Chapter 71: Passing By

Chapter 71 A Brush Past

"Auntie Qian, neighbor, help me report this to the authorities!"

A Yuan, being dragged by Lin Ma’s henchwomen, hurriedly called out to Auntie Qian for help.

"Ah, I'll go right away..."

Lin Ma flashed a sharp look at the women beside her, and the two immediately seized Auntie Qian.

The customers in the embroidery shop bolted, fleeing the commotion.

In seconds, the shop cleared out entirely.

Lin Ma sneered, baring her teeth as she approached A Yuan, "Report to the authorities? Guess who I'm sending you to?"

Chunyan Brothel’s clients were either wealthy or noble—she feared officials the least.

Cornered behind the counter, A Yuan turned white as a sheet. Lin Ma, smug with triumph, pointed at her and ordered the two henchwomen, "Drag her out!"

......

---

In the back courtyard of the prefect's residence, Song Xiuming looked at his friend before him and raised a cup of tea.

"I’ll handle what you asked—no worries," Song Xiuming said, lifting a cup of tea. "But what about you? When are you heading to the capital?"

The new year had just passed, and the weather in Jiangnan remained chilly. Yet the man opposite wore only form-fitting black combat gear, his tall and imposing frame upright even while seated.

The man shoved the teacup away, scowling slightly. "News of Marquis Wei’s victorious return has likely reached the Emperor’s ears by now. I leave today."

"So soon?"

Song Xiuming couldn’t bear to see him go. He no longer complained about his friend’s wastefulness—unable to appreciate even the finest first-flush Longjing tea. They hadn’t seen each other in years, and now they were parting again so quickly. His heart ached.

"Arriving in the capital early means I can seek the Emperor’s decree sooner. I’ve heard Marquis Wei’s son is the Vice Governor of the Capital Prefecture and a whiz at tracking people down. Perhaps he can help dig up leads."

With Xie Zheng’s words, Song Xiuming didn’t press him to stay. They had known each other since humble beginnings, and he understood Xie Zheng’s relentless climb through the military ranks was all for the sake of finding his younger sister.

"Then let me see you off."

As the two reached the second courtyard’s gate, the butler approached with a troubled expression. He glanced at Xie Zheng, unsure whether to report in front of him.

Song Xiuming waved a hand. "Speak freely. General Xie is like family."

The butler swallowed hard, not daring to meet his master’s eyes. "That madam has sent you another ‘gift’ of women, my lord. This time, it’s a woman who just gave birth!"

"Thud!"

Song Xiuming stumbled, nearly crashing into Xie Zheng.

"What kind of husband would hand over his postpartum wife?"

The butler: "...My lord, *really*—that’s your concern?"

Xie Zheng shot him a disdainful look. "Does your wife know you’re this shameless in private?"

"Shut up! What nonsense!" Song Xiuming turned red, flustered. "I’m just curious what kind of man would give away his wife right after childbirth. Keep this from your sister-in-law, got it?"

Otherwise, with that shrew’s temper, his neck would be on the line.

"You'd better keep that in mind. Your wife has stuck by you through thick and thin all these years—you mustn’t betray her."

Song Xiuming and Ding Sulan had come a long way together. Back when he and Xie Zheng were beggars, starving to death, Ding Sulan gave them two buns.

Song Xiuming, with his pretty-boy looks, was taken a fancy to by Ding Sulan and forced to become a live-in husband. Ding’s father was a butcher, and Ding Sulan herself was illiterate, yet she supported Song Xiuming until he aced the imperial exams and landed an official post.

Xie Zheng, who had worked his way up from a foot soldier to general, knew the meaning of loyalty better than anyone. If not for Ding Sulan’s buns back then, he might have starved to death.

So if Song Xiuming dared to wrong Ding Sulan, Xie Zheng would be the first to have his head.

"Enough. Even if you don’t trust my character, can’t you at least trust your sister-in-law’s fighting chops? That cleaver of hers isn’t for decoration."

Song Xiuming played at grumbling, but inwardly he was delighted, wishing his wife would crack the whip even harder.

After seeing Xie Zheng off, fearing that the news of the madam sending women might reach Ding Sulan’s ears, he hastily ordered the steward, "Take men and arrest them all! Especially that madam—she actually dared to bribe me! Give her thirty lashes and lock her up alone in the prison cell!"

......

As Xie Zheng exited through the main gate, the magistrate’s attendants were just leading Lin Ma and A Yuan in through the side door.

A slender woman hidden among the crowd suddenly made Xie Zheng’s heart skip a beat. He turned to look but caught only the swish of a robe’s hem.

"General?"

Chifeng had already brought the horses. They were to set off for the capital that very day, so Xie Zheng wasted no time mounting his steed.

Meanwhile, A Yuan remained unaware that she had just brushed past her own brother. The magistrate’s burly maid locked her in the woodshed. The woman, a no-nonsense type herself, planted her hands on her hips and glared at her, scolding angrily.

"A fine young lady like you, instead of tending to her husband and children, is trying to steal another woman’s husband! Anyone would think you came straight from a brothel!"

A Yuan burned with humiliation, but no matter how many times she explained she had been kidnapped, the woman refused to believe her.

"Hmph! Lucky for you my mistress isn’t home today, or you little tramp wouldn’t live to see tomorrow!"

The shed door was locked, leaving A Yuan both frantic and furious. She had been caught in a mess she never asked for. Who could have guessed Lin Ma would suddenly appear in Suzhou? She had no idea whether Huigu and Zhou Yan knew she had been captured.

Outside, Lin Ma was tied to a stone bench as two strapping women raised and brought down the paddle with heavy thuds.

Having lived in luxury for decades, she had never suffered such torment, screaming her head off.

"Do you even know who I work for? I serve the Second Prince! Strike me again, and the Second Prince will have your heads!"

She shrieked at the women, but in truth, she was also declaring her backing to Song Xiuming.

What she didn’t know was that Song Xiuming had always been a man who bowed to no one, unmoved by threats or flattery—especially when threatened.

"Ha! The Second Prince’s lackey? So he’s stuck his nose into my affairs!"

Song Xiuming had only been Suzhou’s magistrate for half a year, yet Lin Ma had already sent him women over a dozen times—every type imaginable. Had he truly been greedy and lustful, he would’ve long been bought by the Second Prince.

But everyone in court knew the Second Prince was a total degenerate, once even confined for three months by the emperor over a scandal involving the abuse of a young wife.

Now, with the Crown Prince gaining momentum, the Second Prince was scrambling to win over powerful officials. Though Song Xiuming came from humble origins with no backing, he would never easily pick sides.

He sneered, "No need to hold back. Flog her to within an inch of her life!"

With the order given, the women struck even harder. Lin Ma, who had been cursing earlier, was soon beaten half-dead before passing out.

"Steward, what should we do with her?"

The housekeeper pinched his nose in disgust and glanced over, "Toss her in the death cell."

This woman has committed countless evils, trafficking so many young women—she deserves to be beaten to death.

A Yuan huddled in the woodshed, listening to the commotion outside, knowing Lin Ma had been beaten half to death.

Though part of her felt satisfied, she also worried—was she next in line for a beating?

But by evening, no one from the magistrate's office had come for her.

A Yuan was cold and hungry, missing her daughter all the more. She worried whether little A Man was crying.

Osmanthus Lane.

Su Mengyun came scrambling into the courtyard in a panic, "Auntie, Master Zhou, Lady Xie has been taken away!"