Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

That evening, He Lantou knocked on the gate of the old house.

Zhang Sanlang ushered him into the courtyard. He Lantou took the tea that Xi Meier handed him, tilted his head back and gulped it down, then wiped his mouth. He checked that there was no one else in the courtyard before lowering his voice and speaking.

"Officer Zhang, I have three things to tell you today. First, Uncle Sun has been taken away by the archers under County Commandant Xu's command. Someone found a packet of smuggled salt under the stove at Uncle Sun's stall, and the archers happened to be patrolling by and caught it on the spot."

Zhang Sanlang was shocked to hear this. "Smuggled salt? Uncle Sun's salt is all bought by Granny He. Where would he get smuggled salt?"

"Of course someone planted it. That bag of salt didn't belong to Uncle Sun at all. But when the archers found it, they caught him red-handed, and even I couldn't protect him."

He Lantou tied the hemp rope in his hand around his waist. "County Commandant Xu has always hated corruption and bribery the most. Uncle Sun has been detained and is awaiting trial."

Zhang Sanlang's heart tightened. "Anything else?"

"The second thing," He Lantou lowered his voice even further, "is that there's been a lot of gossip at the docks these past few days. They're saying that Zhang Si is unfilial and disrespectful, that he's seized his ancestral home and land, and that he doesn't even recognize his own father."

"I had someone inquire about it, and the source is Zhang's shop. Your sister-in-law has been making a fuss about it several times in the teahouse."

"Now all the porters at the docks know about your broken marriage. It wouldn't normally be a big deal, but people are gossiping about it every day. In a few days, it might even reach the county government."

"There's one more thing." He Lantou put the bowl on the stove. "I've already taken note of it for you. These things aren't isolated incidents. On the same day, rumors spread at the docks that you were seizing your ancestral property, and Old Sun was found to be smuggling salt."

"Your sister-in-law in the teahouse added fuel to the fire. There must have been someone orchestrating this, just waiting to put you on the hot seat. You know perfectly well how many people could be mobilized in Juancheng at the same time."

"Kong Youan." Zhang Sanlang placed the teacup on the stove with a muffled thud.

"It's good that the posting officer understands. As for Uncle Sun, you should go to the county government office as soon as possible and see if you can get him out. As for the rest, I can't help you."

He Lantou got up to take his leave.

When he saw him off at the gate, he looked back one last time, hesitated, and then hurried away.

The next day at noon, at the county government office.

Zhang Sanlang was in the household office checking the final list of exemptions.

The door was pushed open.

Yu Shoufen, the head of the criminal investigation department, walked in expressionlessly, went straight past the rows of desks, and gently placed a summons on the list that Zhang Sanlang had spread out. "Director of the posting department, the criminal investigation department summons you for questioning."

Zhang Sanlang put down his pen, picked up the official document, and unfolded it. The ink on the paper was still wet, and it read neatly:

The case concerns a summons filed by Qian Laohei, the manager of a wharf warehouse. According to the complaint, Zhang Shouli, a clerk in the clerk's office, harbored resentment over the dock's corrupt practices and, together with a dockworker named Lu San, broke into Qian's residence, chopped off the plaintiff's left little finger with a knife, and stole three silver coins.

Three witnesses (a donkey) and three pieces of silver beans as evidence. You are hereby summoned and ordered to appear immediately for trial without fail. September 11th, the fourth year of the Taiping Xingguo reign (1545), in the Criminal Division.

Yu Shoufen's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the house could hear it clearly.

Zhou Qianxing was the first to stand up.

He walked around from behind the innermost desk, stood beside Zhang Sanlang, glanced down at the summons, and asked, "Qian Laohei? That smuggler?"

"He accused the posting official of cutting off his finger? What a joke! The posting official has been checking the inventory list in this room from morning till night for the past month. How could he have had time to go and cut off someone's finger?"

Liao Tiesi also stood up, saying, "The postmasters are the first to arrive at the household registration office and the last to leave every day. We can all attest to that."

Zheng Tiesi slammed the account books on the table. "The post office is busy checking land taxes every day; they don't have time to go to the docks and deal with any regulations. Your criminal investigation department is going too far!"

Wang Tiesi sat in the seat closest to the door, without standing up. He simply put down his pen, looked at the edict, then at Zhang Sanlang, his lips moved, but ultimately he said nothing.

Zhou Qianxing picked up the summons and read it again, then sneered, "Human witness Donkey Three, physical evidence Silver Beans? Donkey Three is Qian Laohei's man, how could he collude with Posting this document to commit murder! Your own people testifying for your own people, is that what you call human witness and physical evidence?"

He returned the summons to Zhang Sanlang, saying, "You can't go to the post office or the prison alone with this summons. I'll go with you."

The curtain to the inner room was lifted.

Tao, the clerk, came out from the inner room, carrying a cup of warm tea. It was unclear how long he had been listening inside.

He walked up to Zhang Sanlang, didn't look at the official document, and simply asked, "Where is the inventory list being checked?"

"The abduction figures for the last township haven't been verified yet; the accounts will be fully settled in three more days."

Tao, the clerk, nodded, picked up the incomplete inventory list from the table, flipped through it, and put it back. "I will go with you."

He looked at Yu Shoufen and said in a calm tone, "Zhang Tiesi is a clerk on loan from the Household Revenue Department. If the Criminal Division wants to summon him, the Household Revenue Department has to act as a witness."

He gestured with his chin towards Yu Shoufen, "Let's go."

Zhang Sanlang followed Yu Shou out of the household, Tao Yashi carried a teacup and walked behind with measured steps, and Zhou Qianxing followed closely behind.

Liao Tiesi and Zheng Tiesi also put down their pens and followed. Wang Tiesi hesitated for a moment, but still stood up and followed at the very end.

The prison was located in the corridor on the west side of the main hall of the county government, two courtyards deeper than the household affairs office.

Kong Youan's office was in the innermost room, but since it was not appropriate to interrogate officials in the private room of the clerk, a temporary desk was set up in an empty signing room next door.

Yu Shou pushed open the door and stepped aside to let everyone in.

Kong Youan was already seated behind his desk.

He changed into a slightly worn gray cloth robe, the cuffs rolled up neatly. A file lay open in front of him, and a delicate porcelain teacup sat beside him.

Donkey Three stood on the left side of the table, while Old Man Qian sat on a low stool on the right, his left hand wrapped in a thick strip of cloth. When he saw Zhang Sanlang enter, the mole on the corner of his mouth twitched, and he immediately turned his face away.

Tao, the clerk, entered the signing room and first bowed to Kong You'an, saying, "Clerk Kong, it's been a long time."

Kong Youan raised his head, his gaze lingered on Tao Yashi's face for a moment, then swept over Zhou Qianxing and several clerks behind him, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"What brings you to my office today, Clerk Tao? The household tax office is busy with the autumn tax collection. It's such a small matter, yet you've come all this way in person."

"The posting officer is a clerk seconded from the Household Revenue Department. When the Criminal Division summons him for a trial, the Household Revenue Department has to come and testify." Tao, the clerk, sat down on the bench opposite the desk, holding a teacup, his tone as calm as if he were talking about the weather.

"I won't disturb Clerk Kong while he's handling your case. It's just that the posting officer has been checking the records in the household office every day lately, noting when he's at the yamen and when he goes off duty. The attendance records are all there."

"If Clerk Kong needs to verify the time when he is questioning someone, the Revenue Department can provide it at any time, which saves the trouble of retrieving it. The Revenue Department is busy and cannot do without the Posting Office."

Kong Youan picked up his teacup and took a sip. "You're too kind, Tao. It's just a few questions; there's no need to make such a fuss."

"That's the rule." Tao Yashi also took a sip of tea.