Chapter 31 Open Case
The next morning, Li Nuo ate breakfast alone.
My wife sent Song Muer home last night and did not come back as usual. Li Nuo has long been used to this. His father went out early in the morning. Although today is a holiday, the Dali Temple is the highest judicial organ. All cases involving imprisonment or above in all counties and cities in the country must be reviewed by the Dali Temple. The officials of the Dali Temple are busier than those of other departments.
They have to work overtime even during holidays, and the father and son are surprisingly in harmony on this matter.
After breakfast, Butler Wu sent him to the Chang'an County Government.
On the way to the county government office, Li Nuo suddenly remembered something and asked, "Why didn't my father go to Old Madam Song's 60th birthday?"
He heard from Butler Wu that his father and his wife's father were close friends, which was why he and his wife were betrothed. Now the relationship between the two families is even closer. As close friends and in-laws, all the distant relatives of the Song family attended Old Madam Song's 60th birthday, and it seemed inappropriate for him not to be there.
That night, Li Nuo was curious about this matter.
Butler Wu coughed lightly, "Um, this..."
Of course he couldn't tell the young master. Just the master's name was enough to terrify countless officials in Chang'an. If he personally attended Old Madam Song's birthday party, it would not be a surprise but a shock to the Song family.
He laughed dryly and said, "It may be because the master is busy with official duties. Young Master also knows that the master is the Minister of Dali Temple and is in charge of the Mingjing Division that monitors all officials. He is in a high position and has a lot of official duties to deal with every day. Sometimes he really can't spare the time..."
Li Nuo didn't think much about it, and this kind of thing was understandable.
There are many cases in later generations where people cannot even see their parents for the last time because of work. He often sees it in the news and has become accustomed to it.
But in Daxia, this is not something to be praised.
The ancients attached great importance to filial piety. No matter how big the matter was, it was not as important as seeing one's parents to their final resting place. If an official violated this rule, his career would basically be over. Old Lady Song was not his grandmother, and his father's refusal to go was only against etiquette, and there would not be any serious consequences.
Thinking of another thing, he said, "That night, I didn't seem to see my mother-in-law either..."
On the night of the birthday banquet, among all of Old Madam Song’s children, only his father-in-law was alone. Li Nuo originally wanted to ask his wife, but after thinking about it, he felt that it was inappropriate. What if it touched upon some of her sad memories and she got angry and beat him up?
Butler Wu smiled and said, "Young Master, you don't know that more than ten years ago, Mr. Song and Madam Song parted ways, and after that, Madam Song left Chang'an..."
Li Nuo originally thought that his mother-in-law had passed away, but he didn't expect that the two had a breakdown in their relationship and divorced.
More than ten years ago..., my wife is only eighteen years old this year. Doesn't this mean that she, like myself, has hardly felt any maternal love during her growth?
No wonder my wife doesn't have any femininity...
But this cannot be blamed on her. She lacked maternal love since childhood, and her father-in-law seemed to be a traditional strict father who was not very good at getting along with his children... Thinking of this, Li Nuo couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.
Li Nuo's life experience was more tragic than hers, but he still had a very happy childhood.
Li Nuo chatted with Wu Guanjia all the way, mainly asking him about some of his own situations. In addition to the Song family's affairs, Li Nuo also learned from Wu Guanjia that the only people left in the old Li family were Li Nuo and his son. There were no relatives on his father's side, and it seemed that his mother's side had also been extinct...
Butler Wu said with some emotion, "After the wife passed away, the master did not remarry. The Li family will have to rely on the young master to expand the family in the future, but the young master and the young mistress are like this now, ah..."
He watched both the master and the young master grow up.
He had long considered himself a member of the Li family. The young master and the young mistress were husband and wife in name only, but not in reality. He saw it and was worried.
Li Nuo did not respond to Butler Wu's words.
Having a child requires an emotional basis, and he and his wife are not that familiar with each other yet...
Soon they arrived at the Chang'an County Government Office.
Although today is a day off, the bailiffs who stayed in the county government office to work overtime are all full of energy. They can earn half a month's salary for one day's work, which is enough for them to work without rest for a year.
But this is impossible. The county magistrate said that for such a good thing, everyone should take turns, and the next time, a new group of people will have to come. Everyone also expressed their support for Lord Pei's impartial arrangement, and for this reason they were willing to give half of the extra salary to Lord Pei.
As for those who were unwilling, Lord Pei considerately arranged for them to go home and rest.
Before noon, Li Nuo had finished handling all the cases.
There were still no major cases today, and the seven minor cases only added one day to his life.
After handling the last fight case, Li Nuo looked at the Chang'an County Magistrate again and asked, "Are these the only minor cases today?"
Pei Zhe was somewhat helpless and said, "The cases that have been piled up in the county government recently have all been tried by you. If no one reports a case, there should be no cases to try in the next few days."
Most people are afraid of the government.
Unless they have suffered a great injustice and have to seek help from the government, most people are unwilling to step into the gate of the county government.
Li Nuo frowned slightly. It would be fine if there was no case to try today, but there would be no case to try in the next few days. Every day he lived would be one day less. Wouldn't he just be waiting to die?
No, no, he had to do something.
After thinking for a moment, an idea popped into his mind.
A quarter of an hour later.
On the streets of Chang'an, people passing by the county government discovered something strange.
Two county officials carried out a long table from the yamen and placed it at the gate. On the table were writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone. A man who looked like a clerk sat upright behind the table.
Seeing this scene, many passers-by slowed down their pace, wondering what these officials were talking about.
Someone asked in confusion: "Isn't today a holiday? In the past, the gates of the government office were always closed on holidays. What happened today?"
As everyone was wondering, they saw a bailiff walking out of the county government office.
The yamen runner walked onto the street, and the crowd retreated. He cleared his throat and shouted, "Take a look, take a look. Don't miss it if you pass by. The county magistrate will make a public judgment today, and the county clerk will write the complaint for free. The time limit is one day. Don't miss this opportunity. If you miss it, you will never come back. Those who have grievances can seek justice, and those who have no grievances can show their support..."
The yamen runner shouted until his face turned red and his neck became thick, and the people around him were stunned.
Some people have lived their entire lives and this is the first time they have seen such a scene.
In their minds, the government should be a very serious place. How come it is like a brothel soliciting customers or a vegetable market hawking goods...
They even looked up at the plaque at the entrance of the county government office. Is this really the Chang'an County Government Office?
Outside the county government office, several detectives were shouting their wares enthusiastically.
Inside the county government office, Li Nuo stood behind the door, observing the situation outside.
When he first started working in his previous life, the court had organized an activity to reach the grassroots, setting up mobile courts in villages and towns. While popularizing the law, it was also able to help people solve legal problems, which won unanimous praise from local residents.
However, the people of Daxia do not seem to be that enthusiastic about this matter.
Could it be that under the emperor's feet, the seas are peaceful and the rivers are calm, the country is prosperous and the people are safe, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, with no grievances to be redressed?
Seeing this, Pei Zhe, the magistrate of Chang'an County who was standing beside Li Nuo, stretched out his hand to call over two yamen runners and said, "You two, go back and change into your regular clothes, and then..."
(End of this chapter)
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