Taking the Princess as My Wife - Chapter 19

Liu Ruheng spoke before Li Chun could: “Reporting to Your Honor, Li Chun surrendered herself voluntarily. According to the laws of the Jiang Kingdom, her sentence should be commuted.”

Being in the same room with Gong Fan and that unfamiliar Lord Liu, Liu Ruheng felt a constant sense of awkwardness.

She felt as though she had waited a long time for the three-day deadline to arrive, but finally, the day for the public trial of Li Chun’s case had come.

Above the courtroom sat the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and a certain Assistant Minister Qiu from the Ministry of Justice. Both sat at the head of the room, looking straight ahead, merely waiting for the hour to strike to begin the trial.

Liu Ruheng sat in a lower position, her gaze frequently darting toward the entrance. Her expression betrayed her anxiety, yet she was powerless to do anything.

When the time arrived, Li Chun was brought forward.

Because the evidence in this case was conclusive and she had made a full confession of her crimes, she had not been subjected to any torture. However, she appeared listless as she was led in.

The Vice Minister and Assistant Minister Qiu dispatched the bailiffs beside them to read the case files aloud in the courtroom. Li Chun was pressed down onto her knees; her eyes were hollow as she stared at the ground in silence.

Aside from answering the questions posed by the Vice Minister and Assistant Minister Qiu, Li Chun lived like a wooden puppet that had lost all its spirit.

When the Vice Minister asked the question, “Do you have any objections?” Liu Ruheng walked to Li Chun’s side, bowed to the officials above, and said in a clear voice: “This official has an objection.”

“The victim was unfilial and unkind, disregarding human relations. Li Chun killed him only for self-preservation. This official believes that Li Chun’s crime does not warrant death.”

Liu Ruheng’s statement caused a stir. The two bailiffs who had accompanied her to Daoxiang County stood stunned to the side, looking at each other, unsure of what was happening.

After speaking, Liu Ruheng produced a written petition and respectfully presented it. Her voice rang through the entire courtroom: “I ask Your Honors to review this.”

The Vice Minister ordered his attendant to step forward and take the petition. He handed it to the Vice Minister, whose brow furrowed as he read it, before passing it to Assistant Minister Qiu.

The two finished reading and fell into a collective silence.

The petition Liu Ruheng had written was based on the information she had gathered from her inquiry with the Secretary and the contents of the case files.

First, Liu Yaozu abandoned his elderly parents and failed to support them; even a lamb kneels to nurse, yet Liu Yaozu possessed no heart of gratitude. Second, he sold his own biological daughter just for gambling money, disregarding human relations. Such a person is not fit to live in this world.

Li Chun is a person who is filial to her parents and elders and raised her daughter alone. The conflict between her and Liu Yaozu was merely a dispute; the killing occurred because of their struggle. It is hoped that she will be punished leniently.

After finishing the detailed reading of this petition, Lord Qiu and the Vice Minister remained silent for a long while. Eventually, the Vice Minister was the first to lash out. “Even putting aside whether you have twisted the facts, she is a mere village woman who murdered her own husband. Such a crime should traditionally result in being drowned in a cage by the clan. Now that the clan is not pursuing the matter, they have already shown great mercy. How can you speak of a commuted sentence? In this official’s view, you are disrupting the court!”

Liu Ruheng was about to argue when she glimpsed Li Chun straightening her back. Li Chun looked up and struck her head heavily against the ground in a kowtow toward the Vice Minister and Lord Qiu. Her voice was dry and raspy, and every word she spoke seemed to bleed with sorrow: “Your Honor, this humble citizen has something to say.”

“Granted.”

“As Lord Liu said, Liu Yaozu was unfilial and unkind, disregarding human relations. The clan patriarch did not pursue the matter only because he was a degenerate. This humble citizen knows I have committed a heinous crime. I only beg Your Honor to find my daughter and to forgive Lord Liu; she acted only out of a kind heart.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the Vice Minister let out a long sigh. His gaze held a sense of lofty mercy. “Criminal woman of the Liu-Li family, do you still refuse to confess? Murdering one’s husband should be punished by hanging. Lord Qiu and I, considering your pitiful state, have shown mercy by allowing you to be executed after the autumn. What more are you dissatisfied with?”

Liu Ruheng spoke before Li Chun could: “Reporting to Your Honor, Li Chun surrendered herself voluntarily. According to the laws of the Jiang Kingdom, her sentence should be commuted and is not a capital offense.”

Assistant Minister Qiu, who was standing to the side, finally spoke. His brow was furrowed, displeased with Li Chun’s words. “Since you were married to such a person, why did you not propose a ‘Righteous Severance’ (1)?”

Li Chun remained silent for a long time before saying: “If I had sought a Righteous Severance, my daughter’s reputation would have been ruined, and I fear it would be difficult for her to find a good husband’s family in the future.”

Liu Ruheng took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in her heart. Although the current dynasty had laws for Righteous Severance, if it were initiated by a woman, she had to prove that the man had committed acts of serious injury or attempted murder against her for it to succeed. Furthermore, a woman’s reputation would be destroyed after such a severance, affecting the marriage prospects of all female relatives in her family.

However, she did not agree with Li Chun’s viewpoint. What was the use of finding a “good husband’s family”? If the situation of women themselves did not change, wouldn’t such incidents only become more rampant?

The root cause still lay with the men.

Liu Ruheng’s gaze repeatedly turned toward the outside, her eyes filled with hidden urgency. Ignoring the remarks of the Vice Minister and Lord Qiu, she insisted on stepping forward: “Your Honor, this official still believes Li Chun’s crime does not warrant death. I ask Your Honor to reconsider.”

The Vice Minister’s patience had reached its limit. The anger in his eyes could no longer be hidden as he shouted sternly: “Liu Ruheng, you have disrupted the court order time and again. This is not some rural wilderness; how can you be so presumptuous?”

Liu Ruheng had nothing left to say, but she stubbornly remained kneeling on the spot. She was indifferent to the stares and scrutiny of her other colleagues.

After a long stalemate, the Vice Minister ultimately did not pardon Li Chun. Seeing that the sentencing was about to conclude, Liu Ruheng’s expression became frantic.

Fortunately, before the Vice Minister could read the final verdict, a bailiff suddenly burst into the hall. He was drenched in sweat and said anxiously: “Your Honor, someone is outside with a ‘Ten-Thousand-People Petition’ seeking an audience!”

Liu Ruheng’s expression brightened slightly. She had finally managed to wait for this petition before the sentencing.

That day, seeing the Secretary’s protective attitude toward Li Chun, she had asked him for the reason after finishing her review of the files.

Twelve years ago, when a plague was rampant, Li Chun’s mother had used a secret ancestral formula to test medicine on herself. Once she confirmed it was effective, she shared it with all the doctors in the city without reservation, saving countless lives. However, she herself passed away early due to exhaustion and illness.

After Li Chun’s mother died, her father’s health was also poor. On his deathbed, he could only marry her off to the Liu family, which was quite wealthy at the time, hoping she might live a slightly better life.

Before marrying into the Liu family, Li Chun had learned some medical skills from her mother and knew a bit about healing and saving people.

Over the years, she had charged no money, using her spare time to treat the people of the county for free and telling them which herbs they needed. In this way, she inherited her mother’s mantle and had saved many poor people who had no money for doctors in recent years.

This Secretary had been saved by Li Chun’s mother when he was young, so he naturally looked after Li Chun, the daughter of his benefactor.

The Secretary wiped the sweat from his forehead and performed a heavy kowtow to the Vice Minister. He presented the Ten-Thousand-People Petition and said: “Please review this, Your Honor.”

The Vice Minister’s expression was grave. He stepped down from the high bench and personally accepted the petition. Seeing this, the weight in Liu Ruheng’s heart finally lifted a little. She stood up and quietly tilted her head to see the contents of the petition.

The parents of Liu Yaozu and the elders of the clan had all left their names on it. There were also many who were illiterate and replaced their names with fingerprints. The crimson fingerprints, varying in size, were striking on the petition, creating a sense of shock at a single glance.

Although the petition did not truly contain ten thousand people, there were a full thousand. The Vice Minister and Assistant Minister Qiu looked it over together. After whispering for a few moments, their expressions softened slightly, and they reached a unanimous decision.

“First, remand the Liu-Li family to prison. The case will be retried in three days.”

Li Chun was not an ungrateful person. Before being taken back into custody, she turned back to look deeply at Liu Ruheng and the Secretary, mouthing the words: “Thank you.”

The Secretary had no place to stay in the capital, so Liu Ruheng led her horse and guided him toward her home. There was still a vacant guest room where the Secretary could stay for a few days.

Upon leaving the Court of Judicial Review, the Secretary bowed to Liu Ruheng. “Thank you for your guidance, Lord Liu. Otherwise, I fear the daughter of my benefactor would have lost her life today.”

Liu Ruheng avoided the bow and sighed lightly. “I only offered a suggestion. The one who actually went to find the people for signatures was you, sir. There is no need to flatter me so.”

The Secretary smiled bitterly and let out a weary sigh, his expression looking somewhat aged. “The villagers all know her character. If Liu Yaozu hadn’t been such a scoundrel, she likely would have endured it for her daughter’s sake.”

Liu Ruheng was speechless. It seemed this world placed an extraordinary emphasis on a woman’s reputation.

The next day, when Liu Ruheng arrived at the Court of Judicial Review, she spotted a figure from a distance. The person was standing at the entrance, looking around as if searching for someone. Upon getting closer, she realized it was the Xiao Qing from the previous encounter.

Seeing Liu Ruheng, she stepped forward, bowed, and handed Liu Ruheng a piece of paper along with a heavy bag of items. After bowing once more, she quickly ran away.

Liu Ruheng held the paper, feeling a bit dazed. Could it be that Xiao Qing had found something new regarding the Pang Jitong case?

Unfolding the paper, Liu Ruheng saw a letter of apology written by Xiao Qing.

She had been present during the trial the previous day. Seeing that Liu Ruheng had braved the wrath of the Vice Minister and Assistant Minister Qiu to seek justice for Li Chun, her opinion of Liu Ruheng had changed. She was apologizing for her prejudice.

As for the heavy bag, Liu Ruheng opened it to find a pile of home-grown fruits and vegetables.

Liu Ruheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

As several days passed, the matter of the Ten-Thousand-People Petition caused a stir in the capital. The case was noticed by the Censorate and reported to the Emperor. Consequently, the case was moved to the County Magistrate’s office for a public trial.

On the day of the trial, the commoners crowded around the office so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through. Because Liu Ruheng was wearing her official robes, she managed to squeeze her way inside.

Since it was a public trial, Li Chun showed no external injuries when she was brought up, other than being listless, though her wrists and ankles were chafed by the shackles.

The one sitting at the head of the court this time was a highly respected Censor. He had a white beard and a stern appearance.

Following protocol, he first asked Li Chun about her basic circumstances and then said: “Which official wrote the petition from a few days ago?”

Liu Ruheng stepped forward and bowed to the Censor, her voice clear: “Replying to Your Honor, the petition was written by this official.”

The Censor pondered for a moment before saying: “Do you have any objection to posting your petition outside the yamen for the people to see?”

“None at all.”

Seeing that Liu Ruheng was compliant in all matters, the Censor’s expression softened slightly. He then called over two attendants to display the Ten-Thousand-People Petition brought by the Secretary before the crowd.

He cleared his throat. “Regarding the case of the Liu-Li family today, by the Great Grace of His Majesty and his sagacious judgment…”

After speaking a great deal of words praising the current Emperor, he finally reached the conclusion: “The law is not devoid of human sentiment. The Liu-Li family has always been kind to neighbors and filial to her kin, and her actions were born of circumstance. However, while the death penalty can be avoided, the living punishment cannot be escaped. She is hereby sentenced to exile to Lingnan for six months of penal servitude, and a fine of one hundred taels of silver to compensate the family.”

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