Lady, escort the emperor! 36
Chapter 36: Varying by Person
After sending his son to the Chang’an County Yamen (county government office), the middle-aged man took one last, deep look at him before turning and leaving without hesitation, as if the young man wasn’t even his son. This clearly demonstrated his attitude: he accepted whatever judgment the county yamen handed down. Meanwhile, the onlookers were in an uproar.
“Was that man just now the Chief Secretary of the Board of War?”
“He said his surname was Wang, and the Chief Secretary of the Board of War’s surname is Wang!”
“He actually really sent his son here!”
“Why?”
…
The people were baffled. If the Chief Secretary of the Board of War were truly a man of great righteousness who would punish his own family, he would have had his son punished half a year ago, not waiting until now, only for the new Chang’an County Magistrate to investigate and make his son obediently submit to justice. Could it be that this new magistrate had powerful connections?
Li Nuo vaguely sensed that the Chief Secretary of the Board of War’s decisive action was likely due to his father. After all, he was only a fifth-rank official, while the Minister of Justice held the prestigious rank of third-rank. Higher rank means more power; a third-rank official and a fifth-rank official were separated by a vast gulf, especially considering the Dali Temple (Ministry of Justice) controlled criminal law.
In Da Xia, a third-rank official was practically at the pinnacle of power. While ranks above third-rank existed (second-rank and first-rank), these higher ranks were largely honorary, mostly holding empty titles. Third-rank officials, such as the six ministers and the nine temple ministers, held real power and were pillars of the court. Only the Emperor could appoint or dismiss them.
Li Nuo had been diligently studying the Da Xia Law Book these past few days, to the point that he sometimes didn’t need to consult it when judging cases. The Da Xia Law Book stipulated that those guilty of adultery would each receive one and a half years of hard labor; if the woman was married, the sentence increased to two years. Rape resulted in an additional level of punishment, reaching three years of imprisonment.
Da Xia’s punishment for rape was relatively light, with a maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment. In later generations, the same crime carried a minimum sentence of three years, with the death penalty as the maximum. However, this case had a special circumstance: the woman violated by the Chief Secretary’s son had suffered a mental breakdown from the trauma. According to supplementary clauses in the law book, this constituted aggravated circumstances, permitting a harsher sentence.
After discussing with Pei Zhe, Li Nuo decided to sentence Wang Yue to one hundred strokes of the bastinado, three years’ imprisonment, and one hundred taels of silver in compensation to the victim. The three years of imprisonment was the base punishment; the one hundred strokes was the maximum allowed by law as an added punishment. The one hundred taels in compensation was an additional ruling made by the officials based on the circumstances of the case; within the bounds of the Da Xia Law, Li Nuo and the Chang’an County Magistrate had imposed the harshest possible sentence on Wang Yue.
The crowd was enraged, many shouting for his execution. But this was impossible. Punishments were determined by law, limiting the officials to the prescribed penalties; exceeding these limits would invalidate the judgment, resulting in the ruling being overturned by the Ministry of Punishments and the Dali Temple. The officials making such a ruling would also face punishment.
Wang Yue had received the maximum sentence; the one hundred taels of compensation could even be refused by the Wang family, escalating the case to the Ministry of Punishments. However, it seemed they would not do so.
Imprisonment required review by the Ministry of Punishments before execution, but the bastinado did not. After publicly announcing Wang Yue’s crime and sentence, two constables released him from his bonds, pressing him onto a long bench while two others carried out the punishment.
Wang Yue, seemingly frail, possessed surprising resilience. Several heavy blows landed, yet he didn’t utter a sound. Li Nuo was surprised, and even Wu Guanjia, his steward, showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes, saying, “Impressive talent. At such a young age, he’s cultivated Internal Energy, and he doesn’t even use it for protection; he has some backbone…”
Li Nuo watched Wang Yue being punished. Wu Guanjia mentioned he was in the second realm of martial arts, known as the Inner Breath Realm, where a rudimentary form of True Energy develops, capable of protecting the body. If he had used his Internal Energy to protect himself, ordinary strokes would have been ineffective.
Li Nuo couldn’t help but lament the unfairness of it all; this kind of scoundrel possessed excellent martial arts talent, while he had none.
The constables administering the punishment held nothing back. Without Internal Energy protection, even martial artists would struggle to endure. But Wang Yue remained silent from beginning to end, even as his buttocks and back became bloody and raw.
The onlookers watched with satisfaction. A woman in roughspun clothing with disheveled hair stood in the crowd, staring blankly at the scene. The vacant smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by grief, which slowly transformed into satisfaction. She knelt before the old woman, sobbing, “Mother…”
The woman with disheveled hair was the victim. Witnessing Wang Yue’s punishment seemed to shock her back to her senses, a welcome turn of events. The old woman hugged her daughter, staring at the scene before them. For six months, she had run to countless offices, wearing out countless pairs of shoes, all to no avail. She had almost given up. Today, seeing the open trial at the county yamen, she clung to a last shred of hope. She never expected the beast to actually be punished!
She pulled her daughter and knelt before the young magistrate, tears streaming down her face, repeatedly bowing, “Thank you, Blue Sky Great Elder! Thank you, Blue Sky Great Elder!”
“Blue Sky Great Elder!”
“Blue Sky Great Elder!”
…
The onlookers began shouting excitedly. Li Nuo remained outwardly calm, but a slight smile played on his lips. For a judge, what could be more rewarding than the gratitude of the people?
Other professions simply couldn’t comprehend what those words, “Blue Sky Great Elder,” meant to those working in the law. It represented the people’s approval. It was their original aspiration when studying law. Though power and status could corrupt that original aspiration, the words still stirred something deep within.
Pei Zhe stood behind Li Nuo, a look of contemplation on his face, as if remembering something. Wu Guanjia looked to the sky, concealing his own complicated emotions. In the crowd, Song Jia Ren stood quietly, her gaze passing through the crowd, lingering on a certain figure.
The cheers of the people were deafening, even reaching the prisoners in the county yamen’s jail. A young girl in prison garb lifted her head, peering through the narrow window, asking the jailer, “Brother Zhang, what’s happening outside?”
The jailer smiled, “The magistrate is holding a trial outside. I heard it’s the son of some official from the Ministry of Personnel, who raped a woman. No one dared to deal with it for over half a year. But the magistrate found out and immediately brought the man to the yamen. He just received one hundred strokes, and he’ll be brought here soon…”
As soon as he finished, two jailers dragged a figure, his back stained crimson with blood, limp and lifeless, throwing him into a cell. The girl looked at the unconscious figure in the opposite cell, a handsome young man’s face flashed in her mind, a hint of remorse finally appearing on her face. She unconsciously clenched her fist, her nails digging into her flesh…
Chang’an County Yamen entrance.
The sun had set, and darkness had fallen. Though Li Nuo still felt a sense of unfinished business, the Chang’an County Magistrate and the other officials had been busy all day and needed to work tomorrow. Li Nuo had to stop the queue of people, telling them it was too late and they should come back tomorrow.
The old woman and her daughter were temporarily housed in the yamen for the night. The Wang family still owed the one hundred taels of silver in compensation, and the yamen would help them until the case was completely settled.
In the yamen’s back hall, Pei’s wife, having just returned, heard the news and was pleased, but then turned to Pei Zhe, worriedly asking, “That Wang is the Chief Secretary of the Board of War. My husband offended him; won’t he make things difficult for you later?”
Pei Zhe slightly curled his lips, “Don’t worry, he won’t have the chance to make things difficult for this official…”
Li Xuanying, the Minister of Justice, was notoriously unforgiving. No, he was unforgiving even when not entirely in the right. All officials in Chang’an, even those innocent, were terrified of him. To have committed such a serious crime and have it come to his attention left only the hope of divine protection. If Wang Duo were smart, he would resign and retire immediately. Otherwise, he would lose more than just his position; he would lose his head. There were precedents for this.
Thinking of the people’s enthusiasm and the lively scene at the county yamen, Pei Zhe sighed, “Tomorrow will likely be busy…”
On the carriage back to Li Manor, after a long day, Li Nuo glanced casually at the Treasured Tome. The next moment, his face was filled with shock.
The Treasured Tome, visible only to him, hung quietly in front of him. On its cover were still the two familiar lines of seal script.
“Name: Li Nuo.”
“Life Expectancy: Forty-two Days.”
Li Nuo rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn’t mistaken. The number on the Treasured Tome was indeed “forty-two.” He clearly remembered that before judging Wang Yue, his remaining lifespan was thirty-one days. Based on past experience, sentencing Wang Yue to three years’ imprisonment should have increased his lifespan by three days. But an increase from thirty-one to forty-two days – eleven days, more than three times the usual amount.
Li Nuo looked at Wang Yue’s portrait in the Treasured Tome. Dark. This indicated he had no exceptional qualities. Yet he had gained significantly more lifespan than others.
Could the lifespan added by the Treasured Tome vary by person?
(End of Chapter)
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