The Wedding Kidnapping (Part 3)
Aunt Xu continued, "If anyone is to blame, it's Xu Shan's uncle and his wife; they're utterly despicable."
“My parents-in-law passed away one after the other. More than a year later, his uncle and aunt started clamoring to divide the family property. I didn’t care about the division, but his uncle and aunt were too greedy and wanted me and Xu Shan to leave with nothing, along with the two children.”
“I’m not out of my mind, of course I refused, and I cursed at them a few times. The two old men went to the elders in the clan to complain, and made me kneel in the ancestral hall, but I still refused. A group of people rushed to my house and said that I was not worthy to be their Xu family’s daughter-in-law, and that Xu Shan should divorce me.”
“How could Xu Shan possibly agree? The two sides continued arguing, and it was unclear who started it. Xu Shan’s uncle fell and broke his leg. The matter escalated to the yamen, and that scoundrel of a county magistrate, without even asking the reason, concluded that we were disobeying the rules during the mourning period. I just don’t understand, it was clearly his uncle who brought up the division of the family property first, so how did it become our disobedience?”
"When we got inside, we found out that the family could not be divided during the mourning period. His uncle had already finished the mourning period, while we were still a few months away. Originally, it was 'the people don't complain, and the officials don't investigate,' but his uncle wanted to take all the family property. He also had a broken leg, so naturally he wouldn't let us go."
"After this incident, I've come to understand that those laws and regulations can't really control truly wicked people; they're just for dealing with honest people. If we think about it from another perspective, as long as the family is together, it doesn't matter where we live. Xu Shan and I are both able-bodied; we're not going to freeze or starve to death, are we?"
July's heat has subsided, and the evening breeze is no longer as scorching as in the height of summer.
Huai Xu and Feng Qiao went up the mountain to pick mushrooms after the rain; Lin Zhong sat alone by the window, drinking his sorrowful wine; I leaned against the bamboo chair behind the counter, listlessly clicking on the hollyhock petals in the bamboo tube, wondering whether they were singular or plural.
I counted it several times, and each time it was different. I wasn't sure which one was right, and I was about to call Lin Zhong over to count it together when I saw him put away the wine set and walk quickly towards the back of the house.
"Hey!" I stood up and called to him, "Where are you going?"
"Feed the horses."
"Wait a minute, I have something to ask you."
Lin Zhong didn't even turn his head: "One hundred and forty-seven."
One hundred and forty-seven? I stared at the double-petaled pale yellow flowers on the counter: How could this be... Didn't we count them correctly the first time? I looked at Lin Zhong again, but he had already walked away.
I felt very annoyed and shouted at his back, "Don't put in so many petals next time, it's so annoying to count them!"
Just as he was about to lie back in his chair, he suddenly heard the sound of orderly hooves outside the courtyard. He finally understood why Lin Zhong hadn't even drunk any wine and was rushing to the backyard to feed the horses.
Sure enough, Guo Cheng, accompanied by two men, entered the inn looking travel-worn. I went up to him and said, "Inspector Guo, what brings you here at this hour? Do you have official business to attend to?"
"That's right!" Guo Cheng smiled wryly and cupped his hands towards me. "I'll explain to Qing Niangzi in detail later. The three of us left before dawn today and haven't eaten a single grain of rice yet. Please bring us some food as you like, just enough to fill our stomachs."
I quickly invited the three of them to sit down and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Seeing that there was still a lot of water chestnut porridge left on the stove, I heated up a pot and served it.
The three of them finished their meal in no time, and I brewed them a fresh pot of yellow bud tea to help them digest.
Guo Cheng thanked him repeatedly and reached into his pocket to pay the bill.
I stopped him, saying, "Inspector Guo, why are you being so polite with me? You need to get down to business."
Guo Cheng gave a wink to his attendant, who understood and took out a stack of documents from his pocket, picked out one and placed it on top, then handed it over.
Guo Cheng took the document, glanced at it, and asked, "Qing Niangzi, did your inn's people go to the Luzhou military horse farm to purchase horses this April?"
I nodded: "That's true."
Where are the horses you purchased now?
I was completely baffled by his question: "It's in the stable in the backyard."
Where is the written contract for the purchase of the horse?
"Wait a moment." I went back into the house to find the purchase documents, handed them to Guo Cheng, and asked with a hint of doubt, "The money and goods have been settled. Is there anything wrong?"
After comparing the documents and seals on both sides one by one, Guo Cheng said, "The documents and seals match, there is nothing wrong, but we still need to confirm the horses."
"Inspector Guo, come with me."
Lin Zhong was cleaning the stables when Guo Cheng saw him from afar and called out loudly, "Brother Lin Zhong!"
Lin Zhong gave a perfunctory reply, put down the broom, and was about to leave when Guo Cheng strode forward, stopped him, and asked, "Wait, wait, which horse did you buy a few days ago?"
Lin Zhong glanced at him: "Can't you see for yourself?"
Guo Cheng glanced at the document in his hand, then at the horse in the stable, and said with an awkward laugh, "The one with the foal, right? Buy one, get two. Brother Lin Zhong has a good eye."
Lin Zhong ignored him, picked up the bucket and left.
"Hey!" Guo Cheng persisted, "Brother Lin Zhong, that day at Shenyang Cave, I saw that your lightness skill was also superb. Is your master from the Linqing School of the Central Plains?"
Lin Zhong did not respond, but waved his hand in the distance and disappeared from sight.
Guo Cheng turned to look at me, his expression conflicted: "Qing Niangzi, does he mean—yes or no?"
I laughed and said, "He means you should stop bothering him."
Guo Cheng explained, "I'm just concerned about him. If he really is a disciple of the Linqing School, we might be able to find his family by following his lineage."
My heart tightened: "Thank you for your kindness, Inspector Guo. Huai Xu, Feng Qiao, and I are Lin Zhong's family. Dr. Liu Yu once said that sometimes amnesia is a form of self-protection to avoid getting stuck in past pain and being unable to extricate oneself."
Guo Cheng looked surprised for a moment, then smiled and said, "I understand, I understand!"
I frowned: "What do you understand?"
Guo Cheng laughed and said, "The past cannot be retrieved; cherish the people in front of you."
This is generally how a rough man embroiders.
"Stop." I looked around. "Why do your words sound so awkward coming from your mouth?"
Guo Cheng stopped laughing, handed the horse purchase documents back to me, and said, "The matter has been clarified, so I won't bother you any longer. Thank you for the dinner, Qing Niangzi. I'll take my leave now."
I think this person has probably misunderstood something and wants to explain, but doesn't know where to begin...
"Sigh!" The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became. "You've got it all figured out, but I haven't! Coming over so late, checking this and that, what's the point?"
"Please calm down, Madam Qing," Guo Cheng said with a smile. "Manager Jiang of the Luzhou Military Horse Farm has committed a serious offense, and the superior has ordered a thorough investigation of all those involved."
“It just so happens that he was the one who handled your inn’s horse purchase. What can we, the servants, do? We can only dig out the purchase records from all these years and go door to door to check them.”
"Inspector Guo, you've worked hard." I glanced at Guo Cheng and couldn't help but ask, "The military horse farm only raises horses, it doesn't handle horse collection, and there's a quota for the horses to be culled each year. It's not a lucrative position, so how big of a problem could it be?"
"Ah." Guo Cheng waved his hand, his tone mocking, "You don't understand, Qing Niangzi. In the eyes of those corrupt officials, there is no distinction between rich and poor official positions; it all depends on how hard one works. As long as you work hard enough, even raising horses at the military horse farm can earn you just as much as buying horses at the Tea and Horse Bureau."
"I see." I covered my mouth and laughed. "Tell me how the person in charge of the military horse farm is trying so hard to emulate the Tea and Horse Bureau!"
Guo Cheng vividly described, "That Jiang, the person in charge, was a failed scholar, but he was quite learned."
"Years ago, he worked at the Yujing Supervisory Office. It is said that he was too harsh on the salt workers, and several salt workers jointly complained to the supervisory official, resulting in his suspension. I don't know what connections he used, but not only was he not investigated, he eventually ended up at the Luzhou Military Horse Farm."
"He deliberately fattened up the fine horses that the Tea Horse Bureau had acquired at great expense, then mixed them with culled horses for sale; he then bought them back at a low price through a matchmaker, conditioned them for several months, and then sold them at another shed."
"The people in charge of the tea and horse trade were kept in the dark and bought the horses as fine horses, then sent them to the military horse farm. Over the years, he has been secretly making a profit of nearly a thousand strings of cash."
I clicked my tongue in amazement: "You know what, that Jiang guy is really talented, it's a pity he chose the wrong profession. But how could his plan, which was so meticulous and operated successfully for so long without anyone knowing, have been exposed?"
“Everything has a cause and effect; it’s just karma.” Guo Cheng deliberately kept everyone in suspense. “Miss Qing, guess who his karma is?”
I put my hands together and thought for a moment: "The military horse farm has always been jointly managed by the military and local authorities. In other places, joint management might mean no one would bother to manage it, but in Luzhou, Prefect Xiong is also the prefect of Changning Army. This official is always diligent. Could it be that this corrupt official surnamed Jiang has fallen into his hands?"
"Hahaha, Lady Qing guessed it right away!" Guo Cheng laughed gleefully. "That Jiang guy thought he was still working at the Yujing Bureau!"
“In places where salt flows like water, the supervisors are all like gods of wealth. As long as they don’t go too far, they can swindle and cheat a little, and nobody cares. Compared to the superiors over there, this one is a ‘living Yama.’ Anyone who dares to rip people off under his watch is asking for trouble!”
I laughed and said, "Does 'Living Yama' always wander around the military horse farm? Such a secretive matter shouldn't have been witnessed by him!"
"I don't go there often." Guo Cheng looked admiringly at him. "Lord Xiong knows horses and people, and his memory is exceptional."
“Last autumn equinox, he inspected the military horse farm and was deeply impressed by a fine horse from Wumeng. He went again this spring but did not see the horse. He did not make a fuss about it but privately asked the horse farm veterinarian.”
"The veterinarian explained that due to a bubonic disease outbreak in the stables at the end of last year, several fine horses were downgraded and converted for civilian use. Originally, the matter would have been closed. Unexpectedly, two months ago, the commander of the Changning Army's Eastern Camp changed horses, and the new horse he brought back from the military horse farm was exactly the one that Lord Xiong had his eye on."
"During the military drills, he noticed something amiss and sent someone to the Tea and Horse Bureau to retrieve the horse collection records from several border markets in the southwest for comparison. In this way, Jiang's shady dealings were naturally exposed."
Grass fears the harsh frost, and frost fears the sun; the wicked will be punished by the wicked. I nodded: "Indeed, it is the cycle of cause and effect, and retribution is inevitable."
As darkness fell, Huai Xu and Feng Qiao returned home. The two of them had picked a small half-basket of mushrooms, and they all tasted the same.
I glanced at it and asked, "Where did you run off to? You've only picked this much; it's not even enough to fill a tooth gap."
Huai Xu smiled and put down his basket: "Godmother, you don't need to cook tomorrow. Someone's treating us to a meal, and there'll be wine too!"
I asked curiously, "Look how happy you are, who's treating?"
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