Miao Chu

Chapter 197 Remuneration
The people arrived too fast. Although Qian Zhongming was not old, he was an old official who usually only practiced the Five Animal Frolics and lived a life of ease. How could he possibly dodge the young and strong soldiers who trained every day?

His mind had already reacted, but his body didn't dodge. He was pounced on and pressed down by the other party, landing headfirst on his buttocks with a "thud." He felt his tailbone hit the ground hard, and he screamed in pain. Everything went black before his eyes, as if his soul had been ripped out of his brain. He was completely unable to move.

Seeing the soldiers arresting people so recklessly, and witnessing the master's miserable state, the servants and concubines around him all screamed and scattered.

Qian Zhongming, enduring the pain, opened his only movable mouth and angrily rebuked, "Where did you come from, soldier? Whose orders are you on? Don't you know who I am? How dare you plot against an official of the imperial court! Who gave you the guts?!"

The soldier grinned and said, "I'm here on orders to arrest someone. The government gave me the guts!"

As he spoke, he twisted his hand, turning the hands of the person he was pressing under his buttocks around.

Qian Zhongming, in pain, yelled "Let go!" while shouting, "Kid! You've come to arrest someone, do you have an arrest warrant?!"

He was about to continue cursing when he heard a louder voice from the person in front of him reply, "The arrest warrant is here!"

Before long, a group of soldiers surrounded them.

The man at the head of the group flashed a document bearing the official red seal in front of Qian Zhongming and sneered, "Qian Kongmu, someone has reported you for forging official documents, accepting bribes and perverting the law, and instigating others to commit arson and murder. I am here on orders from my superiors to arrest you—let's go together!"

Then he said to the people behind him, "Surround the front and back yards of this house completely, don't let a single one escape! And search the stolen goods and evidence carefully!"

Although Qian Zhongming was in a sorry state after being pinned to the ground, he remained calm and composed despite his shock.

However, at this moment, after being searched, having all his belongings removed, being put in shackles and handcuffs, and being pushed and shoved out, he realized that no one came to ask about his injuries or take care of him at all. He finally felt that something was not right this time.

This isn't the first time I've been arrested, but the difference between being politely invited to the yamen in the past and being treated so harshly today, with the same approach of confiscating my property and wiping out my entire family, is just too great.

By the time he was shoved into the carriage, Qian Zhongming was already dizzy and disoriented. Although he didn't know what was going on, he knew that the incident had happened suddenly and he needed to make arrangements as soon as possible.

His clothes were now disheveled, his turban had long since fallen off, and his hair was a mess, falling down and sticking to his right cheek.

He tried to shake it a few times, but couldn't get the hair out. He didn't care anymore because he heard the carriage move and saw the other three people inside. He forced himself to calm down and tentatively said, "Young brothers, please take a message to the Peng family in Pantao Lane in the east of the city. Just say that I have been arrested for some reason and that the people inside should come to the capital immediately. Don't do anything else, just take this message."

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin toward his waist and said, "I have a gold-edged jade buckle sewn into my belt. You can take it as payment. When we get to the Peng family, they will give us an even greater reward. Just say that I instructed someone to give you three hundred strings of cash..."

Whether it's a gold-rimmed jade buckle or three hundred strings of cash, it's an extremely tempting sum for ordinary soldiers. They might not earn that much even after working half their lives.

However, no one paid any attention to him when he said that.

Qian Zhongming's heart sank even further.

When he entered the interrogation room again, he saw that everyone opposite him was dressed in official uniforms, but there was not a single familiar face. Everyone was a stranger. Starting from his tailbone and all the way to his head, he was in so much pain that he was trembling.

What on earth is going on?
***
Cen Dezhang's concerns were not unfounded. He had captured Ding Dutou, a confidant of Qian Zhongming, and with whom he had a stake in the matter. Although he looked like a rough and uncouth man, his mouth was as tight as a live clam, and he would not open it no matter how hard he tried.

However, Han Li and his group had many cases that Song Miao had found in the kitchen, and they also found even more cases in the archives. The involvement was far more than just Ding Dutou.

The one surnamed Ding has no mouth, but there are the ones surnamed Zhou, Wu, and Chu. The one surnamed Chu is indeed worthy of having two mouths; he talks the fastest and the most. Almost as soon as he is caught, the evidence is presented, and he is questioned a little, and he is so scared that he wets his pants and tells the whole story of what happened before.

This warehouse clerk surnamed Chu was in charge of the granary. He was always the most timid and cautious person, and he was also prone to paranoia. Whenever it was his turn to guard the warehouse, even though he had clearly seen that the main gate, the second gate, and the warehouse door were all locked, he would still not be confident after returning to his room. Even in the coldest days of winter, he would have difficulty falling asleep in the middle of the night and would have to get up, light a lantern, and check each door one by one.

This man witnessed familiar faces being taken away one by one. By the time it was his turn, he had already planned out his own affairs. Hearing the interrogator's words about "reducing his sentence" and "making amends," he confessed everything under questioning. He revealed how his superiors had instructed him to turn a blind eye, how he had watched outsiders cover up the damage with sand and chaff, and how he had ultimately reported the loss.

He could even clearly state the exact date, month, and year, and who received what grain with what slip, showing how many times he had thought about it in his mind.

Chu Kuyuan even has evidence.

He compiled a ledger listing all the illegal and irregular grain transactions that had passed through his hands over the years.

When he returned home with the officials, and took out the account books and the large bag of untouched bribe money from under the rice jar, the warehouse clerk, Chu, burst into tears, crying loudly, "Why didn't you come sooner?!"

***
The Qian family's business in Huazhou over several generations is like a banyan tree that is one or two hundred years old. Not only are the branches and leaves lush above ground, but the roots are also deep. At first glance, it seems impossible to shake it.

But sometimes, once you tear open a hole, you'll find that it's been hollowed out by insects and ants, leaving only what looks like a huge, dry tree bark. If you cut it open with a knife and give it a gentle push, it will collapse to the ground on its own.

Once the first person starts confessing, the trail will lead to countless others.

With physical evidence and witness testimony, and after reviewing old files, everything matched up. Then, they looked for other people involved in the past—more and more people confessed and implicated others, and the evidence became wider and wider. Eventually, it became less important whether Ding Dutou would speak or whether Qian Zhongming would confess.

As time went on, those who had been observing realized that this seemingly invincible money clerk was not as terrifying as they had imagined. However, the amount of land, shops, and money under his name was so abundant and tempting that they swarmed him like vultures seeing carrion, fearing that if they were a step too slow, they would be devoured.

In just half a month, many officials in the Huazhou government office were reprimanded, suspended from their posts and fined, dismissed, or imprisoned. A new batch of people were transferred from below. After a few days of chaos, there was no trace of that clerk anymore—even his room had been vacated and given to the other new clerks.

That afternoon, when Song Miao returned to the official post station from the river, as soon as the mule cart stopped and she got off, she saw several people squatting or standing not far away, clearly having been waiting for a long time.

When everyone saw her, they all gathered around her.

"Is it Lady Song?"

"Madam Song?"

Seeing that everyone in front of her was unfamiliar, Song Miao nodded and said, "Indeed," then asked, "What advice do you all have for me?" The man standing at the front, disregarding that they were in a public street with many people coming and going, suddenly knelt down in front of Song Miao with a "thump," and prostrated himself, saying, "Young Madam Song, if it weren't for your kindness, my son would probably be unjustly killed in prison right now!"

While speaking, he even wanted to kowtow.

Song Miao was startled and quickly helped the person up, saying urgently, "No, you mustn't," and then led everyone into the courtyard, asking about their origins.

After a series of questions and answers, she learned that this place was full of victims of injustices reported by the kitchen staff last time.

Some had their ancestral property seized, some had their mothers wronged and wronged, falsely accused of adultery, and ultimately hanged themselves, or had their families wiped out, some had their small shops, which they had run for many years, seized, and were falsely accused of theft, and some were falsely accused of murder or assault.

The one rushing to kowtow was none other than the old woman of the Yang family—her son, Yang Erlang, had been falsely accused of murdering his brother-in-law. The case was finally retried and settled. It turned out that the young master had indeed been provoked by the words and, in a fit of rage, shoved the man to the ground. Little did he know that the back of his head would hit a wine vat right behind him. For some unknown reason, he was so unlucky and hit the wrong spot, which caused him to die instantly.

The young master was terrified. After waiting for a long time, he saw that Wei Jie was no longer breathing and his body was gradually getting cold. He was so frightened that he was afraid he would have to pay with his life for killing someone. Just then, Yang Erlang was lying on the table, sleeping soundly and snoring like a pig. For some inexplicable reason, he had an idea. He took a sharp weapon and haphazardly repaired the wound, pushing all the blame onto the latter.

Later, when he returned home and told his family, they realized that this was no ordinary case. They rushed to find Chief Ding, spent 1,500 strings of cash, built a shop, and bribed the coroner to change the case.

Now that Qian Zhongming has fallen, many past cases have naturally been brought up again.

The dead cannot be brought back to life, but the living, having cleared their names, were finally released from prison.

After hearing the whole story, Song Miao sighed and clarified, "This time it was the young masters from the Water Conservancy Bureau who started it, and many officials from the yamen worked hard day and night to interrogate and handle the case, which finally led to the overturning of the verdict. I really didn't do anything; I just compiled what everyone said and handed it in."

"Without the young lady's help in submitting the case, with so many cases in the yamen, it's unlikely that our case will be overturned so quickly, and we don't even know if they can distinguish it as a wrongful conviction. Now, Erlang has suffered terribly in prison. Fortunately, he was released early. If he had stayed any longer, I'm afraid he would have lost his life before the autumn harvest!"

Then others came up, each telling their own grievances and expressing their own thanks.

On that day, Song Miao submitted more than twenty cases, and she focused on explaining six or seven of them. Now, there were seven or eight people here. As they talked, some laughed and some cried, which made her feel sad.

After expressing her gratitude, Old Lady Yang said first, "Madam is busy, so we won't delay any longer!"

So the people, in twos and threes, took out many things from the side.

There were whole jars of homemade wine, vegetables they grew themselves, baskets, straw hats, and straw stools they wove themselves, as well as dried vegetables and pickled vegetables that they dried themselves. Old Lady Yang brought two bolts of cloth that she wove and dyed herself, and another item, which she brought over, was two large bamboo baskets with lids.

The man put the bamboo basket on the ground and said, "Miss Song, these are geese raised by my mother. They are not as fat as those sold outside, but they walk around all day, so the meat is not tough and is very fragrant. I don't have anything else to give you, so I brought a few geese to show my appreciation!"

Song Miao refused several times, but the others wouldn't take it back.

Someone said, "The gifts have already been sent, so there's no reason to take them back!"

Some people said, "The vegetables I grow myself only cost a few dollars. My wife has done me such a great favor, yet she won't even accept a few simple vegetables. Does she look down on me and think my vegetables are not presentable?"

The group dropped their belongings, relying on the fact that they could run away and there was no temple for monks, and after exchanging glances, they turned and ran away together, leaving behind a mess of gifts.

Song Miao was at a loss for words, feeling as if she had seen this scene before, as if she had seen it many times not long ago.

Dabing had never seen such a scene before. Just now, because people knew he was Song Miao's follower, they kept stuffing dried fruit and candied fruit into his pockets, which scared him so much that he had to hide and run away. Now that everyone had left, he dared to step forward. Seeing the things all over the ground, he was speechless and said, "Wife, it's not easy to return these, is it? Those fruits and vegetables inside won't be fresh tomorrow!"

Song Miao thought for a moment, glanced at it, and then said, "Keep it for now, make a note of it, calculate the price, and then I'll ask someone to go to the prefectural government office to ask Young Master Han and the others how to handle it."

After the items were counted, Song Miao made a gift list explaining their origins, and then asked someone to make a trip to the prefectural government office.

Before long, a familiar student returned to the yamen, bringing back a plate of silver ingots.

"Young Master Han said that he asked Miss Song to help find the corresponding aunt and wife in the kitchen and trouble them to send the money back in the next two days. It was a private account reported by Magistrate Cen. He said that it was money given by the magistrate to calm his nerves, and he was sure they would accept it."

When Song Miao stepped forward, she saw that there were indeed many large red envelopes on the tray, filled with silver ingots, and each one had a name written on it.

The man then took out a separate package from his sleeve. Seeing that no one was around, he quietly handed it to Song Miao and said, "Miss Song, Young Master Han said that this is what he asked for from Magistrate Cen. It's a reward for you. When you have time, please arrange for someone to prepare some simple and convenient food. Many brothers in the yamen have been working hard for days because of the cases that led to Qian Zhongming's big case. There are also things going on on the river. Now it's the hot summer, and they are hungry and have no appetite."

Hearing that it was Cen Dezhang who had paid, Song Miao accepted it with great ease, agreeing and gathering the envelopes before thanking the person who came.

After watching the other person leave, Song Miao took the money back into her house and put it away before heading to the kitchen.

Before even entering the door, one could already hear Dabing's voice from afar: "Everyone says they want to thank our Miss Song, but she says she's just an ordinary craftswoman who earns a living by doing nothing. It's just mutual help, there's nothing to thank her for. It's like everyone came to help her run the kitchen on the river. Sigh, I was already very sad when I heard them talking, but when I heard Miss Song say that, tears just started streaming down my face..."

Even if she couldn't see him, she could imagine him dancing around in the house right now.

Song Miao was both amused and exasperated. She hurried inside, called out "Big Pancake," and then laughed, "Why are you exaggerating like that? It's like a storyteller!"

"Da Bing wasn't lying! I was just passing by and overheard them talking. Sigh, thankfully you helped me get away!" But the cook quietly turned his back halfway and wiped the tears from his eyes haphazardly.

After he finished wiping, he turned back, pretending nothing had happened, pointed to the many things on the ground, and asked, "These vegetables are fine, but what about the geese?"

Song Miao looked down and saw four goose heads popping out of the bamboo basket lid, turning their heads and quacking.

Thank you so much, Mu Weichengli, for the He Shi Bi jade, and Xiaolu Xianzhi for the right-hand He Shi Bi jade. Thank you both so much for your generosity! ^_^
Thank you so much to the person who sent me the super-sized peach blossom fan! And thank you to McDull Loves Little Du, Yellow Scorpio Palace, and Orange for each of the three kind friends who sent me a sachet. Thank you everyone, muah! =3=
Many thanks to Lulu for the four amulets, Special Agent Cat for the two amulets, Crazy's Eye Roll for the four amulets, Feng Yichi, and Cucueku for the one amulet each. May everyone be safe and sound! :)