Chapter 601: Niu Shengjie

Meng Chao was brought before Zhao Jin. The moment he saw Zhao Jin he tried to step forward, but Cheng Dahu behind him held him firmly in place, unable to move. Meng Chao could only say from where he stood, "Master Jin, this humble one is Meng Chao, a constable of the Shanyang County constabulary. I have a matter to beg of Master Jin. Could Master Jin please release this humble one first?"

Zhao Jin was also curious and had the men of the Inner Guard untie him. Meng Chao's whole body ached from being bound, but after being untied he had the sense not to make any rash moves. He simply stood there with his hands at his sides. Cheng Dahu stayed one step away from him, watching warily.

Meng Chao stood there looking around, glancing at Zhao Jin, then at the several men beside him, his face full of embarrassment. He hesitated there, unwilling to speak. Just as Cheng Dahu at his side was about to take action, Meng Chao finally stammered, "Master Jin, this humble one... this humble one this time... this time wishes to beg Master Jin to uphold justice..."

His voice grew softer and softer. Had the room not been quiet enough, Zhao Jin truly might not have heard him clearly.

"You, a constable, come begging me to uphold justice for you?" Zhao Jin asked back with a laugh. The others also wore expressions of astonishment. The dealings within the yamen were all about mutual cover and protection. Perhaps others could not get justice, but people within the yamen certainly had justice. Never mind that he was just a lowly constable — even if the county magistrate wanted to move against him, he would have to be cautious.

Meng Chao's face was full of shame and distress. Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces, he gritted his teeth and dropped directly to his knees, saying in a muffled voice, "This humble one's family has little wealth and can offer no reward. Master Jin is not a native of Qingjiangpu, so your news must not be well-informed. This humble one works in the yamen and is willing to serve as Master Jin's eyes and ears, to pass on information. I only beg Master Jin to help uphold this justice!"

Zhao Jin looked at Meng Chao and nodded. This constable had a clear head — he knew what he could offer in exchange. Money meant little to Zhao Jin, but the man's own official status as a constable still held value.

"Do you think I still lack people to gather news for me now?" Zhao Jin asked back with a smile.

Given Zhao Jin's current standing in Qingjiangpu, there were far too many people willing to pass on information. As for inside the yamen, the officials great and small of both the Huai'an Prefectural Office and the Shanyang County Office all had to cooperate with Zhao Jin to make money in the Qingjiang Great Market — information was even less of an issue. No one even considered this a favor; they only sought to draw closer to Master Jin.

This was how it was everywhere in Qingjiangpu now. The locals might still resent outsiders, but no one would pick a fight with silver. The Zhao Character Camp could help everyone prosper, so even if they cursed behind his back, to his face they would curry favor as they ought and report news as they ought.

A single word from Zhao Jin now carried the weight of the Fengyang Grand Coordinator or even the grandees at court. The clerks and runners of the prefectural and county offices would all obediently carry it out. He had no shortage of inside lines in the yamen, nor any shortage of news.

Having this layer exposed, a look of disappointment immediately surfaced on Meng Chao's face. He knelt there hesitating a moment longer, then gritted his teeth and said, "This humble one is still unwilling to give up. This humble one is willing to give his life to Master Jin. So long as it is not some deed that violates heaven and conscience, Master Jin may command this humble one as he pleases. This humble one is willing to go through fire and water!"

Watching Meng Chao swear this oath through gritted teeth, Zhao Jin smiled. He had a good impression of this Meng Chao. During that great brawl in Qingjiangpu, seeing such a bloody scene, the other constables had all been scared out of their wits, yet this Meng Chao had still dared to accuse the Zhao Character Camp of violating the law of the land. Such courage was commendable. There was another layer as well — Zhao Jin was very familiar with the constabulary. The rule that long spears and bows were critical military assets forbidden to commoners was something few constables could now recall clearly. That Meng Chao could cite it showed he was well-versed in his duties.

A young man with courage and mastery of his trade — the Zhao Character Camp admired such people most. Though, come to think of it, this Meng Chao was actually a year or two older than Zhao Jin.

"Stop always fretting over what to offer in exchange. First tell me exactly what happened," Zhao Jin asked with a smile.

Meng Chao was sharp enough. Seeing Zhao Jin's smile and tone, he knew at once there was a turn for the better. Without further ado, he knelt there and began his account.

In the Shanyang area of Huai'an Prefecture, there was a wealthy household surnamed Niu. The family had three brothers, all of whom made their living on the sea. It was said they had some reputation out on the ocean and were sea lords of no small standing. The three brothers had long since started families, but only the eldest, Niu Da, had a son, named Niu Shengjie. The whole family treated him as their precious only heir and spoiled him beyond measure.

Now this Niu Shengjie was already in his early twenties. His father Niu Da had died in a clash at sea. His two uncles were both in their forties or fifties, each with only daughters at home — even their outside women had borne no sons. Meanwhile, their Niu family had also hitched themselves to several leading sea lords of Fujian and Guangdong and could now run rampant across the seas of the Zhejiang and Nanzhili coasts. The vast family fortune would all fall upon this Niu Shengjie, so they protected and coddled him even more, terrified of the slightest mishap.

A doting mother raises a wastrel son — this was exactly the case with Niu Shengjie. His outrages inside and outside the city had reached a point of utter recklessness, and no one dared to rein him in. Although Qingjiangpu was not on the coast, it took the sea bravos no great effort to come ashore — a journey of less than three days. These sea bravos also differed from the men of the greenwood and the rivers and lakes in one respect: they paid no heed whatsoever to face or rules. If they truly came ashore to strike, they would leave not a chicken or dog alive — exterminating entire households. In any case, afterward they would hoist sail and put to sea, and the authorities could do nothing about it.

With the backing of maritime power and a vast family fortune to befriend all quarters, who in the official world or the rivers and lakes dared touch this Niu Shengjie? The year before last, at the Qingjiangpu temple fair, Niu Shengjie had molested a woman who had come to offer incense. The woman's attendants clashed with Niu Shengjie's underlings, and both sides took some minor losses. As it happened, this woman was the kept mistress of a certain gambling den owner in Qingjiangpu. That owner was also a prominent figure in the rivers and lakes — how could he stomach such a thing? That very night he gathered his men and went for revenge. They surrounded Niu Shengjie in a brothel and beat him soundly, even cutting off one of his little fingers. Niu Shengjie was so terrified that tears and snot streamed down his face; his whole body went limp. He handed over all the silver on his person and sent a servant home to fetch another sum. Only then did he escape with his life.

But the matter did not end there. On the fourth day, a fire broke out at the gambling den owner's home in the middle of the night. When the neighbors entered to put out the fire, they found the entire household dead, every person's fingers cut off — neither the elderly nor the children were spared. And that woman also vanished without a trace. There were vague rumors that she had been sold onto a ship. Such a fate was truly worse than death — abused and tormented alive to the very end.

This incident truly shook half of Huai'an Prefecture. Both the yamen and the rivers and lakes fell silent. No one wished to oppose such desperadoes. With such utterly reckless conduct, who would dare meddle in anything?

Under such circumstances, Niu Shengjie's behavior grew ever more brazen. He had become a major scourge of Qingjiangpu. Inside and outside the city, they gave him a nickname: "Bull Demon King."

And adding fuel to the fire, Niu Shengjie had an accomplice. At his side was a man named Guan Tao, originally a licentiate who had later been stripped of his degree after an adultery scandal came to light. From then on he merely loafed about the streets. Though he had once pursued scholarly studies, he also had a streak of viciousness in him. It did not take long for him to make a name for himself on the streets as well. Somehow, he was recruited by Niu Shengjie as an underling. With someone to supply crooked schemes, the harm done grew worse and worse.

Niu Shengjie was dark and scrawny, his body hollowed out by wine and women. Guan Tao was short and stumpy, looking like an oversized dwarf — people gave him the nickname "Red Boy." The two shared one predilection: lust. And having played around so much, they favored deviant and perverse methods, favoring virtuous women who resisted. They had committed quite a number of crimes.

Over these past few years, there had been no small number of wives and maidens who hanged themselves or threw themselves into the river because of this. But everyone simply pretended not to see. In any case, those ruined were all common folk — they could stir up no waves.

Just half a month ago, Niu Shengjie and Guan Tao had set their sights on a household within the county seat. All this was learned after the fact. Someone had merely seen Niu Shengjie and Guan Tao, before dark, bring their underlings through that family's gate. All night long, the neighbors heard women weeping and shrieking, but with Niu family men standing guard outside, no one dared step forward.

The next morning, Niu Shengjie and Guan Tao left with unsteady steps, laughing and giggling. By the time daylight came, the house itself caught fire. Everyone inside was burned to death.

The coroner came to examine the scene and declared that the people inside had set the fire themselves to commit suicide. The case should have been closed right there. Anything connected to Niu Shengjie and Guan Tao, everyone kept well away from, fearful of inviting trouble.

Meng Chao had not known at first either. He had filled his uncle's post and was something of a hothead, not much liked by his superiors or colleagues. It was only because his family still had some face that he had managed to muddle along.

Once, during idle chat, two runners laughingly brought it up, saying that the family was a widow with two daughters. The widow was not old, and the daughters were just the right age, each as beautiful as a flower or jade. Some wealthy households with a taste for such things had spent large sums to hire matchmakers, only to be turned away. This was because the widow's deceased husband had been a licentiate, and the family had some property, so no one dared harbor crooked designs. They never imagined Niu Shengjie would get his hands on them. The runners spoke of this without the slightest sympathy — on the contrary, with considerable envy.

But when Meng Chao heard this, he was furious. He had heard of that widow and the two sisters; they lived only a few streets from his own place. When harm befell people nearby, it felt entirely different from mere hearsay. And what Niu Shengjie and Guan Tao had done was utterly appalling, a crime against heaven and conscience.

Fury was one thing, but once he looked into it, he realized the difficulty. The scholars and literati of Shanyang were all silent as cicadas in winter. Not a single one dared speak out or step forward. Their scholarly degrees were indeed talismans, but they only protected within the bounds of the king's law. Thinking of the maritime desperadoes behind Niu Shengjie, no one dared say more. After all, it was not their own family — why stick their necks out? The only thing they could do was restrain their own womenfolk from showing their faces in public. Even humble households with a pretty daughter had some who moved away.

The rivers and lakes were even more silent. Chivalry and righteous vengeance were the stuff of storytellers' tales. This Niu Shengjie had neither contested anyone's territory nor ruined anyone's own women — why bother offending him?

Instead, it was Meng Chao, who pursued and looked into the matter, who received a thorough scolding from his superior: "It's fine if your own brain is addled, but don't drag the rest of us down with you." Head Constable Liu's words were very clear.

Meng Chao was thoroughly unconvinced in his heart and wanted to continue the investigation. He found the coroner who had examined the bodies. After a few cups of wine, the coroner's words grew considerably more numerous.

Thank you, everyone.