On this Mid-Autumn Festival, the county town was livelier than ever.
Early in the morning, the yamen officers were already patrolling the streets to prevent any trouble during the festivities.
On such special occasions, if any incidents occurred that reached the county magistrate and disrupted his holiday, it would surely spell trouble for everyone.
Every year during festivals, nerves were stretched taut; people would rather work harder than risk any mishaps.
Yamen officers rarely took leave during such times unless they were truly bedridden with illness.
Thus, even though Officer Ge and his two colleagues were feeling terribly unwell, they dared not casually request leave. Otherwise, the absence of all three would surely leave a bad impression on their superiors, sidelining them in the future.
If something were to happen on this very day, their superiors might even vent their anger on them.
The night before, Officer Ge and his two companions had only returned to the county town near midnight.
Under normal circumstances, such a short distance would take no more than two hours even at a leisurely pace. But after being brutally beaten, their bodies ached all over, and they could barely walk. The three of them had to support one another to make their way back, a pitiful sight indeed.
Fortunately, the moonlight illuminated their path, allowing them to see clearly. Otherwise, given their state, whether they could have safely found their way back to the county town was uncertain.
Upon reaching the town, the three were in such pain that they went straight to the medical clinic and banged on the door in the middle of the night.
The doctor, upon seeing their miserable appearance, was shocked and hurriedly asked if they had been pursuing some vicious criminal to end up in such a state.
Looking at Officer Zhu, whose upper clothing was torn to shreds with only a few scraps hanging on, exposing a chest crisscrossed with bruises and wounds—it was clear he had been severely beaten.
The three, too embarrassed to explain, thick-skinnedly claimed they had encountered a “vicious criminal” outside the city.
This frightened the doctor, who concluded that the outskirts of the city must be quite unsafe. He resolved to warn his family not to venture out of the city for the time being to avoid encountering such ruthless individuals.
After all, if these thugs dared to attack yamen officers, ordinary citizens stood no chance against them.
After treating their injuries, the three went home, a mix of lingering fear and exhaustion weighing on their hearts, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, before dawn, their families woke them up.
Their families knew that during festivals, yamen officers were always busy and made sure to wake them early to prevent oversleeping and delays.
The previous night, their families had gone to bed early and only vaguely heard them return late at night.
They were used to this, as sometimes the three would return late due to work or even spend the entire night out for leisure.
After all, it was their turf in the county town, so their families didn’t worry about them too much.
Thus, none of their families knew about their injuries.
When they emerged from their rooms, the faint morning light revealed the red and swollen marks on their faces and necks, shocking their families, who quickly asked what had happened.
The three didn’t want to share the details of the previous night and continued to use the excuse of encountering “vicious criminals” outside the city.
It was easier to face their families, but the real challenge began when they arrived at the county office and faced their curious colleagues.
“What happened to you? How did you end up like this?”
“Were you whipped? Who has the audacity to attack government officials?”
“All three of you were beaten? And even together, you couldn’t handle it?”
“……”
The three uniformly answered with the excuse of encountering vicious criminals.
Even their superior, the county captain, specifically asked about the situation. After all, government yamen officers being beaten so badly was not a trivial matter and warranted inquiry.
When questioned by the county captain, they naturally provided a more detailed explanation.
“… Last night, we agreed to visit a friend in a nearby village. Who would have thought that on the way back, we encountered some bandits coming out of the mountains? Without saying a word, they attacked us. They were many, and we were no match for them…”
This was the excuse the three had concocted the night before. They didn’t dare involve Yu Li in the matter.
When they had returned to the county, Officer Zhu, having recovered somewhat, did consider taking revenge on Yu Li, thinking she was just an ordinary civilian. Could she really stand up to the government?
Officers Ge and Peng quickly restrained him upon hearing this.
They reminded him of Yu Li’s previous threats, which struck at the core of a man’s dignity and the critical issue of family lineage. One by one, these warnings hit the soft spots that men couldn’t ignore.
“Do you really want the Zhu family to end without heirs? You’d better not take any chances. Otherwise, if every male in your family ends up… you’ll regret it when it’s too late!” Officer Ge said gravely.
Officer Peng added with equal seriousness, “Do you think she wouldn’t dare?”
Officer Zhu hesitated. Remembering how Yu Li had beaten them as if they were her grandchildren, and it didn’t even seem like she was using her full strength, he finally decided to let go of the idea of revenge.
He didn’t dare gamble with his family’s future.
—
The county captain was indeed both shocked and furious upon hearing their story.
The last time Steward Cui was injured by some vagabond criminals in the county, Magistrate Zhang was enraged. As a result, they were all reprimanded and had their monthly salaries docked. Now, more bandits were stirring up trouble.
The county captain didn’t doubt their story, as such incidents were common.
Shanping County was situated right next to the tribal lands of the Yi people1The Yi people (彝族, Yízú) are one of the officially recognized ethnic minority groups in China. , with the southern border leading directly to the Kingdom of Nanzhao. Although the two nations maintained a superficial peace, skirmishes often occurred in secret. It was thanks to the stationed military nearby that the Yi people and Nanzhao individuals were kept in check, allowing Shanping County to maintain peace and stability.
Outside Shanping County, however, things were not so tranquil.
The area’s unique geography meant that numerous ruthless bandits lurked in the surrounding mountains and forests. These bandits included Great Qing locals, Yi people, and even individuals from Nanzhao.
It was difficult to identify their origins; they were all vicious criminals who committed countless heinous acts.
While things might be quiet at times, whenever a major holiday approached, bandits would cause trouble nearby. They specifically targeted isolated civilians, and some murderously brutal bandits even attacked townsfolk, committing robbery and homicide, resulting in numerous deaths.
In recent years, General Xuan, stationed in the area, had cracked down harshly on these bandits, forcing them to behave somewhat better.
Upon learning that the three yamen officers had encountered bandits, the county captain was quite sympathetic and generously allowed them to go home and rest, instructing them to return after recovering.
The three expressed their gratitude to the captain but didn’t go home to rest, insisting they were capable of continuing their duties.
Although their bodies ached terribly, the pain wasn’t so severe as to incapacitate them. It was more like ants gnawing at their bones—intense but bearable if endured.
It could be said that Yu Li had shown restraint when beating them, ensuring they wouldn’t be bedridden or unable to work. Even though she had taught them a lesson, their duties remained unavoidable.
The yamen officers dared not rest, hoping instead to work diligently while wearing their injuries, praying she would see they had truly turned over a new leaf and reformed.
The county captain was deeply moved and even went to Magistrate Zhang to praise them, mentioning the presence of bandits near the county town.
When Magistrate Zhang heard that bandits had dared to attack government officials, he was indeed furious.
He promptly dispatched patrols around the county to ensure the safety of nearby residents. If too many people were harmed and word reached higher authorities, Magistrate Zhang would surely be held accountable, and his year-end performance evaluation would be unfavorable.
The yamen officers sent to patrol outside the city successfully deterred the group of bandits who had intended to descend from the mountains to cause trouble during the festival.
The bandits complained internally, wondering why the government, which usually took no action, had suddenly deployed so many yamen officers to patrol during this Mid-Autumn Festival.
Initially, they had merely planned to come down the mountain to steal some supplies. Seeing the increased security, they decided to retreat for now.
Meanwhile, Officer Ge and his two colleagues, still recovering from their injuries, were not sent out of the city but remained in the county to patrol.
After working busily for most of the day, the three gathered for lunch at noon. Taking advantage of the absence of others, they quietly discussed when to drag Chen Zhongxun and the Yu family brothers in front of Yu Li to make them kneel and apologize to her.
“Let’s wait until after the Mid-Autumn Festival,” Officer Ge said hesitantly. “Today’s the festival, and I think she wouldn’t want to see them.”
On a holiday, who would want to deal with such unpleasant people?
Officer Peng agreed, “Exactly. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to see them either. Let’s wait until the festival is over to bring them to her.” After speaking, he turned to Officer Zhu. “It’ll be up to you then, Old Zhu.”
Officer Zhu was taken aback. “Why me?”
“They’re your relatives. If not you, then who?” Officer Peng replied irritably. “You’ll need to call them out, and then we’ll bind them together and take them to Boss Yu.”
Officer Zhu froze for a moment, remaining silent.
Officer Ge narrowed his eyes. “What’s this? Are you backing out now?”
Officer Peng gritted his teeth. If Officer Zhu dared to refuse, he would drag him to Boss Yu to let her beat him up again. One more beating, and he’d surely learn his lesson.
“Of course not,” Officer Zhu said. “They’re the reason I got into this mess. Why would I still consider them family? I definitely won’t back down.”
Compared to those relatives, Yu Li was far more terrifying.
He sighed inwardly, realizing that if he went through with this, the Zhu and Chen families would likely sever ties. He had originally planned to send his son to study at the Chen family’s private school when he got older.
But ever since his grandmother had passed, the Chen family had begun to pride themselves on being a scholarly family, valuing farming and studying, and had grown somewhat disdainful of him as a constable. The two families hadn’t been close for a while…
Never mind, never mind—he’d better take care of himself first.
—
Yu Li had been busy all morning, not even having time to take a sip of water.
After delivering all her goods, she finally got a moment to rest, and her stomach growled with hunger.
Passing by a stall selling sesame cakes, the unique aroma of sesame caught her attention, so she bought a few cakes.
With a sesame cake in hand, she began eating while walking toward the pier. When she passed a bustling intersection, someone called out to her.
“Boss Li!”
Yu Li turned her head and saw Skinny Wu squatting by the roadside. Next to him was a toolbox filled with masonry tools, making him look like he was waiting for work.
Seeing him earnestly trying to make a living, Yu Li handed him a sesame cake. “Want one?”
Skinny Wu was overwhelmed, his eyes brimming with gratitude as he took it. The look he gave her was akin to seeing a savior.
“Boss Li, you’re so kind to me. I—I don’t know how I can ever repay you…”
He never imagined that someone as fearsome as Boss Li would actually offer him a cake. He figured he must be the only person in the world lucky enough to receive such a blessing, and the thought moved him deeply.
Watching him eat the cake while tearing up, Yu Li silently shuffled a few steps away, wondering if he was mentally unwell.
Had she beaten him too hard before? Was that why he was so moved by a mere sesame cake?
Though she thought this, she decided not to change her ways. When a beating was necessary, it should still be delivered. Turning to him, she asked, “What do you want from me?”
Skinny Wu, munching on the delicious sesame cake, scooted closer and whispered cautiously when no one was looking, “Boss Li, today I saw that Officer Zhu and Officer Ge. They looked like they’d been beaten up pretty badly…”
As he spoke, he glanced nervously at her.
Yu Li calmly chewed on her sesame cake, her expression indifferent.
Skinny Wu took one look at her demeanor and instantly knew who had beaten them up. His face broke into a gloating smile.
Although he couldn’t quite understand why Officer Ge and Officer Peng, who had already tasted Boss Li’s wrath, would fail to learn their lesson and get themselves beaten again, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in disbelief.
Was this what they called the legendary “idiots who can’t count how many beatings they’ve had“?
“I heard from some patrolling yamen officers that the three of them went out of town last night to visit a friend and encountered some wandering bandits who beat them up.”
As Skinny Wu spoke, he glanced at the “bandit” standing right in front of him and felt even more sympathy.