Your tragedy, your trial

Bang, bang!

Heavy, urgent pounding rang through the Wang Family courtyard.

A servant hurried over and had barely opened the door a crack when it was violently shoved open.

Constable Captain Chen Sanxiu held up a summons and declared sternly, "By order of the county magistrate, Wang Fugui, head of the Wang Family, is to come with us."

The Wang Family servant stood at a loss.

Wang Fugui had been drinking tea. Seeing the constable captain and the yamen runners burst in, he sprang to his feet. His teacup fell and shattered on the floor with a sharp crack.

"Wang Fugui, the County Yamen has summoned you."

Chen Sanxiu displayed the summons, then extended a hand. "Come along."

Wang Fugui's face turned somewhat pale.

Ever since Gu Pei's body had been discovered at dusk yesterday, Wang Fugui had been on edge. Only one night had passed, and the County Yamen's investigation had already reached him!

No evidence. They had no evidence!

It had been five years. All the evidence had been destroyed. As long as I insisted I knew nothing, even the county magistrate could do nothing to me!

Court convened at the County Yamen. Amid cries of "Respect the court!" the bailiffs thumped their water-and-fire staffs against the floor.

Wearing a black gauze hat and a blue round-collared robe, Li Yi sat with imposing dignity. He struck the court gavel. "Bring in the plaintiff."

Gu Zhengchen stepped out from among the watching townspeople and came forward, cupping his hands. "My father, Gu Pei, was murdered without cause, and his body lay submerged in a pond for years. I beg Your Honor to apprehend the true killer and grant the Gu Family justice!"

Under the laws of Great Ming, licentiates and provincial graduates were not required to kneel before officials.

Li Yi nodded slightly and struck the court gavel again. "Bring in Gu Pei's remains!"

The yamen runners carried the remains into court.

The coroner explained the cause of death before the court, pointing squarely to a killing motivated by vengeance.

Li Yi then asked Gu Zhengchen who had held a grudge against Gu Pei during his lifetime. After hearing his answer, he called sternly, "Bring in Wang Fugui!"

Although much was already clear, Li Yi still had to follow the proper procedure. Nor could he directly ask Gu Zhengchen who might have killed Gu Pei. If Gu Zhengchen named someone who was subsequently proven innocent, that would constitute a false accusation, which was itself a crime.

Besides, townspeople watched every hearing. This was also a means for the court to instruct and intimidate the populace. Unless the matter was clearly explained from beginning to end, the people might not be convinced.

Wang Fugui entered the court and knelt in greeting. "This commoner pays his respects to Your Honor."

Li Yi scrutinized Wang Fugui, glanced at the Registrar, the Deputy County Magistrate, and the others, then said gravely, "Wang Fugui, Gu Pei was murdered and submerged in a pond for years. According to Gu Zhengchen, you once had a land dispute with Gu Pei. Is that true?"

Wang Fugui readily nodded. "Your Honor, that is indeed true."

Li Yi's gaze sharpened slightly.

Wang Fugui said calmly, "But later, the authorities allocated another plot to the Wang Family, and we never troubled the Gu Family again. When Candidate Gu passed the provincial examination last year, the Wang Family even visited to apologize and offered forty strings of cash to fund his journey to the capital for the examinations. Relations between our families are quite good."

Gu Zhengchen looked at Wang Fugui and could not help admiring him. A man truly became invincible once his shamelessness knew no bounds.

The corner of Li Yi's mouth twitched. He had personally witnessed the Wang Family pressuring the Gu Family to repay their debt, so he knew exactly what sort of people they were.

Quite good? To hell with your whole family.

Li Yi cleared his throat. "Then you are saying you would not have harmed Gu Pei over the land dispute?"

Wang Fugui wore an innocent expression. "Your Honor, the Wang Family are law-abiding citizens. How could we kill a man over ten mu of land?"

Li Yi nodded and looked toward the entrance. "Bring in the witness!"

Deng Quan entered the court and knelt in greeting.

Li Yi gave Gu Zhengchen a long look and sighed inwardly:

Gu Zhengchen, your abilities truly cannot be underestimated. You found the man who made "a rabbit wearing an official's hat" in just half a day. That shows how meticulous your thinking is and how outstanding your abilities are.

This tragedy that befell Gu Pei is your tragedy, but it is also your trial.

You must open your eyes wide and look carefully. Here in this courtroom are the hypocrisy beneath human skin, the cunning of human hearts, and the ugliness of human nature!

Greed, treachery, false accusations, and shamelessness will all play out here.

In the years ahead, you must hold fast to your true heart and become an upright, honorable official!

Li Yi turned his gaze to Deng Quan. "After Gu Pei's body was discovered, you reported to the authorities, saying you had witnessed both the murder and the murderer all those years ago."

Wang Fugui looked at Deng Quan, a flicker of panic crossing his face.

"That is correct!"

Deng Quan answered firmly.

Crack!

Li Yi struck the court gavel and demanded sternly, "Since you witnessed it back then, why did you not report it to the authorities? Knowing of a crime and failing to report it is also a grave offense under the law! Do you acknowledge your guilt?"

Gu Zhengchen looked at Li Yi. What an imposing display of authority. But isn't it rather inappropriate to intimidate my witness like this?

Still kneeling, Deng Quan said, "Your Honor, it was not that this commoner was unwilling to report it. Teng County simply had no county magistrate at the time..."

"Uh..."

Li Yi felt stymied, but Deng Quan was telling the truth.

When Great Ming had first been founded, there had scarcely been enough civil officials. Even the capital lacked officials, let alone the local administrations. It was perfectly normal for some counties to go years without a magistrate. Of course, having no magistrate did not mean there was no Chief Clerk, Registrar, or Deputy County Magistrate. Such officials commonly exercised the magistrate's authority in the dynasty's early years.

Before Li Yi could question him again, Deng Quan said plainly, "This commoner did not dare report it all this time because officials in the yamen were involved. Had I reported it, neither my life nor my property would have been safe. Now that Your Honor is honest and handles matters fairly, this commoner finally dares to testify."

"You mean officials in the yamen were involved in Gu Pei's murder? Tell me exactly what happened, and speak the truth!"

Li Yi fought down his anger.

Recalling what had happened all those years ago, Deng Quan began quietly, "It was one evening in the tenth month of the First Year of Hongwu..."

Gu Zhengchen clenched his hands tightly, anger and murderous intent surging in his heart.

His father, Gu Pei, had returned to Teng County two months after Xu Da's army captured Dadu. But because he had injured his leg on the journey, he had been delayed several days and had not returned with the others.

Later, Gu Pei entered Teng County at dusk. Deng Quan, who had pushed carts and transported grain alongside him, saw him and was about to go over to greet him when Wang Fugui approached Gu Pei and dragged him home.

Grateful to Gu Pei for teaching him the Confucian Classics while they transported grain, Deng Quan had hoped to catch up with him properly once he left the Wang Family residence. Instead, he witnessed Gu Pei's murder.

Wang Fugui bludgeoned Gu Pei to death with a rock beside the pond, then ordered men to sink his body in its deepest part and weigh it down with stones. But while dealing with the blood-soaked wooden boat, he encountered Chief Clerk Huang Lin.

Hidden some distance away, Deng Quan had not heard what Huang Lin and Wang Fugui said. But it was a fact that Huang Lin watched Wang Fugui wash the blood from the boat and clean up the scene, then left as though nothing had happened.

Li Yi next summoned Huang Lin.

Huang Lin confessed before the court that he had discovered Wang Fugui's murder at the time. To amass wealth and eliminate any future trouble, he had accepted half of Wang Fugui's assets and arranged for Gu Pei's name to be added to the Register of the Dead.

Li Yi looked at Wang Fugui, whose face was ashen. "What else do you have to say?"

Wang Fugui gritted his teeth. "They are all falsely accusing me! Without evidence, what right do you have to say I killed Gu Pei?"

Gu Zhengchen stared coldly at Wang Fugui, longing to rush forward and strangle him. "You want evidence, do you? I can give it to you!"