Chapter 11: Fainting

Huang Ya and his men each gathered some food and instructed their wives to place it at Chen Fan’s doorstep.

Their wives complied but discussed among themselves how best to deliver it.

Thus unfolded the scene that morning.

There was no poison in the food Huang Ya’s men prepared.

However, Huang Ya considered Chen Fan a thorn in his side, an enemy he longed to eliminate as soon as possible.

So, he mixed a large amount of arsenic into the salt he prepared.

Confident that Chen Fan and his group would surely perish, he and his men went to a tavern to drink and boast loudly.

Early that morning, he led his men to wait outside Chen Fan’s house, eager to see whether Chen Fan was alive or dead.

The night before, after entertaining Li Xing, Chen Fan read late into the night.

He was a fast reader, having loved books since university and often devoured them whenever he had time.

Scanning at ten lines per glance, a mere 200,000 words was only four or five hours’ work for him.

After finishing, he bathed and went to bed, holding Yue Rou in his arms, drifting into a hazy sleep.

Before dawn, he had already found Li Xing and the office location Li had mentioned, waiting for the magistrate’s assistant to assign him work.

It wasn’t long before the assistant arrived with a key.

“Chen Fan, you truly deserve the favor of Lord Cao; you are indeed diligent!

Your position is clerk. You will start as a clerk in the Rites Department.

You will be mainly responsible for sacrificial ceremonies, temple regulations, schools, examinations, and the awarding of honors.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me; I will answer them one by one.

Each of the six departments has five clerks. Including you, the Rites Department has exactly five.

Remember to cooperate with your colleagues as equals. Your direct superior is me.

Here is the appointment document from the county magistrate, along with the county annals that he asked me to deliver to you.

If there are no questions, you may begin your work.”

“Understood, thank you for your guidance, sir.”

Chen Fan then sat at a vacant desk, began reading the county annals, and writing documents.

His colleagues gradually arrived in the hall, all somewhat surprised by Chen Fan’s appearance.

Still, they exchanged greetings and busied themselves. After all, this was a county town with nearly tens of thousands of residents, and the workload was immense.

Chen Fan counted fourteen colleagues present; it seemed some were not working here.

Watching the heads bowed over their writing, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

“Aren’t these just the corporate slaves of Earth?”

“Apparently, the plight of the overworked servant is timeless!”

During this time, Yue Rou brought Chen Fan water several times. Chen Fan said little to her.

He had instructed Yue Rou and Yue E not to leave the office for now.

They were to help the female workers there with tasks; their wages would suffice for some time.

Yue E was fine, able to focus on her duties.

Yue Rou, however, kept finding excuses to come check on Chen Fan.

Chen Fan worked steadily until noon, then went with his colleagues to the government cafeteria for lunch.

Meanwhile, Huang Ya and his men waited outside Chen Fan’s house from dawn until noon.

Seeing no one come out after so long, they scaled the wall and rushed inside in impatience.

At the door, they were immediately confronted by five ambushed constables led by Li Xing, all holding knives.

“Why do you trespass private residences? Do you know that this is a serious offense?

Without a reasonable explanation, you will have to come with us to the government office.”

Huang Ya, faced with knives, was terrified and immediately knelt down, knocking his head on the floor three times with loud thuds.

“Officer, spare us! I am a friend of Chen Fan. Having not seen him yesterday, I was worried and came to look for him.

We meant no harm!”

“Then why did you and so many of you barge in without knocking?”

“Captain Li, this matter seems suspicious. We should take these men back to the office for questioning.”

“Agreed! Let’s go.”

Huang Ya’s men thought they had done nothing wrong.

The government surely would not punish married men like them.

But Huang Ya trembled uncontrollably.

He feared his poison might have already killed Chen Fan and his group.

If Chen Fan’s creditors had discovered this and reported it, that would explain the ambush by the constables.

Furthermore, killing a man was a grave crime.

If convicted, Huang Ya would be ruined for life.

He would either be demoted to slavery and forced into hard labor—

Or exiled to the frontier as cannon fodder without military rank.

His body would be used to hold back barbarian cavalry, a living barrier to restrict their movements.

If he retreated, archers behind would shoot him down.

He could only desperately swing a wooden club, hoping to survive a few more seconds beneath the cavalry’s blades.

Even if he survived by some miracle, he would perform the same grim duty daily, without chance for glory.

Death awaited him inevitably.

Li Xing, unwilling for Chen Fan to know these details, entered the government office through a back door.

He locked the ruffians in the dungeon and began taking them to separate interrogation rooms.

To prevent collusion, several constables were assigned to guard them.

If any whispering was caught, the punishment was three lashes.

Enough to bring tears to any grown man.

Huang Ya’s men, unconcerned, nodded off one by one to pass the dull time.

Huang Ya, terrified, tried to get information from his men during breaks.

Before his turn for interrogation, he had already received over ten lashes.

His men wondered why he was so unlucky today.

Unable to bear it, they made a shushing gesture and turned their heads away with pity.

When only Huang Ya remained, Li Xing suddenly announced their release.

“We have confirmed you are not involved in this matter.

You even brought supplies to Chen Fan, which I find deeply touching.

Those supplies will be returned to you.

Please report privately what items you delivered; we will return them and post notices praising your brotherly loyalty.

After reporting your gifts, you may take them and go home.

I apologize deeply for wasting your time today.

I will report this to the magistrate and request punishment for those responsible.

But I must warn you—obey the law from now on.

Do not trample on the law, or you will face penalties.

Also, do not worry about Chen Fan.

He has become an official in the government now.”

Li Xing spoke each word carefully.

Huang Ya fainted immediately after hearing this.

When he awoke, he was lying in his own bed.

His back felt cool—clearly, it had been bandaged and treated.

He sat up but still could not accept the truth.

Li Xing’s words echoed in his mind.

Looking at the food on the table, his stomach growled.

He had not taken a drop of water all day.

Without waiting for his wife’s help, he grabbed a bowl and some food and gobbled it down ravenously.

Soon after, he collapsed onto the floor, clutching his stomach, foaming at the mouth.

His wives were terrified and frozen in shock.

Shortly after, his struggling ceased, and he passed away.