Chapter 53 A Step Too Late
Because of Fu Bao's high fever, Lin Changqing postponed his trip to the county government office today.
By the time he had settled his sister and rushed to the county government office, the court had already been in session for quite some time. He squeezed through the crowd and ran in, only to see his father being pressed down on a long bench by the yamen runners, who were hitting his father's spine with sticks one after another. The sticks were already covered in blood, and blood was slowly seeping out from his father's back through the coarse linen clothes.
Lin Changqing scrambled over and threw himself on top of his father, pushing aside the executioners and using his body to shield his father from the blows. His eyes were bloodshot as he roared:
"Stop it! Get out of my way!"
The constables were pushed so hard they stumbled and stopped moving.
Lin Changqing was a scholar with official rank, so he was naturally not to be harmed. The yamen runners were in a dilemma and looked at each other before turning to the county magistrate in the hall.
"Sir, someone is obstructing us from enforcing the law."
The magistrate slammed his gavel: "Who are you below? Why are you obstructing the enforcement of the law?"
Lin Changning chuckled and answered quickly, "Your Excellency, the man before me is my third cousin, the son of my second uncle. He just passed the imperial examination this year."
Magistrate Fang was quite a clever man. He had met Lin Changqing before, yet he still asked such a question, intending to put the matter out in the open and tell everyone that even if the student's father broke the law, he would still be severely punished. This would perfectly fulfill his reputation for impartiality and justice. Lin Changning, seeing through the magistrate's intentions, immediately offered a way out, bringing the person's identity to the forefront.
The magistrate sneered, "Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners. This mere student, barely on the path to the imperial examinations, dares to be so arrogant and obstruct punishment? Guards! This student Lin is obstructing the law and showing no respect for others. Give him twenty strokes of the cane!"
Lin Changning raised an eyebrow and ordered twenty strokes of the cane; this was a favor to him.
Lin Changqing, who was being dragged and pressed onto the bench, glared angrily at the two people in the hall. The pain from the blows brought him to his senses a little.
After letting out a muffled groan from the beating, he clenched his teeth tightly. Once the twenty strokes were finished, he knelt below the magistrate's bench, hands on the ground, staring intently at him: "May I ask, Magistrate, is this a case of torture to extract a confession? What crime has my father committed that warrants his death by beating?!"
The magistrate, setting aside the pressed documents, said coldly, "Lin Erniu bribed a yamen runner with ten taels of silver to change the conscription quota for Qingshui County, using Lin Changping's name to replace your family's labor service. The runner has already confessed, and your father has signed and sealed the document! It's just a matter of seventy strokes of the cane and exile a thousand miles away. I'm acting according to the law. When did I ever want to beat someone to death? Lin Tongsheng, you'd better stop talking nonsense!"
Lin Changqing looked at his unconscious father with hatred that was about to burst out. He was too late. Regardless of whether the confession was obtained through torture, the crime had already been decided.
But why was Lin Changping's trial started ahead of schedule? He had no time to talk to his father about how to mitigate the crime. Given his father's temperament, he would probably have spoken rudely to Lin Changping as soon as he entered the courtroom. Things were different now. Lin Changping was a sixth-rank military officer, and even just insults from him would be enough to give his father a hard time.
Lin Changqing scanned the hall, his thoughts racing, before realizing there were no corrupt officials present. He suddenly understood why the trial had begun early, and declared firmly:
"May I ask the magistrate, where is the person who accepted the bribe?"
The magistrate's brow twitched. He hadn't expected Lin Changqing to seize the opportunity so quickly, and he couldn't help but look at Lin Changning.
Lin Changning interrupted: "Magistrate, there are still twenty-six strokes of the cane to go. Continue the punishment."
The magistrate nodded and waved his hand to signal the bailiffs to continue. Lin Changqing stumbled and crawled to Lin Erniu's side, not caring about asking any more questions, and tried to block a few blows for his father.
Lin Changning gave a signal, and Wan Jin immediately went out and subdued the man.
After the final execution, Lin Erniu was barely breathing; the cane had been used, and there was no point in saying anything more. Lin Changqing looked at Lin Changning in the hall, his eyes filled with hatred.
"Sixth brother! Father is still your second uncle, why must you be so ruthless? Have you forgotten that Father also loved you and held you when you were a child?"
Was he trying to play the emotional card? Lin Changning's thoughts raced through his mind. Looking at the growing crowd, he instantly understood what his third cousin was up to.
Lin Changning stood up, coughing a few times while clutching his chest. Hearing this, he patted his chest again and looked at Lin Changqing with a dejected expression: "Third cousin, what do you mean by that? I was summoned here early this morning after returning home, but I never expected my second uncle to speak so harshly to me, saying I should die on the frontier. It was only after the county magistrate's investigation that I learned that it was my second uncle who ruined my path to the imperial examinations and replaced me with a military service quota. I am truly heartbroken!!"
Before Lin Changqing could speak, Lin Changning pointed at him and pounded his chest, saying, "I don't know when my family got in my way with my second uncle. My father's body is gone, my eldest brother is missing, and my second brother was just rescued from the Tartars. Last year, my family alone sent three laborers for military service, but your family didn't send a single one. I want to ask my third cousin if he has a clear conscience!"
The chattering at the doorway grew increasingly noisy.
"How could one family hook up with three? It doesn't look right at all."
"Didn't you hear what that young man in the hall said? He ruined someone's path to the imperial examination. I'm afraid this student was afraid of being overtaken, so he resorted to this heinous act."
"One family hooked up with three people, while the other family didn't send a single one? There's obviously something fishy going on."
"This family is truly vicious. They think this is a child prodigy?"
Lin Changqing tried to explain, but Lin Changning interrupted again: "My father's funeral was in March. My second uncle, along with other clansmen, tried to buy my family's prime paddy fields at a low price. My widowed mother refused, so they rented them to an uncle in the clan at a low price. When my second uncle couldn't seize them, he bribed the officials to put me in the quota. My father and brothers haven't returned, and I'm the only one left in the family. If I hadn't been lucky, I probably wouldn't be here today. I would never have known that my second uncle and third cousin wanted to wipe out my family!!!"
The commotion at the door grew louder. Lin Changqing looked at Lin Changning and pretended to be calm: "Sixth brother, what you say is just speculation. What relationship do your father and brothers have with my father?"
Lin Changning clutched his chest, seemingly in disbelief. He then bowed deeply towards the door, rolled up his sleeves to reveal the scars on his arms, and shouted sternly:
"The written testimonies are still in the main hall!! The villagers all witnessed the disturbance caused by my second uncle during the funeral arrangements in March!! Fellow villagers, Liu Lang could have taken the exam this year. The teacher said he might have passed. You can all ask the people at Xueshu!"
If I hadn't been forced into it, why would I have joined the army? Even now, the wounds from fighting the Tartars haven't fully healed! Look, everyone! These are scars from my first battle. The Tartars were ruthless; if I hadn't fought to the death, where would I be today? On the battlefield, swords have no eyes; I was nearly killed several times! Who would lie about their life?
Third cousin! There are gods watching over us! Your family has bullied my widow and orphans; the whole village knows. Do you think everyone is a fool?! Or do you think passing the imperial examination will cover up Second Uncle's crimes? Don't you know that in our Qingshui County, there are just and upright officials? How can they believe your sophistry?!
At this point, quite a few indignant people were already throwing rotten vegetable leaves at Lin Changqing and Lin Erniu. An old lady almost threw an egg at them, but when she realized what she was doing, she quickly picked up the egg and replaced it with vegetable leaves. She couldn't throw the egg away, though, because it was for her grandson to make egg custard for dinner.
"This kind of person is a mere student? Bah!"
"Exactly, they're a whole family of heartless scoundrels."
"Look at this young man in the hall, he's very handsome, but as thin as a stick. It must have been difficult for him to survive on the battlefield."
With the situation hopeless, Lin Changqing closed his eyes and remained silent. He struggled to his feet, bowed, and softened his tone: "Sir, my father has been flogged. Could you please have him treated first? Now that the flogging is over, could you please allow my father to be treated before his exile?"
The situation is beyond repair; the best course of action now is to save my father's life.
The magistrate waved his hand: "The man will be imprisoned for now. You may arrange his medical treatment as you see fit. He will be exiled to Daxing in half a month! Court adjourned!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
