Chapter Sixty-Four: Facing Each Other in Court
To talk about the Lin family of Pixian, we have to go back three generations. Back then, Lin San was a porter. He was always smiling and friendly, with a mild temper and a helpful nature. Later, he was rewarded by a nobleman and married a beautiful woman.
With his help, he started a timber business in the city.
After three generations of accumulation, he finally became "Master Lin". However, when it came to the third generation, Lin Youcai, his former relatives and friends could only shake their heads helplessly.
Those who partnered with Lin Youcai in business eventually lost all their wealth and ended up having to leave for distant lands.
You and Lin Youcai were engaged, but before the wedding day, they inexplicably got into trouble. The family had to sell their property to quell the trouble, and the marriage was ultimately called off.
Logically speaking, anyone who has connections with the Lin family will not have a good ending. However, Lin Youcai is a very shrewd and resourceful person who can build relationships anywhere. As a result, he has become someone that the lords of various families want to befriend.
Sure enough, even Chen Caiguan, who came from the prefectural city, was recruited to stay at the Lin residence!
When Constable Lu led his men to the Lin residence, they couldn't hide it from those eyes. Just hearing the loud knocking on the door, they knew the other party had ill intentions, yet they couldn't resist the urge to eavesdrop.
"Coming! Coming!" the gatekeeper called out as he opened the door.
As soon as the gate opened slightly, Constable Lu pushed past the servant in front of him and shouted sternly, "Bring Master Lin Youcai and Young Master Lin Fusheng to the yamen for questioning!"
His voice was so loud that those who wanted to investigate could hear it clearly, and each of them was watching with a sense of suspense.
"Officer, you must be mistaken. My master and young master are usually very kind, how could they..." The servant said, glancing at another corner. When he saw the thin figure running inside, he calmed down. "It must be some ignorant person who went to the county office to file a false complaint! My master and young master have been wronged for no reason!"
The latter part of the speech was directed at the eavesdroppers outside the courtyard, and the voice was inevitably a bit loud. Constable Lu picked at his ear and said impatiently, "What are you shouting for! This is an order personally given by the magistrate..."
With that, Constable Lu put his hands on his hips and said in an even louder voice, "Summon Lin Youcai and Lin Fusheng to the yamen for interrogation. There must be no mistakes!"
"If you waste any more time, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Constable Lu's tone suddenly turned unfriendly, and the constable behind him gestured with the hilt of his knife.
The servant's expression turned unfriendly, his gaze falling on the busybody, his eyes filled with warning.
"Hurry up! Don't delay things!" Officer Lu urged.
"What's the matter that's so urgent?" A strange male voice rang out from inside. Upon hearing this, the servant seemed to see a savior and called out softly with a hint of grievance, "Lord Chen."
This man was Chen Caiguan. He glanced sideways at Constable Lu and said in a deep voice, "At this hour, the yamen should all be resting. Your Lord Lu is young and impetuous, but law-abiding citizens need to rest too!"
Officer Lu thought to himself, "Lord Lu is simply amazing." He even anticipated that Chen Caiguan would come out. So he became even more confident and said, "Article 321 of the law states that if the government summons someone for important matters, they must not be delayed! If anyone obstructs the interrogation, they may be arrested first."
As the words trailed off, Constable Lu drew his sword at the opportune moment. The gleaming blade fell precisely below Chen Caiguan's eyes, startling him so much that he took a few steps back and shouted sternly, "How dare you! I am an official appointed by the imperial court. How dare a mere constable like you draw your sword against me!"
Constable Lu calmly released his grip, sheathing the blade he had just drawn, and said, "Officer Chen, don't be hasty. Even if we were to take him down, it would hinder the interrogation."
He spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, then glanced at the silent servant beside him, immediately changing his tone to coldly say, "Hurry up! Otherwise, this constable will arrest you first!"
It was clearly a case of making an example of someone, and Chen Caiguan, who was being used as the "monkey," was still wary of Lord Lu. He hadn't forgotten what Lord Lu had said at the county government office. After much deliberation, he realized that Lord Lu was not someone he could afford to offend, and it wasn't worth getting upset over a merchant he had no connection with.
"Go ahead and invite your master and young master out. Lord Lu has always acted impartially. If he didn't do something, he didn't do it. He's not afraid of being wronged by ignorant people," Chen Caiguan said calmly, showing no intention of interfering further.
Just then, Lin Youcai, who looked quite wealthy, walked over with a smile and said to Constable Lu, "I'm so sorry I'm late!"
Deliberately avoiding the reason for his lateness, he said, "My youngest son has been playing too much lately and accidentally sprained his ankle. I'm afraid..."
As he spoke, Lin Youcai took out a heavy, exquisite purse and handed it to Constable Lu. Usually, he would have been able to hand it over at this time, but Lu did not accept it.
"That won't do. Even if he's bedridden, we have to get him to the yamen!" Constable Lu said seriously. Thinking about how much time had been wasted, he turned to the people behind him and said, "Brothers, we'll carry him if we have to, to get Young Master Lin into the yamen."
"Master Lin, do you think we need to carry Young Master Lin?" Constable Lu asked ambiguously.
"How could I trouble you, sir?" Lin Youcai replied politely, then turned to give a few instructions to his personal servant before walking up to Chen Caiguan with a face full of apologies.
"This matter happened so suddenly, and I don't know when I can cooperate with the county magistrate to investigate it thoroughly. I'm afraid it will delay the prefect's important business," Lin Youcai said with remorse. But Chen Caiguan interpreted it differently.
They're all ancient foxes; how could they not understand the unspoken meaning?
Originally unwilling to get involved, Chen Caiguan could only laugh and say, "Look at what you're saying. Lord Lu is always efficient in his work, so he shouldn't need to call you to the yamen every day with this kind of logic. Fine, I'll go with you today and see what's going on."
"Then thank you very much, Lord Chen." Lin Youcai expressed his gratitude and took out several hundred-tael silver notes from his pocket and handed them over.
"Of course, of course." Chen Caiguan naturally accepted the silver note, smiling gently and kindly.
As the sun set, the afterglow bathed the county town in an orange-yellow light. When people learned that the Lin family had been invited to the county government office, they couldn't wait to spread the news!
While Ge Ermazi was idly sitting in the teahouse, he suddenly saw a figure burst in. He instinctively stood up and looked over warily. Only after recognizing the person did he relax.
"Something's happened to the Lin family!" the man shouted excitedly. "They've been taken away by the county government!"
Ge Ermazi's heart skipped a beat, but he pretended to be calm and asked, "Is it related to the Ge family?"
"It seems not. They say that after a teenage girl and an old man entered the yamen, not long after, Constable Lu went to the Lin residence to have Master Lin and Young Master Lin interrogated!" The other person became more and more excited as they spoke.
"So what if I'm being tried? It's not like I'm being convicted or beaten. What's there to get worked up about?" Ge Ermazi said calmly. "So, has the matter concerning the Ge family been settled?"
"Why are you so concerned about the Ge family? It's not like it was your doing, so why are you feeling guilty?" the other person asked, puzzled.
Ge Ermazi seemed to have a bitter pill to swallow. If he hadn't been tricked into revealing information by that kid, he wouldn't have said the shameful relationship between Butcher Su's wife and Ge Qi. Later, Butcher Su wouldn't have found out, chased Ge Qi for several streets with a machete, and scared him so much that he jumped into the river to escape.
As for Ge Qi's death on the shore, what does it have to do with these people? Yet the Ge family keeps harping on it, making a scene at the yamen time and time again. If it weren't for the county magistrate's reasoning, Ge Er Mazi would be in jail.
So even if he were killed, he wouldn't dare to go and watch this spectacle, lest the Ge family take notice of him again.
"I'll go see for myself and tell you when I get back!" With those words still lingering, she had already run off.
Such words have been heard countless times in every corner of Pixian County. Some came simply to watch the spectacle, while others came with resentment to see the Lin family's fate. Groups of four or five gathered outside the courtroom, waiting for the trial to begin.
Two teams of yamen runners stood on either side of the courtroom, each holding a fire-and-water stick. As Lu Jingbai, dressed in official robes, walked out, they all shouted in unison, "Majestic!"
The crowd outside the court immediately fell silent.
Zhao Bantou shouted loudly: "Bring the plaintiff, Li Yongkang, the village head of Xiaba Village, and the defendants, Lin Youcai and Lin Fusheng."
Shen Zhiyi came with the village chief, but she never expected to see Chen Caiguan again in this "jury" manner.
They exchanged a silent glance, stood on opposite sides with a clear distinction between them, and bowed to the county magistrate sitting above them.
The gavel struck, and a stern voice asked, "Is the person before you Li Yongkang, the village chief of Xiaba Village?"
“I am Li Yongkang, the village chief of Xiaba Village,” the village chief replied in a deep voice.
"What brings you here today?" Lu Jingbai asked immediately.
"We, the common people, want to sue the Lin family for opening the sluice gates without cause, which flooded the fields and houses of our village's orphaned girl..." the village chief shouted.
"You scoundrel, you're talking nonsense!" Lin Fusheng interrupted.
Upon hearing this arrogant tone, the village chief was stunned. How could there be such a hothead who dared to challenge Lord Lu in court? Did he not take Lord Lu seriously?
"Bang!" Lu Jingbai struck the gavel and said coldly, "No disrespect is allowed in the courtroom. If this happens again, you will be dragged out and given three lashes."
"You..." Lin Fusheng was about to speak, but Lin Youcai tugged at his sleeve, so he could only shut up in frustration.
"Village Chief Li, please continue," Lu Jingbai reminded him.
“At the hour of Chou yesterday…” The village chief changed Shen Zhiyi’s previous words to “discovered by himself”, and then pointed to Lin Fusheng, “That figure looks a lot like him, I can’t be mistaken!”
"Bullshit, it's not true at all..." Lin Fusheng said, but Lin Youcai's fat hand covered his mouth, and he smiled apologetically.
Lu Jingbai did not strike the gavel he had picked up. Instead, he said to Lin Youcai, "Now that the plaintiff has finished his statement, the defendant shall tell this judge where you were last night at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM)."
“My lord, that’s a question. Of course, I was sleeping at home at that time. My wife can testify for me,” Lin Youcai said slowly. “As for my son, Fusheng, he injured his foot and rested early. However, I was worried that his foot would hurt at night, so I arranged for Qiusheng to keep watch over him.”
"If you don't believe me, please summon them," Lin Youcai said humbly.
Shen Zhiyi glanced meaningfully at Lin Youcai. It wasn't time to present witnesses and physical evidence yet. If they were to rush to provide him with "false evidence," wouldn't the punishment be increased?
But someone as upright as Lord Lu would probably just present the evidence, right?
“In that case, let Madam Lin and Qiusheng come to the hall,” Lu Jingbai said calmly.
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