Chapter 242: Unintentional Great Achievements

Qingzhou was one of the nine ancient provinces mentioned in “Yu Gong,” and the “Rites of Zhou” also referred to it as “the region due east.” Times had changed; although Qingzhou remained a large city, it was slightly inferior to Jinan Prefecture. For Xiao Wu, who had spent a long time in Nanjing and Beijing, everything was new—new people everywhere. Coupled with the resentment in her heart, making her feel dissatisfied with everything she did, she simply spent her days wandering outside. Du Wan knew she was clever and resourceful, so she left her alone.

“Look at these cosmetics! San Tao Wu Cheng ensures even coverage—essential items for young ladies and married women!”
“Fresh fruits! If they’re not sweet, you don’t have to pay!”
“Chen San’s plasters—whether for external or internal injuries, they’ll cure you!”
“Cui Hu Ji’s fresh mutton—everyone, come and try it!”

The entire street along the government courtyard was filled with various stalls and shops, making it the most bustling place in Qingzhou Prefecture. Dressed in a silver gauze top and a plain silk skirt, with no jewelry on her head except three small buns, she looked like an ordinary young lady, yet she wandered aimlessly from stall to stall. There were many trying to take advantage of her, but she was as slippery as a loach—how could they get close to her?

After walking from end to end, she was drenched in sweat and her face slightly red. Standing in front of a bracelet stall, she couldn’t help touching the sandalwood prayer beads on her wrist, recalling the deceased Monk Daoyan, and tears streamed down her face. The stall owner, busy with his business, suddenly saw a pretty girl standing in front of his stall looking so sorrowful, which gave him a severe headache. He wasn’t relieved until the girl stopped crying and left.

After crying once, Xiao Wu lost interest in everything. She wandered around carelessly all morning. As the sun rose higher, she found a random restaurant, sat down, and ordered a bowl of noodles. Because of her beauty, many people stared at her as soon as she sat down, and some whispered behind her back.

At that moment, three customers at the table next to her suddenly started discussing the major case in Le’an and criticizing the officials in the prefectural and county governments. At first, Xiao Wu was distracted, but when they mentioned Zhang Yue, she became interested and pricked up her ears to listen carefully.

“Ever since Han Wang arrived in Shandong, life here has never been peaceful! First, he seized over a dozen wealthy households in Qingzhou, then he was assassinated, and now someone has stolen prisoners. Thankfully, he was reassigned to Le’an; otherwise, the people of Qingzhou would be in trouble.”
“The price of salt has dropped by 20% recently. It’s said our prefect and Lord Zhang jointly submitted a petition. Two months ago, the salt production in the salt fields of Shouguang in Le’an doubled. Incidentally, salt sold privately has also become much cheaper…”
“Now only three days remain. It’s unclear if the authorities have any plans. If those officials simply brush this matter aside, everything will be ruined, and no one will be willing to implement good governance in the future. The prefect really should have sent Lord Zhang to pacify the people instead. Even if the folks in the countryside stay calm, it’s useless if crimes aren’t solved!”
“What do you know? The authorities are afraid that commoners will all rush in and cause chaos. Haven’t you heard what those peasants who came to the city say? Lord Zhang is amazing—wherever he goes, it rains. He’s even more miraculous than the Thunder God! Have you seen the Thunder God resolve cases? He should be the one to execute those heartless scoundrels in the countryside!”
Hearing this last sentence, Xiao Wu couldn’t help but chuckle. The three men talking saw her laugh and were overjoyed, thinking they had amused her, so they showed off their knowledge even more. Xiao Wu listened to them smilingly for a long time, spending half an hour eating a bowl of noodles before finally tossing in a few copper coins and leaving.
As soon as she stepped outside, a man with a pointed face rushed after her, smiling eagerly, “Looking at you, you don’t seem to be from around here. How about I act as your guide? I know which inns and houses are cheap in Qingzhou city…”
Glancing at him, she saw he was dressed in a brown cloth shirt, with sharp, shrewd eyes. Having spent time in the streets, Xiao Wu guessed what kind of business he was in just by glancing at his waist and chest, but she didn’t reveal it. Instead, she said with a smile that she wanted to go to the government office. Hearing this, the man hesitated, but seeing that she was a single woman, he insisted on accompanying her. Xiao Wu was too lazy to deal with this persistent guy, so she let him follow. When they passed by Dusi Street, she suddenly recognized a familiar figure ahead and hurried after them.
“Miss, that’s the Dusi Yamen, not the government office!”

Xiao Wu paid no attention to the noise behind her and quickly turned into Dusi Street. Seeing the figure in green clothes ahead head straight into the Dusi Yamen, she grew even more puzzled. She hurried forward a few steps and peeked into the main gate.

Two soldiers were guarding the entrance. One of them glanced at Xiao Wu and shouted, “Girl, do you think you can just peek inside the Dusi Yamen? Get lost quickly, or else you’ll end up in jail!”

Xiao Wu quickly thought of a plan. She pretended to be ignorant and asked, “Sir officers, may I ask who just went in? He seems like a relative of mine.”

“A relative? Do you have such a respectable relative?” The thin soldier on the left glanced at her, seeing that she was dressed like an ordinary girl from a humble family. He laughed loudly and said, “That man even treats our Commander Liu with respect. How could he be your relative? You must be crazy after all this desire for wealth. Leave now—there’s no one here you’re looking for!”

Xiao Wu stood there thoughtfully for a moment, trying to recall the figure she had seen. It seemed impossible. After much deliberation, she walked around the entrance of the Dusi Yamen a few more times before returning to the street corner. Seeing that the lecherous man who had followed her was still there, she smirked and said, “I’m going to the prefect’s office now. Will you still accompany me?”

That lecherous man was a local thug nicknamed Iron Rooster. He was good at cheating foreigners. He had already been deterred by Xiao Wu’s shrewdness earlier, but thinking that he had just acquired a country girl that morning and could pair her with her to sell for a good price, and having medicine and a dagger on him, he wasn’t afraid of her tricks. He gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll see this through to the end. Since I’ve promised, I’ll definitely escort the girl to her destination.”

Qingzhou Prefecture was quite large, with roads leading in all directions. Iron Rooster tried every trick to take detours, but Xiao Wu wandered here and there, eventually leaving him confused. If it weren’t for her unmistakable soft southern accent, he would have thought she wasn’t a foreigner at all. After going in a big circle, he found himself on Chunshui Street behind the prefect’s office. While Xiao Wu was wandering around that back entrance, he took the opportunity to buy a large bowl of tofu pudding from a vendor and secretly added medicine to it.

As he stepped forward ready to approach and start a conversation, he suddenly saw a man as tall as an iron tower coming out of the back courtyard. Xiao Wu went straight up to talk to him, as if they were very familiar with each other. At that moment, even if he were slow to understand, he knew he had chosen the wrong person. He quickly turned to leave, but after taking a few steps, someone grabbed him by the collar.

“Miss Xiao Wu, do you think this man is a kidnapper?”

“That’s right. He kept trying to get information from me along the way. Once he found out I was alone and coming to Qingzhou, he started being overly friendly. There must be something up his sleeve! Also, his waist is bulging. I deliberately bumped into him just now and found it wasn’t coins or silver—probably nothing good. He’s hiding a hard object in his chest, most likely a weapon. Brother Hu Qi, you must take him to the county office and interrogate him thoroughly. Give him dozens of lashes so he suffers a bit—then he’ll surely confess everything!”

That miser never expected Xiao Wu to spot where he was hiding the important item at a glance. He was instantly terrified. Seeing Hu Qi nod, he dragged him into the back door of the county office. He finally realized he had been caught. With a long record of crimes, he didn’t dare risk going into the lion’s den. Remembering what that young man he had met earlier had said, he hurriedly pleaded, “Sir, please be merciful! I didn’t recognize who she was and offended her by mistake! I have important information to report to you. If you report it, I’ll surely be rewarded. Please release me—I have an 80-year-old mother at home…”

Hearing the word “reward,” Hu Qi stopped in his tracks, and Xiao Wu also stared at him suspiciously. Realizing they were now in a narrow passage inside the county office and still held by someone by the collar, the miser swallowed hard and whispered, “Sir, the authorities are investigating the case in Le’an. I heard about a hideout they’re hiding in. If you release me…”

Before he could finish, Hu Qi released his collar with a shake but immediately grabbed his clothes at the chest and asked sternly, “Is this true? If you dare lie even a little, I’ll send you to the torture room and skin you alive!”

Feeling the immense force on his chest, the miser was terrified and suddenly regretted his actions. Just as he was about to bluff his way through, Xiao Wu suddenly interjected, “How could a minor like you know such important information? Brother Hu Qi, people like this won’t cry until they see death. You need to torture him thoroughly to get the truth about where he got the information. Otherwise, he’ll deceive us again!”

At this moment, the miser was extremely regretful, cursing himself in silence for provoking this little girl—it was tantamount to seeking death. He had initially hoped it was just empty threats, but when Hu Qi dragged him straight to the prison in the government office, gave an order to a burly official, and saw that official pick up a pair of clubs and throw them on the ground, his last glimmer of hope vanished entirely.
“Sir, please spare my life! I just stole a girl from a peasant family this morning. She said she had important news to report to Lord Zhang, claiming to know who committed the crime in Le’an! I thought she was nonsense and didn’t take it seriously!” Seeing Hu Qi’s skeptical expression and the official approaching with the clubs, he was terrified and shouted, “That girl said her name is Xi Er, and she’s met Lord Zhang before!”
Hearing this, Hu Qi was shocked. He grabbed the miser by the hair and pressed him for details. Once he learned where the person was hidden and other specifics, he immediately ordered the official to keep an eye on the miser and rushed out. Seeing Xiao Wu still peeking at the prison door, he went over and slapped her shoulder hard.
“Good job, girl! You’ve really helped a lot this time! I’m going to report this to the lord right away!”