Chapter 495: Lying through ones teeth (1/2)
Chapter 495: Lying through one's teeth
Translator: Sparrow TranslationsEditor: Sparrow Translations
Wan Chong shook his head as he looked at the crowd around him.
Fang Zhengzhi could have bribed someone to be his witness...
Wan Chong dismissed that thought almost immediately. A witness couldn't just be anyone.
A witness needed to be trustworthy.
That was one of the conditions of a witness.
For example, a suspect couldn't have his wife or children be his witness. They would not be deemed trustworthy enough to be witnesses.
No one would accept that.
Similarly, if you had a few villagers to testify for you, the impact they would make would be too little. For such a high profile case, the witness needed to be someone powerful.
Villagers could be witnesses for petty crimes. However, when it came to murder and robbery, their testimony meant little.
For a case like Fang Zhengzhi, even a rich businessman or a scion from a noble family would not be sufficient.
Wan Chong looked around Fang Zhengzhi.
The four masked and veiled figures?
No!
They followed Fang Zhengzhi's orders and would not satisfy the criteria to be witnesses. The only person left was Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu was from the Yan Family and was likely to be the heir to Yan Qianli. He may one day govern Western Liang.
As such...
He would qualify in terms of power and reputation.
However, everyone in the capital knew that he was friends with Fang Zhengzhi. There was no way he could still be a witness.
”Fang Zhengzhi, I know the relationship between you and Young Master Yan. You should know that friends and family don't qualify as witnesses!” Wan Chong chuckled, wanting to take the initiative.
”I know.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
”Oh? Then why don't you tell me who your witness is going to be?” Wan Chon began to doubt himself.
Not Yan Xiu?
Who else could possibly testify for him?
Wan Chong couldn't think of anybody who would be that stupid.
Chi Hou was equally confused. He frowned. When Fang Zhengzhi mentioned a witness, the first person he thought of was Yan Xiu.
However...
Fang Zhengzhi already hinted that it wasn't Yan Xiu.
Not Yan Xiu?
Could it be Princess Ping Yang?
Possible!
However, Princess Ping Yang had also interacted with Fang Zhengzhi before... furthermore...
Chi Hou looked at the crowd and into the distance. He frowned when he didn't see any sign of Ping Yang.
Who could the witness be?
Who could possibly help hold up Fang Zhengzhi's lie? Who would be stupid enough to lie through his teeth?
Chi Hou looked at Fang Zhengzhi doubtfully.
Yan Xiu was also looking at Fang Zhengzhi with a similar expression. However, Yan Xiu didn't ask. He waited for Fang Zhengzhi to speak.
As for Fang Zhengzhi...
He smiled and turned to look at Chi Hou.
Chi Hou was shocked. He didn't know why Fang Zhengzhi would look at him. Shouldn't Fang Zhengzhi be looking at his witness?
Just as he was thinking about it, Fang Zhengzhi raised his hand and pointed at him.
”My witness is Chi Hou of the Divine Constabulary!”
”My witness...”
”Chi Hou of the Divine Constabulary!”
”...”
This voice echoed through the air...
Everyone was stunned.
No one expected that the leader of the Divine Constabulary would be Fang Zhengzhi's witness! Why would he testify to something this ridiculous?
Fang Zhengzheng!
How is that possible?
Would the leader of the Divine Constabulary really give false testimony?
”He said... that Chi Hou is his witness?”
”Yes, Chi Hou?! Is that even possible?”
”How is that possible? The Divine Constabulary was the one to bring him here. Why would Chi Hou give false testimony on this? Why would he say that this man is Fang Zhengzheng?”
The crowd look at each other, then stared at Chi Hou. They didn't believe that Chi Hou would do such a thing.
Wan Chong didn't understand it either. Chi Hou was Fang Zhengzhi's witness? He was the one who was going to testify that this man was Fang Zhengzheng?
Erm...
What was happening?
Wan Chong realized that Chi Hou's expression darkened. He could tell that Chi Hou wasn't expecting this either.
Chi Hou was furious!
He wanted to curse and swear.
He really wanted to go through every curse word that he knew. However, after thinking about it...
He realized that it wouldn't help.
He was a nobleman, whilst Fang Zhengzhi came from a peasant family.
To be completely honest...
Chi Hou couldn't possibly bring himself to swear in front of so many people. It would be detrimental to his image.
He looked at Fang Zhengzhi, who was looking back at him innocently. He finally understood what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking.
If he still couldn't guess what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking, he wasn't fit to be the leader of the Divine Constabulary.
This was a trap! A set-up!
Three days ago, when he went to find Fang Zhengzhi in his tent, he emphasized the need to lay low when entering the city. He even hinted that King Duan would help them along.
What he wanted was for Fang Zhengzhi to follow his plan to the letter. As long as Fang Zhengzhi did so, at the end of it, Fang Zhengzhi would pledge his allegiance to King Duan.
It was a perfect plan.
Chi Hou went over this plan many times and couldn't find any problems with it.
If Fang Zhengzhi were to enter the city like he did in Huai An County, he would not be able to live if Chi Hou and King Duan didn't support him.
But now...
His plan had been completely wrecked. It was destroyed the moment Fang Zhengzhi named him as his witness.
Right now, Chi Hou had two choices.
The first was to testify for Fang Zhengzhi. The second was not to testify and remain a third party.
There was no good way out of this!
Chi Hou grit his teeth. He was about to say ”not in a million years!” but he swallowed the words before he could say them.
He noticed the four cloaked and veiled figures standing around Fang Zhengzhi. He also noticed the guards and the blood.
If he didn't testify...