Outside the yamen, an old woman gripped a rolling pin in both hands and struck the Grievance Drum with all the strength she could muster.
She wielded that battered rolling pin with such ferocious force that it seemed she meant to smash Mount Buzhou in half and make the rivers flow backward.
"Injustice..."
Her grizzled hair spread around her like a clump of wild grass. If this had not been Shanyin County, Su Che would have thought he had encountered that old ghost from Guobei County again.
"What are you doing? This is the Grievance Drum—you can't just beat it." The duty constable strode forward with his water-and-fire staff, shouting loudly.
"If it's the Grievance Drum, why can't I beat it?" The old woman held the rolling pin across her chest, standing as steady as a mountain and still as a deep pool, with the bearing of a grandmaster.
"I'm telling you, your grievance is nothing if you don't beat the drum. Beat it, and you'll be so wronged that snow will fall in the sixth month." The constable frowned, raised his hand, and knocked the rolling pin from the old woman's grip with his water-and-fire staff.
"Damn madwoman. Bringing pig-head meat home to invite Impermanence to treat an illness—I've never seen anyone as muddleheaded as you."
"Ah—I can't go on..."
The old woman let out a cry and charged at the constable. The constable was no ordinary man either; he simply leaped up and kicked her more than ten feet away.
"Damn old hag. Don't you see where you are? If you've got any swagger, show it to your old man. Is the county yamen where you get to act crooked?"
With that, he spat a gob of phlegm onto the old woman's chest.
"Stupid thing that won't wake up even at death's door."
Su Che took in the whole scene.
That old woman did not seem to be any sort of demon.
Having reached a conclusion, Third Young Master Su hid behind the gate and beckoned to the constable.
"You, come here."
The constable had been enjoying himself while glaring at the old unlucky star. Hearing someone call him, he was just about to curse back.
But when he turned around and saw it was the newly appointed county commandant, his heart immediately sank.
Damn it, had he run into one of those officials who wanted to play the upright judge?
"This humble one pays respects..."
Before he could finish, the rather handsome official waved a hand.
"You must be pretty rich, huh?"
"Huh?" The constable was utterly confused.
"I'm telling you, if your household doesn't have thirty million, you wouldn't dare pull something like that."
Su Che summoned the constable over and gave him a few more instructions.
"Go ask her what happened. No need to be polite—just use the same attitude you had earlier."
The constable was immediately even more bewildered.
What medicine was this man selling in his gourd?
"Shut up, you old crone."
The constable barked, "The yamen has yamen rules. When is it your turn to go mad here? By court regulations, anyone who beats the Grievance Drum gets one hundred strokes first."
"They beat you even if you have a grievance?" The old woman gritted her teeth and glared at the constable. "You black-hearted killer, still trying to fool people here. Do you really think this old woman is made of clay? Do you know the new county commandant is my distant nephew?"
Su Che barely managed not to laugh out loud.
The constable was instinctively startled at first, then quickly came to his senses.
"Impersonating an official's relative means another twenty strokes. Heh heh, just keep shouting here. Once everyone gets here, the brothers will let you see the masters' hard staffs and give this old woman a real good time!"
What kind of ridiculous line was that?
The old woman could not bear the fright and immediately dared not speak.
This was how the constables usually threw their weight around.
The constable held his staff crosswise and recited,
"I ask one question, and you answer one question. Say one extra word of nonsense, and I'll put it on the account to be dealt with all at once later."
With that thick, massive staff before her eyes, the old woman forcibly swallowed her anger and stopped cursing. Her gaze, however, kept darting toward Su Che.
She had sharp eyes and knew an official had arrived, so she did not say much.
"What's your name, and which ward do you live in?"
"This old servant's maiden surname is Qin. I married Qi Zude, who sells oil south of the city, and live in Jiahe Ward."
"How many people are in your household, and what business do you do?"
"There is also a son, a daughter-in-law, and an unmarried girl in the household. We deal in tung oil."
"Tung oil—that makes you a well-off household. Why are you reporting to the authorities?"
"This old servant's daughter-in-law is a fox demon in human form. She bewitched my blind old man, and my son is simple-minded, so he was fooled by that fiend too. All day long she carries on with this and that, ruining my household beyond recognition..."
She was about to continue describing how the fox demon had run wild in the household.
"That's enough..."
Su Che cut off the old woman, then instructed the constable.
"Take her home. Tell them about this old woman beating the Grievance Drum, and have them keep a proper eye on her."
Then Su Che looked at the old woman on the other side. "You should know that once the Grievance Drum sounds, the case must be handled by the county magistrate. The county magistrate isn't in the county. Even if you beat that drum until your broken rolling pin wears through its skin, no one will handle the case."
"Sir, this old servant has been wronged..."
"I know."
The old woman looked at Su Che.
"My daughter-in-law is a monster..."
"I know."
"I... I..." The old woman's tongue went dry.
"What they call bureaucracy is knowing everything, understanding everything, being able to do everything, and then ultimately doing nothing."
Su Che used complicated words to offer another explanation for those four words: not doing a damned thing.
"I'm very sorry. You may go back and find the ward chief, follow the proper procedure, and then this official will naturally handle it with due care."
Su Che asked the constable beside him, "What is your name?"
"Huh, this humble one is Zhang San..."
"Good name." Su Che praised him sincerely. "After you take her back, come find me and report."
"This humble one obeys."
He watched the constable drag the old woman farther and farther away.
Su Che then returned to his room, tidied up, dug out an item, and went to find Registrar Tian.
Registrar Tian had drunk too much the night before and had simply stayed in the county yamen. His head had hurt all night, and he still had not slept.
When he saw Su Che arrive, he could not help asking,
"Commandant Su, you have quite the capacity for drink. You look full of vigor and spirit."
Because I have a great treasure sword.
"Brother Tian also looks as splendid as ever. Your eyes are deep as an abyss and your breathing long and steady. I presume you cultivate as well?"
"Heh heh, I traveled and studied in my early years. I audited lectures at Yuelu Mountain for two years."
"The All-Heaven Confucian School's four lineages—the Imperial Academy, White Deer Grotto, Yuelu, and Songyang—are the foremost in both letters and arms under heaven. They truly inspire admiration."
Su Che recalled a passage he had once seen when passing by the Imperial Academy.
Gather learning into an ocean, and righteous qi swallows nine rivers; among the three teachings and a thousand mountains, who dares claim supremacy?
Temper words into blades, and ink-swords cleave the floating clouds; to bring peace and order to the world, who but I?
It was the handwritten inscription of Fan Xichen, a Confucian grandmaster of a previous generation.
The Martial Confucian Lineage had once been counted among the foremost of all cultivation paths. From those words alone, one could see its former bearing of "who but I?"
Even in this late age of the Human Path, where demons and devils ran rampant, the All-Heaven Confucian School's four lineages remained a force enough to make Demon Kings and Devil Masters tremble.
"I'm ashamed. Even now, I am only at the Ninth Grade of Confucian cultivation, nurturing qi."
Registrar Tian looked at Su Che. "I wonder whether it would be convenient for you, worthy brother..."
"This younger brother has never cultivated."
So it was not convenient.
Registrar Tian secretly rolled his eyes at Su Che. If he did not want to say it, then he did not want to say it. There was no point in lying.
"I came to pay my respects to you this time because I have a matter I would like to trouble you with."
"Worthy brother, please speak freely."
"When I came from home, I brought some things with me. They aren't anything rare, but if they were lost, it would be hard to explain to my family. So I would like to place them in our Ever-Provision Treasury."
As he spoke, Su Che handed a golden object to Registrar Tian.
"Is that so? Easy, easy." Registrar Tian accepted it solemnly. "I'll place it in the Ever-Provision Treasury."
The thing looked neither like gold nor wood. What sort of rare treasure was this, for Su to value it so highly? Could it perhaps assist cultivation?
This thing looked rather like a hand.
Registrar Tian held the object in his hand, endlessly speculating about its origins.
"There is one more matter I must report to you, sir. This younger brother has some arrangements today and will not be sitting in the yamen hall."
Su Che said with a smile, "Also, I would like to borrow a few constables for use."
"Easy, easy." Registrar Tian waved a hand. "Commandant Su, simply use whichever ones you take a fancy to."
"Then many thanks, sir."
Su Che bowed to this colleague.