Miao Chu

Chapter 93 Waiting
Cai Xiu wrote furiously, and finished drafting the document in just over an hour.

He wrote a plan for organizing the criminal records of the Kyoto Prefectural Government.

Organizing files is actually quite simple; the trouble lies in the word "tedious."

Cai Xiu had been there for a few days and had figured it out—last year, the Ministry of Justice had asked the legal department to make changes, and there was already a set of rules on the shelf.

The writings of low-level officials may be crude and unappealing, but the content is substantial.

Cai Xiu was able to enter the Imperial Academy's upper dormitory and was even named one of the "Four Talents of the Imperial Academy" along with Han Li, Kong Fuyang, and others. How could he not have some talent and learning?
At this point, he took the core content from the existing text, made only slight changes to the writing style, and it became a very presentable piece of work.

Keeping the time right, Cai Xiu took Zhang Cheng directly to find Zhang Facao.

“Last time I had dinner with you and Liu Kongmu, I heard that when the Provincial Judicial Commissioner came to inspect last year, they found that our case files had the most errors and omissions. It was thanks to your intervention that we weren’t singled out for reprimand…”

"Since I came to the government office, I have been following your instructions to organize the files in the archives day and night. I have been studying these files and have discovered many problems."

"With the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office scheduled to conduct another inspection in the second half of the year, if we ignore it, it might be brought up again, and then it might affect your performance evaluation, sir?"

Since it concerned his own affairs, Zhang Facao immediately listened and asked, "What problems have you discovered?"

Cai Xiu explained the situation in detail.

It's nothing more than a rehash of old grievances, problems that everyone knows about. But he's eloquent, and he elevates and elaborates on them, making people feel that if they don't take immediate action and actively improve, they'll definitely be singled out by the inspectors and used as a typical example.

Seeing that the time was right, Cai Xiu pressed on, saying, "Sir, I have a plan here—but I need the help of the lower-level officials and clerks."

“I asked yesterday as well. There’s not much to do in the government office lately, and everyone is free. Take a look at this first. If the regulations are acceptable, we might as well implement them for now.”

"Although I lack experience, I am young and energetic, and I am willing to assist you in overseeing this matter!"

Zhang Fa Cao did not agree immediately.

He read the detailed rules twice and, finding no major errors, made some minor revisions. He then had more than ten copies made before gathering his subordinates to inquire about their recent plans.

They were all seasoned veterans in the government office, and as soon as they heard Zhang Facao's tone, they knew something was wrong and tried to brush him off with some excuses.

"In spring and summer, there are always so many trivial cases, there's never a moment to rest!"

"You flatter me, sir. When is our yamen not busy? It's only been a little better these past two days, but isn't there a big case at the Military Patrol Bureau? It won't be long before we're caught up in the heat again once that case is settled."

The group immediately began discussing the case involving the military patrol office.

"I heard they've arrested over a hundred suspects! It's easy for them to arrest people, just a few questions during interrogation, but once they're handed over, I'm already overwhelmed with the files to fill and the judgments to be issued! Ugh!"

"The more they arrest, the more it shows their ability to patrol the premises!"

"You know what, they managed to interrogate all these criminals in just a few days—I heard that it was a student from the Imperial Academy who was temporarily transferred to handle the interrogation. Judge Qin really dared to take the plunge."

"That guy surnamed Han, right? Who do you think he is? That's Han Douji! If he didn't have some skills, would he dare to curse people like that? The entire Right Patrol Office is under his thumb. Even Xin Feng, who usually looks down on everyone, calls Han Douji 'Little Brother Han' and 'Zhengyan' all the time—I've even memorized that kid's courtesy name!"

"They're riding high now. Who knows how many people they'll get promoted when the performance evaluation comes this year? But for us judges, no matter how much we do, it's just a number on paper. The case files alone can be a nightmare!"

Everyone complained, and the conversation went further and further away. But Zhang, the legal officer, cleared his throat and quickly brought the conversation back on track, saying, "Archives and files are a troublesome matter. I know it's not easy for everyone. But in a few months, the Provincial Judicial Commissioner will be coming to inspect again. I took a few cases out this morning to look at them. There are omissions and gaps, and the procedures are not very complete."

"It's always good to plan ahead. While the case at the Military Patrol Institute is still pending, and since Cai Xiu has been organizing the files recently and has gained some insights, he has put forward a plan. Let's all take a look and start today—let's all set aside some time to properly organize the archives from previous years. What do you think?"

Although everyone was unwilling, they knew they couldn't avoid the order since the higher-ups had already given their orders. So someone asked, "What's the plan this time?"

“Everyone’s busy, and I was thinking, why don’t we let Xiao Cai handle this matter?” Zhang Facao smiled and looked at Cai Xiu, who was sitting to his lower right. “Come on, Xiao Cai, what would you like to say?”

Cai Xiu quickly stood up and said with a smile, "Although the case files are troublesome, as long as we work hard and sort out and fill in the old cases from the past few years in one go, we can solve the problem once and for all by following the detailed rules for new cases in the future."

He added, "I'm on secondment, a newcomer. My official title is coordinating, but I'm really just assisting everyone!"

Zhang Facao said, "Although Cai Xiu is on loan, his talent is excellent. Didn't you just mention Han Li next door? He's a classmate, and our Cai Xiu is also very capable, no less than Han Zhengyan. Let's all lend a hand and strive to achieve our goal in one fell swoop. Let's not be talked about for such a small matter again in the future!"

He added, "If the files are organized properly, we'll benefit too. It'll be convenient to check them later if needed."

Everyone laughed and agreed, without saying anything else.

After a meeting, Zhang, the legal officer, left, leaving Cai Xiu alone to assign specific tasks.

He was still a little uneasy and tentatively asked, "The rectification of the records cannot be done overnight. I would like to trouble you all to send one person from your subordinates to help sort out the errors and omissions in the records and contact our department to make up for them. What do you think?"

The crowd looked at each other and slowly agreed.

Seeing that things were going so smoothly, Cai Xiu felt truly relieved. After returning to her room, she first distributed the numerous documents and waited for the others to arrive.

He waited and waited, from morning until noon.

***
Separated by only one courtyard, the Left and Right Military Patrol Courtyards, also located in the rear government office, began counting manpower before dawn.

Led by the inspectors of the Right Army Patrol Office, some patrolmen were also selected to pack their bags and count the arrest warrants and assistance documents.

Xin Feng stood at a distance, watching people busily working, but his face showed considerable anxiety.

He went straight back into the house and complained to Han Li, "Why is that corner so hard to find!"

He cursed again, "That guy surnamed Liao, he's really something! After being interrogated for so long, he admitted to everything about the gambling den, but he knows nothing about the human trafficking or Lü Mao's situation. He's good at downplaying the seriousness of the matter!"

“With a knife hanging over his neck, if he were involved in the kidnapping, the lightest sentence would be exile three thousand miles away. He’s not stupid; he won’t confess easily.” Han Li shook his head and said, “I’ve looked at the new confession I got last night. Although there are a few directions, Lü Mao’s whereabouts are uncertain. I don’t know if the people who go back this time can catch him.”

Xin Feng became even more agitated upon hearing this.

He couldn't help pacing back and forth in the room.

The patrolmen are equipped with batons.

Xin Feng was always unconcerned with details and always casually tucked his staff into his waistband, which was naturally unsteady. As he walked, the staff kept hitting his legs and feet, making him curse with a "Ugh!" He struggled to untie it several times before finally managing to throw it aside.

Seeing his behavior, Han Li guessed that something was wrong, so he put down the pen in his hand.

Sure enough, Xin Feng came over shortly after, pulled up a chair and sat down next to him, asking, "Zhengyan, where do you think Lü Mao will escape to?"

Han Li oversees the interrogation work, and all kinds of confessions and information pass through his hands daily.

He doesn't just collect things; he reads them one by one, then categorizes and summarizes them.

If asked about the overall situation of this case, even Xin Feng and Qin Jie might not know as much as he does—after all, those who follow up on the specifics of the case often don't know the overall progress, and those who have the overall progress don't necessarily know the details.

He thought for a moment and said, "Judging from Lü Mao's style of doing things, he is bold yet meticulous, cautious yet arrogant. This person may not necessarily flee to Yingzhou. Perhaps he is just using that house to mislead others."

"What those thugs in that house at Nanxun Gate said was quite interesting. Whenever someone below needed Lü Mao for something, they didn't know how to contact him, but he would always show up within two or three days, or at most three or five days. Even if he was late, he would never make a mistake."

“This time, the city gates were sealed off and searched. The city gates were sealed off that night, and the next day he was able to find the smuggling gang and have those gang leaders help transport people out every day. I always feel that this person must still have a hiding place near the capital.”

Xin Feng slammed his hand on the table and said, "Zhengyan! I knew you weren't that kind of fool!"

"But right now everyone has their own ideas. Eight out of ten people say that Xu Da's confession is useful, and the others also said that Lü Mao kept a lover in Yingzhou and had children with her."

"They all believed that even if they couldn't catch anyone in Yingzhou, the house would still be there. They figured the monks could run away, but the temple could not. They could probably dig up something."

Xin Feng couldn't help but roll his eyes: "You think it's so easy for you to dig up the secrets of someone who's a gang leader? Even a rabbit has three burrows, let alone a ruthless person like that!"

He paused, then suddenly said, "Zhengyan, what do you think about me making the trip myself?"

"Where to?" Han Li didn't immediately deny it, but simply followed up with the question. But this attitude alone was enough to make Xin Feng happy.

"I don't think I'll go any further than the capital region. I'll just follow the main roads and search for information. It'll only take a month or two of hard work. Once I've finished this round, I'll have some results."

"It's useless to have too few people; it would be best to have more men to spread out along with us."

“I just confronted that official Qin to his face, and now we’ve arrested Xu Da and obtained these clues. If I ask for so many more people, I’m afraid he’ll lose face and refuse to agree…”

Han Li thought for a moment and said, "Don't mention it. I'll figure out a way to handle this."

Then he asked, "How many people do you need?"

Xin Feng scratched his head and said, "It will take at least two hundred people, three people per group, ten groups per county. If there aren't enough people, and we miss some clues, the investigation will be a waste of time."

After saying that, he also felt that the request was a bit excessive and asked, "Isn't it too much?"

It should be noted that the Left and Right Army Patrol Offices could not spare so many people, so they would have to ask the patrol soldiers and the garrison soldiers for help. In addition, there were also the expenses of these people going out for food and lodging, which amounted to a considerable sum.

Han Li said, "It's not a matter of how many people there are, but the area you've been visiting along the main road is too vast and requires too much manpower. It's really hard work."

Xin Feng didn't care and said, "Catching criminals is always hard work. This is nothing! Besides, it's such a big case..."

As he said this, his expression suddenly became somewhat awkward, and his voice lowered considerably. He said, "If this were in front of others, I wouldn't dare say it, for fear of being ridiculed. To be honest, I really want to capture Lü Mao as soon as possible."

“If such a villain is allowed to escape, he will surely commit the same crime again in the future, and who knows how many families he will ruin.”

“I’m just a roughneck, not good with words, and unlike you guys who can write, I can at least put in some effort to catch this person. Every one I catch will help make this world a little more peaceful…”

Han Li remained silent for a moment.

He neither feigned surprise nor uttered any words of praise. Instead, he thought for a moment, then got up and fetched a map of the capital region. He then used white paper to trace the names of the nearby major and minor counties according to the map's distribution and placed it in front of Xin Feng.

Xin Feng was a little confused and asked, "What is this for?"

Han Li didn't speak, but instead wrote and calculated on a piece of paper. Soon, he circled several positions.

Fengqiu, Zhongmu, Yanjin, Chenliu, Baima, Suanzao, Xiangfu.

There are seven counties in total.

"According to the confession of the kidnapper in the Nanxunmen residence, when something happened, Lü Mao would arrive no later than the fourth day. Even if he had a way to send messages, it would still take time for him to go back and forth. The farthest place would be within two days' journey from the capital."

"This person is quite fond of enjoying life, and has very high standards for everything from clothing and food to housing and transportation. He certainly wouldn't live in a remote rural area, otherwise how could he enjoy himself?"

“His carriage would be conspicuous, and he would most likely be riding a horse on his way to the capital, so he wouldn’t want to stay at a dilapidated post station along the way—thinking about it that way, his hiding place would be even closer.”

"A cunning rabbit has three burrows, so this person must have more than one house. Now that he knows something has happened in the city, he certainly won't dare to flee openly. It's better to stay in a familiar place than to be unfamiliar with it; he will most likely find a house nearby."

As he spoke, he circled Chenliu and Zhongmu twice, saying, "These two places are the most prosperous, the journey is convenient, and they are accessible by both water and land. The inspector can investigate them in detail."

After listening to this analysis, Xin Feng found it very reasonable and, after a long while, couldn't help but sigh, "How is your brain structured?"

Han Li shook his head and said, "It's just a guess, and it might not be accurate."

After saying that, he listed several dates on the paper, checked them several times from the archives beside him, and after confirming them, he pushed the paper back to Xin Feng and read them aloud one by one.

He said, “These are the dates Lü Mao has been on in the last three months. If he were traveling from another county to the capital, he would have passed by teahouses and post stations along the way in the last few days. Even if he doesn’t eat or drink, wouldn’t his horse need to eat and drink?”

"Why don't we ask an artist to draw this person's appearance first? Then we can refer to his description and behavior and ask along the main road. That might be faster than searching the county directly."

"With his penchant for enjoying life, once he shows his face, there will always be one or two people who have seen him who will remember him—I just don't believe he can fly or disappear into the earth."

Upon hearing this, Xin Feng immediately stood up and said, "I'll go find the painter right now!"

He rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "I really hope that you'll be there to help me solve every case! You always come up with reliable and clever solutions, saving me so much effort!"

Inspired, Xin Feng hurriedly went to find the painter.

Han Li deliberately chose a time when no one was around to go to Qin Jie's place alone.

Upon seeing Han Li, the latter immediately put down what he was doing, first inviting him to sit down, then personally pouring him tea, and finally smiling and saying, "Why have you come so early today? Has there been another great development in the case?"

Han Li shook his head and said, "The most troublesome thing in this case right now is that crooked leader Lü Mao. He is hard to find. If he can't be caught soon, the case will still not be closed. I just came to ask for your instructions."

"Didn't they already send people in several directions towards Yingzhou? Why are they still nowhere to be found?" Qin Jie paused, then said, "What instructions do I have? Just tell me what to do!"

“Lü Mao is cunning and treacherous; he may not go to Yingzhou, but he is more likely to hide in a county or town near the capital.”

Qin Jie immediately frowned and said, "Xin Feng came to you, didn't he? He mentioned it two or three times before. I'm not the kind of person who won't listen to what his subordinates say, but after asking carefully, he actually wants to mobilize two hundred men. He just has his mouth and no evidence. Where am I supposed to find people for him?"

Han Li then shared his speculations, even writing a simple case analysis and preparing the transfer request letter for the North City Garrison.

After Qin Jie finished speaking, he couldn't help but look at the text repeatedly. As he looked at it, his nostrils flared and his voice became excited. He said, "What you said makes a lot of sense. Even if the person isn't hiding in a nearby county or town, this method can still find their trail. It's definitely worth sending more people."

Han Li then said, "We don't need two hundred people. I'd like to take twenty or thirty people and visit several nearby counties."

"You? What are you going to do? How long will you be gone?" Qin Jie's tone suddenly rose. "You're just washing your hands of this mess. Who am I supposed to arrange to take over?"

Han Li raised an eyebrow and said, "What are you talking about letting go of me, a student on temporary assignment?"

He added, "I've already sorted out the previous matters. The rest is just a matter of following the established procedures. Anyone can take over."

"Inspector Xin has other matters to attend to—he hasn't sorted out many things here. It would be better if I led twenty or thirty men to search the area myself. It would only take one or two months to search all the places we need to search. We could also ask around along the way, and it would be even better if we could find out the whereabouts of some abducted women and children."

"If we can solve this case before the secondment expires, and Lu Mao is arrested, everything will be perfect."

Qin Jie's face was so long that it was almost impossible to pick it up with clips.

"Don't mess around. There's a lot of work to do in the government office. I've already arranged for you to help with several things. You'll be gone for a month or two. You really dare to dream!"

He immediately made a decision, saying, "I'll go find someone, put on a good show, and borrow three hundred men from the West City Camp. Let Old Xin lead them to search the area and have him hand over what he's carrying—he's used to doing this, he knows the ropes, so don't interfere!"

After saying this, without even giving Han Li a chance to refuse, he immediately had Xin Feng summoned and told him to prepare himself so that he could lead three hundred battalions of soldiers to conduct searches in the sixteen counties surrounding the capital the next day.

Xin Feng stared wide-eyed as he agreed, and when he walked out, he was even a little unsteady on his feet.

Originally, only two hundred people were needed, but after much negotiation, they couldn't get any.

How come we suddenly got three hundred people?
Are manpower really that easy to find?

how did you do that?
***
Inspector Xin stared wide-eyed at this spot, and in Suanzao Alley, Xiaolian also stared wide-eyed.

As she washed her hands, she looked up with great interest, her little eyes wide, and exclaimed, "Mommy! The water is hot!"

Looking at her daughter, Cheng Erniang felt both sorry for her and amused. She said, "Firewood is so expensive. Your sister brought you hot water to wash your hands and body. Don't let the water get cold."

He added, "You wash yourself, and go to sleep after you're clean. Don't mess around in the house and break other people's things, understand?"

Xiaolian said "Oh," not daring to refute, but feeling a little wronged: I'm so obedient, when have I ever messed around?

After instructing her daughter, Cheng Erniang wrapped her head in a cloth and went to the front, smiling at Song Miao, "What are you busy with, young lady? Let me lend a hand."

(End of this chapter)