For the residents near Official Street inside Jubao Gate, this new year was far from peaceful.
Before the new year, the Emperor’s passing had cast a shadow of anxiety over the celebrations. Young ladies and new brides couldn’t wear their bright newly-made clothes, stomping their feet in frustration behind closed doors. Men who usually enjoyed drinking and gambling during festivals now sat idle with their sleeves drawn tight, appearing somewhat lost.
Finally, as the old year passed and the new year arrived, a new Emperor ascended the throne. “New year, new atmosphere” – people’s hearts filled with hope again. Some superstitious folks even considered it fortunate that the old Emperor had departed in the twelfth month, saying a new Emperor in the new year was a good omen.
However, heaven seemed determined to oppose human wishes. Official Street faced another incident – on the fifth day of the new year, Huang Lang was found dead at his doorstep early in the morning.
Madam Cao wailed to heaven and earth. When the yamen officers came to investigate, they only learned that Huang Lang had gone out drinking the previous night. As for why he was found dead at his doorstep early the next morning, they couldn’t make heads or tails of it. The neighborhood fell into anxiety again – how long had it been since Official Street had seen a murder?
Of course, some schadenfreude-filled whispers suggested it was Ge Dana’s wronged spirit seeking revenge, spreading more panic through the community.
The elderly sighed, saying this year wouldn’t be a good one.
However, people couldn’t dwell too long on whether the year would be good or bad. Just when everyone thought Huang Lang’s death would become an unsolved case, Madam Cao filed a complaint against Ge Qiujie at the yamen. Only then did people realize that the person collecting night soil every morning was Ge Qiujie.
That day, Ge Qiujie was arrested and imprisoned.
The next day, the case’s outline emerged: The previous night, Huang Lang had been out drinking and enjoying courtesans until midnight. When he returned home drunk, he collapsed before reaching his door. At that moment, Ge Qiujie came to collect night soil and saw the unconscious Huang Lang. Thinking of her father Ge Dana’s death, she harbored hatred for Huang Lang and took advantage of his drunken state to kill him.
The case seemed to resolve itself naturally, flowing like water into a channel.
When the case details emerged, the residents of Official Street were in an uproar.
“Old Limp, is Ge Qiujie’s case about to be closed?” Early morning, the newly finished night watchman Old Limp sat at a tofu pudding stall, drinking a bowl of hot tofu pudding while warming himself by the vendor’s stove. The vendor seized the opportunity to ask.
Old Limp, being a yamen watchman, usually had access to inside information, which was why the tofu pudding vendor inquired.
“Closed? Who knows when that’ll be?” Old Limp squinted his cloudy eyes and sneered.
“How come? Wasn’t it already settled?” The tofu pudding vendor asked in surprise.
“There are many problems here. You all think Huang Lang was drunk and Ge Qiujie took advantage, but when the coroner examined the body, they found three wounds. This means Ge Qiujie’s first two strikes weren’t fatal – only the third took Huang Lang’s life. Think about it – Ge Qiujie is just a weak woman, even if she’s somewhat strong. Huang Lang was a thug who grew up fighting. Even drunk, he would have awakened after the first strike. There’s no way Ge Qiujie could have handled him… Moreover, the murder weapon still hasn’t been found,” Old Limp explained with a click of his tongue.
“Could Ge Qiujie have had an accomplice?” The tofu pudding vendor asked hesitantly.
“See, you think so too. The yamen officials think the same, which is why they’re now searching hard for Ge Qiujie’s accomplice. Without finding the accomplice, they can’t close the case,” Old Limp said.
“Well, just ask Ge Qiujie. That woman with her delicate skin, how could she withstand torture? Once they put her on the rack, she’ll confess everything in no time,” a young man drinking tofu pudding nearby interjected.
“Housheng, people should be more considerate,” Old Limp glared disapprovingly at the young man. These youngsters are always quick to suggest torture, not understanding the suffering it causes.
He continued: “You can’t judge people by appearances, just as you can’t measure the sea in bushels. Ge Qiujie has a backbone of steel. She’s been tortured several times at the yamen but hasn’t confessed anything. She won’t even admit to the murder, just keeps claiming her innocence.”
“Ah, I believe Ge Qiujie had a grudge against Huang Lang and wanted him dead, but I find it hard to believe she killed him. Honestly, is killing someone something an ordinary person can do? This is terrible now, with talk of an accomplice – Old Hu probably won’t escape either,” the tofu pudding vendor shook his head and sighed. The Old Hu he mentioned was the night soil collector who had taken in Ge Qiujie.
Old Limp chuckled twice but said nothing more, thinking to himself that it wasn’t just Old Hu who might be implicated – the case might drag in more and more people, becoming increasingly strange.
With these thoughts, he stood up, patting his warm belly, and swayed home to sleep. Being a night watchman meant living in reverse – working while others slept, sleeping while others worked.
Just as he rose, he saw a group of yamen runners coming from the entrance of Official Street, heading forward. Heh heh, who would be in trouble now?
…
“Haha, I never thought Uncle Fu was Miss Li’s father. If the mining folk in the Northern Territory saw Miss Li’s appearance, they’d probably regret their actions to death,” Meanwhile, Luo Jiu and Yan Xilai rode in their carriage toward the Yihou main store. When Yan Xilai asked about Uncle Fu and learned the situation, he laughed.
“Stop talking nonsense,” Luo Jiu responded irritably.
“Master Nine, do you regret it too?” Seeing Luo Jiu’s expression, Yan Xilai asked mischievously. Back when Luo Jiu had brought Uncle Fu back and offered him the “condemned man’s last drink,” Uncle Fu had mentioned something similar while drunk.
Luo Jiu squinted his eyes and remained silent.
“What’s this? You weren’t interested in any of the Northern Territory girls, but you’ve set your sights on Miss Li? Uncle Fu isn’t someone to be trifled with,” Yan Xilai observed Luo Jiu’s expression and continued.
“What’s meant to be will be, what’s not meant to be shouldn’t be forced,” Luo Jiu looked into the distance, speaking somewhat mysteriously.
“Master Nine, since when did you start believing in fate?” Yan Xilai asked in surprise, having never noticed this before.
“I don’t,” Luo Jiu replied firmly.
However, matters of marriage were the most unpredictable. Back then, he and Tian Ronghua had been considered the perfect match in Huizhou, but how did that turn out? Perhaps since then, he had grown more suspicious of women. That’s why in the Northern Territory, he never engaged with the women who circled him.
When surviving alone, one becomes more vigilant about everything. With suspicion comes the unwillingness to let others get close.
However, regarding Miss Li, perhaps because of her initial silver gift, he naturally trusted her more.
Moreover, this girl felt different. She possessed ink-making skills yet engaged in business as a woman – somewhat unorthodox. However, she tried to maintain proper etiquette. While she made minor mistakes, no major faults could be found. Sometimes he felt tired on her behalf, but no matter what, this girl always maintained a smile, handling even great pressure with apparent ease.
Truthfully, such women were rare. She seemed to possess an inherent sense of natural ease.
This Li Zhenniang was different from him.
Moreover, he still owed this girl some silver pieces, and debts had to be repaid.
“Ah, I forgot, the Li family might be in trouble,” Yan Xilai suddenly said.
“What trouble?” Luo Jiu asked.
“Huang Lang is dead, Ge Qiujie is accused of murder, and now the yamen is searching for accomplices. Li Zhengping probably won’t escape,” Yan Xilai briefly explained the situation.
“That’s the surface story, what’s the real situation?” Luo Jiu asked.
“Not clear, but on the evening of the fifth, Wei Baifen hosted a dinner, and that same night, one of his concubines ran away and was beaten to death on the spot. Someone saw that concubine meeting with Huang Lang, though, of course, Wei Baiwan denies this,” Yan Xilai said.
Regardless, this case seemed to have hidden depths.
As they spoke, they saw a group of yamen runners heading toward Three Mountain Street, in the direction of Official Street.
“Let’s go check the branch store near Jubao Gate first,” Luo Jiu said to Yan Xilai.
“Alright!” Yan Xilai told the driver, who immediately changed direction toward the Yihou second store on Official Street.
At this time, Li Zhenniang’s group of three carts had just turned into Official Street.
They found the street packed with people, even more crowded than during the famous Lantern Festival on the fifteenth.
“What’s going on?” Zhenniang asked in confusion. It was already the nineteenth, long past the Lantern Festival.
“Uncle Peng, why is it so lively here?” Hua’er, who had returned home with Zhenniang to visit her parents, spotted a familiar face and poked her head out of the cart to ask.
“Ah, Hua’er! Is Miss Zhen back? Hurry home quickly – the yamen has come to arrest your elder brother!” Uncle Ming exclaimed upon seeing Hua’er.
“Uncle Ming, why are they arresting my brother? What did he do?” Hua’er cried out anxiously, jumping down from the cart to ask. Zhenniang also dismounted.
“Aiya, they say Ge Qiujie killed Huang Lang, and somehow it got connected to Zhengping,” Uncle Ming didn’t know the details and spoke vaguely.
Hua’er was about to ask more, but Zhenniang pulled her back: “Come on, let’s hurry home and find out what’s happening.”
“Mm,” Hua’er nodded with reddened eyes.
The two got back in the cart, and at full speed, they reached the Li family ink shop entrance in the blink of an eye. There they found yamen runners pounding on the door, with many onlookers craning their necks to peer inside the shop.