The plaintiffs were Chen Guanglu and his wife, Chen Changping. They were summoned into the court hall, followed shortly by the arrival of Jiang Sanlang, escorted by a government official.
Upon noticing this, Chunniang hurriedly followed, cradling their daughter in her arms.
Song Wenyu had already submitted the complaint to the county scribe and also followed, carried by his father in a bamboo chair.
Yingbao looked over at her father. Seeing that he hadn't been tortured, she gave a sigh of relief.
However, upon seeing the county magistrate Cao Can presiding on the courtroom dais, her heart once again filled with dread.
As Chen Guanglu's superior, who also regarded him with high esteem, Yingbao found it hard to believe that Cao Can would be impartial in this matter.
Cao Can pounded the gavel and commanded, "The accused, state your name!"
"This humble one is Jiang Sanlang, greetings to the official," Jiang Sanlang responded with a bow of respect.