Chaos of Ming 1628

To Meng Zhaoxiang's left, on the table, were stacks of petitions and case files.

All those involved have been brought to the county government office.

Looking out into the hall, standing in front were poor people, both men and women, who had been wronged. Their clothes were patched in many places, and the women were also dressed in rags, with only cracked straw clogs on their feet. It was getting colder every day, and most of them didn't even have a pair of shoes. They were all kneeling on the ground barefoot, their feet covered with thick calluses and blisters.

Some of the women were holding children. The children were thin and bony, and didn't even have proper clothes on; they were just wrapped in tattered burlap.

The people standing on the other side were completely different in appearance and attire. Each of them was dressed in fine silks and satins, and was accompanied by servants.

Sun Qing sat at the top, staring at the crowd below, his expression serious, neither happy nor sad.

The rich young man looked at Sun Qing with a casual expression. He was just a sixteen-year-old boy. Even if he was from the Sun family, how much ability could he possibly have?

"Young Master," Meng Zhaoxiang said nervously. He knew the eunuch faction's tricks when he returned home from the capital.

Today, it's one thing to only try the poor families, but it's difficult to touch the gentry and wealthy households who are connected with the eunuch faction.

"Do it your way," Sun Qing said.

Meng Zhaoxiang felt a pang of unease. He clearly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing things would be much simpler now. Yet, he also felt a deep, piercing sadness. What would become of the common people if things were like this?

Even after arriving in Jiahe County, the so-called justice and fairness of the law still only put shackles on the poor.

His hand, gripping the file, trembled.

He chanted loudly, "Wang Ergou, Zhang Tiedan!"

"Lord Sun, we are here."

Two people covered in patches emerged from behind the crowd, kneeling on the ground, too ashamed to look up.

"Zhang Tiedan accused you of killing and eating his calf, but is that true?" Meng Zhaoxiang asked listlessly.

Wang Ergou hurriedly kowtowed: "I am so hungry. My youngest child has starved to death, and my remaining sons will also starve to death."

"I had no other choice, that's when I had these evil thoughts."

As he spoke, he burst into tears. Outside the hall, a woman with several children knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing.

"Lord Sun, I am guilty. I am willing to give my worthless life to that calf. Please, Lord Sun, have mercy on my family who still need to be fed. Please postpone it until my eldest son is two years old and able to work. Then I will give my life to the calf!"

The emotions outside the hall were extremely polarized.

The poor people looked completely bewildered, taking it all for granted. How valuable are calves! How can their worthless lives compare?

The rich man laughed heartily: "Paying for the cow's life? It's just a calf. We can eat it, so what? We can just pay some money."

Meng Zhaoxiang's hand trembled as he held the case file. He knew all the laws of the Ming Dynasty by heart, but he couldn't judge the case here.

Wang Ergou must pay with his life.

Zhang Tiedan also cried, "What's the point of your life? I just want my ox! Without the ox, who will farm? How will I face my master next year?"

"Without the cows, I can't live either!"

The two of them cried and wailed, as if they were going to die.

The rich people laughed heartily, finding it more entertaining than watching acrobatics.

Among the crowd, Song Xian and Sun Quan stood in casual clothes.

"Hmph, overestimating himself." Sun Quan sneered, "Does he think he's so capable? Why are all the officials in the country suppressing these cases and unable to solve them?"

Looking at this absurd scene again, Sun Quan became irritated: "If we judge according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, it will mean the lives of both families. If we don't judge, this court hearing will be a joke."

"There's no need to try the rest of the cases. I'm just afraid that once this gets out, the eunuch faction will make fun of my family and I won't be able to hold my head up in public."

"He's just a kid, and he's already facing this kind of case. It's really tough on him." Song Xian said with a hint of heartache but also a glimmer of hope: "I just hope his unconventional approach will be a pleasant surprise!"

Sun Qing didn't say anything.

Meng Zhaoxiang said with difficulty: "According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, the law comes from the Military Law - Pastures - Slaughter of Horses and Cattle: Anyone who intentionally kills another person's horse or cattle, regardless of whether it is a large ox or a calf, shall be punished with seventy strokes of the cane and imprisonment for one year."

"If the punishment is lenient, it should still be treated as theft, with full compensation to the victim for all losses, and..."

"Enough," Sun Qing interrupted Meng Zhaoxiang directly. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Now is the time when we need manpower. Wang Ergou is guilty, but not guilty of a capital offense. He shall be punished by being sent to the mudflats west of the river for three months of hard labor."

"Sir, I have elderly parents and young children to support. I can't live without you," Wang Ergou cried.

"You think you can survive with me around?" Sun Qing retorted. "You think you can survive, you little murderous calf?"

"Sir, I only want compensation. Otherwise, if I can't deliver the ox by the deadline, the landlord will beat me to death." Zhang Tiedan also cried.

"What's the panic!" Sun Qing shouted coldly, and dared not speak again.

Sun Qing continued, "During the labor service, you will be provided with one meal a day and ten coins. Settlement will be made every seven days. Of course, half can be taken home, and the other half will be deducted from compensation."

Meng Zhaoxiang's eyes lit up, and he quickly wiped the sweat from his face. The weight that had been hanging over him lifted off his shoulders.

Well done!

Originally, the cost of repairing the mudflats on the west bank of the river was 30-60 coins a day for short-term workers, 30 for manual labor and 60 for skilled workers.

A preliminary calculation shows that there are no fewer than a hundred cases involving poor families. If all of them are sentenced to forced labor, how much money will be saved in labor costs!

Wang Ergou and Zhang Tiedan were completely stunned.

"Food provided, plus pay?" Wang Ergou could hardly believe his ears.

The reason I couldn't survive wasn't laziness. It was simply that in this era, not only were fields owned, but even streams and rivers were divided up. If you were caught fishing illegally, you would be beaten to death.

Someone like him, who isn't even a tenant farmer, can only survive by renting land.

However, the harvest was poor, and the imperial taxes increased year after year, resulting in a deficit. The trees and grass roots had long been eaten away.

At this moment, he not only has food to eat, but also money to earn!

"M-Sir, is this true?" Wang Ergou asked in disbelief.

"Of course," Sun Qing nodded.

Overwhelmed with joy, Wang Ergou hurriedly called from outside, "Cui'er, quickly tell your mother, I'm alive! We can survive!"

"Quick, go back quickly, throw away that packet of rat poison."

After saying that, he kowtowed repeatedly to Sun Qing: "Thank you, Your Excellency, thank you for saving my life. Please, Your Excellency, sentence me to a longer term. I am willing."

Zhang Tiedan also realized what was happening.

He knelt there, kowtowing repeatedly, "My lord, I also want to do hard labor. Please, my lord, sentence me and let me go too!"

He didn't own any land; he was just a cowherd for the wealthy man.

Sun Qing's face darkened: "What nonsense are you spouting? You have no right to interfere in this courtroom. Get out of here immediately."

The two were taken away, and Zhang Tiedan couldn't hide his disappointment. Outside, countless poor families wore expressions of envy.

Many people lamented, "I hope the judge gives me a long sentence. I really want to go to forced labor!"

Meanwhile, the wealthy man on the other side was already sweating profusely.

"What? Is that kind of place, the mudflats of Hexi, even habitable? And we have to do forced labor there?"

"Who cares about that meal? What can you do with five coins? This man is terrifying."

"I don't know what the eunuch was thinking. Even if Zhou Ji died, he shouldn't have sent such an incompetent person to act as magistrate!"

The emotions of both sides were extremely polarized.

Sun Quan was completely shocked and stood there in shock. He never imagined that a case could be judged in this way.

He couldn't help but ask, "In a place like the mudflats of Hexi, what kind of labor is needed? How can they afford to pay for that meal? And where does all that money come from?"

"This is absurd! Doesn't this just encourage them to commit crimes?"

"Ci Gong," Song Xian said with a satisfied smile, "I just learned from Xiao Junru that he wants to rebuild the Hexi mudflats."

"It seems that a fortified city that can accommodate thousands of people is to be built."

"What?" Sun Quan froze on the spot, then sneered, "Does he really think the imperial court will allocate funds?"

"joke!"

"I don't know if the imperial court will," Song Xian said, his eyes bright. "I only know that from the first time he helped the refugees, he has never relied on the imperial court."

"That is why I am unwilling to reveal his identity and I earnestly request the Grand Coordinator to send someone to protect him."

Sun Quan frowned, fell silent, and stared at the people above him, his eyes growing deeper: "The poor are willing, because they have nowhere else to eat."

"I'm afraid the young masters over there might not be so honest."