Chapter 4: Rebirth (IV)

Chapter 4: Rebirth (IV)

Le Wuya, using Wen Ren's "suicide note" as a guide, sorted through case files and examined the county records, working through the night without sleep.

After this flurry of activity, Le Wuya finally understood why Wen Ren believed Scholar Ming was innocent.

...

Scholar Ming, whose full name was Ming Xiangzhao and courtesy name Shou Yue, was twenty-five years old this year. His family background was unremarkable; his father had a craft of repairing furniture, and the entire family was registered as artisans.

In the prefectural examination of the twentieth year of the Tianding era, Ming Xiangzhao passed as a licentiate, ranking first among the local child candidates.

With the provincial examination approaching and an opportunity to leap through the dragon gate, his father was conscripted to go to the capital as a rotating artisan. Unfortunately, on the return journey, he caught a chill and died just fifteen li from home. His corpse was brought back by fellow villagers.

After a bout of weeping, Ming Xiangzhao stayed home to observe mourning and study, waiting three years to take the exam again.

This experience was somewhat similar to Wen Ren's.

However, the temperaments of these two men could not be more opposite.

Unlike Wen Ren, who was gentle and agreeable, Scholar Ming was born with a stubborn, prickly disposition—hot-tempered and caustic. In the academy, he often quarreled with others and was not particularly well-liked among his peers.

All of this was clearly written in the case files: Ming Xiangzhao was described as "arrogant and overbearing, always aggressive in speech."

The reason he had been accused of "high treason" involved a prior incident.

The current dynasty stipulated that women could not file lawsuits in court on their own. If they had grievances, they had to entrust a male relative or hire a legal scribe to plead their case.

After Ming's father died, his mother, Mrs. Kan, took over her husband's trade, but due to her age, she could only do some light odd jobs.

Some orphaned girls or widows without support—whether they had conflicts with neighbors or feuds with their clans—could not find close male relatives to file suits for them, and hiring a scribe was too expensive. So, they sought out Ming's mother, offering some grain, noodles, or money, and asked Scholar Ming to write complaint petitions and handle lawsuits for them.

In the treason case against Ming Xiangzhao, the chief secretary clearly used biased language to smear him. The gist was that this man, relying on his licentiate status, was too proud to find work but too embarrassed to live off handouts. He wanted to earn some extra money for his family, and when his mother made the request, he went along with it. Therefore, he was described as a lazy, gluttonous, cunning, and opportunistic fellow.

Le Wuya had met Ming Xiangzhao once in prison.

He was truly a handsome young man. If cleaned up and walking down the street, he would be an imposing, dashing scholar, brimming with heroic spirit.

This young man might indeed have had some selfish motives, but being driven by life's necessities was not a sin. His efforts to seek justice for others were not necessarily just for money.

Because, from the dozen or so petitions Le Wuya had dug up overnight, it was clear that he had been honestly fighting lawsuits for the weak.

However, judging by the wording of those petitions, he certainly had a sharp tongue and was unrestrained, often criticizing official injustice.

...Indeed, the kind of "stinky scholar" that officials hated but could neither hit nor scold.

After all, he was no longer a commoner, and his talent was considerable. He might very well rise to prominence, with boundless future prospects—not someone to be trifled with.

Having no choice, the authorities gritted their teeth and endured it.

Of course, that's not how the case file put it.

The file only mentioned that this scholar, proud of his talent and accustomed to domineering behavior, often made shocking statements. The authorities, mindful of his licentiate status, treated him with courtesy. But instead of appreciating this imperial grace, he dared to hide banned books at home.

However, in Wen Ren's "suicide note," an event was mentioned that the case file did not refer to at all.

Half a year ago, shortly after Wen Ren took office, Ming Xiangzhao filed a major lawsuit on behalf of Aunt Su, a friend of his mother's.

Aunt Su had been widowed early, raising her young son Chang Xiaohu on her own.

Chang Xiaohu was born with a weak constitution, often ill, but fortunately not dull-witted—he had taught himself the abacus.

To supplement the family income, he and Aunt Su, through the introduction of his father's second cousin, Ge Erzi, planned to go to the Xiaofu Coal Mine on the western outskirts of Nanting County to apprentice as an accounting clerk. After three months of training, he could work in the mine's accounting office.

Aunt Su scraped together money for the apprenticeship fee and sent her son off reluctantly.

Chang Xiaohu never returned.

Worried about her son's health, Aunt Su once wrapped up some medicine that Chang Xiaohu often took and, with her bound feet, hobbled over to visit him.

But the coal mine was closed off, with no news from inside. Aunt Su could only hand the medicine and some dry food to the gatekeeper, earnestly begging him to deliver them to Xiaohu, before timidly leaving.

The next time Aunt Su saw Xiaohu was after a heavy rainstorm.

His body had been washed down from upstream and caught on a rock. A villager out early for fishing discovered it.

Aunt Su received the news and stumbled over. Seeing her son's swollen face from a distance, she let out a wail and fainted.

His body was covered in bruises, a mix of blue and red, and his head was bleeding profusely—a horrific sight.

When Aunt Su came to, the more she thought about it, the more wrong it seemed: Her son had gone to the mine to learn accounting—how could he have been beaten like this?

She grabbed hold of her second cousin Ge Erzi, who had introduced her son to the mine, refusing to let go, demanding to drag him to the authorities. But she was too weak and alone to bring a case herself, so she thought of Ming Xiangzhao's mother, Mrs. Kan.

Aunt Su came crying to their door in the middle of the night. After hearing the whole story, Scholar Ming was filled with righteous indignation. He wrote a petition furiously that very night and submitted it to the yamen the next day.

This was not the first homicide case Wen Ren had encountered during his tenure, but he always handled it cautiously and diligently.

Ge Erzi, the second cousin, was a local ne'er-do-well, a shiftless loafer with a thick hide. As soon as he entered the courtroom, he cried out his innocence, his wailing louder even than Aunt Su's tearless sobs.

According to him, he was just a middleman and had no idea what had happened to Chang Xiaohu at the mine. He protested his innocence as if he were a pure snow lotus.

Wen Ren summoned the person in charge of the Xiaofu Coal Mine to the court.

That man was a genteel sort, who stated confidently that during the heavy rain two days ago, Chang Xiaohu must have not watched his step and accidentally fallen into the water. As for the wound on his head, it was likely caused by a collision. The bruises on his body, he claimed, must have been from scratches by branches in the water.

The autopsy report submitted by the county coroner also concluded that "the body was injured by branches and rocks, resulting in accidental drowning."

At this point, Aunt Su was somewhat disheartened, but Scholar Ming refused to back down.

He said he had heard from people who had seen Chang Xiaohu's body that the wounds were very deep, like those from a whip.

Since when could a branch leave marks like whip scars?

The coroner countered fluently, saying that Chang Xiaohu's corpse had soaked in dirty water overnight, and combined with the summer heat, the wounds had swollen and festered. The villagers, who didn't understand, were just guessing blindly. Since Scholar Ming had not seen the body himself, how could his words be taken seriously?

Wen Ren personally went to examine the body, but unfortunately, he was not versed in coroner's skills. No matter how he looked, the injuries seemed both like whip marks and like festering wounds.

However, he happened to notice that on the few patches of intact skin on Chang Xiaohu, there were old bruises from beatings.

Moreover, Chang Xiaohu's skin was rough, his fingers covered in calluses, and under the dried blood in his fingernails, a faint black coal color could be seen—not at all like hands that had done fine work like abacus counting.

Wen Ren silently noted these suspicious points but did not state them outright. He only questioned the coroner about the old wounds on Chang Xiaohu.

The coroner responded indifferently, suggesting that perhaps his mother had beaten him while disciplining him.

Hearing this, Aunt Su burst into loud sobs, insisting that her son had been frail since childhood, and she had always taken great care of him, fearing he might die young. He was obedient and sensible—she had never laid a finger on him since he was born!

Scholar Ming was furious and argued right there with the coroner.

Both sides had valid arguments and wouldn't back down.

Wen Renyue called the court session over.

Although he was straightforward and a bit naive, he was not stupid.

Wen Renyue's father was a merchant, and he had dealings with some businessmen, knowing that many mine owners were as black-hearted as coal itself, eager to squeeze every drop of blood and oil out of the miners, bones and all.

Therefore, he suspected that when Chang Xiaohu went into the coal mine, he was never assigned to be an accountant but was sent straight into the mines.

Wen Renyue had Chang Xiaohu's body temporarily kept at the local morgue, summoned the mine's accountant, and personally led him inside. Pointing to five bodies covered with shrouds, he said, "Sir, since Chang Xiaohu was an apprentice in the mine, you must recognize him. Which one is Chang Xiaohu? Go ahead, point him out."

Too bad the other guy wasn't stupid either.

In his posthumous letter, Wen Renyue wrote, "The moment I brought him in and he saw a corpse, the accountant passed out, saying he was too scared to look again."

Le Wuya, reading this, thought of the helpless look on Wen Renyue's face and couldn't help smiling.

Wen Renyue was still way too soft-hearted.

If it were him, he had a hundred ways to jolt that accountant upright from his deathbed.

Moreover, Wen Renyue made a huge mistake — worried Aunt Su would fall sick from suddenly losing her son, he asked her to go home and rest, and didn't have anyone keep an eye on her.

Sure enough, when the court convened again the next day, Aunt Su looked different, huddled in a corner, staying silent and sullen.

Wen Renyue summoned the mine foreman and selected several miners to be brought to the yamen.

They all sang the same tune, saying they had seen Chang Xiaohu. This frail kid would come by the mine now and then to hang around, was quite warm-hearted, and would give them a hand. Because he heard them say that going underground paid more, out of curiosity, he followed them down into the mine a couple times.

Wen Renyue felt something was very wrong.

Chang Xiaohu was in bad health—wanting to earn more money made sense, but his body was completely unfit for heavy physical labor. Didn't he know that himself?

But Aunt Su tearfully admitted it, saying her son had indeed been warm-hearted since childhood. Occasionally naughty as a child, she used to beat him with a stick. She didn't mention it last time because she was old and had misremembered.

She rambled on, all over the place, basically saying she was dropping the charges.

Once the plaintiff withdrew the lawsuit and there was no solid evidence of homicide, the case had to be closed.

This case that came out of nowhere left even someone with Wen Renyue's personality feeling suffocated.

Ming Xiangzhao, hot-headed, became even more stubborn. He dropped his studies and kept snooping around the coal mine.

Unexpectedly, about three or four months later, Scholar Ming was suddenly ratted out by a small-time thug.

The thug said that one day when he went to a tavern for a drink, he heard Ming Xiangzhao mumbling things disrespectful to the emperor while drunk.

At that time, Wen Renyue had been summoned to a meeting by the Prefect and was not in the county.

So Sun Ru, the deputy magistrate, took over and sent yamen runners to search Ming's house. Unexpectedly, they actually found two forbidden books.

Now, with both witnesses and physical evidence, Scholar Ming couldn't talk his way out of it and was thrown straight into jail.

At first, Ming Xiangzhao believed that as a degree holder, the authorities wouldn't dare torture him, so he wouldn't be forced into a false confession. He shouted that he'd never known those books were in his house and that someone must have framed him.

But Sun Ru had a trick up his sleeve. He arrested his mother and imprisoned her in the cell next to him, making him watch her suffer along with him.

Although Ming's mother was used to hard labor and strong, she was still elderly and full of fear. Within two days, she was gasping for breath under the weight of a huge cangue—dozens of pounds.

Ming Xiangzhao got scared too.

He went from furious shouting to pitiful cries of being wronged.

Later, he no longer dared to plead innocence. Shaking, he signed a confession, only begging that his old mother not die in prison due to his involvement.

Scholar Ming, always proud and arrogant, took this heavy blow, grew disheartened and depressed, and came down with a serious illness.

Wen Renyue absolutely did not agree and insisted on a thorough investigation.

But Deputy Magistrate Sun shut him down with earnest-sounding advice.

"Your Honor hasn't been through big cases and does not know the gravity of this! Possessing banned books and speaking disrespectful words is already a capital crime. How could he confess willingly? For the sake of your honor's reputation, I haven't tortured him harshly. If he had any filial devotion, he'd confess obediently. Even if you're kind-hearted, you shouldn't go easy on a man condemned to die."

Wen Renyue's immediate superior, Prefect Lü, was old and senile, easily swayed, and couldn't handle responsibility. When he heard the case involved treason, he sighed about how scholars these days weren't what they used to be—total nonsense—and wrapped up the case on the spot, ordering Wen Renyue to quickly compile the case files and submit them to the court.

Pressured from above by the prefect and constrained from below by the county vice magistrate, and unable to even command the runners, Wen Renyue was isolated and extremely anxious. With his humble seventh-rank position, there was no possibility of reporting over their heads. In desperation, he went to extremes and summoned Le Wuya.

At this point, the matter could almost be considered settled.

Scholar Ming had offended the Xiaofu Coal Mine over Chang Xiaohu's case, and thus had this bucket of dirty water poured on him.

The method of pouring dirty water was simple and effective — just stuffing a book into his home.

Because the conspiracy was so simple, it was difficult to refute.

The superior was useless, colleagues obstructed, the coroner caused trouble, witnesses were bribed, and there was no one in the yamen willing to listen to Wen Renyue.

Even if he wanted to reopen the old case and clear Scholar Ming by investigating Chang Xiaohu's case, first, distant water cannot quench present thirst — even if Chang Xiaohu's death had doubts, it could not prove Ming Xiangzhao had no intention of rebellion; second, time had passed, Chang Xiaohu's body had decayed, making it extremely difficult to overturn the case.

He lacked all favorable conditions — timing, location, and human support. This unlucky Scholar Ming lacked all.

From an outsider's perspective, Scholar Ming's situation was a dead end.

Le Wuya's face showed no sign of difficulty.

Because he didn't care about this matter at all.

He immediately opened the county gazetteer.

Sure enough, the "Master Chen" that Wen Renyue mentioned was the true owner of the Xiaofu Coal Mine.

Master Chen, full name Chen Yuanwei, was a juren holder but did not take office.

Seven years ago, he moved to Nanting County.

Five years ago, a small coal mine was discovered in Nanting County. At a time when the policy on state-owned coal mining was relaxed, allowing some mines to be operated by private individuals, Master Chen worked his connections, bribed up and down, and managed to obtain the operating rights for this small coal mine.

Every winter, he would give away some coal lumps at the market for free, never stopping for five years, earning him the local name "Chen the Good."

Le Wuya had always been impatient with writing; his handwriting was uniquely ugly, but he read quickly and thoroughly.

Soon, he noticed that the gazetteer mentioned that when Master Chen first arrived in Nanting County seven years ago, he had only purchased ten mu of land and set up a commercial inn.

It was only after he obtained the small coal mine that he began buying land extensively, and his shops increased, but all his businesses revolved around the coal mine.

That is to say, the previous Master Chen was not very wealthy. This Xiaofu Coal Mine was his most important source of income and the foundation that allowed his family to swagger around Nanting County.

The coal mine was very profitable, and its importance to the Chen family was self-evident.

Upon seeing this, Le Wuya flipped through last year's tax records and found that after the county had paid all taxes in grain, silver, and such, there wasn't much surplus.

He closed the book and pondered, staring absentmindedly at the faintly lit night outside the window.

...That small coal mine seemed pretty good.

Should he think of a way to confiscate it?

While Le Wuya's cunning nature was fully exposed, he did not know that elsewhere in the world, everything had already been turned upside down for him.

...

At daybreak, a firewood carrier arrived near the post station of Ningyuan County, Yizhou.

Seeing the tight security there, he only circled once without approaching, and instead, a hundred paces away from the station, he secretly set off three firecrackers.

The guards paid no attention, dismissing it as some naughty child's prank.

Although the sound of these firecrackers was slightly shriller than ordinary ones.

Soon, someone walked out of the station alone, wearing a Tai Chi suit, a black headband, with a slight sweat on his cheeks, and a Tai Chi wooden sword at his waist, clearly having just exercised.

Seeing him come out, the guards at the gate immediately knelt: "Sixth Master."

Sixth Prince Xiang Zhijie nodded slightly and walked out.

The guard, whose status was as different from the prince's as clouds from mud, did not dare ask where he was going, and could only follow from a distance.

The Sixth Prince followed the direction of the firecrackers and indeed found the firewood carrier leaning against a tree as if resting.

The guard thought the Sixth Prince had taken a sudden interest in asking a local about the price of firewood and rice, so he stopped and dared not disturb them.

Seeing no one around, the firewood carrier rummaged through the firewood pile and said softly: "Master, Young General Pei knows you are nearby and ordered me to deliver a message to you."

Sixth Prince Xiang Zhijie had grown much taller than four years ago, still taciturn and calmly gentle, with a composed and dignified bearing: "Speak."

The messenger lowered his voice: "Reporting to the Sixth Prince: 'The furnace cracked.'"

The Sixth Prince was momentarily stunned.

When he realized what those three words meant, he suddenly stepped forward: "How could that be?"

The messenger lowered his head and said nothing.

The Sixth Prince had excellent self-cultivation; even though his mind was in turmoil, he still reached out and patted the messenger's shoulder: "...I understand. You've worked hard."

The firewood carrier shouldered his load and hurried away.

The Sixth Prince closed his eyes, lost in thought.

Until a voice came from behind him: "Sixth Brother, it's freezing cold, aren't you cold wearing just that?"

The Sixth Prince's slightly trembling eyelashes slowly steadied.

After a while, he turned around, still the warm and gentle man: "Seventh Brother."

Seventh Prince Xiang Zhi was wearing a black fox fur hat, a matching black fox fur scarf, and holding a hand warmer trimmed with silver fox fur, from head to toe, making himself look like a little fox afraid of the cold.

He asked, "How much is a load of firewood today?"

The Sixth Prince replied expressionlessly, "Twenty wen."

The Seventh Prince laughed and said: "He saw that Sixth Brother's clothes are made of good fabric, thought you didn't know the price of everyday goods and gave you a sky-high price. In the neighboring county, a load of firewood is only five wen."

The Sixth Prince: "If he met Seventh Brother, seeing your outfit, he'd ask for one tael."

The Seventh Prince laughed heartily.

Although he had always disliked this full brother (the Sixth Prince), compared to now, the former Sixth Brother was more entertaining; although he stuttered a little, he was still willing to talk to please his teacher, which provided the Seventh Prince with plenty of amusement.

Now he either speaks as if he's frugal with words or tells unfunny jokes, no longer any fun at all.

The Seventh Prince had just seen that man's back.

He was the son of Sixth Brother's wet nurse, who had first worked in the Sixth Prince's residence, and later was said to have joined the military to earn merit.

So he had come here to serve.

He vaguely remembered that the troops stationed nearby were...

But some things need not be said; just keep them in mind.

The Seventh Prince earnestly played the role of a well-behaved younger brother: "I heard that recently in Nanting County, Yizhou, there is a case of scholar rebellion currently being tried. The selection of scholars concerns the very foundation of the state; Father will surely care about it. Would you, Elder Brother, be willing to accompany me to have a look?"

The Sixth Prince forcibly suppressed his chaotic thoughts: "I should indeed."

As he answered, the Sixth Prince thought: The teacher's furnace cracked.

Perhaps he truly cannot remain in this world any longer.