Li Yi

Biodata

Background / History

Assessing Gu Zhengchen

Li Yi first appears visiting Liang Heng to invite him out of retirement to oversee instruction at the county school. Liang Heng declines despite Li Yi’s appeals to scholarship, ritual, and the court’s need for capable officials 10.

Learning that Liang Heng and Instructor Xu Wenfeng both value Gu Zhengchen, Li Yi investigates the impoverished provincial graduate. He follows Gu after his apparent failure to borrow money from Sun Bing and introduces himself as “Li Shanmei.” Gu’s composure, literary wit, and refusal to behave like a defeated debtor convince Li Yi that something about the situation is unusual 10 11.

Li Yi and Yan Bin subsequently observe the Wang Family’s debt collection in Dayan Village. He praises Gu’s restraint and legal knowledge but realizes that Gu’s apparent desperation outside Sun Bing’s house concealed a plan. Although impressed, he worries that Gu’s skill at exploiting legal provisions could eventually help powerful families evade justice 13 14 17.

During a later conversation about governing Teng County, Gu proposes developing its coal deposits and using canal transport. His declaration that he would rather be himself than imitate an ancient model official persuades Li Yi to add him to the court’s nomination register. Li Yi acknowledges the danger posed by Hu Weiyong but argues that genuine talent must withstand difficult trials rather than remain sheltered 23.

County Administration and the Reaping Scoop

Li Yi receives an imperial directive requiring prefectures to submit maps of mountains, rivers, strategic passes, distances, and local produce every leap year. He assigns the local work to the county school’s instructor 24.

When news spreads that Gu’s Reaping Scoop can harvest six mu of wheat per day, Li Yi visits Dayan Village with Sun Ang to inspect it. He tests the implement and proposes sending it to Jinling for imperial approval and wider manufacture. Sun Ang’s address of “Your Honor” finally reveals his office to Gu 25.

Li Yi then assembles Teng County’s elders, demonstrates the tool, and orders its immediate production to accelerate the wheat harvest. Their initially reluctant trials lead to smithies working through the night 26.

Gu Pei’s Murder Case

The discovery of Gu Pei’s skeletal remains in a pond near the county office prompts Li Yi to reopen the circumstances of his recorded death. He orders the corvée registers examined, identifies possible tampering, and investigates the Wang Family’s ownership of the boat beside the pond. A drawing of a rabbit wearing an official’s hat suggests to him that a frightened witness has left a symbolic complaint of injustice 26.

Li Yi promises justice to the Gu Family and allows Gu Zhengchen to hear the investigation’s findings. He also uses the case to assess whether Gu can handle the clerks, deception, and evidentiary difficulties that confront a local magistrate 27.

His questioning exposes Huang Lin’s involvement in falsifying the death register. When Huang offers him corrupt wealth and an annual payment of one hundred strings of cash, Li Yi refuses and continues pressing him for the truth 29.

At the public hearing, Li Yi follows formal procedure while hearing the coroner, eyewitness Deng Quan, and Gu Zhengchen. After Gu identifies bloodstains on the boat’s mooring rope, Li Yi summons three Wang household servants and obtains corroborating confessions through carefully worded threats and assertions about the existing testimony 30 31.

He sentences Wang Fugui to beheading and the three servants to one hundred strokes and exile, forwarding the case documents to the Capital for review. His command of the courtroom strengthens Gu’s ambition to enter officialdom. Li Yi later sends the Gu Family ten strings of cash as burial compensation 31 33.

Gu Zhengchen’s Appointment and Departure

Following Gu’s appointment as Jurong County Magistrate, Li Yi explains the deadline for reaching the Capital and registering with the Ministry of Personnel. He gives Gu the matching Credential Token required to report for office and tells him to collect a thirty-tael travel allowance before departure 36.

Li Yi also discusses Teng County’s other nominees: Zhang Shiping and Liang Family Jiajun. Although strict about recommendations, he explains that failing to nominate a licentiate with Zhang’s celebrated reputation for filial devotion could itself expose him to official punishment 36.

Before Gu leaves, Li Yi warns that advancement depends heavily on connections and personal favors. Wang Youcheng’s suspicious death then draws his attention back to the Gu Family. The investigation establishes neither a clear cause nor a culprit, and Li Yi still questions Gu about responsibility at their final parting; Gu maintains his innocence 37 38.

Appearance

Li Yi has a scholarly bearing and is seen in both informal cloth clothing and formal court dress 10 23 30.

• Casual clothing: A loose robe on his first visit to Liang Heng; plain cloth robes during a later encounter with Gu 10 23.
• Official clothing: A black gauze hat and blue round-collared robe while presiding over Gu Pei’s murder trial 30.
• Characteristic accessory: A battered palm-leaf fan with three splits 10 23.
• Manner of walking: Sometimes strolls with his hands clasped behind his back and his toes angled outward 17.

Personality

Li Yi is explicitly described as upright, incorruptible, and cautious. He takes responsibility for his recommendations seriously, knowing that an unworthy nominee’s misconduct can bring punishment upon the sponsor. His refusal of Huang Lin’s bribes holds even though his salary leaves him unable to save one string of cash a month 11 13 29.

His ideal is to become the Great Ming equivalent of Gong Sui and Huang Ba, whom he regards as models of good administration and justice. Nevertheless, he recognizes political realities: the court pressures counties to supply candidates, powerful officials may suppress outspoken newcomers, and an official without a backer faces a difficult career 17 23 37.

Curiosity and teasing repeatedly shape his dealings with Gu. He follows him to investigate his behavior, comments pointedly on the Zhao Family’s grander betrothal procession, and becomes exasperated when Gu demands medical expenses after benefiting from a reduced punishment. He respects Gu’s abilities without becoming certain that he understands him 11 23 32 38.

Abilities & Skills

Criminal Investigation

• Examines altered handwriting in official registers to identify a possible administrative cover-up 26 27.
• Connects the concealment of a body with the need for a boat and investigates its ownership 26.
• Interprets the rabbit-and-official’s-hat drawing as a possible witness’s complaint rather than merely an insult to authority 26.
• Distinguishes suspicion from conclusive evidence when discussing Gu Pei’s case 27.
• Does not solve Wang Youcheng’s unexplained death in the documented investigation 37 38.

Judicial Procedure and Interrogation

• Conducts public hearings in sequence, avoiding questions that could expose the plaintiff to a false-accusation charge 30.
• Uses ambiguous wording and the authority of the court to make suspects believe their involvement is already established 31.
• Secures mutually corroborating confessions and submits a capital sentence for higher review 31.
• Applies the statutory reduction for striking second when ruling on Gu’s fight with Wang Youcheng 32.

Administration and Talent Assessment

• Seeks experienced scholars for county education and evaluates candidates for government service 10 23 36.
• Questions prospective officials about practical governance and public prosperity 23.
• Organizes county-wide adoption of an agricultural invention after testing it himself 25 26.
• Uses Gu Pei’s difficult murder case as a practical test of Gu’s readiness for office 27 30.

Equipment / Items

• Palm-leaf fan — Battered and split in three places; carried during informal visits and conversations 10 23.
• Court gavel — Used to direct proceedings and reinforce his authority during the murder trial 30 31.
• Official registers — Corvée rosters and the Register of the Dead provide key evidence in his investigation of Gu Pei’s death 26 27 29.

Relationships

• Gu Zhengchen — Recommended candidate and recipient of practical guidance. Li Yi’s initial suspicion develops into respect, though Gu’s legal ingenuity and possible connection to Wang Youcheng’s death continue to trouble him 17 23 37 38.
• Yan Bin — Adviser and private secretary who accompanies his inquiries, discusses nominations, and communicates investigative findings 11 23 27.
• Liang Heng — Respected retired scholar whom Li Yi unsuccessfully recruits for county teaching 10.
• Xu Wenfeng — County-school instructor whose unusual intervention on Gu’s behalf helps spark Li Yi’s interest in him 10 13.
• Sun Ang — County official who accompanies Li Yi to inspect the Reaping Scoop and helps organize its promotion 25 26.
• Jin Dache — Deputy magistrate whom Li Yi directs during county business and the Gu Pei investigation 24 26 29.
• Huang Lin — Subordinate exposed for corruption and falsifying Gu Pei’s death record; unsuccessfully attempts to bribe Li Yi 29 30.
• Wang Fugui — Local landholder prosecuted for murdering Gu Pei and sentenced to beheading, subject to Capital review 30 31.

Notable Quotes

“My lifelong ambition is to be the Gong and Huang of this dynasty.” 23

“If Gu Zhengchen truly is jade, then he must endure the pain of carving. Only then can he become something of worth!” 23

“These are the proceeds of corruption and abuse of the law. How could I accept them?” 29