Reborn as a Happy Wife in a Rural Family
Chapter 58: Shameless

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Shameless

Gu Dalin, Gu Chang’an, Gu Qingming, and Chen Erlang were all left speechless by the shock.

Gu Dalin was aghast that the brother he once cherished had actually sold his son. Even when he was expelled from the family and disowned, he had never felt such profound heartache.

How could Gu Dahe trample on the deep affection he had for his brother, grinding it underfoot?

Didn’t his heart ache? Or did he simply not have one?

Seeing Ms. Wu rush forward, Gu Dalin clenched his fists, ready to charge. However, Gu Chang’an desperately held him back, shaking his head.

BANG!

Gu Dalin slammed his fist into the ground, his knuckles splitting and bleeding, yet all he felt was the searing pain in his heart.

Gu Qingli was also stunned. Is this the Ms. Wu I remember? Are we sure she hasn’t been possessed?

Just as she considered approaching, she heard the thud of Gu Dalin’s fist.

BANG!

Magistrate Xu struck his gavel, and the courtroom instantly fell silent.

Gu Qingli froze.

Even Ms. Wu, mid-assault, and the beaten Gu Dahe were startled into stillness.

"No shouting in the courtroom!" barked Magistrate Xu.

Two yamen runners quickly helped Ms. Wu, who was wailing like a madwoman, back to her feet. Her own frenzied attack had left her hair completely dishevelled.

Gu Dahe was in an even worse state. His hair and clothes were a mess, and his face was covered in bleeding scratches from Ms. Wu’s fingernails.

Master Xu and Magistrate Xu, seated at the bench, were witnessing such an explosive display from a woman for the first time.

They almost wanted to laugh, but the occasion was hardly fitting. They had allowed the victim to vent her anger, which was fair enough. However, if they let it continue, their leniency might be misconstrued, and it wouldn’t do for them to be criticized.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... so that’s how it is! An uncle selling his own nephew! How could anyone do such a thing?" The onlookers outside the yamen, snapping back to reality, immediately burst into renewed discussion.

"Exactly! He’s truly heartless and despicable!"

"Worse than a pig or a dog!"

"And he calls himself a scholar! What on earth did his Master teach him?"

Hearing this, Master Qi’s face cycled through shades of black, red, and then green; he was so enraged he nearly spat blood.

How could they say he hadn’t taught them well? Every single day, he diligently instructed his students, warning them against taking shortcuts or straying onto deviant paths. He constantly reminded them that success in the imperial examinations was the only righteous path for scholars from impoverished families! He felt more unjustly maligned than anyone could imagine!

"Gu Dahe, do you plead guilty to your crimes?"

Once the murmuring from the onlookers outside subsided, Magistrate Xu finally looked directly at Gu Dahe.

Gu Dahe shot a venomous glare at Dashuang, Xiaoshuang, and the man in black robes. Plead guilty? To what? He wouldn’t admit to a thing! What could they do to him anyway?

He brazenly met Magistrate Xu’s gaze, his expression defiant.

Everyone had assumed Gu Dahe would confess at this stage. They hadn’t anticipated his stubborn silence, or that he would openly challenge the magistrate.

What audacity! Truly audacious!

Magistrate Xu glanced at him. This Gu Dahe is quite the thorn in my side, he thought with a sneer. He handed the contract to his advisor. The advisor, grasping the magistrate’s intent immediately, took the document, approached to within three paces of Gu Dahe, and said gravely, "Gu Dahe, look at this. Whether you confess or not, your guilt is already established by this evidence. However, if you refuse to confess, your private school and your family will be implicated."

Indeed, imperial law stipulated that if a culprit refused to confess despite conclusive evidence, then after the final judgment, those associated with him would suffer collective punishment to varying degrees.

The severity of this collective punishment wasn’t fixed; it depended on the nature of the original crime committed.

A major crime would entail major repercussions for associates; a minor crime, minor ones.

Such a policy clearly operated on the principle of "better to wrongly punish a thousand than to let a single guilty party escape."

Gu Dahe glanced coldly at the contract. He snorted inwardly. Since I can’t escape anyway, I might as well take everyone down with me!

"Third Uncle, a man should answer for his own deeds! Why won’t you confess? Why must you implicate us? We have to sit for the examinations in the second month!" Gu Qingming cried out, being the first to break the silence as Gu Dahe remained stubbornly mute. They were terrified. They couldn’t believe their Third Uncle would commit such a shameful act, disgracing all scholars and dragging them down with him. They still dreamed of passing the examinations and becoming respected scholars!

"Your Honor, we knew nothing of what our Third Uncle has done! We beg Your Honor to investigate thoroughly!" Gu Qingyan also pleaded with Magistrate Xu, cupping his hands respectfully. His panic, though present, was less obvious than Gu Qingming’s.

"Your Honor, I barely know them! I certainly couldn’t have been Gu Dahe’s accomplice! Please, investigate thoroughly!" Chen Erlang, having gathered his wits, hurriedly appealed to Magistrate Xu.

THUD! Master Qi also fell to his knees at this moment. "Your Honor," he implored, "my students speak the truth! We genuinely knew nothing of Gu Dahe’s crimes! I beg Your Honor to clear the name of my humble private school!"

"Your Honor, please rule in our favor! We cannot all be implicated because of the crimes of one man, Gu Dahe!" Just then, twenty-odd students from Qinghe Private School burst in from outside, kneeling in a dense crowd that filled the floor.

It turned out that while the remaining students back at the school were in disarray, a few local students had organized the others to come into the city to ascertain the situation before deciding on a course of action.

When they saw even Master Qi, a man holding the respected xiucai degree, kneeling and proclaiming their innocence, they all rushed in to beg for mercy as well.

Magistrate Xu narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "The state has its laws, just as a family has its rules. This official cannot bend the law for personal reasons."

"Master, make Gu Dahe confess to his own crimes!" a student suddenly exclaimed, rushing to Master Qi’s side.

"Yes, Gu Dahe! This is your crime alone! You confess it! Don’t drag down the entire school!" another student shouted, pointing at Gu Dahe.

"Gu Dahe, Master has always treated you fairly! Why won’t you confess?"

"Gu Dahe, you heartless wretch! You sold your own nephew and colluded with gangs from the martial arts world! If you had the guts to do it, why don’t you have the guts to admit it?" a plainly dressed student demanded, his voice sharp and aggressive.

This student was considered the most promising candidate to pass the examinations this year, and he was now overcome with anxiety. Everyone understood how crucial the path to an official career was for a scholar from a humble background.

Gu Dahe is ruining the future for all of us students from Qinghe Private School!

Gu Dahe looked askance at them, raised his sleeve to wipe his nose, and said nonchalantly, "Why should I confess? If I can’t take the examinations, then nobody can. That’s perfectly fair, isn’t it? Weren’t you all so high and mighty before, always bullying and mocking me?"

He was the oldest student in the private school and had failed to pass even the basic Tongsheng examination year after year. Most of the other students were five or six years younger than him, and they constantly jeered behind his back, saying he could study until he died and still never pass.

Heh heh, now that I have a chance for revenge, why should I bear this burden alone? I’d rather see them all deprived of their books, all forced to become common farmers in the future! Hahaha... The very thought is exhilarating!

As for Gu Qingming and his brother, we all come from the same lineage. How bright can they be? They should just go back to farming. And Chen Erlang? Heh, I’ve found him an eyesore for a long, long time.