Chapter 53: The Trial

Chapter 53

The Trial

That night, Nie Shuang firmly sent the General back to stay at Kang Wang’s palace. Song Qilin put on a sorrowful face, but this time, Nie Shuang didn’t soften in the slightest.

If she let him stay, she would be the one suffering tonight!

“Go on. You’re a guest of someone else. If you act like this, it’ll be rude.”

Nie Shuang had no intention of telling him that Kang Wang seemed to be showing interest in her. What kind of madness would that be!? Telling him would only bring trouble upon herself. It was better to let him figure it out on his own!

Song Qilin already knew about it anyway. He never expected that the woman whom Wuqian admired, the one he had asked for help in assessing, would turn out to be his own wife! Not to mention, he had just lied to his friend, saying she was living on the frontier. He raised a hand to his forehead, dreading the thought of facing his friend now.

“Oh, by the way,”

Nie Shuang added, her eyes flashing with anger.

“There’s a merchant in Huangjing who bring people to the tea house, accusing me of having an affair with Wang Dongpo.”

Song Qilin’s expression immediately darkened, his demeanor turning murderous, as if wanting to kill that person. No wonder they called him the Jade-Faced Reaper.

“Who is he!? I’ll go chop off his head and offer it to you! I’ll use his blood to wash your feet as an apology!”

Nie Shuang turned pale at his words. It was the first time she’d seen such a fierce side of him, and she knew he meant it. She quickly stepped in to calm him down.

“No, no. That would be disgusting. I don’t need anything like that!”

Seeing her protest, Song Qilin relented, asking,

“Then how do you want me to handle this?”

“You don’t need to do much. Just be a ‘witness’ for me. He accused me of being a courtesan who was bought out and came here to set up a business. He also questioned why, if I had a husband, no one had ever seen him. I’ve already filed a complaint with the court, and since you’ve shown up, we can have a proper trial.”

The more Song Qilin listened, the more his face darkened, the sound of his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists.

“That’s all you want me to do?”

He asked, as though what she was asking was far too simple. It was as if he expected her to ask him to burn down the man’s house or something more dramatic.

“That merchant deals in tea too. The first batch of tea sent to the Xi Region was his.”

Upon hearing this, Song Qilin understood everything. She didn’t want the man’s head or blood on her hands. Since this man sought to destroy her, she would destroy his fortune instead! This was the way of the Lady Boss.

“Alright! I’ll make sure your wish is granted.”

As for Ding Tao, ever since he and his men stirred up trouble at the Xiangyun Tea House, he hadn’t been able to shake off a feeling of unease. He hadn’t expected that he would have to face the consequences. Nie Shuang had summoned government officials to record his accusations, and now he didn’t know when he would receive a court summons. His nerves frayed for two days, and then, as expected, court officers came to escort him to the trial.

Ding Tao tried to appear calm, telling himself that at worst, he’d just be fined. All he had done was led some men to verbally abuse people at the tea house—nothing physical. Plus, he had a sharp tongue. He planned to downplay the whole situation in court, and turning a minor deal into nothing at all. After all, he was a respected tea merchant in Huangjing City, with a sizable business. He was on friendly terms with many of the officials, so surely they could overlook a minor incident like this. With this thought, he followed the officials to court with confident.

When Ding Tao arrived at the court, he saw the Lady Boss sitting alongside a tall, handsome man. Though the man’s expression was somewhat stern, his demeanor was undeniably dignified. Ding Tao bowed to Master He, the magistrate of the Court of Justice, and was about to find a seat when a wooden staff struck him, forcing him to kneel.

"How dare you! You are the defendant. Who gave you permission to stand?!"

The sound of a table being slapped, and a shout resounded through the large court chamber, where a crowd had gathered to witness the proceedings in front of the door. Everyone had heard of the accusations Ding Tao made against Lady Boss, and few had expected her to bring the cunning merchant to trial so swiftly.

"Do you realize the crime you’ve committed!?"

Master He asked, his tone serious. Ding Tao, pale with pain from the blow to his knees, stammered as sweat poured down his face.

"I...I don’t know, Your Honor. What crime have I committed?"

"You led a group of men to invade the tea house, slandering a virtuous woman by accusing her of having an affair with Manager Wang. You further defamed her by claiming she was a former courtesan, bought out to start her business. You said the tea house employed women as prostitutes, causing guests to flee without paying and damaging the tea house’s reputation, losing significant income. Not to mention that she was greatly distressed by your actions. She now demands compensation of three thousand taels."

Three thousand taels?! Was she mad?! Was she planning to open another tea house?!

"Your Honor, it was just a small misunderstanding. I’m willing to apologize to the Lady Boss. Can we not let this go?"

Ding Tao smiled obsequiously, trying to downplay the severity of the charges.

Master He slammed the table, and the court fell silent immediately.

"A small misunderstanding, you say? And what about the false testimony from Niu Tou, who claimed he saw her and Wang Dongpo together? Is that also a small matter!?"

Master He’s face was stern, more so than usual. And why wouldn’t it be? General Song, the Shizi[1] of Yong An Hou Manor, was present in person. If the magistrate did not handle the case properly, he risked losing his official position.

He then brought forward Niu Tou, the false witness, who immediately broke down in tears, confessing that Ding Tao had paid him to slander the Lady Boss. Seeing how serious Master He was, Ding Tao thought the young woman must have bribed the magistrate and even found some stranger to pose as her husband. Hah! She had been in Huangjing for over a year, and now a husband suddenly appeared!? Go fool the child instead!

"Your Honor, my suspicions are not without reason. She has lived in Huangjing for a year, yet no one knows her real name or lineage. No one has ever seen her husband. Now, amidst these scandalous rumors, she suddenly brings this man forward, claiming he’s her husband. I believe there’s something suspicious about this."

Master He slammed his hand on the table and glared at him, signaling to be quiet. It was unclear whether the judge was sending Ding Tao a hidden message.

"Ding Tao, it would be wise for you to admit your guilt now! You have slandered a virtuous woman, humiliating her and damaging her reputation. You’ve tarnished the name of her business and caused significant financial loss. The sum she’s asking for isn’t excessive. If you agree to pay, we can consider this matter resolved!"

Not excessive! Resolved! No way. If Ding Tao had to pay three thousand taels over this, he wouldn’t have been the man who led the Ding family to prosperity.

"Master He, this woman’s background is unclear. That Niu Tou might have been forced to change his testimony. The Lady Boss is wealthy—she arrived in Huangjing, bought a mansion, and opened a large business. What can’t she do with all that money?"

Master He slammed the table once more.

"If you refuse to accept responsibility, don’t expect leniency from me!"

Suddenly, the man sitting beside the Lady Boss raised his hand, signaling to stop.

"Master He, what he says does make sense,"

The man stood up and walked toward the kneeling Ding Tao.

"You claim her background is unclear? That she’s too wealthy that it was suspicious? That her husband never appeared? I’ll clear up your doubts."

The man’s expression was as cold as ice, emitting an oppressive aura throughout the court.

"I sent her to study tea because I knew one day it would be critical for an important trade. She had so much money because she comes from a wealthy merchant family in Da Ye Region, and she married into mine. Money has never been an issue for her. As for her husband not appearing, that’s because I’ve been stationed at the northern border. You may not know who I am, but I know your past and what’s coming for you, Ding Tao! You’ve committed land fraud, used underhanded tactics to force others out of business, and took it upon yourself to send tea to Xi Region, but three months have passed, and Da Ye has yet to receive a single horse. If Da Ye doesn’t get its horses, don’t expect a single copper from the ten cartloads of tea you sent!"

"Who are you?!"

Ding Tao demanded, standing up and pointing at Song Qilin. He was significantly shorter, Ding Tao felt even more intimidated. Everything the man said hit his deepest fears—concerns that had plagued him for the past few months. When signing the trade agreement, Ding Tao knew well that the tea would take too long to reach Xi Region and would likely deteriorate. But by then, it would have nothing to do with him. It wasn’t his problem if the foreign merchants couldn’t sell it. He only had to wait to receive the payment from the royal court. But now, three months later, he still hadn’t seen a single coin.

Song Qilin’s icy smile widened.

"I’m the one directly involved in the ’Tea for Horses’ deal."

[1] Shizi (世子) means the heir or crown prince; in this context, it means the heir of Yong An Hou.