"It's unfortunate that I cannot fulfill my duty. I must take care of an old Father, so it's impossible for me to be a witness if you take this matter to court."
"Good lad, come with me." Bu Siong invited him into a restaurant and ordered enough food. After treating the young boy to a meal, Bu Siong began speaking in a friendly voice.
"Turns out you, still so young, are devoted to your parents. That's very good, A Goan. I can only help a little, here..." He handed out five taels of silver to the boy. "This is a little help for your beloved Father. Once this matter is settled, I will give you another ten taels so that you can start a small business. Now tell me,! Has my Brother ever fought with anyone? Who might have wanted his death? And who did my Brother-in-law marry? Come on, tell me and don't hide anything from me!" A Goan stored the gift.
"Father can live for five months with this money, so let me prepare to be a witness." A Goan then described in detail what happened at Old Lady Wang's house, his fight with Old Lady Wang, and how Bu Toa, who wanted to catch his wife and Shi Men having a secret meeting in Old Lady Wang's house, received a strong kick to his abdomen from Shi Men, and how a few days later Bu Toa suddenly died.
"And who did my Brother-in-law marry?" asked Bu Siong even though he had a guess.
"Who else but young master Shi Men!"
"Hmph, that damn rascal! I had a hunch. Listen, A Goan. Tomorrow morning you must be ready at the court office. I need you as a witness. Now, where does the coroner, Hu Kiu, live?"
"You're too late, Captain. Three days ago, when he heard that you were arriving, he left, and no one knows where to."
They parted ways and the next morning, very early, Bu Siong asked a scribe to write an official complaint letter. With this letter in his hand, Bu Siong went to the courthouse where A Goan was waiting. Bu Siong entered the court and knelt in the room, shouting out loud,
"Injustice...!" The prosecutor appeared and immediately asked him to hand over his complaint letter. Bu Siong surrendered the complaint letter and loudly accused the fleeing Hu Kiu, who as a coroner had accepted a bribe and hid the facts about the secret of Bu Toa's death.
He also accused Old Lady Wang of planning the murder of Bu Toa and finally, he accused Shi Men of committing adultery with Bu Toa's wife, and also helping to kill Bu Toa by kicking his abdomen. For all these accusations, he brought a witness, A Goan, who witnessed all the accusations. The prosecutor was confused and worried because he and his subordinates were very close to Shi Men. The prosecutor and his assistants then withdrew into their room to hold a discussion. All the people working in the court had received a lot of "favors" from Shi Men, so they all agreed to prevent Shi Men from being prosecuted. With this decision, the prosecutor came out to meet Bu Siong.
"Bu Siong, as an appointed Security Captain, you should understand more about the regulations. You can't accuse adultery if one of the spouses is no more. Also, you can't accuse murder without an official examination of the victim's body. Your complaint is solely based on this young man's testimony, and this is not enough. If I open court proceedings and prosecute as per your complaint, I will be considered biased and irresponsible. You are rather hasty in your complaint, Bu Siong. Please reconsider your complaint."
Of course, Bu Siong was not satisfied with this response. He demanded that Shi Men, Kim Lian, and Old Lady Wang be immediately arrested and brought to court. If his accusations were later proven false, he was willing to accept the punishment as it should be.
"Ah, we can't just decide this," the prosecutor replied to evade. "We have to discuss it thoroughly before making an arrest without evidence. We will consider it. Meanwhile, stand up and we will conclude the matter here."
With a heavy heart, Bu Siong returned to his headquarters bringing A Goan with him. He didn't want to lose his main witness, so it's better if he's always with him. Imagine the fear in Shi Men's heart when he heard about Bu Siong's investigation into his Brother's death and his report to the court. He knew he had to act as quickly as possible. Immediately a large sum of money was withdrawn from his vault and that night he had succeeded in buying all the officials in the prosecutor's office and court, from the leader down to the lowest employee! The next day, Bu Siong was surprised because he was summoned to the court office and received his complaint letter back. The officer even gently advised,
"You shouldn't trust rumors without evidence too much. It is indeed unwise to make someone like Shi Men an enemy. You should not rush and act recklessly. Without concrete evidence, only with the testimony of one who is not yet of age, we are incapable and dare not make an arrest. If the complaint turns out to be false, not only you have to take responsibility. Young master Shi Men could also complain about us to the royal city and we would all be doomed!" With furrowed brows, Bu Siong said,
"So, in your opinion, can the injustice suffered by my late Brother not be prosecuted? I guarantee that my complaint is not false." Because he felt it was useless to persuade an official who seemed to have been influenced by Shi Men, Bu Siong took his complaint letter and left the courthouse. He also sent A Goan home as he was no longer needed. The sense of injustice made his brave face reddish and of course, he would not retreat a step. Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, he said to himself,
"That rotten whore! What kind of person would I be if I had to swallow all these insults?" With wide strides, Bu Siong headed to Shi Men's drug store. He entered the shop and approached Hok, the shop manager, and said in a loud voice. "Is your master here?" While suppressing his fear, Hok answered.
"He's not here. What's the matter, Captain?" Bu Siong grabbed Hok's collar, clenched it, and pulled the man's body closer, then said in a threatening tone,
"Do you want to die?" With a trembling body and pale face, Hok answered.
"Captain, forgive me... why are you angry with me? What wrong have I done to you?"
"Answer truthfully if you value your life. Where is that dog Shi Men? And when did he bring my former Brother-in-law to his house? Answer or..."
"Captain, forgive me and don't beat me. I'm just an employee of Young Master Shi Men who knows nothing. I just manage the shop, how could I know about his household affairs? All I know is that he just left to drink wine with his friends at the big wine shop on Lion Street. That's all I know and I'm not lying to you." Bu Siong released his grip. While Hok was still standing there, too scared to move a step, Bu Siong had left with a long stride towards Lion Street.
At that moment, Shi Men was sitting drinking wine with Li, the secretary of the city district office. Li was known as someone who liked to connect those who needed help with officials, also acted as a broker in bribery matters so people nicknamed him Broker Li. When the prosecutor returned and rejected Bu Siong's complaint, it was Li who quickly informed Shi Men. Feeling so delighted hearing this news, Shi Men gave Li a gift of five taels of silver and invited him to drink together. As they were enjoying their wine, Shi Men happened to look out the window and saw Bu Siong running into Lion Street and had arrived on the bridge.
Seeing this warrior, Shi Men was half scared to death and he quickly ran to hide in the back of the attic. Broker Li did not run away, he didn't have time and also, he was not afraid. He had no business with Bu Siong, why should he run, he thought, and continued to drink his wine as he pleased. Bu Siong ran up to the attic and saw a man drinking wine accompanied by two singing girls. Shi Men was not visible. Bu Siong recognized Broker Li, so he understood what had happened. No doubt, this man came to bring news to Shi Men that his complaint was rejected. His anger was uncontrollable. He approached Li and shouted,
Glossary
- Bu Siong: A character's name in the story.
- Shi Men: Another character's name, accused of several crimes by Bu Siong.
- Kakak: Indonesian term for an older brother or sister.
- Hu Kiu: The coroner involved in the story.
- A Goan: A character who is a key witness in the story.
- Calo Li: A character recognized as a broker who connects people with officials.
- tael: An ancient Chinese unit of weight, used as currency in the story.