Seventy-One: The Wager

"The capital is truly bustling," Li Xintian remarked as he stepped into the grand city of Great Yan.

"Stay close and don’t get lost," he reminded.

"If you get lost, I’ll still be just fine. Have you forgotten who I am?" Hu Qiuyan glanced around, paying little mind to his words.

"Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry up and see!" someone shouted. "There’s an execution at the execution grounds today!"

A crowd surged toward the execution grounds, eager to secure a good spot.

"Xintian, there’s an execution! Let’s go join the excitement!" Hu Qiuyan called out, already dashing toward the throng, only to be caught by Li Xintian.

"Don’t go. It’s all blood and gore. You’ll have nightmares after seeing it," he said, holding her back.

"What’s there to fear? I’ve lived longer than you, do you think an execution frightens me?" Hu Qiuyan retorted, pulling Li Xintian along with the crowd toward the execution grounds.

The drums beat heavily at the execution grounds.

Eight men knelt upon the platform, each with a death plaque stabbed into their backs. Four burly executioners stood behind them, exuding a menacing aura with their broad blades.

"Wuling native, Zhu Fang—turned bandit, murdered for greed, committed countless crimes, utterly without conscience—sentenced to beheading, to the satisfaction of all."

Zhu Fang wore a malicious glare as the crowd cheered in approval.

"From Zhezhou, Bai Yongcheng—faithless for profit, greedy by nature, seller of fake medicine, causing deaths with disregard for life."

Bai Yongcheng was an elderly man, his face etched with grievance.

"Innocent! I am innocent!" a young man in mourning garb beat a gong and cried out, "Injustice!" Another held a pole with a cloth banner reading, "Corrupt officials judge only for money."

The onlookers made way for them.

"My father is innocent!" the young man shouted angrily at the prefect presiding over the execution.

"Audacious scoundrel! How dare you cause a scene at the execution ground? This is lawlessness!" the prefect slammed his gavel on the table in fury.

"The truly lawless are you corrupt officials! You dogs abuse your power, take bribes from the apothecary Cao Zhensi, and wrong my father! You’ll surely face heavenly retribution!" the young man declared, undaunted by the threat of death.

"Yes! Retribution will come for you! May the corrupt die wretched deaths!" The companion echoed, rousing the crowd to join their cries against the officials.

"Seize them!" the prefect roared, pounding his gavel again.

Four constables advanced and grabbed the two.

"Let us go! Since ancient times, filial piety and parental love are heaven’s law. If you dare impede our parting, you defy the very order of nature!" the young man struggled in their grasp.

The crowd closed in around the constables, preventing them from taking the young men away, all shouting that it was against heaven’s will.

"Xintian, aren’t you going to help?" Hu Qiuyan asked, unperturbed by the commotion.

"Help? Of course. But not yet—we need to see how things unfold," Li Xintian replied, wanting to understand the situation before acting.

The four constables, seeing the crowd’s determination and wary of causing too much trouble under the emperor’s gaze, released the young men.

The young man stepped onto the execution platform, but was halted by the constables before he reached Bai Yongcheng.

"Father, your son is unworthy. In ancient times, Ti Ying saved her father. I had no gold or silver to bribe these dog officials, so you became their scapegoat," the young man knelt on the platform and cried.

"No, it is I who have brought you suffering," Bai Yongcheng shook his head in sorrow.

"It’s you corrupt officials who have made the people suffer! Since you love money so much, let me give you a bushel of spirit coins!" The young man flung the paper money in fury.

"Take it! Take it, you dogs!" he shouted as he cast the coins.

"Take them away!" the prefect roared in anger.

Two constables dragged the young man from the platform, but he continued to scatter the spirit coins.

"Take them! You corrupt officials—take them!" he cried, even as he was pulled away.

"May heaven open its eyes! May heaven open its eyes!" he shouted.

"The hour has come," the prefect declared, checking the sky. He raised the execution token and cast it down.

As the token fell, Li Xintian caught it midair.

"Lord Prefect, after all these years, is this what you’ve become?" Li Xintian had intended to return quietly to the capital, but now had no choice but to intervene.

"And who are you, to dare disrupt the execution? Seize him!" a middle-aged official beside the prefect ordered.

With a resounding slap, the prefect struck the official.

"Pay your respects to the Inspector," he said, instantly recognizing Li Xintian.

"That is in the past. I am no longer the Inspector, merely a scholar with a provincial degree. Reexamine Bai Yongcheng’s case," Li Xintian commanded.

"Who doesn’t know your close ties to the royal family? Stop pretending," the prefect muttered inwardly.

"Yes, Inspector," the prefect replied, obedient despite his misgivings.

Meanwhile, in the Underworld—

"Bai Yongcheng’s fate was to die on the execution ground today," said Judge Lu, sitting to one side.

"Besides, Bai Yongcheng is an utter simpleton. He lacks knowledge, can’t tell right from wrong, so he fell victim to evil. Had he been a bit smarter, perhaps he would not have met this end," Judge Lu continued.

"Not necessarily. Facts are facts. Human nature is inherently evil. If Bai Yongcheng were smarter, he’d simply become more wicked," retorted Lord Situ, disagreeing.

"If he were a little brighter, he wouldn’t have been tricked by that fraudulent apothecary Cao Zhensi, and thus would not have harmed the innocent," Judge Lu insisted.

"The more clever, the more wicked. What do you mean by ‘harming the innocent’?" Lord Situ challenged.

"You two should stop this argument. Bai Yongcheng’s fate has already changed—someone intervened," said Judge Hei, after checking the register of souls and finding Bai Yongcheng absent.

"What? Who interfered?" Judge Lu stood up in surprise.

"Li Xintian. And Bai Yongcheng’s lifespan now stretches to ninety-six years," Lord Situ confirmed after examining the life records.

"And Cao Zhensi? He’s now destined for the executioner’s blade in two days," Judge Lu added, having consulted the records.

"Enough of your endless debate. If you two keep arguing, you’ll go on for centuries with no resolution. Why don’t you make a wager instead?" suggested Judge Hei.

"How would we wager?" both asked at once.

"It’s simple. Let’s take one foolish person, make him smart, and see—does he turn to evil, or become a good and virtuous man, helping others and doing good deeds?"

"That’s not a bad idea," Lord Situ nodded.

"Agreed. A wager it is," Judge Lu concurred, intrigued.

"A wager it is," Lord Situ affirmed, unafraid.