This was my third time seeing Xi Hua.
She hadn't seemed to change her posture at all, still tilting her head back, staring blankly at the small window high up in the cell. There was nothing in the cell she could move to use as a footstool, so given her height, it was impossible for her to see the scenery outside. In truth, looking out from that window revealed nothing more than a narrow corridor; there wasn't even a decent tree in sight.
I didn't have the heart to tell her that.
Slowly, I arranged several newly brought pastries from the food box onto the table. The pastries I had brought last time were still sitting there exactly as I had left them. It seemed she hadn't touched a single bite. Not just those—according to the head jailer, she had barely eaten the prison rations either.
My heart felt heavy. This time, I had to get her testimony. The answer was already on the tip of my tongue; all that was needed now was her identification of the culprit. I knew that before I arrived, the court clerks had already made their routine visit, and Xi Hua had still refused to say a word.
I wondered if I should give her some "strong medicine."
How should I phrase it?
Xi Hua likely recognized it was me from the sound of the plates being set down. She turned her head with great effort and gave me a look filled with complex emotions.
I pointed to the pastries on the table and forced a smile. "These are all things you like."
She glanced at them, her lip curling slightly, and resumed her expression of cold indifference.
"After I deliver these this time, I won't be able to come anymore," I said, intentionally pausing. As expected, Xi Hua’s gaze fell earnestly upon my face. I smiled and continued, "He has already promised to let me go home. Once I leave here, my deed of sale will be returned to me. Take good care of yourself in the future."
A flicker of tension suddenly crossed her features.
Noticing her expression, I asked casually, "What's wrong?"
"Did he... give you anything to eat?" she asked suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. I froze for a moment as a thought flashed through my mind like lightning. I blurted out, "The night the Second Young Master died, why did you faint in the woods?"
Because I was facing her directly, I clearly saw her pupils contract sharply, and her entire body recoiled. Then, she lowered her head, her shoulders trembling.
"Furthermore, you don't dare eat the food he sends..." My own hands began to shake uncontrollably. A chill spread from the soles of my feet to my heart, and I heard my own voice trembling. "You're afraid, aren't you? You're afraid of him..."
Xi Hua’s shoulders shook more and more violently, until she looked as if she could no longer remain seated. I took the opportunity to pull her into my arms, letting her lean against me. "He sent me to see you, and you're afraid he'll silence me too because of it, aren't you? If that's the case, why won't you tell the officials?"
She didn't speak, only sobbing softly.
"I'm leaving this place anyway. I'll tell you the truth: the high officials have already guessed it was the Eldest Young Master," I said, intentionally adding weight to my words. "They went back to the Second Young Master's study yesterday. The Eldest Young Master knows the officials have begun to suspect him, so..." I pointed to the pastries on the table and made a mysterious, ominous gesture.
She gasped, her eyes widening as she looked at me, tears falling in torrents.
"You... don't believe me?" I felt a bit uncertain. Had my acting been too over-the-top?
Xi Hua gripped my hand tightly; the girl had quite a bit of strength. Just as I was about to pull my hand away, her words struck me, leaving me momentarily paralyzed. She said, shivering, "That day... it was him... he killed the Second Master, and then he turned to kill me... I... I ran out... I only wanted to find a place to hide so he couldn't find me..."
She was shaking so hard that I was affected by it, my own body beginning to tremble incessantly.
"I'm going to call the officials; let's confess," I said, shaking her hand firmly. "Xi Hua, you still have a child. Why let yourself be silenced by him without a sound? This child... do you really not care for its sake?"
Xi Hua continued to tremble, but she couldn't get a single word out.
"This poor child, its father already doesn't want it, and if you, the mother..." These were lines I had prepared before entering the prison, but as I spoke them, somehow, my own tears began to flow.
Xi Hua’s hand gently pressed against her abdomen, the expression on her face shifting rapidly. However, her waist slowly, intentionally or not, straightened. Something about her seemed different.
I watched her with concern.
Xi Hua slowly stood up.
She looked at the plates of pastries on the table with a cold, grim expression. Suddenly, with a sweep of her hand, she knocked all the plates and bowls to the floor. The sudden movement startled me, and I instinctively recoiled. When I looked up again, Xi Hua had lunged at the cell bars, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Lord Luo! I want to see Lord Luo!"
***
Xi Hua confessed.
When it came down to it, it was nothing more than a predictable tale of wealthy family grievances. After the old master of the Yun family passed away, the family business was handed over to his two sons. The eldest, Yun Liao, was rather indolent. Over the years, the core of the business gradually shifted to the second son, Yun Jin. The Old Lady and the shareholders increasingly felt that Yun Jin was a natural talent for commerce, and his status in the family grew more important. At this point, Yun Liao became envious, feeling that Yun Jin was monopolizing power and seizing the entire family estate. This was the primary motive.
Yun Jin had not yet married and only had the maid Xi Hua by his side. Driven by some twisted impulse, Yun Liao took advantage of Yun Jin's absence to drug Xi Hua and violate her. Xi Hua never dared to tell anyone until Yun Liao tried to take advantage of her again, at which point she told him she was pregnant.
Naturally, Yun Liao had no intention of keeping the child.
I had been secretly speculating: had he violated Xi Hua to strike at Yun Jin emotionally? Because Yun Jin took great care of Xi Hua; having no sister of his own, he had always treated her like one.
On the night of the incident, Yun Jin, who was supposed to be at a meeting with the shareholders, returned early. He happened to catch Yun Liao forcing Xi Hua to drink an abortifacient. Yun Liao’s foul deeds were exposed, and an argument ensued. Yun Jin insisted on telling the Old Lady so she could give Xi Hua a proper, legitimate status. Yun Liao knew his standing with the Old Lady was already inferior to Yun Jin’s, so he refused at all costs.
The argument grew more heated. As Yun Jin turned to go find the Old Lady, a desperate and enraged Yun Liao grabbed an iron hammer from behind... When he turned his murderous gaze toward Xi Hua, she finally snapped out of her shock and fled blindly into the woods, eventually fainting by the wall.
One should truly thank the moonless night; the world was shrouded in darkness, which prevented Yun Liao from discovering Xi Hua where she lay unconscious in the thicket.
When Xi Hua leaned against me, using the last of her strength to press her thumbprint onto the confession, Luo Jin and I locked eyes. I saw an irrepressible look of admiration in his gaze.
But Xi Hua didn't see it; her eyes were closed, as if she were utterly exhausted. For her safety, she remained in the women's prison for the time being, but as a witness rather than a suspect, her treatment would be different. Luo Jin even sent an older maidservant from his own household to look after her.
As Luo Jin and I walked out of the women's prison, we saw the maidservant—a woman with a kind and gentle face. She was handling the routine procedures with the head jailer. Luo Jin gave her several instructions, all of which she accepted readily.
"Why was she unwilling to speak at first?" I asked Luo Jin, puzzled. "Was she still holding onto some illusion regarding Yun Liao?"
Luo Jin shook his head. "Likely because... she had been under threat for so long that the very idea of resisting him had been extinguished."
If that were the case, then one truly had to thank this unborn child. If the child's existence hadn't been threatened, leaving her with nowhere to hide, would she have been brave enough to stand up and protect herself?
No wonder there is a saying: *Women are weak, but mothers are strong.*
A heavy sun slowly slid toward the west. I walked silently beside Luo Jin for a while. Perhaps because of Xi Hua, I suddenly felt a wave of emotion.
"I wonder if there are any other roles women can fulfill besides being a wife or a mother?" I looked up and asked Luo Jin earnestly.
My question seemed to make him want to laugh, but seeing my serious expression, he held it back. He answered solemnly, "In the palace, some women from noble families serve as female officials. Additionally, it seems some clever women know how to conduct business."
I couldn't do any of those things. I lowered my head, feeling a bit discouraged.
What was I capable of? I only knew things within my own professional scope. By the standards of this time and place, I was only suited to be... a constable!
I was so stunned by this thought that I couldn't speak for a long time.
Though in my heart I had always considered myself a police officer, this was the first time I had so clearly defined the direction of my efforts.
Luo Jin looked at me strangely.
I asked him haltingly, "Uncle Luo, how old is the youngest constable in the Ministry of Justice?"
Luo Jin thought for a moment. "Eighteen."
I asked again, "If someone's qualifications are exceptionally outstanding, can the age requirement be relaxed?"
Luo Jin said without thinking, "Of course."
A surge of wild joy hit my heart. My hands instinctively reached out to grab his sleeve. "Then, do I meet the criteria?"
Luo Jin’s expression looked as if he had been struck by a club. His mouth hung open for a long time without a sound. His reaction dampened my good mood instantly. "Didn't you just say so yourself? Those with outstanding qualifications can have the age requirement lowered."
Luo Jin finally regained his senses, and this time it was his turn to stammer. "Third Miss... Miss Wu Chao... Wu Chao, listen to me. I know you like these strange and unusual matters, and you are indeed very clever, which is why I always ask for your help... but..."
"But what?" His words caused the hope that had just been ignited to begin flickering out.
"But you are a woman, after all, and a lady of an official's house. How could you be a constable?" He seemed to have fully recovered his wits, his speech becoming more fluent. "You have no idea how dangerous being a constable is. Besides, you often get very dirty and look quite unseemly..."
Did he think he was scaring a child? I gave him a dissatisfied glare. "I knew all that already."
He looked at me with great distress. From his expression, I knew he felt he had invited a massive amount of trouble upon himself. This look made me angry. "Am I not more capable than your other constables? I even know martial arts. Your ordinary constables can't beat me at all."
He shook his head. "It's no use. I've never heard of a woman being a constable. In the history of the Kingdom of Yantian, there has never been such a precedent."
I bypassed his argument and asked, "Then tell me, how *can* I become a constable?"
Luo Jin thought seriously for a moment and said, half-jokingly, "First, your father must agree. Second, your husband's family must agree. Most importantly—the Emperor must agree. If you truly want to be the first female constable of Yantian, it would be best to ask His Majesty to grant you that little bit of special privilege..."
My eyes instantly lit up.
***
