Xia He clung to the shoulder of a young servant and sobbed uncontrollably, as if he meant to cry out every last bit of the enormous grievance weighing on him.
Yan Tongshu rapped the courtroom block and asked, “Xia He, what happened after you met Yu Weizhu? When was the last time you saw him, and what happened then?”
Xia He had cried so hard that he could barely catch his breath, hiccupping and sobbing without pause.
Pearl poured him a cup of tea to help him calm down, then stood to one side, shaking her head as she watched him.
This man had seduced someone else’s husband without the slightest sense of shame. It was hard not to hate him.
But now, seeing him deceived in both body and heart, crying so miserably, she found him somewhat pitiful as well.
Sigh.
Pearl sighed inwardly.
After a while, Xia He recovered enough to begin recounting what had happened between himself and Yu Weizhu.
When Yu Weizhu confirmed that he would be coming to Bianjing, he entrusted someone to deliver a letter to Xia He.
After being apart for so long, Xia He had eagerly awaited his lover’s arrival. He had arranged for someone to clean the residence from top to bottom and bought new incense, filling the entire house with a pleasant fragrance.
Yu Weizhu loved beef, so Xia He had pulled every string he could to obtain two jin of it. He had even found a cook to teach him how to prepare it.
On the twelfth, once Yu Weizhu had received the payment for his goods, he secretly came to see Xia He. The two reunited after their long separation and indulged in a passionate night together. It was almost dawn by the time Yu Weizhu slipped away to rejoin the merchant caravan.
On the thirteenth, Wei Wei led the others away, and Yu Weizhu came back again.
Xia He and Yu Weizhu chatted for a while. Just then, the beef arrived. Xia He busied himself preparing the meal. Besides, the previous night had been rather intense, leaving his waist sore and his legs aching, so he refused Yu Weizhu’s invitation and began stewing the beef instead.
Yu Weizhu went out in the afternoon and returned that evening. Xia He brought out the beef he had painstakingly prepared, and Yu Weizhu ate with great relish.
That night, the two lay in bed. When Yu Weizhu refused Xia He’s advances, he simply fell into a deep sleep. Xia He thought nothing of it.
The next morning, Xia He sang for Yu Weizhu, who applauded enthusiastically. Then Yu Weizhu began subtly probing him about how much money he had left and whether he was still in contact with his elder brother.
When Xia He had left home, he had secretly taken quite a considerable sum of money with him. All his expenses in the capital had been paid out of his own pocket.
Thinking nothing of it, Xia He gave him a few offhand answers.
But since they had begun discussing his hometown, Xia He naturally thought of the promise Yu Weizhu had once made him: that he would divorce his wife and be with him.
During the first year, Yu Weizhu’s wife became pregnant. Yu Weizhu said he did not want to upset her, so Xia He endured it.
The following year, Yu Weizhu said that the child had just been born and was constantly ill. Xia He endured it again.
Now nearly three years had passed. What excuse could there possibly be left?
The truth was that Yu Weizhu had never intended to abandon his wife and child. Yet Xia He’s heart was filled with longing to be openly together with his lover. Their words no longer matched, and the more they talked, the more heated they became. Before long, both were furious, and an argument broke out.
Xia He immediately decided to leave. Yu Weizhu was angry as well and did not stop him.
Not long after Xia He left, he noticed that Yu Weizhu had not come after him. He returned home on his own, only to find that Yu Weizhu was not there. Assuming that Yu Weizhu had gone looking for him, Xia He left a letter and packed his belongings, making a show of leaving for good and bidding him farewell forever.
He took his servants, hired a carriage, and left the city. But instead of going far, he lingered outside the city, waiting for Yu Weizhu to come beg him to return.
Then yesterday, he saw Lord Feng and finally learned that Yu Weizhu was dead. Overwhelmed by grief, he wished he could die for love.
So, in fact, Xia He had never seen Yu Weizhu for the last time.
No one knew where Yu Weizhu had gone.
Yan Tongshu asked, “Did Yu Weizhu have any particular habits? For example, somewhere he liked to go to drink or clear his head whenever he was angry?”
Xia He thought carefully. “When he was in a bad mood, he liked to visit gambling houses and play a few rounds. But he always knew his limits and never played for high stakes. He would stop after losing at most twenty taels of silver.”
Yan Tongshu immediately ordered the constables to investigate the gambling houses nearby.
The questioning was over, and Yan Tongshu was about to dismiss Xia He and the others when Feng Jien suddenly spoke.
“Xia He, who delivered the beef to you that day?”
Xia He thought hard, but he truly could not remember.
His personal servant said, “It was a deliveryman from the nearby cattle office, one of the men responsible for delivering beef sold by the cut. He pushed a cart with two baskets full of beef on it. After delivering ours, he would move on to the next household. As for his name, this servant doesn’t know.”
After everyone had left, Yan Tongshu looked at Feng Jien. “Lord Feng, did you notice something when you asked about the beef?”
“Indeed.” Feng Jien said, “There was one detail in what Xia He said just now that caught my attention.”
“What detail?”
Feng Jien’s voice was calm and steady. “Does Your Excellency remember Jiang Han?”
Yan Tongshu nodded. Jiang Han was the first victim in this string of murders and dismemberments—and the most unusual of them all.
Feng Jien continued, “After I returned this time, I interrogated several of Jiang Han’s friends. Although they had no useful leads, I was able to confirm one thing: Jiang Han had a lover in Bianjing. He seemed to care deeply for that person and often used purchasing goods as an excuse to visit. But whenever his friends pressed him about which young lady it was, he refused to say.
“Jiang Han was the young master of the Xibaolai Restaurant in Tai County, Yunzhou. His excuse was that he came to Bianjing to purchase beef.
“He said that although beef was butchered in Bianjing and then transported to Yunzhou, the best cuts were always snapped up by the restaurants in Bianjing first. What was eventually sent to Yunzhou was usually scraps that no one else wanted, or meat from old cattle. If one wanted good beef, one had to wait in Bianjing for it. That was why he often stayed here for half a month, sometimes even a full month.
“Xia He also mentioned beef just now. I don’t know whether the two matters are connected.”
Beef…
Yan Tongshu lowered his eyes, deep in thought.
If it was not merely a coincidence, then the techniques used to divide up cattle and dismember corpses were indeed related.
But the killer’s first murder had been crude. He had not known how to dismember a body.
Could the murderer have worked at the cattle office or somewhere nearby, learning the technique of dismemberment by watching cattle being butchered, then practicing on one corpse after another? Perhaps he had rehearsed the process countless times in his mind after observing it, causing his skill to improve with astonishing speed.
Yan Tongshu summoned another group of constables and ordered them to investigate whether the remaining victims had any connection to cattle, as well as to find out who had delivered the beef to Xia He that day.
Finding a murderer in a random killing case was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack. No clue, no matter how insignificant, could be casually overlooked.
After giving his instructions, Yan Tongshu asked Feng Jien once more, “Are there any further clues about Jiang Han’s lover in Bianjing?”
Feng Jien thought carefully before replying, “Jiang Han once joked with a friend that some people looked honest on the outside, but couldn’t withstand even a little teasing. Still, someone like that was only good for a bit of fun, not for anything serious.
“The Jiang family had quite a reputation in their homeland, and Jiang Han had not yet been formally betrothed. He did not dare reveal too much about what he had done in Bianjing. If his reputation were ruined, he would no longer be able to marry a well-matched young lady. He would have to look for someone beneath his station instead.”
Trash.
Yan Tongshu cursed inwardly and sent Feng Jien back to the official residence to rest.
Feng Jien rose and said, “If Lord Yan has any leads, please feel free to give your orders.”
Feng Jien’s face was no longer merely pale—it had taken on a bluish tinge. His lips were dark, and there were deep shadows beneath his eyes. After all this rushing back and forth without rest, Yan Tongshu was genuinely afraid he might drop dead from exhaustion.
She hurriedly advised him, “Lord Feng, your health is more important. Once you lose your health, you lose everything.”
Feng Jien paused, then accepted her concern. “Thank you for your consideration, Lord Yan.”
With that, he turned and left.
After Feng Jien departed, Yan Tongshu brought up the records of the eight victims once more and went over them carefully.
For some of the bodies, only skeletons had been found, so the authorities could not determine the exact dates of death—only an approximate range.
Dismemberment was generally done to make transporting a corpse easier.
After all, a whole corpse was hard to move without attracting attention, no matter how one went about it.
But once it was cut into pieces, tossing it away became far less conspicuous.
Yet after dismembering the bodies, the killer had still carried them all the way out to the countryside…
Why go so far just to dispose of them?
Yan Tongshu wondered if she had been overcomplicating things.
Perhaps the killer simply held a grudge against these cold-hearted, faithless men. He might have suffered some kind of romantic betrayal himself, and killed them to vent his resentment while robbing them. His victims were chosen at random: whenever he encountered another unfaithful man of the same sort, he killed him.
If the victims were chosen randomly, then perhaps the killer’s reason for dumping the bodies outside the city was equally simple.
He might have already been heading into the countryside and, quite naturally, disposed of the corpses there along the way.
That kind of one-track thinking also fit the killer’s simple motive: emotional trauma, resentment, and random murder.
But why had the killer needed to go outside the city?
Two words flashed through Yan Tongshu’s mind—Cattle Office.
If this really had something to do with beef, then the killer had probably needed to transport beef out of the city on the nights he disposed of the bodies.
Since he already had to leave the city, he had simply dumped the corpses along the way.
The bodies had been left closer to Yunzhou, and because the victims were outsiders, jurisdiction over the murder cases fell to Yunzhou. That could delay the investigation as much as possible. Given enough time, many clues would disappear on their own.
That meant the dates when the bodies were dumped would have been the dates when the killer delivered his goods to Yunzhou.
The seven victims’ bodies had been discovered on the twenty-first day of the third month five years ago; the twelfth day of the seventh month four years ago; the twenty-third day of the ninth month and the eleventh day of the eleventh month three years ago; the ninth day of the sixth month and the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month two years ago; and the third day of the second month half a year ago.
It was difficult to determine the exact time of death from skeletal remains. At best, the authorities could establish an approximate date.
However, three of the bodies had been found soon enough for their times of death to be determined.
The first victim, Jiang Han, had been confirmed by the coroner to have died on the night of the nineteenth day of the third month, five years ago.
The third victim had died on the twenty-first day of the ninth month, three years ago.
The unidentified spy discovered half a year ago had died on the first day of the second month.
There was also the eighth victim, Yu Weizhu, whose body had been discovered on the twenty-first day of the eighth month. He had died sometime between the night of the fourteenth day and the early morning of the fifteenth.
For the first three victims, only two or three days had passed between their deaths and the discovery of their bodies. The killer should have disposed of them within that span of time.
In other words, the dates on which the killer left the city had to fall within those two or three days.
If Yan Tongshu could confirm that the murders were connected to beef, then all she had to do was check the Cattle Office delivery rosters for the past five years. She would be able to find the killer.
The problem was that there were a total of thirty-two Cattle Offices in Bianjing.
As for Yu Weizhu’s home, the nearest one happened to be the very Cattle Office Meng Zheng had once taken her to.
After finishing her duties that afternoon, Yan Tongshu took Pearl and Jinbao to Aunt Yang’s noodle stall for a meal.
From there, they could see people entering and leaving the city gates.
The gates were half-closed during the Hour of the Dog and opened during the Hour of the Hare.
Because oxen were essential to farming and therefore tied to food security, they were strictly regulated. Of the several prefectures surrounding Bianjing, only Bianjing was permitted to import beef for supply to other regions.
The bodies certainly could not have been dumped during the day, when people were constantly coming and going. Normally, cattle offices sent beef to Yunzhou before the city gates closed—departing before the gates shut and entering Yunzhou after its gates opened. In other words, they left the city after eight at night and transported the meat to Yunzhou through the night.
That lined up perfectly with the likely time of the body dumpings.
Yan Tongshu chewed her noodles while staring at the city gates and thinking.
If the killer really had been someone who delivered beef, he could have cut the corpses into pieces and placed them in the carts used to transport beef. That would have effectively concealed the smell of blood.
But how had he dealt with inspections by the authorities?
Yan Tongshu was still pondering the question when two middle-aged men dressed in simple short jackets joined the line leaving through the city gate. One was driving a cart pulled by two donkeys, while the other steadied the flatbed cart behind them. A cloth had been thrown over the load, covering only the middle and leaving a pair of ox hooves exposed.
Yan Tongshu quickly finished her broth, then brought Pearl and Jinbao to the city gate, pretending to browse a shadow-puppet stall.
She studied the donkey cart. The cloth had been casually draped over the dead ox.
“Lord Yan!”
Just as Yan Tongshu was thinking, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and saw Qin Yunduan.
Qin Yunduan flashed her a bright smile, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth, and asked foolishly, “Lord Yan, do you like shadow puppets too?”
Yan Tongshu glanced at the little shadow puppet in her hand. “I’ve recently developed quite an interest in them.”
“The goods sold by street vendors aren’t very good.”
The moment Qin Yunduan opened his mouth, the stall owner became indignant.
“Hey! What do you mean, my goods aren’t good? Explain yourself!”
Qin Yunduan hurriedly apologized. “I’m sorry. I misspoke.”
The stall owner gave a heavy snort, then turned back around and put on a smiling, ingratiating expression as he addressed Yan Tongshu.
“Young master, the one you’re holding was carved by my own father. It’s Zhang Yide, General Zhang—look at that imposing, awe-inspiring bearing! Buy it and take it home. Even if you simply set it on your desk without playing with it, it’ll still be an elegant little work of art, with a charm all its own.”
Qin Yunduan frantically signaled to Yan Tongshu with his eyes. Yan Tongshu smiled. Seeing Pearl and Jinbao each holding one and looking delighted, she took out her money and bought them.
The stall owner immediately cheerfully counted out her change, throwing Qin Yunduan a sidelong glare in the process.
Qin Yunduan scratched his head sheepishly.
After they bought the shadow puppets, the cart carrying the donkey meat moved forward, and Yan Tongshu followed. Qin Yunduan came along as well.
“Lord Yan, let me tell you, I love shadow plays more than anything. I even studied under a master before. I may not be able to claim that I’ve reached perfection, but I can certainly perform with ease.
“The shadow puppets I collect at home are all made from premium yellow oxhide. The leather is soaked for three full days and nights, then sent to master craftsmen in Bazhong, Shuzhou, to be intricately carved. Every piece is a treasure. If you’re interested, come to my residence another day and choose whichever ones you like!”
“All right. I’ll be sure to visit when I have time.”
Yan Tongshu answered perfunctorily, but Qin Yunduan did not notice in the slightest. Instead, he continued enthusiastically, his brows dancing as he told her amusing stories from the days when he studied shadow puppetry.
“Lord Yan, I’m telling you, I have a complete set of shadow-play equipment at home. My skill may not be at the very top, but I’m absolutely good enough to be called an expert. If I put my mind to it, I can perform every role myself—the sheng, the dan, the jing, and the chou. I can handle them all.”
Yan Tongshu was genuinely intrigued. “You really can?”
“Of course.”
Qin Yunduan lifted his chest proudly, his eyes brimming with self-satisfaction.
Curious, Yan Tongshu asked, “I believe you can perform. But what about singing? Can you do that too?”
“Of course I can’t perform everything, but I do know the classics.” Qin Yunduan cleared his throat, bobbed his head to set the rhythm, and immediately sang Yan Tongshu a section from Peach Mountain Saves His Mother.
“Impressive.” Yan Tongshu gave him a thumbs-up. “Who would’ve thought? You really can sing.”
“A person can’t be completely useless at everything. No matter how ordinary I am, I must have something I’m good at.” Qin Yunduan scratched his head. “Still, Lord Yan, you’re the first person who hasn’t scolded me for neglecting proper work. When I was at home, my parents constantly berated me, saying I was wasting my time on frivolous pursuits.”
“How could that be called wasting your time when you’re this talented?” Yan Tongshu encouraged him. “It doesn’t matter if they don’t understand. I support you. If you ever perform in public, let me know. I’ll bring Pearl and Jinbao along to cheer you on.”
“That’s a great idea.” Qin Yunduan took her words to heart. “I’ve always performed just for my own amusement at home. I never really considered performing outside. Lord Yan, you truly are my kindred spirit. But if I really am going to perform, I’ll have to find the opera troupe that used to ask me to sing with them. I can’t perform every role by myself.”
As she walked alongside the slowly moving donkey cart, Yan Tongshu smiled. “You can start small. We could perform for children first, with simple shows that only require two or three people. Once you’ve gained some experience, you can put on bigger performances.”
“That makes sense.” Qin Yunduan nodded repeatedly, his heart beginning to stir with excitement.
He had always wanted to perform outside, but his family constantly discouraged him, so he had never dared to try.
Now, however, with his idol Lord Yan encouraging him, perhaps he really could give it a shot.
Qin Yunduan continued mulling it over. Yan Tongshu did not disturb him, focusing instead on the donkey cart.
By then, the cart was nearly at the city gate.
She could finally see how the soldiers inspected the donkey carts carrying deliveries from the cattle bureau.
Just then, Qin Yunduan’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Lord Yan, which opera do you think children like best?”
“As for children…” Yan Tongshu had barely begun when Pearl cheerfully poked her head over. “Something lively, of course. The livelier, the better.”
Jinbao agreed. “And there should be fight scenes. When I was little, my favorite part of shadow-puppet shows was always the clashing and banging during the fights. It was so satisfying.”
Qin Yunduan immediately began discussing the matter with Pearl and Jinbao with great enthusiasm, while Yan Tongshu continued inching forward alongside the donkey cart.
At last, it was time for the cart to be inspected.
The man driving the donkey handed the exit permit to the city gate soldier. The soldier seemed to know him well. He accepted it with a grin and chatted as he examined it.
“Old Li, delivering cattle out of the city again?”
The man called Old Li was short and wiry. He smiled. “Delivering cattle is a good business. Once I’ve delivered them, I can have some tea, bring back a few local specialties to sell, and make a little extra money.”
“And don’t forget my cured duck from Yunzhou,” the soldier said as he stamped the permit.
Old Li laughed heartily. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it written down. I won’t forget.”
As the two men exchanged pleasantries, another soldier went around to the back of the cart and began inspecting it. He lifted the mat covering the load.
Yan Tongshu’s brows immediately drew together. If she had not come here to investigate in person, she never would have imagined this.
The cattle bureau sent cattle to Yunzhou by slaughtering them, skinning them, removing their entrails, and chopping off their heads. The carcasses were not cut into sections at all—they were simply delivered whole.
Two cattle lay on the cart, weighing roughly six or seven hundred pounds in total.
The inspecting soldier casually prodded them with a stick, then waved the cart through.
In truth, it was understandable that the soldier’s inspection was so perfunctory.
First, the cattle bureau and the city guards were all government personnel. They had made so many trips back and forth that everyone was familiar with one another.
Second, there were only two carcasses stacked on the cart, and everything was plainly visible. At most, something could have been hidden beneath the bodies, but the soldier had already poked around with his stick and found nothing.
Besides, the cattle had been slaughtered, and the strong smell of blood filled the air. The city gate was about to close, and the soldier had worked all day. Exhausted in both body and mind, he had no desire to waste effort on a more thorough inspection.
Once the inspection was over, the soldier let them pass, and the cart continued out of the city.
So that was it.
Yan Tongshu understood.
The reason the killer had dismembered the body was to conceal it.
The soldiers would never inspect a cow’s stomach. After dismembering the corpse, the killer could hide the pieces inside the cow’s belly and transport them out of the city without difficulty.
She withdrew her gaze. By then, Qin Yunduan had finished talking with Pearl and Jinbao. His eyes shone as he looked at Yan Tongshu.
“Lord Yan, you have to come when I perform.”
Yan Tongshu smiled and agreed. “I definitely will.”
The smile on Qin Yunduan’s face grew even brighter. Then he suddenly let out an “Oh.” “By the way, Lord Yan, have you found that killer?”
“We have a few leads, but we’re still investigating.”
“Ever since I saw that severed head, I’ve been having nightmares every night after I get home. It was terrifying.” Qin Yunduan’s expression twisted. “Lord Yan, when you catch the killer, you have to tell me. Otherwise, I’m sure I’ll keep having nightmares.”
“All right.” Yan Tongshu smiled. “If we really catch the killer, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
Reassured by her answer, Qin Yunduan relaxed somewhat. He patted his chest and smiled as he bade Yan Tongshu farewell. Before leaving, he once again invited her to visit his residence and admire the shadow puppets he had collected whenever she had the time.
Yan Tongshu repeatedly promised that she would definitely go, and only then did he leave.
Pearl pressed her lips together with a smile. “The Qin heir is really fun.”
“He’s witty, too, and very easygoing,” Jinbao added.
Yan Tongshu smiled. “Then next time, we’ll all go watch him perform a shadow-puppet show.”
Pearl and Jinbao answered brightly, “All right.”
……
That evening, Yan Tongshu soaked in the bathtub.
On an autumn day, the hot water warmed her skin, and the steam left her face flushed and cozy.
Leaning against the tub, Yan Tongshu raised her head and stared at the ceiling.
It had been an entire day. She wondered whether Qin Yi’s fever had gone down.
It should have.
She had given him medicine before returning to the palace. The imperial physician was highly skilled, and Lu Xi had been the one to summon him. He was certainly someone Qin Yi trusted.
But Qin Yi’s fever had seemed quite serious.
Yan Tongshu scooped up a handful of water. It slipped away through the gaps between her fingers.
Could she really make a special trip to the palace just for him?
That would look far too obsequious. She was the upright Lord Yan; she could not do something like that.
Yan Tongshu sighed.
But as a friend, it was perfectly normal to visit a friend who was ill, wasn’t it?
In the past, whenever one of her colleagues fell sick, she would buy a fruit basket and pay them a visit. Sometimes she would even give them a get-well gift.
Surely that sort of behavior would not lead anyone to misunderstand her.
Besides, Qin Yi had fallen ill at her residence.
So perhaps she could buy a fruit basket tomorrow and go to the palace to see him?
Yan Tongshu lowered her eyes. From the corner of her vision, she caught sight of an eye peering through the gap in the window.
“Who’s there?” she shouted sternly.
The eye vanished in a flash.
Yan Tongshu immediately grabbed her clothes to cover herself, climbed out of the tub, and hurried behind the screen to get dressed.
Pearl pushed open the door and entered. “Young Master, what happened?”
Yan Tongshu answered succinctly, “Someone was spying through the window.”
Pearl immediately called over the household guards stationed by the courtyard gate and sent them to search the area near the window.
