ROHYX Chapter 679 : Governance

Xu Wu was highly efficient. The next morning, he brought Yuxi a thick stack of notebooks recording all the events that had occurred in the...

Xu Wu was highly efficient. The next morning, he brought Yuxi a thick stack of notebooks recording all the events that had occurred in the city of Linzhou over the past few months.

Yuxi read them very carefully. Once she had finished reading them, she asked, "Whose idea was this?" She had no idea before that the garrison commanders were also responsible for monitoring civil officials.

Xu Wu replied, "This was General Yuan's idea. This way, if any of the lower officials act improperly, we can learn about it right away." After pausing for a moment, he added, "Madam, it's the same situation in every prefecture."

Yuxi thought this was a good system. "No wonder the General kept Yuan Ying in Haocheng." Yuan Ying was clearly talented in this area.

Xu Wu smiled. "Yuan Ying's got a sharp mind, and he can read too. We even joked back then that if he'd had the chance to study, he could easily have become a zhuangyuan¹." It was because Yuan Ying always handled matters so neatly that Yun Qing would leave him behind each time to take care of the aftermath.

Yuxi took a sip of water, reread the notebook, then leaned back in her chair and pondered for quite a while. After that, she called Xu Wu back in and pointed to a page. "I think this case is rather interesting. Take a look."

Yuxi was referring to a murder case. The case itself wasn't complicated. At the beginning of the month, a man named Zhou Wei learned that his sister had died. He went to his brother-in-law Dong Er's house and made a scene. During the ensuing argument, he accidentally pushed Dong San, who was trying to break up the fight, to the ground. Unfortunately, Dong San hit his head on the floor when he fell and died instantly. Once the case was clarified, Assistant Prefect Guo sentenced Zhou Wei to death by beheading — a life for a life. When the final approval was given, Zhou Wei's life would be over.

Xu Wu took it and read it for quite a while but he couldn't see any problem with it. Perplexed, he asked, "Madam, do you think the sentence is too severe? Should Zhou Wei not have been given the death penalty?"

Yuxi shook her head. "When the Zhou family was confiscated; all the male members involved in crimes were executed. Even those over fifteen who weren't involved were imprisoned. That means this Zhou Wei must be under fifteen. The sons of wealthy families are usually pampered and weak, so unless Zhou Wei had trained in martial arts, it would have been impossible for him to push Dong San so hard that he died while trying to break up the fight."

Zhou Wei was a descendant of the Zhou family, the wealthiest clan in Linzhou City, a status they maintained due to their collusion with the government. After Yun Qing captured the city, the Zhou family's property was confiscated, and the guilty were executed. Those over fifteen who hadn't committed crimes were imprisoned and made to do hard labour.

Xu Wu now understood — Madam suspected this was a wrongful conviction. "Madam, maybe it really was just a coincidence?"

Yuxi smiled slightly. "There aren't that many coincidences in this world." Coincidence? She didn't believe that things happened by mere coincidence.

After a pause, Yuxi continued, "There's too little recorded here. Send someone to have Tongpan² Guo deliver the full case file."

Xu Wu nodded. "Understood."

After a moment's thought, Yuxi added, "Also, send someone to investigate both men's backgrounds in detail and find out the full story behind this matter." With Xu Wu handling it, Yuxi wasn't at all worried that Tongpan Guo might refuse to send the files.

A shichen³ later, the case file was delivered to Yuxi. After reading it, she asked Xu Wu, "How long will it take your men to return?"

Xu Wu replied, "They'll be back before dark." However, it would take some time, though, as they had to gather accurate information.

Seeing Yuxi nod, Xu Wu asked, "Madam, is there really something wrong with this case?" He had just looked through the file himself and could see nothing particularly suspicious.

After a moment's silence, Yuxi explained, "I can't draw any conclusions yet about whether the case itself is flawed. But this dossier definitely has problems." Noticing Xu Wu's puzzled look, she pointed at the file and pointed out, "It only lists Zhou Wei and Dong Er's birth dates—nothing about their height or other details. Besides, the evidence is purely testimonial, with no physical proof."

Xu Wu commented, "There are so many witnesses—surely that's enough to convict Zhou Wei."

Yuxi glanced at Xu Wu and said, "That's exactly the problem. Zhou Shi died suddenly of illness and had no children. In such a case, the funeral normally wouldn't be held at home. Since the funeral wasn't held at home, that makes these so-called witnesses rather questionable." If no funeral was held, only close blood relatives would come to offer condolences.

Xu Wu was somewhat impressed. "There's hardly anything written in the file, yet Madam can find so many issues in it. That's really some skill!"

Pointing at the file, Yuxi said, "A homicide case file only written in just a few strokes⁴, as if it were a child's game⁵—whether or not the case itself has flaws, this Tongpan Guo must be replaced immediately." In truth, Yuxi had already intended to remove Tongpan Guo. How could someone without not even one aperture open⁶ regarding the law be fit for such a position?

Xu Wu nodded in agreement with Yuxi.

With a dark expression, Yuxi continued, "Every case must go through the prefect's review, yet this oversimplified file has passed under Yao Guangzhang's watch? I truly don't know how he manages to be a prefect." Clearly, Prefect Yao was incompetent.

Xu Wu said cautiously, "Madam, Prefect Yao can't be replaced lightly." On this case alone, it would be impossible to remove him.

Yuxi said, "Without rules, nothing can be done properly. Whatever it is, it must be handled according to proper regulations." She personally disliked Yao Guangzhang—after all, no one liked someone who looked down on them—but she was a principled woman who kept public and private matters strictly separate.

Hearing this, Xu Wu felt greatly relieved. He had no particular opinion about Yao Guangzhang; he just didn't want Yuxi to act based on personal likes or dislikes, as that could cause major problems later on.

Not long after nightfall, Zhuzi—the man Xu Wu had sent to gather information—returned. Of course, he had relied on Xu Zhen's contacts; otherwise, as an outsider, there was no way he could have found out everything in just half a day.

Zhuzi gave a detailed report on Zhou Wei and the Dong family. Zhou Wei was born to a concubine and was the ninth son in his generation of the Zhou clan. He had one full blooded elder sister, Zhou Shi, who had died of illness. Zhou Wei had gone to the Dong household to make a scene because rumours said that Zhou Shi hadn't died of sickness, but had been poisoned by Dong Er. Zhou Wei demanded an autopsy, but Dong Er refused, and the two quarrelled.

Xu Wu asked, "Poisoned? Is there any proof?"

Zhuzi replied, "That's what people are saying, but we don't know the truth. What's certain is that Dong Er doted on his concubine, Huang Shi, and had a poor relationship with Zhou Shi."

Yuxi's expression darkened. "As the saying goes, wind doesn't come from an empty cave⁷—this case is even more complicated than I thought. Tell me everything you know about Zhou Wei and Dong Er."

Zhuzi presented his information: "Zhou Wei's concubine mother was the Eldest Madam Zhou's dowry maid, but she passed away when he was five. The Zhou family has a family rule: any child born to a concubine must start working in the family shop at the age of twelve. Therefore, Zhou Wei studied in the clan school until he was twelve, and then went to work in the shop. According to the information I've gathered, Zhou Wei was a generous and mild-tempered man who got along well with the shopkeepers and clerks." After pausing for a moment, Zhuzi added, "The Dong family trades in medicinal herbs. Dong Er, the second di⁸ son of that family, had a fiery temper, so he was never involved in the family business."

Xu Wu asked, "How tall are Zhou Wei and Dong Er?" Upon hearing that Zhou Wei was a little over six and a half chi⁹ tall and that Dong Er was nearly eight chi, Xu Wu realised that there was definitely something wrong with the case. Judging by their heights alone, Dong Er could easily have overpowered Zhou Wei. Not to mention, Dong Er was known for his violent temper. So how could Zhou Wei have possibly pushed a man to his death when that person was trying to stop the fight?

Thinking of this, Xu Wu remarked, "Madam, this case is not only suspicious, but several officials involved in it are too." From what he had gathered, he already knew that something was amiss. And how could Yao Guangzhang, as a prefect, possibly fail to realise the same thing?

Yuxi didn't respond to Xu Wu's remark. Instead, she looked at Zhuzi and asked, "Were the Zhou family overbearing and arrogant in the past?" When Zhuzi nodded, she instructed, "Find out if Yao Guangzhang or Tongpan Guo have ever held a grudge against the Zhou family, and what it was about." This matter was either a case of abusing power for personal revenge or officials were covering up for one another.

Xu Wu looked at Yuxi with deep admiration. He had always known she was capable, but had never seen her skills on display so vividly and directly before.

Yuxi wasn't in a very good mood. She set the case file aside and went to check on Zaozao and Liu-er. At this time of night, the two children were still awake. As soon as Zaozao saw Yuxi, she threw her rattle aside, reached out and called, "Mom, Mom, hug..."

Yuxi picked Zaozao up, smiled, and asked Momo Quan, "Has Zaozao had her bath yet?" It was almost time for the children to have their baths and go to bed.

Momo Quan replied, "The hot water will be here in a moment."

At that moment, Hongdou came in carrying two buckets of water, while Hongqi brought in a wooden basin that had been rinsed with boiling water.

Yuxi stripped Zaozao completely and placed her in the basin. Zaozao loved playing with water. As soon as she got in, she started splashing about, enjoying herself immensely and getting Yuxi's clothes wet in the process!

Mama Lan took a large thick towel, walked over to the basin, and said with a smile, "Young Miss, if you don't behave, Madam will spank your bottom later."

When Zaozao heard that, she immediately put both her hands behind her back in an attempt to cover her bottom, but her hands were too small to cover it all.

"Pfft…" Momo Quan couldn't help laughing out loud.

Because Liu-er was frail, they still had to place a burning hot brazier beside her while bathing her, even though it was already the end of the third month.

Compared to Zaozao, Liu-er was completely worry-free. Once she was placed in the basin, she didn't fuss or cry; she was perfectly obedient. The only problem was that Yuxi was sweating from the heat by the time she had finished bathing her.

After coaxing both children to sleep, Yuxi was about to head to the adjoining room. Momo Quan advised, "Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow." They had originally planned to stay in Linzhou for two more days to rest, but Yuxi hadn't had a single moment of peace all day.

Yuxi smiled and replied, "Momo, you go to bed first! I'll finish what's on hand and then go to sleep." She still wanted to carefully go through the booklet that Xu Zhen had sent her.

Momo Quan shook her head and reminded her, "Take it easy — don't push yourself too hard. Your health comes first." She no longer knew whether Yuxi's involvement in external affairs was a good or a bad thing. Yuxi seemed almost too enthusiastic about them.

Yuxi nodded. "I know."

Footnotes Full List

1. 状元 (zhuàngyuan): the top scholar in the imperial exams
2. 通判 tōngpàn: local magistrate
3. 时辰 shíchen: 2 hours
4. 寥寥几笔 (liaoliao ji bi) — literally "only a few strokes of the pen," meaning something written very briefly or perfunctorily.
5. 儿戏一般 (erxi yiban) — literally 'like a child's play/game', meaning 'handled carelessly or unseriously'.
6. 一窍不通 (yi qiao bu tong) — literally "not even one aperture open," meaning "completely ignorant" or "knows nothing at all.")
7. 空穴不来风 (kongxue bu lai feng) — literally 'wind doesn't come from an empty cave', equivalent to 'there's no smoke without fire', meaning that rumours usually have some basis in fact.
9. 尺 (chi) is a traditional Chinese unit of length, roughly equal to one-third of a meter (about 33 centimetres / 13 inches), though the exact value has varied by dynasty and region. In the modern calculation, six and a half chi equals 7.11 ft, while eight chi equals 8.75 ft.

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