Chapter 145 City Streets 45

Chapter 145: City Streets 45

Qin Rongshi arrived at the yamen carrying a basket of "Snow Skin Soft Cheese." The constables had untied the ropes binding the thugs' hands and feet, but left the ropes connecting their legs, forcing them to stumble and stagger their way to the yamen.

They tripped every few steps, while onlookers pointed and jeered along the way. By the time they reached the yamen, the three thugs were bruised and battered from their falls.

The constables were deliberately toying with them, laughing as they said, "This is fun! Next time I catch a criminal, I'll tie them up the same way!"

Once the prisoners were brought to the yamen, such a minor case naturally didn't require the Prefect's attention. It was handled by a designated Magistrate.

Inside the yamen, bailiffs stood in two rows, holding court rods, sternly watching the accused as they entered. The Magistrate sat upright in the main seat, wearing a black gauze cap and a bronze-green round-collared official robe. Behind him hung a wooden plaque inscribed with the words "Impartial Justice."

He slammed the gavel forcefully, the sharp "crack" startling the three thugs, who knelt trembling like quails on the ground.

These three thugs, who had been so bold and reckless at the eatery, now cowered in fear in the courtroom. The burly troublemakers now wished they could shrink into the cracks in the floor.

"Who are the parties below? State your grievances."

Qin Rongshi cupped his hands respectfully and replied calmly, "This student accuses these three individuals of market fraud, extortion, trespassing, assault, and vandalism of the shop. Here is the student's petition for Your Honor's review."

With that, Qin Rongshi respectfully took out a piece of paper folded twice from his pocket. It was the petition he had written at the eatery, the ink still fresh and emitting a faint scent of pine-soot ink.

Observing his composed demeanor, refined speech, and scholarly attire, the Magistrate knew this was no ordinary person.

The Magistrate nodded, exchanging a glance with the clerk beside him, signaling him to retrieve the petition.

The clerk promptly descended, handing the petition to the Magistrate.

Upon opening it, the Magistrate was struck by the elegant handwriting. Noticing the signature at the bottom, he seemed to recall something, raising an eyebrow slightly before exchanging another meaningful glance with the clerk. Both nodded in silent agreement.

The Magistrate addressed Qin Rongshi with a kindly expression but turned a stern face toward the three thugs kneeling below.

"Kneel, you scoundrels!"

"Scholar Qin holds a scholar's rank, yet you dared to deceive him! Who knows how many elderly, weak, women, and children you've bullied before!"

"Confess everything that happened today, truthfully and in detail!"

The three thugs, still bound at the feet, struggled to kneel properly. The constables stepped forward, cutting the ropes with their knives and forcing them to kneel.

Being illiterate and ignorant, the thugs had no idea that the proprietor of Liu's Eatery had a scholar in the family. A scholar meant official status, and possibly future official rank—someone they should never have crossed!

They had only known that the proprietor of Liu's Eatery was a young man from the Liu family, a *Xiao Geer*, which had given them the idea to cause trouble. Had they known about the scholar, they would never have dared!

"Your Honor! Your Honor! We admit our guilt! We’ll never do it again!"

"Yes, Your Honor! We admit our crimes!"

"Scholar Qin, this was our fault. Please be magnanimous and spare us this time!"

"We were deceived too!"

"Yes! Yes!"

The three wailed in unison, creating a chaotic uproar in the courtroom.

The Magistrate slammed the gavel again, shouting, "Silence!"

He then turned to Qin Rongshi and asked, "Does Scholar Qin have anything to add?"

Qin Rongshi stood tall and poised beside the groveling thugs, his demeanor and bearing a world apart from theirs.

He cupped his hands again and spoke clearly, "Your Honor, these three may not have committed major crimes, but their minor offenses are endless. They have been bullying the locals for some time, and this is not the first time they’ve refused to pay at small stalls or eateries. Not long ago, they even provoked an elderly man into falling ill."

"Old Man Liu is over sixty. The Dayong Dynasty has always revered the elderly. How can we allow such villains to tarnish our dynasty’s virtues? If they are not taught a lesson, they will not learn, and others may follow their example!"

One of the thugs hastily kowtowed and explained, "Your Honor... Old Man Liu was already old and frail... This can’t be blamed on..."

Before he could finish, the Magistrate’s furious gavel slam startled him into silence, his words stuck in his throat.

"How dare you quibble! Your words confirm the truth! If you knew Old Man Liu was old and frail, why didn’t you respect him? Why provoke him into illness?!"

The thugs dared not reply.

A constable also stepped forward and reported, "Your Honor, these three are notorious troublemakers on the streets, shameless and unrepentant! We’ve disciplined them multiple times and even jailed them for a few days, but their behavior remains unchanged! It seems the punishment was too light. I urge Your Honor to impose a heavier penalty!"

The Magistrate nodded in agreement, pulling a fire tally from the container and declaring decisively, "A severe punishment is indeed warranted! Drag them out and give them twenty strikes each!"

With those words, the tally was thrown to the ground. Before the thugs could kowtow and beg for mercy, the bailiffs dragged them out.

In the courtyard outside, long benches were set up. The thugs were pressed down, bound to the benches, and struck with thick wooden boards.

Cries and pleas echoed from outside, gradually fading into pained groans.

Qin Rongshi remained standing straight in the courtroom, his gaze slightly lowered. He listened to the cries without so much as a frown, which drew another glance from the Magistrate.

Truly, the County First of this year’s examinations—as the saying goes, heroes emerge from the young.

Soon, the twenty strikes were completed, and the three thugs were dragged back into the hall like dead dogs.

"Your Honor! The punishment is complete!"

The Magistrate nodded and added, "You injured people and vandalized the shop. You must also pay compensation. As for the amount..."

He looked at Qin Rongshi, seemingly waiting for him to speak.

Qin Rongshi promptly replied, "The eatery’s accountant is severely injured and will need a month to recover. The proprietor is also injured, and medical expenses totaled four taels and eight mace."

"The tables, chairs, and shelves in the shop were damaged and should be compensated according to their value."

"Additionally, the *Dou Song Law* includes a compensation system①. Due to their unprovoked assault, the eatery must suspend operations, and the proprietor and accountant must rest at home. The resulting losses should also be compensated. This student has calculated the total compensation at twenty-seven taels."

"Doctor Fang from Huichun Clinic on Apricot Forest Street can testify for this student. I have also brought the eatery’s account book for Your Honor’s review."

With that, Qin Rongshi took the account book from the basket at his feet. It clearly recorded daily income and expenses, proving that the compensation demanded was not excessive.

The clerk descended again to retrieve the account book. After verifying its accuracy, the Magistrate did not send constables to fetch Fang Liuyin but instead dispatched the yamen’s official physician to the eatery to assess the injuries and determine if the compensation was reasonable.

Upon hearing this, the half-dead thugs mustered their strength, scrambling to their feet and crying out, "Your Honor... Your Honor... We have no money! How can we afford so much? Over twenty taels! Even if you sell us, we couldn’t pay!"

One wailed, and the other two joined in, throwing the courtroom into chaos again.

The Magistrate slammed the gavel and shouted, "Then sell yourselves!"

"If you cannot pay, the three of you will be exiled three thousand *li* to work off your debt in the mines!"

The three thugs were terrified at the mention of the mines. Those sent to the mines were forced into backbreaking labor from dawn to dusk, with overseers whipping them if they rested, and only one meal a day.

It was a living hell, from which no one returned alive.

The three brothers, who had just been pleading poverty, now pleaded desperately, "We have money... we have money... we'll pay!"

The official physician sent to inspect Liu's Eatery returned, and the case was concluded. The three men were sentenced to twenty lashes, half a year behind bars, and a fine of forty-two taels of silver.

Besides the twenty-seven taels owed to Liu's Eatery, the rest was to be paid as compensation to the small-time vendors they'd previously harassed.

Somehow, the three hoodlums managed to scrape together the money—perhaps from whatever their family had left—and settled the fine completely.

Qin Rongshi received the silver and watched as the bailiffs clapped shackles onto the three hoodlums and dragged them away.

The Magistrate was about to bang the gavel and adjourn the court when he noticed Qin Rongshi showed no intention of leaving.

He let out a puzzled sound, tilting his head as he asked, "Does Scholar Qin still have something to say?"

Qin Rongshi bowed humbly and produced a formal complaint from his sleeve, saying, "This student has not yet finished his accusations."

"I accuse the woman Chen Qiaoyun of Li Family Lane, Riverside Street, of the crime of making and selling shoddy, cut-rate products."

*

At Rainbow Bridge Market, Chen Qiaoyun was in a great mood today.

Some young men had just bought several of her Snow Skin Soft Cheese, making her two baskets a lot lighter!

Moreover, she had caught some chatter under the locust tree, saying that Liu Guyu's eatery had been vandalized!

Serves the villain right! How satisfying!

Eager to hear more, Chen Qiaoyun stopped pushing her sales and hurried over with her baskets, smirking as she asked, "Hey, are you talking about that new shop on Spring Street that opened this year?"

The two middle-aged women chatting, who had brought their young grandchildren out to play, glanced at her. One of them nodded and said, "Yes, that's the one!"

Chen Qiaoyun pushed further, "It was really vandalized? And people were beaten? Was it serious?"

The other woman added, "It really was! My daughter-in-law saw it with her own eyes! The owner and the accountant were both beaten. Oh, I heard the accountant was badly injured—they even called a doctor to administer acupuncture!"

Chen Qiaoyun couldn't hide her smile, her face full of gleeful malice as she eagerly asked, "And then? What about the owner? Was he badly hurt?"

Perhaps Chen Qiaoyun's excitement was too obvious, her gloating too palpable, making the two women give her odd looks.

The two women had been chatting sympathetically about the poor, innocent eatery owner suffering such misfortune.

Then suddenly, this woman showed up, gloating, which seemed very odd.

One of the women narrowed her eyes at Chen Qiaoyun, glanced at her baskets, and asked, "Hey... it's you! Aren't you the one who sells Snow Skin Soft Cheese?"

"Didn't you say the owner of Liu's Eatery taught you how to make it? You're acquaintances, so why are you so happy?"

Chen Qiaoyun stammered and went quiet.

Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, a booming, official-sounding voice came from behind.

"Are you the one selling Snow Skin Soft Cheese?"

Hearing the voice, Chen Qiaoyun turned quickly and saw several officers with swords at their hips. She immediately put on an ingratiating smile. "Yes, yes! Would you like to buy some, officers?"

The officer in charge didn't answer but asked instead, "I heard your Snow Skin Soft Cheese is the same as the one from Liu's Eatery on Spring Street. Is that true?"

Chen Qiaoyun beamed and nodded, pleased that her product had attracted the officers' attention. She lifted the white cloth covering the baskets and eagerly offered, "Yes, yes! It's the same! Officer, would you like to try some? No charge—this humble woman offers it to you!"

The officer snorted coldly and said, "Save your offerings—we're here to arrest you!"