Chapter 1040: Making a Case
The moment Tan Liwen spoke, everyone understood: he was speaking with the old villagers of Gao Family Village in mind.
His manner was noticeably hesitant. As he spoke, he observed the expressions and attitudes of Gao Family Village's original forty-two residents, his tone tinged with evasion. It was clear that should anyone voice a differing opinion, he would instantly pivot, skillfully twisting his words to justify himself—a common trick for those adept with rhetoric.
Nevertheless, his words were precisely what the people of Gao Family Village most wanted to hear. Gao Yiye was visibly thrilled, and the Village Chief likewise rejoiced.
Seeing the immediate effect of Tan Liwen's speech, Cheng Xu, a man seasoned in officialdom and quick to adapt, naturally chimed in at once: "Steward Tan makes a good point. Chuǎng Wang doesn't seem to have done anything truly egregious. I also think labor reform would suffice."
With the two of them setting the tone, the various stewards of Gao Family Village immediately followed suit.
Watching this unfold, Li Daoxuan felt a swirl of mixed emotions. On the one hand, he was inclined to favor Gao Family Village's original residents, but on the other, he lamented the very concept of "rule of law."
Gao Family Village was the utopia Li Daoxuan had poured his heart into building, yet even here, equality before the law was elusive. If a criminal had good connections, many would speak on his behalf. Such a path, if unchecked, would inevitably lead to rulers wantonly trampling upon the law.
Just then, a discordant voice broke the consensus.
Fang Wushang, Chief Inspector of Gao Family Village, spoke up: "I object!"
A chorus of heads turned to stare at Fang Wushang.
Fang Wushang stood, his face a blend of slight embarrassment and firm resolve, and reached into his robes for a "Heavenly Book." This so-called Heavenly Book was a compilation of sentences Fang Wushang had meticulously gathered from Li Daoxuan's occasional remarks and snippets of modern law.
He flipped to a page and addressed the crowd: "Murder, arson, extremely large-scale robbery, rape, acts of violence against women and children, imprisonment, torture, execution by shooting, mass arrests, collective punishment, destruction of homes, forced displacement, and so on..."
After reciting the list, he turned to Gao Yingxiang on the stretcher: "Did you ever permit or condone your subordinates in committing any of these acts?"
Gao Yingxiang let out a long sigh. "I did."
"Then you are, without a doubt, guilty of war crimes," Fang Wushang declared.
He turned to the people of Gao Family Village, his expression stern. "Gao Yingxiang has committed grave crimes—exceedingly grave ones. In the Heavenly Lord's words, his offenses could even be elevated to crimes against humanity. He did not surrender; we captured him on the battlefield while he was leading his army to attack Xi'an. By law, he deserves the death penalty, no questions asked."
Everyone fell silent.
The original forty-two residents of Gao Family Village stood with trembling lips, unable to speak.
It was easier for an outsider like Cheng Xu to speak up at this point. He began, "Old Fang, you can't put it quite like that. In the waning years of the Tianqi Emperor's reign, the empire suffered a severe drought, and the officials were incredibly harsh with tax collection. It was truly a case of the government oppressing the people until they revolted. Under such circumstances, wouldn't it be normal for him to rise up?"
Fang Wushang's expression remained unshaken. "Rebelling, in itself, is not wrong! Look at Lao Huihui—did the Heavenly Lord not spare him? That was a reasonable and justifiable rebellion. But Gao Yingxiang is different."
Cheng Xu cleared his throat. "Ahem, Old Fang, rebellion isn't child's play. Some occasional acts of violence are to be expected, aren't they?"
"Then let me give you an example," Fang Wushang responded.
He paused, then spoke seriously: "Our Gao Family Village is quite prosperous now, isn't it? All you original residents of Gao Family Village, your family's wealth far exceeds that of ordinary people, correct?"
Everyone nodded.
Fang Wushang pointed at Gao Labu. "Especially you, your rice noodle shop has earned a considerable sum, and your son, Gao Shan, even opened the 'New Village Bookstore.' You already possess power comparable to wealthy merchants and gentry."
Everyone inwardly wondered: *What's he getting at?*
Fang Wushang continued, "Let's imagine Gao Yingxiang is a poor laborer. He goes to work at one of Gao Labu's businesses, as a shop assistant. But Gao Labu is ruthless, withholding his wages, driving him to the brink of starvation. What do you say he should do then?"
"Resist Gao Labu?" the crowd offered.
"Exactly," Fang Wushang affirmed. "He should resist Gao Labu. But if Gao Labu hires bodyguards and thugs, and Gao Yingxiang, with two fists against four hands, can do nothing against Gao Labu, then..."
He gestured to the side, pointing at Gao San Niang and Gao Sanwa. "Gao Yingxiang couldn't beat Gao Labu, so he took his anger out on Gao San Niang and Gao Sanwa. He burst into Gao San Niang's home, forcibly violated her, seized all her family's possessions, drove her to hang herself, and even boiled and ate Gao Sanwa..."
Gao San Niang's face flushed slightly, and a hint of bashfulness crept into her voice: "What nonsense are you speaking? How could Brother Yingxiang ever do such a thing to me? Oh dear... you're making me quite uncomfortable. If it were Brother Yingxiang, I certainly wouldn't hang myself."
Everyone stared, dumbfounded.
Gao Sanwa cried out, "Hey, Mom! Did you not hear the part where he boiled and ate me? Did you just listen to the first half and completely tune out the rest?"
Gao San Niang retorted, "It's just a hypothetical, he didn't actually eat you, so what's the rush?"
"And the earlier part, where he 'did *that*' to you, that was also hypothetical," Gao Sanwa shot back. "So why are *you* blushing?"
Gao San Niang snapped out of her daze. "Huh?"
*Right, it was just a hypothetical... Some destinies, once missed, are simply missed. She was a middle-aged woman now, and her son was already drawing comic books.*
The crowd's expressions darkened.
Indeed, Fang Wushang's example, when applied to the bandit rebellion, seemed to capture the essence of the matter.
The imperial court had wronged them—that was undeniable.
Yet, after they rose in rebellion, they turned their blades on the weak. How many ordinary folk had they slaughtered? Who could speak of the injustices suffered by those common people?
Cheng Xu fell silent.
Tan Liwen wanted to say something, but seeing the awkwardness of the situation, he swallowed his words.
An eerie silence hung in the air for quite some time.
Suddenly, Gao Yingxiang spoke. "I... I never thought... what I did... was wrong. But just now... listening to this brother speak, I suddenly realized... I'm such a damned scoundrel."
Everyone turned their heads to look at him.
Gao Yingxiang continued, "I never truly cared about the lives of others, but hearing this brother say I 'violated' San Niang... and boiled and ate Sanwa... suddenly, I feel such profound sorrow. If someone did such things to them, I would tear that person to shreds."
For a moment, they were speechless. It was true. The lives and deaths of strangers might just be a number in a subordinate's report: *So many killed today, so many households looted tomorrow.*
But what if those killed and plundered unfortunates were replaced with names you knew?
How would you feel, hearing your friends and family were killed, eaten, made to suffer in every conceivable, grotesque way?
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