novelSusiti Chapter 43 Wu Song's Thoughts
Chapter 43 Wu Song's Thoughts
The fact that Pan Jinlian was struck by lightning and died proves that she did lie, so she must have been the one who poisoned her.
Wu Song splashed water on the magistrate to wake him up and glared at him fiercely.
The magistrate saw the dark, blurry Pan Jinlian again and was so frightened that he trembled.
"Magistrate, Heaven indeed sent down a thunderbolt that struck and killed Pan Jinlian, proving that she did indeed lie. Therefore, it means that Ximen Qing, Wang Po, and Pan Jinlian conspired to murder Wu Dalang. Now we have both witnesses and physical evidence. What do you think should be the verdict?"
Wang Lun looked at the county magistrate with a smile.
The magistrate, trembling, said, "According to the laws of the Great Song Dynasty, those who commit murder shall be sentenced to three years in penal servitude; those who have injured shall be hanged; and those who have killed shall be beheaded."
Wang Lun laughed, "Ximen Qing first injured Wu Da, then poisoned him. These are two separate facts: both were to kill Wu Da so he could have a legitimate reason to have an affair with Pan Jinlian. Don't you see? That makes sense."
The magistrate was shocked; the other party was trying to kill Ximen Qing.
Wang Lun's words indicate that it was not simply an attempted murder, but that Wu Dalang had already been injured, thus ineligible for the "three years of penal servitude" sentence.
The magistrate glanced at Ximen Qing, who was covered in wounds, unable to speak, and on the verge of death.
He looked at Pan Jinlian's corpse again and shuddered.
"Ximen Qing, Wang Po, and Pan Jinlian conspired to poison Wu Da, but failed. According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, Ximen Qing and Wang Po are sentenced to death by hanging. Pan Jinlian is already... dead, so she will not be pursued further. The county will submit the case file to the Provincial Judicial Commissioner for review, and then the matter... will be settled."
According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, prefectures and counties could not conduct final trials on death penalty cases. They could only conduct preliminary trials and then report the cases to the Provincial Judicial Commissioner of the Song Dynasty. The Provincial Judicial Commissioner had branch offices in various localities, and they would send people to conduct final trials.
However, in the case of Ximen Qing and Wang Po, the evidence was conclusive and the facts were not complicated. Even if the people from the Provincial Judicial Commission came, it would not change the outcome.
The magistrate immediately ordered his men to collect confessions, which everyone then signed and fingerprinted.
Wu Song breathed a sigh of relief; he was quite satisfied with how things had turned out for Wu Da.
Of course, we cannot force Ximen Qing to be killed because of this incident. It would be perfectly acceptable to hand him over to the Song Dynasty law to execute him.
He could no longer serve as a constable; now he was essentially forcing the magistrate to sentence Ximen Qing to death by hanging, and he and the magistrate were now irreconcilable enemies.
He looked at Wang Lun beside him and wondered if he really had to go to Liangshan with him.
After everyone left the county government office, Wang Lun whispered instructions to Gongsun Sheng and Yang Zhi for a while before smiling at Wu Song and saying, "The matter here is settled, and I plan to return to Liangshan Marsh."
Wu Song was somewhat disappointed that the other party had not invited him to go to Liangshan together.
Seeing that Yang Zhi and Gongsun Sheng had already left quickly, he asked, "Where are you two going?"
Wang Lun laughed and said, "Just doing some small things."
He looked at Wu Song and said, "Since you're leaving, how about I treat this tiger-slaying hero to a drink?"
Wu Song felt a pang of sadness. Although he hadn't had much contact with Wang Lun, he had already won him over. And now that Wang Lun was leaving, he hadn't even invited Wu Song to come along.
Could it be... that Wang Lun looks down on me?
Of course I can go with him, but if I leave, what will happen to Wuhan University?
He thought of his poor brother; without Wu Song's care, Wu Da would probably be living a miserable life.
Having martial arts skills, he could certainly become a bandit leader at Liangshan, but Wu Da couldn't; he only knew how to make pancakes.
Even the tiger-slaying hero Wu Song had some unusual worries.
He forced a smile and said, "Since we're in Yanggu County, it's only natural that I, Wu Song, will treat you to drinks, brother. Come on, I'll take you to a nice place."
Upon arriving at the Lion Tower, Wang Lun couldn't help but chuckle. This was the very place where Wu Song fought and killed Ximen Qing in the original story. By some twist of fate, the two of them had ended up here again.
When the doorman saw that it was Wu Song, he immediately went forward to serve him attentively.
Wu Song shouted, "Bring on all the good wine and food, I won't skimp on your money!"
Wang Lun quickly replied, "Please serve all the good dishes, but no need for wine."
Wu Song was stunned, and somewhat displeased: "Brother, you're leaving without even drinking some wine?"
Wang Lun laughed heartily, and then saw Zhao Si carrying several huge gourds, panting heavily as he ran over.
Wu Song asked, "What is this?"
Wang Lun took a gourd, opened its mouth, and laughed, "I'll give you three chances. Guess what kind of wine this is. If you guess wrong, you'll have to drink a big bowl of it as punishment."
Wu Song sniffed the air and his face immediately lit up with a smile that spread across his face. At the same time, he trusted Wang Lun even more.
He exclaimed, "This must be the wine I drank at the foot of Jingyang Ridge; three bowls and I'm done."
Wang Lun gave a thumbs up: "Brother Song, you're really amazing. I'd heard that you drank eighteen bowls of wine before going up the mountain to fight the tiger, so I went to drink this wine myself. It's indeed good wine. I was thinking that I couldn't come empty-handed, so I bought some wine so you could relive your tiger-fighting adventures."
Wu Song sighed softly and said, "Brother, you're very kind."
Wang Lun waved his hand: "Bring the big bowls!"
Wu Song drank like Lu Zhishen, guzzling down his wine. He made two gurgling sounds in his throat, and a large bowl of wine was gone in no time.
Although Wang Lun drank politely, he did so very quickly.
The two downed three large bowls in a row, and Wu Song then laughed loudly and said, "Brother, you have a good capacity for alcohol! That was refreshing!"
This wine has a higher alcohol content than ordinary wines from the Song Dynasty, no wonder the shopkeeper confidently advertised the slogan "Three bowls and you're done for."
But in Wang Lun's eyes, the wine was only about 10 degrees alcohol, and he was already stuffed before he got drunk.
Seeing that Wu Song seemed uninterested, Wang Lun asked, "Brother Song, what are your plans for the future?"
Wu Song looked somber: "I'm a troublemaker, and I've finally settled down in Yanggu. My brother is married now. I was planning to live like this, which was fine."
He sighed deeply, "Now that this has happened, I can't stay in Yanggu anymore. I, Wu Song, am fine wandering the world, but I don't know what to do about my brother...
Wang Lun smiled and said, "I can find a good place for Wu Da."
Wu Song was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Brother, do you have any good places to go?"
Wang Lun pointed to himself and said, "Our Liangshan Marsh is in dire need of a chef who can make steamed buns. Wu Da's steamed buns are very delicious and easy to carry. If we can improve them and produce them in large quantities, they can be used as military rations."
"Military rations?" Wu Song was somewhat bewildered.
"Oh right, I forgot to mention, Liangshan Marsh is no longer a bandit group, it's called the Flying Tiger Army. If Wu Da is willing, he can join the Liangshan Flying Tiger Army. I'll arrange a position for him and find him a wife."
Wu Song was tempted. If Wu Dalang could come with him to Liangshan, the two brothers could look after each other. Moreover, Wu Dalang could make his specialty, steamed buns, without the fighting and killing, which would be ideal.
"Brother Song, come with me. The Flying Tiger Army is growing stronger. You won't become a bandit leader if you come with me. I will entrust a detachment of the Flying Tiger Army's infantry to you and Lu Da, and you two will take command of it together."
Wu Song picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp: "Lu Da?"
Wang Lun explained, "That's Lu Zhishen, the Flower Monk. He can drink as much as you, his kung fu is just as good, and his temper is even more rugged than yours."
Wu Song nodded. Although he didn't know Lu Zhishen, he was sure he and Lu Zhishen would get along well after hearing what Wang Lun said.
"Follow me to the battlefield, to die on the battlefield, with our swords we will carve out the path of righteousness in this world. Wu Song, are you willing?"
Wu Song clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Wu Song will obey your orders, brother."