Chapter 45: Huang Fu

The Dragon Boat Festival had not yet arrived, yet the streets were already bustling.

Not only had the permanent shops already been decorated with lanterns and elaborate arches erected at their entrances, but even the roadside hawkers had arrived early to secure good spots, preparing to make a fortune during the festival fair.

The Zhang family resided in Xiaotuanhua Zhi Alley in the western part of the city, while the Kaifeng Prefecture government office was situated along the southern section of the city’s central axis. Typically, the most direct route would have been to head straight west from Suzhuo Street.

Unfortunately, as one of the four main thoroughfares with the heaviest foot traffic in the city, it was already completely packed, making movement impossible.

With no other choice, Ma Bing and Xie Yu had to turn their horses around and take a detour through smaller, secondary streets.

This smaller street connected midway with several flower-scented lanes, and some of the most famous brothels in the area occupied several crossroads.

Everything had been peaceful until, passing by the Bai Hualou (Hundred Flowers Pavilion), a courtesan spotted Ma Bing and immediately leaned over the railing, waving her fragrant handkerchief and calling out, “Oh, Doctor Ma! We’ve got your favorite cherry-filled pastries today! Come up and try some!”

This seemed to break the ice, and many courtesans who recognized Ma Bing swarmed over, chattering all at once:

“Doctor Ma, come visit again!”

“I’ve been feeling so uneasy in my chest, Doctor Ma. Please come up and give me a rub, maybe I’ll feel better…”

“Dear girl, you haven’t come around in days! We’ve missed you so much!”

Ma Bing laughed heartily, looking up and replying, “I’ve been busy these days. Besides, wasn’t it just the day before yesterday that I was here?”

Previously, when she had come to question Zhang Baoyue, she had also treated Pu Cao’s illness, and since then many courtesans had come seeking her help.

Since she was already tending to one sheep, she might as well tend to the whole flock. All of them were unfortunate souls, so Ma Bing simply treated them all.

The courtesans were very grateful but had nothing much to offer in return, so they always showed her great warmth and hospitality.

The first courtesan to speak gave a huff, waving her handkerchief with a hint of jealousy, “You only remember Zhang Baoyue. Have you thought of us at all?”

The girls, dressed in colorful attire, slowly moved westward along the railing, keeping pace with Ma Bing on the street below.

Hearing this, Ma Bing smiled and said, “How could I forget you, Ying Niang? How could I?”

Ying Niang immediately beamed with joy, covering her face with shyness.

The other girls were not to be outdone. They pushed her aside and chirped down at the street, “What about me? What about me? Doctor Ma, do you remember my name?”

“And me, and me too…”

“I remember, I remember all of you. Starting from the first one on the left, it’s Su Su, then Xiao Yue, Qing Yun…” Ma Bing rattled off many names effortlessly.

The girls all beamed with joy, their eyes sparkling with beauty.

For a moment, it seemed as if the air had become even more saturated with the cloying scent of perfume and cosmetics.

Even Xie Yu, accustomed to grand scenes, couldn’t help but feel deeply moved by this spectacle.

Watching Ma Bing, who appeared so experienced and at ease, like a seasoned patron of pleasure houses, his heart felt complicated.

There was a time when he was always the center of attention wherever he went, and courtesans had tried to use him to escape their plight, but now…

All their attention had shifted to this one girl!

This strange scene indeed attracted many passersby and customers, who stopped to watch and whispered among themselves:

“What’s wrong with these courtesans? Flirting and showing off to a woman!”

Only when they finally left the area of the Bai Hualou did Xie Yu’s ears finally regain some peace.

He clearly had much he wanted to say, but looking at Ma Bing’s open and unselfconscious demeanor, he found himself at a loss for words.

“Don’t you like them, Director Xie?” Ma Bing suddenly asked.

Xie Yu frowned. What kind of question was that?

Ma Bing gently stroked the black horse’s neck, saying softly, “I really like them. They’re all good girls.”

Xie Yu felt that whatever he said now might be inappropriate, so he chose to remain silent, acting as a proper listener.

Indeed, Ma Bing didn’t really need his answer and continued on her own, “People often say prostitutes have no feelings, but they weren’t born wanting to be prostitutes. Perhaps some were born disinclined to take the righteous path, but they are the exception…”

Most of them had either been sold, abducted, or had suffered disasters that destroyed their families… In this vast world, where could they find a place to belong?

Perhaps some people found them dirty, but is it wrong for a person to want to survive?

Moreover, originally they were all pure and innocent girls, just like a clean steamed bun that fell into a ditch. When it gets dirty, who is really to blame?

The bun? Or the ditch?

Sighing, Ma Bing said, “If we don’t find Zhang Baozhu soon, her fate won’t be a good one either.”

Xie Yu looked at her, “I don’t dislike them, it’s just that…”

He slightly furrowed his brows, seemingly trying to find a way to express his thoughts tactfully.

But Ma Bing immediately added, “It’s just that you’ve never paid attention to them, right?”

Xie Yu was slightly taken aback but didn’t deny it, “Yes.”

Ma Bing smiled, “Director, you being genuine inside and out is already very good.”

She turned around, pointing at the faintly moving figures in the distance, her face carrying a hint of irony, “Look, among the patrons going in and out of the Bai Hualou, there are many officials and nobles. How lofty and proud they are during the day, treating those courtesans as weeds and filth, like fecal ditches, but as soon as night falls, don’t they come here eagerly?”

She knew Xie Yu had never paid attention to those courtesans, so there was no question of him disliking or liking them.

Because the young master was born into nobility and was naturally aloof, perhaps not just the courtesans, but apart from a few close friends and family, everyone else outside was the same in his eyes.

What difference is there between princes and nobles, and commoners and laborers? Even princes who commit crimes should be punished like ordinary people, after all, they are all just human beings with one life each.

The two slowly moved away from the bustling market, and the shops around them became sparse. The previous noise seemed like a fleeting moment of beauty, gradually fading behind them, becoming less audible.

Xie Yu fell into deep thought.

No one had ever spoken to him like this before. At first hearing, it seemed unreasonable, but upon careful consideration, every word was filled with truth.

“Why are you telling me all this?” Xie Yu asked.

“Because you, Director, are different from other officials,” Ma Bing said frankly. “I always feel that if you officially joined the government in the future, you would be a very good official.”

If a soldier is weak, it’s just one soldier; if a commander is weak, it affects the entire army. The importance of officials’ conduct is even greater than this.

For the government or the officials themselves, whether they are good or bad, successful or not, doesn’t necessarily affect the overall situation.

But if it falls upon the common people of a region, it could be like the sky collapsing.

Xie Yu disagreed, “Nowadays, there are many capable people inside and outside the court. Right in front of us, there are officials like Tu Yao and only a few like Xu Maocai.”

“I won’t hastily judge whether they are few or many. Director Tu is indeed a good official, no doubt,” Ma Bing smiled, not at all surprised by his response. “But they all stand too high, so high that they only see the sky, so high that they can’t see clearly what’s under their feet. Of course, the big picture is important, but in my humble opinion, common people are also important.”

As far as she knew, most of the high-ranking officials in and outside the current court came from noble families.

Certainly, among them were many who were concerned about the country and the people, but their upbringing had been too good. Even if they wanted to understand the hardships of the people, it was only superficial.

Take Tu Yao for example. He was indeed a rare official who considered the people’s welfare, but even so, hadn’t he failed to realize the difficulties faced by poor scholars?

Officials who had never seen famine would never imagine that in extreme hunger, even a handful of Dioscorea opposita powder was worth fighting over.

Looking far ahead might give birth to divinity and nurture Buddha-nature, but it could never cultivate humanity.

Xie Yu was also from a noble family, but he was fundamentally different from those people because he never especially liked or favored any particular type of person.

Seemingly indifferent, but actually the most compassionate.

Xie Yu listened carefully, thinking deeply for a long time, “Thank you. I’ve learned a lot.”

Ma Bing felt flattered and waved her hands repeatedly, “It’s I who should thank you, Director, for not minding my rambling.”

Frankly speaking, if she had said these words to any other official, she would have been beaten up.

Who do you think you are? Just an unknown little woman from the common people, what qualifications do you have to comment on state affairs?

But Xie Yu didn’t get angry.

Not only did he not get angry, but he actually listened seriously and thought about it.

She indeed had not misjudged him.

Looking at her, Xie Yu asked, “Did your insights, Miss Ma, come from witnessing the hardships of the people in Liangzhou?”

Ma Bing tightened her grip on the reins but asked indifferently, “Liangzhou? I’m afraid the Director must have made a mistake. I’m not from Liangzhou.”

Xie Yu looked at her deeply but, for once, did not continue to press further.

“Perhaps.”

Having said that, he took the initiative to spur his horse forward.

Ma Bing, a couple of paces behind, also shook the reins and followed.

Had he really made a mistake?

Xie Yu had been famous for his talent since childhood, reportedly possessing an extraordinary memory, so it was absolutely impossible for him to make a mistake.

Then why did he deliberately say that?

Had he found out something?

The two remained silent for the rest of the journey until they arrived at Xiaotuanhuazhi Alley.

“Director, are we still going in?” Ma Bing asked.

Xie Yu dismounted, “Now that the situation of the third son of the Zhang family has improved, it would be good for you to explain it to them so they can be reassured. I’ll also take a look at the house structure.”

When the Zhang family saw them coming late at night, they were extremely frightened, thinking that perhaps the third son’s condition had worsened…

After Ma Bing explained, the family expressed their gratitude profusely and wanted to go to the street to buy tea and sweets to entertain them, but Ma Bing declined.

“Don’t bother. We’ve just had dinner and really can’t eat anything else. We came here to take another look at the house.”

“Eldest son,” Zhang Lao Han immediately gave instructions, “go buy some good tea and sweets to prepare for the two officials.”

Ah, this…

Ma Bing was greatly embarrassed. I didn’t mean for them to take it home to eat later either.

Rarely seeing her flustered, a hint of amusement flashed in Xie Yu’s eyes, and without any sense of loyalty, he went alone to the back of the house.

The Zhang family’s residence was no different from other ordinary people’s homes, just a simple quadrangle courtyard. Originally, the elderly couple lived in the main house, while the younger ones resided in the side rooms.

Because their family was well-off, they later added a row of back courtyards specifically for Zhang Baozhu and the girls as the women’s quarters.

A few years ago, they bought the left neighbor’s property and opened it into a connecting courtyard, where the eldest and second sons, who were already married, lived facing each other across the courtyard.

Due to government regulations prohibiting house construction from encroaching on roads, the space in the back courtyard was limited. Fortunately, the Zhang family had only one daughter, so it was spacious enough.

Behind that house was a narrow passage, wide enough for only two people to walk side by side, usually used for storing water jars and other miscellaneous items.

Against the wall were planted several tall persimmon trees, symbolizing the wish for everything to go well.

The persimmon trees grew very well, with lush branches and leaves, several of which extended directly over the wall and out onto the street.

Zhang Lao Han looked proudly at the big persimmon trees and said, “They bear a lot of fruit every year. We only pick the ones inside the wall, and leave the ones outside for passersby and neighbors. Baozhu loved to eat them…”

At this, he couldn’t help shedding tears.

“My poor child, I wonder how she is now…”

Xie Yu looked like he really didn’t know how to comfort people, so Ma Bing said, “You should take care of your health. If you can’t calm down, perhaps you could tidy up Baozhu’s room. Otherwise, when she comes back in a few days and finds the family sick and the house in a mess, how will she live here?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lao Han felt as if he had grabbed a lifebuoy while drowning, and his old eyes immediately lit up.

“You’re absolutely right, young lady! I really am an old fool. Look at how messy the house is! Yes, yes, I’ll go tidy up right away! Wife, eldest son, second son, come quickly, bring out Baozhu’s bedding to air out, so she can sleep well when she comes back!”

Everyone felt both heartbroken and helpless. In the middle of the night, what bedding could they possibly air out?

Xie Yu remarked meaningfully, “Miss Ma, your grasp of human psychology has truly reached a level of mastery.”

The words she had just spoken to Zhang Lao Han undoubtedly gave him a bit of hope. If Baozhu could be found, it would be a happy reunion.

Even if she couldn’t be found, at least he could deceive himself: as long as he lived well, there would always be a day when the family would be reunited.

Ma Bing helplessly said, “Director, you’re implying something here!”

Xie Yu raised his eyebrows, “Am I? Could it be that the speaker had no intention, but the listener took it the wrong way?”

Ma Bing had no words to answer and directly gave him a very disrespectful eye-roll.

Xie Yu was amused and, with a light step, casually slapped the tree trunk for leverage, like a nimble cat, and silently climbed onto the wall.

Ma Bing: “!!!”

What is he doing!

However, the next moment, she saw Xie Yu hide himself among the lush branches and leaves, and he instantly disappeared from Ma Bing’s sight.

She gasped.

The walls of private homes were generally not very high, and with effort, most adults could climb them.

Moreover, these persimmon trees grew so well that their lush branches and leaves covered the sky, and unless one looked carefully, who could notice a person hidden inside?

And just below, not far away, was the window to the back quarters!

Even from the farthest point diagonally, it was no more than a zhang away!

Ma Bing quietly climbed in through the window, sat by the table, and said very softly, “Director Xie is like a cat.”

Xie Yu: “…I heard that.”

As if nothing had happened, Ma Bing stuck her head out the window, “Director, your eyes are as sharp as ever. If someone were eavesdropping, there’s no better place than there!”

Xie Yu looked at her with a blank expression, and after a while, he simply turned around and jumped to the street outside the wall.

“Come and have a look outside the wall.”

Ma Bing: “…”

You could at least wait for me!

Speaking of which, normally one would have to go around from the front, and since the Zhang family was in the middle of this row of houses, it would take an extra one or two li of walking.

Looking at the not-too-high wall, Ma Bing thought, maybe I should just…

But as if reading her mind, Xie Yu outside the wall said, “Use the front gate.”

Ma Bing, already pulling up her pants legs: “…”

Revenge came so suddenly!

When Ma Bing finally arrived at the back of the Zhang house, panting from running around, she saw Xie Yu half-squatting on the ground, intently staring at the courtyard wall as if a flower had bloomed on it.

“So slow,” Xie Yu didn’t even turn his head as he said.

The one who climbed the wall kept his mouth shut!

Ma Bing gritted her teeth and moved closer to look, “What did you find? Huh? What is this?”

There seemed to be a shallow little indentation on the wall, which was hard to notice at a glance because it was the same color as the wall.

Xie Yu stood up, took a couple of steps back, and lifted his leg.

Perhaps his legs were too long, he took another step back, adjusted, and aligned himself.

Ma Bing suddenly understood, “Someone stepped here to climb the wall!”

Then they hid in the tree canopy to eavesdrop!

Xie Yu hummed in agreement, extending his finger to touch the wall, “The houses in the city were all built uniformly by the government. Although there might have been modifications later, the general structure remained unchanged. These walls were constructed with sandstone mixed with sticky rice paste, making them non-flammable and durable.”

Ma Bing continued, “In other words, whoever made such a small indentation here must have been doing it for a long time.”

Could it be that before Zhang Baozhu got married, someone had been watching her for a long time?

How terrifying!

“Not only that,” Xie Yu turned his hand to show her the fresh powder marks on his fingertips, “the traces are very fresh, indicating that the person came again a few days ago.”

The edges of the small indentation were already somewhat blurred, forming a layer of crust after being soaked by repeated rain and snow, but only a few spots had fresh scratch marks, which must have been made recently.

“But we asked the Zhang family before, and they don’t remember anyone harassing Baozhu,” Ma Bing said.

“The Zhang family might not know,” Xie Yu said indifferently.

In the distance, the sound of a night watchman beating his drum could be faintly heard, and the two exchanged glances before walking toward the sound.

Before long, a shadow darted out—a rather old man, holding a lantern in one hand and a gong in the other, shouting, “Be careful with fire, the weather is dry.”

“Old man, you’ve worked hard,” Ma Bing stepped forward actively, “Have you been patrolling this area for many years?”

The old watchman didn’t expect anyone to be hiding in the shadows and was initially startled. After seeing their appearance, he relaxed a bit, “Ah, more than ten years.”

More than ten years, that’s enough!

Xie Yu took out his badge and waved it, asking bluntly, “Have you noticed any suspicious people?”

Seeing his imposing manner, the watchman was somewhat intimidated and trembled slightly, “Director, please spare me! I haven’t done anything wrong!”

Xie Yu: “…”

Ma Bing almost laughed out loud, “Old man, don’t be afraid. He doesn’t mean anything else. It’s almost the festival, and the court wants to improve public security, so they specially sent us to ask if there have been any suspicious people, so that everyone can be safe, right?”

Seeing her pretty appearance and gentle tone, the old man heaved a sigh of relief, “Ah, that’s the case.”

Then he bowed toward the imperial city, “The emperor’s grace is vast and boundless, the emperor’s grace is vast and boundless.”

Watching this scene, Xie Yu suddenly remembered what Ma Bing had said earlier, and a feeling he had never experienced before welled up in his heart.

Was he really satisfied with just a few words?

The old man thought for a while, and by the time the flowers were about to wither, he was still at a loss.

Ma Bing couldn’t help but remind him, “The other day, I heard several families say that someone had been climbing the walls at night to peep inside, which was quite scary. Have you seen anything like that, old man?”

The old man made an “ah” sound, as if he had remembered something, but when he was about to speak, he hesitated again.

Xie Yu then said, “Just speak freely, we’ll ensure your safety.”

The old man looked at him, bit his lip, looked around, and lowered his voice, “Well, I’ll speak, but you mustn’t say it was me who told you.”

Ma Bing and Xie Yu were delighted and nodded together, “Of course.”

The old man led them into the shadow at the base of the wall and pointed to a house at the eastern end of the street, saying, “See that house? The family surnamed Huang used to be quite wealthy, but unfortunately, their descendants were not up to par and gradually declined.

The current head of the household is named Huang Fu, and he’s a gambler and a rogue! He does nothing all day but idles away his time. He caused his father’s death years ago and became even more lawless. A few years back, he caused his mother’s death as well, and then sold off everything in the house that could be sold, and went around causing trouble, even being suspected of theft, though no one ever caught him in the act…

Last year, when I was making my rounds, right here in front of the Zhang family’s house, a person suddenly jumped down from the wall, nearly scaring me to death. That Huang Fu even waved his fists at me!”

At this point, he once again pleaded with them, “I didn’t mean to hide anything, but I was just too scared to confront him…”

Seeking benefits and avoiding harm is human nature. How could an old man deal with a young ruffian?

Ma Bing comforted him, “It’s okay, you can continue.”

The old man then said, “Later, I was also uneasy and paid attention the next day, but since nothing happened to the Zhang family, I gradually forgot about it.”

Xie Yu asked, “Did Huang Fu have any conflict with the Zhang family?”

“Conflict…” The old man pondered for a while, “Not that I’ve heard of, but that fellow is greedy for money and lustful, always doing evil deeds. If you don’t provoke him, he’ll provoke you. It’s unpredictable how he might target someone without reason.”

Greedy for money and lustful?!

What a coincidence! The Zhang family has both talent and beauty!