Free Web NovelChapter 246: Chapter 246: "He Who Forges the Emperor’s Seal Shall Be Executed.
"We’re acting on orders! The Emperor himself has given the command! It looks like Boss Feng wasn’t just fearmongering earlier. This really is a violation of the law!"
"Oh my god, I think my husband just bought one of those pirated official gazettes from Shuxiang House because he said it was cheaper and would save some silver. I-I have to hurry home and return it!"
"You definitely have to return it! Otherwise, you’ll be waiting to get thrown in jail with them!"
"How could that man, Qiu, do something like this? Isn’t he just harming others and himself? I just wanted to buy an official gazette. How did I get so unlucky to run into this mess!"
"The Black Armor Guards are here. Looks like this is a done deal. Manager Qiu isn’t getting away this time!"
"Damn it. I also went to Shuxiang House today and bought a cheap official gazette. I-I’m not going to be implicated, am I?"
"Then what are you waiting for? Go return it! Why would you keep something like that? If you can’t return it, you’d better destroy the evidence! If they trace it back to you, this is no small matter!"
The crowd was buzzing with discussion. Meanwhile, Qiu Tao, who was closest to the Black Armor Guards, saw stars the moment he heard what their leader had said. He couldn’t process it for a long moment, thinking he must have misheard.
’What?’
’A verbal edict from the Emperor?’
’The Emperor knows about me counterfeiting the official gazette? Ah, no, that’s not right. The Emperor knows I’ve been forging private seals.’
’But... but on what grounds can those people from Guanwen Hall print them, but I can’t?’
Before Qiu Tao could figure it out, the Black Armor Guards dragged him away.
Along the way, they passed many onlookers. The Black Armor Guards, naturally, remained stone-faced and didn’t exchange pleasantries with the common people.
But someone like Ma Dali from the Jingzhao Mansion, who spent his days patrolling the streets and alleys of Shangjing City, seemed much more approachable than the Black Armor Guards.
When he saw familiar faces in the crowd, he would even raise a hand and offer a quick greeting.
"You ask what’s going on? Ha, you haven’t heard? This fellow Qiu is incredibly bold. He forged the Emperor’s private seal, our Lord Gongsun’s private seal, and the seals of many teachers from the Imperial College. This is no small matter, so of course he’s being taken in for questioning."
Ma Dali made no effort to hide the purpose of their trip. When he met particularly curious onlookers, he was happy to chat for a bit.
"You also bought one of that bastard Qiu’s pirated official gazettes? Whether or not you’ll be in trouble depends on what the higher-ups decide. This Qiu Tao has really caused a lot of harm. If you’re truly worried, you can come watch when our Lord presides over the trial... Is that allowed? Of course it is! A major case like this isn’t a state secret. It involves many people, so it will certainly be a public hearing. Our Lord Gongsun is the epitome of fairness and would never let the common folk be wronged."
By the time Ma Dali and the others brought Qiu Tao back to the Jingzhao Mansion, a large crowd of commoners had already gathered outside.
A small portion of them had anxious expressions, constantly trying to push their way to the front. These were likely the ones who had bought numerous official gazettes produced by Hongyun Bookstore, and they were particularly agitated for fear of being implicated.
Ming Lingyi also arrived at the main hall. As the plaintiff, her presence was naturally required.
Not only that, but she was also the representative entrusted by a group of officials from the Dayan Dynasty to file the complaint against Qiu Tao’s crimes on their behalf.
Qiu Tao’s mind had been a muddled mess the entire way. Also struck with fear and panic was Yang Yi, the man Hu Yuwan had sent earlier to "support" Qiu Tao.
Yang Yi never expected that what he thought was a simple, cushy task—helping his young miss vent her anger—would end with him being escorted to the Jingzhao Mansion by the Black Armor Guards before he had even done a thing.
’This is a terrible injustice.’
"So it was you!" Qiu Tao’s eyes filled with hatred when he saw Ming Lingyi standing to the side in the courtroom.
Ming Lingyi didn’t spare him a glance. She had no need to waste words on a short-sighted fool who looked down on women in business from the very beginning.
Soon, Gongsun Liangce was seated high beneath the "Bright Mirror" plaque. On both sides, government officials held their Water and Fire Sticks and shouted, "WEI-WU!" their voices shaking the roof tiles.
Gongsun Liangce looked at Ming Lingyi. "Ms. Ming, present the petition and the letters of entrustment."
Ming Lingyi stepped forward, her voice clear and calm. "Your Lordship, I, the commoner Ming Yao, have been entrusted by over ten officials, including National Academy Sacrificial Officer Lord Li of the Imperial College, Doctor Mr. Zhang, and Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice Lord Jiang, to accuse Qiu Tao, the manager of Hongyun Bookstore, of two major crimes. First: the private carving and illicit use of the seals of His Majesty and court-appointed officials. This is an act of great disrespect! Second: the pirating of the official gazette without the consent of the scholars, for the sake of exorbitant profit. We have both witnesses and material evidence. I implore Your Lordship to punish him severely in accordance with the law!"
When Qiu Tao heard the two words "great disrespect," his body went limp and he nearly collapsed to the ground. He opened his mouth but found he couldn’t form a single coherent sentence of defense.
If he had only been accused of pirating the official gazette, he might have been able to argue his way out of it.
But with Ming Lingyi accusing him of forging private seals on behalf of so many court officials, and even the Holy Emperor himself, he had no way to defend himself, nor did he dare to try.
He trembled like a leaf in the wind, a complete contrast to his arrogant and domineering behavior on Vermilion Bird Street just a short while ago.
Outside the courtroom, the spectating commoners also began to murmur among themselves. Most of them hadn’t expected that simply pirating an official gazette could lead to such severe consequences.
Lord Gongsun took the petition and the letters of entrustment, examined them carefully, and then inspected the material evidence, his expression as grim as still water. He slammed the gavel again, its sound echoing through the hall. "Silence! Defendant Qiu Tao, this court has verified your crimes one by one. The evidence is conclusive. Do you have anything left to say?"
Qiu Tao’s face was ashen. Cold sweat soaked the back of his robes. He could only prostrate himself on the floor and say in a trembling voice, "This humble one... this humble one admits his guilt... I beg Your Lordship for mercy... I didn’t know... I didn’t know it would... would be like this. This humble one only wanted to copy the official gazette, I had no other intentions!"
"Mercy?" Lord Gongsun’s gaze was like lightning, sweeping over the silent, terrified crowd before finally landing on Qiu Tao. His voice was loud and clear as he pronounced each word of the sentence: "According to Dayan Law: ’He who forges the Emperor’s Seal shall be executed!’ You privately carved His Majesty’s seal onto the official gazette, which is tantamount to forging an edict. Your crime is equivalent to forgery, an act of great disrespect, one of the ten unpardonable evils!"
As soon as these words were spoken, what little color remained in Qiu Tao’s face drained away completely, leaving him deathly pale.
Those three words—"shall be executed"—left him so terrified he didn’t dare lift his head, his limbs going limp.
"Furthermore, according to the Document Law of the Dayan Law: ’All who steal and use the seals for imperial edicts and official documents shall be sentenced to ten years of penal servitude; those who steal and use seals for civilian documents shall, depending on the circumstances, be sentenced to one to five years of penal servitude.’ You pirated the official gazette of Guanwen Hall and privately carved the seals of numerous court-appointed officials. The quantity was large, the impact was odious, and you reaped exorbitant profits. Your crimes are therefore elevated by one degree!"
As soon as Lord Gongsun finished speaking, he waved his hand, and men from the Jingzhao Mansion brought forward more evidence.
Qiu Tao turned his head to look, and whatever strength he had left abandoned him.
The government officials brought in several large crates filled with freshly printed official gazettes, all of which must have been seized from his Hongyun Bookstore.
This time, in order to stage a magnificent comeback, he had halted nearly all other printing jobs, pouring all of his manpower and resources into these official gazettes.
In just a few short days, he had already printed enough official gazettes to fill a room.
Now, all of it was being presented in court as evidence.
