boyutpedia Chapter 1303: Madam Ding's Case (3)
Chapter 1303: Madam Ding's Case (3)
What Li Si said later was almost the same as what Zhang San said. He hurried on his way, and it was getting dark. He saw a dilapidated temple in the mountains, so he walked in. Then he saw Zhang San and was shocked, thinking that it was the people from the gambling house who were chasing him.
After a closer look, I found that there was only one person who looked like a country boy, and I calmed down a little.
So I asked a few questions and found out from the accent that he was from Yuanlu County.
When fellow villagers meet, they stab each other in the back.
Li Sigang was not only cheated of money but also almost cheated of people by his cousin, so he became even more cautious when he saw his fellow villagers.
I took this opportunity to start a conversation with Zhang San.
After all, Li Si worked as a peddler in the streets and alleys, and he had seen countless people and knew how to judge people.
From Zhang San's words, I felt that he was an honest country man, and I felt a lot more at ease.
At this point, Li Si pointed at Zhang San and shouted, "Sir, this Zhang San looks honest, but he's actually treacherous. I trusted him so much and told him I saved the merchant and got a piece of fine cloth, but now he turns around and steals my cloth. Sir, you must help me."
Li Si felt so regretful.
I was cheated by my cousin, thinking I was too trusting of my childhood friend. But I never expected that I would be cheated by a stranger and have the cloth I needed to cover my losses stolen.
Being fooled once was enough. I never thought that Li Si, who had been wise for half his life, would be fooled again and again.
Li Si was very depressed.
At this time, Zhang San ignored the court rules and shouted anxiously, "Sir, don't believe him. He clearly stole my cloth and is wrongly accusing me. Sir, you must help me and return the cloth to me.
This is the cloth I finally got, it's for my sister's dowry. I never thought that Li Si would even peek at other people's dowries. Sir, you must help me, I can't find anyone else to help me except you.
After saying this, Zhang San wiped away his tears. It seemed that he was really sad, not just pretending.
Yes, it is indeed painful to finally get a piece of cloth that you think is good, but suddenly suffer an unexpected disaster.
Sun Shan didn't care about that. He slammed the gavel and said sternly, "Zhang San, don't make a sound until I ask you a question. If you do it again, you will be beaten with a stick."
Zhang Sanduo shuddered and glanced at Sun Shan secretly. Especially when he met those eyes that were as high as mountain peaks, he was frightened out of his wits.
Emma, why is the magistrate so cruel? I’m so scared. What should I do?
I really want to run back home and pretend I have never been to the yamen.
After listening to the testimonies of Zhang San and Li Si respectively, Sun Shan actually came up with an idea.
They divided the cloth into two halves, giving each person half, and then sent yamen runners to follow them quietly.
Whoever looks depressed and gloomy is the owner of the cloth. Whoever pretends to be depressed and then smiles is definitely the thief who stole the cloth.
The original owner could have owned a full piece of cloth, but after the verdict, he could only own half. He must have been very upset, and might even have cursed the heavens, the earth, and Sun Shan.
The person who grabbed the cloth originally had nothing, and then was awarded half of the cloth. He got it without any effort, so he must be very happy, and maybe even crossed his legs and whistled.
At this time, the main thing is to send someone to secretly observe their behavior, so as to be sure that they can find out who is the owner of the cloth and who is the thief.
Sun Shan looked at the Dingniang cloth again. If the cloth was cut, its value would be greatly reduced. After all, a whole piece would look good only when given to someone, and half of it would not be possible.
If Zhang San and Li Si knew that this piece of cloth was a "luxury" among cotton cloths, they would never use it as a dowry or to make clothes for themselves. It would be better to sell it to someone who knows the value of it and get more money.
For example, Zhang San could get at least 10-20 taels of silver by selling this batch of cloth, which is better than giving it as a dowry to his sister.
Like Li Si, after selling the property, he was able to make up for a lot of his previous losses.
Sun Shan asked calmly, "Did the merchant tell you how much this cloth is worth?"
Zhang San was called upon and answered first: "Sir, the merchant didn't say how much it was worth, but I looked at it and it seems to be worth two taels of silver."
Li Si sneered and rolled his eyes quietly. Seeing Sun Shan looking at him expressionlessly, he shuddered.
He said tremblingly, "Sir, the merchant didn't tell me how much this cloth is worth. But I think it's worth at least three or four taels, definitely not as little as two taels. Sir, I used to be a peddler and sold cloth, and this is the first time I've seen such fine cloth. The price must be high. If I sell it, I can get at least three or four taels."
Sun Shan nodded in agreement. "Indeed, this piece of cloth was brought here from the Jiangnan area. It's quite rare. If it were sold in Chenzhou, it would fetch at least four taels."
When Li Si heard this, he looked at Zhang San proudly.
Then he lowered his head and said humbly, "Your Excellency is a discerning judge. You know how much this cloth is worth. Haha, Your Excellency is very perceptive. You will definitely see justice for me and punish Zhang San. He took someone else's cloth for himself without any reason. He is so unscrupulous."
Zhang San seemed to be quite honest, but he was not as good at talking as Li Si, so he could only shout anxiously: "Sir, it's unfair, this piece of cloth is obviously mine, not Li Si's.
I'm just a country bumpkin, how could I know what kind of cloth this is? I only saw that it was the same cloth I usually wear, and I knew it was valuable. I, I, had no idea it was worth four taels of silver. My lord, I... really gave this to my sister as a dowry by the merchant.
Li Si would never allow Zhang San to slander him, and was about to refute Zhang San's words.
Sun Shan banged the gavel again.
I don’t know why, but the more I take pictures, the more I like it. Is this the taste of power?
When Zhang San and Li Si heard the sound of the gavel, they stopped talking very noticeably, knelt down in a low position, and did not dare to look up at Sun Shan, for fear that they would really be dragged out and beaten with a stick.
Sun Shan frowned. This was really difficult to handle.
Sun Shan rejected his most clever idea, so he had to think of other ways.
Sun Shan then said, "What you both say makes perfect sense. How about this: I divide the cloth in two, giving each of you half."
Zhang San and Li Si objected at the same time: "Sir, this cloth clearly belongs to us, how can we each have half?"
Sun Shan immediately said, "Since you are unwilling, the cloth will be temporarily with me. When the truth is revealed, whoever has the cloth will keep it, and whoever deserves the punishment will be punished with the stick."
Sun Shan had no intention of dividing the cloth into two halves, and their displeasure was exactly what he wanted.
First put the cloth in the yamen, and secretly try to find a way to identify the cloth, or go to Chenzhou Prefecture to see if the supplier is still there?
And find out whether the purpose of the two people coming to Chenzhou Prefecture is exactly the same as they said.
Zhang San and Li Si were dumbfounded, then they reacted.
They looked at each other and shouted in unison: "Sir, we agree to divide the cloth in half."
Emma, can the cloth worth 4 taels of silver be taken out after being placed in the yamen?
Guaranteed to go without return.
Lord Sun's greedy look just now had already betrayed his inner thoughts.
No, we must not let the cloth fall into the hands of the government.
If each person gets half, they can still earn 2 taels of silver. But if they take the cloth to the yamen, they won't get a penny.
Zhang San and Li Si thought the same thing: "It's okay to lose a little, it's windfall anyway, and it's better to make a little than to make nothing. We must get the cloth back, and it must not fall into Lord Sun's hands."