Promise!

Chapter 111, The Matter Is Over

The group moved to a side hall of the Enforcement Division.

The three directors of the Enforcement Division, Zhao Bin, Ren Ze, and You Donglai, sat at the head of the table, while Zhuang Jin, Luan Zhenyun, and Miao Shao, the two parties involved, sat on the left and right. The Eighth Prince Shen Xuchen, his attendant Zou Qingfeng, and the Ninth Prince Shen Xuqing listened from behind.

The trial began with statements from both parties.

Zhuang Jin recounted the events, highlighting that Miao Lun, upon seeing the treasure, was blinded by greed, while Zhuang Jin was forced to retaliate and kill him.

Luan Zhenyun had already reviewed the files of Zhuang Jin and Miao Lun at the beginning of last month, and added: "Last month, when Commander Zhuang and Commander Miao came, I saw their information. When we were in the north of the city, Commander Zhuang had saved the latter... Today, Commander Zhuang came looking for me..."

These are all documented and verifiable.

It was Miao Shao's turn.

He's the kind of person who's good at fighting and killing, and he has feelings and a sense of justice, but it's a stretch to ask him to use his words.

Miao Shao's idea was to simply have him and Zhuang Jin fight to the death... but that was clearly impossible.

Therefore, all he could do was snort coldly: "What's there to say? My brother died at this man's hands. A life for a life!"

Before Zhuang Jin could even speak, Luan Zhenyun retorted to this flawed argument: "I've heard that Commander Miao has made many meritorious contributions in the south of the city, so he probably doesn't have the blood of the Medicine King Gang warriors on his hands... If, as Commander Miao says, murder is punishable by death regardless of right or wrong, then shouldn't Commander Miao also pay for the lives of those Medicine King Gang members?"

“This…” Miao Shao choked.

At this point, the coroner examined the bodies of the black goat and Miao Lun and announced the autopsy results: "Based on the depth and drying time of the bloodstains on Miao Lun's hands, and comparing them with the wounds in the belly of the strange beast black goat, it can be determined that Miao Lun took out the beast treasure... The meridians in Miao Lun's hands were injured in the autopsy. The autopsy suggests that he was charged up for a palm strike and then suffered a stronger counterattack... The fatal wound was in his chest; he died from a single palm strike..."

Every deed leaves a trace, and even corpses can 'speak.' Some things cannot be faked after death. In short, the current evidence is extremely favorable to Zhuang Jin, confirming that Miao Lun acted voluntarily out of greed for the Beast Treasure.

"The matter is clear, unambiguous, and without any doubt."

Ren Ze spoke up, feeling relieved. He knew that Zhuang Jin was in the right, so he didn't have to confront the two young masters. It was true that Zhuang Jin was upright and stubborn, but he wasn't completely ignorant of human relationships. He wouldn't make things difficult for himself without going against his bottom line.

You Donglai nodded in agreement, then looked at Zhuang Jin and smiled kindly, saying, "I share the same view. The fault lies with Commander Miao Lun, who was blinded by greed. Commander Zhuang was merely acting in self-defense and has no fault whatsoever."

Seeing that You Donglai ignored his glare and uttered such words, Zhao Bin knew perfectly well that his colleague had betrayed him. Then, noticing Miao Shao's face turning red as he struggled to come up with an explanation, Zhao Bin had no choice but to step in himself: "You can't say that. I've read the files. Garrison Commander Miao Lun is known for his kind and gentle nature; perhaps his actions were just a moment of confusion..."

"He clearly intended to kill me, but Director Zhao, with just a few words, you call it a moment of confusion? What a silver tongue you have!"

Zhuang Jin could not let Zhao Bin continue his smooth talk, so he interrupted and questioned, "If premeditated murder can be considered a moment of confusion, then let me give you an example: if I killed Director Zhao's son, could I also say it was a moment of confusion and not be punished?"

Hearing this analogy, Zhao Bin thought of his eldest son who died in the north of the city last month, which triggered his defenses, and his voice suddenly became sharp: "Zhou Shou, stick to the facts, don't bring up other things!"

Snapped!
He slammed his hand on the table, his anger almost making him lose his mind. His hatred for Zhuang Jin distorted his face. A thought flashed through his mind, and he questioned Zhuang Jin repeatedly: "Zhuang Jin, I ask you: You are a seventh-rank official, a seventh-rank official against a sixth-rank official. Even if Commander Miao Lun wanted to kill you, couldn't you have dodged it? Even if you retaliated, did you have to kill your colleague? If Commander Miao Lun wanted to kill you, you killed him. Can that be an excuse for killing your colleague?"

This statement could actually be rephrased as: 'If Miao Lun wants to kill you, you should fight back,' or 'Although Miao Lun wants to kill you, that doesn't give you a reason to kill him,' or 'Although Miao Lun wants to kill you, you are still colleagues, which doesn't give you an excuse to retaliate and kill him.' These rephrases all evoke a sense of unease.

These three questions silenced the entire audience.

Ren Ze listened, frowned, feeling that something was off, but for a moment he didn't know how to refute it; You Donglai's lips twitched, and he subconsciously moved his buttocks; Shen Xuchen and Shen Xuqing did not have any obvious reaction, if you ignored their twitching eyes.

Even Miao Shao subconsciously looked at Zhao Bin, feeling a momentary sense of guilt and remorse, as if he were the villain and had turned black into white.

"I think Director Zhao is right."

In the silence, Zhuang Jin suddenly spoke up: "I am a colleague of Garrison Commander Miao Lun. I have no intention of killing him. I even saved him on the night of August 17th... Since Garrison Commander Miao Lun wants to kill me, I should just obediently stretch out my neck and wait for him to kill me. How can I bear to kill my beloved colleague?"

“Our Shen family also made a mistake, a mistake in being too inefficient… Last month, I joined forces with Garrison Commander Miao Lun to kill an Iron-skinned Boar and obtained a beast-hide armor. I wanted to give it to him, but it hasn’t been released yet… It’s a pity. If I had given it to Garrison Commander Miao Lun, then the incident where Garrison Commander Miao Lun tried to kill me, and I instinctively retaliated and killed him with one palm strike would not have happened!”

Following Zhao Bin's words, he gave a self-criticism that made everyone feel uneasy, but they also knew where Zhao Bin's sophistry went wrong.

Ren Zedu felt a sense of honor to be a fellow judge with someone like Zhao Bin. Unable to bear it any longer, he spoke up: "Guard Miao Lun did not repay kindness, coveted the treasure, was blinded by greed, and committed treason. His death was well-deserved."

“Yes, Commander Zhuang has been kind to Commander Miao Lun. If the other party can act like this, then mishandling this case will greatly damage the reputation of my Shen family…” You Donglai also spoke a fair word.

Zhao Bin still tried to argue, saying, "I still believe that as a Seventh-Rank Official, Commander Zhuang is fully capable of sparing Commander Miao Lun's life and bringing him to our Enforcement Division for trial. The claim of 'instinctive retaliation, killing Commander Miao Lun' is untenable..."

"Where's the evidence? Director Zhao won't convict me empty-handed by saying things like 'I think,' 'it's baseless,' or 'it's just wishful thinking,' will he?" Zhuang Jin retorted.

Upon hearing this, Ren Ze and You Donglai both looked over, thinking to themselves, 'This Zhuang Jin knows how to coin words!'

It's easy to imagine that from today onwards, the terms "sitting tiger," "I think," "fabricated," and "taking things for granted" will accompany Zhao Bin's fame.

Zhao Bin, recalling the previous slander by "Sitting Tiger," was filled with both old and new grudges, and his anger became uncontrollable, almost breaking through his reason. He angrily retorted, "I have no evidence, but... a great villain disguised as a loyal minister, Zhuang Zhenshou, you know the truth in your heart!"

"Furthermore, even if we concede that Miao Lun is entirely at fault, does Zhuang Zhen Shou not have any faults at all?"

As he spoke, he turned to look at Ren Ze and You Donglai: "I think that Commander Zhuang should still be punished to quell public anger, and it would be best to transfer him to the south of the city..."

"enough!"

Shen Xuchen wouldn't normally be so rude as to interrupt others, but Zhao Bin's words, "Even if Magistrate Miao Lun is guilty of a thousand faults, Magistrate Zhuang is completely innocent," were really unpleasant to hear, and he felt his stomach churning for no reason: "In my Shen family, trials are based on facts and evidence, not on subjective conjectures to presume guilt, nor is it about one party being guilty and therefore the other necessarily being guilty as well... What kind of logic is that? What kind of reasoning is that?"

"Before I came here, I heard that Director Zhao and Town Chief Zhuang seemed to have a conflict. Can I follow Director Zhao's theory? Director Zhao, are you completely without fault?" "This..." Zhao Bin was attacked by the magic of his own theory and was speechless for a moment.

"My brother is right. Even I, an outsider, know that in a battle between martial artists, how can one hold back when it comes to life and death? Has Director Zhao been living a life of luxury for too long and has he forgotten the basics of human nature?"

Shen Xuqing then spoke up, seeking revenge for being humiliated earlier: "I once heard my father say that some people in our Shen family have enjoyed peace and comfort for too long, to the point that they don't know the cruelty of the battlefield and the suffering of humankind. Such people should be sent to fight a couple of battles with the Medicine King's gang..."

Actually, his father was talking about him, but now it's being used in a creative way... Anyway, nobody else knows.

Upon hearing this and seeing Shen Xuchen deep in thought, Zhao Bin was terrified. The anger that Zhuang Jin had stirred up earlier was suddenly doused with cold water, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He knew that the Eighth Young Master Shen Xuchen was truly capable of making those words a reality, and he immediately panicked, protesting, "Young masters, that's not what I meant..."

As Zhao Bin spoke, his gaze swept past Ren Ze and then looked at You Donglai, clearly hoping that he would plead for him and speak on his behalf.

You Donglai, however, wore a cheerful expression, as if he hadn't seen anything, and continued to say to himself, "Young Master Jiu is very insightful. Martial artists should have the right to make decisions on the spot. Otherwise, a moment of hesitation and womanly compassion may cost them their lives."

Zhao Bin was uneasy after not receiving any help, but he became much more obedient afterwards.

……

Ultimately, after review and discussion by Ren Ze and the other two, the minority yielded to the majority and the verdict was: "Miao Lun was blinded by greed and was killed by Zhuang Jin in self-defense. He deserved his fate and his death is not a pity... Zhuang Jin acted in self-defense and was not guilty. The exotic beast, the black goat, belongs to Zhuang Jin. Miao Lun's 862 merits are transferred to Zhuang Jin..."

Not only was he found innocent, but Zhuang Jin was also compensated!

In fact, Zhuang Jin is innocent in terms of both law and morality. At the same time, considering the impact, this incident may serve as a benchmark. If Zhuang Jin is punished, even symbolically, the impact will be extremely negative.

—Someone saved your life, and you ruthlessly attacked them for the sake of a treasure, and they retaliated by killing you. Even this should be punished. This kind of "good deeds are rewarded with evil deeds" will make others think: "If Zhuang Jin hadn't saved Miao Lun in the first place, none of this would have happened." This will lead to an uncontrollable decline in the internal atmosphere of the Shen family.

Especially now, with the Shen family still fighting the Medicine King Gang, punishing Zhuang Jin could easily be interpreted as encouraging acts of 'ingratitude,' which would be even worse. From then on, martial artists would hesitate to help their colleagues, creating a chain of suspicion... The entire Shen family would become indifferent and selfish, affecting the overall situation.

For these reasons, Zhuang Jin must be found innocent and compensated to avoid being misinterpreted or misunderstood.

During this process, Zhao Bin was actually somewhat unwilling and wanted to sabotage things, but because of his previous warnings, the differing opinions of Ren Ze and You Donglai, and the presence of Shen Xuchen and Shen Xuqing on site, he was unable to do so.

—It must be mentioned here that such a judgment is beneficial to Zhuang Jin and the overall situation of the Shen family, but the interests of the Shen family do not completely represent the interests and positions of the three judges. For example, if the power of judgment were to be handed over to Zhao Bin, he could definitely make a 'muddled case' for you. At that time, you would feel good, but you would not care about the consequences at all.

A resounding victory!

Zhuang Jin was not surprised when he heard the verdict. After the two young masters appeared, he knew that the case was already settled.

"With the official ruling from the Shen family, Miao Shao can no longer use this as a pretext to cause trouble... My act of fighting back on the spot in the mountain valley was precisely for this moment—to ensure my actions were justified and to prevent future problems!"

Zhuang Jin killed Miao Lun on the spot, which was called self-defense. If he had endured it on the spot and then secretly attacked Miao Lun afterward, that would have been intentional homicide. The unnatural death of a Six Principles Martial Artist, coupled with Miao Shao's influence, would definitely be thoroughly investigated. Every deed leaves a trace, and he had no confidence that he wouldn't be found out. Once exposed, he would be doomed!
The three presiding judges were all present. When Zhao Bin heard the verdict announced, he forced a smile, but the smile looked terrible, and he looked like a defeated rooster.

Miao Shao's expression was equally unpleasant.

In fact, even if the deceased hadn't been his brother, he would have believed the verdict was fair.

"Brother Lun, your elder brother is incompetent!" He looked at Zhuang Jin, clenched his fist, the veins on his wrist bulging, but in the end he was powerless to let go, and a great sense of helplessness arose in his heart.

The case has already been settled, and it's impossible to take revenge on Zhuang Jin openly and honestly. As for taking action secretly... unless Miao Shao is determined to destroy everything.

In this world, there is no such thing as 'misfortune not extending to family members.' If the truth is exposed, everyone from his parents to his wife, children, and even his younger brother Miao Lun's wife will be implicated.

How could he make up his mind under such circumstances?
No matter how unwilling Miao Shao was, he could only suppress his hatred and comfort himself with the phrase "there's plenty of time in the future."

Zhuang Jin went over to thank Shen Xuchen and Shen Xuqing, and the two young masters left politely.

Zou Qingfeng lagged two steps behind: "This matter is resolved on the surface, but Zhuang Zhenshou should just be careful in private."

"Thank you for the reminder, Zou Changsui!"

Zhuang Jin knew that the other party was also reminding him that it was time to pay the bill, so he took out the exchange voucher for the 'enhanced version of the Meridian-Clearing Pill' that he had given him after handing over the beast treasure: "If the opportunity with the guards is not successful, Attendant Zou can pay for the Meridian-Clearing Pill later."

Such generosity and trust deeply moved Zou Qingfeng, who exclaimed, "Zhuang Zhenshou is indeed a man of his word, always keeping his promises!"

……

When Shen Xuchen saw Zou Qingfeng catch up, a look of joy appeared on his face, and he asked, "Did you get the reward?"

"Yes, that Commander Zhuang is a trustworthy man." Having received the benefits, Zou Qingfeng naturally didn't hesitate to say a few good words for Zhuang Jin, especially since he also wanted to help Zhuang Jin secure a position as a bodyguard.

"Not bad!"

Shen Xuchen nodded slightly, then suddenly asked, "If you break through to the Seven Classics with this, would you be interested in becoming a section chief in the Enforcement Department?"

……

(End of this chapter)