Chapter 21: Behind-the-Scenes Manipulation

“Ugh~~”

Monk Hui seemed to have recalled the events of last night, retching as he scratched at his throat.

Fan Jin’s lips twitched; it was obvious without a doubt that the wealthy Zhang family in the city had set up Monk Hui without investing much effort.

That courtesan woman was probably no better than one of those fifty-yuan station matrons from a later era.

Best not to mention it!

But butcher Hu was somewhat puzzled.

Could it be that Brother Hui had developed some sort of allergy to women?

That would indeed be strange.

“So, what do you plan to do now?” Fan Jin reminded him. “By now, the other side has probably reported this to the authorities. It won’t be long before the county magistrate’s officers issue a warrant for your arrest.”

Hearing this, Monk Hui’s expression changed.

The others had clearly come prepared!

But butcher Hu was carefree and unbothered.

He shouted loudly, “What does it matter? Just deny it to the death! What can they do to Brother Hui if he doesn’t admit it?”

Fan Jin’s eyes brightened.

One had to admit, butcher Hu’s thinking was rather unconventional.

According to butcher Hu, it was simply a matter of pulling up one’s trousers and denying everything, showing no mercy.

Under normal circumstances, this could make sense.

In criminal investigations, it’s crucial to have witness testimony and physical evidence to catch thieves with stolen goods or catch adulterers in the act.

Last night’s entrapment involved a witness, but Monk Hui did escape, which was a fact.

If he vehemently denied everything, it wouldn’t be so easy to turn this into an ironclad case.

At worst, Monk Hui might lose his official position and suffer damage to his reputation, but compared to imprisonment, that was negligible.

Monk Hui’s eyes gradually brightened.

But soon, they dimmed again.

He knew full well that if the Zhang family applied some pressure, the county magistrate would certainly treat this as a settled case.

Fan Jin looked at butcher Hu, who was confused, and explained slowly, “If it were only that, Master Hui would still have difficulty proving his innocence.”

Unlike the original story, where Monk Hui was caught on the spot by seven or eight men who stripped him completely, tied him with ropes alongside the woman, and carried him on a bamboo pole to the stage beneath the Guandi Temple in front of the Nanhai County office to await judgment.

Later, Monk Hui secretly asked an old friend, He Meizhi, to seek help from the Fan household.

In the end, because Fan Jin had to attend to the funeral of his grandmother without delay, he took a letter of introduction to meet the county magistrate and explained the situation, which allowed Monk Hui to avoid imprisonment.

Monk Hui, more or less aware that alone he would likely have no escape this time, gritted his teeth and knelt abruptly before Fan Jin.

“Master Fan, please take pity and save this humble man. I will serve you faithfully like a beast of burden, forever grateful and indebted!”

After speaking, he kowtowed loudly several times, scraping off a large patch of skin on his forehead, with tiny stones embedded in the flesh, blood flowing in a pool beneath him.

Butcher Hu was shocked. “Brother Hui, what are you doing?”

He reached out to help him up.

But Monk Hui was stubborn as a mule, refusing to rise.

Butcher Hu glared at him, then glanced at Fan Jin’s expression, scolding, “What are you doing? You’re putting me in a difficult position, and you’re implicating our worthy son-in-law in injustice!”

Fan Jin sighed and waved his hand.

“Very well, go down and tend to your wounds first.”

“I’ll handle this lawsuit for you.”

“But you won’t be able to serve as a monk officer anymore...”

Fan Jin did not expect him to serve like a beast of burden; he admired Monk Hui’s martial skills.

Even seven or eight strong men couldn’t hold him down; he had kicked them over and escaped through a window—a sign of exceptional martial prowess.

Having him by his side would greatly ensure Fan Jin’s personal safety.

Hadn’t Judge Di Renjie had Ma Rong and Qiao Tai as his personal guards, and Judge Bao had Wang Chao and Ma Han? As for Zhang Long and Zhao Hu!

“Thank you, Master!” Monk Hui quickly adapted, calling him master with deep gratitude.

Once Monk Hui was taken away to treat his wounds, butcher Hu breathed a quiet sigh of relief and inquired, “Sorry for troubling our worthy son-in-law. But how do you plan to resolve this matter?”

Fan Jin frowned slightly.

By now, the Zhang family had probably reported the case to the authorities.

No matter the era, people always have empathy.

A woman who refuses to protect her ‘purity’ and insists she was violated by someone—

Even if there is solid evidence, just writing about it online would garner a crowd of people who believe her unquestioningly.

First, public opinion vilifies the accused man, painting him as the villain, a ‘pervert,’ ‘sexual aggressor,’ a pariah whom everyone condemns.

Few care whether the woman is lying or has reasons and motives for false accusation.

Therefore, if a woman does not care about her so-called ‘purity,’ it becomes very easy to cause a man great trouble.

Even if the lie is eventually exposed and the man narrowly escapes, using legal means to pursue the woman’s responsibility,

The penalty for defamation or slander is at most a monetary compensation and apology, while the man’s entire life could be destroyed.

Modern society has largely become indifferent to ‘purity,’ let alone the feudal age of old.

Hence, butcher Hu’s idea of pulling up his trousers and outright denial would likely not be accepted by the authorities.

The woman’s firm accusation, combined with the testimony of seven or eight men who caught the adulterer, would be enough to make this an ironclad case.

The old steward, who had been standing nearby, suddenly spoke up, “Master, there’s something I can’t quite understand.”

Fan Jin raised an eyebrow. “Please do tell.”

The steward hurriedly said, “If the Zhang family designed this setup to frame the monk officer, then if the case goes to court, wouldn’t thatI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.