Mingdu Fuzheng
Qiu Qingye, Wang Chunsheng, Erhei, the pharmacist and servants present at the clinic, as well as the steward of the Liu family and the servants who came to cause trouble, were all taken to Mingdu Prefecture.
The weather has been muggy and sweltering these past few days, with the sky remaining overcast, perhaps brewing a downpour. Under the dim light, the buildings should have appeared dim as well. Yet, the plaque of Mingdu Prefecture looked excessively clean.
Not only the plaques, but the entire government office has been completely renovated.
All of this is thanks to the recent transformation that Mingdu Prefecture has just undergone.
The former Mingdu Prefecture was called "Mingzhou Prefecture." Within the imperial city, a place where powerful and wealthy people gathered, even under the emperor's nose, all sorts of strange and sordid things were no less numerous than outside the city. The previous prefect of Mingzhou Prefecture was openly corrupt but secretly corrupt, with bribery and collusion between officials and merchants running rampant. Like a reef beneath the tide, it did not show its face but grew secretly until it was deeply rooted, waiting for the tide to rise and reveal its true nature.
Yet, this long-standing and complex situation was resolved almost overnight. Those who were guilty were either executed or imprisoned, and the Mingdu Prefecture was now a completely different place.
"...I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince personally investigated and interrogated him," Wang Chunsheng whispered in Lin Yi's ear.
Lin Yi did have some recollection of this matter, but the book didn't elaborate much on it, only mentioning that the Crown Prince, after becoming heir apparent, acted decisively, initiated major reforms, and changed course by dismissing many local officials with notorious records. It turned out that Mingzhou was among them.
Seeing that she remained silent, Wang Chunsheng assumed she was afraid, so he continued in a lower voice, "The new prefect of Mingdu Prefecture is named Yue something-or-other. I've heard he's fairly fair."
Lin Yi didn't recognize the name "Yue something-zhang," but it wasn't hard to tell that Wang Chunsheng's unusually long-winded conversation with her was actually to reassure her. So she forced a smile, indicating that he didn't need to worry.
In the courtroom, directly opposite the main gate, there was a chair. No one was seated; for some reason, the newly appointed prefect had not yet taken his seat, and only a clerk stood beside him.
Normally, ordinary people are expected to kneel when they enter the courtroom. The head guard who went to arrest the people used the hilt of his sword to stab them down one by one. But when it came to Qiu Qingye, he encountered a problem.
—The direct relative of a third-rank official, and also the principal wife of a young marquis, should she be allowed to kneel or not?
However, he didn't hesitate for long. Rumors were circulating that His Majesty the Emperor was showing signs of abdicating, and that affairs of state were gradually being handed over to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, in particular, abhorred favoritism and corruption. After taking charge of state affairs, he appointed people based solely on ability, not family background, and was extremely averse to letting personal matters interfere with public duty. It was precisely because of this that, despite his humble origins, he had managed to rise to his current position.
Because of the difference between men and women, and because she was a pampered young lady, the head of the guards did not treat her as simply and brutally as he had treated the previous rough men. He merely placed the scabbard of his sword on Qiu Qingye's shoulder and exerted a little force.
...?
The petite young lady, shorter than him, was secretly gathering her strength to fight back.
This realization surprised him.
Continuing to exert force could injure someone, but ignoring it would be unreasonable. This was his first case since taking office, and in his early career as a guard, he had no relevant experience, leaving him truly at a loss.
Fortunately, the young lady did not resist for long. She only glanced up, then straightened her clothes and knelt down.
The head guard followed her gaze and looked up, only to see a plaque hanging high in the hall, with four large characters written by His Majesty the Emperor: "Officials Honest and Lawful".
For a fleeting moment, his mind seemed to clear, and he wanted to think about it but was truly puzzled.
Just then, the Prefect stepped out from behind the hall, so he clasped his hands in greeting and then stepped aside to wait.
For Lin Yi, this was not the first time she had performed a kneeling ceremony since she came into this world.
The first time was when she married Xie Chengnan. But at that time, she was a newcomer, and the surprise and astonishment of the unfamiliar situation occupied her entire mind, so she couldn't care less about feeling awkward. Now she has gradually begun to get used to life in this different era and world, but she still finds it difficult to get used to these feudal customs.
She told herself that this was how the world was, with hierarchy and rank ingrained in people's bones. Kneeling before the emperor and his officials, or before the powerful and wealthy, was commonplace.
But when that moment actually arrived, she still resisted. After all, for the past twenty-four years, she had learned the value of freedom and practiced equality for all.
But surprisingly, after that moment of resistance, she didn't try to persuade herself. Just looking at those four words, she felt that kneeling down wouldn't be a big deal.
She was not kneeling before the person in the hall, nor before that person's official rank or status, but before the principles and laws of this world.
Lin Yi thought so.
The man, dressed in a crimson official robe, walked slowly toward the desk and chair, appearing calm and composed beyond his years.
His appearance was handsome; he was more like a scholar described in a book than an official, yet he did not appear poor or shabby.
However, his face was abnormally pale, and he had coughed twice in the short distance of just a few steps.
Seeing how practiced he was in making a fist and putting it to his lips, Lin Yi couldn't help but wonder—was the new prefectural governor a sickly man?
Lin Yi searched his memory but couldn't recall any such character in the book.
However, this is not surprising—in the original story, Qiu Qing only focused on the Crown Prince and never opened a clinic to practice medicine, so he would not encounter medical disputes or confront people in court.
The sickly man settled gracefully into the chair at the desk, took a sip of tea, and temporarily suppressed his cough. He casually raised a hand to stop the clerk from announcing, as was customary, in a drawn-out voice, "The Prefect has arrived—"
"I am Yue Mingzhang, the newly appointed Prefect of Mingdu Prefecture this morning." He introduced himself briefly before getting straight to the point, "I just received a report alleging that the Xinglin Medical Clinic plotted to harm the Third Madam of the Liu family and her unborn child." His eyes still held the physiological moisture from coughing, but his gaze was steady yet sharp. He looked at the Liu family's steward, "You filed the report?"
From the moment Yue Mingzhang appeared, Steward Liu's eyes were fixed on him, waiting for him to ask questions and explain his situation. Once he was asked, the old steward naturally poured out the whole story, embellishing it as he went.
Yue Mingzhang frowned and pondered for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the young woman who was being accused of being a suspect slowly straighten up.
Butler Liu stared at Qiu Qingye in shock, "You—"
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Qiu Qing calmly rubbed her knees. If you ignored the momentary stumble she made when she stood up, her movements could be described as elegant.
In this solemn and imposing place of the government office, her light blue gauze dress seemed particularly out of place, as if she were a fairy who had mistakenly wandered into a forbidden area.
The head of the guards was so engrossed in watching that he forgot to immediately push her back to her original position.
Lin Yi pounded her aching knees and numb calves and ankles, sighing for the umpteenth time at the weakness of her body. After catching her breath, she acted as if nothing had happened and bowed gracefully, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Excellency."
Yue Mingzhang remained silent, but the clerk beside him, observing his impassive expression, reprimanded him, "How dare you! Did the master tell you to get up?"
"The magistrate did not say that I could not get up. We are just suspects. Once the magistrate finds out the truth, he will clear our names. Besides, I remember there is a clause in the Da'an Law that states: When the people petition, officials should not order them to kneel; if there is a request, they should be discussed in accordance with etiquette, with mutual respect and impartiality."
Lin Yi studied forensic medicine during her postgraduate studies. Law and medicine are both essential, so Lin Yi always pays extra attention to anything related to law. The reason she remembers this sentence so clearly is because the female protagonist used it to rebuke someone in the original book, and it was Qiu Qingye who did it.
In the original book, Qiu Qing also fell in love with the Crown Prince and constantly clung to his side. Gu Shu'an, however, always avoided her like the plague, with only one exception. At that time, the Crown Prince and Zhan Xian were having a cold war, and Gu Shu'an had just had a bad argument in court over the case of the Zhan family's overturning of the verdict. Feeling annoyed, he ignored Qiu Qing's persistent entanglement behind him.
Just then, Zhan Xian came to see him, wanting to talk about the old affairs of the Zhan family, and Gu Shu'an's face turned cold. Qiu Qing also saw his cold attitude towards Zhan Xian, and thinking that she had a chance to rise in rank, she smugly seized on the fact that Zhan Xian did not bow to the Crown Prince, wanting to make a big fuss about it. Zhan Xian then retorted with that law.
That was the only law in the Da'an Code that could be considered a law of equality between the people and officials. Lin Yi then memorized it.
...
"You want to file a complaint?" Yue Mingzhang asked.
“Exactly.” Lin Yi met his gaze calmly yet resolutely, speaking clearly, “What I wish to complain about is this: This morning, Xinglin Clinic operated as usual, without any impropriety. However, servants from the Liu family came to cause trouble, falsely accusing me of the death of their mistress. None of the people in Xinglin Clinic have any dealings or grudges with the Liu family. The only coincidence is that Madam Liu the Third was treated at my clinic yesterday. To conclude that my clinic caused someone's death based on this is truly an injustice. Furthermore, the clinic has been experiencing many setbacks recently, and I suspect that someone is maliciously framing me. I implore you, sir, to investigate!”
The steward of the Liu family pointed at her and gasped, "You...you...you're turning the tables on me, you're making false accusations!"
Lin Yi ignored him and looked at Yue Mingzhang, repeating, "Please investigate, Your Excellency."
“Since this is a petition, there is no need to kneel. However, given the case, the suspicion against you has not been cleared. As a suspect, you should be tried in court,” Yue Mingzhang said.
"The magistrate himself said that he is a suspect. Since it is only a suspicion, he cannot be considered guilty. Is there any law in Da'an that requires an innocent person to kneel and listen to the trial?"
Yue Mingzhang's eyebrows were lowered slightly, as if he was thinking hard, or as if he was brewing a storm. Just when everyone thought that the newly appointed prefect was finally unable to tolerate someone challenging his authority and was about to make trouble, he smiled very lightly, "Indeed not." After saying that, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "You are right. Guards, prepare a seat for her."
...
To be honest, before Lin Yi spoke, he felt like he was courting death.
As a suspect, she should listen attentively to the interrogation and answer whatever questions were asked. She stood up just now partly because her knees were in unbearable pain from kneeling for so long, and partly to attract Yue Mingzhang's attention.
During her graduate studies, she read many cases and also attended several court hearings.
According to standard procedure, the plaintiff needs to provide sufficient evidence to prove that their claimed rights and demands are reasonable. If the evidence is insufficient, the case is very likely to be dismissed. Modern society advocates that whoever asserts must prove. But in ancient times, in this world of unknown era, Lin Yi never dared to dream of receiving the same humane treatment as in modern society. Here, the plaintiff and the defendant were destined to be unequal; without evidence to prove their innocence, they could be hastily convicted.
She was completely passive in this sudden disaster.
Although Butler Liu's plea was exaggerated and merely a victim's suspicion, Lin Yi had no solid evidence to refute it. Therefore, she tried to put herself in the same position as the plaintiff.
In any case, we cannot lose in terms of momentum.
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