The current situation is that the Li family believes the Zhang family wants to break off the engagement, so they deliberately hid the second daughter-in-law, Baozhu.
The Zhang family, however, insists that their daughter has already been picked up. They believe the Lis, feeling humiliated upon returning home, must have harmed their daughter in a rage in an attempt to seize her dowry, then turned around and accused the Zhangs falsely.
Even upright officials struggle to judge family matters. Faced with these mutual accusations, Magistrate Song found it difficult to determine who was lying.
He slammed the gavel, “In broad daylight, can a living person just vanish into thin air? Since both of you insist the other party is responsible, do you have any evidence?”
As soon as he spoke, the crowd below erupted into a cacophony of voices, echoing and ringing in everyone’s ears.
“Silence!”
Magistrate Song slammed the gavel once more. The bailiffs on both sides began striking their merciless water-fire rods and chanting in unison, “Main~tain~or~der~!”
He pinched the bridge of his nose and pointed at the sobbing Zhang couple, “You speak first.”
While one family had merely lost a daughter-in-law, the other had lost a daughter and their son had been beaten badly. Clearly, the latter was in a worse situation.
The elderly couple knelt in court and lamented, “Your Honor, our daughter Baozhu was indeed taken away! A sedan chair arrived around the fifth watch yesterday, and the neighbors witnessed it. We have always been law-abiding citizens. If we truly didn’t want the marriage, we could have sought a divorce decree from the court. Why would we lie?”
Magistrate Song nodded, “That does make sense.”
He then drew a token and commanded his subordinates, “Summon the neighbors of the Zhang and Li families to testify—whether a sedan chair arrived, its appearance, and whether either household owns a similar one… Go!”
Old Man Zhang continued, “The Li family accuses us of rejecting them for poverty, but we knew about their financial situation well before our daughter’s wedding. If we truly disapproved, why marry her off? As for claims of marrying her to someone else, by Heaven above, such major matters cannot be concealed forever. How could such a thing succeed?”
Before Old Man Zhang finished speaking, the elderly lady from the Li family squinted and sharply retorted, “Oh, so your daughter from the Zhang family is especially precious? She’s been married for years and hasn’t even cooked a decent dish or sewn a couple of clothes!
Who doesn’t expect a bride to serve her husband and in-laws? But yours simply refuses to work.
Last month, she whined about soreness after washing just a few clothes, and after a couple of words, she ran crying back to her parents. Where is the respect for us elders?”
The Zhang matriarch spat at her, “Even her own parents haven’t ordered her around, yet you dare to act high and mighty? Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Parents, Teachers—these are the six relations. What kind of relation are you?
Our girl married into your family as a daughter-in-law, not a servant. If you needed a maid, you could’ve bought one for just a few coins. Why treat her this way?”
Seeing Magistrate Song’s increasingly stern expression, Li Er quickly crawled forward on his knees, trying to mediate between his mother and mother-in-law.
The Zhang matriarch pointed a trembling finger at him, “Didn’t you know this before the wedding? Didn’t you promise back then? Now that you’ve taken our daughter, you’ve tucked your head like a turtle, turned your eyes away, and denied all responsibility! We were truly blind back then!”
Li Er’s face turned purple with embarrassment, “But… but the priority now is to find Baozhu!”
One was his mother, the other his wife’s mother. Whom should he side with?
Baozhu was a junior, young and the younger generation. His mother had raised him with great effort—shouldn’t she be shown a little leniency?
The Zhang matriarch ranted, “Your family took her away. Where are we supposed to find her? You and your parents are no good, and your younger brother is even worse—a beast! You must’ve conspired to kill our daughter and seize her dowry. Now you’ve come after my third son too!”
The reason the Zhang family was so certain their daughter had been harmed by her in-laws wasn’t entirely baseless.
The Zhangs were wealthy. When Baozhu got married, she brought not only fine clothes and silks but also ten mu of farmland outside the city and a considerable sum of silver. The Zhangs always claimed it was a marriage below their station.
The Lis, however, were of modest means. Now with three sons growing up and marrying, their financial situation had become increasingly strained. Hearing the Zhangs’ boasts only made them more resentful.
Li Er was a scholar, and every bit of stationery cost money. Initially, both families hoped that if he succeeded in the imperial exams, it would be a beautiful story.
But years passed, and Li Er repeatedly failed. Money poured out like water, yet he couldn’t even scrape together enough to pass as a scholar.
The Zhangs grew anxious and occasionally grumbled about it.
No one knows how these words reached the Lis, who then revived the old grievance, accusing the Zhangs of rejecting them for poverty—this became the first grudge.
The second incident was when Baozhu previously came home crying, saying her younger brother-in-law, Li Mantian, wanted to marry someone but the family couldn’t afford a decent bride price. Her in-laws discussed using Baozhu’s dowry.
Since ancient times, a married daughter’s dowry has been her private property, even the government hesitated to interfere.
Baozhu thought her husband hadn’t even passed the exams yet. What if they had children in the future? There would be many expenses. Besides, how was her brother-in-law’s marriage any of her business? She refused outright.
The couple had been married for years without children, and her in-laws already resented Baozhu for being spoiled. Now this incident made them feel even more humiliated, and they scolded her for several days straight.
Baozhu felt deeply wronged and naturally turned to her husband Li Er to vent. But Li Er turned around and scolded her for being unreasonable.
“All family members, that money is just sitting there unused. Can it give birth? Just lend it to the third brother for now. Father and Mother will praise you for being considerate, and the third brother’s family will surely be grateful.”
Li Mantian was barely in his teens and already scheming to sponge off others, with a fiery temper. Who could possibly expect his gratitude?
Hearing this, Baozhu felt her heart sink. The very next morning, she ran back to her parents’ home…
Yesterday, when Baozhu went missing, the third son of the Zhangs recalled his sister’s previous words and couldn’t help but worry, so he made a few sarcastic remarks.
At any time and place, a younger brother-in-law attempting to seize a sister-in-law’s dowry would be considered a scandal. Hearing this family shame exposed, Li Mantian flew into a rage…
After hearing the Zhangs’ account, everyone finally understood.
No wonder Li Mantian had been so vicious—his temper was part of it, but more importantly, it was the combination of old grudges and new hatred!
Ma Bing looked around, edged closer to Xie Yu, and whispered, “Minister Xie, do you think it’s possible both families are telling the truth?”
Although she had little experience in solving cases, after observing for a while, she noticed neither family seemed to be faking their emotions.
Because she feared her voice might disturb Magistrate Song’s questioning, she leaned in very close. Xie Yu could even smell her familiar medicinal fragrance. He gave a slight nod.
“That’s the strange part.”
If neither family was lying, then who took Baozhu?
If she had accidentally taken the wrong sedan chair, surely the other party would have realized by now. Why had there been no news at all?
“Isn’t it possible that there are often human traffickers roaming around committing crimes, specifically abducting respectable women? Could someone have been seized by lust and deliberately intercepted her before the Zhangs, after overhearing their plan?” Ma Bing speculated.
In that case, the suspect would have had ample time to escape the scene.
But a new problem arose:
Both families insisted no outsiders were present when they discussed the matter. The Zhangs’ own maids wouldn’t be foolish enough to spread the information. How could the suspect have known?
Xie Yu glanced at the people below, his gaze lingering slightly on Li Er with a slight frown.
He had a very poor impression of this man.
As a son, he couldn’t reconcile the generational conflict in his family.
As a husband, he couldn’t keep his promises or care for his wife.
As a scholar, he repeatedly failed the exams…
Truly, there was nothing redeeming about him.
But he did say one correct thing—the priority wasn’t to argue over whose fault it was between the Zhangs and the Lis, but to quickly find Baozhu’s whereabouts.
Once Baozhu returned, the truth would naturally come to light.
A full day had passed since the incident. If it was indeed a wandering trafficker, they might have already left the city.
If it was a murderer seeking money or revenge, delaying further would likely mean Baozhu’s life was in grave danger.
Soon, the Zhangs’ neighbors arrived and indeed confirmed that a small red sedan chair had come to pick up Baozhu the day before. Many people had even talked about it.
Magistrate Song then instructed an artist to create a detailed illustration of the sedan chair based on their descriptions.
“This design doesn’t seem like a common household one,” he mused, narrowing his eyes.
Wealthy households typically maintained sedans and livestock for transportation, but these were usually in muted tones such as blue, white, gray, or green. The sedan chair that came to fetch Baozhu was exceptionally gaudy—clearly not an ordinary family conveyance.
After some thought, Magistrate Song decided that regardless of who had taken Baozhu, finding her was the priority.
And the only clue they had now was that red sedan chair…
“Go and inquire at all the sedan chair rental shops in the city to see if anyone has rented a similar one recently. Zi Zhi, please also go to the city gates to check if this sedan chair left the city yesterday.”
Ma Bing had initially wanted to go along, but since the Zhang family’s third son was still unconscious, she couldn’t leave without permission. She could only watch Xie Yu and the others depart with longing in her eyes.
Both families lived within Kaifeng city. The officers dispatched rode swiftly and soon returned.
“Reporting to Your Excellency, I have inspected both families’ residences and found no traces of any sedan chairs stopping there. Several neighbors also stated that around the time Baozhu disappeared, neither family traveled far nor behaved suspiciously.”
Hearing this conclusion, both families were stunned.
How could it not be their doing?
“Could it really be someone else?”
Then weren’t they fighting for nothing?!
When they looked at each other again, there was inevitable awkwardness.
Magistrate Song said, “Don’t blame me for speaking plainly, but regardless of whether Miss Baozhu is found or not, you two families probably can’t remain in-laws anymore.”
He had never seen a family crisis where relatives didn’t unite to search first but instead fought each other bloody.
Clearly, the two families must have harbored deep resentment for a long time. Baozhu was merely the spark. Even without this incident, another would have occurred eventually.
Hence, people often say that marriage and enmity are separated by a single thought. If these two families hadn’t become in-laws, they might have maintained friendly relations daily.
But once they became in-laws, many things changed, and they couldn’t even look at each other without irritation.
The elderly Zhang couple, shocked, couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope:
If there’s no news of their daughter yet, isn’t it possible she hasn’t been harmed?
Excellent! As long as she’s alive, everything will be fine.
No news is good news!
Old Man Zhang let out a deep sigh and said, “We humbly beg Your Excellency to spare no effort in helping our daughter return home at the earliest. Our gratitude shall know no bounds.”
In just a single day, he seemed to have aged many years.
After a pause, he turned to the Li family and said, “Once my daughter comes back, let’s pick a date to go to the yamen and get the divorce papers.”
First mistreated our daughter, then beat our son. Such in-laws, we no longer want!
“This!” Li Er panicked, about to step forward but held back by his mother. He helplessly cried, “Mother!”
How did it come to this point of divorce?
Mother Li naturally hated to lose the dowry, even if she couldn’t access it immediately. Eventually, it would be spent on her second son and grandson.
If they divorced now, wouldn’t it be like losing everything?
Finding another daughter-in-law with such beauty and a rich dowry would be difficult.
But she always valued face. How could she publicly admit defeat?
She had to suppress the pain in her heart and mutter, “Divorce it is.”
Still not satisfied, after a pause, she spitefully added, “She said she was lost. Who knows if she ran off with some rogue… We don’t even miss such a daughter-in-law!”
Who knows if she’ll come back?
She might already be dead!
Or been abducted to another place to become a prostitute—ugh!
“You!” The Zhangs were furious at her words.
“Nonsense!” Magistrate Song sternly rebuked, “You claim to be an elder, yet you maliciously slander and ruin someone’s reputation! Come, bailiffs, press her down and give her a couple of strokes!”
He had endured this woman for a long time. Now she was spreading rumors right in front of him, blatantly showing contempt for the law, so he could no longer tolerate it.
Since the case hadn’t been clarified yet, if he allowed her to go around spreading rumors, it would spread throughout the city within half a day.
Then not only would the missing girl’s family suffer, but public opinion might also mislead the investigation.
For these reasons, he naturally couldn’t tolerate it and decided to give her a taste of the rod.
The Li family, stunned by their mother’s sudden outburst, were bewildered.
This was just a venting remark. How did it lead to being beaten?
“Mercy, my lord!” Li Er pleaded, “My mother has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She was just momentarily foolish, truly foolish!”
Being beaten in court—how could they show their face outside!
The bailiffs paid no heed, casually pushing him aside, and indeed pressed the terrified Mother Li to the ground, raising the merciless rod high and delivering two strokes.
These two strokes struck with full force. The first still elicited a scream from Mother Li, but by the second, she was already soaked in cold sweat, her face deathly pale.
Magistrate Song said sternly, “After this beating, remember the proverb ‘Disaster comes from the mouth.’ Keep your mouth shut and steer clear of trouble!”
The Zhang family was deeply grateful. Magistrate Song waved his hand and decisively said, “Li Mantian assaulted the third son of the Zhang family without cause. This case will be reviewed later, and there must be a resolution. All medical expenses required will be borne by the Li family. Any objections?”
Just moments ago, the Li family would have protested, but now with Old Mrs. Li beaten to a pulp, even if they had any objections, they could only swallow them in silence.
The old man Li turned pale and stammered, “M-M-Master, we really can’t afford any silver…”
Song, the county official, ignored him completely, “If you have no silver, then sell your furniture, sell your house and land! Are you suggesting that others should work for free? ‘It is the father’s fault if the child is not properly taught.’ Since you knew you couldn’t afford to pay, why didn’t you stop Li Mantian from beating people? Now you’re crying poverty to me?”
“How could that be possible!” Old Li was stunned, instinctively looking toward the only scholar in his family.
But Li Er had just realized too late that his younger brother had committed a crime, broken the law, and would be imprisoned!
That meant his own elder brother would have a criminal record!
One must know that when the government selects officials, besides examining the candidate’s own background, the records of his grandfather and great-grandfather are also checked… and this is his own elder brother!
Thinking of this, Li Er’s face turned ashen. How could he still care about selling the house or land? His mind was now filled only with worries about his career prospects.
But he didn’t even consider that at over twenty years old, he still hadn’t even passed the xiucai examination—so why worry about future matters so urgently?
After swiftly resolving the matter, Song instructed both families to return home and wait for further notice, adding specifically that the Li family must bring five taels of silver within three days.
Actually, the Zhang family didn’t lack such a small sum of money, but since they had been put through so much, Song was determined not to let them off easily. Thus, he didn’t refuse.
Since the condition of Zhang San was still unclear, Ma Bing dared not allow them to take him home immediately, so she temporarily kept him at the Kaifeng government office for observation.
The Zhang family was deeply anxious; the elderly couple could hardly bear the strain, so their second son stayed at an inn near the government office while the rest returned home to reunite with the eldest son and await news.
When Ma Bing returned to the inner hall, Wang Heng was already there with two apprentice herbalists, tending to Zhang San.
“How is he?” both asked simultaneously.
Ma Bing was asking about Zhang San’s condition, while Wang Heng was inquiring about the case.
They both paused, then nodded at the same time, saying, “It’s manageable.”
While recounting the details of the case, Ma Bing went to check on Zhang San’s condition and asked for Wang Heng’s opinion.
She was confident in her medical skills, but not arrogant.
Wang Heng came from a family of physicians and had spent many years in the Imperial Medical Bureau. Although his experiences had made him overly cautious and prone to speaking in half-truths, his insights into various illnesses were quite unique.
Though they had only known each other for a little over a month, Ma Bing had already learned a great deal from him.
Wang stroked his beard and nodded, “You did an excellent job. The acupuncture was timely, and his condition seems stable now. Let’s get through tonight first.”
It was getting late, and after a few more words, Ma Bing urged Wang Heng to return and rest.
All available constables at the government office had gone out to search for the missing sedan chair. In a city as vast as Kaifeng, it would take them a while to cover it all.
The sun gradually sank lower, and the straight shadows stretched longer across the ground, like ink dragged forcefully across the earth.
Under the eaves, the swallow’s nest stirred with activity as the adult birds returned from foraging.
The baby birds struggled with their downy, red bodies, stretching their necks eagerly to be fed.
The adult swallows flitted from one chick to another, their round, bead-like eyes filled with tenderness.
Ma Bing watched, entranced.
What a lovely family.
She looked down at the still-unconscious Zhang San. Yes, his face was a bit swollen, but one could still see that he was just a child.
A good child who stood up for his sister, unfortunately… not very resilient in a fight.
When the time seemed right, Ma Bing administered another round of acupuncture, murmuring, “Poor kid, wake up soon! Don’t make your parents worry.”
With their daughter still missing, if their youngest son suffered any misfortune, his elderly parents might not survive the grief.
When Lady Zhao arrived, she overheard Ma Bing speaking softly to the injured boy, “Actually, when you think about it, you’re quite lucky—you still have both parents, and you have older brothers and sisters. How nice that is…”
Ah, this poor child.
Lady Zhao sighed silently, then stepped back a few paces before deliberately making heavy footsteps.
Hearing the sound, Ma Bing quickly turned around, “Madam, why have you come?”
Lady Zhao feigned just arriving and said, “I heard from the front that someone was injured. I thought you, dear child, might be too busy to eat, so I went to the kitchen and found out you hadn’t eaten yet. I had someone prepare something for you—just a light meal to tide you over.”
Ma Bing looked outside and was surprised to find the moon already high in the sky, “Oh my, is it this late already?”
Wasn’t the sun still up just a moment ago?
Lady Zhao shook her head with a faint smile and personally brought out dish after dish.
“This is aged rice wine braised duck—it won’t make you drunk, just sweet and fragrant. This is jade meatballs soup, yam dumplings…”
Each dish was only a few bites’ worth, but Lady Zhao brought out more than a dozen bowls and plates, filling the table.
Ma Bing felt both pleased and embarrassed, quickly washing her hands and sitting down to eat.
“Madam, have you eaten yet?”
Lady Zhao fanned her gently from the side and smiled, “Silly girl, look at the time—my supper should already be ready.”
Ma Bing laughed and reached first for the aged rice wine braised duck.
She had tasted aged rice wine before, and she had eaten duck, but duck braised in aged rice wine was something entirely new. Instantly, her eyes lit up.
As Lady Zhao had said, the smell of alcohol and the gamey odor of duck had long dissipated during the slow stewing process, leaving only the simple fragrance of grain. The duck meat was more tender and chewy, paired with the thick, reddish-brown sauce left at the bottom of the bowl, making a perfect match with rice.
The jade meatballs soup was made by mincing fish meat, extracting juice from spinach, mixing it thoroughly, and then cooking it briefly in rich broth. It was fresh and aromatic, perfect for summer.
In the pale white broth floated little green, jewel-like meatballs, charming and delicate.
The weather had grown quite warm, and even at night the heat lingered. Soon, Ma Bing was sweating all over, strands of hair clinging damply to her forehead and cheeks, tickling her, but she couldn’t spare a hand to scratch.
It was just too delicious to put down her chopsticks! She thought unhappily while trying to scratch.
Lady Zhao put down the fan, first wiping Ma Bing’s sweat with a damp cloth, then gently gathering her hair back, and once again fanning lightly at her exposed neck.
The gentle breeze instantly carried away the heat. Ma Bing sighed in satisfaction, her eyes sparkling, “Madam, you’re so kind.”
Her movements were soft and gentle, even fragrant, like the breeze from a spring flower garden brushing across one’s face.
Ma Bing couldn’t help thinking—if only her mother were still alive, she probably would have been just like this.
Lady Zhao said lovingly, “Silly child, hurry and eat.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage