Chapter 16#
Final Judgment (II)#
Le Wuya had no idea he was being thought of again.
The fifty taels of silver were quickly found in Liu Deben’s home.
Liu Deben kept insisting that it was his uncle’s inheritance.
Although, when asked which distant uncle, what his name was, and where he lived, he couldn’t answer a single question, his mouth remained harder than iron.
However, when the manager and clerk of Huitong Money Shop appeared in the courtroom together, Liu Deben was dumbfounded.
The silver had serial numbers on it, consistent with the records in Huitong’s ledgers—impossible to deny.
Le Wuya smiled at the sweating Liu Deben, “Chen Fu’er is your distant uncle? What a fine family connection that is.”
Liu Deben collapsed to the ground.
He simply couldn’t explain why Xiaofu Coal Mine had given him fifty taels of silver. He dared not hide anything further and confessed everything cleanly.
On that day, Ming Xiangzhao had indeed gotten drunk at the tavern, but the man had good drinking manners—once drunk, he just lay down and slept.
As for the drunken ramblings, they were all fabrications by Liu Deben.
It was also Liu Deben who, while Ming Xiangzhao and his mother were out working, broke into their home and stuffed that volume of treasonous writings, which defied the world, into a corner of Ming Xiangzhao’s broken bookshelf.
Now, he still tried to stubbornly deny it: “I’m illiterate, I didn’t know that was a treasonous text. Even those seditious words—Chen Fu’er taught me to recite them word by word! I had no idea what they meant!”
Ge Erzi, seeing Liu Deben stealing the spotlight, feared that the magistrate might forget his own “grievances,” and hurriedly interjected, occasionally adding a few words for Liu Deben to corroborate how utterly heartless Xiaofu Coal Mine was.
Xiaofu Coal Mine had foolishly thought money could buy the sincerity of these two rogues—they truly misjudged.
These people were experts at making trouble out of nothing. Since they could falsely accuse the innocent scholar Ming, why would they hesitate to bite the hand that fed them?
Later, Le Wuya grew tired of listening and focused solely on studying the soil brought back by He Qingsong and the other constables.
Mixed into it was a considerable amount of fine, light coal ash, blown in by the wind, forming a thin layer—the same as the black dust stained on the silver paper packets found at Shang Zuozuo’s home.
Le Wuya compared more than a dozen paper packets one by one, discovering that three or four contained soil mixed with coal cinders. The soil quality also differed from the rest: some were moister, others drier and looser.
When they presented the packets, Le Wuya had already memorized each of their faces.
Before he left, he would have to inform Wen Renyue—these people were useless. They were either long accustomed to slacking off or simply brainless.
At this point, if they still couldn’t see that Xiaofu Coal Mine was doomed, they were idiots beyond salvage. It would be better to sweep them out the door sooner.
Le Wuya sealed the soil samples and glanced down again.
After all, putting on a show was quite physically exhausting.
By now, Ge Erzi and Liu Deben had exhausted all their tricks, with nothing left to perform. Their saliva had dried up, their voices had gone hoarse, and they couldn’t squeeze out any more tears even if they tried.
“Are you done?” Le Wuya said. “If you’re done, take them away. They’re annoying this magistrate to death.”
After the two speechless rogues were escorted away, Le Wuya perked up, slapped the gavel hard, and shouted, “Bring Shang Juncai!”
When Coroner Shang was carried in, he had regained consciousness. Knowing that the situation was lost, his expression was inevitably numb.
Le Wuya: “Shang Juncai, abusing your authority, accepting bribes to release a criminal. For thirty taels of silver, you fabricated case files, claiming that Chang Xiaohu accidentally drowned. You are hereby immediately confined to prison. After a thorough review of all criminal case files you handled in previous years to check for similar misconduct, further punishment will be imposed. Confiscate the property acquired through bribery; leave the rest for your elderly mother and wife to live on.”
Le Wuya paused, then added, “You have served the yamen for many years. I will have a doctor heal your leg. When you leave prison, whether you are to be exiled, sent to the frontier, or executed, you will stand on your own feet—no one will carry you.”
When Shang Juncai heard that Le Wuya was willing to spare his mother and wife, his scattered gaze finally focused.
After quietly listening to his sentence, he didn’t make any more noise. Instead, he bowed deeply to Le Wuya.
After he was taken away, it was Aunt Su’s turn.
“Su-shi, this official has now ascertained that your son Chang Xiaohu…”
Le Wuya chose his words carefully, refraining from stating outright that Chang Xiaohu had been beaten to death.
“…was indeed harmed by Xiaofu Coal Mine. Coroner Shang Junying fabricated the case files, causing you to mistakenly withdraw the case. This official had Chang Xiaohu’s grave exhumed and has determined his true cause of death. Article 25 of the Criminal Volume of the Great Yu Code states that a case cannot be retried. However, this official will certainly see justice done for you and Chang Xiaohu. The thirty taels of silver that Coroner Shang took as bribes will be used for your living expenses. This county has disturbed your son’s grave; I will compensate you with five taels of silver, plus a grand Water and Land Dharma ceremony. Su-shi, do you agree?”
Upon hearing this, Wen Renyue, who had kept his head down and remained silent all along, slightly furrowed his brow but forcefully refrained from looking up.
Aunt Su’s tears fell like rain. Supported by Li-shi and Mo-shi beside her, she knelt tremblingly. Her voice was very soft, yet carried a heartrending, bone-deep gratitude:
“Your Honor, a living god… a living god… In my next life, I will be your ox, your horse…”
“Better to be a human,” Le Wuya said in a joking tone. “If I were Chang Xiaohu, I’d still want you as my mother.”
This comforting remark touched Aunt Su even more than the earlier verdict.
She raised her face, dazed, and asked, “Your Honor, do you mean it?”
Le Wuya composed his expression, as if thinking of something distant—someone or something.
After a long moment, he said solemnly, “I mean it.”
The blacksmith’s family, the carpenter’s family, and Aunt Su together thanked Le Wuya, wiped their tears, and withdrew.
Le Wuya: “Detain Ge Erzi and Liu Deben in prison. Once the evidence and testimony are fully matched, judgment will be passed.” He was already too lazy to bandy words with those two clowns.
After a round of business, the main event arrived.
The several overseers of Xiaofu Coal Mine, who had been held separately, were brought in one by one and lined up in a row.
At this moment, they had no idea what had happened.
In their view, although the magistrate had reopened the case of Chang Xiaohu and dealt with Coroner Shang, his attitude toward them was still kind, and he hadn’t asked anything serious.
Even if it was found that Chang Xiaohu had been beaten to death while trying to escape, so what?
They kept so many people; they could just grab some unlucky illiterate, take hold of his family, drug him dumb, and push him out to take the blame.
No matter how the magistrate ruled, Chang Xiaohu’s cheap life could never affect their wealthy existence.
Seeing them standing slackly, one even yawning lazily with a tired look, Le Wuya smiled.
His tone remained extremely amiable: “I’ve troubled you all to stay and help this official with the trial so late. It’s already dark. I have a few fine rooms here—please stay for a few days.”
Le Wuya gave a look, and several constables entered bearing heavy cangues, locking all these well-fed coal mine overseers.
These men had been treated politely by Le Wuya all along, and had been properly guarded just now. They knew nothing about the trafficked miners, or Li Asi who had come to report the case, or even Liu Deben’s testimony—caught completely off guard.
They had no idea that Le Wuya had already emptied their lair.
Only when the shackles were clamped on did they begin to struggle.
The overseer, both angry and alarmed, shouted, “Your Honor, what is the meaning of this?!”
Le Wuya: “Go figure it out in your fine rooms.”
Among them, Chen Fu’er was the most violently resistant once he came to his senses.
He twisted away from restraint with unusual agility, glaring at Le Wuya: “Your Honor, we refuse to accept this!”
Le Wuya: “What do you refuse to accept?”
Chen Fu’er, having shed his earlier meek demeanor, shot back, “You didn’t even question us before locking us up—what’s the reasoning? Even if you’ve listened to someone’s one-sided story, you should still hear our defense!”
“I’ve already asked everything that needed asking, and the evidence will be there. I have no use for your confessions—a gentleman does not listen to the barking of beasts.” Le Wuya said coldly. “Just wait to die.”
Le Wuya’s brush flew swiftly, and in no time he had written out a warrant: “Order: Immediately raid Xiaofu Coal Mine. All persons in the mine are to be taken into custody.”
He couldn’t be sure if there were any spies or lackeys of these overseers among the miners, so he decided to arrest them all—partly protection, partly surveillance.
“Once the miners have been identified one by one, their names and native places registered and verified against their hometown records, they will be repatriated to their hometowns or allowed to stay as they wish.”
After the dumbfounded overseers, who looked as if they were facing doomsday, were taken to their “fine rooms,” only one person remained in the hall.
Le Wuya: “Ming Xiangzhao.”
Wen Renyue, still keeping his promise of silence, bowed deeply to the ground.
His shoulders trembled uncontrollably with excitement.
Le Wuya’s tone was light:
“The scholar Ming Xiangzhao was charged with treason and concealing treasonous texts. The original witness, Liu Deben, has now confessed that he was instructed by others to frame Ming Xiangzhao. The treasonous words had no corroborating evidence, and the treasonous texts were planted in his home by Liu Deben’s infiltration…”
“Ming Xiangzhao, this matter is not yet fully concluded, but you may rest assured. Retrieve your mother, and go home.”
After delivering this somewhat informal closing remark, Le Wuya slammed the gavel: “Court adjourned!”
“Bravo!!!”
Ever since the dirty dealings of Xiaofu Coal Mine had been exposed, the commoners below had been stunned speechless.
The subsequent smooth and flowing trial they listened to with rapt attention, as if enjoying a thrilling and gripping storytelling performance.
When the gavel fell, the good show was over.
The commoners couldn’t find any splendid literary phrases to praise him.
All they could shout was: “Bravo!!!”
Wen Renyue, freed from his heavy shackles, was led by a constable out of the courtroom to fetch Ming Xiangzhao’s mother from prison.
At the door, he turned back and took a very deliberate look at Le Wuya.
The people scattered in twos and threes, reluctant to leave, heading home, already planning how to recount this spectacular night trial to the neighbors who had missed it in order to convey its brilliance.
Only when the crowd had dispersed somewhat did Le Wuya notice that, somehow, it had started snowing outside.
A heavy, sweeping snow, blanketing the ancient road in no time.
Just like the day he died, the fresh, clean scent of snow particles rushed into his face, refreshing his heart.
Before his death, he thought he had smelled such snowy air on the person who came to visit him.
Seeing Le Wuya frozen in the courtroom, Assistant Magistrate Sun swallowed a mouthful of bitter saliva: “Your Honor, what do you think…”
Le Wuya cut him off: “Bring me a lamp.”
Assistant Magistrate Sun was startled, then understood, secretly delighted, and personally brought a lamp with great eagerness.
Le Wuya lifted the lamp cover, took a scroll of confession from his bosom, and personally burned the case file he had fabricated—the one in which Ming Xiangzhao accused Instructor Luo of “concealing treasonous texts.”
Assistant Magistrate Sun let out a long sigh of relief. His heart, unsettled for most of the day, finally returned to its place.
But he didn’t feel at ease.
Because he knew that nothing could ever return to its original state.
Nan Ting County was about to change.
Though it smacked of closing the stable door after the horse had bolted, he still put on a respectful demeanor: “Your Honor, please rest.”
Le Wuya closed his eyes: “You go. I’ll sit here for a while.”
He added, “Put out the lamp.”
Assistant Magistrate Sun: “…?”
A bit bewildered, but at this moment, he dared not defy any of Le Wuya’s orders.
At his signal, the secretary, constables, and other yamen personnel withdrew quickly.
He Qingsong and the other constables lagged behind, seeming to want to say something but stopping themselves, eventually falling silent.
Since the magistrate could even call upon the Jinwu Guard for the trial, they were just small fry—better not to stir up trouble.
In a blink, Le Wuya was left alone, sitting in the dark, empty courtroom.
He propped his head on his hand. It was quite tiring.
But damn, it felt good.
He hadn’t experienced such unrestrained pleasure and freedom for a long time.
However, he didn’t allow himself too much rest.
Le Wuya stood up and walked out of the courtroom.
In the snowfield stood a luxurious umbrella canopy, with several indistinct figures lingering.
Le Wuya stepped out of the courtroom from the shadows. Seeing that no one else was around, before the visitors could identify themselves, he frankly and generously swept his robes and knelt in homage.
“This subordinate, Wen Renyue, neglects his duty in failing to welcome you from afar.”
The Seventh Prince studied this low-key, humble official carefully, feeling a bit mischievous. He lifted his gauze hat to get a clearer look: “Raise your head.”
Le Wuya complied, lifting his face.
Two identical, probing faces simultaneously collided with his sight.
Le Wuya couldn’t help it—his pupils contracted sharply.
Why is it these two?!
When he was still alive, he had been their equestrian and archery instructor.
This dynasty valued propriety; when he had seen them, he never had to perform a full bow.
…Wouldn’t this bow be their doom?