To adjudicate a dispute, one must trace its origins to weigh intent and assign blame. Gao Qing accuses Li Er o…
To adjudicate a dispute, one must trace its origins to weigh intent and assign blame. Gao Qing accuses Li Er of stealing a jade bracelet belonging to his wife. One morning, Madam Gao noticed the bracelet missing from her wrist. She testified that she had fallen asleep during the fourth watch and awoke shortly after, never removing the bracelet nor hearing any disturbance. Suspecting Li Er, Gao Qing led servants to search his home and allegedly recovered the stolen item.
Li Er's testimony reveals that he is Gao Qing's tenant, farming nine mu of poor-quality land. After crop failures from floods and droughts, he fell behind on rent. His sole possession was a jade bracelet, his late wife's dowry, which Gao Qing seized as collateral. However, Li Er claims the bracelet was not stolen by him but by a Swordsman who overheard his lamentations. This man, known only by the alias "Meridian Touch," stole the bracelet that very night but returned it to Li Er, urging him to hide it well. Yet Gao Qing found it anyway.
Of Meridian Touch, I have heard. The yamen has several unsolved cases involving him. Li Er, a lifelong farmer, is physically frail and lacks the agility for rooftop theft. Moreover, Gao Qing's compound shows no signs of forced entry. Thus, Gao Qing's accusation lacks solid evidence.
However, Li Er accepted the bracelet as debt payment, knew of the impending theft, and failed to intervene. Though not guilty of theft, he harbored stolen goods. Considering his clean record, he is spared theft charges but sentenced to twenty strokes. The bracelet is returned to Gao Qing. A warrant is issued for Meridian Touch; upon capture, his cases will be consolidated for further judgment.