"OR... DER!"
The great gates of the Three Yellow County Magistrate's Office were thrown open.
A group of relatively well-dressed government officials stood on either side, striking the floor with their staffs in a rhythmic beat.
Magistrate Chai Busan sat high on the dais. He slammed his gavel, his beard and hair bristling as he roared, "Defendants Li Dashan, Huang Xiaoru, and Li Xiao! This court asks you: were you aware that Li Chang'an colluded with rebels and concocted poison to harm the common people?"
"Your Honor, one must act with conscience! To save the people downstream of the Three Yellow Rivers from the plague, Chang'an worked day and night, rushing everywhere. How could that possibly be twisted into concocting poison to harm the people?" Li Dashan, his skin already split and his flesh gaping from a previous beating, clenched his fists in fury. He gritted his teeth and continued, "As for that rebel Wang Su you mentioned, we've never even heard of him, let alone associated with him! Heaven be my witness, heaven be my witness!"
Seeing him still stubbornly refuse to confess, two clerks who were already prepared stepped forward without a word. They raised their staffs and brutally struck Li Dashan's already mangled back several times.
The clerks responsible for the beatings usually held these as hereditary positions—their "iron rice bowls"—so they were meticulous in their work.
The location and force of each blow were carefully chosen.
They deliberately struck places that would cause excruciating pain without killing the victim outright.
But despite this, Li Dashan only let out a few muffled grunts, clenching his jaw to keep himself from screaming.
Magistrate Chai slowly sipped his tea, not the least bit hurried.
These peasants were all the same when they were first arrested. All stubbornness. But after one round of torture to extract a confession, they would say whatever they were told by the next day.
Fabricating anything he wanted was a trivial matter.
Picking his teeth, Magistrate Chai glanced nonchalantly at the Historian in charge of arrests and imprisonment standing not far away. "What are those useless oafs under you good for? How have you not caught that brat after all this time?"
The Historian, Liu Wenlai, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing the County Magistrate's question. He had no choice but to brace himself and say, "Your Excellency, I've already dispatched men to pursue him, but the boy must have gotten wind of it and fled. We can't find him anywhere…"
Magistrate Chai frowned and snorted coldly. "You deployed so many men and you can't even catch a six-year-old child. I think you should just pack your things and get lost!"
Liu Wenlai didn't dare talk back and could only glare fiercely at his subordinates.
After venting his anger, Magistrate Chai's gaze returned to Li Dashan, who was kneeling on the floor. "Since you insist on waiting until death's door to confess, then this official will oblige you!"
With that, he clapped his hands.
Soon, a large group of government officials appeared at the entrance. With them, they brought a pile of medicinal herbs and a portrait.
Magistrate Chai pointed to the herbs and the portrait. "These are the herbs confiscated from your home, and this is the portrait of that rebel. Open your dog eyes and take a good look, so when you die, you can't blame this court for wronging you!"
Looking at the herbs and the portrait, Li Dashan felt an icy chill run through him, as if he had been plunged into a frozen cavern.
The herbs, needless to say, were the ones Li Chang'an had left at home.
As for the portrait, Li Dashan was shocked to find it familiar. It was the two Daoists who often came to their home to guide his son's cultivation!
Seeing the color drain from his face, Magistrate Chai sneered mockingly, "Hmm? Do you have anything else to say?"
Li Dashan trembled all over, biting his lip so hard it nearly bled. But for now, he could only stammer, "Your… Your Honor… this case… there's truly more to this case!"
Seeing that he wanted to say more, Master Wang, sitting comfortably in his grand armchair, gave him no chance.
He silently gave his butler a look.
Receiving the signal, the head butler of the Prince's Mansion quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Honor Magistrate, that Li Chang'an and that rebel Daoist were in cahoots, selling poison in the countryside under the guise of curing the plague. The witnesses and material evidence are all here. The proof is undeniable. I implore you to pass a strict sentence and bring justice to the innocent people who died!"
Hearing this, Li Dashan fell into complete despair.
It was all too coincidental. He didn't even know how to begin to refute it. In the face of that portrait, all words seemed pale and powerless.
But he still refused to accept it.
Even if those Daoists were rebels, his son was saving lives.
And that was a fact Li Dashan would not allow anyone to slander!
At this thought, Li Dashan forced himself up. He stood, to the horrified stares of the government officials, his voice trembling and his eyes burning with rage. "County Magistrate, this is the life-saving medicine my son poured his heart and soul into, spending all our family's fortune to buy for the people to drive out the plague! If you say this medicine is poison, then how do you explain all the people it has cured?"
The Deputy Magistrate, seated below the dais, frowned and retorted, "Insolence! The victims downstream of the Three Yellow Rivers were saved thanks to the wise and brilliant leadership of our Magistrate Chai! What does it have to do with your charlatan of a son?!"
Hearing the Deputy Magistrate's furious rebuke, Master Wang set down his teacup, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.
The head butler of the Prince's Mansion next to him also wore a malicious smile and twisted the knife. "You say the medicine isn't poison, so why can't the corresponding prescription be found in any medical texts?"
Li Dashan was at a loss for words.
He didn't want to drag Li Chang'an further into this, so he blurted out a lie, "I concocted it myself. There's no law that says a personally-made prescription is poison, is there?"
The butler had been waiting for him to say just that. He sneered, "Is that so? Then do you dare to drink this medicine you concocted yourself?"
Thinking he'd found a lifeline, Li Dashan replied without hesitation, "Why wouldn't I dare?"
Magistrate Chai simply waved his hand, ordered someone to bring over a medicine pot, and said, "Here. Brew the medicine!"
Master Wang, who had been silent the whole time, couldn't help but let out a sneer. With things having developed this far, it was already impossible to overturn the case.
Or rather, from the moment he decided to make his move, the fate of these peasants had already been sealed.
Why had he spent a fortune bribing officials at every level?
It was all to show every peasant inside and outside the county what happens to those who oppose him, Master Wang!
Now, the more Li Dashan refused to submit, the more he struggled, the more pleasant and comfortable Master Wang felt, a deep satisfaction spreading through his entire body.
If there was one small regret, it was that they hadn't managed to drag that little beast here to be interrogated alongside them. Although tormenting his parents was satisfying enough, Master Wang still felt something was missing!
...
Li Dashan didn't know how to prepare medicinal formulas, but he had helped with tending the fire to brew the medicine before, so he was extremely familiar with the Sweet Dew Antipyretic Soup that Li Chang'an had concocted.
The herbal soup was quickly brewed.
Magistrate Chai ordered a bailiff to bring the bowl of medicine before Li Dashan.
Li Dashan was about to drink it all in one gulp, but the moment he smelled the brew, his expression changed instantly.
'This soup is wrong!'
A bone-deep chill washed over Li Dashan. He looked up and scanned the room. In the County Magistrate's Office, under the plaque bearing the words "Just and Honorable," everyone looked like a green-faced, tusked evil ghost.
—all of them staring at him with mocking expressions!
...