Chapter 19: Essays

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Chen Fan returned home and called out to the wives inside the house, “Yue Rou and Yue E have prepared an extra meal for you. Tonight, you probably won’t be able to sleep after what you’re going to eat.”

Upon entering, he noticed that the dining table was already laid out with all the dishes served to the colleagues earlier that day.

“Master of the house, even the county magistrate praised today’s dishes!”

“Yes, yes! The master’s younger sisters are truly impressive; they followed your recipes to the letter.”

“How did you manage to bring all these dishes home?”

“The county magistrate insisted that everyone at the office should try them, so they asked us to bring some for you.”

“It seems the magistrate is considerate. Are you still eating plain steamed buns and pickles?”

“Master, we can manage.”

Chen Fan looked at the sensible Yue Rou and felt deeply gratified. With these two wives, he felt he had nothing more to ask for in this world.

Chen Fan set down his belongings, grasped Yue Rou’s shoulders, and kissed her. This time, Yue Rou took the initiative, wrapping her arms around him.

The three of them ate, drank, and shared moments that need not be described here.

At dawn the next day, Chen Fan was still asleep when Li Xing called him from outside the room.

He dressed quickly and went to greet Li Xing.

“Lord Li Xing, is there an urgent matter?”

Li Xing pushed Chen Fan’s back and led him toward the prison cell while explaining the problem he hoped Chen Fan could help solve.

Indeed, Li Xing had wanted to ask Chen Fan for help writing something yesterday, but seeing how tired Chen Fan was after a full day’s work, he felt embarrassed to impose. So he had wracked his brain and written something himself before daring to ask for Chen Fan’s guidance.

Entering the dim dungeon, Chen Fan reached Li Xing’s workspace and opened the case files he had prepared.

Seeing there was still so much written, Chen Fan realized Li Xing hadn’t been idle.

He gave it a careful glance.

However, it was clear Li Xing had merely recorded a dry account of events, outlining the current security issues in the county and their general thoughts, leaving the rest for Chen Fan to solve.

After reading, Chen Fan said, “These criminals are obviously exploiting loopholes in the law. Once I finish reviewing the relevant laws of the Great Zhou, I will write it all out for you—no more than three days. When you return, I’ll also give you some books on how to draft official documents. I hope you will study them.”

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Chen Fan thought Li Xing had stopped listening and turned around to reprimand him.

But when he looked back, Li Xing was not only attentive but also taking notes.

“Criminals exploiting loopholes in the law.” Chen Fan patted his shoulder, deeply admiring this eager young comrade.

Meanwhile, Liu Jia and his group began their first assignment after taking over the Xia Ya operation.

They got the village chief’s son of Xiajia Village, under Cao County’s jurisdiction, drunk.

They abducted Xia Linhua, the most beautiful woman within ten miles.

While the village chief’s son was asleep, they forged his signature and sealed it, leaving him with only 100 wen.

Within less than ten days, all the beautiful women in the villages under the county’s control were seized and locked away in a newly built mansion deep in the mountains, owned by Lord Xia.

These women, blindfolded, were brought to a candlelit room inside the mansion.

Lord Xia, wearing a wolf mask, sat solemnly watching them.

They were brought to him one by one, kneeling as their blindfolds were removed, revealing their faces.

Upon seeing the fearsome wolf mask, they fainted outright.

Lord Xia, seeing the beautiful women, waved his hand, and servants took them to another room to bathe, change clothes, and be carefully groomed for Xia Ya’s pleasure.

Those deemed less attractive were taken to a different room to be offered to high-ranking officials.

This mansion was lavishly built, flaunting Lord Xia’s immense wealth.

To these women, however, it was no grand residence but a grave where their lives would be buried.

Over the past several days, Chen Fan used various traps, even crafting bear traps.

Though bear traps had long existed in Great Zhou, they were costly. Chen Fan and his team bought scrap iron and improved the manufacturing process, greatly reducing costs.

In over ten days, they had caught several thousand pounds of game, enough to supply the entire county for four to five days.

The county magistrate was delighted and immediately issued a pre-written decree:

“Effective immediately, Qin Yue Rou and Qin Yue E are appointed official chefs of the government-run tavern, responsible for teaching recipes and enjoying ninth-rank status. Li Xing is responsible for security. Chen Fan is to instruct hunting methods and oversee game catching. The hunted animals shall be processed into ingredients for the tavern’s dishes, supplied to patrons. The deputy magistrate will supervise daily operations, with Chen Fan managing.”

Everyone felt inspired. The officials sensed that the county magistrate was about to make a significant move.

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Li Xing handed over Chen Fan’s work plan to Captain Sun and his team.

They looked at the title on the case files with puzzled expressions: “Operation Thunderbolt.”

It detailed how to gather criminal evidence, interrogate suspects, and prevent criminals from exploiting legal loopholes, followed by the work assignments: investigation, patience.

All were lessons Chen Fan had learned from police work on Earth.

The three captains, seasoned lawmen, understood Chen Fan’s 21st-century experience perfectly.

“It seems wise not to act rashly before the new year.”

“We should train each precinct’s officers according to this plan and prepare for what comes next.”

“To think Li Xing could devise such practical and feasible strategies — he truly hides his talents!”

“Given time, he will surely become a distinguished captain, commanding law enforcement in the capital.”

Meanwhile, Yue Rou and Yue E were trying on the uniforms provided by the government office, their hearts swelling with excitement.

They felt that only by working as hard as Chen Fan could they truly deserve to wear these uniforms.

They went to the kitchen to fiddle with seasonings and practice their knife skills.

Every day in the bustling city, common folk heard the government proclaim Chen Fan’s deeds and were deeply moved; men began to follow his example.

The widows of Xia Ya were not left destitute.

They took the belongings Liu Jia had left them and planned to flee to a distant land.

But after Li Xing reported to Captain Sun, the captain dispatched riders to swiftly bring them back, detaining them in the county jail.

They recounted to the captains the years they had spent with Huang Ya and the peculiar circumstances surrounding their lives.

Chen Fan, meanwhile, read the laws and wrote his notes, preparing to compile them into a treatise titled “National Discourse.”

He intended to use this treatise to gain entry to the Imperial Academy and witness the unmatched statesman of the declining dynasty—Qu Yuan.

At this moment, Emperor Wu of Zhou had dismissed his attendants and stood before a bronze mirror, grooming himself alone.

He was applying the bridal makeup typical of royal women.

“What kind of man in this world could ever catch my eye?” he murmured.