Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Unfortunately, the two had no connection whatsoever and had never played together since childhood. They started arguing after only a few words. The argument escalated into a physical fight; the kids were throwing wild punches, gouging out eyes, and soon they were rolling on the ground.

It's perfectly normal for kids to fight in the countryside. There were quite a few people inside the temple, mostly villagers from the neighborhood. When they saw two kids fighting, nobody paid any attention. Naturally, no one tried to break them up or mediate.

The perpetrator, who was two years older than the victim, quickly pinned the victim down. At first, the victim screamed, but the screaming stopped after a minute or two. By the time everyone realized something was wrong, the victim had been beaten to death, and the pupils were dilated.

The perpetrator, still cursing, pried the coin from the dead man's hand and prepared to leave without a care.

At this point, someone added, "That brat doesn't know his own strength. A fight is a fight, but how could he kill someone?" The implication was that if someone was crippled or injured, the matter would be resolved within the village. Even if someone dies, it can be suppressed. After all, even in today's internet age, deaths can be suppressed, let alone now.

But the deceased's parents were already in their thirties, and after having four daughters, they finally had this one son. They were determined to appeal no matter what. Moreover, they weren't from the same village, so the local authorities couldn't suppress the matter, and it eventually reached the county magistrate, Shichibei.

At first, the victim was lying on the ground, and no one paid any attention to him. When his parents called out to him and received no response, they rushed over to check on him, only to find his body half-cold and already hard.

Okay, enough with the shouting and yelling, we're going to catch the murderer.

The murderer was eating a steamed bun at the temple entrance, the money he used to buy it was the coin he had stolen from the victim. The perpetrator had no intention of running away; he even returned to eat the bun and enjoy the spectacle.

He was captured on the spot, his hands were now bound, and he knelt before Shichibei, next to the dead man lying on the straw mat. The unseeing eyes on that small face were extremely horrifying.

Ouch……

Shichibei, who had never solved a case before, was somewhat bewildered, unsure of how to proceed. The deceased's mother had fainted from crying, and it seemed a life for a life was at stake. However, the villagers around him said that a seven-and-a-half-year-old child wouldn't understand such things, and that the perpetrator was simply rough. Besides, a five-and-a-half-year-old child was just an object.

In rural areas, children under the age of seven are not considered human; they are born, raised, and cared for by nature, and the mortality rate is consistently above 30%, sometimes even higher.

“This is the village where the murderer lives, so naturally we should try to appease him. But if we went to the village of the deceased, we would definitely try to kill him,” Nanbu Sanenaga said quietly, kneeling beside Shichibei.

"Aww..." Yes, the old man is right.

No wonder, apart from the deceased's parents, the overwhelming majority of people were advising them to let it go, suggesting that the perpetrator's parents could simply pay 500 yuan as compensation and close the case.

What does a seven-and-a-half-year-old child know? He doesn't understand anything. Lord County Magistrate, please close this case.

"Please, Lord Kawamura, investigate this thoroughly." Just then, seven or eight men ran up to the manor. Who were they?

"Who are you?" The victim was right there, so you couldn't possibly be a relative of the victim, could you?

Upon inquiry, it was learned that the visitors were from a certain village, which was indeed the village where the victim lived. Some were the victim and his wife's brothers, and some were neighbors. They had rushed here as soon as they received the news, fearing that Shichibei had already solved the case.

Shichibei glanced at the edge of the village's field; this man wasn't exactly honest either. Having received a notification, Shichibei rushed from Tsushima-cho to the scene. After hearing the details of the case and the explanations from both sides, the victim's relatives finally arrived.

Hmph, it's just two ditches apart, not even as far as the Tsushima-machi-kawa-mura-ya, why are you taking so long to arrive?

Perhaps because it was a rare occasion to witness a case being solved, the villagers on both sides crowded around the farmhouse at the edge of the field, as if watching a stage play. They watched and commented on the matter, showing absolutely no particular emotion related to whether someone had died or not.

Indeed, people die every day these days. It's not uncommon for someone to drink cold water, get diarrhea, and die the next day. Children die even more frequently, so it's no wonder these villagers treat it like a spectacle.

"Go and examine the deceased." Shichibei was still pondering, so he had no choice but to send the newly recruited samurai retainer to examine the body first.

The main thing is to check for any external injuries. If there are external injuries, then the person may not have been killed by the perpetrator. Even if the facts of the case are clear, we must be cautious to avoid misjudgment.

The retainers had fought several battles with the Asai family in Hunan, so they weren't afraid of corpses. Holding torches, they carefully examined the body. Because of the cold weather and the fact that the deceased had been dead for some time and was stiff, they even asked the family members to help remove the clothes.

The deceased was wearing new clothes. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, he went out to play in his new clothes. He probably never imagined that once he went out, he would never come back.

After a thorough examination, including prying open the fingers and toes, Shichibei wrote down the conclusion that there were no obvious external injuries such as knife wounds, gunshot wounds, or cannon wounds, and ordered the deceased's parents and the perpetrator's parents to sign and confirm it.

The perpetrator's parents thought that Shichibei was making a fuss over nothing; if someone was killed, they were killed, so why write such a report? However, Shichibei was an official, and they were ordinary citizens. After reading the document through in the field and confirming that it was not fabricated, the perpetrator's parents still pressed their fingerprints and palm prints on it.

The villagers nearby, having heard the details of Shichibei's case and examined the body, began to urge Shichibei to make a judgment quickly.

Such obvious cases are just kids being careless and not knowing their own strength. A five-hundred-yuan fine is all they need to settle. The verdict is over, everyone's had their show, and they can go home and sleep.

Is this the approach?

Shichibei narrowed his eyes, not issuing a verdict, but instead announcing that the body would be temporarily placed in custody and the perpetrator would be placed under the supervision of the county's administrative office. Neither the murderer nor the victim's parents were to leave the village and await Shichibei's summons.

The villagers on both sides started shouting and making a ruckus. Those from the nearby village even said, "Please, sir, make a judgment as soon as possible. Although it's winter, it's bad luck if we delay and the body can't be buried."

"Ha," Shichibei chuckled, glancing at Inase Yoshinari and the new samurai, who drew their katana with a flourish. "Trying to threaten me with public opinion? My humble origins as a small merchant don't stop me from being a district magistrate."

If you dare to look at me disrespectfully, killing you would only result in a deduction from your salary.

One day, Nobunaga was riding his horse below the castle. Someone was repairing the stone wall on top of it when a stone accidentally fell to the ground, startling Nobunaga. Guess what? The samurai in charge of repairing the wall chopped him down with one stroke, the craftsman cutting the stone chopped him down with one stroke, and the magistrate was dismissed.

This isn't the Edo period anymore. Samurai were afraid that if they killed someone in Edo, their lord would be punished by the shogunate. This is the Sengoku period. You could burn down Mount Hiei and kill four or five thousand people and still be granted Sakamoto Castle with 50,000 koku of rice.

Under the firelight, Shichibei's face was illuminated by the flashing light of his sword, instantly revealing a terrifying and imposing presence. The previously noisy villagers fell silent.

"I will certainly deliver a verdict that will satisfy you all!"

74. A seven-year-old who is already knowledgeable in his field will be beheaded (Ziyan has a bubble crown).

In truth, Shichibei didn't know how to sentence him. A life for a life is true, but the perpetrator was only seven and a half. What could a first-grader in a modern elementary school understand? Even if the law were amended, it would never be changed to punish a seven-and-a-half-year-old for murder.

The grief of the deceased's parents was truly heartbreaking. If Shichibei, as a public official, couldn't uphold justice for the people, what kind of public official was he? He might as well go home and grow sweet potatoes.

How can we convince both parties?

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, around noon, the village head from the deceased's village came to visit. Shichibei assumed he was there to inquire about the case and invited him in. To his utter surprise, the village head pulled out two gold coins from his pocket, worth a total of twelve kan (a unit of weight).

We understand that the adults don't intend to pronounce a verdict on the spot. We hope that the adults will sentence the murderer to death, and our whole village will be grateful for the adults' kindness.

靠!

"I am an upright official, and I conduct business with integrity. Take the money!" Shichibei refused the bribe without hesitation.

"My lord, my lord, this..." The local was very surprised and did not understand what Shichibei meant.

"As I said yesterday, I will definitely give everyone a verdict that they will accept." Shichibei stared intently at the spot.

"Can……"

"Please leave." Shichibei stood up abruptly, not saying anything more to the local.

The village head, filled with immense doubt and disbelief, left Kawamura-ya, glancing back repeatedly. That afternoon, the village head from the murderer's village also arrived, pulling out a bag of silver worth about ten kan (a unit of currency), and was similarly driven away by Shichibei. Shichibei's refusal to judge the case was certainly not to profit from the dead, nor was it to plunder the plaintiff and defendant.

Before leaving the village, the criminal muttered to himself, "Shichibei's appetite is too big. Ten kan isn't enough."

Perhaps in his mind, ten strings of cash for a life was already an extremely high price, an unbelievably high price. If the murderer hadn't also been the only son in his family, his family wouldn't have been willing to spend ten strings of cash to buy his life.

"Father, what do you think?" After chasing the man away, Shichibei asked Nanbu Saneyoshi. "You've lived for fifty years. You've never been sentenced, but you've at least seen it, right?"

"Please come with me." Nanbu Sanenaga led Shichibei directly to the warehouse.

"What?" The criminal child is locked up in the warehouse, but what's so interesting about a child?

"Look," the old man said, pointing to Shichibei looking through the crack in the door.

Shichibei peered through the crack in the door and saw the perpetrator calmly eating a rice ball (delivered by a family member). His demeanor was definitely not that of someone who had accidentally killed someone.

“There are two possibilities. One is that he really doesn’t understand, and the other is…” Nanbu Sanenaga spoke slowly, but it was very enlightening for Shichibei.

Yes, someone committed murder yesterday and can still eat calmly today. That means either they don't understand what murder is, or they know very well that they killed someone but are too young to be easily sentenced to death.

It depends on how you judge it; anyway, Nanbu Jitsugyo can't judge it.

As darkness fell, Shichibei lay back on his tatami mat, still pondering the case. Nanbu Sanenaga was right; the key was to determine whether the murderer knew he was killing someone. If he was clearly aware of such "human affairs," then he should be executed. If he was ignorant of life and death, then he should be released without charge.

This is probably why mentally ill people are not punished for killing during an episode; since they lack the awareness to commit such a crime during an episode, they cannot be charged.

I was in a daze all night and didn't sleep well.

After putting on his clothes and going out for breakfast, Shichibei was still thinking about how to determine whether the culprit was mentally challenged or not. Ai, who was serving Shichibei breakfast, saw him and immediately said, "Why are you acting like an unteachable child? You're even wearing your clothes inside out."

Ok?

A single sentence suddenly enlightened Shichibei: to determine whether a culprit is intelligent or not, just observe their behavior. Like Shichibei, under normal circumstances, he could certainly tell the front from the back of a garment.

Aside from the laziest person ever, would anyone wear their underwear one way today and the other way tomorrow? They definitely have a fixed front and back, and they change it when it gets dirty.

Having made up his mind, Shichibei grabbed Ai's hand and burst into laughter, his joy boundless. Now he had a reason to convince everyone, allowing him to make a smooth judgment.

After quickly shoveling down his breakfast, leaving a bewildered and confused Ai, Shichibei ran off. Ai even wondered if her brother was possessed, and whether she should really go to the Tsushima Ox-Head Shrine to pray. The Ox-Head Heavenly King might not bless children, but he could bless good health.

Turning her head to look at Inase Yoshinari, who was eating breakfast, Ai gave him a look, and Inase Yoshinari understood. He quickly poured the miso soup over the rice, ate it quickly, and rushed out to find Shichibei.

Actually, Shichibei didn't go anywhere far; he just found a tree and broke off two branches. Inase Yoshinari was puzzled: why would he break off someone's branches in the dead of winter?

"I'm not doing anything," Shichibei simply smiled and offered no explanation.

Then he brought the branches inside and placed them by the fire to dry. While they were drying, Shichibei went to look for a small knife. Sakuma Nobumori had given Shichibei a wakizashi (a type of saber), but he couldn't remember where he'd put it. He finally found it after asking Ai. It was worth several hundred mon; he'd better remember to keep it safe next time.

For the next half day, Shichibei spent his time whittling tree branches. Sakuma Nobumori had sharpened the sword quite well; Shichibei didn't even need to sharpen it again after drawing it. However, we're not proper samurai, and we don't know how to maintain our swords, so this sword might rust in a couple of years.

After much deliberation, Shichibei selected a pair of chopsticks he was particularly pleased with from among the dozen or so that had been sharpened. No one around him could understand what Shichibei was doing—sharpening chopsticks in the dead of winter, instead of solving a case? Was he just bored at home?

Why isn't this a case being solved? We're solving it right now!

The chopsticks are big at one end and small at the other; that's the solution.

Having made preparations, Shichibei once again summoned all the parties involved to Kawamura-ya. This time, it was in the "official residence," making it impossible to manipulate public opinion to influence the trial. No matter how many people came, they could only observe from the entrance of Kawamura-ya; only the few who had been summoned could enter.

Both sides reiterated their statements, with the perpetrator's family repeatedly clarifying that the child was young and truly didn't understand; they were just playing around and never expected it to result in death. They are willing to pay one string of cash for burial expenses, plus two bushels of rice.

What about the victim's family? The mother is still crying, only begging for the murderer to be sentenced to death. The victim's father is a little better, saying that as long as Shichibei delivers a fair verdict, he will have no objections.

Alright, then the two fathers, the two local officials, Shichibei, and the six men from Nanbu Sanetaka, go to the ventilation window in the warehouse wall and await the final verdict.

Today's meal for the culprit was made by Ai—a very simple rice cake and radish soup. Before serving it, Shichibei tasted it and said, "That's what I ate today too, without any other reason."

None of them understood what Shichibei meant; Shichibei simply told them to watch quietly, so they could only watch.

The rice cake soup was brought into the storeroom, and on the tray were only a pair of chopsticks and a bowl, nothing else. Naturally, Shichibei deliberately placed the chopsticks upside down, with the larger and smaller ends misaligned.

It's not the kind of obvious difference between the two ends, but rather the kind of difference in size that makes using chopsticks more comfortable.

Being able to drink a sip of hot soup was naturally a pleasure, so the murderer picked up the bowl and took a sip. He seemed to be enjoying it at home, even pausing to savor the taste for a moment before picking up his chopsticks.

The moment the perpetrator picked up the chopsticks, he subconsciously realized that the chopsticks in his hand were misaligned. So he very naturally and smoothly turned the chopsticks around so that one end was level.

The verdict has been delivered!

Shichibei was absolutely certain in his heart: Was this just immaturity? This was clearly someone who had been sensible for a long time.

"But you saw it all clearly!" Shichibei left the ventilation window, turned around, and sternly questioned both the plaintiff and the defendant, as well as their representatives.

"I understand now, I understand now." It was seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears, crystal clear, without any forced confession or torture, and there were witnesses and bystanders.

"Since this child has already developed human understanding, he shall be sentenced to death!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the deceased's father burst into tears, weeping uncontrollably. The murderer's father immediately knelt down, attempting to plead with Shichibei. "The murderer was stopped right there in the village; it's all too clear. What more can you ask for? The verdict is clear and unambiguous; the murderer brought this upon himself."

The deceased was an only child, and so was the murderer. If they were killed, it would be hard to say whether they could have more children in the future. The murderer's father still kowtowed to Shichibei, even offering to give him thirty kan of land.

Hearing this, Shichibei frowned. What do you mean? Offering bribes in court? Sneaking in through back channels is one thing, but saying it in front of everyone—that's truly "contempt of court."