Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 634 The Upright Official (Part 2)

The poor woman, or rather the girl, was already stunned with fear.

Seeing the two Ming soldiers who had previously carried Li Kaishou toward her, fear immediately gripped her heart, and she instinctively struggled and cried out. But these resistances were undoubtedly futile; the tall soldiers simply lifted her into the air and forcibly carried her onto the hall.

This time, however, Yuan Keli did not give the order to slap her again. Only Liu Yingyuan threatened her in a low voice when she was thrown to the ground: "Stop shouting, or I'll slap you too!"

The girl immediately shut up. She glanced at Liu Yingyuan fearfully, then looked at the old man in the bright red "dragon robe," her heart and eyes filled with terror.

"Is he your father?" Yuan Keli pointed at Lai Zi Zheng.

"Yes." Through the gesture, the girl could barely understand Yuan Keli's still somewhat broken Korean.

"Does your family own any ancestral real estate?" Yuan Keli asked.

The girl glanced at her father instinctively, but didn't lie. "No."

Upon hearing this, a victorious smile immediately spread across the face of the portly defendant. However, the lingering effect of the slap still lingered, so he didn't dare to cheer loudly.

"Do you know him, his son?" Yuan Keli pointed to Zheng Kaishou again.

“I know him,” the girl said.

"What do you think of his son?" Yuan Keli then asked.

The girl blinked. "Small, silly. So pitiful."

Yuan Keli's eyes flashed. "Has your mother arrived?"

The girl's eyes dimmed. "She didn't come."

"Why didn't you come for something this important?"

"I couldn't come. I'm dead," the girl said calmly.

Yuan Keli's expression changed slightly. "How did he die?"

"I'm sick and I have no money." As if remembering something, the girl added, "My father asked Mr. Park for a loan, but he refused."

"This case," Lu Wenzhao, sitting next to Yuan Keli, couldn't help but mutter.

"The harvest is bad, we don't have any money to lend," the well-to-do old man Park explained in a low voice.

"What do you think of your father?" Yuan Keli asked without even looking at him.

"Very good." The girl smiled subconsciously.

Yuan Keli hesitated for a moment, but finally hardened his heart and asked, "Do you know what your father and Li Kaishou discussed?"

"What?" The sentence was a bit long, and the girl didn't quite understand it.

Liu Yingyuan automatically translated: "The official is asking you, do you know what your father and Li Kaishou discussed?"

The girl nodded without hesitation. "I know."

Yuan Keli was somewhat surprised. "Then tell me everything you know."

"Sir, what will happen to my father?" the girl pleaded.

“The facts of the case are clear. We don’t need your confession. We can make a verdict in this court.” Yuan Keli took a deep breath.

The girl's pupils dilated, and she slowly lowered her head, recalling the events as she spoke: "The day before yesterday, Father took me to Steward Li, saying that a high-ranking official who was very compassionate towards the poor had come to the yamen and returned many fields that had been seized. So we wanted to take this opportunity to file a complaint against Magistrate Pu. Steward Li was initially unwilling, but after hearing Father say that he was willing to marry me to my younger brother, he agreed. Yesterday, they discussed it all day. Today, they came to file the complaint."

"What do you think about this?" Yuan Keli asked, frowning.

"If we had our own land, Mother wouldn't have died," the girl murmured to herself.

"Phew," Yuan Keli exhaled and slowly leaned back in his chair. He turned his head, his brows furrowed so deeply they could practically trap a mosquito.

Yuan Keli remained in that position for a long time, until the sound of horses' hooves approached and stopped near the yamen.

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"What are you doing? Clear the way!" As soon as he dismounted, the middle-aged man dressed as a general ordered his soldiers to rush toward the government office and part the crowd without saying a word.

"Yes!" The cavalrymen dismounted en masse, with half staying behind to watch their comrades' horses and the other half clearing the way.

The cavalry's actions caused quite a stir, but since the group was dressed as Ming soldiers and did not display their weapons, there was no panic or stampede. Soon, the cavalrymen carved out a path wide enough for two people to walk side by side in the almost completely packed government office.

The middle-aged man dressed as a general walked to the railing outside the lobby, then froze. "You...Guardian Yuan, are you conducting a trial?"

Yuan Keli's emotions shifted several times: first confusion, then anger, but the moment he saw the newcomer, his anger vanished, replaced by an incongruous sense of delight. This was because the newcomer was Li Huaizhong, Li Rubai's eldest son.

"General Li!" Yuan Keli braced himself up, but he only called out that once before sitting back down.

"This humble general, Li Huaizhong, pays his respects to Supervisor Yuan! I am late in welcoming Your Majesty, and I hope Supervisor Yuan will forgive me." Li Huaizhong didn't care about anything else and walked to Yuan Keli's desk, kneeling down in a military salute.

“General Li, there’s no need for such formalities.” Yuan Keli tried to control his rising emotions, but a faint smile still graced his face. “Please wait a moment, until I finish hearing this land dispute case before we talk.”

"Excuse me." Li Huaizhong stood up, waved away the cavalrymen who had cleared the way, and then walked to stand beside Lu Wenzhao. Upon seeing Lu Wenzhao's fifth-rank military officer uniform, Li Huaizhong was briefly puzzled, but the moment their eyes met, he immediately remembered the other's identity—Luo Weishuai's new son-in-law!

Li Huaizhong's arrival interrupted Yuan Keli's thoughts, but it also pulled him out of his almost completely tangled mental rut. He looked at Liu Yingyuan and said, "Please write this down." "Yes." Liu Yingyuan knew that Yuan Keli was about to deliver his verdict, so he pulled out a clean, new sheet of paper.

"In the case of Anju resident Jeong, who sued Park Kwang-hee for seizing ancestral property, this court has carefully examined the documents and verified the testimonies, and has clearly determined the truth of the matter. Based on the Ming Dynasty Code and the Korean Code of Gyeongguk Daejeon, the judgment is as follows."

"The land deed held by Zheng Laizi, dated to the 19th year of the Zhengde reign, is clearly a forgery. Emperor Wuzong Yi reigned for only sixteen years, so how could there be a claim of nineteen years? Moreover, the paper is brand new, showing no signs of wear and tear, and is not something looted during the Japanese invasion. Zheng's forgery is irrefutable!"

“Zheng Laizi colluded with his steward Li Kaishou, using the promise of marrying off his daughter as bait to conspire to seize property. Li Kaishou confessed to writing the forged contract, and Zheng’s daughter testified in court that they were plotting together. According to the law, forgery is punishable by death, and false accusation is punished in lieu of punishment.”

"However, Zheng lost her mother at a young age, and her father was implicated in the crime, leaving her destitute and helpless. Li Zi was seriously ill, and they sold their property to seek medical treatment. In order to continue the family line, she was forced to commit the crime, which is a pitiful situation."

"Judgment of the case. Zheng Laizi forged a contract to frame an innocent person, and his wicked ways cannot be tolerated! According to the law, he shall be given one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled three thousand li, but may pay silver to redeem his sentence. The forged contract shall be burned in court. Li Kaishou, an accomplice in forging the contract, shall be punished two degrees less severely than Zheng Laizi according to the law, with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled two thousand li, but may pay silver to redeem his sentence. Considering that both Zheng and Li are destitute and their children have no one to rely on, they may be sentenced to corvée labor in lieu of redemption."

“Park Kwang-hee, since the land deeds were lost in the war, and the farming records were kept by the villagers, a new deed shall be issued in accordance with the ‘Household Restoration Decree’ issued by the late King Sogyeong of Joseon, and the land shall be returned to its rightful owner forever.”

"The daughter of the Zheng family, whose father's crimes did not extend to his children, is spared and made a servant. The son of the Li family is to be temporarily taken in and cared for by the Anzhou Almshouse, pending the return of his relatives. The private agreement between Li and Zheng is hereby declared null and void, and they may choose their own marriage partners."

After the verdict was announced, Yuan Keli was not at ease. Two concerns lingered in his mind: the sentence of "allowing payment of silver to redeem the sentence and allowing corvée labor in lieu of redemption" was far too lenient for the crime of "forging documents and extorting land." Would such a lenient sentence lead to a loss of the solemnity of the law and the authority of punishment?

However, such a sentence was far too harsh for these two already impoverished families. The fine, equivalent to several dozen taels of silver, would likely amount to more than enough to cover the crime if they were forced to perform corvée labor instead of paying the ransom. As for their children, their fate would undoubtedly be tragic.

But that's all Yuan Keli can do. To sentence him any lighter would be to break the law.

"Thank you, Your Honor!" Liu Yingyuan read the verdict aloud in Korean, and the portly defendant, Park Kwang-hee, immediately kowtowed with delight.

Yuan Keli couldn't help but roll his eyes at him. Yuan Keli knew very well that Park Kwang-hee was probably no good. Despite being quite wealthy, owning vast tracts of fertile land, he came to the court in tattered clothes. Clearly, he was feigning poverty and begging for mercy. But one thing at a time, even if Park Kwang-hee was rich and heartless, Yuan Keli didn't intend to do anything to him. At least not in this case.

"Thank you for your leniency, sir." Li Kaishou said with a bitter expression, while Laizi Zheng stood there stunned—he hadn't even quite understood the long and tedious verdict.

Boom!
"Court adjourned!" Yuan Keli threw down the gavel and stood up.

Wow!
The order to adjourn the court immediately caused an uproar. Those who genuinely cried out for justice all began to clamor, and the onlookers joined in the jeering. The soldiers, however, paid no heed to any of this; having received an order, they simply obeyed.

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Fifteen minutes later, Yuan Keli, Li Huaizhong, Lu Wenzhao, and Liu Yingyuan gathered in the back tea room.

After everyone had finished their introductions, Yuan Keli couldn't wait to ask, "Lieutenant General Li, now that you've come to Anzhou, General Li must have already entered Pyongyang."

"Thank you for your concern, our army entered Pyongyang just the day before yesterday." Li Huaizhong nodded with a smile. "Pak Yeop, the governor of Pyongan Province, Lee Sang-heng, the governor of Hwanghae Province, and the main officials of the two provinces are all under the supervision of our army." Li Huaizhong originally wanted to say "under control," but after pausing, he changed it to "under supervision."

Yuan Keli nodded. "Huanghai Road was also taken into control?" He seemed unconcerned.

“Uh,” Li Huaizhong chuckled awkwardly. “Our army encountered a storm at sea. In order to protect the ships, we had to sail against the wind, which caused our army to deviate slightly from the course.”

"Encountered a storm?" Yuan Keli's expression immediately turned serious. "Were the losses significant?"

“There was no damage,” Li Huaizhong quickly replied. “None of the ships capsized. I only heard that a few soldiers fell overboard because of the rough seas. We left two warships specifically to salvage them, so they shouldn’t all be dead.”

That made sense, but Yuan Keli still frowned as he listened. "So, where did you finally land from?"

“A place called Wengjin,” Li Huaizhong said.

“Ongjin.” Yuan Keli had no recollection of the place name. “Is it in Hwanghae Province?”

“That’s right.” Li Huaizhong nodded. “The locals say that the terrain there is almost like the character ‘凹’ (concave), like a barbican, so it’s called Wengjin. Wengjin is very close to Haizhou, less than eighty li away.” Huanghaidao gets its name from Huangzhou and Haizhou, with Haizhou being the capital of Huanghaidao.

"So you took control of Haizhou first, and then went north to Pyongyang?" Yuan Keli asked.

"No, we split up." Li Huaizhong shook his head and said, "After we landed and determined our location, we and Deputy General Yang split into two groups and headed south and north respectively."

"Is Vice General Yang currently in Haizhou?"

Li Huaizhong shook his head again. "Deputy General Yang said in the latest military report that he has entered Kaesong and is preparing to send someone to Changtuan."

"Vice General Yang has even taken control of Kaesong!?" Yuan Keli was genuinely surprised. The original plan was for Li Rubai's force to first control Pyongyang, then join forces with him before heading south to Hwanghae Province. Unexpectedly, Li Rubai's force had not only taken control of the Hwanghae Province governor's office, but had even stormed into Gyeonggi Province and captured Kaesong.

"Yes." Li Huaizhong nodded heavily.

"What about the garrison commander of Gaeseong?" Yuan Keli asked again. "Has Vice General Yang found the garrison commander of Gaeseong?" Gaeseong was the former capital of the Goryeo Dynasty, and the early Joseon Dynasty also established its capital there. Due to these historical reasons, Gaeseong belonged to Gyeonggi Province, but it was also a relatively independent special administrative region directly under the central government. Its administrative structure differed from that of ordinary prefectures and counties. The most obvious difference was that the highest-ranking official stationed in the city was not called a prefect or governor, but rather the garrison commander of Gaeseong.

“No one was left to guard the city,” Li Huaizhong said.

"No one is left behind? Is there a vacancy to be filled?" Yuan Keli looked at Liu Yingyuan.

“I think so.” Li Huaizhong thought Yuan Keli was asking him. “In the letter sent by Deputy General Yang, he said that they only found the judge of Kaesong, but not the garrison commander. As for why there was no garrison commander, Deputy General Yang did not explain in detail.”

“When we passed through Kaesong, Yoon Hwon was still in office,” Liu Yingyuan then said. “He was Prime Minister Jeong’s personal confidant and may have been implicated.”

In fact, the Ming army's actions were timed precisely at a crucial juncture. In the 47th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, the king, needing to defend himself against accusations, recalled Li Tinggui, the then-governor of Gaeseong, and replaced him with Yin Xuan. However, just as Liu Yingyuan had guessed, Yin Xuan was Zheng Renhong's personal confidant; if Zheng Renhong's position was unstable, Yin Xuan's would also be precarious. Not long ago, Yin Xuan was impeached and removed from office, leaving the position of Gaeseong's governor temporarily vacant. Just before Li Rubai led his troops into Hwanghae Province, Li Gui was still trying to secure the vacant position of Gaeseong's governor. If this succeeded, he could coordinate with Li Shu and mobilize more resources to prepare for a coup.

"Now that Vice General Yang has entered Gyeonggi Province, has he made contact with Admiral Shen?" Yuan Keli nodded to Liu Yingyuan and then asked Li Huaizhong.

“I don’t know,” Li Huaizhong said. “At least in the letter I recently saw, Deputy General Yang did not mention that he had any contact with the Hanyang First Route Army.”

“That’s true.” Yuan Keli nodded, then asked, “Was your capture of Pyongyang smooth?”

(End of this chapter)