Volume 2 Chapter 34: Watching Cases Like Grass on the Wall
To Lin Jianlan, these words were like a divine voice. He wanted to thank the waiter. Yuan Xingjian asked curiously, "This is a good time to do business. Why are they closing now?"
The waiter said with excitement, "It is said that the inspector has come from above to try cases for the people. Although all crows are black, you may not be able to see such excitement even if you live a lifetime! I suggest you two stop drinking and go watch the fun!" After saying that, he rubbed his hands and ran out again.
The two looked at each other. Lin Jianlan still had more than half of the jar left to drink. He stood up and said, "Brother Yuan, why don't we go and watch the trial? It's quite interesting."
Yuan Xingjian pondered and said, "Since I am in Taihu Lake, it is inconvenient for me to get too close to the government. Since Young Master Lin wants to see what's going on, I will go with him and see what the imperial court has done by sending an inspector here."
Lin Jianlan was overjoyed that he could avoid drinking again. He pulled Yuan Xingjian out of the wine shop and asked for directions. In a few hours, they arrived at the Suzhou government office, which was already crowded with people. The two jumped to a rooftop farther away and looked from a distance. They saw dozens of yamen runners using water and fire sticks to try to stop the crowded crowd, leaving a square space. In front of the door was a desk with a sign tube, a stone, an official seal and other items placed in order. On both sides were ivory cards. The inspector was talking quietly with the clerk beside him. His face could not be seen clearly, but the clerk looked quite handsome and elegant. There was another desk on the side below. A man who looked like an official did not sit down, but his hands were hanging down. He was slightly fat and looked at the inspector's face very carefully. He must be Gao Deshun, the "parent official" of Suzhou Prefecture.
The two looked at the scene again and could not help but feel angry. Wu Hong and Cai Shaobing were sitting high on official chairs. Although Cai Shaobing's face was still covered with scars, he was still arrogant. Wu Hong squinted his eyes, looked at the people around him, and fanned himself leisurely.
Yuan Xingjian said in a deep voice: "This inspector actually set up a seat for the two of them. I'm afraid he's not a good person!"
Lin Jianlan nodded and said in his heart, "This official has been showing goodwill to the powerful from the beginning. The people will definitely think that the inspector has received benefits from him. Not only will he fail to bring down the two thieves if he steps forward, but he may even destroy his family. How dare he come out to file a complaint?"
Sure enough, the inspector coughed lightly, glanced at the crowd, and when he saw that the surroundings gradually became quiet, he said slowly: "I am the acting inspector of Jiangnan Province, and I will stay in Suzhou for three days. Fellow villagers, if you have any complaints, please feel free to report them."
Everyone in the audience looked at each other, and then at the three beasts in human clothing sitting high in the hall. They all understood each other and were silent for a long time. But the clerk couldn't help but speak, but was stopped by the inspector with a look. He slowly opened the folding fan in his hand, turned his head and said to Gao Deshun: "This court has visited several government offices, but it's not like Suzhou, where there are no complaints. It seems that Suzhou is really a peaceful world, and Lord Gao has made an indelible contribution !"
Gao Deshun's face immediately brightened up when he received the praise from the inspector. He nodded and shook his head, looking extremely proud. Wu and Cai next to him were even more complacent. The people watching below were a little shocked, but they all talked in a low voice and did not dare to make a loud noise.
Lin Jianlan said, "He said that, obviously he is the same as Gao Deshun, huh?" The two of them looked at him intently, and both felt that this inspector was somewhat similar to the young scholar in the temple, but they were too far away to see clearly. At the same time, they said "that inspector..." and couldn't help but smile at each other. They moved forward and backward to the rooftop very close to take a closer look. It was indeed the scholar in the temple. Yuan Xingjian looked disappointed and sighed, "The people have waited in vain. It seems that the officials are colluding again."
Lin Jianlan smiled bitterly and said, "When I was young, I heard people tell stories about ancient times. They always said that the inspector general went on a secret visit, killed evil thieves, and got rid of harm for the people, and finally won the beauty. It turns out that in this world, it's just a lie. As for looking forward to it, I'm afraid the people have stopped looking forward to it a long time ago, otherwise why would so many people go to Brother Yuan?"
When Yuan Xingjian heard him mention the Taihu Volunteer Army, he stopped answering, with a slight sarcastic smile on his face, and turned his head to continue watching the farce below.
The inspector looked around and his eyes fell on Wu and Cai. He was surprised and asked, "Master Gao, who are these two..."
Gao Deshun was even more confused. It was the inspector who asked him to invite Wu Hong and Cai Shaobing here. Why did he pretend not to know them? After thinking for a moment, he suddenly realized that the inspector had just arrived here. How could he clearly show that he wanted to make friends with these two people? He hurriedly stood up and bent in front of the inspector, pointing at Wu and Cai, and said flatteringly: "Thank you, sir. This young man's surname is Wu Hong, and he is the son of King Liang. This is Cai Shaobing, your brother."
Xie Xunan exclaimed, "Oh? Sir Lai, could it be the Imperial Censor, Sir Lai Junchen?"
Cai Shaobing had already recognized that this inspector was the young scholar who had stopped him in Wu Yuan Temple and let the two of them escape afterwards. When he heard him mention his brother's name, he felt very proud and snorted, "You have some knowledge!"
Xie Xun's face was very serious, and he said: "The two young masters must be outstanding people. I wonder what official rank they hold now? If they have made achievements, this court will report to the emperor on your behalf. You must promote young and promising people." At this point, Wu and Cai blushed, and Gao Deshun tried to smooth things over, saying: "The two young masters are now idle at home, managing some of the properties here for King Liang and Lord Lai, and have no intention of pursuing a career in politics."
"Oh... this really embarrasses me." Inspector Xie pondered for a moment, then changed his expression and sternly reprimanded, "I am inspecting Jiangnan on behalf of the emperor, with the seal of the emperor on the table and the imperial edict in my hand, as if the emperor himself were here. These two are neither officials nor weak, but they did not kneel when they saw me, but instead sat high up in the hall and looked complacent. What's the reason?"
The voice was calm, but it was intimidating without being angry. Some people below had been unable to wait and were trying to squeeze out of the circle, but after hearing these words they hurriedly squeezed back in, causing an immediate uproar. Lin Jianlan and the other two had no idea what the inspector was up to, so they just watched with bated breath.
Gao Deshun was so anxious that beads of sweat appeared on his fat face. He said softly, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! This is the son of King Liang, the nephew of the emperor!"
Inspector Xie smiled and said, "Of course I know that if a prince breaks the law, he is subject to the same punishment as a commoner. Besides, I am not pursuing his crime. I am just trying to teach them some etiquette. Lord Gao is so anxious. Isn't this a loss of dignity for an official? Please return to your seat!" After saying that, he gestured to his left and right, and immediately guards stepped forward, lifted the two men up and pressed them to the ground.
Wu Hong usually acted like a little emperor in Suzhou, but now he knelt down in front of the people, feeling humiliated. He raised his head and said, "Mr. Xie! You won't be an inspector for long . One day I will ask you to kneel down to me a thousand times or ten thousand times!"
But Inspector Xie did not respond. He turned to the clerk and said, "What crime should be committed for yelling in court and being unreasonable to the officials who are our parents?"
The clerk handed the lottery box to Inspector Xie and said happily, "Forty strokes of the cane!"
But Inspector Xie pushed the lottery box away and said to the audience, "Please keep this in mind for now. I will ask again, is there anyone who wants to complain about the people's grievances?"
Lin Jianlan was dumbfounded at this moment, not knowing what the inspector was planning, but he heard Yuan Xingjian praise him: "Even if Wu and Cai are not invited here, their power is still there. It is better to raise them high and then drop them heavily, to show their power in public and dispel the shadows of these two people in Suzhou. It seems that they are doing the opposite of suppressing before promoting!"
Lin Jianlan nodded and said, "It seems that someone will report these two people's various evil deeds in Suzhou soon, but I am afraid they are unwilling to be the first to come forward."
As they were talking, they heard someone shouting in a delicate voice, "I have something to report," and then she came forward with a complaint on her head. Upon closer inspection, it was the girl named Xiaohui whom they had met yesterday and today. Lin Jianlan thought about it and realized that he had chased her and told her to file a complaint. He couldn't help but say, "A young girl can still show up in public, and she is reporting something that is difficult to talk about, such as being molested. With this opening, I'm afraid there will be a flood of people coming forward to file a complaint. I'm afraid this is also within his calculations."
Sure enough, a moment later, another gray-haired old man came up tremblingly and said, "I want to sue too! But I haven't prepared a petition yet..." Inspector Xie waved his hand and smiled, "Document Su, write a petition for the people in court!"
This change was too sudden. Wu and Cai had never seen such a bold person, so they were extremely arrogant in the past. But now they saw the truth, and they broke out in a sweat and collapsed to the ground, regretting that they were too careless. They thought that this inspector was just like the previous officials, who only knew how to please others and did not bring any servants with him.
Gao Deshun was even more horrified, and his sleeves could be seen shaking faintly. He had spent a lot of effort and money to please King Liang and Lai Junchen. If something happened to Wu and Cai at this moment, he would be in trouble. Thinking of this, he calmed down a little, looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. He winked at Wu and Cai's servants and scolded them, "Hurry up!"
The servant was already dizzy at this moment, and hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd and ran out. Lin Jianlan saw it, and stood up and said, "Is he going to get reinforcements? Let me stop him!" But Yuan Xingjian grabbed him and said, "Don't worry about him. Let's see what the inspector will do if reinforcements come!"
Lin Jianlan knew that he was still a little upset about what happened in the morning, so he smiled and squatted again. He saw the clerk writing on the petition with his pen as fast as a dragon. After each sheet was completed, someone would take it and present it.
A crowd of people were kneeling in front of the inspector, but they all avoided Wu and Cai and just glared at them. The inspector had a stack of petitions in his hand, but he had lost his usual smile. His face became more solemn, his brows were tightly knitted, and his teeth were tightly biting his lips, as if he was trying to suppress his anger. After about an hour, the number of people writing petitions gradually decreased. There was no room for so many people to kneel in the hall, and most of them listened to the announcement outside the circle as ordered. Wu and Cai had already been trembling like sieves under the stares of the crowd. The inspector's face gradually calmed down, and he said in a deep voice: "Cai Shaobing, the petitions in my hand right now are enough to kill you if you take any one of them. Do you know your crime?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone in the audience fell silent. The people looked at the young inspector with great respect. Some hoped that he could rule for the people, but some feared that he was just putting on an empty show. After a moment of silence, Cai Shaobing stammered, "I, I..." But he couldn't say anything. The inspector picked up the pen and spread the ink, writing as he said, "There are still people waiting in line to sue you who haven't finished writing their cases. I don't know how long it will take for you to sign and seal one by one. This court will make it convenient for you. Just sign here!" After that, he handed the case file to Gao Deshun and said, "Sir Gao, please read it to the criminal Cai Shaobing and let him sign after listening."
Gao Deshun dared not disobey, so he took the letter with a bow and read out tremblingly, "The criminal Cai Shaobing has committed the following serious crimes..." However, he was interrupted by Inspector Xie, who asked with a smile, "Master Gao, have you not had lunch yet? Even though we are so close to you, we can't hear you clearly, let alone the people in the yamen? Master Gao, please read out louder."
Seeing him punishing Gao Deshun, Lin Jianlan couldn't help but laugh. He turned around and saw Yuan Xingjian also smiling. He listened to Gao Deshun reading again: "One hundred and four cases of occupying good farmland, thirty-seven cases of killing good women, and forty-five cases of allowing servants to commit murder and death..." He paused at the end before reading again: "Colluding with local officials and defying the law." His voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, and his back was already wet.
The verdict was very concise, but it was enough to show that Cai Shaobing's crime was unforgivable. The victims were already very excited, and some could not help sobbing when they thought of their own flesh and blood who had died tragically. Lin Jianlan wondered in his heart, "Cai Shaobing has committed so many serious crimes, he really deserves to die, but no one has sued Wu Hong except that girl Xiaohui, which is quite strange." Just as he was thinking about it, he saw a man hurriedly coming out from the back of the yamen and whispering a few words to Inspector Xie. Inspector Xie waved to the clerk, and the two of them hurried to the back hall. Looking carefully at Gao Deshun's expression, it seemed different from the panic-stricken look just now. The two thieves kneeling on the ground were shaking again. The crowd near the edge of the open space had been replaced by a group of servants and thugs, pushing and shoving there.
A moment later, Inspector Xie and the other two hurried out of the yamen again. There was no sign of anything on their faces. They just took the verdict and said, "It seems that what we wrote just now was not fair. Now it seems that we need to make some revisions." After that, they picked up the pen and hurriedly rewrote the petition. Wu and Cai were delighted at this moment, but the people around them were talking about it. Seeing Inspector Xie said that what he wrote before was not "fair" and he hurriedly revised it now, they knew what was going on. The back hall must have had two families come to negotiate. Some of those who had the courage to file a complaint had regrets on their faces, and they complained in their hearts, "We thought that the great judge had really come this time, but we didn't expect that this pretense was all for the money of the two families! After the inspector leaves, I'm afraid those who dared to file a complaint will be in big trouble!"
