, "Uncle Wu, is Uncle Wu here?"
"We are meeting in the back hall."
Wu Rui took her to the side and quietly reminded her: "Two people named Chen have accused your father of premeditated murder. If your father has an alibi, this won't be a big deal."
Yingbao understood instantly and nodded: "My father is a good man, he would never commit murder."
Wu Rui: "That's all I can say. Go quickly. The trial will begin in another hour and a half."
"Thank you, Uncle Wu." Yingbao ran back and told her mother and second uncle what Wu Rui said.
Jiang Erlang immediately said, "I have to go back to find the witness. Third sister-in-law, take Yingbao with you and don't wander around."
Chunniang held her daughter's hand tightly: "Okay."
Jiang Erlang unloaded the mule cart, turned over and rode on the mule, and ran away with a clatter.
After a while, a bailiff came to report for duty, followed by the chief clerk, clerk, and others.
The county lieutenant also came over, accompanied by two guards with swords.
Cao Shen was about thirty years old. When his eyes swept over the mother and daughter, he stared at Chun Niang for a few more times.
Yingbao recognized at a glance that this was Chen Guanglu's immediate superior Cao Shen.
If he were to judge the case today, his father would definitely suffer.
What should I do? Or I should hire a lawyer to help me fight the lawsuit.
Yingbao looked around and his eyes were directed towards an alley in the distance.
I remember that in my previous life there was a very famous lawyer who lived in the alley over there.
"Mom, let's hire a lawyer." Yingbao tugged at her mother's sleeve, "Mrs. Wen said that if we have a lawyer to help us in the lawsuit, we will definitely win."
Chunniang was at a loss, "What is a lawyer?" She was born in the countryside and the farthest place she had been to was this county town. How would she know what a lawyer was
"Come with me." Yingbao knew that it would take too long to explain and it would waste time, so she simply pulled her mother and ran towards the alley over there.
When Yingbao entered the alley, she was a little dumbfounded.
There are so many dilapidated courtyards and old houses, and I don’t know where the lawyer lives.
Judging from the time, the lawyer should be less than 30 years old this year, and I don’t know if he is famous.
What was his name? Oh, I think it was Mr. Song Wenyu Song.
When I approached a door, I saw a few children playing outside, so I asked, "Excuse me, where does Mr. Song Wenyu live?"
The children looked at each other and shook their heads, "I don't know!"
Yingbao was not discouraged and kept asking questions as she walked.
Finally, an older man asked, "Excuse me, uncle, do you know where Song Wenyu's home is?"
The man looked at the little girl, then glanced at Chunniang who was following behind her, and immediately smiled with his big yellow teeth baring his teeth, "Inside the house, in the house."
Ying Bao looked at him suspiciously, thinking that this man was a little unreliable, so she asked again: "I'm asking about Song Wenyu who helped people with the lawsuit. Does uncle know him?"
"Let me know him. He is lying in the room." Da Huangya said, "I am his father. How can I not know him?"
Yingbao still didn't believe it.
Looking around, he saw someone looking over here, so he quickly ran over and asked, "Uncle, do you know Song Wenyu?"
The man pointed at Da Huangya and said, "That's his father. The fourth kid had his legs broken a few days ago, and he's lying in the house now."
Chunniang, who followed, frowned and asked in a low voice: "Bao'er, is that Song Wenyu really a lawyer?"
"Yeah." Only after confirming that the man with big yellow teeth was really Song Wenyu's father did Yingbao dare to follow him into the house.
Chunniang held her daughter's hand tightly and looked around vigilantly.
As I walked into the dilapidated thatched hut, I was hit by a musty and rotten smell.
In the dim room, there seemed to be a person leaning against the window.
Yingbao looked at the man carefully, and the man was also looking at them.
Da Huangya ran to the bedside happily and said with a smile: "Ah Si, your old lover has brought the children to see you."
Chunniang's face darkened immediately, and Yingbao said loudly: "We are here to ask Mr. Song Wenyu to help us with the lawsuit, uncle, please don't talk nonsense."
She had already recognized that the young man leaning against the head of the bed was Song Wenyu. The most obvious sign was the big mole on the middle of his forehead.
It is said that because of that mole, Song Wenyu could only achieve the title of scholar.
In order to pay off the gambling debts of his gambling-addicted father, he first wrote lawsuits for others and later became a lawyer.
The young man put down the book in his hand and said, "What lawsuit do you want to file? Tell me first."
Seeing that business had come to the door, Dahuangya did not bother to show off in front of his son. He happily opened the window to make the room brighter.
Yingbao then told the story of the dispute between her family and the Chen family, and finally said, "Now the Chen family has falsely accused my father of beating them and reported it to the county lieutenant. Yesterday, my father was locked up in the county government office. I would like to ask Mr. Song to come forward to defend my father's innocence. If possible, I would also like to counter-sue them for hiring a killer to steal the child."
Song Wenyu thought for a while and nodded: "I can help you with this lawsuit, but I need twenty taels of silver as a starting fee."
"No problem!" Yingbao agreed immediately: "But if we lose, I can only pay you two taels."
"Okay!" Song Wenyu said, "Then you must also guarantee that every word you say to me is true, otherwise, you must pay at least twenty taels of silver."
"Yes, I can guarantee that everything I said is true. Mrs. Han is the main culprit who hired the killer. Mrs. Han personally brought me to Zhouhe County and then gave two strings of silver to the Chen family in Zhouhe County to let them keep me under guard."
"I didn't expect that they would still be so evil and now want to harm my father."
Ying Bao finished speaking in one breath and asked, "When can Mr. Song go? The county court will start the trial in more than an hour."
"Give me half an hour to sort out the complaint." Song Wenyu sat up and shouted to his father to bring him pen, ink, paper and inkstone.
Dahuangya responded from outside and ran in quickly.
Yingbao: "Then my mother and I will go to the county government gate to wait for you. Our mule cart is still over there. You can find us there."
"Okay, you go first." Song Wenyu buried his head and began to spread out paper and write the petition.
Yingbao and Chunniang came out of Song's house and immediately returned to the gate of the county government office.
Chunniang had a lot of questions in her mind that she wanted to ask her daughter, but before she could ask them, she was attracted by the sudden arrival of several people.
Chen Guanglu was seen leaning on a crutch, supported by his wife Xiao Han, looking over here fiercely.
Chen Changping and his wife also came and stood together with Chen Guanglu and his wife.
Chunniang frowned, picked up her daughter and moved away from those people.
Half an hour later, Song Wenyu was carried on a bamboo chair by his father Song Daya. After handing over the complaint to the yamen runner, he came to Chunniang Yingbao.
"I have already submitted the complaint. Please come in with me later." Song Wenyu gestured to Yingbao.
The girl is not very old, but she is very eloquent, much better than her mother, so he wants to take her to class.
"Is the Mr. Wu who saved you really the newly appointed county magistrate?" Song Wenyu asked.
Yingbao: "Well, I just don't know if Uncle Wu is willing to testify for us."
Unless Wu Daozi himself is willing, it would be difficult for them to ask Wu Daozi to come forward to testify.
Song Wenyu smiled and said, "I'm just confirming with you." If the new county magistrate helps, he will definitely win this case.
"Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!" The drum sounded, and the yamen runners from various groups entered the court one after another.
Then the county lieutenant in the hall shouted, "Bring the plaintiff to the court!"