Chapter 1132

Shao Yong recounted one by one how he met the master and servant on the road, the carriage falling into a deep pit, the axle snapping, and how he used his clothes to pad the ground, only to be extorted for five Brother Qian of heavenly silver.

Suddenly, the whole hall was in an uproar...

Judge Xi picked up the clothes that were casually tied to the axle and said to Shao Yong: "Young Master Shao, is this the piece of clothing you took off?"

Shao Yong nodded and bowed: "Exactly!"

Judge Xi asked Master Wu again: "Doctor Wu, is this item Shao Yong's?"

Master Wu was sweating profusely, and under Xi's majestic and solemn gaze, he could only grit his teeth and say: "Yes!"

"Then is Shao Yong's testimony true?"

Master Wu quickly recalled it once, and found that although Shao Yong's testimony exposed his treacherous merchant nature, it didn't involve a single word about this real lawsuit.

Moreover, there were too many traces left by this matter of Shao Yong's, and if he argued strongly, he would only fall into an extremely unfavorable situation.

And once the two matters were connected, and he was exposed by the judge for being full of lies, his subsequent testimony would also be proven invalid.

If he lost the lawsuit about the door axle, according to the strict theft laws of the Qin, I'm afraid his seventh-rank fate wouldn't be enough to protect him.

His noble fate would be stripped away, and he would be reduced to a laborer or a criminal.

At this moment, he didn't know how much he regretted it.

Just because of a carriage axle, he had provoked a huge lawsuit. One must know that the Qin law is strict.

The matter of the axle wouldn't have gone to the public hall; it would have just been a matter of a few drops of yin dew or a few large coins. But once it reached the public hall, it became an ironclad case, and even a high-ranking official of the Immortal Qin might lose a layer of skin!

After he extorted Shao Yong, he was satisfied with himself, and became even more indulgent with his servants, leading to this great disaster.

At this moment, he didn't know how much he regretted it in his heart.

He even hated the arrogant driver, who clearly only caused a matter of a few large coins but insisted on causing such a great disaster, to the bone.

At this time, no matter how much Master Wu regretted it, he could only grit his teeth and say: "What Young Master Shao said is naturally true!"

"But I didn't know the inside story in the carriage. I only heard the driver say that the carriage fell into the pit to avoid Young Master Shao. Although my carriage only has one horse, it's worth five Brother Qian of silver."

"He broke my carriage worth five Brother Qian of silver, so asking him to compensate for five Brother Qian of silver—there might be a dispute about the amount, but since Young Master Shao agreed, it was a case of one willing to beat and one willing to suffer. It has nothing to do with others, right?"

At this time, the ghosts outside the public hall were in an uproar: "Sure enough, a treacherous merchant!"

"The carriage fell into the pit itself, and Young Master Shao kindly used his own clothes to pad it, helping him save the carriage, only to be bitten for five Brother Qian of silver!"

"You can't say that. Master Wu's carriage broke its axle to avoid him. Although it's a bit excessive to ask for the price of a whole carriage for a broken axle, who told Shao to be stupid? He agreed to it himself. The debt is settled, and it has nothing to do with others."

Someone said in a sarcastic tone, shouting loudly.

Anlu is just a small county town after all, and everyone comes and goes; who doesn't know who?

Soon, people who knew the style of the Wu family came forward to clarify.

"The wind and rain are so heavy today, and the road is muddy. The Wu family's carriage has always been reckless. When have they ever avoided pedestrians? It's good enough if they don't hit them! It's clearly the Wu family's servant, the driver, who is slandering!"

But there were also rogue ghosts arguing: "If it wasn't his fault, why did he take off his clothes to save it? If it had nothing to do with him, why did he pay?"

"He paid, which means he admitted it!"

When Xi heard this, his eyebrows stood up, and he slapped the table: "Come here, take that person who is confusing black and white!"

The ghost runners on both sides immediately stepped forward and dragged the eighth-rank rogue ghost who was mixed in the crowd and said 'if he didn't do it, why pay' onto the hall.

Xi said coldly: "The law is connected to the heavenly way! Based on cause, know the reason; based on evidence, infer the category. Taking off clothes to save a carriage is a virtuous act. Suspecting someone's heart because of a virtuous act, and then maliciously speculating and suspecting someone's behavior based on an unknowable heart, is 'punishing the heart.' Words that punish the heart are demonic words!"

"According to Qin law, those who create demonic books and demonic words shall be tattooed as laborers, and those who spread them knowing they are demonic are equally guilty!"

"Come here, cane him ten times, and tattoo him as a laborer for fifty years..."

The rogue ghost screamed in agony: "Wronged! Wronged, my lord!"

But the two ghost runners were full of malevolent qi, and with a shackling of his fate technique, they dragged him away.

For a time, the whole hall was solemn, and Xi said leisurely: "Is there any report from the left and right?"

A ghost runner stepped out and said: "My lord, we have checked the wheel tracks where the Wu family carriage fell, and determined that there were no signs of avoiding or dodging. It was clearly speeding and fell into the mud pit itself."

Another ghost runner also stepped out and said: "My lord, I have visited the vicinity and found several witnesses who are willing to testify."

"Today, Shao Yong went out and suffered several times from dirty water splashed by the speeding carriage, staining his clothes, and even causing others' clothes to be stained because he dodged. Yet he is benevolent and generous, not only not caring about others' carriages staining his clothes, but even willing to compensate others because his dodging caused their clothes to be stained."

The ghost runner looked at Shao Yong with admiration and pulled two bamboo slips from his sleeve: "These people are willing to testify for him!"

Xi looked at the testimony returned by the ghost runner and the physical evidence of the measured wheel tracks one by one, and then shouted sternly: "Wu Bing, you falsely claimed that the carriage avoided others and fell into a deep pit, and falsely accused and extorted others' property because of the broken axle! What do you have to say?"

Wu Bing was flustered and hurriedly said: "My lord, this matter was not reported by the people, so why is the underworld investigating?"

"There is no such thing as 'the official doesn't investigate if the people don't report' in Qin law!"

"The Great Qin takes officials as teachers, and the law corrects the world. Not only do we officials have the duty to maintain the law, but you all also have the responsibility of collective responsibility and reporting evil."

Xi said coldly: "Taking the false as the real, taking the nothing as the something, this is the crime of fraud. Fraudulently obtaining five Brother Qian of heavenly silver from others, with a value of over 660 coins, shall be tattooed as a laborer!"

Wu Bing's face turned pale, but such petty people know the severity of the underworld law, and he was speechless.

Xi ordered the two members of the Wu family to present the profits obtained from the fraud of five Brother Qian of heavenly silver, and then turned to Shao Yong and said: "According to the law, stealing from people, and buying and selling what is stolen, all shall be returned to the owner. The crime of fraud belongs to the theft law, and according to the law, the money should be returned to you."

"But the crime of fraud has four more clauses."

"No distinction between host and guest: regardless of whether it succeeds, 'if the fraud does not reach one Brother Qian, all shall be fined one liang.' Official appraisal: forging documents, measuring tools, and goods requires appraisal by the 'craftsman master.' Collective responsibility: officials who fail to investigate shall be fined two armor, and those who know but do not report are equally guilty. Reward for reporting evil: the reporter can receive half of the stolen value!"

"Qin law is strict. Those who know but do not report are equally guilty as thieves, both to the official as a failure to investigate, and to the people as collective responsibility."

The ghosts outside the hall said excitedly: "That Master Wu must have known, judge him for collective responsibility!"

Master Wu became even more terrified.

But Xi asked Shao Yong instead: "Young Master Shao, you are also a witness. Have you ever seen Doctor Wu have the act of knowing but not reporting, or the fault of conspiring with Wu Bing?"

Shao Yong shook his head and said honestly: "Doctor Wu has been sitting in the carriage, with the curtains down. It is indeed impossible to perceive whether the driver fell into the pit to avoid me."

Xi continued to ask: "Then what about you? Do you know that Wu Bing is falsely accusing?"

The ghosts below the hall laughed: "He is a confused person, how could he know..."

Shao Yong was silent for a long time before finally nodding: "Yes, I know!"

"Then why didn't you report it to the official?" Xi said coldly: "Is it because you felt that 'more is worse than less,' or because you were cowardly?"

Shao Yong shook his head and said: "It's not cowardice, nor did I feel that 'more is worse than less,' but I think I also have responsibility. The Wu family carriage falling into the pit was certainly caused by their carelessness, but it may not be unrelated to my low fortune and entanglement with bad luck! So, I think there are a few reasons on my own part!"

At this time, the ghosts outside the hall suddenly realized: "Also, I heard the ghost runner say he was unlucky several times today! I also heard he was seen by that fate master... It seems he was really cheated of his ghost fate, his true life was broken, and his fortune was decaying!"

There were also old ghosts sighing: "The Shao family really has a sincere gentleman!"

Xi sighed and said: "Shao Yong, I only ask you, do you know that Wu Bing's behavior is extortion?"

Shao Yong nodded.

Xi shook his head and sighed: "According to the law, knowing but not reporting is the same crime as theft! Although you are the owner of the stolen goods, you can be reduced by seven points at your discretion. But since you know the theft, you must report it to the government."

"The law is like a rope, a standard that binds everyone in the world!"

"You knew of the theft but forgave it, knowing the crime but not correcting it, and instead used silver to lure them, which is a second offense. Although it was good intentions, it actually trampled on the majesty and justice of the law. You should know the crime of collective responsibility for knowing but not reporting. Considering you are the victim, and the time of the incident was very short, and it was discovered by this official before you had a chance to repent, you are punished lightly, fined one armor."

"One armor of yin soldiers is worth three Brother Qian of heavenly silver, so this time three Brother Qian of silver will be deducted as punishment."

Xi asked sternly: "Are you convinced?"

Shao Yong nodded: "The junior is convinced!"

So Xi picked up his pen and wrote the judgment, letting the ghost runner return the remaining two Brother Qian of heavenly silver to him.

Dealing with a series of cases within cases, Xi was orderly and acted according to the law.

But the ghosts below the hall were all whispering: "That Master Wu was clearly an accomplice, yet he was shielded in every way. The Shao family youth was originally kind, but he pursued him relentlessly. What kind of logic is this?"

"Is this how the underworld handles cases?"

"Sigh, Judge Xi is fair, but too rigid. He only knows how to act according to the law. The law is meant to punish evil and promote good, but like this... sigh!"

At this time, Xi slapped the gavel: "With the witness Shao Yong testifying, the Wu family driver Wu Bing once defrauded him of five Brother Qian of silver, and on the Wu family's two people, there happens to be five Brother Qian of silver. It can be inferred that this silver as evidence of the crime should be the five Brother Qian of silver that Shao Yong was defrauded of, but you two master and servant said that the silver was brought from home!"

"Testimony in the public hall is like a knife and gold. Do you know the crime of false testimony?"

"I'll ask one more time, where did the silver come from?"

Xi shouted angrily. Master Wu below the hall was trembling and fell to the ground with a thud: "It was taken from Young Master Shao, but Judge, I don't know anything!"

"The servant driver drove the carriage into the mud pit and broke the axle, claiming it was to avoid Young Master Shao. I saw Young Master Shao didn't object, so how would I know he was lying to me? So, I really didn't know about the crime of fraud! And when buying the door axle, I stayed far away, and that victim... didn't he also say he didn't see me?"

"Therefore, I really didn't know about the door axle matter. It was all, it was all Wu Bing acting on his own. It has nothing to do with me!"

Xi nodded slightly, not criticizing, but turned to ask Wu Bing: "Wu Bing, do you know your crime?"

Wu Bing saw that his master clearly wanted to abandon the car to save the commander, and sneered: "He didn't know? He knew best! I extorted Young Master Shao, and after the fact, the five Brother Qian of silver went to him, and then he gave me one and a half Brother Qian of silver. If this isn't sharing the spoils, what is it?"

"And he didn't let me buy the door axle. I saw that the door axle material was good, and seeing that he was a poor person without three liang of tiles on his head, who would bother giving him money."

"So I took it and left, and he even praised me for doing a good job!"

"I had one and a half Brother Qian of silver on me, which was given to me by him after seeing my success in fraud."

"I even thought he was stingy and was prepared to ask for two more Brother Qian later. Ask yourself, which fraudster takes the small share, while the one who knows nothing takes the large share? How could he not know that besides this one and a half Brother Qian, I had no other silver to buy the door axle?"

Wu Bing knew he had been sentenced for the crime of fraud and would be a laborer, so he was already reckless. Now seeing Master Wu trying to clear his name, he bit back.

"If my lord doesn't believe me, you can search his body!"

"He must still have the other half of the twisted silver on him! It's just that this person has a treacherous merchant fate and has the ability to hide gold, so you must send a capable person to search him."

Xi said coldly: "Left and right!"

The two seventh-rank yin runners sneered: "It's just the weight hidden by a seventh-rank treacherous merchant's fate. There's nothing our brothers can't search out!"

Immediately, one ghost runner grabbed Master Wu, and the other easily searched out three Brother Qian and five fen of heavenly silver.

Xi put the two pieces of twisted broken silver together, and they fit perfectly. He immediately shouted sternly: "Caught red-handed, what else do you have to say?"

Master Wu collapsed on the ground. Xi pronounced the sentence: "Taking what is not yours is theft. Theft of over 660 coins is punishable by dismemberment, and all property shall be confiscated!"

Master Wu struggled: "It's only one door axle, not 660 coins!"

Xi said coldly: "As you said, you were willing to buy the door axle for half a Brother Qian of heavenly silver, so the door axle is naturally worth half a Brother Qian of heavenly silver."

Master Wu collapsed on the ground instantly, listening to Xi pronounce: "Come here, throw him into the Prison Division, use dismemberment to tear his true life, turn him into a criminal ghost, and suffer punishment for a hundred years."

Wu Bing, who was beside him, was also stunned when he heard the sentence was so heavy.

He heard Master Wu say hatefully: "Qin law is an evil law, extremely cruel to thieves. Now you know, right!"

Wu Bing retorted: "If I had to bear it alone, I wouldn't be convinced, but being able to pull you down with me, I'm worth it."

The two ghosts tore at each other...

The ghosts below the hall said happily: "Sure enough, he is a blue-sky judge!"

"It turns out that punishing one heavily and letting one go lightly before was to make them turn against each other and bite each other! Judge Xi is indeed proficient in the law and won't let any evil ghost go!"

The ghosts praised him, but Xi called Shao Yong into the back hall...

Taking off his official robe, Xi changed his expression, losing that cold and stern look, and said lightly: "Are you convinced by my judgment?"

Shao Yong bowed and sighed: "My lord has taught me a lesson. Shao Yong is convinced!"

"It's just that there is one thing I don't understand!"

"Oh?" Xi turned back and said: "The Great Qin takes officials as teachers. If this confusion of yours is about the law, I naturally have the responsibility to explain it to you. Speak..."

Shao Yong asked suspiciously: "My lord's handling of this case was always based on both human and physical evidence, and the facts were all sorted out. You even saw through the petty nature of the servant Wu Bing, which can be called sharp-eyed and god-like in handling cases."

"However, all these inside stories—wouldn't the judge know them clearly just by looking at the Book of Life and Death?"

"Why go to such great lengths to handle the case based on evidence? If the evidence is insufficient..."

Xi interrupted him: "If the evidence is insufficient, I will naturally look at the Book of Life and Death to find evidence."

"In the underworld law, it is indeed possible to convict based on the Book of Life and Death. But I would rather use the Great Qin law, using the case-handling procedures and methods of the yang world."

Shao Yong frowned slightly.

He originally thought Xi had some obsession and didn't want to rely on the Book of Life and Death, but now it seems Xi didn't...

"Regarding case-handling procedures, the Legalists of the Immortal Qin also have two views. Some believe..."

"If the punishment is unknowable, then the prestige is immeasurable!"

"The Book of Life and Death records everything about a ghost's life and death. If you want to handle the case according to the law, you only need to look at the Book of Life and Death and use the judge's fate-number supernatural powers to judge it. But I would rather find evidence and collect testimony to handle the case in a way that all people and ghosts can understand."

"Using the Book of Life and Death to handle cases is the divine path. The divine path is like the heavenly prestige, all-knowing and all-powerful, unfathomable."

"Therefore, the Book of Life and Death and the law behind it represent the heavenly way, which is the heavenly will!"

"But on the other hand, the law is also the consensus of the human heart. The law not only possesses the heavenly will, but it is also the condensation of the human heart, or rather, the human heart is the heavenly will!"

"Since the law is the consensus of the human heart, then we who hold the law have the responsibility to maintain this consensus."

"Therefore, all laws must be manifested by the principles known to people, rather than by unfathomable supernatural powers and heavenly prestige!"

Shao Yong couldn't help but say: "The consensus of the human heart is justice! As long as the world still believes that the underworld is fair and selfless, and operates according to the heavenly way rather than the mind and will of one person or one country, this is the true direction of the human heart and the location of the heavenly will. Rather than this... damaging the majesty of the underworld and making people question the fairness of the underworld."

Xi said calmly: "Do you believe that the law represents the selflessness of the heavenly way?"

Shao Yong said: "I believe that the underworld can represent the selflessness of the heavenly way. The underworld should take the heavenly way as the standard, settle all karma, be fair and upright, selfless and without resentment."

"But karma is also just the heart of the Buddha!"

"Is the heavenly way also just the heart of the Supreme One?"

"Great supernatural beings are the heavenly way. They have infinite wisdom, boundless magic power, and immeasurable compassion, but they will definitely not be selfless. Or rather, their selfishness has already been inscribed in the heavenly way, inscribed in all things, and has become the public interest of the Great Dao. This is the selfishness of the saint, the public interest of the Great Dao!"

Xi said coldly: "How can one person's heart replace the hearts of the masses?"

"The divine path of the underworld takes the heavenly way as the standard and the heart of the great supernatural being as the heart to measure all things in the world, selfless and without resentment, ruling the world with the divine path. This is exactly the situation that the sages of my Legalist school wanted to avoid."

Xi finally revealed a trace of the true meaning of the Legalists of the Immortal Qin.

"Unfathomable, leaving fate, reincarnation, fortune and misfortune, and everything else to the 'divine path,' to the great supernatural beings—this is exactly the situation that my Legalist school has tried its best to avoid."

"The underworld is just a facade!"

"When will there be no fate, no reincarnation in the underworld, no karmic retribution!"

"When will people no longer pray to gods, when will human nature be perfected to the point where gods hide away, and people no longer believe in everything created by the divine path, but trust what they create themselves. That is the future of human nature, and that is the glory of human nature that we want to create!"

"The so-called law is just an attempt by people to include fate, reincarnation, and karma in their own standards."

"The dream of the Legalists is to replace the judgment of gods with the judgment of people, so that the beautiful vision of all living beings is no longer entrusted to the ethereal divine path."

"Therefore, I will never judge all living beings like a god!"

Looking at the world of the underworld, looking at the infinitely vast netherworld, a trace of faint confusion flashed in Xi's eyes: "Regardless of what others do, I have already dedicated all my faith to the law."

"Compared to the divine path, even the law of the Immortal Qin is so unfair, crude, and even trampled upon by the high officials and nobles within the Immortal Qin. Compared to the Heavenly Court, the law of the Immortal Qin is tyrannical, cold, and strict, even called..."

Xi shook his head, infinitely emotional.

"But that is ultimately the law of people..."

"Its unfairness, crudeness, tyranny, coldness, and being trampled upon by people all need me to make up for!"

"The law is created by us, and all its imperfections are our imperfections. Therefore, I will never deny it, but will try my best to perfect it. We believe that one day, people will believe more in the law of people, rather than the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good divine path!"

"This is the path I have practiced all my life..."

Xi sighed leisurely.

Shao Yong was silent, not because he agreed, but because such a grand and firm vision was not something that someone like him could question.

Xi's leisurely sigh.

Contained the questioning of who knows how many precedents, and the questioning of his own conscience in the dead of night.

He was no longer the Legalist believer who was new to the world and believed in the law like a god.

But a Legalist who believed in himself like a god, and created the law with thousands upon thousands of people as his primordial spirit!

At this time, the ghost runner reported: "My lord, there are plague ghosts pressing in from outside the city!"

Xi turned around suddenly, his judge's robe manifested, and he said: "Ascend to the hall!"

?? Just returned to Dali yesterday, preparing to have a good sleep and then code, but was woken up by an earthquake, so I'll write a chapter now.

? (End of chapter)