Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

Chapter 195 Judgement of Liu Qing's Case Due to Favoritism; Li Hugong, Pillar of State of Western Wei

Coincidentally, just as the underworld officials were preparing to take the person to the City God's office, several old ghosts and the little girl ghost's mother were also vying to take the little girl ghost's place in the boiling oil.

Just as things were getting out of hand, a sinister suona horn sound suddenly came from the direction of Xuanjian City.

The underworld official looked behind him, spread his hands, and stopped the old ghosts and the little girl's mother, saying, "It just so happens that the Judge is out of the city on inspection today. He will decide later. You don't need to bother us anymore."

Seeing this, the ghosts stopped making a fuss and waited quietly for the judge's procession to arrive.

The sound of suona horns, playing a soul-stirring melody, caused living souls to flee and evil spirits to kneel in welcome. Ahead, ghostly soldiers cleared the way, accompanied by roosters and guard dogs on both sides. A black sedan chair, swaying gently, was carried by the ghostly mist beneath it, and it came this way.

The ghosts knelt down by the roadside. When Yuan Datou saw the judge from the City God Temple of Chang'an arrive, he also wanted to kneel down, but seeing that Liu Qing did not move, he thought for a moment and then stood still.

The City God of Chang'an is a fifth-rank deity. Under him are civil and military judges, with the civil judges holding the highest rank of sixth grade and the military judges holding the highest rank of seventh grade.

The person arriving in a sedan chair was part of the ceremonial procession for the civil official, a sixth-rank deity worshipped by the gods. That's why Yuan Datou initially considered kneeling to welcome him.

But seeing that Liu Qing didn't move, he suddenly realized that he was the River God from outside, a seventh-rank Fubo General bestowed by heaven, not a member of the City God system, so naturally he didn't need to kneel to greet him.

The ghostly mist slowly lowered the sedan chair, hovering it to the side like an obedient servant. The black curtain was lifted, and the judge stepped out.

He wore the official robes of a sixth-rank judge, which gave him a very dignified appearance. He was about fifty years old, with a beard, a kind face, and an air of nobility. A divine authority token hung at his waist.

The token bears the inscription "Imperial Edict Conferring the Title of Sixth-Rank Civil Judge Li of the City God of Chang'an".

The judge surnamed Li stood still, looked around, and seeing that Yuan Datou had not knelt to greet him, he frowned, clearly displeased, but said nothing.
When his gaze fell on Liu Qing, his eyes suddenly lit up. His previously furrowed brows relaxed, and he nodded, his expression gentle and his attitude kind, expressing his closeness.

Liu Qing looked puzzled. He was quite certain that he did not know this judge surnamed Li, but judging from the other party's expression, it seemed that he knew him and treated him with the same kindness as if he were his own nephew.

Who is this person?

The judge surnamed Li didn't speak, but nodded and looked to the other side: "What's with all this noise and commotion?"

The kneeling underworld officials rose and recounted what had just happened, then summoned the male ghost's spirit.

The judge surnamed Li did not readily believe the underworld official's words, nor did he swallow black mud from his feet. Instead, he directly questioned the ghost in ghost language.
Then, he looked at the ghosts of the mother and daughter, the old ghosts who were preparing to die in their place, and Liu Qing.

"As a father, he has lost his humanity, violated human ethics, and seized his daughter. This kind of beast deserves to die twice over. Come, bring me a pot of oil and fry him!"

The underworld officials who had just reported this were stunned upon hearing it, seemingly unable to believe their ears. Although they were not judges,
Having served in the City God's realm for hundreds of years, he knew a little about the laws of the underworld, even though that ghost had a way to die.

The cycle of cause and effect dictates that he ultimately died at the hands of his stepdaughter. However, the stepdaughter, having harmed her father, also committed the sin of filial impiety, and thus was also affected by karma, committing suicide by poison.

The cause and effect in the mortal world should have ended here, but now in the Dharma realm, the daughter has killed her father again, which is a serious crime. According to the laws of the underworld, the daughter and her mother, as the main culprits, should be thrown into a vat of boiling oil, and the person who handed her the knife should also be punished with five hundred lashes of the underworld.

Why did the judge make this judgment?
The judge is known as a paragon of justice in the legal world. He shouldn't be so protective of the mother and daughter ghosts and the person who handed him the knife.

Could it be that among these three, there is someone the judge has no choice but to protect?

The underworld official pondered this in his heart, daring not to speak it aloud. After only a brief pause, he immediately fetched a pot of oil, poured in the ghost oil rendered from the carcasses of wild beasts from the Dharma Realm Mountain, lit the ghost fire, and soon brought the ghost oil to a boil.

No matter how much the demon cried out in protest or begged for mercy, it was pressed into the oil and fried until thoroughly cooked.
That wasn't all. After blasting it through, the underworld officials waved their hands to summon the Styx River from the moat, softening the ghost.
Then deep-fry them again until they are crispy on the outside and inside, only then will we stop for today.
According to the laws of the underworld, once the punishment of boiling oil is handed down, it's not a one-time or two-time offense, but rather a punishment that lasts for years.

Although the judge didn't specify the exact number of years, the minimum time for being boiled in oil is at least one hundred years.

Let's bomb it for a hundred years first.

The ghost was blasted to a crisp and was dragged away by the underworld officials, who planned to throw it into prison and then blast it a few more times the next day.
Seeing that this thing was so badly blasted, even as he was being dragged along, ghostly dust kept falling off. Liu Qing couldn't help but sigh, "This ghost is really tough after it dies and becomes a ghost queen. It's been fried in oil and is still not dead."

The onlookers, seeing Judge Li's judgment, cheered and shouted, "Your Honor, the Judge of Heaven!"

Judge Li stroked his beard and smiled, thoroughly enjoying himself. After giving a speech of comforting and admonishing, he dismissed the ghosts, allowing them to live their ghostly lives in peace.

The old ghosts followed, trembling. It was better now that they didn't have to die in someone else's place. Although their own lifespans were almost over and they couldn't escape death, no one wanted to be boiled in oil before they died. The mother and daughter ghosts knelt behind the old ghosts and kowtowed several times. In this world, whether in the mortal realm or the underworld, there are still many good people.

After thanking the old ghost, the mother and daughter ghosts bowed to Liu Qing in gratitude. Then, they nestled together, preparing to leave.

Unexpectedly, the judge surnamed Li coughed, and his trusted ghost soldiers stepped forward to stop the mother and daughter ghosts.

Upon seeing this, Liu Qing frowned. Could it be that this Judge Li was planning to kill the ghosts to silence them after they left?
Liu Qing knew that his act of handing over the knife had violated the laws of the law.

The mother and daughter ghosts were nervously pulled back by several ghostly soldiers. Li, the judge, ignored them and instead smiled at Liu Qing.
"I have served as a judge for countless years after my death, but today I have no choice but to show favoritism for you. Liu Qing, take these two female ghosts with you, lest they remain in the City God's realm and cause me to be caught red-handed."

This sentence contained so much information that Liu Qing was momentarily stunned.

The fact that he called out my name immediately shows that he knows me and that he acted out of personal favoritism, even asking me to take these two female ghosts out of the City God's realm.

Who is this judge surnamed Li?
Seemingly sensing Liu Qing's confusion, the judge surnamed Li blinked: "You're on good terms with my great-grandson, how come you can't guess who I am?"

Liu Qing suddenly shuddered.

The only person with the surname Li whom he was on good terms with was Li Shimin. This judge was surnamed Li and claimed to be Li Shimin's great-grandfather. The answer is clear: he was Li Hu, the founder of the Li family's foundation and one of the eight pillars of the Western Wei Dynasty.

No wonder this judge exuded an air of nobility and seemed vaguely familiar; he was Li Shimin's great-grandfather!

It's truly unexpected that Li Hu, the great-grandfather of Li Shimin, became a civil judge in the City God Temple of Chang'an a hundred or two hundred years after his death.

The rest is easy to explain: Li Shimin must have mentioned him during the ancestral worship ceremony, which is why the judge Li Hu knew about him.

Moreover, the City God of Chang'an oversees both the living and the dead, and Dawan Lake, where he was born, is naturally within the City God's jurisdiction. It seems that Judge Li Hu has been keeping an eye on him for a long time.

As for the matter of favoritism, it's easier to explain: he has a connection with the Li family, having saved the Li father and son, and now he's allied with Li Shimin, assisting him with salt.
Several years ago, at Li Shimin's earnest request, rain was brought to alleviate the drought, which earned Li Shimin a large number of popular supporters.

Both salt and popular support were assets that Li Shimin would later use to establish his power. If the Li family were to transform their family into a nation, Liu Qing would have played a crucial role in that success.
Therefore, when he saw that Liu Qing was involved, he did not hesitate to sacrifice his reputation, which he had accumulated over many years, to remove Liu Qing from the case out of personal favoritism.

Having figured this out, Liu Qing quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Liu Qing greets Senior!"

You can only call him "senior"; you can't very well call Li Shimin "great-grandfather" since you're brothers with him.
Judge Li Hu gestured to his subordinates, whose ghostly soldiers and messengers were all trusted confidants. Many of them had been Li Hu's personal servants and private soldiers in life, and were extremely loyal to him. They were also very familiar with Li Hu's every word and action.
Upon seeing Li Hu's signal, the ghost soldiers and messengers under his command dispersed, driving away the miscellaneous ghosts within a radius of several miles, leaving space for their master.

Even Yuan Datou, the General Who Subdues Waves, was being dispersed.

Judge Li Hu helped Liu Qing up, looked her over carefully, and was very satisfied. His smile widened.

"Good, good, good child. My Li family owes you a great debt. If you achieve anything in the future, we will never forget it."

Although he was a civil official, Li Hu was a soldier in his early years, and he spoke very directly and without mincing words.

The City God oversees both the living and the dead. As the civil judge, second only to the City God and above all ghosts, he naturally has a deep understanding of matters outside the realm of the living.
Now that the Sui Dynasty has lost its throne and the whole world is vying for it, it is no secret that this matter is being discussed openly.

"My friendship with Shimin is merely due to a chance encounter, and I am unworthy of such praise from you, senior."

"Haha, if you intended to do so, I would have appeared in Shimin's dream to warn him to be careful of you. This is the best of all, and I deserve it."

Liu Qing was secretly alarmed. Thankfully, she was a time traveler. If she had known the Li family would replace the Yang family and Li Shimin would become Emperor Taizong of Tang, she would have begun to approach them years ago.
If we approach the Li family now that they have already shown their power, Li Hu will probably become suspicious, and we will unknowingly take advantage of another benefit of the time traveler.

Afterwards, Liu Qing exchanged pleasantries with Li Hu, the civil judge, and following Li Hu's instructions, he took the anxious mother and daughter ghosts into the Yin Jade Spirit Banner. He planned to take them outside after accompanying Yuan Datou in recruiting Yin soldiers.

Otherwise, if their lifespan in the underworld is not over and they remain in the City God's realm, it could cause trouble if someone with ulterior motives were to seize upon Li Hu's weakness.

But what should we do with the ghosts if we take them outside?
If I can't think of anything right now, I'll wait until we get outside. That's one good thing about Liu Qing; he doesn't dwell on things he can't figure out right now, to avoid internal strife.

(End of this chapter)