Futile Devices Scans

The Gu residence was brightly lit.

When Tao Mo saw Gu She, he was brewing tea. Before the simple, antique tea table stood a stool. Tao Mo turned to look at Gu Xiaojia, only to catch sight of his retreating back as he pulled Hao Guozi away.

The door was half-closed.

A corner of moonlight lay upon the floor, a little bright, a little cold, and somehow making one’s heart feel inexplicably uneasy.

“Sit,” Gu She said blandly.

Tao Mo sat down on the stool, his back ramrod straight.

The fire in the stove leapt restlessly, its fine, fragmented warmth wavering over his face. He looked at Gu She’s long, steady fingers and said in a low voice, “The carriage has been found.”

“Mm.”

“Outside the city.”

“Mm.”

“Nothing was missing.”

“Mm.”

“But I will do my best to find the person who stole the carriage,” Tao Mo vowed solemnly.

Gu She found time to lift his eyes and glance at him. “The person who stole the carriage?”

Tao Mo froze, unable to figure out what was wrong with those words.

Gu She said, “Should one who steals not be called a thief?”

Tao Mo lowered his head and thought carefully. After a long while, he mustered his courage and said, “I think that since he stole the carriage yet took not a single coin and abandoned it outside the city, he must have had his reasons.” He watched Gu She’s expression, afraid that even a single word or phrase might once again offend some taboo of his.

Gu She was neither angry nor warm. “What reason do you think it was?”

Tao Mo said, “Perhaps he needed to use the carriage.”

The corners of Gu She’s mouth lifted slightly.

Tao Mo asked cautiously, “Did I say something wrong?”

“No. It makes sense.” Gu She said, “A carriage is originally meant to be used. It is only that too many people have complicated hearts and think complicated thoughts.”

Hearing Gu She agree with him, Tao Mo could not help growing bolder and said, “This is what I think. Perhaps that person had an urgent matter and, left with no other choice, borrowed the carriage.”

Gu She said, “He abandoned the carriage outside the city.”

Tao Mo’s eyes lit up. “Perhaps he was in a hurry to enter the city!”

Gu She did not answer.

Tao Mo thought again for a moment. “Ah, if he was in a hurry to enter the city, why did he not simply drive the carriage into the city?”

Gu She added fresh water to the teapot.

Tao Mo buried his head and thought for a long while.

Gu She suddenly spoke. “Where did you first go to search for the lost carriage?”

“In the city. Because Adviser Jin said that if the Gu residence’s carriage entered the city, it would definitely be recognized… Ah! He knew that too. He recognized that carriage as belonging to the Gu residence.” Tao Mo felt his thoughts clear all at once. “The carriage disappeared at Long Mountain, and he knew that carriage was yours. That person, that person is from Sangtou Village?”

Gu She turned his head slightly and looked at the moonlight shifting eastward before the door. “It is late.”

Tao Mo froze and instinctively looked at the teapot in his hand.

“I am tired. You should rest as well.” Gu She directly issued the order to leave.

“Oh. All right. I’m sorry. I became too absorbed talking about the case.” Tao Mo stood in a fluster and hurried toward the door, afraid that if he moved too slowly, he would offend him.

Gu She watched Tao Mo leave. Then he reached out and picked up the teapot that had been heated by the stove, pouring all the clear water inside into the bucket beside him.

On one side, Tao Mo had just had the obstruction in his thoughts cleared by Gu She’s hints. On the other, Cui Jiong directly brought the culprit before the court.

When Tao Mo received the news, he hurriedly changed into his official robes and rushed from the Gu residence back to the county yamen. Coming with him was Gu Xiaojia, who was acting as the plaintiff.

After seeing Tao Mo preside over several cases, Adviser Jin had finally been unable to bear it and, in his free time, read him several popular legendary detective stories circulating among the common people. Although they were not entirely reliable, in Adviser Jin’s opinion, no matter how unreliable they were, they were still far more reliable than his own county magistrate.

Therefore, after Tao Mo ascended the court, he was not as flustered and helpless as before, not knowing what to do. Instead, he asked calmly, “Who kneels below?”

That man was trembling and just about to answer when there came a sharp crack as the judge’s block struck the table. He was immediately so frightened that he prostrated himself on the ground and cried in panic, “This lowly one is Sang Xiaotu. This lowly one, this lowly one begs Your Excellency for mercy! Begs Your Excellency for mercy!” As he spoke, he kowtowed three times with loud thuds.

Only after asking his question had Tao Mo remembered that the county magistrates in the stories all struck the judge’s block before questioning people in order to bolster their authority, so he had hurriedly made up for it. He had not expected to frighten the man below. He quickly softened his voice and said, “Do not be afraid. First tell the matter from beginning to end.”

Hearing Tao Mo’s calm voice, Sang Xiaotu settled slightly and said in a low voice, “This lowly one is a villager of Sangtou Village. My family originally had a few mu of land, but a few years ago, in order to gather money to buy medicine for my father, we sold it all. Now I do odd jobs in the city.”

Gu Xiaojia said, “This odd work you speak of would not happen to be the work of a gentleman on the beam, would it?”

Sang Xiaotu said blankly, “I have never carried beams, but I have carried boxes before. Big boxes.”

Adviser Jin gave two dry coughs.

Tao Mo, who had been listening with great concentration, immediately asked with concern, “Adviser, are you feeling unwell? Do you need to leave the court and rest first?”

Adviser Jin said irritably, “Many thanks for Your Excellency’s concern.”

Seeing that his complexion was rosy and he truly did not seem to have any illness or pain, Tao Mo finally set his mind at ease and said to Sang Xiaotu, “Adviser Jin should not sit for too long, so you should focus on the important parts.”

…

What did he mean, should not sit for too long?

Adviser Jin’s face turned green, then white. Although Tao Mo had indeed gone along with his original intention, the reason he gave truly left Adviser Jin “ashamed.”

Sang Xiaotu was so frightened that he nodded again and again. “That day, my father was coughing badly. I carried him on my back to the county town to see a doctor, but halfway there, my father could not hold on anymore. His face was waxy white, waxy white. I was afraid he would not make it to the county town, that halfway there he would… would…” His eyes grew wet, and he sobbed. “At that time, I could not think of anything. I saw a carriage beside the road, and there was no one in it, so I thought I should save him first. At worst, after saving him, I would secretly send it back. Later, after I put my father into the carriage, I realized that the carriage was beautiful like, like… a flower. I guessed it was Young Master Gu’s carriage, but my father was clearly about to die, and I did not dare think about anything. I just, just drove the carriage to the county town. I knew Young Master Gu was an important person in the city, so I did not dare go inside and left the carriage outside. I thought perhaps someone would discover it. If Young Master Gu found the carriage, perhaps he would not pursue the matter. If no one found it, I would secretly send it back again. Who would have known that when I turned back to look, I saw many constables. I was terrified. I did not know, did not know it would turn out like this. My father is gone, and I, I…”

The county yamen was completely silent. Only the sound of his wailing as he lay prostrate on the ground could be heard.

Adviser Jin sighed inwardly for a while, then turned his head, intending to remind Tao Mo to continue hearing the case, only to see him lying over the desk and secretly wiping away tears. “…”

One in the court and one below, one in secret and one in the open, were crying so freely that the case was instead left stranded.

Clap, clap, clap.

Three claps sounded.

Tao Mo froze and looked outside the court with a pair of red-rimmed eyes.

Lu Zhenxue, dressed in a dark red robe, walked leisurely out from among the crowd.

Adviser Jin frowned inwardly and reminded Tao Mo, “This is the court. Uninvolved persons should not enter.”

Tao Mo nodded to show that he understood, then turned to Lu Zhenxue and said, “What have you come to court for?”

Adviser Jin hated it so much he wanted to pound the table.

After several interactions, Lu Zhenxue had long since understood Tao Mo’s nature thoroughly, so this result was also within his expectations. Smiling, he said, “To fight a lawsuit.”

“Whose lawsuit?” Tao Mo asked in astonishment.

Lu Zhenxue pointed toward Sang Xiaotu, who was lying on the ground, sobbing and hiccuping. “His.”

Adviser Jin could not help personally stepping forward. “Did Litigation Master Lu and Sang Xiaotu have a prior agreement?”

Lu Zhenxue said, “Before this, he and I had never met.”

He had heard that Lord Tao had once again ascended the court to hear a case, so he had come out of curiosity to take a look. Unexpectedly, the case actually involved Gu She. Gu She had only come to Tanyang County a little over two years ago and had never once appeared in court, yet for a time, his reputation had already become unmatched, surpassing Lu Zhenxue, who had originally stood alone at the very top. Lu Zhenxue had long wanted to find an opportunity to compete with him. The previous case between the Liang and Qiu families had merely been a small test of the blade. Now that such a rare opportunity had appeared, he refused to believe Gu She would still stay away after being stepped on like this!

Adviser Jin asked, “You have no connection at all?”

Lu Zhenxue shook his head. “Neither kin nor acquaintance.”

“Then I ask Litigation Master Lu to listen to the proceedings from outside the court.” If the Lu family were not one of the foremost great households in Tanyang County, Adviser Jin would never have spoken so politely.

Ignoring him, Lu Zhenxue looked straight at Tao Mo and said, “Lord Tao, Sang Xiaotu cannot read and knows even less of our dynasty’s laws. I ask Your Excellency to graciously allow me to act as his litigation master and argue on his behalf.” He knew that although Tao Mo appeared foolish, he was rarely impartial when hearing cases. Therefore, in his heart, he was completely certain Tao Mo would agree to this matter.

Unexpectedly, Tao Mo frowned. “You are neither kin nor acquaintance to him, and you have no connection to this matter. How can you argue on his behalf?”

Lu Zhenxue said, “In all things, what matters is reason. Even without kinship, acquaintance, or connection, one may still convince others through reason.”

Tao Mo said, “Then how do you know I will not convince others through reason?”

Lu Zhenxue froze.

Tao Mo said, “I ask Litigation Master Lu to stand to the side for now. If this official truly shows partiality, it will not be too late for you to come forward and argue then.”

Seeing Lu Zhenxue withdraw awkwardly from the court, Gu Xiaojia deliberately burst into loud laughter. He had known Tao Mo for so long, and this was the first time he felt that hearing Tao Mo speak could be so satisfying.

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