Then, his voice trembling, Jia Yuntong spilled many of the things he had done. He Xin was far from the only woman he had killed, and he also had ties to various brothels and pleasure houses. Countless listeners ground their teeth, while several fathers with daughters had fire blazing in their eyes.
Once Jia Yuntong confessed, many of those brought over from his boat, already terrified, quickly spilled what they knew as well, practically scrambling to turn state's witness.
Some women wept with relief at being rescued. Before this, they had not dared make a sound; now, in the outer hall, they sobbed too hard to speak.
But by the time Jia Yuntong and the others finished their accounts, particularly after he revealed several rather horrifying details, some of those in the courtroom could not help exchanging uneasy looks. The Private Secretary kept glancing at Magistrate Lin, and even Yi Shuyuan's expression was grave.
Magistrate Lin's face no longer showed anger, but a complicated mix of emotions. He felt keenly that he had mounted a tiger and could no longer dismount-and all the more strongly that Jia Yuntong truly deserved to die!
Late that night, a brief silence fell inside and outside the courtroom. Everyone was watching Magistrate Lin.
Lin Xiu let out a long sigh, his gaze passing over Jia Yuntong toward the entrance. He could not see where He Xin stood, so he looked at Yi Shuyuan, who was nodding slightly.
"Have him sign and affix his fingerprint!"
After drawing a deep breath, the magistrate spoke those words.
The confession had been written by the Private Secretary beside Yi Shuyuan. Jia Yuntong looked up at Magistrate Lin, then signed it on his knees. The agonizing pain in all ten fingers left him unable to hold the brush normally; he could only grip it in his palm to write, then tremblingly press a finger into the ink paste and affix his print.
A bailiff carried the confession up to the magistrate's desk.
"Your Honor, the villainous merchant Jia Yuntong has affixed his fingerprint!"
Magistrate Lin glanced over the confession, then raised his courtroom block again.
Crack!
Everyone's heart jolted. They knew the sentence was coming.
"The villainous merchant Jia Yuntong has abducted innocent women, committed rape and plunder, colluded with officials, and treated human lives as worthless grass. His crimes are legion, and the evidence stands firm as a mountain! Under the laws of our Great Yong, his vessels, property, money, and goods shall be confiscated, and Jia Yuntong shall be sentenced to..."
Magistrate Lin paused briefly. His gaze hardened as he looked at Jia Yuntong and pronounced each word distinctly.
"Execution. By. Severing. At. The. Waist! He shall be confined in the dungeon immediately, and the case reported to the Ministry of Justice and forwarded to the Court of Judicial Review for review!"
"Ah!"
Jia Yuntong collapsed to the floor, his face drained of blood, yet a measure of relief remained in his heart. He looked toward the door. That terrifying ghostly figure seemed to have vanished, though he still felt cold all over.
"Our lord of clear skies!" "Our lord of clear skies!"
Among those brought over from the boat, many women and even men prostrated themselves in the outer hall toward the courtroom. Even Yi Shuyuan looked at Magistrate Lin with respect.
Next came the questioning of the accomplices and conspirators, as well as that martial artist. Each received a judgment, and quite a few people were naturally set free.
After the night's hearing, everyone at the Yuanjiang County Office felt utterly exhausted.
Jia Yuntong and the others had already been taken to the dungeon, and everyone else had been dismissed one by one. Only now did the Private Secretary finally find himself unable to hold his tongue.
"County Magistrate, about Jia Yuntong's case..."
Magistrate Lin sighed at those words, then suddenly smiled. Before becoming an official, he had possessed no great ambitions. Unlike many scholars, he had not poured out his burning aspirations to everyone he met, nor had he wanted to climb particularly high in officialdom. A lifetime of wealth and comfort, without making any major mistakes, would have sufficed.
Over the years, Lin Xiu had served as magistrate in several places. He had done some of what his duties required, and naturally pocketed a fair amount on the side. Yet through all his years in office, today was the first time anyone had called him a "lord of clear skies." He raised his head to look at the courtroom plaque mounted high behind him.
The Mirror of Justice!
"So be it, so be it. Who told fate to drop this into my lap? Court is dismissed..."
With that, the magistrate rose, loosened the collar of his official robes, and removed his black gauze hat, setting it on the desk.
At that moment, to Yi Shuyuan's eyes, Magistrate Lin himself seemed to shine a little brighter.
"Mr. Yi, is He Xin still here?"
Yi Shuyuan rose and cupped his hands in reply.
"Reporting to the County Magistrate, Miss He Xin has been standing outside the entrance all this time."
Magistrate Lin came down from his desk and walked out of the courtroom. Yi Shuyuan immediately followed. After some hesitation, the Private Secretary followed too, though fear kept him several paces behind.
The bailiffs and others nearby exchanged looks. Although His Honor had dismissed the court, no one left at once.
With Magistrate Lin leading them, the three reached the entrance of the County Office.
"Your Honor, Miss He Xin is just three feet ahead."
As he spoke, Yi Shuyuan looked toward the woman in white, then froze slightly. At some point, an officer in black robes had appeared in the street. Perhaps he had been there earlier, hidden from Yi Shuyuan's view by the entrance walls while he was inside. This officer was clearly not from the County Office. He stood perfectly straight and motionless, with the character for "wandering" written on his tall hat.
When Yi Shuyuan looked over, the officer seemed to start as well. The next instant, he vanished.
Yi Shuyuan's heart jolted. Not human?
No one else noticed any of this, not even He Xin.
At that moment, He Xin was gazing gratefully at the magistrate and Yi Shuyuan. She knelt right outside the entrance and kowtowed to Yi Shuyuan, then to the magistrate.
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, Your Honor!"
As though the entanglement of cause and effect had stirred a resonance between their energies, at that moment even Magistrate Lin faintly glimpsed a blurred white figure. It seemed to be a woman kowtowing repeatedly before the entrance, with the faint sound of sobbing drifting eerily toward him.
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, Your Honor! Thank you, sir! Thank you, Your Honor..."
The night deepened. Those involved in the hearing had long since dispersed, and Yi Shuyuan had returned to the Library. He was preparing to tidy his things and go to sleep.
Yet his heart was far from calm. He thought of the woman in white who had finally drifted away, of Magistrate Lin, and of whether Jia Yuntong would truly suffer his sentence. His thoughts also turned to the black-robed officer he had seen earlier.
Could he have been an underworld officer, a Wandering Spirit or something of the sort? Had he arrived later, or had he followed Du Fang and He Xin from the very beginning?
Though he had meant to tidy up and sleep, once Yi Shuyuan reached the writing desk, he unconsciously sat down again. He picked up a brush and spread out a fresh sheet of xuan paper.
The brush touched the paper, flowing into characters of effortless, natural grace.
What a fine story, truly worth writing! It had a good beginning. May it have a good ending too!
By daybreak the next morning, word that the County Office had redressed a ghost's grievance the previous night had spread as if on wings. In streets and alleys, people were already recounting it in vivid detail.
A bailiff hurried up to the counter at Tongxin Pavilion and set down a wine flask.
"Shopkeeper, half a catty of wine."
The County Office dining hall was merely a place for everyone to eat and generally served no alcohol. Still, no one usually objected if bailiffs and their like bought wine outside and brought it in. After all, rules were dead, but people were alive.
The ground-floor dining room of Tongxin Pavilion had been bustling, but suddenly fell quiet. People pointed toward the counter, leaving the bailiff rather puzzled. Before he could say anything, the shopkeeper picked up his flask and asked a question.
"Brother You San, I heard the County Office held court in the middle of the night yesterday, and that a ghost beat the drum to cry out for justice. Is that true?"
People nearby immediately chimed in.
"Yes, I heard the drum from home last night!" "The night watchman said so too-the office was lit up, and they were hearing a case!"
"Right, I heard they even went outside the city in the middle of the night to arrest someone!"
The bailiff looked around and smiled.
"Oh, you're well informed! Everyone knows already?"
Hearing him say that, everyone realized the story was very likely true.
"Ah, everyone is talking about it, but we only know half the tale. Would you mind telling us, Brother You San?"
Someone at a nearby table called out in agreement.
"Brother You San, don't go eat at that dining hall. Come over here! The dishes have just arrived. We'll add a bowl and chopsticks, and I've ordered wine too. Tell us about last night!"
"Yes, eat here!"
The others joined in the urging.
The bailiff smiled, walking toward the table as he spoke.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly impose..."
"Come now, Brother You San, you're a straightforward fellow. What's wrong with buying you a meal? Surely you won't charge me with bribery? Say, Brother San, is the story about last night really true?"
You San picked up a cup of wine, took a sip, then breathed out.
"Never mind you lot-even I still feel a little dazed thinking about it. When the drum sounded last night, I truly never imagined a ghost had come seeking justice!"
"It really was a ghost?"
You San nodded.
"Yes, but it wasn't the ghost beating the drum. It was a young man from our county, who had come to cry out for justice at her request. But think what sort of place the county courtroom is! Naturally, a ghost couldn't enter. At first, the County Magistrate didn't believe the lad at all. He thought he was making fools of everyone, and had him given over a dozen strokes of the paddle."
"Then how did the County Magistrate come to believe him?" "Yes, Brother San, don't keep us in suspense!"
In no hurry to eat, the bailiff sat down with his back to the table and drained his cup.
"That lad had a good heart, but it looked as though he'd taken a beating for nothing. Even our County Magistrate, a just and upright official, thought he was spouting ghostly nonsense. But here's the marvelous part: our County Office has an extraordinary man, a gentleman who can see gods by day and ghosts by night!"
"Ooh!" "The County Office has a master like that?" "Who is he?"
The bailiff glanced at the curious faces around him and lowered his voice.
"Mr. Yi, the man compiling the County Gazetteer! When he first arrived, the County Registrar accompanied him the whole way, sticking close at every step while showing him around the County Office, inside and out. I wondered then what abilities this man possessed to make the County Registrar treat him that way..."
"Ahem, I'm getting sidetracked. Mr. Yi happened to be there last night. Seeing how pitifully the ghost had been wronged, he helped her, allowing her to speak in the courtroom and cry out for justice."
"Good heavens!" "So that was how it happened..."
The bailiff was no great storyteller, but the events of the previous night were compelling enough on their own. As he recounted them, everyone exclaimed in wonder again and again.
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