Chapter 36: Public Display of Sanctity! (Part 2)

Fengyang Prefecture has a population of several hundred thousand. Inside, it is divided into four districts—East, South, West, and North—each with its own yamen and a seventh-rank assistant magistrate responsible for presiding over cases. Only major or serious cases are reported to the Zhongshu Fuyamen to be tried by the prefect.

At this very moment, the East City Yamen.

In the main hall, several bailiffs stood solemnly on both sides holding staves. A plaque inscribed with "High Hanging Bright Mirror" hung high above. A middle-aged man dressed in the green official robes of an assistant magistrate sat behind a desk, holding a blood-red petition and lightly stroking his goat-like beard, seemingly reading it carefully.

Below the hall, a withered old man with graying hair knelt on the ground, while a sturdy, triangular-eyed man in brocade robes stood beside him.

The kneeling, withered old man wore a look of profound grief, while the corner of the brocade-robed man's mouth curled slightly, his expression relaxed, appearing completely unconcerned.

A large crowd of commoners, gentry, and even a group of idle ruffians gathered outside, whispering to one another, looking as if they were watching a good show.

Whether in the Great Jin or the previous Great Jing dynasty, when a yamen was not hearing major or serious cases, commoners were allowed to gather outside the main hall to watch and listen.

Of course, the truly destitute commoners needed to hustle for their livelihoods every day and basically had no leisure time for this; those who truly had the leisure to come and listen were mostly gentry or wealthy households.

At this moment, after reading the blood-red petition for a long while, the East Yamen assistant magistrate, Tian Ming, tapped his gavel and said in a slow, measured tone:

"Chu Deshun, I have finished reading your blood-red petition. While every word is written in tears, I cannot simply listen to your one-sided story. Zhao Hailong, Chu Deshun accuses you of taking advantage of your drunkenness in a private room on the third floor of the Jinyang Restaurant to rape his daughter, Chu Ling, causing her to jump from the building in humiliation after she awoke. She is now bedridden with severe injuries. Is this true?"

Zhao Hailong had once donated money to purchase the status of a Martial Child Student, so he did not need to kneel when answering in court. He immediately said in a loud voice:

"Your Honor, there is absolutely no such thing! This Chu Deshun is slandering my innocence out of thin air!"

Chu Deshun, who was over fifty, suddenly raised his head and hissed with grief and resentment:

"Zhao Hailong, you beast who is worse than an animal! My daughter was only there to perform music, yet you forcibly dragged her into the private room to humiliate her. Whether it was the restaurant waiter or other performers, everyone in the restaurant heard your beastly acts outside the door. How dare you quibble before the assistant magistrate!"

Zhao Hailong sneered: "You old thing, stop spouting such venom. You say so many people saw it, so where are the witnesses?"

Chu Deshun kowtowed to Tian Ming and said sorrowfully:

"Lord Tian, this old man has already found a witness. He is a waiter at the Jinyang Restaurant. He was at the scene and witnessed the whole thing. When he tried to intervene, he was beaten by Zhao Hailong's men. He is waiting in the side hall now. Please, my Lord, summon him here."

Tian Ming also maintained an unhurried demeanor and nodded slightly:

"Summon the witness into the hall."

"Summon—the witness into the hall—"

The bailiffs below relayed the order. Shortly after, a young man in plain clothes with a face full of scars and a bandage wrapped around his head walked up timidly from the side hall and knelt on the ground:

"Commoner Xu Lang pays respects to the assistant magistrate."

Tian Ming put on a show and said: "Xu Lang, Chu Deshun says you were present that day. Can you act as a witness to testify to Zhao Hailong's violent acts against Chu Ling?"

Xu Lang lowered his head and said: "The commoner was on the third floor at the time."

"What happened then?"

"At that time... at that time, Chu Ling was performing music in another private room. When she came out, she was accidentally spotted by the drunken Zhao Hailong, who then dragged her into the room."

"And then?"

"And then, and then..."

Xu Lang opened his mouth several times but stopped, his voice growing quieter and quieter until he could not speak at all.

Seeing this, Zhao Hailong immediately revealed a sinister sneer, while Chu Deshun, who was kneeling to the side, hurriedly said:

"A-Lang, what is wrong with you? Just say what you saw, why are you stammering?"

"Chu Deshun, do not interfere with the witness!"

Tian Ming, behind the desk, slapped his gavel and scolded:

"Xu Lang, since you have come out to testify, do not be hesitant. What happened later? Did Zhao Hailong forcibly rape Chu Ling in the room or not?"

Xu Lang clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. It seemed he was undergoing a fierce internal struggle.

After a long while, he finally spoke with a face ashen with despair:

"The commoner does not know, because I was beaten unconscious when I tried to intervene, so I do not know what happened afterward..."

After saying this, Xu Lang's spirit seemed to completely collapse, his head hanging almost to his chest. Meanwhile, Chu Deshun, who was kneeling to the side, cried out in agitation and disbelief:

"Xu Lang, why won't you tell the truth! You have always admired Ling'er, how can you help the evildoer and cover for this beast!"

"Didn't you promise me you would testify for Ling'er and bring Zhao Hailong to justice?!"

At the height of his agitation, he uncontrollably grabbed Xu Lang by the collar, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Let go!"

Without needing Tian Ming to speak, two bailiffs immediately stepped forward and pried the two apart with red staves. From beginning to end, Xu Lang acted as if he had lost his soul, allowing himself to be hit and scolded without daring to respond to a single word from Chu Deshun.

The many onlookers outside the hall were in an uproar at this sight:

"What is going on? Didn't they say earlier that this Xu Lang was willing to stand up and testify for Chu Ling? Why has he changed his tune now?"

"Ha, need you ask? What kind of person is Zhao Hailong? Xu Lang still has a sick mother at home. If he doesn't change his story, his house might just 'catch fire' tonight. How could he have the guts to hold out?"

"True. There were many other waiters at the Jinyang Restaurant who heard the commotion, but even though Chu Deshun begged everywhere, no one dared to testify for him. It was only because this Xu Lang seemed to be quite fond of Chu Ling that he wanted to come out and testify regardless of the cost. It's a pity that in the end, the arm still couldn't twist the thigh..."

Among the onlookers were many gentry and wealthy households who knew a little about Zhao Hailong and were well-versed in these dirty tactics; in a few words, they had pieced together the truth of the matter.

"Chu Deshun!"

With Xu Lang changing his story on the spot and failing to provide any explanation, Tian Ming's tone grew impatient, and he scolded:

"Is this the so-called witness you found?"

Chu Deshun's face was covered in tears as he kowtowed like he was pounding garlic, the blue bricks ringing with every impact:

"My Lord, regardless of anything else, Xu Lang has already proven that my daughter was forcibly dragged into the room by Zhao Hailong. The signs of violence on her body can also fully prove what this beast did. Please, my Lord, bring this monster to justice!"

Tian Ming remained unmoved and said:

"I judge cases based on evidence, not your one-sided story. What evidence do you have to prove that Chu Ling's condition was caused by Zhao Hailong and not someone else?"

This was blatant favoritism. Zhao Hailong retorted with unbridled arrogance:

"Exactly! I only dragged her in to sing for me; I know nothing about any signs of violence! Even if there were any, there is no evidence to prove it was my doing. Maybe she was messing around with some other wild man?"

Among the crowd outside, some of Zhao Hailong's men began to jeer and make noise: "That's right, that's right! Our boss is brilliant and mighty. Who knows what kind of madness that young woman had to jump from the building?"

"People come and go at the Jinyang Restaurant every day. She was there selling smiles every day; maybe she was played by someone else?"

(End of chapter)