Chapter 149: Send Them to Labor Reform
Padi Tu hadn't been in Gao Family Village for long. Although he'd heard villagers speak of the Heavenly Lord, he had never personally witnessed a divine miracle, always remaining somewhat skeptical, caught between belief and doubt.
This, however, was the first time he had truly witnessed a divine miracle.
A massive arrow lay etched on the ground. What immense power could have swept aside all those scattered rocks to draw such a colossal symbol?
Padi Tu suddenly remembered: when he had secretly watched Gao Chuwu practice boxing, something had pushed him from behind... Wasn't that...?
"Aaaah!"
Padi Tu was utterly terrified. He dropped to the ground with a thud, prostrating himself like a child kneeling to confess after a severe beating with a bamboo rod from his mother. "Heavenly Lord, I was wrong," he cried. "I shouldn't have secretly learned others' martial arts. Please spare this humble one."
Li Daoxuan had already taught him a lesson, and he believed in one crime, one punishment. Smiling, he withdrew his hand.
Padi Tu lay prostrate for a few seconds. Seeing that the Heavenly Lord hadn't brought down further judgment, he let out a sigh of relief and sprang to his feet. "Brothers," he declared, "follow this Rabbit Master! With the Heavenly Lord showing us the way, we'll surely reclaim Old Fourth Shi's belongings!"
The short-term workers' morale soared. "May the Heavenly Lord protect us!" they roared.
From a distance, Padi Tu spotted several people ahead, lighting a fire and preparing to roast meat. He let out a mighty roar: "Halt, you dimwitted thieves! How dare you attack our short-term workers' village and steal our belongings? Take this Rabbit Master's sword!"
He swiftly drew his rusty sword and charged forward.
The people by the fire jumped in alarm, quickly standing and grabbing wooden clubs.
Padi Tu closed the distance in two or three strides, bellowing, "My Heaven Rabbit Rending Overlord Sword!"
His rusty sword swept up in broad, sweeping movements, descending in a powerful chop...
Before the flash of his blade could reach its target, his foot caught on a rock, and he tumbled down with a thud.
The short-term workers behind him surged forward, several people even stepping over his back...
By the time Padi Tu cried "Ouch!" and scrambled to his feet, he found that the short-term workers had already knocked the five thieves to the ground and subdued them. Old Fourth Shi was pulling his meat and flour sack from the bushes, clutching it tightly to his chest.
Padi Tu was speechless.
He'd thought he had made a fool of himself and would lose the short-term workers' respect. But to his surprise, they turned to him, their eyes expectant. "Rabbit Master," they asked, "these dimwitted thieves are subdued, and our things are back. What should we do next?"
"Huh? They're still calling me Rabbit Master?" he mused.
Padi Tu's spirits lifted. Gripping his rusty sword, he strode up to the five thieves.
He stared at the thieves for a long moment before speaking. "You five," he said, "you were hungry, with nothing to eat, so you came to rob us?"
The five men lowered their heads in fear. In these times, if you robbed someone of food and were beaten to death, you deserved it. They were so terrified that a single word might earn them a beating with clubs from the workers that they dared not respond.
Padi Tu lectured, "True heroes of the martial world rob the rich to aid the poor; that's honorable. But robbing the poor? That's just wrong, isn't it? Look, just look..." He pulled Old Fourth Shi over and pointed him out to the five men. "This brother here is also a poor man. His clothes are so tattered, and he only has this meager bit of grain, meant as a gift for his master when he apprentices. How could you bear to rob him? If you truly want to rob, march into the capital and rob the old emperor! Then I'd consider you five true heroes and give you my respect."
The five men kept their heads bowed for several seconds. Then one of them, risking it all, retorted, "If you're so mighty, why don't *you* go rob the old emperor? All you do is tell us to!"
Padi Tu was stunned into silence.
This question completely stumped him. He had, after all, originally intended to follow Brother Wang Er, fight his way across the land, and eventually rob the old emperor. But after arriving at Gao Family Village, for some unknown reason, he had just... started working as a laborer.
"Huh? Huh? Huh? What's going on?" he wondered. "How could I, Padi Tu, a renowned hero, be working as a laborer here?"
His rusty sword clattered to the ground. Padi Tu clutched his head and crouched down, his mind spiraling into utter turmoil. He wouldn't be able to think for a while.
The short-term workers saw their "spokesperson" crumble, looking utterly unreliable. They figured they'd better discuss what to do themselves. "Hey, Old Fourth Shi," someone called, "they attacked you, so *you* tell us what to do."
Old Fourth Shi stammered, "Huh? I... I'm not qualified for that."
"Just tell us whether to beat them or let them go."
Old Fourth Shi said, "The Heavenly Lord... must be watching from above. We should ask for his opinion."
The group of short-term workers all gazed eagerly up at the sky.
But Li Daoxuan had no intention of issuing commands. If he had to manage every minor dispute, he'd be endlessly annoyed once his territory expanded. These people needed to use their own brains more.
The short-term workers, unable to get a command from the Heavenly Lord, truly had to use their own brains. As they racked their minds, a figurative lightbulb "popped" above Old Fourth Shi's head. "I've got it! Labor reform! Aren't the people in the Labor Offenders Village criminals? They're atoning for their sins through labor! These five should be taken back and thrown into the Labor Offenders Village."
The other short-term workers were overjoyed. "That makes sense," they agreed. "It should be so!"
So, the group escorted the five thieves and prepared to return. As they passed Padi Tu, still sprawled on the ground in a daze, Old Fourth Shi quickly reached out and pulled him up. "Rabbit Master," he said, "we're going back now."
Padi Tu mumbled a response, then dispiritedly picked up his ancestral rusty sword and followed the short-term workers back to Gao Family Village.
Li Daoxuan was quite pleased to see them make the correct judgment. This was exactly right; his demonstration was enough. They needed to learn to think for themselves, to use this method to deal with wrongdoers in the future. Gradually, a new form of legal concept, distinct from the Great Ming Code, would emerge.
A strong legal framework was indispensable!
There's a saying that goes: when you walk on modern streets, the passersby don't randomly hack at you with knives. That's not because they are all saints, but because they are all constrained by the law.
The short-term workers escorted the five thieves to the village, bringing them to the fortress gate. After reporting the matter to San Shier, he listened intently, then shared the same view: "Good, throw all five of them into the Labor Offenders Village."
The short-term workers escorted the five thieves to the entrance of the Labor Offenders Village, kicked them inside, and then left them to their own devices.
The five thieves stood at the entrance of the Labor Offenders Village, looking utterly bewildered. They had expected a grim fate, so they couldn't understand why they had simply been left there, unattended.
What was going on?
The five men didn't know what they were supposed to do, or even if they should try to escape.
As they stood there, utterly confused, a labor reform prisoner waved at them. "Are you five here for labor reform?" he called. "I saw the short-term workers kick you in. Come over here. I'm a decent guy; I'll teach you the rules around here."
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