I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 126 Signature and Deposit

Chapter 126 Signing and Binding

"Why was the 60-year-old woman naked in the street? Why did several puppies howl in the middle of the night? Why were Widow Liu's underpants repeatedly stolen? Who was responsible for Wangcai's rape and murder? What lies behind the accidental deaths of hundreds of hens? Behind all this, is it the distortion of human nature or the decline of morality? Wang Wenhua, Ma Deyun... I ask you, do you plead guilty or not?" Wang Wenzhou asked.

The four great scholars and Wang Wenhua lay pitifully on the ground, their buttocks thoroughly bruised and battered.

“Wang Wenzhou! You…” Wang Wenhua pointed angrily at Wang Wenzhou, but before he could finish speaking, Wang Wenzhou interrupted him.

Wang Wenzhou roared, "Guards! Wang Wenhua is resisting arrest and refuses to confess! Drag him out and give him thirty strokes of the cane!"

Two constables immediately stepped forward, pulled Wang Wenhua out.

"Wang the Fool, you tortured me into confessing!" Ma Deyun said, lying on the ground and cursing.

Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly, waved his hand, and said, "Ma Deyun is roaring in court. Drag him out and give him thirty strokes of the cane!"

Yang Shan and the others were too scared to speak. Damn it, the blows from the paddle were unbearable.

Wang Wenzhou looked at Yang Shan and the others, smiled slightly, and asked, "Yang Shan, do you plead guilty or not?"

Just as Lin Qing was about to unleash a torrent of curses, Yang Shan tugged at his arm and gave him a meaningful look. "Brother Yang, don't look for it! When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head!"

"Alas..." Yang Shan sighed and said, "A winding, secluded, green stream descends, a cup of wine breaks the sorrowful heart. We rose to fame on the same day, our official posts joined together, the water flows eastward before the Qu Pavilion. Lord Wang, we confess our crimes!"

"Heh!" Wang Wenzhou sneered. This is interesting. Yang Shan even wrote an acrostic poem: "Forced confession!"

"Do you two plead guilty?" Wang Wenzhou asked, pointing at Lin Qing and Sun Feng.

Yang Shan whispered again, "When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Let's talk about it once we get out!"

Lin Qing nodded. It seemed that if they didn't confess today, Wang the Fool really would dare to beat them to death. Wang the Fool was utterly ruthless!

"I confess!" Lin Qing lay on the ground, his eyes fixed fiercely on Wang Wenzhou.

"And you?" Wang Wenzhou asked, pointing at Sun Feng.

"Confess!" Sun Feng uttered weakly.

At this moment, Wang Wenhua and Ma Deyun, having just been spanked, were dragged in.

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Wang Wenhua, Ma Deyun, do you two plead guilty?"

“Wang Wenzhou…” Wang Wenhua pointed at Wang Wenzhou and cursed.

Yang Shan rushed forward and whispered, "Brother Wang, as long as we're alive, we can always fight again. That fool Wang has gone mad! I think if we don't confess today, he might really beat us to death! Let's confess for now and think things through later!"

Wang Wenhua lay on the ground, his brows furrowed, deep in thought.

Wang Wenzhou laughed and said, "You two still want to resist? It's no use! Your accomplices, Yang Shan and others, have already confessed. Wang Wenhua, if you still don't confess, I will have to use torture!"

"Wang Wenzhou, you're ruthless! I confess!" Wang Wenhua said viciously. Wang Wenhua had heard a little about Wang Wenzhou's erratic behavior a few days ago, and he thought that Wang Wenzhou was now a madman, and he was really afraid that "Crazy Little Five" would kill him.

Seeing that Wang Wenhua had already confessed, Ma Deyun wondered why he was still stubbornly denying it, and quickly confessed as well.

Wang Wenzhou smiled and said, "Ma Deyun, I'm asking you, how did you bully Granny Cui Ying?"

"Hoo..." Ma Deyun took a deep breath and said plaintively, "Lord Wang, you told me how we bullied you, and that's exactly how we bullied you!"

"Bang!" Wang Wenzhou slammed his gavel and roared, "How dare you! Ma Deyun, you still dare to resist! Guards..."

"No!" Ma Deyun's face turned pale with fright. He had already admitted his guilt, and his buttocks were already beaten beyond recognition. If the beating continued, he would lose control of his bladder and bowels.

"Lord Wang, I was wrong! Could you please ask the plaintiff to recount the events of the case again?" Ma Deyun pleaded with a mournful face.

Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly, it seemed that Ma Deyun was truly terrified.

“Grandma Cui, tell me again what happened,” Wang Wenzhou said.

Cui Ying tearfully recounted the events of the incident once again.

Wang Wenzhou asked again, "Ma Deyun, tell me, how did you bully Cui Ying that day?"

Ma Deyun sighed and recounted the events as Cui Ying had described.

Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly, waved to Li the clerk, and said, "Li Yinshui, let Young Master Ma review the statement. If it's correct, have him sign and affix his seal."

Ma Deyun lay on the ground, looked at the statement with a mournful expression, and nodded with a wry smile.

Li Yinshui said, "Young Master Ma, please sign and affix your seal!"

Ma Deyun said in a low voice, "Li, the clerk, could you please do me a favor and send a message to my father?"

After thinking for a moment, Li Yinshui decided that he could do this favor and said, "Don't worry, Young Master Ma, I will definitely pass on your message."

“Sigh…” Ma Deyun sighed and signed and pressed his fingerprint on the statement.

Afterwards, Yang Shan and the others confessed and signed their confessions.

Wang Wenzhou said, "Old Madam Cui, please go down first. After we have clarified all the cases, I will make a judgment."

"Thank you, Your Honor!" Cui Ying kowtowed in gratitude, tears streaming down her face. It must be said, the old lady's acting was superb!

The people present were all completely bewildered. What was wrong with Wang Qingtian? Why was he acting this way?

Wang Wenzhou pointed to Li Ping, who was kneeling on the ground wiping away tears, and asked, "In Li Ping's case, which of the five of you will confess first?"

Ma Deyun said with a wry smile, "Let me go first!"

Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Li Ping, describe what happened that day, so that these two bastards can recall the wrong things they have done!"

Li Ping, with tears streaming down her face, recounted the story again.

Soon, Wang Wenhua and the four talented scholars confessed and signed the confession.

"Alright!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Wang Wenhua, now it's time to hear the case of you instigating Dao Meidan to assassinate me. Wang Wenhua, Ma Deyun... do you know your crimes?"

"Injustice!"

Suddenly, someone outside the hall shouted that they were being wronged.

Wang Wenzhou frowned and asked, "Who is crying foul? Let him in."

A burly, strong man, carrying a crossbow, swaggered into the hall.

Upon seeing the crossbow in the burly man's hand, the constables hurriedly surrounded him, fearing that he might have ulterior motives and harm the magistrate.

The burly man raised his crossbow high above his head and said, "Lord Wang, it was I who attempted to assassinate you! This matter has nothing to do with Wang Wenhua, Ma Deyun, or the others!"

Wang Wenzhou frowned deeply. Something was fishy! Even the dumbest assassin wouldn't just walk into your trap. What was going on? Could it be that Wang Wenhua and his men were sacrificing a pawn to save their king?