Li Nuo felt somewhat helpless.
The former Chang'an County Magistrate was an important witness, but now that he was dead, the case became even harder to investigate.
Behind Li Nuo, Housekeeper Wu looked up at the sky and sighed deeply in his heart.
They had been out all day. When would the young master return home? He was already hungry. The new cook at Li Mansion was truly exceptional, and he had even decided on what dish to have for dinner, yet here he was, forced to wait impatiently.
At a certain moment, he couldn't resist any longer and asked softly, "Young master, are you going to take charge of this case?"
Li Nuo glanced at the old man who was so grief-stricken he was nearly fainting and asked Housekeeper Wu, "Can this case be handed over to the Ministry of Justice?"
County Magistrate Pei didn't dare to investigate, and Li Nuo understood him. Even though handing the case over to the Ministry of Justice meant he couldn't get involved, even if he couldn't benefit from the case, he still wanted to seek justice for the old man.
Housekeeper Wu smiled and waved his hand, "There's no need for such trouble..."
He waved to a peddler carrying a load in the distance. The peddler set down his goods and ran over, asking, "General Manager Wu, do you have any instructions?"
Housekeeper Wu said, "Go to the Minister of the Examination Bureau's residence, and ask him if his son raped a girl half a year ago."
The peddler asked, "And then?"
Housekeeper Wu waved his hand, "There's no 'and then.' Once you've asked, come back here."
The peddler nodded and sprinted off in a certain direction, quickly disappearing from Li Nuo's sight.
Li Nuo looked at Housekeeper Wu and asked, "Is that all?"
Housekeeper Wu smiled and said, "Please wait a moment, young master."
Li Nuo didn't know what trick he was playing, but there were other cases to handle that day. He invited the elderly woman to rest on the side and continued with the remaining cases, thinking that if all else failed, he would consult his father in the evening. With the means of the Ministry of Justice, it shouldn't be difficult to investigate a case.
Pei Zhe glanced at Housekeeper Wu and silently mourned for the Minister of the Examination Bureau.
Such was life.
In the eyes of some, commoners were like ants.
But in the eyes of others, you were also an ant.
Meanwhile, in a high-walled mansion somewhere in Chang'an, a lavish family banquet was being held.
The Examination Bureau was in charge of assessing the performance of over ninety percent of the officials in Daxia. As a Minister of the Examination Bureau, Wang Duo was extremely busy with official duties. That was why he took his rest days very seriously, laying aside all work, burning incense, bathing, and spending time with his family...
The Wang family was prosperous with harmonious siblings who were united, the only regret being that he had only one son.
As the head of the Wang family's main line, he should have had more children.
However, during pregnancy, his wife experienced complications. After giving birth to their son, she was unable to conceive again. Over the years, Wang Duo had not thought about taking a concubine.
His wife had come from humble beginnings. In order to support his studies, she had worked laboriously at washing and weaving while pregnant, busy from dawn to dusk. She skimped on her own needs, and whatever silver she earned was spent on him. How could he allow her to be hurt?
Fortunately, they had a son. Although spoiled by his mother since childhood, under Wang Duo's discipline, he did not degenerate like other prodigal sons. He achieved the Second Realm in the Martial Path at a young age and was diligent in his studies. If he passed the Imperial Examination, as a Minister of the Examination Bureau, Wang Duo could ensure a smooth career path for him...
Even if he couldn't pass the Imperial Examination, with the enterprise he had built, he could guarantee his son a life of riches and honor.
Midway through the family banquet, Wang Duo looked at the young man seated next to him and asked, "How is your coursework at the academy lately?"
The young man, who was eating, coughed lightly upon hearing the question and said, "It's, it's improved since a few months ago."
Wang Duo nodded and said, "Study well at the academy. Even if you can't master all the Six Arts, at least excel in one and don't be too weak in the other five. As long as you pass the Imperial Examination, even if it's the last place, I can ensure that you're promoted from Ninth Grade to seventh-rank within ten years..."
With a father like the Minister of the Examination Bureau in government, entering officialdom would surely lead to rapid advancement. The young man nodded vigorously in agreement. At that moment, a servant from the Wang family hurried in and said, "Master, someone has come to our residence asking to pose a question to you."
Wang Duo set aside the piece of food he was about to eat and asked, "What question?"
The servant glanced at the people at the banquet, hesitating to speak.
Wang Duo looked at him and said, "No outsiders are present here. Speak freely."
The servant hesitated for a moment, then said, "The person asked, Master, if your son... if your son raped a girl half a year ago..."
The young man was stunned upon hearing the question and then anger appeared on his face as he said, "That damned old man, he just won't give up, will he? It was just a moment of impulse because I was drunk; on any other day, even if his daughter stood naked in front of me, I wouldn't give her a second glance..."
With his status, he was never in want of women. However, those who threw themselves at him were either jaded women who had been with many men or calculating women aiming to marry into a wealthy family. He didn't care much for them. That time, drunk and wanting to taste the flavor of a decent family's daughter, he hadn't expected it to turn into such a persistent nuisance.
"Shut your mouth; it's trouble you stirred up!" Wang Duo glared at him, then turned back to the servant and asked, "Which government office is that person from, Chang'an County Government or the Ministry of Justice?"
Half a year ago, because of this incident, he had locked his son in his room and punished him with facing the wall for three days.
Despite the punishment, as a father, he couldn't stand idly by and let his son's future be tarnished by this affair.
Even if they could redeem the crime with silver, having a record would affect his chances of promotion if he passed the Imperial Examination.
As a Minister of the Examination Bureau, he was very clear about these matters.
```
The only authorities equipped to deal with this matter were the Chang'an County Government and the Ministry of Justice. The former Chang'an County Magistrate had even sought him out for this issue and guaranteed in person that nothing would go wrong. As for the Ministry of Justice, he had made his greetings known there too. For the following six months, no one brought up the matter again.
Could it be the newly appointed Chang'an County Magistrate?
It seemed that this new County Magistrate didn't quite understand the situation...
As he thought this to himself, the servant spoke up, "He said he's from the Minister of Justice's residence."
Clatter!
The jade chopsticks in Wang Duo's hand suddenly dropped onto the table.
Crack!
In the dining hall, bowls shattered on the floor.
Moments later, at the Wang family residence.
The young man's face was ghostly pale as he knelt on the floor, trembling all over, clutching at Wang Duo's legs, his voice quivering, "Father, you must save me!"
A richly dressed woman also clung to Wang Duo's hand, her eyes brimming with tears, as she said, "My lord, Yue'er is our only child, you cannot abandon him. If anything were to happen to Yue'er, I wouldn't want to live either!"
Wang Duo's face was just as pale, but as the head of the family, he steeled himself and said, "You two stay at home. I will go visit a few officials."
Shortly thereafter, Wang Duo hurriedly left through the back door and paid visits to several prominent residences nearby.
Some of them were from the Ministry of Justice, others from the Capital Prefecture.
Usually, they all had to bow and scrape before him, greeting him with smiles. Today, in need of favors, Wang Duo lowered his stature considerably.
"This morning I heard magpies chirping, it turns out it was a distinguished guest visiting. Lord Wang, please take a seat!"
"Lord Wang, why are you here? Quickly, quickly, go fetch the fine tea I've been saving!"
With urgency, Wang Duo got straight to the point with few words, "I won't hide it, my son has encountered a bit of trouble..."
"Rest assured, Lord Wang. Your issues are my issues. I'll need your special attention for this year's Ministry of Personnel assessment..."
"Oh, is it regarding your son's case? A small matter, I'll have someone notify the Chang'an County Government shortly."
...
However, after Wang Duo explained the situation in detail, their attitudes changed abruptly.
"What, this case has been specifically named by the Minister of Justice?"
"Lord Wang, I am afraid I cannot assist you with this matter..."
"My lord is ill and is really not in a position to receive guests."
"Lord Wang, my lord says he's not in."
"Please leave, please leave!"
...
Wang Duo walked the streets in a daze, those officials who used to bow and scrape to him, those colleagues who called each other brothers, initially greeted him with smiles. But upon hearing the matter involved the Ministry of Justice, they all changed their expressions and none were willing to offer help. Eventually, he couldn't even step foot in their doors.
At last, after much hesitation, Wang Duo approached the final residence.
He explained his purpose to the gatekeeper and soon, a refined middle-aged man walked into the courtyard. Looking at the pale-faced and frightened Wang Duo, he asked in confusion, "Minister Wang, what's happened?"
Wang Duo quickly stepped forward, grasping the man's hand, his voice urgent, "Assistant Minister Chen, you must save me!"
The middle-aged man patted his hand and said, "Don't panic, take it slow. As old friends for many years, if you're in trouble, how could I just stand by?"
The next moment, after hearing the whole story from Wang Duo, the middle-aged man exclaimed in shock, "What, your son raped a civilian girl, and Li Xuanjing's people found out?"
Wang Duo nodded and said, "Lord Chen, you have to save me!"
The middle-aged man's face was lined with disapproval.
Save, save, save, save your ass!
The officials in Chang'an who have done no wrong fear getting on Li Xuanjing's radar, let alone someone who has committed such a serious crime.
Who is Li Xuanjing?
The Living Yama!
Who would dare to interfere with the cases he's set his sights on?
Interfere and your hand gets chopped off, stick out your head and your head gets chopped off.
Without any hesitation, the middle-aged man shook off Wang Duo's hand firmly and declared, "Our friendship of twenty years ends today. From this moment on, I don't have a friend like you!"
```