Chapter 216
The thugs lit a stick of incense. Fang Zichen took it, blew on it twice, the ash scattered, and the glowing ember turned bright red. He stripped Sun Shangcheng of his clothes and pressed the burning end against Sun Shangcheng's body.
"Ah..." Sun Shangcheng let out a hoarse, guttural scream.
The smell of scorched skin filled the air.
Sun Shangcheng was tortured to the point of losing control of his bowels and bladder. The thugs assisted on the side. When one stick of incense burned out, someone quickly lit another and handed it over.
This kind of beast, since he so loved tormenting others, should also get a taste of being tormented.
Every method Sun Shangcheng had used to abuse Guaizai, Fang Zichen inflicted back on him one by one. In just one afternoon, Sun Shangcheng was already at death's door, barely resembling a human.
Sun Zongze finally knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Fang Zichen tilted his head to look at him, his voice sinister: "He tortured my son. Do you know how much it pained me? And now, with just this, you're already starting to feel distressed? Isn't it a bit too early for that?"
Sun Zongze was stunned.
Fang Zichen brandished the whip in his hand: "This was found in the room. Now it's his turn to taste the flavor of being abused. I just wonder how long your son can last."
Meeting Sun Zongze's somewhat incredulous gaze, he continued: "Before, it was always your son tormenting others. Now that the tables are turned, does it feel unbelievable? It's fine, you'll get used to it."
Sun Zongze almost fainted.
This session of torture lasted until noon the next day before it ended. When the officers carried Sun Shangcheng out from the room, he was no longer recognizable as human. His ten fingers had been chopped off, and the 'two ounces of meat' between his legs had been ordered by Fang Zichen to be cut off and fed to the dogs.
His entire body was whipped and lacerated, covered in blood.
Having watched too many anti-Japanese war dramas, he had, after all, learned a few tricks.
Fang Zichen wasn't afraid when the officers arrived; these few were his own people.
One officer told him that Madam Sun was the one who had reported the incident to the authorities.
Even without being told, Fang Zichen had already guessed.
Yesterday, Madam Sun had brought people trying to force their way in but hadn't succeeded. Previously, they hadn't dared to report it, not wanting to escalate the matter, thinking there might still be room for negotiation. But now Fang Zichen refused any settlement. As he tortured Sun Shangcheng inside the room and Sun Shangcheng's miserable cries echoed, Madam Sun gritted her teeth and reported it.
Compared to her son's reputation and future, his life was still the most important.
Fang Zichen took out a fifty-tael silver note and told Lin Xiaoxia to distribute it among the thugs, instructing them to go smash up the Sun family residence. As long as no lives were lost, he would take full responsibility.
Sun Shangcheng was carried along on a stretcher. As they entered the city, many commoners followed along the way. Fang Zichen went straight to the government office and beat the drum of grievance.
The accused had now become the accuser.
Madam Sun was dumbfounded, even forgetting to cry for a moment.
Jiang Zhengxu felt a headache coming on the moment he saw Fang Zichen. Fang Zichen stood still, looking utterly unafraid and confident.
Infuriated, Jiang Zhengxu slammed his gavel: "How audacious! How dare you not kneel before this official?"
"A xiucai does not kneel before officials," Fang Zichen said.
Jiang Zhengxu: "...How do you know you'll definitely pass the exam?"
Fang Zichen glanced at him and didn't speak, but his eyes were clearly written with one word—Nonsense.
Jiang Zhengxu choked.
The results were posted today, and Fang Zichen had indeed passed, ranking first—Xiao Sanyuan.
[小三元 (xiǎo sānyuán): lit. little triple crown; fig. achieving first place in three consecutive local-level exams (county, prefecture, academy).]
Once the red announcement was posted, the whole town cheered.
This brought glory to the entire Fu’an Town!
Just think of the prestige this matter would bring when spoken of!
Look, their Fu’an Town, with its outstanding people and nourishing land, could produce such a talent.
For the academy exam results, officers usually didn’t go beating gongs and announcing them in the villages. But Fang Zichen was different—a "Xiao Sanyuan," a talent Fu’an Town hadn’t seen in decades. Jiang Zhengxu had sent a few soldiers to deliver the red announcement and a Xiucai's emblem to him, partly to give him face. But as it turned out, the soldiers went in vain. They came back saying Fang Zichen wasn’t home; villagers said his son had gotten into trouble and he had been staying at the medical hall these past few days.
Staying at the medical hall likely meant the illness was quite serious. Hearing this, Jiang Zhengxu was just thinking of paying a visit when someone outside beat the grievance drum, saying they wanted to accuse Fang Zichen.
Sun Shangcheng lay in the government office, looking utterly pitiful. Madam Sun knelt beside him, crying incessantly. When the commoners outside heard Madam Sun’s accusation that Fang Zichen had brought people to beat him, their eyes immediately turned hostile toward Fang Zichen.
What hatred or grievance could be so deep as to beat someone like this. The act was utterly inhumane. And for him to be a xiucai. Should such a person ever become an official, he would surely prove both corrupt and incompetent.
Most of these people believed whatever they heard, swaying like grass in the wind, bending whichever way it blew, siding with whoever seemed more pitiful.
Whispers reached his ears, but Fang Zichen’s expression didn’t change. He clearly explained the entire story from beginning to end.
The commotion outside grew loud again.
Jiang Zhengxu slammed his gavel: "Silence!" He looked at Fang Zichen. "Is what you said true?"
Before Fang Zichen could respond, several women ran in from outside, speaking loudly: "Your Honor, this humble woman can bear witness for Fang Xiucai."
"I can too."
"I can as well."
That day, Fang Zichen had carried his son in a hurried rush, panic-stricken. Many people saw him.
The child had been beaten pitifully, looking like a small bundle in his arms. They only dared glance from afar, not brave enough for a second look. That Sun Shangcheng ended up beaten like this was purely his own fault.
Public opinion shifted once again. Officers went to Jishi Medical Hall to investigate, bringing Physician Xu back, and the whole truth came to light.
Fang Zichen still did not relent. He accused Sun Shangcheng of having tendencies toward child abuse and requested a thorough investigation.
Originally, the steward had stubbornly refused to admit guilt in the courtroom, but having been beaten up by the thugs earlier, his body could no longer endure. With just a bit of intimidation from Jiang Zhengxu, he confessed everything.
Madam Sun kept insisting he was talking nonsense, that it was a false accusation. Frowning, Jiang Zhengxu ordered officers to go search Fuhe Village.
Finally, under the steward’s guidance, the officers dug up nine skeletons in the backyard.
When the remains were transported back to the government office, it shocked the entire town.
Even the coroner, after examining the bodies, wished he could kick Sun Shangcheng.
From their height, teeth, and bone structure, all nine skeletons were identified as children. The youngest was only two years old, the oldest no more than nine. There were boys, girls, and gers among them. Their skulls, hand bones, and rib bones were all more or less fractured. The most infuriating was one six-year-old girl’s body. Having been buried not long ago, it was not severely decomposed. Judging by the degree, she had likely been killed around the New Year period. Thus, it was clearly evident that she had suffered severe tearing in her lower body and must have been sexually assaulted while alive.
The other bodies, some were already skeletal, some had maggots, emitting a strong stench. Some of the commoners watching outside vomited on the spot.
It was truly cruel.
Everyone clamored for Sun Shangcheng to be sentenced to death.
In this round of the imperial exams, sixty-three candidates were accepted in total. Fu’an Town had several who passed. Sun Shangcheng was lucky, barely making the list. The townspeople had initially felt quite happy, looking down on Fang Zichen and thinking he had gone too far. Only now did they understand why he had been so extreme.
Someone like Sun Shangcheng deserved to be torn apart by five horses or beheaded outright; it wouldn’t be excessive.
Madam Sun cried, saying these children were the family's servants, sold under death contracts.
In the Da Xia dynasty, employers, hired laborers, and long-term workers could be directed by their masters, but the masters did not have the power of life and death.
But being sold into servitude was different.
Some people sold their labor for ten or twenty years. These were "life contracts" in name only, as once they had earned sufficient silver, they could redeem themselves—functioning essentially as long-term hired labor.
If no such term contract was signed, they were chattel, wholly belonging to the master's family. The masters could use them as they saw fit; even if beaten to death, the masters would face no legal consequence.
However, most ordinary people wouldn’t beat servants to death, as they were considered part of the property. If they caused trouble, they were usually resold.
That was the status of servants.
If it were the latter situation, then Sun Shangcheng would be considered not guilty. Fang Zichen was furious beyond measure.
The commoners outside also ground their teeth in anger.
Suddenly, a woman rushed in from outside, falling to her knees beside the little girl’s body. Ignoring the foul smell, she gathered the little girl’s body into her arms.
"Xiao Hua, my child—"
"What’s going on?"
A bystander who knew the woman spoke up, "That seems to be the Lu family wife from Houliu Alley. I heard her child was kidnapped around the New Year."
"What?!"
So this child was not sold into servitude. She must have been abducted.
The little girl’s face had been brutally beaten before death, and with decomposition, it was now unrecognizable. But parents could recognize their child even if turned to ash, let alone when the only remaining piece of clothing on her body hadn’t yet rotted.
The heart-wrenching cries made Fang Zichen’s own heart tighten.
If he had arrived any later, perhaps his own little son would have ended up buried alongside these remains.
As time passed, they would slowly become infested with maggots and decay. The suffering they endured in life would remain unknown.
Even in death, no one would seek justice for them.
In the past, some people had come to report their missing children to the authorities, but investigations had yielded no results. With the Lu family wife coming forward, Jiang Zhengxu had people notify others to come and see if these were their lost children.
For the nine bodies, people came one after another to claim them.
Madam Sun claimed they were bought, but that wasn’t the case. Only two were purchased.
According to the steward’s confession, the first batch that were bought were the ones who had actually signed servitude contracts. But they weren’t poisoned to death; Sun Shangcheng had played with them until they died. However, with several dying at once, it caused quite a stir within the mansion and accidentally leaked out. At that time, Sun Shangcheng was studying at Anhe Academy. Sun Zongze, afraid it would affect his child, had them poisoned as a precaution, creating a false appearance, and had them taken out to be buried.
Later, when Sun Shangcheng entered the family business and official circles, rival merchants brought the matter up again. The incident spread like wildfire. Sun Zongze then proactively reported it to the authorities, inviting a coroner to investigate. The children had died in the summer, and after two years, they had completely decomposed, leaving only bones. The bones were blackened, clearly indicating death by poisoning. The matter was thus swept under the rug.
He Huihui was also arrested. Many of the Sun family were thrown into prison. Sun Shangcheng was stripped of his scholarly rank. Due to the extreme cruelty of his actions, he was sentenced to public execution at the market next month.
The matter was handled over two days. The Sun residence was completely smashed and looted, even the walls were torn down. Jiang Zhengxu had a headache and reprimanded Fang Zichen.
He felt Fang Zichen acted impulsively, without thinking things through.
This time, although he was in the right, having tortured Sun Shangcheng to such an extent, the commoners might be angry and not think of him now. But once they calmed down, they might consider him cruel.
"Then what should I have done?" Fang Zichen stared at him fixedly, his eyes holding an unreadable emotion. After a long pause, just as Jiang Zhengxu was about to lose his composure, Fang Zichen calmly countered.
Jiang Zhengxu replied, "You should have reported it to the authorities."
Fang Zichen let out a light, derisive snort: "And then?"
"What do you mean, ‘and then’?" Jiang Zhengxu was very serious. "He is guilty. You should have handed him over to the authorities. The government would have punished him and given you justice. Not detain him and carry out private punishment. What you did is also a crime, don’t you know?"
"Hmm!" Fang Zichen said very calmly, "I report it to the authorities. Then he might go to prison, or he might be executed outright. Whatever the outcome, he would deserve to die. But I would not be satisfied. With one stroke of the blade, he would die easily. Once he can die painlessly, the law fails to achieve fairness. How he treated my son, I treated him the same. Every pain my son suffered, he suffered in turn. Only then is it fair."
Jiang Zhengxu was left speechless.
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