Both the Qiao and Ma families shook their heads, claiming ignorance.
Mrs. Qiao asked, "Then was Ma Tianci's suicide, happening two or three days after my daughter's death, something he procured himself?"
Yan Tongshu's expression remained calm, his gaze scrutinizing those before the hall: "Such a potent poison is strictly controlled by the authorities. Only a few pharmacies have permits to buy and sell it, and every batch is meticulously registered. I need only send men to inquire at those registered shops and check their ledgers to know exactly who purchased it. If you refuse to answer now, or answer incompletely while hiding the truth from this court, it's thirty strokes of the heavy bamboo."
Yan Tongshu raised the gavel and brought it down heavily on the table.
Crack!
It sounded like a clap of thunder.
Mr. Qiao shuddered. "I'll talk, I'll talk. Lord Yan, I bought the poison."
Yan Tongshu's voice was icy: "Continue!"
Mr. Qiao's face turned deathly pale. "On the third day after Qingqing eloped with Ma Tianci, I happened to discover where they were hiding. I bought the poison and went to find Qingqing. I told her that her elopement had brought shame to our family and that she should end her own life."
"What?"
Mrs. Qiao lunged at Mr. Qiao, clutching him, her eyes full of disbelief: "Have you lost your mind? You bought poison for Qingqing and told her to kill herself? Qiao Tian, what kind of father are you?"
Mr. Qiao turned his head away, avoiding Mrs. Qiao's gaze. "Disregarding honor, morals, and propriety to elope with a man—if this gets out, it's nothing but a disgrace. Hao'er (Qiao Qingqing's elder brother) is taking the imperial exams this year. Should I let him be mocked and have his qualification revoked?"
Mrs. Qiao screamed hysterically, "But you can't just make Qingqing die!"
Mrs. Qiao wailed and pounded on Mr. Qiao. Feeling guilty, Mr. Qiao did not dodge, letting her strike him.
Yan Tongshu looked at Mr. Qiao with disgust. For the sake of that so-called 'propriety,' he tried to drive his own flesh and blood to death. What a wretched man.
Yan Tongshu waved over a constable and said, "Qiao Qingqing and Ma Tianci had their secret meeting at Wen Zhengshen's home. Go and bring Wen Zhengshen here."
After giving that order, Yan Tongshu summoned another constable and told him to bring Qiao Qingqing's personal maid, Tao Hong.
The constable replied, "Yes, sir."
Once done, Yan Tongshu rapped the gavel again. "Silence."
By then, Mrs. Qiao had tired herself out from beating him and was sobbing softly against Mr. Qiao's body.
Yan Tongshu asked, "Who was the first to discover Ma Tianci and Qiao Qingqing's deaths?"
Mr. Qiao replied, "It was a thief. By the time I received the news and arrived, my daughter's body was already stiff."
Yan Tongshu: "What was the state of their bodies at the scene? And where is this thief?"
Mr. Qiao: "The thief shouted, 'Someone help! There are dead people!' but by the time the neighbors came to look, the thief had vanished. When we arrived, Ma Tianci was slumped over the table with blood oozing from his seven orifices, a half-broken wine jar at his feet, and he was clutching a letter my daughter had left behind. Qingqing's body was hidden in the wardrobe next to the bed. Both bodies were already stiff; they must have been dead for at least twelve hours."
Yan Tongshu: "Are the clothes on the bodies today the ones they wore at the time of death?"
Both families shook their heads.
Having asked enough questions, Yan Tongshu inquired about their alibis: "Seven days ago and three days ago, where were each of you, respectively?"
Mr. Ma: "Lord Yan, seven days ago, my wife was so worried about Tianci that she fell ill and stayed at home the whole day. Our household servants can attest to that. As for me, I was doing business at my ready-made clothing shop, and both the customers who came and went and the tailors in the shop can testify. Three days ago, the shop was closed, so I stayed home with my wife. Her illness hasn't yet recovered to this day."
Mr. Qiao: "Lord Yan, seven days ago, I had invited the branch manager of the Qian's Silk and Satin Shop on East Street, Manager Liu, to a restaurant early in the morning to discuss a new fabric order. I left home early, while my wife was overseeing things at the shop. Because I was treating Manager Liu to some rare ingredients that had been shipped in at high cost from out of town to prevent the chef from substituting inferior quality, I went there early to personally oversee the cooking and never left his side. Manager Liu and I ate and drank until early afternoon. After seeing him off, I was too drunk to stay clear-headed, so I instructed the coachman to take me home to rest. I stayed at home until my wife returned from the shop in the evening. My wife and I were together the whole time after that. Our household servants and coachman can testify. Three days ago, because of a big business deal, my wife and I were at the shop all day except for meal times, and we returned home together in the evening."
Yan Tongshu: "I have one final question, and after you answer it, both families may return home for now."
Yan Tongshu's sharp gaze fell upon Mr. and Mrs. Ma: "To summarize what both families have said: Qiao Qingqing died seven days ago and left a farewell letter. Both your families assume she regretted the elopement and wanted to return home, which angered Ma Tianci. Driven by fury, he murdered her. Then, after struggling for two or three days, he used the poison from Qiao Qingqing's person to commit suicide. Now, did Ma Tianci leave a suicide note?"
"Well..."
Mr. and Mrs. Ma exchanged glances and then shook their heads. "No."
This was strange. If he struggled for two or three days before deciding to poison himself, he would have had plenty of time to review his entire life many times over. It was impossible that he wouldn't have left at least a few written words.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Having no conclusion for the moment, Yan Tongshu kept his suspicions to himself and simply said, "You may all go home for now, but do not leave the capital any time soon. I will send constables to your homes to retrieve all the items that Qiao Qingqing and Ma Tianci were wearing or carrying at the time of their deaths. You must confirm with the constables on-site whether these items match what they had with them when they left home. Is that clear?"
Both families: "Yes, Lord Yan."
After the two families departed, Yan Tongshu finally relaxed his erect spine, which had been held taut for so long. She raised a hand to massage her stiff shoulders and neck and could not help but sigh to herself. Putting on this official's airs was truly exhausting.
All too tiring.
Pearl and Jinbao, who had been waiting in the back, hurried over upon seeing this and began massaging Yan Tongshu's shoulders.
After a while, Xu Qiu entered to report: "Lord Yan."
Yan Tongshu looked up. "What did you find?"
Xu Qiu's expression was grave. "The crime scene has been cordoned off, but it was badly disturbed. Footprints and fingerprints are everywhere, chairs were overturned—everything's a mess. There's nothing left to investigate. And... that Wen Zhengshen has fled."
Yan Tongshu frowned. "Fled?"
Xu Qiu replied, "Yes. According to the neighbors, he hasn't been seen in three days. I've already sent men to pursue him; we should be able to catch him."
Yan Tongshu's brows knitted in thought. "Why did he run? Could he be the murderer?"
Xu Qiu smiled bitterly. "Ah, Lord Yan, how would I know that?"
"First, bring him in," Yan Tongshu said with a soft sigh. "And the maidservant?"
Xu Qiu: "The maid, Tao Hong, is waiting outside."
Yan Tongshu: "Let her in."
Xu Qiu went out and called in the trembling Tao Hong.
Without mentioning Mr. and Mrs. Qiao's testimony at all, Yan Tongshu asked Tao Hong to recount the whole matter from her own perspective.
The story Tao Hong told largely matched the account given by the Qiao family.
Yan Tongshu looked steadily at her. "Were you by your young mistress's side every moment?"
Tao Hong shrank her neck, her head bowed so low she didn’t dare look up at Yan Tongshu. In a weak voice, she said, “After my mistress turned twelve, she didn’t like her attendants following her anymore, so I don’t know much about her dealings with Master Ma.”
Nervously picking at her nails, she mumbled, “As for many things… whatever Madam knows, I know as well.”
Yan Tongshu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I’ve heard that on the night of the elopement, you and Wen Zhengshen helped your mistress and Ma Tianci run away together?”
Tao Hong trembled violently, prostrating herself and weeping. “Lord Prefect, this… this servant… I am my mistress’s maid. Whatever my mistress commands, I dare not disobey. This really cannot be blamed on me…”
Finished speaking, Tao Hong curled up on the ground, tears falling like rain, her body shaking as if sifting chaff.
Yan Tongshu observed her closely. “Regarding your mistress, is there any secret that not even the Qiao family knows?”
Tao Hong’s voice quivered. “This servant… does not know.”
Yan Tongshu said, “All right. You may go now.”
Tao Hong replied, “Yes, this servant withdraws.”
With that, she turned and scurried away as if fleeing for her life.
The clerk organized the court records and remarked with a smile, “Ordinary people entering the Kaifeng Prefecture are always like this, scared out of their wits—no wonder a young maid like her is so frightened.”
Yan Tongshu squinted, deep in thought.
It was true that ordinary people were terrified of the court, especially the Kaifeng Prefecture, even more so when the prefect himself was presiding.
Since Tao Hong was a maid, her fear was natural.
But earlier, when he had asked about Qiao Qingqing’s secrets, the girl had answered a bit too quickly.
In this world, who didn’t have secrets?
And Tao Hong was Qiao Qingqing’s personal maid. Even if Qiao Qingqing met Ma Tianci without her, Tao Hong would surely have noticed something while helping her mistress tidy her clothes or personal belongings.
Though both the Qiao and Ma families, out of protectiveness for their children, were trying to shift blame onto each other’s offspring, they all claimed to be speaking from their children’s own words.
The details of the relationship, as described by Qiao Qingqing and Ma Tianci themselves, didn’t match…
Was Qiao Qingqing shirking responsibility for the affair, or was it Ma Tianci? Or were both of them shirking?
Or was there some unknown secret hidden in between?
If there was a secret, the one most likely to know it would be either the personal maid or the personal manservant.
