Owari Yumeki Golden Day

The two of them had absolutely no connection, having never played together since childhood. They were arguing after just a few words. The argument turned violent, with the kids throwing punches, gouging out eyes, and soon rolling to the ground.

It was normal for children in the countryside to fight. There were quite a few people in Jinguji Temple, all of them were villagers from nearby. When they saw two children fighting, no one cared at all. Naturally, no one tried to stop the fight or to mediate.

The two-year-old criminal quickly pinned the victim down. At first, the victim screamed and wailed, but within a minute or two, the screams stopped. By the time everyone realized something was wrong, the victim had been beaten to death, his pupils dilated.

The criminal was still cursing as he took the coin out of the dead man's hand and prepared to leave without a care in the world.

At this point, the village chief added, "That damn kid didn't use any severity. It was just a fight, how could he kill someone?" The implication was that the beatings were merely injuries, and the matter was settled within the village. Even if someone died, it could be suppressed. After all, even in the age of the internet, deaths could be suppressed, let alone now.

But the deceased's parents were already in their thirties, having given birth to four daughters before this one son, so they were determined to file a complaint. Furthermore, since they were not from the same village, the local magistrate could not suppress the case, and eventually the case reached the county governor, Shichibei.

At first, the victim lay on the ground, and no one cared. When his parents called out and found no response, they rushed to check on him. His body had gone cold and was starting to stiffen.

Okay, start shouting and want to catch the murderer.

The murderer was eating steamed buns at the temple gate. The money he used to buy the buns was the coin he had snatched from the deceased. The murderer had no intention of running away and even ran back to eat the buns and look at them happily.

He was captured on the spot, his hands tied, and he knelt before Shichibei, next to the deceased lying on a straw mat. The look of his eyes wide open in death, on such a small face, was extremely terrifying.

Ouch……

Having never solved a case before, Shichibei was at a loss, unsure how to proceed. The victim's mother had fainted from weeping, and he was demanding a life for a life. But the villagers around him said a seven-and-a-half-year-old couldn't understand such things and was simply being reckless. Besides, a five-and-a-half-year-old was just an object.

Children under the age of seven in rural areas are not considered human beings. They are born and raised by nature, and the infant mortality rate is over 30% all year round, and even higher in some periods.

"This is the village where the murderer is located, so we will naturally persuade him to make peace. If it were the village where the deceased was, we would definitely persuade him to kill him." Nanbu Sanenaga knelt beside Shichibei and reminded him in a low voice.

“Oh…” Yes, that’s what the old man said.

No wonder, except for the parents of the deceased, everyone was advising them to just forget about it. At most, the murderer's parents could pay 500 yuan as compensation and the case would be closed.

What does a seven-and-a-half-year-old child know? He knows nothing. Mr. County Representative, please close the case.

"Mr. Kawamura, please be sure to investigate carefully." At this moment, seven or eight men came running outside the farmhouse. Who were they?

"Who are you?" The victim was right at the scene, so you couldn't be a relative of the victim, right?

Upon inquiry, it turned out that the visitor was a local leader from a certain village, and indeed, he was from the village where the victim lived. Some were brothers of the victim and his wife, and some were neighbors who had rushed here upon hearing the news, fearing that Shichibei had already solved the case.

Shichibei turned around and glanced at the village headman; this man was also dishonest. Shichibei received the notice and rushed to the scene from Tsushima Town. After listening to the case and the explanations of both parties, the relatives of the victim finally arrived.

Humph, it’s just two ditches away, not even as far as Tsushima-machi Kawamuraya. Is it really that slow?

Perhaps it was because it was rare to see a case being solved, but the villagers crowded around the farmhouse, as if they were watching a stage play. They watched and commented on the case, without any special feelings about whether someone was dead or not.

It was true that people died every day these days. It wasn't uncommon for someone to have diarrhea after drinking some cold water and then die the next day. Children were especially common, so it was no wonder the villagers just watched the show.

"You go and check the deceased." Shichibei was still thinking, so he had to let the newly-acquainted samurai retainer check the body first.

The main thing is to see if there are any external injuries. If there are, then the murderer may not have killed him. Even if the case is clear, we must be cautious to avoid misjudgment.

The retainer had fought several battles with the Asai family in Hunan, so he was not afraid of corpses. He carefully examined the body with a torch. Because of the cold weather and the fact that the deceased had been dead for some time, the body was stiff. He also asked the family to come and help remove the clothes.

The deceased was wearing new clothes. He went out to play on the first day of the Lunar New Year wearing new clothes. He probably didn't expect that he would never come back after leaving the house.

After a thorough inspection, even separating the fingers and toes for examination, Shichibei wrote down the conclusion that there were no obvious external injuries such as knife wounds, gunshot wounds, or cannon wounds, and ordered the parents of the deceased and the murderer's parents to sign for confirmation.

The murderer's parents still thought Shichibei was being nosy. He could have just beaten him to death, so why write such a report? However, Shichibei was an official and they were civilians. After reading the document thoroughly and confirming that it was not fabricated, the murderer's parents still put their fingerprints and palm prints on it.

The villagers nearby saw that they had heard the whole story of Shichibei's case and had examined the body, and they all started to clamor for Shichibei to make a quick judgment.

It was such a clear case, all due to the child's carelessness and lack of restraint, so he should just pay 500 yuan and forget it. After the verdict, everyone had finished watching the drama and could go home and lie down to sleep.

Come for this set?

Shichibei narrowed his eyes and made no judgment. Instead, he announced that the deceased would be temporarily detained and taken to the county's custodial center. The murderer and the deceased's parents were ordered not to leave the village and to await Shichibei's summons at any time.

The locals around them started to clamor and make a commotion. The local head of the neighboring village even said, "Please, sir, make the judgment as soon as possible. Even though it's winter now, it's unlucky to delay and keep the body unburied."

"Ha," Shichibei said, looking at Inase Yoshinari and the samurai Niichi. They both drew their katanas. "You're trying to threaten me with public opinion? My background as a small merchant doesn't prevent me from being a county governor."

If you dare to look at me disrespectfully, I will chop you to death and it will only be a salary deduction.

One day, Nobunaga was riding his horse below the castle walls while they were building a stone wall. A stone accidentally fell to the ground, startling Nobunaga. Guess what happened? The samurai who was building the wall chopped it off, the craftsman who was splitting the stone chopped it off, and the general ordered the magistrate to leave.

This wasn't the Edo period anymore, where samurai feared that killing someone in Edo would lead to their lord being punished by the shogunate. This was the Warring States period, where even if someone burned down Mount Hiei and killed 4,000 to 5,000 people, they could still be granted 50,000 koku of land in Sakamoto Castle.

In the bonfire's light, Shichibei's face flickered in the glare of the sword, suddenly embodying a terrifying and inexplicable majesty. The noisy villagers fell silent.

"I will definitely give you a verdict that will convince you!"

74. Seven-year-old idiots must be beheaded (Zi Yan is a bubble crown)

In truth, Shichibei really didn't know how to sentence him. Killing someone means paying with one's life, but the perpetrator was only seven and a half years old. What would a first-grade student in later generations understand? Even if the law were amended, it definitely wouldn't make a seven-and-a-half-year-old a death sentence.

But the grief of the deceased's parents was truly sympathetic. If Shichibei, as a government official, couldn't redress the injustices of his people, what good was he? He should just go home and plant some sweet potatoes.

How to convince both parties?

At noon on the second day of the Lunar New Year, the village headman of the deceased's village came to visit. Shichibei thought he was there to inquire about the case and invited him in. He never expected that the headman would pull out two gold bars worth twelve kan (approximately 12 kan) from his pocket.

We all understand what the adults meant by not making a verdict on the spot. We hope that the adults can sentence the murderer to death. Our whole village will be grateful for the adults' kindness.

Depend on!

"I am an upright official, doing an upright job. Take the money!" Shichibei refused the bribe without hesitation.

"Sir, sir, this..." The local leader was very surprised and didn't understand what Shichibei meant.

"I said yesterday that I would give everyone a verdict that would convince them." Shichibei stared at the man with a sharp gaze.

"Can……"

"Please go." Shichibei stood up without saying anything more to the local leader.

The local chieftain left Kawamura's house, his face filled with confusion and disbelief, looking back every few steps. That afternoon, the local chieftain from the murderer's village also arrived, pulling out a bag of silver worth about ten kan (approximately 10 kan), but was similarly driven away by Shichibei. Shichibei's decision not to judge this case wasn't to eat up the plaintiff and then the defendant, profiting from the dead.

The local leader of the murderer's village was still muttering before leaving, saying that Shichibei had too big an appetite and that ten kan was not enough.

Perhaps in his mind, ten strings of cash for a life was already the highest of high prices, an unbelievably high price. If the murderer wasn't the only son in his family, his family wouldn't have been willing to pay ten strings of cash for his life.

"Dad, what do you think?" After driving the man away, Shichibei asked Nanbu Sanenaga, "You've lived for fifty years. If you haven't been sentenced, at least you've seen it."

"Come with me." Minami Namio took Shichibei directly to the warehouse.

"What's wrong?" The murderer's child was locked up in the warehouse, but what was so good about a child?

"Look." The old man asked Qibingwei to look at the crack in the door.

Shichibei peered through the crack in the door. The murderer was calmly eating a rice ball (delivered by his family). His state definitely didn't look like someone who had accidentally killed someone.

"There are two possibilities. One is that you really don't understand, and the other is..." Minami Naminaga spoke slowly, but it was very inspiring to Shichibei.

Yes, he just killed someone yesterday, yet he can still eat peacefully today. That means he either doesn't understand what murder is, or he's very aware that he killed someone, but because he's young, he won't get the easy death penalty.

It depends on how you judge it. Anyway, it is hard to judge the real length of the southern part.

As the sky darkened, Shichibei lay back on his couch, still thinking about the case. Minami-sanaga was right; the key was to determine whether the murderer was aware he was killing someone. If he was clearly aware of this "human nature," then he should be executed. If he didn't understand the relationship between life and death, then he should be acquitted.

This is probably why it is not illegal for a mentally ill person to kill someone during an illness. If they do not have this awareness during the illness, they cannot be charged with a crime.

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

After putting on his clothes and going out for breakfast, Shichibei was still thinking about how to judge whether the murderer was sane or not. Ai, who was serving breakfast to Shichibei, saw this and said, "Why are you wearing your clothes inside out, like an unteachable child?"

Ok?

This sentence suddenly enlightened Shichibei. If you want to judge whether the murderer is knowledgeable or not, just look at his behavior. Like Shichibei, under normal circumstances, he would definitely be able to tell the front and back of clothes.

Except for the extremely lazy, who would wear underwear on one side today and turn it over and wear it the other way tomorrow? There must be a fixed front and back, and you change it when it gets dirty.

With his mind made up, Shichibei grabbed Ai's hand and burst into laughter, his laughter was so joyful that he couldn't express it. Now he had a reason to judge that would convince everyone and he could make the judgment smoothly.

After quickly finishing his breakfast, Shichibei ran out, leaving Ai with a bewildered and puzzled look. Ai even wondered if her brother had been possessed by an evil spirit. She wondered if she should really go to the Tsushima Gyuto Shrine to pray. The Gyuto Tengoku doesn't bless children, but it does bless good health.

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

Actually, Shichibei didn't go far. He just found a tree and broke off two branches. Inase Yoshinari was puzzled. Why would he break off branches in the middle of winter?

Nothing, Shichibei just smiled and didn't explain.

Then he brought the branches inside and placed them by the fire pit to warm them. While they were drying, Shichibei went looking for his knife. Sakuma Nobumori had given Shichibei a wakizashi before, but he couldn't remember where he had put it. Finally, he asked Ai and found it. It was worth a few hundred wen, so he'd have to remember to keep it next time.

Shichibei spent the next half day whittling branches. Sakuma Nobumori sharpened his sword so quickly that Shichibei never needed to sharpen it again. But we're not samurai, and we don't know how to maintain our knives. I'm afraid this sword will rust in two years.

After careful selection, Shichibei finally picked out a pair of his favorite pieces from a dozen or so sharpened chopsticks. No one could understand what Shichibei was doing. Was he just sharpening chopsticks in the middle of winter instead of solving a case? Was he just sitting at home with nothing to do?

How can it not be a case being solved? It is being solved right now.

The chopsticks are big at one end and small at the other, that's the way to do it.

Prepared for the situation, Shichibei once again summoned all the parties involved to Kawamura-ya. This time, in the "official hall," attempts to manipulate public opinion to influence the trial were impossible. Regardless of how many people showed up, they could only watch from the entrance of Kawamura-ya. Only the summoned few were allowed inside.

Both sides recounted their stories, with the murderer's family repeatedly stating that the child was young and truly ignorant, and that they were simply playing and had no idea he was killing her. They were willing to pay one tael of money for burning and burial, plus two dan of rice.

What about the deceased's family? The mother was still crying, asking for the death penalty. The deceased's father was more lenient, saying he wouldn't hesitate as long as Shichibei ruled impartially.

Okay, then the two fathers, the two local lords, Shichibei, and Minami Mitsuhisa, the six of you, go to the ventilation window on the wall of the warehouse and wait for the final judgment result.

The meal for the murderer today was made by Ai, a simple rice cake and radish soup. Before it was brought in, Shichibei took a bite and said, "I'm eating this today, too, for no other reason."

Several people failed to understand what Qibingwei meant, but Qibingwei asked them to watch quietly, so they could only watch.

The rice cake soup was brought into the storeroom, with only the chopsticks and the bowl on the tray, nothing else. Naturally, Shichibei had intentionally placed the chopsticks with the ends upside down.

They are not the kind with very obvious big and small heads, but the kind with big and small heads that are distinguished by the size and comfort of using chopsticks.

Being able to drink a mouthful of hot soup was naturally a joy. The murderer first picked up the bowl and took a sip of the soup. He was tasting it as if he were at home, and even paused for a moment to savor it before picking up the chopsticks.

The moment he picked up the chopsticks, the murderer subconsciously realized that the chopsticks in his hand were not in harmony, so he naturally turned the chopsticks around to make them even.

The verdict is out!

Qibingwei was completely convinced in his heart, is this not sensible? This is obviously sensible.

"You all saw it clearly!" Shichibei left the ventilation window, turned around and shouted at the plaintiff, defendant and their representatives.

"I understand, I understand." I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. It was clear as day. There was no forced confession or torture. There were witnesses and bystanders.

"Since this boy has become shrewd, he must be beheaded!"

As soon as these words left his mouth, the deceased's father burst into tears and sobbed uncontrollably. Meanwhile, the murderer's father quickly knelt, attempting to plead with Shichibei. "The village chief has arrested the murderer. It's clear what happened. What else are you begging for?" The verdict is clear and unequivocal. This murderer deserves it.

The deceased was the only son in his family, and the murderer was also the only son in his family. If he were beheaded, it would be hard to say whether he could be reborn in the future. The murderer's father still kowtowed to Shichibei and even said he was willing to give Shichibei 30 kan of land.

Hearing this, Shichibei frowned. What do you mean? Bribery in court? It's fine if he sneaked in through the back door, but saying this in front of everyone is truly contempt of court.

"If a son is undisciplined, it is the fault of his father. You even bribed the deputy official. You shall be executed together with him!"

"Hmm?" That voice sounded familiar. Shichibei quickly looked up and saw Oda Nobunaga standing not far away, scanning the room with a fierce gaze. Shichibei immediately knelt and hailed his presence as "Your Excellency, Your Excellency!"

Just as everyone's attention was focused on Shichibei and the murderer in the warehouse, Nobunaga, upon learning that Shichibei had been delaying the trial for days, became suspicious and, taking advantage of the year's rest, rode directly to Tsushima Town. With a murder occurring in a county-sized area, word of the murder in the neighboring township spread quickly throughout the city.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Shichibei and others standing in front of the ventilation window watching the murderer eat rice cake soup. Nobunaga had excellent eyesight and saw the murderer straightening his chopsticks at a glance. Looking at Shichibei's judgment, it was completely appropriate.

Not only did he not teach his children well, he also bribed officials in public. In the current era of imperfect judicial system, the punishment was just a fine. But he happened to run into Nobunaga and bribed the officials in front of him.

Humph, God will punish those who are mean.

No one knew when the day would come, but Nobunaga had already arrived. Since he had come and witnessed it with his own eyes, the case would be judged accordingly. Both father and son were to be taken to the riverbank, tied up for a day as a public display, and then executed.

75. Sending the Bride to Sanhe

Nobunaga sat inside, fiddling with the charcoal in the fire pit while listening to Shichibei's account of the case. Several pieces of charcoal were stacked together, leaving gaps between them. The flames slowly rose, emitting faint wisps of smoke that illuminated Nobunaga's face.

After listening to the statement, Nobunaga nodded slightly, finding it largely consistent with his own understanding. He put down the fire mace and asked Shichibei why he had delayed the verdict for several days, given that he clearly had a method for judging the case.

Can't you think of a way to not take several days?

Oh, I thought you were waiting to eat the plaintiff before eating the defendant.

Qibingwei raised his head to Nobunaga, a rare move. Before he could answer, his eyes were caught by Nobunaga. The meaning released in Nobunaga's eyes was also understood by Qibingwei.

For the first time, the two of them communicated with just eye contact, and in just a few seconds, they completed a series of processes of questioning, explaining, understanding, and approval.

"I understand." Nobunaga's words stunned everyone who was standing at the door, squatting on the eaves, and guarding the yard.

"That's right." Shichibei's answer made everyone even more puzzled. Nobunaga understood something. That's exactly what you are.

The two men's seemingly charade-like questions and answers left everyone baffled. Even Sasa Narimasa and Maeda Toshiie, who had served as Makaishu for two years, were baffled by what was happening.

I can only assume that Shichibei and Nobunaga had discussed this beforehand and reached this consensus. Otherwise, there's no explanation at all.

In fact, we have to thank Nobunaga for coming here in person this time. If it was just Shichibei who made the judgment, there would inevitably be some garbage content like the murderer's family making a fuss and Shichibei drawing his sword in protest.