Sister Dies, Sister Remarries (Part 7)
The unexpected turn of events caused Ercuo's mother to faint from shock.
The sisters from Agu's family exclaimed, "Mom!"
Aunt Xu stepped closer and bent down to check his breath: "It's alright, he's still breathing."
Zhebierjia pointed at Ercuo Ama and ordered the coffin bearers, "Quickly, quickly, take her away too!"
Just as the coffin bearers were about to lend a hand, Zhebier slapped his forehead and added, "Tie their hands and feet tight! Don't let them wake up and try to kill themselves again!"
Curled up in the corner, Agur Tso's face was ashen, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Weiji faced him and asked, "Now that things have come to this, Agur Tso, are you still going to insist on denying it?"
Agur Tso broke down in tears, saying intermittently, "I didn't mean it! I just wanted her to hand over the money! She refused and even bit me!"
"I tried to pry her hands off, but I couldn't touch her stomach. She must be faking it, faking it! She was yelling that her stomach hurt, trying to attract my parents to scold me..."
"I told her to stop shouting! She went crazy and kept shouting! I just covered her mouth for a little while... Do you believe me? It really was just a little while... You have to believe me!"
"Why isn't she moving anymore? The baby in her belly isn't moving either... A few days ago I touched him, and he kicked me so hard, it must be a baby..."
"Gone, everyone's gone... the older one's gone, the younger one's gone... the money's gone too, everything's gone..."
Ercuo's older sisters cried and said, "Little brother, you've really been foolish!"
"How are Dad and Mom supposed to live now?!"
Just then, Zhebierjia entered the main hall, bowed to Wei Ji, and said with a solemn expression, "Prefect, now that the truth has come to light, why not settle this matter as soon as possible?"
"The death of Agu's wife was an accidental injury. In terms of cause and effect, both husband and wife were at fault. Agu's elderly parents were greatly shocked by this incident, and now one of them is mentally unstable and the other is ill. They only have this one child. If something happens to him, they can't expect their sons-in-law to take care of them in their old age."
“Our Nanguang tribe has only recently returned to the control of the Song Dynasty, and most of the people living in the mountains are uneducated and cannot even speak a word of Chinese. To expect them to strictly abide by the laws and etiquette of the Han people is to make things difficult for them.”
“As the head of Niumen Dong, I humbly request Your Excellency to show compassion for the people and leave Ercuo in the village so that her clan can deal with her according to the clan rules. As for the bride’s family, let Agu’s family raise more money as compensation for her broken bones.”
As she spoke, she turned to look at Nii's parents, "Abe's family, the little girl you raised with so much care is gone. I know you're heartbroken, but even if your son-in-law pays with his life, your little girl can't be brought back to life."
“Your family hasn’t been in Niumendong for long. If you really ruin the Agu family line, how will you get along with your neighbors in the village? Don’t you think so?”
“This, this…” Niyi’s father and mother each held a child, their faces showing alarm.
Seeing this, Zimo rushed to his parents and angrily exclaimed, "My sister's life is also a life! Should she be treated less valuable than her man? She was sold once while she was alive; does she have to be sold again now that she's dead? What's the point of such money? Aren't you afraid of going to hell?"
Nii's father remained silent, embarrassed, while Nii's mother covered her face and began to cry again.
Zhebier roared, "You ungrateful brat, talking back to your leader and cursing your parents! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll think you're invincible!" With that, he snatched the bell from the wizard's hand and threw it at Zimo's back.
I grabbed Zimo, and the copper bell clattered to the ground. Zhebierjia said angrily, "Qingniangzi, you're meddling in other people's business again!"
“Zhebierjia, cease your insolence!” Wei Ji’s gaze was icy as he swept past the crowd and said, “The five tribes and seventeen clans of the Nan Guang tribe surrendered their territory to the Song Dynasty. Their surrender document clearly stated, ‘We wish to spread the king’s teachings and serve as a permanent bulwark.’ The Song Dynasty’s Criminal Code stipulates that ‘when relatives commit crimes against each other, the punishment shall be determined according to the five degrees of mourning.’ Aguercuo is a Liao person, and even more so, a Song person; Niumendong is also Song territory. Zhebierjia, you disregard the laws of the court and obstruct the officials from enforcing the law. What exactly are you trying to achieve?”
"Lord Wei, please don't misunderstand!" Zhebierjia's expression changed drastically, and he pointed to the sky and the ground, saying, "Mountain God and Elder Zhu above! Zhebierjia's loyalty is witnessed by gods and ghosts! Even if I had a hundred lives, I would never dare to do such a disobedient thing!"
Wei Ji gestured to Wu Lei and Shi Yu to lift Aguercuo up, and then said to Zhe Bierjia, "Listen carefully, the suspect must be taken back to the state government office for detention immediately, and the victim's body will be temporarily stored here. Later, archers from the patrol office will come to guard it, and it can only be buried after the criminal investigation department reviews and determines the guilt."
"Yes, yes!" Zhebierjia agreed repeatedly, then turned to look outside the courtyard, a troubled expression on his face. "It's just that these neighbors—"
Wei Ji interrupted him, saying, "Naturally, it's up to you to step in and appease them."
"Lord Wei, please." Zhebierjia led the way, followed closely by the officials from the prefectural government escorting Agultso. Agultso's sisters chased after them, weeping and wailing, while Zhimo and his family remained in the main room, silently guarding Niyi's body. The shaman sighed, picked up the bell from the ground, hung it back on his bamboo staff, and began to softly chant a funeral hymn.
Wang Yunhui looked at Zhimo's retreating figure with a worried expression. I gently tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "There's plenty of time in the future."
Aunt Xu also said, "We can't bring up the matter of saving money right now."
Qu Bu walked over and said, "Don't worry, Madam Wang. I'll find a chance to talk to Zhi Mo about her coming to the weaving workshop to help out. It's getting late, let's all go down the mountain first."
Liu Xingjian nodded: "Alright."
Liu Yu, who was walking in front of the group, suddenly stopped, turned around and said with a wry smile, "This mountain is not easy to descend."
I hurried forward and saw that the Dong people from all directions surged in like a tide, blocking Zhebierjia and Weiji's group near the house, making it impossible for them to move an inch.
"Lord Wei, please wait!" An elderly clan elder, well past seventy, knelt down tremblingly, followed by a group of young and strong men who knelt down behind him.
Zhebierjia reached out his hands to help the old man up: "Uncle Yan, why are you doing this? Get up and talk to me."
Old Man Yan refused to get up, prostrating himself on the ground and pleading, "Lord Wei, please have mercy and don't take away Agu's child!"
“Whether you want to kill him or torture him, just give me a straight answer, sir. Our clan will hold a Nuo ritual and execute him privately! You Han people often say ‘family scandals should not be aired in public,’ and we Liao people are no different.”
“The Agu family’s affairs are disgraceful. If this gets out, how will the men of Niumendong ever be able to hold their heads high again?”
"You, sir, have built bridges and roads for us with the heart of a bodhisattva. We beg you to show your mercy and not let innocent people be implicated by the Agu family!"
The kneeling young men and women said in unison, "Grandpa is right, please have mercy on us!"
“You, you—” Zhebierjia’s eyes flickered as he pointed at the layers upon layers of his neighbors and sighed to Wei Ji, “Alas, Your Excellency, the mountain people are foolish and ignorant, what should we do?”
"What? You men of Niumendong wear human skin but have no shame?!" I pushed my way through the crowd, kicked the two children kneeling next to Old Man Yan to the ground, and scolded, "Don't you have mothers or sisters?"
"Agul Tso's brutal murder of his pregnant wife is an outrage against heaven and earth, and a crime against humanity and the gods! You, as his relatives, not only fail to sever ties with him, but also try every means to protect him!"
"Could it be that all the men in Niumendong are the same kind of people as him? What will the neighbors in the surrounding villages think of Niumendong in the future? Who will dare to let their daughters marry into the village?"
"You actually dare to coerce the officials and set up your own torture chamber! You must have a death wish! If word gets out, aren't you afraid that Xiong Tu will bring his troops and wipe out Niu Men Dong?"
Elder Yan was utterly shocked: "This, this..."
The two children who had been kicked didn't seem to care at all. They made faces at me and said, "Qing Niangzi is right!" Then, they quickly got up and helped Old Man Yan up on either side of him. "Grandpa, let's go!"
The children all stood up, and Zhe Bierjia glared at me and said, "Qing Niangzi, you're spreading alarmist rumors again!"
With a frosty expression, Wei Ji patted Zhe Bierjia on the shoulder and said, "Come with me."
The two entered the room, and Wei Ji took out a divination coin from his sleeve, picked out one, and handed it to Zhe Bierjia. Upon seeing it, Zhe Bierjia's expression changed drastically. The two whispered a few words to each other, and Zhe Bierjia nodded repeatedly, looking relieved.
He turned around and shouted to the villagers who had not yet left: "Fellow villagers, good deeds will be rewarded and evil deeds will be punished; it's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't come yet! Agur Tso has brought this upon himself, and the government will make a fair judgment. The innocent will not be implicated! Everyone, disperse! Do not obstruct the officials from handling the case!"
The villagers gradually dispersed. By then, the archers sent by Huai Xu and the patrol inspectorate had arrived, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Huai Xu jumped off his horse and handed me the reins, saying, "Godmother, Manager Yang at the market has been surrounded by tea merchants from Mahu again. Inspector Guo wants you to hurry over there."
I led my horse over and bid farewell to everyone: "Gentlemen, Qingcheng will go ahead first."
Wei Ji walked towards me and said gently, "I also have official business to discuss with Manager Yang. Why don't we go together with Qing Niangzi?"
I readily agreed: "That would be wonderful."
They rushed to the market, but the market was almost over.
"Green Maiden".
"Qing Niangzi is here."
Several familiar caravan leaders were gathered together, eating and chatting. When they saw me from afar, some of them smiled obsequiously and hid their food in their pockets; others swallowed their food in big gulps, their cheeks puffed out.
I was both annoyed and amused, so I urged my horse forward and asked, "How does our rice cake taste?"
"That goes without saying! Qing Niangzi's skills are unique in Ba Ting Dao."
"Hehehe. Brother Feng Qiao said that tomorrow is the 'August Festival' and he wants to eat rice cakes, so he forced a few pieces on me."
"Come on! It was you who refused to leave the kitchen, and they only gave it to you because you kept pestering them."
"Don't listen to his nonsense, Qingniangzi. I didn't go into your kitchen; I was just squatting at the door. You'd better go to the weighing platform; Manager Yang is arguing with someone again."
I dismounted and strode toward the weighing platform. There I saw Steward Yang standing there with his hands in his sleeves, looking defiant. He was surrounded by a group of armed tea vendors, and not far away were Guo Cheng and the archers from the patrol office, who were ready for battle.
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