Chapter 108

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

In truth, as early as when they learned that three members of the Tang family had all fallen victim, several patrol officers had already faintly sensed something was amiss; now, hearing that lives had been lost, every single one of them felt their scalp go numb, and they hurried to report to their superiors.

And before that Xunpu head, at this moment, there were still several neighborhood heads standing, all of whom had come to deliver the news.

It turned out that near Zhuque Gate, from last night until this morning, many people had already fallen ill, with identical symptoms — all were diarrhea, vomiting, and high fever.

This official's face turned somewhat pale upon hearing this.

Twenty-odd years ago, the capital experienced a great flood.

After the waters receded, the air was damp and stifling, and there were many carcasses of poultry, beasts, and even humans that had not been cleared away in time, resulting in an outbreak of plague that killed countless people.

The symptoms of that plague at the time were precisely these three.

Recently, there has been continuous overcast rain, and it is stifling; everywhere the water is also rising. Hearing his subordinates come to report, he felt tense in his heart, fearing that a plague might break out in his jurisdiction, and he urged people in a steady stream to go report to the Capital Prefecture Office.

By the time he heard his subordinates report that a death had occurred in Tonghua Alley, the veins on his forehead were throbbing, and he complained: "Can't there be a single day of peace??"

He then asked how it happened.

The messenger had no choice but to explain everything one by one.

Upon learning that the old and young of Tang Huo's household had all eaten the same spoiled thing, causing the onset of illness, and that the symptoms were the same as the deceased in Tonghua Alley and the other patients, that Xunpu head actually became somewhat happy.

"Go quickly! Send men to catch that peddler and bring him back!"

If it's just a matter of eating spoiled food, catching the person is enough; as long as it's not an epidemic, anything can be discussed!

In the Capital Prefecture Office, one piece of news after another also arrived in quick succession.

"Ma Xing Street received a case, saying a relative reported to the authorities that a daughter-in-law poisoned her mother-in-law to death; the Censor from the office went to examine, and also summoned a Coroner, but the Coroner said he couldn't be certain, and wanted the office to arrange another person to go help take a look."

"Two children died at Cao Gate……"

"A pregnant woman died in Tonghua Alley……"

"Several medical clinics on the east side all reported to the Xunpu, saying they had received many patients these past two days, with identical symptoms……"

Early in the morning, having received so many pieces of bad news, Right Army Patrol Bureau Judge Qin Jie could no longer sit still; he glanced at the hour and hurriedly sought out Prefect Zheng Boqian.

And at this moment, in that Prefect Zheng's room, another person was already seated, speaking.

"The west city has a full nine Xunpu reporting, over twenty people fallen ill, symptoms all similar. At present there are two possibilities: one, they ate unclean food and drink; two, an epidemic has arisen. With the current stifling heat, fearing the subsequent impact may spread wider, I have come specially to report to the Prefect in advance."

Qin Jie saw the door was not closed, heard that the voice sounded familiar, immediately recognized it as Left Army Patrol Commissioner Zhang Zheng, realized he was also speaking of the capital's sudden outbreak of illness, hurriedly knocked on the wide-open door, stepped inside, and followed by also recounting the Right Courtyard's situation once.

The two courtyards each finished reporting the situation; seeing Prefect Zheng pondering in silence, Zhang Zheng spoke up first, proposing: "Prefect, regarding this matter, why not have our Left Courtyard take it on together?"

Qin Jie instantly could not sit still, and hurriedly said: "Commissioner Zhang, the Xunpu that reported this case — more of them fall under the Right Courtyard's jurisdiction; why not let our Right Courtyard handle it?"

The Military Patrol Bureau is divided into Left and Right Courtyards, with similar functions, neither subordinate to the other, yet mutually checking and balancing, each headed by a Left or Right Military Patrol Commissioner, and each courtyard has a Judge as deputy.

Qin Jie had arrived only a few months ago; though he was a deputy Judge, because the Right Military Patrol Commissioner was on sick leave, he acted as the head of work from the moment he arrived.

With no one to restrain him and no powerful patron to rely on, these days Qin Jie had not been little robbed of credit and squeezed out by Zhang Zheng, who pushed blame and shirked responsibility onto him.

Today's case, Zhang Zheng made it sound frightening, but Qin Jie, arriving in the morning and receiving reports from below, naturally also had some understanding, knowing that most likely it was not an epidemic, but rather some household's food and drink had a problem — find it out and that's it.

Such a minor case, as long as enough manpower is assigned, a search everywhere will quickly yield a result; it is a very easy task to show one's face on.

What Qin Jie knows, how could Zhang Zheng not know.

He said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes: "The Right Courtyard is currently busy with a major case; last time you even asked us to transfer quite a few men over to help. Before, we thought we're all brother departments; lending men, lending rooms — whatever you asked for we gave. Now it seems the Right Courtyard isn't actually that busy?"

Qin Jie said: "Manpower is also short; only the gambling house case has been more or less wrapped up, the Lantern Festival missing persons major case has already had people dispatched outside to gather evidence, most of the case files have already been handed over to the law officials; compared to before, it's naturally much better. Besides, it's our duty-bound task — how can we shirk it?"

Right in front of Prefect Zheng, Zhang Zheng, of military origin, had not the slightest concealment, and spoke very bluntly: "Judge Qin, your Right Courtyard ate the meat — can't you give the other brothers even a sip of soup? Two major cases are both in your hands; I've already held my tongue……"

"Where are two major cases? It's actually just one case, and moreover that Lantern Festival missing persons case isn't fully solved yet……"

"Enough, what is there to argue about!"

Seeing the two each insisting on their own view, Prefect Zheng could listen no longer and directly slammed the table.

"This matter is assigned to the Left Courtyard to follow up." He said to Qin Jie, "The Right Courtyard still has two major cases that haven't been settled; there are still many loose ends afterward. Don't lose the big for the small, and delay the important business."

Seeing Prefect Zheng had spoken, Qin Jie only then ceased arguing, and hurriedly took his leave and left.

Once Qin Jie left, Prefect Zheng said to Zhang Zheng: "Originally the Left and Right Courtyards stood side by side; before it was always your Left Courtyard shouldering the main beam. This year not even a full season has passed, and the Right Courtyard has consecutively cracked two major cases. When the time comes and I request merit for them, you'll just watch dryly?"

Zhang Zheng couldn't help but say: "The gambling house case aside, Qin Jie himself said the Lantern Festival case can't yet count as solved — this can also request merit?"

"If you handle a case like this, I'll request merit for you just the same!"

Prefect Zheng glanced at his subordinate with annoyance and urged: "Don't dawdle here. So many people dead at once, and a whole area sick — do you believe that right now the Imperial City Office's duty officials are standing before the Emperor reporting it?"

"Before afternoon arrives, if I don't proactively request an audience, the palace will summon me — if you don't quickly investigate the source, how am I to answer His Majesty??"

Zhang Zheng dared not retort, and hurriedly accepted the order and went.

Zhang Zheng having received the task, naturally wanted to produce some results, to bring glory to the Left Courtyard.

And Qin Jie, holding the credit for two major cases, was already far ahead; though he could see that today Prefect Zheng was somewhat biased, he actually didn't care much.

He returned to the Right Courtyard, and first called Han Li over, first recounted the matter of the roe deer jerky and venison jerky, and only then said: "Zheng Yan, I see you never pay much attention to eating; several times I've seen them bring rice back for you, left from noon until afternoon without you eating — before when it was cold it didn't matter, but now it's damp and hot; if it spoils and you eat it and ruin your stomach, what then?"

Han Li heard this, but only shook his head: "I eat a lot for breakfast, so at noon I'm not hungry; leaving it until evening and making do with a bite is the same."

And said: "Next time I'll tell them, just don't bring me rice at noon."

"How can that do!" Qin Jie heard this, simply shocked pale, "You're in the prime of life, and tall and big; in the yamen you're busy from early to late, very hard; if you don't eat more how can you endure it? What if you fall ill!"

Just as they were speaking, a person hurried in from outside, saw Qin Jie, then looked at Han Li, first stepped forward to salute, and asked: "Fourth Brother, you looking for me on business?"

It was Qin Zong.

Qin Jie glared at him: "I told you to follow Zheng Yan and learn to handle affairs, and this is how you follow?"

Speaking, he pointed at the food box placed on the desk to the side, and said: "Open it and look."

Qin Zong brought over that food box, opened it to look, and saw inside a portion of glutinous rice, two shaomai, and also half a bamboo tube of clear soup; for a moment he was puzzled, only knowing to stare with two innocent eyes and look up at Qin Jie.

Qin Jie, looked at by him until his anger had nowhere to go, said: "You just have him eat these for morning and noon? The cooks at home can't cook? Even if the ones at home can't, you can't send someone to buy some for him every day? This still needs me to teach? The longer you live the more you go backward!"

Qin Zong hurriedly said: "Fourth Brother, you don't know, this is Song..."

He was just about to explain when Han Li already intercepted: "Master Qin, don't blame him; it's that I myself like eating these few things — meat, vegetables, soup, and rice are all there, not shabby at all, I eat my fill, and it also wards off hunger."

Speaking, he found an excuse and first sent Qin Zong away, only then saying: "Many thanks for Qin Xiong's concern; it's just that Han is used to freedom, doesn't like others meddling too much — today Qin Xiong came over, is there some matter?"

Qin Jie, seeing the situation, also dared not continue making an issue of it, and only told of his clashes with that Zhang Zheng over these past months.

"This person is greedy and selfish, ability mediocre, yet he has followed Prefect Zheng for a long time, quite trusted, and his post is also high; this time our Right Courtyard gained a great merit, it will certainly draw envy, just don't know if he'll make some stumbling block behind the scenes."

Qin Jie said much more, words within and without all urging Han Li not to clash with that Zhang Zheng on ordinary days; if he suffered any grievance, come back and find him to resolve it.

Han Li understood at once.

— This Qin Jie is one rank lower in office, seniority also not as good as the other party; basically it's all endure when you can endure, and he's not willing to clash with that Zhang Zheng; knowing he himself isn't a good talker, he specially ran over to give a heads-up, just afraid that if trouble was stirred up, it would be hard to clean up.

He casually "hmm"ed, somewhat impatient, said: "We'll see later."

Speaking, he took the glutinous rice out from that opened food box, said: "Qin Xiong, go be busy; I've eaten, and there are still matters waiting for me later."

The glutinous rice and shaomai had both already gone cold, no longer having that spreading fragrance from when they were just delivered in the morning, but they were still delicious.

Especially the glutinous rice.

After going cold, the glutinous rice's fragrance was even fuller, the texture even more chewy, and the vinegar-sour radish inside even crisper.

A pity it can only be eaten morning and noon; at night one still has to make do with a meal of who-knows-where-it-came-from wild rice.

Han Li's mind didn't go thinking about what he'd have to do in a while; he just slowly ate his own breakfast, and just as he finished eating, he heard someone knocking at the door outside — it was a miscellaneous laborer who came in to report.

"Young Master Han, outside there's come a father and son pair, saying they're the family of the abducted victims rescued this time, brought many local specialties into the city, wanting to give them to you and Censor Xin and the other case-handling officials."

Han Li's breakfast and lunch only got cold food to eat, eating finished he'd have to endure most of the day, but Xiao Lian had freshly-out-of-the-pot hot food set before her.

Chicken gizzards scored with extremely fine crosshatch cuts, first blanched then quick-stir-fried, finally put in the wok, rolled a few circles in the wok and came out, very well coated in a full body of sour-fragrant flavor.

Sour-crisp, spicy, and also a bit of sugar balancing much of the sour radish's pungent taste; biting into it was crisp-slippery-refreshing-springy, actually still quite tender, but also with a bit of crunchy chew.

Chicken livers had already been stir-fried together with sour radish, sour bamboo shoots, and Xun Guan mustard seeds until flavors merged; Song Miao's heat control was just right — the chicken livers' outer layer was completely permeated by the sour-spicy flavor, wrapped in fresh-spicy-sour-refreshing sauce; eating it one mysteriously could also detect a bit of dry-fragrant sensation, an illusion brought by the outer shell pan-fried out by oil.

But bite inside, and it was still completely tender chicken liver soft-sticky, delicate texture.

As for chicken hearts, Xiao Lian this time got four.

She ate almost joyfully.

Chicken heart's texture is firm, very chew-resistant; chewing and chewing, in the sour-spicy there was also its own bit of organ sweetness; sour-sour spicy-spicy sweet, making the eater seem to become smarter by a lot a lot.

Occasionally eating a bit of chicken intestine, the intestine had already been processed very clean, crisp-crisp, tender-tender, very flavor-absorbent; the outer layer still had a bit of powdery texture; eating it had a special fragrant sweetness.

This dish needs oil slightly more; the sour radish cubes sour to an extremely clear brightness, very crisp; the sour bamboo shoots also have bamboo shoot's fresh flavor, tender-tender, braised together with Xun Guan mustard seeds and the chicken offal inside — both appetizing and cutting greasiness.

Spring mustard greens not much oil; plate bottom is vegetable soup juice; vegetables stir-fried very tender, clear-sweet — just eating mustard greens the vegetable itself, but eating it is extremely comfortable.

Two big one small, finished eating a whole pot of rice.

Xiao Lian not only ate chicken offal, even the ginger and crushed Xun Guan inside as side ingredients she couldn't bear to throw away, also had to eat; eating until mouth and nose red-red, continuously shoveling rice, and also taking the clear-stir-fried spring mustard greens to relieve the spice.

When Cheng Erniang went to wash dishes, Xiao Lian couldn't help telling Song Miao: "Sister, our family's kitchen is really clean, not smelly at all — not like that pig-slaughtering, sheep-slaughtering kitchen, so smelly so smelly, smelly to the point my nose can't even breathe!"

Song Miao only smiled, didn't think much, just about to casually return a sentence, then heard someone at the door call out: "Is this Song Xiaoniangzi's home?"

She answered, went out to look, and it was a father and son pushing a cart over; seeing her, they took down two wooden buckets, saying: "That Capital Prefecture Office's Han Li, Young Master Han, said to deliver here — these are yellow eels we caught in the fields, stone snails we got in mountain pits."

"He said in a few days he'll host a banquet at your place, let us help deliver them over."

While speaking, they also handed over a letter.

Song Miao somewhat surprised, opened that letter and read, then knew it turned out the father and son opposite were this time's lost-and-found victims' family, ran over to send some local specialties as thanks.

That Han Li afraid if he didn't accept, one the other party would feel bad in their heart, two selling wasn't right, taking back wasn't right either; simply returned a bolt of silk as a gift, because these things were of no use to him, he had them deliver over, let Song Miao cook them to eat, no need to stay long, even more no need to mind other things.

"Ai, it's just a bit of goodwill, yet they say they won't take it for nothing, still have to give us silk — such a pretty bolt, afraid it costs one string of cash! What have we become!" That father complained in a continuous stream.

Furthermore on the other side, that Left Army Patrol Commissioner Zhang Zheng received the order, actually not nervous at all.

Qin Jie could through subordinates' reported information deduce this time most likely was caused by unclean food; others naturally could also investigate it out.

Zhang Zheng having been in the Capital Prefecture Office for a long time, his subordinates naturally have a group of veteran censors; not long after, they investigated the source head was actually the roe deer jerky and venison jerky recently sold everywhere in streets and alleys, and even arrested quite a few porters and peddlers.

However clues only reached this step, then broke off.

These peddlers were not meat jerky makers, merely took in goods to resell, earning some price difference.

The upstream sellers they supplied, some were merchants coming by boat from the south, some were merchant households from the north, but all had one characteristic — only seen once or twice, all were outsiders, only knew a name and simple background.

But Zhang Zheng's subordinates went to investigate, those names and backgrounds were all fake; could only go by everyone's descriptions, drew portraits and posted them, yet gained nothing.