The Double

Ever since Feng Yutang took office in Tongxiang, no one has dared to speak the words "County Magistrate Xue" on the street, let alone at home, where the words "County Magistrate Xue" seem to be a taboo no one would dare to bring up.

Gradually, it seemed as though people had forgotten what those three words, "County Magistrate Xue," meant. They stood for a glimmer of hope when one was at a dead end, the only hope in the face of injustice, they signified justice, they signified conscience.

But it seemed like everyone hadn’t really forgotten, it was like a seed of humiliation planted deep, waiting for someone to come with a spark, for with just a little ignition, it could burst into roaring flames.

Today, the words "County Magistrate Xue" quietly began to resonate throughout Tongxiang once more, spreading like wind-blown grass in spring, making some restless and others uneasy.

At night, within a house in Green Stone Lane, a lantern was lit.

The dim light revealed a room full of people, some sitting, some standing, all wearing expressions of dejection.

Ye Mingyu sat on a low stool, his fist pounding the table as he said angrily, "This is too difficult!"

He, along with Jiang Li and six of his men, had split into groups early in the morning to approach the people of Tongxiang. Out of the more than five hundred households, they had only managed to visit a few dozen by the end of the day. While a few dozen wasn’t insignificant, the only one willing to come forward to attest for Xue Huaiyuan was the poor scholar Mo Wenxuan. This was after Mo Wenxuan’s blind mother had heard about it and sternly chastised him, prompting Mo Wenxuan to come forward with a tragic determination to share his fate with Xue Huaiyuan.

Ye Mingyu didn’t know what to say. Blame these people for being ungrateful? After all, they were just trying to protect their own families. Instead of blaming the townspeople, it seemed more fitting to curse Feng Yutang for his dirty tricks. But did these townspeople truly bear no responsibility? If only they had put up a bit more resistance, perhaps County Magistrate Xue’s imprisonment wouldn’t seem so tragic.

There are always helpless matters in the world.