Mo Sang – CH 304

Chapter 304. Quite…

The next day, after the morning court session, Gu Jin had breakfast when Qing-Feng brought in the secret memorials received that day.

Gu Jin unlocked the box. There were not many memorials. He carefully read them one by one, placing them back into the box. Seeing the memorial from Minister Ren of the Ministry of Justice, he read it again, pulled it out, and placed it on top.

Having finished reading the thin stack of memorials, Gu Jin picked up his tea, sipped it slowly, and looked at the memorial on top.

He lacked experience, focusing only on fairness. But the relationships between father and son, ruler and subject, loyalty and filial piety—fairness was not about listening to all sides. Under the circumstances, only filial piety mattered.

Gu Jin gently stroked his two injured legs. After a long while, he sighed softly, closed the box, and, using one hand for support, leaned forward to take the memorial on revising the household and marriage laws that had been delivered the day before.

………………………………

Minister Ren of the Ministry of Justice returned from the Shunfeng headquarters and, together with his trusted advisor, Master Cao, who had accompanied him, wrote a secret memorial overnight. He submitted it to the Qingning Palace early the next morning, then, suppressing the case of Chenliu County and Lady Fu’s complaint, craned his neck and pricked up his ears, listening intently for any movement from the Qingning Palace.

The Qingning Palace was always quick to respond, but his secret memorial vanished without a trace, like a stone thrown into the sea.

A day after he submitted his memorial, the Emperor summoned the three ministers—Ministry of Justice, Court of Judicial Review, and Censorate—and the Ministry of Revenue to the Qingning Palace to discuss household and marriage laws for the entire afternoon.

Minister Ren was summoned to the palace shortly after noon, and the discussion continued until nightfall before everyone left the Qingning Palace and returned home.

Minister Ren, hands behind his back and brows furrowed, hurried back to his three small rooms at the Ministry of Justice. His most trusted advisor, Master Cao, had been waiting impatiently. Upon seeing Minister Ren, he rushed out to greet him.

“Discussing matters all this time? Until now?” Master Cao asked abruptly.

A few days ago, he and Minister Ren had carefully considered the matter and drafted that secret memorial. After submitting it, he was even more anxious and worried than Minister Ren.

This matter, no matter how casually it was described, was no small thing. The Emperor was an extremely wise and sagacious founding monarch!

And that casual nonchalance—it did not seem right upon closer examination.

That casual nonchalance was his suggestion…

This afternoon, Minister Ren was summoned to the palace for a meeting. He quickly and discreetly inquired and was told by a servant that all the officials summoned were from the criminal law department. His heart had been in his throat ever since.

At such a busy time, the Emperor had summoned all the relevant ministries of law; the matter to be discussed could not be trivial. Nine times out of ten, it was about Minister Ren’s secret memorial…

Ever since Minister Ren entered the palace, he’s been pacing back and forth in these three small rooms, resting when tired, sitting for a while only to become agitated, then getting up again to pace.

Alas, a major matter!

“No, it is not that. It is about the household and marriage law,” Minister Ren said in a very low voice, cautiously omitting the words “secret memorial.”

“The household and marriage law?” Master Cao was taken aback.

The court was revising the laws; it had been a year or two. This was an important matter, but definitely not urgent, and certainly not something that could be rushed.

Revising these laws for ten or eight years, even a decade or two, was perfectly normal. Rushing it would be counterproductive.

At this moment, with the unification of the empire imminent, every department and even the Emperor himself were burdened with numerous important matters: the Shizi’s army, the pacification of Jiangnan, the reassignment of officials, post-war relief, the upcoming autumn imperial examinations, and all sorts of urgent affairs…

A whole host of things, yet the revision of the laws—a matter of relatively little urgency—was nowhere near his attention.

At this time, just after the start of the new year, the Emperor spent an entire afternoon discussing the household and marriage laws?

“Come inside and let’s talk.” Minister Ren paused at the doorway, glancing left and right.

Master Cao quickly hung up the curtain, hurried inside, and then opened the window.

“Pour me a cup of tea first; let me calm down,” Minister Ren said, taking off his shoes and sitting on the kang.

“Are you hungry? Would you like some snacks?” Master Cao poured Minister Ren a cup of tea and then asked.

“No need,” Minister Ren sipped his tea slowly. “His Majesty is always benevolent; during meetings, tea and snacks are never lacking. Today it lasted a long time, and we even had mutton buns and silver thread noodles in between.”

“What a wise ruler! Considering that Master is only forty-eight this year, he’s truly blessed.” Seeing Minister Ren’s excellent complexion and spirits, Master Cao, though not entirely relieved, felt a sense of peace.

“For a subject to encounter a wise ruler,” Minister Ren paused, then chuckled. “You are absolutely right. After the New Year, I will only be forty-eight!”

“As a staff member, to encounter my father is also a blessing. After the New Year, I will only be fifty.” Master Cao smiled at Minister Ren’s cheerful laughter.

The two laughed together.

Minister Ren sipped half his tea, put down the cup, looked at Master Cao, and said with a smile, “The entire afternoon was spent discussing household and marriage laws—proper business, nothing else.”

Master Cao raised an eyebrow. Minister Ren chuckled a few times, leaning forward and lowering his voice, “Let’s not talk about anything else. The memorial from the Court of Judicial Review has been sent back. It will be re-discussed in a few days. We will discuss it point by point later; there’s no rush.

There are two things. You and I need to understand them carefully.” Minister Ren lowered his voice even further. “First, regarding the issue of inheritance for those without a family line, as you know, since His Majesty said last time that unmarried women should also inherit property, the definition of ‘without a family line’ has become much broader.”

Master Cao nodded repeatedly. He was primarily in charge of handling the revisions to the law within the Ministry of Justice, and he understood the situation better than Minister Ren.

“But today, His Majesty mentioned two more points. One is about married women. His exact words were, ‘Married women are also part of the bloodline. Does marriage sever that bloodline? Marriage is about uniting two families, not severing one. Does a married woman not have to offer sacrifices to her birth parents?'”

“Oh, dear!” Master Cao’s eyes widened.

Minister Ren chuckled a few times. “And there’s more. Regarding the inheritance of property by the wife and the separation of husband and wife, it is stipulated that an adopted son must be established. The Emperor said that if the wife inherits from the husband and the husband separates, there’s no need to establish an adopted son. If an adopted son must be established, the property does not go to the wife but to the adopted son. This seems contradictory to the principle of adopted son inheritance.”

“Oh!” Master Cao exclaimed again.

“And there’s more! Again, regarding the principle that if a wife inherits from the husband and the husband separates and then remarries, the property acquired must be returned to the husband’s family, the Emperor asked, ‘What if she marries another man?'”

“Whoa!” Master Cao slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming again.

“This is a big deal, is it not?” Minister Ren chuckled. “But that’s not the biggest one.

Regarding the discussion of separate property, His Majesty said that if children and grandchildren acquire wealth from scratch or through official salaries, all such wealth should belong to the head of the household for the whole family to use and for the children to divide. Is this not somewhat encouraging laziness and discouraging diligence?”

“Oh! This is a big deal!” Master Cao gasped.

“His Majesty also mentioned some details, which I will not go into, but it is all in the same direction. This marriage law has been sent back to the Court of Judicial Review for revision. This time, the Court of Judicial Review will be very busy!” Minister Ren said with a smile.

“These are all important matters!” Master Cao gasped again.

“There’s another important matter.” Minister Ren glanced subconsciously out the window.

Master Cao quickly stood up, moved next to Minister Ren, and leaned closer to listen.

“Hearing the Emperor’s words, I thought of what the Boss said: ‘A new dynasty, a new atmosphere.’ After agreeing on this marriage law, I brought up the current drawbacks of the combined system of investigation and judgment.”

Master Cao’s eyes widened even further.

Minister Ren chuckled incessantly. “This…we discussed it over a decade ago. Not only us, but anyone who has handled criminal cases knows about its drawbacks. It is just an established law from our ancestors.

This afternoon, after much deliberation, I brought it up.”

“What did the Emperor say?” Master Cao asked, his breath catching in his throat.

“Prime Minister Wu spoke first, sighing, saying that there were indeed many drawbacks. When he took office in a local post, he wrote an article about these drawbacks, saying that I had put in the effort.”

Master Cao exhaled slightly.

“His Majesty continued, ‘What Minister Wu said is true. I have indeed put my heart into it.’ His Majesty said that the Ministry of Justice will take the lead in separating the investigation and the judgment, and this will be carried out in conjunction with the revision of the law.” Minister Ren finished speaking, his face beaming.

“Sir, this is a momentous event that will go down in history!” Master Cao’s eyes shone as he bowed to Minister Ren.

“It also involves many people and is extremely likely to offend others.” Minister Ren took a deep breath. “However, if the investigation and the judgment can truly be separated, and with the assistance of considering all sides, tragedies like the case of the mute in Chenliu County will certainly be reduced considerably.

Although this is a difficult task fraught with obstacles, if it can be done well, it will accumulate a great deal of good karma for my descendants and for your Cao family.”

“His Majesty has only just turned thirty. Though he is frail, he is in excellent health. Such a wise ruler, and with such a capable minister like me, even amidst thorns, he is unharmed. Congratulations, sir!” Master Cao said with a smile.

“Congratulations to you too,” Minister Ren replied, bowing slightly and smiling.

………………………………

In the Qingning Palace, the officials withdrew, but Prime Minister Wu remained.

“Let’s eat first. We, the Emperor and his minister, one disabled and the other old, cannot afford to go hungry,” Gu Jin said, gesturing for Prime Minister Wu to sit down.

“Though this old minister is old, I can still subdue tigers. Though His Majesty is frail, he roams the world freely,” Prime Minister Wu said, bowing slightly with a smile.

“Your words, sir, inspire a sense of pride,” Gu Jin laughed.

Qing-Feng directed several eunuchs to move Gu Jin’s desk further away, placing a small table on top and a tall table in front of Prime Minister Wu. They then laid out a few simple, homely dishes.

After Gu Jin and Prime Minister Wu finished their meal, a eunuch brought tea. Qing-Feng subtly waved his hand, and the eunuchs in the hall withdrew with their hands at their sides. Qing-Feng then retreated to the hall’s entrance, standing respectfully with his hands at his sides.

“All the unmarried young ladies from prominent families whom I could ascertain are listed here,” Prime Minister Wu said, pulling a thin booklet from his robes and presenting it to Gu Jin.

Gu Jin took it and opened it.

“The Wei family has two members, both from the direct line, and both are extremely learned. One seems a bit young, just turned seventeen after the New Year. She’s lively, cheerful, and loves to travel.

The other is nineteen. She’s a little impulsive, often getting angry when discussing studies with her siblings and frequently arguing with her teacher. However, after her outburst, she reflects on her actions and humbly admits her mistakes.”

Seeing Gu Jin open the book, Prime Minister Wu quickly bowed and introduced the names.

Gu Jin listened intently, but his expression remained unreadable.

Prime Minister Wu was extremely familiar with the names in the book. As Gu Jin turned a page, Prime Minister Wu followed closely, providing detailed introductions. Gu Jin listened to Prime Minister Wu’s explanations and then turned the page.

When Gu Jin reached the last page, Prime Minister Wu said with a forced smile, “This is the Zhou family, a prominent family in Taizhou.

The Zhou family members now all reside in Taizhou. Few members hold official positions; only five in total. The current head of the household, Zhou Weishan, was recently appointed as the Prefect of Muzhou and, along with his entire family, has just arrived in Jiande City to assume his post. The other four are serving as county magistrates.

Twenty years ago, the previous head of the Zhou family, Zhou Weijiang, served as the Left Vice Minister of Revenue. He lived in Jianle City with his family. After Zhou Weijiang’s death, his wife and children escorted his coffin back to their hometown. Since then, no one from the Zhou family has returned to Jianle City to reside there.

In Jianle City, there is now only an empty house, maintained and cared for by two branches of the family.

The Zhou family has three daughters. The youngest is the current head’s, Zhou Weishan’s, youngest daughter, who just turned seventeen this year. Born young and the youngest in her family, she is said to be extremely charming and naive.”

Another one is Zhou Weishan’s cousin’s daughter, who lives in Taizhou. She’s twenty years old this year. Her engagement was broken off, and she’s currently unmarried. I’ve heard she’s very learned and has a good temperament. Because this young lady does not like to go out, very little can be found out about her. I am still inquiring further.

The last one is a young lady from the Zhou family.”

Prime Minister Wu paused, then said with a forced smile, “Logically, she should not be included, but according to the first three criteria His Majesty and I listed earlier, although she’s not ideal, she fits all the criteria, so I’ve included her.

This young lady is twenty-nine years old this year. She is the eldest daughter of the former head of the household, Zhou Weijiang. After Zhou Weijiang passed away, she served her mother and returned to Taizhou with her younger brother. She vowed never to marry. However, this vow is merely a rumor; she neither formally married nor became a nun. Therefore, although it is said she vowed never to marry, she can only be considered unmarried.

This young lady is extremely virtuous. It is said that she taught her younger brother entirely. He ranked one hundred and seventeenth in the second class of the last imperial examination and now works in the Ezhou prefectural government, serving under Pan Dingjiang and managing household taxes. Pan Dingjiang greatly appreciates him.” Gu Jin lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed on the three characters, “Zhou Yiqing.”

The last time he saw her was in the autumn of the year his mother passed away. He was dressed in mourning clothes, and so was she, to bid him farewell.

That year, she was only fifteen, in the prime of her youth. She said goodbye to him, looked at him, and asked, “May I hug you?”

She gently hugged him and whispered in his ear, “You must live well. Only if you live can I live.”

“Is Zhou Weijiang’s widow, Lady Yu, still alive?” Gu Jin slowly let out a sob, asking softly.

“Old Lady Yu is still alive. I heard she lives in a villa near Nanshan Temple in Taizhou. Miss Zhou also lives there with her mother.”

“I remember Lady Yu and my mother were often together. My mother was strong and vigorous, while she looked frail and delicate. I never expected…” Gu Jin paused, then sighed. “Bamboo is easily broken, but cattail is resilient.

She will do. I am not young anymore; marriage is best when the partners are of similar age.”

“Yes,” Minister Wu forced back his surprise, bowing in agreement.

This was a past he did not know, but based on these few words and his intuition, he felt this was undoubtedly a wonderful match, a truly auspicious thing!