Jinbao asked, “Which two words?”
Yan Tongshu enunciated slowly, “You had it coming.”
After a while, Pearl returned from gathering information.
Breathless, with her hands on her knees, Pearl reported, “Young master, I found out. Before the incident, Zhao the Second had been drinking and bragging to people, saying his father would soon get Aunt Yang’s sauce recipe, and then he could pay back his debts immediately. Right, besides Zhao Gengtian, Zhao the Second was also ill. Zhao the Second valued his life more than Zhao Gengtian did, so he went to the city physician for his medicine.”
Yan Tongshu asked, “What about the prescription?”
Pearl said, “Here it is.”
She handed over the prescription. Yan Tongshu glanced at it and inquired, “Is this the most recent one?”
Pearl replied, “The last sheet is the latest; the earlier ones are from before.”
Hearing this, Yan Tongshu smiled. “That’s it. Everything fits perfectly.”
Yan Tongshu stood up. “Pearl, Jinbao, pack up. We’re going to pick up Aunt Yang, strike the drum of grievances, and cry out for justice.”
Pearl and Jinbao responded, “Yes!”
The three took a carriage to the medical clinic, picked up Aunt Yang, and immediately rushed without delay to the Kaifeng Prefecture.
After getting off the carriage, Jinbao went to park the vehicle, while Yan Tongshu and Pearl helped Aunt Yang to strike the petition drum.
When the yamen gatekeeper saw Aunt Yang, he tried to shoo her away with his staff. “Oh, madam, I’ve told you already. Your son’s case was witnessed by everyone. The evidence is ironclad. Unless you have solid proof, it’s useless to make a fuss here at the Kaifeng Prefecture, even if it kills you.”
Aunt Yang was still weak from her illness and unsteady on her feet. Yan Tongshu quickly steadied her and said, “Elder brother, we have evidence.”
“Evidence?”
The gatekeeper paused his staff and eyed the three with suspicion. “Is it real evidence?”
Yan Tongshu nodded.
The gatekeeper sized up Yan Tongshu—hair bound with a crown, richly dressed, bright eyes—he did not look like an ordinary commoner.
He stepped aside. “If you have evidence, go ahead and strike the drum.”
The petitioner had to strike the drum themselves. Yan Tongshu and Pearl helped Aunt Yang forward. She picked up the drumstick—
Boom!
Boom, boom, boom!
One cry after another, like a torrential downpour, or a fierce shout bursting from the chest.
The drumbeats hammered into every heart, penetrating the heavy gates of the Kaifeng Prefecture, shaking dust from the eaves.
Finally, the gates of the Kaifeng Prefecture opened.
Two rows of uniformed yamen runners lined up on either side of the gates. They raised their staffs and slammed them onto the ground with a dull thud, shouting in unison: “Awe—and—majesty—”
Formidable and solemn, an atmosphere of stern authority filled the air.
The head bailiff stepped forward, his gaze sharp, his voice deep. “Who strikes the drum to cry out injustice?”
Aunt Yang had never witnessed such majesty.
Her legs gave way, and she knelt. “This woman, Yang Taohua, cries out for my son Zhao Sheng, wrongly accused.”
The head bailiff asked, “Do you have new evidence?”
Aunt Yang said, “Yes.”
The head bailiff nodded without asking what the evidence was—questioning was the magistrate’s job. He only handled the inquiry.
He said, “Come in with me.”
Yan Tongshu and Pearl helped Aunt Yang up and entered the courtroom.
The Kaifeng Prefecture had a Prefect, an acting Prefect of Kaifeng, two vice magistrates (Magistrate Li was one), three record keepers, and various other officials, totaling several hundred staff.
The Prefect was usually held by the crown prince. If none was available, the acting Prefect of Kaifeng was the highest authority, a third-rank official wielding the substantive powers of a second-rank Prefect. Ordinary people often referred to the acting Prefect of Kaifeng as the Kaifeng Prefecture Prefect or Kaifeng Magistrate.
Since a life was at stake, murder cases usually bypassed the record keepers and were directly handled by the vice magistrates.
By the time Yan Tongshu and her party entered the courtroom, Vice Magistrate Li Fulin, who was in charge of the trial, had already changed into his official robe and was seated solemnly at the head of the hall.
Pearl and Aunt Yang knelt before Magistrate Li. Yan Tongshu, who held a scholarly title, did not need to kneel; she only needed to perform a bow.
Aunt Yang, unaccustomed to such authority, curled up, trembling.
Yan Tongshu stepped forward and spoke in a clear voice: “Magistrate Li, Aunt Yang was ill yesterday. She is unwell and her voice is hoarse. Please allow this student to plead on her behalf.”
Magistrate Li’s gaze was like a ruler, slowly sweeping over Yan Tongshu.
Below the bench stood a man, tall and slender, with a face like jade, crowned and clad in a blue brocade robe embroidered with silver threads. His bearing was upright and sturdy as a pine.
Though standing in the solemn and majestic courtroom, his expression was composed, his eyes clear, neither humble nor arrogant.
He looked again at Yang Taohua, her hands rough, her face as white as paper, desolate and haggard, her clothes tattered.
These two were clearly from different walks of life.
Magistrate Li asked Yan Tongshu, “Who are you?”
This was the Kaifeng Prefecture, where the trial concerned the court but not the imperial government. Yan Tongshu did not wish to reveal her official status. She replied, “This student is Yan Tongshu, a scholar learned for a few years. Aunt Yang feared she might not express herself clearly due to her illiteracy, so she invited me to speak on her behalf.”
Magistrate Li nodded. “Have you found new evidence?”
Yan Tongshu said, “Yes.”
Magistrate Li nodded and ordered the bailiff Xu Qiu to bring Zhao Sheng in.
Yan Tongshu took a deep breath.
This was her first time in a courtroom since traveling through time, and she had to overturn a murder case that had already been settled. She was bound to be nervous.
Slowly exhaling, Yan Tongshu faced Magistrate Li and said, “Magistrate Li, before I present the appeal, please allow this student to recount the details of the case.”
This was standard procedure for a trial, so Magistrate Li naturally agreed.
Yan Tongshu began, “Six days ago, at the hour of Sishi quarter (around 9:45 AM), Zhao Gengtian suddenly left his home, shouting and cursing all the way, drawing a crowd. He then burst into the Yang residence, closed the door, and was alone inside with Zhao Sheng, demanding the sauce recipe of the Yang family’s noodle stall. Outside, people overheard a fierce argument, not knowing what happened inside, and peered in. Soon, Zhao Sheng rushed out, shouting that Zhao Gengtian had collapsed, hit his head on a cabinet, and was dead. People reported the incident to the authorities. Officials sent bailiffs and a coroner to inspect, confirming Zhao Gengtian’s instant death. They conducted an on-site investigation and recorded it. After the autopsy, the coroner found multiple bruises on Zhao Gengtian’s body and blood at the back of his head, likely the fatal wound. However, Zhao Sheng claimed he had not struck Zhao Gengtian and thus cried out for justice.”
Yan Tongshu looked at Zhao Sheng. “Zhao Sheng, do you have any objection to my account?”
Zhao Sheng shook his head.
Yan Tongshu turned to Magistrate Li, cupping her hands respectfully. “Magistrate Li, please allow this student to view the official investigation records of the crime scene.”
Magistrate Li nodded to the clerk, who presented the investigation documents.
Since the scene had already been examined, Yan Tongshu briefly looked it over. Then she raised a drawing of the crime scene. “Your Honor, as you can see, after the incident at the Yang residence, the authorities immediately sealed off the scene. Therefore, this drawing depicts the actual situation at the Yang residence that day. The Yang home has an earthen floor, which, no matter how often it’s swept, retains footprints. This drawing marks the footprint conditions at the scene.”
All written records were made in duplicate or more.
Yan Tongshu had one copy, and Magistrate Li also had one in his hand.
As soon as Yan Tongshu raised the doubt, Magistrate Li simultaneously checked his own copy of the drawing.
Yan Tongshu pointed to the more chaotic part of the drawing and said, "These footprints are quite distinctive, bearing the unique patterns of official boots on the soles. They should have been left by the coroner when verifying whether Zhao Gengtian was dead. The other footprints clearly show a pattern of circling the table at the center. Zhao Gengtian’s feet are one size larger than Zhao Sheng’s, while Aunt Yang’s are the smallest. Except for the two footprints in the corner, the rest are mostly covered by those of Zhao Gengtian and Zhao Sheng."
Magistrate Li asked, "What does all this signify?"
Yan Tongshu replied, "Zhao Sheng claimed that Zhao Gengtian struck him, but he dared not fight back and kept dodging, with both of them circling the table. These footprints confirm that account. Furthermore, Your Honor, please examine these footprints closely. If a real beating had occurred, the footprints on the ground would have been chaotic and disorderly. Yet, aside from the tracks leading from Zhao Gengtian’s body to the door where Zhao Sheng fled, there are no signs of the two locked in a struggle or grappling with each other."
Magistrate Li studied the sketch carefully. Indeed, although the footprints were somewhat blurred, they followed a clear pattern.
Magistrate Li said, "What you say has some merit, but it is not enough to overturn the original conclusion."
Yan Tongshu said, "Your Honor, there is further evidence."
Magistrate Li asked, "What evidence?"
Yan Tongshu replied, "Their clothing. Please look, Your Honor, at the sketch. Although Zhao Gengtian’s clothes are somewhat disheveled, there are no signs of tearing. Similarly, the clothes Zhao Sheng was wearing when he was arrested show no tears either. If the two had fought, Zhao Sheng’s clothes would have shown signs of pulling or rolling on the ground."
Magistrate Li said, "That sounds rather far-fetched."
Yan Tongshu said, "Indeed, Your Honor is correct. These doubts I’ve raised can only serve as circumstantial evidence that the two may not have had a serious physical confrontation. But they cannot explain the bruises on Zhao Gengtian’s body. Therefore, I take the liberty of requesting, Your Honor, that Zhao Gengtian’s body be brought into the courtroom. I ask permission to conduct an autopsy on the spot."
Magistrate Li said, "Granted."
After a short while, Xu Qiu and his men carried Zhao Gengtian’s body in.
Zhao Gengtian had been dead for six days. Even with the best preservation, the corpse had begun to rot, emitting a foul stench.
Pearl instinctively covered her nose and hid behind Aunt Yang.
Whimper, whimper.
She was terrified.
She dared not look, dared not smell.
Whimper, whimper, whimper. How frightening.
Yan Tongshu approached Zhao Gengtian’s corpse and lifted the white cloth. "Your Honor, please examine Zhao Gengtian’s clothing. Six days ago, summer had already arrived, and the weather was growing warmer. Many people had switched to lighter clothes. Yet Zhao Gengtian’s garments are thicker than what he usually wore before summer, covering his body completely."
Magistrate Li frowned, stood up, and walked down. "Do you have evidence for this?"
Yan Tongshu replied, "I have asked nearby villagers. Your Honor can also send constables to inquire and verify."
Magistrate Li dispatched two constables to investigate.
Yan Tongshu rolled up Zhao Gengtian’s sleeve, revealing a bruise on his arm about the size of two fingers. "Your Honor, please look. At the center of this bruise, it is dark black, while the surrounding area is bluish-red. Moreover, it is isolated.")
Yan Tongshu then unbuttoned Zhao Gengtian’s clothing at the chest. "Your Honor, the bruises here are the same."
Magistrate Li was not trained as a coroner and did not understand. "What does this mean?"
Yan Tongshu explained, "Generally speaking, bruises from ordinary bumps are usually small and isolated. During a fight, because there is grabbing and pulling, the attacker typically targets the same weak spot repeatedly. Therefore, bruises from beatings leading to death are often widespread, covering large areas, and may merge into patches that blanket large parts of the body, such as the entire back, buttocks, or thighs. They do not appear isolated and scattered like these."
Magistrate Li asked, "Are you saying that Zhao Gengtian merely got bumped?"
Yan Tongshu replied, "No. My point is that these bruises were not caused by beating or bumping."
