Chapter 47 Chapter 46 The Woman Observing Secretly
In front of so many people, he couldn't just push Man Niang away. He could only suppress his impatience and feign gentleness, "This..." For a moment, he was at a loss for words. Then, realizing what he meant, he spoke again, "Madam, if you have anything to say, please stand up and speak openly. If there's any grievance, our government will definitely seek justice for you and your daughter."
Man Niang's heart was filled with disdain. If it weren't for the fact that you officials were so unconvincing, why would she have come up with such a scheme? But her face remained deeply saddened. After years of receiving all sorts of guests, she had already mastered the art of speaking to each person. Even the seasoned veterans of the shady and secluded areas could be fooled by her, let alone the young people in front of her and the crowds who were simply watching the excitement.
"My daughter had originally stayed in her room and never left. But after a few days, the food by her door remained untouched. The maid who brought her food felt something was amiss and opened the door to investigate. But all she saw were traces of a struggle and items scattered everywhere, no trace of my daughter at all." After explaining the general circumstances of the incident, Man Niang burst into tears, "My daughter, my poor daughter."
The women around her could understand her feelings, so they all looked at Man Niang, who was still kneeling on the ground, with heartache. Some of the impatient ones even began to urge the yamen runners: "Help this lady up quickly, and then send someone to look for her daughter." If it were any other day, they would never dare to point fingers at these yamen runners, but now they were outnumbered and felt too sorry for Man Niang's experience, so they hurriedly spoke up for her.
After listening to Man Niang's narration, the yamen runner knew that this case was not a simple one. He originally wanted to go in and report to his superiors before making any plans, but the people around him were afraid that they could not wait any longer. Seeing this, he thought of a solution in a hurry: "Madam, please stand up first. If there is anything, we can go into the yamen and talk it out." He didn't dare to agree to this case casually. If it became a hot potato, he would be the one who was dragged out to take the blame.
Man Niang naturally wouldn't agree to go into the yamen with him. Some things are different when said outside the yamen than inside, not to mention the onlookers outside. She wanted to make a big deal out of this, but if she went inside, how could she achieve her goal? Furthermore, if she went inside, she would be alone. How could she seek justice for Rui Niang, isolated and helpless?
But if she refused outright, it would make her seem guilty, and those who had originally supported her might even become suspicious. "It doesn't matter where you tell it, especially since there are so many people here who witnessed it. Why can't they hear it together?" Man Niang's shrill voice rang out. Her words sounded quite considerate of these people, but in reality, they were more concerned about herself.
These words resonated with the surrounding people, who all began to echo Man Niang's words. At this point, the yamen runner was in a dilemma. He stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do.
At that moment, the prefect inside the yamen was finally drawn to the commotion outside and emerged. His dark skin shone in the sun, and he was a burly figure, looking more like a military commander than a civil servant. The prefect of the capital was named Chang Jiao. In his early years, he had acted decisively, not fearing to offend the powerful. However, at the time, the previous emperor was in power, and officials at court were protective of one another.
He was a man of integrity, always fair in his work, which had caused him to offend quite a few. He had a chance for promotion, but unfortunately, he was schemed against and remained in his position as prefect of the capital. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would remain in this position until his retirement. The once high-spirited young man was now depressed and unhappy, no longer possessing his former fearless courage.
It wasn't that the position of prefect in the capital was bad, but in the capital, third-rank officials were numerous, making the prefect somewhat insignificant. Furthermore, with the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice, important cases never fell into his hands. The prefectural office only handled trivial matters, and gradually, he lost his former motivation.
His voice was a little deep, "What happened? Why is there such a commotion in front of the yamen?" There was a hint of majesty in his voice, but the people watching around were not scared by him. Instead, they became more excited, and the noise around them became even louder.
The people were not afraid of Chang Jiao because he was a kind person in his daily life and did not have the slightest airs of an official, so when the people saw him at this time, it was as if they saw a savior.
Man Niang didn't know the man before her. The government offices in the capital had been too low-key in recent years, never handling any major cases, so she subconsciously assumed the prefect was covering up for the criminals. But as she listened to the cheers of the people, her thoughts wavered. Perhaps she should try to trust the man before her just once?
The yamen runner beside him finally found his backbone when he saw Chang Jiao's arrival. He leaned close to Chang Jiao's ear and told him everything that had just happened. Chang Jiao was a little excited at this time. He hadn't handled such a complicated case in a long time, and he felt even more distressed for Man Niang's predicament.
"Madam, could you please tell me the details of this incident? Why don't you go in for some tea and a good chat?" Chang Jiao's tone wasn't as condescending as those of the officials. Instead, it felt friendly. As if worried that Man Niang wouldn't want to go in with him, he whispered in her ear, "Perhaps the murderer is hiding among these people. If Madam reveals the details in public, it would be disastrous if it alerted the enemy."
Man Niang broke out in a cold sweat when he heard his words. She had been so inconsiderate, so focused on making a big deal out of it, that she had overlooked this point. Then, fear and guilt washed over her. It felt as if all her strength had been drained from her, and she nearly collapsed. Chang Jiao noticed something was wrong with her and quickly offered his arm to support her.
Man Niang noticed his good intentions, so she held his hand and followed him into the yamen. The girls who came with Man Niang were persuaded by the yamen runners to stay, so only two stayed, and the rest returned to the brothel.
The rest of the crowd, prepared to watch the show, also left. A woman in the crowd took in the entire scene, her eyes tinged with eagerness. No one in the crowd noticed her; she followed the crowd out, then turned toward a street densely populated with official residences.
Finally, they found a high-ranking official's residence and entered. The concierge didn't stop them. Looking up, they saw the plaque reading "Duke of England's Mansion." The woman's figure moved back and forth throughout the residence, her steps light and graceful, like a soaring swallow. She paused beside a refreshing pond. In its center sat a pavilion, built along the water's edge, a gentle breeze blowing in from all directions. If bored, they could watch the fish swimming in the water—a truly pleasant place.
At this time, there was a figure in white in the pavilion. He was holding a book in his hand and flipping through it. His eyes were always focused on the book. Even if there was a little wind that occasionally messed up the pages, there was no impatience on his face.
Seeing this, the woman walked towards the pavilion, and the man also noticed her arrival. He put the book in his hand on the table beside him, looked up at the newcomer, and said in a cold voice: "How is it? Is it fun in the capital?"
Hua Ling said excitedly, "There aren't many interesting things in the capital, but I just saw a case in front of the government office, and it's very interesting to me." Gu Shiyan was worried that Hua Ling might be impatient after just arriving in the capital, so he specifically asked Jiang Yi to let Hua Ling come and go freely. Jiang Yi had been trying to make amends with Gu Shiyan in various ways, so how could he refuse such a small favor?
Hua Ling herself was a bit impatient, and if she were to stay in the mansion all day like Gu Shiyan, she would probably get suffocated. After learning that Gu Shiyan had specifically instructed her to do this, Hua Ling no longer followed her own will and would leave the mansion almost every day to look for interesting things in the capital, whether it was some new food or some new gadgets. She also knew how to return the favor and would occasionally bring back some popular Beijing novels for Gu Shiyan.
"What kind of case interests you so much?" Gu Shiyan heard Hua Ling's thoughts and asked according to her meaning.
This question completely aroused Hua Ling's curiosity. She told Gu Shiyan everything she had seen in front of the government office today, and finally asked, "Sir, don't you think this case is very interesting?"
Gu Shiyan had no interest in such things. He picked up the book he had just thrown on the table and flipped through it, saying, "Interesting! This case sounds very interesting."
The perfunctory tone in his voice was already very obvious, but Hua Ling acted as if she hadn't heard it. Instead, she said happily, "Since you are also interested in this case, why don't we go to the courtesan's room together? Why don't we set off tonight?"
Hua Ling was extremely excited at this moment and had even arranged her itinerary for tonight. However, Gu Shiyan's brows, which had been relaxed, were slightly furrowed. He was a little confused as to why things had turned out like this. It seemed that the other party had not understood his previous euphemistic refusal. This time, he stated his attitude directly, "If you want to go, go by yourself. I won't go."
But he could not stand Hua Ling's persistence. In addition, the capital city was full of mixed people, and Hua Ling's cultivation had just reached the Linhai realm. Gu Shiyan was also worried about letting her investigate the case alone in the capital late at night, so he had no choice but to agree.
On the other side, in the government office in the capital.
Chang Jiao brought Man Niang into the government office and first asked someone to bring her a cup of tea. He planned to wait until she recovered from her previous state before discussing the case.
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