Chapter 92: The Marvelous Kitchen Chapter 91: Opening Her Mouth

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Han Li's expression turned stern, and he followed the yamen runner in front in quick strides inside.

This room had long fallen into disrepair; spiderwebs hung down inside, and insects and ants crawled everywhere.

The moment he entered the door, he first smelled a very strong stench of excrement and urine.

There was no other furniture in the room, only a broken bed, on which a person lay straight with their hands and feet bound.

Several yamen runners first untied that person, then patted and called out to them.

That person had no reaction at all.

Han Li walked to the bedside, only to feel an extremely foul stench; looking closely, he saw that the one bound on the bed was a woman, her clothes and trousers dirty and smelly, her hair wrapped in cloth, scattered but not messy.

Xin Feng was after all an old Censor; seeing that she did not wake, he personally stepped forward, pinched her philtrum, and called out: "Zheng Yan, take water to splash her."

Han Li removed Xin Feng's water bag from his waist, opened the wooden stopper, and splashed it onto the woman's face.

The woman made a sound in her throat, her eyes slowly opened; seeing so many people before her, she first trembled all over, frightened into trembling.

When she saw clearly the clothing on everyone, she was completely dazed, her teeth chattering; after a long while, she finally cried out, weeping: "Official! Official, save me!"

The cry was very mournful, but the voice was low and hoarse, very much like coarse sand and gravel.

Xin Feng asked: "Who are you? Where are you from?"

The woman reacted very slowly, as if she had not heard clearly; her eyes gradually focused, and she opened her mouth only to say: "Water..."

Han Li handed the water bag to her hand.

This woman somehow mustered great strength, grabbed the water bag, and gulped down water.

Her hands and feet were somewhat sluggish; because she drank too fast, she choked in a moment, but she did not stop choking at all, coughing heart-rendingly while still trying to pour water into her mouth.

After finishing the water and resting for a few breaths, she gradually regained some strength, ignoring everything else, but hugged the water bag and wailed loudly.

Shen Xingniang felt she was going to die.

She seemed to be floating in the sky, but floating very uncomfortably, panicked in her heart, her stomach continuously burning, spasming on one side and bringing up sour water on the other.

That sour water seemed to be eating her stomach, eating her belly.

Three days without food, she was so hungry she wanted to vomit but could not; she opened her mouth to shout, as if she had shouted, but there was no sound.

When her face felt cool and something splashed onto her, she suddenly woke up; for that short half-hour, her whole head was muddled, and she could not move at all.

After drinking water, being supported out of Guangji Temple with her face covered, and getting on the carriage, only when the carriage had traveled halfway did she slowly regain consciousness.

When she got off the carriage and walked toward the back office, she heard two officials beside her talking.

One younger one said to the older one: "First give her something to eat, change her clothes, then question her."

The older one said: "That works too."

After entering the room, someone brought porridge and water over.

Shen Xingniang drank porridge, changed clothes, washed her face, and wiped her body—her pants were full of excrement and urine; she had not noticed before, but after drinking porridge, she discovered just how dirty and smelly she was.

She couldn't help but cover her face and cry for a long while; the emotion that first rose in her heart was actually shame.

—Why wasn't anyone else kidnapped, but I was kidnapped?

Did I do something wrong somewhere?

When the officials question me later, should I confess about lying to Xu Da before?

If I confess, once it gets out, what will people outside say about me?

Shen Xingniang dazedly entered the interrogation room; seeing the two stern-faced officials on the bench, she couldn't help but feel afraid in her heart.

She couldn't help but say: "Can... can the two officials who saved me today come along together?"

A moment later, Han Li and Xin Feng entered the interrogation room one after the other.

Although accustomed to victims, seeing the woman's miserable appearance just now, Xin Feng still felt pity; he comforted her a few words first, then asked: "Young Lady, what is your surname and name, and where are you from?"

"This humble woman is called Shen Xun, a person of Suzhou, an embroiderer at Yunxiang Embroidery Workshop inside Baokang Gate."

Han Li lifted his brush to write, paused in his hand, then continued to put brush to paper.

And Xin Feng, hearing these words, immediately sat up straight and asked: "Are you the one making the dowry garment for Minister Cao's daughter?"

Shen Xingniang wiped her tears and nodded.

Through question and answer on both sides, the scene of her being kidnapped that day finally reappeared.

It turned out that after Shen Xingniang entered the Capital, she lodged at a female cousin's home; the next day there was a matter at home, and she needed to ask the embroidery workshop for one day's leave.

But Minister Cao's daughter's wedding was approaching, time was very urgent; in order to finish early, she worked overtime even on the night of the Lantern Festival; seeing she couldn't finish, she simply took the work home.

That night, shortly after leaving the embroidery workshop, she met an old woman with a little granddaughter asking for directions.

Seeing the other was muddle-headed, and there were many pedestrians on the night of the Lantern Festival, she kindly led them for a stretch.

Who knew that just as she entered a small path, before walking far, she felt a pain behind her head, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.

When she woke again, she had been blindfolded, gagged, and bound, locked in a room.

Two days later, someone untied the ropes on her hands halfway and brought food and water.

Shen Xingniang did not know the other's purpose; she begged for mercy, made promises, and asked about the situation, but the person answered nothing, only stuffed food into her hands and left.

She was terribly hungry; she ate the cake, but felt the water tasted wrong; taking advantage of no one being there, she spilled the water on herself.

Sure enough, that very night, someone came and put her into a box cage, then carried the box cage out.

She was panicked in her heart, but knew that at this time fate was unpredictable; she dared not move rashly, only secretly listened, and thus figured out the general situation.

It turned out she had been kidnapped, to be sold for money in Yingzhou; at this time she first had to be sent out of the city gate, and the transporters seemed not to know about it.

Halfway there, she was just thinking of a way to make a commotion, but the transport cart suddenly stopped.

Someone opened the box cage, lifted the cover from her face to look, and after looking, untied the ropes on her hands and stripped her clothes.

Shen Xingniang seized the chance to take the cloth stuffed in her mouth, first begging for mercy, then offering a bribe.

That man was Xu Da.

"I said rather than going to Yingzhou to be a prostitute, I am willing to marry him as a wife. I have a first-rate embroidery skill; once the heat dies down, we go somewhere no one knows us, and I do embroidery every day, enough to support the family."

"When the time comes I will bear him sons and daughters, buy houses and property; he just eats, drinks, and enjoys himself every day, without a care."

"The surnamed Xu at first still did not believe me, but luckily I had on me that Young Lady Cao's dowry garment embroidery sample, and showed it to him."

"Who knows which sentence moved his heart, but in the end he dragged me out of the box cage, tied me up and threw me into a grove outside the city; after an hour or so, he brought back another box cage."

"I was locked in the box for two days, then sent to a temple."

Hearing this, Xin Feng asked, "Were Xu Da's clothes mended by you?"

Shen Xingniang nodded: "It was me."

To dispel Xu Da's suspicions, and also thinking that whether it worked or not, it was ultimately a way to cry for help, she proposed mending clothes for him, and embroidering his name on the cuffs and hem.

"I also said I would wash clothes and cook for him, but he refused, saying wait until the heat dies down, then we'll talk after going elsewhere."

"At the time I only thought that no matter what I could not leave the city; if I went to Yingzhou, I would never have a chance to rise again, but staying in the Capital, perhaps the authorities might still come to the rescue..."

Speaking to this point, Shen Xingniang's face was already full of tears.

She wiped her eyes and said, "I later thought, that old woman and grandson asking for directions must also be in league with the kidnappers — My Lord, have you found them?"

Xin Feng shook his head, only saying no, and asked her what those two looked like.

Shen Xingniang forced herself to calm down a little, recalled and described them once, then asked, "When I was guiding them I met an embroidery girl from the same Embroidery Workshop, and even greeted her and spoke a few words — was she not captured?"

Learning the other party was unharmed, her expression turned a bit strange, and she asked, "Then did she come to report to the authorities, telling about that old woman and grandson?"

Naturally, there was none of that either.

Shen Xingniang's complexion was already sallow, and now looked even worse.

She was silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "My Lord, now that I am saved, can I still make the wedding garment for Young Lady Cao?"

The question was baffling, yet both Han and Xin said nothing.

With Shen Xingniang's confession in hand, interrogating Xu Da became much easier.

He previously refused to confess to anything else no matter what, only saying he was merely following the Tingjiao Hang's orders, acting as a messenger.

When the hem burned with a hole by fire was brought in, he played dumb, saying he also did not know the situation, guessing it was accidentally burned somewhere.

The Censor conducting the interrogation saw his mouth was hard, so threatened that the yamen had already sent people to search all temples large and small in the city, and results would come soon.

Hearing this, Xu Da clearly became somewhat afraid, yet still held firm.

Originally thinking it would still take half a day of wrangling, but with Shen Xingniang rescued, Xin Feng and Han Li brought her confession to question him, and Xu Da suddenly burst into abusive curses.

"I knew this cheap woman was no good! If not for me that day, she would have long been sent god knows where; now ridden by a thousand, slept with by ten thousand!"

"She previously said she liked my appearance and physique, valued my sense of righteousness, and even said she would bear me sons and daughters, begging to go with me; it was because I am kind-hearted and soft-hearted that I agreed, how did it become a crime??"

"I didn't kidnap anyone, I didn't bind anyone, I saved her!"

So righteous and confident, even Xin the Censor who was used to criminals was somewhat stunned.

He couldn't help saying, "You saved her, then why did you tie her up in a house? If the authorities hadn't arrived in time, in another two days she would either have starved to death or died of thirst!"

"What's it to me? If you hadn't arrested me, she would naturally be fine; if she really starved to death, isn't that the yamen's fault?"

But no matter how he twisted logic, upon learning that if he couldn't find a way to earn merit and atone, given his current crimes, the death penalty was not impossible, Xu Da finally panicked.

He said, "How can the crime be this heavy, aren't you tricking me? If I don't confess, will you still force me to sign and seal?"

"Confess or not is up to you; this case has the victim and material evidence both present, even if you don't confess, it can still be judged the same."

Han Li slapped a thick "Wei Criminal Code" onto the table, flipped to the statutes and read them to him, even explaining the meanings, and finally said, "Gambling den accessory, kidnapping and confining respectable women, trafficking..."

"I didn't traffic!"

"What are you shouting at me for? If you have the ability, go tell the sentencing magistrate! So many people lost during the Lantern Festival, the case has long reached the heavens; who knows, in the end it might be sent to the Court of Judicial Review for sentencing!"

Xu Da listened as one yamen name after another was recited, growing more panicked, and couldn't help asking, "Then if I... if I do as you just said, what was it... bear what... bear what drunk grandfather?"

"Dai Mouth li gong."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you tell everything you know; if the yamen based on this catches other criminals, your crimes can be reduced."

"... Then, if I directly inform on others, does that count as merit?"

"That depends on whether the informing is timely or not, how much you confess, whether it's useful — and you're not the only one wanting to earn merit and atone." Han Li's tone was unhurried, "This round we caught so many Tingjiao heads at once, over a dozen gambling dens with several hundred people inside, every single one wants to reduce their crimes; if you speak late..."

"I have news no one else knows!" Xu Da cried out urgently, "I know the whereabouts of quite a few women! I also know the trafficker chief has another residence!"

Interrogated until nightfall, Xu Da finally opened his mouth.

This Xu Da was originally a sworn brother of one of Liao Qingjiao's confidants, and was only called from his hometown by his elder brother less than a year ago; back in the countryside he was just a petty thief stealing chickens and groping dogs.

He had been to that Nanxun Gate mansion a few times, dazzled by the wealthy furnishings inside, and using the chance to "receive and deliver freight," secretly "took" quite a few good things.

During the process of "taking things," he also secretly overheard many private matters inside the mansion.

Precisely because of that idle talk, he came to know that the box cages he transported each time actually contained many women and children, all trafficked and sold away.

He was not young, spent money lavishly, his mother died early, leaving only a father who didn't care, so naturally he had no wife and no concubine.

Usually he enjoyed his freedom, but this time since the opportunity was right before his eyes, why not take advantage?

Because Xu Da knew the women in the box cages had all taken Meng Han Medicine and would not wake, he often took the chance halfway to grope and fondle, but didn't expect to encounter a Shen Xingniang who was still conscious.

As it happened, Shen Xingniang said she wanted to marry him as a wife, bear him sons and daughters, and go out to do embroidery to support him.

Xu Da naturally didn't believe it, but this proposal moved his heart; he secretly thought: wait for the heat to pass, go to Yingzhou and lock her up doing embroidery every day, I sell it for money to eat, drink, and gamble, she stays home working and cooking, wouldn't that be more comfortable than now?

Also because he knew no one in that mansion knew anyone else's business, by the time the boat arrived and someone discovered people were missing, traced back to him, he might have long run away.

Xu Da confessed three place names where women and children were sold, and even the specific location of the thief chief's other residence, in a certain alley in Ying Prefecture.

Those three place names fell right within the range Han Li had previously delineated, and their credibility was quite high.

After finishing all the questioning, just as he stepped out of the Interrogation Room, Han Li heard a tremendous noise from Xin Feng's belly beside him, like a drum beating.

"Starve me to death, why don't you!" Xin Feng complained with his mouth, yet a smile hung on his lips.

The case finally had a breakthrough; following the vine to find the melon, if they could recover more of the sent-away women and children sooner, it would count as not letting these days of hardship go to waste.

Xin Feng pressed on his belly while urging Han Li toward the Canteen, saying: "Any later and there'll be nothing left to eat!"

A Yamen Runner who had just returned casually chimed in: "To let the Censor know, the Canteen's Door has already been Closed, the lamps Inside are all out."

Xin and Han, the two of them, stood there with empty bellies, and Song Miao also stood there with an empty belly.

She came out of Jinming Pool, and unexpectedly, just as that Carriage entered Zhuque Gate, it got stuck on the Road.

Having sat in the carriage for a long while, feeling truly stifled, she simply got down, intending to buy some food to pad her belly, but had only walked a few steps when she saw an Acquaintance standing outside an Inn not far away.

——It was Cheng Zijian.