Chapter 104

Chapter 104

When Qi Sheng arrived to help Lu Yuan close her stall, he found her and Hu Qiniang tidying up.

Though most of the mess was cleared, several oil stains remained on the ground, alongside a pile of broken earthenware.

Qi Sheng immediately understood what had transpired. He quickened his pace, asking Lu Yuan anxiously, "Were you hurt?"

Hu Qiniang quickly interjected, "We weren't hurt, but we were framed. They claimed there was a cockroach in our soy milk. I'm worried this might affect our future business."

Upon hearing this, Qi Sheng frowned.

Lu Yuan, ever the pragmatist, said, "It's fine. They were just a bunch of hooligans. Everyone saw what happened. Besides, we're going to report it to the authorities. I trust Deputy Magistrate Yang will help us."

She didn't even consider the County Magistrate—he'd likely side with Scribe Yang to protect his record and let the matter slide. Since it was Deputy Magistrate Yang's idea, he was their best bet.

The local official, seeing the man from their stall had arrived, walked over.

Usually, it was Qi Sheng who dealt with the local official. Since they often prepared extra food, Qi Sheng would sometimes give some to him, fostering a friendly relationship.

The local official asked cautiously, "Did your family offend someone?"

Qi Sheng feigned ignorance, asking, "What do you mean?"

The local official explained, "The people who smashed your stall tonight are hoodlums from Guangkang County. Everyone usually avoids them."

"Your stall is one of the cleanest in the night market. Besides, you filter every bowl of soy milk—there's no way you wouldn't notice such a large cockroach. They probably put it in the bowl themselves to extort you."

The local official was familiar with their stall’s practices and knew they were cleaner than the other stalls.

Qi Sheng said, "We'll report it to the authorities tomorrow."

The local official replied, "I've heard these hooligans have someone backing them. Reporting it might not yield any results."

Lu Yuan countered, "We won't know unless we try. Otherwise, if they come to smash our stall every time we set up, how are we supposed to handle that?"

"Besides, reporting it is the only way to prove we have nothing to hide."

Seeing their resolve, the local official said no more and continued his patrol.

After cleaning up the damaged items, they loaded the mostly undamaged tables and chairs onto the cart. The rest of the trash would be collected by a cleanup crew.

The stall fee they paid already covered cleaning costs.

Lu Yuan said to Hu Qiniang, "You put in a lot of work tonight. Even though we weren't open for two full hours, I'll still pay you the full eighteen coppers."

She counted out the coins for her.

Lu Yuan and Qi Sheng packed up the stall and returned home. Only then did Lu Yuan say, "Even though we knew in advance someone would smash our stall, I was still on edge when it actually happened."

Qi Sheng said, "We'll go see Deputy Magistrate Yang tomorrow."

Lu Yuan added, "By the way, it was Huang Li who came by earlier to warn me. She said someone was going to smash our stall."

Qi Sheng raised an eyebrow. "How did she know?"

Lu Yuan replied, "She overheard them drinking at the entertainment house where she dances. She came to warn me right away, and the troublemakers showed up shortly after."

Qi Sheng looked thoughtful.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan asked, "What's on your mind?"

Qi Sheng replied, "I'm thinking about how likely it is she could be a witness."

Without hesitation, Lu Yuan responded, "There's not even a one in ten chance."

"She heard the information at the entertainment spot. If it gets out that she spilled it, what troupe would dare hire her in the future? Even if someone were willing, the establishment wouldn't let her keep performing."

Entertainment venues are very sensitive about leaks.

Qi Sheng said, "So I'm considering how to get her to testify without revealing her identity."

With a witness, they could prove it was a premeditated act and not a problem with their stall.

Lu Yuan said, "Although I don't particularly like Huang Li, we shouldn't get her into trouble. She did warn us today."

Qi Sheng nodded, "Understood."

He glanced at the tables and chairs they had brought back and said, "Let's first figure out what we lost tonight."

Lu Yuan said, "I originally planned to change the oil these past few days, but since you said someone might come to wreck the stall, I didn't. So the losses are just the pots, bowls, and ladles. All in all, it probably won't be more than five hundred *wen*."

Qi Sheng said, "Calculate the oil loss as well."

Lu Yuan smiled and calculated, "Each pot holds about one and a half pounds of oil. It takes three pounds of pork fat to produce that much oil. A pound of pork fat costs twenty *wen*, so three pots would be one hundred eighty *wen*. The tables and chairs are also damaged to varying degrees—let's estimate an additional hundred *wen*."

First thing the next morning, Lu Yuan accompanied Qi Sheng when he went to work.

She was the first to arrive at the Guangkang Public Office.

Folks in Guangkang County aren't as scared of officials as villagers are. Besides cases of theft or murder, they also seek out the Public Office to let the County Magistrate sort things out.

The County Magistrate had never spoken to Qi Sheng alone and barely noticed him, so he had no idea where he lived or his wife's name.

It was only after Scribe Yang reminded him that he realized the woman in the hall was the Deputy Magistrate’s Stockade Official's wife.

After learning that their stall had been trashed and asking a few questions, Scribe Yang beside him said, "Sir, why not assign Constable Lu to investigate? He just finished a case and has no tasks at hand."

The County Magistrate then called Constable Lu to check it out.

Reporting to the authorities is like calling the police nowadays—they had to go back and wait for updates.

As Lu Yuan stepped out of the hall, Qi Sheng was already waiting in the front office.

He asked quietly, "Did they assign Constable Lu to investigate this?"

Lu Yuan nodded.

Qi Sheng said, "Alright, I understand. I'll speak with the Deputy Magistrate later. I'll catch those people myself and make it right for you."

Lu Yuan said, "Don't push yourself too hard. Last night, I took a closer look at their leader. His walk was like yours and a few other Constables from the Public Office, and he wore wrist guards. He seemed like someone skilled in martial arts."

"I figure you need some fighting skills to get by in Guangkang. Don't be too reckless. Catching criminals should be left to the proper Constables."

Lowering her voice even further, she added, "Of course, I'm not referring to Constable Lu."

Qi Sheng walked her to the entrance of the Public Office and said, "Go home first. Don't go back to the night market street—return to Willow Lane. Let's also hold off on setting up the stall the day after tomorrow."

Lu Yuan nodded. Qi Sheng added, "Also, don't take the back alleys on your way back."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan snapped, "When have you ever seen me take back alleys alone? I only dare to do so when you're with me."

Qi Sheng relaxed slightly.

After watching Lu Yuan leave, Qi Sheng turned and headed back to the yamen to find Deputy Magistrate Yang.

Deputy Magistrate Yang had already heard about the stall being vandalized from others. Seeing Qi Sheng enter, he asked, "Did your wife head home?"

Qi Sheng nodded. "She just went back."

Deputy Magistrate Yang: "Was anyone injured?"

Qi Sheng shook his head. "Those people didn't harm anyone."

Deputy Magistrate Yang chuckled lightly upon hearing this. "Indeed, vandalizing a stall is at most causing trouble or requiring compensation. But if they had actually injured someone, the punishment would be much more severe. It seems the troublemakers knew exactly how far to push it."

Qi Sheng asked, "What are your plans next, sir?"

Deputy Magistrate Yang replied, "Of course, we'll arrest them and make them confess."

Qi Sheng said, "The magistrate has assigned Constable Lu to investigate this matter. Constable Lu is in Scribe Yang's pocket, so I'm afraid the investigation won't be thorough."

Deputy Magistrate Yang leaned back in his chair and looked at Qi Sheng with interest. "When your wife is bullied, it's only reasonable for her husband to rough up the troublemakers, isn't it?"

Qi Sheng immediately understood. "I see, sir."

Deputy Magistrate Yang continued, "To avoid being outnumbered, take my adjutant with you."

Qi Sheng agreed promptly. "I'll go find Deputy General Chen right away."

Qi Sheng had once seen Deputy General Chen cut down bandits. Those who had fought on real battlefields were different—with just one man and one blade, his moves were lethal, each strike aimed at vital points.

Qi Sheng admitted he couldn't hold a candle to the county magistrate, let alone this adjutant. With his help, the task would be much easier.

Scribe Yang never expected the Qi couple to actually file a formal complaint.

Most ordinary people, fearing retaliation, would simply swallow their losses. But these two went straight to the yamen to file a complaint the very next day!

During a break, he stopped Constable Lu and said, "Don’t investigate the matter of Stockade Official Qi’s stall too thoroughly. Just go through the motions."

Constable Lu understood immediately.

Everyone in the yamen knew how dearly Scribe Yang loved his daughter.

Just the day before, he had heard that Scribe Yang’s daughter had set her sights on Qi Sheng and even went to his stall to demand that his wife either divorce him or become his second wife. Most people wouldn’t dare to do something so shameless, but Scribe Yang’s daughter was no ordinary person.

If she didn’t get her way, she would make a scene, threaten to kill herself, or starve herself—and Scribe Yang would always give in. He never seemed to consider that his daughter’s bulk suggested she wouldn't last a hunger strike.

It was very possible that the troublemakers at the night market the previous night had been sent by Scribe Yang.

But Constable Lu was in Scribe Yang's debt, so he kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he played dumb and helped cover it up.

Constable Lu smiled and said, "I understand what to do, sir. You can rest assured."

Scribe Yang nodded in satisfaction.

Constable Lu was phoning it in. He didn’t start investigating immediately but waited until the next night market opened to give a perfunctory questioning to the neighborhood head and the neighboring stall owners.

His attitude during the questioning was quite peculiar.

Constable Lu asked with a stern face, "Can you swear it wasn’t the fault of Su's Snacks stall? Or that a roach didn’t just fly in from somewhere else? If you can’t guarantee it, you’d be bearing false witness."

The neighboring stall owner, unsure how to answer, changed his story.

Initially, he had said the troublemakers were deliberately causing trouble, but after hearing Constable Lu’s words, he didn’t want to invite trouble and instead said he wasn’t sure.

The neighborhood head, however, knew the stall owner’s husband worked at the yamen and often interacted with the constables, so he wasn’t easily intimidated by Constable Lu.

The neighborhood head replied truthfully, "Mrs. Su’s stall, I can tell you, is the cleanest in the entire night market. It's covered with a cloth every day, and it’s always spotless when they set up. They’re also very meticulous about food preparation—to avoid situations like last night, they even strain the heated soy milk through a cloth before pouring it into the pot."

Constable Lu frowned slightly and pressed on sternly, "Can you confirm they didn’t forget to use the cloth yesterday?"

The neighborhood head replied, "That’s even more unlikely. Mrs. Su heats the soy milk in a teapot. The spout is very narrow, and there’s even a strainer at the end. How could a roach that big possibly get through?"

This was something Constable Lu hadn’t considered. "Then it might have flown in from elsewhere."

The neighborhood head said, "That’s even less likely. A roach that big flying in—with so many men and so many eyes around, how could no one have noticed? It’s obvious it was a setup."

Constable Lu frowned but said nothing more. "Alright, I've got the picture."

With that, he left.

The neighborhood head frowned slightly, a look of confusion in his eyes.

Why did it seem like Constable Lu wasn’t taking this seriously? Instead of wanting to seek justice for Mrs. Su, he almost seemed to hope the fault lay with her.

But wasn’t Mrs. Su’s husband a yamen man? He had even seen the head constable sharing drinks with him more than once. That suggested the husband was well-connected in the yamen. Could it be that the office was split into camps?

…

In contrast to Constable Lu’s perfunctory attitude, Qi Sheng and Deputy General Chen, dressed in civilian clothes, went to Fulai Inn that same day—the place where he and Li Niang had stayed when they first arrived in the city.

The innkeeper looked Qi Sheng up and down in surprise and said, "Sir, has your eye trouble been cured?"

Though the inn saw many guests coming and going, the innkeeper remembered this couple vividly—mainly because they were hard to forget. The wife was quick with her words, the husband was handsome but pitiful, and he was especially attached to his wife. Even now, the innkeeper remembered them clearly.

Qi Sheng nodded. "Thanks to my wife’s standing by me, my eyes wouldn’t have healed so quickly otherwise."

The innkeeper smiled and asked, "How is your wife doing now?"

Qi Sheng replied, "She’s doing well. She has a food stall at the night market called Su's Snacks. If you have time, you should come by and try some."

The innkeeper smiled and said, "I certainly will."

Then, glancing at the tough-looking man behind Qi Sheng, he asked, "But are you two here to stay?"

Qi Sheng shook his head. "No, we’re here to find someone."

The innkeeper asked curiously, "Who are you looking for?"

Qi Sheng: "Huang Li, who lives in the room across the hall. Does she still put up here?"

The innkeeper grew cautious. "Might I ask what for you’re looking for Madam Huang Li?"

Although Huang Li was difficult to get along with and sometimes her words could be venomous, the innkeeper couple, considering her struggles as a woman trying to make a living, never held it against her.

Deputy General Chen, known for his efficiency and impatience with unnecessary talk, directly presented his badge: "Official business. We need to ask her some questions."

Seeing the badge, the innkeeper paled instantly and hurriedly said, "I didn't recognize your importance, please don’t blame me, sirs."

He truly hadn’t expected that the husband and wife, who had struggled financially when they first moved into the courtyard, would, within just a few months after the husband’s eye condition improved, become government agents.

Since they were somewhat acquainted, Qi Sheng maintained a friendly demeanor and said calmly, "Innkeeper, there’s no need to be nervous. We’re just here for routine questions. We won’t cause you any trouble, nor will we trouble Huang Li."

The innkeeper said, "Huang Li is still staying in her original room. I'll take you upstairs, sirs."

He stepped out from behind the counter and lowered his voice, "Huang Li has had a hard life. If she hasn’t done anything wrong, please be discreet, officials."

Qi Sheng replied, "Naturally. That’s precisely why we came in plain clothes today."

The innkeeper then led them upstairs.

He knocked on the door, and Huang Li’s annoyed voice came from inside: "What's all the knocking for? Do you not know I rest until noon?"

The innkeeper said, "Madam Huang, someone is here to see you."

After a long pause, the door opened, and Huang Li appeared with a resentful look on her face. When she saw Qi Sheng, she suddenly snapped awake, stepped back, and was about to shut the door when a large hand shot out to block it.

Deputy General Chen said coldly, "What? Unwilling to cooperate with a public office investigation?"

Her heart trembling with fear, Huang Li looked up at the tall man radiating killing intent. Her makeup-free face instantly turned pale, and she stammered, "Y-yes, I’ll cooperate."

She feared that if she said "no," the burly man would toss her out like a chicken.

Qi Sheng: ...

He'd thought it would take some talking, but who knew that all it took to make a witness cooperate was having Deputy General Chen along?