USWHC -Chapter 396 Openly Copying (Part 6)

Hearing the noise in the courtroom grow louder and louder—and noticing that the crowd below consisted mostly of scholar types—the county magistrate felt a trace of apprehension.

If they were just ordinary farmers, he could suppress them without hesitation. But these sour scholars were the most troublesome—if things went wrong, they might start protests. And who knew if among them there might be someone capable of passing the imperial examinations and becoming a jinshi? What if that person later accused him before the Emperor?

His face twitched involuntarily. Was it possible that today he couldn’t even deal with a mere peasant?

He gave a heavy cough, putting on a façade of righteous authority, and declared, “Fine! Once I produce evidence and officially strip you of your title, kneeling then will make no difference!”

Alright—he had backed down after all. There was no helping it; public anger was not something to provoke lightly. But this only made the magistrate’s pent-up fury burn even hotter, boiling inside him like it was about to explode.

What to do? He needed an outlet.

His sharp eyes darted around before finally settling on Zhu Jie.

Right—you refuse to kneel? Then don’t blame this official for being merciless toward your wife!

He suddenly shouted, “You insolent woman! How dare you not kneel upon entering the court!”

With a loud bang, he slammed the gavel, the sound deafening. “Kneel!”

The command was full of imposing authority—if it were an ordinary village woman, she might have collapsed to her knees in fright.

But to his surprise, Zhu Jie didn’t move an inch. Not even her legs trembled. Her face was cold—colder even than the magistrate’s—and she let out a frosty snort.

“You want me to kneel? I’m afraid you’re not worthy.”

That single icy sentence nearly made the magistrate’s eyes pop out.

Was she serious? Truly this bold?!

Seeing her proud expression, the magistrate felt as if his heart was being roasted by rage. Had she eaten the gall of a bear and a leopard to become this fearless? Refusing to kneel in court!

He ground his teeth, glaring at her like a beast about to tear into its prey.

With another slam of the gavel, he nearly jumped from the force, pointing at her and roaring,
“Guards! Make her kneel!”

So now he was resorting to force again.

Two bailiffs stepped forward, each carrying a thick wooden staff—so thick it was nearly the size of Zhu Jie’s arm. If that stick came down, it could easily break her legs.

Zhu Jie shot them a disdainful glance and said coldly, “You’d better think carefully. Whoever dares to lay a hand on me today—I will repay it tenfold, a hundredfold in the future.”

A threat? From a village woman?

The magistrate’s face twitched again. Where had this arrogant woman come from?

No wonder—no one in the Ji family was any good!

At this point, the magistrate made up his mind. The punishment stick must be used—and used thoroughly. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to intimidate this unruly family.

He waved his hand impatiently and barked, “Why aren’t you moving yet?!”

The two bailiffs were already shaken by Zhu Jie’s aura. In all their years of handling cases, this was the first time they had seen someone so arrogant—let alone a young girl.

Still, they raised their staffs high and shouted in unison, “Ha!”

With full force, they swung at the backs of Zhu Jie’s knees. One strike like that—she would have to kneel, whether she wanted to or not. If she stubbornly resisted, her kneecaps might even shatter.

And yet—even now—Zhu Jie didn’t move at all. Her legs remained straight and unyielding.

They had really run into a tough one.

The two bailiffs felt their anger flare up instantly. Gritting their teeth, they poured more strength into their arms. The staffs were raised even higher, their faces flushed red—they were about to strike with full force.

A gust of wind swept through. Even before the blow landed, the force of the swing stirred Zhu Jie’s skirt into disarray. If it struck, her legs would surely be broken.

But just as the staffs were about to hit—

Suddenly, the flowing hem of her dress snapped upward, whipping wildly like a gale.

Crack!

It sounded as though the staffs had struck solid stone. With a sharp snap, both wooden staffs broke cleanly into two pieces.

What?!

The two bailiffs’ eyes widened in shock. But almost at the same moment, a powerful rebound surged back.

“Ah!”

They cried out in pain.

Zhu Jie stood unharmed—yet the palms of the bailiffs had split open from the impact, blood instantly pouring out.