monkey
In the prefect's back hall, Doctor Hua treated the thief's wounds on the spot, while Zhong Linlan and Yu Ren sat to the side, inquiring about the capture process.
Qian Lei, wanting to impress, slowly recounted: "When I was observing the streets, I was bumped into by a woman. She said she was frightened because she saw someone acting suspiciously. However, Weizhou has been under lockdown and under strict checks for several days, and everyone is afraid of getting involved with thieves. Who would dare to show any suspicious behavior?"
"I immediately guessed that it was this thief. Following the location pointed out by the woman, I gave an order to have the soldiers disguised nearby surround him, and sent other soldiers to evacuate the civilians. I, along with two soldiers armed with bows and arrows, stood guard not far away, just in case."
"This thief was agile and slippery like an eel. He could somersault without even panting. The soldiers who were trying to catch him nearby were all experts in gladiator combat, but they couldn't catch him at all. Seeing that he had somersaulted onto the roof and was about to escape, we had no choice but to shoot him down with arrows."
A moment of silence fell over the air. Thinking that the thieves had almost escaped again, Prefect Liu's expression turned cold as he glanced at the stretcher.
Zhong Linlan glanced at the person on the stretcher. "He's been hiding for so long, why is he out on the street in broad daylight? Where is that woman?"
“Yes, what about that woman?” Prefect Liu looked at Qian Lei. “She probably knows where he’s been hiding all this time.”
Qian Lei and the other soldiers looked at each other and shook their heads. He could only say, "The woman was wearing a gray linen dress and a straw hat. When she bumped into me, I was a little wary, but half of her coarse cloth veil had fallen off, and her face was covered with red marks. She looked like an ugly girl from a poor family, so I didn't pay much attention to her."
Just as Prefect Liu was about to sigh, the head constable guarding the door came in and bowed, saying, "Sir, I may have seen that woman."
The constable recounted the scene of arresting someone at the general store in the east of the city, explaining, "We found that she wasn't the Little Peach Blossom we were looking for, and she was pitifully ugly, so we didn't make things difficult for her. The shopkeeper said that the pearls she brought out were of excellent quality, not the kind you can easily find on the market."
Prefect Liu angrily said, "Weizhou is not by the sea. How could a poor girl have high-quality pearls? Such a suspicious person should be brought back first."
The constable lowered his head. "Yes, when that woman snatched the pearl back, she acted incredibly fast. I felt she was no ordinary person. But when she showed her face, it was covered in red rashes, which was unpleasant to look at. I just wanted her to stay away from me, and I forgot everything else."
Prefect Liu was so angry he laughed, but it was his subordinate's mistake, and getting too agitated would only make him seem incompetent. He suppressed his anger and asked, "What is Censor Zhong's opinion on this?"
Zhong Linlan said calmly with a sullen face, "Since he has seen that woman, why not have someone draw her portrait? There shouldn't be too many women with red rashes on their faces in Weizhou City."
"Should we continue the city lockdown to search for them?" Prefect Liu frowned.
"No need for that, she's not the perpetrator after all."
Prefect Liu nodded quickly and instructed the head constable to have someone draw a portrait, and then make some inquiries based on the portrait.
He didn't want to complicate things and just wanted to close the case as soon as possible, so he turned to ask, "Dr. Hua, is there any hope for this person?"
The arrows had been removed from the thief, and he was motionless due to the anesthetic. Doctor Hua was treating his wounds. "It's hard to say. If he can make it through the night, he'll probably live. If not, he'll have lived until tonight."
Prefect Liu glanced at Qian Lei, who was urging him with his eyes, and said, "Is there any way to wake this man up? He is a serious criminal and has not yet confessed to his crimes."
Dr. Hua pondered for a moment and said, "Given his condition, if we forcibly wake him up, he will die after saying only a few words. It would be better to wait until night. If his injuries worsen, he will wake up for a while on his own."
The thief who impersonated the prefectural magistrate had been seriously injured and captured. The garrison soldiers who had been searching the streets had all withdrawn, and the sealed city gates had been reopened. The news quickly spread throughout Weizhou City.
The Lu family also received the good news, and everyone showed joy.
"Miss, please try these fruits. They are grown on our own farm and were just delivered to the city. They are very fresh."
Several more vegetable dishes were added to the dinner, but Mu Qing was preoccupied with something and couldn't taste them. She ate a little and then asked someone to take them away.
She got up and went back to her inner chamber, saying, "I'm a little tired and want to rest early."
The sun was setting outside, and the sky was ablaze with colorful clouds. Shiyu looked around and remembered that on the day her mistress fell ill, she had also gone to bed this early. She couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Is the mistress feeling weak? Should we call a doctor to take a look?"
Mu Qing shook her head. "Didn't they say that Doctor Hua went to the government office to treat the thieves' injuries?"
Just now, several maids, while discussing the fresh fruits and vegetables that had just arrived at the manor, recounted the news of the thief being caught in the city as an amusing anecdote.
They thought that saying these things would cheer up the young lady, but to their surprise, she became even more sullen after hearing what they said.
Shi Yu pursed her lips. "Besides Doctor Hua, there are other doctors in the city."
Seeing her worried expression, Mu Qing put on a lighter tone, "I'm fine, I'm just feeling lazy and want to lie down for a while."
Shiyu was somewhat surprised. For the past two years, her young mistress had been diligently studying etiquette and reading every day. Even if she was lazy for a moment, what right did a mere maid like her have to say anything? So she stopped talking and immediately ordered someone to make arrangements.
As the last rays of the setting sun faded, Mu Qing lay in her bed curtains, counting the shadows as they disappeared inch by inch on the gauze curtains, vaguely feeling that her comfortable days of fine clothes and sumptuous food were coming to an end.
As night falls, memories that once seemed like a distant past become clearer.
Jinglei Village was originally a small, unnamed village with only about ten people.
During festivals, everyone goes down the mountain to buy New Year's goods.
She was seven or eight years old at the time, and was very curious. She insisted on going with them. Her nanny, who was taking care of her, had difficulty walking, so Uncle Huai led her down the mountain.
The men in the village were big and burly, often going days without bathing and smelling of sweat. But Uncle Huai was a refined man, handsome and always clean. So, apart from her father and nanny, she only allowed Uncle Huai to be near her.
Until that time when I went to the market to buy New Year's goods, I encountered a monkey.
In rural towns, occasionally a street performer will pass by, showing off their skills and earning applause and tips.
Mu Qing loved watching these things, but Uncle Huai usually couldn't get to the front row, so he would lift her up high so she could see them.
That year, a group of street performers came to town. They could swallow swords, breathe fire, and break large stones—they had it all, and they also had unique special skills.
The troupe leader led out a macaque and ordered people to plant two tall bamboo poles in the street, with long ropes tied to the tops of the poles. A red silk flower was hung in the middle of the ropes, and the onlookers were invited to compete with the macaque to see who could climb up first and get the silk flower.
The macaque had fluffy fur, held its head high and looked around arrogantly, raised its paws and bowed. It was so clever, who would dare to compare with it?
Everyone shook their heads. The troupe leader smiled smugly and beckoned a young man out from behind him.
He looked to be at most thirteen years old, was very thin, and when he bowed and kowtowed, he looked just like a monkey, which made everyone burst into laughter.
As soon as the gong sounded, the boy and the monkey climbed up the bamboo poles, their speeds almost identical. The bamboo poles and long ropes swayed, but the boy and the monkey clung tightly to the ropes, quickly climbing towards the silk flower in the center.
Everyone watched with bated breath, and in the blink of an eye, they saw the boy snatch the silk flower first, put it in his mouth, grab the rope with both hands, and use his waist strength to tumble in the air.
Applause and cheers filled the streets, along with the occasional sound of coins falling into a plate.
The macaque was quite intelligent. It looked around and saw that everyone was watching the boy, stealing its thunder. It scratched its ears and cheeks, then crawled closer to the boy, stretching out its long arm and slapping out a claw.
Everyone saw its jealousy, as if it had gained human nature, and couldn't help but laugh, applauding even more enthusiastically.
The boy was on guard, gripping the rope and flipping halfway around to prevent it from touching him. The macaque failed, bared its teeth and roared at the boy, lunging forward again, but almost got kicked in return, which only angered it more.
So, the man and the monkey began to fight in various ways on the rope in the air.
People on the street were drawn to the sight and looked up. The troupe leader and his men were holding plates and calling out for tips. For a while, there was a clear, loud sound of coins falling onto the plates.
The boy and the macaque were evenly matched. He was more clever and resourceful than the macaque, but there were times when his strength gave out. He was careless and the macaque scratched him, tearing his clothes and perhaps even breaking his skin. He cried out in pain and kicked the macaque several times, knocking it off the rope.
The macaque was indeed agile; it cried out as it somersaulted in the air, landing on all fours, still stretching its neck and tilting its head back, roaring angrily at the boy swinging in the air.
Seeing that a winner had been decided, the onlookers cheered and left, and the crowd on the street began to move again.
The boy climbed down the rope and bamboo pole, carrying a red silk flower as he walked toward the troupe leader.
The troupe leader led the macaque back to his side, fed it some food, and when the boy approached, amidst the macaque's roars, he scolded the boy as a good-for-nothing for not being able to last longer.
The boy lowered his head and remained silent, so the troupe leader picked up a long whip and lashed him more than a dozen times in front of the macaques baring their teeth, until the boy hunched his shoulders and loudly said that he would do better next time.
As the troupe leader led his group to pack up their equipment and head elsewhere, the boy dragged his feet, his face crestfallen, and followed dejectedly at the back.
"Big brother, here, have this."
The boy turned around and saw a little girl chasing after him. She was beautiful and delicate, but dressed in coarse linen clothes. Her hair was tied in a small bun with a red rope. She held up a string of candied hawthorns for him.
He vaguely remembered that not long ago, this little girl had cheered enthusiastically. Her clear, bright voice was not lost in the crowd, which made him glance over and notice that she was surrounded by tall men.
The boy looked behind the girl and saw several tall men still behind her, most of them with their arms crossed, looking at him with hostility.
He curled one corner of his mouth, took the candied hawthorn, and asked the little girl, "Why did you give it to the big brother?"
I expected her to praise you, but instead she said, "The troupe leader rewards the macaques with food, but not you, so I'll make up for it."
She spoke with great pride, as if she were doing a great act of charity.
The boy's face suddenly turned cold, and he threw the candied hawthorn in his hand to the ground.
The little girl started to sob, and when she saw that the boy ignored her and turned away, she cried even louder.
The troupe leader turned around and scolded the boy, then hurriedly apologized to the burly man glaring at the girl.
The girl peeked through her fingers at the boy, who was covered in dirt from being beaten and scolded. She gradually stopped crying and, as the troupe leader apologized, wiped away her tears and said, "It's not his fault, it has nothing to do with him."
The boy gave her a strange look and then left with the troupe leader.
The town is very small, consisting of only a few streets.
An hour later, the boy and the macaque performed another show on another street. As they left, they heard the girl's voice again from behind them.
"Uncle Huai said that I misspoke before, but I just wanted to treat you to something. You're so thin, you should eat more."
This time, she held up a piece of white sugar cake to him, still accompanied by several burly men.
Ignoring their expressions, the boy took the food without ceremony, took a bite, and the soft, sweet taste filled his mouth. He looked down and asked, "What's your name?"
The little girl was delighted that he was willing to accept, and smiled broadly, "What about you?"
The boy said unhappily, "I asked first."
"But if you ate my food, you should have told me first."
"..."
The boy looked at the girl again, and seeing that she still looked like an adorable porcelain doll, he coaxed, "Okay, my name is Monkey, what's yours?"
The little girl pouted, "How can a person be called a monkey?"
"Some people call themselves dogs, so why can't I be called monkeys?"
"oh."
Seeing the girl nod in confusion, the boy grinned mischievously. "Your turn. What's your name?"
She bit her lip and glanced at the burly man behind her. When she turned back to him, her face was flushed, as if she was embarrassed. After humming for a while, she said, "My father said that I can't tell my name to outsiders."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
