Chapter 71

Wu Zhi was driven back to his own boat, while Shi Xun and Li Quan returned to the cabin to continue their "poetry meeting." Li Quan still wanted to invite "Young Master Yang" to stay at his manor for a few days, but Shi Xun politely declined, citing "important matters that required a quick trip to Chengyang County."

The pleasure boat moved very slowly, and it took an estimated three hours to finally cross Lake Leze and dock on the southeastern shore. As Shi Xun and his party disembarked, they waved goodbye to Li Quan and his group. Only after the pleasure boat had sailed far away did Shi Xun turn around to see a person emerge from behind a willow tree, bowing deeply: "Wu Zhi greets the superior officer."

Shi Xun quickly supported him with both hands: "Jizhong, there's no need for such formalities, please stand up and speak."

It turned out that earlier on the pleasure boat, he had given Lu Hong a signal, and Lu Hong pretended to help drive Wu Zhi away while secretly showing him the official document signed by Cao De. He also whispered to Wu Zhi to row his boat to the shore near Chengyang and wait there. Although Wu Zhi was young, he was indeed very astute. After hearing Lu Hong's words, he pretended to be ashamed and fled back to his small boat.

Li Quan and his group still asked, "What did the respected gentleman say that made this dog retreat?" Shi Xun and Lu Hong exchanged glances, feigning mystery and shaking their heads, refusing to reveal the secret. Li Quan and the others had no choice but to let it go.

After finally crossing Lake Leze and meeting Wu Zhi, Shi Xun inquired about the situation in Chengyang and the surrounding counties. Wu Zhi reported, "I have only been to Chengyang and Juyang counties; I do not know the situation elsewhere. The magistrate of Juyang is a virtuous official, and his chief and county lieutenant were appointed by Lord Cao. Although they lack talent, they all abide by the law. As for Chengyang..."

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject: "Recently, a strange case has occurred in Chengyang County. Would the superior officer like to hear about it?"

Shi Xun thought, "Is there a case to investigate? This sounds interesting." He nodded slightly. Wu Zhi then asked, "During the Former Han Dynasty, there were the 'Two Gongs of Chu.' Has the superior officer heard of them?" Shi Xun replied that he had indeed heard of them, referring to Pengcheng's Gong Sheng and Gong Junbin, and Wuyuan's Gong She and Gong Junqian, who were both from Chu and renowned in their time, hence the term 'Two Gongs of Chu.'

Wu Zhi nodded and continued, "During the reign of Emperor Ai, Gong Sheng was summoned to serve as a censor. The three people he recommended were Gong She, who was equally famous, Hou Jia from Jiyin, and Ning Shou from Kangfu. Gong She and Hou Jia were both appointed as censors after arriving in the capital by public carriage, while Ning Shou claimed illness and did not come. Since Emperor Ai was the son of Prince Gong of Dingtao, he moved famous scholars from neighboring counties to his state to strengthen his hometown, and Ning Shou was among those moved, thus forming a prominent clan..."

According to Wu Zhi, the Ning family settled in Chengyang County and passed down through generations, but their population gradually dwindled. By the time of Emperor Ling, only one descendant remained, named Ning Tong, who owned vast estates and was second only to Li Quan's family in the county.

However, Ning Tong had married two wives and taken many concubines, yet none of them bore him children. It was not until he was nearly fifty that a lowly maid gave birth to a son for him, named Ning Ke. When Ning Ke was three, Ning Tong had another daughter. Now, both Ning Tong and his wives and concubines are dead, leaving only Ning Ke, who is in his early twenties, with the courtesy name Xuzhi, and not yet married—his sister married two years ago.

Although Shi Xun was not a detective novel enthusiast in his previous life, he had read a few—being a literary otaku, he had to read "Sherlock Holmes" and follow "Detective Conan"... So when he heard this background, he instinctively sensed a criminal element. Think about it, a lonely young man with no relatives, owning vast estates and a beautiful mansion, in a time of chaos, if he doesn't get involved in a case, it would be against the laws of nature!

"Was Ning Ke harmed by someone?"

Wu Zhi shook his head and replied, "Ning Ke was accused of beating his biological father, a crime of filial impiety..."

Shi Xun was taken aback, thinking, "Didn't you say his father was already dead? Could he have dug his father out of the grave to beat him? No, that would be a greater act of filial impiety, and there would be no need to accuse him of beating his father. Wait, biological father... Damn, there's more to this story!"

Wu Zhi continued, explaining that the Ning family's neighbor, the Wang family, had a very fertile master who had four sons and three daughters. Recently, the Ning and Wang families had a dispute over land. Ning Ke, being young and hot-tempered, severely beat the old Wang. In a fit of anger, old Wang went to the county office and accused Ning Ke, claiming that he was actually Ning Ke's biological father...

Shi Xun thought, "Well, here comes another 'Old Wang next door.' It seems the stories about 'Old Wang next door' in the future are not baseless. Could all 'Old Wangs' be...?" He couldn't help but think of the 'Old Wang next door' in the poor village, and how his own height was closer to his parents' than to 'Old Wang's.' Could he be...? The thought gave him a chill.

Seeing his superior's puzzled and somewhat angry expression, Wu Zhi stopped speaking. Shi Xun was still lost in thought, but Guan Si couldn't wait and asked, "How could that old Wang be Ning Ke's biological father? Continue, please!"

Shi Xun snapped back to reality, turned to glare at Guan Si, and the little girl pouted and glared back. Their eyes met, and Shi Xun was the one who had to look away. He turned back to Wu Zhi and urged him to continue.

Wu Zhi said that when old Wang first accused Ning Ke, he claimed that over twenty years ago, Ning Tong, having no children, sent a maid to his house to borrow a seed. Old Wang agreed and worked day and night, eventually impregnating the maid, who gave birth to a son. Both mother and child were returned to the Ning family, and that son was today's Ning Ke.

"Damn, borrowing a seed!" Shi Xun thought, "I didn't expect the ancients to be so open-minded. I thought only in the 21st century, with in vitro fertilization, would infertile couples buy sperm. But it seems that even back then, they used this method. After all, it was just a maid, and it wouldn't tarnish the main wife's reputation."

"However," Wu Zhi continued, "the county lieutenant, upon receiving the case, asked old Wang to produce the contract for the seed borrowing. When old Wang returned to the office, he suddenly changed his story, claiming that due to the passage of time, he had remembered incorrectly. There was no seed borrowing; he had rented Ning Tong's maid. When the rental period ended, the maid was already pregnant, and the child was recognized as Ning Tong's son..."

Shi Xun thought, "What a learning experience. It's not strange that a maid could be borrowed, but that she could be 'used' and then returned to become the master's child. Damn, this case is ethically complex!" His interest grew, and he asked, "What happened next? Is Ning Ke really Old Wang's son?"

Wu Zhi said, "The county lieutenant then summoned Ning Ke and performed a blood test to determine paternity. It was confirmed that Ning Ke was Old Wang's son, and he was sentenced for the crime of filial impiety for beating his father. He is now in prison..."

"Blood test..." Shi Xun pondered.

"Blood test" is an ancient method of paternity testing, where two people drop blood into a basin of water. If they are related, the blood drops will merge; otherwise, they will not. Shi Xun had heard of this method and knew it was unreliable, but just how unreliable was it?

Shi Xun was not a medical expert and lacked the relevant knowledge. He knew that in the 21st century, DNA testing could determine blood relations, and since it was so complex, the blood test must be ineffective. But why was it ineffective, and how ineffective was it? If he had to guess, blood types that matched would merge, and those that didn't would not. But even if blood types matched, it didn't prove a blood relation, right? How many blood types are there in the world?

Shi Xun was making assumptions, but "blood test" was not just unreliable; it was completely baseless. Blood dissolves in water, so two drops of blood will eventually merge, just at different rates depending on the experimental conditions. This has nothing to do with blood type and cannot be used to determine paternity. In short, this method is not sometimes effective and sometimes not; it is completely ineffective.

Shi Xun didn't know this and was still making assumptions, thinking that if he could disprove the authority of the "blood test," he could overturn the conclusion that Ning Ke was Old Wang's son. In this era, filial piety was highly valued, and beating one's father was a serious crime. Ning Ke would likely receive a harsh sentence. Since Wu Zhi called this a "strange case," it was probably not true, and Ning Ke was being wronged. But how could he disprove the "blood test" result? He couldn't just randomly test a group of people, as that might not only fail to overturn the superstition but also create more "Old Wangs."

After pondering for a while, he still had no idea, so he asked Wu Zhi, "How do you know that Ning Ke is not Old Wang's son?" Wu Zhi looked at him with confusion: "Since the blood test has confirmed it, Ning Ke is naturally Old Wang's son, and there is no doubt about it—does the superior officer not understand the peculiarity of this case?"

Peculiarity? If everyone believes the blood test, what peculiarity is there? Shi Xun looked at Wu Zhi and instinctively felt that the young man's eyes were off, seemingly hiding a hint of disappointment, and perhaps even a hint of disdain. What was he missing? He walked a few steps back and forth, carefully reviewing Wu Zhi's words. The peculiarity of this case was that Old Wang suddenly changed his story, from borrowing a seed to renting a maid...

He was not well-versed in the Han laws, so he pretended to be deep in thought and slowly walked to Lu Hong's side, asking in a low voice, "If the seed borrowing is true, how should this case be judged?" Lu Hong also lowered his voice and replied, "If there is a contract, Ning Ke is indeed Ning Tong's son, and he should be fined for assaulting a neighbor." Shi Xun asked, "If it's a son assaulting his father..." Lu Hong replied, "Capital punishment."

Shi Xun finally understood!

—————————— I am the line for votes ——————————

Guan Meimei angrily shouted, "I'm not a bandit, I'm a marauder!"

Well, whether you like her or not, as long as you like me, I'm asking for your support, recommendations, comments, and sharing!