Lin Heishan was a military general, with a straightforward and rough demeanor. In the imperial court, he loudly said to the officials: "Lord Li, esteemed officials, please take a look at this person, Zhou Xuan, my sworn brother's younger brother. He is generous and open-minded, and I get along extremely well with him. This Miss Qin is his wife, beautiful and elegant, standing side by side with my sworn brother, they are a match made in heaven! What do you think, esteemed officials?"

  Xu Cishi, Feng Amu, and Bai Fushi all nodded in succession, but only the middle-aged Selecting Officer Li's head remained still, with a cold smile at the corner of his mouth. "Hmph," he said, asking: "Who is this person beside Qin Que?"

  Lin Heishan's eyes widened as he stared at Lu An, who had been glancing around nervously since leaving the Qin Manor earlier. "Who are you?" Lin asked, his voice firm. "What did Governor Li ask you about?"

  Lu An bowed his head and knocked on the ground: "Shouzhou Medical Office's minor official Lu An greets all the dignitaries."

  Young but authoritative Lord Li said: "Lu An, Lu Assistant, tell this official, what is your relationship with Qin Que?"

  Lu An said: "In response to your question, Qin Que is my cousin."

  Lin Heishan exclaimed: "Really has a brother!" Turned his head and took a look at Assistant Professor Jiang.

  Although Instructor Jiang hated Lin Heishan, he didn't dare look him in the eye and lowered his swollen head.

  "Lu An, Shouzhou is a key border town. Once war breaks out, the medical office has the responsibility of saving lives and treating injuries. As an assistant instructor at the medical office, you are not diligent in your duties. What brings you to Jiangzhou from afar?"

  "This...that..." Lu An's forehead was sweating.

  Zhou Xuan sized up the young Lord Li, guessing what his background was. Even Xu Cishi didn't dare to disobey him when he spoke. Could it be that he was a member of the imperial family? Hmm, with the surname Li and being so young... could he be the Crown Prince Li Jian that the needle had mentioned? No, if it were really Li Jian, the needle should have recognized him and would have told me about it. Moreover, it didn't seem likely for the crown prince to serve as a selection official. Maybe he was a member of the imperial clan or a noble king. Judging from his personality, he seemed like someone who wanted to achieve something but was also self-willed and stubborn.

  Zhou Xuan said: "Little Lu, even if it's true, don't hide it. Lord Li is clearer in his heart than anyone else, and it's impossible to deceive him."

  Mr. Li, who was sitting high on the platform, had already put down his face and was about to lose his temper when he heard Zhou Xuan interrupting, but after hearing the last two sentences, he didn't make a sound.

  Lu An glanced at Zhou Xuan, calmed down a bit in her heart, and spoke clearly: "The little official's parents are both deceased, and Qin Furen Lu is the only aunt of the little official. The little official came to Jiangzhou to visit his aunt and uncle. Originally, he wanted to return to Shouzhou immediately, but his uncle was wrongly imprisoned, which delayed him for two days. The little official plans to set off early tomorrow morning to return to Shouzhou."

  Jiang Zhujiao shouted in a shrill voice: "You are lying, Lu An is here to marry Qin Que, and the original Qin family servant Song Dachun can testify."

  Song Dachun didn't know how he was coached by Assistant Director Jiang, but his courage was greater than last time. He knelt down and shouted: "Director Jiang is right, I can testify."

  Just now, Zhou Xuan interrupted, and Lord Li magnanimously did not pursue the matter. Assistant Jiang also interrupted, thinking that his pig-headedness was already enough. This family's servant also interrupted, which was just right for establishing authority. "In a public court, if an official has not asked, there is no reason to interrupt. Take this family servant Song Dachun and slap him twenty times."

  Two bailiffs came forward, holding two palm-sized special bamboo boards, and slapped Song Dachun's mouth, beating him until his mouth was full of blood.

  Jiang the assistant was so scared that he became speechless, thinking to himself: "That little brat Zhou Xuan spoke out of turn first, why didn't I hit him? It's all over, Magistrate Li is also biased towards Zhou Xuan, it's official protection! Even the judge from the prefecture, Fan, has come forward to plead for Zhou Xuan. How can I compete with them? I'm finished, I should die, how did I think of taking down Qin Xiong? Why didn't I investigate Zhou Xuan's true identity before recklessly accusing him?"

  But then Magistrate Li said, "Song Dachun, this official punished you for interrupting, not for accusing your master. Just tell the truth, did Lu An come to Jiangzhou to marry Qin Que?"

  Song Dachun was originally quite thin, with a pointed mouth and sunken cheeks. After being beaten for twenty slaps, he became fat-headed and big-eared, with a red glow all over his face. While spitting out blood and water, he kowtowed and said: "Yes, yes, I've come to get married."

  Magistrate Li looked at Lu An and said, "Lu Assistant Officer, what do you have to say?"

  Lu An said: "This slave is falsely accusing, and the small official came to visit his aunt."

  Mr. Li shouted: "Bring Lu An's carriage."

  A middle-aged man was brought under the hall, but it turned out to be Lu An's carriage driver. Lu An's face suddenly changed color.

  The coachman hurriedly came at midnight to tell Lu An about his marriage with his cousin.

  Magistrate Li coldly laughed twice and said to Lu An in the hall, "Lu An, you were originally innocent, and the fake marriage case had nothing to do with you. However, you colluded with Qin Xiong and Zhou Xuan to conceal the facts of the case. According to the law, you should be punished together with them. But I, as the presiding official, take into account your expertise in medicine and cannot bear to punish you for your crime. Don't you want to change your ways, repent, and confess the truth?"

  The fragile Luo An collapsed, he had worked tirelessly to become a teaching assistant at the hospital and his Ph.D. was within reach, if this fake marriage case ruined everything, he might even end up in jail, how could he bear it? For the past two days at the Qin's residence, he felt extremely stifled, as if he had been trampled on by Zhou Xuan, he also knew that his cousin would not marry him anymore, why should he take the blame for Zhou Xuan?

  Lu An took a deep breath and said, "Sir, the junior official indeed has something to hide. The junior official came to Jiangzhou to marry his cousin, but Zhou Xuan was the mastermind behind the fake marriage. He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to turn the fake marriage into a real one and monopolize my cousin."

  "Brother-in-law, you!" Qin Que stared at his brother-in-law Lu An in shock, as if he didn't recognize him.

  Now that the facade has been torn off, Lu An also became unscrupulous and said indignantly: "Am I wrong? Doesn't this surname Zhou want to monopolize you? I suspect that Assistant Professor Jiang is also bought by him, deliberately coming to inform my aunt."

  Jiang saw that the case had taken a sudden turn for the better, and he was overjoyed at the prospect of turning his fortunes around. But when he heard Lu An's last words, he was also extremely shocked - this guy was too clever.

  Lin Heishan was furious, and rushed over to beat Lu An, but was held back by Zhou Xuan, who said in a low voice: "Brother Shan, don't be impulsive, the clear will naturally become clear, and the turbid will naturally become turbid."

  Zhou Xuan was not shocked, he calmly looked at Lu An's slightly distorted face, and his heart felt a sense of relief: "Good, be even more despicable, show all your ugly sides."

  Magistrate Li was very pleased with himself and said to Magistrate Xu, "How's that, Magistrate Xu? Didn't this case become clear just now with a few words from me? You still want me to read Zhou Xuan's defense statement, but those are empty words. Human testimony is what's important."

  Xu Steward looked at Zhou Xuan with a mixture of regret and helplessness, and said to Li Daren with some embarrassment: "Your Honor is wise, I am not worthy."

  Zhou Xuan stepped forward and bowed his head, saying: "Lord Li, may I defend myself?"

  Magistrate Li nodded and said: "In consideration of Lin Shoubi's face, I will allow you to plead your case. I'd like to see what you can come up with."

  "Sir, Lu An and Qin Que had a verbal agreement to marry, and Lu An did come to Jiangzhou with the intention of taking Qin Que back to Shouzhou as his wife. However, he was too late - Qin Que is now my wife, Zhou Xuan. We've exchanged poems, including the 'urging-the-bride-to-finish-her-toilette' poem and the 'folding-fan' poem, and all our neighbors know about it. My sworn brother even gave us a gift worth 2,000 taels - Brother Shan Ge, isn't that right? And that's the truth."

  Zhou Xuan played a time difference, Lin Heishan nodded repeatedly: "Right, right, my little aunt was also present."

  Zhou Xuan continued to plead: "I don't dare to deceive you, honorable sirs. My father-in-law hastily took me as his son-in-law, indeed to avoid the imperial selection of sons-in-law, which is a very common thing. As for me, this is a heaven-sent marriage. My father-in-law and mother-in-law are also very satisfied with me, this son-in-law. My wife Qin Que is also deeply in love with me. All these things are clear to everyone's eyes. Lord Xu, Monitor Feng, and Vice Envoy Bai all know about it."

  Xu Cishi said: "Zhou Xuan's words are true, and Qin Xiong speaks of this son-in-law with great relish. If it were a fake marriage, I'm afraid he wouldn't be like that."

  Feng Ah Jian said: "Lord Li, His Majesty and the Empress have both instructed that we cannot destroy worldly marriages for the sake of selecting a concubine. Zhou Xuan and Qin Que are truly a perfect match, please Lord Li help them fulfill their union."

  Young and vigorous Lord Li's arrogant personality was fully displayed at this time. How could the case he had decided with just a few words be overturned? Wouldn't that make him appear unwise? He forcefully overruled the opposition, saying: "No matter what, rushing to get married before the draft is an act of disobedience. This official has decided that either Zhou Xuan and Qin Xiong will go to prison, or Qin Que will enter the palace. The palace also needs a female medical officer like her."

  "Ah!" Zhou Xuan's eyes widened in shock and his tongue was tied.

  Xu Xian and others on the platform were also at a loss, with different opinions on the verdict. This Lord Li was really going too far!

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  What's Zhou Xuan going to do? Book friends are voting.