Miao Chu

Chapter 101 False Way
"So how did you get out of here?"

"Xue Gang came up with a plan, saying he needed to go home to sweep his ancestors' graves and insisted on taking leave." Wang Chang pointed to a chubby student on the right. "Even so, he only gave us half a day and told us to go back in the afternoon!"

Xue Gang was older than the other students present, over thirty years old, and was always more composed in his actions.

But he also sighed and said, "We managed to get away for half a day because we are from the capital—there are still many more people from other places trapped in the prefectural government office, still working."

“I wanted to go back and talk to the teacher and the school administrator, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Back then, Cai Xiu asked us clearly in front of the teacher and the school administrator whether we could endure hardship and fatigue, and said that although we were on temporary assignment, we could not let it hinder our studies. We all agreed.”

"It's only been a few days, and you've already gone back on your word. We've only just been promoted to the dormitory. What will the teacher think? What if he has preconceived notions and thinks we're all troublesome and unambitious people? What will we do then?"

Hearing this, Cheng Erniang couldn't help but say, "Students should be studying, and you've only just been promoted to the dormitory. If I were your teacher, I probably wouldn't have agreed to your request for temporary transfer. Now that you want to go back, I'm happy for you. Don't overthink it, go back and talk to your teacher!"

The group of people looked at each other, but no one spoke.

Cheng Erniang had a parental mindset, believing that the teacher was all-encompassing and that as long as she entrusted the matter to the teacher, the teacher would naturally help solve the problem, so she was not afraid at all.

Although Song Miao was on the outside, she could somewhat understand the students' feelings.

She knew that the people in front of her belonged to different schools, and they were currently in groups, not daring to get too close to the Imperial Academy. She privately guessed that they were afraid of being seen by their classmates, which would later be leaked to Cai Xiu and expose that they were not going to sweep the tomb, but secretly sneaking back to the school to find a savior.

If they really returned to the Imperial Academy and each went to find their own teacher, wouldn't that break them up into smaller groups?
If there are not many people and not much power, how will they dare to speak, and how will they even begin to speak?
Even if the teachers from various schools and dormitories agree to help, once they get together and raise the issue with their superiors, it's hard to prevent things from escalating.

When they return from their temporary assignments, all in high spirits but looking utterly dejected, these new dormitory students will probably be too ashamed to even lift their heads.

Song Miao thought for a moment and said, "I think Cai Xiu is just trying to scare you—if things really get out of hand, the Imperial Academy will come to the capital's government office, and neither side will benefit."

He added, "It would be best to resolve this privately—which of your teachers is the most accommodating?"

The group looked at each other in bewilderment.

"It's only been a few days since we moved up to the dormitory, I really didn't know that."

"I've heard that Master Feng is a good person?"

"I've only heard about it, I'm not familiar with it!"

"How about we find our original teacher?"

For a moment, everyone fell silent again.

After thinking for a moment, Song Miao said, "I know a teacher named Chen. Although he is old, he is very easy to talk to. Are you familiar with him?"

Wang Chang immediately realized who Song Miao was talking about and hurriedly said, "Master Chen is a very good person! But he only teaches the upper-class students right now and rarely comes out..."

Xue Gang on the right also said, "I know him, but he doesn't know me!"

Suddenly, someone sighed, "If only Little Lu were here!"

Everyone turned to look at him, waiting for him to speak.

The man said, “Didn’t Master Chen teach us in the lower dormitory for a few days before? That time, after he reviewed the essays and handed them back, he read half of the example essay and said, ‘This student’s writing style is so difficult that I have to read it three times and carefully twice before I can barely understand it. Not only is it difficult to understand, but each sentence is only thirty characters long and uses eight allusions, which are also broken down and mixed together, and new words are created. You should take this as a warning.’ I remember every word of those words clearly.”

"Although he didn't name names, everyone went to look it up later and found it was Xiao Lu's article!"

"If Little Lu were here, and went to Master Chen's door, saying that he was a student of that 'difficult and obscure' 'Thirty Characters and Eight Classics,' Master Chen would surely remember him!"

After hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, but the laughter gradually stopped, and the room fell into an eerie silence.

Surprisingly, this time no one ate the fried dough sticks, fried dough twists, and snacks placed on the bench.

Song Miao sighed and said, "I know someone who is quite familiar with Master Chen and is currently working at the Kyoto Prefectural Government. I just don't know if he can be of any help. This matter should be addressed sooner rather than later. I was going to the Kyoto Prefectural Government this afternoon anyway, so I'll ask him then and see if it's convenient for him."

For a moment, everyone in the room was stunned, but after a while, they all became excited.

The man said, "It has to be stall owner Song!"

The man said, "We've studied at the Imperial Academy for a year or two, and in the end, we still have to rely on stall owner Song for help. Aren't you ashamed?"

"What do you know? We're just a bunch of useless students. It's only Master Song who has real connections!"

"Nonsense! What connections? How can you describe it with mere connections? Stall owner Song has connections in the food industry! Do you even know what connections in the food industry mean? Without connections, you might be a bit pathetic, but without connections in the food industry, you'll starve to death!"

So they all came to thank Song Miao. One said he wanted to come to Song's restaurant to sweep and mop the floor, another said he wanted to come here to work as a donkey. They said all sorts of things, which shows how badly they had been tormented these past few days.

Song Miao was both amused and exasperated, and quickly said, "I'm just giving it a try, it might not even work!"

Wang Chang said, "Stadium owner Song put in a lot of effort and gave us face. Whether it works out or not, he was so kind. We're not blind, are we?!"

The other students all echoed.

Someone else asked, "When you go to ask someone for a favor, should you bring a gift?"

As they spoke, one or two people reached into their waistbands and pockets.

Song Miao said, "We should bring some, but there's no need to go to all this trouble. I've already prepared the ingredients, so I'll just make some snacks later."

The locust flower rice I brought back from outside the city a few days ago has been dried thoroughly. I stir-fried it in a pan this morning to bring out its aroma, and then soaked it in water for half a day.

She had already burned lime with water and let it settle for a few days. Then she went to the shop and bought some old brown rice. She washed and soaked it, and while there were some people around, she directed the tallest and strongest men to go to the back and help grind the locust flower rice into a paste. By the time the rice paste was ground, the clear lime water that had been skimmed off had already boiled. She poured the filtered locust flower rice paste into the boiling water.

The most difficult part of making locust flower powder is the ratio of ingredients and the cooking of the powder slurry.

Song Miao had already adjusted the proportions, and when it was time to cook the starch slurry, she asked everyone to take turns stirring the pot with a large wooden stick.

This task was somewhat tedious, but with so many people involved, it was thick and sticky when you stirred it, but by the time it was my turn, it had become much thinner. I could smell the fresh fragrance of locust blossoms and the aroma of brown rice. Watching that pot of indistinct, unrecognizable stuff gradually take shape under my hands, turning into a smooth locust blossom paste, made a group of students, who were no longer young, shout and yell in frustration.

After the powder was prepared, Song Miao had several large basins of cool well water brought in, and used a large sieve to strain out two locust flower powders.

This process is quite interesting. The batter flows down like a waterfall through the holes, enters the cold water, and instantly takes shape, becoming a small shrimp shape with pointed ends. It is bright yellow and very beautiful, and everyone wants to try it.

In the end, everyone was practically scrambling to get their hands on the locust flower pollen. Fortunately, they were sensible enough to give Xiaolian one last chance.

A large pot of batter was used to make five large basins of locust flower powder.

Song Miao filled a wooden bucket with the required amount, put the lid on, carried it on her back in a basket, and went out. Before leaving, she instructed everyone to use the sugar water that had been prepared at the bottom of the well—which was made by mixing maltose with a little brown sugar—to make a drink with the locust flower powder. She also told them not to eat too much, because locust flowers are cold in nature and eating too much would harm their spleen and stomach.

In front of her, everyone nodded vigorously, and even saw her off for half a street. But once Song Miao was gone and back inside, although everyone was still sighing, the atmosphere had changed. "How strange! Miss Song only said she would ask around, why did I think she didn't need to get involved anymore?"

"Stadium owner Song also said it might not work out, so we still have to find a way ourselves. Are we going to put all the burden on her shoulders?"

The group of six or seven people sat in the hall and discussed for a long time, but they couldn't come up with a solution.

They discussed it back and forth, and when they saw Cheng Erniang bring out the bowl, they all glanced at her, wanting to look but not daring to look too obviously.

When a large spoonful of locust flower powder and a spoonful of icy cold sugar water are poured into a bowl, accompanied by a rough porcelain spoon, and everyone sits on the bench with their bowls, no one can control the urge to swallow.

—This is rice milk that I ground myself, locust flower milk that I stirred myself, and locust flower powder that I made myself!
Cheng Erniang said, "If you just sit there like this, how will you come up with any ideas? You need to moisten your mouths so you can start thinking. Xiaolian and I have already eaten a bowl of this. It's smooth, bouncy, and fragrant. The weather is stuffy, so it's perfect to eat this."

Upon hearing this, everyone picked up their bowls, first using spoons, then slurping directly from the rim. It was indeed icy cold, fragrant, chewy, and smooth. The most precious thing was the aroma of locust blossoms, which lingered in the nose rather than in the mouth. After finishing a bowl, everyone felt refreshed.

Unfortunately, even with a clear mind, he couldn't come up with a good solution.

***
The next time Song Miao arrived at the Kyoto government office, she was still sitting at the gatehouse, talking to the guards while waiting for someone.

She brought some thick, boiled syrup, asked the man to bring two empty bowls, mixed the syrup with the syrup, and then added a large spoonful of locust flower powder to each bowl, saying, "Don't leave it for too long. It's hot, so it's best to drink it around noon—have a bowl after your meal, it'll really cut through the greasiness."

"What are you putting out? When Lao Yu comes out in a bit, I'll have him stand guard outside while I sneak inside and have a drink first!"

The guard chuckled and said, "Young lady, come often. Even if you don't visit Young Master Han or Inspector Xin, you can still drop by for a visit—last time you wrote down the recipe for sweet and sour pork ribs, I took it home and tried it, and my whole family, young and old, said it was delicious. My wife especially praised me to the skies..."

Song Miao couldn't help but laugh and said, "Seeing your excellent cooking skills, my family must crave sweet and sour pork ribs every now and then, right?"

"Who says otherwise!" the guard sighed. "Pork ribs are expensive, and so is sugar. It's really something! If we eat like this a few more times, we'll be broke!"

Just then, the guard who delivered the message came out with Han Li.

This time, because the guard was blocking the door, Song Miao was talking and didn't notice. By the time she saw the person, Han Li had already walked up to her.

She quickly got up, smiled and greeted them, then went to pick up the large bamboo basket.

Seeing this, Han Li took two steps forward, leaned forward, and lifted it up first.

He made the suggestion so naturally that Song Miao didn't find it strange. She greeted the two guards and left the gatehouse.

The two walked a short distance, found a quiet spot, and, without anyone knowing who started it, stood still together.

Song Miao said, "I was just about to tell Young Master Han that I have just registered my name and completed all the procedures. The matter of the house is settled. Thank you!"

Seeing her cheerful "Oh!", Han Li laughed and said, "You're welcome—didn't you say you'd be cooking for me with Cheng Zijian these next few days? That's enough."

Song Miao smiled and said, "That belongs to Young Master Cheng. Mine doesn't count. Just remember it for now, and we can discuss it again when Young Master Han returns to the Imperial Academy."

He then pointed to the bamboo basket and explained what was inside and how to eat it.

Han Li listened attentively, then nodded and thanked him.

Having finished her business, Song Miao then brought up the matter of the students.

"...They said that a young master named Cai Xiu wanted them to finish the task before they could leave. They worked from morning till night every day, but all their work was in vain, and there was no follow-up."

"It's bad enough that they have to work all night, but they can't even get lamp oil. They have to pay for it themselves. The promised subsidies have been delayed for several days, and there's still no news. There aren't even enough beds available at night, so three people have to squeeze into two bunks..."

Song Miao relayed what she had heard and then said, "They want to leave, but Cai Xiu is holding them back, so they dare not leave, fearing that if things get out of hand, it will upset both sides. If the capital prefecture stops borrowing students from the Imperial Academy because of this, it will be their big mistake."

"I thought to myself, since this matter is not easy to resolve publicly, it would be better to settle it privately. I wonder if Master Chen is familiar with the officials in the capital prefecture. Could we ask him to help us out, step in, and mediate so that the people can be released as soon as possible?"

Han Li was surprised to hear that more than twenty students had been borrowed. After hearing what happened next, he remained silent for a long time before saying, "You're right—but why did you only think of asking Master Chen for help?"

Song Miao was stunned.

"I also work at the Kyoto Prefectural Government. Why didn't you ask me for help with such a trivial matter?"

Even though Song Miao was usually quick-witted, she paused for a moment when she heard such a straightforward and frank explanation—was it really a small matter?

After a moment, she asked, "Isn't this what you call asking for a favor, young master?"

Han Li surprisingly cracked a joke, saying, "Seriously speaking, this is called 'borrowing a path from me.'"

He added, "If the stall owner, Mr. Song, keeps being so formal, I'll feel embarrassed to even take this locust flower powder in the future, let alone offer him a meal."

As he spoke, he picked up the bamboo basket in one hand and said, "Leave this matter to me. There's no need to find any Master Zhang or Master Chen, and there's no need to think about any thanks—in the future, if you make anything good, just give me a copy when it's convenient, okay?"

After Song Miao nodded, he bowed slightly, picked up the bamboo basket, and took his leave.

***
Back inside, Han Li took a large bowl, scooped out several large spoonfuls of locust flower powder, and mixed it with sugar water according to Song Miao's instructions. Without even using a spoon, he took a big gulp from the bowl.

Once he tasted it, he stood there and drank the entire bowl of locust flower powder.

Indeed, I felt completely comfortable and refreshed.

He filled another bowl for himself, then called Kong Fuyang over and asked him to take it and share it with the other colleagues. He then took the bowl, put it back on the table, and walked to the file shelf next to him.

—This is the document that is about to be handed over to the legal department.

He pulled out the confessions from both sides regarding how Liao, the head of the porter's guild, had bribed several cooks in the government office, along with other physical evidence. After registering the documents and collecting the items, he went to find Qin Jie.

That afternoon, Prefect Zheng convened a short meeting with the Ministry of Personnel, the Six Ministries, the Left and Right Military Patrol Offices, the Registrar's Office, and other relevant departments.

As soon as the meeting ended, Zhang Facao hurriedly returned to his office.

He summoned his trusted confidant Zhang Fengzhi and asked, "Last time Cai Xiu said he wanted to summon some students to organize the archives. How many people have come? Are they still here?"

A few cooks, who don't even have access to any official secrets, were able to leak such important information, causing extremely negative consequences.

What about those dozens of students who suddenly arrived?

They are not surnamed Han, or even Kong. Even if they are trustworthy and know that things must be kept secret, would they know how to keep secret or what constitutes secrecy?

Many thanks to Little Deer for personally delivering the Zuo Jue and He Shi Bi jade to me; thank you for the generous gift! =3=
Thank you lamiar for the sachet, and thank you to the yellow Scorpio for the almond milk scented sachet from Xiaolian. We've both hung them up and love them. Thank you so much! :)
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(End of this chapter)