Chapter 78: Willful Defiance

The two constables, upon hearing this, were instantly startled. They exchanged glances, then looked at their kneeling chief, their brows furrowing in distress as they hesitated, showing no intention of acting.

“Young master, this… this doesn’t seem right,” one of them said quietly, his face full of worry. “The Tang Code clearly states that private punishment must not be administered lightly…”

“Yes, young master, that would be forcing a confession through torture…” the other chimed in, also looking miserable.

Their chief, still kneeling, let out a long sigh of relief at this, and hurriedly reminded Li Yi, “Exactly, young master. What have I done wrong? Without evidence, you cannot just punish me at your whim…”

For a moment, all three invoked the Tang Code as their shield.

They simply did not believe that, with Princess Changle Li Lizhi present, and with the law on their side, this young master would dare to use private punishment against them.

If he did, it would provide them the perfect handle to seize upon Li Yi’s wrongdoing.

To defile the Tang Code was no trivial crime!

“Heh… So you do know that private punishment is forbidden under the Tang Code?” Li Yi replied with a faint smile, shaking his head as if amused. “I thought you’d forgotten all about it!”

The chief, thinking Li Yi meant to spare him, felt a surge of joy and hastened to say, “Young master, as a subject of Tang, I would never dare forget our laws.”

“Good. Since you remember the Tang Code, things will be much simpler,” Li Yi nodded, satisfaction on his face.

Only now did the chief truly relax, believing he had escaped a beating.

But in the next moment, Li Yi suddenly asked, “Since that’s the case, let me ask: when you beat Wang Zhongfu earlier, did you remember the Tang Code then? Did you have it in your heart?”

“Yes, yes, I did!” the chief answered hastily, his face the picture of sincerity.

He had no idea that he had already unwittingly stepped into the trap hidden within Li Yi’s words.

Li Yi smiled.

He walked forward, crouched in front of the kneeling chief, and said with a gentle smile, “Since you claim you always keep the Tang Code close to your heart, then you must know that committing a crime with full knowledge of the law is an aggravated offense, deserving of an even heavier punishment?”

“What?!” the chief gasped in horror.

What in the world was happening? How had this matter suddenly turned back on him with the Tang Code as the weapon?

He thought hard for a moment, and as the meaning of Li Yi’s words became clear, a chill ran through him and sweat beaded on his forehead.

“N-no, young master, it’s not like that…” he tried to protest.

But Li Yi cut him off with a cold snort, his voice mocking, “Committing a crime knowingly is a graver offense still. And you have the nerve to say you’ve always kept the Tang Code in mind? How laughable!”

He spared the chief no further glance, but slowly rose to his full height.

Sweeping his gaze over the other two constables, Li Yi pointed at them and said, “And as for the two of you—knowing full well the law and his guilt, yet deliberately covering for him—that’s a crime compounded twice over!”

“Guards!” he barked before they could object, “Take these three and give them a good beating!”

He was determined to find out whether every constable in this magistrate’s office was in league with He Chishan and his ilk.

If so, it would mean the entire county office of Wangjia Town was thoroughly rotten and in need of a complete purge.

Fortunately, there was still one constable who stepped forward from the side, not disappointing Li Yi completely.

“Young master,” the man saluted respectfully, “If they refuse to do it, allow me! With your order and just cause, I am willing to carry out your command!”

“Very well,” Li Yi nodded with a smile, waving his hand casually. “Right here in the main hall.”

“Yes, young master.” The burly constable immediately rolled up his sleeves, hefted his staff, and strode forward.

The three accused tried to resist, but the sturdy constable pinned them down single-handedly, raising his staff and bringing it down hard across their backs.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The sound of the blows echoed through the main hall, and the sharp pain in their backs made all three howl in agony.

“Will you confess?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

The three kept their mouths shut, heads pressed to the floor, with the air of men determined to die before yielding.

Meanwhile, He Chishan and Wang Fugui, standing to the side, broke out in a cold sweat at the sound of their comrades’ cries.

Neither had expected Li Yi to so deftly find a loophole and have them beaten at once.

This man was truly fearsome!

Both men silently vowed that, should Li Yi ever question them, they would answer with utmost caution, never falling into one of his traps.

Otherwise, they would be finished.

“Still no confession?” Li Yi asked, unconcerned, then, smiling, walked over to the table, eyeing the tea in front of Li Lizhi. He licked his lips and smiled awkwardly. “Your Highness, I’m… a bit thirsty.”

Li Lizhi rolled her eyes, then burst out laughing. She handed him the cup. “Drink.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Li Yi took the cup, drank, smiled at her, set the cup down, and returned to the hall.

The pain became unbearable for the three constables, and they began to wave their hands and shout, “We confess! We’ll tell you everything, young master! Please, just make him stop!”

But Li Yi gave no signal for the beating to end. Instead, he smiled and said, “Speak the truth, and tell me everything you know. The sooner you come clean, the sooner he’ll stop.”

The three nearly burst into tears.

Damn it!

Why wasn’t he playing by the rules? Normally, when a prisoner confesses, the beating stops at once!

So shameless!

But the pain was too much to bear. If it continued, they’d be beaten to death on the spot.

“I’ll talk! Young master, ah—”

“I’ll talk too…”

Through their cries, the chief blurted out, “Young master, it was all on the magistrate’s orders. He told us that, if Wang Zhongfu came to beat the drum for justice, we were to drive him away.”

“If he wouldn’t leave, we were to beat him off with sticks. Ah, my back is breaking, young master…”

“Young master, we’ve told everything—please, make him stop!”

But Li Yi ignored their pleas, frowning before asking again, “And what is the relationship between Wang Fugui and Magistrate He Chishan?”

“Young master, Wang Fugui is the magistrate’s brother-in-law!” the chief confessed truthfully.

(End of chapter)