Chapter 53

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Qin Zong had no choice but to walk alone, watching them with wide eyes.

No one knew what the two had discussed up ahead; by the time they returned, Xin Feng showed not a trace of his earlier displeasure toward Han Li, becoming extremely amiable, and frequently took the initiative to share amusing stories about catching thieves and interrogations.

Han Li was neither obsequious nor merely agreeable, but actually carried on a lively back-and-forth with him.

Occasionally offering a few words of praise or asking a question, Qin Zong listened from the side, feeling the praise was nothing remarkable, and as for the questions, he couldn't tell what was special about them—but every time one was spoken, it made Xin Feng happy, spattering saliva as he revealed more details with greater enthusiasm.

I've praised before, I've asked before—why, when I praised, you didn't care, and when I asked, you only answered casually, without getting so excited?

Is it that the flattery of a man surnamed Han smells sweeter than that of a man surnamed Qin?

Furthermore, Brother Han, in the past when facing my Fourth Brother, a capital official at least, and facing so many scholars, great Confucians, and numerous officials of rank and grade, you were too lazy to add a word; when there was nothing to do, you wouldn't take the initiative to step forward, and even when there was business, you often made excuses to avoid it, unwilling to deal with them.

How is it that now that you've come here, you're so agreeable, so courteous, and able to praise people?

Qin Zong listened for a long time but couldn't hear what Han Li said that was better than what he himself had said before, truly baffled.

Even by the latter half of the road, Xin Feng actually began praising Han Li.

"I originally thought Judge Qin was just saying exaggerated empty words, but I didn't expect Younger Brother Han really had done work down below; listening to you speak, you must not have suffered little hardship? You even understand matters like salary deduction penalties and execution deadlines within the curfew violation crackdown."

"If I had known this earlier, why did my old self have to say all that nonsense just now? Truly, 'a flood washed away the Dragon King Temple'—family doesn't recognize family!"

Han Li then chatted with him in fine detail, and also made modest remarks.

"After all, Yingzhou is not the Capital; it's still far better. The Circuit Surveillance Department only comes down to patrol a few times a year, and may not even be spot-checked, but the Capital Prefecture Office is different—being nearest, any official can come say a few words, and to review old cases or inspect old archives, they are the first to be hit."

"Piled in hand are who knows how many urgent cases, the victims still waiting outside, pressing down on you—you can't finish them all; whose files can be complete at all times, in every respect?"

"Inevitably, subordinates work by day, and must carve out the original evening hours to sit at the desk."

"Superiors only give a few words of urging; if they're good, they can show some consideration, but if not, not even a cup of Thirst-Quenching Decoction is given. Officials don't help subordinates streamline procedures and reduce trouble, but instead scold you for not being meticulous in daily work, not knowing to leave traces at all times and file at every step."

Xin Feng listened, feeling he had met a kindred spirit, and immediately echoed him, beginning to criticize a former Military Patrol Magistrate up ahead.

They chatted and walked quickly all the way; by the time they reached Suanzao Alley, Xin Feng no longer called him "Han Brother," but shouted "Zheng Yan, Zheng Yan" instead.

Upon arriving at the Song Family Eatery, seeing the door half-open, Xin Feng stepped forward first, knocked on the door, and asked aloud: "Is there a Young Lady Song here?"

As he asked, he looked up and saw Song Miao shelling bamboo shoots by the stove in the front hall, and was stunned for a moment; the next words he couldn't get out for a while, thinking only in his heart: What a pretty young lady.

They say to be pretty, one wears mourning.

After the seventh day, Song Miao, though no longer wearing heavy mourning, was still dressed entirely in plain clothes and hemp.

A young girl's figure—eight out of ten are slender—and her appearance was exceptionally good; as she lowered her head to work, her gaze was very focused.

In Xin Feng's eyes, he felt this woman had a fine, straight nose bridge, delicate features, a small face, and looked quiet and elegant.

Her hands were very slender, like green onions, with only slight fresh marks of work; at this moment she held similarly slender, long bamboo shoots, peeling off the shells—clearly moving neither fast nor slow, but the speed was actually very quick, the motions smooth and clean.

A passerby glancing over, if not looking closely, would never think this was shelling bamboo shoots, but rather doing some refined thing, like brewing tea, burning incense, or painting.

Although if Song Miao herself were to say, she only believed shelling bamboo shoots was far more refined than zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—the shoots absorb the clouds, mist, and spiritual energy of the mountains, undergo washing, cutting, and cooking, enter people's bellies, and then return again to the land and mountains; such a cycle of heaven and earth—is it not refined, is it not elegant?

At this moment Song Miao heard the knocking and someone asking, felt slightly strange, stopped her handiwork, and replied: "It is I; I don't know what instruction you have?"

She said this, raising her head to look at the doorway.

The door was only open two panels; outside stood two men—the one in front was about forty, not tall but very sturdy; the one behind looked very familiar—he was the constable who had "escorted" her back last night, now looking at her face with quite a surprised expression.

The one asking was precisely that middle-aged man; as he asked, he first looked at Song Miao's face, but after looking a while, moved his eyes away, quickly sweeping a glance around this room, as if inspecting something.

"I am a Censor of the Capital Prefecture Office, surnamed Xin."

Xin Feng took out a waist plaque from his sleeve, showed it to Song Miao, and then stepped into the room.

Song Miao put down the slender bamboo shoots in her hand, walked forward two steps, called out "Censor Xin" to be courteous, and then introduced herself again.

Xin Feng entered the door, without beating around the bush, and asked directly: "Young Lady Song, early this morning you were summoned by the Zhuque Gate Patrol Station—what was the reason? What did they ask you inside the patrol station?"

He asked again: "I heard your house was intruded upon by a night intruder the day before yesterday—what is the situation?"

Song Miao then recounted everything in order.

Xin Feng listened while looking around the main hall of the food shop.

He saw the furnishings inside, and saw the two stoves at the doorway with various things placed on top, and also a street vendor cart parked in the hall; having originally felt two parts suspicion from Qin Zong's description, it had now dissipated seven or eight parts.

Meanwhile Qin Zong, after hearing Song Miao's answer, still felt strange and asked: "Your home just suffered a night intrusion by thieves, yet you still had leisure to go watch the excitement at Zhou Bridge?"

"That Embroidered Lady went missing, and the Embroidery Workshop offered a reward of one hundred strings of silver; my family is deeply in debt—seeing such a large reward, how could I not be tempted?" Song Miao replied.

Clearly it was just an ordinary answer, but for some reason, Qin Zong felt as if he had been choked.

Just as they were speaking, Song Miao looked up and saw another person enter through the doorway.

That person was exceptionally handsome, with particularly sharp eyebrows and eyes, an upright gaze, tall stature, and a slender figure, wearing a common blue scholar's robe; seeing Song Miao face to face, he was slightly stunned, then performed a salute, saying: "Young Lady Song."

Song Miao returned the salute.

The other then said: "I am Han Li, serving under Censor Xin. Last night when I came, I saw some strange movements inside the house opposite, and wanted to trouble you with a question—Young Lady Song lives across from you; did you notice anything amiss?"

"So it is Young Master Han." Song Miao responded, and straightforwardly said: "Yes, in the past I didn't pay attention, but since the Lantern Festival, I sleep late at night and rise early by day; I've heard noisy voices from the house opposite at night, and when going in and out, I often encounter strangers in the alley."

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Han Li, but even Xin Feng, who had been looking at the food shop's walls and corners, abruptly turned his head to look at Song Miao.

Without waiting for everyone to ask, Song Miao continued: "The day before yesterday someone intruded into my home at night; I was afraid in my heart, and slept in the front hall for two consecutive nights, hearing calls and responses from the opposite house every night—sometimes more than twenty times, and on the lighter nights, more than ten times."

She then described in full the scene she had personally witnessed of "Sun Er" entering the door.

This time, even Qin Zong became excited and asked urgently: "The house opposite is so strange—why didn't you report it to the authorities?"

Song Miao looked at him in surprise and asked: "Someone intruded into my home at night, and the patrol station only questioned me but didn't go catch the thieves who broke into the house; I was so afraid I had to sleep in the front hall at midnight—should I still go report it? Please, Sir, teach me, how exactly should one report?"

Qin Zong fell silent again, feeling that although this woman was good-looking, her tongue was sharp; and troublesome was that what she said seemed to have some reason, so he actually couldn't refute it.

Song Miao no longer paid attention to him, and then listed one by one the times she had encountered strangers recorded over the past few days, as well as the appearance, build, age, and clothing of those who had knocked on the door.

Eleven people, she described them one by one, speaking with great certainty, without the slightest hesitation.

That Censor Xin listened to a few sentences; at first he merely listened, but as it went on, his expression grew increasingly solemn, especially when hearing the descriptions of several of those people — he would even interrupt Song Miao from time to time to ask her for details on those few.

And as Song Miao's narration became more detailed, Xin Feng no longer had the slightest doubt.

Those few people's features were extremely obvious; they were the sort of thieves and gamblers who constantly dealt with patrol officers and government offices, some had even robbed and injured people, had been in and out of prison who knows how many times, and were already on the wanted list in his mind — he recognized them at once upon hearing.

Having recognized those few, the suspicion on the opposite house could no longer be washed away; leaving aside other matters, a gambling den was something they could not escape.

Such a large mansion — how many people might be dug out in the end?

They are all a nest; there is no reason that if these are mice, that one could turn into a cat.

As long as anything touches gambling, it inevitably involves both lust and life.

Right now the Capital Prefecture Office is being pressed hard from above; many people went missing during the Upper Yuan Festival, most have not been found, and they are requisitioning patrol soldiers to help search and inspect together.

Xin Feng is a veteran Censor of many years; he knows that after so many days missing, it is very hard to find them again — if he can catch a gambling den and drag out a few things along the way, it will count as having an explanation to give.

For a moment, this young lady's words suddenly became crucial in Xin Feng's heart; he couldn't help but praise: "If everyone were as keen and sharp as Song Xiaoniangzi, with such a memory, we who serve on duty catching thieves and rooting out evil would have it so much easier."

He only hated that he had come in such haste, without preparation; he hurriedly turned and asked Qin Zong: "Do you happen to have paper and brush on you?"

Qin Zong shook his head.

Who goes out on official business and bothers to bring that?

Censor Xin could only say again: "What a pity we don't have paper and brush right now; in a while we may still need the young lady to say it all again."

Song Miao was just about to nod when she heard Han Li at her side say: "No matter, I am remembering it."

Speaking, he indeed repeated everything Song Miao had said earlier one by one, not a single word off.

Finished speaking, he added: "When I return I will transcribe it, then ask Song Xiaoniangzi to come review it."

Censor Xin was momentarily stunned, a strange feeling in his heart; looking again at Qin Zong, he saw the other staring blankly with dull eyes, and couldn't help feeling a bit of disdain.

He then asked many more questions about the situation at the opposite house.

Song Miao naturally knew everything and said everything.

By the end of the questioning, Censor Xin was truly exceptionally satisfied with this young lady.

Observing people and events, she was extremely meticulous; her memory was especially good; most importantly, whatever he asked, she immediately knew where the key point lay, answered without any superfluous words, and could even draw inferences from one example.

"What is the layout of this room of yours, young lady? Is there a rear gate?" he couldn't help asking.

"The side hall has a miscellaneous room for storing things; behind it is a courtyard, the courtyard has a gate, outside the gate is a small path leading to the main street, only the road is a bit far, you have to go around."

Song Miao answered immediately, speaking as she led the group toward the right side hall.

Sure enough, lifting the curtain at the side, there was a not-large room to the right of the hall, merely empty with nothing stored, but it had a wooden window facing outward; though the window was not large, finding a slight angle allowed a clear view of the main gate of that opposite house.

After viewing the side hall, Song Miao then led them to the second courtyard at the back.

The back courtyard was quite large; the second courtyard had four rooms in total, two on each side; one was the back kitchen, and besides the stove, everything else — even the pots — had been moved out empty.

The other three were living quarters; though the doors were shut, the window paper had long since rotted away, and peering through the hollow holes, there wasn't even extra furniture inside, only one room with a thin layer of bedding spread.

In the courtyard there was a well, and a large stone mill, plus some utensils for making glutinous rice and setting up a stall; beyond that there was nothing else, not even a single chair.

The originally planted flowers and grasses had mostly died off; after Song Miao arrived, she had cleared them all away, leaving only some hardy mint and perilla climbing happily everywhere, each occupying its own territory.

Clearly a rather pitiful courtyard, but Song Miao swept it meticulously, making it look very clean, and because of the mint and perilla it even had a few touches of vibrant life.

She took them to see the back courtyard gate, and the other exit road as well.

Xin Feng walked and looked all the way; at the end he said: "Song Xiaoniangzi, I have a matter I want to discuss with you."

Before he could speak, Song Miao smiled and said: "If Censor Xin wants to requisition my house, just use it; the government office serves us commoners, and because of the thieves who broke in at night a few days ago, I haven't dared sleep peacefully at night alone — now with officials guarding the hall, I won't be afraid anymore."

Seeing her respond like this, Xin Feng was even more satisfied.

A thought involuntarily arose in his mind.

— This Song family young lady is truly a remarkable person!

Song Miao paused, then added: "There is just one thing; my family owes many debts, I must go out to set up a stall selling breakfast every day, and also go do some purchasing — I wonder if there are any taboos?"

Although he already trusted this young lady greatly, this was still official duty; Xin Feng, a Censor of decades, was naturally not one for nothing — he dared not be careless, fearing a slip-up might occur.

He asked: "Where do you go to set up your stall?"

"These two days I plan to go to the alley behind the Zhuque Gate Patrol Station; in a few days, if convenient, I still want to return to the food alley behind the Taixue."

Xin Feng calculated a bit, feeling that catching a gambling den would only take a few days, so he said: "I'll assign someone to follow you."

He asked again: "Do you need to go purchasing today as well?"

"Today's ingredients have already been bought back; only I have business this afternoon, I must make a trip to the Capital Prefecture Office."

There was nothing to hide about this matter; Song Miao said directly: "Someone brought a deed document to my door, claiming my father sold the family house at a low price before he died; I want to go check the contract archives."

Xin Feng hesitated a moment.

Today's arrival was rushed; he hadn't brought many men — the street needed watching, the back alley also needed experienced hands watching; as for Han Li, though newly arrived, from their conversation along the way how could he not know he was capable and could handle work — naturally he couldn't order him to do such miscellaneous tasks.

Looking all around, he couldn't help but turn to look at Qin Zong.

Qin Zong was determined to save face; how could he be willing to do such a completely useless thing? He hurriedly said: "Why not send Xiao Zuo?"

"Xiao Zuo is watching the alley entrance; he can't leave." Xin Feng frowned.

Qin Zong truly refused, and was about to speak, when he heard Han Li, who had been following at the side, say: "I'll go."

Seeing everyone look at him, he said quite naturally: "I was originally going to the government office to report for duty today; if Stall Owner Song doesn't mind, I'll just accompany you to the Household Registration Office to take a look."

He asked further: "What time were you originally planning to set out?"

"We'll set out in the afternoon." Song Miao said.

She glanced at the sky and said: "It's just about lunch time; since you all are on duty here, let me cook a few dishes to entertain you — how about it?"

Xin Feng, seeing how poor the Song family was, didn't dare accept; he hurriedly said: "No need, no need!"

That Qin Zong even more said: "Young lady needn't cook; you don't have to cook yourself either — I'll send someone to buy a full table of food from outside — these few days you can just eat with us!"

Song Miao smiled: "The ingredients are all bought back, just waiting to be eaten fresh; among them is a batch of bamboo shoots, already peeled, ready to make bamboo shoot stuffing — if not eaten at noon, by afternoon they'll have grown into bamboo."

Qin Zong came from a wealthy and noble family; having suffered enough hardship over these past two days, how could he bear to wrong himself again in matters of food and drink?

Seeing that Xin Feng looked rather hesitant, he feared the other might be persuaded, and hurriedly said: "That young lady is eating by herself today; there's no need to mind us."

He then hurriedly turned to Censor Xin, saying: "Brother Xin, this time I am the one who invited you over; all food and drink for the brothers will be on me! In a moment I'll go to the restaurant and reserve several tables, covering all three daily meals."

However, before his voice had even fallen, Han Li beside him untied a purse from his waist, took out a piece of silver from inside, and right before the two of them, actually just handed it over to Song Xiaoniangzi so openly and aboveboard.

"If Stall Owner Song is agreeable, then I'll impose; I'll partner up with you."