Yan Tongshu tugged at Pearl's sleeve. "Pearl, run an errand for me."
Pearl: "Ah? Go where?"
Yan Tongshu's voice was stern: "Go to Huihe Hall. Bring back all the records of Ma Tianci's medicine prescriptions. Find out exactly when and how often he picked up his medicine."
Pearl: "Understood."
With that, Pearl dashed out.
Yan Tongshu made her way back to Qiao Qingqing's room.
Qiao Qingqing had been strangled to death and hidden in a cabinet.
Yan Tongshu ran her hand over the cabinet. The results were the same as last time—nothing unusual, except the wood had cracked even more severely.
Carrying her doubts, Yan Tongshu stepped out of the room and looked around.
The house featured a courtyard at the front, with rooms surrounding it. The back door connected to a small yard near the kitchen.
The only difference between Ma Tianci's room and Qiao Qingqing's was that Ma Tianci's room shared a wall with the neighboring house.
In an instant, Yan Tongshu decided to climb over the wall.
She scaled a nearby tree, leaped onto the wall, and agilely dropped down the other side.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she understood why the neighbor had kept their doors shut since the murder.
Good heavens!
It was an illegal workshop.
An unlicensed dye house operating in secret.
This street was a residential area, strictly zoned against commercial production. The operators feared government intervention and a complete crackdown, so they had fled.
Yan Tongshu picked up a scrap of fabric from the ground. The scoundrels had even counterfeited the logo of Qianji Silk and Satin Shop.
She planted her hands on her hips, fuming. Pirating goods all the way to her aunt's establishment.
When she caught those crooks, she would make sure they were properly flogged!
Yan Tongshu turned to climb back. She grabbed the wall and hoisted herself up.
Click!
A lock clicked open behind her.
Slap!
Her grip slipped, and she landed squarely on her rear.
Yan Tongshu stared in shock at the door.
No way?
Had the illegal workshop crew returned just as she climbed over?
She grabbed a stick and swiftly hid behind a water vat.
She was just a frail scholar. How could she match up against a gang of black-market thugs? Hiding was the wisest move.
Creak—
The old wooden door slowly pushed open, its rusted hinges grinding out a nerve-wracking sound.
A woman's foot stepped inside first.
Yan Tongshu gripped her stick tighter, on guard. There were women in this illegal workshop?
Finally, the person entered.
Yan Tongshu looked up. Lady Qing?
Stunned, she rose from behind the water vat.
Lady Qing spotted Yan Tongshu and gasped, "Lord Yan, what are you doing here?"
At that moment, Yan Tongshu had leaves in her hair, dirty clothes, and dust smeared across her face—looking both disheveled and highly suspicious.
Yan Tongshu cringed in embarrassment, her toes practically curling. "Uh... investigating a case. What about you?"
Lady Qing held up a key for Yan Tongshu to see. "Looking at a rental."
"Here?" Yan Tongshu instinctively glanced around. Though this house was right next to Qiao Qingqing and Ma Tianci's, it was at least twice as large.
The rent couldn't be cheap.
Lady Qing understood Yan Tongshu's thoughts and explained, "After the murder next door, the original tenants fled in the night. No one else dares to rent it either since they heard about the killing. The landlord offered it to me cheap, as long as I stay for six months to bring some life back into the place. Once the atmosphere clears, others won't be afraid to rent. But I haven't agreed yet—I just came to see the house today."
Yan Tongshu nodded in understanding.
Deaths from natural causes or illness were one thing.
But murder? People always got uneasy—fearing vengeful spirits or the like—so they kept their distance from such houses.
Yan Tongshu quickly said, "Well, take your time looking. I'll be going now."
She had only taken a couple of steps when Lady Qing called out, "Um... Lord Yan."
Yan Tongshu turned back. "Is something the matter?"
Lady Qing lowered her head, twisting the hem of her sleeve nervously. "I... I wanted to ask, if a man takes another wife without divorcing his first one, is that against the law?"
So Chen Sizhen really was a heartless scoundrel.
Yan Tongshu made a mental note and nodded. "Under this dynasty's statutes, remarrying without divorcing the first wife, without a justifiable reason, carries a penalty of three years in prison. A wife who stood by her husband through poverty must not be cast aside. If a man rises from poverty to wealth and seeks to divorce his wife, or abandons her without proper cause, the punishment will be severe. Most of the family assets will be compensated to the wife."
Thinking of Lady Qing's mother-in-law, Yan Tongshu added, "And abandoning one's birth mother? Thirty strokes of the cane and seven years of hard labor."
Lady Qing paled at the harshness of the punishment.
Her voice trembled as she stammered, "I-I... Th-thank you, Lord Yan."
Yan Tongshu pressed her lips together.
It wouldn't be easy for Lady Qing to get justice, much like Qin Xianglian lodging a complaint against Chen Shimei.
After a moment, she said, "Lady Qing, if you ever face any injustice, don't hesitate to beat the drum at Kaifeng Prefecture. No matter how high-ranking the man who wrongs you, the law will be on your side. Don't be afraid."
Yes, let that scoundrel Chen Sizhen pay!
Lady Qing clutched her sleeve, hesitating as if to say something more.
By the time Yan Tongshu stepped out of the alley, Pearl had returned with Ma Tianci's prescription records. Yan Tongshu examined them and smiled. "Come, Pearl. Let's return to Kaifeng Prefecture. We're calling court to catch the culprit."
...
Back at Kaifeng Prefecture, Yan Tongshu ordered the court to convene.
The bailiff took command and directed the guards to bring in everyone involved in the elopement case.
Soon, both the Qiao and Ma families arrived.
Yan Tongshu ordered Xu Qiu and Zhou Zheng to have Wen Zhengshen brought out.
After the Qiao and Ma families kowtowed, Yan Tongshu told them to stand aside. As Wen Zhengshen knelt in court, Yan Tongshu snapped coldly, "Wen Zhengshen, do you confess your crime?"
Wen Zhengshen wore thin prison clothes, his face pale, hair disheveled, and utterly pathetic. He clasped his hands and said, "I have already confessed to theft and am serving my sentence. May I ask why the Prefect poses this question?"
Yan Tongshu's expression turned icy. "You are in prison for theft. This court now asks about murder. You strangled Qiao Qingqing and poisoned Ma Tianci, then staged Ma Tianci's death as suicide out of guilt. Do you confess or not?"
What?
Both the Qiao and Ma families snapped their heads toward Wen Zhengshen in shock.
Wen Zhengshen turned pale, his lips quivering. "Prefect! Murder is a capital offense. How could I confess to something I never did? Moreover, when you interrogated me that day, I answered truthfully. At the time Qiao Qingqing died, I was far away at Maple Harbor Pavilion attending Master Gu Peiyuan's lecture. How could I have killed her?"
Yan Tongshu sneered coldly. "It seems you now realize why I asked you about your whereabouts on the eighth."
Wen Zhengshen trembled like a leaf, tears welling in his eyes. "Prefect, I am innocent! Truly innocent!"
Yan Tongshu's gaze burned like a torch. "At that time, I asked you where you were on the eighth and what you did. You answered accordingly. Then you probingly asked why I wanted to know about your movements on that day. Yes—why? Because in your mind, the murderer, Qiao Qingqing didn't die on the eighth, but on the twelfth—the same day as Ma Tianci."
"In the throes of passion, you strangled Qiao Qingqing. Then you hid her body in Ma Tianci's wardrobe. After Ma Tianci returned, you put the poison that killed Qiao Qingqing into his wine and coaxed him into drinking it. Once he drank it, you switched your belt with his to make it look like he killed Qiao Qingqing and then took his own life out of guilt."
"Preposterous!" Wen Zhengshen shouted, trembling with excitement. "Lord, what you're saying is utterly absurd! I am Ma Tianci's friend. I barely knew Qiao Qingqing. I had no grudge against her. Why would I kill her?"
Yan Tongshu remained unmoved by Wen Zhengshen's agitation, replying only, "Was your acquaintance truly so fleeting?"
Wen Zhengshen clenched his fists. "What does Lord Yan mean by that?"
Yan Tongshu pulled out the banknotes that Wen Zhengshen had stolen. "Did these come from Ma Tianci?"
Wen Zhengshen sneered. "Does Prefect Yan believe I would kill someone for money?"
Yan Tongshu said, "Of course not. But money is the root of all things."
Yan Tongshu's eyes dropped as he looked at the kneeling Wen Zhengshen. "Money matters to everyone. The Ma family opened a clothing shop across from the Qiao family, recruited Qiao's master tailors with high wages, and undercut Qiao's business. The Qiao family despised this. And studies are expensive."
"Paper, ink, brushes, inkstones, borrowing books, buying books—everything costs money. An ordinary family of several people spends about ten taels a year on necessities like food, clothing, shelter, and transport. But in the capital, prices are high, and studying costs even more. A year's basic expenses exceed twenty taels."
Yan Tongshu paused. "Money isn't like water; water leaves no trace. But with money, once it moves, it always leaves a mark. These banknotes are the hundred taels Ma Tianci stole from his family when he left in a hurry. That's enough to cover your expenses for paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones for five years."
Wen Zhengshen looked disdainful. "So what? This only proves I stole the money."
"Yes," Yan Tongshu said. "But what about the money you spent before?"
Yan Tongshu set down the banknotes and raised his hand briefly. Pearl brought forward promissory notes and an account book, handing them to him. "These are your IOUs from the past few years, adding up to seventy-eight taels and four mace. And this account book..."
Yan Tongshu flipped it open. "...was recorded by the constables of your expenses over the years—though it's not entirely complete. But over the last three years, your total spending exceeded two hundred taels. You needed top-tier instruction and traveled widely to hear lectures. Aside from the free lessons of the esteemed Gu Peiyuan, many courses required payment and pricey tickets. On top of that, travel for lectures, plus food, lodging, and incidentals, all cost money. Once you add paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones, three years of expenses exceeded two hundred taels."
Yan Tongshu turned the pages one by one. "You couldn't afford to hire famous tutors, and you had already exhausted basic courses. The only way to improve was to attend free public lectures by various celebrities and consult with them during breaks. But these scholars were scattered in different places, and their lecture schedules were irregular, so you couldn't hold a stable job."
"Your only sources of income were copying manuscripts, writing books, selling paintings, or writing letters for others. But you only published one book, four years ago, and it lost so much money that the bookshop refused to publish any more of your work. As for your paintings, even if they sold, it took at least half a year to close a deal, and you couldn't recover the costs. Copying manuscripts and writing letters brought meager pay, barely supporting your daily food and lodging. So, if your three-year study costs exceeded two hundred taels, and you owed debts of seventy-eight taels and four mace, who made up the shortfall of over one hundred and twenty taels? The constables checked the black-and-white sums you stole too, and they don't fill that gap."
Wen Zhengshen pressed his lips so tightly they went thin. His expression was ugly, not because Yan Tongshu's implication of murder deepened, but because the official directly struck at his most tender, painful sensitive point:
Reaching middle age, achieving nothing.
He was a failure.
Yan Tongshu watched Wen Zhengshen, studying his expression. "Now that's more like it..."
A fierce flicker pulsed at Wen Zhengshen's eye socket.
"An expression like that is fitting." Yan Tongshu lifted an eyebrow slightly. "Your paintings, your writings—they all reveal your nature: aggressive, resentful, self-righteously arrogant, full of contempt for the world. Wen Zhengshen, during the first court session, you acted far too calm."
Wen Zhengshen said coldly, "Don't try to manipulate me here, Lord Yan. Even if I was strapped for money, what does that prove?"
Yan Tongshu continued, "That shortfall of over a hundred taels—Qiao Qingqing covered it."
Wen Zhengshen's expression grew more hostile.
Yan Tongshu narrowed his eyes. "You and Qiao Qingqing knew each other before Ma Tianci, three or even four years ago. At that time, her parents were forcing her to study. They hired famous tutors to guide her in calligraphy and painting, trying to raise her into a prodigy versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and art. Qiao Qingqing was beautiful. Beauty paired with talent is the ultimate ticket to marrying up. The better her marriage, the more she could help her elder brothers and younger siblings."
Yan Tongshu looked at Qiao Qingqing's parents. "Shopkeeper Qiao, Madam Qiao, is that correct?"
Qiao Qingqing's parents, caught out in their secret thoughts, dared not look up and only bowed their heads, answering, "Yes, yes. Qingqing was beautiful; we just wanted her to learn more, so she could marry into a good family and live a happy life."
Yan Tongshu withdrew his gaze. "Thirteen is an age inclined to play, and Qiao Qingqing had a proud, stubborn nature. She hated studying and only liked jewelry and cosmetics. She kept resisting."
"I don't know exactly how the two of you met, but clearly, you met Qiao Qingqing at a time when she needed you. You completed her homework for her, and she paid you a certain sum of money."
Wen Zhengshen's face darkened, but there was no fear in his eyes. "So what? This is merely your speculation, Lord Yan."
Yan Tongshu said, "I have evidence, of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't bring it up."
"Before her death, Qiao Qingqing left behind this doodle. And this official found ink brushwork in her private chambers." Yan Tongshu opened the books and papers he had found. "The writing is childish, the control of the brush unstable—they all come from the same hand. How can it compare to the skillful techniques in the paintings Qiao Qingqing sold?"
Yan Tongshu took out two paintings from the desk and unfurled them one by one. "This is 'Listening to Rain in the Pine Mountain,' which Qiao Qingqing sold at the painting and calligraphy convention. And this is 'The Mountain Temple on a Rainy Night,' which the search found in your home. Both depict the same pine mountain."
Yan Tongshu had the paintings shown to the Qiao and Ma families to examine.
Yan Tongshu said, "This official has a friend who is an avid painter; I often ask him to make paintings for me as gifts. Sometimes I'm willful, so I grumble that his signature ruins the artistic mood of a piece, and he will therefore incorporate his pen name into the scenery itself..."
At this, Wen Zhengshen's expression suddenly changed drastically.
Yan Tongshu struck directly at the heart of the matter. "And in both these paintings, among the pine mountains, your style name, Yu'an, appears in abbreviation. 'Yu'an' is not only your style but also the inscription on all paintings sold under your own name."
"Your paintings can't sell for a good price, can't even cover the costs. But one of Qiao Qingqing's paintings can sell for as high as twenty taels of silver. How could you not be jealous, and how could you be willing to accept that? So you blended your own name into every painting Qiao Qingqing sold, intending to expose her one day and trample on her reputation as a talented woman to establish your own fame."
Wen Zhengshen lowered his head, clenching his teeth, holding himself back until he reached the breaking point of explosion.
Just then, Xu Qiu quietly ran over and whispered in Yan Tongshu's ear, "Lord Yan, as you predicted, we searched every place Tao Hong went and found the evidence."
Xu Qiu presented the items. Yan Tongshu looked through them and said, "Just as I thought. Arrest them."
Xu Qiu said, "My lord, they've already been arrested and are waiting at the government office gate with Boss Qiu."
Yan Tongshu nodded, "Keep an eye on them for now; I'll call them in when I have orders."
Xu Qiu replied, "Yes."
After speaking, Xu Qiu retreated.
Yan Tongshu looked at Wen Zhengshen, "You were jealous of Qiao Qingqing, and you hated the whole world..."
"Shouldn't I?" Wen Zhengshen suddenly burst out shouting, "What makes Qiao Qingqing so special? She's just a useless waste of space who only knows how to put on makeup and paint her face. Every painting she ever sold was painted by me. Every single one! All of them! But why? Why can her paintings sell for twenty taels of silver when mine can't even sell for one tael? Why!"
Wen Zhengshen screamed at the top of his lungs, veins bulging all over his body. "It's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. These people are all blind! The Qiao family spends a little money to hire people to promote her, and they all follow the crowd like sheep.
Just because Qiao Qingqing is a woman, just because Qiao Qingqing is pretty, those old perverts' eyes go wide when they see her, spending dozens of taels of silver to buy her paintings. I won't accept it! They're all my paintings! Just because Qiao Qingqing is beautiful, those paintings can only sell under her name. They're my paintings, my paintings..."
By the end, Wen Zhengshen was weeping, "I've struggled all these years, I've worked so hard to improve my calligraphy and painting skills, and in the end, it's all worth less than a pretty face, less than those four characters of 'peerless talented beauty' that the Qiao family bought with their silver."
Just then, Qiao Qingqing's mother rushed over and started hitting and kicking Wen Zhengshen, "It was you! You really killed my Qingqing! You bastard! I'll kill you, kill you..."
Mrs. Qiao was frantic, and Mr. Qiao quickly went over to pull her away, taking the chance to kick Wen Zhengshen several times before finally managing to drag Mrs. Qiao off.
Yan Tongshu pretended not to notice Mr. Qiao's little tricks.
Wen Zhengshen picked himself up from the ground, "But I was just a ghostwriter; that doesn't prove anything."
Yan Tongshu said, "You and Qiao Qingqing weren't just ghostwriters; you had a secret relationship. You resented Qiao Qingqing and wanted to ruin her, so you tricked her into sleeping with you."
The parents of Ma and Qiao were utterly stunned.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qiao immediately passed out.
Lord Yan said, "The coroner of the Qiao family and I did not find in Qiao Qingqing's body the fluids that come from a man and woman sharing a bed, so she wasn't violated after death. Ma Tianci even wrote in a book of erotic art that he had a wet dream and made it clear he hadn't yet crossed any line with Qiao Qingqing..."
Mr. and Mrs. Ma looked at each other, their faces flushing red.
Yan Tongshu paused, "...And Qiao Qingqing had a fever the night she eloped, then kept falling ill. Ma Tianci, no matter how beastly he might be, wouldn't lay hands on a woman he loved while she was still sick."
Wen Zhengshen pointed crazily at Yan Tongshu, "This is just your guess!"
Lord Yan calmly said, "The maid Tao Hong can testify. Qiao Qingqing had classes every day, and you and Qiao Qingqing couldn't hand over all your assignments in person. There had to be a go-between—no one is more fitting than Tao Hong, Qiao Qingqing's personal maid. Bring in Tao Hong."
Xu Qiu brought Tao Hong in.
Tao Hong's face was as pale as if it had been whitewashed. She knelt on the ground, kowtowing and crying, "My lord, your servant is innocent; I know nothing!"
She wept pitifully, looking innocent and helpless.
Lord Yan's expression remained cold, "Then search her."
Tao Hong instantly fell silent, as if something had choked her throat.
"You're afraid of losing valuables, so you must carry them on you," Yan Tongshu ordered. "Pearl, you are a woman; you do it."
Pearl said, "Yes."
Pearl walked up to Tao Hong and began searching her. At first, Tao Hong tried to resist, but two officers grabbed her arms on either side, and she lost all ability to fight back.
Pearl felt around her body and finally pulled a deed to a property from the hidden pocket of her bellyband.
Pearl gave a proud snort, "You think you can hide things from me? I used to stash snacks while hiding them from my master—I've hidden them everywhere imaginable."
Everyone subconsciously looked at Yan Tongshu.
Yan Tongshu looked away awkwardly—this Pearl, searching is fine, but why bring up all those old stories?
Lord Yan took the deed from Pearl's hand, "This is the deed to Baixing Bookstore. You, a little maid, where did you get so much money to buy a shop property?"
Tao Hong's face turned pale, then paler, "Your servant, your humble servant... received it as a gift from Miss..."
Yan Tongshu slammed his gavel on the desk, the sound like thunder shaking the court, "You dare to lie even at death's door!"
Tao Hong prostrated in fear.
Yan Tongshu looked at Xu Qiu, who understood and stepped forward to report, "For the record, Lord Yan, after we found Tao Hong, we located the previous owner of Baixing Bookstore. According to him, the bookstore was originally rented by Qiao Qingqing and later bought with money pooled by Qiao Qingqing and Ma Tianci.
I inquired about the price and compared it, confirming that all those missing tokens of love were either sold or pawned to raise the money for the bookstore. For fear of being discovered, Qiao Qingqing and Ma Tianci never went to the authorities to change the names on the deed and transfer documents, which is why we never found out."
Yan Tongshu looked at Tao Hong, "After Qiao Qingqing died, Wen Zhengshen bribed you with the deed to keep you quiet and not reveal his relationship with Qiao Qingqing..."
Wen Zhengshen shouted, "Lord Yan! Tao Hong never said anything—this is a setup!"
Yan Tongshu narrowed his eyes, "Then explain this: Ma Tianci said he and Qiao Qingqing met in secret at your house. So why is there no trace of them at your home, and no trace of any woman either?
The Qiao and Ma homes are far from your Wen residence, and Qiao Qingqing had a curfew—she could only leave her home for one hour each day. How could she possibly visit your place to meet? If you were covering for them, are you really saying you didn't know where they actually met in secret?"
Wen Zhengshen argued, "I just provided cover; how am I supposed to know how they met in secret?"
Lord Yan's gaze grew even colder, "You're still trying to quibble even at death's door. Summon the head clerk of Baixing Bookstore, Qiu Shidong."
The waiting Qiu Shidong stepped forward.
Qiu Shidong knelt and bowed, "Commoner Qiu Shidong, head clerk of the Baixing Bookstore, appears before the Prefect."
Lord Yan asked, "Qiu Shidong, how many years have you served as clerk at Baixing Bookstore?"
Qiu Shidong lowered his head respectfully, "Your Excellency the Prefect, this humble one has worked at Baixing Bookstore for nearly eight years."
Yan Tongshu: "Lift your head now and take a look. See if you recognize the people in this courtroom."
Qiu Shidong raised his head, swept his gaze across the room, and said, "In reply to Prefect Yan, yes, this commoner recognizes them."
Yan Tongshu: "How do you know them?"
