Ji Yu walked over and squatted beside the old man. This time, his crying didn’t sound like acting; it was filled with genuine pain and sorrow. She asked softly, “What happened to your granddaughter? Why do you say she is unfortunate?”
“That beast killed her!” The old man pointed his bony finger at the big man. “He abducted her into the city and tortured her for a whole day and night! When she finally came home, she was covered in bruises…”
Tears streamed down his face, and he could barely speak from sobbing.
“You old liar!” The man roared. “I don’t even know if you have a granddaughter! How could I abduct anyone or torture them?!”
He was furious. Being accused repeatedly was unbearable. He stepped forward, ready to kick the old man, but Ji Yu blocked him again.
“Wait,” Ji Yu looked at the man suspiciously. “Is what he says true?”
The man puffed out his chest angrily. “I, Xue Wu, never tell lies!”
*Xue Wu?*
Ji Yu studied him carefully. She could tell he was being honest. Then… what about the old man?
But the old man was crying so desperately, it seemed real too. There must be a misunderstanding here.
She asked patiently, “Old man, did you see this person take your granddaughter with your own eyes?”
“Of course I did!” he cried. “Look at his build! Even from far away, I’d recognize that body anywhere! It was him! Yesterday afternoon, by the river, he forced my granddaughter into a carriage!”
“Nonsense!” Xue Wu shouted. “I wasn’t at any river yesterday afternoon! I didn’t even see any women! How could I force anyone into a carriage?!”
They argued back and forth while the crowd watched. Ji Yu pieced together the information.
Xue Wu clearly wasn’t lying about being elsewhere. Yet the old man was so certain. Could Xue Wu be in two places at once?
“Old man,” Ji Yu asked seriously, “did you actually see his face clearly?”
The old man hesitated, then shook his head. But he insisted, “I didn’t see the face, only the back! But who else is as fat as him?! I walked around the city all day, and he’s the only one built like this! Who else could it be?!”
Fat?
Ji Yu glanced at Xue Wu. He waved his hands desperately. “Why are you looking at me?! He didn’t even see my face! I’m innocent! Just because I’m fat doesn’t mean every fat person is me!”
He was right. In the Daqi Dynasty, being slender was considered beautiful. Recently, the favored Consort Yao was famous for her dance on drums, moving as lightly as a swallow. The Emperor adored her, so the whole country pursued slimness.
Men and women alike tried to be thin. Fat people were rare, and someone as large as Xue Wu was even rarer.
But… Ji Yu knew *another* fat man in Qingzhou.
“Old man, I think you really have mistaken him for someone else,” Ji Yu said firmly.
The old man stepped back, looking devastated. “How… how could I be wrong? If not him, then who?!”
***
At the back gate of the Du Mansion, Ji Yu spoke to the guard. Soon after, Du Cong waddled out, his large frame sweating profusely.
“Sister Yu! You came to play with me!”
Ji Yu looked him up and down. “What were you doing just now?”
“Playing a chasing game!” Du Cong grinned happily. “Come play with me too!”
Ji Yu knew his “games” were usually cruel and twisted, ways to torture people.
“How do you play it?” she asked calmly.
Du Cong stammered, unable to explain clearly. “You know… cut them… and then run…”
Irritated, Ji Yu looked at the servant beside him. The servant knew Ji Yu was favored by his young master, so he explained eagerly:
“We make small cuts on the maids’ arms so they bleed, then let them run in the yard. Then we release wolves that haven’t eaten for three days to chase them. If they aren’t caught after one stick of incense time, they get ten taels of silver!”
Ji Yu’s chest heaved with rage. She wanted to scream at him, but she held back.
Du Cong was the only son of Du Tingsong, who doted on him completely. And Du Tingsong… was the man she owed three hundred taels to. No matter how much she hated Du Cong, she couldn’t touch him.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. “You said you went fishing yesterday. Did you really go?”
Du Cong nodded quickly. “Yes! You told me to find others to play with, so I did!”
Seeing her dark expression, he asked timidly, “Sister Yu, are you angry? I won’t play with others then, only you! Come inside, the chasing game is really fun!” His eyes sparkled with excitement.
Ji Yu ignored that. “When you went fishing yesterday… did you bring a girl back to the mansion?”
Du Cong looked scared. “No! No! I only like Sister Yu! I didn’t bring any other girls!”
Ji Yu fixed him with a stern look. “If you don’t tell the truth, I will never speak to you again!”
Terrified, Du Cong confessed immediately. “Okay okay! I did bring a girl back! But I let her go at dawn! She’s not here anymore!”
“Did you hit her?!” Ji Yu demanded.
He lowered his head, mumbling. “I didn’t mean to… but she was naughty, she wouldn’t stay and play with me… so…”
Ji Yu glared at him, feeling sick to her stomach. He acted innocent, but he was a monster. And she was powerless to stop him.
She turned sharply to leave.
“Sister Yu! Won’t you play the chasing game with me? It’s really fun!” Du Cong called out behind her.
***
When Ji Yu emerged from the alley, Old Man Liu and Xue Wu were waiting.
“Did you see clearly?” she asked.
Old Man Liu nodded, tears streaming down his face. “It was him… that animal… it was definitely him!”
“I’m going to the authorities! I’ll report him! They must arrest that beast!”
Ji Yu stopped him, her expression grave. “Reporting won’t work. The Prefect’s favorite concubine is Du Tingsong’s younger sister.”
“So what?!” Xue Wu roared angrily. “Are we just supposed to let him hurt innocent girls?!”
“Shh! Keep your voice down!” Ji Yu looked around to make sure no one was listening.
“Of course we will report him,” she said slowly, “but now is not the time.”