Chapter 60: Heavy Justice

No matter how the onlookers speculated, none of it could change the fact that the entire area around the Eastern Marchmount Temple had been completely surrounded by the Five Wards Military Command, let alone the Embroidered Uniform Guard among the crowd in their flying-fish robes, embroidered-spring sabers in hand, eyeing everyone like tigers — and because the Emperor was present, those Embroidered Uniform Guard sabers were drawn from their scabbards!

By the time Chongzhen walked up to the Eastern Marchmount Temple and ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to gather those little beggars together, everyone present had more or less guessed what Chongzhen intended to do.

In the crowd, the man they called Big Brother had already turned deathly pale, muttering under his breath, "Disaster, utter disaster!"

The man beside him who had called out, though he had the lean, quick-witted look of a sharp operator, had not caught on at all and was still obliviously courting death as he asked, "Big Brother, what disaster? That fellow Zhang may be in the capital too, but we don't have to fear him."

The man called Big Brother spat quietly and said, "What does that fellow Zhang amount to? Would I, Wu Zhen, be afraid of him?" Then, deflated, he added, "This time, we'd be better off falling into that Zhang's hands."

As if something had occurred to him, he turned to the lean man beside him and said, "Xu?"

Xu Liuzi, hearing this, hurriedly said, "What kind of talk is that, Big Brother Wu? When have I, your brother, ever eaten meat or drunk strong liquor without relying on your support, Big Brother Wu?"

Wu Zhen went on, "Liuzi, in this situation, your brother can only pin his hopes on you. In a moment, just pretend you're a bystander watching the show. Your brother will shoulder all the blame alone. From now on, your sister-in-law and the rest — I entrust them to you."

Only then did Xu Liuzi catch on. He asked, "Big Brother, today's business — is it aimed at us?"

Wu Zhen nodded slightly and said, "Most likely. If we can manage to bluff our way through in a moment, you leave for our old home at once. After your sister-in-law and the others are sentenced to exile, you go and look after them a bit. Your brother is certain to die today."

Xu Liuzi, however, would have none of it and said quietly, "Big Brother, what sort of man do you take me, Liuzi, for? This time, let your younger brother take the blame.

The family will still need you, Big Brother, to look after them. Your brother's brain is slow, not as sharp as yours, Big Brother.

It's more important that you stay alive."

Wu Zhen gave a bitter smile and said, "Brother, I'm afraid you won't be able to endure the torture, and then neither of us brothers will escape. What's more, we may not be able to bluff our way through today."

Since the commoners all around were whispering among themselves, the two of them talking in low voices did not stand out as unusual.

Chongzhen looked at the children kneeling or sprawled on the ground before him and pointed to one of the bigger ones, about seven or eight years old, and asked gently, "Don't be afraid, child. Come, tell Us, who brought you here?"

Seeing the child would not speak, he asked again. The child only shook his head but gave no answer.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard guard beside them grew angry and barked, "His Majesty asks you a question — answer at once!"

Chongzhen, however, shot that guard a glare and snapped quietly, "Get out of the way. No one told you to run your mouth."

Then he said to the child, "Look, all these people are afraid of Us. We are the most powerful. Come, tell Us, who brought you here? We'll get revenge for you, all right?"

A faint glimmer of light finally appeared in the child's dead, lifeless eyes, but he still did not open his mouth to speak. His eyes, however, began searching through the crowd.

At that moment, another child beside him, about the same age and missing an arm, mustered his courage and said, "Big Brother, he can't talk. His tongue is gone. And he's nearly been beaten into an idiot."

Chongzhen, hearing this, was about to erupt in rage but feared frightening these children, so he said to the child who had spoken up, "Then you tell Us. Who beat him, all right? We'll get revenge for you."

This child was a bold one and asked back, "Really? You can't lie to us."

Chongzhen smiled and said, "We won't lie to you. Our word is Our bond. Whoever dares disobey, We'll order someone to spank them."

Only then did the child turn and begin searching through the crowd.

Wu Zhen saw the child's gaze sweep over and glared at him, making the child flinch and shrink back.

Just at that moment, Chongzhen was also following the child's searching gaze. The instant he saw Wu Zhen glare at the child, he knew in his heart something was amiss and immediately pointed at the group where Wu Zhen stood and barked, "Seize them!"

At once, over a dozen officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard lunged forward, each holding a blade on one man, and this small cluster of ten-odd people was marched over to a spot not far from Chongzhen.

Chongzhen paid them no mind, merely asking the child again, "Take a look. Is the person you mentioned among these? If he dares glare at you again, We'll have someone spank him. You need not be afraid."

The child stretched out a hand and pointed straight at Wu Zhen, blurting out, "It's them! Him and that skinny guy next to him — every day they just beat us and won't even give us food. We're so hungry."

Chongzhen, hearing this, ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard beside him to go to a baozi stall and buy some baozi to give to these children, which so delighted the stall owner that his eyes narrowed into slits — Just look at that! My baozi, even the Emperor has bought them!

I can't spend these copper coins; I'll have to enshrine them when I get back.

Watching the children wolf down the baozi, Chongzhen felt another pang of heartache.

In his past life, his own little brat at home was also six or seven, thinking only of playing every day, refusing outright to eat perfectly good meals with meat and vegetables unless coaxed and tricked into it — how could he have known there were children in this world so wretched they had not even food to eat?

The more Chongzhen brooded, the heavier the killing intent in his heart grew. He asked at once, "Where is the head of the Public Orphanage?"

When the head of the Public Orphanage knelt before him, Chongzhen said, "Wait until these children return to the orphanage.

Send word to the public orphanages in every locality: should such children be discovered again, you may seek the aid of the local Embroidered Uniform Guard and government offices. If anyone shirks their duty, you may come directly to the capital to lodge a complaint.

Whoever dares obstruct you, We shall have his head!"

Seeing the orphanage staff lead all the children away, Chongzhen said to Wang Cheng'en, "Have someone bring out a table and chair.

Summon the Commander of the Five Wards Military Command, the Prefect of Shuntian, and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicature and Revision to appear before Us. Today, We shall borrow this Eastern Marchmount Temple to demand justice for Our subjects!"

These words rang out with resounding force, and most of the surrounding commoners could hear them clearly, each secretly thinking that His Majesty was truly a sage and enlightened sovereign.

The Prefect of Shuntian and the Commander of the Five Wards Military Command, who had hurried over, felt their hearts pounding like drums, certain that today they would not get off easily.

Only the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicature and Revision remained relatively composed — after all, this matter had nothing to do with him.

Once the three men had finished performing their obeisances, Chongzhen addressed the Prefect of Shuntian and the Commander of the Five Wards Military Command directly: "In broad daylight, at the very feet of the Son of Heaven, that such mutilation and maiming should occur — yet neither of you two has handled this matter.

You are both fined half a year's salary. Should it happen again, you shall be stripped of office and stand trial for your crimes!

Do you two have any objection?"

The two men, seeing it was only a six-month salary fine, each let out a long breath, knelt, and said, "Your Majesty is sagacious. Your servants respectfully obey the edict."

Chongzhen, however, then asked the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicature and Revision, "If there are those who abduct, mutilate, and maim, how are they to be adjudged guilty?"

The Chief Justice of the Court of Judicature and Revision replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty: according to the Great Ming Code, the ringleader shall be executed by slow slicing, the accomplices beheaded, and their families — whether aware of the crime or not — shall all be banished two thousand li.

If the village headman knew and failed to report it, he shall be deemed an accomplice and also beheaded."

Chongzhen looked at Xu Liu and Wu Zhen, who had blades leveled at them, and said, "Do you two confess your crimes? Do you have any objection?"

What objection could Xu Liu and Wu Zhen possibly have? Knowing full well they could not endure the torture, the two men confessed quite readily: "We commoners know our crime. We beg Your Majesty for mercy."

Chongzhen, however, gave a cold laugh and raged, "We show mercy to you — but did you ever show mercy to those children? Even 'beasts in human form' seems insufficient to describe what you have done, does it not?

All the people under Heaven are Our subjects. By acting as you two have, where does that leave Us? If We do not punish you today, you shall never know the majesty of the Great Ming Code!"

After this righteous and stern rebuke, Chongzhen pronounced judgment directly: "These two men mutilated and maimed children, violating the clauses on human life in the Great Ming Code.

They are sentenced to death by slow slicing, and their families are to be banished two thousand li. Once the families of the various children are located, all their household property shall be given to those children's families as compensation."

The commoners before the Eastern Marchmount Temple, upon hearing this, all roared their approval.

Among them, those who had lost their own children were both anxious for their own little ones and heartened by the Son of Heaven's harsh punishment of the traffickers — surely such incidents would be far fewer from now on?

Having finished showing off and ready to bolt, Chongzhen was about to return to the palace when he unexpectedly caught sight of something a small roadside stall was selling, and his eyes instantly became glued to it.

Second update complete. There may be no extra update today.

(End of chapter)