CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 53: FLOGGING

Standing on either side of the courtroom were the governmental officials of Runzhou Prefecture. Upon hearing the order from the Golden-faced Imperial Censor, they immediately struck the ground with their Water and Fire Sticks.

Li Wencai shrank to the ground, not daring to lift his head.

As the County Magistrate, he was all too familiar with the courtroom routine. Usually, he sat high above, feeling regal and imposing. But kneeling below the hall now, each beat felt like it was pounding on his heart, making his whole body uncontrollably tremble.

Zhu Yu came to Lu Qing’s side, who gestured for her to sit beside him, in a position obviously for the main judge.

This morning, when the rune said to hand over the captured person to her for trial, she didn’t take it seriously. She didn’t expect Lu Qing to really mean it.

Since he was so sincere, it would be impolite of her to refuse.

Moreover, there wasn’t much mystery about how the case started or how the murder happened, as these simply required piecing together the evidence.

On the way here, she had already gotten a rough idea of the situation from the rune.

It turned out that on the previous night, Lu Qing and the rune, along with several imperial guards, had quietly set out under the cover of darkness and ambushed around the dilapidated temple.

They used Li Wencai as bait, sending him into the temple to pray for wealth. When daylight broke, Li Wencai obediently did as instructed, bringing offerings and incense sticks, guided by the Centurion of the imperial guard who disguised himself in coarse cloth as a coachman, driving around in Li Wencai’s conspicuous carriage for half a day before heading to the Ghost Immortal Temple.

When he finally arrived, it was nearly dusk.

Li Wencai made a show of burning incense and praying, but after a long while, the rune, hiding behind the statue, remained attentive to the outside. Upon realizing there was movement in the bamboo tube’s hiding spot behind the temple, he used a prepared pebble to knock Li Wencai unconscious from a distance.

The large bump on Li Wencai’s forehead came from him accidentally hitting the altar’s edge when he passed out.

Not long after, a small emaciated man smeared with dirt and ragged cloth covering his nose and mouth snuck into the dilapidated temple. As soon as he appeared, he was caught by the rune without a chance to cry out and was dragged away unconscious.

Less than an hour later, another person stealthily approached the Ghost Immortal Temple. Avoiding the statues, he reached the unconscious Li Wencai on the ground.

Finding the person still warm with breath, he was shocked. Realizing something was wrong, he turned to flee, but it was too late. The imperial guard had encircled the temple, and having no wings to fly away, he had no choice but to surrender.

With this information, Zhu Yu basically understood the roles of these two individuals.

Now sitting in court, she looked down at the two kneeling individuals; one appeared around forty, solid and calm, kneeling upright.

The other looked seventeen or eighteen, small and thin, shivering with anxiety.

She glanced at them and then at the dejected Li Wencai and the Qingshui County citizens craning their necks outside the government office, suddenly deciding on her plan.

"Previously, there was a Lu’s Winery in Qingshui County, bullying locals, oppressing businesses. Surely, you must have been one of the victims?" she addressed the skinny young man. If her guess was correct, this was the mute they had heard about from the rune.

According to the rune’s inquiries, the mute could not speak but had sharp hearing, capable only of making indistinct sounds.

Being questioned by Zhu Yu, he trembled, glanced at Zhu Yu, then quickly at the middle-aged man beside him, lowered his eyelids, and did not respond.

Zhu Yu paid no mind, announcing loudly enough for even those beyond the courtroom to hear: "It’s said that Lu’s is tyrannical, forcing numerous peers to their doom, monopolizing Qingshui County’s wine business for massive profit.

Unbeknownst to many, Lu’s was merely a puppet with no way back. The true figure behind the scene, siphoning profits, was your supervising official, Mr. Li Wencai.

It was on his instigation and manipulation that Lu’s committed those numerous crimes. Even those housekeepers gathering information and coercing sales for Lu’s were not their hirelings but Mr. Li’s minions.

Not only did he foster puppets in various industries to amass wealth, but he also oppressed farmers by taking grain with large cups while secretly transferring granaries’ stock to his own grain businesses, selling by the small cup for further profit.

Such malevolence cannot be tolerated by the heavens; his crimes are despicable."

Zhu Yu’s tone carried anger, biting out the last four words forcefully, making Li Wencai shiver.

"During his tenure in Qingshui County, not only did he make the city residents suffer greatly, but he also forced rural farmers to abandon their fields and leave their homes. Merely bringing him back to the Capital for Your Majesty to punish by execution might not quell the wrath of Qingshui County’s citizens."

Finished speaking, she glanced sideways at Lu Qing beside her.

After all, she was merely borrowing authority; without the Lord Imperial Censor’s command, a Chief Historian like her had no right to order around.

Lu Qing clearly understood her glance, nodding slightly, coldly stating, "Today in this courtroom, the Chief Historian’s words are my words, and her orders are my orders."

With his statement, Zhu Yu hesitated no more, ordering the officials at the side: "Men, give Li Wencai twenty heavy strokes! Five for the farmers forced to flee, five for the struggling merchants of Qingshui County, five for those cheated by his large to small cup dealings, and five for the innocents killed at his behest by his minions!"

"Yes!" the officials responded loudly, moved forward, and dragged Li Wencai to the ground, two stood by, preparing to strike with full force.

Li Wencai had thought that his trial might spare him physical pain, his apprehensions mostly about his fate under the Lord Imperial Censor’s subsequent treatment.

Never imagining he’d suffer physical punishment here, and not just any beating—twenty heavy strokes!

Before the first stroke fell, Li Wencai couldn’t even react and forgot to plead for mercy.

When the first stroke landed, all he felt was searing pain on his rear, and his plea solidified in his throat, turning into a sharp scream.

Outside the courtroom, upon hearing the scream, a cheer erupted among the gathered citizens of Qingshui County.