She unconsciously raised her hands, pushing Li Shubai away, breaking free from his embrace.
Li Shubai’s thin lips pursed slightly, and after a long while, he slowly lowered his rejected arm, looking at her with deep, dark eyes.
She was momentarily stunned, but before she could collect her thoughts, the twisted wailing reached her ears—it was the person being burned alive, their voice piercing and desperate, making one’s heart tremble. She tugged at Li Shubai’s sleeve, asking in panic: “Can we get through to save them?”
Li Shubai looked at the surging, chaotic crowd before them and frowned, saying: “Impossible.”
Jianfu Temple was in complete turmoil. Master Lezhen had long since stopped his sermon, and while the temple disciples tried their best to maintain order and the yamen runners shouted desperately, their efforts had little effect.
All around were ghost-like wails and wolf-like howls of chaos; Jianfu Temple had become like a battlefield, with countless people suffering broken limbs and injured joints in the stampede.
Even though some people brought water to extinguish the fire on the burning person, they couldn’t push through the fleeing crowd to reach him. Everyone could only watch helplessly as the person’s convulsions and rolling on the ground grew weaker and weaker, their cries becoming fainter, until finally they let out one last distorted, inhuman shriek and fell silent.
The frenzied crowd in Jianfu Temple gradually dispersed. People who had fled to the main hall, under the corridors, or into the fish pond were now groaning while nursing injured legs, cursing while cradling dislocated arms, or covering wounded faces as they kept their distance. They pointed at the still-smoldering corpse and said trembling: “Is… is this heaven’s punishment?”
Next to them, someone with knocked-out teeth and, a mouth full of blood, spat out a bloody glob and said angrily: “If you ask me, it’s exactly the retribution Master Lezhen spoke of—struck by lightning!”
“Who knows what kind of person this was, what evil deeds they did in life, causing us to be caught up in it for no reason. What terrible luck!”
The surrounding people lamented in chorus, discussing this sudden disaster.
“I’ll go look at that person,” Huang Zixia said, seeing that the chaos and crowding had subsided and space had cleared around the body. She turned and ran toward the burned corpse.
A large area had cleared around the body that continued to burn even after collapsing.
The scattered wax chunks from the explosion had almost completely burned away, leaving only some debris and embers, mostly bright red, quietly scattered on the ground like spilled blood.
Temple monks were rushing over with buckets of water, pouring them over the body, but the person who had been completely engulfed in flames was already burned beyond recognition and showed no signs of movement.
Under the dark, gloomy sky stood only one remaining giant candle with its gold trim and floral decorations, a charred corpse, and scattered wax chunks on the ground—a scene of utter desolation.
Zhou Ziqin, who had been pushed who knows where finally made his way back disheveled. Without a word, he crouched down with Huang Zixia beside the water-soaked charred corpse to examine it: “Initial assessment: male. Burned like this, height… can’t tell; age… can’t tell; skin color… can’t tell; distinguishing features… can’t tell…”
Huang Zixia interrupted him: “The deceased was male, relatively short and thin, fairer-skinned than average, young, probably under thirty. Wore a vermilion silk gauze eunuch’s robe with a black silk waist cord. Initial conclusion: likely a eunuch.”
Zhou Ziqin looked at the blackened corpse before them and turned to her in disbelief: “Chong Gu, you’re amazing! How can you tell so much from a half-charred corpse? Never mind the rest, but the clothes were completely burned away!”
Huang Zixia gave him an exasperated look: “Didn’t we all see him when he first caught fire? Didn’t you notice his height, build, age, and clothing?”
Zhou Ziqin shook his head silently: “I was worried about my fish.”
“Then, even though his screams were piercing and hoarse, that high pitch was definitely unlike an ordinary man’s voice—did you hear that?”
Zhou Ziqin continued shaking his head, “It was too noisy around, I was drowned out.”
Li Shubai had somehow already walked up behind them, and now said with slightly furrowed brows: “Yes, when he caught fire, I saw too. His appearance and attire were exactly as Chong Gu described, without error.”
Zhou Ziqin muttered dejectedly to himself: “I’m the only one who didn’t see…”
As if to console him, Li Shubai said: “However, before he caught fire, I hadn’t noticed him either, hadn’t noticed where he was standing.”
“Among thousands of people, with him being small and thin in the crowd, of course, you couldn’t see him,” Zhou Ziqin said.
But Huang Zixia’s brows furrowed slightly. After a moment’s thought, she reached down and picked up a token near the deceased.
The token was made of bronze, with ashes from the silk cord still remaining in its drilled holes. Though blackened by fire, Huang Zixia could immediately make out the five characters cast on it: “Princess Tongchang’s Manor.”
“Princess Tongchang’s Manor?”
Li Shubai looked at the token in Huang Zixia’s hand and frowned slightly: “Could he be a eunuch from Tongchang’s household?”
Huang Zixia turned the wet token over in her hand, examining its intricate patterns, and said: “This token appears to be genuine.”
“Of course it’s genuine. The craftsmanship from the inner palace, with gold and silver inlaid characters—outsiders couldn’t replicate this,” Li Shubai said.
Zhou Ziqin meanwhile was still crouching beside the corpse, staring expectantly at its lower body, muttering to himself: “What should I do…”
Huang Zixia asked: “What do you mean, what should you do?”
“It’s my first time examining a eunuch’s corpse, I’m a bit nervous about what to do…”
Both Huang Zixia and Li Shubai wordlessly turned their heads away.
The rain finally began to fall, first one drop then another, scattered and sparse. The large raindrops fell swiftly, stinging slightly where they hit the skin.
The three took shelter under the eaves of Jianfu Temple’s main hall. The lecture platform still stood in front, but its offering table, incense stands, and meditation cushions had all toppled over in disarray. Not far from the platform was the incense burner, now doused by rain, and beside it the giant candles—one extinguished, the other reduced to just a foot-long reed wick standing in the middle, surrounded by scattered wax chunks.
Jianfu Temple’s grand dharma assembly had thus shattered into dust along with all those lifelike dragon and phoenix patterns and scattered celestial flowers.
Someone approached quickly from outside the temple—it was Cui Chunzhan, the Junior Chief Judge of the Court of Judicature. Someone held a large umbrella over him, but Cui Chunzhan paid it no attention, striding up to Li Shubai with an annoyed expression. He clasped his hands in greeting, wearing a forced smile: “Prince Kui.”
“Judge Cui arrived quickly,” Li Shubai returned the greeting.
“Indeed, I had just finished official business and was planning to come to hear Master Lezhen’s sermon, but before I was halfway here, I heard there was an incident at Jianfu Temple—they say heaven’s thunder struck down a man?”
As he spoke, he gestured for the coroners to follow Zhou Ziqin to examine the body.
Huang Zixia answered: “Yes. Around the end of the chen hour, just as Master Lezhen was speaking about karmic retribution, lightning struck from heaven, shattering the left giant candle. Many nearby people were struck by wax chunks. The candle was dyed with various pigments, likely cinnabar, realgar, lamp black, and such, making it highly flammable when used in candles. Unfortunately, these flammable materials caused the entire candle to explode into countless fireballs, and that man was struck by the burning wax, his whole body catching fire and burning to death.”
“Is that so? It sounds like karmic retribution indeed, as if he was struck by lightning for some evil deed,” Cui Chunzhan said with interest.
Huang Zixia felt somewhat exasperated with this Chief Judge who never seemed concerned with actual cases, so she simply raised her head silently, watching the light rain dripping from the eaves.
Zhou Ziqin pulled Cui Chunzhan outside, gesturing animatedly as he recounted what had happened. While someone held an umbrella over Cui Chunzhan, Zhou Ziqin paid no attention to the rain, walking and talking while discussing with the coroners how best to examine a burned corpse.
Li Shubai and Huang Zixia stood side by side under the eaves. He turned his head to see rain and wind spattering fine droplets that dampened a few loose strands of hair on her forehead, like tiny crystalline rice grains adorning her hair, glittering against her jade-like smooth forehead, creating a somewhat mesmerizing effect.
He casually raised his hand, his sleeve brushing over her hair, saying: “Don’t stand too far out, the rain is getting heavier.”
Huang Zixia suddenly realized with a start that she was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him, which was improper according to etiquette.
She quickly stepped back, but her gaze remained fixed on Zhou Ziqin outside.
Cui Chunzhan had already returned, holding his head in his hands, somewhat frustrated: “Truly unbearable to look at, unbearable… how could someone be burned like this.”
Li Shubai said: “Indeed, this dharma assembly that the court helped Jianfu Temple prepare for since last year, who would have thought it would end in such tragedy.”
“Indeed, and who knows who this unfortunate person struck by lightning was.”
Li Shubai said quietly: “It seems to be a eunuch from Princess Tongchang’s household.”
“Ah?” Cui Chunzhan couldn’t help but show a shocked expression, “Your Highness means… Princess Tongchang?”
“Mm.” Li Shubai nodded slightly.
The unfortunate, vexed expression on Cui Chunzhan’s face grew even deeper.
Li Shubai turned and nodded to Huang Zixia, who quickly presented the token to Cui Chunzhan.
Upon seeing the fire-blackened token, Cui Chunzhan’s face fell as he said: “So it is a eunuch from the Princess’s manor? What if he was one of the Princess’s close attendants? What are we to do?”
“Just handle it according to the law. Princess Tongchang cannot make things difficult for you,” Li Shubai said.
“Yes…” Cui Chunzhan nodded reluctantly, but still couldn’t hide his troubled expression.
The rain grew heavier. The Court of Judicature staff set up oilcloth canopies to shield the corpse, but water was already flowing over it on the ground. They had to borrow a bamboo bed from the monks to place the body on, then all ran back under the hall eaves to avoid the rain.
Zhou Ziqin was soaked through, his bright apricot-yellow clothes clinging to him like a wilted pumpkin flower.
He didn’t care at all, excitedly moving close to Huang Zixia and saying: “Hey, Chong Gu, he was a eunuch! I examined him with the coroners!”
Huang Zixia’s face darkened: “Did that need examining? One look would… would tell you that, right?”
“Not necessarily. Someone without that might not be a eunuch, could be a woman instead?”
Li Shubai heard their conversation becoming inappropriate and gave a light cough.
Zhou Ziqin hunched his shoulders and stuck out his tongue, still grinning.
Huang Zixia turned her head away, not wanting to continue this topic with Zhou Ziqin: “Was there anything suspicious about the deceased?”
“No, the deceased had no hair anywhere, definitely burned to death while alive. As for whether he was struck by heaven’s lightning for doing evil deeds, or if it was just coincidence, I don’t know. However, if he was from Princess Tongchang’s household, this matter might become a big incident. After all, everyone knows how much His Majesty dotes on this princess.”
Huang Zixia said: “Even if Princess Tongchang makes a huge fuss, it shouldn’t have anything to do with us.”
“Exactly, when heaven wants rain to fall or lightning to strike someone, what can we do about it?” Zhou Ziqin spread his hands and said, “Besides, my father’s farewell feast is the day after tomorrow, and soon I’ll be following him to Shu. Ah, Shu is wonderful! Huang Zixia, whom I admire most, left behind many stories of solving mysterious cases there. If you have time, come visit me, and I’ll show you around Chengdu properly!”
Li Shubai glanced at Huang Zixia, who was already ignoring Zhou Ziqin’s words and said: “No need to worry about that. I was already planning to go to Shu, and might even depart before you.”
“Oh really? Then we can travel together!” Zhou Ziqin said excitedly.
Huang Zixia calmly said: “That won’t be necessary. His Highness and you each have your own official business, better not to travel together lest you delay each other.”
“Ah… though that makes sense, Chong Gu, you’re being so cold! You could have refused me more gently…”
Huang Zixia didn’t want to deal with him anymore.