Miao Chu

Chapter 47 Basket
When Master Chen came out, Chancellor Deng, Cao Jie, and Wei Defu had already been chatting for a while, and they quickly got up to greet him.

Seeing Cao and Wei bowing respectfully to him, Master Chen waved his hand and said, "You don't come to the temple without a reason. You're always busy with literary gatherings and banquets in the capital, and you still find time to come to me. What do you want?"

Cao Jie hurriedly smiled and said, "Sir, your words are truly embarrassing for me. It is my first priority to come to the capital to pay my respects to you, but in the past few days..."

He was about to explain further when Master Chen sighed and said, "If you have nothing to do and are just here to make a show of things, then that's enough. But if you have something to say and are just rambling on here, then I'm leaving."

Sitting to the side, Chief Minister Deng laughed and said, "Old Cao, Defu, you two better confess honestly!"

Cao and Wei exchanged a helpless glance before the latter spoke up: “Sir, to be honest, besides celebrating Brother Deng’s birthday, we have another mission in the capital this time. The court intends to revise the ‘Records of Ancient Books.’ Councilor Li has given us our names, and we are to be seen by His Majesty tomorrow. If we don’t have a proper plan when we meet the Emperor, it will be difficult to speak properly.”

Upon hearing this, Master Chen nodded and said, "This is a big matter. You two should prepare well and not treat it perfunctorily."

Seeing his attitude, Cao Jie's expression immediately relaxed, and he replied, "Revising a letter is time-consuming and labor-intensive, but the most troublesome thing is the lack of manpower."

How many people are there in the Hanlin Academy? Even if you include the clerks, the number is still countable. How could they possibly compile so many books?

As is customary, whoever is in charge of editing the book is also responsible for selecting members—most of whom are selected from students. Even if they cannot edit the main text, selecting some passages and copying them is still a good job.

Master Chen immediately laughed and asked, "Are you looking for people? Doesn't your Xiangshan Academy have anyone?"

“The academy should naturally bring some people as well. It is an honor to be able to participate. If it is not through layers of selection, one cannot even get in,” Wei Defu said. “But others do not know how many books the teacher has studied. He knows them all. If one has no ability or literary talent, even if ten thousand come, they will only be extras and will not be of much use. They are only fit to help with some miscellaneous tasks.”

Cao Jie also chimed in, saying, "Talent should be sought at the Imperial Academy. Moreover, we have been away from home for many years and are not familiar with the capital. If one or two people could help us grasp the essentials and guide the students from outside, it would truly be twice as effective with half the effort. Therefore, we have no choice but to come to you, sir."

Master Chen did not object. He pointed to Chief Minister Deng beside him and said, "You want people, so why are you leaving this ready-made bell unmade and waiting for me to cast it?"

Deng Jijiu laughed and said, "I have already agreed to let the others choose. Firstly, it will allow the students to temper their tempers, and secondly, such opportunities are not always available. However, they are still eyeing one, and I dare not agree to it. I can only let them ask their senior brother themselves."

Cao Jie immediately said, "Sir, there is someone that Defu and I have long admired, that Han Li..."

"Speaking the truth won't work!"

Upon hearing the name "Han Li," Master Chen's previously cheerful demeanor vanished, replaced by a sudden agitation, and he immediately refused.

However, after refusing, he seemed to realize that it was somewhat unreasonable, and said again: "Once I go to revise the books, it will take several years. I have a lot of things to do and cannot be away for so long."

Wei Defu replied, “Sir, you are unaware of this. When I came to the capital this time, I heard that the Hanlin Academy was also planning to revise the ‘Yan Shu’. Someone had already suggested Han Li, and they were just waiting for the draft to be submitted before issuing the transfer order. Since everyone is going to revise the book, instead of doing the work for those strangers, why not help me? We are all family here, and I won’t take credit for his work…”

“I have already heard about this matter, and I will make the arrangements,” Master Chen said. “If either of you needs anything, just come to me. Am I not as good as him?”

A moment of silence fell over the room.

Who dares to say it's inferior?
But who the hell would dare to come to you when they need something?
Seeing this, Chief Minister Deng glanced at the time and said, "We'll talk about this later. It's past noon. You may not be hungry, but I am. I've prepared a meal at the Crane Pavilion outside. Let's go eat first."

He added, "Senior brother, why don't we invite Zhengyan along too? Let's ask him what he thinks as well."

Master Chen stood up first and said, "I had lunch early today and I'm full. You all go and eat. We can talk about the rest this afternoon."

Then he looked at Xiao You beside him and said, "Go and find Zheng Yan and tell him that his senior brother Deng is going to invite Cao Jie and Wei Defu to dinner and invites him to accompany them. Ask him if he will come."

Before he finished speaking, he had already dashed out of the house, his steps were very agile, and you could not tell at all that he was a seventy-year-old man.

Inside the room, Cao Jie sighed, "I had long heard that the master took great care of this junior brother, but I thought it was an exaggeration. Now it seems that the rumors were not exaggerated at all, but rather inadequate."

Deng Jijiu laughed and said, "Senior brother is nothing compared to what happened when Mr. Fu was alive... Never mind, let's not talk about that."

He added, "In that case, let's sit for a while and wait for Zheng Yan to arrive before we talk further."

The three sat down again, unaware that as soon as Master Chen left the room, he first dismissed Xiao You, saying, "Go to my study and bring me that wooden box on the table. I'll wait for you at Zhengyan's place—hurry up!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly went to the upper dormitory.

Classes had already ended, and the rest of the people in the room had gone to eat. When they went in, they found that Han Li was indeed still there, washing his hands in a basin.

Master Chen looked around at each table but couldn't find the food box. However, as he took a few more steps closer, he smelled a fragrance that was very familiar, making his mouth water instantly.

Swallowing hard and clearing his throat, Master Chen finally called out, "Speak frankly!"

Han Li was wiping his hands when he heard the noise. He turned around, paused for a moment, and seeing that there was no one else around, asked, "Senior Brother, what brings you here?"

Master Chen sighed and said, "I told you to be more careful in your daily actions and not to offend people unnecessarily—now look what's happened, even the Hanlin Academy is conscripting men, I wonder whose permission they got!"

He explained the purpose of Cao Jie and Wei Defu's visit that day, and then mentioned the compilation of the "Yan Shu" at the Hanlin Academy. He then asked, "Do you want to go?"

"Anyone can repair books, especially the history books of the previous dynasty. What would you call me for?" Han Li frowned. "It's too complicated. Don't call me."

Master Chen laughed and scolded, then said, "How many books did your senior brother study back then? Didn't the teacher also study for many years? Why can't you call me that?"

"Can anyone compare to you, Senior Brother? What books did you study back then, and what books did Master Chen study?" Han Li smiled, but instead pulled out a chair for Master Chen to sit down. He then added, "Besides, I am also organizing Master Chen's documents. It takes years to make any progress. How can I possibly spare the time?"

Hearing his junior brother's blunt criticism, which was both direct and flattering, Master Chen felt even more pleased with himself.

He couldn't help but smile and stroke his beard before saying, "You can say this to me, but it's not easy to explain to others."

One was an official matter filed with the imperial court, and the other was a private matter within their own sect.

Although it wouldn't be difficult for Fu Jiu, with his reputation and achievements, to have his writings compiled and archived in the imperial court, his disciples naturally wouldn't want outsiders to interfere in their own affairs.

However, in this situation, the reason is no longer a valid reason.

Just then, they heard footsteps outside, and Xiao You came running over, covered in sweat.

"Little You".

Master Chen waved to the person who came.

When he received the wooden box from the other party, he opened it and found a thick stack of documents inside.

After placing the documents one by one on the table in front of him, Master Chen said to Han Li, "You used to be in the limelight, and you always had requests for loans from the various ministries and departments, but my junior brother and I suppressed them. You should choose a suitable place to hide for a while, even just to have a nominal title. We can talk about it after this matter is over."

The Imperial Academy has always had a Buddhist temple for ascetics, but no official censorate.

Since the late emperor reformed the system, the students of the Imperial Academy have had an internal examination every three years. As long as they pass the examination, they can obtain an official position without participating in the imperial examination. The only difference is the official position and the assignment.

From then on, various departments and bureaus set their sights on it even more closely.

We'll all be colleagues in the future, so it's better to start working sooner rather than later. We'll be temporarily transferring students from the Imperial Academy, and we won't even have to pay them a penny.

For students, spending time under various government officials early on not only helps them become more familiar with administrative affairs and learn more, but also helps them understand which places are good and which are not, which is a good opportunity.

However, these temporary transfers are usually very limited in scope and require the Imperial Academy to act as guarantor to ensure the students' character and abilities, so as to prevent any mishaps. It is indeed an exceptional case that someone like Han Li, who was sought after by various outsiders without the academy's intervention, has already been transferred to other institutions.

Han Li stepped forward and looked at the documents on the table, and was surprised. He said, "So many? Aren't they afraid that I'll spread rumors about them outside?"

“There will always be those who don’t believe in superstitions,” Master Chen laughed. “Besides, once you go in, you’ll sign the documents, so you can’t talk about the specifics outside. Also, most people will think you’re a stranger and that’s why they’re scolding you. Getting to know each other early on is a good precaution, and it might even save you some face.”

"Do you think I can only curse by citing specific examples? There are so many ways to curse in this world." Han Li shook his head, finding it amusing.

Master Chen laughed and said, "It's all because of Master Cao's mistake; it's probably because of your yellow dog that people remember it so well."

"Now that they've become officials, would they still be so easily trusting? I don't believe it; there's probably something fishy going on."

As Han Li spoke, he picked and chose among the items. After a while, he picked out one and said, "This one will do—I'll pack up my things and go report for duty in the next couple of days."

Master Chen leaned over and took a look.

“The Kyoto Prefectural Government.” He nodded. “That’s good. Xiao Qin came to see me a while ago, saying that cases in the capital surged during the Lantern Festival. He was new and didn’t know where to start. But the higher-ups gave him a deadline. If it dragged on any longer, the case would be transferred to the Provincial Judicial Commissioner.”

As he spoke, a hint of pride and self-satisfaction flickered in his eyes: "He knows that you worked alongside Fu Yan for two years during his tenure and were very helpful in criminal matters. He wanted to ask you to help him, and he came several times, but I declined each time."

"You've chosen the Kyoto Prefectural Government today, but don't be hasty. I'll have someone summon him later. The Qin family is wealthy and powerful, and it just so happens that I broke my brush washer the other day—if I don't squeeze some good stuff out of them, I'm not a Chen!"

Han Li said, "Even if I go to the capital prefectural government, I might not be assigned to his office."

“I’ve already given him a lot of face, and if I still can’t get what I want, then his methods are simply ineffective.” Master Chen just chuckled.

Having finished discussing the important matters, he rolled his eyes and then said, "Zhengyan, your senior brother Deng is hosting a lunch banquet for Cao Jie and Wei Defu and has invited you to join them—these two have come from afar, so please give them some face and have a meal with them."

Han Li hesitated for a moment before saying, "Let's do it another day—isn't it Senior Brother's birthday in a couple of days? There will be plenty of opportunities to pay our respects at the birthday banquet. Senior Brother is hosting a banquet, which will most likely be at either the Crane Pavilion or the Gathering Pavilion. There will be many acquaintances coming and going, and it wouldn't be good if we were seen together."

"Are you afraid of being seen?" Master Chen immediately became anxious. "I think you're hiding something good, just wanting to keep it all to yourself!"

Han Li was taken aback.

"You're still pretending to be stupid! I can smell it—if it weren't for the fact that fermented bean curd smells so good, and I've tasted it before and know what it is, I would have been fooled by you!"

As Master Chen spoke, he stood up, tiptoed, and squatted down, searching for something everywhere.

Han Li said helplessly, "You mean the extra dishes that Cheng Zijian brought? I just heated up my porridge this morning, and I haven't had a chance to look at them or eat them yet—if you want some, Senior Brother, I'll give you a portion to take back?"

"What do you mean, share some back! Do you have any extra porridge or rice? I'll eat it here."

As he spoke, he turned to Xiao You and said, "Go and tell Deng Qi that Zheng Yan has already eaten—that's not a good way to put it, so let's just say...say that I forgot Zheng Yan has something important to do and can't leave right now, and that they can go eat at home—after you're done, go and get the food from my room, hurry up!" He finished speaking and saw that Xiao You had agreed, but her voice was rather weak. As she walked, she kept looking back. Master Chen was an old and shrewd man, so how could he not know what was going on? He immediately said, "Don't worry, since there's food for me, I'll definitely save some for you!"

Xiao You immediately beamed with joy and ran off.

When he returned to his place, he indeed repeated the words to Chief Minister Deng and the others.

Cao Jie then said, "In that case, shall Xiao You come along?"

Xiao You hurriedly said, "No, no, the teacher can't be left alone for even a moment. I'd rather go to the upper dormitory and find a few students..."

“No need for that.” The three of them waved their hands almost immediately.

Seeing Xiao You hurriedly leave, Cao Jie said, "I'm still not entirely willing, alas..."

Wei Defu also sighed, but turned to Deng Jijiu and said, "Brother Deng, why don't we go and find Han Li? If we don't get a word of refusal from him, we will feel uneasy."

Deng Qi tried to persuade him a few times, but seeing that it was to no avail, he had no choice but to agree. He walked ahead and grabbed a student at random to lead the way.

When the group arrived at Han Li's study, before they even entered, they smelled a wonderful fragrance and heard voices coming from inside.

"Such good food, and you didn't even think of me! My teeth are just right for this taro and braised pork belly—that vendor Song must have made it just for me!"

"When I was demoted to Jingzhou with my master, there was a cook in the city who was from Guizhou. He knew how to make this braised pork. I thought it was delicious back then and thought I would never find it again. Who knew that I would be so lucky today—it is even more delicious than the one I ate when I was young!"

"Senior brother, you should just eat the taro and braised pork belly. The peaches and ginger are too hard..."

"So what if the peaches and ginger are hard? Can't I taste them? Can't I savor them and swallow them? Besides, there's perilla inside, which is even more fragrant and flavorful. Why can't I eat them?"

"Besides, this perilla, peach, and ginger are so purple that the purple overshadows the red. They say that evil purple usurps the red, but I ate it, so that evil cannot prevail over good!"

"Your porridge and rice are quite good, very palatable. Next time, teach Xiao You how to make it so he can learn too."

—The one who kept rambling on and on was clearly Master Chen, who had claimed earlier that he was already full, while the other was Han Li, who was rumored to have "important business to attend to."

Is this so-called "important matter" simply about avoiding eating?
The three looked at each other in bewilderment for a moment, then hurried into the study room. There they saw Master Chen sitting behind the table, a piece of taro and braised pork in his mouth. He quickly swallowed the meat into his mouth, which was covered by a beard. He chewed and chewed, his beard twitching as he looked both anxious and delighted.

***
Everyone in the Imperial Academy who was destined to be there got to eat the taro and braised pork dish made by Song Miao, but Song Miao herself didn't have time to eat it.

After delivering the food, she went straight to the patrol post at the Vermilion Bird Gate.

The patrol officers on duty at the station were initially surprised to learn that some ruffians had broken into a private residence the previous night. However, upon learning that the homeowner was unharmed, they sat back down in their chairs. When they learned that a student from the Imperial Academy had been injured, they sat up straight again and hurriedly asked Song Miao for details.

Although Song Miao did not know the identities of the people, she described the appearance, height, and clothing of the men she saw, as well as her own speculations.

She had an excellent memory and described everything in great detail. She mentioned how many people there were, their ages, appearances, where each person had a mole, which person had pockmarks, who had protruding ears, who had uneven shoulders, and even their accents.

As the constable took notes, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Young lady, you have a good memory!"

However, when he heard Song Miao describe one of them, the policeman's pen stopped moving suddenly.

After taking notes, the man said, "We have received it, but manpower is limited and it will take time to investigate. Moreover, if we want to make a testimonial, we can't just rely on the young lady's words; we need to find some witnesses."

He repeatedly asked Song Miao about the identities of those imperial students, which dormitory they belonged to (lower, inner, or upper), their names, their hometowns, and where they lived.

Song Miaoyi denied knowing, saying she would ask again when she got back.

The man then repeatedly asked about the details of the previous night.

I entered the patrol station at noon, and two patrolmen took turns questioning me. It wasn't until late afternoon, past 3 PM, that the case was finally reported.

Song Miao was not surprised.

This was entirely expected.

She even felt that when she described the appearance of those people, the police officers opposite her already knew who they were, but were just stalling for time.

After leaving the patrol post, she didn't linger and went to the Kyoto Prefectural Government Office.

This time, the task is to check the land deeds and house deeds archives of the Song family's residence, and whether anyone has submitted the house sale agreement and contract.

The clerk in charge said, "This matter needs to be registered in advance—the quota for tomorrow is already full, so please come back the day after tomorrow."

Song Miao agreed, thanked her, and then asked for the specific time.

As soon as she stepped out the door, before she had gone far, she heard two clerks talking inside the house.

"I heard that the prefect came yesterday and summoned several officials from the left and right patrol offices, as well as several judges. When they came out, their faces were not very good."

"What wind blew the prefect here? But this year is indeed more chaotic than in previous years. Many people went missing during the Lantern Festival. For example, a very rare embroidery pattern went missing."

"It looks like Minister Cui's daughter's wedding dress, doesn't it?"

"How could someone get lost in a place like Zhouqiao?"

“I heard from an official that the path is a small one, across the Bian River, with the Xiangguo Temple on the other side, and Baokang Gate is through it.”

Song Miao immediately stopped in a hurry to leave, stood still and listened for a while, and only left after the two had gone to talk about other things.

Instead of going straight home, she went to Zhouqiao, found a blacksmith shop, bought a boning knife, and put it in a soft basket. After that, she didn't need to ask for directions and headed straight for the Xiangguo Temple.

She hadn't walked far when she found the place the two officials had mentioned. Thinking about their conversation and the reward notice she had seen that day, she decided to walk around the streets.

This place was originally very prosperous, but according to the two people, Shen Xingniang did not walk on the main road, but on a small path.

Song Miao didn't see it the first time she walked it, but after searching back and forth twice, she finally found the path next to a big tree and a small house.

It was getting late, but there were still quite a few pedestrians on the street. She carried her newly bought boning knife and felt quite confident as she stepped inside.

The fork in the road wasn't short; it took more than fifteen minutes to reach the end. There were no houses on either side, just walls. The fork led to Baokangmen Wazi.

Baokangmen Wazi is full of embroidery workshops, and it took Song Miao quite a while to finally find the "Yunxiang Embroidery Workshop".

It was getting late, and the embroidery shop had already closed, but Shen Xingniang's wanted notice was still posted outside.

She stepped forward and looked at it carefully, then walked around to the left and right, before returning the way she came. When she reached the edge of the state bridge, this time she chose the main road and went to the embroidery shop.

It only took 15 minutes to walk along the main road.

Taking the shortcut would take more than fifteen minutes.

It was pitch black, and there were no lights on the path, but shops and restaurants lined both sides of the main road.

Why did Shen Xingniang take the path?
Because it was the Lantern Festival that day, and the streets were packed with people?
But the path was really narrow; it was difficult for two people to walk side by side.

According to the reward notice, the person was dragging a broken cart, it was dark, and he was dressed plainly with no headdress or other adornments. In addition, his appearance was not clearly visible—it did not seem like he was lustful.

But if it wasn't a coincidence, was it intentional?
If Song Miao pretended to be a bad person, who would stand guard in this alley in the middle of the night, on such a cold day?

What if no one comes?

What if the person who comes isn't suitable?

As she was pondering this, she stood still when she heard someone speak from not far behind her: "Woman, what are you doing lingering here?"

Song Miao was taken aback and turned around to look, only to see two men standing behind her.

The person speaking stood on the left, wearing a blue cloth robe. He was tall and rather thin, and it was getting dark, so his face was not very clear.

As evening approached, and someone had been robbed here before, Song Miao was naturally very vigilant. She took two steps back and reached for the basket in her hand.

The basket contained a boning knife.

Before she could speak, the other person snapped a tinderbox, lit the lantern in his hand, and stepped forward, asking, "What is your name? Where do you live?"

As he spoke, the man pulled a plaque from his waist, held it up to the lantern for Song Miao to see, and said, "The Kyoto Prefectural Government is handling a case here. If you don't speak, I'll call the police."

Upon hearing the other party introduce himself, Song Miao did not release the knife hilt from her hand, but stepped forward to carefully examine the waist tag.

She couldn't quite tell if it was real or fake, but as she got closer, she could see that the person holding the plaque was wearing official boots and a brocade robe. Under the lantern light, the brocade robe had a beautiful sheen and was decorated with cloud and bamboo patterns. It was exquisite and had a faint scent of incense.

Song Miao was used to incense and could tell at a glance that it was a blended incense, with agarwood added.

Agarwood is expensive, so it's unlikely that any villain would have the money to use it to scent their brocade robes, let alone personally impersonate an official.

Thank you so much to the bookstore! My cat, Egg, kindly sent me three little gifts. =3=
This chapter combines three updates into one, with an extra chapter added as a thank you for everyone's monthly tickets and rewards, especially to my dear cat! You really don't need to send me gifts every day, thank you so much!

I've received everyone's suggestions. I will try my best to balance the amount of food content. If I don't balance it well, and food lovers don't get to enjoy the food, or plot lovers find it dragging, then it's a problem with my abilities.

I hope my friends will feel free to share their thoughts with me. I'm responsible for your subscriptions, so we don't need to be responsible for each other. Let's keep things peaceful and happy!
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(End of this chapter)