Futile Devices Scans

Miss Tong of the Tong residence was also one of Tanyang County’s favorite topics of gossip after meals and over tea.

Setting aside the fact that she remained unmarried at the advanced age of twenty, her ferocious temperament alone was enough to fuel discussion for three days and nights.

Now that she had suddenly hanged herself, although the exact reason was still unknown, busybodies had already connected the matter to Tao Mo’s recent visit to Master One-Hammer.

Some even spread rumors claiming Miss Tong had been unwilling to marry Magistrate Tao and, after tearfully begging her parents in vain, had hanged herself while still in the bloom of youth.

In short, all manner of rumors drifted through the county like snowflakes, making the days before the New Year even more chaotic and lively.

Although Miss Tong’s death appeared to be suicide, a life had nevertheless been lost, so the county yamen was still required to investigate as a matter of procedure.

The moment Cui Jiong received the news, he brought the coroner to examine the body.

Though no rumors had yet spread at that time, the Tong family was a powerful household within the county and also connected by marriage to Master One-Hammer. Naturally, the matter could not be handled carelessly, and every detail was investigated with extreme thoroughness.

Miss Tong’s parents cried bitterly, yet showed not the slightest resentment. Clearly, they were not surprised by the outcome.

After questioning them for quite some time and finding neither witnesses, evidence, nor the corpse itself suspicious in any way, Cui Jiong finally returned to the yamen to report to Tao Mo.

The moment Tao Mo heard the news, he sighed mournfully.

Although he had never intended to marry Miss Tong, Madam One-Hammer’s earlier words had still tied them together in some small way.

He did not know whether Miss Tong truly had taken her own life because, as the rumors claimed, she feared marrying him. If that were really the case, then he had committed a terrible wrong indeed.

On the third day after Miss Tong’s death, Madam One-Hammer arrived at the yamen bearing many gifts.

At first, Tao Mo was utterly baffled by her goodwill. After all, Miss Tong was dead, and the possibility of marriage between them no longer existed.

Only later did he realize that Madam One-Hammer had heard the rumors spreading throughout town and knew that her momentary whim had brought him trouble, so she had come personally to apologize.

Tao Mo himself had never taken such matters to heart.

Back in his hometown, the rumors he endured had been far worse than these, yet he had always treated them as nothing. Compared to those, these baseless rumors meant little indeed.

Thus, instead of blaming her, he comforted her and urged her not to grieve too deeply.

As he continued comforting her, Madam One-Hammer’s eyes gradually reddened.

“Yinghong simply lacked fortune,” she sighed softly. “Had she met Magistrate Tao and known how gentle and considerate you are, perhaps she would not have chosen such a desperate path.”

The praise made Tao Mo blush. “Madam flatters me. The dead cannot return to life. If Miss Tong knows of your grief in the afterlife, she will surely feel uneasy.”

“How could she feel uneasy? She probably hates me instead.” Madam One-Hammer sighed again. “I did not kill Boren, yet Boren died because of me.”

Elio’s Notes: “Boren” was the courtesy name of Zhou Yi (周顗), an official who was executed during a political purge. Another official, Wang Dao, did not directly kill him, but because he failed to intervene or protect him, Zhou Yi still died. Wang Dao later lamented with this phrase, expressing guilt over causing someone’s death indirectly.

Tao Mo froze. “Who is Boren? Why did he die too?”

Madam One-Hammer stared blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter through her tears. “Magistrate Tao truly is exactly as the rumors say—completely uneducated and unable to recognize even the simplest characters.”

Embarrassed, Tao Mo replied, “Rumors always contain some truth.”

“Speaking of which, this is all my fault. I dragged Magistrate Tao into all these rumors and idle gossip. Rest assured, I will definitely clear your name.”

“Actually, so long as Miss Tong’s reputation is not harmed, I do not mind.”

Madam One-Hammer immediately objected, “You cannot say such things. Magistrate Tao is still unmarried. If these rumors are allowed to continue, all the good young ladies will avoid you from afar.”

“That would be perfect,” Tao Mo blurted out.

“What?” Madam One-Hammer stared at him in surprise.

Realizing he had misspoken, Tao Mo immediately turned toward Old Tao for help.

As expected, Old Tao did not disappoint him.

“My young master means that women who so easily believe rumors are best avoided anyway.”

Madam One-Hammer suddenly understood and smiled. “Magistrate Tao truly possesses insight.”

From the very beginning, she had noticed Old Tao.

After following Master One-Hammer for so many years, if there was one thing she trusted, it was her ability to judge people.

Though the elderly man before her looked utterly ordinary, his calm and steady bearing was clearly anything but ordinary. In comparison, Tao Mo appeared far less impressive.

Unable to resist her curiosity, she asked, “And this old gentleman is…?”

“This is my steward, Old Tao,” Tao Mo replied.

Old Tao bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Madam One-Hammer.”

“Oh, Elder, you flatter me too much.” Madam One-Hammer waved her hand lightly before pretending to glance out the window. “It is getting late, so I should return. As for Yinghong’s matter, I ask Magistrate Tao to trouble himself a little more on her behalf. Her life was filled with hardship. After death, please at least allow her some peace and quiet.”

Tao Mo failed to understand the hidden meaning behind her words, but Old Tao understood perfectly well.

After seeing Madam One-Hammer off, he immediately asked Hao Guozi to pass a message to Cui Jiong:

If there were no suspicious points in the case, then Miss Tong should simply be allowed to rest peacefully.

Originally, Cui Jiong had worked so diligently because of the relationship between Master One-Hammer and the Tong family.

Now, seeing Madam One-Hammer visit in person and Old Tao subtly hint at the matter immediately afterward, how could he fail to understand the situation?

Thus, he stopped involving himself unnecessarily and officially ruled the case a suicide by hanging.

At this point, the matter should have come to an end.

Yet before one wave had settled, another wave rose.

Once again, it was an early morning while Tao Mo still slept groggily in bed.

Suddenly, the drum outside the county yamen thundered loudly enough to shake the heavens.

Hao Guozi rushed frantically into the room, dragged Tao Mo upright, hurriedly dressed and washed him, then bundled him directly into the courtroom.

Poor Tao Mo only fully woke up after sitting upon the magistrate’s chair and seeing someone kneeling below him.

“You… what is the matter?” He rubbed his eyes vigorously.

“Magistrate! I beg Magistrate to redress this injustice!”

The man before him radiated fury, his large eyes fixed upon Tao Mo like two nails trying to pin him to the wall.

Tao Mo felt his scalp go numb beneath the stare, and even his voice trembled slightly. “What injustice? Speak.”

“This commoner wishes to accuse the Tong family and the Magistrate of Tanyang County together of driving Tong Yinghong to her death!”

His voice rang loudly and forcefully, every word striking the ground like iron.

Tao Mo looked confused for quite some time before finally saying, “The Magistrate of Tanyang County is… me.”

“Exactly so, Magistrate.” The man clearly assumed Tao Mo was pretending ignorance, and his anger intensified.

Adviser Jin, standing nearby, shook his head repeatedly.

Truly, when three people repeat a lie, it becomes truth.

Though he did not know the exact relationship between this young man and Tong Yinghong, it was obvious the fellow had been deceived by the rumors and genuinely believed Tao Mo intended to marry Miss Tong.

Adviser Jin himself had also heard many rumors these past few days, yet he had merely laughed them off. After all, he had personally been present when Madam One-Hammer raised the marriage proposal and knew Tao Mo was innocent beyond innocence.

Tao Mo asked, “Why accuse me?”

“Magistrate Tao! Let me ask you this plainly—did you intend to marry Tong Yinghong?”

“Of course not,” Tao Mo answered immediately.

The man nearly choked with rage. “Magistrate! A true man should stand tall beneath heaven, taking responsibility for his own actions! Does Magistrate intend to become a cowardly turtle grandson instead?!”

“Insolence!”

Adviser Jin truly could not listen any longer and finally snapped.

He did not know why Tao Mo tolerated the man, but allowing someone to rant so wildly within the courtroom was utterly improper.

Turning toward Tao Mo, he said, “Magistrate, this man speaks recklessly and behaves with outrageous arrogance. I request Magistrate restore discipline to the court.”

Tao Mo blinked in confusion. “How does one restore discipline?”

Adviser Jin laughed from sheer exasperation. “The judge’s block!”

Only then did Tao Mo realize that the judge’s block resting upon the desk was not merely something to touch—it could actually be raised and slammed down.

He looked toward the man, who glared defiantly back at him.

After thinking for a moment, Tao Mo finally lifted the judge’s block and lightly tapped it against the desk.

“Everything I said just now was completely true.”

“……”

At this point, Adviser Jin no longer felt angry with the accuser.

He simply wanted to throw the fool currently sitting on the magistrate’s seat out of the courtroom instead.

Even the accuser himself seemed stunned by Tao Mo’s utterly unexpected response. After a long silence, he finally demanded, “There is no smoke without fire! How does Magistrate explain the rumors spreading through every street and alley?”

“It was not I who spread them.”

The man gritted his teeth angrily. “Magistrate, do you dare deny that you once held feelings for Yinghong?”

“I truly never had such feelings,” Tao Mo answered honestly.

The man became so furious his face and neck turned bright red.

Before beating the grievance drum and coming here, he had already prepared himself for the worst possible outcome.

His friends had also made preparations. If anything happened to him, they would immediately hire one of Lin Zhengyong’s disciples as a litigation master to defend him.

Ideally, Tao Mo would subject him to harsh punishment or torture. Whether the injuries were serious or slight, he had already resolved to endure them willingly.

But none of his expectations resembled the current situation.

No matter how fiercely he struck, it felt as though his blows landed upon a ball of cotton, utterly without force or effect.

Could it be that this magistrate intended to shamelessly dodge the issue to the very end?

He had long heard that some litigation masters excelled at evasive arguments, but he had never expected the magistrate himself to be equally skilled.

Thinking this, he steeled his resolve and suddenly rose to his feet.

“Tao Mo! Above your head stand the watching heavens! Touch your conscience—if Yinghong truly died full of grievance, can you honestly sleep peacefully at night?”

Obediently, Tao Mo placed a hand over his heart.

“If Yinghong truly died wronged, then as the local magistrate, I will absolutely seek justice for her!”

The man stared at him for a long while before abruptly sweeping his sleeves and storming out.

In his imagination, no matter how patient Tao Mo might be, the blatant contempt he had shown for the courtroom should have provoked fury.

Yet strangely, he walked all the way out of the county yamen without hearing a single shout or attempt to stop him.

Tao Mo and the yamen runners alike seemed to have lost their voices. Even the adviser who had earlier rebuked him remained silent.

Seeing the astonished expressions on the faces of his friends waiting outside the yamen, the man himself suddenly felt lost and confused as well.

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