"Enough with all these nonsense! The magistrate has given his orders! Who are you to question the magistrate orders and insists that my grandsons are guilty! It is more likely that your children were deeply in love and wanted to ascend to heaven together, so they stabbed themselves eleven times as their pledge of love and set themselves on fire, which eventually spread and burned the entire Ministry!" Old Ku started shouting in anger.
Judge Tang and Judge Cui started chuckling at the ridiculous scenario Old Ku just described and the audience laughed as well. Some of the constables' staff could be seen trembling as they tried their best to control their laughter.
"You…You…Ill Mannered rude old man!" Director Ling angrily started yelling at Old Ku and was pointing at him as he trembled in anger.
*Bang!*
Magistrate Dong slams his gravel hard and shouts "ENOUGH! The courtroom is not a sideshow for you clowns to argue! Look at the townsfolk munching on snacks while watching all of you, as if they are watching an opera show! Are you not ashamed of yourselves?"
"Men, are you waiting for me to serve you dinner? I have already given your orders, go slap Ku De Hua and Ku De Ren until they tell you where they drank and bought their wine and fireworks from and drag the shopkeepers here!" Magistrate Dong angrily yells out.
The constables move closer to the Ku brothers but before they could slap the Ku brothers, they quickly shouted out the names of the stalls they patronised. The constables stopped and quickly ran to the shops and dragged the shopkeepers over to the yamen.
…
About thirty minutes later, the three shopkeepers were brought to the yamen. They were unhappy at first as they had to leave their shop right before dinner time but when they saw the state of Ku De Hua and Ku De ren, they stopped grumbling and when they were told it was regarding two murders and the burning of the Ministry, they grew timid and said they would cooperate with whatever the magistrate requested.
As the three shopkeepers were kneeling on the ground, Magistrate Dong asked: "Do you recognise the two people over there?"
The three shopkeepers took a good hard look at Ku De Ren and Ku De Hua and the owner of the Inn said respectfully, "I recognise them. They were regulars at my inn and they were drinking in my inn a few days ago."
"Your honour, I have a lot of customers who just buy wine and leave…I don't recognise most of my customers…" the wine seller said softly as he was unsure if he recognised them or not.
"They must have burned my ministry in a drunken spur!" Director Ling yelled out confidently.
"Shut up! let the fireworks shopkeeper say if he remembers them or not first." Magistrate Dong snaps at Director Ling as he finally could not control himself anymore.
Director Ling gets a small shock as he never expected this lowly ranked official to scold him in public.
"Your honour, I recognise them…They came into my shop when they were drunk a few nights ago and bought some fireworks from me. They also spilt wine over my goods and caused me to lose some money! I tried to chase after them but they ran away quickly after buying the fireworks!" the fireworks seller said.
Once the fireworks seller finished talking, Old Ku stood up from his chair and gave Magistrate Dong a bow and said, "I think it is clear that my two grandsons were not the ones who set the ministry on fire, nor were they the ones who killed that adulterous pair as they should have been the same group of people. Please give the order and allow me to bring my grandchildren back home so I can treat their wounds."
"Enough with all these nonsense! The magistrate has given his orders! Who are you to question the magistrate orders and insists that my grandsons are guilty! It is more likely that your children were deeply in love and wanted to ascend to heaven together, so they stabbed themselves eleven times as their pledge of love and set themselves on fire, which eventually spread and burned the entire Ministry!" Old Ku started shouting in anger.
Judge Tang and Judge Cui started chuckling at the ridiculous scenario Old Ku just described and the audience laughed as well. Some of the constables' staff could be seen trembling as they tried their best to control their laughter.
"You…You…Ill Mannered rude old man!" Director Ling angrily started yelling at Old Ku and was pointing at him as he trembled in anger.
*Bang!*
Magistrate Dong slams his gravel hard and shouts "ENOUGH! The courtroom is not a sideshow for you clowns to argue! Look at the townsfolk munching on snacks while watching all of you, as if they are watching an opera show! Are you not ashamed of yourselves?"
"Men, are you waiting for me to serve you dinner? I have already given your orders, go slap Ku De Hua and Ku De Ren until they tell you where they drank and bought their wine and fireworks from and drag the shopkeepers here!" Magistrate Dong angrily yells out.
The constables move closer to the Ku brothers but before they could slap the Ku brothers, they quickly shouted out the names of the stalls they patronised. The constables stopped and quickly ran to the shops and dragged the shopkeepers over to the yamen.
…
About thirty minutes later, the three shopkeepers were brought to the yamen. They were unhappy at first as they had to leave their shop right before dinner time but when they saw the state of Ku De Hua and Ku De ren, they stopped grumbling and when they were told it was regarding two murders and the burning of the Ministry, they grew timid and said they would cooperate with whatever the magistrate requested.
As the three shopkeepers were kneeling on the ground, Magistrate Dong asked: "Do you recognise the two people over there?"
The three shopkeepers took a good hard look at Ku De Ren and Ku De Hua and the owner of the Inn said respectfully, "I recognise them. They were regulars at my inn and they were drinking in my inn a few days ago."
"Your honour, I have a lot of customers who just buy wine and leave…I don't recognise most of my customers…" the wine seller said softly as he was unsure if he recognised them or not.
"They must have burned my ministry in a drunken spur!" Director Ling yelled out confidently.
"Shut up! let the fireworks shopkeeper say if he remembers them or not first." Magistrate Dong snaps at Director Ling as he finally could not control himself anymore.
Director Ling gets a small shock as he never expected this lowly ranked official to scold him in public.
"Your honour, I recognise them…They came into my shop when they were drunk a few nights ago and bought some fireworks from me. They also spilt wine over my goods and caused me to lose some money! I tried to chase after them but they ran away quickly after buying the fireworks!" the fireworks seller said.
Once the fireworks seller finished talking, Old Ku stood up from his chair and gave Magistrate Dong a bow and said, "I think it is clear that my two grandsons were not the ones who set the ministry on fire, nor were they the ones who killed that adulterous pair as they should have been the same group of people. Please give the order and allow me to bring my grandchildren back home so I can treat their wounds."
