The public trial for the murder of Chai Qihong was held on the ninth day of the ninth month.

At the crack of dawn, a long line had already formed in front of the courthouse. Thousands of people had rushed over to watch the trial.

Most people didn’t come alone. They brought friends and dragged their families along. Many had even come from the surrounding villages and towns just to watch the excitement.

Shrewd vendors and peddlers lined the road, hawking food and drinks. Business was booming.

’It’s so lively. You’d think it was a temple fair if you didn’t know any better.’

Zhao Lin came out to take a look, a wry smile touching his lips.

He had been worried there wouldn’t be enough people, but now it seemed his fears were unfounded.

At nine o’clock, the main gates of the courthouse swung open, and the long-waiting crowd surged inside.

The great hall was instantly packed. Government officials set up railings to leave an open space in the center, or there would be no room for the defendant and witnesses to stand.

The crowd stretched from the great hall to the ceremonial gate, and those at the back had to stand outside the courthouse, straining to hear the news from within.

Shortly after, the court drum sounded and a gong was struck three times. The entire hall immediately fell silent.

Magistrate Liu took his seat behind the judicial bench and ordered, "Bring the suspect forward."

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly through the hall.

The clanking of shackles echoed as two government officials escorted Chai Jie into the great hall.

Zhao Lin, standing at the front of the hall, saw Chai Jie’s disheveled hair and weary expression. He had clearly endured much hardship in his cell.

"Kill him! Kill that animal!"

"Heartless dog! A disgrace to all sons..."

The crowd was in an uproar, shouting furious curses.

Some people also took the opportunity to educate their children: "See that? That’s the fate of an unfilial son!"

Chai Ren, Chai Yi, and Madame Zhou followed them into the hall to listen to the proceedings as the victim’s family.

Madame Zhou was pregnant, so Magistrate Liu ordered a government official to bring her a chair.

Once the hall was quiet, Magistrate Liu slammed his gavel and shouted, "Bold Chai Jie, do you confess your crime?"

The moment he finished speaking, the government officials on either side bellowed in unison, "MIGHTY—"

The government officials thumped their staves on the floor in unison, the rapid strikes overlapping into a single, thunderous sound with terrifying force.

Chai Jie’s expression had been resolute, determined to deny everything to his death. But at this display, his legs gave out. He fell to his knees with a THUD and stammered, "I am innocent!"

"Innocent?"

Magistrate Liu sneered. "Call the witnesses."

Mei Shilin, Gao Xiaoliu, and Duan San stepped forward and recounted, in loud voices, everything they had seen and heard.

When Zhao Lin had taken Mei Shilin’s deposition, he had made a slight alteration. It now only stated that Mei Shilin had heard the words, "Father, why are you so drunk?"

The deposition didn’t specify which son’s voice it was, since Mei Shilin himself was only suspicious and not certain.

Combined with the other two witnesses’ testimonies, it was still enough to secure a conviction against Chai Jie.

This greatly reduced any suspicion that Mei Shilin had deliberately concealed what he knew.

’They both worked at the same courthouse, and it wasn’t a violation of conscience. Bending the rules a little for a colleague wasn’t going too far.’

After the witnesses finished, it was Zhao Lin’s turn.

He held the bloodstained clothes and the murder weapon high for all to see, then described the search process from that day.

The crowd could no longer restrain themselves and rose up, shouting:

"Torture him."

"He’s the one who did it! Bring on the torture."

"Give him a thousand strokes of the paddle..."

Magistrate Liu, ever one to go with the flow, drew two tallies from their holder. His voice was grave. "Chai Jie, the evidence against you is ironclad. Confess now and spare yourself the pain of the flesh."

The command tallies came in three colors: white, black, and red. A white-tipped tally meant one strike of the paddle, a black-tipped one meant five strikes, and a red-tipped one meant ten strikes.

The magistrate was holding red-tipped tallies.

Facing a thousand accusing fingers, Chai Jie knew it was useless to argue. He gritted his teeth. "I confess..."

He then bluntly confessed the details of how he had murdered his own father that day.

As it turned out, Chai Jie hadn’t been home that day. He’d gone to a brothel to carouse.

By afternoon, his money was gone. He wanted to go to the gambling dens that evening, so he went home to ask his father for more.

Chai Qihong, still furious from an argument with his two older sons, immediately gave Chai Jie a tongue-lashing as well.

Seeing his favorite son so lost to gambling, Chai Qihong grew increasingly incensed. He threatened to throw Chai Jie out the next day and leave the entire family fortune to his unborn son.

The pregnancy of Madame Zhou had already made Chai Jie anxious. After hearing his father’s words, he grew even more unsettled.

If Madame Zhou gave birth to a son, his father might truly not leave him a single cent. He couldn’t accept this, and the thought of murder began to form.

’Once Father is dead, the lion’s share of the inheritance will surely fall to me.’

’He’d also learned from his father that his two older brothers had come by to borrow money earlier. If there was an ’accident,’ people would most likely suspect them.’

’Especially the second oldest, Chai Yi. He’s in the Water Dragon Gang and has a bad reputation.’

Chai Jie resolved to kill his father. He went to the gambling den early in the morning, came back midway to commit the crime, and then returned. He didn’t go home until dawn the next day, pretending that nothing had happened.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone in the hall already knew Chai Jie was the killer, but they were still incredulous to hear how he had meticulously plotted to murder his own father and frame his two brothers.

Madame Zhou bowed her head, wiping away tears. Chai Ren and Chai Yi’s faces were grim; neither looked at their younger brother.

Magistrate Liu swept a majestic gaze over the hall and declared sternly, "Chai Jie murdered his own father, a crime for which even death is insufficient atonement! The Chai family estate shall be seized. He is to be taken to the dungeons and executed next month!"

"Gao Xiaoliu and Duan San previously gave false testimony. Although they have atoned for their mistake this time, they cannot be completely exempt from punishment. Each will receive ten strokes of the paddle."

"Mei Shilin’s testimony was incomplete. He is fined three months’ salary as a warning."

"Furthermore, as Madame Zhou carries a child of the Chai family bloodline, she shall receive half of the estate. The other half is to be divided equally between Chai Ren and Chai Yi."

Upon hearing this, Chai Jie immediately collapsed to the ground.

The crowd was extremely satisfied with the verdict and sentence, and they praised him loudly:

"Magistrate Liu is truly sharp-eyed and decisive!"

"Punishing evil, promoting good, and showing compassion for the widow and orphan! What an honest official!"

"With Magistrate Liu here, we have true justice...!"

Zhao Lin heard a familiar voice and glanced into the crowd. He saw Tian Dabang and a group of laborers beside him, enthusiastically leading the shouting.

Magistrate Liu was quite pleased with his performance today. His only regret was that Chai Jie had confessed too quickly, leaving him feeling somewhat unsatisfied. ’It was like I hadn’t even exerted my full strength and he just collapsed.’

At this moment, government officials stepped forward, pulled Chai Jie up, and began escorting him to the dungeon.

As they passed Madame Zhou, Chai Jie suddenly struggled free with great force and cursed loudly, "It’s all your fault, you slut! My father is over fifty, how could he possibly still have a child?"

"You must have been unfaithful, seducing some outsider to try and split my family’s fortune. If it weren’t for you, how could I have killed my father? It’s all your fault!"

The government officials didn’t let him say more. They pounced, slapped him twice across the face, and gagged him with a strip of cloth...

Zhao Lin shook his head. ’A classic blame-shifter.’

’This type of person never admits they’re wrong. Everything is someone else’s fault; even murder is something they were forced into.’

’People like him are a waste of the world’s grain.’