Miao Chu

Chapter 196 Daring
"No one believed him at first, they just thought he was trying to exonerate himself. But that same night on the same street, a family was pouring water when they closed their door, and accidentally spilled the water on a passerby. When they rushed over to apologize, they found it was the young master of the household—like a thief, he ran away as soon as he heard someone coming."

"Although it was dark then, we were close by and could see that the young master's body had many wet marks and smelled of blood. I didn't think much of it at the time, but when I learned that someone in the Wei family had died, I was terrified and accidentally let it slip while drinking with others."

"Not only is there a witness here, but two customers in the Wei family's cloth shop also saw the young master in the inner room when they were leaving."

"And the coroner who examined the body said that although there were many knife wounds on Wei Ge'er's body, they were actually done after he died. The one that killed him was a knife stab to the back of his head. The knife was stabbed from right to left with the left hand—and it just so happens that the boss was left-handed."

“My old sister heard about this and went to their door, kneeling and begging those people to come forward as witnesses to save her son’s life. They were already on the verge of success, but somehow, overnight, the coroner and the witnesses all changed their stories. The yamen (government office) made a judgment in no time. Now they are just waiting for the road to be cleared so that the report can be sent to the capital and they can get approval. In the autumn, they will be executed!”

"Fortunately, someone who couldn't stand it secretly told her that the cloth shop owner had secretly asked Chief Ding to spend a lot of money to change the autopsy report, and then used threats to force people to change their testimonies..."

Song Miaoyuan was just listening, but later she hurriedly took out paper and pen to take notes and asked a few more questions.

Sister Xia was very familiar with the Yang family and had heard Old Lady Yang cry countless times. She answered all the questions and finally said, "It's pitiful that she's so old. One of her daughters is in this mess, and her son is in prison. Her family is on the verge of ruin. If it weren't for that Chief Ding, she might have cleared her name long ago. She wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Most of the people working in the kitchen came from the laundry department, so their family circumstances were naturally not very good. The friends and acquaintances they usually associated with were mostly ordinary people from the city. Occasionally, there were some wealthy families, but they didn't have much power. They just relied on hard work and luck to turn their lives around.

Families like this are more likely to encounter trouble and be bullied by their superiors.

Song Miao had sent someone to pass on the message that morning, and people kept coming to see her throughout the day. By the afternoon, she had a thick stack of registration papers in her hand, some from earlier years and some from the last year or two.

She selected five or six recent cases, some involving property and money, others involving human lives, and still others involving forced buying and selling. The more she selected, the more she felt that Chief Ding's usual behavior was simply too heinous to be forgiven, and that he deserved to die a hundred times. As for Qian Zhongming, although he was hiding behind the scenes, how could outsiders dare to act in this way without his support?

Aside from those below, there was also Prefect Cen, and many other high-ranking officials in front of him. Regardless of the reason, they did not discipline their subordinates, which was not much different from aiding and abetting evil.

That evening, she gave the selected cases to Kong Fuyang.

“Zhengyan is also going through the files!” Kong Fuyang said hurriedly. “He learned about the tiger’s urine on the road today, and he couldn’t wait for the prefectural government to work slowly on its own. He has already arranged for Lao Lu to take more than ten people to follow and keep an eye on it. He himself has gone to the government office to investigate as well. After I finish work tomorrow, I will also go back to the government office to help with the investigation. With everyone working together, we will have a result in a few days!”

He added, “Don’t worry, we’re not searching aimlessly. Zheng Yan heard that your kitchen staff almost had an accident on the way, and he was furious. He went to that slope twice to check on things. He said that the matter was urgent, and it would be time-consuming and laborious to reopen old cases that had been closed. If it were a murder case, we would have to consult with the Chief Justice and argue with them. So he told us to look for new cases first.”

"He ordered that all the murder cases involving more than 500 strings of cash since Cen Tongpan took office, as well as the cases between the two previous and current magistrates, be brought up and examined in detail. Fortunately, you responded promptly today. When I went to see that place, I broke out in a cold sweat!"

Song Miao said, "We also need to look through the old files. They've been piling up for more than half a year, and there are also files from various counties and townships. There must be a lot of files, so it's not easy to choose. What I have here is what everyone in the kitchen has put together. I'm at least 70 or 80 percent sure that they are all wrongful convictions. Although you'll have to judge the details yourselves, it will save you some trouble."

"Young master, please take a look. Even if it only provides a little help, it will save you all some effort. Everyone in the kitchen is determined to bring the wicked to justice!"

Upon hearing this, Kong Fuyang indeed examined the document in his hand. He initially thought it was just an ordinary record, but upon closer inspection, he was quite surprised.

He quickly thanked them, hastily swallowed the food in the post station, changed his shoes, took the document, led his horse out and ran off, not caring that he had finished his meal. The poor horse was still slowly chewing dry grass, unable to hold its grip properly, and fell to the ground. When it tried to turn back, he was forcibly pulled away by the reins.

When Kong Fuyang arrived at the yamen and entered the storeroom, it was already late. There were still lamps and candles lit in the outer room, and a group of people were rummaging through the documents. Han Li sat alone to one side, surrounded by the most documents. These were the ones that others had found and brought to him for further selection.

"Zhengyan, look at this!" Kong Fuyang hurriedly stepped forward and handed over the document given by Song Miao. "This was given by Miss Song. She said it was compiled by the kitchen staff through collective wisdom. It lists recent murder cases and wrongful convictions in a very concise and to-the-point manner!"

Upon hearing this, Han Li placed a bamboo strip between his fingers and the scroll in his hand, set it aside, and then took the document from Kong Fuyang.

Having already seen the rules and regulations drafted by Song Miao, as well as the detailed rules for the kitchen, he was already prepared. Even so, when he saw the words on the paper, his furrowed brows unconsciously relaxed.

It was a thick stack of documents, but he read it all in a very short time.

Han Li knew that he could browse faster than the average person, but he was even more aware that the main reason he could do so quickly this time was because of the beautiful writing style of this young lady, Song.

When people see well-organized and logically presented text, they can easily and naturally read it without having to spend time understanding its meaning or organizing the key information.

She listed every potentially useful case in great detail, including the time, place, and the person involved. The case was a murder case first, followed by a wrongful conviction. She described how the authorities ruled, the current progress, and where the injustice lay.

The structure of the document is similar to the format of official documents in government offices, but it is more detailed.

She completely simplified the initial outline of the text. For example, in the Wei family murder case, she listed the doubts about the murder weapon, the fatal wound, the witnesses, and the physical evidence, and what the doubts were.

This is just a brief overview.

After the overview, the text goes on to provide a detailed account, organizing the ins and outs of the victim's narrative and eliminating any superfluous statements or emotional expressions. Although it is an explanation of a wrongful conviction, the author clearly does not describe it in the direction of a wrongful conviction, but rather records the most original facts and doubts of the case without bias.

After he finished reading it, Kong Fuyang couldn't help but ask, "How is it? Is it useful?"

Han Li nodded, picked up a document from a stack of files on the table, carefully compared it with what Song Miao wrote, and finally called out, "Brother Lu!"

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

"You're the one who brought up the case of Yang Erlang killing his brother-in-law Wei Jie. I just read it, and there are indeed many problems in the judgment. However, there are many vague statements in the case file. Please compare it with this document and ask Magistrate Cen to arrange for someone to come and question the coroner first thing tomorrow morning."

After giving instructions to Lu Wenming, he called several other people to distribute the documents written by Song Miao one by one, so that they could check them against the files in their hands.

After everything was distributed, Kong Fuyang watched from the side and couldn't help but sigh, "Back in the Kyoto government office, if it had been for Miss Song to help keep records for all the constables and officers, I wouldn't have had to clash with Inspector Xin and the others..."

"You have the nerve to say that," Han Li glanced at him.

"Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me!" Kong Fuyang was not ashamed, but rather proud, looking quite smug. "The other day, Miss Song praised me, saying that I am good at learning from the strengths of many. I thought that was a very apt compliment. After thinking about it carefully when I got back, I found it to be very true. Fortunately, she gave me some pointers, so I will naturally carry forward this advantage in the future!"

He seemed rather regretful as he said this, "It's a pity her skills are so good that everyone is eyeing her. Otherwise, once I get an official position, I really want to take her as a retainer—having such a meticulous and clever person under my wing, who can cook and do chores, just thinking about it makes me feel hopeful! Then everyone, from top to bottom..."

Before Kong Fuyang had finished going up and down, he heard Han Li across from him say, "The other day you were in charge of the public kitchen, and now you're even being a staff officer. You start daydreaming as soon as it gets dark. You really have too much free time."

After saying that, he stood up, made room for the tables and chairs in front of and behind him, pointed to the many documents on the table, and said, "You review them. Once you've reviewed them all and come to a conclusion, I'll come back and take a look." Kong Fuyang was taken aback and quickly said, "I just came to deliver some documents!"

Han Li had already taken a few steps away when he turned back to look at him and said, "Since we're already here, I'm going to find Magistrate Cen. If you don't stay here, who will take care of things?"

After saying that, he didn't wait for a reply and continued walking out.

Kong Fuyang was about to complain a few more times, but when he heard the words "take charge," it was as if a thousand-pound weight had been tied to his waist, and he slumped heavily into the chair, his mouth as if glued shut, unable to utter a single symbolic excuse.

He thought to himself: Where would one use the phrase "sitting in charge"? But at this moment, apart from me, it seems that, really, there is no one else more suitable to speak on my behalf, hehe.

***
Han Li went straight to the back office after leaving the house.

He approached Cen Dezhang, greeted him, explained the progress, and then said, "Now that the situation is critical, it would be best to summon the coroner tomorrow to testify, then arrange for manpower, and once we have evidence, we should arrest Chief Ding tonight without delay, get his confession, and then collect the money from the clerk—what does the sir think?"

When Cen Dezhang heard that Ding Dutou was to be arrested, he had no objections. But when he heard that Qian Zhongming was to be arrested, he hesitated for a moment and asked, "Zhengyan, given the current situation, what will you do after we arrest Qian Zhongming?"

As he spoke, he glanced at his staff behind him.

The advisor ignored him and looked only at Han Li.

Han Li exchanged a glance with him and said, "It's not about what we want to do. Once we arrest someone, interrogate them, collect evidence, and finally determine what crime they committed and what law should be applied, then we'll handle it accordingly. But acting in accordance with the law is not something I can control."

Cen Dezhang's face suddenly looked rather unpleasant.

There are no good officials, let alone an old official like Qian Zhongming who has been around for many years and can easily manipulate events.

Even without arresting or interrogating, he could already list several blatant charges against the other party.

If the supervisor is found guilty of fraud, forgery of official documents, accepting bribes and perverting the course of justice, or embezzlement, and is punished for multiple offenses, the first two offenses alone would at least warrant two hundred strokes of the cane and exile to Shamen Island. If the punishment is taken more seriously, the supervisor would certainly be either hanged or executed in the autumn.

“Zhengyan, behind him is… sigh, if the news gets back to the capital, and someone from the capital comes to deliver a message, how can I just ignore it?”

Cen Dezhang sighed and said, "How could the previous officials not know about his crimes, and not take action against him? I know of several who did. Once, they had even suspended him from his post and were about to dig up his old grievances, but the entire prefectural government was leaky. In the end, he found out in advance, and after some maneuvering, a letter came from the capital, and he had no choice but to reinstate him..."

Why should he be informed?

"How could I not know? Everyone in the prefectural government—patrolmen, yamen runners, officials, even the menial servants—would leak the news. I can't very well arrest them myself, can I? If I could just deal with them all at once, even if it's a done deal, I could pretend it was a mistake. But if they find out beforehand, the money will be beyond measure..."

"Does an official only have the authority to use his tools?"

Cen Dezhang was taken aback.

Han Li said, "In March, Prefect Lin took leave to attend a funeral, and all military and political affairs were transferred to the Vice Prefect for temporary management. It wasn't about mobilizing troops, but just routine matters. Can't the local militia be used?"

“In the past… in the past, Prefect Lin never used the local militia to do this kind of thing…”

Before Cen Dezhang could finish speaking, the retainer behind him, who had been impatient for a long time, interrupted, "Prefect! Prefect Lin never said that the local militia couldn't be used, did he? Besides, even if the prefect were still alive, with the authority of a prefect, couldn't he mobilize them?"

"Besides, with such a rare opportunity right now and the roads blocked, even if Qian Zhongming wanted to send a message to the capital, he would have to grow wings. Given the current road conditions, by the time his men have made their round trip, the situation here will probably be settled by now. So what is there to be afraid of?"

The retainer grew increasingly agitated, saying, "Qian Zhongming dares to act this way only because you, sir, are kind and benevolent. He's tried to poison and murder you, and you've managed to evade capture each time. But if you commit the same crime again and something truly happens, you might be afraid of offending your superiors, but what if something bad happens to Zheng Yan, or if something serious happens on the river? Aren't you afraid?"

"What do you mean by that?!" Cen Dezhang was startled. "Do as you say, do as you say for now, arrest the person, and don't rush things. See what happens before you decide what to do next!"

"I'm just afraid that the man surnamed Ding is tight-lipped and won't confess easily!"

***
The next morning, Qian Zhongming didn't get out of bed until late morning.

As he grew older, he cherished his health and longevity more. After getting up, he first performed a set of Five Animal Frolics, and then practiced breathing exercises for two weeks.

Once the practice was finished, servants brought over a basin of water and a fine cloth.

Last night he slept in his concubine's room. She had only been in the household for three months. Although he knew to go forward and help her change her clothes, he was still a little awkward. The servant carrying the basin, however, was used to serving at home and was very good at flattering him. She said, "Master, you look better and better. You look very energetic today! It would be best if you could rest a little longer. I'm just afraid that the yamen will be too busy without you!"

Qian Zhongming laughed and said, "I can't rest anymore. I only have these two days left. Xiao Ding said yesterday that things are in chaos at the yamen, and he begged me to go back as soon as possible..."

Just then, a commotion came from somewhere in the front yard, with crying and shouting.

Qian Zhongming's smile vanished instantly, and he said coldly, "Go see who's on duty today. They don't understand any rules, making Qian Yi face people. Punish them..."

He had barely finished uttering the word "punishment" when he saw a person stumbling and running wildly towards him from outside the courtyard gate.

The man looked panicked, running while calling out "Master!" twice, then added, "Something terrible has happened..."

The last syllable lingered, but then a loud "thud" was heard, and the man suddenly fell forward, face-first into the mud, as if he had been slammed to the ground by a thick shield. Following closely behind was a soldier holding a stick.

Qian Zhongming's heart skipped a beat, but he shouted loudly, "Who are you? How dare you trespass on my official residence! I am a Wude Dafu and a Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince..."

Before he could finish reciting a bunch of useless honorary titles, the soldier opposite him had already lit up his eyes and turned around to shout, "The main culprit is here!"

After shouting, the man ran a few steps and lunged at Qian Zhongming.

(End of this chapter)