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Chapter 2: One Punch, Two Kills

"Yao Ya Li Yi was indignant at the humiliation suffered by his widowed sister-in-law. In a fit of rage, he was unable to think clearly and accidentally killed and injured Yao Zigui. This was an unintended act, and there is much circumstantial evidence to support it. He should be convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to redemption. He should also be fined 100 strings of cash to cover the deceased's funeral and compensation..."

"However, as a soldier, accidentally causing death or injury in the street is a violation of military discipline and regulations. I shall be punished with an additional twenty strokes of the cane and will repeat the sentence to see if this will be effective."

After paying a fine and being beaten, the case came to an end.

As for the meaning of "let's reiterate it again and see the results".

That is, for the time being, Li Yi will not be demoted, and he will continue to work as a yamen guard to see if he can show signs of reform and atonement in the future.

This article is more like a written reprimand than actual punishment.

For Li Yi, he was beaten with twenty more boards than he expected to atone for his sins with copper.

But with his physical condition, he can still grit his teeth and endure it.

Overall, the penalty was fair and did not obviously favor either side.

As a relative of the deceased, Zhao Kuangyin did not say much from beginning to end, and it seemed that he acquiesced to the verdict.

As for what he was thinking.

That remains to be seen...

"Brother Zhao, take care."

Watching Zhao Kuangyin take the body away, Li Yi couldn't help but sigh.

Alas...the one who died in his hands was the cousin of the future Emperor Taizu of Song.

Even though Zhao Kuangyin could distinguish right from wrong, he didn't want to cause trouble for Li Yi because of their past friendship.

But other members of the Zhao family may not think so.

At the very least, Zhao Kuangyin's aunt probably wanted to skin herself alive.

Besides, would Zhao Kuangyin really not care?

After all, Li Yi was only Zhao Dayan's friend in the army in name only, and the one who was beaten to death was his real blood relative.

The difference between closeness and distance is obvious.

Anyone would be psychologically biased, and the so-called "sacrifice one's own relatives for the sake of justice" would be just something they listened to.

In this world, you can't just rely on reasoning to get things done...

"Erlang, I'm sorry for making you suffer." Guo, who was supporting Li Yi, suddenly whispered.

Li Yi was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "It's only twenty boards, I can still bear it, I will be fine after two days of rest."

"If you hadn't stood up for me, you wouldn't have to suffer this..."

When she said this, Guo's voice was choked.

"What did sister-in-law say?"

Li Yi said seriously, "Now that my brother is gone, my sister-in-law is the only relative I have in Tokyo. If I don't protect my own family, who else can I protect?"

Hearing this, Guo wiped her eyes, a soft look appeared on her face, and she replied softly: "Erlang is my only relative..."

Speaking of which, Li Yi and Guo are not just uncle and sister-in-law.

Guo came from a wealthy family in Beizhou. The original owner's mother was Guo's wet nurse, and his father was the Guo family's coachman.

The two brothers of the original owner had lived in the Guo family since they were young.

However, more than ten years ago, the Khitan invaded the then Later Jin Dynasty and fought all the way to the territory of Beizhou.

The Guo family was plundered by Khitan soldiers, and dozens of members of the family were brutally slaughtered.

The original owner's father also died at the hands of the Khitans.

Thanks to the original owner's mother's cleverness, she pulled the original owner's two brothers and the young Guo out through the dog hole in the backyard during the chaos and managed to escape with her life.

Afterwards, the original owner's mother took the two brothers and Guo and fled all the way back to their hometown in Xiajin, where they took refuge with the original owner's uncle.

And Li Yi also traveled through time at that time.

The original owner was only eight or nine years old at the time. He was frightened on the road to escape, and coupled with being cold and hungry, he suddenly died of a high fever.

This is when Li Yi, whose soul traveled through time and space, took over the place.

To be honest, he and Guo grew up together, and Guo is only one year older than Li Yi.

However, after Guo married Li Yi's elder brother, the relationship between the two became that of uncle and sister-in-law.

After a pause, Guo continued, "I've saved some money. I'll give it to you when I get back. If it's not enough, I'll think of another way."

"No, I live and eat in the army, and my daily expenses are not much. I only take out as much as I spend. I think there is still a lot left over after these years."

"I'll go get the money from the tax collector later. It should be enough to pay the fine and compensation. You can keep the money for yourself."

Although he said so, Li Yi was indeed worried about money. Even though he was an inner palace guard, he was an elite member of the imperial guards and had a good status and treatment.

But the annual cash military pay was only thirty or forty strings of cash.

One hundred strings of cash was equivalent to his income for two or three years, and was equal to the entire property of an ordinary family. It was no longer a small sum.

But fortunately, things that can be solved with money are not considered big problems.

If that doesn't work, he can just shamelessly ask his acquaintances to borrow some money to make up for it.

"Erlang, why do you have to coax me?" Guo gently exposed Li Yi's white lie.

"You only get that little military pay a year, and you have to send money back to support your uncle's family. How much will be left?"

Li Yi was speechless for a moment. Guo then said softly, "You are being punished because of me. I can't take the beating for you, but I should at least pay for it."

Li Yi hurriedly said, "We're all family. It doesn't matter who goes out. Why differentiate between you and me..."

Unexpectedly, Guo shook her head and said, "When Dalang and I first came to Tokyo, we had no food or clothing, and we relied on you, Erlang, for support. You also helped us rent a shop and set up a business, all with your money, Erlang."

"When Dalang was alive, he was always thinking about this matter. He wanted to save money to pay you back. After he finally saved some, he fell ill."

"The treatment and funeral expenses have not only used up all my savings, but I've also had to rely on you, Erlang, to contribute some more."

"Now that Dalang is gone, I still remember these things. The business in the shop is still okay, and I have saved some money, which can be put to good use."

When Li Yi heard Guo talking about the past, he wanted to say a few more words of comfort to her.

But the other party didn't give him a chance to speak.

"Erlang, please let me help out a bit, don't make me feel like a burden..."

Guo looked up at Li Yi, a pleading look in her eyes.

Seeing that things had come to this, Li Yi could no longer refuse and could only nod and say, "Then I'll do as you wish, sister-in-law..."

For some reason, Li Yi suddenly felt a little blocked in his heart.

At this moment, he seemed to realize that as a time traveler, his life was really shabby.

It has been more than ten years since I traveled through time, and I still have to worry about a few taels of silver. It makes me feel sad just thinking about it.

……

Zhao Kuangyin rode his horse and headed home in a hurry.

In order to keep up with the ox cart pulling the corpse behind him, he did not ride very fast.

As he got closer to home, Zhao Kuangyin felt increasingly heavy-hearted.

He had retrieved his cousin's body, but he hadn't figured out how to explain it to his aunt.

It is impossible to say that the murderer is an acquaintance of his in the army, so he cannot pursue the matter too much. He only fined the other party and gave him a beating.

Let’s just leave it at that?

Just think about it and you will know that your aunt may not be willing to let it go.

Zhao Kuangyin knew very well that his aunt had a strong temper and had a deep affection for her deceased uncle.

Now that my uncle is no longer alive, my cousin is my aunt's greatest spiritual support, and she dotes on this only son.

But now, her only son has also lost his life. In just half a year, my aunt not only lost her husband but also her son.

It's easy to imagine how she would react.

Thinking of this, Zhao Kuangyin felt helpless again.

When his aunt brought his cousin to live with his father in the first month of the lunar year, he noticed that his cousin was a bit frivolous and outspoken.

Perhaps it is also caused by parents' excessive pampering.

Originally, Zhao Kuangyin had no business taking care of this matter. In addition, the previous emperor had just passed away at that time and the military affairs were busy, so he had no time to care about it.

Who knew that bad things would happen at this point.

If it was just a lesson or a beating, it wouldn't be a big deal.

But this time, even his life was at stake.

"Erlang, you're finally back!"

Just at this moment, a hurried call brought Zhao Kuangyin's thoughts back to reality.

Only then did he realize that he had unknowingly arrived at his doorstep.

"The old lady was just about to send someone to find you, Erlang..."

The Zhao family's doorman came up quickly.

Zhao Kuangyin's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately dismounted: "What do you want to see me for? Is there something wrong at home?"

The doorman suddenly said with a sad face: "The eldest girl committed suicide by jumping into a well!"

what!
The doorman's words were like a bolt from the blue, exploding in Zhao Kuangyin's ears.

Because the "big girl" the other party was referring to was the name the servants in the house called his aunt.

Zhao Kuangyin quickly asked, "When did this happen? Has the person been rescued?"

At this time, he still held a glimmer of hope, hoping that his aunt would be found in time after jumping into the well and that she was not seriously injured.

But the doorman's words interrupted his thoughts.

"It was about half an hour before you came back, Erlang. By the time they found her, the young lady had already jumped into the well..."

The meaning of this sentence is self-evident. The person definitely could not be saved.

(End of this chapter)