The moment Tan Liwen opened his mouth, everyone present understood at once who his words were meant for.
As he spoke, his tone carried a faint hesitation, and his eyes repeatedly swept over the faces of the original forty-two villagers of Gao Family Village, carefully gauging every flicker of expression, every subtle shift in mood. His phrasing was cautious, evasive at times, leaving himself ample room to retreat. It was obvious that if even one person voiced a dissenting opinion, he would immediately adjust his stance, twisting his reasoning just enough to keep himself standing on safe ground. It was a familiar technique, one perfected by those who lived by words and survived by them.
Even so, what he said happened to strike precisely where it mattered most.
These were exactly the words the people of Gao Family Village wanted to hear.
Gao Yiye's eyes brightened almost instantly, and the Village Chief's weathered face relaxed, relief written plainly across it.
Seeing how quickly Tan Liwen's remarks had taken effect, Cheng Xu, a man long tempered by officialdom and well versed in reading the wind, naturally followed without missing a beat.
"Steward Tan speaks reasonably," Cheng Xu said with a measured nod. "Chuǎng Wang does not seem to have committed anything truly unforgivable. I also believe that sentencing him to Labor Reform would be sufficient."
Once those two had spoken, the tone of the room was set.
The stewards of Gao Family Village exchanged glances, then one after another voiced their agreement, their words forming a smooth, unbroken chorus.
From afar, Li Daoxuan watched all of this unfold, his heart caught in a tangle of conflicting emotions.
On one hand, he could not deny his own inclination to side with the original villagers of Gao Family Village. On the other, he felt a deep unease at how easily the concept of rule of law was being bent.
Gao Family Village was the utopia he had painstakingly nurtured with his own hands. Yet even here, in this place that prided itself on fairness and order, equality before the law proved fragile. When a criminal had connections, when emotions and relationships entered the picture, voices would inevitably rise to shield him. If such a pattern continued unchecked, it would not take long before those in power trampled the law beneath their feet, justifying it with familiarity and sentiment.
Just as the atmosphere seemed ready to settle into an unspoken consensus, a voice cut sharply through the air.
"I object."
The words were firm, clear, and entirely out of place.
For a heartbeat, the room froze.
Then heads turned in unison.
Fang Wushang, Chief Inspector of Gao Family Village, rose to his feet.
His expression carried a hint of embarrassment, as though he were well aware that he was stepping into an uncomfortable position, yet beneath that was unmistakable resolve. He reached into his robes and produced a small booklet, worn from frequent handling.
This was his so called Heavenly Book, a personal compilation of principles and phrases he had painstakingly gathered over time from Li Daoxuan's occasional remarks and fragments of modern legal thought.
He flipped it open, found a marked page, and began to read aloud.
"Murder. Arson. Extremely large scale robbery. Rape. Acts of violence against women and children. Unlawful imprisonment. Torture. Execution by shooting. Mass arrests. Collective punishment. Destruction of homes. Forced displacement, and more."
Each item fell like a stone into still water.
When he finished, Fang Wushang closed the book and turned his gaze toward the stretcher.
"Gao Yingxiang," he asked calmly, "did you ever permit or condone your subordinates to carry out any of these acts?"
Gao Yingxiang lay there in silence for a moment, then released a long, heavy sigh.
"I did."
The answer was quiet, but it echoed loudly in the room.
"Then there is no ambiguity," Fang Wushang said. "You are guilty of war crimes."
He turned back to the assembled villagers, his face stern and unyielding.
"Gao Yingxiang has committed grave crimes, crimes of the most serious kind. In the words of Dao Xuan Tianzun, such offenses could even be classified as crimes against humanity. He did not surrender. He was captured on the battlefield while personally leading his army to attack Xi'an. By law, he merits the death penalty. There is no room for debate."
Silence fell.
The original forty-two villagers of Gao Family Village stood there, lips trembling, unable to bring themselves to speak.
At times like this, it was easier for an outsider to step forward.
Cheng Xu cleared his throat. "Old Fang, you cannot frame it so absolutely. In the later years of the Tianqi Emperor's reign, the empire was ravaged by drought, and officials enforced taxation with extreme brutality. It was a classic case of the government逼ing the people into revolt. Under those circumstances, is it not natural for someone to rise up?"
Fang Wushang's expression did not waver.
"Rebellion itself is not wrong," he replied. "Look at Lao Huihui. Did Dao Xuan Tianzun not spare him? That was a rebellion with justification. But Gao Yingxiang is different."
Cheng Xu hesitated, then tried again. "Rebellion is no child's game. Some degree of violence is inevitable, is it not?"
"Then let me give you an example," Fang Wushang said.
He paused, letting the room quiet completely, then spoke again, his tone measured and deliberate.
"Our Gao Family Village is prosperous now, is it not? All of you original residents, your households are far wealthier than ordinary people."
The villagers nodded instinctively.
Fang Wushang raised his hand and pointed toward Gao Laba.
"Especially you. Your rice noodle shop has brought in considerable profits, and your son, Gao Shan, has even opened the New Village Bookstore. You now possess power comparable to wealthy merchants and local gentry."
A murmur ran through the crowd, uncertainty flickering across their faces as they wondered where this was leading.
Fang Wushang continued.
"Now imagine this. Gao Yingxiang is a poor laborer. He comes to work at one of Gao Laba's businesses as a shop assistant. But Gao Laba withholds his wages, exploits him ruthlessly, and drives him to the brink of starvation. What should he do?"
"Resist Gao Laba," someone answered.
"Correct," Fang Wushang said. "He should resist. But if Gao Laba hires bodyguards and thugs, and Gao Yingxiang, with nothing but his own two fists, cannot fight them, then what happens?"
He gestured to the side, toward Gao San Niang and Gao Sanwa.
"Unable to defeat Gao Laba, Gao Yingxiang turns his fury on Gao San Niang and Gao Sanwa. He breaks into Gao San Niang's home, violates her by force, seizes all her family's possessions, drives her to hang herself, and even boils and eats Gao Sanwa."
Gao San Niang's face flushed faintly, a trace of embarrassment slipping into her voice.
"What nonsense are you saying? How could Brother Yingxiang ever do such a thing to me? Oh dear, you are making me uncomfortable. If it were Brother Yingxiang, I certainly would not hang myself."
The room went completely still.
Gao Sanwa shouted, "Hey, Mother. Did you not hear the part where he boiled and ate me? Did you only listen to the first half and ignore the rest?"
"It is just a hypothetical," Gao San Niang shot back. "He did not actually eat you, so why are you in such a hurry?"
"And the earlier part, where he did that to you, was also hypothetical," Gao Sanwa retorted. "So why are you blushing?"
Gao San Niang froze, blinking in confusion. "Huh?"
Right. It was only a hypothetical. Some fates, once missed, were missed forever. She was already middle aged now, and her son was busy drawing comic books.
The mood in the room darkened.
Stripped of its scale and laid bare, Fang Wushang's example cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Yes, the imperial court had wronged them. That much was undeniable.
But after rising in rebellion, they had turned their blades upon the weak. How many innocent commoners had been slaughtered? Who would speak for those whose lives were crushed beneath that chaos?
Cheng Xu fell silent.
Tan Liwen opened his mouth, then closed it again, swallowing whatever words he had intended to say.
An oppressive quiet lingered for a long while.
At last, Gao Yingxiang spoke.
"I… I never thought… that what what I did… was wrong," he said haltingly. "But just now… listening to this brother speak… I suddenly realized… I am a damned scoundrel."
All eyes turned toward him.
"I never truly cared about the lives of others," Gao Yingxiang continued. "But hearing you say I violated San Niang… and boiled and ate Sanwa… suddenly, my heart aches. If someone did such things to them, I would tear that person to pieces."
No one spoke.
It was true.
The lives and deaths of strangers were nothing more than numbers in a report. So many killed today. So many households looted tomorrow.
But what if those nameless victims were replaced with people you knew?
How would it feel, hearing that your friends and family had been killed, eaten, and made to suffer in every grotesque way imaginable?