Chapter 133: The First Skirmish

The capital has been far from peaceful lately. With various cases emerging one after another, Ye Maoxun, a judge of the Shuntian Prefecture, has been overwhelmed.

Having finally found a moment of respite today, Ye was just about to attend to a backlog of cases when a report came in. A mass brawl had broken out on East Chang'an Street, and given the intensity of the conflict, there was a high risk of fatalities.

In these turbulent times for the capital, maintaining internal stability is paramount. Under normal circumstances, such an incident might not be considered significant, and a squad of yamen runners would suffice to handle it. However, at this critical juncture, the Emperor and the entire civil and military officialdom were pressuring the Shuntian Prefecture to keep the capital’s order secure to prevent any disruption to the greater good.

As a subordinate official, Ye naturally felt the weight of this pressure. He had become extremely sensitive to any incident that might threaten stability, which is why he personally rushed to the scene upon hearing of the brawl. After listening to the accusations from both sides, Judge Ye sensed that both parties were holding back and that there were hidden motives at play. He determined that a rigorous interrogation was necessary to uncover the truth. Consequently, he ordered everyone involved to be taken to the judge's office to await trial.

Back at a teahouse, Sun He’s expression was terrifyingly dark. He had never imagined that Wang Qihu and his men would prove so useless, being beaten to the ground in an instant and now dragged off to the yamen in chains. If word of this got out, he would surely be mocked by Zhou Qi and the others again.

*Smash!*

Lost in his thoughts, Sun He suddenly flew into a rage, hurling his teacup to the floor and shattering it. His attendant, who was waiting on him, jumped in fright and hurriedly lowered his head to soothe him. "Please calm your anger, sir. It is not worth ruining your health over that bunch of good-for-nothings."

"They are more than good-for-nothings; they are lower than pigs and dogs!" Sun He cursed through gritted teeth before composing himself. "Take some silver to the judge's office and find someone to pass a message to Wang Qihu. Tell him that if this matter is traced back to me, he can forget about ever showing his face in the capital again. If he takes the fall himself, I will consider it an act of atonement."

"Yes, sir, I will handle it immediately," the attendant replied hurriedly.

Sun He sat in the teahouse, staring at the Liu family’s grain shop for a long time before sneering, "The Liu family is truly stubborn. It seems I must play hardball. If I don't give them a taste of reality, they will really think I am made of clay!"

...

As per custom, official trials are held during the day. By the time Ye Maoxun brought the suspects back to the office, the workday had ended, so the case was scheduled for the following day. All those involved were naturally locked in the jail.

Before leaving with Ye, Liu Ren had instructed his shop manager to close the store temporarily and immediately notify the Liu family. Upon learning that Liu Ren had been taken by the authorities, the Liu household was thrown into chaos. Wang, the eldest aunt of Xue Rui, wailed and insisted on visiting her husband in prison, refusing to listen to anyone. Eventually, Liu Wenyao stepped in and scolded her, which finally made her abandon the idea, and she was escorted back to her room by her sisters-in-law.

With their eldest brother arrested, the brothers Liu Yi and Liu Zhi were more anxious than anyone, but having never dealt with the authorities, they were at a loss and could only hope that Liu Wenyao would find a solution.

After a moment of reflection, Liu Wenyao said to the two brothers, "Judge Ye is an official of the Shuntian Prefecture and is much harder to deal with than a county magistrate. I fear we must rely on your brother-in-law and Rui-ge’er to find a way. Second brother, take a horse to the Xue residence and inform them of this. It is clear that the other side has someone behind them orchestrating these repeated provocations. They might even pressure Judge Ye. If we have no connections, we will be at a severe disadvantage. We must guard against this."

The brothers felt a shiver of dread. If the mastermind pulled strings to make Ye Maoxun trust Wang Qihu’s narrative, their eldest brother would surely be imprisoned.

After Liu Yi left, the third brother, Liu Zhi, hesitated and said, "Father, should we discuss this with Rui-ge’er? Perhaps we should raise our prices too. There are over a hundred grain shops in the capital, and we are the only ones selling at a low price. We are bound to be an eyesore. Can we defend against this once and manage to do it a hundred more times?"

Liu Wenyao glanced at his youngest son and ignored him, deep in thought.

Liu Zhi persisted, "If you don't agree to raise prices, why don't we stop selling for a while? We can store the grain in the warehouse and wait. At most, we lose some silver, but at least there is no danger. If we do this, Rui-ge’er will also be able to save face before Magistrate Yu. What do you think?"

This idea seemed more practical, so Liu Wenyao finally replied, "Let’s see what your brother-in-law and the others say first. Under the feet of the Son of Heaven, the law must still prevail; no one can cover the sky with one hand. If we stop doing business at the first sign of trouble, would the Liu family have achieved its current prestige?"

"That is true. Let us wait and see," Liu Zhi nodded.

The Liu residence was not far from the Xue estate. In half a stick of incense time, Liu Yi arrived.

A few days earlier, Xue Rui had discussed with his father opening the previously sealed gate of the side courtyard as an entrance for the second branch. This allowed them to come and go without passing through the main residence, which was much more convenient. Liu Ren arrived and knocked on the courtyard door.

At that moment, the Xue father and son had just returned from work and were having dinner. Seeing Liu Yi enter, they hurriedly invited him to join them.

"I have no time to eat," Liu Yi waved his hand, his face full of anxiety. "The eldest brother has been arrested by the Shuntian Prefecture!"

The Xue family was shocked and immediately asked for the details. Upon learning that Wang Qihu had come to cause trouble again, Xue Rui’s expression grew increasingly grim. These greedy merchants were truly daring; it was bad enough that they exploited the poor by raising prices, but to use such tactics to force others to do the same was cold-blooded and outrageous.

Lady Liu worried, "What shall we do? To be able to command local thugs on the street, the other side must have a deep background. If they bribe the officials at the Shuntian Prefecture or pressure them through some high-ranking figures, won’t the eldest brother be branded a criminal merchant?"

"It is already late. The case will likely be heard tomorrow, right?" Xue Yuanhao looked up at the sky. It was already sunset; unless it was a major emergency, the authorities generally did not conduct trials at night. Only by being "open and upright" could they maintain public trust.

Liu Yi said, "The shop manager said that Judge Ye has scheduled the hearing for tomorrow. My brother and the others will have to spend the night in jail."

After pondering the situation, Xue Rui didn't feel there was much to worry about. The Liu family’s low-priced grain sales were a benefit to the country and the people. Wang Qihu’s interference at such a time clearly put him on the opposite side of the Imperial Court. If Judge Ye accepted bribes from corrupt merchants and dared to commit a gross injustice, his career would be over.

"Second uncle, it is still early. Let’s go to the prison first to bring my uncle and the others some food and bedding, so at least they won't be cold or hungry. As for tomorrow’s trial, I will attend in person. If Judge Ye dares to force a confession or shelter Wang Qihu and his gang, I will immediately go to Chen Yi and have him deal with this Judge Ye."

In an instant, Xue Rui had a plan.

"Chen Yi?" Liu Yi did not know who this person was and felt surprised. To be able to easily handle a sixth-rank judge, the person must be a remarkable figure in the imperial court. That Xue Rui could build such connections truly amazed him.

Xue Rui did not notice his uncle’s expression. He asked Lady Liu for a few dozen taels of silver to tuck into his sleeve for bribes. After all, the King of Hell is easy to deal with, but the little devils are troublesome. In this era, if one wanted things done, spending a little extra silver to grease the wheels could greatly increase efficiency.

Loading bedding and food onto a carriage, Xue Rui, his father, and Liu Yi arrived at the prison. Outside, two jailers were leaning against the wall, chatting lazily. Seeing the carriage approach, they straightened up, grasped their sabers, and barked at Liu Zhi, who was driving: "This is a place of detention. What are you doing here?"

Before coming, Xue Yuanhao had specifically put on his official robes. Hearing the jailers' hostile tone, he lifted the curtain and stepped down. Seeing that the visitor was a low-ranking official, the jailers offered a casual salute. One of them asked, "May I ask what business you have here, sir?"

"My family has been locked up here. May I be permitted to visit them?" Xue Yuanhao asked.

Since the other party was an official, the jailer gave some face and did not refuse outright. "What is the name of your family member?"

"The surname is Liu, and six others were brought in with him."

"Were there prisoners with the surname Liu brought in today?" the jailer asked his companion.

"It seems there was one. But Judge Ye has already given orders that those brought in today must be tried tomorrow and are strictly forbidden from receiving visitors to prevent collusion. Without a note from Judge Ye, we dare not let you in."

The two jailers were clearly seasoned veterans who knew that to deal with such low-ranking officials, they needed to invoke the names of higher authorities. Thus, they used Ye Maoxun’s name to refuse the visit.

Exchanging a glance with Xue Yuanhao, Xue Rui produced two taels of broken silver from his sleeve and handed them to the second jailer. He smiled, "The rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Even if we cannot visit, surely there is no harm in sending some supplies and passing on a few words?"

Weighing the silver, the jailer skillfully tucked it into his sleeve. "Delivering items is fine, but the head jailer is inside. Whether he agrees to let the prisoner receive them, I cannot guarantee."

Xue Rui understood their game. He took another ingot of silver from his sleeve and handed it to the first jailer. "These ten taels are for the head jailer’s trouble. As long as you two help deliver the items and pass on the message, I will give you another ten taels."

"For real?" The two men’s breathing quickened. Their monthly salary was barely five hundred copper coins, and it was often withheld. Ten taels was equivalent to a year’s salary for both of them. To get this for just running an errand was like a pie falling from the sky—they were naturally tempted.

Xue Rui tossed the silver in his hand. "The silver is right here. If the job is done, it is yours. If not, I will go talk to the head jailer myself."

"Young Master, rest assured, we will definitely handle this!" The two jailers patted their chests in guarantee.

Hearing their promise, Xue Rui directed them to move the bedding and food from the carriage and told them to pass on a message to Liu Ren and the others to stay calm and that they would be released safely tomorrow.

After the jailers went inside, Liu Yi frowned, "These two are just ordinary guards. Why give them so much silver? If we had bribed the head jailer, perhaps we could have seen your uncle."

"Seeing him is impossible. This is a very sensitive period before the trial; it is best not to see him to avoid suspicion. Moreover, we are strangers here; who knows if the head jailer is a corrupt man? If we went directly to him, he might demand an exorbitant amount that twenty taels wouldn't satisfy. By spending more on these two guards, they will do everything in their power to convince the head jailer to get the rest of the money. It is more reliable than us wasting our breath trying to outwit the head jailer," Xue Rui laughed.

Liu Yi realized this was true. These jailers were used to extorting money, and the head jailer would be even greedier. Instead of risking a larger demand, it was safer to let the guards do the work. Even if it failed, they would save ten taels.

Xue Yuanhao sighed, "These jailers are so cunning. If the court doesn't deal with this, what will become of the future?"

This was an impractical complaint. Beyond these petty officials, there were many corrupt habits within the officialdom itself. If the court wanted to rectify this, most officials would likely object. It was simply not feasible.

Soon, the two jailers returned, rubbing their hands. "The items have been delivered, and the message passed on. Master Liu said they are all well and will argue their case in court tomorrow. He asks you not to worry."

Xue Rui held the silver and asked, "How can I be sure you actually delivered it?"

The first jailer patted his chest. "Young Master, rest assured. We take money to do the job; we don't earn dishonest money. Master Liu even asked for your descriptions and said that this official and the young master are family, surnamed Xue, and that this gentleman is the second master Liu. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that is correct." Xue Rui breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Ren had provided these details specifically so they could confirm the delivery. Since the jailer knew their names and relationship, the message was genuine. Tossing the silver to the jailer, Xue Rui bowed, "Please take care of the people inside. I am very grateful."

"Young Master, rest assured. We will do our best to look after them." Receiving the ten taels, the jailer bit into one to confirm it was pure silver before grinning and replying.

Having settled the matter, the three of them turned and left.

...

The next day, Xue Rui took half a day off to attend the trial at the judge's office. He had met Ye Maoxun twice before. In terms of reputation, Ye was considered decent. Since being promoted to judge, he had solved several major cases and was highly relied upon by Prefect Liu, who entrusted him with all criminal matters.

However, this time was different. Based on the information Xue Rui had gathered, the major grain merchants in the capital were waiting to drive up prices to profit. The potential gains were astronomical, and many were willing to take the risk. Xue Rui hadn't realized that the trade association formed by these merchants had such influence. If this trend continued, even an eighty percent increase might not be the end; grain prices could continue to climb in the near future.

In his previous life, Xue Rui had read in the *Records of Shuntian Prefecture* that after the Tumu Crisis, grain prices in the capital had spiked several times, pushed by these merchants, leading to riots that nearly threw the capital into chaos while the Oirat forces were besieging the city. It was only through the court's timely intervention that the situation was contained.

Xue Rui’s goal in selling grain at a low price was to see if he could prevent the prices from climbing further and avoid civil unrest. He was, in effect, trying to reverse a historical disadvantage with his own strength to ease the burden on the Ming court.

And now, this was the moment of his first confrontation with the great grain merchants!