Miao Chu

Chapter 323 Simple

It was well past 9 AM, and the sun was high in the sky. Although it wasn't the height of summer, it was still hot and dry. The constable had walked all the way here, and his official robes were soaked with sweat from the front and back.

Song Miao hurriedly invited him in and sat down.

The person on the other end waved their hand and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I won't go in!"

Song Miao then said, "It's not just any shop or restaurant; everyone here is an acquaintance. Since you're here, please have some water and wash your face with the cool well water before you leave. Otherwise, if the other inspectors and officials find out, they'll all think that my shop is small and I'm taking advantage of familiar faces!"

The other party laughed and said, "You're still talking! It was you, Miss Song, who led us to this case, keeping us all so busy we were practically slipping on our feet—Inspector Liao told me to tell you that the man who extorted your old man and his two 'children' has been caught! They dug up a radish covered in mud, and they caught quite a few more in the house!"

"The case is still under trial, so we can't say much more. We only found a lot of contraband weapons in the house, along with gold and silver, as well as ordination certificates and identity documents..."

He looked around, and although he couldn't see anyone, he still lowered his voice and said, "Among them are documents impersonating officials, and another person, although he changed his clothes, has been identified as a criminal wanted by the Jingzhao Prefecture at the beginning of the year, who was accused of maliciously killing a family of seven in a county below!"

"With such a big case, the person and the stolen goods are all there. If we can solve it, it will definitely be a great achievement! Our whole team is very excited! Inspector Liao asked me to come and tell you that the case won't be closed so quickly, and there's still more to investigate. He told you to keep that in mind—and thank you so much! Once the case is closed, our team will book a meal to return the favor to Miss Song!"

Song Miao was genuinely surprised.

When she first heard Doctor Lin talk about the old man's swindling tricks, she knew he must be a traveling quack selling quack medicine, inevitably engaging in fraudulent activities. If she found him, he would definitely have a criminal record. However, she never expected that this man would have such a vicious person by his side.

Thinking of this, she immediately thought of what happened last night, and quickly explained briefly, then added, "The patrol station has already conducted an investigation, and they all say that this case is serious and should be handed over to the capital prefectural government—but I don't know when it will be handed over, or which patrol inspector will receive it."

Looking back on it now, it's actually more terrifying than it was at the time.

I don't know who devised this vicious scheme, they have no conscience at all—if we're not careful, and the fire really starts, in this dry and hot weather, not only will our own family suffer, but our neighbors will also be caught in the crossfire, and who knows how many families will be harmed, it's simply unimaginable.

The officer opposite had come out early in the morning and hadn't received any news yet. Upon hearing the news, he was also startled. Although he learned that nothing was wrong, he still wiped his forehead with his sleeve and said, "I'll go back and tell the inspectors that it's best if we take this case ourselves. Otherwise, if the Left Chief Justice takes it, he might not be as dedicated as our own people!"

He asked a few questions about the details, then said, "I have to go now—I have other business to attend to and can't leave for the time being. I need to send someone back to report this quickly!"

Seeing that he was truly very busy, Song Miao didn't linger and simply asked, "Has the official had breakfast yet?"

The person opposite him reached into his sleeve, pulled out a piece of stiff paper, and handed it to him with a smile, saying, "I've already eaten, but I brought this especially with me!"

Upon closer inspection, Song Miao realized that the person was holding a "Song Ji Paper".

He looked very furtive and said, "I heard they're going to release a new type of steamed bun, which is only for exchange and not for sale. Everyone is supposed to take turns exchanging for it, with a daily limit. I've come here by myself this time, so can I try one in advance? If so, I'll exchange for one and buy two more regular steamed buns. I'm going to the west of the city later, so I can eat them for lunch on the way!"

Song Miao smiled and replied, "Let's not talk about buying or exchanging. If the official hadn't gone out of his way to deliver the message, I would have had to make a separate trip to the capital's government office, which would have been very time-consuming and laborious. This place has already saved me so much trouble—I'll pick out a few for you. At the very least, I can afford to send a few steamed buns!"

As Song Miao spoke, she indeed took out dried lotus leaves and picked out a few steamed buns from the steamer on the stove. She took one of each of the two flavors: pickled ham and red bean paste.

Knowing that the other party was in a hurry and that the lotus leaf bag was difficult to carry, she used a rope to hold it in place. After she finished filling it, she was about to hand it over when she heard a few clanging sounds. Looking up, she saw that the official had grabbed a handful of copper coins, entered the house, and placed them on the stove.

Song Miao hurriedly tried to refuse, but the person opposite her pressed down on the copper coin with their hand and said, "Don't move! Don't move!"

He added, “You woman! The inspectors have told us not to take advantage of our familiarity with them and eat for free—they’re all regular customers. No matter how big your business is, it’s not enough to cover the extortion and bribes from outside. Today the government office comes, tomorrow the patrol will come. How are you going to do business?”

He looked around, made a gesture as if slowly releasing the coins, and then stepped back, saying, "Alright, don't push anymore—if Inspector Xin finds out, he'll scold you, and if Young Master Han finds out, it'll be even more embarrassing! He always gave plenty of money when he treated people to meals before!"

Song Miao was both amused and exasperated, and said, "No, sir, don't panic!"

She thought for a moment, then took out another large bamboo tube, filled it with milk, sweet fermented rice, and ice. She had just brewed some tea, though it wasn't strong enough, so she gave him a spoonful of tea and tea leaves, along with a piece of reed, and put it in a rope bag. She handed it out along with the steamed bun, saying with a smile, "I won't give you a steamed bun, but I'll give you a drink to eat on your journey. Is that alright?"

"This is good!"

The officer responded, took his leave, and turned away as he reached out to take the money.

He'd only turned halfway around when he got the bamboo tube. He first put it to his mouth, picked up a piece of reed, and took a puff. Then he took a few more puffs, his eyebrows twitching wildly as he exclaimed, "So cool! So refreshing!"

He rushed here to deliver the message without delay, and was indeed very thirsty. He gulped down the contents of the cup, taking three steps at a time, and slowly made his way to the door. He downed half a cup in one go. Since he had been sucking it up with his mouth open before and hadn't reached the bottom, he put the reed section down a bit and sucked up a lot of the filling in one go.

The milk was mixed with ice, and the ice was partially melted, which made the milk flavor a bit weak, and there was also tea.

The tea is plain tea, unlike the brewed tea that people like to drink nowadays. It is mixed with milk and ice, making it especially refreshing.

It contains sweet fermented grains, adding a pleasant sweetness. Because the oat and barley are fermented perfectly, each plump grain bursts out a small bubble of juice between the tongue and palate when you bite into it.

The juice was sweeter, but it was a unique fermented sweetness, unlike the maltose we usually eat. It was particularly palatable, and it contained freshly steamed oat grains that burst open when cooked, making them very chewy and slightly slippery, with a rich grain aroma and a subtle sweetness.

—When traveling, having a bamboo tube of these will keep you entertained no matter how far you go. Just tasting the oats and wild oats inside and guessing whether the next bite will be chewy or bursting with juice can keep you entertained for half a day!
The number of mules and horses in the government office is limited, and they can't be used every time they go out. The monthly allowance for mule carts and horse carts is also very limited, so the staff have to be very careful with their money.

The journey to the west of the city involved visiting several places. The official had originally planned to travel on foot and by carriage, but now that he had a bamboo tube of drink, he calculated the distance in his mind and couldn't resist turning back. He took several large gulps, chewed and swallowed, then took another sip before calling out "Miss Song" at the door. He then shamelessly asked, "I drank almost half a cup of this drink in one go—is there any more? Could you refill it for me?"

She then asked, "Is the filling in the drink the last time you sent it to the Kyoto government office the same one? There's also a big one that's chewy and smooth, yet a little chewy. What is that?"

Song Miao laughed and said, "I told the official to sit down and have some food and drink before leaving, but you refused!"

As she spoke, she took the bamboo tube back and filled it with various ingredients, until it was almost level, before handing it back, saying, "It's the sweet fermented rice drink from spring, but this time it's served with milk and not strong tea, but light tea, so the flavor is a bit milder. There's a large, chewy piece of oat inside—but this drink is better eaten cold than hot, so it's not suitable to include in breakfast. If you like it, sir, I'll see if you want me to send some over separately at noon or in the afternoon, just for a pick-me-up!" The man was already more than willing in his heart, but said aloud, "Don't be in such a hurry, Miss Song, let me go back and ask everyone first!"

Sweet fermented rice drink is available year-round and isn't expensive, but this time, with the addition of milk and oatmeal, plus ice, the cost is definitely going to go up—but the taste is completely different; it's so refreshing and comforting!

Song Xiaoniangzi said she would deliver it separately, but he didn't dare to actually accept it. It would be best to go back and discuss it with everyone, and then agree to it. In that case, Song's shop would make a profit, and they would also have food and drink. It would be a win-win situation!

The official carried a bag of steamed buns hanging from one hand and a bamboo tube in the other. He walked quickly but sipped and chewed slowly, hoping that the bamboo tube of drink would last him until he finished his business. It would quench his thirst, cool him down, and leave him some to eat with the steamed buns later. Ah, I wonder what those tasty steamed buns that Miss Song mentioned taste like!
If he weren't wearing his official uniform and worried that eating steamed buns in the street would look too unsightly and affect the appearance of the officials in the Kyoto government, he would have loved to open the lotus leaf buns and eat them right now!
The officials in the Kyoto government office had access to Song Ji's milk-based sweet fermented rice tea, but just two streets away, the teachers at the Imperial Academy could only stare at a large bucket of bland and tasteless perilla drink.

One of the teachers couldn't help but complain: "We were only supposed to help with the law, but how come this has gone on and on! Isn't the locked-hall examination the Ministry of Personnel's business? What does it have to do with us! The Ministry of Rites is also ridiculous. They just come over next door and say hello, and they agree so readily—they've never been so accommodating to us before!"

He spat again, saying, "They're setting questions here today and there tomorrow, are they giving us subsidies? Don't they even know how to do their own work?!"

This statement was met with great enthusiasm and many people agreed.

One person chimed in, "The monthly exam is clearly coming up, and the school hasn't even finished setting the questions yet! And what's wrong with Chief Minister Deng—he's helped so much, but not only does he not provide any subsidies, he doesn't even provide proper meals!"

"They're just taking advantage of us because they think we're easy to bully and easy to talk to—let's see if they dare to call the Dali Temple or the Provincial Judicial Commission to do this!"

"Why didn't you prepare more drinks?!"

"Perilla leaf tea is something that's hard to go wrong with, and they made it so perfunctorily—they might as well have just brewed a pot of hawthorn leaves from Song Ji's shop!"

"How dare you compare the drinks here to those at Song's?! What did Miss Song ever do to offend you?! When we get back to Song's, I'll tell her what you said and make sure she doesn't include your portion of the good food!"

"Hello??"

"And you say that! This lousy exam paper has made me miss out on Song Ji's specialty meals for days!"

The group chatted amongst themselves, and when they got really thirsty, they could only sip a cup of perilla tea haphazardly and continue compiling their exam papers with furrowed brows.

After everyone had managed to scrape together some money, someone said, "Let's call Old Cao to take a look—Old Chen is still revising the law questions, so I'm afraid he won't be able to find the time right now."

Before long, Master Cao was invited over.

He flipped through the questions, coughed, and said, "These questions are way too easy!"

The others, some rubbing their backs and others massaging their shoulders, were puzzled by what they heard.

One of the more meticulous people couldn't hold back any longer and immediately asked, "Old Cao, what do you mean by that? Before I set the questions, I looked at the questions from the past ten years of the Lock Hall Examination. They were almost identical to the original questions. I was very careful, and every case cited the Criminal Code. How could they be simple?"

Master Cao looked up and said, "Oh, it's Little Zheng!"

He rummaged through the many papers, found one, and said, "You came up with this question about sneaking into a house at night, didn't you?"

The person opposite nodded obediently.

Master Cao looked at it carefully for a moment, then shook his head and laughed, "I told you your answer was simple, and you're still not convinced?"

He continued, “In your case, it is said that the thief climbed over the wall and sneaked into a house at the end of the day, intending to steal. However, he saw that the female homeowner was beautiful and that the male homeowner was not home. He wanted to force himself on her. Just then, the female homeowner discovered the thief's presence and shouted, which attracted the help of a neighboring old woman with a kitchen knife. The thief had already escaped, but when he was climbing over the wall, the female homeowner and the old woman pulled him down. In a moment of carelessness, he fell headfirst to the ground and died.”

"The village head reported to the authorities that it was a 'fight-related killing.' Is your question testing the examinee's judgment on whether it's a 'fight-related killing' or 'breaking into someone's house at night and killing without exception'?"

Seeing the other person nod, Master Cao said, "Too simple! If I were you, I would also have to add that the thief was instigated by someone else, that he was carrying a weapon but hadn't revealed it, that he was involved in a fight with the mistress and the old woman, that after his death, his wife wanted to remarry with their child, that his brother took the opportunity to seize the land and houses, that his wife sued the authorities, and that there would be gossip in the clan..."

He went on and on, extending the topic again and again. Even just the simple oral explanation took him a long time to finish, combining a whole host of issues such as thieves breaking into people's homes at night, disputes over property, marriage, inheritance, forgery of wills and contracts, and officials accepting bribes.

The teacher opposite him gasped in astonishment and couldn't help but exclaim, "This...this is so complicated! Just reading the questions would take forever! It's just a locked-room exam; I'm afraid they won't be able to answer them!"

Master Cao curled his lip and said, "Once you pass the lock hall, you'll get an official position—it's a shortcut set up for those with connections to the government and those who already have official positions. Who knows how bad it is? If we just let them go so easily, what will happen to the local people when they're given a position as a people-friendly official?"

He added, “Old Chen and I both think the exam questions for the lock hall are no good. We didn’t know about them before, and we couldn’t do anything about them. Now that they’ve come to our attention, we need to change them. In the future, we should make them as difficult as possible. Otherwise, once we become officials, the cases we encounter will only be more difficult and complicated!”

"Cheer up! You never let us go out for a decent meal, not even a good drink. If you don't work on the exam questions properly, people will think you're not putting in any effort!"

After Cao Fuzi said a few words, everyone in the room realized what he meant.

"It has to be Old Cao again!"

"Old ginger is spicier! It's time to present the difficult part!"

A group of people were making a lot of noise when two people walked in one after the other.

The first person was also looking for Master Cao, saying, "There is an official outside who claims to be your nephew. He says he has something to discuss with you and asks if you could spare some time to go out."

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　　(End of this chapter)