Chapter 203 A Startling Guess

Chapter 203 A Startling Guess

This was the first time in Du Min's life that he had faced a beheading. Even after he left the execution ground, his heart was still pounding violently in his chest. He didn't return to the county office; instead, he changed course and went straight home. As soon as he entered the house, he couldn't stop vomiting. He vomited so much that he couldn't stand up straight, saw stars, and was covered in cold sweat.

Steward Ma hurriedly sent a servant to fetch a doctor. He helped Du Min back to the house and asked, "Sir, should we send someone to call the Princess and the young master back?"

Du Min waved his hand, wanting to be alone for a while.

*

Meng Qing and Du Li had been busy outside all day and didn't return until dark. They learned from the servants that Du Min had been frightened, so the couple went to the backyard to visit him.

"My lady, my lord, the master has drunk the calming soup prescribed by the doctor and has fallen asleep," the maidservant reported.

"I'll go in and check," Du Li said, still worried. "He didn't react much when he saw Li Sima and the others' bodies a few days ago, why is he so frightened today?"

"Witnessing a living person turn into a dead one is quite frightening," Meng Qing said. She then asked the maid, "Have you adults eaten dinner?"

The maid shook her head.

Meng Qing looked around and saw that the servants in the backyard were all young maids. The mistress was not there, and the master was frightened. Under these circumstances, who knows what might happen at night.

"Du Li, wake up your third brother and tell him to get up and have dinner." Meng Qing walked into the bedroom and spoke through the screen. "He was frightened during the day, and he might have nightmares tonight. It's also hard to say whether he will have a fever. Tell him to get up and sleep in Wang Zhou's room tonight. You stay with him for the night."

Du Min woke up, sat up, and said, "I feel much better."

"Get up and have dinner if you feel better." Du Li lifted his blanket. "Aren't you usually pretty brave? Why are you scared? You didn't react much when you saw Li Sima and the others' corpses a few days ago."

“You wouldn’t believe it, when the executioner swung his knife, the head flew off with one stroke, rolled several times on the ground, and the eyes and mouth were still moving. The headless corpse’s limbs twitched for a while afterward. It was so horrifying. For a moment, I felt like the corpse on the execution platform was going to turn into a monster.” Du Min got out of bed and dressed. He said thankfully, “Luckily you didn’t go and watch. It was too disgusting.”

"Tonight, I'll have your second brother accompany you to Wangzhou's room for the night. If you have nightmares, having someone with you will allow you to have a few words to say," Meng Qing said again.

"Do you want me to accompany you?" Du Li asked.

"Okay then," Du Min agreed.

Du Li scoffed, "Anything is fine? You're really pushing yourself."

"Alright, alright, I thank you, okay?" Du Min walked out, and when he saw Meng Qing, he said jokingly, "If you want to thank someone, thank my second sister-in-law."

Meng Qing smiled and said, "You'd better watch out, or your second brother will beat you up in the middle of the night."

Du Min chuckled a few times, "He can't beat me now."

Du Li ignored him.

The three of them went to the dining room for dinner. After dinner, they chatted about what had happened during the day, and Meng Qing went back to her room to sleep first.

Du Li accompanied Du Min to Fenglin Courtyard. The two brothers had worked a whole day of physical labor, while the other had slept for most of the day. The former fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed, while the latter stared at the dark ceiling for half the night with his eyes open. When he closed his eyes, he saw headless corpses and heads with their features flying everywhere.

"He said he'd talk to me, but he was sleeping so soundly you wouldn't wake him even if a thief came." Du Min muttered to himself. He raised his hand to touch his forehead, and he wasn't mistaken; he had a fever.

"Second brother, second brother, wake up." Du Min nudged the person sleeping on the outside, "Wake up quickly, the thief is here."

"...What do you want to talk to me about?" Du Li asked with her eyes closed. "Should I go next door and get you a book to read? You've been tossing and turning all night, you're even more annoying than Wang Chuan."

I think I have a fever.

Du Li sat up abruptly and subconsciously reached out to touch Du Min's forehead; it was indeed quite hot.

"Old Du, you've got nothing but guts," Du Li mocked. "Wait, I'll go tell the servants to brew the medicine."

"I must have sweated a lot and then taken a shower, which caused me to catch a cold," Du Min complained while lying down, refusing to admit that he was frightened.

But no matter how stubborn he was, his body couldn't lie. When he called the doctor again at dawn, the doctor said that he had been frightened and his emotions had been too intense, leading to internal heat.

Du Min fell ill for two days. When Prime Minister Zheng found out, he personally visited him. Since he came, Censor Dou and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice also came to visit him.

Once Du Min recovers from his illness, Prime Minister Zheng and others will also return to the capital with Xu Ang and the seized embezzled funds.

On the day of his departure, Du Min went to see him off. Prime Minister Zheng reminded him: "The vacancies in the Huai Prefecture officialdom will be filled in half a month or half a year. When there is a shortage of manpower, you should take good care of them. If you are too busy, you can also arrange for manpower to help. If the other party is willing to transfer, you should write an official document to the Ministry of Personnel and ask the Ministry of Personnel to start arranging the transfer."

Du Minming understood that Prime Minister Zheng was reminding him that he could promote an official he trusted to serve in Huaizhou.

“Chief Secretary Du is fortunate to be treated like a nephew by the Prime Minister,” said the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Du Min dared not respond to that statement. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was surnamed Li, the same Li as in the Tang Dynasty, and was close to the imperial family but hostile to powerful clans. However, he could not refute it either, for to deny it would offend Prime Minister Zheng.

"It's not luck, it's ability. Your Excellencies have witnessed my competence in governing the country, and even the Governor praised me as a capable minister," Du Min said proudly. "Speaking of the Governor, I just realized he hasn't returned yet. Isn't he going back to the capital with you all?"

"He's afraid I'll impeach him, so he's busy inspecting the affairs of several other counties, patching up his oversights. He'll be leaving a few days later," Imperial Censor Dou interjected, picking up where Du Min left off.

"I'm leaving." Prime Minister Zheng walked towards his carriage.

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and Censor Dou followed.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review glanced at Du Min with a half-smile, then turned and walked toward his own carriage.

Du Min stiffened, then cupped his hands and said, "This humble official respectfully sees off all of you esteemed officials."

The convoy started moving, with more than thirty carriages carrying the stolen money in the lead, the carriages of Prime Minister Zheng and others in the middle, and the prison carts carrying Xu Ang and the accompanying guards at the rear.

The people of Hanoi district lined the streets to see him off, and when the prison van appeared, they threw rotten vegetable leaves, rotten eggs, and stones at him.

"You corrupt official! You'll surely go to hell after you die!"

"You will definitely go to hell after you die! You will definitely go to hell after you die!"

The people cried out.

Meng Qing and Du Li stood on the second floor of the library, looking at the person in the prison cart. Xu Ang had been locked up in the prison for ten days. He had lost all his fat and his hair had turned gray. Now, his face was covered in blood from being hit by pebbles, and black and yellow egg liquid stuck to vegetable leaves on his head. He looked extremely disheveled.

"That feels so good." Meng Qing felt great. "Finally, I don't have to pretend with that scoundrel anymore."

Du Li saw Du Min weaving through the crowd and pondered, "I wonder what kind of character the next governor will have. Do you think the third brother can be promoted to governor?"

“It’s unlikely that he can be promoted directly from a fifth-rank chief clerk to a third-rank prefect.” Meng Qing shook his head. “Although the third brother was credited for reporting this case, it was also his duty as an official. Whether he can be promoted depends on how the Ministry of Personnel and the Empress Dowager judge him.”

Du Min reached the entrance of the library. He said a few words to the shop assistant and looked up at the building.

Meng Qing gestured, and soon footsteps approached.

"What's the rush? Why are you in such a hurry?" Du Li turned around and looked at him.

Du Min took a few deep breaths and said, "Second Sister-in-law, have we been getting too close to Prime Minister Zheng these days? The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review should be the Empress Dowager's man. If he files a complaint, will it affect the Empress Dowager's attitude towards me?"

"You've already brought down Governor Xu, why are you still worried about this?" Meng Qing laughed. "As long as Censor Dou and Prime Minister Zheng don't fail, Prime Minister Xu will have to follow in Prime Minister Lu's footsteps and resign to retire. With one of the Empress's top generals gone, do you think it will affect her attitude towards you?"

Du Min couldn't suppress the smile on his face. In his three years as an official, he had brought down two prime ministers, a prefect, and a garrison commander. This achievement deserved to be engraved on his tombstone after his death. Thinking of this, he had no worries at all.

"Don't worry too much. It's not time for you to truly state your position yet. Don't forget what I said: you are in competition with Governor Xu and Prime Minister Xu. In this life-or-death struggle, Governor Xu lost, and you will replace him. Only when you sit in his position will you be qualified to state your position," Meng Qing reassured him.

"I haven't forgotten." Du Min was somewhat anxious. The positions of Prefect and Governor were both vacant, and he didn't know if he could take this opportunity to secure one. He knew that the Empress's attitude would play a decisive role.

“I feel like I won’t get promoted this time,” Du Min said. “It’s so infuriating. If it had been two years later, the position of Prefectural Governor would definitely be mine.”

Meng Qing thought to herself, "That's not necessarily true. Who is the governor on? The female saint's side?"

“I’m a little unsure too. His attitude is too strange. He didn’t say a single word in Xu Ang’s favor from beginning to end, nor did he ask me to look after him in prison. In this case, he’s kept a low profile like a shadow, even hiding before Prime Minister Zheng and the others arrived.” Du Min frowned in thought. “If he’s not one of the Empress Dowager’s people, how could he not have noticed the lack of management on the Huaizhou section of the Yellow River when he came to Huaizhou to inspect water conservancy several times? And why would he protect Xu Ang? Second Sister-in-law, why are you suddenly asking about this? Did you discover something?”

"When Xu Ang was arrested and beaten, I noticed the governor was smiling." Meng Qing had a guess in his mind. If the governor was the Empress Dowager's man, his attitude represented hers. Did this mean the Empress Dowager had always been dissatisfied with Xu Ang, but had tolerated it because she needed to use Prime Minister Xu? And Prime Minister Xu couldn't possibly be unaware of Xu Ang's corrupt and illegal activities, yet he didn't stop him. Did his constant indulgence make the Empress Dowager dissatisfied with him as well? But because she needed to win over her ministers, she couldn't do something like discarding a useful tool and damaging her reputation. Therefore, she not only couldn't take action against Xu Ang and his father, but also rejected Prime Minister Xu's petition to retire to his hometown.

Now that Prime Minister Xu is old and useless, he has become a useless pawn. His son, Xu Ang, is no longer needed. Du Min denounces Xu Ang, indirectly using the powerful families to bring down Prime Minister Xu. The Empress Dowager may be happy to see this happen. In fact, Du Min's appointment to Huaizhou may have been a scheme set up by the Empress Dowager and the Governor...

It's quite strange that Prime Minister Zheng, who comes from a prestigious family, was responsible for sending dozens of scholars from humble backgrounds to Luoyang. Wasn't the Empress Dowager worried that people like Du Min might still try to curry favor with him? This move might even enhance Prime Minister Zheng's reputation among these scholars.

If Prime Minister Zheng was also part of the investigation into the major corruption case in Huaizhou, then everything makes sense.

When Prime Minister Zheng came to Huaizhou to meet Cui Jin, this was the key to Xu Ang's downfall. With this key, she and Du Min were able to gradually uncover the truth amidst the fog of confusion.

"Second sister-in-law, what are you thinking about?" Du Min waved his hand in front of Meng Qing's eyes.

"No." Meng Qing shook her head. This guess was too bizarre and shocking; even she herself couldn't believe it when she came up with it.

Du Min gave a fake laugh twice. "Do you think I believe you? Your expression is even more interesting than when I heard from Cui Jin that Xu Ang used underhanded methods."

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you, I suspect the woman…” Meng Qing heard voices coming up and quickly shut her mouth.

“Let’s talk about it when we get back,” Du Min said.

"We'll talk about it tonight. We need to organize the books." Meng Qing pointed to the boxes piled up in the room. She had seized over a thousand books during the raid. She wanted to have someone quickly look through them, firstly to make it easier to categorize them, and secondly to check them to make sure there were no letters mixed in.

"Fine." Du Min looked at the boxes of books that almost filled the entire room and said jealously, "Damn it! I was born at the wrong time! When I was studying, I had to humble myself a lot to read books."

"It's all about timing, fate, and luck. Everything is the best arrangement. If you don't lack books and haven't developed the ability to be humble and unassuming, you'll never get ahead as a high-minded scholar." Meng Qing shook her head. "Go about your business. You can read books in your spare time. I'll give you a special privilege: you can borrow any book you like and return it whenever you want."

Du Min bowed happily and walked away with light steps.

Seeing his despicable behavior, Du Li laughed and said, "He came in a hurry and left happily. How could he bear to distance himself from you?"

"That's good." Meng Qing picked up a cushion and sat down next to the book box. "Let's get to work."

“I’m leaving tomorrow to pick up my children in Wen County. I miss them,” Du Li said.

“I’m going too.” Meng Qing also missed her two children. “I also want to bring my parents and Caiwei back.”

The couple spent the day at the library and didn't return home until evening. Du Min arrived home a stick earlier than them. He was grooming his horse in the stable when he heard a noise. He handed the comb to the groom and quickly left.

"We're going to Wen County tomorrow to pick up Wang Zhou and the others. Are you going?" Du Li asked everyone she met. "If you're not going, do you want us to deliver a message or letter for you?"

“I won’t go. There are still two boxes of wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice piled up in the county government office. I can’t leave,” Du Min said. “You guys bring Caiwei back for me.”

"Do you even need to tell me that?" Du Li thought he was talking nonsense.

"Also, please pass on a message to Magistrate Guo. I'll give it to you tomorrow morning." Du Min wanted to transfer Magistrate Guo to the position of Registrar of Households, but he wasn't sure if Magistrate Guo would be willing. After all, things in Wen County had been straightened out, and he could expect to see results in two or three years. If all went well, and if the position of Military Advisor became vacant, he could be promoted to Military Advisor. In addition, he also wanted to transfer County Commandant Lin from Heqing County. If Magistrate Guo was willing to become Registrar of Households, County Commandant Lin would take over as Magistrate of Wen County. If Magistrate Guo was unwilling to resign, County Commandant Lin would become Registrar of Households.

“Okay,” Du Li agreed.

"Second sister-in-law, what did you want to say in the library?" Du Min hadn't forgotten; he'd been thinking about it for a long time.

Meng Qing took a sip of tea and smoothed the pastry in his mouth, saying, "I suspect that the female saint was happy to see the downfall of the Xu family, which would explain the governor's attitude."

"That's too far-fetched," Du Min said, disbelieving.

“I’d like to suggest a possibility: it’s true that the governor is a follower of the female saint, but that doesn’t mean he approves of Xu Ang’s actions. In fact, he might be happy to see the downfall of the Xu family,” Du Li said.

“I agree more with my second brother’s opinion,” Du Min said.

Meng Qing did not refute it; she would verify her guess herself.

*

The following day, Meng Qing and Du Li left Hanoi County by car and brought their entire family and four geese back that evening.

In the days that followed, Du Min was busy with official duties, while Meng Qing, Du Li, and Yin Caiwei spent their days organizing books in the library. Meng's parents took Wang Chuan to watch the parrots in the backyard, and Wang Zhou was busy attending classes with his teacher. In his spare time, he would come to the library to help classify the books, but he was usually engrossed in reading a book.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Lin, the county magistrate, went to Hanoi County alone to seek refuge with Du Min. Because Magistrate Guo refused to be transferred, Lin temporarily took over the position of Registrar of Households.

Just as Du Min finished writing the official document and was about to submit it to the Ministry of Personnel, the governor returned to Hanoi County.

"Have Imperial Censor Dou and the others already left?" the governor asked, feigning ignorance.

"Yes." Du Min nodded.

“Then I should be going,” the governor said. “The magistrates of the other four counties are not a problem; they are all capable people, so I will not transfer them for the time being. Do you have anyone to recommend for the positions of military advisor and military commander in the governor’s office? I will transfer them to help you.”

Du Min was overjoyed, "My lord, can you make the decision?"

"It's just a matter of a word from the Empress Dowager, and besides, your father-in-law is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Isn't this a simple matter for you?" the governor said.

Du Min observed that the governor was friendly to him, and he couldn't help but think of his second sister-in-law's speculation. The governor had no complaints about him, and he didn't even reprimand him like the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review did. Could it be that the Empress Dowager was really happy to see the downfall of the Xu family?

"Prime Minister Zheng also gave me some pointers. I have already transferred Lin, the county magistrate of Heqing County, and I am about to submit an official document to the Ministry of Personnel, hoping to promote him to the position of Registrar of Households." Du Min tentatively added, "If possible, I think the magistrate of Wen County could be appointed as the military advisor."

"Give me the official document, I'll take it back to the capital on my way." The governor didn't react unusually when he heard about Prime Minister Zheng. "As for the magistrate of Wen County, it's a bit of a stretch for him to be promoted to Sima. In two or three years, when Wen County's paper mills and hemp fields produce some achievements, then it's possible."

Du Min didn't say anything more. He took out the official document and handed it over, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

"It's nothing." The governor put away the memorial and left.

The day after the governor left, the 70,000 strings of cash approved by the Ministry of Revenue arrived.

On the same day, the postmaster delivered five letters to Meng Qing. Three of them were written by Meng Chun, and two were from Wang the cloth merchant and Li the cloth merchant.

Of Meng Chun's three letters, one was to let people know he was safe, sent upon arriving in Yangzhou; another was a reply to someone seeking business for the hemp industry in Huaizhou; and the last was about his family. He had returned to Wu County and, before preparing the banquet, had specially taken an imperial edict to Dujiawan to announce the good news. As a result, Du Laoding was so angry that he went on a hunger strike, and Du's mother also fell ill. The old couple were so upset that they didn't even attend the banquet.