Chapter 113: Huo Ling’s Incognito Travels: …

Chapter 113 – "Huo Ling's Incognito Travels"...

"My Lady, Young Master, Cangzhou City is just ahead."

The sunlight was blinding. Wu Feng, serving as their driver, wore a bamboo hat and squinted his narrow eyes while gazing at the imposing city drawing closer. He then turned to report to those inside the carriage.

This was the fifteenth day since Huo Ling’s party had left the palace.

It took half a month to reach Cangzhou because they weren’t in any rush. Whenever they passed through towns or interesting places along the way, they would stay for a day or two.

Truth be told, it was rather amusing.

Since Huo Ling and her entourage were traveling incognito, they had deliberately changed into more low-key attire.

Yet the natural elegance in their manner and their delicate complexions could not be concealed no matter how plain their clothes were.

Thus, even though Huo Ling’s beauty drew considerable attention, few dared approach her for fear of unwanted attention.

Inside the carriage, Wu Mo asked, "My Lady, shall we go to our residence to rest first or stop at an inn to eat after entering the city?"

Huo Ling, now going by the alias "Madam Huo," pointed at Ji Xianshan. "Don't ask me—that's your Young Master's decision."

Ji Xianshan said, "I’d like to look around the city first, then go to an inn to eat."

Wu Mo relayed Ji Xianshan’s wishes to Wu Feng outside.

Ji Xianshan felt restless from all the noise outside and shifted slightly, lifting the curtain to observe the bustling crowd.

A long queue had already formed at the city gate.

Many commoners carried shoulder poles with bamboo baskets laden with fresh local goods, clearly intending to bring these items into the city.

Others chose not to enter, instead selling their goods right at the city gate.

A weather-beaten old man noticed Ji Xianshan in the carriage and, balancing his pole, chased after the carriage, calling out, "Young Master, Young Master! Would you like some lotus seeds? Mine were fresh-picked from the lake this morning—fresh-picked and sweet, I guarantee!"

Ji Xianshan paused, glancing at the man’s mud-streaked legs before replying, "Give me one... No, I’ll take them all."

The old man’s weary face immediately brightened with joy.

Hearing Ji Xianshan’s voice, Wu Feng halted the carriage and, without asking the price, handed the man a silver fragment. "Keep the change."

The old man knew he had encountered kind benefactors. Bowing repeatedly in thanks, he handed over the lotus seeds along with the bamboo basket—after all, the basket was homemade and worth little, and the silver was more than enough to cover both.

After receiving the lotus seeds, Ji Xianshan asked Huo Ling, "Mother, may I eat some?"

"Let Wu Mo wash them for you first," Huo Ling replied, though she added upon seeing the large basket, "You bought too many. Lotus seeds won’t stay fresh for long."

"Not at all," Ji Xianshan said, accepting a few washed seeds from Wu Mo. "Mother loves lotus seed porridge. If we don’t finish them tonight, we can use the rest to make some."

Wu Mo remarked, "How clever of the Young Master—I hadn’t even thought of that."

Huo Ling smiled. "It seems I’m in for a treat tonight."

As they spoke, the carriage smoothly entered Cangzhou City, following the flow of people toward its most bustling district before stopping in front of a lively four-level restaurant.

A server approached the carriage with a beaming smile. "Right this way, please."

Wu Feng leapt from the carriage, glanced behind to confirm Ding Jinghuan and the others were close behind, then lifted the curtain: “My Lady, Young Master, we’ve arrived.”

When Huo Ling stepped out of the carriage, the waiter gaped.

And it wasn’t just the waiter.

Zuixianju was the largest and most bustling restaurant in Cangzhou City. Though not yet mealtime, the place was already lively. As Huo Ling’s party made their way inside, many stole fleeting glances, nearly fumbling their chopsticks in surprise.

The manager, who had been going over the books at the counter, hurried out to personally escort Huo Ling’s group upstairs.

Ding Jinghuan, somehow now in possession of a folding fan, waved it with theatrical flair: “Tsk.”

Huo Ling: “What’s that ‘tsk’ for?”

Ding Jinghuan eagerly fanned her, playing the sycophant: “The weather’s so stifling, My Lady. Look—my face is flushed from the heat.”

Huo Ling gave him a glance, her expression bright as spring, but saw no sign of any flush: “How convenient. Your young master bought a whole basket of lotus seeds. Eat more of them—or brew them. They’ll clear your mind, soothe your spirit, and calm your nerves.”

Ding Jinghuan didn’t even need to taste them—his tongue already curled in bitterness: “I’m already perfectly clear-headed, thank you.”

Song Xu asked, “Young Master, why did you buy so many lotus seeds?”

Ji Xianshan replied, “At the city gate, an old man was peddling them, so I bought them all.”

Wu Feng folded his arms, hand resting on his sword, scanning the surroundings with due vigilance.

The manager of Zuixianju led the group to the second floor and smiled as he asked Huo Ling, “My Lady, would you prefer a private dining room or to dine here upstairs?”

Huo Ling said, “Upstairs will do. We’re new here and would like to hear some local gossip about Cangzhou.”

The manager guided them to two empty tables by the window, pouring tea as he spoke: “Then you’ve come at just the right time, My Lady. Quite a few interesting things have happened in Cangzhou lately. What would you like to drink?”

Huo Ling replied, “Bring us a pot of your finest tea, a jar of your best wine, and a spread of your house specialties.”

The tea and wine came quickly.

The wine, of course, was for Ding Jinghuan—he was never without a drink.

Watching Ding Jinghuan sip happily, Ji Xianshan whispered, “Teacher Ding, drinking solo’s no fun. Let me join you.”

Ding Jinghuan waved him off: “No, no! I’m perfectly happy alone. No company needed.”

With Her Ladyship watching, he wouldn’t dare encourage the Emperor to drink.

He shot her a devilish grin. “If the tea doesn’t suit your taste, shall I ask the manager for some bitter lotus-core tea instead?”

Ji Xianshan shot him a pouty glare.

Song Xu remarked, “Your face *is* flushed. Maybe we should get you some too.”

Ding Jinghuan almost argued, then realized Song Xu was pulling his leg.

He snorted and tried to drown his embarrassment in wine when, at the next table, a veiled young woman with a fine-boned face suddenly spoke up.

Her voice was lilting and soft: “You must be visiting Cangzhou for the first time, distinguished guests.”

Huo Ling glanced at the young woman and smiled slightly. "Yes."

The young woman grew flustered, her ears flushed red. She steadied her breath before speaking as calmly as possible: "I overheard your conversation with the innkeeper earlier. If you don’t mind, Madam, I could share some recent happenings in Cangzhou City with you."

"As long as it’s no trouble."

Huo Ling looked toward Wu Feng.

Wu Feng rose and offered his seat to the young woman.

"You can call me Madam Huo. How should I address you?"

Zhu Wan replied, "My name is Zhu Wan."

Huo Ling said, "Ah, Miss Zhu."

Wu Mo handed Zhu Wan a cup of tea. Zhu Wan smiled and thanked her before continuing. "What I have to share might be different from what other diners are discussing—just half a month ago, a wife accused her husband in Cangzhou City."

***

Ding Jinghuan had served six years at the Capital Prefecture, handling countless cases large and small. Yet, upon hearing Zhu Wan's words, his eyebrows still shot up.

Among the thousands of cases he had handled, he had never encountered a single instance of a wife accusing her husband.

This wasn’t a coincidence but rather related to the provisions of Great Yan’s *Penal Code*.

The laws of the previous dynasty allowed “kinship concealment,” meaning relatives could shield one another from legal consequences.

It also stipulated that anyone who reported a crime committed by a senior relative would serve two years in prison.

In other words, if a wife accused her husband, or a child accused their parents or grandparents, regardless of whether the accusation was true, they would face two years in prison.

Great Yan’s *Penal Code* mostly adopted the penal laws of the previous dynasty, including this very provision.

Thus, a wife accusing her husband or a child accusing their parents was an exceedingly rare occurrence in this era.

Ding Jinghuan briefly explained this regulation from the *Penal Code* to everyone present. Huo Ling studied Zhu Wan with newfound interest.

Running into Zhu Wan at the Drunken Immortal Inn was surely chance.

But her bringing up this case? Probably not.

Huo Ling asked, "Why did she accuse her husband?"

Upon hearing Huo Ling’s question, Zhu Wan let out a quiet sigh of relief, her fists, clenched tight in her sleeves, slowly relaxing.

"Madam, to explain, I must first describe some troubling local customs.

"Outside Cangzhou City, there is a river called Qingyu River. It flows from the mountain streams, crystal-clear and sparkling. If you came to Cangzhou from Lancheng, you must have seen it."

Ji Xianshan said, "We came from Lancheng and indeed saw a river from afar."

Zhu Wan turned to Ji Xianshan. "Then, Young Master Huo, do you know why the households near that river would rather walk an extra two miles to fetch water from a farther river than draw from Qingyu River?"

The table fell silent for a moment.

After a beat, they realized why Zhu Wan had made this mistake.

Huo Ling had introduced herself as "Madam Huo," and according to contemporary customs, the title "Madam" was prefixed with the husband’s surname.

It was no surprise that Zhu Wan addressed Ji Xianshan as "Lord Huo."

Song Xu had barely begun to speak in correction—

Ding Jinghuan set down his wine cup. "You said the Qingyu River is crystal clear, yet the common folk avoid drawing water from it. Has something unusual happened there that keeps them away?"

Song Xu’s brow furrowed slightly, as if recalling something.

Though Zhu Wan’s gaze remained mostly on Huo Ling, she still watched the others from the corner of her eye and noticed Song Xu’s expression at once. "Has this gentleman figured it out?"

Song Xu glanced toward Ji Xianshan before replying, "Not exactly figured it out—just now, when you mentioned the cruel customs of Cangzhou, I thought of the common practice of drowning infant girls there."

Zhu Wan pressed her lips into a thin line. "Precisely. In the case of a wife accusing her husband, the husband, Liu Chi, was a constable in the local yamen, while the wife, Liu Shi, had been purchased in her youth by the Liu family as a child bride.

"When Liu Chi came of age, Liu Shi married him, managed all household affairs, and bore him two daughters.

"Liu Chi desperately wanted a son and would beat and berate his daughters, but Liu Shi bore the brunt of his abuse. Later, when Liu Shi became pregnant again, Liu Chi treated her slightly better—until...

Zhu Wan sighed, her expression complicated. "She gave birth to yet another daughter. She only glimpsed the child before collapsing unconscious. When she awoke, the newborn was gone."

Even Wu Feng, who had paid little attention to Zhu Wan’s tale and instead remained alert to their surroundings, couldn’t help but ask, "The child… was drowned?"

Zhu Wan nodded solemnly. "It was the neighbors who told her. Unable to bear watching Liu Shi, still recovering from childbirth, search frantically for the baby, they finally revealed the truth."

Wu Mo asked, "Then did Liu Shi go to the prefect’s office to accuse Liu Chi?"

Zhu Wan shook her head with a bitter smile. "It wasn’t so simple. Liu Shi had lived within the Liu household for decades, rarely leaving the inner courtyard. She wouldn’t have dared resist unless driven to despair."

Without prompting, Zhu Wan continued, "After learning of her third daughter’s death, Liu Shi fell gravely ill. Delirious with fever, she heard someone arrive at the house.

"That person had come to evaluate her eldest daughter—to buy the eight-year-old as a child bride."

In truth, the Liu family was not particularly wealthy. They owned several acres of good farmland and Liu Chi earned a monthly salary of two taels of silver as a constable.

They were nowhere near destitute enough to sell their daughter for survival.

Besides, Liu Chi made a poor choice—the son of the family he selected was chronically ill.

Though the eldest daughter was ostensibly being taken as a child bride, it was also meant to serve as a “lucky bride” to cure the groom's illness.

Liu Shi, having endured life as a child bride herself, knew full well the hardships involved.

Despite her weakness, she rushed outside to stop them, only to be knocked to the ground by a kick from Liu Chi.

He didn’t just want to sell off the eldest daughter—he also intended to divorce Liu Shi and find a new wife who could give him a son.

After the commotion, the eldest daughter was taken away, and Liu Chi promptly pocketed the freshly acquired silver and vanished to gods-know-where.

Only the second daughter remained, weeping as she helped Liu Shi up and asking what they should do now…

Zhu Wan spoke earnestly: "Liu Shi was merely a peasant woman. She understood nothing of the Great Yan *Penal Code* or the consequences of a wife accusing her husband. With no other options left, she turned to the authorities, pinning her hopes on the Cangzhou Prefect to grant her justice and get her eldest daughter back."

When Zhu Wan mentioned the Cangzhou Prefect, Huo Ling shot a subtle glance at Wu Feng.

Wu Feng gave a slight shake of his head.

Their movements were nearly imperceptible, and the others, caught up in Zhu Wan’s story, failed to notice the exchange.

Ding Jinghuan asked, "Did the Cangzhou Prefect take the case?"

"The Cangzhou Prefect..."

Zhu Wan snorted in disdain.

"After hearing Liu Shi's accusation, the Cangzhou Prefect not only imprisoned her according to the Penal Code but also had her given twenty strokes of the rod. And then..."

At this point, Zhu Wan’s expression suddenly turned extremely grim.

"On the third day after she was locked up, Liu Shi died."

Ji Xianshan gasped softly, "Died!?"

Ding Jinghuan was stunned for a moment before smirking, "I remember you said Liu Chi was a yamen constable. What a coincidence that he just happened to work at that very yamen."

Zhu Wan gave a bitter laugh. "Yes. That’s exactly how it played out. With Liu Shi dead, her accusation against Liu Chi naturally fell apart."

Ding Jinghuan sipped his wine and eyed Zhu Wan skeptically. "I suppose the yamen has already given an explanation for Liu Shi’s death."

"Badmouthing a prefect is a serious crime. Others wouldn’t dare mention such things, yet Miss Zhu dares to tell us this out loud. Aren’t you afraid?"

Zhu Wan replied, "My apologies. It was indeed presumptuous of me. The food’s here—Zuixianju’s drunken duck is a specialty of Cangzhou. I won’t disturb your meal any further."

With that, Zhu Wan stood, bowed toward Huo Ling and Ji Xianshan, and without lingering, left Zuixianju with her maid.

"Miss, you almost gave me a heart attack earlier," the maid whispered outside Zuixianju.

Zhu Wan nodded absentmindedly and glanced back at the second floor of Zuixianju, though from her position, she couldn’t see Huo Ling or the others.

Gritting her teeth, she said, "Xiao Tao, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"Stake out Liu Chi’s place. If anyone tries to take Liu Shi’s second daughter, stop them and say that Zhu Wan, the daughter of Jinfeng Trading’s owner in Cangzhou, wishes to meet Madam Huo again."

Xiao Tao made a mental note of the instructions but couldn’t help asking, "And what about you, Miss?"

"I’ll watch over Liu Shi’s oldest daughter."

...

Back inside Zuixianju, no one felt like eating anymore.

Wu Feng was the first to break the silence. "Madam, should we check into Miss Zhu’s background?"

Huo Ling shook her head. "She wouldn’t come to us without reason. She’ll reveal herself when we meet again."

Song Xu remarked, "There’s something odd about Miss Zhu, but she doesn’t strike me as a liar. The case of Liu Shi must be real."

Ding Jinghuan added, "We’ll see if she’s telling the truth. From the looks of her clothes, she comes from a merchant family. If even she knows about it, it’s probably common knowledge in Cangzhou."

Wu Feng volunteered quietly. "I’ll send someone to look into it."

Ding Jinghuan nodded, then wondered aloud, "Just who is this Cangzhou Prefect? What kind of idiot would do that?"

If the Cangzhou Prefect had strictly followed the Penal Code in imprisoning Liu Shi, Ding Jinghuan might’ve hated his stickler attitude but couldn’t call him out on it.

But it was bad enough that this man had Liu Shi imprisoned, yet he also sentenced her to twenty strokes of the rod...

Never mind that Liu Shi had just given birth and was already ill—even if she had been in perfect health, those twenty strokes would have stripped the skin right off her.

And after causing Liu Shi's death, the case she had brought against her husband was just swept under the rug...

Such handling of the matter was completely asinine and incompetent.

Song Xu thought it over for a second before suddenly frowning. "If I recall correctly, the Cangzhou Prefect is the younger brother of the Cui family's patriarch, named Cui Zhao."

Ding Jinghuan, "The Cui family? Which Cui?"

Song Xu: "This is Cangzhou. What other Cui would it be? Naturally, it's the Qinghe Cui clan."