DNS - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
As dawn broke, the city gates opened wide.
Today, the Judicial Adjutant brought men to Shuidong County, officially sealing off the county office and beginning to retrieve the county's account books.
Outwardly, Judicial Adjutant Cao was in charge, but internally, Wang Changdong was the one leading the investigation. Wang Changdong had more experience in investigating corruption; he knew where loopholes were likely to appear and where appropriate adjustments could be made. All that remained was for His Majesty to make a decision and issue an official document, after which He Ming and others could be taken to the capital for questioning.
With the scandal erupting in Shuidong County, causing widespread panic, it was difficult to find a more suitable person than him in the short term. This time, Wang Changdong had personally submitted a memorial to the throne, advising on and exposing corrupt officials, which counted as a merit. The position of Chief Administrator was nominal, while Registrar and Secretary were subordinate officials. As long as officials from his clan pleaded with His Majesty, the Emperor should allow Wang Changdong to temporarily take charge of all affairs in Shuidong County, appease the common people, and handle the aftermath. This nominal position would then become a substantive one.
Using He Ming as a breakthrough, if successful, a major corruption case could be uncovered. After he handled the matter, he would request to resign from His Majesty. With his merits offsetting his faults, he might even be transferred back, perhaps even promoted by a rank.
What was this called? Perhaps, fortune and misfortune are intertwined.
He Ming was still nominally the County Magistrate. When Judicial Adjutant Cao arrived, under the watch of two yamen runners, he opened the county office gate and appeared before the crowd. The people outside were packed together, and upon seeing him, they nearly rioted again.
Judicial Adjutant Cao nodded greetings to a few people and walked through the gate.
An old scholar pointed at He Xingdong and said, "This child is foolish."
"Shut up, you old fool! You hypocritical old fool!!"
He Ming, who had been silent, suddenly became frantic upon hearing this, looking completely insane. He lunged towards the old scholar, acting as if he would bite him. The old scholar retreated in fright, and He Ming was restrained by the two yamen runners, who pulled them apart.
"My son is not a fool!" He Ming, with disheveled hair, roared at him. "My son is absolutely not a fool!"
He Xingdong called out bitterly from the side, "Dad!"
He Ming turned his head and said, "Don't cry! Remember what Dad told you. Crying in front of these people is not worth it!"
The county office gate was closed again, shutting out the sounds.
Fang Shifei had to handle Du Ling's funeral arrangements. The gate was closed, and white lanterns were hung. Du Ling had no relatives by his side, so Lin Xingyuan helped dress him in burial clothes. His body was wrapped in a quilt and placed in the main hall. Then, a monk was invited to chant scriptures. He and Lin Xingyuan burned paper money in front of the hall.
Old Master Fang was startled upon hearing the news and also came to keep vigil for a night. He burned a stack of paper money for Du Ling, his eyes swollen from crying. Later, to avoid suspicion, Fang Shifei asked him to return home.
It happened that Madam Fang came to beg Fang Gui to let their daughter Fang Ying out so she could go out. Fang Gui, in his grief and anger, ordered her confinement extended by half a month. She was to stay home properly to avoid causing trouble. By the time Fang Shifei left the house, he learned that Shuidong County had been turned upside down in the past few days, in utter chaos.
The Prefectural Governor sent people to contend for the county office's administrative power and demanded to interrogate He Ming. Wang Changdong naturally refused, delaying and confronting them. He was forced to move outside He Ming's residence to prevent any unforeseen events.
Shortly after, the official document from the imperial court arrived. Wang Changdong ordered someone to rush to retrieve it. After the announcement, things were settled.
It was just as he had expected, with no discrepancies.
The biggest event, perhaps, was He Ming's suicide.
In prison, he confessed everything in detail. After pressing his handprint and admitting his crimes, on the day before he was scheduled to be escorted to the capital, he committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment.
This act might have been out of fear of implicating He Xingdong, or perhaps out of fear that he couldn't endure the days in prison and would suffer greatly. In any case, he felt that his life had reached its end, and he left quite peacefully.
Lu Geyang passed by Fang Shifei's house several times. Seeing the white lanterns hanging, his heart was heavy. He wanted to go in and pay respects, but the main gate was tightly shut, and no one answered when he knocked. At that time, they were not receiving visitors.
A few days later, when he saw Fang Shifei come out, he didn't know what to say.
Fang Shifei seemed to know everything. He looked a bit haggard, but still managed to ask, "You want to see He Xingdong?"
Lu Geyang's throat was dry. He forced himself to agree, "Yes."
Fang Shifei said, "Then let's go."
Wang Changdong still gave Fang Shifei face. Generally, outsiders were not allowed to see prisoners awaiting trial. He Ming was already dead, and his family members were undeniably implicated, but he made an exception and gave them a short period of time, even instructing others not to disturb them.
Lu Geyang had never imagined that he would one day see He Xingdong in the county office's dungeon. The air here was damp, and as the weather turned cold, there was still only a thin, hard quilt. The food was cold, and the water in the corner was slightly yellow.
Lu Geyang sighed deeply and asked, "Young Master He, are you alright?"
He Xingdong came back to his senses in a daze and looked up at them. Upon seeing Fang Shifei, he froze completely, biting his lip and staring intently at him.
Fang Shifei met his gaze without fear and said, "You hate me, don't you?"
He Xingdong said, "I don't blame anyone. Fang Shifei. I don't blame you."
Tears rolled down his face. His hand rubbed hard against the bluestone floor, seemingly oblivious to the pain. He repeated in a low murmur, "I don't blame you."
Lu Geyang felt a pang of sadness and called out, "Young Master He..."
"Don't call me Young Master. From now on, there is no more 'Young Master' from any family," He Xingdong said. "How many of you called me Young Master with a hint of mockery and ridicule?"
Lu Geyang quickly said, "No, there wasn't. It's not like that."
He Xingdong: "I'm not foolish. I know everything. I remember what my father said. Since I brought this upon myself, blaming you is useless."
He Xingdong lifted his head slightly and noticed the black ribbon tied around Fang Shifei's arm: "You..."
Fang Shifei: "My master also passed away a few days ago."
He Xingdong fell silent.
"I'll be going to the capital soon," Fang Shifei said. "I will help you bury your father's remains."
He Xingdong couldn't bring himself to say the word "thank you" no matter what. Yet, at this moment, the person who caused his father's suicide had become the only one who could collect his body for burial.
Before his death, He Ming hadn't mentioned Fang Shifei, showing neither hatred nor resentment. So, presumably, he wouldn't be restless in death because of this.
He Xingdong asked, "Are you going to take the imperial examination?"
Fang Shifei: "I'll give it a try."
He Xingdong looked at Lu Geyang. Lu Geyang said, "I'm also going to the capital. I... I can go with you."
"No need," He Xingdong said. "Heh, I didn't expect that the three of us, taking different paths and facing different circumstances, would still end up going to the same place."
Fang Shifei: "Take care of yourself."
Fang Shifei nodded at him and turned to leave.
Fang Ying and He Xingdong had a very good relationship. Previously, through Madam Fang's intentional or unintentional spreading, everyone in Shuidong County knew that the two were close to discussing marriage.
Fang Gui was once a long-term laborer, and Madam Fang came from a humble background, illiterate and naturally lacking in insight. When He Ming was powerful, she was extremely obsequious and flattering, bossy and pleased that she had given birth to a good daughter. She had offended many people. Now that He Ming had committed suicide out of fear of punishment, she became arrogant again, trying to distance herself.
Little did she know that this behavior brought even more shame upon the Fang family. Wasn't this act kicking someone when they were down, despised by others? With the gossip spreading throughout the streets and alleys, Wang Changdong couldn't pretend not to see it.
Fang Gui was furious.
Subsequently, Fang Ying was interrogated by Wang Changdong. Although she was cleared of suspicion, her reputation was ruined. In Shuidong County, it would be difficult for her to marry into a respectable family. Her options were either undesirable matches or those with ulterior motives.
Fang Gui quickly arranged a marriage for her with a decent family he knew through his business dealings. However, the family was not in Shuidong County, so Fang Ying would have to marry far away. Madam Fang and Fang Ying hadn't even met the person, so how could they agree? Moreover, officials were officials, and merchants were merchants; the gap between them was significant. Madam Fang, having the experience with He Xingdong, felt that Fang Ying was marrying down. She cried profusely over this outcome, blaming Fang Shifei for everything.
Due to Fang Gui being at home and Du Ling having just passed away, they didn't dare to openly confront Fang Shifei. They just cried outside day and night. The sound sent shivers down Fang Shifei's spine. Every time she sat in front of the mourning hall, trying to cultivate feelings of master-disciple affection for Du Ling, she was interrupted and the feeling was stifled. After less than two quarters of an hour, the image of Madam Fang wailing and throwing herself about automatically appeared in her mind. Facing Du Ling's memorial tablet again, her mood was very complicated.
Fang Shifei clasped her hands and bowed: "My apologies, Master. Your disciple did not intend to insult you."
She just felt like laughing a little.
Lin Xingyuan walked out, covering his ears, and said, "What kind of voice is that? So persistent?"
"It's truly good," Fang Shifei said. "An extra person to mourn for my master. She cries with genuine emotion and a loud voice, worth two of us."
Lin Xingyuan was speechless.
"Let's find a place with good feng shui and give the Master a proper burial," Lin Xingyuan asked. "Have you made preparations?"
Fang Shifei nodded: "I want to take his body back to the capital for burial."
Lin Xingyuan was startled: "You want to escort the coffin to the capital? In what capacity? And in what capacity should Master Du be buried? Where will he be buried? This journey is long and may not be easy."
Fang Shifei: "I won't take his body back, I'll take his bones back."
Following Du Ling's instructions, Fang Shifei had him cremated. The bones after cremation were kept as intact as possible, placed in a prepared box, and taken along.
Lin Xingyuan still couldn't quite accept it. "Death without a complete body," "scattering the ashes"... wasn't that meant to curse someone? Decades of understanding were on the verge of collapsing.
Fang Shifei said, "When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. Do you expect him to come back to life? Who doesn't turn into a pile of dry bones after death?"
Lin Xingyuan: "Master... Master Du's noble character is something we are ashamed to fall short of."
Before Madam Fang's anger flared up or Fang Ying got married, Fang Shifei was ready to leave.
Before leaving, she didn't inform anyone. She just asked Wang Changdong for a letter of recommendation and discussed poetry with him.
"You act so conspicuously, this journey might be dangerous. If you're going to the capital, I must at least ensure your safety..." Lin Xingyuan himself was conflicted, but he made a decision: "I'll escort you. Once you reach the capital, I'll return to Shangjun."
Fang Shifei said, "That would be great."
She had to reach the capital before He Xingdong was escorted there; any delay would be bad.
Lin Xingyuan was someone who could afford to rent a horse. The two went to the post station and spent a lot of money to buy two lean horses.
Post stations only provided ordinary people with a wooden board to rest on at night, so when traveling, one had to bring their own bedding.
Fang Shifei was traveling light. Apart from a few books Lin Xingyuan chose to take, she burned all the books with Du Ling's annotations. The ashes were collected in a separate box and buried in the ground. The remaining books were either given away or kept. She only brought a change of clothes; the largest item was her old master.
The two spent the first night rushing, missing the time to enter a city, and finally had to find a place to stay outside. Fang Shifei chose a nearby abandoned temple. She gathered dry branches to make a fire and propped up the dilapidated wooden door. She placed her master's ashes box in front and bowed to it. Lin Xingyuan spread out his quilt and also bowed.
The two lay down separately by the fire.
The temple was drafty, and with the recent drop in temperature, it was very cold at night.
Lin Xingyuan woke up in the middle of the night. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Fang Shifei's enlarged face. He didn't know when she had rolled over. He suddenly jolted, startled awake.
Lin Xingyuan pushed her awake: "You, you, you..."
"I'm cold!" Fang Shifei said half-asleep. "Didn't you see me shivering? It's warm here!"
Lin Xingyuan said, "Then lie down properly, I'll go over there."
"Are you a man or not? Don't be so petty at a time like this, my quilt will get cold as soon as I move!"
"Then are you a woman or not?"
Fang Shifei refused to concede and said angrily, "Then just treat me as a man!"
After saying that, she finally opened her eyes, her mind becoming clear. She said, "No, wait. I'm a woman. What about it? We're already sharing a room, do you still care about that little bit of distance? If you're really being cautious, you should go outside."
Lin Xingyuan: "..."
Fang Shifei egged him on: "Go outside if you dare!"
Lin Xingyuan said domineeringly, "I'll go outside if I go outside!"
Lin Xingyuan's back view was quite dashing. He walked out, but less than half a quarter of an hour later, he came back hugging his quilt. He was covered in a chill and quietly lay down on the other side.
Fang Shifei closed her eyes and hummed.
Lin Xingyuan was greatly annoyed and was about to argue with her, but then he heard a slight snore from her throat.
Forget it, Lin Xingyuan spread out his quilt. He wouldn't bother arguing with her.
TN: It's hard to maintain consistency with Fang Shifei's pronouns as only Lin Xingyuan knows that she's a woman. It's a bit confusing, but I can't do anything about it for now as it'd require a lot of heavy editing, which is very inefficient for now.
I also plan to change this series' release schedule due to low readership, switching to weekly or biweekly batch updates.
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