Chapter 76

The next morning, County Magistrate Huang indeed personally delivered a generous gift, which was no more than gold and silver, but its value was less than a third of the bamboo box that Shi Xun had received the previous night. Shi Xun thought to himself that the richer one is, the more stingy they become. The matter was originally caused by you, and in a blink, you managed to seize the Ning family's vast fortune, yet the gift you gave is even less substantial than what the County Magistrate and County Deputy Magistrate gave. If I don't deal with you, it would truly be a violation of justice!

He called County Magistrate Huang into the main hall and sent people to summon County Magistrate Geng and County Deputy Magistrate Tu, saying that he still had something to say about the Ning Ke case. When the three were gathered, Shi Xun ordered Ning Ke to be brought in and made to kneel before the steps. Then, holding the judgment scroll, he pretended to ponder for a while before suddenly smiling faintly and turning to County Deputy Magistrate Tu, saying, "This case may have been judged unfairly."

County Deputy Magistrate Tu was greatly startled, thinking to himself, "We have already presented our gifts, why are you still holding onto this case?" Of course, he could not directly ask such a question, so he merely clasped his hands and said, "The evidence is clear. The so-called surrogate fatherhood is just a rumor among the villagers. Please do not believe it lightly."

County Magistrate Huang quickly added, "Yes, yes, a son beating his father should be punished by death. I heard that the blood test was conducted the day before, proving that Old Wang is indeed Ning Ke's biological father. Therefore, Ning Ke's crime is heinous and cannot be forgiven."

Shi Xun glanced at him and thought, "Waste of space! What Tu County Deputy Magistrate can say, County Magistrate Geng can also say, but you cannot. Ning Ke, at the very least, bears the Ning surname. Even if he is not your actual nephew, he is still a relative by name. Your eagerness to have him executed is not a sign of fairness and integrity; it clearly indicates that you have something to hide."

County Magistrate Geng remained calm and asked with a poker face, "Could it be that the blood test you witnessed the other day was not done in front of you, so you suspect there was foul play? Why don't we conduct the test again today in front of you?"

Shi Xun gently waved his hand, "No need."

County Magistrate Geng asked again, "Then, has the official obtained evidence of the so-called surrogate fatherhood? Please present it to avoid the innocent being wrongfully executed."

Shi Xun sighed lightly, "The day before, I sent people to search the Wang and Ning families but found no contract as the villagers claimed. I do not think that County Deputy Magistrate Tu's investigation was incomplete or that the inquiries were inaccurate. I am simply saying that the judgment was unfair."

This statement piqued County Magistrate Geng's curiosity. In fact, this case had nothing to do with him. It was only after County Deputy Magistrate Tu, at the request of County Magistrate Huang, sentenced Ning Ke to death that he found the case too crude and full of loopholes. Considering that the county inspection was approaching, he hinted to County Deputy Magistrate Tu to quickly report the judgment to the prefecture and, while revising the official records, also altered the contract. His intention was to protect each other, and if the ugly truth were to come out, as the county magistrate, his reputation would also be tarnished. When the inspector arrived, he indeed focused on this case. County Magistrate Geng then approached County Deputy Magistrate Tu, saying, "The official clearly wants to give us a warning. If I hadn't helped cover it up, you would have had a hard time. How about this, the gift that I should have given, can you take care of it for me?"

Last night, he had pondered the case for a long time. According to what Tu and Huang said, the contracts hidden by the Wang and Ning families had been found and destroyed. He had also been cautious, not only altering the content of the official contract but also changing the names of the witnesses. As long as Old Wang did not change his story, the case could not be overturned. When the inspector said the case could be overturned today, he was also curious. He first used words to pin down the key points of the blood test and the destruction of the contract. As long as these two points were not broken, what other tricks could you use? If you tried to overturn the case by force, he would report you to the prefecture.

He knew that the inspector must have a background. Not only were the prefectural governors and administrators usually appointed by their trusted confidants, but the inspector's young age also indicated that he was not an ordinary person. However, the inspector ultimately only had the power to investigate and report, not to make absolute decisions. He could still exert some authority over the county deputy magistrates and county magistrates, but for a county magistrate like himself, even the prefectural governor could not dismiss him without reporting to the court. He did not believe that when the time came, if the inspector reported the county deputy magistrate for a poor judgment, and he reported the inspector for unreasonable overturning and bribery, who would look worse—his face would not be tarnished.

Little did he know, Shi Xun's thoughts were converging with his.

The night before, when Shi Xun said, "The so-called reason does not lie in heaven or in the heart, but only in the mouth," Lu Hong first nodded, then shook his head, and corrected him, "The official's words are not comprehensive. In my view, the so-called reason lies only on the tip of the sword and within the seal box."

Shi Xun thought that he might have spoken too bluntly and crudely, but he did not expect Lu Hong to be even more direct—life is hard, isn't it, brother? He was enlightened and thought for a while before asking Lu Hong, "If you were in my position as the inspector, what would you do?"

Lu Hong replied, "If I were in this position, I would order Ning Ke to donate all his wealth to the government to redeem his death sentence. Then, I would write a report to the prefecture, impeaching the County Magistrate, Deputy Magistrate, and County Magistrate—what if the gifts from the County Magistrate were not enough? I would say that the box of gold and silk also included his share. To deal with these corrupt officials, do we need too much evidence? We can fabricate it! Just like how Yang Qiu killed Wang Fu, did he have evidence first, or did he arrest him first?"

The Wang Fu he mentioned was a famous eunuch during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, who, along with Cao Jie and others, launched a palace coup, killing Grand General Dou Wu and Grand Tutor Chen Fan, triggering the second "Party Prohibition." Wang Fu was eventually killed by the famous harsh official, Inspector of the Capital Region, Yang Qiu. However, Yang Qiu did not follow the proper legal procedures, gathering all the evidence before arresting Wang Fu. Instead, he took advantage of Wang Fu's leave from the palace to return home, accusing him of a crime and arresting Wang Fu and his allies, beating them to death during the interrogation. Although Wang Fu's death was satisfying, if we strictly followed the law, Yang Qiu did not even need a confession—just beat them.

Hearing this, Shi Xun was startled. He stood up and paced around the room several times before suddenly clapping his hands, finally understanding everything. After all, he was a soul from two thousand years in the future. Although it was not a completely legal society, the ideal of building a legal society had already taken root in people's minds, and the harm of procedural violations was widely recognized. This created a significant blind spot in his mind—this was the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, not a legal society just because there was the "Han Law." This was a time of complete rule by man!

Now, he was entrusted with the supervisory power of the entire prefecture and, more importantly, enjoyed the trust of Prefect Cao De and even Governor Cao Cao. For a small case, he could overturn it, and for a group of small corrupt officials, he could deal with them. Would the Cao brothers veto him? The key was not whether the evidence was sufficient, but whether he could make it appear sufficient and whether the reasoning could be self-consistent. Moreover, this reasoning did not need to be shown to the public but only to the Cao brothers. If they approved, it would be approved—this was the so-called "official's will": if you say it's right, it's right, and if you say it's wrong, it's wrong!

Once this was clear, Shi Xun immediately sat down and impeached the three officials of Chengyang County for corruption and bribery, detailing his analysis for Cao De. As for the evidence, was it important? After writing it, he called a servant, who took the box and left the city at night, heading to the prefecture capital of Dingtao. If he only sent a servant out, it would make County Magistrate Geng and the others suspicious, but if he also brought the bribe, they would think the inspector was eager to send the money home.

After the servant left, Shi Xun thought for a moment and asked Lu Hong, "Although the Ning Ke case can be remanded for retrial by Cao Dingtao, or as you suggested, he can be ordered to donate his wealth to redeem his death sentence, it is difficult to overturn the case immediately. If they take advantage of this gap to harm Ning Ke in prison, what should be done?"

Lu Hong looked at him with doubt, "Is Ning Ke's life really that important? Or is it that... the official has an eye on his wealth?"

Shi Xun coldly shook his head, "I am not greedy for his wealth (though he thought to himself, I am