I behaved like a beast, lustful and vile beyond forgiveness, deserving death ten thousand times over…
The Ministry of Justice Prison was very close to the Court of Judicial Review. In less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, the group had arrived outside the Court.
Among all the judicial offices in Liangjing City, the Court of Judicial Review was the smallest. Its courtroom was only half the size of the Ministry of Justice’s. When too many people gathered inside, it even felt cramped.
Over the past six months, in order to avoid accusations of bias, the Ministry of Justice had only detained and guarded Yu Lin. Her interrogations had all been conducted by the Court of Judicial Review.
Though both belonged to the judicial system, the Court of Judicial Review specialized in reviewing cases. It held far fewer prisoners, and compared to the Ministry of Justice, which handled trials, and the Censorate, which seemed to spend half its time scolding officials, its workload was considerably lighter.
The Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, Mao Heng, was not the easiest superior to get along with, but he was the sort who could shoulder major responsibilities while overlooking minor faults. The officials under him lived relatively comfortably, and their temperaments were gentler than those of the Ministry of Justice’s criminal-law officers. They were also less harsh toward prisoners.
Having dealt with Yu Lin, this unusual convicted official, for more than half a year, they had interrogated her several times and practically dug through every detail of her political career over the past decade as well as her personal life. In the end, they discovered that aside from being a woman, the rest of her life was as pure as fresh snow, untouched by even a speck of dust.
“As pure as snow, untouched by dust.”
If those eight words had been written by an appreciative colleague on fine paper and tossed into Liangjing’s endlessly self-important literary circles, they would have become a celebrated phrase remembered for generations.
But when used to describe a woman, they were unlikely to spread very far.
The Court’s clerks and officials all harbored a measure of private sympathy for Yu Lin. Now that she had once again been brought before the court, and after hearing that the prison deputy warden had forced her into prostitution while she was imprisoned, most of them felt at least some indignation.
Before Wang Shaolian and Du Lingruo had even entered the courtroom, they had already suffered a bit under the Court officials’ hands.
Du Lingruo had gone an entire day and night without water. His cold had not yet recovered. Yesterday morning he had gotten up at dawn to help Zhang Min buy Li Gong peaches. After being tossed around all night without sleep, his throat was painfully dry and desperately wanted a bowl of water.
Although the Court officials showed some respect for his status as a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial, their courtesy extended no further than their words. They treated everything he said as meaningless noise.
With his throat burning and his head feverish, denied even a drink of water, Du Lingruo suddenly felt pitifully wronged.
Standing in the wind under guard, he shouted toward the officials watching him.
“My heavens, I really never meant to harm Miss Yu…”
Yu Lin was drinking water.
Hearing him, she carried her bowl over, bent down, and held it to his lips.
“Are you sick?”
Looking at the bowl of water before him and hearing her gentle concern, Du Lingruo nearly burst into tears.
Yu Lin smiled helplessly. Steadying herself despite the restraints she wore, she tilted her head toward him and softly said,
“I’m sorry.”
A hand reached out and took over from her.
The faint scent of agarwood drifted past. Without even looking, Yu Lin knew the hand belonged to Zhang Yao.
She did not stop him. Instead, she withdrew her hand and rested it on her knees.
As Zhang Yao fed water to Du Lingruo, she took the opportunity to say what had been on her mind.
“Zhang Yao.”
“Mhm.”
“I have a way to clear both you and Steward Du.”
The moment Du Lingruo heard that, he immediately wanted to speak.
But Zhang Yao simply raised his wrist and used the bowl of water to block the words back down his throat.
“Just save him.”
Hugging her knees, Yu Lin turned to look at Zhang Yao’s face.
He was wholly focused on helping Du Lingruo drink. His eyelids hung low, his gaze fixed on the bowl. His jaw was slightly tense. The rough black fabric he wore fluttered in the wind toward her.
Being a full head taller than her, he blocked most of the chilly breeze that came after the rain.
“If you want to make this prison prostitution case airtight, then this middleman isn’t important. But Wang Shaolian and I must be convicted beyond dispute. Any ambiguity won’t work. When it comes time to determine the charges, if those soft-boned colleagues of yours hesitate for even a moment and leave the slightest opening, your entire setup will crack.”
He paused.
“You can’t crush me to death. But through me, you can crush Wang Shaolian.”
Yu Lin found herself nodding.
As expected of someone who was practically half a colleague. His assessment was precise. He had even guessed most of her intentions.
Yet a living man wearing burial clothes truly was pitiable.
Calmly becoming the bait.
Calmly hanging his own mouth on the hook.
Calmly allowing himself to be dragged onto the chopping block.
Calmly lying there and watching whether the executioner’s blade was aimed properly.
Then, after all that, still telling the person holding the knife:
“Thank you. Skin me a little faster. I still have work waiting.”
At the thought, Yu Lin could not help laughing softly.
She shook her head at Zhang Yao.
“Do you not consider yourself human?”
“If I considered myself human, I couldn’t do my job.”
When Zhang Yao said this, there was neither self-mockery nor pride in his voice.
It was simply a statement of fact.
The bowl was empty.
Lowering it, Zhang Yao let his arm fall.
Du Lingruo sat on the ground, cheeks flushed, breathing heavily.
Zhang Yao turned around.
“Why do you keep looking at me?”
Yu Lin smiled.
“Oh. My eyesight isn’t very good.”
After saying that, she turned away casually and looked at a clump of weeds growing from a crack in the ground.
Thin people could curl themselves into surprisingly small shapes.
Squatting on the ground with her knees hugged to her chest, she seemed little more than bones beneath the prison uniform.
Mid-Autumn Festival had only recently passed. Although rainy days were not especially cold, Zhang Yao felt sticky and uncomfortable even in his single-layer burial robe.
Yet she somehow looked cold.
She said nothing further to Zhang Yao and instead turned toward Du Lingruo.
“Steward Du, when we’re in court later, listen carefully to my answers. Act according to the situation.”
“Mhm… mhm…”
Du Lingruo answered vaguely.
“Don’t say anything obscene,” Zhang Yao added.
Yu Lin immediately turned back toward him.
“If you keep repeating yourself, it loses its effect. You say you’re used to speaking that way, but don’t you realize that after ten years in officialdom, even if I wasn’t used to hearing such things before, I certainly am now.”
“Do you not consider yourself a lady?”
Zhang Yao casually tossed aside the empty bowl and asked her evenly.
“Of course I do.”
After speaking, she released one arm from around her knees and brushed back her loose hair.
“Am I pretty?”
This time it was Zhang Yao’s turn to avoid looking at her.
“What kind of personality is this? You’re neither like an official nor like a prisoner.”
The second half of that sentence was spoken very softly. He assumed she had not heard it.
Yet she replied anyway.
“As long as I’m not annoying.”
Then she looked at Du Lingruo, who was sitting on the ground.
“Right?”
Still coughing slightly, Du Lingruo did not answer aloud.
He simply nodded repeatedly.
At that moment, the Court of Judicial Review summoned the prisoners.
An official called Yu Lin’s name.
She rose and headed toward the courtroom.
After taking a few steps, she turned back and said to Zhang Yao,
“Then I’ll save him. As for you…”
“Do it.”
Zhang Yao hauled Du Lingruo to his feet with one hand and added while looking at Yu Lin,
“Just crush me.”
Because Zhao Heming was still recusing himself from the case, he did not sit in judgment.
Mao Heng occupied the central seat of the courtroom, while Wu Longyi sat at his right.
The hall was still using the final vat of ice remaining from that year.
Yu Lin was escorted into the courtroom and knelt, bowing her head.
Afterward, Wang Shaolian and Du Lingruo were brought in and forced to kneel as well.
Mao Heng looked up at the last person entering.
His head immediately began to ache.
Most judicial officials of Great Liang spent time rotating through the Three Judicial Offices when they were young.
Before becoming Chief Justice, Mao Heng had served as a censor.
Censors possessed mouths sharper than knives. They wrote essays, published criticisms, denounced heaven and earth alike, and few of them escaped being sentenced to court beatings at some point or another.
Naturally, many had also suffered under the Northern Pacification Bureau.
In earlier years, the Northern Pacification Bureau liked playing tricks, collecting various “fees” and making money while leaving beaten officials a little room to survive.
After Zhang Yao took command, all those elaborate schemes vanished.
The man was ruthless and spoke little.
The officers beneath him followed his example.
They beat people the way farmers smashed melons.
Although Mao Heng was now the Chief Justice, he too had once fallen into Zhang Yao’s hands during his days in the Censorate.
He could not bring himself to settle personal grudges through official business.
Still, no matter what, he wanted to knock Zhang Yao’s arrogance down a peg today.
“The person standing before the court—”
“Commander of the Northern Pacification Bureau, Zhang Yao.”
While speaking, Zhang Yao walked toward Yu Lin.
By the time he finished answering, he had already knelt beside her.
Mao Heng froze.
He had only managed to say the word “standing” before the man was already on his knees.
For a moment, he did not know how to continue.
Wu Longyi coughed.
Only then did Mao Heng recover, pick up the complaint, and look toward Yu Lin.
“Yu Lin.”
Yu Lin raised her head.
“This convicted official is present.”
Mao Heng lightly tapped the desk.
“You have already been stripped of office and convicted. That form of address should be changed—”
“Heh.”
A cold laugh came from beside Yu Lin.
Mao Heng forced himself to remain calm.
“Commander Zhang, what are you laughing at?”
“By the time we’ve finished debating proper forms of address in this courtroom, the prison already has three cases ready for judgment.”
Pain throbbed at Mao Heng’s temples.
“You…”
“Yes.”
Yu Lin interrupted before Mao Heng could finish.
“This criminal woman understands.”
She changed the way she referred to herself.
Zhang Yao immediately fell silent.
Mao Heng glanced toward Wu Longyi.
The old man sighed and smiled helplessly, signaling him to continue.
Only then did Mao Heng steady himself.
“Yu Lin, I have read your complaint. You accuse Prison Deputy Warden Wang Shaolian of privately manufacturing illegal restraints, forcing prisoners into prostitution, and obtaining enormous profits through sexual exploitation.”
He continued:
“Ordinarily, this case would require questioning prison guards, gathering witness testimony, and conducting a thorough investigation before bringing you into court. However…”
Mao Heng raised the confession written by Zhang Yao.
“One of the accused has already confessed. It has been confirmed that a brothel was indeed operating inside the Ministry of Justice prison, using pimps to arrange sexual services involving prisoners. This largely matches your accusations.”
“Therefore, today’s session will proceed directly to confrontation and examination.”
“Comparing both of your statements, there remain several unclear details that may affect sentencing.”
He looked at Yu Lin.
“Yu Lin.”
“Present.”
“Explain in detail how you were violated inside the prison’s restricted chamber.”
“Which part is unclear?”
The response did not come from Yu Lin.
It came from Zhang Yao.
Mao Heng pointed at Yu Lin.
“I was asking her!”
“I tore off her clothing and humiliated her.”
Zhang Yao’s voice remained flat.
“I behaved like a beast. Lustful and vile beyond forgiveness. Even ten thousand deaths could not atone for my crime.”
Even while cursing himself, his expression never changed.
There was not the slightest hint of discomfort on his face.
Yet every one of those obscene details left all the men present blushing furiously.
Zhang Yao raised his head and looked at Mao Heng.
“As for exactly how I tore her clothes and violated her body, my written confession describes it clearly.”
“If anything in her account differs from mine, then I am shamelessly arguing in bad faith and attempting to conceal my crimes.”
“According to the law, that should warrant a heavier sentence.”
Mao Heng suddenly remembered what he had said earlier to Zhao Heming and Wu Longyi:
“Did Zhang Yao go there to buy sex, or to worship a god?”
Unable to help himself, he pressed a hand to his forehead and laughed bitterly.
“Continue questioning.”
Question what?
Mao Heng cursed inwardly.
At that moment, all he wanted was for Zhang Yao to shut up.