The White-Bone Demon of the Farm is as rich as a country

Chapter 217 Wash Your Hands

The sun was shining brightly and it was already past noon.

Everyone was hungry and anxiously awaiting the final outcome of the trial. However, no one had expected that the case would develop into such a complicated and intricate process!

Magistrate Huo's face turned ashen, and anger burned in his heart.

How could it be a simple poisoning case with so many twists and turns and become so chaotic?

His eyes were wide open and he roared through gritted teeth, "Hurry up and go to Jinxiangzhai to bring that Young Master Lin here for questioning!" His tone was extremely cold, as if it had condensed into a thick layer of ice. Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, which was chilling.

The yamen runners were all veterans who had served Magistrate Huo for many years, and they were naturally very familiar with their master's temperament. They knew that Young Master Lin was in great trouble.

In less than a cup of tea, the bailiffs returned to the court with a young man.

The man, dressed in a lake-blue gown embroidered with bamboo, appeared handsome at first glance, with distinct features. However, a glance at his narrow, fox-like eyes and the drooping brows that slanted down to his temples gave him a startling look. This combination gave him an air of undeniable shrewdness and calculation. His thin, tightly pursed lips, with their sharp, tightly closed lines, gave him the impression of someone capable of defending himself even against unreasonable arguments.

The man had already stood firmly in the hall, his sharp eyes like two cold arrows, sweeping across the people in front of him who were kneeling limply on the ground.

His thin lips curled up slightly, outlining a slightly sarcastic arc, and the undisguised disdain and arrogance were clearly written on his face, as if everyone around him was not worthy of his attention.

He clasped his hands together, bowed respectfully towards the hall, and said in a loud voice: "Student Lin Shaotang greets you, sir." His voice was steady, without any ups and downs, as if he was a man who had experienced the vicissitudes of life and was calm, which showed that he was a man who had seen some of the world.

Prefect Huo, who was sitting in the hall, saw this, but his expression remained unchanged. He just narrowed his eyes slightly and asked calmly, "Are you Young Master Lin from Jinxiangzhai?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Shaotang straightened up immediately and bowed again, saying, "I am the young master of Jinxiangzhai."

Faced with such a situation, he was still able to remain so calm and composed. Either he really had nothing to do with the poisoning incident, or he had someone to rely on behind him, so he acted so fearless.

Everyone in the hall was whispering and talking, pointing at him.

Looking at this man's appearance, he has a handsome face and is well-mannered. No matter how you look at it, he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would be vicious and poison others.

Ru Yue's eyes suddenly lit up. Wasn't this the guy who had argued with Manager Qin about the private room at Tianxianglou in Pingyang last year? Why was he causing trouble in Jiaqing Mansion?

At this moment, the atmosphere in the courtroom grew increasingly tense. The presiding judge slammed the gavel and shouted, "All those poisoned here have unanimously testified that you gave them the poisoned sachets and silver, and instigated them to falsely accuse Tianxianglou of poisoning. Do you have any comment on this?"

Faced with such accusations, the man remained calm and composed. He bowed slightly and replied with neither arrogance nor servility, "Your Excellency is very perceptive. I truly do not know how I have offended these people to the point of slandering me so maliciously. I wonder if they can provide hard evidence to prove their claims."

As he spoke, his eyes swept coldly over the people who were kneeling and trembling on the ground, his eyes full of contempt and disdain.

Seeing this, the young man who had first spoken up to confess was furious, his face flushed red, his body trembling uncontrollably. He glared at the arrogant man before him, gritting his teeth and saying, "You...you...you...are we, so many of us, really going to wrongly accuse you for no reason?"

However, due to excessive anger, his already trembling voice sounded even weaker and powerless, without any deterrent power at all.

"Humph, who knows who has bewitched you guys to come here and deceive everyone, or whether you're deliberately trying to severely punish my Lin family?"

This guy is really good at talking! He is not just arguing without any reason, he is always right no matter what he says!

"Do you have any evidence to prove that these sachets are related to Lin Shaotang?"

You know, everyone present at this moment knew clearly in their hearts that these sachets were definitely inextricably linked to the person before them. However, as they say, if you want to convict someone, you always need solid evidence!

The twenty-seven parties looked at each other, and no one could utter a word.

Ru Yue and Chu Ning'an exchanged glances, and couldn't help but admire this man's insidiousness and cunningness.

Magistrate Huo, who was sitting in the hall, slowly raised his eyes, first glanced at Ru Yue and Chu Ning'an who were standing below the hall, and finally fixed his gaze on Steward Ding.

At this moment, Manager Ding's face, which already looked a little sad, was even more worried. It was obvious that he was helpless about the matter and had no idea how to deal with it.

"Sir, please be wise! These unscrupulous people, with no basis and nothing to show for it, dare to slander a scholar like me. They are truly sinister and vicious! I implore you to uphold justice, severely punish these evildoers, and restore justice to my name!"

Lin Shaotang's mouth corners slightly raised, outlining a devilish smile. He clasped his hands together and bowed deeply to Magistrate Huo who was sitting in the hall.

Looking at his expression, it seemed as if he had been wronged terribly.

"Sir, everything we said is true, not a single word is false! We are willing to swear on our own heads that if we tell even one lie, we will die a miserable death and be struck by lightning!" The people kneeling below kowtowed and cried with tears streaming down their faces.

However, Magistrate Huo knew clearly what they were saying. It was a pity there was no solid evidence. He frowned, his face filled with helplessness and annoyance.

Looking at this eloquent and unreasonable guy in front of me, the disgust in my heart is about to overflow.

But there was no way out. This Lin had the title of scholar, and according to the law, he could not be easily punished. This really made Magistrate Huo very angry.

But at this time, Lin Shaotang was fearless. Relying on his eloquence, he glanced at the people in the room leisurely with a smug look on his face.

His arrogant and complacent look makes people want to rush up and slap him a few times.

The people in the hall began to whisper again, but this time their voices were surprisingly unanimous, all believing that Lin Shaotang was the one who poisoned him. Unfortunately, the onlookers also had no substantial evidence to prove, so they could only anxiously and blindly cheer on the sidelines.

Ru Yue's beautiful eyes moved, and she glanced at Chu Ning'an who was standing not far away. The moment their eyes met, it was as if they had telepathic connection. They nodded slightly to each other, and everything was said without words.

Ru Yue then walked forward gracefully, taking light lotus steps. She bowed to Magistrate Huo and slowly said, "Sir, although I am not very talented, I do have some knowledge of medicine, and I have a method that may be able to prove this."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Huo, who had originally had a serious face, suddenly showed a look of joy, and his joy was beyond words.

His eyes widened as he asked anxiously, "Is that true? If you can find evidence to uncover the truth, I will reward you handsomely!"

However, at this moment, Lin Shaotang, who had been standing silently by, suddenly attacked.

He narrowed his narrow, fox-like eyes, staring fiercely at Ru Yue before him, and said through gritted teeth, "Hmph! These ignorant, unruly people are simply jealous of our Lin family's vast assets and immense wealth. I am a man of integrity and upright conduct, and I am not afraid of any slander or defamation! Young lady, why do you have to get involved in this mess for these shallow-minded people?"

Although these words sounded high-sounding, any discerning person could tell that they were a naked threat! Everyone present was shocked, but facing such an arrogant and domineering Lin Shaotang, they dared not speak out. After all, no one could produce solid evidence to refute him.

"Mr. Lin, you are too kind. I know that you are innocent, so I want to offer some advice to clear your name!"

"Puchi", someone laughed out loud.

"Miss Meng, please tell me directly if you have any method." Lord Huo was really fed up with Lin Shaotang and didn't want to argue with him anymore.

"Sir, the sea soul flower is a rare species, but it has a characteristic that few people know about. Once people who touch it come into contact with water soaked with night herb, their fingers will turn yellow, and the yellowing will not go away for many days." As he spoke, he took out a dark gray dry grass that looked no different from ordinary firewood from his sleeve pocket and handed it to a yamen runner next to him.

......

In a short while, the yamen runner brought a basin of clean water with the inconspicuous piece of hay soaked in it.

"Mr. Lin, please wash your hands!" The yamen runner was also a clever guy. He slapped him in the face so clearly.