Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Young Clan Head
Magistrate Huang’s face was cold. He lifted his cup, took a few sips, then slammed it down with a clang and fixed Li Wen Gang with a stare.
“Li Wen Gang. What your clansman Li Wen Cai and his whole household have done—you knew nothing about it, correct?”
“Li Wen Cai is in Little Li Village, I…” Li Wen Gang broke out in a sheet of sweat.
“Then I’ll ask you something else. Licentiate Li made the list this time. Did you expect it, or not?”
“I—I thought about it, but I didn’t… didn’t expect it,” Li Wen Gang stammered.
“Licentiate Li is an orphan with three older sisters and one younger sister. He’s the only male in the household. He’s seventeen—still a child.” Magistrate Huang’s voice sharpened. “Tell me: when he went all the way to Hang City, who in your clan accompanied him?”
Li Wen Gang lifted his head, mouth opening, then closing again.
He didn’t know.
He had only learned Li Xue Dong passed after the congratulations arrived.
Magistrate Huang didn’t let him breathe. “Then who accompanied him to Ping Jiang City for the prefectural exam in April?”
Li Wen Gang folded down, forehead nearly to the floor.
“One more question. In February, he passed the county exam. You knew about that, didn’t you?”
“I did! I did!” Li Wen Gang shot upright and nodded furiously. That one, he really did know.
“When did you know? How did you know?”
“It was a couple days after he passed. His eldest sister pushed him over in a little cart. It was in the ancestral hall—right there. Several of us were present. He said he placed third and wanted to take the prefectural exam, and he came to ask for copper coins…” Li Wen Gang’s words choked off.
Because they hadn’t given him a single coin.
Magistrate Huang tilted his cup at him. “Mmm. He asked you for money. What happened after? Keep going.”
Li Wen Gang swallowed. “Well… our clan’s had people place first in the county exam before, and then none of them made it further. These past years the clan hasn’t been well off either. And it wasn’t just me—it was everyone. Everyone said the clan was poor, so we should wait until Xue Dong earned his licentiate, then…”
Under Magistrate Huang’s cold stare, Li Wen Gang’s voice dwindled into a mumble.
Magistrate Huang set his cup down with a heavy thud. “I understand.”
His finger stabbed toward the men kneeling across the floor. “And you? Did you all understand?”
“Your Li Family clan head, Li Wen Cai, tried to murder his own kin, let his descendants commit violence, and swallowed another family’s property. Li Wen Gang claims he knew nothing.”
His gaze swept the room, each word biting. “And your clan’s seed of learning—Licentiate Li, a prodigy—was ignored, even made to beg, told to ‘wait until you earn a licentiate first.’”
Magistrate Huang let out a long, weary breath. “With a clan head like that, your Li Clan’s traditions rot and your children fail. Who would be surprised?”
He pointed again, circling the room. “How many branches does your Li Family have? Are the chiefs of each branch here? If you’re here, step forward.”
His voice dropped, calm and sharp. “Answer me. Do you want this man to remain clan head and keep poisoning your Li Clan until he ruins every last one of you? Or do you want to cut out the rot and rebuild your family name?”
“Of course we rebuild it. Please, Magistrate, guide us!” Li Shi Kuan, a clan elder from the Wang Branch, lifted himself and called out.
Magistrate Huang looked across the branch chiefs one by one. “All of you, same answer?”
They nodded quickly, eyes down.
“Then you must choose a new clan head, and you must choose new clan elders.” Magistrate Huang’s tone eased, almost reasonable. “Do it now. Pick a clan head first. Then let him lead you in settling the details and reelecting the clan elders. I’ll serve as witness.”
A middle-aged man from the Man Branch bowed. “This humble one believes our licentiate should be clan head.”
Li Xue Dong’s eyes went round. Both hands started waving like windmills. “Me? No, no, no! I can’t! I can’t, I can’t!”
Magistrate Huang looked at him, gentle in tone but solemn in expression. “Cultivate yourself, put your household in order, govern the state, bring peace to the world—that is a scholar’s duty. Licentiate Li, you can’t only protect yourself. Your clansmen are your support, and they are also your responsibility.”
“Yes,” Li Xue Dong managed, and that heavy hat dropped right onto his head.
Inside, he was panicking.
He hadn’t even been head of his own household. How was he supposed to be clan head?
“Your clan has dead branches like Li Wen Cai, and fools like Li Wen Gang,” Magistrate Huang continued, “but it also has people who are sensible, kind, and steady. These clan elders aren’t all ignorant. As clan head, your first lesson is learning to recognize people and use them well.”
Li Jin Zhu stood to the side, staring at Li Xue Dong and blinking hard at him, as if trying to shove an answer into his skull.
Li Xue Dong glanced at his eldest sister, froze, and then—like lightning striking—understood.
“Student… student has often heard the elders say the Wang Branch’s elder uncle is fair and sensible,” he said, voice shaking. “Sir has also said the same, that he is rare indeed, and… and…”
Old Master Kuan stood among the clan elders, head slightly bowed, a smile tugging at his lips.
Their licentiate was clever. He was just young, and he’d never been taught properly before. Even now, under pressure, he could react this fast.
In the future, he would surely become someone great.
A blessing for the Li Family… and a blessing for the Wang Branch as well.
“Eldest Hall Uncle truly is fair and just!” the Man Branch middle-aged man called. “Our Man Branch respects him most!”
“Right, right! In all the nearby villages, who doesn’t say Big Uncle is a good man?” Third Uncle Li Wen Hua hurried to add, eager to keep up.
Agreement rose in a wave.
Magistrate Huang leaned forward slightly. “And which one is he?”
“This humble one is Li Shi Kuan,” Li Shi Kuan said, stepping out and bowing.
Magistrate Huang smiled at him. “Don’t refuse, then. Licentiate Li is young, and his most important work is studying. Major matters should be decided by him, but the daily chores and tedious affairs—you shoulder more for your grand-nephew, so he can focus on his books. That benefits both family and clan.”
“Yes. I respectfully accept the Magistrate’s instruction,” Li Shi Kuan replied.
“You’ll need to discuss new methods, elect clan elders again, and you may even have to rewrite the clan rules,” Magistrate Huang said. “That’s fine work. I won’t stay and watch every step. Once you’ve chosen the elders and repaired the rules, have Licentiate Li send me a note. I’ll take a look.”
Li Shi Kuan bowed again and agreed.