Female Consort Chapter 70: Public Trial

Qiu Chudong opened his mouth, but his face twitched and he couldn’t get a word out for a long while.

Back then, it was his desire that pushed him to touch Li Qingwu behind Qiu Che's back.

On the other hand, he was also sure that Li Qingwu, being a woman, wouldn’t dare expose him.

But now, with Li Qingwu openly using the Emperor's name to pressure him in front of so many commoners, if he dared to refute, it would be seen as disrespect to the royal family.

Li Qingwu tilted her head slightly, her expression pure, and asked again, "…Why aren’t you speaking?"

Someone nearby scoffed and cursed, "Bastard, picking on the weak and fearing the strong!"

Qiu Chudong’s face reddened with anger, but when he glanced at Li Qingwu, he dared not speak.

The faint smile on Li Qingwu's face slowly faded, her expression becoming emotionless again.

She raised her chin slightly, and the two guards escorting Qiu Chudong snapped out of their daze, viciously slapping his arm. "Move faster!"

Qiu Chudong stumbled, and in the midst of the crowd's curses, he was dragged to the court.

By the time Li Qingwu entered, the Empress Dowager had already arrived. She exchanged a subtle look with Yang Qiu on the seat of honor, both understanding the situation, Qiu Che’s imprisonment was meant to drag the Qiu family into the abyss. Regardless of how Qiu Che's case ended, Qiu Chudong’s case had to be sealed today.

Li Qingwu took her seat beside the Empress Dowager.

Yang Qiu waited for a moment before the Crown Prince finally arrived, albeit late, followed by the Third Prince, who was nervously trailing behind, trying to ingratiate himself with the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince first saluted the Empress Dowager, then yawned and sat down beside her, casually saying, "Hurry up. I’m busy. Why should I personally deal with such a trivial matter? It’s a waste of time."

"Your Highness, please don’t rush," Li Qingwu glanced at the Third Prince, standing awkwardly behind the Crown Prince, and said faintly, "I wasn’t aware that His Highness the Third Prince would be attending today. Perhaps Master Yang could arrange a seat for His Highness?"

Yang Qiu nodded.

The Third Prince seemed startled, as if he hadn’t expected Li Qingwu to consider him. He threw a somewhat complicated glance at her.

He thanked her repeatedly before sitting down.

The Crown Prince sneered at Li Qingwu’s actions. "Hypocritical… Is that good enough now?"

Yang Qiu seemed unfazed by the strange atmosphere. He coughed lightly and, in a composed manner, announced, "According to the case records submitted by the former Minister of Court of Judicial Review, Qiu Che, the head of the Qiu family, Qiu Chudong, twenty years ago, abducted over ten young women, including a certain Cui, and killed his own daughters by the dozens… This case is now officially being tried."

At these words, the crowd fell silent.

"Qiu Chudong," Yang Qiu struck the bench with a gavel, "Do you have any defense against these charges?"

It seemed as if Qiu Chudong had been waiting for this moment. Before the words had even finished, he knelt, crying out, "Honorable officials, I am wronged!"

Yang Qiu, expecting this, did not even raise an eyebrow. "What grievances do you have? Speak them all."

"My lord, I only have a strained relationship with that unfilial daughter of mine, Qiu Che. Yet she maliciously slanders me, accusing me falsely. How heartless of her! Moreover, she herself has committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor. If she can deceive the Emperor, what else won’t she do? Your Excellencies, please do not believe her words!"

The Crown Prince pondered for a moment before agreeing, "I think he has a point… You expect us to believe a woman who has committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor, how laughable."

Li Qingwu did not even glance up, her tone calm as she said, "Your Highness is mistaken. Deceiving the Emperor may indeed be a crime, but there are countless people who make mistakes for various reasons. That does not mean they are morally flawed, nor does it mean they lie about other matters."

"Besides, the case involving the Duke is still unresolved, so I ask His Highness to be cautious in his words in the court."

The Crown Prince snorted.

He had said it offhandedly, and it amused him to tarnish Qiu Che’s reputation.

He didn’t care about the truth of the matter, nor about whether Qiu Chudong was right or wrong. For him, it was just about making a mess and causing trouble.

But he could not stand seeing Li Qingwu so eager to defend that female lord.

It reminded him of the time at Linglong Pavilion when this "couple" had embarrassed him, and he had not been able to respond.

Now seeing this, he immediately began to speak sarcastically, "Fourth Sister, what are you in such a rush for? I was just saying something casually… Even if this case is true, your lord cannot escape the punishment for deceiving the Emperor."

"Oh, by the way," the Crown Prince added with interest, "Since she is a woman, doesn’t that mean that what Qiu Che said about you two being in love and seeking a marriage decree was also deceiving the Emperor?"

Li Qingwu's heart skipped a beat as realization struck: the marriage decree...

So, when Qiu Che had planned for her to seek the decree for their marriage, had she already anticipated such a day? Or had she thought of this even earlier?

While the Crown Prince continued mocking her, he said, "The Emperor is still ill, and your Qiu Che is already imprisoned. Why are you defending her so? Who are you trying to impress?"

Li Qingwu smiled and replied, "Who said I’m doing this to impress anyone?"

The Crown Prince immediately retorted, "Could it be that you’re truly revealing your feelings?"

Li Qingwu smiled without answering.

The Crown Prince sneered and was about to say something else when, 

"Your Highness," Yang Qiu intervened, his voice firm, "This is a public trial."

The Crown Prince glared at him, "Of course, I know. Do you need to remind me?"

Li Qingwu gave him a silent nod, apologizing without words.

The difference in status was clear.

Yang Qiu paused and sighed inwardly.

Then, with subtle diplomacy, he said, "Princess Lehe is correct. Regardless of the circumstances, Qiu Chudong’s defense does not absolve him of the charges. Please, Qiu Chudong, provide solid evidence. Do not waste time with empty words. In the court, there is no room for nonsense."

The commoners outside the courtyard, who had stretched their necks to watch, nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes!"

"Enough talk. I just want to know if this Qiu Chudong is going to be found guilty or not?"

Qiu Chudong, who had been waiting for an opening, immediately seized the opportunity, as if he hadn’t heard the cursing from outside, and dramatically said, "When my unfilial daughter slandered me, she had no evidence. Now, Your Excellency expects me to prove that I didn’t do what I’m accused of?"

"Throughout history, we’ve only heard of proving something exists, never proving something doesn’t. How difficult is that? Your Excellency, no matter what, you can’t make me do the impossible."

This was clearly prepared.

Li Qingwu immediately understood.

Such a well-structured argument could never have come from Qiu Chudong, who was preoccupied with indulgence and vice, someone must have coached him.

No wonder he dared to publicly shout outside the courtyard today. Someone was backing him.

Who could it be?

Li Qingwu’s mind raced, but for a moment, she could only think of Wu Xiang, who had the greatest desire for Qiu Che’s death.

The Crown Prince could also be a suspect, but considering his scheming nature, it seemed unlikely he would teach Qiu Chudong how to argue and clear his name.

But what could Wu Xiang gain by going through so much trouble to protect a person as notorious as Qiu Chudong?

To add fuel to the fire?

Just then, Yang Qiu, still silent, didn’t reply, when suddenly Li Qingwu spoke with a light smile, her tone indifferent. "Why not?"

"What you’ve done can hardly be called humane. Forcing someone to do the impossible is not acceptable, but you are not human."

In the previous life, Qiu Che had been equally powerless to defend herself.

There was no evidence proving she had harmed that girl, yet she was still imprisoned.

And for a reason that made no sense at all.

That night, Qiu Che had been in the Qiu residence, and she had tried to explain, claiming she had an alibi, with everyone in the residence ready to testify for her.

The Emperor had ordered the Qiu family to be brought in.

Except for Wang Shi, even Yun Yan was brought along.

Qiu Che was a smart person, and when she saw the girl who claimed to be assaulted, she had an ominous feeling.

She knew this was a disaster brought upon her by Qiu Zhe, but she still held some hope for their father-daughter relationship.

She thought that no matter how cruel Qiu Chudong was, even from a selfish standpoint, he would never abandon a promising child

Qiu Che would never do this.

But everything had gone wrong.

The situation took a turn, and to this day, she never thought of it again.

That was the only way they could finish everything properly.

“The coroner also searched the Qiu family residence and found remnants of the young girl’s bones and her scent. This official has reason to suspect that the Qiu family had prepared in advance and secretly moved the remains of those girls.”

Yang Qiu raised a file on the desk, his gaze steady as he looked at Qiu Chudong. His expression was calm, but his voice thundered like a storm: “Head of the Qiu family, do you have any explanation for this?”

Qiu Chudong’s brow furrowed tightly. The bold defiance he’d shown earlier had weakened significantly.

He stammered, “It’s just the scent, nothing more. Could it be that the coroner has a dog’s nose? He just says whatever he wants?”

“What if he’s working with Qiu Che to slander me? Everyone knows that my unfilial daughter used to be a high-ranking official in the Dali Temple. It wouldn’t be surprising for her to have such connections.”

As he spoke, his confidence returned, “And besides, how could I have known in advance that my unfilial daughter would use this to frame me?”

Yang Qiu immediately countered, “Then how do you explain the testimonies from those women?”

“Is there really any credible testimony?” Qiu Chudong retorted.

Seeing Yang Qiu glance at Li Qingwu and fall silent, Qiu Chudong immediately shifted to a more brazen tone, smugly adding:

“Well, if there’s no testimony, how can you be sure that Qiu Che didn’t make it all up?”

“After all, testimonies can be forged. Surely, the esteemed gentlemen here don’t need me to explain that?”

Indeed, Qiu Che’s main concern was this point.

It was all based on testimonies and some sparse clues. If Qiu Chudong insisted he didn’t know anything, and there were no other concrete pieces of evidence, then with enough time, if anyone wanted to protect him, it would become much easier.

Qiu Chudong likely realized no one would dare stand up to testify against him, which is why he felt so pleased.

In this era, regardless of whether one is guilty, such an accusation against a woman would stain her reputation for the rest of her life.

Li Qingwu’s voice cut through the air coldly: “This is the courtroom of the Dali Temple, not the lawless Qiu family. A few empty words can’t absolve you of your crimes.”

Qiu Chudong shrank his neck and said, “Ah… Your Highness, are you implying that you want to use power to pressure a commoner? So, because I have no power or influence, I must accept this accusation? Is this how things are done in this court? The common people are watching…”

In the end, Qiu Chudong clung to his stance, refusing to admit any guilt, repeating over and over: No evidence, I deny the charges.

The onlookers began murmuring in fatigue.

“That’s true. Without evidence, how can they just arrest someone? What if they’ve got the wrong person?”

“Lord Qiu went to great lengths to imprison his own family; surely there can’t be any lies here?”

“Stop calling him ‘Lord,’ she’s a prisoner now, understand?”

“But I think Lord Qiu is a good official. A few years ago, my grandfather lost ten acres of land to those corrupt officials, and it was Lord Qiu who helped get it back…”

“Forget Lord Qiu for now. What about this case? Can’t they wait until they find evidence? I’m just being fair here, without evidence, how can they arrest someone? Won’t it cause chaos in the future?”

Li Qingwu sat in her chair, resting her hand on the armrest, watching coldly. She thought, Aning.

Is this the common people you’re trying to protect?

Is this the country you want to safeguard?

It’s not worth it.

She only regretted not having more power, just a little more.

If she weren’t merely the Princess of Chang, if she had real influence, would it be easier to condemn Qiu Chudong now?

Qiu Che had done all the groundwork, sending people into her hands, but she didn’t even have the authority to drag him away and pronounce judgment.

Power.

She needed more power.

Her grip on the sandalwood armrest tightened, her jawline stiffened.

Just as Yang Qiu hesitated, unsure whether to interrupt the court session, a clear female voice rang out from outside the courtyard.

“Who says there’s no evidence?”

The crowd parted to let someone through.

Li Qingwu snapped out of her thoughts and looked up.

A woman in simple clothes pushed her way through the crowd.

Behind her were ten more women, coming in one after another.

Some looked timid, some resolute, some dressed in plain clothes, others in gowns, some young and beautiful, others older and worn.

But all ten of them held up a yellowed paper in their hands.

Yang Qiu sensed something, exchanging a glance with the Empress Dowager.

Before anyone could react, Yang Qiu slammed the gavel: “Who is it? Speak your name!”

The woman at the front stepped forward and spoke clearly, “I am Nan from Xinzhou.”

“I am Feng from Xinchuan.”

“I am Yan from Jinzhou…”

“I am Qing from Yanzhou…”

“I am Mu from Yunfan…”

Each woman stepped forward, raising her yellowed contract paper high.

By the time all ten women had introduced themselves, they stood in a line, each holding a paper, some higher, some lower.

The scene was quiet but overwhelmingly powerful.

Li Qingwu recognized them, these were the concubines who had once been taken from the Qiu family residence. After the fall of the Qiu family, they scattered.

Li Qingwu had previously tried to persuade them to testify against Qiu Chudong to bring him down.

Later, when Qiu Che stopped the plan to protect them from being judged by the public, it was halted.

The woman leading them, Nan, had been the most cooperative with Li Qingwu before.

Except for her, the other concubines were more or less reluctant.

But now… they had all come.

Li Qingwu’s heart raced in her chest.

She recognized them, and they recognized her too.

Nan gave her a slight smile, then knelt down and declared loudly:

“We, the ten women, were all concubines in the Qiu family. We have come to testify in the case where Qiu Che accused Qiu Chudong of kidnapping and murdering girls. Everything Qiu Che said is true! This is our contract. You may have someone verify it!”

She paused, her voice firm, “Princess, when Qiu Che asked us to testify, we hesitated because we knew he had been imprisoned. But we also heard that you, in your kindness, decided not to have us testify to protect us from the public’s censure.”

“But we will never forget how you imprisoned Qiu Chudong to clear his name. Today, we bring these contracts and testify to bring justice for the lives lost. We ask the esteemed officials here to seek justice for us, blood debts must be paid with blood!”

The remaining nine women knelt too, shouting, “We ask the esteemed officials to seek justice for us, blood debts must be paid with blood!”

Qiu Chudong’s face turned pale, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to say a word. He knew he was finished.

Just like in his previous life, no one would believe a woman would ruin her own reputation to slander Qiu Che.

No one would believe these ten women would stand up to accuse Qiu Chudong and sacrifice their futures to expose him.

The courtroom fell silent for a long time.

The Crown Prince, stunned, murmured, “This is madness… Is it really worth it? To ruin their own lives just to accuse a man…”

“Your Highness,” Nan looked up, gazing steadily at him. “You’re right. No one would ruin their future for revenge, so I must also speak on behalf of Qiu Che, who’s been imprisoned unjustly.”

The Crown Prince immediately grew serious.

Yang Qiu signaled for her to speak.

“What do you mean?”

“If Qiu Chudong cannot pay for his blood debts,” Nan said, “I will not force the issue.”

“But let me speak one heretical word, if it costs me my life, I will bear it.”

“Others may not know how to judge Qiu Che, but in my eyes, since she took office, the common people’s lives have been much better.”

“I cannot read, I don’t know many characters, but just based on the Qiu family case, she has worked tirelessly for it. For this kindness alone, I believe she is a good official, and I will risk my life to speak on her behalf.”

“If Qiu Chudong is released, then Qiu Che must also be innocent.”

As she finished, the other women nodded, shouting, “Yes!”

“If Qiu Chudong is released, then Qiu Che must also be innocent!”

Outside, the voices of the people rose as well, joining the women’s voices, growing louder and louder.

“Qiu Che is a good official. Why is she being imprisoned!”

“Qiu Chudong is a beast. Let him pay with his blood!”

“Release Qiu Che! Kill this beast!”

“Release Qiu Che! Kill this beast!”

The expressions of those in the courtroom varied.

Even the Crown Prince slumped in his chair, shocked: “Absurd… Absurd!”

“Are they rebelling?”

The Third Prince softly reminded him: “Your Highness, stop speaking.”

But it was too late.

Nan suddenly raised her head and asked loudly:

“Is there no one without fault? Besides, if the only mistake is deceiving the Emperor, must they die? What future do we have left if that’s the case? If that’s how it is, then such an Emperor… we don’t need him!”

“We don’t need him!”

The fury of the people surged like a mountain, crashing down on the Crown Prince. His anger froze on his face.

Li Qingwu was equally shaken.

After a moment, she took a deep breath and turned her head away.

But a smile, long absent, appeared on her lips.

She thought.

What a pity, Aning.

You should have seen this for yourself.

It turns out that the people you want to protect are not heartless and don't know good from bad.

They are ignorant, they are pedantic, and they are frogs in the well.

But they also know how to be grateful.

Maybe most of the people here are just angry for a while, so they wave their fists angrily with the crowd.

But people are like this -

Otherwise, how can people's hearts be unpredictable?