Miao Chu

Chapter 113 Unjustly Accused
The slaughterhouse was open.

The patrolman went up and found the manager, identified himself, and the manager was not nervous, only somewhat impatient, saying, "Sir, we've already searched you many times, why are you searching again?! How are we supposed to do business like this?!"

Han Li didn't press the matter further, but simply asked, "Is your master here?"

The other person replied, "It's been raining a lot these past few days, so I went back to my hometown."

Han Li nodded, signaling the officer to lead the patrolmen and constables into the courtyard to search.

A moment later, the leader returned with a reply, and indeed, nothing had been gained.

The manager, looking both annoyed and afraid to show any anger, said, "Sir, I know you're looking for that rotten jerky, but it really has nothing to do with my family. Who can afford to be searched back and forth like this? How can we do business? Why don't you look somewhere else and not let the bad guys get away!"

Han Li ignored him and led his men to the kitchen, following the directions Xiao Lian had given him.

The kitchen was large and empty, but it contained five or six large stoves, more than ten pots, all of which were very deep and large, as well as large-sized shovels, sticks and other kitchen utensils.

The steward followed closely behind, and when he saw Han Li looking at the pots and stove, he immediately explained, "They're used to boil water when slaughtering pigs and sheep to scald the hair and skin."

Han Li then went to look at the cabinets in various places.

However, it was used in a regular kitchen, but without rice or flour; it was all spices.

Spices are not only diverse in type, but also in quantity.

The most common one is fermented black beans.

The fermented black beans weren't even stored in a cupboard; instead, they were piled up directly in a corner of the kitchen, in large bags—more than ten bags in total.

Han Li stepped forward and opened a few bags to inspect them.

The steward rushed to help, even taking bowls to show everyone present, saying, "It's all fermented black beans! If the officials like it, I'll pack some for you to take back!"

Han Li released his hand, shook his head, and asked, "Can you finish eating all this?"

The manager said, "Originally, the master wanted to start a general store business, but it didn't work out, so there was a lot of leftover stuff. The rest was disposed of, but these fermented black beans couldn't be sold. Fortunately, they keep well. We also have the offal and lean meat that we can stir-fry or boil with these, and everyone will be happy to eat them."

It's better to stay silent; the more you say, the more mistakes you make.

There's no rice or flour, so we're just eating meat?
Such a kitchen, where there were no clues before, now, after stepping in and asking a few questions, reveals a situation full of flaws. It's as if a naked, burly man is standing in front of you, with his hairy chest, belly, and three legs exposed, and he's even making a delicate gesture with his fingers and speaking in a high-pitched voice as a little woman or a slave.

Han Li simply nodded without saying a word.

He led his men towards the backyard.

The backyard was very large and empty, with only two or three people washing the slaughtering platform and cleaning up the filth.

One of the police officers asked, "Where did everyone go?"

The manager stepped forward and said, “It’s lunchtime, everyone should go eat. There’s been a lot of rain lately, so we’re slaughtering fewer pigs and sheep. We used to bring in three or four batches a day, but now we only need one or two. We used to slaughter one batch at noon, but now we slaughter one batch the night before and that’s it. The cook’s hometown was flooded, so he went home to move things. Everyone has to eat on their own.”

He then added veiledly, "This business is already difficult enough. We just hope to avoid trouble. Otherwise, the officials will be knocking on our doors every few days. If the boss has a hard time, then we laborers will have an even harder time!"

Han Li didn't reply and continued walking straight ahead along the wall.

Before long, he smelled a foul odor.

Upon closer inspection, it smelled like rotten meat mixed with the stench of urine.

But slaughterhouses are inherently smelly, and ordinary people would just cover their mouths and noses and walk by quickly, without necessarily noticing anything wrong with it.

The backyard is open-air, with uneven ground and puddles in many places.

Soon, Han Li stopped in a corner of the courtyard and turned to ask the steward, "Isn't it too smelly here?"

The steward chuckled, "Sir, how can a place where pigs and sheep are slaughtered not stink?"

He sniffed around and looked around, saying, "This is where we dump dirty laundry and stinky water in our yard. There's been a lot of rain lately, so it does smell a bit bad. It's downwind here, so gentlemen, don't stand here and get your feet dirty!"

He then led everyone to walk to one side.

Han Li simply shook his head and said, "It doesn't smell right."

He pointed to the open space ahead and said, "Let's dig this up and take a look."

The steward's expression changed, and he was about to stop them when the patrolmen and constables behind him responded and stepped forward.

The group had brought shovels and spades with them when they arrived, and they took them and started shoveling on the spot.

Compared to other places, the muddy ground that Han Li chose was even muddier and worse. With each shovelful of mud, the group dug up another shovelful of water.

Seeing that everyone had been digging for a long time but there was still only ordinary muddy ground below, the foreman said with a fawning smile, "Sir, we've dug about a foot deep, isn't that enough?"

Han Li said, "If there's nothing there, we'll fill the soil back up for you, so don't worry."

As he spoke, he grabbed a shovel and joined the others in digging the ground.

The person in charge could only chuckle awkwardly and stood there for a while, watching everyone's movements.

Seeing that they had already gone nearly two feet deep and still found nothing, but neither the patrolmen nor the constables complained in the slightest, nor did they show any sign of stopping, the foreman suddenly quietly took two steps back, turned around and was about to leave, when he was stopped by the patrolmen guarding the gate and asked, "Where are you going?"

"I...my stomach hurts..."

The steward clutched his stomach, saying, "I need to go to the outhouse!"

The patrolman then said, "I'll go with you."

But the two had only taken a few steps when they suddenly heard someone shout from the back yard, "We've dug something up—what is it?"

“So much meat!”

"Ugh, what kind of meat is this? It stinks!"

Where is the person in charge from earlier?

The person in charge was still clutching his stomach and staggering when he heard the sound behind him, and immediately turned and ran.

Not only him, but also two or three other men who were slowly washing the ground and tidying up the yard immediately dropped what they were doing and ran out of the yard.

The patrolmen and constables immediately became excited.

Someone immediately blew the whistle.

They've been impatient for a long time.

They dug so deep in the rain but found nothing. If it weren't for the fact that they had followed Han Li to crack the gambling den case and had great faith in him, and now that he was leading the way, everyone would have stopped long ago.

But when they dug something up, and saw people running out of the yard, they were so excited they felt like their brains had opened up!
There's definitely something wrong with it!
No problem, why are you running?

Whether it's patrolmen or police officers, they rarely see any major cases on a daily basis; petty theft, brawls, and robberies are the norm.

They're not good at digging, but catching thieves and people is as easy as eating and drinking!
"stop!"

"If you run again, we'll arrest you!"

"Thieves, please leave!"

The group of people also threw down their shovels and spades and chased after them.

There were guards at both the front and back gates, and they immediately closed the gates upon hearing the whistle.

Like catching a turtle in a jar, the person in charge had his hands twisted behind his back by the two patrolmen, and he could only whine and beg for mercy.

The others only wanted to run, but seeing that they couldn't escape, they were about to resist when they heard Han Li shout, "Resisting arrest is a crime punishable by one degree!" They all fell silent, not even struggling. Immediately, one of them retorted, "Sir, this has nothing to do with me. I'm just a handyman!"

Once someone starts begging for mercy, the others rush to their deaths, each one shouting and begging as if they were being reborn.

"I don't know anything!"

"I'm innocent, Your Honor!"

"I have elderly parents and young children to support. This has nothing to do with me, sir. I've explained everything. Can you please not go to jail?" ***
Soon, everything buried in the backyard was dug up and unearthed.

Large chunks of meat, covered in mud, looked surprisingly fresh and bright red after being rinsed with water. However, upon closer inspection, they emitted an extremely strong, nauseating stench of decay.

"What kind of meat is this?" Han Li asked.

"horsemeat!"

"horse!"

Everyone answered in unison, but the person in charge hesitated for a few moments, was a step too slow, and regretted it so much that he stamped his feet in frustration.

"Where did the horse meat come from, and why is it buried here?"

This time, the others couldn't answer, but they tried their best to speak.

"It's all meat that the person in charge had someone bring back!"

"I'm just a handyman, I really don't know anything about the meat the master brought back!"

The manager who had been named hurriedly distanced himself, saying, "I was just following orders, leading people to pick up the goods and then having them manufactured for others. I know nothing else!"

"What do you do with the meat after it's brought back? Did you make those venison and deer jerky?"

"We do make them, but we don't make those dried meat products."

"After bringing them back, bury them for a few days, then dig them up and boil them in water with fermented black beans and other spices for a day and a night. Then someone will come to take them away—we really don't know anything else!"

"Exactly! We've been doing this for so long without any problems, but this time they're suddenly eating dead people. It must be something else!"

Everyone cried out that they were innocent.

Even the person in charge complained, "I only help with transporting and delivering goods; I don't know anything else!"

Han Li asked where the goods were picked up and where they were delivered. He first arranged for someone to notify the nearby patrolmen, and then had someone guard the place. Finally, he took the evidence, covered the heads and faces of everyone in front of him, including the manager, and put handcuffs on their hands and feet. He then sent them all back to the yamen.

When the vehicles carrying people arrived, a group of patrolmen and guards gathered around the courtyard, all very happy.

"Brother Han, shall we continue investigating?!"

"The source must be here, there's no escaping it. The cooked meat will probably need to be dried somewhere else, this place is just too conspicuous, that's why it's being shipped out!"

"I heard that many inspectors searched for this case for a long time without success, but they actually asked us to get involved, and we dug it up in less than half a day. They're really shameless!" someone boasted.

"What's it to you? All I did was dig some dirt. Brother Han is a great leader!"

"Did I dig well? Where did I go wrong? Isn't it a great achievement? Hey!"

Han Li smiled, cupped his hands in greeting to everyone, and bowed in a circle, saying, "Thank you all. That's enough. There's no need to investigate any further. After all, it's a case from the Left Academy. We're just a bunch of unofficial staff. If we've eaten the meat, we have to give others some soup. Otherwise, we won't be able to get any benefits."

Some people were disappointed and sighed, "What a pity. Such a big case. Even if we don't get credit for it later, I still want to follow it to the end and see what the inside story is."

But someone immediately comforted him, saying, "It's not bad. Even if you can't share the credit, you've still gained some experience and made a name for yourself today!"

When the carriages arrived, Han Li assigned tasks to the men: who would stay behind, who would escort the suspect, and who would go to report to the nearest patrol officer.

Everyone accepted their orders.

After giving his instructions, he said, "In no more than two hours, someone will definitely come to take over this place. Also, all of you who came to deliver the message, after you finish your errands, go back to the yamen and gather together. After roll call, if it's still early, everyone should go home and rest. If it's late and there's nothing else urgent, I'll treat you all to a meal so you won't disturb your families when you get back—you've all worked hard today!"

They then asked if I had any dietary restrictions and what I wanted to eat.

Everyone felt embarrassed.

"Brother Han is still a student at the Imperial Academy. If anyone should be treating, it should be us!"

"Even though I'm a student, I still have the ability to make money," Han Li said with a smile.

Then someone said, "The government offices don't get things done so quickly. There's still a handover to be done. We'll be lucky if they let us go by 9 PM. This rain is so stifling, I really don't have much of an appetite. I'll just have some soup noodles or rice noodles to soothe my stomach!"

Immediately, everyone agreed, saying that this was fast-acting and that they wanted to eat it.

Han Li naturally knew that everyone didn't want him to pay too much, so he smiled and said, "I'll just pay in advance. When I get back to the yamen, I'll ask the inspector for reimbursement first. If he refuses, Judge Qin will definitely be happy to pay this money. If neither side will pay, I'm not so poor that I can't even afford a good meal!"

Even so, seeing that everyone was insistent, he stopped arguing and only planned to find a way to provide subsidies later.

A group of people escorted the suspect in the carriage toward the government office.

The rain continued along the way, and there was a lot of water on the road. In some places, the water level was even higher than the wheels and carriages, so horses could not move and they had to take a detour.

Many people took detours, and the traffic was congested as people kept stopping and starting.

While everyone was waiting, a policeman suddenly tugged at the arm of his hand and said, "Hey, look, isn't that Miss Song?"

Han Li, who was sitting on his horse, immediately turned his head upon hearing this.

He only glanced at the crowd before finding the person in question.

Sure enough, not far away, Song Miao and Cheng Erniang, each carrying a basket, were waiting in line to cross a pontoon bridge.

A constable standing nearby said, "I was in such a rush this morning that I didn't have time to go back to my post before heading straight to the yamen. I don't even know which one got the better deal yesterday—the meat shumai or the sweet fermented rice!"

"Song's will be closed for the next few days and won't be delivering breakfast. You're missing out big time; who knows when you'll be able to eat it again!"

Seeing that the procession ahead was moving very slowly, Han Li simply dismounted, handed the reins to a patrol officer beside him, and walked straight ahead to Song Miao's side, calling out, "Shopkeeper Song."

Song Miao and Cheng Erniang had been wandering around for half a day, and were just waiting to go to the butcher shop in front when they heard someone calling them. They turned around and saw Han Li. They smiled and responded, then asked, "Young Master Han, what are you doing here?"

Han Li smiled and said, "It's a long story."

He didn't offer much explanation, only asking, "I heard you won't be setting up your stall tomorrow. Do you have any plans for tonight? Are you free to help out?"

Song Miao immediately said, "Please speak, young master."

Han Li told them about his intention to treat the patrolmen and soldiers to a meal, and added, "It's usually quite late, and they all say they've been feeling stifled lately and have no appetite. I'd appreciate it if the stall owner could make some soup noodles or soup rice noodles for us. They're all old acquaintances, so please don't be picky, just make sure it's appetizing and filling."

As he spoke, he pulled a cloth bag out of his sleeve.

Song Miao took it, opened it, and said, "Young Master left some money with me last time, so you don't need this much."

Han Li said, "Last time it was my own expense, this time it's for entertaining guests. With floods everywhere today, the price of vegetables and meat must have gone up. Just keep it, and if there's any left, you can use it next time."

He added, "I might get back late, so please wait a bit, and I might have to stay up all night."

If there's business to do and money to be made, who's afraid of staying up all night?
"We're not setting up our stall tomorrow, so we don't need to get up early," Song Miao said. "We're already grateful for your patronage, young master. There's no trouble at all—we've prepared everything and are just waiting for you to come!"

Her voice was very light and cheerful. As she spoke, she looked up again and saw several police officers in the distance waving and greeting her. She nodded back, and two dimples appeared on her cheeks.

***
Here, Han Li was ordering everyone's dinner. In the left courtyard of the Kyoto government office, the judge was casually chewing rice with tasteless meat and vegetables while ordering people.

After assigning tasks to his subordinates, he urged them again, "Everyone, perk up! Now that we have useful leads, we need to search diligently this afternoon! The Right Court has solved two major cases in one go. If we, the Left Court, can't solve even one, how will we save face? The Inspector even borrowed a student from over there—are we going to let a student make a fool of himself?! I'm ashamed for you all!"

As they were talking, a person hurried in from outside, stood at the door, and seemed hesitant to come in.

"doing what?"

The man hesitated for a moment.

After searching all morning, he finally got some useful information and was urging people to verify it quickly. It seemed like the case was about to be solved. The judge was burning with impatience and had no patience left. He shouted angrily, "What are you dawdling for? Speak up now!"

The man had no choice but to say, "Sir... a letter has arrived from outside, saying that news has been received in the east of the city that... that Han Li, leading some men, found a slaughterhouse, dug up a lot of rotten flesh, and is sending someone to bring the suspect and evidence here..."

Good evening, fellow foodies. I heard that if you can climb to a high position on the monthly ticket ranking, you'll receive an operational subsidy the following month.

If you have any extra monthly votes after voting for your favorite book, could you give them to Xiaomiao?
I'd like to try and get some operating funds to help the operations manager, Xiaotu, with organizing events (although I don't know how these events work yet). I've seen that many other books offer Qidian Coin rewards for voting on monthly tickets, which, although not much, create a great atmosphere. But when I voted for Xiaomiao, I didn't get any, which is quite embarrassing QAQ.

I only ask for extra votes, please, please don't just collect monthly votes for the sake of casting them!