Mo Sang – CH 328

Chapter 328. Trial

Magistrate Wu of Gaoyou County watched the crowd disperse, let out a long sigh, staggered two steps, leaned back against a small tree, and wiped his face.

“How could you let them almost fight? Where were you all this time?” Gu Xi frowned at Magistrate Wu.

“You?” Magistrate Wu instinctively looked at Li Sangrou first.

Li Sangrou was unloading arrows from her crossbow with her wrist down.

“This is King Rui,” Ji-Xiang introduced from the side.

“Your Highness!” Magistrate Wu knelt with a thud.

He had vaguely remembered when he recognized General Sang.

“This humble official…” Magistrate Wu swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “This humble official is incompetent.”

“Incompetent indeed, but at least you’ve fulfilled your responsibilities,” Gu Xi sneered.

Li Sangrou unloaded all the arrows, put them away, unpacked the crossbow, and then looked at Magistrate Wu.

“Send your men to the Yao and Zhang families, and tell them to go to the county yamen now,” Gu Xi ordered, reining in his horse to leave but then stopping. “How did you get here?”

“We had two mules and a cart,” Magistrate Wu pointed out, but could not see his mules or cart.

“Leave a few horses for them. Get back to Gaoyou County as quickly as possible. I want to hear what happened,” Gu Xi ordered, turning his horse around and galloping towards Gaoyou County.

Gu Xi and Li Sangrou arrived back in Gaoyou County. The guards who had gone ahead had already booked an inn, with hot water and tea prepared.

The group traveled quickly, traversing rice paddies, their clothes covered in mud.

Gu Xi and Li Sangrou bathed, washed, and changed their clothes. When they came out, Magistrate Wu had already arrived.

Although the inn was not far from the county yamen, Magistrate Wu, covered in mud, did not dare go back to change his clothes. He waited in the inn’s main hall with his clerk and two old clerks who knew the situation.

When Gu Xi came out, Li Sangrou was already sitting and drinking tea.

“Magistrate Wu has been waiting outside for a quarter of an hour,” Li Sangrou said, gesturing towards the main hall when she saw Gu Xi.

“Let him wait.” Gu Xi stretched his arms, sat down next to Li Sangrou, and took a sip of tea. “We will meet them all when the Yao and Zhang families arrive.”

Li Sangrou nodded.

A short while later, a servant came in to report: the clan heads and elders of the Yao and Zhang families, as well as several scholars from the Zhang family, had arrived.

Gu Xi nodded, turned to look, and smiled at Li Sangrou. “Here? It is a bit small, but it is enough.”

Li Sangrou nodded and was about to stand up.

“Why are you standing? Sit down. Our General Sang is a high-ranking official; if you stand, who can bear to see you standing?” Gu Xi raised his hand, pressing down on Li Sangrou.

“Do I need to? They are just a bunch of old men,” Li Sangrou laughed.

“Are you not going to watch the show? Besides, if you stay away, I will lose my temper, and there will be no one to calm me down. Let’s stay together.” Gu Xi kept pressing down.

“That’s true,” Li Sangrou laughed and sat back down.

Gu Xi watched Li Sangrou sit down and gestured for Ji-Xiang to call people in.

Magistrate Wu was in front, followed closely by his clerk and two assistants. All four were covered in mud and water, looking quite disheveled.

Behind them, the Yao family and the Zhang family glared at each other, one group pressed against one side of the doorframe, the other against the other. Once inside, they quickly lowered their heads and eyes.

“Sit down,” Gu Xi gestured to Magistrate Wu.

Magistrate Wu hurriedly bowed in thanks, settling into his chair with one side touching his buttocks, his hands resting on his knees, his whole body tense.

Gu Xi did not look at the Yao and Zhang families who followed the four men in, while Li Sangrou did not look at Magistrate Wu and the others, but instead scrutinized each of the Yao and Zhang families.

“Tell me, what happened?” Gu Xi ordered coldly, his face grim.

“Yes.” Magistrate Wu swallowed hard, subconsciously glancing at Li Sangrou, who was observing the two families with great interest.

“This humble official only learned of this matter after the Yao and Zhang families had their first battle,” Magistrate Wu said, forcing a smile.

He was never good with words, and now, faced with such a momentous event and with figures as high-ranking as King Rui and General Sang before him, he was even more at a loss for words. Trying not to kowtow and just to explain himself was an effort he was putting all his strength into.

“They say a child surnamed Yao drowned in the river while playing during recess at the town’s private school.

The Yao family claims he was drowned by two children from the Zhang family, while the Zhang family says the Yao child drowned because he was not a good swimmer. Because of this, the two families argued fiercely, each going to their respective clans, and eventually a fight broke out.”

“What happened before this? Did the Yao and Zhang families have any prior conflicts?” Gu Xi continued.

Li Sangrou had already sized up the people from both families and turned to look at Magistrate Wu.

“Yes,” Magistrate Wu replied, bowing slightly. “There’s been trouble almost every year. Last spring, a Zhang family’s ox wandered into the Yao family’s land and ate their seedlings; they fought over it. Thankfully, no one died. The autumn before last, they fought at the autumn harvest festival, and before that, they fought again.”

“Have these drownings and seedlings-eating ox been reported to the authorities?” Gu Xi looked at Magistrate Wu but still did not glance at the Yao and Zhang families.

“No,” Magistrate Wu bowed.

“First, let’s talk about the drowning this year. Why was it not reported to the authorities?” Gu Xi looked at the Yao and Zhang families, his face grim.

“Your Honor, the Yao family’s beloved child was murdered by that wicked Zhang family member. It is clear and undeniable. The grievance has its perpetrator, and the debtor has its debtor. I believe there’s no need to trouble Magistrate Wu further.” A middle-aged man from the Yao family, who looked quite imposing, stepped forward and bowed.

“Your Yao family is the wicked ones! Ungrateful bastards!” an old man from the Zhang family angrily retorted, spitting.

“Slap him,” Gu Xi ordered. A servant stepped forward and slapped the old Zhang family member across the face, once on the front and once on the back.

“I am over sixty years old! How dare you!” The elderly man surnamed Zhang covered his face, angrily glaring at Gu Xi.

“Looks like you’ve wasted your life, showing no respect for your age,” Gu Xi said calmly. “Anyone who speaks without being asked will be slapped.”

The Yao family looked on with glee at the elderly man surnamed Zhang, whose face was marked with finger marks.

“What about the murderer? Have you caught him? Killed him?” Gu Xi asked, looking at the middle-aged man surnamed Yao, who had answered earlier.

“Not yet! Please, Your Honor, grant me your decision!” The middle-aged man surnamed Yao knelt on the ground with a thud.

“When it was time to report to the authorities, you thought it unnecessary. Now, you are shouting for my decision—do you think you cannot win?” Gu Xi narrowed his eyes at the middle-aged man surnamed Yao.

“The Yao family is not afraid of the Zhang family!” The middle-aged man from the Yao family raised his head arrogantly.

“The decision not to report to the authorities—was that yours?” Gu Xi glanced at the middle-aged man surnamed Yao with utter disdain.

“Yes,” the middle-aged man surnamed Yao replied after a moment’s hesitation, bowing slightly.

“Take him down,” Gu Xi ordered, then looked at Magistrate Wu and said, “According to the laws of the court, murder should be punished according to the law. Concealing a crime, according to the law, what should be the punishment?”

“Depending on the severity…” Magistrate Wu was somewhat bewildered.

“Hmm, it is up to you to handle it. Do as you see fit,” Gu Xi interrupted Magistrate Wu.

Looking at the middle-aged man surnamed Yao, whose arms were bound by two guards, the Yao family was dumbfounded, and the Zhang family members were also stunned.