Whether it was true or false, Magistrate Zhang did not investigate further.
A cornered rabbit will bite, and if this matter were to be investigated further, it would take more than a day to resolve.
He dealt with Xie Lao Da.
That left Xie Lao San.
Magistrate Zhang said only one sentence: “Be honest and you will be treated leniently.”
Xie Laosan confessed.
All three confessed, and the court proceedings continued.
Zhang summoned Zhao Peilan for questioning.
Zhao Peilan was her usual self; whenever she recalled past events, she needed to recount them from the beginning to clarify the details, unable to deviate from the sequence of events or speak off the cuff.
She recounted each detail, her sorrow welling up within her. When she mentioned that Xie Sicao insisted she had intentionally caused the man’s death, she wept uncontrollably. She then described how they had caused a commotion at the county school, leading to Xie Yan’s expulsion, and cried until she was nearly unconscious. In her subsequent statements, she pleaded with the honorable magistrate to adjudicate the case and uphold justice for her and her son.
Xie Yan went to help her up, but she stubbornly banged her head on the ground, harder than someone crying out for justice, and soon her forehead began to bleed.
Zhang Da Ren dispatched two constables to hold her up and summoned Lu Yang over for questioning.
Lu Yang was Xie Jia’s newlywed husband. He did not mention the past, only saying that the villagers had been incited to cause trouble at the wedding. He was terrified but could not swallow his anger, saying he would report it to the authorities. These people were not afraid and told him to go ahead and report it.
The conversation returned to its original point: under Zhang Dashi’s governance, this village no longer respected Magistrate Zhang, the county magistrate.
The villagers came to see what was going on and find out how the case would be decided. Those who came were all people with some connection to the Xie family. Once in the courtroom, they didn’t say a word, but first cursed Xie Sicao, then cursed Zhang Dashi.
Especially the family of Sun Erxi. They cursed Zhang Dashi with good reason, “He even came to our house demanding money, saying we had to give him five taels of silver! We are just farmers who make a living from the land. Where would we get so much silver? He said that if we didn’t give it to him, next year our Erxi would have to do corvée labor. Even doing corvée labor doesn’t pay! He said we should give him two taels of silver. Heavenly Father, isn’t this taking our lives?”
The villagers spoke unclearly, taking a long time to get to the point when telling a story.
Zhang, who had been a county magistrate for many years, was experienced in such matters. He picked up the petition and read it slowly, listening to their rambling, until they finally got to the point.
It turned out that Xie Yan’s father was also a scholar, and the old feud with his brothers had arisen over the issue of tax exemptions for land holdings.
Later, when he returned home to convalesce, his brothers, unable to bear seeing him prosper, constantly came to his door to cause trouble. They literally drove him to his death.
This was indeed a serious crime.
As Jin Shiyé had said, they would be punished severely.
Lu Yang knelt beside Zhao Peilan, holding her to prevent her from continuing to kowtow.
Hearing this, he tightened his arms and looked up at Xie Yan standing beside them.
Xie Yan’s tattered cotton robe now looked neat and tidy. The heavy burden on his shoulders had been lifted, and from now on, he could stand tall and proud.
Jin Shiyé finished writing the confession, and everyone who had testified in court had to sign and affix their fingerprints.
The three members of Xie Yan’s family could all write their names, but Lu Yang feared that his identity might be exposed later, so he pretended not to know how to write and only pressed his fingerprint.
The others also pressed their fingerprints.
After the matter was settled, they did not linger at the courthouse. Upon exiting, Luo Erwu was waiting at the gate and quietly instructed them, “If Jin Shiyé doesn’t see you for a couple of days, continue with your business as usual. Just remember to send him a couple of jars of good wine in the future.”
This was the token of gratitude. Lu Yang understood and took note of it.
It was a good opportunity to support Ding Boss’s business, thus pleasing both sides.
He whispered, “Second Brother, what if they come to my shop and cause a scene?”
Luo Erwu had already informed the brothers at the yamen, who would be patrolling the area near their shop frequently over the next few days. The villagers were timid; after a few visits, they wouldn’t dare to show their faces.
“Are they clean again? You didn’t report them to the yamen; that was your mercy. If they dare to come again, send them to the big jail to keep others company.”
He also brought Lu Yang some news: “Old Master Lu is carving the woodblocks. He’s an experienced craftsman, and he can carve three or five characters in a minute. He’s been working hard these past two days to carve a few pages of the book you sent him, and he asked me to find an opportunity to ask you what kind of paper and ink you want to use.”
Lu Yang replied bluntly, “The cheapest.”
They were out of money.
Lu Yang suddenly remembered, “Chen Lao Ye has opened a tofu shop on Dagu Street in the south.”
The Luo brothers both knew Old Man Chen, so they should mention it.
Luo Erwu agreed, “No problem. He’s the type who would pretend not to recognize us.”
Zhao Peilan’s forehead was still bleeding, so they didn’t say much. They left the yamen, and Lu Yang and Xie Yan helped her on either side, rushing her to the clinic for bandaging.
She felt no pain, but she pulled Xie Yan and started crying. When she saw Lu Yang, she thanked him again.
The time for the court session was approaching. They didn’t know how long it had been, but Lu Lin remembered and took the time to make them three bowls of noodles, telling them to eat something first to fill their stomachs.
Lu Yang finally came out and spoke to him, leaving Xie Yan in the room to look after Zhao Peilan.
He planned to find an opportunity to talk to Lu Lin about Lu Liu.
This was a trustworthy person who had doubts about his and Lu Liu’s personalities but wouldn’t bring them up on his own.
He also told Lu Lin, “You’ve worked hard today. Finish work early tonight and make a trip to Lu Jia Tun to tell my two fathers that we’ll be busy for the next couple of days and may have to go home for the Lantern Festival. We won’t leave then and will stay at home for one night. Then have Dà Sōng come to the county seat. Bring all the straw mats and bamboo mats we’ve made recently. Xie Yan and I will keep a few, and the rest, have Xie Yan take him to the charity hall to handle that business.”
Lù Lín nodded and quietly asked him, “Has Zhāng Dà Shí been imprisoned?”
The location of Xie Yan’s shop is no secret in the village.
Today, Zhang Dashi’s family came. After learning that Zhang Dashi had been sent to prison, they hurriedly came to find Zhang Tie, hoping that the couple would help persuade him.
What could he persuade Zhang Tie to do? The two families hadn’t had any contact for years. How could he get involved in such a matter?
Lu Yang nodded and told him not to meddle.
“The county magistrate has made his decision, and Xie Yan and I must obey. This isn’t like the old man at the village entrance, who changes his mind from one day to the next. When you go home, you must explain the situation to your family. Don’t let Zhang Dashi’s family cause trouble and then come looking for me. There’s no point in discussing this further. We should just live our own lives.”
As for who to elect as village chief, Lu Yang didn’t care.
Privately, he definitely wanted to help his own family. Zhang Tie’s father was a good choice.
But they couldn’t mention it. Today was the day to file a complaint, and mentioning recommendations would make the complaint seem insincere, like they were forming factions.
Lu Lin thought the same way, hoping that his family would understand the need to avoid suspicion and not cause a scene.
As for the village chief, it’s a minor position, so it doesn’t matter.
Finish work early, close the door early.
Lu Yang stewed lamb soup tonight, so the whole family could have a good meal.
Everyone had been waiting for this for days, not eating or drinking well, and unable to sleep at night.
He stewed the lamb soup, and Zhao Peilan tasted it and said it was delicious, eating several pieces of lamb. Her appetite was better than before.
She had cried several times today, and her blocked emotions had cleared, allowing her to savor the good taste.
This was a joyous occasion, so Lu Yang brought out some wine, pouring a small amount into each bowl for everyone to drink a toast.
Xie Yan was in a good mood today and wanted another bowl after finishing his first.
Lu Yang stopped him from drinking too much: “I made the lamb soup, so drink more of that. You want to build your body, right? A strong physique comes from what you eat.”
He knew Xie Yan liked to compete with Li Feng, so he used Li Feng as an example: “Do you know why Li Feng is so tall and muscular? It’s because he eats a lot of meat!”
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