Miao Chu

Chapter 107 Local Products
In fact, as early as when they learned that three members of the Tang family had been infected, the police officers had already had a bad feeling. Now that they heard that people had died, they were all terrified and rushed to report to their superiors.

Several village heads were standing in front of the patrol leader, all of whom had come to deliver the message.

It turns out that from last night to this morning, many people near the Zhuque Gate have fallen ill with the same symptoms: diarrhea, vomiting, and high fever.

Shangguan's face turned pale upon hearing this.

More than 20 years ago, there was a flood in Beijing.

After the flood, the air was damp and stuffy, and many birds, beasts, and even human corpses were not cleaned up in time, resulting in an outbreak of disease that killed countless people.

These were the three symptoms of the epidemic at that time.

Recently, there has been continuous rain and stuffiness, and flooding has occurred everywhere. Upon hearing the report from his subordinates, he became anxious, fearing that the epidemic might spread from his jurisdiction. He repeatedly urged his men to report to the capital prefectural government.

When his subordinates reported that someone had died in Tonghua Lane, the veins on his forehead throbbed, and he complained, "Can't you just have a day of peace and quiet??"

Then they asked what happened.

Each visitor had to be explained to individually.

When the shopkeeper learned that the elderly and children in Tang Huo's family had all fallen ill from eating the same thing, and that their symptoms were the same as those of the deceased and other patients in Tonghua Lane, he was actually quite pleased.

"Go quickly! Send men to arrest that trafficker!"

If it's just food poisoning, we can just find the person and that's fine. As long as it's not an epidemic, everything is negotiable!

***
In the Kyoto Prefectural Government, news kept pouring in.

"Ma Xing Street received a case. A relative came to report to the authorities that a daughter-in-law had poisoned her mother-in-law. The patrol officer went to check and then called the coroner over. The coroner said he was not sure and wanted the court to send someone else to help take a look."

"Two of the Cao family's sons have died..."

"A pregnant woman died in Tonghua Lane..."

"Several clinics in the east have reported their visits, saying they have received many patients with the same symptoms in the past two days..."

Having received so much bad news so early in the morning, Qin Jie, the judge of the Right Army Patrol Court, could no longer sit still. He glanced at the time and hurriedly went to see Prefect Zheng Boqian.

Meanwhile, another person was already sitting in Prefect Zheng's room, and they were talking.

"Nine patrol stations in the western city have reported that more than twenty people have fallen ill, and their symptoms are all similar. There are two possibilities: either they ate unclean food or they have contracted an epidemic. The weather is hot and humid right now, and we are worried that the spread may be even greater, so we came to inform the prefecture first."

Qin Jie saw that the door was not closed and recognized the voice as familiar. He immediately identified it as Zhang Zheng, the Left Army Inspector. He realized that Zhang Zheng was also talking about the sudden illness in the capital. He quickly knocked on the wide-open door, stepped inside, and then explained the situation in the right courtyard.

After both courts finished reporting their situations, seeing that Prefect Zheng remained silent, Zhang Zheng spoke first and suggested, "Prefect, why don't we, the Left Court, take over this matter as well?"

Qin Jie couldn't sit still any longer and hurriedly said, "Inspector Zhang, the patrol posts that reported this case fall under the jurisdiction of the Right Court more often. Why don't we let the Right Court take charge of it?"

The Military Patrol Bureau is divided into two branches, left and right, with similar functions. They are not subordinate to each other, but they check and balance each other. The left and right Military Patrol Commissioners are the heads of the two branches, and each branch has a judge as its deputy.

Qin Jie had been there for several months. Although he was a deputy judge, he took over the work as soon as he arrived because the Right Army Inspector was on leave due to injury and illness.

With no one to restrain him and no powerful backer to rely on, Qin Jie has been constantly robbed of credit and blamed by Zhang Zheng these days.

Zhang Zheng described today's case in a frightening way, but Qin Jie received a report from his subordinates when he arrived this morning, so he naturally had some understanding of it. He knew that it was probably not an epidemic, but rather that they had to find out which restaurant had the problem.

Such a minor case, as long as we have enough manpower, can be solved quickly with a search of various places, and it's an easy job to gain recognition.

If Qin Jie knew this, how could Zhang Zheng not know it?

He said with a forced smile, "The Right Court is currently busy with a major case. Last time, they even borrowed a lot of people from us to help. We thought that since we are brother departments, we would lend people and rooms to them and give them whatever they wanted. But now it seems that the Right Court is not actually that busy?"

Qin Jie said, "We are also short of manpower, but the gambling den case has been almost resolved, and the case of the missing person during the Lantern Festival has been investigated by sending people to search for the case. Most of the files have been transferred to the Ministry of Justice. It is much better than before. Besides, it is our duty, so how can we shirk it?"

In front of Prefect Zheng, Zhang Zheng, a man of military background, made no attempt to conceal his true intentions and spoke bluntly, saying, "Judge Qin, you in the Right Court have eaten the meat, but are you not leaving a drop of soup for your brothers? Two major cases are in your hands, and I have already said nothing..."

"There aren't two major cases. Actually, it's just one case. Besides, the Lantern Festival missing person case hasn't been fully solved yet..."

"Alright, what's there to argue about!"

Seeing that the two men each held their own version of events, Prefect Zheng could no longer listen and made the final decision.

"Let the Left Court handle this matter," he said to Qin Jie. "The Right Court still has two important cases that haven't been settled yet, and there are still many loose ends to follow. Don't let small things cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture and delay important matters."

Seeing that Prefect Zheng had spoken, Qin Jie stopped arguing and hurriedly took his leave.

As soon as Qin Jie left, Prefect Zheng said to Zhang Zheng, "Originally, the left and right courts stood side by side, and in the past, your left court was the one that carried the heavy load. This year, only one quarter has passed, and the right court has already solved two major cases in a row. When the time comes, I will recommend them for commendation, and you can just watch."

Zhang Zheng couldn't help but say, "Let's leave the gambling den case aside for now. Qin Jie himself said that the Lantern Festival case can't be considered solved yet. Can this be considered a merit?"

"Even if you handle the case like this, I'll still recommend you for credit!"

Prefect Zheng glanced at his subordinates with annoyance and urged, "Stop rambling here. So many people have died and so many have fallen ill. Do you believe that the officials in charge of the Imperial City Guard are standing in front of the Emperor right now to report this?"

"It won't be this afternoon. If I don't take the initiative to see the emperor, the palace will summon me—if you don't quickly find out the source, how am I supposed to answer His Majesty?"

Zhang Zheng dared not refute, and hurriedly accepted the order.

***
Having accepted the assignment, Zhang Zheng naturally wanted to produce something to advocate for the Left Academy.

Qin Jie, holding the credit for two major cases, was already far ahead of the competition. Although he could see that Prefect Zheng was showing some favoritism today, he didn't really care.

He returned to the right courtyard and first called Han Li over. He then told him about the venison and deer jerky before saying, "Zhengyan, I've noticed that you've never been very attentive to your meals. Several times I've seen them bring you food back, but you haven't eaten it even after it's been sitting out since noon. It wasn't a big deal when it was cold, but it's very humid and hot now. What if it spoils and you get an upset stomach?"

Upon hearing this, Han Li simply shook his head and said, "I ate a lot for breakfast, so I'm not hungry at noon. It's the same if I just have a quick bite in the evening."

He added, "Next time I'll tell them not to bring me lunch."

"How can that be!" Qin Jie was utterly shocked upon hearing this. "You're of marriageable age and quite tall. You work hard from morning till night in the yamen. How can you keep going if you don't eat more? What if you get sick!"

As they were talking, a man hurriedly entered from outside. Upon seeing Qin Jie and then Han Li, he stepped forward to bow and asked, "Fourth Brother, did you need something from me?" It was Qin Zong.

Qin Jie glared at him and said, "I told you to follow Zheng Yan and learn how to do things, and this is how you follow him?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the food box on the table beside him and said, "Open it and take a look."

Qin Zong took the food box, opened it, and saw a serving of glutinous rice, two shumai, and half a bamboo tube of clear soup inside. He was puzzled and just stared at Qin Jie with his innocent eyes.

Qin Jie was furious at his gaze and said, "You're going to feed him this for breakfast and lunch? Can't the cook at home cook? Even if he can't, can't you just ask someone to go out and buy him something every day? Do I have to teach him that? You're getting more and more backward as you get older!"

Qin Zong hurriedly said, "Fourth Brother, you don't know, this is Song..."

Before he could explain, Han Li stopped him, saying, "Please don't be offended, Mr. Qin. It's just that I like to eat these dishes. There's meat, vegetables, soup, and rice. It's not meager at all. I'm full and it's filling."

He then made an excuse to send Qin Zong away before saying, "Thank you for your concern, Brother Qin, but I am used to being free and don't like others interfering too much. Brother Qin, is there something you need today?"

Seeing this, Qin Jie dared not make any more of a fuss and simply recounted his confrontations with Zhang Zheng over the past few months.

"This man is greedy and selfish, with mediocre abilities. However, he has been following Prefect Zheng for a long time and is quite trusted and holds a high position. This time, our Right Court has made great contributions, which will surely attract envy. I just don't know if he will try to trip us up behind our backs."

Qin Jie said a lot more, and what he was saying was that Han Li should not get into conflicts with Zhang Zheng in the future, and if he suffered any grievances, he should come back to him for a solution.

Han Li understood immediately.

—This Qin Jie official is one rank lower and less senior than the other party, so he basically endures it and is unwilling to have a conflict with Zhang Zheng. Knowing that he is not easy to talk to, he came here specifically to make a gesture of respect, just in case he caused trouble and it would be difficult to handle.

He gave a casual "hmm," then said somewhat impatiently, "Let's see."

As he spoke, he took out some glutinous rice from the open food box and said, "Brother Qin, go ahead and do your work. I've eaten, and I have things to do later."

The glutinous rice and shumai had gone cold and no longer had the enticing aroma they had when they were first delivered this morning, but they were still delicious.

Especially glutinous rice.

After cooling down, the glutinous rice becomes more fragrant and chewier, and the pickled radish inside becomes even crisper.

Unfortunately, we could only eat in the morning and at noon, and in the evening we had to make do with some random wild food from who-knows-where.

Han Li didn't think about what he had to do later. He just ate his breakfast slowly. Just as he finished eating, he heard someone knocking on the door. It was a servant who came in to report.

“Young Master Han, a father and son have arrived outside. They say they brought a lot of local produce into the city for the family of the kidnapped victim they rescued this time, and they want to give it to you and Inspector Xin and the other officials who are handling the case.”

***
Han Li could only eat cold food for breakfast and lunch, which would keep him full for most of the day, while Xiao Lian had freshly cooked hot food in front of her.

The chicken gizzards were scored with extremely fine cuts, blanched in water, then quickly stir-fried, and finally put into the wok. They were quickly cooked in the wok and then taken out, perfectly coated with the tangy and fragrant flavor.

It's tangy and spicy, but a touch of sugar balances the pungent flavor of the pickled radish. It's crisp, smooth, and bouncy when you bite into it; it's actually quite tender, yet still has a crunchy texture.

The chicken livers were already stir-fried with pickled radishes, pickled bamboo shoots, and mustard seeds, and Song Miao controlled the heat perfectly. The outer layer of the chicken livers was completely soaked in the sour and spicy flavor, coated with a fresh, spicy, and sour broth. It also had a slightly dry and fragrant taste, which was an illusion created by the outer layer of oil that was fried.

But when you bite into it, it still has the tender, soft, and delicate texture of chicken liver.

As for the chicken hearts, Xiaolian received four this time.

She ate with almost unbridled joy.

The chicken heart has a firm texture and is very chewy. As you chew, you get a sour and spicy flavor with a hint of the sweetness of the offal. The sour, spicy and sweet taste makes you feel like you've become much smarter.

Occasionally, you'll find a bit of chicken intestines. The intestines are cleaned very thoroughly, crispy and tender, and absorb flavors very well. The outer layer has a slightly powdery texture and a unique sweet taste.

This dish requires a little more oil. The pickled radish cubes are extremely sour and crisp, while the pickled bamboo shoots have a fresh bamboo shoot flavor and are tender. When stewed with the chicken giblets along with the mustard seeds, it is both appetizing and refreshing.

The spring cabbage wasn't very oily; the bottom of the plate was just the vegetable broth. The cabbage was stir-fried until very tender and sweet, just like any other cabbage dish, but it was very pleasant to eat.

Two adults and one child finished the whole pot of rice.

Xiaolian not only ate the chicken giblets, but she also ate the ginger and dogwood pieces that were served with the chicken. Her mouth and nose were red from eating so much. She kept shoveling rice into her mouth and then took some stir-fried spring cabbage to relieve the spiciness.

While Cheng Erniang went to wash the dishes, Xiaolian couldn't help but say to Song Miao, "Sister, our kitchen is so clean, it doesn't smell at all—unlike that kitchen where they slaughter pigs and sheep, it smells so bad, it makes it hard for me to breathe!"

Song Miao just smiled and didn't think much of it. Just as she was about to reply, she heard someone call out from the doorway, "Is this the home of Miss Song?"

She responded and went out to look. A father and son pushed a cart over. When they saw her, they took down two wooden buckets and said, "Young Master Han Li from the Kyoto government asked us to send these here—they are the eels we caught in the fields and the snails we got from the mountain ravines."

He said he was going to host a banquet here in a few days and asked us to help deliver the food.

As he spoke, he handed over another letter.

Song Miao was somewhat surprised. After opening the letter, she realized that the father and son on the other end were the family members of the person who had gone missing and had come to deliver some local products as a token of their gratitude.

Han Li was afraid that if he didn't accept it, the other party would feel bad, and he couldn't sell it or take it back. So he simply gave them a bolt of silk as a gift. Since he had no use for these things, he asked them to send them over and let Song Miao cook and eat them. He didn't need to stay long or pay attention to anything else.

"Oh, it's just a token of our appreciation, yet they insist on giving us silk instead of accepting it for free—such a beautiful piece, it must cost at least a string of cash! What have we become!" the father complained repeatedly.

***
Meanwhile, Zhang Zheng, the Left Army Inspector, was not actually nervous after receiving the order.

Qin Jie was able to deduce from the reports from his subordinates that this incident was most likely caused by unclean food, and others would naturally be able to find out as well.

Having served in the Kyoto government office for a long time, Zhang Zheng had a group of experienced inspectors under his command. Before long, he discovered that the source was the venison and deer jerky that had been sold everywhere on the streets and alleys recently. He even arrested many porters and vendors.

However, the trail went cold at this point.

These vendors are not meat jerky makers; they simply buy the meat and resell it to make a profit.

The sellers they mentioned were merchants who came from the south by boat and merchants who came from the north, but they all had one thing in common: they had only met them once or twice, they were all from out of town, and they only knew their names and simple origins.

However, when Zhang Zheng's men investigated, they found that the name and origin were fake. They had no choice but to draw a picture based on everyone's description and post it out, but they found nothing.

(End of this chapter)