SWNOVELXO Chapter 35: Justice Over Family
The middle-aged man decisively rejected the offer. As an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Personnel and a holder of the Standard Fourth Rank official position, he was not so fearful of Li Xuanjing—because his conduct in office had always been upright and honorable. Had he abused his power for personal gain, wouldn't that be delivering an opportunity to Li Xuanjing on a silver platter?
Hearing the words of the Assistant Minister, Wang Duo's body trembled, slowly becoming bent.
Looking at this old friend of many years, the Left Assistant Minister from the Ministry of Personnel couldn't help but soften his heart, saying, "Send that beast to the Chang'an County Government, remember it is the Chang'an County Government, not the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Justice. Let the County Government deal with it as they see fit. As for you, write immediately to the court, donate all your property, resign your official position, and retire to your fields. While you still can, take several younger concubines, and see if you can have another child, to leave a legacy for your Wang family..."
"Thank you for the guidance, Lord..."
Wang Duo was silent for a long time. After clasping his hands in a bowing gesture, he turned and departed.
At that moment, it felt as though something was being drained from his body, making him appear suddenly twenty years older.
When he stepped out of the gate, he looked up, seeing that although it was nearly sunset, the sky was still as blue as ever, without a trace of impurity.
It had been twenty years, and the sky over Chang'an was still that blue.
He vividly remembered how, twenty years ago, he had led many fellows from the academy in a demonstration on the streets of Chang'an, vehemently denouncing the Chang'an County Magistrate for his inhumane governance, and back then, the sky was just as blue.
In the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed.
At this moment, Wang Duo finally felt a trace of regret.
He had come from humble beginnings, faced countless hardships on his path of learning, suffered greatly, and traveled hundreds of miles in harsh winters and summers just for a single piece of advice from a revered teacher. Eventually, he was exceptionally admitted to Qingfeng Academy when they recognized his potential, where his peers were all from noble and bureaucratic households, each having personal tutors from a young age, living in esteemed positions with lavish lifestyles, socializing with dignitaries and nobles—where a single meal might cost what his wife could not earn in a year of hard labor...
Despite such stark disparities in their backgrounds, back then, his faith had never wavered.
Under such circumstances, during that session of the Imperial Examination, he had stood out among hundreds of thousands, achieving the rank of Advanced Scholar—ranked fifth overall, starting his career as a Standard Seventh Rank County Magistrate. Over nearly two decades, he rose from a minor official far from Chang'an to his current high position. Even the forebears of his peers from those days now had to address him respectfully as "Lord Wang"...
In these twenty years, he had gained much but also lost much.
Looking back now, when did it all start to change? Was it the first time he took a bribe, the first time he used his power for personal gain, or the first time he took silver to pave his official road...
It had been so long, he could hardly remember...
He looked back one last time, then walked away with heavy steps, his silhouette looking particularly bleak.
At this moment, in the residence of the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the middle-aged man watched Wang Duo leave, a trace of reminiscence in his eyes, shaking his head and saying, "Wang Duo, oh, Wang Duo, how did it come to this, how did it come to this..."
A young man emerged from the back hall, addressing the middle-aged man, "Father, I have been studying Daxia Law recently. Uncle Wang is a Standard Fifth Rank official, and Wang Yue is his son. His crime, at most, warrants three years of imprisonment, which can be redeemed with silver. Why doesn't he just pay the silver to avoid punishment? Three years, and the redemption silver is just three hundred taels; the Wang family can surely afford it..."
"Redemption silver?"
The middle-aged man smirked, saying, "With Li Xuanjing's character, if Wang Duo hands over Wang Yue and resigns happily, there might still be hope for the Wang family's survival. Trying to redeem with silver will surely lead not only to Wang Yue's death but also the downfall of the Wang family..."
The young man stubbornly said, "Is Li Xuanjing really so lawless, treating the law as nothing? In this vast court, is there really no one to check him?"
The middle-aged man shook his head, saying, "There used to be those who tried, but they are all dead, and he is still alive. After that, no one dared to intervene..."
"That's outrageous!"
The young man vigorously waved his sleeve, his face righteous as he exclaimed, "As long as this villain lives, justice cannot prevail. I must study diligently, enter public service, and one day, for the people and for the court, I will execute this villain and restore Daxia to bright clear skies..."
Before he could finish, his head was hit hard.
Clutching his head, the young man looked puzzled, "Father, why did you hit me..."
"I want you to bring 'bright clear skies,' indeed, bright clear skies!" The middle-aged man took off his boot, smacking him with it while furiously scolding, "You, who don't know the height of the skies or the depth of the earth, dare to provoke those I dare not provoke. Maybe you should take over as the head of this household, then...
...
Wang family.
Inside the ancestral hall, Wang Yue knelt on the cushion while a woman stood by his side and said, "Yue'er, don't worry. Your father has many friends, and many high officials in the court respect him; surely, there will be a way to save you!"
Wang Yue's expression brightened slightly, and at that moment, slow footsteps were heard outside the hall.
The woman turned and hastily ran forward with joy, grasping his hand and asking, "My lord, how did it go..."
As soon as her words fell, her face filled with shock as she trembled, "My lord, your, your hair..."
The lord was forty this year, a prime of life with previously not a single white hair, but now his hair had turned mostly white, and he appeared much older.
He had only been gone for two hours, yet it seemed like twenty years had passed.
Wang Yue also slowly stood up, walked to Wang Duo, and looked at his full head of white hair. His lips quivered as he struggled to speak, "Dad..."
A bitter smile appeared on Wang Duo's face as he gently patted his shoulder, saying, "To not educate one's son is the father's fault; it is I who have let you down."
Wang Yue understood what was happening, his complexion remained pale, but the panic and fear had gone.
Looking at his father's stooped figure and white hair, for the first time, he realized his father had aged too.
His mother often told him stories of his father's youth. The father who, in his eyes, was heroic and single-handedly elevated the Wang family from a poor rural village to a wealthy household in Chang'an, was finally old.
At this moment, he had no fear for the future, only heartache for his father.
He reached out to tidy the messy hair at his father's temples and shook his head, saying, "No, it is I, your unworthy son, who has disappointed you. I will take responsibility for my own mistakes; father, please don't blame yourself..."
...
On the streets of Chang'an, Li Nuo was trying a case.
The surroundings were already filled with people.
This was the first time they had seen a trial brought out into the street, publicly accused and sentenced, finding it novel and interesting. Such an opportunity to be close to the government wasn't always available.
At one moment, the crowd buzzed as several figures squeezed out from among them.
Leading, was the peddler who had left and returned.
Of course, Li Nuo knew that although he appeared as a peddler, he was actually his undercover guard.
Behind the peddler, two more figures followed.
On the left, a middle-aged man dressed luxuriously, exuding the noble air of someone long accustomed to high position, with full white hair, seeming somewhat distressed.
On the right, a young man, tied up, looked to be in his early twenties, bearing a slight resemblance to the middle-aged man, with a similarly pale face and a wooden, vacant expression.
"Unfilial son, kneel down!"
Wang Duo said sternly, and the young man slowly knelt.
Then, Wang Duo walked to the official-dressed Chang'an County Magistrate, bowed with fists clenched, and said, "Lord, this unfilial son has violated the law. I have brought him to the county government bound, please administer justice according to the law..."
Li Nuo watched this scene with some surprise.
This case... seemed to sort itself out quite smoothly.
He had thought that, given the time elapsed and the lack of direct evidence—even with the Ministry of Justice stepping in—it wouldn't be easy to convict. Yet, barely any time had passed before the other party came to the county government to turn himself in.
This spared even the need to investigate.
Could it be that this Minister of the Examination Bureau was previously unaware of his son's crimes?
After being informed by his own guard, this righteous court official decided right away to place justice above kinship, to bring his son to the county government for legal punishment—truly a commendable official!