Even after Fan Changyu left the room, the person sitting at the desk writing something didn’t look up, only pressing his lips together more tightly.
Listening to the fading footsteps, he set down his brush and leaned back in his chair, his pitch-black eyes dark and gloomy.
Come when called, leave when dismissed?
She truly dares-
After instructing her younger sister not to wander around at home, Fan Changyu greeted the neighbor, Madam Zhao, and prepared to go to the county yamen.
Madam Zhao said, “Your uncle and I will accompany you. That place is frightening. I’ve heard that if you’re not careful, you might get beaten with the rod of discipline. With dozens of strikes, wouldn’t your skin split open? If we’re there, we can help you find a way out if anything goes wrong.”
It’s said that commoners shouldn’t fight against officials. Fan Da had connected with the yamen clerk who had a grudge against Fan Changyu’s family. For the past few days, the elderly Zhao couple had been so worried about Fan Changyu that they couldn’t sleep.
Although Fan Changyu had martial arts skills, this was her first time going to court in over ten years. After brief consideration, she agreed.
The three of them took an ox cart to the county yamen. They arrived early, but the entrance was already crowded with spectators.
Fan Changyu knew the trial procedures. After the County Magistrate ascended to the court, he would first summon her and Fan Da. The Magistrate would then ask Fan Da to restate his complaint, with the Chief Clerk recording the testimony. If there were any disputes, witnesses might be called if necessary.
The witnesses Fan Changyu had found were neighbors from the old Fan family residence. Most people wouldn’t want to get involved in such matters, but the Fan Da family was indeed unlikable, having conflicts with many neighbors. When Fan Changyu visited, several families, disgusted by Fan Da’s behavior, were willing to come and testify that Fan Da was a gambler.
As time passed, the crowd at the yamen entrance grew larger. Yamen runners had already placed the sign holder and the wooden “attention clapper” on the table at the front of the court, but there was still no sign of Fan Da, the plaintiff. Fan Changyu couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Being late for court would result in a beating. Could Fan Da have forgotten about today’s trial and overslept?
Madam Zhao looked around and muttered, “Why isn’t Fan Da here?”
Fan Changyu had an inappropriate thought: Had she studied the laws so hard these past few days that her resentment caused her to sleepwalk and kidnap Fan Da last night?
As the three drum beats sounded, her scattered thoughts instantly focused.
The yamen runners entered the hall first, forming a goose-shaped formation on both sides, each holding a nearly person-high disciplinary staff and wearing fierce expressions.
The spectators outside the court let out a murmur of discussion upon seeing these runners, clearly intimidated by them.
Fan Changyu also noticed that these runners were all unfamiliar faces, with none of Captain Wang’s constables present. She wondered if the yamen clerk had manipulated something, and her heart became slightly uneasy.
The County Magistrate, wearing his official robes, entered from the side door and sat behind the bench. His eyes squeezed into slits due to his plumpness, scanned the courtroom before he picked up the wooden “attention clapper” and struck it hard, shouting, “Court is in session!”
The yamen runners simultaneously struck their disciplinary staff on the ground, shouting, “Respect and fear!”
The sound of the staff hitting the ground almost merged with the heartbeats of the spectators outside.
The yamen clerk with a fu manchu mustache called out, “Bring forth the plaintiff and defendant!”
Although Fan Changyu was afraid, when the yamen runners led her into the courtroom, she still gave the Zhao couple a reassuring look.
However, even at this moment, Fan Da had not arrived. Only she, the defendant, was kneeling alone in the court.
The plump County Magistrate had never encountered such a situation before. He exchanged a glance with the yamen clerk, both unsure of what was happening.
The spectators outside were also discussing among themselves.
This standoff couldn’t continue, so the County Magistrate first asked Fan Changyu, “Who kneels before the court?”
Fan Changyu answered, “This humble woman is Fan Changyu.”
The County Magistrate looked at the complaint with his eyes narrowed to slits and demanded, “Where is the plaintiff, Fan Daniu?”
No one in or out of the court responded.
Amid the silence, even the deliberately lowered discussions of the spectators outside seemed particularly jarring.
The plump County Magistrate struck the “attention clapper” heavily: “This is outrageous! In all my years of judging cases, this is the first time I’ve encountered a plaintiff who simply doesn’t show up to court. It’s utter disregard for the law!”
The skinny yamen clerk beside him glanced at Fan Changyu a few times and advised, “Your Honor, please calm down. Fan Daniu is but a mere commoner; he surely wouldn’t dare to be late for court. There must be some underlying reason. Perhaps we should send yamen runners to his home to inquire, demonstrating Your Honor’s meticulous investigation!”
The plump County Magistrate pondered briefly: “Approved!”
Soon, yamen runners were sent to Fan Da’s home to look for him. The County Magistrate ordered a recess, so Fan Changyu no longer had to kneel in the courtroom.
With this unexpected turn of events, the spectators not only didn’t disperse but became even more curious about why Fan Da hadn’t come to court today. They crowded at the entrance, refusing to leave.
Fan Changyu was sitting on a small stool, massaging her knees, when suddenly a minor official came over: “Captain Wang summons Miss Fan for a moment.”
Thinking that Captain Wang might have something to tell her, Fan Changyu followed the minor official through the side door to the duty room behind the yamen.
The minor official seemed to be Captain Wang’s confidant. After Fan Changyu entered, he kept watch at the door.
Upon seeing Fan Changyu, Captain Wang didn’t waste words and asked directly, “Your uncle… did you kidnap him?”
Fan Changyu thought to herself that she had initially considered it, but later came up with other methods and hadn’t acted on that idea at all. She immediately shook her head: “How could I do such a foolish thing?”
Captain Wang let out a sigh of relief: “That’s good.”
He had specifically asked her in private because he remembered Fan Changyu had previously asked him what would happen if Fan Da didn’t appear in court.
He lowered his voice and said, “Fan Da has connections with Clerk He. Even if he used such a method, he would later turn it against you. With a charge of disregarding the law, you could even end up in prison.”
Fan Changyu said, “I understand.”
The yamen had sent people to look for Fan Da without using Captain Wang’s men, which was already quite telling. Captain Wang couldn’t help at all in this matter.
After leaving the duty room, Fan Changyu returned to the courtroom to wait. But after a full half hour, the yamen runners sent to find Fan Da still hadn’t returned.
The County Magistrate grew impatient and ordered someone to hurry them. Another half hour passed before the yamen runners finally returned, carrying a person covered with a white cloth on a stretcher.
Fan Da’s wife, Liu Shi, and the Fan family elders followed, wailing loudly.
The person under the white cloth was Fan Da.
Fan Changyu’s face showed shock. Fan Da was dead?
The crowd at the yamen entrance buzzed with discussion, their gazes constantly sweeping over Fan Changyu.
Fan Da had intended to seize her family property, yet he died at this critical moment. Anyone would be prone to suspicion.
“How did he die on the very day of the court hearing?”
“Fan Da was as strong as an ox. It wouldn’t be easy for an ordinary person to take his life…”
Fan Changyu felt the various gazes upon her and slightly pressed her lips together, her heart equally filled with shock and doubt.
Who killed Fan Da?
Her mind involuntarily flashed to Yan Zheng’s words a few days ago about settling things with Fan Da, but she quickly dismissed the thought.
Not to mention that Yan Zheng’s injuries had worsened and he had rarely left the room these past few days, the fact that he had already taught her all the laws she might need in court meant he couldn’t have harmed Fan Da.
Moreover, he was only pretending to be married into her family and had no grudge against Fan Da, so there was no reason for him to kill him.
When the County Magistrate heard that the plaintiff, Fan Da, was dead, he hurriedly came out from the side room, his official hat barely on straight. His eyes, reduced to tiny slits due to his plumpness, revealed shock. He hadn’t expected a case about dividing family property to turn into a murder case: “What… what’s going on here? Is there no law anymore?”
One of the constables who had gone to find Fan Da respectfully answered, “Reporting to Your Honor, when we found Fan Daniu, he had already been dead for some time. There were multiple knife and sword wounds on his body.”
The County Magistrate ordered the white cloth covering Fan Da’s body to be lifted. Just one glance scared him so much that the fat on his face trembled. He hurriedly said, “Summon the coroner!”
Fan Da’s wife, Liu Shi, nearly fainted from crying beside Fan Da’s corpse. When she saw Fan Changyu, she lunged at her as if demanding her life: “Was it you who killed him? Was it you?”
Fan Changyu stepped back to avoid her, coldly saying, “Sister-in-law, don’t falsely accuse people. My uncle owed a pile of gambling debts outside. Who knows if he met his end at the hands of some debt collector? What does it have to do with me?”
Liu Shi and Old Mrs. Fan continued to wail. The County Magistrate, annoyed by their noise, had the yamen runners take them away first.
Before leaving, Old Mr. Fan looked at Fan Changyu as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t, his lips turning pale as if remembering something terrifying.
Fan Changyu, being involved in the lawsuit with Fan Da, was inevitably forced to stay.
After examining the body, the coroner gave his findings. Fan Da had likely died on his way to the yamen this morning. There were eleven wounds on his body, but only the sword thrust through his heart was fatal.
The coroner said, “The first ten cuts were extremely vicious, yet they all avoided vital areas. The killer must be someone accustomed to using knives and swords. These wounds, if not for revenge, look like they were inflicted during an interrogation.”
This answer made Fan Changyu frown.
Interrogation?
What could they interrogate Fan Da about?
Forcing him to repay debts?
But if the purpose was to force him to repay debts, they wouldn’t have killed him.
For a moment, Fan Changyu felt shrouded in a heavy fog of confusion.
However, since Fan Da had been killed on his way to the county town, Fan Changyu could clear herself of suspicion. She had been on her way there too, and the elderly Zhao couple and the ox cart owner could testify to that.
But the yamen clerk didn’t intend to let Fan Changyu off so easily. He said to the County Magistrate, “Your Honor, although Miss Fan Da has an alibi, what if… she hired someone to kill? I’ve heard she’s quite close to that group of street ruffians led by Jin Laosan in Lin’an Town. To be safe, shouldn’t we send someone to search her house?”
With a sudden murder case during the New Year period, the County Magistrate also felt it was extremely inauspicious. Since this involved a murder, he no longer cared about his interests and pointed to Captain Wang, who had years of experience in handling cases: “You lead a team to search!”
Fan Changyu had nothing to hide, and it was Captain Wang going. She met the yamen clerk’s weasel-like gaze without fear-
A group of yamen runners arrived at the west side of the town in the civilian lane. The north wind was blowing strongly at this time. One yamen runner sniffed hard: “Is someone slaughtering pigs? There’s a strong smell of blood.”
Captain Wang smelled it too, but Fan Changyu’s family lived in this area, and she made a living by slaughtering pigs, so he didn’t think much of it at first.
When they opened the main gate of the Fan family courtyard and saw the dead bodies scattered on the ground, even the constables from the capital who had dealt with various murder cases all changed their expressions.
The ground was covered with corpses, and fresh blood had dyed red the snow that hadn’t been cleared from the courtyard.
Captain Wang, being an old friend of Fan Changyu’s father, knew she had a younger sister at home. Not seeing a child’s corpse in the courtyard, he hurried into the house to check.
As he stepped onto the threshold, he saw a person lying on their back at the entrance of the main hall, their throat torn apart as if by some hooked claws. A few feathers the size of goose down had fallen on the ground, and there were marks of knife and sword strikes on the door.
Captain Wang’s heart sank. He continued into the inner rooms. On the floor of the north room lay another person who was dead, with a kitchen knife embedded in their back.
Judging from where it had struck, it seemed to have hit right on the spine. Surprisingly, almost two-thirds of the knife blade had pierced through, indicating the incredible strength of the person who had thrown it.
Captain Wang searched all the rooms with a heavy heart, but couldn’t find Fan Changyu’s little sister or that son-in-law. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried.
He said in a deep voice, “It seems someone came to seek revenge against the Fan family. Quickly return to the yamen and report this!”-
The sky was gray and overcast, with goose feather-like snowflakes fluttering down. The accumulated snow on the pine needles occasionally shook off some snowpowder.
The front of Xie Zheng’s clothes was completely soaked with fresh blood. Behind him in the dense forest, crows were startled into flight. The chaotic footsteps treading on snow were closing in like a net, but he seemed oblivious. Leaning against a pine tree, his bloodied long sword thrust three inches into the snow at an angle, he was bandaging his hand wound with a torn strip of cloth.
There were a few spots of blood on his pale jaw, and the corners of his mouth were turned down as if his mood was terrible.
Changning and the slightly graying Hai Dongqing were huddled not far from him. One of Hai Dongqing’s claws still had some pale pink flesh hanging from it. Changning was sobbing intermittently, her little face pale with fright.
He coldly raised his eyes: “No crying allowed.”
Changning didn’t dare to make even a sob, but tears still fell in large drops.
“What exactly did your Fan family offend?”
The child before him, nearly frightened out of her wits, naturally couldn’t answer. Xie Zheng’s question seemed more like he was muttering to himself.
When the chaotic footsteps finally approached, he had just finished tying the bandage by biting one end with his teeth. The taste of fresh blood dissolved on his tongue with a faint iron rust flavor.
In his fierce and determined phoenix eyes, the reflection of a group of masked men wielding swords and approaching from the pine forest could be seen.