Chapter 74

After a brief rest, Shi Xun and his companions resumed their activities. Shi Xun first summoned the county magistrate's assistant, Tu Xian, and said he wanted to re-examine the case of Ning Ke, ordering that Ning Ke be brought to the side room where he was resting. He then dispatched Wu Zhi with a household slave to search Ning Ke's residence and the home of his neighbor, Old Wang. At the same time, he sent Lu Hong to verify the official granary and the accounts.

After Ning Ke was brought in, Shi Xun simply asked him about his name, age, and property. Ning Ke's family indeed had considerable wealth, with three estates and hundreds of acres of land—though most of the land had been abandoned due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion last year, these immovable assets would not just disappear. The total value of the family's property should be over a million coins. Shi Xun thought to himself, no wonder that county military officer, whom he had not yet met, was drooling. If he were in the same position, with the opportunity to seize the property of a brother-in-law who had no blood relation to his wife, he might also be tempted...

According to County Magistrate Geng, the county was dredging several canals along the Ji River before the spring plowing, so a small labor force had been temporarily conscripted, and the county military officer was supervising the work. He would not return until at least evening.

Shi Xun did not ask Ning Ke much about the case, as even Ning Ke himself was confused—how did a few punches to his neighbor Old Wang suddenly make him his father? How did a former young master in fine clothes suddenly become a prisoner facing execution? What misfortune had he incurred to bring this disaster upon himself?

Shi Xun only asked why he had not married despite being of age. Ning Ke replied that he had once been engaged, but his fiancée's family had all perished during the Yellow Turban Rebellion last year, and none of them had survived.

Shi Xun thought to himself, you've had a run of bad luck, brother. If I save your life this time, you should give away all your wealth and become a monk—yes, Buddhism had just been introduced and was not yet popular, so he had not seen a single Buddhist temple since he arrived in this era...

While he was lost in thought, Ning Ke knelt on the ground, crying and pleading for his life. After a while, Shi Xun gathered his thoughts and looked at Ning Ke, then at the contracts and verdicts on the table. He thought, whether you live or die is none of my concern, but even if I can find fault with County Magistrate Geng and his team, the most I can do is have them suspended for investigation; I cannot take their lives. That million in wealth will still end up in their hands... This is extremely frustrating!

He had nothing better to do, so he read the contracts and verdicts several times, and practiced calligraphy on the table with water from a cup—yes, the writing on the contract was terrible, but the writing on the verdict was not bad, only slightly worse than his own... He wondered if it was written by a scribe or by the county magistrate's assistant himself.

He had specifically brought Ning Ke in to prevent County Magistrate Geng and the county magistrate's assistant from silencing him. If the prisoner died in custody before the case was decided and approved by the prefecture, the relevant officials would be held responsible for poor management. However, now that the prefecture had approved the death sentence, if Ning Ke were to die suddenly, the officials' responsibility would be much lighter, and they would only be fined a few pounds of copper. They had already seized a million in wealth, so they wouldn't care about such a small fine.

He sent Wu Zhi to search Ning Ke's and Old Wang's homes because, in theory, the contract should have been in triplicate, with each party holding one copy and one filed with the government. Since the government's copy had been altered, if the other two copies could be found, it would prove that the child was indeed conceived through a surrogacy agreement, and Ning Ke should not be executed. Of course, given County Magistrate Geng's cleverness, both Shi Xun and Lu Hong suspected that the other two copies had either been destroyed or altered—most likely destroyed. However, it was better to be safe than sorry, especially since Ning Ke himself did not know about the agreement. The contract could be hidden anywhere in his home, or it might have been destroyed by his father, Ning Tong. It was possible that County Magistrate Geng and his team had not found it, and even more possible that he would have good luck and Wu Zhi would find it.

But would he really have such good luck? Even if the contract were found and Ning Ke's life saved, it would only prove that the county magistrate's assistant had made a wrong judgment, not that he had colluded with the county military officer to seize someone's property. The punishment for a wrong judgment, even if it almost sent an innocent person to the executioner, would not be severe enough to strip him of his position, and the most despicable County Magistrate Geng could easily avoid responsibility. This was frustrating, no matter how he thought about it!

As dusk approached, Wu Zhi and Lu Hong returned empty-handed. Indeed, Wu Zhi had not found the contract, and he reported that the county had already searched Old Wang's home the day after he first accused Ning Ke of assaulting his father. As for Lu Hong, he said that the accounts had been altered, and County Magistrate Geng had used the excuse of the county's poverty and the frequent use of old documents by the government to evade responsibility. The granary's funds, though low, were barely accounted for. In short, County Magistrate Geng had left no room for them to catch him.

Although it was expected, the three of them still felt disheartened. Shi Xun finally said to Lu Hong, "We can only see if your judgment is correct." As he spoke, someone outside the door called, "The county magistrate invites the superior officer to the rear hall for a meal." Shi Xun replied loudly, "Bring the meal here." The person outside quickly added, "The superior officer has come from afar, and the county magistrate has specially prepared a banquet to welcome you. Please do not decline."

Shi Xun glanced at Lu Hong, who stroked his beard and smiled, nodding. Shi Xun then instructed Wu Zhi and Guan Si to guard Ning Ke and not let the county officials take him away. He and Lu Hong then went to the rear hall.

The banquet was quite lavish. Of course, in this era, even the most lavish meals were not particularly delicious, mainly because stir-frying had not been invented, and the cooking methods were limited to boiling and roasting, with a lack of spices. Shi Xun, who in his previous life was not a gourmet but a food enthusiast, found the repetitive meals in this era almost boring. He sometimes wondered why, despite the mention of "bean oil" in the "Fang Sheng's Book," no one seemed to know how to produce it. If he could get vegetable oil and a cast-iron pot, he could stir-fry dishes.

While he was lost in thought, he engaged in superficial conversation with County Magistrate Geng and the county magistrate's assistant, exchanging insincere compliments and pleasantries. After a few rounds of drinks and dishes, when it seemed there was nothing left to say, County Magistrate Geng gave a subtle nod to the county magistrate's assistant, who understood and raised his cup, "I wish to toast the superior officer."

Shi Xun raised his cup and smiled, "You have toasted me many times already, do you have anything new to offer?" "Something new? Yes, yes," the county magistrate's assistant quickly put down his cup and clapped his hands, "The superior officer has come from afar, and our county is poor, so we can only offer some local products. Please accept them with a smile."

Shi Xun thought, here it comes, I've been waiting for this. He smiled but said nothing. Soon, two soldiers carried in a large bamboo box, which seemed heavy from their steps. They placed the box in front of Shi Xun's table, and the county magistrate's assistant personally opened the lid, flipping through the contents and introducing them, "These are some local products, not much of a gift—this is our county's famous fine linen..."

As he lifted a piece of linen, underneath were colorful bolts of silk.

"These are our county's famous cured meats..." As he lifted two cured meats, underneath were golden ingots.

"These are our county's famous fans..." As he lifted a few fans, underneath were pieces of white jade.

All the local products were only on the top layer. The county magistrate's assistant briefly lifted the top to reveal the treasures underneath, then covered them again. Shi Xun, upon seeing the wealth, almost instinctively raised his sleeve to wipe his mouth, but he quickly said, "Ah, I didn't know you knew I love cured meats. Chengyang's cured meats are famous, I must taste them carefully. However, your gift is too heavy, half would be enough..."

"This..." The county magistrate's assistant raised his head, looked at Shi Xun's expression, and felt reassured, "It's not just from me, but also from the county magistrate. They are all in one box for the superior officer's convenience."

"Is that so," Shi Xun hurriedly bowed to County Magistrate Geng, who left his seat to return the bow, "Then I cannot refuse. It's a pity I couldn't meet the county military officer today..."

"The county military officer should return by evening," the county magistrate's assistant, thinking he understood the postal inspector's intentions, quickly said, "I believe he will also have a gift for you."

"Then I will be too much trouble, hahaha~" Shi Xun laughed, but inside he was conflicted: should he accept this gift or not?

Earlier, Lu Hong had suggested the "waiting for the rabbit" strategy: "A man without desires is fearless, and corrupt officials are always on edge, fearing the loss of their positions and the confiscation of their wealth. Therefore, some postal inspectors, when touring the counties, would ride in luxurious carriages, stay in official lodgings without inspecting the granaries, and simply wait for the county officials to bribe them..."

Shi Xun thought, isn't that just Cheng Li's first method of touring the counties? I understand that, but what are you trying to say? He patiently listened as Lu Hong continued, "Although the superior officer is clean and practical, the corrupt officials in the county cannot tell the difference. Now that the superior officer is focusing on the Ning Ke case, they might think it's for the purpose of extortion..."

At this point, Shi Xun finally understood, "You mean, if I just wait here, they will naturally bribe me?" Lu Hong nodded, "Exactly. Then you can file a report to the prefecture, accusing them of bribing a superior officer. With Cao Jinyang's wisdom and trust in the superior officer, the accusation will be approved, and these corrupt officials can be punished."

Shi Xun had not yet responded when Wu Zhi asked, "Can this save Ning Ke's life?" Lu Hong shook his head, "Probably not." Shi Xun then asked Wu Zhi, "Do you want to help me eliminate the corrupt officials who harm the people, or do you just want to save Ning Ke? Is there any connection between you and Ning Ke?"

Wu Zhi's face turned red, and after a while, he stammered, "No connection, but we live in the same village, are about the same age, and have known each other since childhood. I cannot bear to see him unjustly executed..."

Shi Xun waved his sleeve and quoted a saying from the Northern Song Dynasty, "Is it better for one family to cry or for the whole road to cry?" But upon further thought, he realized there was no necessary connection between the two. Ning Ke, Ning Ke