Chapter 12 - 2#
If he were to take on the crime of “how many wrongful convictions were fabricated,” it wouldn’t be as simple as losing his job.
This was a crime punishable by the execution of his entire family and the confiscation of all property!
Coroner Shang didn’t even dare to feign fainting to escape. He suppressed the surging dizziness and violent ringing in his ears, struggled to turn over, prostrated himself fully on the ground, and cried out in a tearful voice: “Your Honor!! This humble one, this humble one has indeed been negligent in his duties, but even if I had the boldness of the heavens, I wouldn’t dare do such a thing! Someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes and threatening me. I was momentarily blinded by greed and made this grave mistake. I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely would not dare to fabricate a wrongful case! Your Honor, please investigate clearly!”
Inside and outside the court, there was complete silence.
After a long moment, Le Wuyai finally let out a hint of doubt: “Oh?”
“Who is so audacious as to dare direct and threaten a public official? Within this Nanting County, is there someone else acting as your master?”
Coroner Shang didn’t dare to hide the truth, but he also didn’t dare to directly accuse Squire Chen. So he spoke vaguely: “Xiaofu Coal Mine sent someone…”
Upon hearing the words “Xiaofu Coal Mine,” the crowd erupted in a chorus of “Oh—” of shock and anger.
Le Wuyai pointed to his advisor: “Write it down.”
The advisor realized he had been listening so intently that a drop of ink was about to fall onto the paper.
He quickly wiped the cold sweat from his brow and continued working.
“Xiaofu Coal Mine?” Le Wuyai laughed. “Coroner Shang, do you take me for a five-year-old child? Without evidence, just waving your mouth around, you can accuse Xiaofu Coal Mine? What if you change your story tomorrow and accuse me of giving the orders half a year ago? Would that count as valid?”
Coroner Shang saw that if he didn’t present evidence to refute the claim, his life would be in danger, so he no longer cared about the consequences: “Your Honor, please see clearly! This humble one wouldn’t dare! My monthly salary is meager, barely half a tael of silver. Half a year ago, Xiaofu Coal Mine sent me 20 taels of silver. At home, I have an elderly mother of eighty. I thought with this money, I could prepare a fine set of high-quality mahogany burial goods for her. But I was afraid that suddenly having so much money would be too conspicuous, so I locked the silver in a wicker chest under my bed. My family’s income is small; every time money comes in, my wife records it in the accounts. This silver from half a year ago is also recorded in the ledger. For the reason for the income, I didn’t dare write it directly; I only wrote the name of the person who gave the money, Chen Fuer—he’s the accountant manager at Xiaofu Coal Mine! The handwriting is all from half a year ago; there’s absolutely no fabrication!”
He cried out: “Your Honor sees through everything! All these years I’ve served the yamen, I’ve done my utmost in every duty! It was for my mother that I was momentarily confused and betrayed my conscience. I beg Your Honor, Your Honor—”
After speaking so much in one breath, his injuries flared up, and he finally fainted.
Le Wuyai remained unmoved.
Whether Coroner Shang was truly filial, wanting to make a good coffin for his mother, or keeping the money for himself, it didn’t matter.
After ordering Coroner Shang to be taken to the back hall and a physician summoned, Le Wuyai slammed his gavel:
“Summon Coroner Shang’s wife. Bring the account book and the wicker chest as evidence. The chest is to be brought unopened, not a single scratch allowed.”
“Arrest all the principal managers of Xiaofu Coal Mine and the accountant Chen Fuer for confrontation!”
Three fit constables rushed off to Xiaofu Coal Mine to bring in the people.
Xiaofu Coal Mine was quite a distance from the county yamen, requiring some travel time.
Two other constables went to Coroner Shang’s home, summoned his wife as ordered, and returned with the intact wicker chest and key.
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Coroner Shang’s wife didn’t dare to deny anything and honestly corroborated her husband’s words.
She personally unlocked the wicker chest with the key.
Inside, wrapped in a blue floral cloth, was a bundle of silver taels, covered with a thin layer of fine dust, clearly unopened for a long time.
Exactly twenty taels—no more, no less.
The cloth was quite ordinary, and the gift-giver wasn’t foolish enough to leave a note saying “Presented to Shang Juncai on such-and-such date,” so it was hard to tell who had given it at a glance.
Le Wuyai examined it for a moment, then took a sheet of white rice paper and a clean fine-bristled brush used for corpse examinations. He carefully brushed over the cloth, sweeping the accumulated dust onto the paper. Out came a thin layer of fine black dirt.
Le Wuyai smiled brightly, put down the brush, wrapped the fine dirt in the paper, and ordered it sealed in a clean paper bag.
After handling this, Le Wuyai deliberately glanced at the water clock, as if calculating the time.
After some mental arithmetic, he turned to County Magistrate Sun: “County Magistrate Sun, how many constables are still in the yamen?”
County Magistrate Sun replied respectfully: “Your Honor is trying the case through the night; all twenty constables are on duty. Three went to Xiaofu Coal Mine, so there are seventeen left in the yamen now.”
Le Wuyai: “The two who went to Coroner Shang’s home to fetch the chest will remain in the court for now. Have the other fifteen come up!”
Fifteen sturdy, broad-shouldered men filed into the court and shouted in unison: “Present!”
Le Wuyai: “He Qingsong.”
This was the man who had gone with him to raid the gambling den that afternoon and had witnessed Le Wuyai shoot down Ge Erzi with an arrow.
Le Wuyai: “You take the lead. Each of you, go to the vicinity of Xiaofu Coal Mine’s accounting office, gather a handful of soil, wrap it in cloth, and bring it back. Also, bring back five miners.”
Le Wuyai was indeed generous; he had promised a reward for helping, and he delivered immediately after returning.
With the reward securely in his pocket, He Qingsong was full of fighting spirit. He replied in a booming voice: “Yes, Your Honor! Which five should we bring?”
“I want those who look physically weak, whose accents are not local, and preferably those who are still working in the mine right now. You choose them yourselves; don’t accept anyone picked out for you. Form groups of three, supervise each other, and each group bring back one miner.”
With that, he raised his voice: “If anyone wants to watch the excitement, feel free to come along.”
The trial was truly interesting, with back-and-forth and a lot of interaction.
The common folk were watching with great enthusiasm, and indeed, a few rolled up their sleeves, eager to go along.
But after a moment of commotion, the crowd quieted down again.
This was different from when Le Wuyai had invited people up to examine the corpse.
Many locals had some guesses about the situation at Xiaofu Coal Mine, but it wasn’t convenient to speak openly.
Jiang He, unaware of the details, was momentarily confused.
Since they were all going to Xiaofu Coal Mine, why send two separate groups to bring people back? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to bring them all together?
Before Jiang He could figure it out, the young county magistrate on the court fixed his gaze on him with a smile.
“You there.” Le Wuyai pointed at Jiang He. “How about you go on this trip for me?”
Jiang He: “…Ah?”
Jiang He: “Me?”
Le Wuyai laughed: “Yes, you were standing at the very front just now, and now you seem very eager to go. Truly a zealous fellow.”
Jiang He blinked, still not understanding.
…Did he look that eager?
Le Wuyai emphasized: “Sir, please go along and watch the excitement.”
Jiang He felt as if he understood something.
He nodded honestly: “Alright.”
A squad of constables charged fiercely into the night.
Jiang He shuffled along at the very back, went to the inn near the yamen to fetch his horse, and took out a long, gray cloth bundle from his saddlebag. After looking around, he bit his lower lip slightly and whistled.
Another man emerged like a ghost from the shadows: “Brother Jiang, what’s up?”
“Have someone else sit in on the trial and don’t miss any details. You go notify the two young masters that County Magistrate Wenren has ordered me to do some tasks for him.”
The man was taken aback: “We’re working for the young masters. Why is that county magistrate ordering you around?”
He held back the rest of his words: …And why are you willing to listen to him?
Jiang He looked at the moon in the sky and hugged the gray cloth bundle to his chest.
In front of outsiders, he always appeared cold as ice, as if everything was well within his grasp: “Just do it.”
In truth, he didn’t know why Wenren Yue was so adept at ordering him around.
Was it because he looked like he wasn’t a merchant, or had he revealed some trace of martial skill?
Young General Le had once said that diligence could compensate for lack of talent.
So, as he walked along, he studied himself to figure out where he had gone wrong.
The moonlight deepened. As he ambled along with his sword hugged to his chest, he noticed a group of constables slowly moving to the back of the line.
One of them squatted down to adjust his boots, dawdling, watching the others move ahead.
The lone constable, seeing no one noticed, smiled slightly. Just as he was about to stand up, a voice came from behind him like a ghost: “Hurry up and catch up.”
The constable who had intended to slip away and report: “?”
He turned around and saw Jiang He, dressed as a merchant, who wasn’t very tall.
Jiang He: “Didn’t the county magistrate tell you all…”
The constable, afraid that his voice would alert the team that hadn’t gone far, quickly lowered his voice and growled: “You want to die? Get lost!”
With that, he grabbed Jiang He by the neck, intending to press his head down and drag this meddlesome merchant aside.
Suddenly, a flash of white before his eyes.
A frosty sword blade emerged from the slender bundle in Jiang He’s arms and rested against the constable’s neck.
Jiang He didn’t waste words; his expression barely changed, just a genuine look of confusion: “Catch up.”
The constable was stunned for a moment, then turned and ran frantically to catch up with the team, moving as if he had seen a ghost.
Jiang He sheathed his sword and continued following at a distance.
After pondering for most of the journey, Jiang He’s ears twitched slightly.
A moment later, he quickened his pace and caught up.
He Qingsong, walking at the front, felt a breeze behind him. He turned around to find Jiang He’s expressionless face closing in.
He Qingsong: “Ah!”
But before he could get angry, Jiang He spoke in a low voice: “Everyone, get into that alley over there.”
He Qingsong was taken aback and forgot to be angry.
He had been wondering all along: they were on official business, so why had the county magistrate assigned a civilian to follow them?
This man had an extraordinary appearance, clearly not a local, yet he was so enthusiastic, and the magistrate had singled him out more than once…
Minor officials often excelled at reading situations.
Just days ago, the magistrate was being suppressed by County Magistrate Sun, barely able to breathe. How had he turned the tables in just one day, striking with the force of thunder—raiding the gambling den, exhuming corpses, and trying cases by night?
Was he… waiting for an opportunity?
At this thought, He Qingsong’s expression toward the man before him changed.
The magistrate had sent this man to follow them—there must be deep meaning!
He Qingsong raised his hand.
He was the oldest among the constables, with seniority to back it up. When he gave an order, the others naturally obeyed.
The group slipped into the alley. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they heard the sound of heavy boots.
The first squad of constables, who had been sent to bring people from Xiaofu Coal Mine, was passing by on the main street.
He Qingsong was inevitably surprised: he hadn’t heard any footsteps at all just now, yet this man had told them to hide?
After the first group had gone a bit further, He Qingsong asked Jiang He in a low voice: “Why are we avoiding them?”
Jiang He didn’t answer: “Let’s go.”
Seeing that he was tight-lipped, He Qingsong wisely stopped asking.
In truth, if he knew the reason why Jiang He refused to answer, he would probably collapse on the ground.
…Jiang He himself didn’t know.
He just had sharper instincts than others and felt that avoiding them was the right move.
After the footsteps faded completely, the group emerged and continued forward.
Jiang He still trailed at the back.
After walking two hundred paces, Jiang He suddenly stopped, stared at the air in front of him, and nodded in sudden realization: “Ah…”
County Magistrate Wenren had ordered the first group to bring back all the managers from the mine.
Then, when the second group entered the mine, with the managers gone, wouldn’t their subsequent actions go more smoothly?
Having figured this out, his perpetually expressionless face finally relaxed a little.
But the next question came immediately, and his expression turned serious again.
Why was he obeying his orders?
It felt… as if it were only natural.
Author’s Note:
Jiang He, a model of a deadly serious loose cannon.