Chapter 223: A Lively Court Trial

He was very much looking forward to what the completed sword would be like.

He Lingchuan silently turned his face away, seeing the strange smile blossoming on Li Fubo's face.

Another pound of blood was let out. Just as He Lingchuan thought the broken sword was intent on draining him dry, the small holes on the hilt finally filled up.

It was full; it couldn't take any more.

"Alright, alright," Li Fubo sighed in relief. If the client died during the very first step of the sword-nurturing process, his reputation as a Master Craftsman and the name of Songyang Prefecture would be indelibly stained. "Quick, stop the bleeding!"

The Medicine Ape slipped in and skillfully stopped He Lingchuan's bleeding.

After applying its special spirit medicine, the sword wound on He Lingchuan's arm stopped hurting within a dozen breaths.

He shook his head, feeling a bit weak, and quickly swallowed a tonic pill.

A normal person has only about nine to ten pounds of blood in their body; losing twenty percent of it in one go inevitably made him dizzy and lightheaded.

The last bit of blood on the hilt was eventually absorbed by the broken sword.

Everyone could see it was already very full and couldn't swallow another drop.

"What now?"

"It's simple," Li Fubo said. "Just stab the sword into the golden clay. This temperature is acceptable for the precious sword and won't damage its core."

He Lingchuan gripped the hilt and plunged the broken sword into the golden clay.

The red light in the golden clay immediately vanished, and the small lava bubbles stopped emerging.

Instead, wisps of green smoke emerged from the contact surface between the broken sword and the golden clay, with no burnt or foul smell.

"Good, very good!" Li Fubo nodded with satisfaction. "The cross-section has completely fused with the golden clay. From now on, this furnace will temporarily be placed in the owner's room. This block of golden clay can now be called the 'Sword Mountain.'"

Rock Wolf Lu Xin, who was lounging in the corner watching the proceedings, interjected, "Can that furnace be called the 'Sea of Fire'?"

"Precisely!" Li Fubo chuckled. "Your treasure has gone through the 'Sword Mountain and Sea of Fire'; it will reveal its full sharpness later."

"What else needs to be done?"

"Nothing more. The temperature has already been set. Just ensure the precious sword remains undisturbed here, and it will be complete in ten days!"

He Lingchuan was startled. "That simple?"

He had thought that igniting the furnace and nurturing a divine weapon would be an extremely complex process. "I thought it would take at least several months to forge."

"The greatest truth is often the simplest," Li Fubo said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He had been using incantations to suppress the furnace temperature just now, which was quite taxing. "The Marquis and I discussed this repeatedly, more than ten times, and concluded that shortening the work period would actually be greatly beneficial to the sword. Besides, the two most difficult steps—refining the tungsten gold and proportioning the materials—were already completed beforehand." He added that although these last few steps were important, they were procedural and rarely went wrong.

He Lingchuan took out gold and silver, profoundly expressing his gratitude.

Starting today, Li Fubo would have to return daily to check the furnace temperature and the progress of the sword-nurturing.

After Li Fubo departed, He Lingchuan, holding the jade ginseng slice handed to him by the Medicine Ape in his mouth, collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Excessive blood loss meant that what he needed most was rest.

It was a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

By the time he woke up, it was already dark.

The Rock Wolf had disappeared, but the Medicine Ape was by his side. As soon as it saw him open his eyes, it asked, "Do you have a headache? Are you feeling flustered or short of breath?"

He Lingchuan shook his head.

The Medicine Ape didn't use the main door; it jumped out the window.

A moment later, He Yue entered, carrying a food box.

"Red date and pig liver porridge," he said. "Eat it while it's hot."

"Dad's back too?"

"Yes, he is. You slept straight through dinner. Ling Guang said you needed rest, so we didn't call you."

He Lingchuan served himself the pig liver porridge; it was indeed a large bowl, a mixture of rice and millet cooked until they were almost disintegrated. The pig liver, red dates, and old ginger were practically shredded together, making it impossible to pick them out individually.

While blowing on the porridge to cool it, He Lingchuan asked, "How did Dad's first session in the prefectural yamen go? Was it smooth?"

"The Li family requested to cancel the public trial and hold a closed session instead, but Father flatly refused."

A closed session wouldn't have allowed spectators. It was a golden opportunity—how could He Chunhua let it pass?

"Sure enough, those two families were bickering furiously in court, completely losing their decorum as noble families," He Yue said, finding it quite eye-opening. "Li Rong, the second son of the Li family, probably figured things out on the way and kept quiet, but the eldest, Li Zhikang, was indignant and emotional. Father asked them for evidence, but they only claimed that Old Man Li's evil-warding artifact in his bedroom had been damaged, indicating an invasion of dark arts. They then pointed out that the only family with a serious recent dispute with the Li family was the Zhan family. The Zhan family immediately became furious, rolled up their sleeves, and started arguing back, their voices so loud they almost lifted the roof. I've never seen such a lively court session in Heishui City."

He had assisted with official duties in Heishui City, where watching court trials was commonplace, but none had ever been this chaotic.

"This case was originally presided over by the Dunyu County Magistrate, who couldn't calm down the Li and Zhan families no matter how many times he slammed his gavel. But when Dad took over, he immediately had two basins of cold water thrown over them, and they instantly quieted down."

"As expected of Dad," He Lingchuan commented. Splashing people with cold water wasn't considered assault, but getting drenched in snowy weather was certainly chilling to the bone.

"Even if they still wanted to curse, their lips were chattering too much to do so properly. Later, people brought them outer garments to put on, and only then could the trial continue, but they were much calmer."

He Lingchuan took a sip of porridge. "Did Dad rule against the Li family?"

"Of course. They rushed to the Zhan family's house to assault people without any evidence, and they were caught red-handed by the entire city's populace and the newly appointed governor, so they couldn't deny it. Besides compensating the Zhan family for all losses incurred in this brawl, Father also ordered the detention of those who instigated the trouble. According to the laws of this dynasty, those who instigate private vendettas or group brawls can face up to five years in prison. If a death occurred, further penalties could be added."

He Yue knew his brother disliked official jargon, so he translated everything into plain language for him.

"This is getting more interesting," He Lingchuan chuckled. "Was it Li Zhikang or Li Rong?"

The person who first called for the assembly of their private troops would be considered the instigator.

"Neither of them would say, and of course, no other Li family member would point fingers on the spot," He Yue shrugged. "So Father ruled that both be detained and interrogated separately, and the Li family immediately exploded."

"I didn't expect Li Zhikang to be foolish enough to question 'why,' even invoking Minister Li's name and speaking offensively. Father then rebuked him for his improper language and for disrespecting an official, warning that if he continued to cause trouble, he would be slapped in the face. I saw the officers on the side display the 'slap-in-the-face' paddle, and only then did Li Zhikang grudgingly shut up."

Commoners do not contend with officials, especially in court.

"Does Old Man Li only have these two sons in Dunyu?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "These are incredibly foolish opponents; the difficulty level has dropped several notches."

"Old Man Li also has a third son who left for a distant land more than twenty years ago."

"Oh, right, the grudge over stealing his wife!" He Lingchuan snapped his fingers. "If these two are imprisoned together, the Li family will be like... well, like a group of snakes without a head, which will make things easier for us."

He Yue shook his head. "Father has acted with a heavy hand, yet showed leniency; I think he has his own considerations. He said he understood the Li family's recent bereavement and was willing to release either Li Zhikang or Li Rong first to handle their father's funeral arrangements. However, they must pay 150,000 taels of silver as bail. If the suspect does not flee Dunyu within two months and commits no further crimes, the money will be refunded. Otherwise, it will become a fine and be confiscated by the prefectural treasury."

He Lingchuan slurped down the last few mouthfuls of porridge and gave a thumbs-up. "Brilliant. The Li family must be dumbfounded, right?"

"Yes, I saw them at a complete loss. Father was even very considerate, letting them go home to discuss and return to court within three days," He Yue chuckled. "As for the three hundred Li family private troops who committed the offense, since they were merely following orders and no one from the Zhan family was killed, Father sentenced each of them to ten strokes of the judicial caning. A few who were particularly aggressive in beating people or took the opportunity to loot were sentenced to an additional ten strokes."

"Oh, right, if the Zhan mansion later incurred any additional losses, the authorities would issue further rulings!"

"Ten people lay prostrate for punishment at a time on the yamen grounds. Three hundred people required thirty batches, and they didn't finish until dark. The nearby commoners were stunned, saying they had never seen such a spectacular sight of three hundred people being caned on their backsides."

"Are they hitting the private troops' backsides?" He Lingchuan clapped his hands. "It's clearly the Li family's dignity!"

He Chunhua intended to establish his authority as soon as he arrived, and it was inevitable that he would diminish the Li family's dignity.

"Their family won't have peace for the next three days. Li Zhikang and Li Rong will argue endlessly over who gets bail, so they won't have time to cause trouble for us. Once it's decided who stays with the Li family and who is detained, the one who remains will definitely seize the opportunity to consolidate their territory and won't have the energy to oppose us."

Li Zhao died suddenly and left no will, so his sons were already contending for the position of family head. With their rivals going to the yamen's lockup in three days, wouldn't the entire Li family then belong to whoever stayed out?

In such circumstances, how could external conflicts compare to internal struggles?

"How did the Zhan family react?"

"They were quite satisfied and very grateful to Father; they rushed back to assess their losses," He Yue said, sobering his smile. "The other two of the four great families, the Shu and Xie families, both sent people to observe the court proceedings at the yamen, but no statements have been made yet. I imagine they will all close their doors tonight for a thorough discussion."

The newly appointed Governor of Xiazhou had just arrived in Dunyu, barely settled in, when he held a public trial for the Li family's case.

Ostensibly upholding justice for the Zhan family, in reality, it was a harsh slap in the face to the Li family. More importantly, it was a display of his power and a clear announcement of his stance:

"I'm here!"

"All of you, get out of my way!"

"From now on, you need to recognize who's in charge."

"We've all seen Dad's methods," He Lingchuan said, unimpressed. "Even a desolate and barbaric place like Qiansong County, where human lives are like blades of grass, wasn't it still managed orderly by Dad?"

"But there aren't deep-rooted, established noble families like those in Dunyu there," He Yue countered, always one to generously assess the enemy's strength. "The money, grain, and people of Dunyu, and even half of Xiazhou, are all held in their hands. How easy would it be for us to pry that away?"

"The Li family was simply stunned by Father's overwhelming tactics. Once they recover, they will still resist and will also unite with other families to oppose us. After all, that's what they've always done. We still have tough battles ahead, and they won't necessarily be fought openly."

"Besides Minister Li, the four great families also have seven officials serving at court. If they write letters from their hometown here, complaining endlessly to the capital, I'm afraid the higher-ups will criticize Father harshly."

He Lingchuan thought something was amiss. "Didn't Dad say that before he left the capital, he had a deep talk with the monarch in the palace, and the King ordered him to go all out in Xiazhou and not worry about anything else?"

Chapter 224: The Lively Trial