Chapter 157 Jin Gu

Chapter 157: Jin Gu

"Your mother? What does your mother have to do with it?" Meng Wan's curiosity was piqued.

"My mother is at home, about to be beaten to death by my father and my eldest uncle." The boy was so thin that his eyes protruded from their sockets, looking alarmingly large, but what he said next was even more startling than his appearance.

It turned out his name was Huang Ye. Though he looked small and frail, he was actually fifteen years old. His family lived in Shuihe Village, not far from the county town, which belonged to Luxi Town.

Shuihe Village had many rivers and streams, with mountain springs in the hills. Being close to the county town, the villagers usually gathered mountain delicacies and aquatic products to sell in the city for extra income. But that was all the village had to offer.

With several hundred households and limited resources, there was never enough to go around. Every year, quarrels broke out over picking an extra piece of fungus or catching one more fish or shrimp.

Shuihe Village had more water than land, even more so than Hongshan Village. At least Hongshan had many hills and could now build terraced fields. Shuihe was truly poor, with little farmland.

Huang Ye's grandparents had five children, but only his eldest uncle and his father survived; the rest had starved to death.

The family was so destitute they could barely keep the pot boiling. Yet when the two sons grew up, they still needed to marry and have children to carry on the family line. Fortunately, the second son was cunning; he abducted a woman from a neighboring county's stockaded village—this was Huang Ye's mother, Jin Gu.

Jin Gu could weave cloth and had a beautiful face. When she first arrived at the Huang family, she and Huang Ye's father were truly in love for a time. That was until his grandparents tricked the second son into going to the county town, leaving the eldest son alone with Jin Gu.

When Huang Ye's father returned, he found her disheveled and his elder brother lying beside her with his pants down, albeit knocked unconscious. Despite Jin Gu's repeated explanations that she hadn't let the elder brother succeed, everything had changed.

Later, Jin Gu became pregnant. The boy she gave birth to resembled both brothers, deepening Huang Ye's father's suspicions.

The Huang family managed to save some copper coins from Jin Gu's weaving, enough to find a husband for the eldest son. That husband was not as pretty as Jin Gu, but the elder brother harbored unrelenting desires. Jin Gu, remaining vigilant, never let him succeed. However, the eldest brother's husband caught them in a compromising situation.

That man stirred up turmoil in the household, accusing Jin Gu of seducing his husband and giving birth to a child of uncertain paternity.

Huang Ye's father flew into a rage and struck Jin Gu for the first time. After that, it became a pattern of violence that even extended to the young child.

His mind distorted, he spent the day drinking with the money Jin Gu earned from weaving and returned home at night to raise a ruckus. When Jin Gu was beaten, the whole family remained silent, even keeping a close watch on her to prevent her from running away.

Huang Ye sometimes wished his father would die outside and never come back. But his mother always said, "Having him around isn't so bad."

Huang Ye hadn't understood that before, and he still didn't fully grasp it. Until a few days ago, his father decided to sell him to a tavern in town to be a kept boy.

Jin Gu resisted fiercely for the first time, wielding a knife to protect him. She was like a madwoman, ready to slash anyone who came near.

In that moment, Huang Ye both feared and felt a sense of relief—these wicked people could also be afraid.

Jin Gu scared off the men from town. Once she had protected her son, she was inevitably beaten black and blue by the Huang family again.

Strangely, shortly after, she herself suggested selling Huang Ye to Mama Huang's establishment. Huang Ye's father was no better than a beast; he didn't care who bought his son, as long as he got silver.

Meng Wan sensed something was wrong. "You say your mother was the one who suggested your father sell you to the brokers?"

Huang Ye glanced at Mama Huang's expression before replying cautiously, "Yes."

"Damn, something bad is about to happen."

Meng Wan looked at the darkening sky outside, rose from his chair, and gave orders. "Xue Sheng, take him to the yamen immediately and report this. Enter through the main gate. Say..."

His mind raced, and then he decided decisively, "Say it's a case of kidnapping and selling people."

Mama Huang fell to her knees with a thud. "Milord, please see clearly! Huang Ye's father personally signed the indenture, willingly selling his son into servitude. I did not force him!" She was terrified, filled with regret for taking pity on the mother and son and taking them in.

Meng Wan was exasperated. "Get up quickly. I'm not saying he should sue you."

Seeing Huang Ye still dazed, Meng Wan urged him. "Do you want your mother to live? Then go quickly with him."

"Xue Sheng, when you see our lord, quickly explain everything clearly to him. Be swift, don't delay."

After Meng Wan finished, Xue Sheng immediately took Huang Ye and headed for the yamen. Xue Sheng was fast, and Huang Ye, clutching his pounding heart, struggled to keep up. But he ran with all his might.

Huang Ye didn't understand what it meant to report to the authorities. He had only learned vaguely about the concept of officialdom after hearing adults talk about the county magistrate visiting their village. But he had a gut feeling that the young master who just spoke was trying to help him and his mother.

He had to run faster. Just a little faster, and he could save his mother too.

—

Song Tingzhou was working in the inner office, while Chief Clerk Qiao bitterly reported to him. Watching his superior's stern face, Qiao couldn't muster any concern for the state and the people. He only felt as bitter as goldthread. Because his home was far away, he had stayed overnight at the yamen, only to be dragged out of bed by the magistrate in the middle of the night to find documents from fifteen years ago.

This wasn't the first time. Song Tingzhou had reimbursed him for the past few months' salary. He still had money to rent a house; otherwise, would he bring his wife and children to the county town?

Sleep-deprived, his thoughts wandered aimlessly until a sudden cry jolted him back to reality.

"My lord! Xue Sheng brought a young boy to file a complaint." Constable Zhang approached timidly to report. In truth, if he hadn't run into Xue Sheng on his way in, he wouldn’t have dared to show his face before Song Tingzhou. After all, he had once sided with Tong Ping, who was now in prison awaiting execution in autumn.

Every day in the yamen, Zhang walked on eggshells, avoiding Song Tingzhou, terrified that the magistrate might take a dislike to him and dismiss him from his post, since he didn't even hold an official rank.

What he feared came true. Song Tingzhou's dark eyes fixed on him. Without emotion, he ordered, "Bring them in first. And if you continue to shirk your duties and hide like you have been these past few days, remove your official robe and depart tomorrow. The yamen has no use for useless men."

Although the reprimand was for Constable Zhang, Chief Clerk Qiao also broke out in a cold sweat. It jolted him awake, and he was now full of vigor, willing to be Lord Song's beast of burden.

Xue Sheng remembered Meng Wan's instructions. As soon as he entered, he quickly explained everything clearly.

Song Tingzhou immediately understood Meng Wan's intention. Having Xue Sheng bring the boy in through the main gate to report the case was a cautious move, in case of unforeseen need.

"Call Inspector Huang and have him take bailiffs over there immediately." As soon as Song Tingzhou finished speaking, he stood up. "Forget it, summon Qin Jiao. I'll go see for myself."

Shuihe Village was relatively close to Heshan County. Song Tingzhou had visited once while inspecting villages, but he wasn't as familiar as Inspector Huang, who was a native of Luxi Town.

Qin Jiao lazily made his way to the inner office where Song Tingzhou was working. Halfway there, he saw Inspector Huang leading four or five yamen runners with horses toward the gate. Song Tingzhou was among them.

Qin Jiao caught up, taking the reins handed to him by one of the runners. "My lord, where are we headed?"

Song Tingzhou mounted his horse. "Shuihe Village." He cracked his whip and rode off. Qin Jiao, puzzled but obedient, followed suit.

Inspector Huang, as a native, intended to ask around for Huang Ye's house once they entered the village. But to his surprise, the village was eerily quiet, with no one in sight.

By then, everyone sensed something was wrong. Song Tingzhou said gravely, "Find someone, fast."

Qin Jiao, with his martial arts training, had sharp ears and eyes. "My lord, there seems to be some commotion on the other side of the river."

Song Tingzhou dismounted. "Let's go take a look."

There was no bridge over the river, only a few flat, worn stones. They left one yamen runner to watch the horses. The rest stepped across the stones, and the farther they went, the clearer the voices became.

Villagers were gathered outside a house, buzzing with discussion. Inside, the sounds of crying and cursing, male and female, could be heard.

"You crazy woman!"

"Bitch! You'd harm your own man!"

"Let go, I said let go, do you hear me!"

"Don't, don't, don't move anymore. I swear I won't do it again, I swear. Please don't move. I don't want to die."

Inspector Huang immediately led his men in. "Clear the way. Official business."

Seeing their official uniforms, the commoners immediately stepped back.

As space opened up, Qin Jiao moved even faster than the yamen runners.

Though summer had not yet arrived in Heshan, the weather was already scorching. As he entered, the overwhelming stench of blood hit his nostrils, and all he saw was crimson.

Dismembered limbs and sticky, foul blood were everywhere. A woman in a dark blue patch-covered dress sat calmly in a pool of blood, holding a man's severed head in her arms.

Her face bore bloodstains and purple bruises; blood still trickled from her nostrils and the corners of her mouth. Some hair on her head was matted with sticky substance, which seemed to be blood.

To her right lay another man, seemingly unable to move—or perhaps afraid to—because the woman's cleaver, colder than her face, was pressed against his extended neck. It trembled slightly, as if from agitation or fear.

The blade's sharpness meant that even this slight tremor sliced the man's neck, leaving a mess of cuts, each deeper than the last.

Across from these two stood an elderly couple and a middle-aged husband. The curses that Song Tingzhou and the others had heard outside came from them. They came also from the man on the ground. The woman never said a word throughout it all.

In the capital, Qin Jiao had witnessed all sorts of underhanded schemes within households and noble clans—ways to kill without even dirtying one’s hands, a nod and a few words sufficing to make someone disappear silently.

Now, facing such a brutal scene for the first time, he was horrified.

In that moment of hesitation, another cut appeared on the man's neck, nearly making him wet himself. This time he dared not even scream for fear of provoking the madwoman beside him into cutting off his head.

"Qin Jiao!" Song Tingzhou entered a step behind, his pupils contracting instantly as he shouted Qin Jiao's name sharply.

Qin Jiao snapped back to reality and quickly used his blade to knock the cleaver from the woman's hand.

It was fortunate that he was bold and skilled; otherwise, the runners Inspector Huang had brought would have found the situation equally tricky.

The moment the cleaver left her hand, the expression on the woman's face suddenly became fragile, as if she had lost all strength and hope.

The severed head in her hands, eyes wide with fury and an expression of disbelief, rolled slowly to Song Tingzhou's feet. He gazed at it with mixed emotions, feeling a familiar sense of fate.

"Take them all to the county office."

The man who had been lying on the ground was Huang Ye's eldest uncle. Having narrowly escaped death, the joy of survival gave him a sudden burst of strength. Like an eighty-year-old woman, he sat up, trembling, and seeing the woman now restrained by the runners, began to curse furiously: "Bitch! Slut! You dared to kill! You don't need to take her away—our family has ways to deal with her! I..."

Song Tingzhou's deep eyes turned to him, making the shouting man shudder. "Dare to question the office's proceedings? Disregarding state law and executing punishment privately? Tie him up and take him away as well."

The man clutched his neck and begged, "Spare me, officer! I spoke rashly and said wrong things. I'll slap myself! Please forgive me!"

But since Song Tingzhou had spoken, Inspector Huang and the runners dared not disobey. Not only the man, but all the men, women, old, and young of Huang Ye's family were taken into custody.

Jin Gu might have expected to die, but she hadn't expected that this new magistrate, whom she had only met once, would also question the others.

Her numb eyes, clouded with confusion, looked at Song Tingzhou.

There was regret and grief in Song Tingzhou's gaze. "You... you could have reported this to the authorities."

Jin Gu's mouth opened and closed slightly, and she uttered her first word after so long: "No one ever told me I could... report it."

Song Tingzhou thought of the lad that Meng Wan had sent with Xue Sheng to the county office. He sighed softly. "It's all right. Someone has already reported it on your behalf."

Jin Gu's eyes widened. Her voice was so hoarse it was hard to tell if it was male or female. "Ye Geer... he did that?" Her child was as naive as she was. He shouldn't have got involved; he should have stayed far away from this house that had dragged her down so deeply.

"He is fine, and you are not without hope. My husband told me that no matter how dire the circumstances, as long as a person lives, they should struggle to carve out a bright and smooth path for themselves. If there are thorns on the road, pull them out even if your hands get pricked; if there are people blocking your way, make yourself so strong that they can only look up in awe. If you lie in the briar patch and let them feed on your blood as nourishment, you only make them grow stronger."

The rain in Heshan came and went quickly. Now the rain was gradually stopping, and the sun struggled out from behind the clouds, trying to illuminate all the places shrouded in gloom. Song Tingzhou's low, clear words, like a beam of light piercing through thick clouds, pierced straight into Jin Gu's heart.

"Don't tolerate them, and don't give up on yourself. It's still not too late."

Jin Gu looked down at her hands, covered in blood, and murmured, "Is it really not too late?"