Miao Chu

Chapter 366 Releasing People
“It’s already autumn, and it’s getting chilly in the mornings and evenings. I made a few sets of clothes to wear indoors. Since the weather is nice these past few days, and I’m not too old yet and can still walk, I decided to deliver them myself. Otherwise, those people would just take them away without a word, put them in a trunk, and bury them at the bottom, never to be taken out again.”

The chief clerk dared not utter a single honest word in response, and could only smile obsequiously and say, "Who would dare to take advantage of the clothes you sent—the prince always remembers them and asks about them from time to time!"

The old woman shook her head, sighed, and said, "I haven't heard any news from the manor for many days, and no one has come to talk to me. I don't even know how the prince is doing."

He then requested an audience with the King of Lu.

The chief clerk then said, "His Highness is out receiving guests, and His Highness has gone to Jixiang Temple to worship Buddha. Why don't you come inside and have some tea?"

The old woman actually went inside and sat down.

She sat there until the afternoon, the tea had been changed four or five times, and she had lunch at the Prince of Lu's residence. She waited for no one, and seeing that it was getting late, she still showed no intention of leaving.

This old woman was none other than Wu Yuanwai's mother and Lu Wang's wet nurse.

She was nearly eighty years old, and walked with a shaky gait. Her hair was white, and she had lost her teeth, but she was in good spirits. She sat for half a day, and her mouth never stopped talking. She kept asking about the situation in the mansion, and about Prince Lu's recent routine, preferences, health, and so on.

Upon hearing the voice, the chief clerk knew something was amiss and quickly inquired about the purpose of the visit.

The old nanny then spoke.

“There is a steward in my son’s household who is always very easy to manage and honest. I have watched him grow up since he was a child. Today, for some reason, he was suddenly arrested by the Kyoto government because he was said to be involved in some case.”

“I sent people to inquire, and they all said it was nothing, just a false accusation by someone else. The government was just making a show of arresting people, and they are completely innocent.”

“His mother is two years older than me. She was extremely anxious and came to my door looking for him. I'm just an old man here, what can I do? I had no choice but to come to the Prince to ask if he could find someone. We need to hurry, otherwise, if he's locked up in jail, they'll find something out even if there's nothing wrong!”

"It's such a trivial matter, the Chief Clerk can handle it," he said with a smile. "What do you mean, 'I don't think it's a big deal,' that you've had to come to my aid!"

He added, "The Kyoto government is really outrageous. They dare to arrest just anyone without even asking around. Once I report back to the Prince, I'll go and get them out."

That evening, King Lu returned to his residence drunk.

He's not young anymore, and he went too far at the banquet. Now, he's walking unsteadily, almost unable to exert any strength, and he's experiencing throbbing pains from his temples to the back of his head.

It was at this moment that the chief clerk came in to report on the wet nurse's matter.

Not to mention that Master Wu has always been sensible, and he would give gifts every now and then, especially during festivals, even if it were just for the sake of the old wet nurse, Prince Lu would not ignore it.

Without giving it much thought, he casually handed over the instructions, frowning as he said, "He's just a manager, why are you asking me about him—you can deal with him as you see fit from now on."

Having received his assignment, the chief clerk didn't delay and immediately went to the capital prefectural government office.

The next morning, Qin Jie, who had just come out of Prefect Zheng's office, summoned one of his men.

The subordinate quickly went to find the inspector in charge of the case.

After a short while, Wu, the steward who had been arrested and interrogated by the suspect based on his confession, was released from the prison cell without any qualms.

Such actions naturally displeased the lower-level staff of the Military Inspection Institute.

The inspector couldn't control his subordinates and was actually dissatisfied himself, so he took the case file to Qin Jie.

Qin Jie asked, "Did you get any evidence out of him after you arrested him?"

The inspector was furious: "Sir, at least give us a chance to interrogate and search carefully before we can gather evidence!"

He continued cursing, "They arrested him and released him the next minute! You didn't see how arrogant he was when he was arrested, or what he said when he left! When the brothers who went to release him came back, they almost beat me up!"

Qin Jie held an official position, but did not perform any real duties.

He was naturally unhappy about being interfered with, but the orders had already been made by his superiors, and he couldn't disobey them.

For him, he had already captured a group of fugitives, which was enough to earn merit. Whether there was one more or one less supervisor did not matter.

Sometimes, you have to know when to stop while you're ahead. Otherwise, things can get out of hand, and what was originally a merit can turn into a hot potato. You've done the work, but your superiors won't appreciate it and will say you were meddling.

It is said that to be an official, one must have two different mouths under the hat of the word "official".

He was obsequious to Zheng Boqian, but when he faced his subordinates, he changed his tune.

“I have tried every means and done my best to fight for it, but as you all know, the Wu family has a complicated background. The situation in the court is complicated now, and Prefect Zheng is not having an easy time either. Today I have fought again and again.”

As Qin explained, he patted the man opposite him on the shoulder and said, "Catching those fugitives is already a great achievement. As for this supervisor—you don't have anything to offer right now, so it's unreasonable to detain him. No wonder they're so arrogant."

"If you're not satisfied with this Wu fellow, investigate further. If you find anything, come and tell me, and I'll go find the prefect right away!"

He offered words of comfort.

But how could the inspector on the other side not tell that this was just a perfunctory response?

After leaving the house and returning to his quarters, the man relayed what he had said to his brothers, and the man who went to the jail to release the prisoners immediately became furious.

Someone else couldn't help but say, "I knew I shouldn't have talked to that Miss Song about this. I told her to relax and that there would be good news soon!"

"The case hasn't even been solved yet, who can guarantee anything beforehand? I bet you're not stupid! Is this your first day on the job??"

The officer knew he was in the wrong, but he was also annoyed. He said, "If Miss Song asks, am I not supposed to answer? She's not a complete stranger! She won't hold it against me!"

"Then what about this case? Are we really just going to ignore it and close it?"

Just then, the officer who was supposed to release Steward Wu suddenly stood up and walked out angrily.

"Feng Er, where are you going?"

Feng Er turned around and said, "I'm going to find Brother Feng!"

"Why would I look for Lao Xin! He's only been back for a few days!"

"Brother Feng isn't doing his patrol duties anymore, so don't cause him any trouble. Knowing his temper, he'll definitely start a fight—and arguing with your superior is never a safe bet!"

Feng Er said, "Didn't Master Qin say that as long as we find evidence, he'll help us talk to Prefect Zheng? We can all see that the steward of the Wu family is definitely up to something. We'll find something out as soon as we investigate. I don't believe we can't find anything wrong with him! Brother Feng is the best at investigating cases. These days he's always holed up in his room. I'll go find him and ask him to help me sort things out!"

"That was just polite talk from Lord Qin, did you really take it seriously?"

Feng Er angrily said, "If he goes back on his word, I'll go find Brother Han and ask him to write an article to scold him!" The crowd tried to stop him but to no avail, so they hurriedly followed.

When Feng Er knocked on Xin Feng's door, the latter was holding a pen, leaning forward, his thick eyebrows furrowed, writing and tracing documents stroke by stroke.

Xin Feng had been hot-tempered for half his life. Although he had said he would change his temper, it's not so easy to change one's temperament.

After hearing the details of the case and learning that Manager Wu had left, he frowned, threw down his pen, and stood up to go find Qin Jie.

Feng Er was initially angry, but seeing Xin Feng's reaction, he was so frightened that he quickly tried to stop him, saying, "Brother Feng, your back and legs aren't fully recovered! Don't let this little thing cause a conflict with your superiors!"

The people chasing after them also hurriedly chimed in.

"That's right! Old Xin, you've finally earned the praise of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and you've made it to the top. Why go looking for trouble with yourself!"

"It's no use going to higher-ups about this. I heard it's someone from the Prince of Lu's mansion. Qin Guanren is so cunning; he won't care unless there's something in it for him! Didn't you see that Prefect Zheng has already spoken up!"

"Unless we go to Prefect Zhao! But isn't Prefect Zhao related to Prince Lu by marriage? They're practically family, why would he just show up like that!"

Xin Feng frowned and sat back down, sighed, and said, "They say they're promoting me, but all I get to do all day is deal with these documents. It's so boring—actually, it would be better if I didn't get promoted at all! At least I'd get to handle some cases with everyone and actually do some work!"

No one responded.

We've been brothers for many years; who doesn't know Xin Feng's nature?

If it weren't for his character and dedication, people wouldn't have gathered around him. Now, seeing him confined to the house, looking so pathetic, they couldn't bring themselves to offer him any advice.

Taking the opportunity, Feng Er revealed the details of the case.

The people around them chimed in, adding their own comments.

Xin Feng immediately perked up and, together with the others, analyzed the situation. In no time, he had listed several clues that could be investigated. He said urgently, "Even in this state, we're still letting him go?! It's obvious that the person in charge is involved in the case, isn't it?!"

Feng Er then told Qin Jie about his promise, saying, "Brother Feng, I think since Master Qin has made such a statement, let's find the evidence first. Even if we can't catch him in the end, at least we can give Lady Song an explanation!"

He added, "Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep for many more days!"

As soon as he said that, everyone around him sighed.

Someone else said, "If you keep acting like this, you might as well not be an inspector in the future!"

"As an inspector, how can you solve every case? You have to do your job, but you also have to make a living! If you keep thinking like this, you'll lose half your life!"

"Not only are you uncomfortable, but we're uncomfortable too. But now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to accept it! You're still too young!"

Feng Er lowered his head, sighed, and sat there without saying a word.

He had been working at the Kyoto Prefectural Government Office for over two years. Whenever a case was unresolved, he was most afraid of dealing with the victims and their families. He was afraid of being caught and asked why the case couldn't be solved, afraid of seeing their disappointed expressions and eyes, and afraid of hearing about their hardships and difficulties.

In fact, Song Xiaoniangzi was half a victim right now. Since the other party was kind, she would mostly just thank them and wouldn't blame them at all. But Feng Er thought of the noodles, rice noodles, and steamed buns he had eaten at her restaurant, as well as the drinks she specially prepared when the roast pigeon was served. She even remembered his preferences and always added a little extra salt to the salty soup.

The more he thought about it, the more upset he felt. He looked up to find Xin Feng, but then he felt a weight on his shoulder. When he looked up again, it was Xin Feng who had put his hand on his shoulder.

"Ignore them! I'll investigate with you—when I can't solve a case, no matter how big or small, I feel terrible every day! I can't sleep well at night!"

He added angrily, "He's supposed to be a prince, yet he acts like this! Why doesn't the Emperor do anything about it!"

Someone nearby sighed and replied, "He's an uncle and an elder, and there's a room between us. I'm afraid it's difficult to manage him."

"Your Majesty was adopted out of wedlock and has no children now. Is it because you are afraid that you will have to adopt the Prince of Lu's lineage in the future, and that's why you dare not make a move?"

At this very moment, Zhao Yu, the adopted emperor who was said to have no children, was listening to the reply from the official in charge of the Imperial City Guard in the Chui Gong Hall.

"I've asked several times, but His Majesty said not to force me, so I sent someone to talk to him nicely—but he still won't give in, nor will he remove it..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu felt somewhat helpless, but said, "It's to be expected. With more tables available on one floor, there are many more places to serve guests every day, so it's no wonder they're unwilling—did they say they'd give us a subsidy?"

"We said from the beginning that the losses from the expansion would be covered by the Imperial Palace, but he just won't agree!" The official in charge was somewhat helpless. "Your Majesty, why don't you send a few Palace Guards to take a look?"

The money from the palace is just a sum of money, but the money from business, especially in larger areas, can be earned continuously.

Zhao Yu shook his head, not letting the Imperial Guards join in the fun, and said, "The Palace Guards are all tall and strong, why bother? They'll just scare people!"

“Go and persuade them again, talk to them properly—that house is really built too high. Every time I looked up at night, I could see their lights on. If someone had bad intentions, they could go to their restaurant, climb up to the top floor, and watch over the palace every day. It’s really not good.”

He added, "I have delayed his business, but I will compensate him accordingly."

The official in charge readily agreed, then added, "Furthermore, with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the heads of various neighborhoods have pooled their money to hold a grand lantern festival. They fear that the Imperial Street alone might not be enough, and they'd like to inquire whether it's possible to open the palace gates and use the outer court area for the lantern festival..."

As he said this, he also felt that his request was somewhat inappropriate, and couldn't help but steal a glance at the emperor's face.

Zhao Yu didn't think much of it. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "Alright, let it be. It only happens once or twice a year. I'll take this opportunity to join in the fun and see how well they've done with their lantern festival!"

The official was somewhat surprised, but not entirely surprised.

Since the time of Emperor Taizu, the emperors of the Zhao family have been very approachable to the people, and this is especially true today.

He quickly agreed, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "There is also His Highness Prince Lu... He has been frequently receiving guests lately, not only interacting with various members of the imperial family, but also hosting banquets for civil and military officials—claiming it's to celebrate his grandson's birthday."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu's expression remained unchanged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He simply asked a few questions and then dismissed the person on the other end.

He spent half a day reviewing memorials, and seeing that it was getting late, he first went to Ciming Palace to inquire after people's health before returning to the palace.

That evening, he only ate a few bites of food.

Empress Deng said, "Eat at least half a bowl of rice, or a steamed bun or a flatbread, that would be fine too!"

Zhao Yu shook his head, pointed to his stomach, and said in a low voice, "It's like the fish sashimi I ate at noon wasn't very good. I haven't felt well all afternoon and haven't had much of an appetite."

Empress Deng couldn't help but scold, saying, "I told you not to eat it—fish sashimi is easy to upset your stomach. This stuff was bought from outside the palace and carried all the way. Even though it's autumn, there's still some lingering heat. This stuff can't be stored. If you really want to eat it, why don't you just have the imperial kitchen make it?"

Zhao Yu waved his hand and said, "If you really say you want to eat it, the imperial kitchen will definitely have to prepare it at all times, and it will have to be prepared often in the future. Although I don't know how much to prepare, it certainly won't be just one or two fish. It will be a waste of manpower and money."

(End of this chapter)