Seeking justice

Chinese people value auspiciousness when doing things.

For example, when he was in elementary school, Pei Qingwu would always devoutly eat a fried dough stick and two eggs before every exam, symbolizing his wish to get a perfect score.

For example, if you don't work hard when you're young, you'll end up answering all sorts of questions under various wishing videos when you're old...

Even modern people seek such good fortune, let alone the ancients.

Moreover, this Dingsheng cake has a festive color, is as soft as fresh snow on a plate, melts in your mouth, is warm and glutinous, and quietly spreads the fragrance of freshly milled rice and wheat between your teeth and cheeks. It is sweet but not greasy, soft but not lacking in texture, and is truly a top-quality product.

Pei Qingwu's pricing was reasonable; it was just for good luck, and he aimed for high sales volume with low profit margins.

Therefore, once the Ding Sheng Gao (a type of sweet rice cake) was put on the shelves, it was quickly sold out by the students.

After deducting the cost, the net profit was nearly a hundred coins, which was enough for an ordinary family to eat for several days.

Besides students, there were also people who came specifically for the famous Sushan Xiaoji pastries. After queuing up but not being able to buy any, they put down their wallets to pre-order, saying they would come back in a few days to pick them up.

"Master, our shop is really making money!"

As it was time to close the shop, Shen Wuniang calculated the day's earnings and said happily.

Her grandparents used to sell tofu pudding in the West Market of Qinzhou. From a young age, Shen Wuniang followed them to their stall and learned excellent accounting skills.

Her family's tofu pudding is clean and delicious, so business is not bad, but it's a small business, so how can it compare to the income of Sushan Market?

“You’ll make more and more money.” Pei Qingwu smiled. “Once you’ve completed your apprenticeship, I’ll open branch stores elsewhere and let you be the managers.”

"real?"

Before Shen Wuniang and Yu Yi could even rejoice, An Yefangfang's manager led two yamen runners to their door.

“Master Pei, your uncle Pei Zhongli and aunt Zhou have already submitted a petition to the yamen by striking the drum to appeal, accusing you of being disobedient and unfilial, ignoring the teachings of your elders, and violating human ethics. We are acting on the orders of the magistrate to summon you to court tomorrow at the beginning of the morning.”

Pei Qingwu felt a chill run down his spine, then sneered, "They've come, just as I expected."

Having anticipated this, she remained calm and bowed to the magistrate and the constable with her hands clasped: "Thank you for your trouble, magistrate. I will be there on time tomorrow."

"How could those two old bastards do this!"

After the neighborhood official and the constables left, Qian Tao's face turned red with anger: "They clearly embezzled the inheritance left by the master and mistress and made her marry a sickly man. If the master hadn't been capable, she would have been tormented to death long ago!"

It wasn't just "long ago," it's already happened.

The real Pei San Niang had already passed away amidst the daily bullying and fear, her soul drifting away with her parents, which allowed this person from another world to take over her body.

She has no right to forgive those people on behalf of the real Pei San Niang, and she has the ability to make those people pay the price for their actions!

"Don't worry, they won't get the better of me. Tomorrow in court, I'll teach them a lesson!"

The following day, at the Qin Prefecture government seat.

Zhao Jue sat high in the hall, while Pei Zhongli and Zhou Shi knelt on the left, looking like heartbroken and aggrieved victims, muttering "misfortune for the family" and "unfilial niece" incessantly. Pei Qingwu knelt quietly on the right.

Seeing this, Zhao Jue slammed his gavel: "Silence! Pei Zhongli, do you and your wife have any evidence to support your accusation that your niece Pei Qingwu is disobedient and unfilial?"

Pei Zhongli immediately kowtowed and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, my wife and I are this woman's own uncle and aunt. Her parents died early, and we raised her with great difficulty and arranged her marriage to the Sun family. However, she was unruly and caused trouble, leading to her being divorced by the Sun family. She refused to listen to our advice and insisted on engaging in lowly professions. For the sake of her future, my wife and I painstakingly found a man named Wang, the registrar of Dangting County, who was willing to take her as a concubine. The dowry was generous, and it was truly an excellent match for her... However, this woman brazenly refused the marriage and spoke rudely to us, showing no gratitude for our upbringing. She is truly unfilial! I beg Your Excellency to punish her severely to uphold filial piety and human ethics!"

Zhou kowtowed repeatedly in agreement, squeezing out a few tears.

"Pei Qingwu, what do you have to say?" Zhao Jue turned to Pei Qingwu.

Pei Qingwu bowed calmly, his voice clear and resonant.

"My lord, please forgive me. I dare not admit to this crime of disobedience... Firstly, I established my own household as a woman, which was personally decided by you a few days ago. The documents are all there. I have already broken free from the control of my clan and can choose my own marriage. My uncles and aunts are neither my parents nor my grandparents. According to the 'Household and Marriage Law,' they have no right to arrange my marriage."

"Secondly, Wang Sihu wanted to take me as a concubine, but the Household Ordinance states: 'A concubine is a lowly person, and a good man may not become a concubine.' I am a good man's daughter. My uncle and aunt accepted twenty strings of cash as a betrothal gift and forced me to become a good man's concubine. This violates the crime of selling a good man in the Thieves and Robbers Law."

"Thirdly, the essence of filial piety lies in respect and obedience, and even more so in the kindness of parents and the filial piety of children. My uncle and aunt, under the guise of raising me, actually first embezzled my parents' inheritance, and then hastily sold me to the Sun family in exchange for a dowry. When my parents died, they owned a house, ten acres of poor land, and some other valuables. According to the Funeral Ordinance and the Household Ordinance, I was an only daughter, and with the death of my parents, the family line ended. A virgin should inherit all the assets. However, after my uncle took over, he married me off for only two bolts of coarse cloth and one hundred copper coins, and he seized all of my parents' inheritance."

“How can such behavior be considered filial piety? I am indignant that he wants to sell me off a second time, so I refused the marriage and have to fend for myself. How can this be considered unfilial? I beg Your Excellency to consider this!”

Pei Qingwu spoke clearly and logically, quoting classical texts with conviction. Zhao Shijun listened and nodded repeatedly, for he certainly remembered Pei Qingwu's story.

After ordering his advisor to retrieve Pei Qingwu's documents establishing herself as a female household and records of previous disputes with the Sun family, Zhao Jue summoned the village head and several old neighbors from the area where the Pei family's old residence was located in Dangting County to testify.

The village head confirmed that Pei Qingwu's parents did indeed leave behind a house and land when they passed away, which were later sold or used by Pei Zhongli. Pei Qingwu's dowry was indeed extremely meager when she got married.

Several neighbors also confirmed that Zhou treated Pei Qingwu quite harshly on a daily basis.

Below the hall, Pei Zhongli and Zhou Shi were already ashen-faced and sweating profusely, with Zhou Shi even collapsing to the ground.

Zhao Jue slammed the gavel again, his voice authoritative: "Pei Zhongli and Zhou! You first embezzled your niece's parents' inheritance, then violated the law by forcibly arranging their marriage, and further accepted money to force a respectable woman into becoming your concubine, committing the crime of abducting a free person! You also falsely accused your niece of being disobedient and unfilial, which is a complete fabrication! You are guilty of multiple crimes and cannot be let off lightly!"

"For the crime of embezzlement, according to the 'crime of embezzlement' in the Miscellaneous Laws and the Household Ordinance, Pei Zhongli and his wife are ordered to immediately return the property of Pei Qingwu's parents that they embezzled. The clerks of the Household Department of the State Administration Office, together with the village head, shall check the asset registers of that year, estimate the current value, and deliver the equivalent amount of money and silk to Pei Qingwu within one month."

"For the crime of forced marriage and sale, Pei Zhongli and his wife coerced a respectable woman into becoming their concubine. Although the attempt failed, their motive was clear, and their actions constituted the crime of selling a respectable woman into marriage as a wife, concubine, or child. According to the Law on Theft and Robbery, they are sentenced to one degree less. Pei Zhongli is sentenced to two and a half years of penal servitude, and Zhou is sentenced to two years of penal servitude. Husband and wife are equally guilty, but the wife's sentence is reduced by one degree. Considering their advanced age, they are allowed to pay copper to redeem their sentences, but they must be flogged as a form of leniency. The couple is sentenced to thirty strokes of the cane each!"

"Crime of false accusation: According to the principle of 'false accusation is punished in return' in the Law of Litigation, Pei Qingwu was falsely accused of being disobedient, which is one of the ten evils of filial impiety. He was punished in return for disobeying his parents and was exiled two thousand miles away. Considering that the false accusation was not completed and the previous crime had already been severely punished, this crime was added to the previous punishment, and the amount of copper to be redeemed and the punishment of flogging were increased. In the end, Pei Zhongli and Zhou were each sentenced to pay one hundred catties of copper and each was given twenty more lashes, for a total of fifty lashes."

The bailiffs responded and dragged Pei Zhongli and Zhou Shi, who were already terrified, to the floor below, stripped them of their outer garments, and exposed their backs.

The flogging whistled as it fell, the sounds of "crack! crack!" echoing throughout the courtroom along with the couple's pig-like screams.

After fifty lashes, the two men's backs were torn and bleeding, and they were limp as mud, with tears streaming down their faces. They had lost all of their previous arrogance.

Pei Qingwu watched this scene calmly, silently thinking: Third Sister, today we have finally gotten back some of the justice and property you deserved.

Magistrate Zhao then spoke gently to Pei Qingwu: "Madam Pei, you have established your own household, made a living in a proper way, and followed the law and propriety without any wrongdoing. The yamen will pursue the misappropriated property on your behalf. Court adjourned!"

"Thank you for your wise decision, Your Excellency!" Pei Qingwu bowed deeply, his back ramrod straight as he rose.

There's a lot to learn about this practice of beating someone with a board.

The wisdom of the working people is boundless. Those yamen runners who were qualified to administer corporal punishment would secretly practice the relevant techniques. After becoming skilled through practice, the tricks of the trade would become apparent.

Both were being beaten, but those who paid money only looked bloody and mangled. In reality, after being taken home and having a couple of plasters applied, they would recover well in a few days.

If someone offends someone without spending money, they might get a beating and die on the spot.

Ironically, Pei Qingwu is not short of money these days.

Before going to court, she secretly slipped money to the bailiffs in charge of administering the beating, asking them to take good care of Pei Zhongli and his wife.

The yamen runners were all straightforward men; they took the money and did their job, beating Pei Zhongli and his wife so badly they nearly lost their lives.

Pei Qingwu watched coldly, his memories flashing back to the original owner's childhood.

In the dark and damp corner of the kitchen, little Pei San Niang huddled on the cold pile of firewood, her stomach growling with hunger.

It was the second day after her parents' seven-day mourning period and her uncle's family moved into the ancestral home. Zhou Shi found her an eyesore and often cut back on her food. That night, there was only half a bowl of cold millet porridge left, which her cousin deliberately knocked over on the ground.

She was so hungry that she felt cold all over. She tried to secretly pick up the scattered grains of rice, but Zhou caught her red-handed and beat her with a broom, calling her a "greedy hungry ghost" and a "bad luck charm." She was forced to kneel on the cold ground and lick the rice clean until her small body was so cold that she almost lost all feeling.

In the winter, the river water was icy cold, and Zhou forced her to wash all the family's heavy clothes.

The two small, delicate hands were soaked in ice water and quickly turned red, swollen, cracked, and oozing blood.

If you're a little slow, Zhou's sharp tongue comes piercing like an ice pick: "Lazybones! You freeloader, a money-loser! Don't even think about eating dinner if you don't wash properly!"

The cold seeped into her bones, causing her to cough incessantly every night, yet she couldn't even get a sip of hot water.

Pei Zhongli ignored this, only saying that she was "spoiled" and "ignorant", and never thought of giving her a winter coat.

Even worse, she once secretly hid a plain silver hairpin left by her deceased mother, which was her only keepsake. However, Zhou found it and forcibly took it away, twisting her arm hard and leaving bruises.

Perhaps when she was about to marry Sun Jian, this poor girl felt fortunate and hopeful, thinking that she could escape her misery and start a new life.

Who knew that the rope would break at its thinnest point, and misfortune would specifically target the unfortunate...

Seeing that Pei Zhongli and his wife were about to be beaten to death, Pei Qingwu nodded calmly to the yamen runners.

Regardless of the circumstances, it's never a good thing to kill someone in court.

After everything was done, the wicked couple were dragged out, limp as discarded sacks.

Witnessing this scene, Pei Qingwu was in high spirits, and as he left, he couldn't help but hum a song.

"What joyous occasion has befallen Master Pei? Why are you so happy?"

Hearing the familiar voice, she turned her head and saw Zhao Xu standing there, smiling at her.