Shopkeeper Lu’s face grew serious. Ignoring Tang Jin, he turned to the Liu Brothers. “You two brothers, get on with your duties. We’ll sort out whatever the problem is in open court.”
He had already drawn a sizable crowd, which meant his goal was achieved. No way would these people dare claim a dead man was alive right here.
Liu Da turned to Tang Laidi once more. “Laidi, sister, why don’t you come with us for now? The magistrate always judges cases fairly. If you haven’t done anything wrong, you won’t be falsely accused.”
Tang Laidi knew they were only following orders, so she nodded and took the lead, walking ahead.
“Hold it,” Old Madam Tang called out, leaning on her cane as she stepped forward. “This old lady is the head chef. You can’t leave me behind.”
“The ingredients were all bought by me,” Tang Jin added, positioning herself beside the old madam. “If you’re making arrests, take us all together.” No silver from today’s business after all.
Weren’t the customers already here? The crowd of onlookers included not only Merchant Cao Kesang but also Madam Miao.
What a shame—thirty taels of silver, gone.
“And me too,” Chu Lingyue said, standing on Old Madam Tang’s other side. “The beef was bought together with A-Jin.”
Shopkeeper Lu kept smiling. “Rest assured, not a single one of you will get away.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a clear, ringing voice emerged from the crowd.
“And me.”
Shopkeeper Lu’s smile faltered. He stared at the young woman approaching, a flicker of doubt in his mind. She looked awfully familiar, but he had no memory of a fifth person working at the little restaurant.
“Shaoyang, there’s no need for you to get involved,” Chu Lingyue said with a slight frown as the girl drew near.
Chu Shaoyang shook her head gently and addressed the Liu Brothers. “I’m a regular at the restaurant. I can serve as a witness in court.”
The Liu Brothers responded with utmost courtesy. “After you, Miss Chu.”
As constables at the county yamen, they had at least a passing familiarity with the prominent local families—and they certainly knew the daughter of Scholar Chu’s household.
Especially since Miss Chu shared a close friendship with the magistrate’s wife, despite their age difference.
At that moment, yet another figure stepped out from the throng.
“Shaoyang, didn’t you invite me here to treat me to some fine dishes? What’s all this about?”
The Liu Brothers took one look and bowed deeply at once. “This lowly officer Liu Da, along with Liu Er, pays respects to Madam.”
Good heavens—the magistrate’s wife herself had shown up.
Laidi usually kept such a low profile, yet here she was with all these influential connections. Then again, during that earlier ruckus at the yamen, why hadn’t a single one of them spoken up for her?
Chu Shaoyang got straight to the point. “Sister Gu, you’ve arrived. Sorry you had to see this mess. It seems this restaurant’s food is simply too good and getting in the way of certain folks. I’ll make it up to you another day and treat you properly.”
Madam Gu followed her gaze toward Shopkeeper Lu, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.
Shopkeeper Lu bowed low, his smile obsequious. “Madam Gu.”
The sight of Madam Gu jogged his memory of Chu Shaoyang’s status. After all, the two women had dined at Tower Beyond Towers several times in the past. Still, he felt no fear. Just as the constables had said, County Magistrate Gu was known for his fair judgments—not some corrupt fool who bent the law for favors.
Even if the magistrate’s own mother appeared, he wouldn’t back down.
Madam Gu inclined her head faintly and withdrew her gaze before reassuring Chu Shaoyang. “Nonsense, little sister. Since I have nothing pressing today, I’ll go with you to the yamen.”
The gathered commoners perked up at the scene, their interest piqued.
This case involved the head manager of Tower Beyond Towers, and now there were misses and madams left and right. The constables’ deferential manner made it clear these weren’t ordinary people.
With excitement like this brewing, of course they had to watch.
And so, an enormous crowd, larger than any in living memory, poured toward the county yamen.
Bringing up the rear, Merchant Cao Kesang glanced at Madam Miao. “Sister-in-law, care to watch the spectacle?”
Madam Miao smiled. “Does Shopkeeper Cao plan to head over?”
Merchant Cao Kesang grinned as well. “Well, I’m practically a regular at that restaurant. Who knows? I might even serve as a witness.”
The two shared a knowing smile and joined the flow of the crowd.
At the county yamen, County Magistrate Gu sat idly on the bench, bored out of his mind. Suddenly, the sound of countless footsteps jolted him upright.
He glanced up to find a sea of heads jostling eagerly just outside the courtroom.
His interest stirred. Tower Beyond Towers truly had pull. In his seven or eight years as magistrate, this was the first time he’d seen such a throng of commoners turn out to watch one of his trials.
A few familiar faces amid the bunch… Hmm? That one was especially familiar. His own wife, coming to join the fun?
County Magistrate Gu blinked to confirm. Yes, definitely his wife.
Not just her, but Chu Shaoyang as well.
Hold on—why was young Laidi up in the courtroom?
“Sir, the suspects have been brought in,” Liu Da reported, cupping his fists after a brief hesitation. “This one… well, Laidi is the owner of the restaurant.”
Tang Laidi and the others knelt at once. “This commoner pays respects to Your Honor the Magistrate.”
Tang Jin’s knee buckled halfway before she straightened up again. She’d nearly forgotten—the original host was a scholar, and scholars didn’t kneel to low-ranking officials.
“Student Tang Jin pays respects to Your Honor the Magistrate.”
County Magistrate Gu arched a brow. A woman with official scholarly standing, no less.
“Silence in the court!” he commanded. “All of you below—who are you? State your names at once.”
With a sharp crack of the court gavel, the noisy crowd fell utterly still. Every eye turned to the figures in the courtroom.
Familiar with court procedure, Tang Laidi spoke up first. “This commoner is the owner of the restaurant, from Tang Village. Tang Laidi.”
Old Madam Tang followed. “This commoner is the head chef at the restaurant…”
Chu Lingyue added her piece. “This woman is a kitchen helper at the restaurant…”
Chu Shaoyang spoke next. “This woman is a regular patron at the restaurant and can testify that it has indeed served dishes made with beef.”
“Student Tang Jin, from Tang Village,” Tang Jin said. “Kitchen helper at the restaurant, in charge of procuring ingredients.” She shot a surprised glance at Chu Shaoyang. Was this young lady here to help or just stir up more confusion? Those two sentences had left her baffled.
Only after they had all finished did Shopkeeper Lu speak. “Your Honor, see it clearly. This commoner is the manager of Tower Beyond Towers. Today, I bring charges against their restaurant for secretly slaughtering draft oxen.”
County Magistrate Gu listened, then regarded Tang Laidi with evident regret. “Tang Laidi, so you’re the owner of the restaurant?”
What a pity for the girl. As the head of the county, he had a fair sense of his subordinates’ capabilities.
Back when the previous head constable had stepped down, coinciding with a string of serial thefts, he’d pushed his constables hard. Whoever cracked the case would take the post. He’d observed them closely in the process, and it was clear Tang Laidi stood out: the most driven, the finest martial artist, the strongest sense of justice, the most diligent investigator. Privately, he’d pegged her as the ideal choice.
But things hadn’t gone as planned. In the end, the crucial clue identifying the culprit had come from Tang Laidi’s own brother, Tang Yaozu.
Prior to that, County Magistrate Gu hadn’t even registered Tang Yaozu’s existence—the boy was utterly unmotivated, the sort who slacked off and scraped by.
Later, when Tang Laidi accused her brother of stealing her credit, it hadn’t shocked him.
What surprised him was how naive the girl had been—no backup evidence, nothing. And then their parents stepped in to vouch for the son, insisting the credit belonged to him while the daughter tried to snatch it.
She had no proof to back her claims, while Tang Yaozu had their parents as witnesses against her.
The magistrate knew the truth but couldn’t rule without evidence, no matter how partial he felt.
Seeing the other constables stay silent, he’d had no choice but to appoint Tang Yaozu.
He’d promised the post, and the case was closed.
Still, he hadn’t dwelled on it. Tang Yaozu might have the title of head constable now, but he lacked the virtue and skill for it. Sooner or later, he’d be demoted.
What troubled the magistrate was Tang Laidi’s youth and failure to guard against her own brother, and the fact that not one fellow constable had spoken up for her amid it all.
In this world, women faced far greater hardships in their pursuits than men.
Few could match those two in brilliance and strategic acumen.
The thought of them snapped him back to the present. His gaze settled on Shopkeeper Lu. Speaking of those two, this case demanded the utmost care in handling.
Once everyone had given their statements, the courtroom waited in suspense as their magistrate seemed lost in thought, saying nothing for a long stretch. The delay left them all puzzled.
“Ahem…” Madam Gu coughed lightly, shooting her husband a sidelong glance. Of all times to zone out, with this many people watching? Get on with the trial.
In the hushed courtroom, inside and out, her cough rang out sharply.
County Magistrate Gu came to himself at once. Gravely, he declared, “Shopkeeper Lu has accused the restaurant of secretly slaughtering draft oxen, corroborated by a regular customer’s testimony that beef dishes were served. Tang Laidi, explain the source of your beef.”
The poor girl’s luck was rotten—betrayed by family first, now envied by a rival. What a run of bad fortune. He wondered if she’d weather this storm.
Deep down, he couldn’t picture the fiercely just Tang Laidi knowingly breaking the law.
Tang Laidi had no idea about the beef’s origins and could only tell the truth. “To Your Honor: all the restaurant’s ingredients are procured by Tang Jin.”
County Magistrate Gu turned his attention to Tang Jin.
Unflustered, Tang Jin replied, “Might I ask Your Honor: is it against the law for this student to buy beef and cook dishes with it?”
He hadn’t anticipated her sidestepping the question with one of her own. Admiration gleamed in his eyes. “There is no such statute in the law.”
At least there was someone sharp in that restaurant. Had they all been as guileless as Tang Laidi, even his inclination to help couldn’t override the need for impartiality in open court.
Tang Jin pressed on. “This student ventures to ask further: countless restaurants serve beef dishes. Does that mean I can accuse any I dislike of slaughtering draft oxen on a whim? Tower Beyond Towers must have used beef in its cooking as well, surely.”
“This woman can testify,” Chu Shaoyang interjected once more, “that Tower Beyond Towers offers a dish of tender beef rolls for hotpot.”
Tang Jin raised a brow and seized the thread. “In that case, may this student bring charges against Tower Beyond Towers for secretly slaughtering draft oxen?”
“Absurd!” Shopkeeper Lu shot back hastily. “Tower Beyond Towers has never secretly slaughtered a draft ox!”
“Then where does your beef come from? Who can prove it wasn’t from a secretly slaughtered draft ox?” Tang Jin followed up swiftly.
Shopkeeper Lu clenched his fists and raised his voice. “Tower Beyond Towers sources its beef from draft oxen and milk cows that died naturally, purchased from the major vegetable markets. The provenance is impeccable—freshly deceased animals, with the most tender meat.”
Even as he defended himself, he took care to uphold Tower Beyond Towers’s reputation.
He immediately turned the tables on Tang Jin. “Don’t pretend yours came the same way. Tower Beyond Towers has long scouted sick and aged cows across Ping’an County’s villages and towns, buying them whole. The farmers know we pay the highest prices. Lately, no one’s sold beef bypassing us, and the markets are empty of it too. Admit it—you’ve been secretly slaughtering draft oxen.”
“Our beef certainly didn’t come from any sick or naturally deceased old cows,” Tang Jin countered. She paused mid-sentence and smiled. “The beef at our restaurant—was bought from newborn calves that died in difficult births. Freshly dead, the most tender and succulent you can get.”
“You’re talking utter nonsense! You… what evidence do you have to prove it?” Shopkeeper Lu nearly laughed from sheer anger. This woman was sharp-tongued, quibbling endlessly, and utterly ridiculous.
