Chapter 62: Presenting the Register of Nobles

Regarding Madam Liu’s request, Xue Rui found himself powerless to help. Since arriving in this new world, Xue Rui had indeed been striving to improve his own abilities, but so far, he had not gained enough influence to sway the Shuntian Prefecture. The only somewhat reliable connection was the Duke of England’s mansion, which belonged to the aristocratic group and had little overlap with Shuntian Prefecture.

Of course, if he wished to ask the Duke’s household for help retrieving the carriage, it would not be difficult. Yet the problem was that he had only just managed to establish an equal dialogue with them; to trouble them with such a trivial matter would expend his favor. When it came time to save his father and build momentum for him, how could he bear to open his mouth again?

In Xue Rui’s mind, the grain his grandfather had stored amounted to only a few hundred taels of silver—nothing too difficult to earn if his plans went smoothly. But to his grandfather and the others, the grain in the warehouse was the savings of several generations, comparable to their very lives. If they could not protect it, his grandfather might be so enraged as to fall ill.

After weighing the matter, Xue Rui decided he could not simply stand by. But this did not mean he would seek connections to retrieve the grain carriage. Instead, he took out the one hundred taels of silver given by Madam Wu and handed it to his uncle at the grain shop on Vegetable Market Street, instructing him to use the money for turnover—whether to rent a carriage, purchase mules or livestock, or simply to transport more grain into the city as much as possible. As for the previously requisitioned carriage, he could only ask his master for advice and see if there was any way to reclaim it.

While Xue Rui was seeking out Liu Ren, in the Shuntian Prefecture’s judicial office, three constables were reporting the recent movements of Supervisor Xue Rui to Magistrate Ye Maoxun. These past few days, the three constables had been secretly monitoring Xue Rui, tracking his every move and reporting to Ye each day.

Today, however, Ye summoned them all back, no longer wishing to pursue the matter. The leading constable, a middle-aged man with a full beard, was Luo Zhuang, an experienced veteran of Shuntian Prefecture and a trusted aide of Ye Maoxun, having helped solve several major cases in the past.

The murder at Pig Market was a significant case, full of doubts; Ye suspected it was not simple and thus assigned Luo Zhuang, along with his two apprentices, to shadow Xue Rui in hopes of uncovering clues.

Recently, Xue Rui’s behavior had changed—he had secretly contacted the Duke of England’s mansion, which excited Luo Zhuang. When Ye had previously investigated Xue Rui’s background, he found no connections to any influential groups, which ruled out the possibility of Xue Rui hiring assassins. Yet now, after visiting the Duke’s household, Xue was treated as an honored guest, a striking disparity in both status and treatment that aroused Luo Zhuang’s deep curiosity. Surely, there was some clandestine scheme here, and perhaps the murder at Pig Market was closely tied to the Duke’s mansion.

However, just as Luo Zhuang and his apprentices were digging deeper, Ye called them back, seemingly unwilling to pursue the investigation further.

“Could it be that the Duke’s mansion has bribed Master Ye?” Luo Zhuang, a seasoned constable, was well versed in the ways of officialdom. Hearing Ye Maoxun say the murder case would be set aside for now, he began to suspect as much. Nowadays, officials often shield each other; now that they had found key evidence implicating the Duke’s mansion, Ye likely feared offending such a powerful household and forbade further investigation.

Faced with Luo Zhuang’s doubts, Ye Maoxun sighed, “The court’s top priority now is a strict investigation of the Oirat spies. This concerns the safety of the capital, and is a hundred times more important than any case at hand.”

“Master, isn’t the investigation of spies led by the Five Cities Patrol and the Embroidered Guards? We’re usually too busy with petty thefts and minor crimes, how could we be assigned such matters? If this murder case were allowed to continue, we’d surely uncover valuable information.” The speaker was Luo Zhuang’s apprentice, He Hongming, who was most reluctant to abandon the investigation.

Ye Maoxun replied with displeasure, “Let it rest for now. As long as Xue Rui remains, the case will eventually come to light. Anyone who dares to kill three people in the capital must be lawless; they will act again. But if the capital falls, what cases will be left to investigate?”

“Yes, sir.” Understanding the importance of hunting spies, Luo Zhuang and his apprentices could only obey. With the capital facing crisis, Ye’s decision was beyond reproach.

Yet Ye Maoxun did not realize that this very decision would alter the fate of many people.

...

That night, a light rain fell over the capital. The next morning, as Xue Rui headed to work, a gust of autumn wind cleared his drowsiness. On his way to the archives, he met Hu Zhong.

Seeing Hu Zhong carrying a candidate register, Xue Rui asked, “Master, are you taking the register for Master Xu and the others to review?”

“Yes, I learned early this morning that the court has approved the suggestion you made yesterday. They ordered the supervisors to review the candidate register and copy a duplicate to send to the Ministry of War. I’ve written my remarks; in a moment, I’ll let Master Xu and the others see if anything is amiss. If not, we’ll send it on.”

“I see.”

Xue Rui’s mind turned quickly, and he stepped forward to support Hu Zhong, saying, “Master, it rained last night and the roads are slippery. Allow me to help you across.”

When they reached the main hall, Xu Dun and the others were in discussion. After helping Hu Zhong to his seat, Xue Rui stood quietly at his side. Perhaps because his proposal had been approved, Xu Dun was in high spirits, and after reviewing the register, he offered Xue Rui some words of encouragement.

Yesterday’s astronomical readings showed no unusual signs; the supervisors agreed the register was proper, and instructed Xue Rui to notify Clerk Zhang to send the register to the Ministry of War.

This was the opportunity Xue Rui had been waiting for. Taking two steps forward, he addressed Xu Dun, “Sir, since I have no pressing duties, allow me to deliver the register. The supervisors are busy; there’s no need to trouble Clerk Zhang.”

“You wish to deliver it yourself?” Xu Dun paused, then asked, “Have you been to the Ministry of War before? Do you know Minister Yu?”

In their eyes, Xue Rui was merely a newly admitted student at the observatory. The upcoming examination had little to do with him; he would linger for another year, making him the most idle person at the observatory. To send him as a courier was a prudent way to conserve manpower. Yet, since Xue Rui was so new, Xu Dun worried he might not know the protocols and botch the task.

“I haven’t been to the Ministry before, but I understand the rules. I have met Minister Yu once and spoken a few words with him, so I won’t mistake him for anyone else,” Xue Rui replied quickly.

“Let him go—he’s as clever as a monkey, he won’t make any mistakes,” Hu Zhong interjected, though he didn’t quite understand why his apprentice was so eager to deliver the register.

“Since the Chief Astrologer has spoken, you may deliver it. Remember to be respectful. Minister Yu is now the pillar of our Ming Dynasty—do not offend him,” Xu Dun reminded earnestly.

“I understand!” Xue Rui replied.

Though it was merely an errand, the prospect of meeting Yu Qian again filled Xue Rui with excitement.