The last time Song Jian saw the little dirty person was several days ago. He couldn’t be sure whether the little dirty person was the “Lord Yi” that Lin Hechang had mentioned, but this Deputy Prefect of Changning token was real. The little dirty person definitely had some important secret.
And that secret was very likely the key evidence to clear Lin Hechang’s name.
Song Jian was fired up.
Operation Bean Dip is officially underway!
Song Jian first searched the alley where he had seen the little dirty person that day but found no new traces of activity, which meant the little dirty person had not returned since leaving that day.
He stood there with his hands on his hips for a moment, then decided to split up with Chang Ying.
Song Jian: “Whether you find any trace of him or not, meet at the sweet soup stall at a quarter past noon!”
Chang Ying: “Got it, my lord!”
Song Jian turned and walked out of the alley, already forming a little plan in his mind.
He took out a piece of silver from his money pouch and first exchanged it for a long string of copper coins.
A full five hundred copper coins. He weighed the heavy string in his hand, then hung it over his arm and walked toward the first enthusiastic citizen.
“Uncle.” Song Jian slid two copper coins off his arm and handed them over. “Have you seen someone recently? His hair is dirty, his clothes are ragged, his face is grimy, and at first glance, he doesn’t look like he’s from the capital.”
The old man looked at him for a moment, then loudly said, “Huh?! What did you say?!”
Song Jian nearly had his ears blasted deaf.
Damn.
“I SAID! HAVE YOU!”
The old man: “Huh?! HUH?! Young master!! Speak louder!”
Song Jian cupped his hands around his mouth. “I—SAID—”
The old man cupped his hands around his ears. “WHAT—”
“…”
Song Jian fell silent for a moment, put the copper coins into the old man’s palm, and said, “Never mind. You can go.”
The old man: “Oh, alright.”
“…?”
Song Jian suspected Ma Dongmei lived upstairs.1Ma Dongmei (马冬梅) is a reference to the Chinese comedy film Goodbye Mr. Loser (夏洛特烦恼). In one of its most famous scenes, a character repeatedly asks about someone named “Ma Dongmei,” but everyone keeps mishearing the name, turning it into an increasingly absurd back-and-forth.
Rubbing his ears, he looked around and quickly locked onto the next enthusiastic citizen—a landlady cracking melon seeds outside a small inn.
The inn probably hadn’t opened for business yet, and the landlady was chatting merrily with someone next door. “Oh my, you have no idea…”
Song Jian darted over with a whoosh, clutching his copper coins. “Big sister, I’d like to ask if you’ve seen…”
The landlady’s gaze swept over him before he even finished speaking. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she nodded. “I’ve seen him!”
Song Jian: “!”
He quickly handed over the copper coins and described him. “This person has dirty hair, ragged clothes, and a grimy face! He doesn’t look like he’s from the capital!”
The landlady: “Isn’t that so-and-so?”
Song Jian: “Who?”
The landlady smiled at him, her eyes full of admiration and fondness. “You know, so-and-so. The youngest son of Butcher Wu from the west side of the city. He’s dirty all day long and dresses in rags. His father only knows how to slaughter pigs and has no time to look after him.”
She looked Song Jian over from head to toe. “This… young master? My lord? My lord, what do you need him for? Big sister can take you there.”
Song Jian frowned.
The butcher’s family on the west side of the city??
Covering her mouth while smiling, the landlady said, “Judging from your clothes, little lord, you should be from the palace, right? How old are you this year? Are you married? How about big sister…”
Song Jian stuffed another two copper coins into her hand. “Farewell!”
He had already left, but the landlady was still shouting after him.
“Little lord! Little lord! If you ever want to get married, come find me! Big sister will be your matchmaker!”
“Little lord, what’s your name?”
Song Jian waved his hand behind him. “The Pure Desire Giant Cockroach of the Capital!”
Landlady: “?”
In the blink of an eye, the young man had disappeared.
…
What kind of giant cockroach was that?
Carrying a bunch of copper coins, Song Jian questioned people across three streets but still failed to find any trace of the little dirty person. Most people said they had never seen him. Only a small number remembered him but had no idea where he had gone.
That was until Song Jian questioned a storyteller by the roadside.
The man stroked his little goatee and thought for a moment. “Hiss~~ now that you mention it~~~”
Then he stopped talking.
Song Jian handed over two copper coins.
“Now that you really mention it~~~”
Silent again.
Song Jian handed over more.
“The person you’re talking about does sound familiar.”
Another payment.
“I think I’ve seen him.”
Another payment.
“It was not long ago!”
Song Jian looked at him.
The little-goateed man blinked.
Song Jian: “Seriously, bro? Are you a coin-operated machine?”
The little-goateed man hurriedly laughed awkwardly. “No, no. Don’t be anxious, my lord. The person you’re talking about is very likely around Changxi Alley.”
Song Jian handed him a handful of copper coins. “Take me there!”
The little-goateed man accepted the coins decisively. “Let’s go!”
Changxi Alley was only about a quarter of an hour’s walk away, and they arrived very quickly.
One second Song Jian was still talking with the little-goateed man. The next second he stepped into Changxi Alley, and ten pairs of eyes swept toward him at the same time.
Someone viciously shouted, “Boss! Someone’s here to steal our territory!”
Song Jian: “?”
The little-goateed man suddenly shouted, “My grandma’s about to give birth to my father! I’m going to see whether it’s a boy or a girl!”
Before Song Jian could stop him, the little-goateed man had already sprinted away.
“…”
With that kind of speed, he’d probably be able to beg for one more bowl than Song Jian.
Turning back around, Song Jian found himself completely surrounded by ten Beggars’ Sect brothers holding bowls.
“Don’t you know the saying that even a mighty dragon can’t suppress the local snake?!”
“A pretty boy like you could cry for a whole day from one punch!”
Someone whispered, “Boss, but this gentleman looks like he’s from the palace.”
“So what? We, the Ten Winter Melon Brothers, didn’t make our name in the capital for nothing. If you dare steal our territory, then I’ll first…”
Song Jian dropped a handful of copper coins into his bowl.
“…”
The second person said, “I’ll do it!”
Song Jian scooped up another handful. Clatter.
The third person.
Song Jian kept taking handfuls from the string of coins and placing them into each bowl one by one. “There are still over four hundred copper coins left. Line up, and I’ll give them to you.”
The Ten Winter Melon Brothers blankly lined up.
Meanwhile, noon had already passed, and Chang Ying, having found nothing, had just sat down at the sweet soup stall.
He called for two bowls of sweet soup, planning to drink while waiting.
What Chang Ying didn’t expect was that just as he lowered his head to take a sip, he saw his lord approaching with a group of people following behind him.
Those people looked delighted. As soon as they saw him, they clasped their fists and loudly called out, “Brother Chang Ying!”
“Brother Chang Ying!”
“Brother Chang Ying!”
…
Chang Ying heard it ten times in one breath.
Wait?
Song Jian said heroically, “My treat!”
He paid the silver to the sweet soup vendor. “Boss, one bowl for each of them.”
Vendor: “Coming right up~”
Although the payment had already been made, the Ten Winter Melon Brothers were very considerate. Afraid of disturbing the vendor’s business, they didn’t sit at the stall. Instead, they lined up one by one to collect their sweet soup before sitting cross-legged together in a corner.
The eldest of the Winter Melon Brothers was deeply moved. While slurping his sweet soup, he said, “My lords, we really have seen the brother you’re looking for. Three days ago, he fainted from hunger outside Changxi Alley. Old Ninth carried him back.”
Old Ninth was a slightly cross-eyed little beggar who was busy drinking sweet soup.
“Slurp slurp slurp—”
Seeing this, the eldest brother slapped him on the back of the head in exasperation. “Stop drinking!”
Old Ninth: “Cough cough cough cough… bleh… I-I really was the one who carried him back…”
The eldest brother continued, “That brother was extremely cautious. No matter what we asked, he wouldn’t say anything. He also kept protecting his chest and wouldn’t let us get close, so we think…”
Song Jian became serious.
The eldest brother said, “He definitely has a chronic illness in his chest!”
Old Ninth raised one finger, his expression full of wisdom. “Or maybe… he’s a woman!”
Song Jian: “…”
He asked, “Then where did he go after leaving Changxi Alley?”
The Ten Winter Melon Brothers sitting on the ground thought for a moment, then answered in unison,
“The west side of the city.”
Song Jian and Chang Ying exchanged a glance.
The west side of the city.
Today, Butcher Wu’s family wasn’t slaughtering pigs, but pitiful screams as if pigs were being slaughtered still echoed from the courtyard.
Butcher Wu’s youngest son had two streams of snot hanging from his nose as his father chased him around while beating him.
He cried pitifully, “How am I dirty?! How am I dirty?!”
Butcher Wu: “You’re so dirty your reputation has spread across the capital, and you still say you’re not dirty?!”
The little son of the Wu family wailed, “Yesterday I even saw someone dirtier than me!”
Butcher Wu smacked him twice. “You’re still lying?! Lying?! Lying?!”
“Waaahhh! I’m not lying—”
Not far outside Butcher Wu’s house, the lid of a tattered bamboo basket moved.
Before long, the person inside finally crawled out with difficulty. He had hidden for nearly ten hours before the people chasing him finally quieted down.
The Censorate…
The Censorate…
Right, he had to go to the Censorate! He had to hand the account book to the officials in the capital!
Huai Yi limped along the path. Just then, several figures suddenly appeared ahead.
The dark black-and-gold uniforms embroidered with three-clawed pythons looked imposing. The person in front extended a hand toward Huai Yi.
“The Tiancha Division is handling a case. Hand the account book over to us.”
At that moment, Song Jian and Chang Ying had left the sweet soup stall and headed straight for the west side of the city.
He ran at full speed while listening to Chang Ying explain that Long Xiao and Song Feng had both been away on assignments these past two days. Song Jian asked what assignment.
Chang Ying replied, “Looking for an account book that had disappeared in Changning.”
Song Jian paused. “An account book?”
Chang Ying explained further. “The ledger of the river officials’ embezzlement.”
Song Jian suddenly understood.
So the little dirty person’s secret… was very likely that account book?!
Song Jian: “Chang Ying! The account book is with the little dirty person! He’s in danger!!”
The two of them rushed toward the west side of the city. Song Jian silently hoped Long Xiao and the others would find the little dirty person before he and Chang Ying did. However, before long, they ran straight into Long Xiao and Song Feng.
Long Xiao spoke first. “Lord Pang mentioned in his secret letter that the account book was taken by a servant named Huai Yi from the household of Deputy Prefect Yi of Changning. Wu Chang said the person was probably in the west side of the city.”
Wu Chang was the shadow guard in the Tiancha Division who excelled most at tracking, so there was a very high chance he was there.
Song Jian: “Let’s go!”
The west side of the city.
Huai Yi knew about the Tiancha Division. In Great Yan, no one didn’t know of its existence. They were the sharpest claws by His Majesty’s side.
And Huai Yi also remembered those clothes. Back when he had been shoved around and humiliated in the street, someone wearing those exact clothes had helped him. Later, when he had nearly starved to death in the alley, someone dressed the same way had given him half a candied hawthorn skewer.
These people were good people.
These people… could deliver the account book directly to the Emperor.
Huai Yi stepped forward.
His hand reached toward his chest.
“The account book is…”
At the crucial moment, a loud shout suddenly came from somewhere.
“Study New Thought—”
The “Tiancha Division shadow guards” in front of Huai Yi froze for a moment and failed to respond.
Song Jian: “Little dirty person!! Don’t give them the account book!! They’re fakes!!”
The fake “Tiancha Division shadow guards” immediately stiffened upon hearing this and prepared to seize it by force.
Song Jian reacted extremely quickly.
“Throw the account book over here! Give it to me!”
Huai Yi remembered his face.
Huai Yi only knew him.
One of the fake shadow guards viciously shouted, “If you don’t want to die, hand over the account book!”
Shaking his head, Huai Yi quickly backed away several steps, then turned around and threw the account book toward Song Jian.
Seeing this, the fake shadow guards lunged toward Song Jian.
“Hand it over!!”
With a ‘chua’, Song Jian snatched it up. Hugging the account book, he scampered up a tree like a monkey and bared his teeth in a grin.
“Oh my, I thought no one wanted this account book since it was lying on the ground.”
Five or six fake shadow guards leaped toward Song Jian, but before they could touch even a single hair on his head, several figures suddenly shot out from the side. Each of them kicked out with one foot, landing squarely in their faces.
“Ahhh!!!”
Several people screamed as they fell from midair.
Only the leader was agile enough to land on the same tree branch where Song Jian was squatting.
Song Jian faced this Six-Eared Macaque2The Six-Eared Macaque is a mythological demon from Journey to the West (西游记), known for its ability to perfectly mimic others and create confusion even among those close to the real Sun Wukong. head-on. Tilting his head, he said,
“I’m a member of the Communist Youth League.”3The Communist Youth League is a real youth organization in China associated with political education and civic identity.
The Six-Eared Macaque: “?”
“Patriotism, dedication, integrity… and friendliness depending on the situation.”
“You aren’t patriotic, you aren’t dedicated, and you aren’t honest.”
“So…”
Supporting himself with one hand, Song Jian smoothly kicked out with both legs.
Bang!
The Six-Eared Macaque was kicked flying.
Song Jian smiled brightly and waved.
“Bye-bye~”
You can read the full completed story here with instant full access. ✨
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notyetdead On BF Chapter 12