The Famous Detective of the Red Mansion

Chapter 82: The Death List

When Sun Shaozong finished guiding Xue Pan and came out of the Rongguo Mansion, it was already the beginning of the ancient twelve-hour time [6:00 PM].

When he got on the carriage, he leaned on the pillow, squinting his eyes, and getting rid of his drunkenness for a while. He suddenly remembered that there were several books by "Liu Bei" on his sleeve. He took them out and looked at them but he could not find the book of the “strange cases” with pictures and texts.

Could it be that he left it in Xue Pan’s courtyard?

Sun Shaozong had the intention to turn back as he saw he hadn't gone far yet, but on second thought, he had just pretended to be a life teacher for half a day, if he were to turn around and ask for "Liu Bei…”

This also affects his image, right?!

So he gave up the idea and decided that even if Xue Pan came to his door afterward, he would never admit it.

However, without this most classic book, the others are dull and tasteless. In any case, Sun Shaozong was also nurtured by the age of the internet. Ordinary and shoddy things can't get into his eyes.

So he simply threw the books into the corner and closed his eyes again.

The journey was quiet.

About half an hour later, seeing that the front was not far from the Sun's Mansion, the coachman chose a corner with a back seat, carefully reined in the reins, and reported back, "Second Master, we are about to reach home. Do you..."

Sun Shaozong immediately picked up the carriage curtain and got out of the carriage. Seeing that there was no one left or right, he trotted a few steps, reached out his hand to hold on to the outer wall of the Sun Mansion, and flipped into the mansion conveniently.

After he had flipped over the wall, the coachman calmly lifted the curtain with a hook, exposing the empty carriage to the public. Only then did he drive the carriage to the gate of the Sun Mansion.

As soon as they got close, they saw two stone lions with six umbrellas on the left and right. Under the umbrellas, there could be 40 or 50 people, men, and women, old and young, rich and poor. Seeing the carriage approaching, they immediately swarmed over.

"I’m wronged, Master. I’m wronged!"

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"Master, my family only had one son for six generations!"

"Master, please be merciful. My husband didn't mean to kill people!"

"If my grandson dies, I won't live either!"

"Daddy, I want Daddy, I want Daddy!"

Men shouting, women shouting, old people crying, and little ones making noises were like setting up a stage in the street to sing a big disturbance to heaven!

The coachman didn't panic. He turned aside slightly and gave up the empty carriage behind him. He shouted, "Everyone, everyone, let's make way. Hey! There is no one in the carriage. It's useless for you to stop me!"

It took him a full quarter of an hour to get back to the mansion, not to mention how the coachman unloaded to feed the horse.

After Sun Shaozong climbed over the wall, he went to the lotus pond in the front yard to clean his hands. After washing, he was about to pull two lotus leaves for paper. Someone behind him handed over a handkerchief.

Sun Shaozong looked back, and it was Zhao Zhongji, the second housekeeper of the mansion. He wiped his hands and asked casually, "How was the situation today? How many more have fainted?"

"Only a 70 years-old old lady fainted, and it was not due to being too hot. It was because she cried so hard that she couldn't catch her breath for a moment. Dr. Liu went up and gave two injections, and she woke up at that time."

Zhao Zhongji couldn't help but say, "In my opinion, only the Second Master is being benevolent, providing them with umbrellas to block the sun and the sour plum dessert can be taken for free constantly. They are only lower-class people. If it were me, I would have driven them away with long sticks! Damn the benevolence and righteousness!"

Sun Shaozong threw the handkerchief back to him and said angrily, "It’s the first time I presided over the autumn final report, how many pairs of eyes are staring at me? If several people died for no reason, it would be my turn to go to the street to cry out for injustice!"

All feudal dynasties liked to follow the mandate of heaven and comply with the popular wishes of the people. This was why the saying "autumn execution" came into being.

The general meaning was, “Spring and summer are the seasons for all things to grow. Killing people wantonly is against heaven's will. Therefore, if crimes are committed in spring and summer, except those who are extremely vicious, those who don't make a quick decision to appease the people's anger will usually wait until after the autumn to ask for the execution.”

The Great Zhou Dynasty went further, taking into account the "Mid Autumn Festival reunion" and the "Double Ninth Festival" in September. It especially changed the date of the "autumn execution" to the 10th day of September every year.

During the period from the beginning of autumn to the Double Ninth Festival, all prefectures would first draw up a list of the autumn executions in advance and submit it to the Ministry of Justice for approval, so that the killings could be carried out on the 10th day of September.

In previous years, the list of the autumn executions of the Central Judicial Office was submitted by the Governance. However, Liu Chongshan was recently usurped by Sun Shaozong. He was so angry that he could not get up. He had not been to the government office for the "morning briefing session" for more than half a month.

So the task fell to Sun Shaozong.

Those outside were the families of the prisoners who were sentenced to beheading this year. They were crying in front of the Sun's Mansion. They just wanted Sun Shaozong to remove their relatives from the "death list.”

According to the Court's laws and regulations, those who were not on the "autumn execution" list would still be executed by the end of the year if they could not prove their innocence within three months.

But three months was enough time for those who were rich and powerful to do something.

As for those who were poor, although they did not have the money to pay for them, wasn't there a saying these days that "amnesty was granted to the world?”

They might not have to die if the case could drag on for three months!

This was why so many people gathered outside the Sun Mansion.

This was another reason why Sun Shaozong has always gone to the Rongguo Mansion to spend the summer.

Sun Shaozong threw his handkerchief to Zhao Zhongji, so he was ready to go back to his yard and took a few steps forward. However, he saw Zhao Zhongji following him, and he asked, "What's wrong? What else do you have?"

"Report back to the Second Master, Master Feng of Fengzui Lane sent a wedding invitation to invite you and the big Master to his mansion for a wedding banquet on the eighth day of the next month at noon today."

Feng Xin was getting married?

Sun Shaozong paused and wondered, "Isn't he already married? Is it his father who wants to remarry?"

"The Second Master must be joking."

Zhao Zhongji could not laugh or cry and said, "The Second Master of the Feng family has been paralyzed for more than half a year now. How can he remarry? It's the Feng family's eldest brother who has no children under his knee. Seeing that his family is going to have offspring, he asked Master Feng to appoint the heir to one's uncle as well as to one's father. This time, the eldest brother came forward to arrange for his marriage."

There were such good things?!

Sun Shaozong hurriedly asked, "Is the lady he’s going to marry this time also considered a legal young mistress?"

"Of course!"

Tch!

He has earned it!

People should know that these days, one can only find concubines in lowly places among the common people. Only by marrying a proper wife could the person look for it in the official arena. It seemed that from now on, Old Feng was also the master of having “two wings flying together.”

"Do you know which family he is going to get married to?"

"It's said that she is the daughter of the government clerk of the Ministry of Rites and Ceremonies. She is also a famously talented woman." Zhao Zhongji smiled and joked, "Looking at the meaning of the Feng family's eldest son. They probably want to take the opportunity to change the family style."

Although the government clerk was only a subordinate of the ninth grade, he was after all an official of the Ministry of Rites and Ceremonies. He was barely equal to Feng Xin, who was now a Lieutenant of the sixth grade in the patrol camp.

Sun Shaozong then said, "Go and help me draw up a list to see if there are any suitable gifts in our mansion. If not, I'll find a way to exchange them from outside."

Only then did Zhao Zhongji take orders and leave.

When Sun Shaozong returned to his courtyard alone, he saw several servant women chatting outside. He was discontented and shouted, "Why are you guys all outside? Who is serving your Madam?"

Qiu Lian, the head servant girl, hurriedly bowed down and said, "It was Madam who said she wanted to be quiet, so..."

It was said that Ruan Rong wanted to be quiet, but Sun Shaozong didn't want to listen to what she said below. He walked straight into the inner room. However, he saw Ruan Rong biting her pen in a daze in front of the desk, with a letter dripping with ink in front of her.

Sun Shaozong quietly came close to her, lowered his head, and looked at it. He immediately understood. He put his hand around Ruan Rong's fragrant shoulder and said softly, "What’s the matter? Are you getting homesick?"

Ruan Rong shook her head and said, "The death day of my mother will be in another month, but I......"

No wonder.

"Then I'll arrange for someone to go to the Kingdom of Qian Xiang tomorrow." Sun Shaozong said this, and he saw Ruan Rong shake her head again. He hurriedly said, "It's not just for you. The Old Lady Niu also has a letter to send."

He then said in a soft voice, "When I get a higher official position, I will ask for leave to accompany you back to your hometown. How about it?"