37. The child in your belly isn't my husbands
The message was unexpected and disturbing. Someone was interested in an old case that shouldn't be disturbed. It had been reported back then that no one would question the cause of death, after all the physician had reported the death as suicide. There was no reason to believe something else had happened, or so it had been said by those who had dealt with this loose end. Looking out over the courtyard, the master considered the consequences and how to deal with this crises. Confirmation was needed, but not possible within the time that was left to resolve this matter swiftly. And a swift resolution was needed with the current movements on the border. Soon Nuo Hu would make his last movements before they would be able to gain control of the border. Frustration and anger rose within the masters heart, Huang had dealt with this back then, he should resolve it now. An order was shouted and then the master waited for the called messenger.
"Tell Huang to make sure the ancient case remains ancient. Also let him use the situation of his niece to drive a wedge between Prince Qi, the consort Princess Qi and the emperor. He should know what to do. Tell him failure is not an option and will be punished accordingly."
Days passed and the signs the emperor and Yan were receiving turned grim. The rebels at the border seemed to be getting stronger and the attacks of the different groups followed each other quickly, resulting in great losses for the army located at the border. Yan was preparing to send a troupe of soldiers to the border, which took up most of his time. He and Su still made sure they accompanied each other as much as they could, which meant that Su sometimes came to the army camp. But she had also regained her confidence and now was working on the education of the junior detectives and reviewing and solving difficult cases. The display at the palace and the continued display of an united front did have its desired effect and no more offers for daughters becoming concubines had been brought. Except one, at that time Yan and Su had been seated in one of the gardens and where enjoying a light make out session, seated close together, caressing and kissing each other leisurely. They asked Liu to show the lady in but when the lady and her daughter were standing in front of them Yan took his time in ending the kiss they were sharing. When he did finally release Su, she turned to the lady and asked what her purpose was in coming. "Your Highness, I wish to offer my daughter's services to you. She can surely satisfy Prince Qi, now you won't be able to." At which point Su turned to Yan and asked: "Are you dissatisfied my dear?" Yan who had been watching the lady in contempt, answered: "No, my dear, I am very satisfied with you." To emphasize this he kissed her hand. Su smiled lovingly at him and then told the lady: "It seems we have no need of the services of your daughter, please leave." And then she turned back to Yan intend on continuing to enjoy their time together. Liu escorted the ladies to the gate.
News of the strained collaboration between the two ministers of trade made it's way to the Qi mansion by letter from Shuomo and through court. It wasn't a complete stop, but the minister of Liang was getting frustrated by the time it took his counterpart to give information or make decisions. What also irked was the insistence for new negotiations on points that had already been discussed and agreed upon. This added to unofficial reports of nefarious dealings at the border made the emperor nervous. There were no official reports though. The source of the unofficial reports was Xin, who in her letters to the emperor or Pei Zhu as she thought he was named, she spoke of unknown people trying to get people in the border town to sell to Beirong at lower prices and greater quantities. Even her own father had been contacted, he'd refused. This all was not good and the emperor felt he would soon have someone investigate this border town officially. But before he could do that he had to deal with an unexpected and unwanted guest.
"Your majesty." Su bowed after the eunuch had let her into the office of the emperor.
"Please rise, my sister-in-law. I've summoned you and my brother. Where is he."
"He is at the army camp. I'm sure the summons hasn't yet reached him or he is on his way."
"I would prefer not to wait any longer and I am sure you are able to help me with this guest that came to the palace today. Eunuch Li, please show her in." It was clear to Su that the emperor wanted this case taken care of and Su was curious to see what the matter was. "Oh Su Ci, please take a seat. Take care not to get too tired." Gratefully Su sat down on a chair the emperor indicated. Eunuch Li opened the door and a young beautiful woman stepped in. "Eunuch Li, please leave us. No on is to enter except for my brother." The emperor ordered. Su took in the woman who seemed sure of herself. Curious to hear her story and what she could help the emperor with Su waited for the Emperor to start, which he promptly did, after eunuch Li had closed the door: "Detective Su, this is miss Huang. She came here with this letter from her uncle, with whom she lives as both her parents are dead. I would like you to investigate this case. After your investigation I'll decide on the further course of action." The emperor handed a letter to Su. If the content of the letter shocked Su she didn't show it to the others. "Your majesty, might I ask miss Huang some questions?" With a gesture the emperor granted the request. Su rose from her seat and stepped towards the woman. "Before we begin: deceiving the majesty is a crime for which you can be severely punished. You know this?"
"Yes, madam." Miss Huang responded.
"Please tell me why you have come to the palace." Miss Huang hesitated a bit and then pointed to the letter in Su's hand. "It is written in the letter. It happened as my uncle wrote it down." Su didn't glance at the letter, she merely continued to observe the woman. "I would like you to tell me what has happened." Miss Huang kept her eyes downcast as she started to tell her story: "Six months ago I was in the capital with my family. When I was walking through the capital to reach some stores, a man stopped me and told me I looked beautiful. He wanted to share a meal with me. At first I refused, but then he showed me the token of Prince Qi and told me he was Prince Qi and that I should think again about my answer. I was afraid of what might happen if I refused him again, so I went with him. He was very nice and I started to like him. He said he liked me and then he said he would like to go somewhere more private. The owner of the restaurant showed us a room upstairs. When we were there we shared the bed. I didn't meet him again. I tried to hide the baby from my family, but they found out when my belly got bigger. My uncle was angry and demanded to know who had put the baby in my belly. After I told him he wrote the letter and send me here. He said Prince Qi should make me a concubine and care for his child." Su remained unmoved by the story, she kept her gaze on the woman, who still hadn't looked up.
"Tell me miss, what was the name of this restaurant?" Miss Huang shook her head and declared she didn't know. "Was it large, with beautiful furnishings?" Su pressed her.
"Oh yes, it looked like a palace."
"And the Prince? Did he look like he knew this restaurant? He must have if the boss showed him a room for personal use?"
"The boss was not surprised to see the Prince, so I guess he had been there before." Miss Huang said, still not yet making direct eye contact with Su, which to Su only suggested that her story might not be true. But to ensure that miss Huang felt that Su still believed her, Su nodded and elaborated: "I know the Prince only visits two restaurants and only one of them has rooms upstairs with a bed." Su then turned to the Emperor: "Might I suggest we visit the Lixiang restaurant? The boss should be able to corroborate this story." The emperor nodded, wondering what Su wanted to do. He called eunuch Li in to get a carriage arranged. Before eunuch Li left Su said to the emperor: "We might as well have the physician check whether she is really pregnant." The emperor looked at eunuch Li: "Get the imperial physician." That's when miss Huang protested: "Why would I need to be examined?" while she said this, she placed her hand on her belly. Su smiled: "In the Mingjing Office we have often encountered women thieves using a fake belly to hide their loot in. I was asked to examine your claim, an examination from the physician will corroborate your claim to be pregnant. Or do you want to tell me now you are telling lies?" Miss Huang shook her head. "While we wait, please describe the room where you stayed that night."
"I can't it is too long ago."
"Surely you must remember something? Was the room small or large? Where was the bed? Was it to the side or in the middle of the room?" Su once more asked, she recalled the largest room of the restaurant, but she could see miss Huang was either unwilling or unable to recall details of the encounter. Su continued (slightly exasperated by this situation): "Miss Huang, if you can't recall anything I must wonder if this encounter has indeed happened."
" But it did." Miss Huang called out desperately. "Maybe I'll be able to remember if we are in the restaurant."
"Maybe. Are you sure it was the largest room that you spend the night in?"
"That's what the boss said." Miss Huang nodded. Su wasn't convinced and made sure miss Huang saw this. Then Su decided to continue the interrogation on a different subject: "Tell me what you remember about Prince Qi. What did he look like, what did he wear?" Su glanced at the emperor, who regarded her with interest and wonder.
"He was very handsome and his clothes were beautiful with gold embroidery."
"And his hair accessory?"
"He had a gold band with a large green gem around his hair. It was very beautiful." Miss Huang gushed. Su bowed her head, making sure miss Huang didn't see her little smile. "Around his knot I assume."
"Yes. It made him look very royal."
"It is good that you recall the prince so well." Su said, just as eunuch Li returned with the physician. The emperor quickly explained what was required and asked eunuch Li to show the physician a private room to do the examination. While they were away Su asked eunuch Li, who had returned to the emperor, to get Fei Yuan, who had accompanied her. The emperor seemed surprised: "I thought Fei Yuan usually accompanies Yan." Smiling Su answered: "Except when Yan needs to go to the army camp, then captain Liu accompanies him and Fei Yuan stays with me." Fei Yuan came in and Su quickly asked him to tell Yan, when he reached the palace to go to Lixiang restaurant. Then Su asked the emperor to notify Lixiang restaurant of their plans, but the emperor waved the request away. "That has already been done by eunuch Li. Commander Fu will also accompany us." Considering the boss of Lixiang restaurant Su smiled, already anticipating some hysterics from the lady. She would surely comment on them bringing someone they were investigating into her restaurant. Su made a note to return there with Yan to take a meal and a room as compensation. She informed the emperor about the general reaction she expected from the owner.
It took longer then Su would have liked, but eventually the group reached the restaurant. As expected they were welcomed by the boss in a slightly overexaggerated friendly manner. She bowed deep for the emperor who had to asked her to rise twice. He told her he and Su had come to investigate a claim by miss Huang and ordered her to help them. The boss assured him she would do what she could, at that moment Su intervened: she asked miss Huang if she recognized the restaurant, to which miss Huang confirmed this was the restaurant where Prince Qi had taken her. Quickly Su turned to the boss and asked: "Madam, do you recognize this miss? She claims she was here with Prince Qi six months ago." Confused the madam looked at Su and said: "But Prince Qi, when he comes here is always accompanied by…" before the madam could finish Su said: "His wife, yes, I have also always understood this to be the case. Nevertheless this woman has claimed she dined here with Prince Qi. And that they shared the largest room of this establishment." Su could see that madam wanted to protest again and Su knew what she wanted to say, so she raised her hand to demand silence: "Please answer the question. Has this woman been here before, about six months ago?"
"I do not recall her, but I have many customers I can't recall everyone who comes here." The madam calmly replied.
"May we see your largest room?" Su then requested and the madam proceeded them up the stairs to the ornate doors. "This is our largest room." The madam pushed the doors open with a flourish. It was clear that she took great pride in the lavishly carved furniture.
"Is this the room?" Su asked miss Huang, after she had been given some time to take in the surroundings.
"Yes, I believe so, but I can't be sure. It was already dark when we got to the room." Miss Huang said, running her hands over her dress. Su turned to the madam: "I believe you keep a record for the use of this room."
"That is right." The madam said.
"After we have finished here, could you please check your records and see if Prince Qi stayed here."
"I do not have to check. Prince Qi wasn't here six months ago. I would certainly remember if Prince QI had been here. Especially without his wife." The madam forcefully said, she felt a little out of sorts because these people didn't trust her word. Su nodded and then turned to miss Huang: "It appears, miss Huang, that your story Is not correct." Su leveled a steady gaze at miss Huang who seemed to be getting nervous. "But it did happen, perhaps this is not the right restaurant." Miss Huang protested. Internally Su sighed, it still baffled her how long criminals held on to their stories even in the face of evidence clearly pointing to something else. Well she had given this woman enough opportunities to confess to fabricating this story, it was high time to end this charade. "I have said before that Prince Qi only visits this restaurant and one other which does not offer private rooms. The madam has no recollection of you or the Prince being here."
"Please detective Su, may I see Prince Qi? He will recognize me." The audacity of this woman was too much. It took Su great restrain not to react angrily. Instead she said coldly: "Do you think Prince Qi will acknowledge your affair with him while his wife is pregnant?" Su kept silent for a moment, to let this sink in and then continued: "But you are right, I should interrogate his royal Highness. Before I do I think it would be good to meet with one of his close friends, to whom he might have told this story, as men often do. Please follow me." Su led the group to a smaller room, a room she knew well. She opened the door and stepped in, a tiny smile appeared on her face when she saw Yan in his Pei Zhou clothes, seated at the table. "Brother Pei, thank you for answering my request to meet me here." Yan bowed when he saw his brother step into the room. The emperor said: "Pei Zhou, detective Su is investigating a case for me. Please lend your cooperation."
"Y will." Understanding the use of the names for him and Su gave Yan enough information. He turned to Su and said: "Detective Su, how can I help you?" Su gestured towards miss Huang: "Have you met this miss before?" Yan glanced at miss Huang.
"No, I've never seen or met this miss before." Su turned to miss Huang after Yan had answered the question: "Miss Huang, do you recognize this man?"
"No, but Prince Qi was alone when we met." A subtly raise eyebrow from Yan was missed by Su and miss Huang. But the emperor did see it and he could barely hold back a smile. Su turned back to Yan: "Brother Pei, you are a good friend of Prince Qi did he confide in you that he had an affair with a young maiden six months ago?"
"He did not tell me that he had an affair with a maiden."
"Brother Pei, do you know where Prince Qi was six months ago?"
"Six months ago Prince Qi was at the border, visiting with the Marquis. He was there, with his fiancée, to give the wedding invitation." Finally seeing her story unravel, miss Huang desperately cried out: "No, he was with me. You must have remembered it wrongly. Le me talk to Prince Qi." Yan nor Su responded, they only watched the woman. Then the Emperor said, clearly wanting to end this charade: "Miss Huang, this is my eldest brother: Prince Qi." And he pointed at Yan. Miss Huang was stunned into silence and then cried: "No, that can't be right. Prince Qi was with me. Please, your majesty, what my uncle wrote is true."
"I was not, but we could ask my wife, who was with me at the border. My dear, please remind me where we were six months ago?" Yan looked directly at miss Huang, jest to see her reaction when Su said: "We were at the border with the Marquis." The disbelieve in miss Huang's face was apparent. "Miss Huang, the child in your belly is not my husbands." Su finished. She walked to Yan and stood next to him. He took her hand and kissed it. Then he put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. "You have deceived the emperor." The emperor stated at which time miss Huang got on her knees to beg for mercy. Unmoved the emperor heard her pleas. "Miss Huang you slandered a royal prince and lied to me. Why should I have mercy with you? You used your unborn child to gain access to the palace. I will punish you for your crimes."
"Your majesty, please. You can't punish her while she is carrying an innocent child." Su spoke up, she could feel Yan's gaze on her. The emperor looked at her: "My dear sister-in-law, she spoke ill on the mansion Qi, she deceived the emperor, she needs to be punished."
"I know, I'm merely asking the emperor to wait with her punishment until she has given birth to her baby. The child is innocent." Then she turned to miss Huang: "Who is the father?" realizing lying would not help her case the woman told them the father was a young men from her village. "Did you tell your uncle the child was from this man? Or did you name Prince Qi as the father to your uncle?" Su continued, wanting to know the truth. The woman broke down, crying fiercely. It took her a while to calm down again. Su could see the patience of the emperor and her husband was wearing thin. Finally the woman calmed down enough to relate her story relatively calmly. "I told my uncle I was carrying a child and he guessed who the father was. My uncle threatened to have him killed for defiling me if I did not go to the capital with his letter and tell the emperor Prince Qi was the father. I'm sorry I know I did wrong. Please forgive me, I just wanted to save the man I love. Please forgive me." Miss Huang started to cry again. Su looked at the emperor who gestured to the kneeling woman, Su walked up to her and helped her up and helped her sit in a nearby chair. Then the emperor, Yan and Su stepped to a corner of the room. "What is going on here?" the emperor asked. "This second story seems more likely." Su commented, then she stepped up to Miss Huang again: "Why does your uncle target Prince Qi?"
"I don't know. After I told him he first locked me up in my room. I was locked up for a week and then he summoned me to him. He had the letter already written before him. He said I could save my love if I went to the capital and deliver the letter to the Emperor, stating I was carrying Prince Qi's baby. But when I left he said something about a wedge between them. I don't know any more. Please." the woman looked pleadingly at the emperor. He regarded her for a while and then called commander Fu: "Take her to prison…make sure they treat her well. Return with head officer Luo Xin."
"Yes, your majesty." Zihou bowed and took miss Huang by her arm. "Madam, please provide us with food and drink." The madam hurried of to arrange the requested meal , which was served by Wen Wen as customary whenever Yan and Su came to dine. While they ate they discussed what had to be done. When Luo Xin and commander Fu entered the room Su quickly told Luo Xin about the case. As Yan had to remain in the capital for the next few days, because of the detachment of troops to the border, Su an d Yan were unable to go to the village of miss Huang. It was decided that Luo Xin would for to the village, which was the same village where Rushuang had lived and Xie and Rushuang were there already. "Was that coincidence what made you aske further?" The emperor asked, Su nodded: "At the Mingjing Office we don't like coincidences like that. Beside it was vey clear the first story she told was false, her answers were very evasive and she clearly didn't have the correct information." Luo Xin nodded, he accepted the emperors order to investigate the uncle and to care for miss Huang, who would remain in prison. Then he took his leave after which Yan paid the madam handsomely and they too left.