The news of the major incident that occurred in Huaian Prefecture last night was bound to spread. By early morning, most of the well-informed prominent families were already aware of it.
The reason ordinary citizens knew was due to the bodies hanging from the city walls. It was said that the first middle-aged strong man to enter the city to sell vegetables was so terrified that he wet himself. His legs were so weak he couldn't walk, and he had to be carried back home on an ox cart by people from his village.
The Jin family, salt merchants, had a courtyard in Huaian Prefecture where the three members of the Jin family – aunt and nieces – resided. Upon learning that the prefectural yamen had been besieged and many constables and yamen runners had died, the aunt and nieces paid no mind and continued eating breakfast. It wasn't until Jin Guixuan suddenly remembered Zhan Feiyu, who had been imprisoned by Jin Baozhen, that the situation changed.
With so many constables and yamen runners dead, a young girl in such circumstances would have a slim chance of survival. Jin Guixuan didn't care about the life of an outsider, but he feared that if the news got out, it could be used by malicious individuals to attack him. He was a scholar, destined for an official career, and being implicated in a murder case would jeopardize his future.
Madame Wei, upon hearing this, also realized the gravity of the situation. As the wife of an official, she had heard much and knew how important reputation was to scholars.
"That wretched girl won't even let me rest in peace after death!" Jin Baozhen slammed the table in anger, wishing she could drag Zhan Feiyu out and whip her corpse. "Aunt, let's go find Madame Wu. If this person is dead, Madame Wu cannot escape responsibility!"
Jin Guixuan chimed in, "Lord Wu is the Tongzhi of Huaian Prefecture. With all this chaos, if Lord Wu helps to cover this up, this matter will be resolved."
Jin Guixuan was merely a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the provincial level), while Lord Wu was an official appointed by the court. They were now in the same boat, and Lord Wu would be the first to bear the brunt of any repercussions.
"I'll go to Lord Wu's residence right away." Madame Wei stood up. Thinking of Madame Wu's greed, she brought two silver notes of five hundred taels each.
Madame Wu had been fending off many ladies inquiring about the news. Suddenly, the housekeeper rushed in with a report. Upon hearing that it was Madame Wei, Madame Wu frowned and, after a moment of hesitation, allowed her in.
After the maid served tea and retreated outside, Madame Wei got straight to the point. "Madame Wu, I heard that many people died in the prison last night. It was actually Baozhen's good intentions that led to a mistake. She only wanted to punish the girl for a few days to teach her a lesson. Who knew she had such bad luck? I wonder how the girl is doing?"
Madame Wu glanced at Madame Wei, who was feigning innocence. This was clearly speaking with a forked tongue. A girl of eight or nine years old kept in prison for a few days – how could she expect to marry into a good family in the future? The Jin family claimed it was a minor punishment, but in reality, they had ruined the girl's life.
"I am but a woman in the inner chambers, and it is not appropriate for me to inquire about the yamen's affairs," Madame Wu said crisply, a smile gracing her face as she spoke. "Is that young girl still in prison? I thought Madame Wei had released her that day. After all, it was just a small conflict; a scare was enough. How could you actually imprison someone in the yamen? That's just chaos."
Madame Wei's expression stiffened, and a premonition of ill omen arose in her heart. The young girl was likely dead. Madame Wu, on the other hand, intended to shift all the blame onto Baozhen.
Suppressing her displeasure, Madame Wei looked at Madame Wu and said word by word, "Madame, your words are amiss. Both Baozhen and I are unfamiliar with Huaian Prefecture. How could we have the ability to imprison someone in the yamen? No one would believe it even if it were said."
The Jin family, aunt and nieces, did not have this capability. However, the Jin family had not only presented lavish gifts and money to Madame Wu but had also reached an agreement with the mother and daughter-in-law of the seventh branch of the Liu family. Zhan Feiyu was imprisoned, and had been for several days, due to the joint efforts of three parties: the wealthy provided money, and those with influence provided manpower. Now that something had happened, everyone naturally wanted to distance themselves.
Madame Wu's eyes turned a bit more ruthless. What was initially a minor matter had become extremely serious once a life was lost.
"Madame, this is Huaian Prefecture. I say again, with your capabilities, doing anything is as easy as flipping your hand." Madame Wei stepped forward and placed the two silver notes on the table. "If Madame does not wish to cause trouble for Lord Wu, neither does our Jin family. It is said that the dead tell no tales."
Madame Wu did not know whether the imprisoned young girl was alive or dead. She had gone to the yamen early that morning, but was then driven out by the Tongzhi. At this moment, she was also in the dark, completely unaware of the situation.
Perhaps realizing that she could not absolve herself of responsibility, or perhaps because the thousand taels of silver given by Madame Wei had played its part, Madame Wu dropped her pretense and said in a low voice, "If that girl is dead, it would be easier to handle."
If it were just a corpse, one could find someone to dispose of the bodies of the mistress and servant in a mass grave. Even if her family came looking later, it was known that the young girl had left Huaian Prefecture. Now that she was missing, who would know where she died? As for the knowledgeable stable head and the few jailers, with a life lost, they would not dare to speak the truth unless they wanted to lose their heads. Madame Wu's greatest concern was that the girl was not dead.
Madame Wei frowned, her gaze turning more ruthless. "Why don't we take advantage of the chaos to... and that maid, send them to the seventh branch of the Liu family. If they are alive, the Liu family will surely help cover it up."
Making a throat-slitting gesture, Madame Wei looked at the contemplative Madame Wu without urging her. If the truth were to come out, Guixuan must not be implicated, as he was destined for an official career through the imperial examinations. In that case, Baozhen would have to be sacrificed. It was her trouble, after all.
"I will send someone to investigate the situation first." Although Madame Wu was annoyed at being involved in this troublesome affair, she didn't regret it much considering the money she had received. In the end, she was just a young girl, and if she died, she died. The seventh branch of the Liu family, the Jin family, and herself – the three of them joined forces, did they need to fear anything?
After a quarter of an hour, the person sent to investigate returned. "Madame, the bodies did not include the young girl or any young woman. However, I asked a few prisoners, and last night a young girl did indeed escape in the chaos. That young woman seemed to be skilled in martial arts and should have also escaped."
Waving the informant away, Madame Wu and Madame Wei exchanged a look. The worst-case scenario had occurred. Neither of them had died, and both had escaped. In this case, it would be difficult to silence them.
"Madame, since they escaped and were not registered upon entering the prison, and many jailers also died, whatever they say will be baseless accusations." Madame Wei smiled, and the heavy stone that had been pressing on her heart disappeared.
Madame Wu picked up her teacup and took a sip. That was true. Even if the young girl wanted to accuse someone, she could only sue the Jin family, and at most the seventh branch of the Liu family. In the entire affair, she had not been directly involved.
...
As the saying goes, coincidence makes for a good story! Jin Baozhen, bored, heard a servant say that many bodies were hanging on the city walls and that the news had spread throughout the city. The prefect was leading people to investigate.
Jin Baozhen wanted to go and join the excitement. Unexpectedly, as her carriage exited the alley, she saw He Nuan, who had come out to buy vegetables, through the lifted curtain. Jin Baozhen was stunned. By the time she reacted, He Nuan was already out of sight.
She could no longer afford to join the excitement and hurriedly told the carriage to chase after He Nuan. Across two streets was the Xinglong Inn. No matter how foolish Jin Baozhen was, she knew that He Nuan and Zhan Feiyu were staying there.
Xinglong Inn, courtyard.
Zhan Feiyu looked at the medicine in front of her. It was in a large blue-rimmed porcelain bowl, and the black medicinal liquid emitted the characteristic scent of traditional Chinese medicine. She suspected her elder brother was doing it on purpose, but she had no proof.
"Fatty, do you want Uncle Chongguang to feed you the medicine?" Chongguang suppressed a smile, his eyes full of schadenfreude.
Zhan Feiyu glared at him unceremoniously and handed him the spoon.
Uh... Chongguang was stunned. Looking at the spoon in his hand, did Fatty actually want him to feed her?
Holding the large porcelain bowl with both hands, Zhan Feiyu tilted her head back and gulped down the medicine. She drank a bowl of medicine with the demeanor of savoring fine wine, but judging by her contorted, bitter face, one could tell how unbearable the taste was.
She slammed the empty bowl onto the table with a clang and quickly took the preserved fruit that He Nuan had bought that morning. She bit into it and swallowed it, finally suppressing the taste of the medicine. "Ah Nuan, get me another piece."
The sweet and sour taste of the preserved fruit spread in her mouth. Zhan Feiyu felt as if she had finally come back to life.
"Where is Big Brother?" She glanced towards the door twice. Zhan Feiyu had seen Chongguang hovering around her when she woke up in the morning, but Yin Wuyan had not appeared.
Chongguang tapped Zhan Feiyu's forehead with his finger. "Forty-eight bodies are hanging on the city walls. Seventh Master will be busy this time."
"Then why are you so idle, Uncle Chongguang?" Zhan Feiyu quickly dodged to the side, trying to avoid Chongguang's tapping, but in the face of absolute strength, her movements were as slow as a little turtle.
The two fingers accurately tapped Zhan Feiyu's forehead. Chongguang laughed heartily, looking smugly at Zhan Feiyu, whose cheeks were puffed up in anger. "With your meager skills, you can't even dodge two dogs, and you want to dodge me?"
Chased by dogs last night, and with her right leg, left arm, and right hand all honorably injured, Zhan Feiyu rubbed her forehead aggrievedly. "Uncle Chongguang, if you have the ability, why don't you compete with me in reading and writing?"
"Haha, Fatty, scholars are useless! No matter how well you read, you can't outrun a dog." Chongguang patted Zhan Feiyu's shoulder with a look of pity, pointedly glancing at her injured left wrist.
Zhan Feiyu felt that being chased by dogs would definitely become her lifelong dark history.
Seeing Zhan Feiyu's angry expression, Chongguang was amused again. With a snap, another accurate two-finger tap.
Stunned by the pain in her forehead, Zhan Feiyu was dazed.
"Uh..." Chongguang, who had forgotten to restrain his strength, was also stunned. Looking at Zhan Feiyu's red forehead, which seemed to be swelling, he thought, what would Seventh Master say if he saw this when he returned?
"Fatty." Chongguang pulled over a chair and sat beside Zhan Feiyu, smiling obsequiously. "Your leg wasn't bitten by a dog. If Seventh Master asks, just say your leg hurt and you accidentally bumped into the door."
Touching her forehead, Zhan Feiyu grinned, tilting her head to look at Chongguang. "I won't!"
Karma comes around! As smug as Chongguang had been moments ago, he was now as miserable. Why did he have to be so meddlesome! Thinking of Seventh Master's chilling gaze when he saw Fatty injured, Chongguang wiped his face fiercely. "Fatty, how about you tap me back? If you frown, your Uncle Chongguang is not a man!"
Zhan Feiyu waved her hand dismissively. "Uncle Chongguang, your skin is thick and your flesh is tough. I don't want to strain my hand."
"Fatty, you're not being fair. Why don't you say that you're as delicate as white jade tofu? You swell up with just one tap. Can you blame me?" Chongguang's protest stopped abruptly as he looked at Zhan Feiyu's red and swollen brow. He felt inexplicably guilty. This girl was too pampered; she swelled up in the time it took to say a few words.
Just as Zhan Feiyu was about to speak, a commotion arose from outside. The familiar voice made Zhan Feiyu start, and then she squinted and smiled. "Uncle Chongguang, let's go out."
In front of the side gate of the alley, looking at the four conservatively dressed constables, Jin Baozhen angrily shouted, "Are your ears deaf? Didn't you hear me? There are two fugitives staying at the inn. As constables of Huaian Prefecture, why aren't you arresting them!"
Having been woken up in the middle of the night and busy until now, the four constables were too tired to even speak. Two of them were injured. Looking at the hollering Jin Baozhen, Constable Zhang said roughly, "Alright, there are no fugitives in the inn. Since Miss is fine, hurry and leave!"
They had rushed to the Xinglong Inn with Lord Chu in the middle of the night, expecting to see a scene of carnage. But not only were there no bodies, they couldn't even smell blood. They couldn't help but suspect the inn staff had lied. However, there were still many guests staying at the inn, and the room that was almost burned down was still there. While the constables were questioning others, Prefect Chu went to find Deng Zhiwu alone.
A quarter of an hour later, Prefect Chu left with his men, but he left a few constables to guard the Xinglong Inn. Having not slept all night, and with so many familiar colleagues dead, Constable Zhang and the others were annoyed by Jin Baozhen's incessant shouting.
Being driven away after offering help! Jin Baozhen had never been so infuriated in her life. She now shouted at the top of her lungs, "Did you take money, that's why you're harboring fugitives!"
There were not only the four constables, Zhao and the others, in the alley, but also many passersby. Hearing Jin Baozhen's words, everyone exchanged glances. If it were any other time, they wouldn't have believed it. But last night, bandits had attacked the prison, and bodies were hanging on the city walls. So, when it was said that fugitives were staying at the Xinglong Inn, and the constables not only didn't arrest them but harbored them, a crowd of passersby who came to investigate couldn't help but believe it.
Constable Zhang glanced at the whispering passersby and then at the smug Jin Baozhen, roaring furiously, "If you continue to spout nonsense, don't blame me for being impolite! Hurry up and leave!"
Constable Zhang drew his saber and tapped the carriage shaft. He wondered what kind of young lady this was, so spoiled that she had no brains!
"You dare to threaten me?" Jin Baozhen was so angry that she picked up the horsewhip from the carriage shaft and whipped it fiercely towards Constable Zhang's face. "Who do you think you are, daring to scare me with a saber! Do you know who I am? This bracelet I'm wearing was a见面礼 (meeting gift) from Madame Wu!"
Constable Zhang was stunned when he heard Madame Wu's name. He dodged the first whip, but in his daze, he was hit in the face again by the horsewhip. Fortunately, Jin Baozhen was only a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl with little strength, otherwise Constable Zhang's face would likely have been flayed.
Behind the half-open side gate, Chongguang looked at the arrogant and overbearing Jin Baozhen and said in a low voice, "Was this the troublesome girl who sent you to the yamen?"