Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

The following day, March 18th,

"Prefect Xiahou said he's holding a grand meeting of county officials today?" Upon hearing the report from the county magistrate beside him, Zhou Yuan, the magistrate of Wanling County, couldn't help but be surprised.

The county magistrate bowed and said, "I heard it with my own ears, how could it be false? The prefect also said that he would call the officials in charge of the copper mine to discuss matters, and that he would also like to discuss how to reward everyone."

Zhou Yuan was from Hejian County in Jizhou. He was 42 years old at the time. He had served as the magistrate of Dongjun County in Yanzhou. He was among the first batch of county officials selected by the Ministry of Personnel from various prefectures to serve in Wu last summer.

The Hejian Commandery where he was born has now been changed to the Hejian State. This Prefect Xiahou is the nephew of the King of Hejian and a confidant of His Majesty. Zhou Yuan is well aware of this. Prefect Xiahou is definitely a person who cannot be offended.

Zhou Yuan has already heard about what Prefect Xiahou saw and heard at the West Mountain Copper Field yesterday. Is Prefect Xiahou really going to reward everyone today?

Zhou Yuan felt a chill run down his spine, but he forced himself to remain calm and replied, "Alright, I understand. Have someone spread the word about this matter. Have someone ride my horse to the copper mine and invite Du, the official, here as well."

"Understood, Your Excellency." The county magistrate bowed and left.

Five miles from Wanling County, at the Xishan Copper Mine, Du Li, an official, received the report and stroked his beard, pondering to himself:
"I can still recall the grim expression on the face of the Yue people from Zhongshan at the copper mine yesterday, so how could I possibly bestow any rewards upon them today?"

Hearing this, the steward in green robes standing beside Du Li leaned close to Du Li's ear and whispered:

"This official was personally appointed by Prefect Jiang of the state. He has always only obeyed the orders of the state. Why should he be afraid of a mere prefect? ​​This Prefect Xiahou is so young. He must be here in Wu to gain some merit. This is common for the sons of nobles. They certainly won't care about such trivial matters."

“That’s true.” Du Li was silent for a few moments, then nodded arrogantly. “I was appointed by Magistrate Jiang, so what can the Prefect do to me? Let’s go, you come with me to Wanling City.”

"Yes," the steward nodded in response.

Inside the Wanling County government building, more than thirty officials and clerks, from the county magistrate Zhou Yuan down, were already standing in the hall, the atmosphere solemn and oppressive. Xiahou Xuan, sitting in the center, still had a stern face, and soldiers dressed in leather armor and iron helmets, with ring-pommel swords at their waists, stood along both sides of the main hall.

"Who hasn't arrived yet?" Xiahou Xuan asked coldly.

County Magistrate Zhou Yuan glanced around and replied in a low voice, "Your Excellency, Du, the official in charge of the Xishan Copper Mine, has not yet arrived."

"Go and urge them!" Xiahou Xuan frowned.

"Yes, I'll send someone to urge them right away." Zhou Yuan quickly replied, giving a wink to his subordinate beside him. The county clerk, who had just stepped out of the county government gate, jogged back, cupping his hands in greeting:

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Attendant Du has arrived."

Du Li had already sensed something was wrong. He and his steward rushed to the center of the crowd, bowing deeply in greeting.

"Your Excellency, I have traveled a long way and am late. I hope you will forgive me!"

"Forgive me?" Xiahou Xuan sneered. "Guards, seize these two criminals!"

As soon as he finished speaking, four armored soldiers rushed out from the left and right sides of the hall. In a short while, they grabbed Du Li and his steward by the shoulders and forced them to kneel on the ground.

Du Li was shocked and looked up, shouting repeatedly, "Your Excellency, I did not mean to be late! I beg Your Excellency to show mercy!" "Do you think you are guilty because you are late?" Xiahou Xuan stood up, walked into the hall with his left hand behind his back, pointed at Du Li's panicked face with his right hand, and said to everyone, "Gentlemen, do you know what crime Du Li has committed?"

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances; the atmosphere in the hall grew extremely cold, and no one dared to speak. Seeing the awkwardness, Magistrate Zhou Yuan cupped his hands and said:
"Reporting to Your Excellency, it is likely that Du was punished for using excessive force while on duty at the copper mine."

Xiahou Xuan sneered: "The punishment is excessive? If that's the case, then I won't arrest him today! Let me be clear to everyone, Du Li is a remnant of the Wu Kingdom, and he has committed the crime of treason!"

"Guards, bring Du Li out immediately and behead him as a warning to the public!"

Just as Du Li was about to say something in his defense, he was dragged out by the armored soldiers on both sides like a dead pig. Not long after, Du Li's head was brought back by Du Bo, one of the armored soldiers, who was holding him by the hair. Crimson blood dripped all the way down the road, which was quite horrifying.

Wanling is just a small county. When Cao Shuang attacked it in the past, the defending general died and it surrendered quickly. Who in the county government has ever seen such a scene?

Xiahou Xuan said, "This prefecture did not execute Du Li without prior instruction. Before killing Du Li, I clearly informed you all that Du Li was plotting a rebellion. As a subject of the Great Wei, Du Li repeatedly used Wu's punishments while in charge of the Xishan Copper Mine. Criminal law is the foundation of governing the people. Du Li's use of Wu's corporal punishment is an act of rebellion against the Great Wei, a tribute to Wu!"

Many county officials in the hall were already trembling with fear, and Xiahou Xuan, seeing this, changed the subject:
"This prefecture has already investigated and found that in Wanling County, only Du Li is guilty of treason! The rest are all loyal and virtuous officials of the Great Wei, and cannot be equated with the traitor Du Li!"

"Your Excellency is wise!!!" As soon as Xiahou Xuan finished speaking, everyone in the hall knelt down in a sea of ​​black. County Magistrate Zhou Yuan was not required to kneel, but seeing the atmosphere had reached this point, he had no choice but to kneel down as well.

"No need for formalities, please rise." Xiahou Xuan walked to Zhou Li's side, helped him up with both hands, and then said loudly:

"The past cannot be retrieved. The eight hundred people in the Xishan Copper Mine who were punished because of the traitor Du Li will be granted land and wealth by the state as appropriate to show the benevolence of the Great Wei."

"Of the eighteen copper mines in Danyang Prefecture, I have personally inspected seven, and the Xishan Copper Mine in Wanling County has the biggest problems and the worst management!"

"I have decided that from today onwards, I will be stationed in Wanling County. I will not leave Wanling until the problems of the eighteen copper mines in the county are resolved and all matters concerning the people's livelihood are straightened out."

"Hao Ning," Xiahou Xuan said to Hao Ning beside him, "draft a letter for me, asking General Duan stationed in Jiangning to send another nine hundred men immediately. I'm going to make a big fuss in Wanling County!"

"Yes, sir." Hao Ning bowed respectfully before the crowd.

Before setting off, General Duan Mo, the Protector of Yangzhou, assigned Xiahou Xuan one hundred armored soldiers as his guards. Wanling was a small county, and with one hundred armored soldiers, the people in the county couldn't cause any trouble. If there were one thousand armored soldiers, Wanling County and the Xishan Copper Mine would be completely under Xiahou Xuan's control.

……

Xiahou Xuan had just returned to the inner hall when he entered the door and immediately said, "Yuanji, grind the ink for me! I want to submit a memorial to His Majesty!"

Wang Yuanji, however, sat at the table and chuckled softly, "My husband has returned, Liwei?"

"Hmm." Xiahou Xuan nodded slightly.

Wang Yuanji pointed to a piece of paper on the table: "Here, I have already drafted it for my husband. Would you like to take a look?"

"Oh?" Xiahou Xuan picked up the letter and looked at it for a few moments, then shook his head and smiled, "Madam is indeed very talented. This letter is exactly as I wrote it myself; not a single word needs to be changed!" (End of Chapter)