There Were Many People Outside Just Now

Li Nuo slept soundly.

Not only did he sleep soundly, but after waking up, he smelled fragrant all over himself.

A maid entered with toiletries. Li Nuo glanced out the window and saw that the sky was already bright. He casually asked, "What time is it?"

A chubby little maid replied, "Reporting to Young Master, it just passed Si Shi."

Si Shi is between nine and eleven in the morning. Li Nuo couldn't remember what time he fell asleep last night, but it was definitely before nine PM. He had slept for more than twelve hours.

He thought back carefully. He seemed to have fallen asleep while eating last night. He didn't even know how he got back to his room and into bed.

No matter how hard Li Nuo tried to recall, he couldn't find any relevant memories.

If he couldn't remember, he wouldn't bother. Having not eaten for over twelve hours, his stomach rumbled. Because he woke up late, he was, of course, eating breakfast alone again. His wife was nowhere to be seen either. Li Nuo was already used to her elusive nature.

After quickly finishing breakfast, Li Nuo, accompanied by Steward Wu, headed straight for the Chang'an County Office.

In the carriage, Steward Wu was driving and sighing.

Li Nuo lifted the carriage curtain and asked, "What's wrong?"

Steward Wu sighed lightly and asked, "Young Master, can we not practice Legalism and avoid hearing cases?"

Li Nuo glanced at him. If they didn't practice Legalism, wouldn't they be waiting to die?

Relying on others was not as good as relying on oneself. His father had so many enemies. If he didn't strive to become stronger, he might be implicated one day.

Moreover, if he didn't hear cases, he would die of his own accord before his father's enemies even made a move.

He said matter-of-factly, "My father is the Minister of Justice. Isn't it normal for me to practice Legalism? Don't you think helping the common people and punishing evil and promoting good is a very meaningful thing..."

"Sigh..."

Steward Wu said nothing more, only letting out a long sigh.

A moment later, Li Nuo arrived at the Chang'an County Office. As soon as he got out of the carriage, his expression couldn't help but freeze.

A long queue stretched from the entrance of the Court Hall all the way to the street. The entire county office was as noisy as a marketplace.

Li Nuo soon realized that he had been a bit too optimistic.

Too much of a good thing could be bad.

Yesterday, there were no cases to hear. Today, there were too many to handle.

He had only been handling minor cases and disputes daily. Although there were many cases today, they were even more trivial. Even ordinary quarrels between neighbors were brought to the county office for judgment.

This was a bit of a drain on public resources.

The County Magistrate had many responsibilities, and hearing cases was only one of them. If even these trivial matters had to be handled personally by the County Magistrate, even Pei Zhe, with his ability to be in two places at once, wouldn't be able to cope.

Therefore, screening cases beforehand was very necessary.

Upon seeing this scene, Pei Zhe summoned all the constables and runners of the county office. He guided the citizens queuing outside the Court Hall to the area outside the county office. On the wide street, he designated a space and made different arrangements based on the cases the citizens presented.

For the more important cases, they were led to the outside of the Court Hall to wait in line to be heard.

Most of the minor disputes, which didn't require a formal hearing, were handled by the clerks of the yamen for mediation on the spot outside the court.

In just a quarter of an hour, the chaotic county office became orderly.

Li Nuo couldn't help but marvel. No wonder he was just a minor judge, and there was an assistant before him, while this man could be the County Magistrate of the capital county. He still had much to learn from Lord Pei.

In the Court Hall, Pei Zhe said to Li Nuo, "Young Master, I have to go out of the city today to visit villages and offer condolences to the widowed and orphaned. I'll have to trouble you with the Chang'an County Office."

Li Nuo asked Pei Zhe, "Does the Chang'an County Office not have an Assistant Magistrate or a County Lieutenant? Why haven't I seen them these past few days?"

The Chang'an County Office was the most important county office in Great Xia. Logically, it should have an Assistant Magistrate and a County Lieutenant to assist the County Magistrate. For matters like comforting the widowed and orphaned, the Assistant Magistrate could represent him, and the County Magistrate wouldn't usually need to be involved in everything personally.

Pei Zhe sighed.

The Chang'an County Office certainly had an Assistant Magistrate and a County Lieutenant. However, before he arrived, the two had formed an alliance and had never taken him, the County Magistrate, seriously. They had recently taken leave together, refusing to help him share the administrative duties, intending to give him a hard time.

Although these two had lower ranks than him, they had considerable backing. With them joining forces, he, the County Magistrate, was helpless.

Pei Zhe walked out of the Court Hall, and a figure happened to walk into the county office from outside.

Assistant Magistrate Zhang saw Pei Zhe, and a smile appeared on his plump face. He walked over slowly and said, "It's been a few days, Lord Pei. You look a bit haggard. Even if you're busy with official duties, you should take care of your health..."

This sentence, while seemingly concerned, was actually sarcastic.

As his subordinate officials, he and Lieutenant Wang did not help him share the administrative duties. All matters of the county office had to be handled by him alone. How could he not be haggard?

He had already investigated this new County Magistrate. This person had no background. The reason he became the County Magistrate of Chang'an was that the previous County Magistrate was killed by Li Xuanjing. The position of County Magistrate of Chang'an was very important. All factions in the court were vying for it, arguing endlessly, and neither side would yield. In the end, it fell to the person surnamed Pei.

Assistant Magistrate Zhang himself had originally hoped to be promoted to the position of County Magistrate. Pei Zhe's sudden appointment shattered his dream of becoming County Magistrate.

Naturally, he harbored resentment towards this fellow who had taken his place.

Pei Zhe naturally heard the sarcasm in his words. He glanced lightly at Assistant Magistrate Zhang and said, "Thank you for your concern, Lord Zhang."

Just as Assistant Magistrate Zhang was about to say something, he suddenly heard the sound of a Court Rapper from inside the Court Hall. After a slight pause, his face showed confusion, and his brows furrowed. He asked, "Who is hearing cases in the Court Hall?"

In the Chang'an County Office, only three people had the authority to hold court and adjudicate cases: the County Magistrate, the Assistant Magistrate, and the County Lieutenant. Among them, he and Lieutenant Wang needed County Magistrate Pei Zhe's approval to hear cases.

He had seen Lieutenant Wang just before coming to the yamen, and Pei Zhe was standing right here. So, who was hearing cases in the Court Hall?

The Assistant Magistrate Zhang walked to the outside of the Court Hall and peeked in. He saw a young man sitting in the main seat. However, his eyesight wasn't good, so he couldn't see the young man's face clearly. He had met Pei Zhe's son before, and judging by his build, the person presiding over the case in the Court Hall should be Pei Zhe's son who was studying at the academy.

Good, he thought. I was just looking for a handle against the Pei family, and he's delivered himself right to my doorstep.

His son is just a scholar, without any official position. What right does he have to sit in the Court Hall and adjudicate cases?

Assistant Magistrate Zhang immediately let out a cold snort. In front of the common folk and runners in the courtyard, he berated, "Lord Pei, I've only been away from the County Office for a few days, and you've already turned it into a den of iniquity! This solemn and dignified office, you've turned it into a marketplace, what kind of order is this? Not only that, but you've also violated the court's laws and statutes by allowing someone without official position to overstep and preside over cases. Do you think this is still the poor, remote village you came from? Do you have any regard for the law, for the court? I will definitely impeach you..."

Pei Zhe merely glanced at him and said nothing. He turned and walked towards the back of the office.

Assistant Magistrate Zhang puffed out his chest, the smile on his lips almost impossible to suppress.

Pei Zhe, Pei Zhe, you're truly foolish. This is Chang'an, the capital. Do you still think this is your small town's county office, where you, as a county magistrate, can cover the sky with one hand and do whatever you please?

Just as he was about to return to his office to write a memorial impeaching Pei Zhe, the hushed whispers of several runners reached his ears.

"Did you hear? The Official of the Ministry of Personnel has resigned!"

"Lord Pei is truly amazing. He's only been here for a month, and he's already brought down the Official of the Ministry of Personnel. I still remember how the previous county magistrate used to bow and scrape before the Official of the Ministry of Personnel, like a dog..."

"Heh, what's the Official of the Ministry of Personnel compared to Lord Pei? Behind Lord Pei stands the Minister of Justice!"

"Ah, who did you hear that from?"

"Don't you know? The young master presiding over cases at the county office these past few days is the son of the Minister of Justice, Lord Li Xuanjing! Everyone knows the friendship between Young Master Li and Lord Pei. Young Master Li even eats lunch at Lord Pei's house..."

"I heard they even went to a brothel together. Tsk, what kind of friendship is that..."

Assistant Magistrate Zhang's body trembled, and he had to lean against the wall to stay standing.

The sun beat down fiercely from above, but at this moment, it felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over his head, chilling him from head to toe.

Li Xuanjing, the Minister of Justice, Li Xuanjing!

The Pei family had actually latched onto such a powerful figure!

Assistant Magistrate Zhang wouldn't forget how the former Magistrate of Chang'an had died. The Minister of Justice could crush a fifth-rank official like an ant.

Pei Zhe was Li Xuanjing's man.

And Li Xuanjing not only held the position of Minister of Justice, but he also controlled the Mingjing Division, Great Xia's largest intelligence agency.

He feared that as soon as his memorial impeaching Pei Zhe was submitted, he would die in the dungeons of the Court of Judicial Review the very next day.

Thinking of this, sweat poured down his face like rain. He turned and sprinted towards the back of the County Office.

The back of the County Office, a certain room.

Pei Zhe was changing his clothes, preparing to go out and offer condolences to the county's widows and orphans, when a figure stumbled in from outside.

Hearing the door close, Pei Zhe thought it was his wife and turned around, only to find Assistant Magistrate Zhang.

Pei Zhe frowned and asked, "Zhang, what do you want?"

Plop!

Assistant Magistrate Zhang's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground. Clasping Pei Zhe's leg, he said with a snotty, tearful voice, "Lord Pei, there were too many people outside just now. It was my fault. I kneel before you. From now on, whatever you want me to do, I will do. Please be magnanimous and overlook my mistake this once!"