The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Chapter 51: The Ninth Madam

The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty《成化十四年》Chengnian Shisi Nian
The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, Chapter 51: The Ninth Madam

Tang Fan came to his senses in the midst of a scuffle.


As he regained consciousness, he found his hands and feet tied tightly behind a hard wall, his eyes blindfolded, and two men whispering in front of him in a gruff voice.

A gruff voice said, "You're not going to kill him out there, why bother bringing him in here for?”

Another gruff voice said back: “Big Brother Liu, you're an idiot! Didn't you hear what Little Six told you? Those guys got fooled by him and ran off to the mountains, and he had two fingers cut off and a sword in his body to convince them that if they don't find him, they'll definitely come back again, and if they find this guy dead there, they'll probably be suspicious and will find this place. We're just trying to stall for time, not to draw in the chase! "

That Big Brother Liu sulked, "It's all Luo the Cripple's fault, if it wasn't for the fact that you tied those little kids back without figuring out where they came from, how could this whole thing have gone so terribly wrong! "

"It's no wonder he's got those kids out on the street without a sticker on them, who knows which family they're from, but you gotta be smart to do that, Luo the Cripple. "

Big Brother Liu asked, "So what now, the Jinyiwei and the Western Depot are chasing people here, should we send their people back?”

He said, "I think you're saying that if we don't send them back, we should ship them to the south and sell them, where someone will pay a high price. Hey, you've seen what we've got here, that skinny, tender flesh... can fetch at least a hundred taels of silver per person... and those two beautiful ones can fetch a couple of hundred taels... and then we'll all get at least a share of that! "

Big Brother Liu: “Five taels each?”

The man sneered, "Can you get a little something out of it? Add a ten to the back! "

Big Brother Liu sighed and moved backward.

Fifty taels are not that much for a Tang Fan. Of course, the Ming Dynasty officials were so financially miserable that they were all paid very low wages... or else he wouldn't have had to write about the relationship and romance, but fifty taels is a lot of money for the common people... a family of five only needs thirty taels a year... and a few thousand taels for a night with Feng Qingzi... is a price that only the rich can afford... but even so... There are still a lot of people rushing to Feng Qingzi... which shows that this is a profiteering business... and that there are still a lot of really rich people... so it's no surprise that this man would take a risk for 50 taels... and get a high return.

So it's not surprising that this man would take a risk for a high return of 50 taels.

Big Brother Liu, listening to his description, as if he saw the silver, he smiled and said, "Brother Xin, you have to take care of me! I used to work in the South City Gang, but how can I be like this and work under him? You're always the leader, so what do you want me to do, I'll follow you! "

Brother Xin is also a slicker sort of a man: "Don't! We're all under the Second Boss. I'm not capable of taking care of you like that! To tell you the truth, this whole thing has gotten a bit messy, and I think that the wan guy can't protect us either, so we must send someone to find him. What the Second Boss means is to delay things for ten days and a half months, and when the chatter passes, the search will be less intense. By then, we'll go south by boat from Tianjin, to the south, to the vast sea and sky, and I don't believe they'll be able to trace us there!"

Tang Fan continued to act unconscious with his eyes closed, in the hopes of hearing more useful information. A sharp pain came from the back of his head and he wondered if he had been hit by a brick and was hemorrhaging.

He listened to Big Brother Liu and said, "But Brother Xin, I think they are trying to convince the Second Boss to return those two best-looking kids. They say these two are officials' families members, and that the reason the men outside are chasing them so closely is that if they release them, the Imperial Court won't chase us anymore, so if we sell the others, we can still make a profit from the sale! "

Brother Xin snorted, "You're stupid! They're just cowards... and the Second Boss has a strong conviction! Now that this is going on, we can't just give them back, but Wan's side needs a scapegoat to take the blame! Instead of that, we'd better keep these people in our hands and make a deal with those eagle claws! "

Big Brother Liu was full of praise: "Brother Xin, you're very clever, you've figured out the Second Master's mind well, but by the way, should we continue to hide here, or shouldn't we leave while those people are on the mountain?”

When he heard it, there was no sound in front of him, and Tang Fan was so surprised that he suffered a heavy kick in his calf that he couldn't help but moan out in pain!

"Still pretending to be asleep! “ The other party snickered.

Tang Fan then narrowed his eyes and saw that there was only a single candle lighted in the room, the light was weak, but it didn't prevent him from looking around the room, which was covered with mud walls, or a secret room dug out of nowhere, with only one chair and a bed of quilts on the floor.

Tang Fan also noticed that there were four round holes dug into the roof of the kiln, each a little smaller than a man's palm, which seemed to be used for the purpose of ventilating the room.

Tang Fan uttered a muffled sound of pain, and his hands were tied behind his back, so he couldn't even reach out to rub them.

"What are you looking at, you sneaky-eyed bastard!“ That man surnamed Xin shouted, "No need to look, you can't get out of this place! "

For the first time in his life, Tang Fan was addressed with a sneer, and it was ridiculous to be addressed by a group of human traffickers and bandits.




He cleared his throat and said, "Are you two brothers mistaken? As you know, there are many people out there looking for you, but I'm here on the orders of Commander Wan, and I would like to pass on the words of Commander Wan to you two. "

Surnamed Xin laughed, "Still pretending, don't think we don't know that you're an imperial magistrate of the Shuntian Prefecture, and that you're in league with those who are coming after us! I'll tell you what, your life is in our hands now, and it's up to us to decide whether to kill or not, so don't use those clever little tricks, otherwise you won't be able to save yourself and you'll be killed! "

Tang Fan's heart became suddenly cold.

It wasn't because they were threatening his life, but because they knew what he was doing, and he knew nothing about them other than what he had heard from Wang Zhi.

Seeing Tang Fan who was speechless for a moment, the surnamed Xin laughed: "Stay right here and don't try to play tricks, perhaps you'll live a little longer!”

Then he said to Big Brother Liu: "The boy is awake, I'll report to the Second Boss, you keep a good watch here!”

Big Brother Liu answered the call, and Xin left in a hurry.

Big Brother Liu, as his name implies, was as tall and big as he was, the ceiling was low, and he had to bend down a little even when he was standing like Big Brother Liu, so he felt suffocated, and could only sit on a chair that was already shaking, but he sat down on his butt, and the whole thing fell apart. Tang Fan wanted to laugh but couldn't for fear of incurring his other party's wrath, so he strained his face and said, "Little brother, are you alright? You should rub some medicinal wine on your bones. "

Big Brother Liu gave him a fierce glare: "Where did that medicinal wine come from in the middle of nowhere? You shut up or I'll put this chair leg in your f**king mouth! "

Tang Fan sighed, "Little brother, I heard that brother call you Liu, right? Brother Liu, I see you're a handsome man, much stronger than a scrawny bamboo stick like me, and I'm sure you're doing well. If you were willing to serve the government, you'd probably be the head of the police force by now. "

The way he talks to people is that he knows that in the previous conversation, Big Brother Liu was obviously not in his right mind, and he was ready to talk to him, in the hope that he could get some more internal intelligence.

If the Xin guy had stayed here, Tang Fan would have only gotten another punch and kick.

As expected, he flattered him a few times and even though Big Brother Liu still ignored him, his face relaxed a little.

Tang Fan continued: "Before I came in, there were already people from the Jinyiwei and the Western Depot searching for you, and you should know who the Jinyiwei and the Western Depot are. Those men are ruthless and unscrupulous, and they are not the average officer of the Shuntian Prefecture like me. If you fall into their hands, and you have to be tortured by them, you'll be as good as dead. Now while you haven't killed anyone, you've just abducted a few children, and there's still time to discuss it, so there's no need to go to such lengths. If you're willing to turn your back on me and help me get out, I can guarantee you'll be unharmed. Not only that, but being a patrolman in the Shuntian Prefecture would be a lot better than hunkering down in hiding, wouldn't it?"

He had been talking bitterly for half a day when Big Brother Liu suddenly asked, "So what is the Shuntian Prefecture patrolman's salary for a year?”

Tang Fan was trying to persuade him, but he said, "A dozen taels.”

"As long as I work under the Second Boss, I'll get more than 50 taels a year, why would I follow you to earn that little bit? “ Big Brother Liu looked at him with a “What the hell are you fooling me for?" "Brother Xin said you officials only get a few taels a year, then what's the point? I think you might as well join us... and the second in command will take you to the top! "

Tang Fan: He's been countered!

He was calm, and continued to put on a frank face and lowered his guard in a gentle tone: "By the way, I've always heard you say that the Second Boss, the Second Boss, and Ding Yimu, the First Boss, are also famous legends!”

Big Brother Liu was bored, and when he saw someone willing to chat with him to pass the time, he said, "Yeah, but I don't know, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Big Boss since I joined the South City Gang, and in my eyes, Second Boss is the most powerful person.”

Tang Fan: "Zhu Ge.”

Big Brother Liu: "Yes, Master Zhu Ge! We're all so impressed that since the second one became leader, our days have been better and better..., and the women in the family have been able to put on silk clothing! "

Tang Fan laughed, "That's nice, I can't wear a silk shirt yet, but does your wife know what you're doing, and she's not afraid of being scared much during the day?”



Big Brother Liu said, "I didn't let her in on this, she's out there on a short-term job because of me!”

Tang Fan said, "So your family is in the capital and you’re stuck here now, aren't you afraid of her being worried?”

Big Brother Liu: "There's nothing that I can do, because those people are searching tightly, but this place is not far from my house, and if I were able to go back, an hour would be more than enough for me!”

Tang Fan said, "Brother Liu, although you and I are on different sides, we've been on good terms since we met, and I can't bear to see you and your wife separated, so let me ask you, have you ever thought that after this incident, the Western Depot will definitely mobilize the whole Imperial city to search for you, and even if this place is in the middle of nowhere, they won't be able to find you, even if you want to leave, you can't! "

Big Brother Liu scratched his head: "There's nothing I can do about it... As long as our interests are at stake, we won't be afraid... but it's hard for them to find this place... as long as we don't go out, they won't be able to find this place... so let's rest assured... !"




Tang Fan was overjoyed that he got two very important information from Big Brother Liu: Firstly, they are probably still in that deserted village and secondly, it is likely that South City Gang has dug a few underground vaults to hide in the favorable terrain and environment of the deserted village.

With Sui Zhou's vigilance, if they can't find people in the mountains, they'll come back down to find him.

In other words, all he had to do was go out and tell the news, or send a message to them on the ground, and then he could have caught everyone here.

Tang Fan said, "That's not a very bad idea, but you can't all stay here forever, can you?”

Big Brother Liu defended: "Why do you ask so much? Do you want to know where the exit is? "

Tang Fan was speechless.

If you say this guy's smart, he let Tang Fan use his words and pretend he's stupid, but he's alert and not uncertain at the most critical moment.

Tang Fan couldn't tell if he was pretending to be stupid or really stupid.

At that moment, there was a cry from the doorway: "You're a good guy and you're still trying to trick Big Brother Liu! Come with me, our Second Boss has heard that you are awake and wants to see you! "

The man surnamed Xin came back and grabbed Tang Fan's shoulders roughly and lifted him up.



Tang Fan's hands were restrained and he sat on the ground for a long time, so his body lost its center of gravity and he fell on top of him.

The man surnamed Xin pushed him away: "Look at your skin, you're not just a playboy, I'll kill you!”

Tang Fan: "... "

He's going to cuss, too, but it's better to be smart when you're under someone else's thumb.

Tang Da-ren forced out an apologetic smile and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! My feet numb. I didn't mean it! "

He asked with a pleasing face, "I'm in your hands now, how dare I touch you! Brother Xin, what is it that you two are looking for? "

The man surnamed Xin glanced at him and snorted dismissively, "I don't know! A weakling like you wouldn't be able to get on the stage if the Second Boss hadn't said he wanted to see you, I'd have sent you on your way a long time ago, and you wouldn't be here to talk about it! "

Tang Fan saw the bloodthirsty glow in his eyes and immediately understood that this was a different person from Big Brother Liu. He must have seen blood and probably had a lot of human lives on his hands.

With such desperado, it's natural that we can't communicate with Big Brother Liu in the same way anymore.

Tang Fan just kept his mouth shut to see where he was in order to remember the way he was walking.

However, at this moment, the man surnamed Xin picked up the strip of cloth he had just thrown on the ground, blindfolded him, and pushed him forward.

Tang Fan had no choice but to count his steps by walking with his senses.

He felt that he was being pushed to the right again, and then two or three more steps later faintly heard childish voices, but they seemed to be gagged, so they could only let out a faint moan, and then someone whispered, "Behave yourselves, or I will not feed you again." Tang Fan's heart snapped, but without thinking, he was pushed to the left again, five or six paces to the right, and finally stopped with his shoulders pushed.

"Xin is here!” the man surnamed Xin's words.

"Bring him in.” Tang Fan heard a man say the same thing.

He was busy taking directions when the man surnamed Xin pushed him in, and he stumbled and fell straight to the ground in a terrible mess.

A sweet voice on the side complained: “Xin Shitou, do you have a grudge against him?”

Xin Shitou laughed: "Ninth Madam, you're in some kind of pain now? I'm sure you've got a crush on this boy so you won't let the Second Boss kill him. He's so fragile, he can't even serve you well, and why don't you let me do it! "  [1] Now a point of caution the Name here is either Jiu Niangzi or the Ninth Madam I decided to go with Ninth Madam because it sounds like an alias... If I find it to not be I will come back to change it.

The Ninth Madam lowered her voice and shouted: “Deng Xiucai, is that how you manage your men? Allowing them to be so rude to me! "

Tang Fan heard the voice of the one who let him in: “Shitou make your apologies to the Ninth Madam!”

The voice must be that of Deng Xiucai, the Second Boss of the South City Gang.

Xin Shitou had to make amends to the Ninth Madam.

And Deng Xiucai said, "This must be the Shuntian Prefecture Tang Da-ren? I've heard a lot about you. "

Tang Fan laughed: "I'm just a small, insignificant official with no name, but I've been tied up so tightly that it causes me a lot of pain. Can you take this off for me first? "

Deng Xiucai laughed, “You just want to see what we look like, so why beat around the bush? Shitou helped Tang Da-ren to liberate his eyes and give him a chair to sit in.”

Tang Fan breathed a sigh of relief and took a look at everything in front of him for a moment.

It was also a cramped inner room, but the difference was that the furnishings were much more comfortable than the one Tang Fan had been in moments before.

The chairs that were sitting next to them weren't wobbly at the very least.

There are three people sitting in front of Tang Fan, the one on the far left is an old man who hasn't said a word, the one in the middle is Deng Xiucai, and the one on the right is the Ninth Madam who has been sitting here for a while.

Apart from Xin Shitou, there was also a person behind each of Deng Xiucai and the Ninth Madam who looked like a personal bodyguard.

Deng Xiucai is as his name suggests, a gentleman in his thirties with a neatly trimmed beard on his lips and under his jaw.

From Wang Zhi's mouth, Tang Fan knows that Deng Xiucai is the second leader of the South City Gang, but he has a lot of power because Ding Yimu, the leader of the gang, doesn't show up much in recent years.




The South City Gang, apart from trafficking in human beings, also runs gambling houses and loan sharks, all of which are profiteering and extremely lucrative, and because of their official connections, they have become more and more powerful and unscrupulous over the years, so they even had the guts to do something to the daughter of the family of the Crown Prince and the Imperial Mentor, but this time, Wan Tong couldn't protect them and the Western Depot was determined to pursue them to the end, so they had no choice but to come here.

After seeing the real Deng Xiucai Tang Fan, he had an idea: He must be a vicious man, because of his gentle demeanor.

However, Tang Fan froze for a moment when he looked at the Ninth Madam next to him.

The Ninth Madam saw him and smiled: “Tang Da-ren, why are you so surprised, have you seen me before?”

Tang Fan quickly regained his normal form and smiled as well: "I confess, girl that your appearance is somewhat similar to that of an old acquaintance I met. I did almost misidentify you by mistake. "

The Ninth Madam covered her mouth and laughed more and more, throwing a wink at him again: "You're right, I do look a lot like the one you met, not only that, but we're sisters! "

Tang Fan said calmly, "So it's Miss Chen, so it seems that the old lady I met is your sister?”

The Ninth Madam didn't deny it either: "You have a good eye.”

Indeed, the Ninth Madam is the sister of Chen-shi, the concubine of Li Man whom Tang Fan had met in the Li Family some time ago.

At the time, the Li Family killed Chen-shi and he didn't know where he was going but he didn't expect to see Chen-shi's sister here.

No wonder his identity was made known thanks to the Ninth Madam.

When the two of them finished their conversation, Deng Xiucai finally spoke slowly: "Ninth Madam is happy to be here to catch up with you when you're about to be killed.”

The Ninth Madam glanced at him, "That's not right, Number Two, you're the one who brought this on yourself. If you hadn't kidnapped those two hot potatoes, how come you'd be in trouble with the officials at the moment?"

She said to Tang Fan with a smile, "Tang Da-ren, it's not our intention to do this either, so what should we do?”

Tang Fan didn't know who this woman was in the gang, but when seeing Deng Xiucai's anger flicker on his face, he went along with her words, "This is also a good matter. I know that you don't mean to oppose the government, but just let these children go back, and we can pretend that this incident never occurred. "

Deng Xiucai sighed sourly, "I'm just afraid Tang Da-ren's words don't really count?”

Tang Fan laughed and said, "I don't know, but the Western Depot and the Jinyiwei are the only ones responsible for your arrest. The Western Depot is pushing you hard because there are officials in these children and the incident has alarmed His Majesty so he wants a thorough investigation. If you are willing to step back and let us hand them back, then it will be a small matter. As for the Jinyiwei over there, that would be a better idea. I heard that your gang has a good relationship with Wan, so I'm sure your words are more effective than mine. "

Before Deng Xiucai could say anything, the Ninth Madam said, "Second Boss, I told you that Tang Da-ren is the most sensible one, and you still don't believe me. Those children are even better rated, and when they are sold, they are worth only a thousand taels, but the Western Depot's cronies can kill us, and now that they are under the Emperor's orders, they will bite us like mad dogs, do we have to risk our lives for a thousand taels? "

Deng Xiucai said slowly: "Ninth Madam, you are really not a man of your word. The authorities are very concerned about money. Besides, Wan Tong is worried about being implicated and will find someone to take the blame, so if I return the children now, I'll be the unlucky one, you're so smart you won't think of that? Or are you deliberately trying to push me into the fire? "

When he heard this, Tang Fan understood some things.

If the Ninth Madam is Chen-shi's sister, then she must also be connected to the White Lotus Society, so Deng Xiucai's "boss" is probably the White Lotus Society itself.

And from their conversation, it's not hard to see that Deng Xiucai and the Ninth Madam are at odds, but the Ninth Madam is probably not from the South City Gang, but is the guest advisor of and sent by the White Lotus Society, so even though Deng Xiucai is not on her side, he couldn't make it.

The Ninth Madam meant for him to make peace with the officials and hand over the children, but Deng Xiucai's opinion was just the opposite, so the two had a disagreement.

If Deng Xiucai is determined to flee away, then there is no need for him to exist.

But the Ninth Madam, if she's the White Lotus Society, why does she have to defend him?

A woman's conscience is really hard to understand.

The Ninth Madam laughed and said, "You're one of the most important people in the South City Gang, if something happens to you, Ding Yimu won't be able to maintain the situation, and the South City Gang will fall apart in no time. I just don't think it's good for you or for the sect if it's not enough for you to be accused by the officials, and you'll be dealt with directly by the sect. "



Tang Fan was already overwhelmed by the information contained in these words, and a cold sweat was breaking out on the back of his hands, and the more he knew, the worse it was for him.

Just as expected, Deng Xiucai's face darkened and his eyes swept over Tang Fan: "Ninth Madam, aren't you afraid that you can't stand the sight of a handsome man again? I'm going to help you get rid of him today so that you don't get in trouble later! "

With a flash of silver light from his sleeve, a dagger was thrust straight at Tang Fan!





Tang Fan was sitting on a chair with his hands tied, so he could not escape, he just reflexively leaned back, but his opponent moved with lightning speed, and then he was in front of him before he could see the lightning.

The dagger was so cold that it pierced his chest and clothes, and it was about to pierce his skin!

However, the Ninth Madam shouted, "You dare to kill in front of me!”

At the sound of the words, a swirling shadow of a whip came and struck not a man, but the dagger, rolled and yanked it from Deng Xiucai's hand!

It was a momentary turn of events, and everyone watched in amazement.

By the time their men remembered to defend their liege, they had stopped fighting.

The Ninth Madam said coldly, "I have the solution for the best of both worlds, will you listen?”

Deng Xiucai grunted coldly, "What's the better of both worlds? When I don't know what you're up to, isn't it just to have this kid be your concubine! "

The author has something to say:

It's like the word count's a little bit off? (o⊙)

Tang Da-ren's salary is very small. Tang Da-ren is very poor!

In the Ming dynasty, rice was given as a basic salary, but in the Chenghua period, a stone of rice was only worth 14.5 yuan. Officials were paid one stone of rice as their basic salary, and the rest was converted into cloth and Ming banknotes.

Just think about it, since the founding of the country, prices have been going up for years, and the officials' salaries have been so low, and the Ming banknotes are even worse, because if they're low, they can print as much as they want, and they never recover them.

A normal person can barely live a vegetarian life without meat on the state's salary, and everyone needs a little bit of grey money. There are a lot of people who aren't as greedy as Yan Song's father and son, but they're just trying to make life better for themselves and their families, like Tang Da-ren, if they didn't take bribes, they'd just be writing books about the world and making extra money.

So the South City Gang's offer is a very tempting one.

Another person asked CP to clarify this:

1. There is no change in the novel

2. There will not be a second pair of CPs in this article besides the one written in the script.

3. As always, it's all about storytelling, and as I said, it's mainly about Tang Da-ren, the official who solved the case, and he'll die if he doesn't have time to do it.

4. Please don't ask if there will be a change of CP and don't blame me for the mistakes of other writers, so what's it to me? You're so wrong... your words you'll hurt the author... and the injured author won't be able to be a good writer because of your demands.






[1] I do have to say something, Some people are running on novel update and calling this translation an MTL, and yes I do read the review there, you guy should be happy it actually readable, back in 2017 I did a translation and man people didn't complain as much because they understand as I said I am not Chinese or Amerian and neither one of those are my first language. But I like translating sue me, I used to upload 10 chapters per day but that has lessened now because I'm getting better I am more unhurriedly and more into checking things. If you think my translation is awful darling just don't read, there is this Elizabeth woman I think she has it in for me... just stop its disheartening, I get it that my translation is subpar and I put a warning there for a reason. 




- The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty -



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