Chapter 24: The Court's Verdict — Part 2
Since the regional court was located in the port city, Bai Li found himself returning to the very place he had just departed. He had originally planned to spend the day gathering firewood for the coming winter; thus, being interrupted by this nuisance left him utterly frustrated. If there was one thing Bai Li could not tolerate, it was having his plans derailed.
The original Bai Li had been a complete wastrel; far from gathering winter fuel, he had never even chopped a single branch. The burden of finding wood for the household had always fallen on Xiao Han, and even then, there was never enough to adequately heat the brick kang beds throughout the winter. Consequently, over the past three years, the Bai family had been discreetly sending wood to Xiao Han. With four able-bodied men, the Bai family never lacked for fuel, but their large household required a massive supply. This meant that once the harvest ended, the Bai men had to work doubly hard to stockpile wood.
Bai Li had intended to take the lead in gathering wood for his own family this year. Once the supply was sufficient, he planned to hunt a large beast before the deep freeze set in and sell it at the port city. Now, those plans were delayed. He couldn't estimate how long the court proceedings would take, as the original Bai Li possessed no memories regarding legal matters.
By Bai Li's estimation, it was midday when they had returned to the village, and nearly two o'clock in the afternoon by the time they set out again. When they finally reached the port city, it was between eight and nine at night.
Though they arrived at the yamen gates, the court was closed for the night, leaving them with no choice but to wait until morning. Since renting rooms for such a large group was impractical, Village Head Jiang suggested they wait in front of the court gates.
The members of the Xiao family stared at the imposing gates, their faces blanched with terror. Even Lei Shi, who had been so overconfident in the village, seemed a bit shaken.
However, she appeared to have reached a grim determination; occasionally, Bai Li caught her darting looks of pure venom toward him. He saw through her intentions easily. Lei Shi knew that by coming to court, she would likely have to return the goods. She could have settled this quietly in the village, but she was stubborn because she hated Bai Li for actually daring to report them. Even if she had to give the items back, she wanted to see Bai Li punished.
Knowing her heart, Bai Li ignored her. He urged Mother Bai to rest and began regaling her with stories of the fun things they had done during their trip to the port city.
Mother Bai had been fuming for days; she had rushed through the harvest knowing this matter had to be settled upon Bai Li's return, leaving her exhausted in both mind and body. She had thought sleep would elude her, but as her second son described the joy of her youngest daughter and grandchildren during their visit to the city, the happiness became contagious. Relieved, she finally drifted off to sleep.
Bai Jiang spoke with Village Head Jiang, but his eyes frequently drifted to his wife and son. He noted that in the past, their second son wouldn't have spared a glance even if his parents were rolling on the ground in tears, yet now he seemed remarkably attentive. He found it strange, but since it was a positive change, he didn't dwell on it. As the night deepened, the elders rested while the youths, too restless to sleep, whispered amongst themselves.
Morning arrived, and the court finally opened. The Magistrate, Wan Li, had been swamped lately due to a high-profile burglary at the city's largest brothel. The constant flow of people in such establishments made clues nearly impossible to find. When he heard of another theft case, his irritation spiked. Why were there so many robberies and burglaries in his peaceful district lately?
Magistrate Wan Li immediately summoned the complainants. Village Head Jiang stepped forward and recounted the events exactly as Bai Wu had told them to Bai Li. He concluded by saying:
"Your Honor, Bai Li felt that since his home was not secure, he was partly to blame and was reluctant to report the theft. However, as the Village Head of Nanchang Village, I could not stand idly by. Furthermore, because this Xiao family intended to cause further trouble at Bai Li's home, I had no choice but to bring this case from our distant village to your court."
Village Head Jiang had decided to protect Bai Li. This wasn't merely out of friendship with the Bai family or hope for profit; he simply could not tolerate such an ugly incident in his peaceful village. He feared that if he didn't frame it this way, Bai Li truly wouldn't have the heart to press charges. Regardless of how insecure the house was, committing such a deed in broad daylight showed a complete lack of respect for Jiang Ren's authority. Why shouldn't he shield Bai Li a little?
After hearing the case, Magistrate Wan Li realized the dispute involved goods worth only about four or five silver pieces. However, he understood that while this was a trifle to him, it was a fortune to rural farmers, and he would not handle the case lightly. He summoned all parties and asked:
"Which one among you is Bai Li?"
Since one cannot speak in court without permission, the hall was silent. At the Magistrate's call, Bai Li stepped forward and gave a respectful bow.
"Your Honor, this humble villager is Bai Li, the second son of the Bai family from Nanchang Village."
Magistrate Wan Li was impressed by the young man's refined manner. Combined with the fact that Bai Li had supposedly acknowledged his own fault, the Magistrate's first impression was quite favorable.
"Do you remember exactly what was missing when you returned to the village?"
"This villager remembers everything."
Bai Li proceeded to list the missing items, their weights, and even specified which shops they were purchased from and on what dates, providing a comprehensive account.
Hearing this, Wan Li turned to Village Head Jiang.
"Did you say you saw him return with these items?"
"I did, Your Honor. At that time, this lad had sold a large wild boar he hunted. Because many villagers had gathered at his house, many people witnessed him bringing these goods home."
The matter of the wild boar sale in the port city had been quite a stir; even Magistrate Wan Li had tasted the meat after one of his subordinates purchased some. Seeing the expressions of the other villagers confirming the story, Wan Li asked:
"Who is the witness from the Rong family?"
Yu Long, trembling with fear of the Magistrate, stammered, "I—it is this village woman."
"What did you see that day?"
Despite her fear, Yu Long gritted her teeth and recounted the entire scene she had witnessed. After listening, Wan Li turned his gaze toward the others.
"And who are Lei Shi and the Xiao family?"
Xiao Liu, Lei Shi, and Xiao Lian stepped forward, looking pale. Wan Li, sensing from their demeanors that they were likely the culprits, addressed the Village Head again.
"You said you searched both the Rong and Xiao homes and found the items in the Xiao residence. Is this true?"
Village Head Jiang confirmed it, and the villagers who assisted in the search stood as witnesses.
However, Lei Shi suddenly cried out in protest:
"Your Honor! This is a misunderstanding! We bought those items ourselves! Winter is coming, and we were stockpiling for the coldest days. Those are not the items from Bai Li's house!"
Lei Shi then threw herself to her knees, wailing piteously.
"Your Honor, my husband earns a good living for our family by using our cart to transport goods between the city and the village. Because of this, we have been buying supplies bit by bit to prepare for the winter when work is scarce. The shops we frequent can testify to this! The Rong family is only accusing us because they are the poorest in the village—if you compare our families, they are the ones most likely to steal!"
Wan Li hadn't expected such a rebuttal. He looked toward the Rong family and the Village Head.
Jiang Ren stared at Lei Shi in shock.
"Lei Shi! Back in the village, you didn't say you bought them bit by bit! You claimed you bought them all at once!"
This sudden shift in her story startled the Village Head and the villagers alike.
"That's right! They spoke as if they had bought everything in one go!"
"Exactly! I was there too, that's what they said!"
"How can this Lei Shi be so full of lies! So many villagers heard it, yet she dares to lie!"
As the room grew noisy, Wan Li struck his gavel and looked at Lei Shi with suspicion.
"The villagers do not support your claim. What do you have to say?"
Lei Shi remained on her knees, her eyes red and tears streaming down her face, looking for all the world like a victim of a grave injustice.
She spoke with exaggerated grievance:
"Your Honor, I wouldn't normally say this, but I cannot bear such false accusations any longer! As I said, our house has a cart and an ox for traveling to the city, so we cannot help the other villagers with their farm work. Because of this, the villagers dislike our Xiao family. Even the Village Head holds a grudge because everyone in the village uses his ox instead of ours! I—I never imagined their spite would go so far as to have the whole village falsely accuse us! Your Honor, this is a travesty! A false accusation! Please, you must grant us justice!!"
Lei Shi's wailing was piercing. Xiao Liu and his son Xiao Lian, also trembling with fear, moved to embrace her, weeping along with her to complete the picture of a pitiful, wronged family. Xiao Liu repeatedly muttered under his breath, "They truly hate us," loud enough for Wan Li to hear, causing the Magistrate to feel a flicker of doubt. He looked at the Village Head and the villagers, only to see them seething with rage.
Jiang Ren was so angry his eyes were bloodshot. Pointing a finger at the three of them, he stammered, "You! You!!"
He was at a loss for words, but the other villagers erupted:
"Lei Shi! You're speaking utter nonsense! No one in the village dares to hire your cart because you charge outrageous prices!!"
"These dog-like words! She's dragging the whole village down with her!"
"This family dares to falsely accuse the Village Head and the entire village! Your Honor, these people must be punished!!"
"This woman dares to lie even before the Magistrate! She has the venom of a snake!!"
"If they think the whole village hates them, why haven't they left the village long ago?"
"A woman with such a wicked heart shouldn't be in our village!!"
In their fury, the villagers forgot they were in a court of law and began shouting. Bai Li held onto Mother Bai, who was swaying from the heat of her anger, while he watched the three people performing their "pitiful act" in the center of the hall with cold eyes.
Lei Shi truly had more tricks up her sleeve, even changing her story to claim the goods were collected gradually. If the shopkeeper they called as a witness also claimed the items were bought bit by bit, the Xiao family might escape punishment. Without solid proof against the Rong family either, the culprit would never be found, and the Magistrate would likely end up blaming Bai Li for leaving his home unsecured.
Lei Shi! This fox-like, cunning woman!! She is truly forcing my hand to show no mercy.