Chapter 190: 188: The Iron-Faced, Self-Interested Opportunist

Zhao Zhenfang and Fei Rumei, the two young girls, kept circling the baby, always wanting to reach out and tease him a little.

Madam Lou and Fei Rulan, mother and daughter, went inside to chat about recent happenings and the many rules and customs of Ji'an Prefecture.

Before long, Fei Ruhe arrived as well and had someone move his luggage back to his own residence. His mother and sister had come, so naturally they would stay with him; it would be somewhat inconvenient for a mother-in-law to live in her son-in-law's house.

"Brother, why does Chong'er keep sleeping? He won't even open his eyes to look at us," Zhao Zhenfang asked curiously.

Zhao Han said with a smile, "He only grows fast when he's asleep."

So Zhao Zhenfang crouched down again and watched the baby sleep together with Fei Rumei, though there was no telling what was so fascinating about it.

They sat watching the child, and Zhao Han sat watching them, basking in the warm spring sun — it was the finest time of the year.

The fine time did not last long before Xiao Huan came seeking an audience and presented several documents.

Taihe County, having been utterly ravaged by Sa Lübu, was severely underpopulated and required the relocation of many peasants there. Within the county seat, the slaughter had also been grievous, requiring the relocation of some merchants and drifters. At the same time, the county's surviving peasants, beyond borrowing grain at low interest from the grain banks, also needed to be issued some grain and seed to survive.

The sums of money and grain involved were considerable, and the process had been somewhat chaotic in execution — the Taihe County Magistrate had actually seized the chance to embezzle funds and grain.

A collusion case!

From the County Magistrate down to the clerks, and further down to the town chiefs and grain bank personnel, seventeen people in total were implicated.

And the irony was that the officials and clerks involved in the corruption mostly came from impoverished scholar backgrounds, and one was even of tenant-farmer origin. The person who came forward to expose the matter, on the other hand, came from the gentry class — a scion of a great clan, precisely the sort that gave Zhao Han the most trouble.

Zhao Han carefully read through the disposition plan; everything had been handled according to regulations. After signing and stamping it, he said, "Forward this to Mr. Pang and have him reappoint the officials."

Xiao Huan took the documents and left. Zhao Han sighed and lay back on the bamboo recliner to sun himself.

His territory had only just expanded to thirteen counties, and corruption cases were already multiplying. If he were to occupy all of Jiangxi in the future, would those fellows not turn the world upside down?

Fortunately, countless scholars were eager to climb the ranks and delighted in reporting their superiors to free up positions.

At this very moment, Fei Chun was also extremely busy.

This collusion case in Taihe County implicated two grain bank personnel. He decided to organize a team and conduct a thorough audit of all the grain banks; they were sure to root out a few more parasites and, in passing, frighten off any others thinking of recklessly stretching out their hands.

Fei Lin and Madam Ling waited and waited but still did not see their son return home, so they simply summoned all the household servants together.

"A residence this large, and you are the only four servants?" Madam Ling frowned.

One maidservant said, "It is just the four of us."

Fei Lin asked, "Who is the steward?"

No one answered; there was no steward.

Madam Ling could not help sighing. "This foolish boy doesn't even know how to be a master — he hasn't even appointed a steward. All of you, state your names so I can get familiar with them. And from now on, you are to address us as Master and Madam; no more of this casual insolence."

"My name is Zuo Cui."

"My name is Liu née Li."

"My name is..."

Madam Ling suddenly cut her off. "Stop! What is all this 'my, my'? From now on, you must refer to yourselves as 'your slave.'"

Liu née Li said, "Mr. Zhao forbids the keeping of slaves, and he does not permit hired workers to call themselves slaves."

Madam Ling sneered. "If you are not slaves, then what are you?"

"Hired workers," Liu née Li replied.

Fei Lin said nothing more but was secretly sizing up Zuo Cui, feeling that this maid was rather pleasant-looking.

Madam Ling cleared her throat. "This Mr. Zhao you speak of — I watched him grow up. He is a great man who manages great affairs; the trivial matters of this household are not his concern. My son does not know how to be a master and has let you run wild. From now on, rules must be established. Your names must also be changed; henceforth you shall all bear the surname Fei. Taking the master family's surname is the rule."

The four hired workers looked at each other.

Liu née Li said, "Madam, if we truly must change our surnames, then I request to resign. I will finish out this month, collect my wages, and leave. Madam may hire other workers."

"Ha, have you turned rebel?" Madam Ling scolded. "Slap her mouth for me!"

No one moved; they all thought Madam Ling was an imbecile.

Zhao Han investigated private slave-keeping and the abuse of hired workers very strictly. If one simply went to the authorities to file a complaint, every case would be investigated, and he used such opportunities to suppress those gentry clans that refused to fall in line.

Liu née Li said, "Madam, my son is one of Mr. Zhao's soldiers. I can get by without working as a servant. If Madam will not let me go, I shall go to the authorities and file a complaint. As for wanting me to change my surname — that is impossible."

"Your son is a soldier? My son is an official!"

Madam Ling, utterly failing to grasp the gravity of the situation, went and fetched a stick herself and brought it down on Liu née Li.

Liu née Li did not dodge; she only shielded her head with both hands. The bruises she sustained could serve as evidence.

This was what the propaganda officers in the city had advised. Those propaganda officers often went door to door spreading the word, telling abused hired workers to be sure to report to the authorities.

Madam Ling beat her for a spell, then stopped and barked angrily, "Have you submitted? If you have, kneel and admit your fault!"

Liu née Li pulled up her sleeve to look and found both arms black and blue from the beating. She immediately turned and headed for the main gate.

Her son was not only a soldier but a propaganda officer in the army. Her husband had died early, leaving her with only this one son. With nothing to do at home, she had simply applied to live in Fei Chun's residence as a maidservant.

This spring, a large batch of drifters from the Ji'an prefectural seat had been relocated to Anfu County, and signs of a labor shortage were already emerging.

Was she afraid she couldn't find work if she left here?

Liu née Li, a widow with an orphan child, had suffered too much humiliation in the past. She never wanted to suffer again in this life.

"Stop her!" Fei Lin bellowed.

Still, no one moved.

The three remaining hired workers, though they dared not resist, would not cooperate either.

Arriving at the Luling County yamen, Liu née Li naturally could not see the County Magistrate directly. She first entered the yamen's dedicated mediation room — such things existed all across the Great Ming and were mainly used to handle civil disputes.

"Name."

"Liu née Li."

"Age."

"Thirty-six."

"..."

"What is the matter?"

Widow Liu née Li pulled up her own sleeve: "I'm a maid in the household of Finance Officer Zhao—Fei Chun. His father and mother came, forced me to call myself a slave, forced me to change my surname. When I said I'd quit, she beat me."

"Finance Officer Zhao?" The mediator said in alarm. "The Finance Officer Zhao of the Regional Commander's residence?"

"That very Finance Officer Zhao," Widow Liu née Li said.

"Wait a moment." The mediator dared not make the decision and immediately ran to fetch the head of the county yamen's penal section.

Hearing the report, the penal section head likewise dared not take responsibility and ran off to find Assistant Magistrate Chen Wenkui.

The Chen clan was the largest surname in Qingjiang County. When Zhao Han marched his troops on Zhangshu Town, while still in a standoff with government forces, Chen Wenkui had come of his own accord to offer allegiance, and he donated a large quantity of medicinal supplies to Zhao Han's army.

The Chen family also donated a secret formula for a wound salve that was remarkably effective at treating external injuries—a contribution that could be counted as a major service.

Chen Wenkui himself was a xiucai by background. Not only did he actively cooperate with land redistribution, he also donated money, grain, and medicinal supplies again. In the summer he took part in land redistribution work in Qingjiang County, and in the winter he did the same in Fengcheng County. His performance reviews all the way were rated excellent. When the territory expanded to thirteen counties, this man was swiftly promoted to Assistant Magistrate of Luling.

Whether or not it was political opportunism, people like this had to be promoted with vigor!

The penal section head said, "This case involves Finance Officer Zhao. Should we wait for His Honour the magistrate to return and handle it?"

The County Magistrate had gone down to the countryside to inspect the spring plowing.

Chen Wenkui struck the table and declared, "When a minister breaks the law, he is guilty like any commoner. Handle the case according to the statutes—what need is there to wait for the magistrate to return to the yamen!"

Chen Wenkui was indeed an opportunist. He had passed the xiucai exam very early but kept trying until the age of forty-seven without ever passing the juren. Zhao Han's rebellion let him glimpse a different kind of hope, so he donated nearly half his family fortune—not counting land—and worked with diligence and care, and sure enough he was swiftly promoted.

He was already nearing fifty. He had no time left to fritter away; the bigger the thing he could accomplish, the better.

To others, this case was extremely thorny. To Chen Wenkui, it was a chance to win renown and political merit!

His family was not only a great landlord household but also a major medicinal merchant. From childhood he had lacked for nothing and had little interest left in wealth. His life's ideal was to become a high official—and if he could leave his name in the history books, so much the better!

"Muster the squad—come with me to make an arrest!"

Chen Wenkui gave a great shout, his whole blood surging with excitement.

Never mind Fei Chun—even if Pang Chunlai's or Li Banghua's family members broke the law, Chen Wenkui would arrest them without hesitation. He had long since figured out Zhao Han's temperament.

Hurrying all the way to Fei Chun's residence, Chen Wenkui grew more and more exhilarated the more he thought about it. He would become a man like Bao Zheng or Hai Rui!

Seeing a crowd of yamen runners charge into the house, Fei Lin and Madam Ling were both somewhat stunned. The instinctive dread of official authority once again gripped their hearts.

Fei Lin quavered, "I… I haven't broken any law."

Madam Ling, too, bobbed her head and bowed with an ingratiating smile. "Sir, I merely disciplined my own slave. Sir, you mustn't listen to that wicked servant turning black into white."

"Did you strike Widow Liu née Li?" Chen Wenkui asked.

Madam Ling said, "The unruly slave wouldn't obey, so I gave her a lesson."

Chen Wenkui immediately thundered, "Take them away!"

The husband and wife were hauled off to the yamen in a daze. So great was their terror that they actually forgot their own son was a high official.

When they entered the county yamen and the trial began, the couple were so frightened they both dropped to their knees.

Chen Wenkui did not know whether to laugh or cry; he was even somewhat disappointed. He had actually been hoping that Fei Chun's parents would resist arrest with violence—only then could he display his own iron-faced impartiality.

Yet the very own father and mother of the august "Finance Officer Zhao" had dropped to their knees at the mere sight of an assistant magistrate…

"Mercy, Your Honour! Mercy, Your Honour!"

The husband and wife knelt in the great hall, kowtowing and begging for mercy without pause.

"Get up at once!"

Chen Wenkui was so alarmed that he hurriedly rose and stepped aside himself. Trying the case was one thing, but he dared not sit and receive the kneeling obeisance of Fei Chun's parents.

The yamen runners hastily helped the two to their feet.

Very soon, the Registrar and the penal section head also arrived; the presiding judicial officers were now all assembled.

Chen Wenkui sat back down and said, "Bring in the plaintiff, Widow Liu née Li!"

Widow Liu née Li came into the great hall and stood quietly to one side.

Bang!

Chen Wenkui slammed the court gavel and said, "Plaintiff Widow Liu née Li… Hey, why have you knelt again?"

It was Fei Lin and his wife Madam Ling: the crack of the gavel had made their knees go weak, and by reflex they had both dropped down neatly together. This time not only did Chen Wenkui stand up, but the Registrar and the penal section head also rose and dodged aside, not daring to accept the couple's kneeling.

Madam Ling not only knelt herself but also scolded Widow Liu née Li beside her: "You unruly slave—you see His Honour before you and still you don't kneel!"

Widow Liu née Li stood and said, "My son is a propaganda officer in the army. He often comes home and says that all people are born equal. Kneel to Heaven, kneel to the earth, kneel to your parents—but there's no need to kneel to officials."

For the remainder of the trial, Fei Lin and Madam Ling were held up by yamen runners the entire time; otherwise they would have tried to kneel again.

There was not much to adjudicate. Madam Ling was sentenced to twenty strokes of the rod. Since she was a woman, she did not have to remove her trousers for the beating. Moreover, out of consideration for Fei Chun, the blows were struck very lightly during the execution.

In addition, she was required to compensate Widow Liu née Li three months' wages, and the two sides' employment contract was thereby terminated ahead of schedule.

Halfway through the trial, Fei Chun arrived upon hearing the news. It was not convenient for him to go in and disrupt things, so he waited until the proceedings concluded before entering the great hall.

Chen Wenkui immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully with clasped hands. "Finance Officer Zhao, I have given offense to your honored parents."

Fei Chun was of course angry inside. His face cold, he said, "Assistant Magistrate Chen is iron-faced and impartial—my admiration knows no bounds."

Chen Wenkui was disappointed once again: Fei Chun had actually not exploded on the spot.

Madam Ling, however, began to make a scene. Seeing how deferential Chen Wenkui was toward her son, she at once wailed, "Chun'er, you must get justice for your mother…"

"We'll talk when we get home!"

Fei Chun was thoroughly vexed and could not help rebuking his own mother.

(I see some readers are still discussing the matter of cotton armor. Let's go by Qi Jiguang's account: cotton armor can defend against an arquebus shot at forty paces, but at thirty paces it will certainly be pierced by an arquebus.)

(End of chapter)