Miao Chu

Chapter 316 Folding Copper
This time, she waited for a while before two constables came out.

Upon seeing Song Miao, both of them looked somewhat ashamed.

"...I originally intended to wait until I received the news before sending someone to the restaurant to deliver the message..."

"Lord Qin summoned them to give their reply, and they haven't come out yet. Right now, only the two of us are free—we're really a bit embarrassed to come see you!"

Upon hearing their explanation, Song Miao realized that as soon as she left yesterday, those familiar officials had sent someone to find the patrol station at Nanxun Gate.

At first, everyone had their subordinates find their subordinates, which should have been quite effective. However, everyone in Nanxunmen insisted that the old man who was extorting money and his two children had escaped by accident, and all the interrogation documents had also been lost.

They were all officials, how could they not know there was a trick involved?

Seeing that there was no result, the group simply called over the patrolmen who were following up on the extortion case for separate questioning—one by one, they all pretended to be stupid, and when pressed, they voluntarily admitted to the punishment.

He was just a patrolman, and there was nowhere to be demoted. Although the suspect had made a mistake, the case was still unresolved, and he wasn't a fugitive. At most, he would be fined two months' salary, given a note of wrongdoing, and be barred from promotion for six months to a year. If someone bribed him, it would be completely insignificant.

"Because everyone is working together, it takes some effort to investigate. It's also a coincidence that after the inspector injured his leg, the higher-ups took over all the cases he was handling. But for some reason, these past few days, they've sent the gambling case in Suanzao Lane back to us, urging us to close it—we're busy with that right now and can't spare the full effort for a while..."

The other person was busy comforting her, saying, "We know that Miss Song must be very anxious. She has already told all her acquaintances about those people and asked them to keep an eye out. If it's convenient for you, ask the coachman from that day to come over and tell him about the appearance and build of those three men. Who knows, before they even have a chance to find anything at Nanxun Gate, they might have already caught them!"

When Song Miao heard that the Kyoto government was urging the investigation of a gambling case, although she couldn't be sure, she had some guesses in her mind.

Without asking any further questions, she first thanked them and then replied, "It's all thanks to the help of you officials. Yesterday, when I went to Nanxun Gate, I saw the appearance of the patrol officers and felt that they might not be easy to talk to. I already asked the coachmen in the restaurants, since there were still some people in the carriages. I also went to ask them this morning and drew a portrait—although it only depicts one person, I don't know if it will be useful."

As she spoke, she handed over the drawing she had just finished at Tianyuan Hall.

The two officers opened the package and, seeing the text before any portrait, were already very pleased.

One person asked, "Is this... based on the arrest warrant?"

Another person exclaimed, "Although I don't recognize every single character, judging from this, I can make out a few that I can read, and the way it's written is exactly the same as what those clerks and officials produce!"

Song Miao pointed to the notice board outside the Kyoto government office and said with a smile, "I wrote it based on the documents outside. If it can save the drafters some effort, then it won't have been a waste of time."

When the two of them opened the prepared text and saw the portrait at the back, they both gasped in shock.

"This portrait...it's so realistic! How was it drawn?? If portraits could be drawn like this in the past, it would be much easier to apprehend suspects!"

"Where did this come from? We should tell all the artists who paint seascapes to copy this!"

Song Miao said, "It took many people to draw it like this. Besides, no matter how realistic the image is, it still needs people to keep an eye on Zhang Bu."

In this world, we only care about things that concern ourselves most.

She prepared all the images and texts in advance, so that clerks and painters could use them directly, saving time and maximizing the reproduction of the suspect's description in the public's mouth. It was truly a win-win situation.

Song Miao paused, then continued, "This is a small case after all. The Kyoto government handles countless cases, big and small, every day. The officials are busy with their duties and can't possibly only care about me and ignore the other victims. What can I do to help? I wonder if I could hire a sculptor to make a copy of this portrait and post it everywhere. Although my business is small, I'm willing to offer some money as a reward..."

When Shen Xingniang had her accident, the embroidery workshop where she worked offered over a hundred strings of cash as a reward, which attracted much attention and discussion in the city.

She's now following suit, and although she can't contribute that much, she'll at least make up for it. Even if she doesn't catch anyone in the end, she wants to show her attitude and make some noise.

If things escalate, it might make others hesitant to act.

"We don't need your money yet. The Kyoto government will provide the reward money. This matter has already become quite ugly. Many people saw an old man extorting money from them that day, and it's already spread far and wide. We'll write a note and ask the higher-ups to approve more money. If we really can't find it, then you can say you'll pay out of your own pocket—doesn't the restaurant still have debts? You're just a young woman; where would you find money to earn?"

"That's exactly right! But we don't need your help yet. If it really comes to that, we can go to Inspector Xin then—he knows some acquaintances who hang around outside. Even if we can't take the official road, he'll always have connections on the back roads to help us find out!"

Hearing the two say this, Song Miao added, "Aside from those three who tried to extort money, another group of people came to my door the night before last to ask me for a debt. Although I don't know if the two sides are in contact, it is still a clue."

She described the group of people and concluded, "I will also inquire here. If I receive news, I will report back. Even if there is no progress, Second Sister and Fourth Sister will come to the door from time to time when they deliver breakfast every day and ask a question—not to urge them, but because we all know that this matter may not have a result in a while."

Relationships between people are always reciprocal.

Not to mention that Song Miao was already familiar with several officials, even though it was her first time reporting a case, her manner of handling the situation had already helped the yamen a lot, making the case much easier for them. As long as they didn't encounter those cowardly and bullying officials, they would be willing to put in their best effort—which honest official wouldn't want to solve a case, eliminate harm for the people, and uphold justice?

The two men took the portrait. One of them first found a craftsman commonly used in the government office and sent him the portrait drawn by Song Miao so that he could carve it into a printing block. The other went to find his superior to apply for the reward money. The clerk looked at the rough draft, made no changes, just copied it once, signed his name, and without delay, immediately put it in the latest batch of documents and sent it out.

After the servant left with the manuscript, the clerk didn't forget to say to the official who brought it, "Next time you have a manuscript like this that you've already written, please be sure to send it to me again!"

—It's so convenient!
The two officers ran around here, and after the others came out of the yamen and were busy for a while, they finally had a little free time. They heard about Song Ji's situation and what Song Miao said. Although the printed arrest warrant and pictures were not yet ready, they had to do their part, either asking their acquaintances or asking their friends and relatives to help.

Song Miaotong and the bodyguard set off early in the morning. After finishing the portrait and document matters, they went to several other places to take care of some things. By the time they finally returned to the restaurant, it was already dark.

As soon as I entered, several people came to greet me.

First, Zhang Si Niang and Da Bing said that the food was ready and invited her to eat first.

Furthermore, Cheng Erniang said that although there were some unexpected events in various places today, fortunately, we were prepared in advance and we were able to deal with them all. Everything that needed to be prepared for tomorrow has been prepared, so she could rest assured.

Several other hired women rushed over anxiously, some pouring drinks for her, some moving chairs, others carrying basins, pouring water, and fetching clean cloths.

Song Miao first took a cloth from a woman, then used the basin and water offered by the others to wash her hands and face. After thanking them, she recounted her trip to the Kyoto government office that day. She then took out a portrait—two had been drawn at Tianyuan Hall; the better one had been given to the government office to be engraved, and although this one was slightly inferior, it was still impressive enough. For a moment, the previously chaotic front hall was almost completely quiet, with only the sound of breathing audible.

After a moment, someone said, "This portrait is so lifelike! It's kind of scary!"

Wang Sanlang, who had initially stood a little further away, unconsciously took a few steps closer upon seeing the portrait. After just one glance, he exclaimed, "This... isn't this the old man from the other day?"

Song Miao had painted it once before based on his description, but it was only somewhat similar. This one was exactly the same, which is no exaggeration.

“Take this to him. As long as he shows his face, I’m sure I’ll recognize him. Madam, could you have another painting? My sister carries a needle and thread bag all over town. She keeps one with her. Who knows, she might actually be able to find him!”

"If I could have some, I'd like one too! My brother-in-law works at various docks, going here today and there tomorrow. There are a lot of people at their docks; if he just looks around, maybe one of them will recognize him!"

One or two of them said they wanted to contribute.

Song Miao downed a cup of tea in one go before saying, "I have already asked the officials of the Kyoto government for help. They will print dozens more copies, and everyone can take some home."

He added, “The restaurant has run into some trouble this time. It’s inconvenient for everyone to come and go. We’re here to work to support our families, and who would have thought we’d be dragged into this mess? Things have gotten this bad, and I’m afraid it will affect our families. If you’re worried, that’s perfectly understandable. Whether you quit or take leave, it’s all fine with me…”

Before Cheng Erniang and the others could even respond to her words, the hired women started arguing amongst themselves.

“My lady, although I haven’t been at Song’s for long, I’ve already come to regard this place as my own home! I just asked my husband last night to send the two little ones back to Yanjin Township, and they’d better not return until after the Mid-Autumn Festival! Even if something happens, I don’t know who it is, but would they really extend their reach to Yanjin to make things difficult for my family?”

"I'm not afraid. What's the point of taking leave or quitting my job! Business has been so good lately, I'm too busy to keep up! If I really leave, wouldn't that be abandoning my responsibilities at a crucial time?"

“It’s precisely because our business is good and our food is delicious that we attract bad people! If you can unite us, the bad people will have no chance and might leave on their own—but if they quit, where can you find a good employer like you, Madam?”

Although it's hard work, the pay is really good. Besides, as long as you do a good job, you don't have to worry about anything. If you switch from short-term to long-term employment, you'll be paid the long-term wage that month. The wage increase alone is quite considerable, not to mention that I've heard you can also share the profits.

The group of short-term employees had already done some private calculations and knew that once the restaurant officially opened, the owner would give out a share of the profits to his employees.

And if it goes on for a long time, 70% of the elderly will agree and they can add their names to the list.

Who isn't trying to earn a little extra money all day long?
Those working in the restaurants know all too well that the business isn't just steadily improving, but is growing at an alarming rate.

They were just worried about how to show their loyalty, and now that they had this opportunity, they all vied to speak.

After thanking everyone for their help, Song Miao, seeing that it was getting late, asked Chief Escort Qi to help arrange for escorts to take them home as soon as possible.

After seeing off the ladies and the flatbread, the room immediately fell silent.

After finishing her meal, Song Miao looked around and, not seeing Xu Erlang, knew that things were probably not going well, but she didn't rush to ask.

After she finished packing her things, she went to the front hall and invited Chief Escort Qi to sit down.

As soon as the other party sat down, he immediately said, "I was just about to tell Miss Song that I sent someone back to ask, and Erlang and his father went out to look for someone to ask about something. They didn't return until 5 pm this afternoon. I'm afraid they'll be at the dinner table to discuss it!"

As they were talking, the two heard a soft knock at the door. One looked up and the other turned to look. They saw a person standing outside, dressed in a blue cloth robe, carrying a large basket in one hand and a bamboo basket in the other.

"It's Young Master Han!" Chief镖师 Qi stood up and kindly went to help take the things.

The visitor was none other than Han Li.

"These are newly harvested melons, apricots, and pears, as well as small plums. I tasted them; the melons were quite sweet, but the plums were sour—but that's alright, we can give them to the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) to keep them awake at night."

He handed the basket to Chief Qi, and while speaking, he shook his head at Song Miao, who had already stood up, indicating that she didn't need to move. He then walked to the table, placed the bamboo basket on the table, and went to the side to fetch water to wash his hands.

He was very familiar with these actions and didn't need Song Miao to tell him what to do. Seeing that Chief Escort Qi had taken the basket and wasn't moving, he added, "I'd like to trouble you to help me distribute these. We still have some here, so there's no need to keep any for ourselves."

Staying up all night is the hardest thing, and staying up all night without food is even harder. If you have a little something to eat, just moving your mouth can help you stay awake.

Seeing that he wasn't just being polite, Chief Qi stopped being so courteous and called out a bodyguard from the outhouse, instructing him to carry a basket and distribute the fruit around.

When Song Miao glanced at the basket, she saw that it still contained a bamboo tube of goat's milk, and the rest were fresh fruits. In addition to the various fruits that Han Li had mentioned earlier, there were also about ten oranges.

She asked in surprise, "Where did you get so many fruits, young master? Are there already tangerines for sale?"

Han Li wiped his hands and came over, saying, "These are Dongting oranges sent from the south. They should only be available in autumn, but because there is a cold spring in the mountains, they can ripen a season earlier. My senior brother got a basket of them, but he couldn't eat them all, so I asked for some. There are many of us here, so we can share them."

He then asked, "Any progress today?"

Before Song Miao could speak, Chief Escort Qi shook his head and explained the situation, adding, "However, Miss Song has already drawn a portrait of that old man, and it looks exactly like him! Once the arrest warrants are posted at the capital's government office, we'll take one ourselves and search everywhere. As long as he's still in the capital, we can capture him based on the portrait, and he probably won't be able to escape!"

As he spoke, he lifted the paper covering the portrait on the table and pointed it out to Han Li.

The latter looked at it carefully for a while before asking, "Madam's painting skills are truly unique, but I wonder where you learned them? Using them to catch suspects and fugitives is really impressive!"

Song Miao then said, “My mother taught me—in my family, besides written recipes, the most important thing about cooking is drawing. However, I only learned five or six parts of it. I only have the appearance, not the spirit. I can't even apply the colors properly. It's very stiff. According to the elders in my family, I'm at most a black and white painter.”

She brushed the matter aside with a few words, then added, "Young master, you've come at the perfect time. I was just about to ask if you know anyone in the Censorate? I might have a lead here about an official who has accepted bribes and committed embezzlement, worth a fortune..."

(End of this chapter)