Translator – Xiao He Lian
This is a translation hosted on KnoxT, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized. Please support the translator by reading it at KnoxT.
Chapter 2.1
On the fifth day of the tenth lunar month, noon, Jingzhao1(Jingzhao , equivalent to Gyeonggi , means the capital and the places around the capital. However, in the Jin Dynasty and before, it mostly referred to Chang’an and its surrounding areas, even when Chang’an was not the capital, such as Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty . , but it was not called Jingzhao Yin, but Henan Yin ; Bianliang , the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty , was not called Jingzhao Prefecture, but Kaifeng Prefecture) Prefecture.
Lu Yan was sitting at his desk writing a submission when he heard the sound of beatings coming from outside.
A guard named Yang Zong strode in, “Master, there is someone outside asking to see you.”
Lu Yan continued writing without raising his head, “Who is it?”
Yang Zong whispered back: “The drummer was a maid from the Shen family. According to her, the shop of the third young lady of the Shen family in the West Market was smashed by someone.”
Shen..third..young..lady.
Hearing this, Lu Yan’s eyes darkened and his heart sank.
The Shen family has been bustling lately, and the word he often hears is these four words, but for some reason, as long as he hears her name, his chest will feel pain for no reason.
Lu Yan pursed his lips slightly, put down his pen and leaned back.
Yang Zong looked at the frowning brows of his family’s heir apparent and couldn’t help but whisper: “Then…should we let her in?”
“Otherwise?” This is Jingzhao Prefecture, not Zhenguo Prefecture. Could it be that just because he said he doesn’t want to see someone, he can avoid seeing them?
Yang Zong stopped talking and hurriedly ran out.
Lu Yan tapped the table with his index finger and thought for a moment.
Today, Zheng Jingzhao is not here. After arranging the officials in the yamen 2(yamen, government office in feudal China), it is time for him to take the seat in the courtroom. Such troubles are probably inevitable… He put the brush back on the inkstone, rubbed his chest and took a painkiller to ease the pain.
He picked up the black gauze hat3
on the table and walked to the front hall expressionlessly.
Voices came from both sides.
Qingxi walked to the center of the court, bent her knees and knelt directly on the ground, “Please save my lady, the shopkeeper of Jin family’s money shop is deceiving people too much. In less than a month, they are charging 60% interest,” Qingxi said with red eyes.
Lu Yan didn’t like to see people crying, let alone someone crying and fussing in the court.
Speaking of which, it has been more than two years since he was transferred to Jingzhao Prefecture. In the past two years, people have been calling for help every now and then due to loan disputes.
But this is Jingzhao Prefecture, not Guanyin Temple4(Buddhist temple).
Jingzhao Prefecture only talks about the law, but it can’t save anyone’s life.
Qingxi looked at the stern look on the man’s face in the courtroom and couldn’t help but feel a little frightened. She hurriedly explained the evil deeds of Jin family’s money shop from beginning to end.
Intimidating, threatening, and forcing her young lady to sell herself.
Anyone who hears such remarks will probably look sympathetically.
Only Lu Yan wouldn’t.
This is a translation hosted on KnoxT, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized. Please support the translator by reading it at KnoxT.
He has never been sympathetic.
Under this person’s skin, there is always a layer of emotions that are difficult to distinguish between joy and anger, as if he is wearing a mask.
On top of the mask, he was handsome, solemn, dignified and self-possessed. Everyone in the capital thought that the heir apparent of Duke of Zhenguo was a handsome gentleman and all the ladies in the boudoir who were waiting to be married blushed when they heard his name. Only a few people know how unruly and irreverent he is beneath this mask.
He seemed to be able to stand aside and remain indifferent to most things in the world.
Lu Yan looked down and said word by word: “I want to ask you, at the beginning of the loan, did you establish a written document?”
Qingxi nodded.
Lu Yan added: “According to the laws of our court, when dealing with loan disputes, the first thing to look at is the receipt. Once the receipt is stamped, as long as they do not kill anyone or set fire, the Yamen has no right to interfere.”
Hearing this, Qingxi suddenly remembered her young lady’s instructions and said hurriedly: “What if they smashed the store before the deadline? I have seen the document. It clearly says that the debt will be repaid on the tenth day of the lunar month, but it was but today it’s only the fifth day.”
The third young lady said that as long as she sticks to the date and focuses on the other party’s faults, the government will always take care of this matter.
As expected, after hearing this, Lu Yan’s expression changed slightly and he said in a deep voice: “Do you know what the consequences are for deceiving an official of the imperial court?”
“Slave girl dare not.” Qingxi said.
After thinking twice, he got up with a few guards and went straight out of the yamen.
***
When Lu Yan rushed to the West Market, one area of the street was already surrounded and impassable. He slowly raised the reins and flipped over to dismount.
He wore an official headdress and dark purple court clothes. The fine jade pendant hanging on his waistband was swaying gently and his aura was out of place in this market.
Yang Zong quickly opened a way for him.
Lu Yan walked straight forward and what he saw was a shaky plaque with three big characters clearly written on it – Bai Xiang Pavilion.
He looked around but didn’t see a woman.
He saw the shopkeeper of Jin Family’s money shop blocking the door of the shop and saying in a stern voice: “Miss Shen, you are sensible. It’s better to sign this sales contract. You can avoid it for a while, but you can’t avoid it forever. There are many people here today, and the trouble has escalated. In the end, Miss Shen will still be the one who will be embarrassed.”
There were no movement in the room for a long time and Shopkeeper Jin continued: “It’s okay if you don’t sign. I heard that the Shen family has another son, his name is Shen Hong, right? He’s a little younger, but he has some use. There are quite a few opera troupes in Chang’an City nowadays, and it’s just the little kids with missing arms and legs who make money. What do you think, Miss Shen?”
T/N – Something about Jingzhao Prefecture I found on the internet.
Jingzhao Prefecture during the Tang Dynasty refers to the administrative divisions of the 22 counties surrounding Chang’an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, including Jingzhao Prefecture, Henan Prefecture, Taiyuan Prefecture, etc. At that time, the head of Jingzhao Mansion was Jing Zhaoyin, who was the chief executive of Chang’an’s public security and government affairs.
The main role of Jingzhao Mansion is to maintain the stability and rule of the capital and ensure the safety of the royal family. As the capital of the Tang Dynasty, Chang’an was the political, economic, and cultural center of the time, so strict control measures were needed to ensure the order and prosperity of the city.
In addition, the Jingzhao Prefecture also enjoys greater authority. For example, it is not subject to appeals from level to level. Cases with proven evidence can be sentenced to death in court without going through a joint trial of the three departments. These are all to improve administrative efficiency and better maintain social stability and ruling order.
In general, Jingzhao Prefecture played a very important role during the Tang Dynasty. It was not only the administrative agency of the capital, but also an important force in maintaining social stability and ruling order.
