Chapter 111 Making Du Min Disappear for Two Days...
Du Min took off his official robes and put on Du Li's linen clothes. He then led two yamen runners to Heyang Bridge.
"You two stay here and keep watch. After two hours, find a chance to leave quietly without attracting attention." After giving the instructions, Du Min crossed the bridge alone and sat down on a stone pier about ten feet away from the bridge.
After an incense stick had burned, Magistrate Zhao, accompanied by his servants, also dressed in linen clothes, appeared at the south end of Heyang Bridge. He looked around and then sat down next to a group of porters waiting for work.
At the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the first funeral procession crossed the bridge, and porters swarmed up to ask for work.
“We still need three more porters. You two over there, come here.” The steward, who was wearing mourning clothes, beckoned.
Magistrate Zhao's servant waved his hand.
“Brother Zhao.” Du Min walked over. “I thought I had mistaken you for someone else.”
When Magistrate Zhao saw him, he subconsciously gritted his teeth, looking as if he had suffered a great deal of bitterness and resentment.
Du Min laughed, “Brother Zhao, come with me, this place is too conspicuous.”
“I’m not as approachable as Brother Du. Not many people recognize my face,” Magistrate Zhao said sarcastically. He stood up and complained, “Du Min, you’ve really ruined my life.”
Du Min felt a little guilty, so he chuckled twice and didn't refute.
The three men sat down on the stone pier chosen by Du Min, looking down at the people crossing the bridge below.
Another funeral procession crossed the bridge, carrying only a coffin, two pairs of wreaths, and two black lacquered paper oxen, one large and one small. As soon as the procession crossed the bridge, a man who looked like the person in charge immediately hurried forward to greet them.
“This is a man from our county. The man in the coffin was only thirty-four years old. He died suddenly from an illness. He was a small wealthy man, and his eldest son was only fifteen years old.” Du Min recognized the man; he had come to pay his respects four days ago.
"Magistrate Du, how does it feel to be deceived by the people of your county in collusion?" Magistrate Zhao asked maliciously.
Du Min was not angry; he knew the people around him would be even angrier. He tore off the frayed edge of his sleeve and said, "You've gone to such lengths to deceive me; you've certainly put in the effort."
Magistrate Zhao: "..."
I haven't seen such a shameless person in years.
"Follow him and keep watch for Lord Du." Magistrate Zhao dismissed the servant, then turned to ask, "What do you plan to do?"
"This is Lord Zhao's territory, what can I do?" Du Min asked calmly. "Lord Zhao, what have you thought about my previous suggestion?"
Magistrate Zhao was in a state of deep worry. Du Min was new to the county, and the people of Heqing had no leverage over him, so he could do as he pleased without fear of retaliation. But he couldn't do that; he didn't have Du Min's strong backing. However, if left unchecked, the funeral industry would dominate Heyin County's commerce, the trend of extravagant burials would intensify, turning it into a haven for those seeking funerals, and ultimately, he would be dragged down by the imperial court, with the very person sitting next to him likely to be the one wielding the knife.
“Magistrate Du, you have to help me. If you don’t, this mess in Heyin County will most likely fall on your shoulders,” said Magistrate Zhao.
“If you send your yamen runners to guard the foot of Beiman Mountain, everything will be resolved,” Du Min said.
“It’s not that easy,” Magistrate Zhao said with a wry smile. “Heyin County is directly connected to Luoyang. Do you know how many funeral processions come from Luoyang? And how many of them are powerful families? The powerful families and collateral branches on your side are no match for me. Do you think I would dare to stop them? If I do, I’ll have to resign next month.”
"Stop those you can, and let those you can't stop pass through." Du Min had no choice. "Stop everyone coming from my side, arrest them and hand them over to me. Arrest a bunch of henchmen from other places as well. In the eyes of the higher-ups, at least you've taken action."
Magistrate Zhao sighed, "That's all we can do. Lord Du, if this situation happened to you, what would you do?"
"We can stop them if we can, but we can't risk our lives." Du Min shrugged.
Magistrate Zhao glanced at him but said nothing more.
Du Min sat for a while longer, and seeing that Magistrate Zhao still hadn't taken any action, he urged anxiously, "Lord Zhao, why aren't you giving the order? Stop the two funeral processions crossing the bridge today!"
"You're arresting a fifteen-year-old?" Magistrate Zhao stood up. "Let's wait a couple of days, I'll think about it some more."
Du Min tapped his fingers anxiously. After thinking for a moment, he got up and left the riverbank, heading towards Beiman Mountain.
Although he wasn't wearing official robes, his good complexion couldn't be concealed by his coarse linen clothes. Coupled with his constant glancing around, he stood out conspicuously among the crowd dressed in mourning. Those who recognized him hunched over like quails, their hearts pounding with fear, terrified of being stopped.
Du Min swaggered into the school, picked up a stool, crossed his legs, and sat by the roadside for most of the day.
"What is this?" A funeral procession from out of town was drawn to the brass paper ox standing outside the school. A middle-aged man wearing a mourning cap walked around the paper ox and said to the person beside him, "Doesn't this look like the black ox we saw in the city?"
“This is a type of funerary object, a paper-made funerary object. This particular funerary object is called a brass paper ox, which is moisture-proof and waterproof. The black ox you saw in the city should be a black lacquered paper ox, which is not waterproof.” Du Min stood up and explained, “This kind of paper-made offering once appeared in the Fengshan ceremony of the emperor. Have you heard of the paper-made Buddhist verses used in the Fengshan ceremony? There are also Buddhist verses and sacrificial animals in the charity school. This charity school belongs to the Ministry of Rites, and its full name is Qingniao Paper-Made Charity School. You can find out about it.”
Upon hearing this, the two immediately went into the free school behind the building.
After a stick of incense had burned, the school sold a pair of brass paper horses, and the paper horse shop in early spring sold six guards holding halberds and two colorful saddles.
The next funeral procession saw this and also entered the school. This was a wealthy salt merchant who bought all the paper effigies of the school and the paper horse shop that had been completed. If Meng Qing hadn't insisted, he would have bought the paper sacrificial animals standing by the roadside as well.
"Third brother, are you going back?" Meng Qing asked. "If you are going back, please pass on a message for me: if there are any extra paper effigies at the school, have Dong Xiaocui hire someone to carry them over for me."
“Okay, I’ll go back.” Du Min was worried that Heqing County might have something to ask him. “Second sister-in-law, can you arrange for someone to keep watch outside and count how many funeral processions go by each day?”
Meng Qing nodded.
Du Min walked back, and by the time he reached the county government office it was already afternoon. While he was eating, Gu Wudong came over with a letter and said, "Sir, Wuxia and my father passed through Luoyang five days ago, and we estimate they will arrive in Chang'an in about half a month."
Du Min wiped his mouth, took the letter and read it from beginning to end. The letter stated that Gu's father had approached Chen Mingzhang on the first day of the Lunar New Year, asking him to help change Gu Wuxia's household registration so that Gu Wuxia could go to Runzhou to participate in the prefectural examination.
He chuckled, "Your dad is quite interesting."
Gu Wudong didn't know whether these words were a compliment or an insult. He said, "When Lord Chen couldn't do this, my father threatened him with the fact that he was supposed to be attending a banquet during his mourning period. The two of them had a big fight, and this matter is well-known in Renfengfang. My father and Wuxia went to the capital to sue Lord Chen this time, and no one else should be able to associate it with you."
Du Min nodded, tore up the letter, threw it into his teacup, and asked, "Have you been reviewing your lessons?"
Gu Wudong nodded.
“Every two weeks from now on, show me your homework. Write down anything you don’t understand, and you can show it to me all at once, or you can bring it to me when I’m free, and I’ll explain it to you,” Du Min said. He glanced at Gu Wudong and advised, “You’re twelve years older than me, so you might feel embarrassed to ask me for help. Whenever you have that thought, think of Gu Wuxia. Let him file the lawsuit after we get to Chang’an. A commoner suing an official is punished with forty strokes of the cane. Think about the punishment he suffered, and you’ll know what to do.”
Gu Wudong lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly. This was the reason why he wanted to hate Du Min but couldn't bring himself to do so.
"Yes." Gu Wudong turned around. "My lord, I'm going back."
"Don't rush off. If I asked you to measure the daily water level of the Yellow River, what would you do?" Du Min asked.
"Stick a bamboo pole into the river?"
“If the water flow at the bottom of the river changes, and if there is more silt at the place you are measuring, and the bamboo is stuck in it, wouldn’t the water level not have changed?” Du Min pressed.
Gu Wudong was so embarrassed that sweat beaded on his forehead, and he gripped the hem of his clothes tightly.
"Find a rope and hang a dry earthenware pot on it. Every day, choose two fixed times, one early morning and one late evening, to go to the middle of the Heyang Bridge and lower the pot into the current where it is strongest. Once the pot is wet, mark it on the rope," Du Min instructed. "Notify me when the water level rises to about half an arm's length."
"Yes." Gu Wudong wiped his sweat and ran off.
Looking out from behind the boat, he chuckled and said, "Lord Du, I'm going to work in the wheat field with your second brother. Do you want to come?"
"Aren't you going to class today?"
"No, Master Lu has asked for leave."
After thinking for a moment, Du Min went out to inspect the farmland again.
He was immediately dragged away by Du Li to harvest wheat, and when he returned in the evening, he couldn't even straighten his back.
"Third brother, here you go, the data you wanted." Meng Qing tossed a small piece of paper over. "After you left and before I came back, a total of nineteen funeral processions went into the mountains."
"Second Sister-in-law, if I were the magistrate of Heyin County and wanted to intercept a funeral procession at the foot of Beiman Mountain without risking my life, do you have any suggestions?" Du Min asked.
Meng Qing pondered for a moment and said, "I heard something today: it seems that the tomb of the father-in-law of the former prime minister, Li Yifu, has been robbed."
Du Min jumped up. He understood immediately. "I'll send a few tomb raiders up the mountain, or at worst, I'll act as a tomb raider myself and dig up graves. I don't believe those who bury their dead with such extravagance aren't afraid."
Meng Qing laughed loudly, "You're really shameless."
“Likewise,” Du Min laughed.
"I didn't say anything," Meng Qing said, clearing herself of suspicion.
“Fortunately, the third brother isn’t the magistrate of Heyin County.” Du Li stared at the uncle and sister-in-law, his expression complex. “The people of Heqing County should thank themselves for not forcing you two to take this step.”
Du Min savored his wicked idea, feeling both excited and regretful. "What a pity I'm not the magistrate of Heyin County. If I had occupied that hill, I would have definitely subdued them."
"Ugh! Despicable and shameless." Meng Qing spat at him.
"Aren't they afraid of retribution?" Du Li added.
“Officials and bandits,” Wang Zhou concluded.
"That's so accurate!" Meng Qing clapped his hands. "Son, how did you learn that word?"
“I heard it from Uncle Sun, and then I went to consult Master Lu,” Wang Zhou said.
Du Min rubbed his hands, saying, "You're so young and you're already learning bad habits."
“I learned it from you.” Wang Zhou stuck out his tongue.
"You drank bad water in your mother's womb," Du Min said, trying to shirk responsibility.
"And what about you?" Wang Zhou asked in return.
Du Min choked on his words.
Meng Qing and Du Li burst into laughter.
"I'm not playing with you guys anymore. The three of you ganged up on me." Du Min ran away.
Wang Zhou had been busy in the wheat field for half a day and was now sleepy. He threw himself into Du Li's arms and said, "Dad, I want to sleep."
Du Li picked him up and took him to take a bath.
After a night, the family members went about their own business.
*
Two days later, the yamen runners of Heyin County escorted five people across the river and handed them over to the yamen runners guarding the bridge. "These five people deceived you, Magistrate Du, in Heqing County by pretending to have a simple burial. After crossing the bridge, they bought a lot of burial goods in Heyin County. They were clearly merchants and wealthy people, but they were buried with the rank of a third-rank official."
The steward of Lu Zhenjiang's mansion was about to cross the bridge to go up the mountain to check the tomb when he heard this and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly asked what was going on.
People who bought paper funerary objects at the paper horse shop also rushed out to inquire after hearing the news.
"Following the example of Heqing County, Heyin County is also cracking down on the extravagant funeral practices. Our county's Magistrate Zhao is stationed at the foot of Beiman Mountain, and funeral processions that violate regulations are not allowed to enter the mountain," the yamen runner said loudly. "Our county magistrate has also invited your county's Magistrate Du to come along and see just how absurd the customs of your county are."
After receiving the letter, Du Min forcibly took the county school's doctors, teachers, and heads of prominent families with him to the funeral procession. He not only wanted to block the procession from Heqing County and other counties, but also ordered the teachers to strengthen their teachings.
Just as the magistrates of the two counties were vigorously cracking down on the practice of extravagant funerals, Lu Zhenjiang's father passed away.
"Brother, what about Father's funeral? How about we hold the funeral at night and go into the mountains before dawn?" Lu Zhenjiang's younger brother suggested.
"What? Did Father die dishonorably? He had to hold his funeral in secret? Aren't they afraid of being laughed at!" Lu Zhenjiang roared in fury. "Damn bastards, if no one disciplines them, they'll become even more arrogant."
“Cousin, what are you doing? Don’t do anything reckless. Our clan has thousands of members; we’re not meant to be buried with you,” Master Lu warned warily.
"What are you thinking? Would I kill him? Am I stupid?" Lu Zhenjiang said impatiently. "Go announce the death, set up the mourning hall, and invite monks to perform the rituals."
Master Lu glanced at him a few times, still uneasy, and then had no choice but to leave.
"Sir, what should we do with the burial goods that were placed in Heyin County?" the steward asked. "If I had known this would happen, I would have arranged for the servants to transport them up the mountain in batches a few days earlier."
"It's alright, I have an idea." Lu Zhen made up his mind; he would make Du Min disappear for two days.
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Author's note: See you tomorrow night at 8 PM.
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