Tong Li’s eyes widened involuntarily, both fists clenched, waiting for Zhù Ying’s order.
Qi Tai was quite the opposite. The moment Tong Li entered, Qi Tai fell silent and reverted to his true form, turning back into a timid rabbit. Gone entirely was the manner of someone who had just said, “My lord, there are so many students in the county school — could you find a couple more to transfer into the applied mathematics track? With so few capable ones, not many will actually make it through books and letters alone. Better to learn something practical rather than waste their years.”
Qi Tai was up on his feet first, stacking his ledger on the abacus, and was ready to leave: “My lord has matters to attend to — this subordinate will take his leave.”
And with that, he left without a backward glance.
He had been about to add a word — “don’t get too upset now, it’s not good for you to get hot-tempered” — but then there was an unfamiliar person present, and he remembered that Zhù Ying didn’t usually show strong emotions anyway. So he swallowed the words back and thought to himself: the magistrate truly is someone made for great things — not a flicker of expression even when a mountain crumbles before her.
Qi Tai’s feet moved swiftly; he hadn’t the faintest desire to linger and find out more.
Behind him, Tong Li was still waiting for Zhù Ying’s order.
Zhù Ying said, “Bring him in.”
“Yes.”
Tong Li’s footsteps were quicker than usual. He went out and called out first: “Quickly — to your posts! My lord is receiving a complaint!” He drove the runners off to the main hall to make ready, then went to the yamen gate.
The complainant was still there. Tong Li quickly brought him inside.
The court convened, runners standing with their water-and-fire staffs.
Zhù Ying studied the man. He looked to be about thirty, dressed in plain cloth, the average height of a southerner, lean and dark, his clothes patched in a few places but washed clean. He wore a headscarf. His lips were dry and cracked. A half-empty traveling bag hung from his shoulder; his black cloth shoes were coated with a layer of dust. His hands and feet were large, his knuckles prominent, the skin of his hands dry and rough where it showed, the short stubble on his chin dry and disheveled.
The man squinted before he could make out the person seated on the dais. Tong Li called out, “You see his lordship and still don’t kneel?”
Zhù Ying said, “Don’t frighten him. Do you hold any title or official position?” Those of rank who came before a county magistrate need not kneel, and some people might have an unexpected history even if they looked poor, so it was always worth asking.
The man’s heart sank halfway. He gritted his teeth, and with a heavy thud fell to his knees: “My lord, my family has no officials. And if it did, we wouldn’t have been bullied like this — I beg my lord to give me justice.”
Tong Li said, “My lord asked who you are.”
The man pulled a complaint from inside his clothing: “I am Li Da. I am here to lodge a complaint against Huang Shi’erlang for forcibly abducting a woman — for taking my younger sister and holding her captive. I beg my lord to give me justice.”
Tong Li stepped forward to take the complaint and brought it to the table. Zhù Ying said, “Give him a bowl of water.”
“Yes.”
Zhù Ying had not lowered her voice — she had spoken at a perfectly normal volume — yet when Li Da heard it, it struck his ears like a thunderclap and his hope flared back to life.
He shuffled forward on his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground repeatedly: “I knew it! I knew my lord was a good person! I’d almost given up hope — thought there was no point trying in this life. Then I heard someone say you wouldn’t take his gifts and made him pay his dues, and I thought, maybe this lord is different from the others. So I plucked up my courage and came.”
His head struck the floor with loud, resonant thumps. Zhù Ying said, “Help him up.”
A runner came forward and lifted him by the shoulders. Another came with a teapot in his left hand and a teacup in his right, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to him. Li Da snuck a glance at Zhù Ying and saw that she was reading the complaint. The runner said, “What are you staring at?”
Li Da hastily lowered his gaze, wiped both palms on the sides of his clothing, and then extended his hands to receive the cup: “Thank you, young brother.”
He was desperately thirsty. His throat bobbed twice and the cup was empty. The runner said, “Nobody’s going to snatch it from you — here.” He refilled it.
Li Da smiled gratefully; the runner shook his head and sighed.
Zhù Ying had long since finished reading the complaint, and let Li Da drink while she went over it again twice more for appearances. It stated that Li Da was a commoner from Sicheng County, poor family. His younger sister had gone to work at the Huang household, and had been violated by Huang Shi’erlang when he was drunk. When his parents went to argue the matter, they knew it was not easy to make public, difficult to prove, and even more difficult to win in court — they simply wanted their daughter back.
But then evidence showed up on its own — the sister was pregnant. Ordinarily Huang Shi’erlang did not concern himself much with this kind of thing; a woman could leave if she wanted, but the moment he heard she had a child on the way, the Huang household refused to release her.
In time a boy was born. They thought: she’s borne a child for the Huang family now — surely she would be released. They went to claim her again, but the Huang family refused all the more firmly, and outright claimed permanent possession of the sister. The family had no choice but to go to the Sicheng County yamen to file a complaint, but they could not even get through the yamen gates. They tried several times, always the same result. During this period Sicheng County changed its county magistrate and they tried once more, but still nothing. When Huang Shi’erlang found out, he sent men to their home and beat the entire family.
Until now, hearing that Huang Shi’erlang had come to Fulu County, Li Da had run here to file his complaint. He was asking Zhù Ying to uphold justice.
The complaint was written in a very plain style, mixed with a few wrong characters, and the author was clearly no expert. An expert who wrote complaints knew to adapt to officials’ preferences — a bit literary, a bit parallel in structure, a bit in the couplet style. This complaint was in plain speech throughout. Another official who looked at it might well have lost interest after a glance.
Seeing that Li Da had recovered somewhat, Zhù Ying set the complaint down lightly on the table and asked, “Is everything you have stated true?”
Li Da knelt again: “Every word of it is true — if there’s a single lie, may I be struck down by thunder and lightning.”
Zhù Ying said, “You will still need evidence.”
Li Da blinked blankly. “My sister is still in his household — isn’t that evidence?”
Zhù Ying nodded, then suddenly asked, “Who else is in your family? How badly were they beaten?”
Li Da said, “There are thirteen of us at home. My father and mother are both alive, and I have four younger brothers and one younger sister — the sister is the one that brute took. I’ve gotten married, too, and have children.” He sniffled, and then burst into unrestrained crying: “My sister was saving up money for my wedding by going out to work! Sob, sob…”
Zhù Ying sighed and waited until he had cried for a while before asking, “After the beatings — is your health all right? Are you still able to farm?”
Li Da said, “Still — still all right. We don’t have much land; we can still do a bit of day labor for others.”
“Where is your sister now?”
Li Da ground his teeth. “Right in the Huang household — they brought her here.”
“What is her name?”
“Her name is Fu Jie.”
Zhù Ying nodded and said, “Summon Huang Shi’erlang and Li Fu Jie.”
Huang Shi’erlang still didn’t know he had been accused. He had only just moved to Fulu County and was making the rounds of social calls. The majority of Fulu County’s ordinary residents didn’t know him, but quite a few among the gentry had heard of him and all were respectful enough, receiving him politely. Everyone wanted to see how this bold soul would hit the wall. Bending to the superior force, the gentry had all found it painful to report their hidden households, yet the things Zhù Ying had done since taking office were all beneficial to Fulu County’s long-term development and they had profited from them too. After their hearts had gone back and forth several times, they had all arrived at the single word: submit. Now seeing a “newcomer” about to retrace the same road they had walked, everyone felt a bit like laughing, and looked forward to watching the famously formidable Huang Shi’erlang become well-behaved — that would be very entertaining when it happened.
Lin Weng knew of the trouble even before his son-in-law did. An acquaintance had been watching the spectacle outside the yamen gate and came to tell him. Lin Weng immediately ordered his household, “Quick — go tell the son-in-law at once!”
Huang Shi’erlang was not at home. When Lin Shi heard the news she hastily dispatched a steward to the county yamen. Her natal family’s servant said, “My good young mistress, that simply won’t do! How can you just send a steward to brush off the county magistrate? Ask the master to come back and go himself.”
Lin Shi said, “What? Is it really that serious?”
In Sicheng County, the Huang family generally didn’t respond to the yamen’s cases in person — for one thing, hardly anyone went to the yamen to accuse them; for another, sending a steward to tell the yamen officials was all it usually took. Huang Shi’erlang’s real effort went into things outside the court — personally calling on the county magistrate with a generous gift, or privately hosting dinner for the officials with some inducements. They naturally helped deflect a great many things on his behalf.
Lin Shi had grown accustomed to this kind of approach.
The servant said, “With things as they stand, what are you hesitating for? Someone has filed a complaint against the master — there’s absolutely no reason for him not to respond in person! Wait until the county yamen sends runners to take him in chains, and it’ll be too late!”
Lin Shi still had her doubts, but nonetheless dispatched a servant: “You two go find the master and tell him the full story.” She herself looked in the mirror and smoothed her temples, then had someone carry her in a palanquin back to her parents’ home to discuss the matter.
Huang Shi’erlang was at Zhao Weng’s house drinking tea and chatting. The conversation had just come to this: “There really aren’t many places to have fun in the Fulu County seat.”
Zhao Weng said, “Oh? Could Sicheng County really be livelier than us here? I don’t believe it! I mean, maybe before, but who can say who’s better off now? Shi’erlang, you made the right choice coming here!” Zhao Weng had been to Sicheng County twice and remembered it as having been better than Fulu County in the past. But now Fulu County had gotten better! Zhao Weng felt a small surge of local pride.
Huang Shi’erlang said, “There’s nowhere decent to hear music performances. In a few days when you have time, do come to my place — I have two girls who sing rather well.”
Zhao Weng’s fingers gave a little twitch; a servant came running: “The Huang household’s mistress has sent word that something has come up at home and asks the master to return.”
Huang Shi’erlang frowned, putting on a dismissive air: “Women — making a fuss over nothing, no sense of occasion! What could possibly have happened?”
Zhao Weng was no longer in the mood to hear music either. He said, “You’ve just moved in and there must be a thousand things to sort out — go, go quickly. That child — we’ve known her before too — she’s always been the steadiest of people. She wouldn’t look for you over nothing.”
Huang Shi’erlang said a few polite words, and only upon leaving Zhao Weng’s house learned that he had been accused by Li Da. His brow furrowed: “It’s him again? Ungrateful wretch!”
“Master, how should we handle this?”
Huang Shi’erlang said impatiently, “Where’s the steward?” Then his heart gave a sudden lurch. He thought of the losses he had suffered at the county yamen, how Zhù Ying had not given him an inch of face. Now sending a steward would probably accomplish nothing. His face darkened — when had he ever been so humiliated? Yet circumstances compelled it, and now he had no choice but to go in person. Only now did he feel the first faint stirring of regret. To have transferred his household registration here so quickly had truly been somewhat rash.
The servant was still waiting for his decision. Huang Shi’erlang said, “Back home first.”
The palanquin was swaying along on its way home when Zhù Ying had already finished reading the complaint, and Tong Li was already personally coming to “invite” him. He didn’t even have time to consult with his father-in-law before Tong Li arrived. Tong Li would not allow him to delay, and two runners came up to escort him from both sides. Huang Shi’erlang said, “I can walk by myself.” He shook off the runners’ hands, gave his steward a meaningful look, and the steward brought two strong servants and followed behind him to the yamen.
Tong Li said, “A witness — Li Fu Jie — is also to be summoned.”
Huang Shi’erlang said, “What?”
Tong Li said, “I would ask that the master not make things difficult for me.”
Huang Shi’erlang drew a deep breath. “Bringing a female member of the household to appear before the court — is that appropriate?”
Tong Li said, “The master is joking — it’s not as if she’s a court-titled lady or a noblewoman. A concubine in your household — is she that precious?” He kept a slight smile on his face, but his words were not entirely polite. He was genuinely curious — what kind of beauty was she? Huang Shi’erlang clearly had no shortage of women, yet he had been keeping this one locked away in his household all these years.
He pressed on: “Shall you bring her, or shall we come and find her ourselves?”
Huang Shi’erlang said, “You!”
Tong Li made a polite bow.
Huang Shi’erlang said, “Go and bring Fu Jie here.”
Tong Li had been expecting a beauty, and was unfortunate enough to see a woman of quite ordinary appearance — neither tall and fair, nor with any particular charm. Not ugly, of course. But the expression on her face made her look as though someone owed her two strings of cash.
“Are you Li Fu Jie?”
“It’s me.”
“Could you be an impostor?”
Li Fu Jie said, “Why would I want to be an impostor? I’d be grateful to anyone who took my place.”
Tong Li said, “Don’t lie to me! Your elder brother is at my lord’s right now — once you’re seen and identified, you’ll be the one who looks bad! Our magistrate’s beatings start at twenty strokes.”
Li Fu Jie’s face broke into a strange smile. “Really? My brother really came?”
“Yes!”
“Then I am Li Fu Jie.”
Very well. Good advice is wasted on the stubborn. Let’s go!
Only now did Huang Shi’erlang notice that among the four people Tong Li had brought, the two who were slightly smaller and thinner at the rear were actually women. These two flanked Li Fu Jie on either side and managed her exclusively.
On arriving at the yamen, the Huang steward and servants were all stopped at the entrance. This was a habit Zhù Ying had never indulged. Ordinarily, for those who came to the county yamen who were elderly or infirm, she might allow one caretaker to accompany them. This sort of group that showed up looking ready to storm the place — she was never polite about that.
Huang Shi’erlang said to his steward, “Go to the Lin household and ask my honored father-in-law to come.” Then he went to the main hall.
In the main hall, Zhù Ying sat at the upper position, with Guan Cheng and Gao Shan seated to her left and right.
Huang Shi’erlang first made a deep bow to Zhù Ying: “I pay my respects to my lord.”
Zhù Ying said, “Li Da — is this the man you are accusing?”
Li Da and Li Fu Jie had already locked eyes and were recognizing each other.
Tong Li thought to himself: so she really is the one? What was so good about this woman?
The runners immediately moved to maintain order. Li Da wiped his tears and pointed at Huang Shi’erlang: “My lord, that’s him — he took my sister!” He lunged forward trying to seize and strike Huang Shi’erlang; Huang Shi’erlang was not about to take the blow and darted to one side. The runners maintained order again and separated the two.
Zhù Ying said, “I note this is your first offense, and you were momentarily overcome with emotion on seeing your kin. I will not punish you this time. Speak properly — a confrontation before the court. If you make trouble again, the board will come for you first.”
Li Da panted, tears streaming, and said, “Yes. My lord — my sister is right here! He is the one who took her!”
Zhù Ying looked at Li Fu Jie. Not a beauty — she looked somewhat like Li Da. Li Fu Jie’s complexion was not particularly fair, but it wasn’t rough either. She wore very little jewelry, but one could see she was eating and dressing reasonably well — she was not as thin as her brother.
Huang Shi’erlang said, “My lord, if I may explain.”
Zhù Ying said, “Speak.”
Huang Shi’erlang said, “The Li parents gave their daughter to me of their own accord. There is a written contract as proof.”
“You’re lying!” Both siblings spoke at once.
Zhù Ying struck the gavel once. “Silence!”
Two runners stepped up and pinned Li Da’s arms behind his back, pressing a palm to the back of his head: “Calm down!”
Huang Shi’erlang was somewhat pleased and somewhat reassured. He said, “Furthermore, my young son is still small, and the child cannot be separated from his mother. Although this is not a formal marriage, for the child’s sake I have supplied monthly rice and yearly firewood and have not ill-treated them.”
Zhù Ying nodded and said, “Where is the contract?”
Huang Shi’erlang, who had come prepared, produced a contract document. Tong Li brought it up. Zhù Ying looked it over — the format was regular. Huang Shi’erlang had signed his name, the Li family had pressed a handprint, and there were witnesses. It stated that due to family poverty, the daughter was given to Huang Shi’erlang as a concubine, with Huang Shi’erlang paying a betrothal gift of ten strings of cash.
Zhù Ying passed the document to those on either side to read. Guan Cheng said, “It does appear to be genuine.” Gao Shan said, “Perhaps the full ten strings of cash was not paid? Looking at it, she does not appear to have been mistreated.”
The document even bore the official seal of Sicheng County. In folk custom, drafting a contract on just a piece of paper was already considered decent; having it in duplicate was formal; some people never reported it to the authorities at all. On the face of it, Huang Shi’erlang was a law-abiding man, and the Li family was a family of troublemaking commoners trying to extort a relative.
Li Da said, “We never received it! Even if we were selling our own children, we would agree on the terms first before handing them over — not accept the situation after being bullied into it. My family hasn’t starved anyone to death yet — there was no need to sell! He held my father’s hand down by force and pressed it on the paper!”
Guan Cheng and Gao Shan both frowned. This was entirely possible. The Li family could not read and could only press handprints; it was far too easy to fabricate such a document. The witnesses could theoretically be summoned from Sicheng County, but how reliable they would be was another question.
Zhù Ying asked, “Li Fu Jie, you speak.”
Li Fu Jie knelt on the spot: “My lord, the young master is the elder wife’s son — the elder wife is the child’s true mother who cannot be parted from him. I am nothing but a servant. If you are kind enough to give me a way to live — to be reunited with my parents — my whole family would be eternally grateful.”
Guan Cheng said, “Has she borne a child or not?”
Huang Shi’erlang said, “She certainly has!”
Guan Cheng said, “Nonsense — since when does a mother not want her own child?”
Zhù Ying said, “Summon a messenger — send word to Sicheng County requesting copies of any relevant case records, and bring the witnesses named in the contract here. Li Da and Li Fu Jie are to be held in custody; Huang Shi’erlang, you may return home, but you are not to leave the county seat.”
Li Da shouted his grievances loudly: “My lord! My lord! Don’t listen to their lies — everything in Sicheng County has been fixed with bribes from top to bottom! My lord, I haven’t lied — please don’t detain my sister!”
Huang Shi’erlang made a quick and easy bow, nimble as someone who didn’t look like a stout man, and said, “I take my leave.”
A female jailer brought Li Fu Jie to the women’s cell. They didn’t often manage prisoners, but having heard Li Fu Jie’s story, they instinctively took the side of the poorer party and offered comfort: “Don’t be afraid — our magistrate is a true upholder of justice! As long as what you say is true, he will investigate it clearly and judge it fairly! She’s not like the officials of before — she doesn’t bully the poor.”
Li Fu Jie said, “Mm.”
“It’s true — I’m not deceiving you.”
Li Fu Jie said, “Mm — that brute curses him at home every day. If a brute curses someone, he can’t be too bad.”
The female jailer felt sympathy for her. She brought her to the women’s cell, gave her a room, and brought over a quilt: “I have to lock the door. Rest easy and wait for the outcome.”
“All right.” Li Fu Jie thought to herself: is my life in the Huang household any different from being in jail? At least in jail no one will force me to have children.
She actually settled in calmly.
When mealtime came, a dark-complexioned young woman brought food. Prison food had no chicken, duck, or fish, but it was clean and neat, and smelled decent enough. She took a cautious bite or two; there were no sand grains in the rice, and Li Fu Jie ate faster and faster.
Jiang Zhou asked curiously, “Is what you said all true?”
Li Fu Jie said, “Of course.”
Jiang Zhou said, “But the way things stand, do you have any evidence? The other side has evidence. You have only your word.”
Li Fu Jie’s food suddenly lost its flavor. She put down her bowl and chopsticks: “Then have me convicted of a false accusation and put in jail. I’d rather spend my whole life in jail than go back to the Huang household.”
“Those words do sound genuine — but there’s still nothing else.”
Another female jailer had heard their conversation and came over, adding, “Think hard — do you have any evidence you can present? You need evidence before it can be ruled in your favor.”
Zhù Ying had not left off teaching them some case-investigation skills; when she talked about investigating cases, she inevitably mentioned legal rules and judgment procedures. They had picked up bits and pieces here and there and retained quite a lot.
Li Fu Jie thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Those ten strings of cash are a matter of old history now — where would I even find a trace of it? That was years ago… Ah, if only we could find an account book.”
Jiang Zhou sighed. “There’s no knowing where a book like that might be, and my lord couldn’t very well go rummaging around for it. If it can’t be found, it would only put my lord in a difficult position.”
Li Fu Jie’s eyes darted. “What if there were other things to report? If I made an accusation — would that count as something to my credit? Could it help me?”
“What other things?” Jiang Zhou asked immediately.
Li Fu Jie said, “He has also driven people to their deaths — does that count?”
The female jailers instantly came to life: “Tell us more.”
“There were people who owed him money at high interest, or people who wouldn’t do as he said — he had them brought to his home and beaten. Some were beaten to death; some were beaten until they had only a breath left, then carried home and died within days.”
Jiang Zhou pressed further, “Be more specific — ideally with a name, a time, a place where it happened, who did the beating, who was beaten, and what the reason was.”
Li Fu Jie said, “I don’t know much — just five or six cases, maybe. The people he’s harmed are certainly more. I could see he took pleasure in hurting people! He kept two rows of household guards with clubs, and he would hold sham interrogations. Once he carelessly lost a ring himself and had an odd-job worker put in thumb screws. And then there were people soaked in a water pit until their bodies rotted.”
“Speak slowly.” Jiang Zhou drew paper and brush from the cloth bag at her waist.
Things were lively in the women’s cell, and lively in the back quarters too.
Lin Weng’s wife and daughter came to call on Zhang Xiangu to plead for mercy.
County Magistrate Zhù was a devoted child — everyone knew that. She lived frugally herself, but her parents never lacked for anything she had. The old couple sometimes became figures of fun, and the county magistrate showed not a flicker of embarrassment, patiently explaining things to them. The word was that the elder lady’s influence was somewhat stronger; after some discussion among themselves, the Huang family arranged for Huang Shi’erlang to respond at the court in front, while Lin Shi and her mother made their way to the back quarters to plead.
Zhang Xiangu did not accept the gifts, but she let the women in for a cup of tea.
Zhang Xiangu said, “We never ask questions about what she handles outside. I know my own child — I don’t mean to boast, but even in the capital, Prince Wang and Lord Zheng praised her for investigating and judging cases fairly and clearly.”
No, no, no — what we want is the opposite of fairness; real fairness would ruin everything!
Lin Niang-zi’s face flushed. “Madam, this matter is truly too embarrassing to speak of.”
Lin Shi said, “Madam, if I may explain. I am willing to provide Fu Jie with a dowry, only hoping that this case can be resolved and we can avoid dragging it out into a long affair that invites gossip.”
Zhang Xiangu said, “I’m a little confused — who is Fu Jie? Du Dajie, could you go to the front and find out.”
She only knew there had been some matter of land and fields; she didn’t yet know about Li Fu Jie. Lin Niang-zi had no choice but to explain: “This is truly shameful! My son-in-law has gotten himself into a spot of trouble. There’s a concubine whose family has come to demand her back, and my son-in-law is in some strange way infatuated with her.”
Lin Shi quickly said, “I am unfortunate enough to have had no son — only two daughters. That Fu Jie came to our household to work and bore a son for my husband. At the time I said: the woman has parents and brothers, and it should be arranged openly and properly with the Li family. But they were reluctant about it, pushing back the firewood and rice we sent. I said: this being the case, since she has borne a child, for the child’s sake we should give her a dowry so she can marry a decent man, and the child would be more respectable for it in future. My husband simply would not agree. Now her family has come to file a suit — it is truly — truly mortifying.”
Zhang Xiangu’s face fell: “How can someone do a thing like this? You already have a son — and you still wouldn’t give the person back? Why not give her back so she could live a proper life? Isn’t this sinful?”
What Lin Shi and her mother wanted was exactly this — to have Huang Shi’erlang spared, and they themselves had no wish to keep Li Fu Jie either. They immediately guaranteed: “As long as the child is kept, we are willing to provide a dowry — we only ask that you speak a kind word on our behalf before my lord.”
Zhang Xiangu said, “I can’t make decisions in this matter — I’ll ask her.”
Lin Shi and her mother gave a thousand thanks, not daring to try to leave their gifts behind, and took their leave with anxious hearts to wait for word.
When Zhù Ying returned from the front hall, Zhang Xiangu had by then heard the full story from Du Dajie, and asked Zhù Ying, “What on earth is happening?”
Zhù Ying said, “Just as it is. There’s still no evidence — we’ll have to wait. I’ve already sent people to bring them over and ask questions.”
Zhang Xiangu gave a snort. “When those wealthy landowners bully the poor, how can the poor speak up?”
“Someone has spoken up now — and it’s not as if there aren’t poor sorts who cause their own trouble either,” Zhù Ying replied in a measured way.
Zhang Xiangu spat a curse. “A man who has a wife and still goes after another family’s daughter is not a decent person. How can you sit there so calmly? You don’t even look angry! Goodness — you’ve always been this way since you were little, never crying, never laughing much, and now you do smile more, but sometimes it’s still a false smile.”
Zhù Ying’s smile was flat and thin for a moment, and she said, “I know what I’m doing.”
Her lack of explosion was not entirely a matter of temperament. It was also because — none of this was unexpected.
Whatever Huang Shi’erlang did, she would not find it surprising.
Hidden households — no surprise. Not because she had read about them in history three times out of five, not because she had seen them in case documents. But because she herself might be counted as a kind of “hidden household” — had her family not been doing business as spirit-mediums, but instead working as tenants for some large Zhu Family Village landowner, would that not have made them “unregistered”?
Tax evasion was the same: the late wretched Yu Ping, though he had not passed everything on to her, had touched on certain things in passing. Yu Miaomiao’s family had been exactly that kind of household — paying less tax, dodging labor service. The Zhù Ying of those days hadn’t known what was behind Yu Miaomiao’s family; she had only known that Yu Miaomiao had connections at the county yamen and that the yamen treated her family quite cordially. Looking back on it now, their tax evasion had meant others filling the gap.
Her experience of the world was far broader than that of the average minor official from the capital. Qi Tai, for instance, had previously been a capital functionary, and the people he had dealt with had largely not needed to use such methods. It was somewhat different from the behavior of gentry in the countryside — just as she herself, now that she was an official, was exempt from labor service and certain taxes, and the court paid her a salary, a salary that came from the taxes of the common people.
It was difficult to say which was better and which was worse. One could only say that each form of wrongdoing had its own distinctive character.
In Zhu Family Village, people had whispered behind their backs that Old Zhu the Fourth took liberties with the younger women in his household. So-called “picking on widows” involved “bullying” in more ways than just stealing the property of those without heirs.
A single word from Zhou You, and the prefectural governor had been ready to send a kitchen maid to him as a gift.
After a full meal and drink, taking the hand of a singing girl or dancer and saying, “Come home with me — don’t stay here any longer.” It was teasing talk, but if she actually came along, he would certainly not refuse.
In truth, she had encountered versions of all these things before, had been caught up in the middle of them. Some she hadn’t understood at the time, and only when she later went to the capital to study and became an official had she reflected and thought: ah, so that was what was happening.
And this was also why, starting from the examinations in the applied law track, she had stood apart from her contemporaries. Few others could have had her experiences. Those who had such experiences lacked her good fortune to study and become an official, and most of them could not learn as quickly as she could besides.
Zhang Xiangu was furious to the point of exasperation. Zhù Ying understood, but she would not join in the anger.
She had long since thought it through.
Zhang Xiangu said, “You’re just trying to vex me!” Yet as angry as she was, she still felt a measure of sympathy for Lin Shi, saying Lin Shi was “pitiful, having no son,” and then relayed their request.
Zhù Ying said, “Can she speak for him? If you can’t run another person’s household, don’t kowtow on their behalf.”
Li Fu Jie was willing to abandon her son to escape; Lin Shi was willing to send her off with a dowry. So why did Li Da still go ahead and file a complaint?
Would Huang Shi’erlang actually listen to Lin Shi?
Zhang Xiangu sighed. “True — no matter how pitiable, that’s no reason to put it all on your shoulders. Why is that Huang fellow unwilling to let the person go?”
Zhù Ying said, “Never mind why. I’ll send people to Sicheng County to ask — after we see who’s actually in the right, we’ll decide. As long as the Lin family’s daughter hasn’t bullied anyone herself, I won’t hold her jointly responsible.”
Nothing mattered more in the end than one’s own child. Zhang Xiangu said, “Then that’s fine.”
Zhù Ying said, “I’ll send documents out tomorrow.” Today had been spent questioning witnesses all morning, and sending documents and dispatching people that same evening would have made it too late, so tomorrow morning she would send people to Sicheng County.
When Zhang Xiangu was about to arrange the evening meal, Huajie came in and said, “Xiao Zhù — Xiao Jiang and Jiang Niang-zi want to see you. They say there’s something to report.”
She now called Jiang Teng “Jiang Niang-zi” and Jiang Zhou “Xiao Jiang.”
Zhang Xiangu said, “Oh! Then come eat with us — is there enough?”
Huajie said, “Plenty.” She hurried to the kitchen and threw together a few more dishes — preserved fish and preserved chicken chopped and steamed, stir-fried eggs — sweating right to the hairline.
After Jiang Teng and Jiang Zhou arrived, they made a bow to Zhù Ying and said, “My lord, there’s something…”
Jiang Zhou had spent the afternoon talking with Li Fu Jie, and not yet having made up her mind, had come back to ask Jiang Teng what to do.
Jiang Teng had made a clean decision on the spot: “Go and tell my lord.”
The two of them made their way to the back quarters after dark. Jiang Zhou produced her small notebook and relayed what Li Fu Jie had said, detail by detail. Zhù Ying reached for her notebook, on which were some scattered words and fragments — not complete sentences. Jiang Zhou’s face reddened slightly: “I don’t write fast enough.”
Zhù Ying nodded, tore out those few pages, and said, “I’ll keep these. When you go out, don’t talk about this — tell the others not to spread word of it either.”
The two said, “Yes.”
Jiang Teng had not said a word too many throughout, nor had she shown excessive anger. She thought to herself: Magistrate Zhù will certainly handle this well.
On Zhù Ying’s side, she summoned Xiang Le that very night: “Go to Sicheng County — no need to rush especially, but be very careful not to show any traces, and don’t let anyone detect that you’re from the Fulu County yamen. But I need you to inquire discreetly about the Huang family — whether they have been… holding informal courts of their own.”
“Informal courts?” Xiang Le asked with a puzzled look.
“Whether in private they conduct interrogations as the county yamen does.”
Xiang Le had a moment of realization: “I see.” Then he thought: is that actually wrong? If a household lost something, wouldn’t they shut the door and question the household staff about it?
Zhù Ying said, “Do you know how to go about asking?”
Xiang Le smiled slightly: “Something like this can’t be done by asking directly — it has to be done by listening. I’ll pose as a traveling merchant, inquiring which wealthy households have money, are generous, are easy to deal with, and whether they bully people…”
Zhù Ying heard he had the right idea. She said, “Go back and pack up — come tomorrow to get your official document before setting out. Confidential — don’t even tell Xiang An.”
“Yes.”