Chapter 197

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

"No one believed those words to begin with; they only thought he was making excuses for his own offense. But that very night, on the same street, a household happened to splash the water from their basin onto a passerby while pouring it out behind closed doors. In their haste to apologize, they discovered it was that Young Master Wei — who ran off like a thief, bolting the moment he heard someone approaching."

"Although it was dark by then, they were close enough to see that the Young Master's body already seemed to have many wet stains, and they caught a whiff of blood. They didn't think much of it at the time, but later, when they learned the Wei family had a death, they were scared out of their wits. Drinking with others, they accidentally let it slip."

"Not only is there a witness here, but two guests at the Wei Family Cloth Shop also saw that Young Master in the inner room as they were leaving."

"And the coroner's examination said that although the deceased Wei G'er had many cleaver wounds, they were all inflicted post-mortem. What killed him was a single stab to the back of the skull, the blade entering from right to left in a backhand grip — a left-handed strike. And it just so happens that the shop master is left-handed."

"My old sworn sister heard of this and went to their doors, kneeling to beg those people to come testify and give her son a path to survival. She already had a lead, but somehow, overnight, the coroner, the witnesses — every single one changed their testimony. The yamen passed judgment in a flash, and now they only await the road to clear so they can report to the Capital and get the nod; come autumn, he'll be beheaded!"

"Fortunately, someone who couldn't bear to watch secretly told her that the cloth shop merchant quietly approached Dutou Ding, spent a fortune to alter the autopsy document, and used threats to force people to change their confessions..."

Song Miao had only been listening at first, but as she listened on, she hurriedly fetched paper and brush to take notes, then asked a few more questions.

Xia Saozi was extremely close to the Yang family; who knows how many times she'd heard Old Lady Yang weep. She answered everything in full, finally saying: "Pitiful, at her age, a daughter caught up in this mess, a son thrown in prison, watching the family house crumble. If it weren't for that Dutou Ding, she might have cleared the injustice from her body long ago — how could it have come to this result!"

The kitchen staff mostly came from the Washing Clothes Workshop; their family situations were naturally none too good. Their everyday acquaintances were all ordinary market folk; the occasional wealthy household had no great power either, merely relying on hard work and luck to turn themselves around.

The more such families are like this, the easier it is for them to run into trouble, and the easier it is for them to be bullied by those above.

Song Miao had only sent word for help that morning, yet within a day people kept coming to find her one after another. By afternoon, the registration papers in her hand had piled up into a thick stack — some from years ago, some from the past year or two.

She sifted out five or six cases with more recent dates — some involving property and money, some costing lives, and forced buying and selling, and the like. The more she sifted, the more she felt that Dutou Ding's daily conduct was simply beyond what bamboo slips could record, his sins beyond redemption even by a hundred deaths. As for Qian Zhongming, though this man hides in the back, without his support, how would outsiders dare act so brazenly?

Besides those below, there is also Censor Cen, and the many high officials before him — regardless of the reason, failing to discipline their subordinates is practically no different from abetting evil.

That very evening, she handed over these many sifted cases to Kong Fuyang.

"Zhengyan is going through the case files too!" Kong Fuyang said hurriedly. "He learned of that big cat urine incident on the road today, couldn't wait for the prefectural yamen to plod along at its own pace, and has already arranged for Lao Lu to take over a dozen men to tail and watch. He himself has also gone to the yamen to investigate. I'll head back to the yamen to help search through files as soon as I finish work tomorrow — everyone pitching in, it won't take more than a few days to get a result!"

He added: "Rest assured, it's not a blind search. Zhengyan heard your kitchen crew nearly met with disaster on the road, and he was furious. He personally went up that slope twice to look. He said the situation is urgent; reopening old settled cases takes time and effort, and if it's a capital case, it still has to be referred to the Judicial Review Office with all the wrangling that entails — so he said to look for new cases first."

"He ordered that all capital cases and property cases exceeding five hundred strings since Censor Cen took office, plus those during the handovers of the two previous terms, be pulled out first, then examined in detail for the circumstances within — fortunately you responded in time today. I went to see that slope, and my whole back broke out in a cold sweat!"

Song Miao said: "The old files must also be searched. Half a year of backlog, plus those sent from various counties and townships — there's bound to be a massive accumulation, and they're not easy to pick through. What I have here is what everyone in the kitchen pooled together; at least seven or eight out of ten are likely wrongful convictions. Though the details still require your own judgment, it should save some effort."

"Young Master, please take a look. Even if it's only one or two parts of help, being able to save you some effort is good — everyone in the kitchen is betting on this breath of resolve, just hoping to see the villains bound by law!"

Upon hearing this, Kong Fuyang indeed flipped through the documents in hand. He had thought they were mere ordinary records, but one look and he was extremely surprised.

He hastily gave thanks, gulped down a few mouthfuls of the official station's food, changed his shoes, took the documents, led his horse out the door and ran — not caring whether he'd finished his own meal. The poor horse was still leisurely chewing dry grass in its mouth, couldn't get a firm bite, and dropped a mouthful on the ground. It wanted to turn back to pick it up, but was dragged away by the reins.

Now, Kong Fuyang arrived at the yamen and entered the storeroom. By then the sky was already dark; the outer room still had lamps and candles burning. A crowd of people were there flipping through files. Han Li sat alone to one side, the most case files piled beside him — but they were ones others had found matching the criteria, brought over for him to do the final selection.

"Zhengyan, look at this!" Kong Fuyang rushed forward and handed over the documents Song Miao had given. "From Song Xiaoniangzi. She says it's the collective wisdom of the whole kitchen, all recent capital cases and wrongful convictions, listed with remarkable clarity and concision!"

Hearing this, Han Li clipped a bamboo slip into the case file in his hand, set it aside, then took the documents from Kong Fuyang.

Having seen Song Miao's drafted rules and regulations early on, as well as the kitchen's operational details, he already had mental preparation. Even so, when he saw the writing on the paper, his originally furrowed brows unconsciously relaxed.

A very thick stack of documents, yet he finished reading in a very short time.

Han Li knew his browsing speed was indeed faster than ordinary people, but he was even clearer that the main reason he could go this fast this time was because this Song Xiaoniangzi's writing was truly exquisite.

When a person sees text with clear structure and proper narration, it's very easy to naturally read on without spending time comprehending the meaning or organizing key information.

She laid out every potentially useful case with utmost clarity — time, location, plaintiff; capital cases first, wrongful convictions after; how the yamen judged, what the current progress is, where the points of injustice lie.

The structural style of the writing resembles the yamen's case file format requirements, but is even more meticulous.

At the very beginning, the summary text is completely simplified — for instance, the Wei family murder case lists the weapon, fatal wound, witness testimony, physical evidence, each item's doubts, and what those doubts specifically are.

Here, only a few sparse words are used for the overview.

After the overview comes the detailed account, organizing the victim's full narrative, stripping away all superfluous expressions and emotional outpourings. Though it's a wrongful conviction statement, the writer clearly does not slant it toward the wrongful conviction angle, but truly records the most original case circumstances and doubts impartially.

Kong Fuyang waited for him to finish, unable to resist asking: "How is it? Is it useful?"

Han Li nodded, flipped out a file from a stack on the table, and carefully compared it item by item with what was written in Song Miao's documents. Finally he called out: "Brother Lu!"

Lu Wenming shook his head, stood up from a pile of case files, and hurried over to respond.

"The case of Yang Erlang killing his brother-in-law Wei Jie was the one you uncovered. I just reviewed it — the judgment document indeed has many problems, but the case file has quite a few vague passages. You take this document and cross-check it against the file. Tomorrow morning, ask Censor Cen to arrange for the coroner to be brought in for questioning."

After instructing Lu Wenming, he called out several more people in succession, distributing Song Miao's documents one by one, having them cross-check against the case files in their hands.

Once everything was distributed, Kong Fuyang watched from the side and couldn't help but sigh: "Back when we were at the Capital Prefecture Office, if we'd had Song Xiaoniangzi helping make records for the patrol officers and clerks, I wouldn't have ended up clashing with Censor Xin and the others..."

"You've got quite the nerve to say that." Han Li glanced at him.

"Among three people walking, there must be one who can be my teacher!" Kong Fuyang felt no shame, rather pride, wearing a self-satisfied look. "Song Xiaoniangzi praised me the other day, saying I excel at broadly adopting others' strengths. I thought the praise was spot on at the time. Later, pondering it repeatedly, the more I thought, the more it made sense. Thanks to her pointer, I'll naturally carry forward this strength and make it shine!"

As he spoke to this point, he seemed rather regretful, saying: "What a pity her culinary skill is truly too good — everyone's eyeing her. Otherwise, once I get an official post, I'd truly want to take her as a retainer — having such a meticulous and clever person in my retinue, who can both cook and work... just thinking about it makes the days feel hopeful! When the time comes, from top to bottom..."

Kong Fuyang hadn't finished "from top to bottom" when he heard Han Li across from him say: "The other day it was just managing the public kitchen for you, and now you want her as an aide too. Night falls and you're dreaming — truly, you're far too idle."

Finished speaking, he stood up, vacating the table and chairs before and behind him, pointing at the many documents on the table, and said: "You preside over the review. Review them, compile a result, I'll come back and look."

Kong Fuyang froze, hurriedly saying: "I only came to deliver a document!"

Han Li had already walked several steps out. At this moment he turned back to look at him: "Since you've come, I'm going to find Censor Cen. If you don't hold the fort here, who will?"

Finished speaking, he didn't wait for a reply, and continued on his way out.

Kong Fuyang had originally wanted to complain a few more words, but upon hearing the two words "hold the fort," it was as if a thousand-catty weight had been bolted to his waist — he sank heavily into the chair, butt and all, his mouth seemingly glued shut with flour paste, unable to utter a single token word of refusal.

He thought to himself: Where does "hold the fort" even apply? But at this moment, aside from me, there truly, really, what-do-you-call-it, seems to be no one more suitable to temporarily stand in for Zhengyan. Hehe.

Han Li exited the door and went straight to the rear yamen.

He found Cen Dezhang, greeted him, explained the progress so far, then added: "As things stand now, the arrow is on the string. Best to summon the coroner for confrontation tomorrow, then arrange manpower. Once we have evidence, not a moment's delay — seize Dutou Ding overnight, get his confession, then go after Qian the Clerk. What does the Official think?"

Cen Dezhang, hearing about seizing Dutou Ding, had no second words. But when he heard about seizing Qian Zhongming, he hesitated a moment and asked: "Zhengyan, given the current situation, once you've seized Qian Zhongming, what do you intend to do?"

As he spoke, he turned to look at the advisor behind him.

That advisor didn't look at him, only at Han Li.

Han Li met his gaze and said: "It's not about what we intend to do. Arrest the man, interrogate, gather evidence. Whatever crime he's committed, whatever statute applies, that's how he'll be handled — but handling things according to law, where is it up to me to sway?"

Cen Dezhang's face suddenly looked a bit ugly.

There are no good clerks, let alone an old clerk like Qian Zhongming who has been muddling along for many years, easily turning clouds and rain.

Even without arresting or interrogating, he could already list several charges against the other party that could be placed on the table.

Embezzlement by a supervising official, forging official documents, accepting bribes and perverting the law, sitting on stolen goods — if punished for combined crimes, just the first two items, at the lightest, would be two hundred strokes of the beating rod and exile to Shao Men Island; once taken seriously, it would certainly be either death by strangling or an autumn interrogation and execution.

"Zheng Yan, the one behind him is... sigh, if the news spreads back to the Capital, once someone from the Capital comes to send a message, how can I pretend not to know?"

Cen Dezhang sighed a breath, saying: "The previous several officials, how could none of them know his crimes, none of them take action? Just the ones I know of, several terms have taken action; once they had already suspended him from office, about to investigate his old accounts, but the Zhou Ya from top to bottom, there wasn't a single place that didn't leak wind, in the end letting him know early, a round of maneuvering, a message came from the Capital, and he had to be reinstated to his original post..."

"Why did you have to let him know?"

"How could he not know? The Zhou Ya from top to bottom, patrol soldiers, yamen runners, Chai Guan, even miscellaneous laborers, would all leak rumors; I can't go arrest him myself, can I? If it could be settled in one breath, hardening my scalp, wood already made into boat, I could still pretend I made a mistake; once he gets wind of it in advance, money can reach the heavens..."

"In the official's hands, can only yamen people be used?"

Cen Dezhang was stunned for a moment.

Han Lidao said: "During the third month, Prefect Lin took leave to attend a funeral, all military and political matters were handed to the Tongpan to manage on his behalf; it's not mobilizing troops, just daily affairs — can the Xiang Army not be used?"

"In the past... in the past Prefect Lin never used the Xiang Army for this kind of..."

Cen Dezhang hadn't finished speaking when that guest behind him, who had been impatient for a long time, interjected: "Tongpan! Prefect Lin never said the Xiang Army couldn't be used, right? Moreover, even if the Prefect were still here, with the Tongpan's authority, can't you mobilize them?"

"Moreover, right now is such a rare opportunity; the outside roads are cut off; even if that Qian Zhongming wants to send a message to the Capital, unless he grows wings, with these road conditions, waiting for his people to go back and forth, I'm afraid the dust has already settled here; what is there to fear?"

That guest spoke more and more excitedly, saying: "That Qian Zhongming dares to act like this, isn't it just relying on the official's benevolent nature? Right now he's poisoning and plotting murder; this time he's dodged it time and again; if he offends again in the future, and something really happens, the official is afraid of offending superiors; at that time, if Zheng Yan has any mishap, or if something major happens on the riverway, won't you be afraid then??"

"These words! How can these words be spoken??" Cen Dezhang was startled, "According to you all, first according to you all, arrest the person, afterwards don't be anxious, see what the situation is, then decide on the handling!"

"Just afraid that that surnamed Ding has a tight mouth, won't easily confess!"

The next day, early morning, Qian Zhongming didn't get out of bed until the end of Chen hour.

As he grew older, he cherished his body and nurtured his blessings even more; after getting up, he first practiced a set of Five Animals Play, then performed two cycles of the Huxi Tunna Zhi Fa.

Once practice was done, servants early brought a water basin and fine cloth towels over.

Last night he slept in his concubine's room; this one had only entered the household three months ago; although she knew to step forward to serve and change clothes, she was still somewhat awkward; it was the one holding the basin who was used to serving in the household, very good at currying favor, flattering: "Master's complexion is getting better and better; looking at you today, dragon spirit tiger vigor! It would be best to rest a bit more; just afraid the yamen will lack the Master and be too busy to manage!"

Qian Zhongming laughed haha, saying: "Can't rest anymore; it's just these two days; Xiao Ding came yesterday saying the yamen is in a mess, begging me to go back early..."

Just as he was speaking, he heard a burst of clamorous noise from somewhere in the front courtyard, along with wailing and quarreling.

That smile on Qian Zhongming's face instantly retracted; coldly he said: "Go see who is on duty today, doesn't understand a bit of rules, let Qian Yi face the person, punish..."

The "punish" word had just fallen, but he saw a person stumbling and tumbling, running wildly from outside the courtyard gate.

This person's face was pale with panic; while running, he called "Master", called twice, then said: "It's not good..."

That tail sound dragged on, but a "Dong" sound was heard; this person fiercely pitched forward, dog gnawing mud style, heavily smashed onto the ground by a thick thick shield, and closely following behind was a soldier holding a stick.

Qian Zhongming's heart gave a jump, but his mouth loudly scolded: "Who are you, daring to trespass into this official's residence, I hold the rank of Wudao Eldest Sister, Jian Jiao Taizi Binke..."

A pile of useless empty titles hadn't finished being announced when that soldier opposite already brightened his eyes, turned his head and shouted: "The main culprit is here!"

Once the shout was done, this person ran a few quick steps, then lunged forcefully at Qian Zhongming.