Mo Sang – CH 231

Chapter 231. Idle Talk

Meng Yanqing was responsible for keeping an eye on Ying Shouyu’s side, reporting to Li Sangrou daily:

After the banquet, the grain merchants from Jiangbei immediately formed a tight-knit group, headed by Ying Shouyu, with two deputies.

The grain merchants split up, discreetly leaving Yuzhang City to inquire about rice prices in other parts of Hongzhou, how much rice local rice shops had purchased, estimating the approximate amount of rice still available, and the size of various villages and towns, among other tasks.

A few others began secretly searching for carters, boatmen, and porters.

Originally, if they bought rice from the rice shops, the carts and boats for transporting the rice should have been available from the shops. The rice shops would normally pay the boatmen’s and porters’ wages at their market rates.

Now, they had to bypass the local rice shops, so they had to find carters, boatmen, and porters themselves, and it was uncertain whether the local carters, boatmen, and porter shops would even take their jobs.

This was a big deal; it needed to be planned and agreed upon beforehand. Otherwise, if the collected rice could not be transported out, that would be a major problem.

Several others were also searching everywhere for capable manpower.

Collecting rice door-to-door in various villages and towns required far more than just their numbers. Once the rice collection began, it needed to be rolled out across the board. Otherwise, the rice merchants in Hongzhou would not just sit and wait for them to collect it from each location; after all, they had already shared drinks with them.

Li Sangrou listened day by day, becoming more and more reassured.

This Ying Shouyu, as he himself said, came from a family that had been in the grain business for generations, and he knew very well where the key difficulties lay.

Reassured, Li Sangrou heard that the newly appointed governor, concurrently serving as the Transport Commissioner and Prefect of Yuzhang, Governor Luo, was going to publicly hear the backlog of old cases in Yuzhang City. Li Sangrou, carrying a bag of melon seeds, went to the prefectural yamen early in the morning to secure a good spot, eager to watch the spectacle and listen to the trial.

She heard that Jianle City was revising its penal code. This Governor Luo, before becoming the Commander of Hongzhou, was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was one of the key figures in revising the penal code; he must understand exactly what needed to be revised and in what direction it should be revised. He might even be able to glean some insights.

Both Northern Qi and Southern Liang use the same penal code. When she first arrived in Jiangdu City, she carefully studied it. She was familiar with the previous penal code and should be able to discern any changes.

Anyway, there was nothing much to do these days, so she was just killing time.

Governor Luo was publicly reviewing old and backlogged cases to quickly establish his prestige as the new Governor of Hongzhou in Great Qi and gain the trust of the people.

The trial was conducted meticulously according to the law. The evidence, witnesses, and applicable laws were all clearly listed and explained.

Li Sangrou listened for two days, deeply impressed. No wonder he came from the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review; the cases were handled so smoothly and thoroughly, leaving no room for complaint.

On the third day, an unexpected turn of events occurred in a case of husband-murder.

The case was simple: married for less than a month, the woman strangled her husband with a silk rope while he slept. The only interesting aspect was that the husband was a yamen runner in Yuzhang Prefecture.

This case was straightforward—a heinous crime. The verdict was reached the day after the incident, and the order from Hangzhou arrived, dictating immediate execution.

However, two days before the execution, Yuzhang City changed hands. With Gu Xi’s tacit approval, any Southern Liang officials within the city who wanted to escape did so smoothly.

The execution was thus delayed.

Governor Luo, concurrently serving as both the Transport Commissioner and the Prefect, had a rule during his campaign to clear up backlogged cases: all cases slated for execution, whether the execution was to be carried out in the autumn or immediately, would be retried, as human lives were at stake.

The woman, shackled and chained, clattered into the main hall and stumbled to her knees.

Among the onlookers, Li Sangrou occupied a favorable spot in a corner of the hall. To her left, she could clearly see Governor Luo on the platform; to her right, she had an unobstructed view of the entire hall, making it easy to observe the woman.

Having murdered her husband less than a month after their marriage, Li Sangrou had initially assumed she was a young woman, but the woman before her looked to be in her forties, fifties, or even sixties.

Was this a second marriage? A third?

No wonder.

Li Sangrou munched on sunflower seeds, listening to her advisors read the case details quickly and clearly.

“Madam Yuan, did you hear everything I just said? Is there any discrepancy? You truly strangled Yuan Zhaocai to death?” Governor Luo’s voice was gentle.

“I heard it clearly; there’s no discrepancy. It was I who strangled Yuan Zhaocai,” the woman kneeling in the middle of the hall replied clearly.

“You strangled your husband; this is a heinous crime. According to the laws of Southern Liang, you should be executed immediately. In our Great Qi, it is also immediate execution. Alas.”

Governor Luo sighed, about to close the case, when Madam Yuan looked up at him and said, “Your Honor, I have a question. May I ask?”

Li Sangrou straightened up slightly, putting away her melon seeds. This Madam Yuan was quite remarkable from the first word; this case was intriguing.

Governor Luo was also quite surprised and quickly gestured, “Speak.”

“What if a woman, whose father and brothers are still alive, is forced into marriage? What should be done?” Madam Yuan looked directly at Governor Luo and asked.

“Hmm?” Governor Luo raised an eyebrow.

This case was suspicious!

“What’s going on?” Governor Luo did not answer Yuan née Fu’s question, turning to look at Magistrate Shao beside him.

Magistrate Shao was an official under the Southern Liang dynasty; his family was from Jingzhou. When the Northern Qi Army advanced on Yuzhang City, he only closed the gates for a few days but did not leave. Before Governor Luo took office, Magistrate Shao was still the same as before, coming to the yamen every day and doing his job as usual.

“Yuan née Fu is thirty-five years old this year. Her parents are deceased, and she has an Elder Brother, but he lives separately. The previous Prefect Wang thought it was against the natural order for a widow to marry such a woman, so he arranged for her to marry Yuan Zhaocai,” Magistrate Shao hurriedly replied, bowing.

“How did Prefect Wang know she was older and unmarried?” Governor Luo asked, frowning.

Magistrate Shao immediately gave a dry laugh, coughed forcefully, and winked at Governor Luo.

“Just speak,” Governor Luo said, his face slightly darkening, gesturing to Magistrate Shao.

“Yes, that’s it,” Magistrate Shao said awkwardly. “Yuan née Fu’s father was a tutor, but he loved writing legal documents for people.

Yuan née Fu, following her father’s example, became sharp-tongued, thick-skinned, and a rogue. Despite being a woman, she frequently shows herself in public, stirring up trouble and disputes for her own gain.

Her parents are deceased, and she and her brother live separately, with no one to restrain them.

This spring, she caused a scene in court again, so Magistrate Wang married her off to a yamen runner named Yuan Zhaocai. Firstly, to give both the lonely man and the resentful woman some peace, and secondly, to give someone to discipline this woman.”

Governor Luo slowly uttered an “Oh.”

“This woman is not old and unmarried; she is a chaste woman,” Yuan née Fu, standing below the hall, looked at Governor Luo and said.

“Before Prefect Wang, the government ordered her to marry, so she found herself a dying beggar and a few scoundrels to act as matchmakers and witnesses. That beggar’s name is not even known; it is utter nonsense and does not count,” Magistrate Shao quickly interjected.

“The matchmaker was an official matchmaker; the witnesses were the village head. There’s a matchmaker, a witness, and a marriage certificate. Please, Your Honor, investigate carefully,” Yuan née Fu said, enunciating each word clearly.

Li Sangrou scrutinized Yuan née Fu again, then turned to Governor Luo after a moment.

Governor Luo turned to his advisors and discussed a few words before turning to Yuan née Fu, saying, “Your case has a complex backstory. I am new to Yuzhang, and I truly need to thoroughly investigate these details before I can make a judgment. That’s all for today.”

Yuan née Fu bowed slightly, slowly stood up, and followed the constables back to the prison.

Li Sangrou stood up, squeezed through the crowd, and instructed Xiao Lu and Mazha to inquire about this Yuan née Fu and the case.

Xiao Lu and Mazha returned quickly, finding Li Sangrou in a small teahouse not far from the yamen. They sat on either side of her, taking turns speaking.

“As a result, everyone knows her!

Just a casual question, and everyone knows! Impressive!” Xiao Lu gave a thumbs up.

“They said her father was a private tutor, and the family owned two shops and a couple hundred mu of land. She and her older brother were the only two children in her family. When her parents were alive, they doted on her and spoiled her, letting her pick and choose, until she was twenty-five or twenty-six but still had not found a suitable husband.”

“Later, her father died first, and two years later, her mother also died. Her Eldest Brother, who had never been able to control her since childhood, said it was she who wanted to separate from the family.

“Her parents left her a dowry, a rather substantial one, including a house and land. When the family divided, her Eldest Brother gave her half a shop, but she did not manage the shop. Every year-end, her Eldest Brother would send her some money.

Before her parents were alive, although she did not marry, that was all. After her parents died and she separated from her Eldest Brother, she started helping people with lawsuits.”

“She was not a ‘fame-seeker’; she did not charge for helping people with their cases. Sometimes people came to her for help, and sometimes she saw them and offered to help them.”

“The clerks in the yamen said she was incredibly capable. There was no law or case that the prefect, judge, or clerk did not know; she knew everything. Every case she helped was a victory.”

“The clerks said that the previous prefect had hated her to the core.”

“Later, her reputation grew, and everyone in Yuzhang City knew her. More and more people came to her for help. The clerks said she did not restrain herself; instead, she became even more arrogant, daring to comment on other cases besides handling them. She even dared to comment on cases from Hangzhou.”

“The previous prefect, Wang, took advantage of her helping people with their cases and arranged for her to marry off a bald, old bachelor named Yuan Zhaocai in court. Unexpectedly, less than a month later, she strangled Yuan Zhaocai to death.”

“Tsk, really.”

Xiao Lu and Mazha clicked their tongues in unison.

Li Sangrou held her teacup, listening intently.

She was only familiar with the criminal code, but at this time, the criminal code, especially the section on household and marriage, was practically nonexistent.

When officials adjudicated cases, they said the law did not care about human sentiment. A woman who did not marry and even helped someone with a lawsuit was indeed something that needed to be addressed, even considered a failure of local officials’ moral education.

This case was extremely flexible. The previous Prefect Wang had married her off in court, which was considered a good story. Now, this Governor Luo still sentenced her to immediate execution, and there was no reason to object.

“You two, buy some clean clothes and some food and drink, and take them to Lady Fu. Do not mention my name. If anyone asks, just say someone asked you to deliver something to Lady Fu,” Li Sangrou instructed after a long silence.

“Good!” Xiao Lu and Mazha jumped up and ran off to buy clothes, food, and soup to give to Lady Fu.

……………………

Governor Luo finished judging a few more minor cases and then returned to the signing room. He summoned Magistrate Shao and questioned him in detail about Madam Yuan’s case for two or three quarters of an hour before sending someone out to inquire further.

Governor Luo’s most trusted advisor, Advisor Zhang, who was overseeing the rice shop’s affairs, returned from outside. Hearing from a servant that a minor case had not been resolved in court that day, he asked a few questions and hurried into the signing room.

“You’ve come at the right time; I was just about to send someone to find you.”

Governor Luo was frowning as he drank tea. Seeing Advisor Zhang enter, he breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed a piece of rice candy, and took a bite.

“I heard the trial did not go very smoothly today.” Advisor Zhang poured himself a cup of tea and sat down opposite Governor Luo at the table.

“It’s not that things are going badly; it is that trouble is brewing. Sigh,” Pacification Commissioner Luo recounted Yuan née Fushi’s case.

“A woman becoming a litigious shrew!” Advisor Zhang clicked his tongue in surprise. “And she’s invincible in every lawsuit!”

“She was practically married off in court; he was really desperate!” Pacification Commissioner Luo scoffed.

“Having someone like that is quite a nuisance. This matter? The Boss came to hear the case again today?” Advisor Zhang leaned forward and asked in a low voice.

“Of course she came again! She’s so idle! Not only did she come again, but she left as soon as Yuan née Fu was taken away!” Pacification Commissioner Luo said, slamming his hand on the table.

“Oh my!” Advisor Zhang’s eyes widened.

“She’s got her eye on her, has she not? The Boss, that person, that person, sigh!” Pacification Commissioner Luo kept slamming his hand on the table.

“Let’s not talk about the Boss for now. What do you think of this case?” Advisor Zhang frowned and, after a moment, leaned forward to ask.

“It’s reasonable to marry her off, but the man they chose for her, Yuan Zhaocai, is just too much!

This Yuan Zhaocai, supposedly a yamen runner, is in charge of cleaning the latrines in this yamen. He’s a bald man full of scabs, and he gambles away his wages. He’s sold everything, even his yamen runner’s uniform, to his colleagues.

If you want to marry her off, you should have the matchmaker properly choose a suitable family. You cannot choose someone like this. This is not marriage; it is disgusting.

That’s going too far!” Pacification Commissioner Luo slammed his hand on the table.

“This person is a good choice! Only with such a choice can you speak up! If you had chosen someone suitable everywhere, and she had killed him, would that not have made things even more complicated?” Advisor Zhang winked at Pacification Commissioner Luo.

“Exactly!” Pacification Commissioner Luo slammed his hand on the table.

“But we need to find out what the Boss means. We cannot misunderstand.

It would be best if you went to see Master Wen again to discuss the case and ask for his advice. More questions and more practice will prevent mistakes,” Advisor Zhang suggested.

“That’s absolutely right! I am going to the garrison commander’s office to see the Boss…” Before Governor Luo could finish speaking, a servant called out, “Master, Steward Chen requests an audience; it is urgent.”

“Come in!” Governor Luo hurriedly called him in.

“Master, Advisor Zhang, just now, the two men under the Boss, the ones who always come with her to the trials, Xiao Lu and Mazha, carrying their newly bought clothes and some food, went to the jail. They said they were entrusted to deliver them to Lady Fu,” Steward Chen reported as soon as he entered.

As a very capable steward to Governor Luo, he understood the importance and urgency of matters.

“I know.” Governor Luo waved Steward Chen away and looked at Advisor Zhang.

“Alright, no need to go to the Boss’s office. The Boss is really considerate.” Advisor Zhang’s lips twitched downwards at the mention of the word “considerate.”

“Lady Fu!” Pacification Commissioner Luo chuckled. “Alright, I am going to the garrison commander’s office. You go around to the jail and tell them a woman cannot escape, even without being chained up.”

“Alright, go quickly. There are a few small matters at the rice shop, too. We will discuss them in detail when you return.” Advisor Zhang stood up and saw Pacification Commissioner Luo out.