Chapter 217 - Fu Fu Gets Involved in the Investigation

Wanli Hui was already used to the sight of Fu Bu’er’s house being full of people. Fu Bu’er was the village chief, and his house was practically half a village office. Villagers came to do business, to chat, and even to cry out for justice. The flow of people was basically endless every day. Although a rather grand village office had been built, the common people were still accustomed to going directly to the village chief’s house for their affairs.

What surprised him was seeing a Fubo Army soldier stand up in the middle of the crowd and salute him. Had the army been given leave?

“This is Fu Fu, a soldier in the Fubo Army,” Fu Bu’er hurriedly introduced. Fu Fu’s sudden return from the army had startled him. Could the boy have deserted? That would bring disaster upon him! The thought that he had recently been involved in dealing with deserters, and with a Chief present, sent a wave of panic through him.

But then he saw that Fu Fu was neatly dressed, glowing with health, and carrying large and small bags. He didn’t look like a stray dog. Fu Bu’er’s heart eased a little.

“Fu Fu,” Wanli Hui said casually, “is he your son?”

“Ah—” Fu Bu’er didn’t know what to say for a moment. Fu Fu was no longer his household servant, and certainly not his son. “He’s… Fu Xi’s and the others’ older brother.”

Wanli Hui nodded, then suddenly remembered that Fu Fu was the same household servant for whom Fu Bu’er had begged him to get military pay. He had been rebuffed for his efforts and scolded by Wei Aiwen and others. At this thought, Wanli Hui’s expression darkened.

Seeing a Chief arrive, the crowd felt it was inconvenient to stay and quickly dispersed.

Fu Fu quickly stood at attention, looking as if he were “awaiting orders.”

“Since he’s your family, there’s no need to be so formal,” Wanli Hui said, waving his hand nonchalantly. He then asked, “Have you reported in since you got home?”

“Reporting to the Chief, not yet—”

“Go quickly!” Wanli Hui put on his “Chief” airs. He glanced over and saw Fu Yijin, her face flushed, looking at Fu Fu with a dazed expression. This made him even more unhappy. Although he had cooled off a bit towards Fu Yijin after winning an A-class maid in the lottery, he had always considered the Fu family’s eldest daughter as a flower he could pick at any time. Suddenly discovering that she was infatuated with a native soldier naturally displeased him.

“Yes, sir!” Fu Fu also quickly slipped out. The chat just now had let him enjoy the feeling of being the center of attention, and he had forgotten to report to the resident policeman. According to regulations, a soldier on leave had to report to the resident policeman and get his pass stamped immediately upon arriving home, otherwise he couldn’t cancel his leave upon returning to the army.

The resident policeman’s quarters were located at the junction of East Village and West Village—it had been built there for the convenience of people from both villages. The residence was funded by the People’s Committee for Civil Affairs. It was a small two-story building, with the policeman’s home and dormitory upstairs, and the police office and temporary detention cell downstairs. According to Ran Yao’s police plan, every standard village with a population of over a thousand was to be equipped with two resident policemen. One would settle down in the area long-term, while the other would be a rotating position for new police officers.

In addition to maintaining local public order, the resident police were also directly responsible for handling minor cases. Since this kind of law enforcement required at least two people, Ran Yao ultimately decided that each standard village with over a thousand people should have at least two resident policemen. They were also responsible for collecting information on public sentiment, household registration management, and managing the transient population.

A soldier on leave was, of course, part of the “transient population” management. Fu Fu hurried to the “Police Pavilion,” as the locals called the small building that housed the resident police.

Unexpectedly, when he pushed the door open, there was another “Chief” inside the “Police Pavilion.” Unlike Chief Wan’s mud-splattered work clothes, this one was neatly dressed and looked very distinguished. He was talking to the resident policeman.

Fu Fu carefully saluted, then presented his leave pass to the resident policeman. Because he was staying for more than three days, he had to register for a temporary household.

“What’s the hurry? Can’t you see I’m talking to the Chief—” the policeman in black, his hat pushed back, scolded as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“You go ahead and handle his business first. Our matter will take a while,” the Chief said in a pleasant tone. Fu Fu couldn’t help but glance at him. He was a Chief in his thirties, not as tall as the others, but equally robust, with a common face that didn’t leave much of an impression.

Fu Fu suddenly noticed: this Chief was wearing a navy uniform with the branch and rank insignia removed, and he wasn’t wearing a command sword. What was a navy Elder officer doing in Meiyang Village?

The paperwork was quickly completed and stamped. He heard the resident policeman complaining again, “…You don’t know, there are too many things to do in the village. The conflict between the outsiders and the locals is huge, and there are trivial matters every other day. And there’s a pile of investigation forms to fill out… You’ll have to wait a while, sir. I’ll get to it as soon as I finish these things. Please be considerate…”

“Private First Class!” Fu Fu was about to leave when the Chief called him. He quickly stopped, turned, and saluted.

“Are you from this village?”

“Reporting to the officer: Yes, sir!”

“New immigrant or native?”

“Reporting to the officer: A native, sir.”

The resident policeman chimed in, “He’s from Fu Bu’er’s family…”

“Private First Class! Are you willing to help me with something?”

“Reporting to the officer: It is my honor to serve the Elders!” Fu Fu replied loudly, following the standard script.

“At ease! No need to be so formal!”

“Yes, sir!”

“I’m Xu Ke from the Arbitration Tribunal.” Xu Ke’s position at the Arbitration Tribunal was a “loaned” one; he had no official title. He had been temporarily borrowed by the Arbitration Tribunal at Ma Jia’s request to handle the case of undermining a military marriage, serving as the judge.

Since this case was the beginning of the new legal system’s entry into the native world, it was necessary to treat it with caution, striving for a balance between legal authority and native predictability. After that, they could consider replacing the Great Ming Code with Lin’gao’s own laws for the natives. Ma Jia had specifically convened a full meeting of the Law Society to discuss the legal theory, trial model, applicable legal system, and sentencing for this case, to ensure it would have “historical significance.”

The new law had to reflect the will of the ruling class—that is, the Council of Elders. And the ultimate goal of the Council of Elders was to transform society, which meant that the purpose of the trial was not simply punishment, but “changing customs and traditions.”

First, everyone agreed that on the issue of jurisdiction, it was better for this case to go through the ordinary court procedures, and it was not advisable to hastily set up a military tribunal. On the one hand, they had to consider the social and political effects; on the other hand, without a code of procedure, hastily going through a military tribunal would be difficult to justify and would have no legal basis.

At the meeting, the Law Society, after discussion, formed three basic viewpoints:

First, the Council of Elders had not promulgated any relevant written laws. Therefore, the trial should be based on the principle of applying the old law and being lenient, as well as the principle of legality. Thus, it was appropriate to base the judgment on the local customary law or the Great Ming Code.

Second, a public interpretation of the law should be conducted immediately after the trial to enhance the native people’s understanding of the Elders’ legal concepts.

Third, relevant laws should be drafted and promulgated quickly. To punish without first teaching is cruelty.

Everyone believed that since the Council of Elders had not yet promulgated a marriage law or civil code, it was appropriate to apply the Great Ming Code for conviction in this case, in the absence of written law. As for sentencing, it could be left to the judge’s discretion. And since the Lin’gao court system should be politically aware, and given the importance of this case, they could consider introducing a trial committee system to translate the spirit of the Council of Elders into a verdict acceptable to all parties through the discussion of the trial committee. The military’s demand for severe punishment had a certain degree of reasonableness.

Doing so would, on the one hand, establish the authority of the legal system among the natives, and on the other hand, establish the political and ideological leadership of the Council of Elders over the judicial system, which was acceptable in the current political context.

In short, they would strive for a balance between legal authority and native predictability in the trial, and then consider replacing the Great Ming Code with the new law.

Since the guiding ideology was clear, the next step was specific implementation. Ma Jia seconded Xu Ke from the Intelligence Bureau to serve as the judge, with Ji Xin as the pro bono defense lawyer, and An Xi as the prosecutor.

After receiving the case, Xu Ke decided to personally go to the scene of the incident, that is, the hometown of the marine, to conduct an on-site investigation. Logically, this wasn’t his job, but An Xi’s ability to handle things was truly unreliable. According to the soldier’s file he had obtained from the Navy, both the cuckolded soldier and the adulterer lived in Meiyang Village.

Xu Ke decided to personally go to Meiyang Village to conduct a field investigation to ensure that the “facts of the case are clear” and the “evidence is conclusive.”

“Do you know this person?” he said, mentioning the name of the cuckolded sailor.

“Reporting to the officer: I know him. He’s from this village.”

Xu Ke nodded. “No need to ‘report.’ Just speak normally.”

“Yes, sir!” Fu Fu said. “He’s a Hoklo—no, a Fujianese. He came here to settle down seven or eight years ago. At first, he lived by doing odd jobs and then reclaimed a few acres of wasteland…”

“When did he marry his wife?”

“He brought her from Fujian.”

“No children?”

“They had some, but they all died,” Fu Fu said.

“You see, a soldier who’s been away for several years is better informed than you!” Xu Ke said to the resident policeman in a reproachful tone. “How long have you been here? What have you been doing?!”

“Yes, yes, Chief, I… I’m not from this village…” The resident policeman was now sweating profusely. “I… I’ve only been here for three months…”

“Alright, reflect on your work efficiency yourself!” Xu Ke had originally wanted to point out some problems with his messy work, but then he remembered that he was not an Elder from the police department and it was not appropriate for him to directly interfere. He softened his tone. “Since you haven’t been here long, you need to put more thought into it in the future!”