Chapter 72

The patriarchal system is based on blood ties but transcends them, and it does not necessarily mean that being a father for a day makes one a father for life. For example, Emperor Ai of Han was originally the son of Prince Kang of Dingtao, Liu Kang. Because his uncle, Emperor Cheng of Han, Liu Ao, had no sons, he was brought from the outer fief to inherit the throne. From then on, he was considered the son of Liu Ao and no longer the son of Liu Kang. Therefore, when Emperor Ai wanted to bestow the titles of Empress Dowager and Grand Empress Dowager on his birth mother and grandmother, he faced unanimous opposition from the court and the country—indeed, the emperor's mother is the Empress Dowager, and the emperor's grandmother is the Grand Empress Dowager, but although you are the emperor, those two are the Queen and Queen Dowager of Dingtao and cannot be considered your birth mother and grandmother!

For another example, Yuan Shao, the Chariot and Cavalry General who dominated Ji Province, was originally of low status, being the son of a concubine of his father Yuan Feng (if Yuan Shu's insults were true, his mother might not even have been a concubine but just a servant). Compared to Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao was a secondary son, while Yuan Shu was the legitimate son. The distinction between legitimate and secondary sons was more important than the order of birth, so Yuan Shao should have looked up to Yuan Shu.

However, Yuan Shao's grandfather, Yuan Tang, had four sons: the eldest Yuan Ping, the second Yuan Cheng, the third Yuan Feng, and the fourth Yuan Wei. The eldest and second sons had no sons, so the third son, Yuan Feng, seeing that his elder brother died early, decided to adopt his secondary son Yuan Shao as the second son's heir. This way, Yuan Shao instantly transformed from a secondary son of the third branch to a legitimate son of the second branch and, because of his age, became Yuan Tang's legitimate eldest grandson! So he looked down on Yuan Shu, thinking that the Yuan family should listen to him, the legitimate eldest grandson!

Therefore, the relationship between father and son does not necessarily have to be strictly tied to blood relations.

Returning to Ning Ke's case, if Ning Tong indeed conceived a child through a borrowed seed, then regardless of who the biological father is, the child is already considered Ning Tong's son in name. Beating Ning Tong would be considered a grave act of filial impiety, but beating the neighbor Mr. Wang would be no different from beating a stranger. Beating someone is wrong and should be punished, but it doesn't necessarily mean severe injury; at most, it would involve compensation for medical expenses and mental distress.

However, if the child was conceived through a rented servant, the conclusion would be entirely different. There was no agreement between the Ning and Wang families to transfer the son, so Ning Tong's recognition of the son was in vain. Whether by blood or by name, Ning Ke's father should be the neighbor Mr. Wang. Beating one's father is a heinous crime under the Han Law, and if the father wishes, he can even sentence the son to death. If the father does not wish to, he would not even report the son.

Therefore, the first testimony of the neighbor Mr. Wang only resulted in some compensation, but the second testimony resulted in Ning Ke being sentenced to death. One in heaven, one on earth, the impact of these two testimonies on the case is significant, which is why Wu Zhi reported it to Shi Xun.

However, as Shi Xun thought about it, he suddenly had a new insight—how did Wu Zhi bring up this matter? Wasn't he just asking about the administration of Chengyang County? Even if the county magistrate made a mistake in a case, it wouldn't have much to do with the administration. Wu Zhi must have a deeper story to tell.

He reviewed the case again and suddenly remembered that he initially thought Ning Ke, who was wealthy and alone, would eventually cause trouble. Was Ning Ke really alone? No, he had a sister...

Thinking about this, he asked Lu Hong in a low voice, "Can a married daughter inherit her father's property?" Lu Hong replied, "According to the law, if the father dies, the son inherits. If there is no son, the widow inherits. If there is no widow, the parents inherit. If there are no parents, the unmarried daughter and the married daughter inherit, and then the adopted son..." This means that since Ning Ke had no wife, son, brothers, or nephews, if he died, his sister would be the only heir.

Indeed, the key to solving a case is to start with the biggest beneficiary, a common detective principle... Shi Xun slowly walked back to Wu Zhi and asked, "Who did Ning Ke's sister marry?" Wu Zhi smiled slightly, meaning, "You finally got it—she married the county magistrate of this county."

At this point, the case became clearer. It is believed that Ning Tong indeed conceived a child through the neighbor Mr. Wang, and the child, Ning Ke, later became the sole and, in fact, the first legitimate heir to the Ning family's property. When Ning Ke and the neighbor Mr. Wang had a dispute and beat him, Mr. Wang reported him to the county office, claiming he beat his biological father. However, according to the Han Law, this charge could not be established. The county magistrate, Huang, hearing about this, wanted to use his wife's relationship to seize the Ning family's property, so he instructed the neighbor Mr. Wang to change his testimony, saying that the child was conceived through a rented servant, thus making the charge of Ning Ke beating his father valid.

The key to the case is not how Huang convinced the neighbor Mr. Wang—Mr. Wang had already disregarded family ties and wanted to put his own son to death, so he could easily comply with Huang's request. The key is why the county magistrate, faced with two completely different testimonies, chose the second one without further investigation. Was he truly incompetent, or did he do it to favor Huang, or even accept a bribe from him?

Shi Xun was still deep in thought, and Lu Hong, unable to bear it, stepped forward, bowed to Shi Xun, and then turned to ask Wu Zhi, "Even if it was a rented servant, there should be a contract. Was a contract presented in court?" Wu Zhi nodded and said no—“During the first trial, the county magistrate asked the neighbor Mr. Wang to bring the contract for verification. Mr. Wang said he would go home to get it, but during the second trial, he not only changed his testimony but also said that the contract had been lost due to the passage of time.”

Lu Hong asked, "Such a contract should have a mediator and be registered with the government. Did the county magistrate summon the mediator or check the old records?"

Wu Zhi shook his head and sighed, “If the county magistrate had summoned the mediator and presented the old records, I would not have meddled. I heard from someone that Li Quan, the mediator, once lamented that he was the mediator for the contract, but unfortunately, Ning Ke would be wrongfully executed. I repeatedly urged him to go to the county office to testify to save Ning Ke’s life.”

“Now I understand,” Shi Xun finally figured it out and asked Wu Zhi, “Why do you think Li Quan refused to testify?”

Wu Zhi said, “I repeatedly pleaded with him (Shi Xun thought, ‘Your attitude is not really pleading’), and from what Li Quan said, he did not want to get involved and offend the county magistrate and the county warden. Although the Li family is a prominent family in the county, no one holds an official position. If the county magistrate and the county warden decided to make trouble for him, he would not be able to avoid it.”

Shi Xun lowered his head and thought for a moment, then asked Wu Zhi straightforwardly, “What do you want me to do about this case?” Wu Zhi clasped his hands and said, “Please help persuade Li Quan to testify at the county office.” Shi Xun asked, “Even if there is a witness, there is no physical evidence. What if the county magistrate does not accept the testimony?”

Wu Zhi quickly replied, “Li Quan is a prominent family in the county, and the county magistrate would not dare to arbitrarily reject or hide the testimony. He might recall the execution order and review the case...”

Lu Hong asked, “Has the execution order already been submitted to the prefecture?” Wu Zhi nodded, “It has been two days.” Lu Hong pondered, “It might be difficult to recall it.” Wu Zhi quickly added, “Then please send a letter to the prefecture and ask the governor to reject the order.”

Shi Xun did not immediately agree. He looked up and paced a few steps, his hand on the trunk of a willow tree—before leaving Juancheng, Cheng Li had spoken to him, and those words now resurfaced in his mind...

Shi Xun and Cheng Li had a heated debate in the guesthouse, and in the end, the two clever and eloquent men could not decide a winner, so they shook hands and made peace. The subsequent conversation was more heartfelt, and Cheng Li finally said, “I believe Cao Jinyang’s intention is to use your past courage in front of Cao Shiyi to intimidate the scoundrels in the prefecture. Since you have a favor with the Cao family and are temporarily serving as a postal inspector, please be bold and deal with corrupt officials with a heavy hand. Do not hesitate, and even... do not be too bound by the authority of the postal inspector...”

Cheng Li meant, go ahead and act. Cao De cannot do much to you, but if you are timid and do not dare to deal with corrupt officials or are too rigid about the normal administrative procedures, you might be looked down upon by the Cao brothers.

Thinking about these words, Shi Xun fiercely slapped the tree trunk and turned to Wu Zhi, “No more beating around the bush. Follow me into the city, and we will seal the treasury with the authority of the postal inspector and search for the copy of the contract for the borrowed seed!”

In the Han Dynasty, the postal inspector, also known as “Du You Cao Yuan” or “Du You Shu Yuan,” was an assistant to the governor or prefect, with the power to supervise. The governor or prefect usually appointed a trusted aide to this position, giving it great power. When the postal inspector visited a county, he could request the temporary sealing of the treasury to verify accounts. Although he had no power to appoint or dismiss county officials, he could order them to be suspended for investigation.

Given his lack of administrative and political experience, Shi Xun could not figure out how to discreetly investigate the corruption and malfeasance behind Ning Ke’s case through private visits. Since that was the case, he decided to use his authority as a postal inspector and take a hard line. Cao De said he lacked confidence, but confidence and courage are not entirely the same. He had courage, and the backing of the entire Cao family of Peiguo Qiao County, including the branches of Cao Song and Cao Cao, as well as the main branches of Cao Hong and Cao Bao.

With Cao Cao as my backer, who in this Yanzhou do I fear!

So he immediately called everyone to mount their horses—Wu Zhi had no horse, so Shi Xun ordered a servant to temporarily let him ride his own horse—and they rushed into Chengyang County. As soon as they reached the city gate, the guards came to check, and he immediately revealed his identity and went straight to the county office. The county magistrate, surnamed Geng, came out to greet him. Shi Xun bluntly said, “Seal the treasury first for verification.”

The county magistrate Geng put on a bitter face and said, “It is spring plowing season, and the county’s affairs are busy. Sealing the treasury might not be appropriate...” Shi Xun glared at him, “Then please submit a petition to the prefecture and the court to change the inspection dates to the winter when the affairs are less busy!” The county magistrate saw that this young postal inspector was not to be fooled and could only smile awkwardly, “I dare not, I dare not. Please seal it for a few days...”

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