Chapter 23: The Court's Verdict
"Uncle Jiang, it seems these people's confidence stems from the fact that I left my home unsecured when I went out. If I were to report this to the magistrate, he would surely point out my negligence. That is likely why they do not fear me going to court. However, while I might be reluctant to report it due to acknowledging my own fault, I wonder if the outcome might change if someone else—a bystander who simply couldn't stomach their shamelessness—were to bring the case forward instead."
If Bai Li admitted his own lapse in judgment but a third party reported the crime out of a sense of justice, the blame shifted onto him would be significantly lessened. Village Head Jiang found this reasoning quite logical. Lei Shi, however, remained shrouded in overconfidence. She assumed that Bai Li's negligence was an undeniable fact that could not be hidden, and thus, her expression remained haughtily defiant. Village Head Jiang despised the look on her face; truth be told, he had no desire to involve the authorities. Yet, sensing that these shameless people would never return the stolen goods without a formal ruling, he asked one last time:
"Xiao Liu, Lei Shi—I am asking you for the final time. Will you return the items you took from the Bai household, or will you come with us to the yamen?"
Xiao Liu and the rest of the Xiao family began to feel a prickle of anxiety at the Village Head's stern warning and tightened expression. Lei Shi's resolve, however, was fierce. She calculated that even if the truth came to light, she could simply weep piteously before the magistrate, and surely they wouldn't be blamed too harshly.
At worst, they would just have to return the things, but if she could flip the narrative, they might not even have to do that. She had absolutely no intention of confessing until the very end. Thus, before Xiao Liu could utter a word, she looked at Village Head Jiang and spoke:
"Village Head Jiang, I understand you want to show favoritism because you are close with the Bai family. But even after we've said the Xiao family took nothing, you still won't let it go? Fine! Since you're so intent on going to the court, why wouldn't we dare to follow! But mark my words—if the court finds us innocent, we will report you for abusing your power as Village Head to falsely accuse innocent people! Well? Do you still dare to go?!"
Bai Li glanced at Village Head Jiang upon hearing Lei Shi's words. He saw that the Village Head was in a state of disbelief, stunned that Lei Shi would have the audacity to brazenly threaten the leader of the village. If the court truly found the Xiao family innocent and Lei Shi filed such a report, Jiang Ren would be stripped of his position. Falsely accusing the innocent was indeed enough to warrant removal from office.
Bai Li was already aware that the laws of this ancient land differed from the history he knew from his previous life. The existence of the Ger gender alone suggested this was a different world entirely. In this world, Village Heads enjoyed certain tax exemptions, and the position was often hereditary as long as there were no objections. Jiang Ren had inherited the post from his father. Having looked after the village with peace and fairness for so long, how could he tolerate the accusation that he only showed favor to those he liked?
Standing behind Mother Bai, Bai Li could feel the Village Head's mounting fury and couldn't help but sneer at Lei Shi in his heart. Her words were a blatant threat. Any other official might have backed down out of fear of losing their position if something went sideways, but Jiang Ren was a truly righteous man. Far from deterring him, these words would only serve as the ultimate push to involve the court.
True to Bai Li's thoughts, Village Head Jiang's mustache trembled with rage. He barked an order to his sons:
"Eldest son, second son! Ready the carts immediately! I am taking everyone involved to the yamen right now!"
Originally, Village Head Jiang had planned to wait for Bai Li to return; if Bai Li wanted a quiet settlement, he would mediate, and if Bai Li wanted to sue, he would accompany him as an official witness. Now, however, the dynamic had shifted—it was no longer Bai Li reporting the crime, but the Village Head himself.
The Village Head's decision struck terror into the hearts of the villagers, as well as the Rong and Xiao families. Although the Rong family had done nothing wrong, the yamen was a place feared by all. Seeing the worried and restless expressions of his wife and sons, Rong Kan spoke up:
"Do not worry. Since we have done nothing wrong, nothing will happen to us."
Mother Bai also feared the court, but her hatred for the Xiao family's shamelessness outweighed her fear. Gritting her teeth, she added,
"That's right. Only those who have done wrong should be afraid. The Magistrate will surely uncover the truth!"
On the other side, the members of the Xiao family were trembling. If the innocent Rong family was anxious, it was only natural that the guilty Xiao family was terrified. It was clear they hadn't expected the matter to actually reach the court. Xiao Liu grabbed Lei Shi's hand and whispered something with a worried face, but Lei Shi seemed to argue back, refusing to yield.
Watching the scene from the corner of his eye, the corner of Bai Li's mouth curled into a faint smirk. He pulled Xiao Han, who still looked deeply troubled, into the house and asked quietly:
"I won't be in the village tonight, and Auntie Rong and her family won't be here either. Mother is also going to the court. So, if you and the children don't want to stay at the Bai house, I'll ask Auntie Jiang (Du Shi) to come and stay here for the night. Would that be alright?"
Xiao Han was still in a daze, the word "court" ringing in his ears. It took him a moment to process Bai Li's words. He replied nervously,
"Ye... yes, that's fine."
They were the ones staying behind in the village, so there shouldn't be any problems. Bai Li stared at Xiao Han's face for a moment before asking another question:
"Do you feel resentful that I am reporting the Xiao family to the court?"
After all, Xiao Liu was Xiao Han's biological father, and Xiao Han was born a member of the Xiao family. Bai Li truly valued Xiao Han's perspective. If Xiao Han truly didn't want this, Bai Li wouldn't have clung so tightly to that small amount of money.
Hearing this, Xiao Han hurriedly denied it.
"No, no... I don't feel that way at all."
In the past, Xiao Han had truly craved his father's affection, but over time, his hopes had grown numb. In the three years since his marriage, no matter how difficult his life became, his father had never once looked back at him, making the bond between father and son feel distant and frayed. Furthermore, in those three years, let alone speaking to his father, he had only caught fleeting glimpses of him a handful of times. The connection was truly severed.
Moreover, seeing them take Bai Li's belongings without a single thought for him—knowing full well that Bai Li might vent his anger on him, or even beat him over the smallest trifle—and yet they hadn't hesitated for a second. Since Xiao Liu had clearly participated, how could Xiao Han still feel the urge to protect them? At this moment, he had no time to worry about others; he only feared that Bai Li would be angry with him because of this. No, being angry with him was one thing—what he feared most was Bai Li taking that anger out on the children.
Bai Li wanted to help the man before him escape the life of constant fear he had lived, but he knew it would take a great deal of time. Pretending not to see the man's terror, he simply said:
"It's good that you don't. Lei Shi is a truly wicked woman. If we let this slide, she will keep harassing us and create similar trouble in the future. Dealing with this according to the law is the best way to give them a warning."
Afterward, Bai Li reminded Xiao Han to take care of the children and went to see Du Shi to explain the situation. How could Du Shi refuse? She had seen Bai Li return from the port city today with two carts full of goods; leaving the house empty and asking Xiao Han's family to sleep at the Bai house wasn't practical. Zhou Shi and Su Shi were pregnant and had unpleasant temperaments, so asking them to stay with Xiao Han was out of the question. Though young Bai Mei could stay, it was better to have an adult present. Even with Village Head Jiang and Jiang Ting heading to the court, there were other sons left in the Jiang family, so there was no need to worry about their own household. Du Shi easily agreed to stay with Xiao Han.
Even though Du Shi was a woman, who would dare cause trouble with the Village Head's wife present? By the time Bai Li finished arranging things for Xiao Han and the children, the preparations for the trip to the court were complete.
Because Village Head Jiang was so furious, no one dared to delay, and the carts were readied quickly.
All three carts in the village were used. The party consisted of the key players: the Rong family; Xiao Liu, Lei Shi, and Xiao Lian from the Xiao family; the Bai family (Bai Li, Father Bai, Mother Bai, and the eldest son Bai Jiang); and from the Jiang family, the Village Head himself, his eldest son Jiang Ting, and Jiang Qing. Several villagers who had assisted in the search of the Rong and Xiao homes also came along as witnesses.
The three carts sped out of the village. The Xiao family members were the only ones on their cart. On the other two, the Bai and Jiang families shared one, while the other villagers occupied the last. This allowed Bai Li to calmly discuss the points they should raise at the court with the members of the Bai and Jiang families throughout the journey.