Chapter 73

Xun followed the second method of county inspection taught by Cheng Li, first "quietly entering the village, without firing a gun," conducting a private investigation in plain clothes, and then suddenly revealing his identity, swiftly heading to the county office, and ordering the treasury to be temporarily sealed.

He instructed Wu Zhi to search for the archived contract in the treasury, while he himself, accompanied by Lu Hong, reviewed various cases that had been adjudicated and those that had yet to be adjudicated in the past year. However, no matter how he flipped through the documents, he could not find any related to the case of Ning Ke. He asked County Magistrate Geng, "I heard about this case as soon as I entered the county. Why can't I see the relevant materials?" County Magistrate Geng replied with a bow, "We need to ask County Deputy Tu..."

Unlike many period dramas where the county magistrate personally sits in court to adjudicate cases, this task is generally handled by the county deputy. Only when the case is truly unsolvable does it require the magistrate's intervention. According to the "Book of Han," the county deputy "oversees documents and manages the treasury and prison," meaning he is both the magistrate's assistant and secretary, as well as the head of finance and justice. Therefore, when it came to the issue of adjudicating cases, County Magistrate Geng had to bring out County Deputy Tu.

Before long, County Deputy Tu arrived and greeted Xun. Xun noticed that this man, in his forties, was short, with a round face and a large belly. If his short legs were cut off, he would look like a snowman—though he wasn't as white as a snowman, and his nose wasn't a carrot but a slightly red, flat yam. Overall, except for being a bit fat and having a slightly flat nose, his other features were quite proper and well-placed, giving the first impression that he enjoyed good food and drink but was a rather honest person.

Xun returned a half-bow and then directly asked County Deputy Tu about the case of Ning Ke. Upon hearing this, Tu casually pulled out a bamboo scroll from his sleeve: "Since the case has just been approved by the prefecture, it has not yet been archived or submitted for review by the superior."

Xun was taken aback, thinking that Wu Zhi had said it was only sent two days ago, so how could it be approved so quickly? The prefecture of Jiyin, with its capital in Dingtao, was nearly two hundred miles away. Did you send a fast horse to deliver it? Capital cases are only decided in autumn, and it's only February. What's the rush? Are you planning to execute Ning Ke in secret as soon as you get the document?

He found the situation increasingly suspicious and took the bamboo scroll to examine it carefully. The content on the scroll was roughly as follows: On a certain date, a villager named Ning Ke assaulted his father and caused injury, and according to the law, he should be executed. Below was a detailed account of the incident and the trial. However, according to the scroll, County Deputy Tu only conducted one trial, and the only testimony from the neighbor, Old Wang, was that the child was born from a rented servant, with no mention of a change in testimony.

Xun looked at the scroll, then at County Deputy Tu, and back at the scroll, and then at Tu again... This cycle repeated several times, making Tu increasingly nervous. When he first arrived, Tu's gaze was sincere, and his face was filled with a gentle but not overly flattering smile. By now, he couldn't hold it anymore, his eyes began to dart around, and his smile became stiff.

Xun thought to himself, "Ha, as the saying goes, 'If the heart is not upright, the eyes will be confused.' You are about to reveal your true colors, aren't you?" He didn't realize that in this world, absolutely upright and honest people are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Everyone has a bit of trickery in their hearts. If Cao Cao looked at him like this without saying a word, he would be just as frightened, his eyes darting around, not knowing where to look.

However, at this point, it was easier to break through the other's defenses. So he asked, "I heard from the villagers that this case was tried twice, and at first, Old Wang said the child was born from a borrowed seed. Is that correct?" This question made Tu even more flustered, and he said, "Old Wang made a mistake, and his testimony was invalid, so it was not included in the case file."

Xun stared intently at his eyes, "Are you sure Old Wang made a mistake? Are you sure the child was born from a rented servant, not a borrowed seed?" Tu stammered, "It, it should be... Since the prefecture has already approved the case, there should be no doubt, and the superior officials would not want to re-examine it..."

Xun sneered, "The prominent local figure Li Yizhong told me that the child was indeed born from a borrowed seed, and the witness to the contract was himself. If I insist on a re-examination, I believe the prefecture would not obstruct me. What do you think?"

"Swish," a cold sweat broke out on Tu's forehead, and his eyes involuntarily glanced at County Magistrate Geng. However, Geng, sitting beside him, seemed to be lost in thought, refusing to look at him. Xun was about to ask Geng to send someone to call Li Quan as a witness when Wu Zhi suddenly entered, holding a wooden tablet, and whispered, "I found it, but..."

Xun snatched the tablet from Wu Zhi. The "but" in Wu Zhi's words made him have a bad premonition, so he instinctively glanced at Tu first before looking at the tablet. He saw that Tu's face was pale—making him look even more like a snowman—and his eyes were fixed on Geng. Following his gaze, he saw that Geng was also looking at him at that moment and nodded slightly.

Damn, it seems that not only the county deputy and the county captain but also this county magistrate are involved in the case. All three official positions in the county are implicated. Xun realized he had been rash. If everyone in the county colluded against him, it would be a huge problem, and it would be even harder to overturn the case. He took a deep breath and looked at the tablet in his hand. The contract clearly stated that Ning Ke had "rented" a servant to Old Wang for two years, and the witness was not Li Quan but a name he didn't recognize—Liang Yun.

He pointed to the tablet, "Who is this 'Liang Yun'?" Before Tu could answer, Geng interjected, "He was a prominent local figure, but he died last year during the Yellow Turban rebellion."

Died? Good, good, so there's no one to verify it, right? Xun held the tablet up to the sunlight coming in from the window and examined it again, noticing several scraped marks on the contract—damn, he thought the bamboo scrolls and wooden tablets were easy to modify, but it turns out they are also easy to forge!

He couldn't help but ask, "There are obvious deletions, why is that?" Geng answered confidently, "In the countryside, people often reuse wooden tablets to save materials, which is not unusual."

Xun thought, "Go to hell, you countryside people, you are the countryside people, your whole family is the countryside people! Ning Ke's family is so wealthy; would they use an old tablet for such an important contract? Who are you trying to fool! Wait, if it was just a rented servant, it wouldn't be important, and using an old tablet would make sense... But does renting a servant require a separate document to be filed with the county office? Do you think I'm stupid?!"

However, he could only think this but couldn't say it out loud—after all, he had no solid evidence. It was like a phlegm stuck in his throat, neither coughing it out nor swallowing it, making him extremely uncomfortable, and he wanted to kick over the table and draw his sword to cut these two despicable men to pieces...

This is the weakness of a civil official. Think about it, in the past... no, in the future, when Zhang San went to Leiyang to find faults with Pang Tong, it was similar to his current situation. Fortunately, Sun Qian was there to stop him; otherwise, with Zhang San's temper, he would have killed them on the spot. A civil official can't do that, even if he has the strength, he doesn't have the audacity to act recklessly.

Xun had no choice but to resort to his old trick, looking at the contract in his hand, then at County Magistrate Geng, then at the contract, and then at Geng again... But Geng was much more cunning than Tu, maintaining a calm and gentle smile, indifferent to Xun's gaze. Seeing that Xun was about to give up, Lu Hong came to his rescue, coughing lightly and saying loudly, "The superior has been traveling since dawn and must be tired. Why not take a rest first?"

Xun took the opportunity to agree, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, I am indeed tired." He thought for a moment and instructed Geng and the others, "Do not let my arrival disrupt your work. Arrange a quiet room for me to rest and clear the dust. I will wait until the afternoon. If I have any questions, I will call you then."

Once they were settled in a side room, Xun ordered Guan Si to guard the area and prevent anyone from approaching. He then threw the contract in front of Wu Zhi and asked, "What should we do now?"

Wu Zhi picked up the tablet and stared at it for a long time before stammering, "The deletions are obvious, there must be something fishy... The county magistrate and deputy are known for their corruption, and everyone in the county knows it. If you ask the elders, they will naturally..."

Xun impatiently interrupted, "I'm not doubting you, but what should we do now? Even if there are elders who are not afraid of their power and dare to speak the truth, it would be hard to use their words as evidence—especially in the case of Ning Ke, even Li Quan is unwilling to come forward as a witness, let alone others. Now that they have changed the name of the witness, even if Li Quan comes, it won't help..." He turned to Lu Hong, "Mr. Lu, why don't you thoroughly check the accounts?"

Lu Hong smiled and shook his head, "Did the superior notice the expressions of Geng and Tu? From my observation, Tu did not know the contract had been altered, or Geng had a higher strategy and was prepared—since the superior came in plain clothes, but it is the time for county inspection, Geng must have been prepared, and the accounts are likely to have been altered beyond recognition."

Xun, hearing this, became even more frustrated and glared at Wu Zhi. He thought, if he had known this would be the result, he wouldn't have listened to Wu Zhi and pursued the case of Ning Ke. Now, with no evidence, he was in a very passive position. Wu Jizhong, I thought you were a wise and capable person who could assist me, but you let me down.

Then he thought, it's not entirely Wu Zhi's fault. After all, he is only fifteen or sixteen years old, younger than himself, and a junior high or high school student wouldn't know much about the cunning of the official world.

Xun couldn't help but pace around the room, rubbing his hands. Lu Hong looked at him, then at the dejected Wu Zhi, and couldn't help but stroke his beard and smile, "Superior, do not worry. There is still one strategy we can use."

Xun quickly asked, "What strategy?"

"Wait for the rabbit to come to the tree."

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