Chapter 728: Human Lives Are at Stake

The main hall was the key place for handling official duties and trials, while the second hall served as a venue for preliminary case reviews and rest. The third hall was often referred to as the back hall or auxiliary hall, acting as the boundary between the interior and exterior of the yamen. All meetings with higher-ranking officials, hearings of confidential cases, and even meetings with subordinates took place here. The third hall in the Guangdong Provincial Yamen consisted of three old-looking tile-roofed buildings facing south. Next to the large desk in the middle room stood two rosewood armchairs, flanked by eight armchairs each with backrests and footrests. There were also a few paintings on the walls, along with a large plaque hanging above the desk, featuring the characters “Mirror” in golden letters on a black background.

At the mention of “human lives are at stake,” Zhang Yue immediately ordered the person to be brought in. When he saw the person kneeling respectfully in the third hall, he noticed their sweaty appearance and plump figure but couldn’t recall them from before. However, he remembered the name of Chu’s Company from the invitation and knew they had been of great help in previous trade matters. So he nodded to signal them to stand up and gestured for them to sit.

“Sir, I dare to ask for an audience today because I’m at my wits’ end.”

Although the doors of the back hall were open, it was still stuffy. Chu, who usually carried a large banana leaf fan, didn’t dare bring it along. Plus, after coming all the way from the provincial yamen, he was drenched in sweat, with drops rolling down from the sides of his forehead. After saying that, he calmed himself down slightly and bowed again, saying, “That Qiu Jiuniang, who was released from the case of illegally taking people abroad after the investigation, makes a living selling snacks in Huangpu Town. I thought her skills were good, so I recommended her for a job as a cook at Caiyun Building. It was supposed to be a good thing, but this morning, she came to me covered in wounds, saying she had stumbled upon the whereabouts of some abducted people and was pursued, almost losing her life!”

“Such a thing actually happened!”

Zhang Yue was both shocked and angry, his brows furrowing tightly. The reason he hadn’t investigated that case thoroughly before was due to a lack of manpower and various obstacles as a new official. Acting rashly might alert the culprits. He thought that since a warning had already been given, everyone would likely restrain themselves for now, and he could deal with it once he had more time. Moreover, he had instructed the mayor of Huangpu Town and others to take care of Jiuniang. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he immediately asked, “Where is she now?”

Chu Fatty had helped Jiu Niang once before, thinking that such an ordinary girl ending up in the hands of the new provincial governor was strange, so he helped her escape, hoping she might be useful in the future. But what happened this morning really scared him. Soon after, someone arrogantly left a threatening note at his door, turning his initial reluctance to meddle into anger at being dismissed. Hearing Zhang Yue’s question, he immediately realized Zhang Yue wanted to intervene and was overjoyed.

“She’s in the guest house at my place. I know it’s none of my business, but a decent girl was stabbed in the back. Luckily, she found my shop in Huangpu Town. The staff there were quick-witted and brought her out right away, and a doctor was called promptly. The doctor said if it had been a little further, she would have spent the rest of her life in bed. I just settled her in the guest house when someone came by with a note, claiming they were hunting for a runaway slave from a noble family and demanding I expel her immediately…”

“Stop talking. Take me to see her now!”

Chu Fatty thought Zhang Yue wanted to meet her and was prepared to go back, but he wasn’t expecting Zhang Yue to make the effort to meet her in person. He agreed hastily in surprise. Since Zhang Yue instructed him to park his carriage at the back door, he didn’t dare disobey. After arriving at the back door and waiting for a while, he saw Zhang Yue come out wearing plain clothes with two attendants, getting into his carriage with a stern expression, while the two attendants mounted horses.

Along the way, Chu Fatty tried to start a conversation, but after several attempts, he gave up under Zhang Yue’s stern gaze. It wasn’t until they entered his guest house through the back door and he escorted Zhang Yue inside, seeing both attendants follow in, that he finally stood by the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking of the arrogant words that person had said when they came by this morning, he couldn’t help but sneer.

Though that person’s words were harsh, they left a note and hid, clearly a local. There are few locals with such audacity. Times change—those three families rose just in the past decade. Do they really think Guangdong belongs to them? As for backing, with their reckless behavior, there’s no backing in the world that can’t collapse!

Although it was a secondary residence of a merchant family, it shouldn’t have had silk fabrics adorned with gold and silver. Yet when Zhang Yue entered, he saw gold-embossed screens and silver-threaded bamboo curtains, and even the curtains on the large mother-of-pearl bed in the inner room were made of silk. At that moment, he had no time to pay attention to such extravagances. He noticed a young girl who, upon seeing him, rushed to the bed and shouted anxiously. His attention immediately shifted to the woman who was turning her head away.

“M-Master?”

Jiuniang never expected Zhang Yue to come in person. She stared at him for a while, then awkwardly raised her hand to rub her eyes. Only then did she realize she hadn’t mistaken him—tears nearly streamed down her face. She squeezed her eyes tightly to suppress the sourness in her throat. Seeing Zhang Yue sit down on a chair by the bed, she instinctively pleaded, “Master, please save them! Only you can save them now!”

“Don’t rush. Speak slowly.”

Jiuniang then realized she had been too hasty. As soon as she stopped, she felt a sharp pain in her back and instinctively gripped the bedding tightly. After a while, she managed to recount what had happened the previous night in fragments.

It turned out that at that time, Caiyun Tower had just closed, but since the night market in the town hadn’t ended, she went to set up her snack stall as usual to earn more money. She happened to have a customer order food for delivery, so she personally packed it and delivered it. On her way back, she took a shortcut and happened to see several carriages parked in front of a secluded house in the north of the town.

She saw several people wearing black cloth covers on their heads getting pushed into the house. Not daring to make a sound, she overheard a few words and thought of her own past experience of being kidnapped. In panic, she ran away. If not for being discovered, she might have lost her life. Fortunately, she had once been to Chu Pangzi’s shop, where the two employees were kind-hearted, and they helped her escape the town.

After saying this, ignoring the pain in her back, she suddenly sat up and knelt down, knocking her head several times heavily. “Master, when Lord Xiong handled my case, I heard that he later raided that wicked woman’s house. Thanks to your kindness, people were sent to bring back all the children from good families who had been kidnapped. But now, more people are suffering! I’ve heard that those sold to foreign lands suffer even worse than pets. Please show mercy and save them again!”

“So, since they already know you saw them, even if we rush over now, we might not catch them in the act?” Hearing this, Jiu Niang was momentarily stunned. She had always been gentle on the outside but strong inside, and she hated to see injustice. Having almost ended up abroad herself, she naturally couldn’t stand by while others fell into the same trap. But upon further thought, she realized no one would leave those people there after the secret was exposed, so a sad expression appeared on her face. “If only I had known earlier… Just a little earlier would have helped. If they all go out to sea, they might never return…” “Though you’re a woman, you can put yourself in others’ shoes. Even after being seriously injured, you still think of others—this is truly admirable.” Seeing this young woman biting her lips and clenching her fists, Zhang Yue felt deep admiration. He immediately stood up. “Don’t worry. The wind direction isn’t right now, so they can’t set sail for a while. Although the place is likely empty now, there must be some clues left. Tell me where the house is, and I’ll send people to investigate. It’s just one night—there’s no way they can escape to Guangdong! Even if they do, I’ll send people to track them down!” Jiu Niang had already been overjoyed that Zhang Yue was willing to take care of this matter. Hearing that he promised to see it through, she felt relieved and nodded unconsciously. She hesitantly described the place she had seen the previous night. When Zhang Yue turned to leave, she couldn’t help but remind him, “Sir, the two men who brought me here yesterday said these people have been doing this for days, and there must be someone powerful backing them. I know you’re an honest official, but please be careful.” Zhang Yue, who had already reached the door, stopped in his tracks. Turning back, he saw Jiu Niang supporting herself on the edge of the carved bed, her clear eyes fixed on him. He smiled gently. “Just focus on recovering. Don’t worry about anything else.” As he stepped out with a smile, his expression darkened immediately. When Niu Gan and Zhang Bu came forward to lift the curtain, he stepped outside just in time to see Chu Pangzi pacing back and forth. Remembering Jiu Niang’s warning, he naturally didn’t think this seemingly honest fat man was purely well-intentioned, so he cleared his throat softly. “Sir, you’re out!” Chu Pangzi rushed over with a forced smile. Glancing at Zhang Yue’s expression, he whispered, “Let Jiu Niang stay here with me for treatment. I’ll definitely hire the best doctors and use the best medicine…”

“Do you know the saying, ‘Those who show undue kindness have ulterior motives—either they’re thieves or villains’?” Zhang Yue suddenly interrupted Chu the Fat man. Seeing his extremely awkward expression, he forced a smile and waved his hand, saying, “There’s no need to explain to this office. Back when we handled the grain distribution, you followed my father’s advice—that alone is enough as a favor. If there’s anything, just speak plainly; no need for circumlocutions, hints, or wordplay. Like what Jiu Niang mentioned today—do you really know nothing about these local troublemakers?”
Under Zhang Yue’s pressure, Chu the Fat man’s forehead broke out in beads of sweat, and his hands clasped tightly together unconsciously. After a while, he forced a smile and said, “It was my fault for harboring such messy thoughts. This business of selling people abroad has been going on for days and days. It was most rampant in eastern Fujian, and somehow it spread to Guangdong. Especially in Qiongzhou Prefecture, where many families are so poor that they willingly sell their children. Once a contract of sale is signed, who cares whether the person is sold to a good family or to foreigners? As for the person who harmed Jiu Niang last night, I truly don’t know who they are. But please forgive my boldness—since you took office, who else has such bold backing?”
After leaving Chu’s residence by carriage, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but ponder deeply. Having arrived recently, he had used others to replace the eunuch in charge of trade, leveraged this to win over the military and judicial officials, and used a divide-and-conquer strategy among merchants—pressuring some while winning over others. Logically, those grain merchants who suffered heavy losses in the grain trade, or those human traffickers who were hesitant to act, shouldn’t dare to be so reckless at such a time. Chu the Fat man’s implication was clearly that there was someone powerful behind this, but who else in Guangdong could be so influential that he didn’t know about them? There were no military governors or commanders here yet—so who could it be?
Unable to figure it out right away, Zhang Yue didn’t want to waste more brainpower. Halfway there, he found a secluded place to stop. Since Niu Gan and Zhang Bu only had two horses, he sent Niu Gan back first, ignoring the grumbling man, and took Zhang Bu to Wu’an Street in Yaozhou, west of the city. He entered through the back door and, as soon as he saw Zhang Qian, explained everything that had happened that day in detail. As expected, Zhang Qian also frowned deeply.

“How can a great nation like ours sell its own people to foreign countries? This matter must be investigated!” With these resolute words, Zhang Qian fell into deep thought. Finally, he nodded and said, “Very well, leave this matter to me. Although the Jinyiwei is not under my command now, since they are under the East Factory’s control, they should at least show me some respect—after all, Lu Feng is my disciple. I’ll send someone to the Jinyiwei; as they are local authorities, investigating such a matter should be a piece of cake. Human lives are at stake; such evil must be stopped!”
With Zhang Qian’s words, Zhang Yue was relieved of his concern. Even if Yuan Fang were here, it would likely be impossible for him to dispatch troops from the Jinyiwei station in Guangzhou easily—only the East Factory, which stood above the Jinyiwei, had such power. And since Zhang Qian was an elder of the East Factory, it would take just one word to make things happen. With such an easy solution and Zhang Qian’s sense of justice, only a fool would refuse it.
After discussing things further with Zhang Qian, Zhang Yue took his leave, finally able to return to his office in peace. He entered through the back door and instructed Zhang Bu to take care of the horses. After thinking for a moment, he also told him to find a suitable spot near the Chu family’s guest house to keep an eye on who came and went. After finishing these tasks, he was about to go inside when a rider rushed over in a hurry. Dropping the reins and dismounting, it was Peng Shisan. Zhang Bu stepped forward and greeted Peng Shisan as his master, then brought over another horse before leaving.
The two of them talked as they entered the Moon Gate on the east side. An observant old woman came up to them with a smile, bowed, and exclaimed loudly, “Third young master, there’s news from inside—Peng’s wife is pregnant!”
The mention of Peng’s wife left Zhang Yue stunned for a while. It wasn’t until Peng Shisan rushed past him like the wind that he remembered who she referred to, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
Peng Shisan, having achieved his goal this time, was just like Zhang Fu, who hadn’t had children until he was in his forties.