Chapter 5: Judgment in Court

Although the final penalty result did not change, it allowed Li Nuo to understand the rules of the Code.

His remaining life span according to the code can be changed.

As far as prison sentences are concerned, within the limits prescribed by law, for every year a criminal is sentenced, he lives one day longer.

He asked the magistrate of Chang'an County. In addition to hard labor in Daxia, there are also lighter punishments such as flogging and caning, and heavier punishments such as exile and death penalty. Li Nuo did not know how much lifespan these punishments could buy him. Firstly, there was an upper limit to the conviction of the female assassin, and secondly, it was not easy for him to torment the magistrate of Chang'an County, an honest man.

But there is one thing that Li Nuo can be sure of.

In order for the Code to increase his lifespan, the criminal should be related to him, such as the female assassin who tried to kill him. If it was any case, the government would judge so many cases every day, wouldn't he be immortal?

So, doesn't it mean that the more people who try to assassinate him, the better?

If you want to live, you have to exchange your life for it...

This is too tragic. Who would have nothing better to do than assassinate a fool every day?

The magistrate of Chang'an County was worried that if he stayed any longer, he would not be able to resist attacking this playboy. Of course, he was more afraid of getting mad at himself. After bowing to Li Nuo, he said, "Sir, I am still trying a case in court. How about..."

Speaking of the case, Li Nuo had an idea.

I don’t know if the case had nothing to do with him, but could the case he personally tried add to his lifespan?

Time is of the essence. Even if he had just gained two days of life, he only had five days left to live. He had to seize every opportunity. With this in mind, he immediately said to the magistrate of Chang'an County, "Sir Pei, I have another unwelcome request. Can I try this case?"

The Chang'an County Magistrate was startled when he heard this: "What, you want to try the case?"

Li Nuo asked, "Is it okay?"

In principle, it is of course not allowed to go to court to try cases without official status.

But your father is the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, and what you say is the principle. Who dares to say anything more?

The magistrate of Chang'an County took a deep breath and said, "Of course, sir, please come this way..."

Wu Guanjia asked Li Nuo curiously, "Sir, why are you trying cases?"

Li Nuo just smiled and said, "I have nothing to do, so I'll just do an examination for fun..."

Butler Wu didn't say anything. It was very likely that the young master was just having fun, but since he liked it, let him have some fun.

During the trial, the county magistrate left in a hurry. Although the bailiffs on both sides of the court were curious, they did not dare to say anything. As for the two suspects kneeling in the court, they did not dare to move even though their knees were numb from kneeling.

After a long time, the county magistrate came back, and beside him was a young man in gorgeous clothes.

The fifth-rank magistrate of Chang'an County actually gave up the main seat to this young man, and his attitude towards him was extremely respectful, which made everyone present tremble in their hearts and even slow down their breathing.

Li Nuo had learned outside just now that the Chang'an County Magistrate was investigating a theft case. Currently, two suspects had been identified and were being questioned as per routine procedures.

Li Nuo first took the file and looked at it. The writing of Daxia was similar to the traditional Chinese characters of later generations. When Li Nuo wrote his thesis, he often had to study ancient documents and mastered quite a few traditional Chinese characters. Although there were still some characters he did not recognize, he could guess them based on the context.

However, his predecessor was, after all, a fool who couldn't even do addition and subtraction within ten, and it was very likely that he didn't know many words.

Li Nuo handed the file to the magistrate of Chang'an County and said, "Sir Pei, there are many words on it that I don't recognize. Could you please read them for me..."

The magistrate of Chang'an County sneered in his heart. He could not read a single word, yet he was trying to judge a case by imitating others. He acted on impulse and did not know his own weight. After complaining for a few words, he smiled and said, "No trouble, no trouble. This case is actually very simple. Wang from Chang'an Street lost dozens of taels of silver. It is suspected that one of the two neighbors stole it..."

After a while, Li Nuo looked down.

This was an ordinary theft case. Both of Wang's neighbors were suspects, but there was insufficient evidence to convict them.

Li Nuo thought for a moment, then looked at a thin man with a goatee and asked, "What did you do since you got up yesterday? Tell me everything truthfully. Don't leave anything out."

The thin man coughed twice and said, "Sir, I got up at about 9:00 that morning, ate three buns at a roadside bun shop, drank a bowl of porridge, and then strolled on the street. At noon, I went to the casino to gamble twice. At about 5:00, I had dinner at Xiangmanlou, then went home to take a nap. At 3:00, I went out and greeted Wang, then went to Fengqilou to have fun... After having fun, I went to the brothel to listen to music, watch monkey shows and dancers, and then drank with friends. I returned home before 11:00 and went to sleep at home. I really didn't have time to steal."

Li Nuo looked at another fat man.

Before he could open his mouth, the man immediately said, "Your Excellency is wronged. I got up at 11:00 a.m. to make cakes, and went out to sell them before 7:00 p.m. At 9:00 p.m., I finished selling the cakes and went home. I first fetched water, then chopped wood. After finishing these tasks, about 2:55 p.m., I said hello to Wang and went home to cook... Then I went out to buy rice around 11:00 p.m. and had a bowl of noodles at Liu's noodle restaurant at the east end of the alley. After buying rice, I went home, washed clothes, took a bath, and had sex with my wife. First, I used the upper position, then the side position, the lower position, and finally the back position..."

The magistrate of Chang'an County touched his crotch without leaving any trace, and interrupted him, saying: "Alright, there is no need to explain these things in such detail..."

Wang's house was robbed and dozens of taels of silver were lost. He suspected that one of his two neighbors was responsible, so he summoned them both to court, but they both denied the theft and had proof of their alibis.

Dozens of taels of silver were not a small amount of money for ordinary people. As an official, he must take it seriously. However, he was too lazy to verify everything. Since this playboy wanted to investigate the case, he just let him do it.

He wanted to see if this dude had the ability of his father.

After listening to the two people's testimonies, Li Nuo did not say anything. He casually chatted with the Chang'an County Magistrate and asked with a smile: "Where is Lord Pei's hometown?"

The magistrate of Chang'an County was stunned for a moment, then said, "Longnan."

"What a coincidence..."

"You are also from Longnan? Aren't you from Chang'an?"

"I have a friend whose ancestral home is in Longnan... By the way, how many people are there in Lord Pei's family?"

"There was an old mother who had a son with her wife."

"Master Pei is handsome and suave, but he has no concubines at home?"

"Ah, I want to, but Madam won't let me..."

…

The two chatted idly, seemingly forgetting about the trial. Not to mention the bailiffs on both sides, even the two suspects in the court were listening to the gossip with great interest.

Just when the magistrate of Chang'an County was wondering what this playboy was up to, Li Nuo suddenly looked down at the hall and said to the fat man, "You, tell me what you did that day in reverse."

Although the fat man didn't know the reason, he still recalled and said honestly: "My wife and I had a good time. We tried the back position, the bottom position, the side position, and the top position. We took a bath, washed clothes, bought rice, and had noodles at Liu's Noodle House..., cooked, chopped wood, carried water, sold cakes, made cakes, and got up..."

Li Nuo nodded slightly.

Although it is a bit slower than what I said just now, every single thing still makes sense.

Then he looked at the thin man with a goatee and said, "It's your turn."

The thin man trembled and said, "I got up at si ..."

Li Nuo waved his hand to interrupt him: "I didn't ask you to speak straightly. Start from when you go to bed at night, and speak backwards..."

The thin man's forehead began to sweat: "Sleep, I drank with friends before going to bed, watched monkey shows and dancers in the brothel, listened to music..."

Li Nuo waved his hand again: "Wait, didn't we say we should listen to the music first, then the monkey show, and finally the dancer? Why is it so confusing..."

The thin man with a goatee shuddered and began to sweat profusely. He said in a trembling voice: "Remember, I remembered it wrong..."

"continue."

"Yes, I listen to music. I take a nap at home before listening to music..."

"Aren't you having fun in Fengqi Tower?"

"Oh, I forgot, I forgot. I'll take a nap first and then go to Fengqi Tower..."

"Before taking a nap?"

"I had dinner at Xiang Man Lou and went to the casino to gamble. Before that, I strolled around. Before that, I ate three steamed buns and a bowl of porridge..."

"Didn't you just say two buns?"

"Yes, two. Two."

"Sorry, I just remembered that you just said three."

Bang!

Li Nuo seemed to be back in court. He slammed the gavel and said angrily, "He even remembers the exact sequence of the positions he used when making love with his wife. But you can't remember whether you ate two or three buns in the morning. What you said just now must be a fabrication. Tell me, why did you lie? Did you steal Wang's money?"

The thin man with a goatee was startled and immediately replied, "My Lord, I have a bad memory..."

At this time, the Chang'an County Magistrate, who was experienced in handling cases, had already understood everything.

"You have a bad memory, don't you?"

There was no need for Li Nuo to ask any more questions. The Magistrate of Chang'an County smiled and waved to the constables on both sides. He said, "Go, take him away and let him think about it carefully. I believe he will remember it..."

He is unwilling to torture innocent people.

Anyone who is not blind can see that there is something wrong with this skinny guy with a goatee. At this time, he needs to be helped to restore his memory.

In fact, he was very unhappy with this guy just now.

Fengqi Tower..., who are you and what position do you hold to be worthy of going to the same brothel with me?

Hearing the words of the Chang'an County Magistrate, the thin man with the goatee shuddered. Even if he had never experienced the "Great Memory Restoration Technique" of the County Court, he had heard from his colleagues that it was really a life-or-death experience. He immediately said, "Sir, I confess. I stole the silver. There is no need to trouble these officers!"

…

"Adjourn!"

After slamming the gavel, the magistrate of Chang'an County bowed to Li Nuo and said, "Sir, your wisdom is beyond my reach. How did you come up with the idea of ​​having them rewind their testimony?"

Li Nuo smiled and said, "It's nothing. If it's something he experienced personally, he won't make any mistakes even if he recalls it backwards. But if it's a story he made up on the spur of the moment, it's hard to retell it backwards. What's more, he was distracted by our chat during this time, so he couldn't remember it..."

These are just some little techniques of modern interrogation. Although Li Nuo is not a criminal policeman, he often deals with them and has learned a few tricks from them.

The magistrate of Chang'an County bowed again: "I am grateful for your advice..."

While speaking, he couldn't help but look at the young man in front of him twice.

Rumors really can't be believed.

Who said the son of the Dali Temple Minister is a fool?

If this person is a fool, then isn't Pei Zhe even worse than a fool?

Outside the court, Steward Wu was shocked and sighed. Since when did the word "wisdom" become used to describe his foolish young master...

(End of this chapter)