CHAPTER 199: CHAPTER 168 IDENTIFICATION

"It has begun."

At dawn, Li Ang and many Chang’an citizens stood outside the Ministry of Justice, peering inside.

He had come to watch the trial of this case, partly because of Wu Shiqi’s earnest request, and partly because of the changes that had taken place in Bitter Realm Lotus.

In Yu Country, both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice held judicial power. The former served as the highest tribunal, specifically handling criminal cases involving court officials and those occurring in Chang’an that involved corporal punishment or greater. The latter handled ordinary criminals and reviewed cases of corporal punishment, exile, and greater severity that came from the Ministry of Justice.

If significant cases involving politics or injustices arose, the Imperial Censorate would also become involved. Such cases were jointly reviewed by the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the Assistant Minister, and the Imperial Censor.

Yu Country classified cases into five categories, corresponding to five punishments: whipping, caning, fixed-term imprisonment, exile, and capital punishment.

Since this case involved a death, it was almost certain to begin with fixed-term imprisonment, escalating to capital punishment, meaning a review by the Ministry of Justice was inevitable.

Originally, according to Yu Chu’s rules, if it were a case of capital punishment, it would require review by the Emperor, to demonstrate Yu Country’s caution with capital punishment and its concern for human rights.

But over hundreds of years, as the population of Yu Country expanded, the number of capital cases rose, and a single Emperor could no longer review them all. This rule gradually fell out of discussion.

Even capital punishment cases only went as far as a joint tribunal hearing. The Emperor would not easily inquire or interfere with the direction of the case.

SNAP.

Two tall, burly Ministry of Justice constables dragged Nie Shilei, dressed in prisoner’s garb, along the walkway.

They gripped Nie Shilei’s shoulders, forcefully pushing him down to kneel on the firm stone tiles.

"Off with his head!"

"Kill him!"

"This beast, lower than pigs and dogs!"

"F***, f***, f***!"

Instantly, raucous curses erupted from outside the Ministry of Justice. Foul words leaped from the mouths of the vast numbers of Chang’an citizens, who wished their words could transform into swords to impale Nie Shilei kneeling there.

Even some seemingly kind old ladies murmured with downcast faces, "Such a lovely girl, only fifteen, ruined by this fool."

"What are the Chang’an Wannian County Government Officials doing? Letting this fool roam the streets at will?"

"I heard his father took him out on the Dragon Boat Festival."

"Then why not arrest his father as well? It might have been his father’s instruction. Even if his father wasn’t involved, letting the fool out was negligent!"

Chang’an City had not seen such a grievous case for some time. The citizens outside the Ministry of Justice were increasingly agitated, their voices growing louder. This caused Yun Hanchi, sitting high in the hall, to imperceptibly furrow his brows. He slammed the dragon-shaped gavel to suppress the outside noise.

"Let’s begin."

Yun Hanchi took a deep breath and asked the dazed Nie Shilei below, "Are you Nie Shilei?"

"...Yes."

Nie Shilei slowly raised his head, his gaze drifting hazily, taking a long while to settle on Yun Hanchi’s face.

"During the fourth year of Zaiqian Dragon Boat Festival, from Xu Zheng to Haichu, where were you and what were you doing?"

"...Huh?"

Yun Hanchi pursed his lips, patiently repeating, "...Half a month ago, on the night of the Dragon Boat Festival, from Xu Zheng to Haichu, where were you and what were you doing?"

"I, I was with father and my little sister, selling bamboo baskets."

Nie Shilei’s speech was childlike, often disjointed and illogical. One moment he said he was scared, the next he claimed someone had beaten him, then he started crying on his own.

This behavior did not elicit sympathy from the crowd outside the Ministry of Justice. Instead, it confirmed their belief that he was having a bout of madness, had killed Meng Ying, and was attempting to use this foolishly conceived, clumsy lie to muddle through.

BANG!

Li Ang turned his head. In the corner, a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothes, his eyes bloodshot, heavily pounded his fist against the stone wall. The man clenched his teeth, his body trembling slightly from intense grief and anger as blood dripped down from between his fingers. A circle of people surrounded him. Among them, Jin Wusuan, Yu Country’s wealthiest merchant whom Li Ang recognized, sighed and gently patted the man’s shoulder.

That must be the deceased Meng Ying’s father, Meng Chengye, the Steward of Liu Guang Bank in Chang’an County.

Li Ang turned away and looked back inside the Ministry of Justice.

"Bring the witnesses up."

Perhaps feeling that conversing with Nie Shilei was too exhausting, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Yun Hanchi, gestured dismissively.

A constable brought a group of people from a side courtyard to the hall, comprising rich young ladies, Chang’an Wannian County Constables, and soldiers of the garrison.

"Hmm?"

Li Ang’s eyebrows rose as he spotted, within the crowd, the little girl whose vegetables had been smashed two days earlier.

Yun Hanchi questioned the crowd one by one, reconstructing and clarifying the details of the case.

"According to multiple witness statements, at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival, Meng Ying went to Qujiang Pool with friends.

By 5 p.m., the suspect Nie Shilei, along with his father Nie Gao and his sister Nie Yuhuan, went to the East Market. They carried baskets and other goods and set up a stall on its west side.

Around Haichu, Meng Ying returned from Qujiang Pool with her friends and went to the East Market. At Haichu and 15 minutes, she separated from her friends near the east entrance of the East Market.

Around Haichu and approximately 30 minutes, Nie Gao was at the west entrance of the East Market. He left his stall due to stomach pain, instructing his daughter Nie Yuhuan to watch over Nie Shilei.

Attracted by a flower cart, Nie Yuhuan asked Nie Shilei to stay put and went over to buy candies for both of them. On her return, Nie Shilei had disappeared.

At Hai Zheng and 15 minutes, Meng Ying’s friends arrived at the west side of the East Market looking for her. There, they simultaneously discovered the suspicious-looking Nie Shilei in an alley, along with Meng Ying, who was already dead and disfigured."

Yun Hanchi said gravely, "Is this what happened? After leaving the stall, you were drawn to Meng Ying when she appeared on the street. You followed her into an alley. When she resisted and scolded you, you slammed her head against the wall and behaved improperly. Afterward, out of fear, you used her jade hairpin to mutilate her face. Finally, unable to escape, you were caught red-handed."

"..."

Nie Shilei seemed not to be listening to what the Minister of the Ministry of Justice was saying. He was only looking at Nie Gao and Nie Yuhuan nearby, tears streaming down his face. His father, Nie Gao, had a bruised and swollen face, clearly having been beaten by someone in Chang’an City.

"You still have the nerve to cry?"

A rich young lady, apparently a friend of Meng Ying, furiously rushed forward from among the witnesses. She kicked Nie Shilei on the shoulder, knocking him to the ground, and yelled, "Do you know how much pain and despair Meng Ying was in when she died? Her nails had broken off from struggling, her..."

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Yun Hanchi, furrowed his brows. Without needing his instruction, a nearby constable pulled the rich young lady back.

He cleared his throat, "If there are no objections..."

"It wasn’t me."

This time, Nie Shilei finally spoke up on his own, his voice seeming to drift from a great distance, "I didn’t kill her."

"Hmm?"

Yun Hanchi frowned. He saw Nie Shilei’s gaze steadying, no longer wandering. His voice also became much steadier. "It was someone else."

"Who?"

"Him."

Amidst a sudden uproar, Nie Shilei swung his arm, pointing towards the outside of the Ministry of Justice.

A tall and burly man’s expression abruptly changed, and as he tried to quietly slip away, someone grabbed his arm.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Li Ang said with a smile, pulling and tugging slightly, pushing him forward to the front of the hall.