The Precious Lady – Chapter 253

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严守礼擦着脑门上的汗,曾几何时,他还庆幸自己不是并州那位知州,脑袋上不必顶着两个上峰,现如今,轮到自己了!

熊代平等一群官员刚被严守礼拉去耳提面命,听了一耳朵的“关键时候要团结”“赶紧回去查漏补缺,别让督抚大人抓到把柄”“这些天夹着尾巴做人”“过马路的老奶奶都要扶一把”等魔音贯耳后,温婉这鸣冤击鼓之声,总算将他解救出来。

临走前,严守礼千叮咛万嘱咐,说既然有人伸冤,翻异别勘务必符合流程、证据链完善、万不可被有心之人利用,否则播州官场都得跟着他陪葬。

熊代平心想:我他娘的一分银子都没贪过,怕个鸟的督抚大人啊!
熊代平一入堂内就看见一面容秀丽的年轻妇人,旁边站着…还是一张熟面孔。

这不是程家那位文曲星程允章吗?

之前鹿鸣宴上见过此子一回,印象颇深,明年春闱怕是势在必行。

为何这程允章和温家的小娘子搅和到一起?
两人双双上前见礼,温婉便道:“熊大人,我父亲温维明奸污良家女子一案存在诸多疑点,昨日我就已经将相关证据提交到提点司,今日也将证人带上堂来。我父亲这案子…存在冤情,还请熊大人明察秋毫,还我父亲一个公道!”

幕僚将温婉提交的资料呈上来,熊代平大致看了一眼,心道这小娘子运气好,刚好卡在督抚新到播州的时间,若非如此,那严守礼断不会如此轻易松口。

程允章拱拱手,“熊大人,温掌柜是我师妹,此次我受老师之托陪师妹上堂,若有唐突之处还请大人见谅。”

“你师妹?”熊代平眉梢一撩,视线从文书中抬起来,看向那小娘子,只见那小娘子身量娇弱,盘做妇人头,皮肤白净,双眸清亮,一看便是干练利索之人。

这小娘子是个胆大的,否则不敢为父鸣鼓伸冤。

他记得…程允章的老师是…姚世真!

眼前这小娘子是姚世真的义女!
熊代平眼神亮了一下,语气转为和蔼,“你呈上的证据本官已经看过,此案确实存在疑窦。你若有确凿证据推翻案情,本官定秉公办理,还你父亲公道。”

秉着不能拉踩上峰的为官之道,熊代平环顾探头探脑的百姓们,低咳一声,大声说道:“当然,这也是严大人的意思。”

温婉连声感谢,“多谢大人。”

“不必,你有何冤屈,尽管说来!”

“熊大人,我父亲百花楼奸污良家妇人一案纯属子虚乌有!这案子里看似人证物证俱全,却全然经不起推敲!熊大人刑侦出身,定然早已看出此案蹊跷之处,奈何证据不全,为了给百姓交代,只能疑罪从有。”

熊大人:哎哟,这小娘子倒是个妙人,这种时候还不忘帮他们转圜。

于是他也顺着她的话,“不错。此案发生在百花楼,众目睽睽之下,那王寡妇死得惨烈。影响甚远,性质恶劣,必须严判!因此严大人的意思是既有新证据,理当慎之又慎!”

温婉示意巧娘出列,“熊大人,我父亲不存在奸污妇人,更不存在奸污良家妇人!那王寡妇…育有三个儿子,她从玦县来时身无分文,为养活三个儿子,只能沦为暗娼!”

巧娘便大着胆子说道:“没错,大人明鉴,那王寡妇根本不是什么正经女子,民妇在码头那一片见过她,她是松哥手下的一名妓女,从三四年前就开始断断续续借着卖鱼的名头接些散客贴补家用…”

熊大人便怒道:“为何你们先前不说?”

“唉哟我的大人唉——这混码头的,大多有个花名,她在码头那一片不叫王寡妇,叫舒娘!我们哪儿知道她是什么王寡妇?也就是这位温夫人拿着画像寻过来,我们才知道原来她就是死在百花楼的那寡妇!大人若是不信,尽管去码头倒数第三个院子去寻,松哥手底下的姑娘们都认识她!”

熊大人望向温婉。

温婉便道:“大人,民妇去探望王寡妇留下的三个孩子时,无意中发现王寡妇风评不一,有说她老实内秀的,却也有人骂她婊子妓女,民女一时好奇,顺藤摸瓜摸到了码头上,才知道王寡妇所做营生。”

熊代平暗道这小娘子厉害,当时这案子虽然判得潦草,严大人却也曾派出手下去盘问过王寡妇的街坊,都说那王寡妇为人老实,替人缝补浆洗,也在码头上卖鱼,竟愣是没查到这王寡妇是个娼妓!

“想必熊大人也好奇王寡妇为何要豁出性命陷害我爹!”温婉闲庭信步,娓娓道来,见围观的吃瓜群众眼中汹汹八卦火苗乱窜后,才慢悠悠说道,“因为她根本身患绝症不久于人世!”

此言一出,整个府衙是一片鸦雀无声的死寂!
“她得了花柳病,药石无医!心中唯一挂念不下的便是三个儿子!”

此刻罗大夫便道:“大人,温夫人说得极是,小名是葫芦巷医馆的大夫,平日里专治妇科,于治疗花柳病上颇有心得。那王寡妇因为做暗门生意得了病,曾找我医治。一并药方档案等昨日已呈上公堂,请大人过目。”

熊大人不解,“就算那王寡妇是一个将死之人,可她陷害你爹的动机是什么?”

小娘子声音定定,“瑞果浆。”

“瑞果浆?”熊代平眉间轻皱,总觉得这三个字有些熟悉。

程允章拱手道:“瑞果浆是温家酒坊今年推出的新酒,亮相于今年春日的煮酒大会,声名大噪,引得不少酒商下定。”

这就对了!

熊代平眉目舒展。

涉及到生意场上明争暗斗,比那劳什子酒后乱性的动机靠得住!也更经得起推敲!
难怪先前查案之时总觉得这案子透着古怪。

熊代平万没料到王寡妇之事牵扯甚远,心痒难耐,急声催促:“快把你知道的全部招来!”

“大人稍安勿躁,容我细细说来。”温婉声音不急不躁,“王寡妇慈母之心,自然想在生命最后给儿子们博一条出路。”(本章完)

The Precious Lady

The Precious Lady

万金娘子
Author:

The text is as follows: "【The Merchant Lady vs. The Cunning Power Lord】 It is said that the Wen family in Ping County has a fortune made of gold and jewels, even the bowls for eating are made of gold. Unfortunately, Old Master Wen has difficulty producing heirs, with only two daughters. With Old Master Wen gravely ill, the Wen family is about to be stripped bare by relatives. The newly arrived Wen Wan is quite anxious. She desperately needs a well-behaved and docile son-in-law—just as Wei Zheng, the Marquis of Huai'an, who was sent to Jiangnan to investigate a case, is ambushed and left in critical condition, he is knocked unconscious and urgently delivered to Wen Wan’s bed. The amnesiac Wei Zheng becomes the Wen family's son-in-law Zhao Heng. His hand that once wielded a sword turns into one that cooks soup. Finally, Wen Wan diagnoses a pregnancy and without hesitation throws the drugged Wei Zheng into the snow-capped mountains five hundred miles away, leaving him to fend for himself. Meanwhile, she dons a white flower on her head and black gauze on her arm, throwing a banquet to bid farewell to her "suddenly deceased" husband. When the citizens of Ping County mention the merchant lady, they all sigh: This young woman is suffering! Her man is dead, leaving her to live with her old father and two children. Don’t let her wealth fool you; she must be in immense pain. Wen Wan wipes her tears with a handkerchief, repeatedly agreeing, fearing others might see her secretly delighted heart. Later, as the Wen family's fortunes attract envy, Wen Wan is thrown into prison. The one handling the case is none other than the renowned Marquis of Huai'an. The Wen family exhausts all their wealth in efforts, but the case makes no progress. In the prison, a cold-eyed man in a blue shirt asks her, “Merchant Wen, I’ve heard that you once vowed to remain faithful to your deceased husband for life?” Wen Wan trembles: Brother, I was being honest, please let me go."

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