Transmigrating into a peasant family to fight against the best, leading my parents to earn gold and

Chapter 328 The Truth

Lord Yang walked around the kneeling Pan Shi, staring down at her, and said, word by word, "If the silver needle was accidentally left on the bed by Pan Shi, it would only be stuck in the back of her head, how could it be stuck in the top of her head?"

If the deceased was indeed accidentally pricked by a silver needle while lying in bed, then Pan would not be the murderer. Why would she be so afraid and go to such lengths to frame Lin's pig trotter shop?

The only possibility is that, as his wife, she was the person her husband trusted most. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, she poisoned him with silver needles, and then, fearing exposure, shifted the blame onto the Lin family's pig's trotter shop.

It's hard to say whether Pan was clever or foolish. She was clever because she knew how to use silver needles to kill someone, choosing the least likely way to find the murder weapon. But after her husband died, she went to great lengths to instigate her relatives to cause trouble at Lin's pig's trotter shop, making things spiral out of control. She couldn't cover up her lie anymore and her lies were exposed.

However, in the eyes of outsiders, Pan and her husband were a loving couple. Why would she do such a cruel thing to her husband?

The motive for the murder is still under investigation!

Pan remained silent, only wiping away tears and weeping.

More than a dozen relatives, seeing that Pan refused to explain, began to feel dissatisfied and questioned her through gritted teeth.

"Mrs. Pan, tell me quickly, why did you want to kill Xiaoshan?"

"A man as hardworking, capable, and loving towards his wife and children as Xiaoshan is hard to find even with a lantern. Why did you kill him?"

"Pan, you vicious woman! You were not satisfied with such a good husband, and you actually used such despicable means to kill him."

"You vile woman, today we will make sure Lord Yang brings you to justice!"

"This bastard must pay with his life for Xiaoshan."

"..."

"..."

The relatives were spitting and talking excitedly, wishing they could skin Pan alive and tear him apart right then and there.

Pan suddenly burst out laughing.

Then she began to laugh loudly, and then became increasingly manic.

"You're still laughing? How dare you laugh?"

"Pah! You shameless, despicable wretch! You killed your husband and you're still laughing! You're utterly inhuman!"

"You bitch, you'll die a horrible death!"

"Pooh……"

As Pan watched everyone pointing fingers at her and cursing in a chaotic manner, with everyone angrily accusing her, she laughed until tears streamed down her face.

"Hahaha... Me laughing? Of course I'm laughing. In all your eyes, he's a good person. No matter who's in trouble, he'll be the first to rush over and help. No matter what you say, he always has a good temper."

He scrimped and saved on food and clothing, always giving the best to me and the children. He was such an honest and kind man, a good husband in the eyes of outsiders. But how much do you really know about his true nature behind closed doors?

"The neighbors say he's easily swayed and afraid of his wife. Yes, he's a coward. He locked himself in the door and beat me severely. He stuffed a cloth into my mouth to stop me from crying or screaming. Did anyone hear or see that?"

After saying that, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing some bruises on her body. They looked like they had been there for several days, and although the color had faded a lot, they still looked shocking.

It was obvious that Pan had been severely beaten a few days ago.

She said with a half-smile, "See? These injuries on my arms are less than a tenth of the injuries on my body. He was afraid that if I went out and complained, it would affect his reputation as a good husband, so he only beat me in places I couldn't see."

These are all marks on my arms, even if they're just a small amount. He's been so cruel to me, once, twice, three times. Am I supposed to just swallow this insult for the rest of my life?

Everyone gasped in shock, never expecting that Pan would be beaten to such a state by her husband.

The relatives were even more puzzled. Xiaoshan was clearly an honest and kind man who had a good temper with everyone. Why would he beat his wife at home?

Some people said with some doubt, "Sister-in-law, is there some misunderstanding? Xiaoshan doesn't seem like that kind of person. We grew up together. He is very honest and kind to relatives and friends."

"You're so beautiful, everyone says he's incredibly lucky to have married you. He respects you, loves you, and cherishes you so much, how could he be so cruel to you?"

These messages are absolutely baffling!

Pan said sarcastically, "You think I'm good-looking and more than a match for him, and that he should pamper me. Hehe... At first, I thought so too. I thought I would marry a kind and honest man of average appearance, so that my husband would treat me well, give in to me in every way, and cherish me. But that's not the case at all."

He liked my looks, but was also worried that others would covet them, so he wouldn't let me go out or have any contact with the outside world. If any male relatives or neighbors came to the house and looked at me for too long, I would inevitably get a beating after they left.

He was extremely suspicious. Even when I was out working during the day, he would always suspect me of having affairs with other men. His temperament was unpredictable. Every time he beat me, he would kneel down and beg for my forgiveness. This cycle repeated itself endlessly. Even if I had a body of iron, I couldn't take it anymore. Even if I had a heart of steel, I was going to go crazy.

He beat me countless times, each time brutally, to the point of near death. The suffering I endured is beyond the comprehension of most people, yet I gave him a quick death. Wasn't I kind enough?

In the past, every time she was beaten, she would fantasize countless times in her heart about torturing him like this, making him wish he were dead, wishing he were dead, wishing he were dead.

To prevent the children from seeing it and to avoid leaving them with psychological trauma, she even chose to give him a quick death, letting him die without any pain.

That's too lenient a way for him to die!

Previously, when Madam Pan cried, there was no love or sorrow in her eyes for her husband; her crying seemed somewhat deliberate. Now, however, she is laughing maniacally, but her eyes are full of hatred, and she doesn't seem to be faking it.

Everyone was sighing.

Unexpectedly, Xiaoshan actually did such a beastly thing. He was polite and courteous to everyone when he went out, but he was violent towards his wife at home. He was a complete hypocrite.

"My God, it's unbelievable. I never thought Xiaoshan would be such a man. He has such a beautiful wife, so gentle and considerate, and she takes such good care of the children and manages the house so well. How could he be so cruel?"

"Who says otherwise? Even with my ugly wife, I haven't laid a finger on her. If I had such a beautiful wife, I'd be overjoyed, how could I bear to lay a finger on her?"

"Tch, didn't you hear what Madam Pan just said? Xiaoshan is a very suspicious person. It's because he married such a beautiful wife that he's always worried that she'll have an affair. That's why his temper is so fickle. He beats her, then apologizes, then beats her again, and so on, tormenting Madam Pan. Finally, Madam Pan couldn't take it anymore and killed him..."

"Alas, those who reap what they sow, it's just a pity that the children have suffered."

"It is certainly hateful that Pan committed murder, but in the end, she was also a pitiful person. She had been married to Xiaoshan for many years and had suffered such torment all these years. Anyone would be driven crazy by such torment."

"But these are all Pan's side of the story. Who knows if what she said is true or false?"

"That's right, Madam Pan killed her husband, and then she framed the braised pig's trotter shop, tricking us into going there to demand justice, and we ended up smashing up the shop..."

Mentioning this makes everyone's eyes go dark; they don't know how to compensate Lin's Pig Trotter Shop for its losses.

"What a terrible thing..."

After the autopsy was completed and it was confirmed that the murder was committed by the Pan family, and the murder weapon was indeed a silver needle from the top of the skull, the case was basically closed. The coroner then stitched up the dissected body, covered it with a white cloth again, and the clerk sat in front of the desk to record the case.

Lord Yang asked in a deep voice, “Madam Pan, your husband’s actions towards you before his death were heinous and he was indeed wrong. However, there is no doubt that you committed murder. Considering that you suffered so much and chose an extreme way to kill your husband, I can spare you the death penalty. However, you cannot escape your guilt. I sentence you to exile in a harsh and cold place. Do you accept this sentence?”

Pan's maniacal smile vanished, and she suddenly deflated, nodding and saying, "This sinner is convinced and willingly confesses her guilt!"

Lord Yang paused for a moment and said, "Pan, once I have made my judgment, there will be no chance to go back on it. Do you have anything else to say?"

Pan shook her head, offering no further explanation and ceasing all struggle.

The relatives couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh. Poor Pan's family still had several children. Their father was dead, and their mother had been exiled to a harsh and cold place. How could these young children survive?

Not only will life be tough, but they will also have to endure the scorn and gossip of relatives and neighbors, growing up under strange gazes. They will have to bear so much at such a young age. How will they survive in the future?

Oh dear, such a good family, just ruined like that!

Since Pan confessed to her crime and no longer defended herself, Lord Yang had no choice but to make this judgment.

He sighed and was about to speak when Lin Xiaotang spoke first.

Lin Xiaotang said, "I have another question. Since Pan killed her husband with silver needles and was worried that the fact that she was the murderer would be exposed, why did she choose to slander our Lin's Braised Pig Trotters Shop?"

We have no past grievances or recent conflicts. We've been running our braised pig's trotters shop honestly and haven't offended you at all. Yet you've chosen to slander us, claiming that our braised pig's trotters can kill people and damaging our shop's reputation. Who is instigating this?

How could Pan, a woman who rarely went out and was beaten by her husband for many years, know to shift the blame onto their pig trotter shop?

Could it be that someone is behind her?

"Furthermore, you said your husband is insecure and fickle, always suspicious that you are having an affair with other men. With your beauty, it's normal for other men to covet you. You married a man with ordinary looks and a strange personality. Don't you feel resentful?"

The expressions on everyone's faces changed slightly, wondering why no one had thought of this before.

Xiaoshan's suspicion that his wife was unfaithful must not be unfounded, right?

As the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire, and walls have ears. Could it be that Pan was beaten because of unfounded suspicion, and suffered beatings from her husband day after day?

Xiaoshan, such an honest man, became so twisted and often beat his wife because he lacked confidence after marrying a beautiful wife.

The little girl's question hit the nail on the head; it seems this matter isn't so simple.

If Xiaoshan had no reason to suspect and beat his wife, and Pan had suffered long-term torment, eventually killing her husband out of desperation, then it would be normal for Lord Yang to show leniency and not sentence her to death.

If Pan really did have an affair and was caught and beaten by her husband, and then poisoned him, then she must be sentenced to death to uphold justice!

Lord Yang raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that it was truly astonishing that Lin Xiaotang, at such a young age, possessed such extraordinary insights.

If she were a teenager, with good education and guidance, her future would be limitless!

It's a pity, she's a girl, she won't be able to become an official when she grows up.

Those relatives had just sympathized with Pan's plight, lamenting that she had been exiled to a harsh and cold place, leaving her children without care and facing hardship in the future, as well as being subjected to contempt and criticism.

Unexpectedly, the situation took a turn for the worse. Everyone believed Pan's one-sided story and forgot to investigate whether Pan actually had a lover.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Pan, have you been having affairs with other men?"

“I was just saying, Xiaoshan is such an honest man, capable, quiet, and gets along with everyone. Whenever there’s something going on at home, he’s always the first to help. How could such a good man be so suspicious and beat his wife for no reason? It seems his suspicions are not unfounded. Tell me the truth, have you been having an affair behind Xiaoshan’s back?”

"Exactly, as the saying goes, flies don't land on eggs without cracks. If you hadn't cheated on me, would Xiaoshan have hit you?"

"Everyone knows Xiaoshan's temperament better than anyone else. He married such a beautiful wife and he's too busy pampering her day and night. How could he beat his wife? It must be that this Pan woman is unchaste and has an affair with another man. Xiaoshan was so angry that he took action against her."

"That's right, that must be it..."

"Bah! She was so shameless and ruined Xiaoshan's life. In the end, she even poisoned him to death. How vicious!"

"Shameless. She looks weak and pitiful, but who would have thought she's so ruthless? She's completely fooled everyone."

"I wonder who that lover is. We must get Lord Yang to catch him and bring those two sluts to justice."

"Lord Yang, you must arrest Pan's lover and bring them both to justice, or Xiaoshan will die with his eyes wide open in disbelief!"

"Xiaoshan died unjustly; he married an unvirtuous wife and suffered this misfortune..."

"..."

The clerk stopped writing, frowned, and said, "Silence. There are still doubts in this case. The magistrate will definitely continue to investigate. Just listen. If you keep making such a fuss, don't blame the rules of the county government. You'll all get a beating."

what?

Just for saying a few words, and I have to get hit with a stick?

Everyone looked at the rows of constables on both sides. The sticks in their hands were thick and long, as long as a person's height, and as thick as a woman's forearm. Wouldn't it cause a flower to bloom immediately if they hit someone's buttocks?

So everyone silently touched their own butts and immediately shut up.

Lord Yang glanced at Madam Pan, but his gaze finally settled on Lin Xiaotang.

He asked, "Little girl, why do you have such doubts?"

Lin Xiaotang smiled and said, "Our shop has countless customers every day, but our braised pig's trotters are made with clean ingredients and have strict procedures. There is absolutely no chance of making a mistake, and no one will get sick from eating them. If someone has a sensitive stomach and gets an upset stomach after eating them, they should see a doctor and take some antidiarrheal medicine. It is absolutely impossible for anyone to die from eating them."

So, from the moment Pan and her relatives brought the corpse to our braised pig's trotter shop, I knew she was framing our Lin's Pig's Trotter Shop. But I couldn't fathom why she would frame us, because since we opened our shop in this county, we've never made enemies with anyone. Therefore, I doubted her motives!