Chapter 104: The Living Are Ignored, the Spirits Take Charge (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader

Xiao Yu asked, “Auntie Zhang, where is the Xianghe Pawnshop?”

Auntie Zhang pointed east and said, “Cross the bridge, look south—you’ll see the Xianghe sign, then walk another twenty steps, and you’ll be at the shop’s entrance.”

Oh, it’s a two-story building of blue brick and gray tiles, with a four-panel vermilion-painted door—very dignified.”

Xiao Yu looked up and saw, beyond the bridge, a broad riverside street crowded with pedestrians, and along the willow trees stood a long row of stalls: letter-writers, fortune-tellers, vendors selling melons, fruits, and vegetables.

Since someone had died nearby, half the stalls had vanished, and even the vendors had squeezed in to watch the commotion.

“If Mrs. Xu sold the jade pendant to someone else, someone on the street must have seen it.”

“This young heroine speaks truth!” Hu the Fourth cried, his goat beard trembling with excitement.

He scanned the crowd and pleaded, “Who among you, good neighbors, saw something? Step forward and speak your conscience!”

Don’t you want to be reborn in the Central Kingdom as a good person in your next life?”

This is your chance to earn merit!”

Xiao Yu immediately noticed several people in the crowd growing hesitant.

She cleared her throat and said, “From Mrs. Xu’s reaction, the counterfeit silver likely didn’t come from the pawnshop.”

If she’d received counterfeit silver from the shop, she’d have dragged Master Hu into a frenzy—she wouldn’t have been so desperate as to drown herself.”

“Young heroine, you’ve accumulated great merit—you deserve to be reborn in the Central Kingdom!” Master Hu, eyes brimming with tears, shouted to the crowd, “Did you hear that?”

It’s simple logic: before she drowned, Mrs. Xu never caused a scene at Xianghe.”

Put yourselves in her place—if you’d been cheated with counterfeit silver by this old man, would you quietly drown yourself?”

Wouldn’t you tear him apart alive? Even in death, you wouldn’t rest!”

Everyone’s expressions turned thoughtful and approving; no one continued to condemn Master Hu as a greedy rich man.

Old Xu flew into a rage, glaring at Xiao Yu, “You’re in cahoots with Hu the Fourth! My poor wife, you died so cruelly and unjustly! This girl, so young, is already trampling human lives—”

“Slap!” A bearded man with a short knife tucked at his waist stepped forward and struck him hard across the face, barking, “Shut up! This is Miss Xiao Yu—how dare you slander her?”

He then offered Xiao Yu a pleading smile.

Xiao Yu gave him a troubled look.

Because of his words and stance, the crowd’s gaze toward her had changed—not the kind of change she liked.

“Who are you? Do I know you?”

“Miss Xiao, I’m ‘Down-the-Mountain Tiger’ from Busi Gui! Of course, like Miss Liu, you can just call me ‘Little Hu.’”

“Sorry, I don’t remember you.” Xiao Yu turned to Auntie Zhang and added firmly, “Auntie, you know I live in Hongxiu Alley—I don’t know this guy.”

Auntie Zhang nodded vigorously.

Xiao Yu cleared her throat again and said, “Just because Mrs. Xu didn’t sell the pendant to Xianghe doesn’t mean Xianghe has nothing to do with the counterfeit silver.”

Why did Mrs. Xu happen to meet the buyer right outside Xianghe’s door?”

Everyone knows the Qilin jade pendant is worth five hundred taels—would a normal merchant just stand by and watch a treasure worth that much slip away?”

Put yourselves in Master Hu’s place: if you saw another man trying to snatch your five-hundred-tael deal with two silver ingots, would you stand idle—or would you hurry over, grab Mrs. Xu, plead with her, and offer two ingots yourself?”

The crowd’s expressions shifted again, their eyes turning thoughtfully toward Master Hu.

Old Xu shouted again, “Ah, so that’s it—you’re in league with the man who made the counterfeit silver!”

“No, that’s not true!” Master Hu waved his hands frantically. “Young heroine, your analysis makes sense, but you don’t know—when Mrs. Xu left, I never followed her out.”

I thought she was desperate for cash and would return soon.”

If you don’t believe me, ask Wang Er—Wang Er, wasn’t that what I said?”

Wang Er nodded.

Xiao Yu shrugged. “Don’t look at me—I’m not an official.”

Now that a life has been lost, only the Lingjun can adjudicate—and he must adjudicate.”

A life is at stake, and five hundred taels is no small sum.”

To Xiao Yu’s surprise, Old Xu, Hu the Fourth, Wang Er, and even “Bearded Man” from Busi Gui all turned pale at once and shouted in unison, “Don’t bring the Lingjun!”

“Why not bring the Lingjun?”

The men hesitated, stammering, none willing to speak.

Xiao Yu turned to others—Auntie Zhang opened her mouth as if to speak, then bit her tongue.

The neighbors around them all wore complex expressions, lips tightly shut.

Xiao Yu thought deeply. “The two silver ingots given to Mrs. Xu didn’t appear out of nowhere.”

Today there were two counterfeit ingots; tomorrow ten or twenty more could appear.”

Silver ingots are hard to spend—perhaps they’ll be broken into smaller pieces: one or two taels each, used to buy your fat pigs, chickens, cloth… Unless we catch the counterfeiter, everyone could become the next ‘Mrs. Xu.’”

And Master Hu isn’t safe either.”

Today they caught Mrs. Xu outside your pawnshop; tomorrow or the day after, the counterfeiter will bring someone else to catch someone else.”

The more it happens, the more people will suspect you’re in league with him.”

Of course, I’m just a weak, young girl—my words carry little weight. The decision is yours.”

But one thing: summer is here, the weather is hot—Mrs. Xu must be buried soon!”

“Yes, yes, the dead deserve peace—bury them with dignity,” Auntie Zhang nodded eagerly. “No matter how the counterfeit case is settled, Mrs. Xu had nothing to do with it—no autopsy needed, she can be buried in her coffin right away!”

“How can we bury her? We have not a single copper coin left—we were counting on the Qilin jade to pay for it!” Old Xu grabbed Master Hu, wailing bitterly, “You killed her, stole our precious jade, and now she can’t rest in peace—you’ve lost all conscience!”

“Master Hu, Mrs. Xu’s death is partly your fault—please, do a good deed and pay for a simple coffin for her,” sighed an old neighbor.

Master Hu stiffened his neck and shouted, “Listen to what Old Xu is screaming! If I show the slightest weakness, he’ll devour me whole!”

I have money for a coffin—but I can’t bear the burden of a murder case, let alone the charge of counterfeiting!”

Hearing this, the old neighbors fell silent.

Auntie Zhang fumbled in her pocket, pulled out a small cloth bag, and emptied its contents onto her palm: over thirty copper coins and two tiny silver fragments.

She kept four copper coins and placed the rest beside Mrs. Xu. “Oh, Mrs. Xu suffered enough in life—let her rest in peace.”

Passersby on the bridge and neighbors quietly stepped forward, dropping a silver fragment or a few copper coins.

Some wealthy ones tossed down a small silver ingot.

Even Chun’er reached into her pocket and placed a handful of copper coins beside Mrs. Xu.

In moments, the ground was piled high with coins.

A man in brocade robes, about forty, stepped forward and bowed to the crowd. “I’m Zhou Fu, owner of Fushou Lai Coffin Shop on Hexi Street. I humbly collect these funds to provide Mrs. Xu with a twelve-tael paulownia coffin and a set of Shu brocade funeral robes. What do you all say?”

An elderly man who had prepared his own funeral gear nodded immediately. “Master Zhou is a great benefactor—a twelve-tael paulownia coffin costs more than half this sum, let alone the Shu brocade robes.”

Zhou Fu waved his hand. “I’m a merchant—I don’t sell coffins at cost.”

He pointed to the pile of coins. “With this, I won’t make a single copper profit—but I won’t lose much either. Like all of you, it’s just a gesture of goodwill.”

The neighbors nodded gently.

Zhou Fu immediately ordered his apprentices to carry the coffin, and the crowd on the bridge slowly dispersed.

“Hu the Fourth, don’t you dare run!” Master Hu tried to slip away with the crowd, but Old Xu grabbed him tightly.

“I’ve made myself perfectly clear—”

Master Hu had barely begun when Old Xu cut him off: “Don’t talk to me—come with me to the government office. You explain it to the Lingjun.”

“You’re mad! Go face ‘Zhu Yitao’? Can you survive his ‘Seven Bowls’?!” Master Hu cried out.

But now Old Xu was clearer-headed than ever.

Earlier, he’d clung to Master Hu only to extort money and solve his immediate crisis.

But Master Hu wouldn’t even pay for his wife’s coffin—there was no chance he’d pay Old Xu anything.

He had no other choice.

He had to report it to the authorities.

And then he’d firmly accuse Master Hu of being in league with the counterfeiter.

“I’d rather endure Zhu Yitao’s Seven Bowls than let my wife’s death go unavenged!”

Seeing the resolve in Old Xu’s eyes, Master Hu understood. He sneered, “Fine, fine, fine—you’ve got guts, Old Hu will see this through to the end! Let’s go before the Lingjun and see who ends up ruined.”

“Wang Er, take wine and fresh fruit to the Criminal Office and find Officer Sa. Tell him everything that happened—ask him to draft a petition.”

Though Master Hu spoke in a low voice, he made no effort to hide it from others.

“Litigation lawyers” had existed since the ancient Spring and Autumn period.

The “School of Names” among the Hundred Schools of Thought in the Central Kingdom were the ancestors of litigation lawyers.

Hiring someone to argue your case or draft a petition explaining the facts and submitting it to the Lingjun was common in Western Shu.

“Ah, Mrs. Xu died so unjustly—you should’ve come to me, let me contribute too.”

After learning what had happened on the bridge, Jin Lian didn’t blame Xiao Yu for stirring things up—she regretted not being able to help at all.

“Sister has goodwill—I gave a few silver fragments, Sister Chun’er gave a handful of copper coins—that counts as your contribution too.”

Xiao Yu comforted Jin Lian, then asked curiously, “Why are they so afraid to go to the authorities? What’s so special about the Lingjun of Tianmen Town?”

Jin Lian chuckled. “Heh, our Lingjun’s surname is Zhu—everyone calls him ‘Zhu Yitao’ because when he hears cases, he uses a full set of seven punishments to beat suspects into submission.”

He doesn’t just beat the main culprits—if he thinks anyone is at fault, whether defendant, plaintiff, or witness, he beats them all.”

Everyone who enters the government office risks being beaten.”

Old Xu owes gambling debts—that’s the root of Mrs. Xu’s tragedy—he’ll be beaten to death by Zhu Yitao.”

Busi Gui forced Old Xu to sell his daughter to pay debts—he’s guilty too; he’ll likely get the full ‘Seven Bowls.’”

Even if Master Hu has nothing to do with the counterfeit case, his greed indirectly caused Mrs. Xu’s death—he won’t escape Zhu Yitao’s beatings either.”

That’s why they’re all terrified of going to court.”

“Oh, so the County Magistrate Zhu isn’t a bad man.”

Xiao Yu suddenly felt a certain fondness for Zhu Yitao, whom she had never met.

“Not terrible, but not good either—his methods are too harsh,” Jin Lian said.

Jin Lian guessed more than half of it right.

On the third morning, Soy Sauce Alley.

Xiao Yu sat on the eaves, her bare legs dangling below, a bowl of thin porridge beside her left hand, a fried dough cake in her right, eating with relish while listening to Aunt Zhang below recounting “Zhu Yitao’s Case of Counterfeit Silver” with dramatic flair.

“Zhu Yitao is truly Zhu Yitao! Before Old Xu could even finish his appeal, upon hearing he had gambled away his entire fortune, Zhu Yitao couldn’t contain himself—he cursed, ‘Damn gambler!’ and tossed down a red tally.”

He gave Old Xu ten lashes.

After the beating, Old Xu continued his appeal—upon hearing he intended to sell his daughter, Zhu Yitao tossed out another red tally and a capture warrant. From Bu Si Gui, eight ruffians were dragged in; without a word, each received forty lashes first.

Below, the clerks beat the ruffians; above, Zhu Yitao cursed, insulting each of their ancestors from the first to the eighteenth generation.

The curses were vile—I’m nearly fifty, a coarse woman, and even I blushed with shame hearing them.

But the beating was only the beginning!”

Aunt Zhang’s voice trembled slightly, as if terrified, yet her broad face beamed with delight.

“This is what they mean—evil men have evil men to grind them down!”

Old Man Li beside her, avoiding the chipped rim of his bowl, slurped his porridge with quiet satisfaction.

A thirty-year-old woman in a sleeveless shirt, nursing her child, said: “Zhu Yitao has ‘Seven Bowls’—the beating is the first main dish, the cursing is the second ‘clear broth’—and there are five more bowls!”

Aunt Zhang nodded: “Later, Old Xu had his fingers clamped—he gambled with his hands.”

“The ruffians from Bu Si Gui had their legs clamped—they screamed so pitifully, I felt my heart shudder~~”

Sun Ergou, a soy sauce worker in a sleeveless shirt, stood beside them, shouldering a soy vat, and asked: “Where’s Old Hu?”

“Old Hu’s fine—he wasn’t beaten,” Aunt Zhang said, clearly disappointed.

“Even if Old Hu wasn’t the ringleader, he bore heavy guilt—how could Zhu Yitao let him off so easily?” Old Man Li’s expression turned serious and puzzled; he rose from his squat.

“Zhu Yitao was about to serve him the ‘Seven Bowls,’ but Clerk Sa submitted a petition—spouting ‘thus, therefore, and so forth,’ talking about the Great Shu Code—I didn’t understand.”

“Then Zhu Yitao slammed his gavel in fury and declared: whether the counterfeit silver came from Xianghe Shop or not, Old Hu had slashed a five-hundred-tael treasure down to fifteen taels—utterly insane; without beating him, his inner demons wouldn’t be quelled.”

Clerk Sa replied: “Merchants trading goods are like farmers tilling the land.”

“Merchants seeking high profits are no different from farmers hoping for a bountiful harvest—both are natural instincts, neither guilty nor blameworthy.”

“If you punish Old Hu for profit-seeking, how will you handle every other merchant in Tianmen Town?”

“If you beat Old Hu merely to vent your anger, the people will be lost—because the Great Shu Code is written in black and white, clear and lawful; your anger, my lord, belongs only to you—it cannot be controlled by anyone else.”

Aunt Zhang sighed, spreading her hands: “Zhu Yitao clenched his teeth, stared at Clerk Sa for a long while, and finally let Old Hu go.”

“Ah, Clerk Sa is actually a good man—usually kind. If you ask him to draft a petition, he’ll do it well even without a gift—and very well too—but sometimes he’s too…” Old Man Li sighed, then went back to his porridge.

He no longer slurped softly; instead, he drank loudly, quickly swallowing in silent gulps.

“How was the case finally decided?” Sun Ergou asked.

Aunt Zhang’s brows knotted; she no longer looked as lively as before, sighing: “Later, Bu Si Gui’s ‘Man-Eating Tiger’ came to the county office with a petition too.”

“He spouted nonsense about lawful business and fair dealings, then took away the eight ruffians whose backsides were shredded.”

“They weren’t even Bu Si Gui men—they were street thugs picked up by Tong family clerks outside Bu Si Gui’s gate, probably owing gambling debts and sent to take the punishment.”

“It wasn’t just the petition, was it? Bu Si Gui’s Boss Du holds serious sway in Yingxiang Prefecture—he’s a guest of honor to Prefect Wen. Outside Tianmen Town’s West Gate, you don’t even need to walk ten li before reaching the commandery’s outer city.”

“Even Zhu Yitao is just a county magistrate attached to the prefecture!” Old Man Li remarked.

Sun Ergou nodded: “The Man-Eating Tiger must’ve gone to Yingxiang Prefecture—that’s why it took time.”

Aunt Zhang shook her head: “I don’t know—I only watched from outside the county office.”

“Even if they used Prefect Wen to pressure Zhu Yitao, they wouldn’t shout it out where common folk could hear.”

“That’s the right way!” Old Man Li nodded.

His bowl of porridge was finished; he sighed softly and turned toward his front gate.

Sun Ergou continued carrying his soy vat to deliver it to the “Guests Return Again” eatery at the street corner.

Before leaving, Aunt Zhang looked up once more.

The two dangling legs beneath the eaves were gone—Xiao Yu had slipped away silently.

Two more days passed.

On the rooftop, practicing swordplay, Xiao Yu saw Aunt Zhang again, glowing with excitement, telling tales in the back alley.

This time, her voice was even louder than the day before—her “Ha ha ha” laughter rang endlessly.

“Heaven has eyes! Men won’t take him—Heaven will; officials won’t care—the City God will. Old Hu is finished this time—ha ha ha!”