Chapter 23

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“Liangsheng, do you think we will get flogged when the magistrate questions us about the village dispute later in court?”

Under the yamen’s eaves, Lu Pan and the others, though tall and strong, were feeling a bit nervous standing outside the courtroom. Ordinary people naturally felt intimidated in the presence of officials.

He cautiously glanced towards the entrance. “I wonder if the people from the northern village will come. They have their village chief leading them.”

“Uncle Pan, if we’re facing them, there’s no reason to be afraid.”

Lu Liangsheng adjusted his robe. Though it was a bit worn, it still gave him a tidy and respectable appearance. Then, he discreetly checked the silver taels in his pouch.

“At worst, if we can’t win, we can always take a step back and compensate them with some of the crops from our fields.”

Lu Qing crossed his arms and shouted loudly.

“Then we should still fight for it first! We worked hard to grow those crops, and just handing them over for nothing would be painful!”

“Exactly! We need to make it clear to them first, or they’ll really think it was our village that cut off the water supply!” The others chimed in. Just as their voices died down, one of the men, Lu Erdan, turned his face and whispered: “Look, the people from the northern village are here.”

Two men approached from the street. One was thin, with a straight mustache above his lip, while the other was quite tall and wearing a white short-sleeved jacket. As they approached, they saw Lu Liangsheng and his group of nine standing under the eaves.

Without saying a word, they stood under the eaves on the other side.

Soon after, a voice rang out from inside the courtroom: “Court is in session!”

The sharp sound of over a dozen wooden sticks striking the ground echoed with a crackling noise. A constable stepped out from the entrance and beckoned to Lu Liangsheng and his group, as well as to the village chief and the northern village men on the other side.

“Everyone, come in.”

Lu Liangsheng nodded toward Lu Pan and the others, and they all walked into the courtroom together, standing between the constables on both sides. Shortly after, the village chief led the northern villagers in as well.

Neither side said a word for a while, and soon, two figures emerged from the back hall. One of them, dressed in official robes, walked to the primary seat and sat down, while the other, a man around fifty years old, sat at a small table to the side. He picked up his brush and ink but smiled as he looked at Lu Liangsheng standing in the middle of the court.

The young man looked towards the elder and could roughly guess his identity. He respectfully clasped his hands in greeting.

“Lu Liangsheng from the Lu Family Village greets the chief registrar.”

The elder sitting behind the small table smiled warmly, nodding in return. He looked the young man up and down and said: “What a fine young man.”

Inside the hall, the village chief and the man from the northern village, seeing this, felt a sudden sense of unease. If the Lu Family Village had connections with the registrar and the magistrate, they were bound to lose the case.

Sensing their worry, the elder smiled and waved his hand at the two of them.

“The magistrate here has always judged cases impartially. If this young man’s village has truly acted inappropriately, rest assured, no one will cover for them. So, relax.”

The magistrate, sitting at the main seat, stroked his beard while observing, his gaze critical.

“Naturally, that is the case.”

In reality, this so-called court session was more of a formality, the magistrate had come mainly to accompany Registrar Wang and observe the young man in front of them. Disputes like this one between two villages over river water happened every day. If every case was brought to court, the magistrate would never get anything else done.

Moreover, the outcome of such disputes was always difficult to determine. Since the river flowed down from the mountain, the simplest solution would be to send a constable along with the village chief and representatives from both villages to investigate upstream. Bringing this to court was making a mountain out of a molehill.

After the magistrate finished speaking, the village chief stepped forward, bowed deeply, and clasped his hands in respect. “County Magistrate, the two villages are located one upstream and one downstream. There is only one river coming down from Qixia Mountain. The river passes through the Lu Family Village before reaching the lower village. Over the years, the two villages have fought many times over irrigation water for their fields. This time, it seems there was some lingering resentment, and the upstream village may have cut off some of the water, causing the water level downstream to decrease, making it difficult to store enough water.”

The man from the northern village nodded in agreement and added: “Yes, Lord Magistrate. This year, the crops in our village’s fields haven’t grown well, so the harvest has been much less. The women and children in the village are afraid they might go hungry this winter.”

The magistrate raised his hand, signaling for the two men to stand straight. He then turned his gaze toward Lu Liangsheng.

“What do you have to say in response?”

Behind him, Lu Pan and the others clenched their fists nervously. In hushed tones, they urged: “Liangsheng, the magistrate is asking you a question. Speak up quickly, don’t let them take advantage of us.”

At the front, the young man was organizing his thoughts. After a brief pause, he clasped his hands respectfully and spoke.

“Reporting to the Lord Magistrate, the river flows around both villages and originates from the mountains. If the Lu Family Village had truly cut off the water, they could have come to check for themselves. So why didn’t they come but instead directly bring the matter to Lord Magistrate?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the village chief quickly shouted: “That’s because your village’s people have always been unreasonable and violent! We were afraid of being beaten! Even now, standing in front of Lord Magistrate, you dare to argue!”

Lu Liangsheng pressed his lips together, then relaxed his clenched fingers. He laughed.

“Violence or not, whether they’ve seen it or not—those are two separate issues. If the Lu Family Village’s people had indeed attacked you, then you’d have every reason to bring this matter to yamen. We would have no excuse to argue. Isn’t that right? In that case, this matter wouldn’t even need to be brought to court for Lord Magistrate’s judgment, the verdict could be delivered directly.”

The village chief was left speechless by the retort.

…This young man not only writes well but also speaks skillfully.

The magistrate, in fact, had already formed a general outline and direction in his mind. These kinds of cases weren’t difficult to resolve. He reached out for the gavel.

“This Magistrate decrees…”

“Your Honor!”

Just as the magistrate was about to make a final decision, Lu Liangsheng suddenly interjected, stepping forward and bowing respectfully to the magistrate and the registrar.

“Lord Magistrate, Chief Registrar, Liangsheng wishes for this matter to be resolved peacefully.”

“Oh?” This surprised both the magistrate and the elder. Even the village chief and the man from the northern village were momentarily taken aback.

After a brief pause, Lu Liangsheng’s voice continued.

“Although the poor harvest in the northern village this year is not the Lu Family Village’s fault, the two villages are neighbors. If women and children in the northern village go hungry or, worse, die because of the bad harvest, we would feel great sorrow. If the two villages were to share the burden, while it might not fill everyone’s stomachs, at least no one would starve to death. Besides…”

Lu Liangsheng raised his head and looked at the man from the northern village.

“…Besides, the long-standing grievances between our two villages might finally ease, bringing more harmony.”

Lu Qing and Lu Pan were also visibly surprised. “Liangsheng…you…”

Meanwhile, the man from the northern village stood there with his mouth slightly open, unable to immediately react. His lips moved faintly, but he struggled to find the right words to say.

Suddenly, a sharp ‘bang’ echoed through the hall.

The magistrate, seated in his position, looked at the young man, while the elder at the small table smiled with approval.

“Good!”

After a moment, the magistrate turned his gaze toward the village chief and the man from the northern village. “Do either of you have anything further to say?”

“No, no more…”

Originally, they had come seeking compensation. Now that the other side had agreed, there was no longer any reason to continue the dispute. Still, the young man’s words left the man from the northern village feeling somewhat conflicted deep inside.

Not long after, the verdict was handed down, and the matter in the court was concluded. Once everyone had left, the magistrate smiled as he approached the elder.

“This Lu Liangsheng has a good character.”

The old man stood up and bowed, then called over a constable and instructed him: “Go and ask that young man to stay and wait for me.” Only after that did he respond to the magistrate’s comment. “He’s a rough jade, his calligraphy is excellent, but his character is even more commendable.”

“Uncle Hua Gong, have you developed a fondness for talent?”

“I didn’t before, but now I certainly have, haha!”

The two exchanged glances and laughed.

Outside the yamen, Lu Pan and the other eight men followed behind the young man, still feeling a bit frustrated.

“Liangsheng, we had the upper hand. Why did you give up the goods? I just can’t understand it.”

“Exactly, our crops were grown through our sweat and hard work. Giving them away for nothing really leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.”

“…How about we go back and tell the magistrate that what we said earlier doesn’t count? What do you think, Liangsheng?!”

When they reached the entrance of the yamen, Lu Liangsheng listened to his uncles’ grumbles, but he only smiled. He led them aside and said:

“Uncle Pan, Uncle Qing, and everyone, we have five hundred taels. We’ll be able to live comfortably for the next couple of years. Though we’ve given up some of this year’s harvest, didn’t you notice the magistrate and the chief registrar’s pleased expressions? If the disputes between the two villages had continued, one village would have a hard time surviving this winter, and the yamen would have to spend money to provide relief. Now that Liangsheng has removed a concern from the two officials’ minds, we’ve earned some goodwill.”

Lu Pan and the others furrowed their brows, thinking about it… and indeed, it seemed to make sense.

Before they could respond, Lu Liangsheng continued,

“When Liangsheng was at the market before, I once heard an old scholar who wrote for people say, ‘To gain wealth without virtue invites calamity, but good deeds, even if they bring hardship, will bring blessings later’. Besides, now that they’ve accepted our grain, will they have the face to argue in any disputes in the future?”

Indeed, the man from the northern village who came out of the yamen cupped his fists toward Lu Liangsheng and Lu Pan from afar, clearly showing his gratitude.

Lu Pan touched his beard and felt a bit embarrassed.

“Hey, we’re not used to being treated so politely.”

Just as they were preparing to leave, Lu Liangsheng was stopped by a constable who came out. Hearing that the chief registrar wanted to see him, he didn’t dare to be presumptuous and quickly followed the constable to the side courtyard.

“Right here, you can go in by yourself.” The constable stopped in front of a door, advised the young man, and then left.

Lu Liangsheng had asked along the way what the matter was, but the constable was unsure. Now, taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

The door creaked open, and the old man he had seen in the hall earlier greeted him with a smile and invited him inside.

“Don’t be so formal, just find a place to sit.”

Although the county magistrate was not present, the elderly man in front of him was the highest-ranking official here and also an elder. Naturally, Lu Liangsheng did not sit opposite him but stood beside the desk.

“What does the Chief Registrar want with Liangsheng?”

“Don’t be so nervous, it’s not an official matter.” The old man moved aside the public documents on his desk, took out a piece of paper, placed it in front of Lu Liangsheng, and looked at him.

“This is written by you, isn’t it?”

The handwriting and content on the paper were indeed written by Lu Liangsheng that night. He withdrew his gaze and nodded: “It is indeed my writing. Chief Registrar… is there anything wrong with it?”

The old man waved his hand and just smiled, taking three books from the desk.

“Take these three books <Meng’s Sayings>, <Strategies and Responses>, and <Rites and Music>, and study them.”

[TL_Note: This Meng may be a reference to Mencius, a Confucian scholar]

Lu Liangsheng, confused, took the three books and looked at the old man.

“Old Sir, what is this about…”

“Of course, they are for you.” The old man, seeing the bewildered look on the young man’s face, lightly tapped the books and explained: “It’s good to read more and learn more. In the hall, I saw that you have quick wits and a kind heart. If you neglect these, it would be a waste of the talents that Heaven has bestowed upon you. Since you can write and recognize characters, you should study well and aim to become a student next year.”

Seeing that he still did not understand, the elderly man spoke more directly.

“For you obtain to the scholar qualification, you can participate in the child scholar exams, which are held once a year. If you pass three times in a row, you can then take the provincial exams, and if you pass, it would also enable you to become an official in the future.”

“But I never thought about… becoming an official?”

The old man smiled and nodded: “Becoming an official means that your parents and family will be proud of you. Even if you don’t become an official, our Southern Chen will still gain one more well-educated and knowledgeable scholar.”

“Becoming an official…”

Lu Liangsheng, holding the three books, left in a daze and looked back at the yamen.

“Could it be that this old gentleman… wants me to call him teacher?”

When he rejoined Lu Pan and the others waiting outside, and they all started asking him what happened, a group of constables arrived from a distance. The leader of the group, who was the Head Constable Zuo, took a second look at them as he passed by Lu Liangsheng.

Afterward, he dismounted and entered the county yamen to report the findings from the Chen Residence to the county magistrate.

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