Charles Young’s aunts, uncles, and cousins all knelt down together, wailing loudly, while the family of Carol Shaw beside them turned pale with fright. The servants immediately pretended to be bystanders, and close relatives instantly became distant ones. Only his brother and wife stood there in a daze.

Sheriff King was not feeling well today, and their crying made him irritable. He waved his hand and cursed, “What the hell are you wailing for? If the man’s dead, just remarry, and you brothers can split up his property. You’ll be laughing soon enough, so don’t put on this fake show for me.”

Although William Thompson was an enforcer, he neither studied nor understood the law. He asked anxiously, “Should I have the men split up and give chase?”

“No need, as long as we have their family.” Sheriff King didn’t care about the fugitive at all. The Ming Dynasty was different from today; it enforced collective punishment. If a criminal ran, their family would have to take the blame. He glanced at Carol Shaw’s brother and wife, then immediately ordered his men, “Take them away.”

The constables all stepped forward and dragged away Carol Shaw’s brother and wife. According to the division of labor, Sheriff King was responsible for capturing the criminal and confiscating the property, and the benefits from this went to Sheriff King. The aftermath at the crime scene was William Thompson’s responsibility, and the benefits from that went to him. This had always been the unwritten rule. But today was different. If it were ordinary goods, they would just be moved to the county office, and any loss or damage would be considered normal. But today, the seized property happened to be a large group of slaves, both men and women. If they were taken to the county office, they’d have to be fed and managed, which would actually cost money. If someone died, or if a woman was harassed by a man, it would be another headache.

William Thompson looked at the slaves with some difficulty. He had no experience handling such matters, but Samuel Williams was an old clerk, experienced and savvy. He knew how to get benefits from this in a way the county magistrate would accept. He immediately stepped up and whispered to William Thompson, “Boss, this happened three years ago too. At that time, the magistrate’s instruction was to auction off the slaves on the spot and turn the money over to the public treasury.”

William Thompson pondered for a moment. This was indeed the best solution—everyone would be happy, and the people wouldn’t be harmed. Seeing the expectant looks from his men, he nodded and said to Samuel Williams and Henry Bolton, “You two handle this. I have some business at the county office.”

The constables were overjoyed, secretly praising their boss for understanding their hardships. These hundred-plus slaves were worth at least a thousand strings of cash; turning in half would be enough, and of course, the boss would keep a share too.

William Thompson turned his horse and headed back to the county office. Samuel Williams immediately jumped up and shouted, “Official auction of confiscated goods! Buy now while you can!”

……

William Thompson returned to the office to handle some trivial matters. Estimating that the auction should be over, he rode back to the small drill ground. By now it was afternoon, and the crowd had dispersed. The slaves had all been auctioned off, and the profits had been pocketed. Samuel Williams and Henry Bolton were counting the proceeds. When they saw William Thompson approach, Samuel Williams hurriedly handed over a bag of money. “Boss, the auction brought in a total of six hundred and forty-five strings of cash. It’s all here.”

Seeing no one else around, he quietly slipped an envelope into William Thompson’s arms and raised a finger, meaning one hundred strings. William Thompson knew that if he didn’t accept the money, his men wouldn’t feel at ease, but he truly didn’t want it. So William Thompson handed the envelope back to Samuel Williams and said, “I’m doing fine financially. These past two months, you all have worked hard with me. Split this money among the men who eat at the constable’s table. It’s not easy to support a family—consider it a token of my appreciation.”

Samuel Williams was both moved and full of respect. He silently accepted the money and put it away carefully. At that moment, William Thompson suddenly noticed a solitary figure still on the slave platform and asked in surprise, “Why is there still someone there?”

“That’s a mute girl. No one wanted to buy her. We tried to give her away with others, but she clung to the rope and refused to leave. The men felt sorry for her and let it go. We were planning to take her back to the county office.”

William Thompson spurred his horse closer. Sure enough, there was a little girl squatting on the slave platform, her back to them, face buried in her knees, crying silently. She was extremely thin, looking about twelve or thirteen, her clothes ragged, like a bean sprout.

“Boss, she’s mute but not deaf. I suspect someone used drugs to make her mute,” Samuel Williams called out. “Little girl, our boss is here. He’ll take you to the county office.”

The little girl kept crying, but her hand clung tightly to the rope, and faint blood marks could be seen where it had cut into her skin. William Thompson felt sorry for her and couldn’t bear it. He said to Samuel Williams, “I’ll pay for her. Let her go.”

The little girl trembled all over and slowly turned to look at William Thompson. Her hair was a tangled mess, covering her face so he couldn’t see her features. Samuel Williams quickly said, “Just let her go, boss. No need to pay.”

William Thompson shook his head, took out ten strings of cash and put them in the big bag, saying, “Business is business. We can’t let anyone catch us out. Letting her go is a good deed for me. Go record it in the accounts.”

William Thompson took the girl’s contract of sale, dismounted, and walked up onto the slave platform, squatting in front of her. He took out another twenty strings of cash and handed them to her along with the contract. “Hire a carriage and go home. You’re free now.”