After Jin Liang and his party left, Zhù Da, Zhang Xiangu, and Huajie all flung open their doors and came rushing out, crowding together in the central passage. “What happened this time? Why did Jin Elder Brother show up with a whole group like that?” “Why are all the people who’ve been coming to the house these past few days so frightening?” “Is it still the same case?”

Zhù Ying closed and barred the gate securely, and standing in the light of Zhang Xiangu’s oil lamp, looked at her family’s worried faces and smiled. “Still the same case. Yesterday that side came looking; today this side did. We accept nothing from either.”

Zhù Da said, feeling somewhat relieved, “If only you’d said sooner — General Zhou offended Jin Elder Brother! Goodness!”

Zhang Xiangu said, “And what difference would it make if she had?”

Zhù Da said, “Then we definitely shouldn’t have accepted the Zhou family’s things — and we should have made it clear to Jin Elder Brother.”

“You wouldn’t go and take credit for that, would you? Is that your credit to take?”

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Huajie said, “If we’d told Jin the Constable, he still wouldn’t have thought much of it — but his friends might think Sanlang was angling for a reward. Better not to say anything.”

Zhang Xiangu said, “Right — just like in the village, you have to know how to do a favor properly. Old Third — that surnamed Zhou is also no good; shouldn’t he be taught a lesson?”

Zhù Ying said, “His case has reached imperial ears. It’s not easy to maneuver there; just have him sit in there and suffer a bit.”

The whole family was quite disappointed.

Zhang Xiangu said, “As long as it doesn’t involve our house, that’s fine! Sleep, sleep! Oh — Old Third, you haven’t eaten dinner yet, have you? What’s going on? The emperor doesn’t send soldiers into battle on an empty stomach! You go back to your room; I’ll bring you the food right away — it’s keeping warm in the steamer.”

Huajie went to help, and in a moment Zhù Ying had changed out of her official robes and into a plain cotton robe, and the food was laid out; the three of them watched her eat. Zhù Ying held her bowl and ate while listening to them chat — how Huajie had started writing prescriptions and treating patients today, becoming a doctor of sorts. Huajie said, “They’re all very common seasonal ailments — the kind that come at the change from spring to summer. Memorize a few prescriptions, and for symptoms that are close enough, adjust slightly — I can hardly call it any great skill.”

Zhang Xiangu said this was very impressive: “You know the symptoms! Not like me — I only vaguely felt it might be right when burning the charm ash, so I’d just pull off a couple of medicinal leaves and toss them in the water to brew together.” Huajie had never known that Zhang Xiangu’s charm water had medicine in it and found this surprising. Zhang Xiangu said, “I just listened to what old folk said — things like honeysuckle to clear heat and detoxify; if I thought it was a heat ailment, I’d casually add a little. You can’t rely on charm water alone — it won’t do.”

And then, because there had been two groups of visitors to the house on two consecutive days, both with considerable presence, they began discussing the case. Zhang Xiangu said, “Neither of those two is any good — going to a place like that, and then picking fights — what sort of decent people do that?” Zhù Da said, “That’s not necessarily true. Look at General Ma — so many brothers troubled themselves about his affairs after his death; he must have been a gallant and loyal man in life.” Huajie said, “General Zhou looks like a complete idler; doesn’t seem like someone who would kill with his own hands.”

Zhù Da also asked Zhù Ying, “Old Third — what’s really going on?”

Zhù Ying said, “It’s only been two days — how can anyone see it clearly? Tomorrow there’s more investigating to do.”

Zhang Xiangu kept interrupting Zhù Ying’s dinner to cross-examine her, which set off another quarrel between her and Zhù Da. Huajie was slowly getting used to the atmosphere in the Zhù household; seeing Zhù Ying eating her meal in complete equanimity, utterly unmoved by her parents’ fierce argument, Huajie felt a pang: it was hard on her to be able to eat through this.

While they chatted, Zhù Ying quickly finished eating. Zhang Xiangu went to clear up the dishes and called Zhù Da to help boil water; Zhù Da then said, “We’re running low on firewood; tomorrow I’ll go to the market and have them send a cartload over…”

Huajie stayed behind and asked Zhù Ying, “Both sides in this case are difficult — and I can see they’re directing some of that toward you. What’s going on?”

Zhù Ying said, “You didn’t see them when they were directing it at Prefect Zheng and Magistrate Wang — those two simply invoked the emperor’s name. That’s power for you.”

Huajie nodded. “Then what came to our house here was only a small skirmish. I understand — we’ll go on living as usual. But I’m afraid that if they can’t get at those two, they’ll take it out on us.”

Zhù Ying said, “I’ve already thought it through.”

“Shall I do anything for the household?”

Zhù Ying said, “Accept nothing from either side. If I really end up taking the blame, I’ll go to Prefect Zheng and ask for something in return.”

Huajie hesitated for a moment and said, “There’s something I’d like to say — you can let it go in one ear and out the other — Prefect Zheng has treated you with great kindness. But sometimes…”

“Don’t lay out all your cards for him completely either. Is that right?”

Huajie smiled. “You already have so little — you’d better keep a little for yourself. Get some rest. You have to be up early tomorrow.”

——

The next day Zhù Ying still went to the Court of Judicial Review to report for duty first.

As she passed the palace gate, even the imperial guards couldn’t resist asking her for news. Zhù Ying told them all, “It’s only the second day — nothing to show yet. If there’s a major development, it won’t be kept quiet, and you’ll all find out.”

The guards all said, “General Zhou doesn’t look like someone who could make such a brutal move.”

Zhù Ying said, “What kind of brutal move?”

The guards said quietly, “Tsk — someone saw something at the time! Word got out. And that Ma fellow — from what we’ve been able to find out, he’s also not exactly a good sort!”

Zhù Ying heard some more unflattering words about Captain Ma from the imperial guards — consistent with what had been said on the pleasure street; this man did have certain bad habits. At the same time — certainly a good father, and as a husband not too bad either; hadn’t remarried after his wife died, and had managed to keep the household comfortable — but getting money required certain means, and while he didn’t bleed his own troops, other things were harder to say.

Zhù Ying noted all this inwardly, just listening. At this point in the case, the outcome itself wasn’t something she could control; whoever the real culprit turned out to be was about to come to light regardless. What she was thinking about was how to maneuver the surrounding situation to her own advantage.

Taking leave of the guards, she arrived at the Court of Judicial Review, and was immediately pulled aside by the Left Judicial Officer, who asked, “How is the case going?”

Zhù Ying said, “Weren’t you on night duty last night? Why haven’t you gone home yet?”

The Left Judicial Officer, full of pent-up grievance, said, “I’m just asking about this case! That worthless General Zhou! Last night he kept everyone from sleeping!”

Zhou You was sitting in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison; except that he didn’t dare have someone come play music for him, he had been causing trouble in every way imaginable for two days. Complaining the food was bad, complaining the bedding wasn’t soft — minor things. But he also wailed, and put on fits of illness, and did it convincingly. Fortunately the imperial physicians were highly skilled, and one elderly physician was particularly adept at handling Zhou You; summoned in the middle of the night, he took one look and knew it was an act, and applied the same method as before — said it was ordinary accumulated stress, Zhou You’s old complaint, and gave him a mild medication. Zhou You hadn’t even taken the medicine before he was well again.

The one who suffered was the Left Judicial Officer, on night duty, running about attending to him hand and foot, and still getting scolded by someone from the palace relaying a message: “His Majesty asks — how is the Court of Judicial Review treating people? How can you mistreat someone like this?”

The Left Judicial Officer would gladly have demonstrated every one of his eighteen methods of severe punishment on Zhou You, just to show the emperor what genuine mistreatment looked like. But he didn’t dare; he could only swallow his anger, standing at the palace gate first thing in the morning to intercept Zheng Xi going in, to put in a minor complaint. Then he waited at the Court of Judicial Review for Zhù Ying to come back, to get information from this colleague and then entreat her: “Is it truly impossible for the culprit to be him?!”

Zhù Ying said, “I want it to be him too — that way everyone would be at peace.”

“Really not him?” The Left Judicial Officer’s brow furrowed; a plan formed in his mind. “Could it be dragged out a few more days?”

“Old Zuo?”

“Hear me out — yes, it’s an investigation, fine, he’s been wronged. But couldn’t it be that he’s offended so many people that someone framed him? Oh no no no — I mean, he’s simply too pure of heart, and someone framed him. Look at who has a grudge against him; investigate what unlawful things he’s done. These idle young masters — heh!”

The Left Judicial Officer had experience in this area. These sons of the privileged needed enormous wealth to maintain their extravagant lifestyles. So — you eat the meat, and you want to dodge the beating? The unlawful acts committed to accumulate that wealth — you enjoyed those benefits, so you have a share of them! Hadn’t anyone heard that in cases of sedition, the officials’ children who enjoyed the fruits couldn’t escape being implicated?

The Left Judicial Officer murmured to Zhù Ying; Zhù Ying listened, finding it aligned with her own thinking. She said further, “Old Zuo — see how many people the Court of Judicial Review can spare to help investigate this. Focus on digging into Captain Ma’s past! And if you find anything on Zhou You, I’ll report it to my superiors. Even if it can’t be announced to all the world, at least let the emperor know — what do you think?”

The Left Judicial Officer hugged his sleeves and said worriedly, “That’s not enough to make the emperor angry — his majesty won’t be upset over some minor profiteering by Zhou You. That father of his — he died terribly!” In those days, Zhou You’s father had given his life to hold the line while the emperor and a number of his companions were at risk, holding out until Prefect Zheng arrived to rescue them. Word was that when they pulled out the arrowheads from his body, there was a whole handful of them.

Zhù Ying said, “Keep looking — something has to be there. Old Zuo, keep it in mind. If not, ask Yang the Sixth for leads. But quietly — if Zhou You’s kind hear anything’s leaked, you’ll be the first one in trouble.”

The Left Judicial Officer said, “Then forget it. What terrible luck! You keep your eyes open too — if he gets out, he might take it out on someone. I’m going home.”

Zhù Ying watched him go, and Bao the Evaluating Official sidled up, having already heard a thing or two about Zhou You’s antics; he was also a little vexed: “This General Zhou is rather ungrateful — even if we prove he’s innocent, I’m afraid there’ll be no thanks for it. And he was born into the right family — what can be done?”

Zhù Ying said, “Just get through the work in front of us first. In a little while we still have to go up against the capital prefectural office.”

What she meant by “going up against” wasn’t a trip to the capital prefectural office, but Wang Yunhe and Fan Shaoqi coming to the Court of Judicial Review to interrogate Zhou You. When Wang Yunhe arrived at the Court of Judicial Review, he immediately sent the Ministry of Justice people away, his exact words being, “Can the Ministry of Justice for every suspect, tell them they can ultimately be acquitted and give them false hope?”

He already knew Zhou You was probably not the culprit, and he still said this — his aim was the same as Zhù Ying’s and the Left Judicial Officer’s: you may not be the killer, but that doesn’t stop me from investigating you from top to bottom!

Wang Yunhe’s true intention was to clean up the atmosphere of the capital. As long as unlawful methods weren’t used, he wasn’t too particular about how it was done. Investigating a suspect thoroughly — nothing wrong with that.

When Zhou You saw that the Ministry of Justice people had gone, he was immediately without a sure footing. He wanted to curse Zheng Xi, but Zheng Xi wasn’t there — Wang Yunhe had come instead. Zhou You then said that Wang Yunhe was wasting his fine name as an upright official by wronging an innocent man like himself. Wang Yunhe had someone hand him a list of items: “I am clean, so I did not accept the bribe your household sent. As for the message from your household that ‘whatever you may have done, nothing will happen to you’ — I have noted that down. You still hold an official post; I won’t have you beaten just yet. Speak — what did you do that night?”

With his backing gone, his adversary gone, and the evidence of his household’s bribery in Wang Yunhe’s hands, Zhou You inwardly wilted. But in truth he had no crime to confess, because it simply wasn’t him who had killed — even if he were beaten to death, he couldn’t confess to something he hadn’t done.

Wang Yunhe was an experienced man; he put Zhou You through the mill the whole morning, didn’t give him a single sip of water, and Zhou You had eaten his fill at breakfast and now needed to relieve himself, but Wang Yunhe simply acted as though he hadn’t heard. Zhou You seemed like a layabout, but he wasn’t actually street-tough; he felt awkward about soiling himself in the middle of a formal hearing, and his face had gone quite pale. He rattled off a string of petty incidents going back to childhood — teasing cats and dogs, and the like.

By the end, even “I was at Fifth Niang’s and I truly did nothing wrong — I just gave Ling Ling a jewelry set!” came out. Pressed a moment longer, he even remembered that the jewelry set had been casually lifted from his wife’s jewelry box.

Wang Yunhe couldn’t very well let him wet himself, and seeing this had gone on long enough, finally let him return to his cell — then came out with his hands clasped behind his back.

Zheng Xi, Pei Qing, Zhù Ying, and Bao the Evaluating Official were all waiting next door; by this point they were all somewhat in awe of Wang Yunhe — this man was truly not someone who got tangled in formality.

Both Zheng Xi and Pei Qing said, “Most admirable.”

But Wang Yunhe was wearing a pained expression: “Shameful, shameful — it shouldn’t have come to this.”

Zheng Xi invited Wang Yunhe to his study to talk at length; Pei Qing stayed to entertain Fan Shaoqi; both conversations went very agreeably. For one thing, Wang Yunhe’s experience was extensive, and from his own observations during the interrogation, Zhou You’s performance on the stand truly did not look like someone who had committed this crime; and he had looked at Zhou You’s saber as well: “An item he normally doesn’t use — but well maintained. Which tells us about General Zhou’s martial abilities…” — rather poor, in other words.

For another, Wang Yunhe was fairly prepared to trust Zhù Ying’s assessment: Zhou You had not gone in or out of Yingying’s courtyard, unless he could fly.

Zheng Xi knew this too; he also accepted Zhù Ying’s reasoning that releasing Zhou You would cause him to start wreaking havoc.

Both Zheng Xi and Wang Yunhe quietly understood each other; at court just now, by tacit agreement, neither had raised the question of whether Zhou You was the real culprit, but had mentioned that Zhou You was a man who “had no respect for propriety,” who went to a brothel carrying his saber and made threats in the name of the imperial guard — it would be rather embarrassing to simply release him. If he had been wronged, they would have to wait until the true culprit was caught before releasing him. Besides, one imperial guard soldier and one southern army soldier had managed to stir up such a scene — both deserved a lesson.

Now both men arrived at an understanding again. Zheng Xi said, “The man stays in my keeping — the case I leave to you, the capital prefectural office. I must confess — the juniors have been taking things easy.”

Wang Yunhe said, “You’re too modest. The Court of Judicial Review isn’t just managing one Zhou You — they’re bearing the pressure of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Rites, and even the emperor himself.”

Zheng Xi also said, “The Court of Judicial Review went through upheaval just a few years ago; this group, myself included, are all newcomers — if there are shortcomings, please forgive them.”

Wang Yunhe said, “Shortcomings? None at all — like an awl that makes its way through a sack. A time always comes when people are convinced.”

——

Wang Yunhe and Zheng Xi concluded this exchange in mutual satisfaction; he went with Pei Qing and the others to the capital prefectural office. By the time they arrived, it was lunch. Wang Yunhe invited the Court of Judicial Review people to eat at the prefectural office.

The food at the capital prefectural office turned out to be no worse than at the Court of Judicial Review, which told Zhù Ying a little more about Wang Yunhe. The Court of Judicial Review had money because Zheng Xi knew how to make money. Wang Yunhe was comparatively clean and unburdening, which showed both good management and honest staff who didn’t skim too much. The atmosphere at the capital prefectural office genuinely was better.

Wang Yunhe invited all three Court of Judicial Review officials to eat with him in the hall, and was as warmly disposed to Zhù Ying as before, praising her: “I used to urge you to read books; when you actually did, I worried you’d let your natural abilities rust. But those abilities are still in full force — very good.”

Zhù Ying said, “Your Honor’s guidance is something this junior would not dare ignore. With your generous regard, I will certainly apply myself even more diligently.”

Wang Yunhe nodded, had her dish refilled again, and chatted with Pei Qing for a bit.

After the meal, the relevant personnel were gathered to review the case again.

After his display during the meal, everyone at the capital prefectural office clearly understood what Wang Yunhe intended — they could no longer give her a cold reception. And Zhù Ying’s work over the past two days had shown she genuinely had abilities, and capable people everywhere tend to be met with greater patience and acceptance. By afternoon, everyone’s attitude toward Zhù Ying had improved considerably.

Wang Yunhe and Fan Shaoqi did not explicitly say it wasn’t Zhou You, but the tone had already shifted toward “catching the real culprit.”

He Jing reported: “Through the night, the courtesans from Fifth Niang’s were interrogated again, and this morning several of the patrons were also brought in. Based on the identifying marks on the feet, the female corpse is confirmed to be Yanyan and not Yingying!”

On the basis of this alone, He Jing felt that Zhù Ying, young as she was, did have some ability. And now that Wang Yunhe had finished interrogating Zhou You and returned with the clear implication that Zhou You wasn’t the culprit, this tallied with Zhù Ying’s earlier assessment — He Jing’s impression of Zhù Ying had shifted.

But one person now began to bristle.

“A substitution? Impossible!” Coroner Yang jumped up. “Could I not tell the difference between an ante-mortem and a post-mortem wound?!”

According to Fifth Niang’s account, Yanyan had already died before the crime took place — and her name had been struck from the register at the capital prefectural office. This morning, the capital prefectural office had already checked the records and confirmed that she had been struck. For official courtesans were considered “official property,” and their management was fairly strict; when Zhù Ying had investigated the Pearl case, it was exactly this way. Such substitutions weren’t unheard of, but the paper record had to exist — it was tied to official revenues.

However, everyone present was experienced in criminal matters; even the least seasoned, Zhù Ying and Bao the Evaluating Official, had been through the Court of Judicial Review’s case reviews and the Gong Jie affair and other cases. They all arrived at the same possibility. Bao the Evaluating Official said, “When the substitution was made, what if she was still alive?”

Coroner Yang was still caught up in the feeling of his judgment being questioned; it was Head Constable Zhang standing beside him who prompted, “The meaning is that Yanyan was reported dead, but in fact had not died.”

Coroner Tian stood alongside them and added, “I also reviewed it — the wounds are indeed ante-mortem.”

Fan Shaoqi asked, “But the marks on the body are definitive, are they not?”

Both coroners said, “We’ve encountered forgeries before and know those methods to some extent. After we were told last night that we might have the wrong person, we examined the body again very carefully — these marks are genuine.”

“Note it down — ask again during the next interrogation!” Wang Yunhe said.

He Jing and the others were fuming. “These lowlives — not a word of truth in their mouths!”

Wang Yunhe said, “You’ve been running cases for years — since when has anyone confessed everything in one asking? Don’t get impatient.”

He Jing flushed red and sat back down, making a mental note.

Wang Yunhe also said, “The suspicion against Zhou You cannot be entirely removed — even if he didn’t personally do it, he may have instructed someone. Of course it also can’t be assumed it was him — perhaps Ma had some other enemy. For now, the two households should both be investigated to see whether they may have created other enemies for themselves.”

The capital prefectural office’s men all breathed a sigh of relief — this they understood! Even if only for the purpose of investigating the murder, following the leads would let them dig up whatever “unlawful activities” of Zhou You they could — a nice bonus. And they weren’t worried about the Court of Judicial Review; because Head Constable Zhang and Coroner Yang were still fuming, the two of them had gone together and cornered the prison guard who had introduced them to Zhù Ying in the first place.

The prison guard knew some of the background and was not going to protect Zhù Ying’s reputation, so he told them about how Zhou You and Gongzi Shi had once done Zhù Ying wrong. Coroner Yang’s anger faded somewhat on the spot. He said, “For this alone, you could have said a word to us — no need to go to all the trouble of bringing it to the Court of Judicial Review just to get revenge.”

Their attitude toward Zhù Ying today had also softened a bit.

Wang Yunhe assigned the tasks: inside the office, Fifth Niang’s household would be put through another round of questioning; outside, the capital prefectural office would investigate Zhou You while the Court of Judicial Review investigated Ma — any enemies Fifth Niang might have in the pleasure quarter would also need to be looked into, and they had to find Yingying.

There was no shortcut to any of this — it was a matter of casting a wide net, just as Zhù Ying had done with the Wang household theft case — brute force and patience. Zhù Ying’s ability to read traces was of no use in the first three tasks, and in the last one she could only wander the streets and hope to stumble across something by chance.

Constables and clerks each took their assignment and fanned out; the officials would be conducting interrogations.

Wang Yunhe was occupied with the numerous duties of the capital office and needed to see to them; Fan Shaoqi and Pei Qing were no longer personally getting their hands dirty, the two of them sitting together over tea and discussing the case. The work was left to He Jing, Zhù Ying, and Bao the Evaluating Official.

Bao the Evaluating Official proceeded to interrogate Xiao Fan. Xiao Fan was a nickname; though he was Fifth Niang’s son, he had a different surname from Fifth Niang’s husband — because the two were not father and son by blood. Xiao Fan’s surname was Qian; Fifth Niang’s husband was surnamed Zhao. He Jing continued to interrogate Fifth Niang; Zhù Ying interrogated Fifth Niang’s husband.

Then it was the turn of the courtesans, servants, and bouncers. Fifth Niang’s establishment had a few male servants and also several bouncers among the male staff.

Bao the Evaluating Official got limited useful information from Xiao Fan; Xiao Fan said, “I attended everywhere I was needed — wherever extra hands were called for, I was there. We’re in the business of serving people; where’s there room for a ‘young master of the house’? Even my father and mother have to pour tea and serve the patrons. Not just those two courtyard rooms — there isn’t a place in this house I haven’t been.”

He Jing, on the other hand, had some progress. According to Fifth Niang, Yanyan had indeed not died with Fifth Niang watching over her — she hadn’t had the time. Seeing that Yanyan was not going to survive, it would be wasteful to continue calling the doctor; so she had had someone take Yanyan away to be dealt with. He Jing asked how she had been dealt with; Fifth Niang said, “Had Xiao Fan take two men, roll her up in a mat, and send her out in the night — there are people who receive such things.”

“Who received her? Why would anyone agree to take a corpse?”

“There are people who buy female corpses for ghost marriages — and there’s money in it. A young one fetches a higher price.” Fifth Niang said.

“Who bought Yanyan’s body?”

Fifth Niang said she didn’t know — it was Xiao Fan who handled the contact and brought the money back to give to her. He Jing’s blows had to have been severe for her to confess even this much.

Even a veteran like He Jing couldn’t help adding an extra word: “Can you really be so heartless?”

Fifth Niang said, “I’d rather have some feeling — but even I’m treated like an object here. What feeling do I have left to give to anyone?”

Zhù Ying, questioning Fifth Niang’s husband, also had him beaten with twenty strokes first. This man was not young, and at first glance his eyes showed he was no honest sort; in his youth he had been a bouncer, and now that he was too old to fight, he still had some standing in the neighborhood and had made a match with Fifth Niang. He understood the rules: after the strokes were done, he said, “My lord wants to ask about something — I’m quite clear on what, it’s just that I truly don’t know. Women’s affairs — it’s nothing more than the usual things. Some want to leave the trade and marry; some want to become madams themselves one day; some want to get clemency and be freed; some want to die. I just want to get through this life, and have no wish to stir up trouble. Now that I’ve been caught up in a court case, things are already half-ruined — no reason to cover for anyone else. If my lord asks me — if it wasn’t an outsider who did it, then inside this house, it’s only Xiao Fan.”

Zhù Ying asked why he suspected Xiao Fan. The man gave a cold laugh. “Heh! That boy — his eyes give him away. He’s taken a fancy to Yingying.”

When she asked for evidence, he had none. Because nighttime was the busiest period, and General Ma had his particular tastes — sounds of struggling and crying were “ordinary,” doors were closed and the man barred inside to do as he pleased with the courtesan — that was “ordinary.” Whether Yanyan had still had a breath when she was sent away, nobody cared — also “ordinary.” If she couldn’t be disposed of right away, burying her alive was also “ordinary.”

Asking the courtesans, some said Xiao Fan seemed to have developed feelings for Yingying; others said they didn’t know. In their position, they would tease even the male servants when they had nothing to do — such words couldn’t be taken seriously.

The coroners also re-examined the body; and with the discovery of Yanyan, the two of them, with everyone else looking the other way, conducted another careful examination and concluded that this female corpse had indeed been seriously ill in life — most likely Yanyan.

By the time all this was done, it was dark; another day had passed.

Pei Qing said, “What if we keep interrogating Xiao Fan through the night?”

He Jing wanted to slip away and have the capital prefectural office do the night questioning on its own, and said, “He seems to have had a relationship with Yingying — it might be better to wait until Yingying is found and then press the issue all at once!”

Zhù Ying said, “What if he knows where Yingying is? No harm in asking now. If it doesn’t come out tonight, we can ask again tomorrow.”

The two sides argued for a few rounds; Wang Yunhe came back from his own work, heard the situation, and said, “In the time you spent arguing, the questioning would have been half done.”

That settled it — Xiao Fan would be interrogated.

Xiao Fan was reasonably good-looking, sometimes talkative, sometimes silent. He received his twenty strokes and endured them. He stubbornly insisted: “Yanyan was what I sold — I took the money and gave it to Mother. I didn’t care who was buying her. Whatever they did with her after is none of my business. It saved our family the cost of a coffin, and Yanyan had somewhere to rest — all very good.”

Zhù Ying asked, “Why are Yanyan and Yingying so similar in looks?”

Xiao Fan said, “They were specifically chosen to look alike — of course they’d be similar.”

Bao the Evaluating Official said, “There’s such a thing?”

“If you sell a product and one just like it is running low, don’t you stock up on more of the same?”

Fifth Niang’s establishment was on the larger side; while they prided themselves on variety, certain popular types still needed to be kept in regular supply. Yanyan’s health had been declining even before she was gravely ill, making her less and less able to attend to clients; Fifth Niang had already started looking for a replacement. It wasn’t just dying girls, either — even a healthy Yanyan, once past her prime, would have Fifth Niang preparing a same-type replacement in advance.

Zhù Ying had seen something new — she knew that people were sometimes treated like goods, but people and goods being this thoroughly alike was the first time she’d encountered it.

The group exchanged glances; Zhù Ying asked, “The person you helped carry out of Yingying’s courtyard — who was she?”

“I’ve done too many odd jobs to remember.”

Zhù Ying said nothing. She believed her eyes; she was already convinced that Xiao Fan had brought Yingying away, and had also procured Yanyan. Old Ma was a wretch — his death wasn’t unjust. She did not expose this directly, and she didn’t openly protect anyone either — the capital prefectural office was no pushover.

The capital prefectural office, on the pretext that it was getting late, politely saw the Court of Judicial Review people off again. Zhù Ying said to Pei Qing, “They’re going to be busy tonight! My guess is they’ll definitely interrogate Fifth Niang.”

Pei Qing said, “If I were them, I’d definitely ask Fifth Niang — whether a woman still breathing was already considered as good as dead and ready to be disposed of.”

Bao the Evaluating Official said, “Probably so. ‘Goods’…”

Zhù Ying said, “I already asked the man surnamed Zhao — you’ve guessed right.”

The three exchanged reflections for a moment and each went home.

——

Five more days passed; the constables and clerks who had been out canvassing came back with little. Captain Ma’s “unlawful activities” turned out to be remarkably few. Zhou You’s side had more, but they were all of the kind that ordinary people resented, seethed over in private, genuinely suffered from, but that didn’t count for much by official standards — petty grievances. No one with the nerve and capability to kill Ma had turned up among Fifth Niang’s business rivals. As for Yingying’s whereabouts — no trace at all. As an official courtesan, Yingying had very limited freedom of movement; none of her favorite haunts had seen her, nor had anyone at the homes of her acquaintances. And since several of her regular patrons had households of their own, when constables showed up at their doors, they set off a series of domestic quarrels between husbands and wives.

The capital prefectural office had indeed slipped away — He Jing and the others questioned through the night; Fifth Niang couldn’t be beaten any more, but having been well and truly frightened by He Jing, the moment the ankle clamps were brought out she confessed: “Yes, there were girls sent out while still barely alive. And some were tricked out — told they were being released to go free. Yanyan — she might have come back to life later. Xiao Fan did bring the money to me! It’s all in the accounts!”

There was indeed money in the accounts, and the capital prefectural office questioned Xiao Fan again through the night. Xiao Fan still insisted he had sold her off.

Wang Yunhe reiterated that the “suspects” and “witnesses” were not to be beaten to death; for now, the only option was to find Yingying first. The concern was whether Yingying was still within the capital.

He Jing said, “The crime took place at night with the city gates closed. She’s a woman, and having been mistreated by Ma, she wouldn’t have been in a condition to move easily — she should not have been able to leave the city. Even if she had, without a travel permit or household registration, she couldn’t get far.”

Zhù Ying said, “From the footprints, there were also some injuries on her legs — she couldn’t move easily. By now, I doubt they’ve healed. I’ll go look for her personally.”

Wang Yunhe said, “Take more people with you — cast a wider net to find her faster.”

“No need — too many people and we’ll scare her off.”

So she changed into plain clothes and wandered over to the back alleys behind the flower street. She went first through the rear gate to Nine Niang’s, asking Nine Niang about the trade in corpses. Nine Niang was in agony. “You already know everything — why ask me? Ah ah — though I haven’t done anything like that, I swear, my heart just isn’t hard enough, which is why my business never flourished like Fifth Niang’s.”

Then she cautiously asked, “If Yingying is found — what will happen to her?”

Zhù Ying said, “If she isn’t the culprit…”

“She probably wouldn’t be, right? We don’t touch the patrons…”

“Oh?”

“Aiya — even if you wanted to, you wouldn’t dare! It’s not like it’s their own private household.” Nine Niang muttered this under her breath.

Zhù Ying then asked, “When your girls are ill, which doctor do you use?”

Nine Niang seemed to guess what she was after and hesitated. “Err…”

Zhù Ying said nothing, just looked at her steadily until Nine Niang finally gave an address. “There’s a place that handles all kinds of injuries and illnesses — good at it too. But it’s expensive; only people with money can afford it. The poor just call whoever happens to be passing by. For Fifth Niang’s establishment… there’s a pharmacy on the back street called Wu’s — handles medicines and sells medicine too.”

Zhù Ying said, “If there’s anything else, say it all at once.”

“They also handle certain female ailments — such as terminating pregnancies and so on.”

Zhù Ying nodded. “Don’t say I came by.”

“Aiya, I wouldn’t dare — I’ve been timid since birth; I don’t do anything against the law.”

Zhù Ying said, “By that measure, you’d actually be considered a kind sort?”

“Don’t say that, don’t say that — rolling around in this life, from being someone else’s ‘daughter’ to having daughters of my own — who would dare call themselves a good person?”

“Good enough is good enough.”

“Yes.”

“If anything strange happens at your place — some unusual dispute — you can come find me.”

“Yes!” That “yes” from Nine Niang was much more heartfelt.

——

Zhù Ying found Wu’s pharmacy using the address Nine Niang had provided. The shop was doing brisk business; three or four assistants were sorting, weighing, and preparing medicines; a shopkeeper looked over the accounts; an elderly physician rocked his head and hummed a little tune.

When she came in, one of the assistants rushed forward. “This young sir has come to the wrong place — our specialty is women’s ailments, and we also prepare certain injury medicines.”

Zhù Ying pointed with her thumb toward the outside. “Do the places on the flower street frequently patronize your shop?”

“Err — yes.”

“Injury medicines… did Captain Ma, who just died recently, contribute to your business?”

Word had already reached Wu’s that there was an investigation underway, as constables had come by asking questions in the past two days.

She used the pretext of inquiring about Ma’s reputation, which lowered the guard of the Wu’s shop people a little; they shared some things about Ma. Zhù Ying then asked about what kinds of injury medicines were most commonly needed — burns, beatings, or lashes? Blunt-force wounds or blade wounds? She chatted with Wu’s at length, drew out some information, and established that the types of injuries corresponding to the medicines matched what was on the female corpse — whoever had made the imitation had done a thorough job.

She also asked about Ma’s other regular victims; Wu’s said, “There were quite a few — but several of them have gone now; Yingying, for one.”

“He used to mistreat Yingying before too?”

“He certainly did.”

“But then Ma was also good for your business?”

The shopkeeper smiled. “Aiya — who on this street doesn’t look after our business? Can’t say, can’t say.”

“He’s not even your biggest customer, is he?”

Wu’s said nothing more to that; Zhù Ying didn’t press further. The conversation circled back to Ma — how often he “patronized the shop,” when the most recent time was, what disputes he had gotten into lately, and so on.

The shopkeeper told her everything: “Last time it was Xiao Fan from Fifth Niang’s who came to buy medicine — walks in and says ‘the usual,’ and I knew it was him.”

Zhù Ying had asked everything she wanted to ask, then purchased some injury medicine, paid for it, and carrying the medicine, turned down a different street. She had scouted the capital before; she had only passed through the pleasure quarter once and had rarely gone back, because Zhang Xiangu had disapproved of her going to such places since childhood, and after the Pearl affair she had become even less willing to have too much involvement with the flower street. But she still remembered that there were also some unofficial establishments nearby; the back of that street faced a river, with flower-boats frequently passing. Those who depended on the flower street to survive included not only pharmacies like Wu’s, but also various other trades.

For instance, some who had grown too old and lost their looks, or had been turned out, or had nowhere else to go, rented small rooms on the narrow streets along the river, living on some savings if they had any, doing laundry and mending for the brothels, picking up odd jobs. Some older courtesans who still had skills rented somewhat larger rooms and taught what they knew, earning a decent income.

She walked through this street, tracked down a small local boss, and called out to him: “What a life of ease you lead!”

The man looked up. “Aiya — Master Little Zhù! Old Mu has been talking about you!”

After Zhù Ying had left prison, she had come across Old Mu — one of her former cellmates — who had kept a low profile out of town for two years before returning, only to find that his cellmate had become an official. Old Mu had been wandering the streets, studying hard and running amok at the same time, and as the capital prefectural office’s ties were in good shape back then, she had run into him and done him a small favor, helping him settle back in the capital. Old Mu had given up picking fights but had no other livelihood skills, and so he continued in the protection-money business. But with the major bosses all having been cleaned out, he had become a figure of some standing.

Zhù Ying asked the small local boss: “Busy now — will find him later. I have a question for you — has any newcomer moved in around here recently? A woman.”

The small local boss said, “If you’re looking for a lady, you should go to Nine Niang’s — the ones there are right for you; others aren’t worthy.”

Zhù Ying said with a wry laugh, “I’m on official business — who’s joking around with you?”

The small local boss said, “Aiya — there is.” He led Zhù Ying to the front of a small courtyard. “Just this one, I think. There’s a lame woman here who bought two adjoining courtyards — lives in one, rents out the other. The lame woman lives here; teaches pipa.” As he spoke, he gave the door a knock and called for whoever was inside to come out.

Inside, a small dark-complexioned girl opened the door, turned back and called, “My lady — a visitor.” Then to the small local boss she said the monthly payment had already been made.

Zhù Ying’s heart stirred; she watched as a woman in all-white dress, limping slightly, came out and gave a bow. “Master Little Zhù.”

Pearl!

Zhù Ying was moved — she hadn’t expected Pearl to still be here; though it was perfectly logical, it still gave her a twinge. She said, “This lady — what should I call you?”

Pearl paused for a moment and said, “This one… is now surnamed Jiang.”

“Lady Jiang.”

The small local boss said, “There’s something to ask you — this newcomer renting from you — what kind of person is she?”

Lady Jiang shook her head. “I don’t know. I only look at the rent.”

Zhù Ying looked at the small dark girl and asked, “Did Xiao Fan bring her here?” The girl ducked behind Lady Jiang.

The small local boss said, “Forget asking — let me just take you to her!” He strode off; Zhù Ying was about to follow. Lady Jiang hesitated, then called, “Master Little Zhù.”

Zhù Ying said, “It seems things have led this way. I hadn’t expected to find you so quickly when looking for her. This won’t implicate you.”

“It’s not as if she could make these decisions for herself,” Lady Jiang murmured.

Zhù Ying said, “I don’t want her entangled in this matter either. It’s Yingying, isn’t it?”

Lady Jiang said nothing.

Zhù Ying said, “Xiao Jiang — I need to know the truth before I can figure out what to do.”

Lady Jiang startled at hearing “Xiao Jiang,” but still shook her head. “I’m just making my living here. If Master Little Zhù wants to question me, I only know what I know. Someone gave me money; I gave them a room.”

Zhù Ying said, “All right, I won’t ask you. You’ve got this place…” She looked around; Lady Jiang — ah, Xiao Jiang — had bought two courtyards. “Looks like Nine Niang didn’t hold back your private savings.”

Xiao Jiang smiled slightly. “You said a word for me — she didn’t dare.”

Zhù Ying said, “I’m going.” She turned and closed the gate behind her, then told the small local boss, “Don’t let anyone bother her.”

The small local boss was ready and waiting; he made a meaningful expression and asked, “You have a taste for this type.”

“Nonsense! She’s a respectable woman — don’t go harassing her.”

“Yes.”

The two went to the rented-out courtyard and found it crammed and disorderly. Both the main room and the side rooms had been divided into individual units, each with its own door opening onto a central courtyard, with a row of stoves built along the south wall in the gatehouse. Various garments hung to dry all over the courtyard in a jumble.

The small local boss pushed open one of the doors directly; inside, two beds were set on an earthen floor — one empty, one with a woman lying on it. Zhù Ying moved closer to look at her build, which closely matched the female corpse in the coroner’s hall. She looked down at the floor, sighed quietly, and said, “Yingying.”

The ** woman moaned and half-opened her eyes. “Xiao Fan? Water…”

From behind Zhù Ying, Xiao Jiang’s voice came: “She’s badly hurt; she had a fever yesterday too.”

Zhù Ying said, “You shouldn’t have followed — it’s not good for your tenant to have seen you.”

Xiao Jiang said, “It… doesn’t matter. Money for the room, room for the money — even if she curses me out a little, I’ve heard worse.” She frowned slightly and bent to brush a small speck of dust from her spotless white shoes. The small dark girl said, “Aiya, they’re dirty! I’ll go get clean ones!”

Zhù Ying checked Yingying’s breathing and said to the small local boss, “Go — hire a cart; take her away.”