Chapter 55: Chapter 54: The Suffering Victim
By the end of the beating, Li Wencai could no longer even howl; he lay half-dead on the ground. If it weren’t for the occasional convulsions every time the plank struck, Zhu Yu feared he would not survive the twenty blows and might die outright.
While Li Wencai was beaten, the middle-aged man kneeling nearby remained calm, whereas the young mute appeared much more agitated. His face was flushed, tears welled in his eyes, and he shivered all over.
But this trembling clearly had nothing to do with fear; it seemed more like an uncontrollable emotional excitement.
When the twenty blows were finished, the young mute could no longer contain his emotions; tears streamed from his eyes, which he couldn’t bother to wipe away. He prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing to Lu Qing and Zhu Yu while crying. The whimpering in his throat seemed filled with grievances.
The young mute’s forehead was already swollen and bloody from the kowtowing, so Zhu Yu hurriedly signaled the governmental officials to hold him back.
The young mute clasped his hands together, continuously bowing to them as if he was viewing the two like Bodhisattvas.
Although being worshipped like this made Zhu Yu a bit uncomfortable, at least the young mute wouldn’t hurt himself from kowtowing too hard.
Zhu Yu glanced at Lu Qing, who gave her a slight nod, indicating she could handle it as she saw fit. Then she spoke to the young mute: "Is your name Cao Lin?"
The young mute seemed to have not heard his name called for a long time. He was momentarily bewildered, then nodded with tears in his eyes.
"Lord Imperial Censor has already got full knowledge of how your family was persecuted by Li Wencai and Lu’s in the past. Your family died unjustly, and the hatred in your heart is difficult to quell. Do you want revenge for them?" Zhu Yu asked.
The young mute glanced at the expressionless middle-aged man by his side, lowered his eyelids, and did not respond.
"The one who tipped off the old shopkeeper previously, failed to steal the secret recipe from your home, and mistakenly caused your grandfather’s death, the one who wanted to forcibly marry your sister and forced her to death, plus the shopkeeper at Lu’s and the old shopkeeper," Zhu Yu counted, asking the young mute, "Were there any other culprits who caused the death of your family that we haven’t identified yet?"
Your family’s multiple tragic losses, can you seek justice? This is also your last chance."
The young mute, tears streaming, shook his head vigorously, indicating that there were no other unaccounted-for enemies, essentially acknowledging the past grievances with those people and their deaths.
The middle-aged man next to him sighed deeply upon seeing this scene.
"Five lives," Zhu Yu sighed, looking at the young mute, "were taken after careful plotting, according to the law, deserving of execution."
She paused, "But considering those five had killed your family members first, all ruthless murderers who disregarded lives, your act of avenging your family by killing the murderers is an act of filial piety and righteousness. Though it goes against the law, it still holds some moral ground. As such, this court believes the death penalty can be pardoned, but some punishment is inevitable."
In consideration that during your planning and execution, you did not harm any innocent bystanders, the court sentences the criminal Cao Lin to three years of hard labor and exile for eight hundred miles."
The young mute stared blankly at Zhu Yu, sitting at the head of the courtroom, as if unable to believe his ears, until the approving shouts from the onlookers outside broke his daze. Realizing he had escaped death, he quickly kowtowed again, and though his words were unintelligible, he was clearly trying to express his gratitude.
Zhu Yu did not respond to him but turned to the middle-aged man, who also seemed surprised: "To my knowledge, you are not a member of the Cao Family."
Cao Lin’s murder was to avenge and seek justice for his unjustly killed family, which is somewhat justified.
But you, in assisting and instigating Cao Lin to kill, cannot escape punishment!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the young mute became agitated again. He knelt on the ground, practically crawling towards the middle-aged man, placing his small frame in front of him. Spreading his arms, he shielded the man behind him while gesturing frantically towards himself, his unintelligible sounds desperate, as if trying to tell Zhu Yu that he alone committed the murder, and it had nothing to do with the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man sighed, pulling the young mute away from him, and smiled while shaking his head: "Silly boy, you don’t have to do that! The two officials sitting in court there are wise and discerning; they’re not like corrupt officials easily to be deceived!
They’ve even identified who the deceased are. Clearly, they’ve found where we hid the bodies, and that’s something neither the place nor those people you could have handled on your own with your small frame.
Enough! You don’t need to try taking all the blame to protect me.
All these years, I’ve had no way to avenge my grievances, feeling bitter. Now that I’ve helped you gain revenge, I feel a sense of relief, dying without regret!"
"Could it be that you also have deep-seated resentment against Li Wencai or Lu’s?" Zhu Yu asked the middle-aged man, "What is your name, where are you from, and why did you join forces with Cao Lin to kill his enemies?"
"I am Dou Dajiang, originally from Li State. I came here seeking someone and happened to save the young mute who was almost starved to death. Learning from him about his family’s tragic situation, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy and decided to help him take revenge.
This child is young, frail, merely assisted with some matters; it was I who planned and executed the killings.
The officials are perceptive and just, willing to offer the young mute a chance at life, a rarity among good officials. According to law, whether it’s by execution or carving, Dou Dajiang will not bargain."
"Whom are you seeking?" Zhu Yu inquired, "Why does the young mute’s experience strike such a chord with you?"
Dou Dajiang sighed heavily, revealing a sorrowful smile as though facing his end: "This is a long story, but having ended up in this situation today, if I don’t speak, I might only report to King Yama in the underworld.
I was originally involved in the incense trade in a small county in Li State. The business wasn’t large but sufficient to support my family, which included aging parents, a wife, children, and a mentally challenged brother.
Although my brother was in his thirties at that time, his mindset was like that of a five- or six-year-old. Most of the time, he was well-behaved, though occasionally he was irritable and easily angered, but such episodes were rare throughout the year.
About six years ago, I followed my usual routine of purchasing goods, intending to buy some cinnabar from a familiar perfumer to create the red incense paste wealthier ladies liked to dab on their foreheads.
Unexpectedly, I came across a newly opened shop selling flowers, herbs, and minerals for incense at a lower price than my previous supplier.
Being a small business operator, I thought to save some money, so I bought some.
When I returned home and ground the purchased cinnabar into powder for making incense, the texture turned out wrong. Closer inspection revealed there was only a little cinnabar, the rest was an unknown red mineral resembling cinnabar.
I hurried back to the store to settle accounts, but after merely a day or two, the place was deserted. I discovered that the shop was rented by a group of outsiders whom no one knew."
Recalling the past, Dou Dajiang clenched his hands into fists by his side: "When I couldn’t find those who sold me the minerals, I returned home, only to find... my family—parents, wife, and children—were all dead..."