Placid Chang’an

Chapter 11: Murder Case

At first, Su Cen thought that organizing cases was a rather boring task, but after several days of copying them, he glimpsed some of the mysteries within. Each and every one of these cases was solved through the wisdom of the ancients. The smallest details revealed the true story, and the truth often wore the cloak of lies. Yet, there were always people who would unveil that layer and reveal the truth to the world.

During the Wude period, in the early days of the founding of the country, the laws regarding criminal justice were not yet perfect. Fortunately, at that time, the entire nation was busy revitalizing the nation and rectifying the chaos that had plagued the land for many years, so there were no major cases to be investigated. 

However, during the Yonglong period, Emperor Taizong, Li Yu, came into power and initially punished a large number of former senior officials. There were rumors at the time that Li Yu's ascension to the throne was illegitimate. The founding emperor originally intended to pass the throne to his gentle crown prince. However, when the founding emperor was critically ill, the crown prince suddenly fell ill and even died in front of the founding emperor. 

Upon receiving this news, the founding emperor's anger overwhelmed him, and he passed away without recovering. There were rumors that Li Yu, who was then the Prince of Yu, had imprisoned the members of the royal family in the Sanqing Hall. By the time they emerged, Li Yu had already ascended the throne.

Such a major event naturally attracted criticism from the world. However, Li Yu was no ordinary person. During the early Yonglong period, the prisons flourished, and countless people were subjected to extreme punishments for a single misspoken word. In the Wude period, more than half of the ministers were brutally slaughtered. The ministers who had formed close relationships with the crown prince during his regency either died or retired, leaving only Ning Yi, the current Grand Tutor, as the sole surviving senior minister from the previous four dynasties.

Although Emperor Taizong ruled with ruthlessness, he was also a brilliant and visionary emperor of unparalleled talents. During his 23-year reign, he excelled in recognizing capable individuals, both inside and outside his court, and his prestige and virtues extended far and wide, earning the respect and submission of the surrounding regions. While numerous lives were lost during his reign, it also brought forth a large number of talented individuals who could support the nation.

Former Minister of the Grand Court, Chen Guanglu, was one of them.

During the Yonglong period, as the prisons thrived, the laws and regulations gradually improved. Chen Guanglu, then the Deputy Minister of the Grand Court, took charge of compiling the renowned "Da Zhou Code" that became the benchmark for penal measures in future generations. It was a comprehensive revision based on the previous dynasty's laws, taking into account the current dynasty's circumstances, and ensuring fairness and consistency in punishments.

During his tenure, Chen Guanglu handled over a hundred cases with exceptional insight, leaving no room for wrongful convictions. His achievements were compiled into the "Chen's Code of Law," providing precedents and guidelines for investigating and trying cases.

While Su Cen was copying a case of the "Ghost Infant" from the Yonglong 18th year, where the deceased had a swollen face, protruding eyeballs, extended tongue, bulging chest and abdomen, and the dead infant was expelled after death, he couldn't help but marvel at the prowess of Mr. Chen. Someone committed a crime under the guise of the "Ghost Infant" title, but Mr. Chen insisted on exhuming the body for autopsy a month after the person's death, despite the high summer temperatures and advanced decay. He personally pointed out the greenish corpse fluid as evidence to explain the origin of the deceased infant.

Su Cen was completely absorbed in copying amidst the musty odor of the room when suddenly someone forcefully pushed open the door, and sunlight poured in, startling him.

Raising his head, he recognized the person entering as Xiao Sun, the one in charge of serving tea, water, and running errands in the front court. He rarely came to the rear hall.

"What's the matter?"

Xiao Sun gasped for breath. "Master Song wants you to come to the front court."

"Me?" Su Cen furrowed his brow. Song Jiancheng was a Si Zheng (fifth-rank official) and his immediate superior. Since Su Cen entered the temple, Master Song had never shown him any favor. It was probably at someone else's instigation that he was assigned to the rear hall to organize documents.

"Hurry up, they're in the middle of a trial up front."

Su Cen closed the register with a frown and then calmly stood up, following Xiao Sun to the front court.

Upon arriving, he saw a woman kneeling in front of the hall. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were in disarray. Beside her lay a lifeless body, covered in bloodstains.

Su Cen hadn't figured out why he was called to investigate this murder case when he heard Song Jiancheng bellow from the hall, "Kneel!"

Su Cen was taken aback. He glanced at the bailiffs on both sides, holding their intimidating weapons, and thought to himself that it was wise not to underestimate the situation. Reluctantly, he knelt down.

Song Jiancheng then asked, "Do you recognize this woman?"

Su Cen looked to the side and saw the woman, although disheveled, still carrying a certain charm in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows. There were bloodstains on her sash. When she noticed him looking, she grinned and said, "I am the First Lady of the Zhuangyuan."

Su Cen: "..."

He hadn't noticed before, as the woman had kept her head down, that she seemed a bit deranged.

Su Cen replied, "I don't know her."

Song Jiancheng slammed the table in astonishment. "She claims to be your wife, and you have nothing to say in defense?"

Su Cen retorted, "Have you thoroughly investigated this person's background and identity?"

Song Jiancheng was taken aback. The person kneeling in the hall, who stared at him without a flicker of emotion, had eyes as clear and bright as a crescent moon. He spoke in a firm and confident tone, "If I'm not mistaken, this woman should be a girl from the Hongxian Brothel. She ran away with the scholar who came to the capital for the imperial examination, but she was sent back after being severely beaten. She went mad at that time and has been claiming to be the wife of the top scholar ever since. If I remember correctly, the provincial examination hasn't taken place yet, let alone any mention of a top scholar." He ended with a smile. "This matter has spread throughout the streets and alleys, tea houses and taverns. Didn't the esteemed sir know about it?"

Song Jiancheng's face immediately turned pale. He had initially intended to call the woman forward and give her a punishment, but he hadn't expected that things would turn against him, and his handling of the case would be questioned in the hall, damaging his reputation.

Song Jiancheng cleared his throat uneasily and said, "Of course, I am aware of these matters. I just called you to assist in the investigation."

"Oh?" Su Cen raised an eyebrow. "Can I get up now?"

Song Jiancheng could only wave his hand.

After Su Cen stood up, he showed no intention of leaving. He respectfully clasped his hands and said, "Since I'm here to assist in the investigation, may I examine the body?"

Song Jiancheng ground his teeth together. In the end, he swallowed his anger and ignored Su Cen. He instructed the scribe beside him, "Continue."

Su Cen paid no attention and squatted down to examine the body.

The scribe read aloud, "The deceased is Lu Liang, a native of Huzhou. He was 28 years old and had obtained the status of a juren in the eighth year of the Tianju period. He came to the capital this time to participate in this year's imperial examination and achieved the third-level pass. He held the position of a county recorder in Jingyang County... He was found dead in the alley behind the Hongxian Brothel in the Eastern Market last night, on the eighth day of the fourth month. Next to him was a girl from the Hongxian Brothel, a seamstress."

As Su Cen carefully examined the body, he listened attentively. Jingyang County was only about a hundred miles from Chang'an City and was considered an important location near the capital. Although the position of a county recorder was only a ninth-rank official, it offered great prospects for promotion due to its proximity to the capital. Now that the announcement of the examination results had passed more than ten days ago, those who obtained positions had already left for their assignments. Su Cen wondered why Lu Liang was still lingering in the capital.

After finishing the examination of the body, Su Cen stood up and said, "The mouth and eyes of the deceased were open, his hands were scattered, and there was a smell of alcohol in his mouth. There are numerous knife wounds all over his body, but none of them were fatal except for one deep three-finger-wide, two-inch-long wound on the right side of the neck, which severed the blood vessels and caused his death. The width of the wound is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, and it is deeper at the top and shallower at the bottom."

The scribe checked the autopsy report made by the mortician and found that Su Cen's description matched perfectly.

Su Cen then walked in front of the seamstress and squatted down. "What did you see last night?"

The deranged woman raised her head blankly and stared at Su Cen for a while. Suddenly, she let out a sharp scream and jumped up in alarm. "It's a ghost, an evil ghost! An evil ghost killed him! An evil ghost killed him!"

Su Cen: "..."

"Outrageous!" Song Jiancheng bellowed from the hall. Immediately, the bailiffs stepped forward and pinned the seamstress to the ground, as she continued to cry out that an evil ghost had killed someone, trembling in fear.

Su Cen furrowed his brow and walked to the front of the hall. He clasped his hands towards Song Jiancheng and said, "May I borrow your cup?" Before Song Jiancheng could react, Su Cen had already picked up his teacup and approached the seamstress, offering it to her. "Don't be afraid. This is the yamen, and there are no evil ghosts here. Take a sip of water to calm yourself."

The seamstress looked at him, cowering, and finally took the cup cautiously. She grinned at him and said, "I am the First Lady of the Zhuangyuan."

"It must be this madwoman who killed him in a fit of madness. There's no need for further investigation. Take her away," Song Jiancheng said. His brow wrinkled and waved his hand. He realized that they wouldn't be able to extract any useful information from the seamstress. Fortunately, she was foolish, so it was convenient to pin the blame on her.

"This person didn't kill him," Su Cen suddenly stood up and spoke.

"What?!" Song Jiancheng was already preparing to leave the hall when Su Cen interrupted him, wearing an expression as if he had just swallowed a fly.

"This person didn't kill him," Su Cen repeated, pointing at the seamstress. "Based on the bloodstains on her clothes, it appears that Lu Liang was attacked while he was pinning her down. That's why there are blood splatters above her chest and only bloodstains soaking into the lower part of her clothes."

"Even if she was pinned down, she could still have killed him!"

"Being pinned down can allow someone to kill," Su Cen smiled, "but the fatal wound is located on the right side of the neck. Unless she is left-handed, she wouldn't be able to create such a wound. And I just examined it..."

As everyone turned to look at Su Cen's gesture, they saw the seamstress holding the teacup in her right hand, smiling mischievously at them.

"The wound is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, with deeper penetration at the top and shallower at the bottom. It clearly indicates that the knife was first stabbed from the front of the neck and then pulled backward. If the person being pinned down had committed the murder," Su Cen made a motion of pulling with his fist in the air, "to exert force more conveniently, they would have pulled towards themselves. This also proves that she didn't kill him. Moreover, would someone who killed another person stay in the same place waiting for you to catch them? She may be mentally ill and unable to defend herself, but you can't turn a blind eye and twist the facts!"

Song Jiancheng's face turned dark as his dignity was publicly challenged. He stared at Su Cen fiercely and said, "If she didn't kill him, then who do you think is the murderer?"

Su Cen glanced at the seamstress and replied, "Perhaps only she knows who the killer is."

"Let's detain her for a night and see if we can get any information from her," Su Cen returned the empty teacup and walked towards the back hall, leaving the people in the hall staring at the deranged woman in confusion.