Time returns to the early morning of this day. The moment when Ziyang City awakened.
At pleasure establishments like Fuchun House, however, they were just clearing away last night’s remnants of red and green, entering the daytime sleep period.
Before bronze mirrors, beauties removed their pearl flowers and swaying ornaments.
Before bronze mirrors, beauties inserted pearl flowers and swaying ornaments.
The beauty’s technique was skilled—the swaying ornament was inserted like arranging flowers at the most suitable angle, the tip of her little finger slightly raised in a beautiful arc. From afar it looked like a white magnolia blooming among dark tresses.
Such a beauty deserved the most elegant poets to praise her with the most wonderful verses. At this moment, however, the tall person in blue clothes and small cap standing behind her spoke the most mood-killing words in an extremely patient and indifferent tone.
“Can you hurry up? You’re not a real woman—posing and preening in front of the mirror like this, can you grow breasts?”
The beauty gave him a look in the bronze mirror, gracefully rose, spun around to the short person’s side, bent slightly to pinch his chin, blew a breath of air, and laughed coquettishly: “Let’s ignore that unromantic brute. Brother, tell me—am I beautiful?”
The short person closed his eyes, his whole face wrinkled like an orange forgotten for three months, muttering: “Not bad, just a bit worse than my young master.”
The beauty laughed heartily, picked up the veil from the table and covered her head, laughing: “The show begins—let’s go!”
…
Tie Ci crouched before the corpse, frowning.
There was always a group of beggars gathered at the head and tail of Juxian Street, usually unnoticed by anyone. Today when a kind person went to bring them food, they discovered one person huddled motionless in a corner shadow. Only when a beggar ran too fast while grabbing food and knocked that person over did they discover it was a woman who had long been dead.
When Tie Ci arrived, the crowd was three layers deep—Tie Ci couldn’t even squeeze in. Chi Xue behind her screamed: “Help!”
The Ziyang people who had just faced the third murder case scattered in alarm, and Tie Ci easily entered.
The corpse sat against the wall, head hanging down, wrapped in tattered clothes. Inside, however, were quite exquisite garments. This time there were wounds on her body—after being jostled she slowly fell over, and the earthen wall behind was already stained red with blood.
Looking at the wound, Tie Ci saw a bloody mess with irregular edges—couldn’t tell what had caused the injury.
Questioning the beggars, they all said they had slept in the ruined temple in this alley last night. There were quite a few of them, but no one had noticed how this corpse got there. One beggar said with a frightened expression: “I’ve always been a light sleeper—if anyone approached, I would definitely know. But last night I truly heard no movement…”
As he spoke, his face suddenly showed hesitation. Tie Ci immediately said: “Do you have something else you haven’t mentioned?”
The beggar hesitated for a long while before saying: “It’s just… just between sleep and waking, I seemed to hear a thud…”
“Did you get up to investigate then?”
“I got up immediately and looked around for quite a while, but saw nothing.” The beggar shivered. “I dare swear that throughout the entire night, there was only that one sound. Like something fell down… no one approached… that… that… surely the corpse couldn’t have jumped down from the wall by itself…”
If someone had dumped the body, after that sound the beggar got up to look. His sleeping position could see almost the entire alley—impossible not to see someone dumping a body.
If the corpse was thrown down from the wall, never mind whether such a troublesome position was unnecessary—corpses are heavy and the wall is high, very difficult to lift and throw over. If the killer had such ability, there would be no need to dump the body.
Among the people there were some with brains who heard from afar, their faces turning pale as they discussed. Gradually, the theory of “the corpse descended from heaven by itself” spread through the crowd.
When the female corpse was turned over, Shen Mi suddenly exclaimed “Ah!” Tie Ci immediately asked: “You recognize her?”
Shen Mi said: “Isn’t this Xiao Xue, the servant girl from the county office kitchen?”
Although Tie Ci also lived at the county office, she rarely stayed there. She cooked for herself and wouldn’t encounter kitchen maids, so she didn’t recognize her.
“Are you familiar with her?”
“Not familiar, just seen her a few times. She managed receiving vegetables delivered to the county office in early morning and cleaning the kitchen.”
“Did she often leave the county office?”
“Almost never. She’s an orphan who lived in the back quarters beside the county office kitchen. With many people and much work in the office, working from dawn to dusk, she hardly had time to rest.”
Tie Ci frowned.
Looking at this girl, only fifteen or sixteen years old, busy all day in the county office with no opportunity to go out—how could she suddenly die in this place several streets away from the county office?
A large group of people approached—Deputy County Magistrate Li had rushed over upon hearing the news. He immediately ordered all those beggars taken back to the office for questioning and sent people to investigate nearby households to see if anyone had discovered any traces. Then he ordered the corpse moved back for examination. This was standard local investigation procedure, quite proper, though everyone didn’t hold much hope. After all, they couldn’t even tell what had caused the wound.
Deputy Li was about to leave when he saw Tie Ci still lingering at the scene, couldn’t help but frown. After thinking, he said: “Young Master Mao, you’re not yet officially patrol inspector—no need to trouble yourself too much with this matter. With three consecutive murder cases, I’ve already summoned Liu the coroner. You can explain the situation to Old Liu shortly.”
His meaning was to hint that Tie Ci was only an intern and to strip her of temporary patrol inspector authority.
Tie Ci naturally understood his meaning. While examining the ground she said: “Your Honor speaks correctly. However, Old Liu was ill some days ago and hasn’t fully recovered yet. He’s also getting on in years. As I’m young, naturally the strenuous work is my duty.”
She thought these words were sincere and gave the leader face, but didn’t realize that given her noble status, the respect a superior could show a subordinate was already at its limit for her. For Deputy Li, who considered himself the local boss, it still felt like being slighted.
He held back and said nothing.
Tie Ci walked around the alley in a circle and carefully examined the earthen wall surface. When everyone couldn’t make sense of it, they looked at her in amazement. Tie Ci said: “This wall surface seems to have had a layer of surface dust scraped off.”
Looking at it, everyone thought it seemed so, though not obviously. Because the area was quite large, it looked like it had been scraped off by wind.
Looking at the wall, Tie Ci asked someone to borrow a broom—the bigger the better. A constable immediately borrowed a street-sweeping broom. Tie Ci tested it on a nearby wall—indeed, the broom lightly sweeping off a layer revealed a wall surface similar to that area, though the size difference was still quite significant.
Someone wondered: “Where would there be such a big broom?”
Another said: “No, even if a broom swept this wall, so what? What does that have to do with murder? Can brooms kill people?”
Deputy Li frowned: “Young Master Mao, solving the case is important—don’t ponder these trivial, irrelevant matters.”
Tie Ci vaguely felt his hostility seemed to have intensified, but had no mind to worry about it now, casually humming in acknowledgment.
Deputy Li raised an eyebrow, anger surfacing in his eyes. Suddenly he said: “Since Young Master Mao has such confidence in your abilities, there’s no need for Old Liu to come. These three cases are entrusted to you. However, Old Liu says he’ll return to his hometown in at most half a month. If Young Master Mao cannot solve these three cases before he returns home, I’m afraid you cannot bear the responsibility of patrol inspector.”
Only then did Tie Ci look up at him, then smiled: “Your Honor can rest assured—half a month is quite sufficient.”
“Young people indeed have courage.” The deputy also smiled. “But if unsuccessful…”
“Naturally I cannot delay Your Honor’s selection of worthy talent. You may arrange my training evaluation as you see fit.”
Deputy Li said nothing more.
Capital city disciples’ training had performance evaluations, same as serving officials, graded into upper, middle, and lower categories. Normally, local officials wouldn’t make things difficult for these high official noble children—praising them cost nothing and earned favors.
But looking at Deputy Li’s attitude now, if the case wasn’t solved, there definitely wouldn’t be good words.
Tie Ci was the Crown Princess—coming for training was already giving face. Supposedly evaluation results meant nothing to her. But Tie Ci wouldn’t think that way.
Since the Empress Dowager had driven her out for training, naturally there were many more things waiting for her afterward. She couldn’t take one wrong step.
But Tie Ci wouldn’t worry about that now either. After a few exchanges with underlying tension, she turned back to examine the woman’s corpse, carefully studying her wounds for a long time, even using her fingers to gently part them for closer inspection, and meticulously examining her clothing.
The woman was covered in blood that had long dried. Murder corpses had a very distinctive smell—everyone stood far away covering their noses, but Tie Ci practically lay on top of her, searching for something bit by bit. Everyone was quite amazed, but Deputy Li stared intently at her, his gaze growing deeper.
He no longer urged her, only watching coldly as Tie Ci examined the body.
After a while longer, Tie Ci stood up, looked in all directions, then suddenly jumped onto the wall.
Everyone watched her inexplicably as she gazed for a while, then pointed in a direction and said: “Follow this direction and search forward. Any shops with banners or alleys with drying clothes can be ignored—just pursue toward open areas.”
The Patrol Bureau constables had come to trust her quite well recently. Though confused, they still followed her directions and went forward. Tie Ci added: “Pay attention to roadside trees, large piles of dung on the ground, rooftops and sky.”
Everyone acknowledged this. Tie Ci herself walked along the alley and indeed, several zhang away, discovered some bloodstains.
Continuing forward, another several zhang brought more bloodstains. By now they had exited the alley, and Tie Ci looked up to see the busy street with people coming and going.
Tie Ci sighed.
The trail had gone cold.
Now they could only wait for clues from the other direction.
Suddenly there came a series of clanging sounds from nearby. At first it sounded like bell sounds from Cangsheng Tower, but turning around, she discovered it was just a roadside blacksmith shop working iron.
Lightning seemed to flash through Tie Ci’s mind as she vaguely caught onto something.
Just as she was thinking, suddenly a piercing eagle cry split the air from the direction the group had pursued, with faint sounds of alarm coming through.
Before people here could react, Tie Ci’s figure flashed as she passed through the crowd, running toward that direction.