"Wang Baotian of Longmen Village, Shilipo Village, your son Wang Fu'an was killed. Why did you accuse the painter Rong Tianding?"
"Sir, my son suffered from a water ghost, and it was all caused by the painter Rong. If not..."
Without the immortal paintings of Rong Tianding to protect him, Wang Fuan would not go out to look for sheep at night.
There is indeed some causal connection to death.
But if Wang Fu'an's death is blamed on Rong Tianding, this kind of thing will inevitably lead to various negative consequences.
Just like what Rong Li shouted, when the time comes, people will die because of who they are, and whether they will fall or fall when they walk will depend on the uneven ground in front of them.
Mr. Bao cannot set such a precedent, but he also has opinions on Rong Tianding's deception of immortal paintings to make money and deceive people.
This needs to be handled properly by him.
In the courtroom, Mr. Bao watched the case of injustice that was almost finalized, and kept balancing in his heart.
"Rong Tianding, what do you have to say?"
After asking Wang Baotian, Mr. Bao turned to look at Rong Tianding.
"Sir, he is blackmailing people. I didn't kill anyone and I didn't harm anyone. I just sold peace paintings. Is this considered a crime?" Rong Tianding argued.
"Let me ask you, does your fairy painting have the effect of exorcising evil spirits?" Master Bao asked seriously.
"Yes." Rong Tianding replied bravely: "But adults also know that the fairy paintings cannot control everything. The kid will take a detour when he sees the fairy paintings. Evil ghosts and evil ghosts cannot control that much, and will directly break the protection of the fairy paintings!"
Thinking of Zhang Xuezhou's instructions, Rong Tianding quickly spoke out his words of defense.
It's not that he can't draw well, it's that the other person's problems are too serious.
This kind of excuse prevents Rong Tianding from becoming a street rat selling fake goods, and can also effectively shirk part of the responsibility.
"Did you bring that fairy painting?" Master Bao asked.
"Sir, Xiaomin, there are two paintings of immortals here," Rong Tianding responded.
"Send it up!"
Mr. Bao responded and immediately called the officials to pick up the fairy painting of the new daughter.
When he saw Rong Tianding's painting of an immortal with a pig's head and a human body, Mr. Bao's brows had already furrowed deeply.
If it is said that the Mu Taoist from Puyun Temple three miles outside the city is still capable and can deal with some civil disturbances, Rong Tianding can only say that it is a pure lie.
In the paintings of immortals, Mr. Bao could not see any entanglement of magic power, nor could he see any marks of manifest magic.
This is just an ordinary painting, even poorly painted.
The only saving grace is that pig blood is used as the paint, and the canvas has a bit of a fishy smell, which is in line with the absurd folk theories that chicken blood, dog blood, and pig blood can drive away evil spirits.
"If you can sell fairy paintings, you should be a smart person." Master Bao said: "Smart people don't need me to say too much. I won't ruin your business, but you have to give me an explanation!"
Master Bao does not want Rongcheng to start blackmailing people after death, but he must punish such deceptions appropriately and let the other party know and respect them.
The price of real protective items is not acceptable to ordinary people, so ordinary people can only buy some useless items to comfort their hearts.
Of course Rong Tianding can sell such handmade products that have no magic power and no guarantee of safety.
Moreover, the other party's price is very fair, with only a 10% premium on the basic material canvas, which is a labor fee.
Once the Shilipo haunting incident is over, Rong Tianding's business will inevitably cool down and he will be able to barely make ends meet.
The balance needs to be grasped by him, and it also needs to be understood by Rong Tianding.
If Rong Tianding is willing, Mr. Bao feels that the other party will provide a consoling compensation and the matter will be over.
There are always gains and losses in doing business. You can't just get in but not get out. He hopes Rong Tianding understands this truth.
"grown ups……"
Rong Tianding responded in a weak voice.
After all, he was not yet twenty years old. Although there were parents and cousins outside the hall, he had never seen such a battle.
When Mr. Bao, who was in the high hall, shouted and asked, cold sweat broke out on Rong Tianding's forehead, and he felt that his head had turned into a ball of paste.
He didn't know what to explain to Mr. Bao.
Explain that he has been influenced by Jia Zhiyuan since he was a child and thinks that scholars are superior to others? Explain that he sells paintings in order not to inherit his ancestral business? Or explain the whole story of his tinkering with fairy paintings...
There are countless questions in Rong Tianding's head.
Whenever Mr. Bao casually asked about it, he would spit it out.
But Mr. Bao didn't remind him, he just wanted an explanation. Rong Tianding didn't know where to start with this explanation.
"My husband died so miserably!"
"Hey son!"
"It's all my fault for selling the fairy paintings. If it weren't for the fairy paintings, how could you go out at night?"
…
In the courtroom, Wang Baotian and Wang Fu'an's mother-in-law whispered, cursing Rong Tianding from time to time.
This made Rong Tianding feel like he couldn't explain anything. The more he explained, the more involved he would be.
When he had an idea, he just felt that he should cut off the source.
"Every wrong has its owner, and every debt has its owner. The person who killed Wang Fu'an was a ghost, so what does it have to do with us? The worst we can do is find the ghost. You love to beat and kill, so don't blame us for everything in the future!"
Rong Tianding thought for dozens of seconds, and finally couldn't bear to be cursed, so he loudly responded to Master Bao.
His response stunned Mr. Bao.
I originally wanted the other party to spend money to eliminate the disaster, but I didn't expect that Rong Tianding, an ordinary person, would take the initiative to catch the ghost.
But he thought for a few seconds and nodded again.
Although the other party tried to defraud people out of money, they were not bad-hearted. At least they knew how to deal with the aftermath.
The ghost story in Shilipo has caused quite a stir. Not only are there rumors among the people, but the government has also taken note of it and is planning an investigation.
Rong Tianding and others can be a pioneer when the time comes, and people from the government can follow behind the scenes to check and help. If there are really evil things causing trouble, it will also be convenient for these people to gain more knowledge, retain awe of ghosts and gods in their hearts, and do less such deceptive things in the future.
This kind of arrangement is more appropriate, it avoids the evil act of blackmailing people wherever they die, and it has a high probability of punishing little liars like Rong Tianding.
Master Bao thought for a few seconds and realized that there was no problem with this arrangement.
"Wang Baotian, there is a wrongdoer and a debtor. This Rong Tianding agreed to catch the ghost. Do you have anything else to accuse?" Lord Bao asked.
"Sir, as long as the ghost can be crushed to ashes, my son Fu'an's life will not be in vain. If the painter can really catch the ghost, we will kneel down and thank him for his revenge!"
Wang Baotian looked bitter.
When their son died, they naturally felt bitter in their hearts.
But if they want to seek revenge, they have no way to do so.
After all, they just want justice.
As for what kind of justice this justice is, Wang Baotian has no answer in his mind.
But as long as the confusion and helplessness in their hearts can be alleviated, Wang Baotian thinks that is justice.
At this time, Rong Tianding decided to catch the ghost, and things turned out better than Wang Baotian imagined.
"What if this artist catches ghosts and loses his life?" Wang Baotian asked hesitantly.
"Then he brought it upon himself," Master Bao replied.
"What if he can't catch the ghost?" Wang Baotian's mother-in-law asked: "Or maybe he will shirk it in every possible way and just won't catch the ghost!"
"I have a wooden stick to serve me," Master Bao said, "If Tian Ding can't figure out the cause of the matter, the Yamen will stick ten sticks!"
"I'm afraid my butt will be smashed with ten sticks!" an official threatened in a low voice.
"Last time, that so-and-so received ten canes. His lower body was beaten to pieces. He couldn't get up his legs and feet. He defecated on the bed every day. His mother-in-law disliked him so much!"
"There is no filial son in front of a long-term illness, let alone other people. I'm afraid they will be rejected and turned into trash."
Two more officials agreed.
This may be some kind of intimidation process by the Yamen.
This can satisfy the wronged and frighten the punished.
At least for Wang Baotian and others, upon hearing this assurance, the grief of losing their son was instantly relieved by half. This chapter has been completed!