The Brute

After receiving the documents, Sun Shaozong naturally went to report to his supervising superior—Liu Chongshan, the Judicial Assistant Magistrate.

Unlike the open and covert strife at Clerk Chen's office, Liu Chongshan behaved quite properly. He merely tossed Sun Shaozong a large pile of old unsolved cases, along with files from before the New Year that had yet to be reviewed, then sent him off to the small courtyard reserved for the Judicial Assistant Magistrate.

That was only natural. After all, Liu Chongshan had just suffered a setback days ago and, forced by circumstances, had had to grit his teeth and sing Sun Shaozong's praises. With those words of praise still ringing in everyone's ears, it would hardly do for him to turn hostile immediately, would it?

Besides, though Liu Chongshan was Sun Shaozong's superior, Sun Shaozong, as a Judicial Assistant Magistrate, was also his deputy and inherently served to check Liu Chongshan's power. If Liu Chongshan went too far, Sun Shaozong could even impeach him directly before the imperial court.

Thus, at least on the surface, Liu Chongshan did not dare press him too hard.

At this point, it seemed necessary to explain the rough division of duties within Shuntian Prefecture:

When Sun Shaozong had watched period dramas in the past, it seemed as though the Prefect personally handled everything. Only Shuntian Prefecture had a third-rank Prefect, while elsewhere, fourth-rank Prefects handled affairs—but if that were truly the case, the Prefect would probably have worked himself to death eight hundred times over!

In truth, the third-rank Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was akin to a city party secretary. Though nominally in overall command and able to intervene in any matter, he rarely handled specific trifles.

The fourth-rank Prefectural Assistant was akin to a mayor. He too focused on major matters while leaving minor ones alone, though he handled somewhat more day-to-day affairs than the Prefect.

A fifth-rank Judicial Assistant Magistrate could be compared to both a political-legal secretary and a chief judge, with the authority to hold court, pronounce judgments, and investigate cases.

These three were collectively honored as the "hall officials" of the prefectural yamen—that was, officials qualified to hold court and hear cases. No matter how much authority the remaining officials and clerks possessed, none were qualified to hold court independently.

There were three sixth-rank Judicial Assistant Magistrates, responsible respectively for grain taxes and finances, salt, iron, and household registration, and criminal cases.

Sun Shaozong, as the Judicial Assistant Magistrate for criminal cases, held authority comparable to a police chief. He had no right to hold court or render judgments, and could only investigate cases independently or assist his superiors, then provide investigative findings and various supporting arguments.

Though he lacked the imposing authority of a hall official, the Judicial Assistant Magistrate for criminal cases possessed one privilege the hall officials did not: the right to review cases.

In other words, whether a major case had been judged by the Prefect, the Prefectural Assistant, or the Judicial Assistant Magistrate, it had to pass Sun Shaozong's review before it could be sent to the Ministry of Punishments for closure.

If Sun Shaozong objected to a judgment, he could demand that someone else retry the case—usually transferring it from the Judicial Assistant Magistrate to the Prefect or Prefectural Assistant. If he was still dissatisfied with the retrial's outcome, it could be submitted to the Ministry of Punishments for a ruling.

If the Ministry of Punishments ultimately ruled that the trial had been unjust, the Judicial Assistant Magistrate would be in serious trouble.

That was precisely why Liu Chongshan harbored some degree of wariness toward Sun Shaozong.

Below them were Clerks, Registrars, Administrative Officers, Instructors, Examiners, and other officials and clerks ranging from seventh rank down to unranked positions. They either managed particular daily affairs or assisted the three Judicial Assistant Magistrates in overseeing routine operations.

In short, while Sun Shaozong could not be called high-ranking within Shuntian Prefecture, there was no doubt that he wielded considerable power.

Enough idle talk.

When Sun Shaozong arrived at the small courtyard northwest of the Judicial Assistant Magistrate's compound, reserved exclusively for the Judicial Assistant Magistrate for criminal cases, a group of subordinate officials was already waiting to pay respects to their new superior.

Since the highest among them was merely a Recommended Man, none dared act presumptuously before Sun Shaozong—though whether they might trip him up behind his back was another matter entirely.

Among them was an old acquaintance: Horse-Face Constable Zhao Wuwei.

Zhao Wuwei commanded more than a dozen constables, along with over three hundred Temporary Workers—unregistered day laborers. By authority, he was at least equivalent to the captain of a criminal investigation unit, yet within Shuntian Prefecture he occupied the very bottom rung. Even among the several unranked petty clerks, he could not rank near the front, and could only stand awkwardly in the farthest corner.

After the dozen or so officials stepped forward one by one to state their names and offer greetings, Lin Delu, the eighth-rank Administrative Officer who led them, presented the Official Credential and seal of the former Judicial Assistant Magistrate. Since the former official had died suddenly of acute illness, there had been no formal handover.

Sun Shaozong carefully put away the Official Credential and seal, then delivered a few routine official remarks. Seeing only sparse responses below, he knew these bastards all had their own agendas and that few, if any, would align themselves with him. He simply announced that they were dismissed.

The officials immediately scattered like birds and beasts, Zhao Wuwei blending in with them as he left the courtyard.

Yet after circling around outside and making sure no one was watching, Zhao Wuwei silently returned. He hesitated in the courtyard for a long while before finally gritting his teeth and approaching the main hall's door.

"Reporting to you, my lord, this humble one..."

He had only just respectfully begun outside the door when Sun Shaozong's voice came from within. "Is that Zhao Head Constable? I've been waiting for you for quite some time. Come in and speak."

Zhao Wuwei froze at that. The main hall of the Judicial Assistant Magistrate had three rooms: a reception room, a study, and a bedroom. Sun Shaozong's voice had come from the study on the east side, where he should not have been able to see what was happening outside at all.

Could it be that the Judicial Assistant Magistrate could foresee the future?

Otherwise, how had he known Zhao Wuwei would return?

Though that was what he thought, Zhao Wuwei did not dare hesitate. He hurried into the study with his shoulders hunched, bowed at the waist, raised his face, and cautiously asked, "My lord, how did you know this humble one would come?"

As Sun Shaozong organized the official documents on his desk, he replied without looking up, smiling, "I had someone inquire about you. You were a confidant of the former Judicial Assistant Magistrate, and he had considerable friction with Judicial Assistant Magistrate Liu. I'm afraid Liu will not readily accept your allegiance now—otherwise, he would not have arranged for you to seek me out a few days ago."

At this point, he looked up at Zhao Wuwei's horse-like face and smiled again. "Besides, you were standing in the corner just now, twisting and turning like a monkey. If I still couldn't tell you had something on your mind, wouldn't that make me blind with my eyes wide open?"

As expected of Divine Detective Sun Judicial Assistant Magistrate!

Zhao Wuwei praised him inwardly. Then he saw that the documents on the desk had already been neatly sorted into categories in such a short time, with none of a novice's disorder. Sun Shaozong instead seemed like an old clerk accustomed to this sort of work, and Zhao Wuwei's confidence in him increased severalfold.

So he hurriedly dropped to his knees and knocked his forehead against the floor. "My lord truly has Discerning Eyes Like Torches! This humble one now has no one to rely on and has also offended Judicial Assistant Magistrate Liu. I can only seek shelter beneath your protection. So long as you are willing to look after me, this humble one will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Having finished, he knelt there anxiously awaiting the result. To his surprise, an arm as thick as a thigh suddenly reached out and yanked him from the ground into midair!

Zhao Wuwei was startled and tried to struggle, only to meet Sun Shaozong's hawk-like eyes. Half his body went limp with fright. How could he possibly struggle anymore?

Staring at his horse-like face, Sun Shaozong smiled amiably. "I don't care whether those words came from your heart or were merely falsehoods. Since you want to be a dog under my command, you'd best not harbor divided loyalties!"

"Judicial Assistant Magistrate Liu can at most strip you of your office. But if you dare betray me—tell me, with my abilities, if I climbed over your wall in the middle of the night and wiped out your entire family, young and old alike, could anyone discover the truth afterward?"

His smile was like a spring breeze brushing one's face, yet his words were like blades, icy and chilling enough to inspire terror!

Zhao Wuwei had often seen civil officials rage and berate others, but this was the first time he had encountered such a brutish, tyrannical superior who spoke casually of exterminating an entire family!

Fortunately, he had dealt often enough with notorious bandits and still possessed some courage. He hurriedly stammered, "M-My lord, please see clearly! This humble one would never, ever dare harbor disloyal thoughts!"

"Ha ha..."

Sun Shaozong laughed heartily, gently set him back on the ground, and patted his shoulder. "I was only joking. Don't take it so seriously—now tell me, what exactly did you come to report?"

Anyone who believed that had to be a complete fool!

But how could Zhao Wuwei dare pursue the matter? He hurriedly explained his purpose. "My lord, this humble one heard that the people in the yamen intend to embarrass you at the welcoming banquet!"

Thanks to reader "Dragon Sea Soul" for the reward.