Chapter 21

Wei Zhixian stood up, his spirit roused. "Brothers, I need your support! I need your recommendations!"

---

Indeed. Thinking about it, he had already overturned a case that the Ministry of Punishments had sentenced to death. In the future, his reputation would surely rise, and his prospects would be bright. It seemed he should be content.

However, if he were to let this case pass ambiguously, He Chang, the main culprit, would escape punishment. He would become an accomplice in shielding a murderer, a burden he would carry for the rest of his life!

Wei Zhixian had studied the classics for twenty years and naturally regarded the words of the sages as the highest authority. The sages said that a gentleman should have nine thoughts, the first being 'to think clearly when seeing.' A gentleman must see clearly, distinguish right from wrong, and discern truth from falsehood, understanding people and events thoroughly!

When he was studying, Wei Zhixian considered this self-evident. However, after entering public service, he realized that people often could not see right from wrong, or dared not, or did not want to see the truth. For if one saw too clearly and discerned too sharply, one might suffer greatly, even risking one's life. But if one pretended to be confused, one could gain temporary peace, yet suffer from a guilty conscience for life...

When reality conflicts with beliefs, the latter often compromises. But for Wei Yuan, this choice was particularly difficult. It was related to his experiences. He was a Jinshi in the fourth year of Yongle, but due to his young age and youthful appearance, Emperor Yongle sent him back to study and wait for employment. He could never forget the emperor's warm encouragement and earnest expectations during his audience...

"Minister Wei, you must always reflect on yourself, be strict with yourself, and not disappoint My expectations!"

To this day, Emperor Yongle's words still echoed in his mind, making him dare not relax...

That night, Wei Zhixian struggled with his conscience, staying awake until dawn. Finally, he made a decision!

On the day of the court session, the officials of Fuyang County saw a county magistrate with bloodshot eyes and heard his decision:

"Today at the hour of Chen, we will re-examine He Chang in the main hall!"

All the officials were shocked, then solemnly accepted the order, behaving differently from usual.

The county government had a main hall and a secondary hall. On ordinary days, the county magistrate would hold court in the secondary hall. When the magistrate ascended the secondary hall, he would usually wear official attire, and the clerks and bailiffs present would be limited to those on duty. Officials not involved in the case did not need to appear.

When the magistrate ascended the main hall, he had to wear court attire, and all six departments and three classes of clerks and bailiffs had to gather for the session. The solemnity was far greater than in the secondary hall. According to regulations, the main hall was only used for reading imperial edicts, carrying out imperial orders, or handling particularly significant cases!

Today, Wei Zhixian's decision to use the main hall for the trial already indicated his stance.

After the session, Wei Zhixian bathed, burned incense, and changed from his official attire to court attire.

He stood in front of a bronze mirror in white socks and black shoes. Two attendants helped him put on a red silk robe with blue trim, then adjusted his collar to show a neat white inner collar. They then wrapped a silver leather belt around him, with a red silk apron without trim. After the belt, they attached a sash, and finally, two plain white sashes...

This was both dressing and a ceremony. As each piece of attire was added, Wei Zhixian felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Governing for the emperor and upholding justice for the people was the meaning of wearing this court attire!

"Master..." The old face of Sima Qiu appeared in the mirror, sighing, "Are you really going to go all out?"

"Receiving the emperor's salary, I must be loyal to his affairs. As an official, I must benefit the people. This was my vow before taking office." The magistrate in the mirror, though stern, still looked young: "How can it be called loyalty to the emperor and benefiting the people if we don't remove a villain like He Chang from Fuyang?"

"What do you plan to do, Master?" Sima Qiu asked with respect.

"I'm waiting for your advice..." Wei Zhixian spread his hands, honestly admitting.

"Ah..." Sima Qiu sighed, "Having a master like you is truly troublesome..."

"Do you have a good plan?" Wei Zhixian, understanding the implications, turned around excitedly. Although Confucius said to sacrifice for righteousness and Mencius said to choose justice, it would be best if he didn't have to do so...

"I have thought about it repeatedly. He Chang is not as terrifying as he seems." Sima Qiu smiled bitterly and whispered, "First, his status as a Jinyiwei. This is very suspicious. If he were a Jinyiwei hundred-man commander, why didn't he mention it yesterday? There must be some reason he can't speak of. Since he didn't mention it, we can pretend we don't know. Whether the Jinyiwei will interfere in the future is up to the higher-ups, not you. Ignorance is not a crime, and the Jinyiwei, no matter how arrogant, won't trouble you."

"Hmm, that's true." Wei Zhixian nodded, "What about his status as a tax collector? That's also a problem."

"Everyone says a tax collector can pay a fine to avoid the death penalty. I couldn't sleep last night, so I looked up the 'Great Proclamation.' This rule dates back to the twelfth month of the eighth year of Hongwu, 'Tax collectors who commit lesser capital crimes or exile can pay a fine to avoid punishment.'" Sima Qiu whispered.

"Oh..." Wei Zhixian, though well-versed in the classics, was just starting to study legal texts. He knew that 'lesser capital crimes' were less serious than 'major capital crimes' and generally received lighter punishments.

In simple terms, lesser capital crimes were all capital crimes except for the ten heinous crimes, intentional murder, treason, internal theft, and accepting bribes.

But what does this mean?

"Hmm, what does this mean?" Wei Zhixian, unwilling to show his ignorance, asked despite the urgency.

"It means that if we can make He Chang confess to intentional murder, he cannot pay a fine to avoid punishment." Sima Qiu explained, "Otherwise, charges like incitement, abduction, and harboring criminals won't move him."

"But what if he doesn't confess?" Wei Zhixian frowned, "Such a brazen criminal, we can't use torture, it's troublesome."

"We can use torture." Sima Qiu shook his head, "The court does not grant tax collectors the same privileges as students and candidates. It's just that because the founding emperor valued tax collectors, and they are crucial for tax collection, local officials dare not offend them, so this has become a tradition."

Tax collectors were responsible for collecting and transporting grain for the court. The founding emperor, who had suffered greatly, had seen how corrupt officials and clerks would extort the people during tax collection, causing them to lose everything. Once he became emperor, he designed a system of self-governance for tax collection, where the entire process of tax collection and transportation was not to be interfered with by officials.

Additionally, tax collectors could meet the emperor and were tasked with gathering information about the people, making local officials wary of them. They also feared that tax collectors might refuse to work, delaying grain transportation, which would be a serious offense. Therefore, tax collectors were treated with the same respect as students and candidates, becoming an unwritten rule in local government.

"Ah, I see." Wei Zhixian was delighted, "That makes it easier. Under torture, he will surely speak!"

"But using torture has its own problems." Sima Qiu smiled bitterly, "First, forced confessions can be overturned later. Second, shocking the other tax collectors might cause resentment, leading to trouble during tax collection."

"Village elders are the bane of virtue!" Wei Zhixian spat, "Let's get through this first, and we'll deal with the rest as it comes!"

"Actually, we don't need to use torture, we can use intelligence." Sima Qiu's face turned slightly red, his heart racing. In fact, he had sought advice from Wang Xian early that morning. What seemed an unsolvable problem to him was easily resolved by Wang Xian's few words. He was getting old, his mind not as sharp as before...

Sima Qiu still claimed Wang Xian's method as his own, whispering in Wei Zhixian's ear, "Since the previous method worked, we can use it again. From what He Chang said last night, he seems unaware that only lesser capital crimes can be paid off with a fine." This was normal, as the 'Great Proclamation' had been largely abandoned for over a decade after the founding emperor's death. Even a professional like Sima Qiu had to look it up, let alone He Chang.

"Since he asked you to calculate the total fine for these crimes, why not help him?" Sima Qiu concluded softly.

Wei Zhixian burst out laughing, "Truly cunning, but I like it, hahaha..." After laughing, he looked at Sima Qiu curiously, "Mr. Sima, your mind has suddenly become sharp, coming up with brilliant ideas one after another, unlike before."

Sima Qiu's face turned slightly red, silently cursing, "Can't you be a bit more tactful?" He could only cough and say, "When I first arrived, I didn't know the local customs, so I only observed and didn't speak..."

"Ah, I see!" Wei Zhixian praised, "Having you is like having Zhang Liang for Emperor Gaozu!"

"Master flatters me..." Sima Qiu's old face turned into a chrysanthemum smile.

At this moment, an attendant brought the official hat to Wei Zhixian, but he refused, "No need for court attire, change to official attire!"

The attendants almost fainted, thinking, "Do you know how troublesome it is to put on court attire, boss?"

---

Just before the hour of Chen, the officials of the six departments and three classes had changed into official attire and gathered in the main hall. However, the magistrate's attendant announced that the session would be held in the secondary hall.

The officials were outraged, secretly cursing Wei Zhixian for being unreliable. Except for the clerks and bailiffs from the criminal department, the others returned to their offices, dispersing like birds and beasts.

In the secondary hall, Wei Zhixian, wearing a black cap and a blue robe with a mandarin duck on the chest, sat behind a large desk. He first interrogated He Fu, Zhu Zi, and other members of the He family.

Since they were not the killers, and Wei Zhixian promised leniency for honesty, they quickly confessed to the source of the female corpse from two years ago.

It turned out that He Chang had bought a concubine named Linghua, who was strong-willed and often defied him. He Chang accidentally killed her in a fit of rage. To avoid discovery, he had Zhu Zi and others tie her to a stone and sink her in the Fuchun River...

After they signed their confessions, Wei Zhixian slammed the gavel, "Bring He Chang!"

Soon, He Chang, without restraints, walked onto the hall as if taking a stroll, bowing to Wei Zhixian as a form of greeting.

"Take a seat."

A bailiff brought a stool for He Chang to sit on.

Wei Zhixian, with a stern face, said to He Chang, "I have thought about it all night. You are one of the seven tax collectors in this county, and the autumn grain collection is only a month away. Following the founding emperor's teachings, I have decided to let you go!"