As soon as Han Qian finished speaking, he saw two youths whose spirits hadn’t yet been completely ground down by this chaotic and bitter world run swiftly down the mountain to find the village chief and report.

Even with Han Qian backing them, the other tenant farmers stood fearfully and indifferently on the periphery, not daring to crowd forward and invite trouble. Only that mother and daughter helped the blood-covered Zhao Wuji to the base of the wall to protect him, waiting for the yamen to send people to handle the matter, not allowing the Han family’s household guards to abuse their private punishment authority again.

Although Fan Xicheng was heartbroken over his adopted son’s death, Han Qian had seized on his words. Any further激烈 激言行 would seem to confirm he truly had sinister intentions.

Seeing that Zhao Kuo and the others had all become hesitant and uncertain, Fan Xicheng trembled with rage but couldn’t defend himself. He could only watch helplessly as his adopted son Fan Wucheng lay in a pool of blood. In his heart, he still believed Wucheng had run over early to drive the Zhao father and son from the estate only to help him vent his anger.

This thought made Fan Xicheng’s chest twist with even more pain, feeling Wucheng had died too unjustly.

Seeing the veins bulging on Fan Xicheng’s forehead and Fan Dahei’s eyes red with fury still full of resentment, Han Qian worried he couldn’t suppress this father and son pair. Frowning, he said to Fan Dahei: “Fan Dahei, ride back to the city immediately to inform my father of this matter—if you feel I’ve handled this unfairly, my father will make all decisions himself. But until then, you absolutely cannot use private punishment and ruin my Han family’s reputation!”

The Han family’s reputation in Xuanzhou might not be particularly good, but at this moment Han Qian needed to use this argument to prevent Fan Xicheng and the household guards from acting rashly.

Hearing Han Qian say this, Fan Xicheng had nothing to say.

One household guard tugged at the stubborn Fan Dahei’s collar, quietly urging: “I’ll accompany you into the city to report this matter to the family head…”

“Why do so many need to return to the city? Can’t Fan Dahei alone explain things clearly?” Han Qian said, preventing that guard from accompanying Fan Dahei, having Fan Dahei alone return to the city to report to his father.

Although Fan Dahei was indignant that Fan Wucheng had been killed by a tenant farmer and didn’t even understand why he wasn’t upholding justice for Fan Wucheng now, Fan Dahei wasn’t petty-minded, so Han Qian wasn’t worried he would distort the facts when finding his father in the city.

Seeing Fan Dahei return to the estate to fetch a horse, Han Qian looked around and said: “I’ll wait here for the county yamen to send people to handle this matter…”

Han Qian lowered his head and ducked into the dimly lit thatched cottage. Fan Wucheng’s corpse lay motionless on the muddy ground, a pool of blood accumulated beneath him.

The interior was so crude it was hard for Han Qian to imagine. A small pit dug in the ground in the inner corner served as a fire pit, with a pile of incompletely burned firewood scattered about. Bowls and jars were shattered all over the ground, some with chips showing old traces—clearly these bowls and jars had already been broken and incomplete before being smashed.

In the corner was a wooden plank table that had been knocked apart.

Besides this, the main room had only a few crude farming implements.

The eastern room had no bed, only two piles of dry grass spread on the ground. The bedding was relatively clean but patched countless times—fortunately being in the mountains, the interior was at least dry. Perhaps the household’s mistress was diligent in managing the home, so it looked reasonably dry.

The western room contained two crude, nearly falling-apart spinning wheels. In the corner, a bed board was propped up on tree stumps—this should be the frail girl’s sleeping bed…

Han Qian truly found it hard to imagine a household could be this crude!

…

…

Although Han Daoxun held a leisurely fourth-rank position in the court, the Han family’s power was considerable. When a death occurred at the estate Han Daoxun had newly purchased in Jiangcheng County less than a year ago, the Capital Prefecture might not take it seriously, but the county dared not be careless.

The county seat was some distance away, but County Commandant Liu Yuan personally led yamen runners to rush to the estate before noon to question the case at the scene.

Liu Yuan was from Jiangcheng County. As a youth he had served in the Huainan Army, accumulated merit to be awarded the sixth-rank Xiaoqi Captain merit position, became village chief locally, and only in recent years was promoted to county commandant—he could be considered a veteran who had risen with Emperor Tianyou.

After the Chu state was established, Emperor Tianyou imitated the Han and Tang systems, implementing the Three Chiefs system below the prefecture and county levels, using meritorious veterans retired from the Huainan Army as officials to consolidate the Yang clan’s foundation in the Jianghuai region.

If Han family household guards had killed a tenant farmer, as long as it wasn’t unprovoked wrongful killing, according to law a copper fine or caning would lightly pass it over. But now a tenant farmer had killed a Han family guard who had broken into his home. When Liu Yuan first heard of this matter, he found it very thorny.

He didn’t know how to handle it—on one hand not letting himself be cursed behind his back by locals, on the other hand not offending a powerful clan like the Han family.

Although the Han family wasn’t a native force in Jiangcheng, and Han Daoxun was only a leisurely official in the court, Jiangcheng was only two or three hundred li from Xuanzhou. What kind of powerful clan the Han family was in Xuanzhou—while common people might not know clearly, Liu Yuan understood well.

Moreover, Han Daoxun had a formidable reputation for governing localities. As the Guangling Military Commissioner’s Chief Secretary, he originally had opportunities to be promoted to Deputy Commissioner or Prefecture Governor. This time being transferred back to the court to serve as Junior Director of the Palace Library seemed like a leisurely position, but perhaps after some time he would receive important appointments in the court. As a mere county commandant, Liu Yuan dared not offend him even more.

Rushing to Qiuhu Mountain, Liu Yuan had felt along the way this was quite difficult to handle, but never expected that upon entering the estate, the Han family’s young master Han Qian would actually be such a “reasonable” and “impartial” person.

Of course, even with the case crystal clear and the Han family’s young master so reasonable, showing no sign of favoritism, abuse of power, or bullying, Liu Yuan still didn’t dare easily write the litigation document to arrest Zhao Wuji and carry Fan Wucheng’s corpse back to the county yamen to close the case.

Jiangcheng County was under the Capital Prefecture, adjacent to Jinling city. It wasn’t without powerful clans—one could randomly pick a family with connections to high ministers or imperial relatives. When such murder cases occurred, not to mention investigating thoroughly, even sparing the perpetrator’s lowly life from death was considered merciful.

That the Han family’s young master was excessively reasonable instead made Liu Yuan more cautious, worried this might be a trap set by the Han family, perhaps with something fierce elsewhere waiting for Jiangcheng County officials to bite the hook?

Fortunately, hearing that the Han family’s young master Han Qian had already sent someone rushing back to Jinling city to notify Han Daoxun, Liu Yuan led the yamen runners, insisting on staying at Qiuhu Mountain to wait for Han Daoxun’s definite word before considering how to write this litigation document.

Liu Yuan was over forty years old, his temples already somewhat graying. Perhaps due to his early military experience, he sat under the tree shade with his back straight as a pine.

Han Qian accompanied Liu Yuan sitting in the shade drinking tea.

Fan Xicheng, sufficiently angered by Han Qian and unable to bear seeing his adopted son’s tragic death in the tenant farmer’s house, had first taken the two wounded household guards back to the estate for treatment to avoid suspicion.

Under the mulberry tree sat Zhang Qian, the village chief of Taowu village, along with the yamen runners Liu Yuan had brought and household guards like Zhao Kuo sitting around them.

Zhang Qian had also accumulated military merit to receive a merit position before returning home to serve as village chief. He felt quite sorry about Fan Wucheng’s tragic death, but also felt Zhao Wuji shouldn’t be held guilty in this matter. However, how this matter would ultimately be handled—he had no say.

Looking at the situation, Han Qian also clearly understood they were all waiting for his father Han Daoxun’s definite attitude. In the end, this young master truly had no weight—no one would truly take him seriously.

Han Qian had returned to Xuanzhou at age twelve, only being brought to Jinling to reunite with his father Han Daoxun this April. Thinking carefully about the blank period, Han Qian wasn’t very clear what kind of person his father Han Daoxun really was. But in the dream’s historical records of later generations, his father Han Daoxun received high praise, described as “having administrative talent, speaking frankly and daring to remonstrate.”

One day in the future, he would be beaten to death by Emperor Tianyou in the Wenying Hall for remonstrating—wasn’t that “speaking frankly and daring to remonstrate”?

Han Qian thought to himself, if he could make his father learn to be smarter and not engage in “dying for remonstrance,” wouldn’t his ultimate fate also be changed?

However, if his father was as described in the dream’s historical records—a stubborn donkey character—how could he persuade him not to try provoking the emperor’s wrath?

…

…

He waited until the sun slanted westward before seeing Fan Dahei from afar riding that purple-maned horse with three other riders, escorting a carriage along the muddy road by the lake toward the estate.

Seeing his father Han Daoxun personally rushing back to the estate, Han Qian accompanied County Commandant Liu Yuan and Village Chief Zhang Qian to greet him.

Han Daoxun looked travel-worn. Seeing County Commandant Liu Yuan and Village Chief Zhang Qian bow, he raised his hand slightly and said: “This Han has failed to properly discipline his household servants, disturbing the locality—truly shameful. For all matters, please let the county handle them impartially. Don’t consider this Han’s feelings. This Han will absolutely not bend the law for his servants’ sake.”

Regardless of whether Han Daoxun’s words were sincere or not, as long as Liu Yuan had these words from Han Daoxun, he could proceed. He immediately indicated for the yamen runners to arrest Old Zhao and his son Zhao Wuji, and load Fan Wucheng’s corpse onto an ox cart to drag back to the county overnight. The two wounded household guards had already been bandaged and were fine, both riding the carriage to the county yamen to serve as witnesses. With the family head Han Daoxun’s words, they knew what to say at the yamen.