Let’s talk about Liu Shangzhi. He went to Huihuang Pavilion again, only to find that the wine shop had closed down, with a notice of shop transfer posted next to it.
He felt that he had found a fake Brilliant Pavilion. Not only did he lose dozens of gold coins in vain, but he also wasted so much time. He felt extremely unlucky.
Just as he was about to return home to report to Marquis Dingyuan and try to persuade him to send people from the mansion to take action against Mingyue, he heard people on the street gathered together and mentioned that the marquis's wife had beaten the drum to sue the marquis.
After just a cursory listen to the whole story, Liu Shangzhi knew that things were not going well.
The Marquis' wife was truly insane and actually went to court to sue the Marquis for swapping his child.
What will Pengfei do in the future? He will definitely lose his title!
And the most important thing is that Liu Shangzhi knows the Marquis's character. The Marquis will definitely not admit to these charges and will definitely push someone out to be a scapegoat. He thought about it again and again and felt that that person would be himself.
For a selfish person like Liu Shangzhi, his nephew is not as important as himself, let alone a useless nephew.
So after Liu Shangzhi returned to the Marquis' Mansion, he immediately began to pack up his belongings and prepare to escape.
However, he was a greedy man who not only packed up his own things, but also set his sights on the treasury of the marquis's mansion.
The accountant who was in charge of the public treasury did not leave the house today, so he naturally had no idea about the storm outside. He never thought that he would dare to impersonate the marquis, so he was not on guard against him at all.
Taking advantage of his reputation as Marquis Dingyuan's confidant, Liu Shangzhi asked the accountant to take him to the public treasury in the mansion and filled two bags with precious jade and gems.
As a result, he was unlucky. He had just walked out of the mansion when he bumped into the guards who came to arrest people. His jewelries were scattered all over the floor and he was caught red-handed.
On the way to Jingzhao Prefecture, Liu Shangzhi asked the guards all kinds of questions, and then he realized that he had guessed right, the Marquis really wanted him to be a scapegoat.
But he is a man who cherishes his life so much that he is not so stupid as to use his own life to exchange for the happiness of his descendants. He really cannot do such a thing.
So as soon as he arrived at the court, Liu Shangzhi knelt down, bowed deeply, and shouted that he was innocent.
At this moment, Marquis Dingyuan's whole attention was on the refugees, but when he saw Liu Shangzhi crying out for injustice, his anger still rose.
Dingyuan Hou pointed at Liu Shangzhi's nose and started to curse: "Liu Shangzhi, I have treated you well. You fainted from hunger on the street, but I saved you and raised you like a confidant in my house. How could you secretly replace my daughter with your nephew? How dare you play tricks on me like this?"
As soon as Liu Shangzhi met Chen Xiucai and his sister, he knew that Pengfei's identity had probably been exposed, and he had already thought of a countermeasure in his mind.
At this moment, he was not in a hurry, but just shouted loudly, "I am innocent. I clearly heard your order, so I suppressed my reluctance to exchange my nephew and the eldest daughter. My Lord, have you forgotten that when my wife got pregnant, you were poisoned and lost your male ability, and you could no longer prevent women from giving birth. You said it yourself, that for the sake of the hereditary title, my wife could only give birth to a son. This child exchange was clearly instructed by you, my Lord!"
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a stone that caused a thousand waves.
All the onlookers were stunned. They never expected there would be such a big melon.
Those who saw that Marquis Dingyuan had only one child, Wen Pengfei, and still thought that he and his wife were really in love, found it extremely ironic.
It turns out that it’s not love, but inability to have children.
The Marquis's wife showed a look of sudden enlightenment. No wonder, no wonder, no wonder he suddenly dismissed his concubines, no wonder she was the only one who gave birth to his child, no wonder he only sat in her room every time he came. The truth turned out to be so unbearable. "You are talking nonsense, nonsense." Dingyuan Marquis pointed at Liu Shangzhi with a trembling finger, and his voice was a little hoarse with anger.
He couldn't believe that his most embarrassing secret, which he had hidden for so many years, was now revealed in front of so many people, and might even spread throughout Kyoto tomorrow.
Thinking of this, his body became a little unstable.
But Liu Shangzhi was not afraid at all. After all, once the matter was confirmed, Marquis Dingyuan would be guilty of deceiving the emperor. It would be best for him to take this opportunity to draw a clear line between himself and Marquis Dingyuan.
Liu Shangzhi raised his neck and said righteously, "What I said is absolutely true. If you don't believe me, you can ask a doctor to take Marquis Dingyuan's pulse."
But just by looking at Marquis Dingyuan's expression, the truth is clear at a glance.
However, in order to avoid giving others a chance to talk, the judge still summoned the doctor.
At first, Marquis Dingyuan was unwilling to let the doctor feel his pulse. It was not until his superiors said that they would mobilize the yamen guards that he stopped his futile struggle.
When the doctor felt the patient's pulse, he looked embarrassed and said something like "The Marquis is weak inside, his essence and blood are not balanced, it is difficult for him to produce sperm, it will have a bad impact on his offspring, and he may have difficulty getting pregnant." This really confirmed that what Liu Shangzhi said was true.
The master asked coldly, "Marquis Dingyuan, what else do you have to say now?"
Marquis Dingyuan closed his eyes and pulled himself together: "My poor health is only my personal matter. It does not mean that the child exchange has anything to do with me."
However, Liu Shangzhi said, "My Lord, please don't quibble. Two months ago, when the Madam learned the truth and wanted to take the eldest daughter back, you had someone tell the story to the prince. Wasn't it just to get rid of the eldest daughter through the prince? And the prince is accompanied by your capable guards. Besides, a few days ago, you asked me to find the assassins of the Brilliant Pavilion to kill the eldest daughter. Doesn't that prove that you are ruthless for the title?"
Combining what Liu Shangzhi said with Mrs. Hou's statement, everything made sense.
Marquis Dingyuan stumbled. It was over, everything was over. It was his fault for not judging his people and letting a wolf enter the house.
Just at this moment, a group of people wearing coarse linen clothes, looking much thinner than ordinary people, also came to the hall.
And they were the refugees from the fiefdom of Marquis Dingyuan.
"Please, sir, make the decision for us common people."
As soon as the refugees arrived, they knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Their voices were full of pleading, which made people feel very sad.
The adults naturally approved their petition.
Then the refugees told the people about the taxes that shocked the people of Kyoto.
Marquis Dingyuan knew that his situation was hopeless and had already turned pale and had no longer any thought of resisting.
Even the people who came to watch did not expect that today's case would be like a big drama, with one scene after another.
(End of this chapter)