Сhapter 198: Yеstеrday's Сause, Тоdау's Еffеct
Upоn hearing Zhen Niang’s exрlаnatiоn, Hаi Rui соuldn’t hеlp but glаnсе аt Li Zhеnniang оnce morе. Тhis yоung lady’s words wеre indeеd reasоnаblе аnd wеll-fоundеd. Howеvеr, he trulу dislikеd thе ideа of а уoung womаn аpрearing in publiс like this. It was said thаt Нuizhоu plаced greаt еmрhasis оn рrорriеtу and еtiquеtte, but it sеemеd this was not еntirelу thе сasе.
In truth, whilе hаndling сases in Nanjing, Нai Rui had also enсountered instаnces whеre trоublеmakеrs filed lawsuits over trivial matters. However, his own nature was too rigid and upright, while most clerks in the yamen were slippery and cunning. The two simply did not align, and as a result, some cases could not be investigated in detail, and subjective judgments were sometimes inevitable.
Nevertheless, he had a guiding principle in his work: whenever impoverished commoners sued wealthy merchants, he consistently ruled in favor of the commoners. Even if there were a few troublemakers among them, they were, after all, a minority.
When weighing two harms, one must choose the lesser. The wealthy had greater resilience; even if they were genuinely wronged, it amounted to nothing more than a loss of silver. But for the impoverished commoners, if they had no one to stand up for them, their grievances would go unaddressed, their lives would become unbearable, and in the worst cases, their families would be destroyed.
Thus, he would rather wrong the wealthy to provide a path for the poor to seek justice.
"Your Honor, this Li girl may be eloquent, but she cannot escape the fact that the Li Family Oil Mill belongs to our Du family. We beg Your Honor to uphold justice," the Du brothers protested upon hearing Li Zhenniang’s words, even wailing loudly as if the heavens had been wronged.
Hai Rui frowned. In truth, Miss Li’s arguments were merely inferences. After all, many years had passed, and aside from the case records in the yamen, all other evidence had long vanished. As for the yamen’s records, given the Li family’s connections with the former Magistrate Wei and Clerk Yun, he could not fully trust them. Thus, he had no choice but to adhere to his principles.
Even if he were wrong, any resulting injustice would be borne by Hai Rui alone.
With this thought, Hai Rui’s gaunt face hardened with determination. He struck the gavel and declared, "As the Du brothers have stated, the Li Family Oil Mill was indeed purchased by the Du brothers from its original owner…"
Upon hearing this, Zhen Niang’s mind went blank. Beside her, Old Madam Li and Old Shopkeeper Li turned pale. Clearly, from the tone of his words, Magistrate Hai still intended to rule in favor of the Du brothers.
At this moment, the Du brothers secretly rejoiced.
"Your Honor…" Old Madam Li stood up in agitation, interrupting Hai Rui.
"We implore Your Honor to uphold justice," the Du brothers seized the opportunity to press their case.
Just then, another round of drumbeats echoed from outside the yamen.
"Your Honor, something terrible has happened. A large crowd of commoners has gathered outside to file lawsuits," a gatekeeper urgently reported.
"Simply accept their petitions," Hai Rui replied.
"There are too many—several hundred of them. They’ve all gathered at the yamen gates. This could lead to chaos," the gatekeeper said, his face pale. Such a scene had not been seen since the tung oil poisoning incident years ago.
Upon hearing that several hundred people had gathered at the yamen gates, Hai Rui could no longer remain seated. Without finishing his judgment, he hurriedly led his men to the entrance.
Outside, the yamen gates were already packed with a sea of people. As far as the eye could see, there were only heads, and the entire street was completely blocked.
At the forefront were Luo Twelve from Luo Village, Wang Dong from Wang Village, Li Shugen from the Li family, and an elderly man. Seeing Hai Rui emerge, they all knelt down, and behind each of them, a crowd followed suit, kneeling as well."What is your business? If you have grievances to present, do so properly. Do not gather here in a crowd, lest trouble arise and things turn unpleasant," Hai Rui said with a stern expression.
"Your Honor, we are commoners from Luo Village, Li Village, and Wang Village. We have heard that Your Honor is presiding over the case of the Tung Oil Poisoning Incident from years ago at Du Shi's oil mill. We are all victims who survived thanks to the Li family's rescue and treatment. However, those responsible for the incident remain at large. We humble folk implore Your Honor to uphold justice and severely punish the Du brothers who committed the crime," said the speaker, Luo Twelve from Luo Village.
"Your Honor, we are over forty commoners from the city, also victims of the tung oil poisoning years ago. We beg Your Honor to uphold justice for us and severely punish the Du brothers," added the elderly man standing at the front.
At this moment, Fang Huai, who had followed the crowd out to watch, caught sight of the old man and immediately ducked his head, trying to retreat back into the yamen.
However, despite his advanced age, the old man was surprisingly nimble. He had already spotted Fang Huai and was trembling with anger, disregarding the dignity of the yamen. He rushed forward and dragged Fang Huai out. "You wretched boy, have you no conscience? If not for the Li family's rescue back then, you wouldn't be alive today. I'll beat you to death, you ungrateful wretch!" As he spoke, the old man raised his fist.
"Uncle Fang, Uncle Fang, wait! Listen to me! Uncle Chen Shu said that the Tung Oil Poisoning Incident back then was orchestrated by the Li family behind the scenes," Fang Huai pleaded, cowering and covering his head.
"Pah! Nonsense! When everyone was poisoned by the tung oil, we were the first to rush to the Du family's oil mill. At the time, those two scoundrels from the Du family were directing people to press oil. The oil press still carried a strong smell of tung oil, yet they didn't have it cleaned before immediately ordering people to press rapeseed oil. The oil pressed out was all mixed with tung oil. We caught them red-handed on the spot. Otherwise, who knows how many more people would have been poisoned? You wretched boy, don't sell your conscience for a few coins and spout such lies. I'll beat you to death!" As he spoke, the old man slapped Fang Huai hard across the face. Back when the tung oil incident occurred, they, being city dwellers, had rushed straight to the Du family's oil mill and caught the Du brothers in the act.
Fang Huai, slapped into silence, crouched there covering his head.
Meanwhile, several men who appeared to be physicians and clerks stepped forward, bowing to Hai Rui. "Your Honor Hai, we are all aware of the tung oil case from years ago. Even the Du brothers admitted their guilt back then. Now, we have heard that the Du brothers are accusing the Li family of seizing private property. Therefore, we are willing to step forward and testify on behalf of the Li family."
One of the clerks even presented the case file from the investigation of the tung oil incident years ago. "Your Honor, when the tung oil case broke out, it was I who led the investigation at the Du family's oil mill. This is the record from the scene at the time, which also bears the fingerprints of the Du brothers. I beg Your Honor to examine it carefully. I stake my life and family on the truth of every word, not daring to falsify a single character. This is also my duty and integrity."
Hai Rui took the case file and began to examine it in detail."Your Honor, that Chen Shu is nothing but a lackey of the Shu brothers. Back in the day, relying on the influence of the Du brothers, he frequently skimmed money from us. After Manager Li took over the oil mill, Chen Shu tried to pull the same old tricks, but Manager Li drove him out of the oil mill. What he said is completely fabricated. And as for witnessing it? Back then, as a supervisor, he never came to the oil mill except on payday. We are all old hands at the oil mill, having worked there since the previous owner's time, and we know everything about the mill's affairs. We cannot allow this villain to twist the truth."
At that moment, several men squeezed out from the crowd, their clothes still stained with oil. They too addressed Hai Rui.
Clearly, these men were workers from the Li family's oil mill.
The Li family was now bewildered by everything that was happening, but their hearts were filled with intense emotion. Such a scene would stir anyone's blood.
"Big brother, how did you manage to gather so many people?" Zhen Niang tugged at her elder brother's sleeve and whispered softly. The scale of this was truly overwhelming.
"Not at all. I only spoke with a few doctors from the Medicine Hall and those two clerks, and then mentioned it to Sixth Grandfather. At the time, since nothing had actually happened, how could I speak with certainty?" Li Dalang replied, feeling an indescribable emotion. He had never imagined that so many people would come forward to speak on his behalf.
Just then, Zhen Niang felt someone squeeze her hand. She turned to see Luo Wenqian.
Earlier, she had felt some resentment, thinking that with such a major crisis befalling the Li family, this fellow who usually appeared and disappeared mysteriously was nowhere to be seen when it mattered most. She had been somewhat displeased. But now, he had appeared. Recalling that those who had spoken earlier were from Luo Village, she immediately understood that their appearance must be connected to Luo Wenqian.
She couldn't help but gently squeeze Luo Wenqian's hand in return and asked softly, "Thank you."
"What's there to thank? Who am I to you? Your family's matters are my matters too," Luo Wenqian said, staring at Zhen Niang.
Zhen Niang couldn't help but smile, squinting her eyes. "Alright, no thanks then."
"Besides, I don't have that much influence. As for Luo Village, I only made a suggestion. As for Wang Village and Old Man Fang, that has nothing to do with me. I think the real reason is that back then, your Li family took the initiative to step in and help those who were poisoned through their difficulties. It is because of the good deeds of the past that we see the fruits today," Luo Wenqian said with some emotion.
Hearing this, Zhen Niang felt a complex mix of emotions. In truth, if her sister-in-law hadn't been implicated back then, would the Li family have truly taken on these matters? Even if they had, to be honest, they were full of grievances at the time.
Now it seemed that the Li family owed these people a debt of gratitude.
"Dalang, remember this. Remember all of this. You must repay it in the future," Old Shopkeeper Li said solemnly to Li Dalang.
"Yes, Grandfather, I will remember," Li Dalang nodded firmly. Today's events had truly taken him by surprise. After all, common people feared officials and dreaded getting involved in lawsuits. Yet now, these people had gathered at the yamen gate for no other reason than to speak up for the Li family. How could this not stir Li Dalang's heart? How could it not move him deeply?"Your Honor, these people have all been bribed by the Li family. Please do not let the Li family deceive you." By this point, Du Da knew there was no turning back, so he rushed forward again, kneeling before Hai Rui.
"Is that so? They were all bribed by the Li family, but what about me? Today, I will denounce you two unfilial sons." Just then, Shen Shi emerged from the crowd, her face streaked with tears.
As she spoke, she turned to Hai Rui and knelt down. "This humble woman, Du Shen Shi, is the mother of these two unfilial sons. I know the tung oil case inside out. It was I who decided to transfer the oil workshop to the Li family back then. At the time, it was just a small workshop, and its growth into the grand Li family oil workshop today has nothing to do with our Du family. I beg Your Honor to investigate thoroughly."
"Mother, why are you stirring up trouble?" Du Da was utterly terrified at the sight of Shen Shi. He leaped to his feet and, without a second thought, tried to push her back into the crowd, wishing she had never appeared.
At that moment, everyone present was stunned. No one had expected Shen Shi to show up at such a time.
A mother accusing her own sons—this was no small matter.
By now, it was clear to all that there was no need to continue the day's trial.
Of course, if there was any further trial, it would be the Du brothers who stood accused.
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