0p0 Chapter 208 The dust has settled
Chapter 208 The dust has settled
Mr. Tao looked at the two pieces of paper floating not far ahead, his mind full of thoughts.
After a moment, he refused to admit it and said, "My lord, the rags and footprints can't prove anything.
The servants clean the house every day, and their clothes inevitably scrape against the uneven areas on the window sill. The same is true for footprints."
Jiang Yueyang curled her lips and smiled, "Mr. Tao really won't cry until he sees the coffin. Come, bring a witness."
Hearing that there was a witness, Mr. Tao narrowed his eyes slightly.
After a while, a young woman with pretty face and good figure, dressed as a married woman, was brought up.
The woman walked over to Xue and slowly knelt down, "I, Meng, greet Her Highness the Princess."
Jiang Yueyang said, "Mr. Tao, please tell me who she is."
"She is my fifth concubine, Meng Jiao."
"Very good, as long as you didn't say you didn't know him." Jiang Yueyang turned his gaze to Meng Jiao, "Meng, tell everyone what you saw and heard on the day Zhou Daqiang was suspected of theft."
"Princess, please allow me to report. I saw him that day." Meng Jiao turned around and pointed at the servant who had "thrown" the broken vase. "He jumped out of the window of Tao Yan's room."
Before this, Jiang Yueyang didn't know what Tao Xiucai's name was. Now when he heard it for the first time, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.
Tao Yan?
Hate?
This name is quite suitable for him, but it makes people feel disgusted.
The servant Meng Jiao pointed out immediately denied it, saying, "Fifth Aunt, please don't slander me. I was always by the Master's side that day and never left."
"That's right. He is my personal servant. He has always been by my side and has never left." Tao Yan agreed.
Meng Jiao looked at Jiang Yueyang, "Princess, everything I said is true. I was hiding in the flowers in the yard that day and saw it clearly. It was him who jumped out of the window.
I also heard Tao Yan ask Zhou Daqiang to give his daughter to him as a concubine, otherwise he would put Zhou Daqiang in jail.
He also said that in a place like a prison, ordinary people would never get out once they got in, and he had plenty of ways to kill Zhou Daqiang.
Tao Yan's face turned extremely ugly, and he argued cunningly: "Princess, don't listen to her nonsense. This bitch must have been instructed by someone to slander me."
Jiang Yueyang's eyes instantly turned colder. "Under someone's orders? Do you mean that I ordered her to slander you?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Then come and tell me, who ordered her to do so? And why did she slander you without any reason?"
"Zhou Daqiang, it must be Zhou Daqiang who ordered her to do this! They stole things together, and when I found out, I wanted to turn the tables on them. Otherwise, why would she be hiding in the flowers for no reason?"
The reason why Meng Jiao hid in the flowers was because she was waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity to kill Tao Yan.
She was originally a good girl with a good marriage prospect, but because of her appearance, she was favored by Tao Yan and was forced to become his fifth concubine.
Thinking that Tao Yan deliberately hired someone to beat her father, causing her father to be seriously injured and bedridden, and he died soon after.
She wanted to skin Tao Yan alive and pull out his tendons!
But she would not sacrifice her precious life for revenge on that kind of person, so she kept waiting with endurance and humiliation.
When she was held hostage by Qingming, who had sneaked into the mansion and asked to show her the way to Tao Yan's room, she knew that she had waited for it.
Jiang Yueyang asked, "Ms. Meng, why were you hiding in the bushes at that time?"
"My lord, I saw Zhou Daqiang being brought into the mansion. I felt something was amiss, so I secretly followed him."
"Why do you find it strange?"
“As everyone knows, Tao Yan wanted to force Miss Zhou to be his concubine, but was strongly rejected by the Zhou family.
Tao Yan once threatened me with my father's life and forced me to marry him as his concubine.
I think Zhou Daqiang was suddenly brought into the mansion, and it is very likely that Tao Yan wanted to use the same trick again and force Miss Zhou to marry him."
After hearing Meng Jiao's words, Tao Xiucai calmly defended himself, "My princess knows that my Tao family is a wealthy family in Luoyang. I can marry any woman I want. Why bother with so much effort?"
Jiang Yueyang's eyes were filled with disdain, [How narcissistic.]
The system hummed, "Indeed. Isn't it just a little money? He really thinks everyone wants to marry him! He looks like a dog, I don't know where he gets his confidence from."
Dog: Woof! Who are you scolding?
Tao Yan: "..."
Jiang Yueyang said calmly: "Although what Tao Xiucai said sounds narcissistic, it does make some sense.
That being the case, let’s get back to the matter of the vase.
Mr. Tao, I would like to ask you, where did you buy that vase? There are probably not many places that can fire a vase that big. Don't tell me you forgot.
"Those things were bought by Butler Hu, so I don't know."
"Butler Xuan Hu."
Soon, Butler Hu was also brought over.
"Butler Hu, this princess is asking you, have you ever bought a vase as tall as a man for Mr. Tao?"
Butler Hu was a smart man and understood what he meant as soon as he heard it.
So he answered without hesitation: "Yes, the vase is in the eldest son's room."
"Where did you buy it? How much is it worth? When was it ordered and when did you get it back?"
"I bought it last year from... from Zi Tao Xuan. It was worth three hundred taels. It was ordered in mid-June... and I picked it up in late July."
Jiang Yueyang nodded and said, "Qingming, go to Zitaoxuan now and see if what Butler Hu said is true."
"promise."
Seeing Qingming walking out step by step, Tao Yan was completely panicked.
He hurriedly said, "Princess, I won't sue you anymore."
Hearing this, Jiang Yueyang sneered and said, "Mr. Tao, this matter can't be resolved just by you saying no!"
"I know I'm wrong, and I beg Your Majesty to show me mercy!"
At this moment, a little old man suddenly walked into the crowd standing outside.
He knelt down with tears in his eyes and said, "Please, Princess, help me. The Tao family has occupied my land, beaten my son, and set fire to my house."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, several more people came in and started talking about the crimes of the Tao family and Mr. Tao.
A quarter of an hour later.
Jiang Yueyang glanced at the group of people kneeling below one by one, then picked up the gavel beside him and banged it.
"Mr. Tao deliberately framed someone, set fire, ordered a murder, and forcibly abducted a woman... His crimes are heinous! From today on, he will be stripped of his official title, flogged thirty times, and thrown into prison to await further punishment!
The Tao family has seized other people's land, enslaved workers to death, and bribed court officials... All their property will be confiscated, and the entire Tao family will be thrown into prison!"
After hearing Jiang Yueyang's verdict, everyone present laughed and shouted, "The princess is wise!"
After the people left and Tao Yan was taken away, Jiang Yueyang looked at County Magistrate Zhu who was kneeling in front of him.
"Master Yan, take off his official hat!"
The system, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, "Host, aren't you going to chop off Magistrate Zhu's head?"
What do you mean by that?