sovbooks Chapter 009 Turning a Big Issue into a Small One
Chapter 009 Turning a Big Issue into a Small One
That evening, the county prison incident finally came to light.
When the jailer who came to relieve the guard entered the gate, he found that the guard who was usually on duty at the gate was nowhere to be seen, and he was so angry that he cursed loudly. However, at the time, he just thought that the guard was slacking off and did not think too much about it.
Once inside the prison, the man was shocked to see the three jailers bound tightly and hurriedly went to untie them.
Once freed, the three jailers hurriedly recounted Zhou Lun and his men's prison break. Then, the two unconscious guards were pulled out. Even more alarming, they discovered the already stiff corpse of Constable Zhao.
Everyone was stunned by this major incident. It took them a long while to recover, and then they ran out to call for help. Soon after, the nearby police arrived, and the county government also received the news.
"grown ups!"
Late at night, in the county government office, Magistrate Fan Zhengren sat in the main seat with an unpredictable expression. To his left and right were County Assistant Zhang Xiuguo and Clerk Shi Teng, who had just arrived.
"Have you found the thief?" Fan Zhengren asked, looking tired and rubbing his temples with his right hand.
Shi Teng shook his head, a bitter taste in his mouth: "We discovered it too late. According to our investigation, the four thieves left the city half a day ago, and their whereabouts are currently unknown. But please rest assured, sir, I have already sent men to Li Wang Village. The prisoner who was rescued is named Li Shouyi, and he is a farmer from Li Wang Village. I believe that after they fled the county town..."
Before Shi Teng could finish speaking, Fan Zhengren sneered, "Do you think they'll go back to Liwang Village?"
"Perhaps...maybe...possibly..." Shi Teng stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Are you stupid or is the thief stupid? Or do you think I'm stupid?" Fan Zhengren retorted without any politeness.
What kind of thief is this stupid? He did such a big thing in the county town, not only forcibly rescuing prisoners from the county jail, but also killing Constable Zhao. Anyone with a brain wouldn't run home.
Half a day had passed, and now that it was certain the thieves had already left the city, they wouldn't be running home anyway! How could Shi Teng not think of such a simple logic? What kind of official was he? Was his brain full of mush?
"My lord!" At this moment, County Magistrate Zhang Xiuguo cupped his hands in greeting, coming to Shi Teng's rescue, saying, "Lord Shi's arrangement is actually not inappropriate. After all, the four thieves are all from Liwang Village. No matter where they escaped to or where they hide, there might be some clues in Liwang Village. Even if we can't find them there, we can ask the local villagers; we might get some information."
"Absolutely! That's exactly what I was planning." Zhang Xiuguo's words gave Shi Teng a way out, and he quickly nodded and explained to Fan Zhengren with a smile.
Fan Zhengren glanced at them indifferently and said nothing more.
Although he was the head of a county, Zhang Xiuguo and Shi Teng were both officials, one a county magistrate and the other a county clerk. Although their ranks were not as high as his, compared to him, who had only recently arrived, these two were deeply entrenched local bullies.
To secure his position as county magistrate, he needed the help of these two men. Offending them, or even falling out with them, would not be a wise move.
Today's incident enraged Fan Zhengren, but he was even more furious that his subordinates were a bunch of incompetent fools. Such a thing could never have happened in the mighty Ming Dynasty!
What a crucial place the county prison is! Now it's been turned into a latrine, where people come and go as they please? Thieves are allowed to swagger in and out? Even someone as capable as Constable Zhao has fallen at the hands of these thieves, dying without a clear explanation.
Especially when Fan Zhengren later learned how Li Shouyi had been arrested and imprisoned in the county jail, how Zhou Lun and the others had been running around trying to get Li Shouyi out of jail, and how Zhao the head constable and the jailers had used the incident to extort money and make a quick buck, Fan Zhengren, who was well-versed in Confucian classics, was even more furious.
Fan Zhengren was a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and a member of the Donglin Party, a faction within the Qingliu clique. This position as county magistrate was merely the starting point of his career; he had powerful connections in the court, and with his family background and the support of the Qingliu faction, his future prospects were promising.
This time, the imperial court increased taxes, and Fan Zhengren was eager to seize the opportunity to make a name for himself. As long as the taxes were collected on time, it would add a bright spot to his resume. With a little maneuvering, he could be promoted. Not only could he be transferred to a prefectural city, but if he was lucky, he might even be able to get a position as a principal officer in one of the Six Ministries when he returned to the capital to report on his duties.
News has just arrived from the capital that Yuan Chonghuan, the former military commissioner of Ningqian, has been given an important position by the emperor and has been promoted to Minister of War and concurrently Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, overseeing military affairs in Jiliao, Denglai, Tianjin and other places.
It's important to understand that Yuan Chonghuan initially only held the position of magistrate of Shaowu County, and his academic achievements were far less prestigious than his own. Yuan Chonghuan was merely a third-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), ranking fortyth, while he himself was a second-class Jinshi. Yet, in just a few short years, Yuan Chonghuan rose rapidly from a mere seventh-rank county magistrate to the high position of Military Governor of Jiliao.
The reason Yuan Chonghuan was able to stand out was because he went to the capital to report on his duties when he was a county magistrate and participated in the court's discussion of the Liaodong war. As a result, he passed the "superior examination" and entered the Ministry of War as a principal officer.
Then, due to the war in Liaodong, Sun Chengzong, the Grand Secretary and Imperial Tutor at the time, was appointed as the Governor-General of Jiliao. He was in need of capable people and took Yuan Chonghuan to Liaodong. This is how Yuan became the Governor-General he is today.
Thinking of this, Fan Zhengren felt a surge of excitement. Furthermore, a letter from a friend in the capital informed him that the current emperor was a brilliant ruler, unparalleled in the Ming Dynasty for a century, and that he had increased taxes to completely resolve the Liaodong issue. From this perspective, taxation was currently a top priority for the court and a matter of great concern to the emperor. If this matter were accomplished, he would undoubtedly achieve great success.
In fact, Fan Zhengren had also planned to do just that. He had been busy with the task of collecting taxes, but he hadn't expected that such a troublesome thing would happen in the county before the tax collection even started. Moreover, this matter was actually somewhat related to the tax collection he had been promoting.
Thinking of this, Fan Zhengren wished he could drag the dead Constable Zhao into the courtroom and give him a good beating, just to vent his anger.
He didn't care if his subordinates embezzled money, and he could turn a blind eye to their deception and underhanded dealings. He understood the principle that "too much clarity leaves no room for fish." But the crucial issue was that he couldn't let it jeopardize his career. If this matter blew up, he wouldn't just fail to achieve anything, he might even lose his position as county magistrate.
Zhang Xiuguo and Shi Teng were both long-time residents here, and their families were also related, always sharing weal and woe. Fan Zhengren understood that giving them a warning wouldn't be a problem, but a complete breakdown in relations wouldn't do him any good.
Moreover, he had no intention of reporting the matter. Fortunately, Fan Zhengren reacted immediately after the incident and suppressed the matter for the time being. Apart from sending people to arrest and search for Zhou Lun and the others, he did not even inform the prefectural city immediately.
For Fan Zhengren, publicizing this matter would be tantamount to slapping himself in the face. Not only would it bring him no benefit, but it might also be used by his political enemies. The situation of factionalism and infighting in the court was serious. Although the Donglin Party had benefited the most from the current emperor, there were also various factions such as the Zhejiang Party, the Chu Party, the Qi Party, the Xuan Party, and the Kun Party. The Donglin Party had suffered a heavy blow during the Tianqi era. Although it had risen again, it had lost a number of key officials and its strength had been greatly diminished.
Fortunately, only Constable Zhao died. To ordinary people, Constable Zhao was someone important, but in Fan Zhengren's eyes, he was no different from a dog. A mere constable, neither an official nor a clerk, at most a lowly errand boy. So be it, he died. Besides, he had concealed such an act from Fan Zhengren, almost ruining Fan Zhengren's tax revenue plan; his death was no loss!
It's true that Li Shouyi was arrested by Constable Zhao's men, which is why the prison break occurred. However, in reality, Li Shouyi wasn't a true criminal. Official arrests require documentation; without the documents from Clerk Shi Teng, or even Fan Zhengren's official seal, Constable Zhao's actions were neither reasonable nor legal. Moreover, in essence, Li Shouyi wasn't a criminal at all.
In this way, we can make a big deal out of this matter.
Fan Zhengren astutely seized upon the loophole: since Li Shouyi's matter had nothing to do with the government and was entirely Zhao the Constable's private affair, they could push the matter towards a personal grudge.
Zhou Lun and others killed Constable Zhao in an attempt to save Li Shouyi. This was entirely due to Constable Zhao's greed and insatiable lust, which led to his revenge.
A prison break would be framed as a revenge killing, turning a momentous event into a minor one. Reporting it this way would cover it up and wouldn't affect one's career.
But Fan Zhengren alone cannot accomplish this task. He must win over County Magistrate Zhang Xiuguo and Clerk Shi Teng; only with the three of them working together can the matter be handled properly.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to investigate the whereabouts of Zhou Lun and the others, Fan Zhengren summoned the two men to inquire about the situation. After chatting for a while, he took the opportunity to give them a warning before finally revealing his true intentions in a cryptic manner.
Zhang Xiuguo and Shi Teng weren't stupid. After serving as officials for so many years, if they were fools, they would have gone home to take care of their children long ago. Besides, if this matter escalated, it wouldn't be good for them either. Since the county magistrate intended to do it this way, they quickly realized it was exactly what they wanted, and immediately nodded in agreement, deciding to ultimately classify the matter as a revenge killing, rather than a prison break murder.
And so, in no time, the three of them reached an agreement. The next day, the county government officially issued a warrant for the arrest of four wanted murderers: Zhou Lun, Li Shouyi, Li Shoutian, and Wang Tieniu. The warrant made no mention of the prison break, and the case file was revised and rewritten before being sent to the prefectural city for filing. The matter was thus suppressed.
By the time the arrest warrant was issued and relayed to the prefectural city, almost half a month had passed since Zhou Lun and his group fled the county.
At this time, Zhou Lun and Li Shouyi had no idea that their crime had changed from a serious prison break to a revenge killing. At this moment, the four of them had settled in a valley more than 120 miles southeast of the county town.