Chapter 2865: Madam Qu

Xia Zhongde returned to his study, exhausted in body and spirit. Securing the bail had cost him considerable effort and even more money. Only through such expenditure had he managed to establish the necessary connections. Though he had purchased merely a few carefully chosen words, those words had turned the tide and allowed him to process the bail successfully.

But while the bail was processed, the matter was far from over. Xia Zhongde had never been a litigation master, but under the Great Ming he had served as a steward specifically tasked with handling government offices. He knew official affairs intimately. After arriving in Lingao, he had made a point of studying the Australians' various laws and regulations. Whether he truly understood them or not, he had at least committed them all to memory.

At present, though the legal wife and the others had been released on bail, the case remained open. Zhou Suniang was still in police custody. Heaven knew what other "inappropriate" things she might say.

With the case unresolved, the legal wife and the others remained "suspects" who could be remanded and re-interrogated at any time. Once prosecuted and brought before the court, prison time would be inevitable.

Even if the legal wife and the others "got what they deserved," he would have no face to show Master Qu. His own livelihood would be finished as well.

What was he to do?

Under the Great Ming, bribes could have silenced her in prison. Such methods would not work with the Australians. Everything had to be done "according to law."

By following the law, he had managed to secure release on bail. Now, how could he make the legal wife's case dissipate like smoke?

Just as he was pondering this, a servant came to report that the Legal Wife requested his presence.

Xia Zhongde straightened his attire and followed the servant into the inner residence.

Madam Qu had already bathed and changed clothes, though her hair remained damp, pinned loosely in a simple bun. These past few days of imprisonment had left her complexion wan and pallid.

She was a noble lady from a great family, pampered since childhood. After marrying into the Qu family, she had become renowned for her skill in household management: clear in dispensing rewards and punishments, decisive in judgment, ruthless in her methods. She kept the large household in perfect order. No matter how many concubines and maids the family acquired, each was brought to submission under her hand—yet she managed to avoid her husband's resentment and had earned a reputation for being "virtuous."

Xia Zhongde had served in the Qu household for many years and knew her methods well. Standing before her, he held his breath and focused his mind, not daring to show the slightest laxity.

"Master Xia, please sit."

"Yes, thank you, Madam."

"This time I have truly troubled you!" Madam Qu said.

"I don't deserve such words. It is all due to Madam's deep blessings."

"Master Xia, you have been with the household for many years now. You are an old hand who came along from the beginning. And here we are in Kun territory, all in the same boat. How exactly should this case be concluded?"

Her tone was utterly calm, yet her eyes betrayed a trace of guilt and a hint of panic.

Xia Zhongde understood the source of her distress: the carefully constructed halo of household mastery she had built over the years had been shattered by Zhou Suniang. She herself was now implicated in a legal case—and whether under the Great Ming or here with the Australians, entanglement in such a lawsuit could bankrupt a family. Most critically, the master was away on the mainland. Originally, he had not been expected to return for several months. Because of this case, a telegram had already been sent to him, disrupting his itinerary and business. Moreover, even if he received the telegram and immediately traveled to Shanghai to book passage, it would still be at least a week before he could return. During this time, there was absolutely no one to consult.

The Qu family master and wife had seven or eight children between legitimate and concubine-born. The eldest son was only sixteen. The rest were either girls or young children—none could be relied upon.

"Madam, please be at ease," Xia Zhongde said with a bow. "Though this case is dangerous, there is no great peril."

"Please elaborate."

"Yes!" Xia Zhongde had already run the calculations many times. However, before speaking, he needed to ask some questions.

"This humble one is bold to ask: during these days with the Australians, what has Madam said? I must know everything clearly in order to formulate a plan."

"What else could I have said? Nothing but old accounts!" Though her words were calm, fear showed plainly on her face. Needless to say, these past days of interrogation had been difficult to endure.

The old cases Zhou Suniang had exposed were two: first, that the legal wife had beaten a concubine to death while administering household punishment; second, that the legal wife had secretly ordered someone to dispose of a maid who had violated household rules, putting her to death.

"Regarding these two matters, Madam must have told the Australian police about both?"

"Yes." Madam Qu looked ashamed. When first summoned, she had remained calm and composed, her heart unmoved by the prospect of interrogation. She had not expected the Australians to break down her composure in just a few rounds.

What happened after that she could not quite remember. She recalled only a blur, losing all distinction between day and night. The interrogators kept changing, going over the same old matters repeatedly. Her usually sharp mind grew muddled. She answered whatever was asked, saying many things that should never have been said.

"This Zhou concubine is truly my nemesis!" Madam Qu gnashed her teeth. Thinking it over, everything traced back to her. In the past, she had handled groups of concubines and maids with practiced ease. Yet whenever she encountered Zhou Suniang, a nameless fury would rise within her, and she would do many rash things—yet she had never gone all the way and disposed of her cleanly!

"Madam, please remain calm. Just tell me everything you said to the Australians, so I can assess the situation." After speaking, he gestured meaningfully. "Please dismiss the attendants."

"Yes." Madam nodded. This matter involved old murder cases. The fewer people who knew, the better—even close confidants.

Under normal circumstances, she would never allow herself to be alone in a room with a man. But now she could not be bothered with such proprieties.

She dismissed the attendants and roughly recounted the contents of the interrogation. Xia Zhongde had always possessed an excellent memory. He took no notes, simply listening in silence.

Of these two matters, he knew about the concubine being beaten to death. He had personally handled the official paperwork, ultimately reporting it as "sudden death from acute illness" and having her taken out and buried to close the matter. But the disposal of the maid was news to him. Hearing Madam describe it now, he felt a secret alarm: What ruthless methods this Madam employs!

"...These two matters are ancient history. Who knows where that wretched creature heard about them!" Madam Qu gnashed her teeth. "Most likely those two cheap maids Fuyue and Ruilan!"

Seeing her grinding her teeth in fury, Xia Zhongde hastened to advise:

"Now is not the time to make more trouble. If Madam wishes to deal with them, it will not be too late to wait until things have settled."

"You are right." Madam Qu exhaled a turbid breath. "Please continue."

Xia Zhongde thought for a moment and said: "Though the people have been released, the Australian police probably are not willing to let this go. They will continue investigating these two cases. Now that they have confessions, they still need physical evidence and witness testimonies..."

Being released on bail was not the same as being declared innocent. She would still have to stand trial in court. If the evidence proved conclusive when the time came, Madam could not avoid prison—and if it truly came to that, he need not bother continuing as a Private Secretary. He might as well pack his things and leave.

At this point, Madam Qu's expression visibly tensed.

"...Fortunately, both these cases occurred under Ming rule. Time has passed and circumstances have changed. Though a few people know of them, it is all uncorroborated testimony, and there are not even any aggrieved parties. Zhou Suniang merely reported based on hearsay; it does not count as evidence..."

"But the confessions..."

"No matter how iron-boned someone might be, what confession cannot be extracted in the hands of constables and bailiffs? The Australians know this themselves. Therefore, conviction based solely on confession is not acceptable."

Simply put, the court also understood that uncorroborated evidence could not stand alone and that conviction would be difficult, which was why they had agreed to grant bail. This gave him the confidence to say "though dangerous, there is no great peril."

But risks still remained—namely, Nanny Bao and Cheng Wu, the legal wife's confidants who had been arrested at the same time. Though he had not yet spoken with them, they had probably spilled everything like beans tumbling from a bamboo tube.

Confessions might constitute uncorroborated evidence, but as long as the confessions of the three could corroborate one another, they would form what the Australians called an "evidence chain." Xia Zhongde knew the Australians placed the greatest emphasis on the "evidence chain" when handling cases. If this chain of evidence fit together perfectly, it would not be so easy to muddle through.

"In that case, what should we do now?" Madam Qu asked anxiously. "Who knows when the Master will return..."

"Distant water cannot quench a nearby fire." Xia Zhongde knew clearly that even if the Master returned home immediately, it would not help. True, the Master had some connections among the high-ranking naturalized officials, but these senior cadres would most likely be unwilling to wade into such muddy waters. Unless they could connect with a Senator. But why would a Senator stand up for the Qu family?

"What if we go back?" Madam Qu said in a panic. "At worst, we abandon the money!"

"No, no, absolutely not!" Xia Zhongde shook his head quickly. "Three thousand yuan is nothing, but the Master's entire family fortune is in Lingao. If you flee after posting bail, the entire family business will be ruined!"

Madam Qu covered her face and wept: "Had I known it would come to this, why did we ever come to Lingao! If we had stayed nicely in the Great Ming, there would have been no trouble at all! That damned old coffin! Wuwuwu..."

Xia Zhongde felt deeply awkward and could only offer a few words of consolation.

Madam Qu cried for a time, then composed herself. "The Master has not returned. I have lost all sense of what to do. Please help me devise a plan. Get us safely through this current crisis. There will be rewards for you afterward." With that, she rose, took out a pair of heavy gold bracelets from the Japanese lacquer mother-of-pearl cabinet, and placed them on the table.

"A small token of appreciation."

But Xia Zhongde did not reach for them. "I appreciate Madam's generosity in my heart. There will be many expenses ahead. Please keep these bracelets, Madam; they may have other uses."

Madam Qu understood his meaning and did not stand on ceremony. "In that case, Master Xia, whatever you need for entertainment and expenses, simply tell me."

"Two things must be done right now. First, Nanny Bao and Cheng Wu must be kept under watch. There must be no more unexpected changes—especially, they must not have second thoughts."

Madam Qu nodded.

"Second, the old servants in the household, especially the old servants close to Madam, must be secured to avoid further issues. As for Fuyue and Ruilan, I do not know what they know or how much they know, but they too must be kept in hand. The entire household must keep inside words in and outside words out."

"Those two have been old servants in the household for over ten years. They know quite a few things. And they have always been close with Zhou Suniang..." Madam Qu said grimly.

"Madam!"

"It is fine. I know what is prudent." Madam Qu smiled. "I can still distinguish between priorities."

(End of Chapter)