The two arrived at the magistrate's office at 7-9 AM, and because they were carrying a written complaint, they went directly to the main hall.
Jiang Ning had always imagined the County Magistrate to be an old man, like those portrayed in many TV dramas - with small eyes, a mustache, speaking in an affected manner, biased in judgment, unable to distinguish right from wrong, incompetent, and easily bribed.
When she actually saw Song Ming in his dark red official robes, standing straight with a dignified appearance, Jiang Ning realized she had been misled. Apparently, County Magistrates could be this young too.
Clerk Tang presented Liu Ming'an's written complaint. Song Ming took it, and without preamble, praised, "Scholar Liu's handwriting is quite good."
Liu Ming'an was taken aback. Just as he was about to politely respond with "You flatter me, sir," Song Ming lowered his head and began to read the complaint carefully. Liu Ming'an could only let it go.
"Are you accusing Zhao Qiang of drugging, theft, and conspiring with others to commit arson and attempted murder - these three major crimes?" After a moment, Song Ming put down the complaint and asked Liu Ming'an.
Liu Ming'an walked to the front of the magistrate's desk, bowed with clasped hands, and said, "That is correct. I humbly request the County Magistrate to uphold justice for this commoner."
Song Ming grunted an acknowledgment and then said, "Very well, let's begin the court session."
Jiang Ning had seen many courtroom scenes in various films and TV shows. They usually involved a group of Government Officials thumping their sticks on the ground, chanting "Awe-inspiring!" in a drawn-out tone. Then the official would slam his gavel on the table, glare with bulging eyes, and bark, "Who stands before the court? State your name!"
Now that she was actually here, for some reason, Jiang Ning felt like laughing.
In this brief moment of distraction, two rows of Government Officials had already taken their positions on both sides of the hall, all wearing stern expressions. Zhao Qiang, his hands bound in shackles, was also brought in and made to kneel beside Liu Ming'an.
Jiang Ning stood in the waiting area by the entrance. Her gaze swept from Liu Ming'an to Zhao Qiang, then to clerk Tang sitting to the right of the magistrate's desk, ready to take notes. She understood that the role of the clerk was probably equivalent to that of a Legal Advisor.
However, this dynasty was slightly better than those depicted on TV in one aspect - the accuser didn't have to kneel. Therefore, both Liu Ming'an and she were standing properly.
"Is the man kneeling before the court surnamed Zhao, given name Qiang?" Song Ming asked.
Zhao Qiang answered "Yes," and Song Ming continued, "The person beside you is accusing you. Do you want this official to question you point by point, or would you prefer to speak for yourself?"
"This offender will speak for himself," Zhao Qiang replied. He then recounted in detail how he met Houzi, owed money at the Gold Jade Hall, and drugged and robbed people in Lotus Flower Village. His account left both Liu Ming'an and Jiang Ning astonished.
They had both assumed that Zhao Qiang would deny the charges because of clerk Tang's influence, or even counter-accuse Jiang Ning and the others of false allegations. They had expected to spend a great deal of effort arguing back and forth. They never imagined that this man would confess so easily.
Jiang Ning, in particular, had even mentally prepared herself for the possibility of Zhao Qiang being acquitted, and her having to resort to killing him afterward. The actual outcome was far beyond her expectations.
Jiang Ning glanced again at clerk Tang and noticed that while Zhao Qiang was confessing his crimes, the clerk's brows were deeply furrowed, creating a deep crease between them. He shook his head and sighed while continuously writing something on paper.
Wasn't this clerk going to try to save his nephew? Was he really so impartial? Jiang Ning wondered, perplexed.
This was the second time Song Ming had heard Zhao Qiang's account, and his expression remained unchanged. He merely summarized, "According to what you've said, you committed these evil acts because you were instigated by others?"
Zhao Qiang bowed low, touching his forehead to the ground in a kowtow to Song Ming, saying, "What this offender has said is absolutely true. I hope Magistrate Song will see clearly!"
Song Ming shifted his gaze from Zhao Qiang. Jiang Ning thought he was going to question Liu Ming'an, but to her surprise, he looked at her instead.
"Young lady, come forward. This official has some questions for you," Jiang Ning heard Song Ming order.
Jiang Ning obediently walked to stand beside Liu Ming'an, and heard Song Ming ask, "What is your name?"
"Jiang Ning."
Clerk Tang stopped writing and looked up. Song Ming noticed this from the corner of his eye and asked further, "Which characters are used for your name?"
"The 'Jiang' from 'ginger', and the 'Ning' from 'focusing one's attention'."
Hearing this, clerk Tang wrote down the two characters for "Jiang Ning" on his paper.
Song Ming looked at Jiang Ning standing straight and proper before the court. Although her face was veiled by a gauze, the coldness in her eyes and the sharp aura about her confirmed his suspicions from yesterday.
Song Ming asked routinely, "This official only asks you this: have you had any grudges with Old Six Hu, Houzi, and others from the Gold Jade Hall?"
Jiang Ning's eyes flickered for a moment, surprised that this magistrate was quite perceptive. She then raised her eyes and looked directly at Song Ming without evasion: "Yes."
"How did this grudge come about? Tell the truth."
Although she disliked being spoken to in a commanding tone, this County Magistrate seemed capable, so Jiang Ning didn't take offense. She recounted her experience at the Gold Jade Hall in detail, naturally omitting the part where Houzi nearly had his throat slit for following her later.
This was the first time Liu Ming'an had heard about this part of Jiang Ning's experience. He knew before that she had gone to the Gold Jade Hall and won money, but he hadn't realized there were so many twists and turns in the process.
When Jiang Ning mentioned winning against Old Six Hu with fifty dice, clerk Tang couldn't help but look up, first at Jiang Ning, then at Song Ming, with a questioning look in his eyes.
Song Ming caught clerk Tang's gaze and signaled with his eyes for him to speak his mind.
Clerk Tang leaned towards the magistrate's desk and asked in a lowered voice, "Magistrate Song, this is clearly nonsense. Should it still be recorded in the official testimony?"
Song Ming lightly stroked his chin. Indeed, rolling fifty dice to get three hundred and ninety points seemed too incredible.
"It's true, I can testify. What she said is true," Zhao Qiang, kneeling on the ground, suddenly spoke up.
Although clerk Tang had intentionally lowered his voice, the hall wasn't that large, and the three people below could hear his words clearly.
Song Ming and clerk Tang didn't believe Jiang Ning's account, but Zhao Qiang remembered what Old Six Hu had said after rolling the dice that day when he went upstairs.
Old Six Hu had said, "With fifty dice, I couldn't even roll three hundred points. How did she manage to roll three hundred and ninety points?"
At that time, Zhao Qiang was too anxious to think much of it, but now he realized that the "she" Old Six Hu referred to must have been this woman called Jiang Ning.
Hearing this, Song Ming and clerk Tang exchanged a glance. Song Ming gave clerk Tang a slight nod, and the latter, having no more objections, continued writing with his head down.
After Jiang Ning finished her account, Song Ming had a moment of realization: "So that's how it was! You humiliated Old Six Hu in front of so many people and then swaggered out with over a hundred taels of silver. It's understandable that he would hold a grudge."
"Bang!" Song Ming picked up his gavel and struck it, shouting, "Bring someone here!"
The leading Government Official from the left row stepped forward, bowed, and said, "At your service."
"Go to the Gold Jade Hall now and bring the owner Old Six Hu and the bouncer Houzi here for questioning."
"Yes, sir."
After the official left to carry out the order, the hall fell silent for a moment.
Jiang Ning lowered her eyes, mentally rehearsing possible scenarios that might unfold next and how to respond to them. While she was deep in thought, someone lightly touched the back of her hand.
She turned her head to see Liu Ming'an with a slight smile. Given that they were in court, he didn't dare to be too expressive, but the unmistakable joy in his eyes was unconcealed, as if tiny stars had fallen into them.
Jiang Ning looked at him for a while, then averted her gaze. Something in the depths of her heart was breaking free from its restraints, surging forth.