Chapter 121: Capital Officials

Qin Huiyin caught a glimpse of official robes out of the corner of her eye. Nevertheless, she did not stop her movements, continuing to rain down heavy, forceful blows.

"Ah..." the hooligan shrieked in agony.

"You woman..." the official in the robes bellowed in outrage, but before he could finish, he saw Qin Huiyin drop to the ground and burst into loud sobs.

"We are being bullied... you are bullying us so heartlessly... boo-hoo..."

"My mother and I fled here as refugees, surviving on grass roots along the way, escaping the horrors of man-eating madness. We finally had a new home, finally found a way to make a living, and yet you people here still bully us... Heaven is unfair, and the government is unfair! With such negligence, how are we, a mother and daughter, supposed to survive? Boo-hoo..."

Li Taohua was stunned, but she quickly caught on. With reddened eyes, she sat beside Qin Huiyin and wailed, "Daughter, it is my fault. Mother failed to protect you..."

Tang Dafu began crying even faster than Tang Yixiao and Tang Lvwu. As a grown man, he couldn't wail like the women, so he simply stood there with hunched shoulders, wiping away tears.

The hooligan was still howling in pain, while this family cried in such utter despair, as if they had suffered the gravest of injustices.

The official, seeing this, was amused despite his anger. He turned to the magistrate not far away and said, "This falls under your jurisdiction. You handle it."

The magistrate, suffering from a splitting headache, braced himself and walked over. He said to the hooligans, "It’s you lot again. You are always bullying the weak, the old, and the women. You truly have no intention of mending your ways."

"My Lord, this time we are the ones being bullied! Look at my hand..." the hooligan cried out, "My Lord, you must seek justice for me!"

"He bullied my mother. My Lord, if your mother were bullied, would you not cut off the offender's hand?"

"How audacious, such a preposterous thing to suggest..." the magistrate thundered.

"My Lord, if you cannot even bear a hypothetical scenario, how can you expect a child to stand by while their mother experiences such things firsthand?"

The official who had spoken first said calmly, "Whatever grievances you have, the government is here to provide justice. You cannot take the law into your own hands."

"My Lord, where is the government?"

"Less than two miles from here."

"My Lord, do you truly think poor, vulnerable people like us could escape the clutches of these vicious thugs to reach the magistrate’s office to report a crime? Do you think we would even be alive to do so?"

"Nonsense, we never kill anyone," the hooligans protested in their own defense.

"You smashed our stall and destroyed all our tables and chairs. You destroyed our only means of survival! Does that not mean you wanted us to die?" Qin Huiyin pouted, ready to burst into tears again.

Wen Ruhai made a gesture, cutting off the emotion she was brewing.

"What do you want?" Wen Ruhai asked.

"What can people like us, who have no power, no influence, and no one to stand up for us, possibly want? Whether we live or die is just a matter of a single word from you officials. Just throw me in jail!"

"My Lord, it was these thugs who started this by attacking and hurting people. How can you blame the young girl?"

"Magistrate, you have always been impartial. Surely you wouldn't make things difficult for a young girl? She has had such a hard life, having survived the horrors of fleeing a famine."

"My Lord, we can bear witness. It was these thugs who smashed their things for no reason. They claimed the food at the stall had poisoned someone, but that has never happened. We are regular customers whenever they set up their stall on market days."

"Please, My Lord, look into this. We can also testify for the girl."

"Head Constable Feng, lock these men in the dungeon and wait for further instructions," the magistrate ordered.

"My Lord, this young woman has a small suggestion. Would you care to hear it?" Qin Huiyin looked at the magistrate with her red, puffy eyes.

The magistrate looked at this young girl and thought she resembled a monkey—clever and slippery. It was the first time he realized that a young girl could be so difficult to handle. He had a daughter at home—refined, elegant, and demure—and he had always assumed that was how all young girls should be. Only now did he see that a girl could also be so vibrant and formidable. He had to admit, the way she protected her mother had moved him deeply.

"Speak."

"Building the dam is a massive project, a noble cause that benefits the country and the people. But is there not a severe shortage of labor? Are these men not ready-made, free laborers?"

"Free laborers?" Wen Ruhai was intrigued. "The imperial court has allocated funds; those who labor are paid wages."

"That applies to everyone else, but they are different. They are the dregs of society, the shame of the town, and the misfortune of their families. Even I, a mere woman, know how to use my labor to strive for what I need. These men are in their prime, yet they know nothing but bullying. Their parents failed to raise them well, so they should be handed over to the imperial court for discipline."

"My Lord, take these troublemakers and send them to build the dam. Provide them with nothing but food and shelter—no wages. If they perform well, perhaps give them some incentives. If they perform even better, then start paying them a small wage. They have endless energy and nowhere to use it; give them an opportunity to prove their worth. Those who commit petty theft, those who swindle, those who beat their wives—those whose crimes are not severe but who are nonetheless societal dregs—send them all to build the dam. You are short on hands, and these people have been delivered to your doorstep; it would be a waste not to use them."

Wen Ruhai looked at the magistrate: "You have a group of idlers rotting in your dungeons, right?"

"My Lord, there are also death row inmates!"

"I think this girl makes sense. Of course, the serious criminals are not to be released, but those who have committed petty offenses can certainly be sent to labor."

"This subordinate understands."

Wen Ruhai looked at Qin Huiyin: "Young lady, don't be so impulsive next time. You’ve performed a service today, so I will consider your merits and faults as balanced and leave you be."

"My Lord, our stall is ruined, so much of our ingredients were wasted, our tables and chairs are gone, and my family was beaten. Are we just going to let it go like this?"

Qin Huiyin wiped her tears, looking aggrieved, like a junior who had suffered a wrong outside and returned home to complain. Wen Ruhai found himself wanting to laugh at her expression.

"How much compensation do you want?"

"Twenty taels." Qin Huiyin held up two fingers. "We put a lot of heart and money into these things. We’ve barely used them, and we haven't even broken even yet."

Wen Ruhai signaled to the bailiffs. The bailiffs approached the hooligans and searched their pouches; all the silver they found added up to only three taels.

"There is only this much. There is no more."

Qin Huiyin muttered, "Commoners get bullied, commoners suffer losses, commoners are nearly starving to death, and we can’t even get proper compensation."

Wen Ruhai looked at the magistrate: "These troublemakers are your people; you handle it."

The magistrate laughed: "Head Constable Feng, go to the homes of these men and search them. The ringleader, Pockmark, pays three taels, and each of the others pays two taels. Young lady, wait here. You might as well clean up this mess so you don't obstruct others."

"Many thanks, My Lord. I have always heard that you are a righteous and upright official, and today I have finally seen it for myself." Qin Huiyin bowed deeply. The rest of the Tang family followed suit.