Chuanwen saw that everyone had almost finished eating, and since everyone at the table was craning their necks to watch the commotion outside, he said to them, "Shall we go watch the magistrate hear the case?"
The group was taken aback for a moment. Aoki and his two children didn't know what a county magistrate was, but the places Chuanwen was taking them to were always lively, so they immediately agreed excitedly.
Su Li shrank back a little. He was still a bit scared, but he didn't want to appear too timid in front of his juniors, so he neither said he would go nor that he wouldn't.
Su Yue was so engrossed in the noise from Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong that she didn't notice Su Li's timidity. Seeing that the others were in high spirits, she smiled and agreed.
The group left without hesitation, asking the waiter to pack up the remaining dishes they could. This was the idea of spending where they could and saving where they could. Su Li, who had been begging for over a decade, wholeheartedly agreed. Seeing the leftover soup and broth that couldn't be packed, he felt a pang of heartache and insisted on drinking it all himself, much to the waiter's astonishment.
This soup is their new product. Because of its high price, not many people have tried it yet, but it's truly delicious, made with all the best, most precious ingredients. The waiter, who had originally planned to finish the leftovers after the guests left, watched enviously as Su Li licked the last drop clean. He paused for a moment, then said, "Sir, what's wrong with leaving me a little?"
The group descended the stairs in a grand procession. In the next private room, the emperor and his entourage exchanged glances. Shen Congliang really wanted to join in the fun, but since the fun involved the emperor, he dared not say anything and carefully observed the emperor's expression.
"Let's follow them and see."
The emperor chuckled coldly. Ha! He didn't even know he had such a brother-in-law!
The emperor not only took Shen Congliang and the other two to see it, but also sent Yin Shuang to summon Li Feng, the chief judge of the Court of Judicial Review—Li Zhaoyi's father!
In the county government office, Tu Sandao shouted in the courtroom, "Let me go! I am the emperor's brother-in-law! The maternal uncle of the sixth prince! If you dare to arrest me, I'll make you regret it!"
County Magistrate Zhang De had a headache whenever he saw Tu Sandao. "He's an uncle, but don't you know whether he's a relative or not?"
Although he wasn't the Sixth Prince's maternal uncle, given how much Lord Li valued this family, he couldn't very well arrest Tu Sandao.
"Sir! He stole something! You must do us justice!"
The two men who brought Tu Sandao glared angrily at him, then knelt down and shouted at the county magistrate Zhang De.
Zhang De, who had a small mustache, wanted to roll his eyes. It was just stealing a few things, why make such a fuss? Really, was he going to miss his time with his beloved concubine over such a trivial matter?
Before even mentioning what they stole, Zhang De already had some complaints about the two men, and impatiently waved his hand, saying, "Just make him return whatever he stole! Court adjourned!"
As he was about to leave, not only the two men, but also the crowd of onlookers outside the courtroom were stunned. Was that all?
[Huh? You can judge a case like that? Even farting wouldn't be this fast!]
Chuanwen, who had just arrived, peeked out from behind the crowd to see what was happening inside. Then he saw the county magistrate, who was about to leave, slip and fall flat on his backside.
Since Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong were small, Su Yu and Qing Mu each carried one on their shoulders. When the two little guys saw the county magistrate fall down comically, they immediately clapped their hands and laughed.
This laugh drew the attention of everyone around, their eyes wide with surprise. Whose child was this, daring to mock the county magistrate to his face! Did he have a death wish?!
Su Yue and Su Li quickly covered their mouths, terrified. Su Yu and Qingmu, on the other hand, didn't seem to care much and were somewhat innocent about their father and sister's behavior.
"Whose ignorant brat is this! How dare he make a scene in court? Does he want to get a beating?"
In the courtroom, a minor clerk reprimanded someone, then gave a wink to two constables, who were about to come over and arrest the man.
Wen Xue immediately stepped in front of the group, her eyes sharp and cold, a sneer playing on her lips as she looked at Zhang De, who was being helped up. She didn't believe Zhang De would dare to make a move!
Xiao Hei and Xiao Hong weren't afraid at all. They pried open Su Yue and Su Li's hands and bared their teeth at the two yamen runners who came over. Su Li was so scared that his hands trembled.
Zhang De felt like crying inside. He had heard the thoughts of Chuanwen, this ancestor, so how could he dare to beat them? Did they want to die? He quickly stopped the two constables.
"The child is just ignorant, there's no need to argue with him."
His words stunned everyone again. They had thought he was a muddle-headed official after seeing his confused judgment, but it turned out he was actually quite good!
However, the clerk who was recording the events was a little confused. When did his master become so tolerant?
"Sir! Please, you must do us justice!" The two shop assistants cried out as soon as they saw the situation. "Sir! This man stole something. Even if we don't arrest him, we should at least give him a few lashes to teach him a lesson. Otherwise, if there's no punishment, he'll just steal again next time! This time he stole a hat worth ten taels of silver. Who knows if he'll steal something even more valuable next time!"
Those watching the spectacle outside nodded in agreement, and the crowd began pointing and whispering among themselves about Tu Sandao.
"That's right, this guy doesn't look like a good person at all, he looks fierce! If we don't teach him a lesson, who knows what he might steal next time!"
"It's one thing if he just steals things, but I'm afraid he might hurt someone!"
[Yes, yes, didn't you hear him shouting just now? He's the current prince's maternal uncle! I wonder if these two guys will be able to get justice!]
Everyone was talking at once, and Chuanwen was listening intently, while Tu Sandao inside also held his head high.
Tu Sandao has committed many crimes, including petty theft and running rampant in the market. Any one of these offenses would have been enough to warrant a beating, but so far he hasn't received a single one.
He wasn't stupid; he knew that Lord Zhang was aware of their relationship with the Li family, so he wasn't afraid whenever he came here, knowing that Lord Zhang would always be on his side.
However, Zhang De did not strike the gavel to silence everyone and release him as he had done before. Instead, his eyebrows furrowed, and he looked very conflicted.
Because Zhang De noticed the hat that the shopkeeper had mentioned was worth ten taels of silver!
Where did that hat cost ten taels? It was from that general store called Wanwu Grocery Store! He bought one just the day before yesterday!
Mentioning this Wanwu General Store brought back many more memories: it was run by the imperial court, all the goods inside were produced by the girls' school, and the founder of the girls' school was standing outside the hall, eagerly watching him!
Zhang De almost cried; this was truly a difficult problem for him!
If we strike Tu Sandao, we'll offend Li Feng, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review! If we don't strike, we'll offend this little devil!
After hesitating for a while, Zhang De slammed his gavel and ordered Tu Sandao to be taken away and beaten!
The Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review was only a fifth-rank official, while the messenger outside the hall was the little ancestor of the entire Great Jin Dynasty, someone even the emperor worshipped! So he knew very well who he could and couldn't offend!
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