Chapter 00224: The Bustling Court Hearing
# The Bustling Court Hearing
Chapter 224
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 224: The Bustling Court Hearing
What would Cheng Dao do? He was quite looking forward to it.
Seeing the strange smile that Li Fubo displayed, He Lingchuan silently turned his face away.
Then, he let out another pound of blood.
Just when He Lingchuan thought the Broken Blade was intent on draining him dry, the small holes on the hilt finally filled up.
It was full; it could not take in any more.
"Alright, alright."
Li Fubo let out a long sigh of relief.
If the client lost his life at the first step of forging the blade, both he, the Grand Craftsman, and the reputation of Songyang Prefecture would be stained with an indelible mark.
"Quick, stop the bleeding!"
The Medicine Ape slipped in, skillfully stopping He Lingchuan's bleeding.
After applying its specially formulated spirit medicine, the wound on He Lingchuan's arm stopped hurting within a dozen breaths.
He shook his head, feeling a bit weak, and quickly swallowed a healing pill.
A normal person has about nine to ten pounds of blood in their body, and he had just lost two pounds, inevitably feeling dizzy.
The last bit of blood in the hilt was finally consumed by the Broken Blade.
But anyone could see that it was already quite full; it could not swallow even a drop more.
"What do we do now?"
"Very simple, just stab the blade into the Golden Mud."
Li Fubo said, "At this temperature, the precious blade can withstand it without damaging the blade's core."
He Lingchuan grasped the hilt and plunged the Broken Blade into the Golden Mud.
The red glow in the Golden Mud instantly vanished, and the small lava bubbles stopped rising.
Instead, the contact surface between the Broken Blade and the Golden Mud emitted curling blue smoke, without any burnt smell.
"Good, very good!" Li Fubo nodded in delight.
"The broken surface has completely fused with the Golden Mud. From now on, this furnace will temporarily be placed in the owner's house. From this moment on, this piece of Golden Mud can be called the Blade Mountain."
The Rock Wolf, Lu Xin, who was watching from the corner, interjected, "Can that furnace be called the Sea of Fire?"
"Exactly!" Li Fubo laughed, "Your treasure has been through the Blade Mountain and the Sea of Fire, and will shine brilliantly afterward."
"What else needs to be done?"
"No need. The temperature is already set. As long as we ensure the precious blade remains undisturbed here, it will be forged in ten days!"
He Lingchuan was taken aback.
"Is it that simple?"
He had thought that opening the furnace to forge a divine weapon would be an extremely complicated process.
"I thought it would take at least a few months to complete."
"The Great Dao is simple."
Li Fubo wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He had been using hand seals to suppress the furnace temperature, which was quite taxing.
"The lord and I have discussed this more than ten times and concluded that the time frame can be greatly shortened, which is beneficial for the blade. Moreover, the two most difficult steps, melting the Alchemical Gold and preparing the materials, have already been done in advance."
Although the last few steps were important, they were mostly procedural and rarely had any unexpected issues.
He Lingchuan took out some gold and silver, deeply expressing his gratitude.
From today onward, Li Fubo would have to come back every day to check the furnace temperature and the progress of the blade forging.
After bidding farewell, He Lingchuan took the jade ginseng slices handed to him by the Medicine Ape and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
Having lost too much blood, what he needed most was rest.
This sleep was peaceful and dreamless.
When he woke up, it was already dark outside.
The Rock Wolf had disappeared somewhere, while the Medicine Ape stayed by his side.
Seeing him open his eyes, it immediately asked, "Does your head hurt? Are you feeling anxious or short of breath?"
He Lingchuan shook his head.
The Medicine Ape did not leave through the front door but jumped out of the window.
Before long, He Yue entered, carrying a food box.
"Red date and pig liver porridge, eat it while it's hot."
"Father is back too?"
"Yes. You slept right through dinner. Lingguang said you needed rest, so we didn’t come to call you."
He Lingchuan served the pig liver porridge, which indeed came in a large sea bowl.
The rice and millet were mixed and cooked until they blossomed, and the pig liver, red dates, and old ginger were almost shredded together, making it impossible to pick them out.
He Lingchuan blew on it to cool it down and asked, "Was it smooth for Father’s first time in the court?"
"The Li family requested to cancel the public trial and change it to a closed session, but Father flatly refused."
A closed session would not allow outsiders to watch.
What a joke! How could He Chunhua let such a good opportunity slip away?
"Sure enough, the two families were bickering in court, showing no semblance of a noble family."
He Yue also felt it was quite eye-opening.
"Li family's second son, Li Rong, probably thought it over on the way here and didn’t say much, while the eldest, Li Zhi, was impassioned. Father demanded they present evidence, but they only claimed that the protective talisman placed in the old man's bedroom was damaged, indicating an invasion of evil arts. Recently, the only family with serious disputes with the Li family was the Zhan family. Upon hearing this, the Zhan family was furious and rolled up their sleeves to argue, their voices loud enough to almost lift the roof. I’ve never seen such a lively court session in Blackwater City."
While he was in Blackwater City assisting with official duties, witnessing court hearings was a common occurrence, but he had never seen such chaos.
"This case was originally presided over by the county magistrate of Dunyu, but no amount of banging on the gavel could suppress the Li and Zhan families. When Father took over, he directly had cold water splashed on them, and it immediately quieted down."
"Truly worthy of Father."
Splashing cold water on people might not be considered an offense, but getting wet in snowy weather was an utterly chilling experience.
"Even if they wanted to continue cursing, their lips trembled and they couldn’t speak clearly. The people behind them brought them outer garments to wear, allowing the court session to continue, but they were much calmer."
He Lingchuan took a sip of porridge.
"Did Father pass judgment on the Li family?"
"Of course. They rushed to the Zhan family to fight without any evidence, and were caught red-handed by the citizens and the newly appointed magistrate. They couldn’t deny it. Besides compensating the Zhan family for all the losses incurred during this brawl, Father also ordered the ringleaders to be detained. According to the laws of our dynasty, those who engage in private vendettas and gather crowds to fight can face up to five years in prison. If someone dies, additional charges can be added."
He Yue knew that his brother disliked the flowery official language, so he simply translated it into plain speech.
This was getting more interesting.
He Lingchuan laughed, "Was it Li Zhi or Li Rong?"
The one who first called for gathering private troops was the ringleader.
"Neither of them spoke up, and naturally, the other members of the Li family wouldn’t identify them on the spot."
He Yue shrugged.
"So Father ordered both to be detained and interrogated separately, which immediately caused an uproar in the Li family."
"I didn’t expect Li Zhi to be foolish enough to question why, even bringing up the name of Minister Li, and speaking offensively. Father rebuked him for his disrespectful words, saying that if he continued to cause trouble, he would be slapped. I saw the officials nearby already raising their slapping boards, and only then did Li Zhi weakly shut his mouth."
Common folk do not fight against officials, especially in court.
"Does Li Laotou only have these two sons in Dunyu?" He Lingchuan laughed, "This is a pig opponent; the difficulty has dropped several levels."
"Li Laotou has a third son who left for distant lands over twenty years ago."
"Oh right, the hatred of stealing a wife!" He Lingchuan snapped his fingers.
"If these two are locked up together, the Li family will be leaderless, making it easier for us to act."
He Yue shook his head.
"Father has been lenient; I think he has his own considerations. He said he would take into account the recent loss of the Li family's elder and is willing to let either Li Zhi or Li Rong return to handle their father's funeral, but they must pay a bond of one hundred fifty thousand taels of silver as a guarantee. If the suspect does not flee Dunyu or commit any crimes within two months, this money can be refunded; otherwise, it will be treated as a fine and deposited into the treasury."
He Lingchuan finished the last few bites of porridge and gave a thumbs up.
"Perfect. The Li family must be dumbfounded now?"
"Yes, I saw them at a loss. Father was also very considerate, allowing them to return home to discuss and to report back within three days."
He Yue laughed.
"As for the three hundred private troops of the Li family, since they were following orders, and no one from the Zhan family was killed, Father sentenced each of them to ten strokes of the cane. A few who were particularly fierce in beating people and took the opportunity to loot received an additional ten strokes."
"By the way, if the Zhan residence suffers any collateral damage, the government will pursue further penalties!"
"Every time ten people are punished in the court, three hundred people will have to rotate through thirty batches, and it won’t be finished until dark. The nearby citizens were dumbfounded, saying they had never seen such a spectacular scene of three hundred people being punished."
"Are they punishing the private troops?" He Lingchuan clapped his hands.
"Clearly, it’s the Li family's face being slapped!"
He Chunhua wanted to establish authority as soon as he arrived, inevitably diminishing the Li family's prestige.
"The Li family won’t have peace for the next three days. Li Zhi and Li Rong will argue endlessly over who gets the chance for bail, leaving them temporarily too busy to trip us up; once it’s decided who stays in the Li family and who gets detained, the one who remains will definitely seize the opportunity to consolidate their own territory and won’t have the energy to oppose us."
With Li Zhao’s sudden death and no will left behind, the sons were already vying for the position of family head; three days later, when the competitors are in the magistrate's holding cell, wouldn’t the entire Li family belong to them?
In such a situation, how could external conflicts compare to internal strife?
"What about the Zhan family’s reaction?"
"They are quite satisfied and very grateful to Father. They rushed back to assess their losses."
He Yue’s smile faded.
"The other two families of the Four Great Families, namely the Shu family and the Xie family, also sent people to the magistrate's court to observe, but have yet to make a statement. I think they will all close their doors tonight to discuss thoroughly."
The newly appointed magistrate of Xia Prefecture had just arrived in Dunyu, and before he could even settle in, he took on the case of the Li family for a public trial.
On the surface, he was delivering justice for the Zhan family, but in reality, he was striking the Li family with two slaps, more importantly, showcasing his power and stance:
I have arrived!
You all better step aside!
From now on, recognize who the boss is.
"We have all witnessed Father’s methods."
He Lingchuan was unconcerned.
"In a savage place like Qiansong County, where human life is as cheap as grass, hasn’t Father managed it in an orderly fashion?"
"There is no old established noble family like Dunyu there."
He Yue always took a lenient view of the enemy.
"Dunyu, and even half of Xia Prefecture's wealth, grain, and people, are all in their hands. How easy would it be for us to pry it away?"
"The Li family was caught off guard by Father’s methods. Once they come to their senses, they will resist and even unite with other families to fight back. After all, they have always done so. We still have tough battles ahead, and it won’t necessarily be a straightforward fight."
"Besides Minister Li, there are seven others from the Four Great Families serving in the court. Their hometown is writing letters, endlessly complaining to the capital. I’m afraid the higher-ups will blame Father."
He Lingchuan thought something was off.
"Didn’t Father say that before leaving the capital, he had a deep discussion with the monarch, and the king ordered him to take charge in Xia Prefecture and to act freely, without needing to worry about anything else?"
Today is October 7th, the last day for double votes, please support with your monthly tickets!
Salute!
(End of Chapter)