Song Xuan had quite a few things tucked inside his robes.
His Ecstasy Powder came in low-dose and high-dose varieties.
The high-dose version worked fast and hit hard. Of course, its side effects were severe too: once you had some, you wanted more, and it would soon drain your body dry.
He had originally concocted the stuff to use against people.
The low-dose version was much gentler and had few side effects. Just as he had told Song Qian earlier, it was simply a health supplement to spice things up.
When the time was right, he planned to mass-produce it and sell it for silver. Most of the Imperial Capital's high officials and nobles had weak constitutions, so barring any surprises, it ought to become a hot commodity.
After returning to the Imperial Capital, Song Xuan and the others headed straight to the Black Robe Guard's Inspection Office to report the completion of their assignment instead of going home.
Seeing them return, Zhao Dezhu said with a smile, "Bring out the chilled watermelon and drinks. Let's hold a welcome-home feast for our heroes."
Song Xuan stepped forward with a smile and finished reporting on the assignment before asking in puzzlement, "Uncle Zhao, we only solved a case. Surely there's no need for a feast?"
"Why wouldn't there be?"
Zhao Dezhu made no attempt to hide the smile on his face. "This case you handled really made our Inspection Office shine."
Lowering his voice, he said, "The Adjudication Office finished interrogating Tian Yuan and his son three days ago. Guess how many women from respectable families that bastard from the Tian Household violated over the past few years?"
Song Xuan made an estimate. "At least a few dozen, perhaps over a hundred?"
"Too few, far too few!" Zhao Dezhu held up three fingers. "More than three hundred! In the three hundred years since Great Zhou was founded, we've caught plenty of Flower Thieves, but this is the first time we've encountered one who violated so many respectable women!"
Even Song Xuan clicked his tongue. He had never expected such a horrifying number.
This was not merely a matter of more than three hundred women being violated. It involved more than three hundred families, with children and parents behind each of them. If this was handled badly, more than three hundred families would be ruined!
Zhao Dezhu sighed. "All I can say is that the fellow really had some tricks up his sleeve. Disguising himself as a woman to prey on women-most people wouldn't have their guard up at all.
"Once he grew bored, he would leave on his own after a while. The women he violated could only swallow their anger, none of them daring to tell anyone, so the whole thing stayed well hidden, and very few people noticed anything amiss.
"But walk along the river often enough, and your shoes are bound to get wet. Do something enough times, and sooner or later you'll show your cloven hoof. This case ultimately landed in the Black Robe Guard's hands because the Tian Household's rivals seized on that weakness."
Song Xuan asked, "What will the final sentence be?"
"Hard to say."
Zhao Dezhu shook his head slightly. "The emperor even flew into a rage over it at court yesterday. A case of sexual predation on this scale, involving hundreds of families, went undiscovered for years.
"It would have been bad enough if local officials had deceived their superiors and concealed things from those below, but even an important department like the Ministry of Justice falsified information. The emperor has lost trust in its officials.
"The minister of justice should have been able to petition for retirement and return home this year, but the emperor didn't give him that chance. He seized the opportunity at court to strip him of his post outright.
"Barring any surprises, the Ministry of Justice will undergo a major shake-up next. Plenty of high-ranking local officials in Mingzhou will probably be implicated too. The emperor intends to use this major case to tackle the collusion between the court and local authorities.
"But whatever the final outcome, the Tian Household is finished. The court officials and even the emperor have their eyes on the tens of millions in assets belonging to this great Mingzhou clan.
"At best, Tian Yuan, his son, and the others will be sentenced to execution by being cut in half at the waist, while the remaining family members will be exiled to the frontier for military service.
"If things go worse, it'll be death by a thousand cuts and extermination of their three kinship groups!"
Zhao Dezhu took a sip of goji berry tea and smiled, his eyes narrowing. "You were the lead investigator on this case. Even the emperor remembers your name now. Keep working hard, and your future will know no bounds.
"By the way, if you were sentencing the people of the Tian Household, what would you give them?"
"Death by a thousand cuts!" Song Xuan answered without a moment's thought.
His feud with the Tian Household was already one that would only end with one side dead. If they managed to turn things around, he would be the one in trouble later.
Naturally, Song Xuan hoped the Tian clan would be uprooted down to the last blade of grass, leaving no future trouble!
"For the biggest case of sexual predation since Great Zhou's founding, death by a thousand cuts isn't excessive, is it?"
Zhao Dezhu nodded slowly. "Not excessive!"
Smiling, Song Xuan pulled a small bottle from inside his robes and said conspiratorially, "Uncle Zhao, this is a miraculous remedy I obtained from an old physician I visited in Mingzhou. One pill can restore a man's vigor."
Zhao Dezhu took the bottle and glanced around. Seeing everyone else busy munching on chilled watermelon, he lowered his voice. "Does this stuff really work?"
Song Xuan looked utterly earnest. "Would I dare offer you something unreliable?"
"Thoughtful of you, brat!"
Satisfied, Zhao Dezhu tucked the bottle into his sleeve. He was not worried about Song Xuan tampering with it. Their families were old friends, and he was also Song Xuan's backer in the Black Robe Guard. Unless the boy had gotten his head caught in a door, he might harm anyone else, but never him.
"By the way, did you skim any gravy off this trip?"
At Zhao Dezhu's sudden question, Song Xuan considered his words before asking in return, "Then, Uncle Zhao, am I allowed to skim any?"
Zhao Dezhu glanced at Lu Xiaoliu and the others. "Your men followed you all that way. You can't have them come back empty-handed. You should give them at least a little something.
"Otherwise, the next time you want to take men out with you, you'll find the team much harder to lead."
"Don't worry, Uncle Zhao. I can't offer them any great windfall, but I can still secure a few dozen taels of silver for each of them."
Zhao Dezhu grunted in acknowledgment. "These things aren't easy to discuss openly, but everyone understands them in their hearts. You'll have to learn to judge the boundaries for yourself.
"When you can take something and when you can't-you'll understand once you've handled more cases.
"In short, there's plenty to learn when you work in a special office like ours."
Song Xuan nodded quickly. "I'm young and still don't understand a lot of things. I'll have to rely on your guidance, Uncle Zhao."
By the time they left the office, it was already dark.
With their bellies full of food and drink, everyone went home to their own families and mothers.
After a busy day of official work, Zhao Dezhu returned to his private quarters. His wife ordered a maid to bring warm water, then began wiping his face with a towel.
"My lord, what has made you so happy? You even drank so much."
"You know Old Song's two children, don't you?"
"I remember them vaguely. What happened?"
"Those two have made something of themselves now. In a few more years, they might even become first-rank Black Robe Guards."
Zhao Dezhu let out a drunken belch. "I'll give them a helping hand these next few years. A few years after that, it may be the Song Household helping our Zhao Household. Ming'er is fifteen this year, isn't he?
"In the future, our Ming'er will probably have to rely on that Song brother and sister for support."
At this point, as he looked at his wife's figure, still charming despite her age, alcohol stirred a sudden restlessness in Old Zhao's heart.
"As it happens, that boy Song Xuan gave me something. Let's try it out tonight!"
Half an hour later, Zhao Dezhu's wife was on the verge of tears.
"My lord, I really can't take any more. Why haven't you finished yet?"
Before you continue