Chapter 147: Forced Labor or Hanging?
The main hall of the Li family was brightly lit. Li's mother had lit all the lamps and lanterns, illuminating Li's father's dark face and Li's second brother's worried expression.
It was nearly midnight, and Li Erxiong didn't want to wait any longer. He stood up and said to his father, "Father, I'll go to the Bad People's place to find Mr. Bu Ke. The Bad People are very powerful. Since Third Sister has joined the Bad People, they should take care of her."
Upon hearing this, Sister-in-law Li was somewhat frightened; Brother Li was about to break the curfew!
But Li Ersao couldn't bring herself to tell Li Erxiong not to go. After all, Li Sanniang was his own sister, who shared the same parents as Li Erxiong. How could she tell Li Erxiong to take care of himself and not go to save Li Sanniang?
The fact that Li's father and mother did not respond to Li's second brother's words meant that they disagreed.
Li San Niang was their precious treasure, and Li Er Xiong was no ordinary child either; he was also a son born with great anticipation.
We can't let one child lose their life just to save the other, can we?
Not to mention, Brother Li Er is already married and has become a father. He and Sister-in-law Li Er have three sons, and their youngest son, Xiao Wulang, is only three months old.
While considering the familial bond between siblings, one cannot forget the familial bond within one's own small family, not to mention how much fear and anxiety Li Ersao would have to endure if Li Erxiong were to truly pass away.
Unable to vent his worries, Li Erxiong got up, opened the door, and went to the courtyard for some fresh air.
Apart from Lu Zhu'er and Xiao Wulang, who had already been coaxed to sleep, the rest of the Li family were waiting in the main hall for news of Li San Niang.
Mother Li told Li Ersao to take Li Sanlang and Li Silang back to their room to sleep. Li Ersao said, "Mother, let them wait here. My aunt is always so good to them. They always get a share of everything. It's just that they have to wait for news here. What's the big deal? If it really doesn't work, we can ask for leave from the academy tomorrow."
Since Li Ersao said so, Li's mother did not insist any further.
Anxiety spread through the main hall, and the sound of the candle wicks popping on the candlesticks was particularly jarring.
Li Erxiong, who was still getting some fresh air in the courtyard, suddenly heard a knock on the door. He ran to open it and saw three people standing outside: Li Daxiong, who looked displeased; Li Dalang, who was frowning; and Jinwuwei, who was wearing armor and holding a sword.
"Elder brother! Why are you back at this time?"
"Let's go inside and talk."
Li Erxiong listened to Li Daxiong's words and welcomed Li Daxiong and the soldier into the house.
When Li's father saw that it was his eldest brother returning, he anxiously got up and asked, "Eldest brother, where is Third Sister? How is she?"
Looking at his parents, who seemed much more haggard overnight, Brother Li didn't know how to tell them about what Li San Niang had gone through that night.
After Sister-in-law Li served tea to the soldier who was in the same team as Brother Li, Brother Li quickly recounted how he had happened to meet Li San Niang while on night patrol.
Brother Li simply brushed aside Li San Niang's ordeal with a single sentence.
"Third Sister was kidnapped by villains and taken to the alley, but she's safe now. She's going to the Jingzhao Prefecture with our team to report to the authorities. We'll go see her when the gates open tomorrow."
Brother Li concealed the fact that Li San Niang had killed someone in self-defense and that she was injured. He was really afraid that if Li's parents knew that Li San Niang, whom they had pampered since childhood, had suffered such injustice and pain, they would not be able to bear it.
Although Mr. and Mrs. Li have always been in good health, they are approaching the age of fifty, and Mr. Li still dares not take the risk.
Brother Li's words were deceitful, but Brother Li's second brother, sister-in-law Li, and Li's eldest and second sons all realized it.
However, none of them asked any further questions. Now that they knew Li San Niang was alright, Li's mother rubbed her throbbing temples a few times and told everyone to disperse. She would go to the Jingzhao Prefecture to see Li San Niang at dawn.
"Li family's eldest son, where is my old man? Have you found him along with Third Sister?"
Only then did Brother Li notice that Granny Wang was also sitting in his main hall. "Granny Wang, there's still no news, but before I left, the squad leader notified his colleagues to go and inquire, so it should be fine."
"Good, good, if Third Sister is alright, then the old man should be alright too."
Afterwards, the members of the Li family dispersed one by one and returned to their respective courtyards.
Brother Li saw his colleague Zhang Dadan off at the door. As he was leaving, Zhang Dadan said out of the blue, "Brother Sun, according to the regulations, I have to report this."
Brother Li punched Zhang Dadan's shoulder with his right fist, but not with much force. "Good lad, just report the truth."
Zhang Dadan performed a martial arts salute and then left.
When Brother Li returned to his courtyard, he indeed saw Sister-in-law Li, Brother Li, Second Brother Li, Brother Li and Sister-in-law Li waiting there in the side hall.
Brother Li then sat down and told the group in detail where he had seen Li Sanniang, what kind of person she was, her behavior at the time, and the possible consequences she might face afterwards.
"It depends on which official is in charge of Third Sister's case. If the official believes that Third Sister killed someone in a way that she was protecting herself and had no other choice, she can be found not guilty. But if an official who only looks at the law makes the judgment, the lightest punishment will be exile (as explained in the text), and the heaviest punishment will be hanging."
When Brother Li uttered the words "extra labor" and "hanging," the people present could hardly believe it.
"Brother, once the curfew is over, I will go to the Bad Guys' place to find Mr. Bu Ke. Only Mr. Bu Ke can save Third Sister now."
No sooner had Li Erxiong finished speaking than there was a knock on the door.
The Li family members exchanged glances. Could it be that Mr. and Mrs. Li had overheard their conversation outside the door?
When Li Erxiong opened the door, he saw Mr. Bu Ke sitting in a wheelchair, still wearing a white shirt.
The Li family, where Li's father and mother live.
Because of Li San Niang's situation, Li's parents couldn't sleep at all. They couldn't fall asleep even with their eyes closed, their minds filled with thoughts of Li San Niang's condition.
“It’s all my fault! If I hadn’t taught Third Sister to be a doctor, she wouldn’t have had to take the medical exam, she wouldn’t have had to go on duty, and she wouldn’t have encountered bad people.”
Li's mother sensed that Li's father was in a state of confusion, even uttering such illogical words.
You should know that what Li's father was most proud of was that everyone in his family, especially his daughter. Except for the little Luzhu, they were all literate and well-mannered, even more capable than other men.
When the two were together, Li's father often sighed that Li San Niang was the most like her father among his three children, and was indeed intelligent and quick-witted.
Li's mother sat up from the bed and looked at Li's father, saying, "Lin Lang, please don't say that anymore. The thing that made Third Sister happiest was passing the test and becoming the first female doctor in all of Chang'an. She most wanted to treat people and relieve women's suffering; this is what she wanted to do."
She once told me, "You are the best father in the whole Tang Dynasty, the very best father."
"Go to sleep, get a good night's sleep so you'll be energetic to see Third Aunt tomorrow morning."
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