NFBE Chapter 336 County Government
Chapter 336 County Government
Upon returning, Grand Tutor Li immediately wrote a memorial to the Emperor, detailing the meeting with the Russians. He devoted considerable space to Xia Yu's contributions during the meeting and the timely identification of the Japanese spy. The memorial was sealed with sealing wax and sent back to the capital by express courier.
The memorials from the capital first reached Shen Jingheng's hands. Upon reading the memorial's mention of Grand Tutor Li's statement that Xia Yu spoke Russian and her performance during the meeting between the two countries, his previous suspicions grew stronger. He felt there must be some connection between Xia Yu and Shen Chunfeng, the first head of the Shen family. Thinking of Shen Chunfeng's still-undeciphered diary, he felt that Xia Yu might provide the answer.
But when he thought of the Shen family's rules, the rule that only members of the Shen family could see it, he felt a little irritated.
With their mission accomplished, all that remained was to await the Emperor's approval in the capital. Therefore, the mission members had plenty of free time during this period. Moreover, with Xia Yu as their translator, the officials were completely at ease, their previous anxiety and trepidation gone.
However, just as everyone was discussing going out for a trip to enjoy the scenery of the north, two constables from the county government arrived. They wanted to ask Xia Yu, Chang Yun, and the others who were present that day to come to the yamen for questioning regarding the murder in the underground cave.
When the constables arrived, several key officials of the delegation were with Grand Tutor Li. Upon hearing the news, someone suggested...
"In that case, why don't we go along and take a look? Maybe we can be of some help."
The speaker was none other than Deputy Clerk Zhou Wenqing. Hearing him say this, Grand Tutor Li scoffed inwardly. He really hadn't realized that someone past forty still had such a gossipy and nosy nature. He'd heard about it when he went to the yamen to pick up some children last time; this fellow had followed him there that day.
"Go if you want to. You have nothing to do these next few days anyway. It'll save you from overthinking things at this post station," said Grand Tutor Li.
Hearing what Grand Tutor Li said, Zhou Wenqing looked at his colleagues and asked...
"How about we go together?"
"Oh, I won't go. I've been craving the wine and food here for the past few days. I'm definitely going to have a good drink today." An official surnamed Zhao in the delegation waved his hand and declined Zhou Wenqing's invitation.
“I won’t go either. I’m going to buy some local specialties for my wife to take back. I’ve heard there are quite a few rare things from Russia here, and I’ll buy some for her as well,” said Vice Minister Fu of the Court of State Ceremonial with a smile to Zhou Wenqing.
In the end, apart from Zhang Haoran who was willing to go to the yamen with Zhou Wenqing, everyone else refused. They all wanted to either enjoy the scenery, sample the local cuisine, or buy gifts for their families.
"Not bad, not bad. I knew Lord Zhang was a kind and warm-hearted person, just like me. Unlike some people who keep talking about their wives all the time when they're out and about, they don't act like men at all." Zhou Wenqing patted Zhang Haoran on the shoulder and said with satisfaction.
Several children rode in one carriage, with Li Taifu, Zhou Wenqing, Zhang Haoran, and others sharing one.
It was quite unexpected for Grand Tutor Li to see that Zhang Haoran, the most honest member of the delegation, had also come.
"Lord Zhang, would you also like to go to the yamen to have a look?" Grand Tutor Li asked.
"Yes, sir." He answered respectfully, then paused for a moment before continuing.
“Young Master Zhang and Miss Zhang’s maternal grandparents’ family are next-door neighbors with my family. They are both still young, and now that they are away from home, I should take good care of them.” Zhang Haoran spoke from the bottom of his heart.
However, Zhou Wenqing, sitting to the side, was inwardly complaining.
'I thought this kid was an honest man, but it turns out he's using this opportunity to climb the social ladder.'
Upon hearing Zhang Haoran's words, Grand Tutor Li smiled and nodded, saying...
“I know your ancestral home is also in Zhongzhou Prefecture, but I really didn’t pay attention to the others. I didn’t expect you to have such a connection with Changyun and the others.”
The carriage arrived at the yamen quickly, and everyone followed the constables into the courtroom. When they arrived, they found that the bearded man and the short man were already kneeling on the ground.
When the county magistrate, who was sitting high in the hall, saw the people following behind Xia Yu, he hurriedly lifted the hem of his official robe, bowed his back, and ran to the center of the hall, where he knelt down in front of Grand Tutor Li.
"This humble servant greets the Grand Tutor, Lord Zhou, and Lord Zhang."
"Get up. We've only come to watch you hear the case. Don't mind us," said Li Taifu gently to the kneeling magistrate.
"Yes, Your Excellency."
After getting up from the ground, the magistrate had several chairs brought to one side, and he sat down again under the plaque that read "The Mirror Hangs High."
Xia Yu, Chang Yun, Shen Luo, along with Da Niu, Shi Jiu, Gou Dan, and Xiao Shi Tou, all knelt down on the ground.
"I greet you, sir."
The magistrate slammed his gavel and asked Xia Yu, who was sitting below the court, "..."
"You said before that you chased after Zhu Feng?"
"Yes, sir. He blinded my maid with something, and I was so angry that I chased after him," Xia Yu answered honestly.
"Did you catch up?" the magistrate asked again, his tone very authoritative.
"No, I chased him for a while, but he escaped because I wasn't familiar with the terrain. Sir, have you caught him yet?"
"Where did you lose your way?" the magistrate asked again.
"It seemed to be near the city gate. I chased after them but couldn't see them anymore. I even ran outside the city gate and searched for a while, but still couldn't find them, so I came back," Xia Yu said.
"As a woman, aren't you afraid to chase after a robber?"
"Of course I'm not afraid. I learned martial arts from my family's guards, and none of them can beat me," Xia Yu said proudly, raising her head.
The magistrate gave Xia Yu a deep look upon hearing her words, but did not press further. He was suspicious of Xia Yu's account, and according to procedure, he should have used torture to extract a confession. However, considering Xia Yu's status and the several officials seated in the courtroom, he abandoned that idea.
"Our men didn't capture Zhu Feng, but they found the remains of a wolf pack outside the city. Judging from the clothing left at the scene, it should be Zhu Feng himself," the magistrate said.
"What about the two corpses in the cave?" Li Taifu suddenly asked. He understood what the magistrate had been asking Xia Yu earlier. He suspected that Xia Yu was involved in the death of the man named Zhu Feng.
"The people in the cellar were the elderly couple from the Zhu family mansion, according to information provided by the neighbors. It seems that Zhu Feng tied them up and threw them into the cellar, where they starved to death. After killing them, Zhu Feng seized the mansion. As for whether they were uncle and nephew, it's hard to say now. We'll only know when the Zhu couple's daughter, Zhu Xiaozhen, returns."
"Hmm, from what you're saying, it's not unjust for that Zhu Feng to die. A man like him has countless lives on his hands; his death can be seen as ridding the people of a scourge. And what about these two people before us?" With that, Grand Tutor Li pointed to the two kneeling figures in the hall.
"Your Honor, these two are repeat offenders here. They steal chickens and dogs all the time, and have been caught and brought here several times. Each time they were sentenced to three months in prison, but after they got out, they continued to do the same thing as before."
"Oh, is that so? Then you decide what to do. If these children are alright, I'll take them back first," said Grand Tutor Li.
"Yes, sir. The case is now basically clear. The young master and young lady helped us catch a serious murderer," the magistrate replied, bowing his head.
Li Taifu's words are also correct. Zhu Feng will return unscathed, but he will only be kept in prison for a few more months. In the end, he will still be beheaded.