Chapter 1817 - Filing a Report

"What?! That can't be right. Whatever else, Mingnu is still your brother-in-law's own flesh and blood. His family isn't destitute—why would they sell her? Did you search for her first?" Li Ziyu was taken aback. He had visited Zeng Juan's brother-in-law's teahouse before, mooching meals with their group.

"It's all because of my brother-in-law's damned second wife!" Zeng Juan's face went white with fury as he spoke of her. "That woman has been going on about how Mingnu is a 'money-losing commodity' and wanted to sell her off as a servant girl. She'd been scheming about this for quite some time. I never imagined she'd actually go through with such a vicious act!" As he spoke, he broke into wrenching sobs.

Zeng Juan hadn't originally harbored much affection for this niece. But after his sister passed away, the child became the sole living memento of her in this world. The girl's place in his heart had grown entirely different.

"Hey, hey—real men don't cry easily. Don't weep!" Li Ziyu hurried to comfort him. "Come, tell me exactly what happened!"

"Two days ago I went to bring the children some snacks and clothes. Leaving the teahouse I happened to see Chengzi and Huazi—my two nephews. You've met them..."

"I know them. Get to the important part."

"Chengzi and Huazi were just sitting on the street, not playing or making noise. When I spoke to them, they both started crying, saying Mingnu was gone!"

"When did this happen?"

"They said she wasn't at dinner the night before last." Zeng Juan said. "If I hadn't gone to deliver snacks today, I still wouldn't know Mingnu was missing." The thought of what terrible people Mingnu might encounter made Zeng Juan choke up again.

"I hurried to find my brother-in-law and his wife. Brother-in-law hemmed and hawed. That woman insisted Mingnu had merely gone out to play. I pressed them repeatedly until brother-in-law finally admitted Mingnu 'wasn't there.' I asked where she'd gone—at first they wouldn't say. When I kept asking, that woman started cursing me for 'meddling.' Then she claimed Mingnu had run off on her own. Later she changed her story again, claiming Mingnu had been snatched by 'kidnappers'... When I asked my brother-in-law to help search for Mingnu, she blocked us at every turn. That's when we got into a fight and I was pushed to the ground..."

After finishing his furious account, Zeng Juan wept and pleaded with Li Ziyu: "Brother Yu, you have to help me! When a child goes missing, the authorities never bothered with it before. How is our family supposed to find her now...? Wuuu wuuu wuuu..."

"Don't worry, Brother Zeng! Child disappearances are classified as major cases in Great Song. Just sit tight. I'll have Ah Gui take your statement for the report, and I'll immediately inform my superiors!"

"Brother Yu, I, Zeng Juan, swear I'll repay your kindness as an ox and horse for the rest of my life!"

Li Ziyu had no time for courtesies. He recalled from the anti-trafficking training at Wanshou Palace that the instructor had specifically emphasized the "time-sensitivity" of abduction cases. If reported and handled within the first twenty-four hours, the chances of recovery were substantially higher. The more time elapsed, the lower the probability of solving the case.

He hurried to the Criminal Investigation Section to report the case to the detective on duty.

The detective on duty was Gao Chongjiu. The Criminal Investigation Section already had plenty of work—he was managing over a dozen cases of various sizes. However, child trafficking cases were classified as "major cases" in Great Song's police system. He didn't dare treat it lightly. He quickly instructed them to first take Zeng Juan's statement, then transfer it over when complete.

"Name?"

"She only has a nickname—Mingnu."

"Age?"

"Ten years old this year."

"Gender?"

"Huh? Female, female."

"Home address?"

"Mine or Mingnu's?"

"The child's, naturally."

"141 Six Banyan Street, Wanshenglu Teahouse."

"How long has she been missing?"

"She wasn't seen at dinner the night before last." Zeng Juan said. "If I hadn't gone to deliver snacks today, I still wouldn't know Mingnu was missing." Thinking about what bad people Mingnu might encounter made Zeng Juan choke up again.

...

Zeng Juan gave his statement to Ah Gui—at this stage the case hadn't risen to the level of a trafficking investigation. By procedure, it could only be classified as a missing persons case.

Gao Chongjiu reviewed the statement. Noticing that Li Ziyu had personally accompanied the reporter, he understood the complainant must have some connection to this Officer Li. He couldn't afford indifference—he needed to appear cordial. Among the first cohort from Wanshou Palace, this Li Ziyu was performing best, clearly favored by the chiefs.

By the old rules, the yamen wouldn't have touched such cases at all. In Guangzhou city, the number of women and children who went missing each year numbered in the hundreds if not thousands. Under the former Ming's government, such cases were definitively ignored. Gao Chongjiu had cracked a few "kidnapper" cases during his constable days, but most had been solved by accidentally stumbling upon clues, then investigating deeply until finally breaking them. Very few were solved after official reports—constables generally didn't bother with such matters. Only occasionally would wealthy families specifically request searches.

Though the constables' custom of "eating black"—accepting bribes—was standard practice, they typically refused "offerings" from kidnappers. This trade not only separated flesh and blood families, but those in the business operated in strange and sinister ways. Even government servants feared being tainted by such association—it would "injure one's hidden virtue."

However, though no collusion existed, that didn't mean government servants were ignorant of their activities. Constables in particular maintained extensive networks of low-level informants and scouts. With genuine effort, finding a person wasn't terribly difficult. So Gao Chongjiu first offered a few comforting words to Zeng Juan before inquiring about the case's specific details.

But after reading the statement and asking a few questions, Gao Chongjiu said: "Looks like your brother-in-law sold the child himself."

Zeng Juan said urgently: "That's precisely right, Officer. But he refuses to admit it. His damned wife is even more vicious and slippery. That's why I came to the police station to report..."

Gao Chongjiu said: "Since you're Ah Yu's friend, I won't mince words. If he sold her himself, our police station really can't do anything about it..."

"How can that be..." Zeng Juan blurted out, then realized his tone wasn't respectful enough—he was here asking for help!

Li Ziyu also said: "Ninth Master, please help us out! His sister left behind only this drop of blood. We can't let her be ruined!"

Gao Chongjiu said: "Ah Yu, you're too polite. It's not that I refuse to help, but the way this report is filed—forget whether it can even be accepted as a case—even if accepted, it's useless. Though anti-trafficking is now treated as a major case, Great Song law doesn't say selling your own children is illegal. If we investigate and your brother-in-law simply produces the body-sale contract, this case ceases to be a missing persons matter, and the police can do nothing to him."

Gao Chongjiu was an old hand at government affairs. Though he'd only been a Great Song police officer for a few days, he'd already read the several laws and regulations issued by the Council of Elders relevant to daily casework multiple times. Yamen constables and runners, though they committed all manner of misdeeds themselves, possessed much stronger "legal consciousness" than ordinary citizens. When bamboozling common folk, they could cite laws and regulations off the top of their heads, leaving people dumbfounded. These few sentences flowed effortlessly, rendering Li Ziyu and Zeng Juan speechless.

"Furthermore, according to Great Song criminal law, reporting a missing persons case where the missing person is a child requires the guardian—meaning the parents—by regulation. Ah Juan is only the uncle, not a guardian. If he files this report, the bureau can simply refuse to accept the case."

"Then... then... what do we do?" Zeng Juan was so anxious he wanted to tear out his hair. Li Ziyu hurried to calm him, then said: "Ninth Master, is there another way?"

Gao Chongjiu judged the timing was right. He lowered his voice: "There is a way. But your friend needs to present it like this..."

How to present it? Reporting a missing person directly wouldn't work because Zeng Juan wasn't Mingnu's guardian. His report wouldn't be accepted.

"...Just say his two nephews Chengzi and Huazi saw Mingnu talking to an old woman, then Mingnu followed her away. They called after her from behind but she didn't hear."

Li Ziyu let out an "ah," realizing this meant fabricating testimony. He couldn't help feeling nervous. He whispered: "Wouldn't this constitute filing a false report?"

Gao Chongjiu said: "If you want this case worked, it has to be presented this way. This way there's suspected 'kidnapping' involvement, and it can be filed as a 'child abduction case.' Once filed, I'll take some brothers to that teahouse. Apply some methods—a few misleading words, a few calculated frights—and we'll extract the girl's whereabouts. What happens next is your friend's business."

Li Ziyu sensed something wasn't quite proper, but he knew the experienced Gao Chongjiu had a point. The guardian hurdle alone was one they couldn't surmount.

After much deliberation, Li Ziyu pulled Zeng Juan aside and explained the plan. Zeng Juan immediately agreed—as long as it could save Mingnu, he was willing to say anything.

"Think this through carefully. When the time comes, if your brother-in-law produces the body-sale contract, the police station can't do anything to him either. How to actually rescue Mingnu—you'll have to figure that out yourself."

"As long as I can discover where Mingnu is, I'll definitely find a way to rescue her." Zeng Juan was full of resolve.

The two finished their discussion. Zeng Juan immediately filed the report according to the script Li Ziyu had coached him on. Gao Chongjiu completed the statement and proceeded to handle case filing procedures.

Trafficking cases were classified as major cases in the Council of Elders' police system. The moment the case was reported, the duty officer didn't dare delay. He immediately reported to Wu Xiang, who was on bureau duty. The investigation commenced immediately. Before long, an officer from the Forensics Section arrived with a standard facial composite kit. Li Ziyu recognized this tool—through the reporter's description of the subject's features, a likeness could be rapidly assembled. Extremely convenient. This wasn't exactly a modern invention—ancient yamen had employed similar methods. But portrait sketching skills in those days were poor, and the assembled images often bore little resemblance to actual persons. Nothing like these lifelike composite cards.

The officer quickly assembled a composite most resembling Mingnu based on Zeng Juan's description. Li Ziyu carried the image to the copy room to request duplicates—the police bureau naturally possessed no photocopier. They used a photo-reproduction method with cameras. The prints wouldn't be ready until tomorrow at earliest.

Though the case was filed, Wu Xiang lacked sufficient manpower to assign. At this point Gao Chongjiu volunteered: "I'll handle this case."

"You already have over a dozen cases on your plate."

"No matter. This kind of trafficking case is primarily about gathering intelligence. I know everyone in Guangzhou city. A day or two of asking around and I'll definitely have leads—if not, it'll probably prove difficult to crack."

Wu Xiang grasped his meaning: "Very well, you handle it! Find the girl's whereabouts quickly. If too much time passes and they transport her outside the city, she'll vanish like a stone in the ocean."

(End of Chapter)