Chapter ~ 05
The Wang Family Estate.
“This humble one is willing to surrender the entire Wang family estate to the public coffers!”
Beside him, Mrs. Wang also stepped forward and said, “My lord, I know where that man’s account books are kept.”
A landlord’s estateâtoo tempting. And it wasn’t just gold, silver, and grain; what landlords had most of was land!
The windfall being handed to her truly made it hard for Shen Zheng to refuse.
But looking at the family of three below, her heart softened, and she did not agree immediately.
“Mrs. Wangâoh, pardon me, may I ask your ladyship’s maiden surname?”
Now that Wang the Landlord was dead, it was somewhat impolite to keep calling her Mrs. Wang.
“This humble woman’s maiden surname is LĂŒ.”
Mrs. LĂŒ also wore a relaxed smile on her face. Finally, she no longer had to bear that man’s surname.
“Madam LĂŒ, please return home first and take inventory of the estate. According to the law, the commutation silver for manslaughter requires one thousand taels of silver.”
“As for the rest, after you’ve finished the inventory, how about we discuss it further?”
Mrs. LĂŒ pondered for a moment. She also wasn’t sure just how much the Wang family estate was worth, so she could only agree to Shen Zheng’s proposal for now.
Shen Zheng looked at Wang Guangjin. He couldn’t leave just yet.
Until the official notice was posted, the common folk would inevitably spread rumors.
“Wang Guangjin, I’m afraid you’ll have to endure a couple of days in the county jail. Once your mother pays the commutation silver, you’ll be free to go.”
“This humble one obeys, my lord!”
Wang Guangjin had no objection to Shen Zheng’s words. At this point, if Shen Zheng told him to strip naked and run two laps around the market, he probably wouldn’t even ask why.
Mrs. LĂŒ and Wang Wanying expressed their profuse gratitude and took their leave. They needed to hurry home and get the silver!
Watching the mother and daughter’s retreating figures, Shen Zheng felt a bit uneasy.
She said to the two constables in the hall, “You two go escort them home. If anyone asks along the way, tell them the county office will post an official notice tomorrow to announce the case details.”
After what had happened in the courtroom earlier, Shen Zheng was now seen by all the constables as a righteous magistrate who sought justice for the people. They were completely obedient to her commands.
The two constables who were called out immediately straightened their backs!
“Yes, my lord!”
Shen Zheng waved at them and muttered quietly, “No need to be so loud.”
She then ordered the constables to take Wang Guangjin into the jail, specifically instructing them to give him a clean cell and not to skimp on his meals.
After that, Shen Zheng picked up the case file that Chief Registrar Xu had recorded and reviewed it.
She nodded as she read.
Not bad! It captured her brilliant wisdom and heroism perfectly!
“Is my lord satisfied?” Chief Registrar Xu looked at Shen Zheng with a smile.
Shen Zheng nodded. “Pretty good. But there’s one more matter I need to trouble you with, Chief Registrar.”
“Please speak, my lord.”
“I’ll need you to put some thought into drafting the case notice. As for the part about Wang the Landlord harassing Wang Wanying…”
Before Shen Zheng could finish, Chief Registrar Xu interrupted her.
“Wang the Landlord beat and abused his own daughter at home. What harassment are you referring to?”
The two exchanged a knowing smile.
Shen Zheng sighed. “Working with such a smart man as Chief Registrar Xu is truly a relief.”
Chief Registrar Xu replied, “The feeling is mutual.”
“Also, please remind the constables as wellâthey mustn’t go around telling everything they know.”
“I’ll see to it right away.”
Chief Registrar Xu put away the case file and rose to leave.
“*Ding!*”
The familiar mechanical chime made Shen Zheng jolt. Why was it ringing all of a sudden?
“Detected that the host has judged a case justly. Hidden mission completed. Additional system reward granted.”
“System reward: One high-precision map of the host’s jurisdiction, Tong’an County.”
Good deeds really do bring good rewards!
Shen Zheng hurried back to the residence behind the courtroom and promptly took out the map to examine it carefully. The entire layout of Tong’an County was laid out before her in full view.
The county’s terrain, residential areas, and farmland distribution were all clearly visible.
This would be immensely helpful for the upcoming digging of ditches and canals.
Outside, the sky had already darkened.
Now that she had relaxed, Shen Zheng suddenly felt exhausted. She ate a simple meal, washed up hastily, and went to sleep.
The small county town, which had been so lively during the day, gradually grew quiet.
Only a few pedestrians could be seen on the streets, and from some houses, one could faintly hear people still discussing the day’s events.
“Do you think that Wang family young master will have his head chopped off in the next couple of days?”
“Hard to say. From the looks of it, Mrs. Wang and Miss Wang weren’t all that sad when they came out of the county office today.”
“Pfft, it’s not like he’s their own son or own brother. Why would they be sad?”
“Stop guessing blindly. Didn’t the constables say today that the notice would be posted tomorrow? Let’s sleep on it; we’ll find out tomorrow.”
Then snoring sounded from within the house.
The next morning, Shen Zheng was awakened by the cacophony of roosters crowing from all around the county office.
She got up as usual, dressed, and washed. The moment she opened the door, she saw Chief Registrar Xu waiting right outside.
Startled, Shen Zheng jolted, and most of her drowsiness vanished.
“What are you doing lurking outside my door so early in the morning!”
“Madam LĂŒ is here.”
These simple five words sounded like celestial music to Shen Zheng’s ears.
The God of Wealth had arrived!
“Why didn’t you wake me earlier? How could you keep Madam LĂŒ waiting outside!”
Chief Registrar Xu shot her a glance. “This subordinate wouldn’t dare.”
Shen Zheng gave an embarrassed smile, recalling how she had cursed him out the last time he came looking for her early in the morning.
She tossed off a quick “It won’t happen again” and lifted her robe as she hurried toward the courtroom.
Mrs. LĂŒ and Wang Wanying had already been waiting in the hall for quite some time.
After returning home yesterday, they had begun taking inventory of the estate, hoping to settle the accounts as soon as possible so they could come redeem the prisoner.
Seeing Shen Zheng appear, the two of them moved to kneel again.
Shen Zheng quickly stepped forward to support them. How could she let the God of Wealth kneel!
“Madam and Miss look like you’re in much better spirits.”
This was no flattery.
The gloom and oppression that had weighed on them had completely vanished; they no longer seemed as lifeless as the day before.
Mrs. LĂŒ smiled with relief. “Thank you for the compliment, my lord. Wanying and I stayed up all night to finish the inventory of the Wang estate. This is the account book. Please have a look, my lord.”
Mrs. LĂŒ handed the account book to Shen Zheng.
Shen Zheng took it and gave it a cursory review.
Then she looked at Mrs. LĂŒ in disbelief.
“Madam, you didn’t make a mistake? Four thousand two hundred taels in cash, fourteen shops, and one hundred and eighty mu of fertile land?”
This completely upended Shen Zheng’s understanding of what a landlord in the Great Zhou Dynasty was worth. Compared to her county office, they were dripping with wealth.
Mrs. LĂŒ then handed over a stack of banknotes, along with property and land deeds.
“Aside from a few ingots that haven’t been converted into banknotes, this is everything.”
“Yesterday, Jin’er said to surrender the entire estate to the public coffers, and Wanying and I support that. It was you, my lord, who saved our family. Compared to our lives, these banknotes and deeds mean nothing.”
At this moment, Shen Zheng was tempted. Who could refuse a fortune handed to them on a silver platter?
But she still didn’t take the banknotes and deeds. Instead, she demurred, “Let’s wait until Wang Guangjin arrives before we discuss it further.”
If she took all of this, how would the widowed mother and orphaned children get by in the future?
Wang Guangjin still needed to marry, and Wang Wanying still needed to find a husband. A young woman couldn’t go without a decent dowry.
Before long, Chief Registrar Xu brought Wang Guangjin over.
He had still been sleeping when Chief Registrar Xu dragged him up. He hadn’t had such a sound sleep in a long time.
“Mother, Wanying, why are you both here so early?”
Seeing Wang Guangjin still drowsy-eyed, Wang Wanying stepped forward, feigning anger, and gave him a light smack.
“Mother and I were worried about you, brother. We haven’t closed our eyes since we got home yesterday. But you, brotherâyou’ve made the county magistrate’s jail your own home!”
