Ji Yunshu walked toward the object, compelled perhaps by her woman's intuition. The blade was one with the wall due to the accretion of rust, and reddened specks covered the body of the blade. The edge was severely chipped, which made the knife seem more like a deformed cogwheel rather than an tool made to cut things.
Jing Rong approached and asked, "Is there something special about this knife?"
"Yes," answered Ji Yunshu with a nod.
Ji Yunshu unfolded a handkerchief from her pockets, swathed it around her hand, and removed the little knife from where it hung. She then carefully wrapped the tissue around the blade and placed it inside her sleeves.
'This little girl, she'll even steal a knife from a peasant's home!" thought Jing Rong.
"It's getting late. We should head back to the docks. If it gets any later, even a mountain of silver from your highness will not suffice to convince the boatman," said Ji Yunshu as she opened her umbrella against the wind and led the way.
Jing Rong followed Ji Yunshu and paid close attention to her struggles to walk on the slippery road. On several occasions, Ji Yunshu lost her footing and had to stretch her limbs unnaturally to maintain her balance. Instead of hiding his hands in the pockets of his robe to retain warmth, Jing Rong extended his arms out slightly so that he would be able to catch Ji Yunshu if she ever faced the risk of hitting the ground.
The two passed by the ruins and hurried to Zhao village's docks. When they arrived, to their disappointment, they saw nothing but foam and froth on the river as waves crashed into each other.
"It'll turn dark soon. There won't be any ships today," said Jing Rong, who, instead of being worried, felt a secret joy. "Had I known, I would have told that boatman to wait for a bit," bemoaned Ji Yunshu in a low voice. "We'll have to stay here for the night." "Any other ideas to get us out of here, your highness?" "I do have an idea," said Jing Rong as he raised his brows. Ji Yunshu promptly asked, "What is it?"
Jing Rong pointed toawrds the mountains in the distance. "We take a detour." 'Are you kidding me?' "The roads through the mountains will take more than a day. We might as well wait for another boat," said Ji Yunshu.
A subtle smile appeared on the corners of Jing Rong's lips, but he hid it with a look of concern and furrowed his brows. "I don't think that we can hope for a boat today. If we stay in Zhao village tonight, we'll have trouble finding a house big enough to accommodate both of us. But…"
"But what?" "Well, on our way here, I remember passing by a temple. Perhaps we will find it to be a suitable shelter." "A temple?" asked Ji Yunshu.
'I don't remember seeing something like that! Should I trust him?' thought Ji Yunshu as she ruminated over Jing Rong's proposal. "Fine, let's go there."
Ji Yunshu followed Jing Rong as they headed towards the temple. Not only did the unpleasant conditions of the road worsen, the torrential rain and the darkling sky exacerbated the problem, thus making the two even more miserable.
A sudden gust of wind yanked the umbrella from Ji Yunshu's hand, launching it into a shrub nearby and tearing it to shreds against the branches. The instant Ji Yunshu felt the weight in her hands disappear, the rain merciless attacked her. She felt a tingling coldness descend from her hair to her face, running down her neck and spreading throughout her body. However, before she could feel it down in her feet, another umbrella appeared over her head, shielding her from the rain and the raging tempest.
Ji Yunshu raised her head and saw Jing Rong in the rain two feet away from her, with his arms extended to bring the umbrella to her.
"Your highness," said Ji Yunshu as she put her hand on his and pushed the umbrella towards him, "You are more worthy of its protection than I am."
"I'm not as frail as you think I am. Keep it," said Jing Rong as he pulled his hand back, turned around, and marched into the rain. 'Playing cool, isn't he?'
Ji Yunshu jogged to catch up to Jing Rong, held him by his sleeves and brought the umbrella above both of them. The two were now separated by only two inches , and although their shoulders remained exposed, both of them, tall and short, were both somewhat sheltered from the storm.
Jing Rong seemed a little surprised by her initiative, but above all, he was deeply moved by it. He lowered his brows and cast a look that revealed a deep affection. Ji Yunshu raised her head. When she saw the flame burning within Jing Rong`s eyes, she hoped that she had made a mistake. She hurriedly looked away and said, "I hope that your highness does not mind sharing the umbrella."
"Of course not!"
'How could I be unhappy?' Jing Rong had a grin on his face, and returned to his usual playful mood. He took the handle from Ji Yunshu and raised it high. With his other hand, he gently pulled on Ji Yunshu's wrist and guided her steps. Ji Yunshu did not resist. They walked for a few minutes more and finally arrived to the temple Jing Rong mentioned. It was more of a family memorial hall than a temple1. Despite the desolation and the dilapidation of the building, it sufficed as a temporary shelter. Upon entering, Ji Yunshu examined the interior; no one had been there for a long time. A wooden panel hung diagonally above the doorframe and seemed like it was going to fall down at any moment. A layer of dust had accumulated on it, and covering it were several more layers of spider webs. Two words, "Zhao Memorial", were barely legible. The floor was cluttered with ornaments and piles of straw, which were connected by more spider webs. Fortunately, the giant Buddha statue was still standing, but the gold laminated copper tiles, which used to form the outer layer of the statue, were removed quite brutally as indicated by the knife markings on what remained of it.
"It's disorderly, but it should be good enough for the night. I'll think of a way for us to return tomorrow," remarked Jing Rong as he scrutinized the surroundings and set down his umbrella. "Teacher, we can dry our clothes if you make a fire for us."
Jing Rong did not wait for an answer, he quickly cleaned up a large area on the floor and brought one of the broken wooden pillars. He then covered the wood with some straw and used his flint and stone to set it ablaze.
'Clean and quick, I would have thought that he grew up in the wilderness!'
Night had fallen, and the small fire seemed to glow stronger thanks to the darkness which surrounded it. The hall, battered by the wind and the rain from the outside, was becoming quite comfortable inside. Jing Rong assembled a makeshift hanger and suggested, "Teacher Ji, we should dry our clothes here. With your fragile health, you wouldn't want to catch a cold."
"……" As Jing Rong said so, he started removing his clothes. Ji Yunshu turned around and held her freezing arms to her body.
"Hey, come here," called Jing Rong.
Ji Yunshu did not bulge, she held onto her wet robe, feeling a little panicked. Seeing that she did not answer, Jing Rong approached her and dragged her by the wrist to the fire. "This humble one is just fine. Please dry your clothes, your highness," said Ji Yunshu as she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
"I'm just telling you to remove your clothes. Why are you so shy? Do you need help for that?" asked Jing Rong, who pretended to be surprised, but playfulness in his mood grew by the second.
Ji Yunshu took a few steps back and forced a smile, "This humble one does not dare to compare his body to your highness's. It'll be fine."
"Pfft, meaningless bickering," said Jing Rong as he approached her and extended his arms toward her.
"Come on, what are you so scared of? If you don't want to remove your clothes, I'll help you do it." Jing Rong raised the corners of his lips. "There's no need, really." "Oh, of course there is." Jing Rong's firm grip locked Ji Yunshu's arms, so that no matter how hard she struggled, she could only hold onto the collar of her robe in a symbolic gesture of resistance.
'No!'
Ji Yunshu knew that it would be of no use even if she tore her throat yelling for help. She lowered her head even further and her breath quickened. Jing Rong looked at Ji Yunshu's long and curled eyelashes fervidly: a flame burned within his eyes. He held Ji Yunshu's arm tightly with his hands, feeling the soaked cloth and her cold flesh. He felt his own blood freeze as the frigidness climbed from Ji Yunshu into his palm. Jing Rong was suddenly seized by an urge to capture Ji Yunshu and her whole being in his embrace, but the more reasonable part of him checked his folly before he could enact it. "Teacher, your clothes are soaked. If you don't want to remove your garments in front of me, then I suggest that we use our clothes as a curtain to grant ourselves some privacy."
'Wow, I'm impressed now,' thought Ji Yunshu.
Jing Rong released her and seemed very serious. He moved the makeshift hanger between them and said, "I won't look at you. I give you my word. Just get rid of your wet clothes; it does no good to hesitate."
Jing Rong removed both of his shirts and placed them onto the hanger. He then sat down on a pile of straw and put his boots, decorated by golden motifs sewn onto the fabric with silvery threads, upside down, right beside the fire.
Jing Rong's "obedience" calmed Ji Yunshu down. She trusted him enough to remove her own belt and robe and put them onto the hanger. She then imitated Jing Rong, sat down on a pile of straw and put her own boots, made with rough fabrics, upside down by the fire.
The two of them sat, separated only by the improvised curtain. Both felt the warmth of the fire gently caress them and appreciated the comfort of having a roof over their heads to shield them from the downpour. "Teacher Ji," called out Jing Rong all of sudden.
"Yes?" "Have you ever been to… the Capital?" asked Jing Rong as he picked up a small bamboo stick and poked at the fire.
Ji Yunshu looked in his direction. She saw a hand holding a bamboo stick emerge from behind the curtain and cause the fire to crackle in a small explosion of sparks. She held her own legs with one hand and imitated Jing Rong with the other. "No, I haven't been there." "Do you want to go then?"
"How's the air quality over there?" "What?" "I'm talking about the smog." Jing Rong was perplexed and stopped poking. "Smog?"
Ji Yunshu smiled and answered, "Oh, it's nothing." Ji Yushu was thinking about Beijing in modern times.
Jing Rong was confused by her question. He wanted to remove the curtain and ask her about the "air quality" or "smog" she was talking about. He shook his head and moved onto another topic. "If I asked you to go back to the Capital with me, would you agree?"
Grenn’s Rants Corner
Erff… x_X Suddenly the chapters got longer.
It is Chinese custom for wealthy families (or even not so wealthy ones) to gather small versions of their ancestors’ tombstone in a place and pray to them as if they were gods. ↩
Unedited
"If this Prince, I, want you to go back with me to the capital, will you be willing?" "No." She blurted out the word with a second of hesitation. Jing Rong inquired, "Why?" 'Why?' Ji Yunshu's expression immediately sank. She stirred up the campfire which caused the flames to burn more ardently.
After a long moment of silence, she squeezed out a few more words. "I can't leave." Sometimes Jing Rong really couldn't fathom what goes through her mind. A moment filled of silent thoughts settled between them, yet their thoughts remained difficult to decipher despite the constant pondering. Her temper was simply too insipid causing people to be unable to connect with her mind! Jing Rong pondered, but in the end, he didn't probe further. During that time, her eyes were lowered while her mind fell in thoughts. The bamboo stick in her hand inadvertently caught on fire. The stick ignited and sparked like a firecracker, sending a flame spark onto the back of her hand. "Ouch!" She let out a painful groan. She immediately released the bamboo stick, letting it fall as she covered her hand to lower the painful burn. The instant she groaned in pain, Jing Rong was already up on his feet. He abruptly tore away the curtain of clothes separating them and nervously walked to Ji Yunshu before crouching in front of her and pulled near him her burnt hand. The damage of the flame spark could be seen by the several red dots covering the back of her hand. Jing Rong carefully blowed on it while speaking. "Why are you so careless?" Ji Yunshu froze in surprise for a moment before retracting her hand at once.
They were currently only dressed in their inner garments! Ji Yunshu, who was sat on the ground, got up with waste while wrapping an arm around herself and reached out for the cloth on the frame with her other hand and pulled one to her. Unfortunately for her, in her haste, the bead securing the hat holding her hair bun came loose, added to her abrupt movement, her hair came undone, unfurling slowly, spilling out her black long hair like a waterfall birthed from the high mountains. As a breeze blew in, her hair danced, brushing against her thin waist. The sight was ephemeral as Ji Yunshu timely grabbed onto her clothes. By the time she tightly wrapped herself with it, her hair was messily scattered passed her shoulders. She glanced back and brushed away the hair sticking onto her delicate and rosy cheeks. Her current appearance let out an otherworldly impression causing Jing Rong to stare at her stupidly. Jing Rong stood frozen as he stared at her while still holding in his hand the fallen bead that was securing her hat. He wasn't simply surprise, rather he gasped with amazement! Many times he had imagined her appearance with unbound hair, but reality offered him a more wondrous sight than his fantasy could have created.
Often, he would imagine taking off her hat or fantasied how she would look, groomed in female clothing, standing in front of him. Yet, at this moment, her appearance was simply beautiful. No, extremely beautiful! He had to admit that his heart was palpitating with excitement despite the lack of words he expressed. His mood was a mix of feeling of awe and satisfaction which was perfectly concealed within him since he would like to avoid having his mind completely read by a certain woman with excellent observation skill!
Ji Yunshu shivered from the cold and wrapped her clothes more tightly around her. She glanced at him and faintly spoke. "This humble one lacked manners… I hope your Highness forgives me for my crime." "What crime?" "The crime of duping you." "Duping me of what?" "My… identity." "Ah, that?" He always asked tit-for-tat. It caused Ji Yunshu to be at loss on how to reply. Suddenly, Jing Rong stated, "Don't fret over it. As for that crime, this Prince is willing to turn my eyes from it." His tone was gentle while his mouth pursed into a smile. Ji Yunshu didn't speak a word and only lowered her head. Her black hair brushed against her cheeks, concealing part of her face with only the bridge of nose that could be seen. Jing Rong took two small steps forward and gave back the hat's bead to her. Ji Yunshu reached out for it, but the bead was tightly held into his palm. "This bead… I still haven't let go of it."
"This is just a common hat's bead, is there a need for your Highness to forcibly take it?" "Common? I feel this bead is very precious." Ji Yunshu's body stiffened. "…" Jing Rong played a bit with the bead and sat on the ground. The corner of his mouth hooked up as he looked at the bead reflecting the flame color. "Teacher Ji… Ah no! It should be Miss Ji. I am very curious on the reason why you would crossdress and be in contact with a pile of corpses? Don't the daughters of any family mostly stay cope in the bedroom and barely go out half a step? They would spend their time embroidering flowers and search for a good husband to marry when they come at age." He sum up quite well the usual matters of a woman. Ji Yunshu simply replied, "I'm short on money." "Short on money?" Jing Rong was flabbergasted. He raised his head and took a good look at her. "The Ji family is prestigious and wealth home. How can they be short on money?" As expected, her background information had already been thoroughly grasped by him! "It appears that everything your Highness did the last time you visit my father – gifting me the Turniplike cowparsnip root and burning my father's whip – was completely intentional." He rotated the bead with his fingers and smiled. "I didn't need to lift much of a finger." That statement was quite underwhelming. Jing Rong continued, "Miss Ji, you're already dressed, so there's no harm sitting down. This prince doesn't like to look up at people." Once again, Ji Yunshu wrapped herself tightly before sitting down, keeping a two steps distance from Jing Rong. "Are you very afraid of this prince?" He raised his sharp-like eyebrows. "Not at all." "Then why are you sitting so far away?" Jing Rong was displeased with her action. He used his hand and patted a place next to him. "Come and sit here. It's not like I'm naked. What are you afraid of? Besides, sitting so far away, how are you going to keep yourself warm through this endless night?" Those words sounded quite wrong for some reasons, but Ji Yunshu couldn't refute them. She grudgingly scooted over toward the fire.
"Since your Highness had already known my identity, why didn't you expose it?" She spoke out the question that nagged her mind. 'Oi, oi, oi! Are you playing with me?'
Her question cause Jing Rong's handsome face to break into a rotten smile, stirring a thought-provoking feeling. In reply, he said, "Since you intended to hide it, why should I expose you?" His reason caused Ji Yunshu to forget any intention to argument with him. Jing Rong frowned and cast a sidelong glance at her before throwing back the question at her. "I'm truly curious. Aren't the third miss of the Ji family? Why would you lack money? And why do you need to endure that old bastard whipping you?" 'Old bastard?' Ji Yunshu inwardly gave Jing Rong a thumb up. She lowered her voice and replied, "Every family had their own problems. As someone from the imperial household, your Highness also have your own shares of bitterness. Let alone someone from a common family, a drop of oil, a grain of rice or even a small needle could be source of conflicts. Getting scold or getting beat, aren't but usual things?" Her words caused Jing Rong to become pensive. "You're wasting your talent in this tiny little Jinjiang city." "I am unable to understand your Highness' meaning." "You should know that the capital is big filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons, and the mighty army numbered in thousands. Within the capital, there's the palace, outside the city walls. From the grand Emperor to the common guard overseeing the city gates, everyone followed the rules and laws strictly; efficient administration, bustling streets, with the occasional joyous wedding and dowry procession. Such place is where Miss Ji ought to stay."
His speech was quite convincing. She never expected such eloquence coming from Jing Rong. Unfortunately… "A place for dragons and phoenixes is where dragons and phoenixes belong. I am but a tiny canary. A small city, a small county is where I could dwell peacefully." "Why?" "Although the capital is big, dangers lurk everywhere. Despite a strict administration, justice is not beyond human emotion. A bustling place yet couldn't compare to the idle tranquility of the small road of Jinjiang." Hearing her words, Jing Rong couldn't help but exclaimed. "Such a glib tongue!" But he couldn't deny that each of her sentences rang true! Jing Rong stirred the fire with a bamboo stick with a deep smile that had never left his mouth, letting the fire burned stronger.
Ji Yunshu wrapped her arms around her knees and walled herself behind silence. The conversation in the cold night had come to an end. Both people were now sitting side by side, each of them silent, lost in their own thoughts: one was apprehensive, the other pleasantly surprise. Each of their arguments had their own merits, none of them were wrong yet they weren't all right. As the long night slowly passed, Ji Yunshu had pulled her long hair into a bun and leaned on a pillar behind her. She squinted her eyes. 'Jing Rong, your thoughts were wrong.' Jing Rong observed Ji Yunshu. Under the orange and red light of the fire, her palm-sized face was comparable to the highest quality blood jade, unconsciously attracting people's gaze. As for those closed eyes under those small eyelashes, always seemed to be filled with worry, and indifferent at times, only further made people's heart itch!
With no other thoughts, Jing Rong took off his dried clothes from the frame and covered Ji Yunshu with it. As for him, he simply added more wood to the fire and rest nearer to the fire. Throughout the night, the wind and rain whistled outside the temple. When Ji Yunshu woke up the next day, the rain had already stopped. She discovered Jing Rong's cloth covering her, but when she swept a glance at the place, he was nowhere in sight. As she was puzzled by his disappearance, Jing Rong came in from outside. In his hands, he was holding several hot steamed buns. "Awake?" She nodded. Jing Rong handed over a steamed bun. "Eat while it's still hot." Ji Yunshu gave Jing Rong back his cloth and took a few steamed buns from his hands. Then, she observed him. She asked with a strange look. "Your Highness, you didn't go out dress like this?" At this moment, Jing Rong was only dressed in his inner garment. Although he had boots and wasn't naked, it was still a bit inappropriate. "Yeah. No one was looking anyway." He also nodded and dressed himself in the meantime. "No one was looking?" Ji Yunshu was puzzled. "Then, where did you get those steamed buns?" "I just took them on the way." 'Shame on you! Stealing is stealing!' Ji Yunshu gained a new level understanding of this deity! Which eyes saw him steal? He clearly left money to pay for those steamed buns! After eating a steamed bun, they cleaned up and left the temple to the pier. Due to the calm water, many boats were docked at the pier. They picked a boat and quickly return to the city. Jing Rong wasn't reassured to leave her alone, so he wanted to accompany her back.
"No, I'm going to the yamen." "At this hour?" Jing Rong couldn't understand why. Ji Yunshu nodded before she walked in the direction of the yamen while explaining herself. "If nothing unexpected occurs, the yin yang corpse case will be solved today." "Did you come to a conclusion?" Jing Rong followed behind her. "Wait until I'm done checking something and you will know. However…" She came to an halt and gave Jing Rong a serious look. "I need to ask your Highness to not expose my gender as to avoid unnecessary troubles." With a faint smile, Jing Rong stated, "As a matter of fact, this prince is used to you wearing male clothing." "…" With nothing to reply with, Ji Yunshu simply accelerate her pace. Jing Rong laughed and followed suite They had yet to reach the yamen's entrance when Magistrate Liu saw them and was somewhat surprise.
Note : Unedited
Liu Qingping was stunned for a moment, but recovered and stepped forward to greet Jing Rong. "This official pays his respect to Prince Rong. I don't know why your Highnes…" Jing Rong raised his hand and interrupted Magistrate Liu. "You don't need to attend to me. Go and see what Teacher Ji needs." "Yes, yes, yes…" The magistrate went next to Ji Yunshu. "Ah! Yunshu, could it be that you found some evidences?" "Lord Liu, right now, I need vinegar and strong alcohol. I'll trouble you to bring them to me while I go to the autopsy room." "Of course. No problem." Liu Qingping replied straightforwardly. He summoned two yamen runners and ordered them to find the material Ji Yunshu needs. While Ji Yunshu went to the autopsy room, Jing Rong sat in a room and drank tea. 'Ah~ Jinjiang's tea is really the best!' In the autopsy room, Ji Yunshu took out the rusted iron knife from her sleeve. Wei Wu and Wang San came in with the vinegar and spirit. "Teacher, what do you want to do with those things?" "Blood test." "Blood test?" Wei Wu and Wang San looked at each other, then they took out a notebook and a brush from their pockets, wet the brush with their mouth and were ready to record what Ji Yunshu would say. 'Teacher's autopsy is a great source of learning! We must record everything and maybe, in the future, we can become coroner! That will be fantastic!'
Ji Yunshu didn't care about them as long as they could keep their mouths shut. She put on gloves and mixed the vinegar with the alcohol. After mixing for a moment, she dipped a white fabric in the solution and used it to wipe the knife. The rust gradually fell off with most sticking to the white fabric. Gradually, the black silvery glint of the knife was revealed. Once the knife was cleaned, it was put into the solution. After a moment, dark red spots appeared on the edge of the knife. "Eh? Why did it change color?" Wang San exclaimed in surprise. "This is not color. It's blood." "Ah?" Wei Wu and Wang San cried out at the same time. Ji Yunshu held up the knife, her expression was extremely tense. She had wished with all her heart that there would be no blood on the knife. "How can blood appeared like that?" asked Wei Wu. "Because this knife was stained with human blood." Ji Yunshu stated to explain. "If you want to ascertain the presence of blood on a knife, or even on clothes, the best method would be a luminol test1. However, without this mean, using a solution which combines vinegar and spirit would give a similar effect." "What is that… lum..luminol test?" Wei Wu stammered on the word as he inquired. 'Urgh! How should I explain it?' She didn't feel like explaining that part. She put down the knife and uncovered the yin yang skeleton. She pick one of the broken bones hand. Then, she ordered the two yamen runners, "Like last time, go and bring me some camphor juice." "Yes, sir." They went to fetch the camphor juice without asking further questions. They quickly and swiftly set up everything and just like last time, Ji Yunshu applied some camphor juice on the skeleton's ankle. Next, she wrapped it with a white paper soaked in vinegar. In less than a moment, the paper turned red. Soon after, she covered the knife with that paper. After the time it took for half a joss stick to burn, when she unfolded the paper, all the old blood on the knife has been imprinted on the paper. 'The result turns out to be positive!'
"Wei Wu, Wang San! Immediately go to the Zhao family village and bring back Yu Sao." "Hehehe! Yes, sir!" They became excited and rushed out to accomplish their assignment. As for Ji Yunshu, her complexion was far from good. Her heart was becoming more and more heavy. She covered the remains of Lord Jiang and only took with her the knife and the paper before leaving to the room behind the courtroom. At this moment, Wei Wu and Wang San preparing to run a trip to the Zhao family village, leading a few runners with them. Jing Rong was enjoying his tea while watching the two runners grabbing some of their colleague by the collars. He presumed that Ji Yunshu had already discovered who the murderer was. He rolled his eyes and casted a side glance at Ji Yunshu walked like someone who had lost their soul. The one who took the initiative to greet her was none other than the magistrate. Then he leaned toward Ji Yunshu by habit and inquired, "Did you discover something? Does it have something to do with Yu Sao from the Zhao family village?" "Yes," replied Ji Yunshu with confidence. "Is she the murderer?" "…yes." Magistrate Liu was shocked yet his face revealed his confusion. "Then… Then, shouldn't I send people to arrest her? But what about Li Zhao who is still imprisoned? Oh my god! This is a disaster!" Ji Yunshu whose mood was bad glared at him. "Even if he wasn't the murderer, he is still liable." "But…" "But what?" The one who just spoke was Jing Rong. He got up from the chair. From Ji Yunshu's and the magistrate's conversation, he started to overhear them at the part mentioning about Li Zhao's imprisonment. The magistrate stepped back and took the initiative to distance himself from Ji Yunshu when Jing Rong lashed out. How could Liu Qingping dare to continue blabbering? Jing Rong leisurely walked up to Ji Yunshu and stated, "If you have the evidence that the person is a murderer, this prince would absolutely not be lenient towards them. The same also applied to anyone who destroyed the evidence which incriminated a murderer." It appeared that he had correctly guessed Ji Yunshu's thoughts. In fact, having this kind of backer for this kind of case was quite useful. Ji Yunshu lowered her eyes and asked Jing Rong, "Your Highness… do you believe that a murderer have to pay back with his life?" The magistrate rushed to answer. "This is how the laws stipulate – murderers pay with their life." "The laws do not take in account human emotions." Ji Yunshu was solemn as she spoke those words. "Yunshu, killing people need to be punish with the murderer's life. That is the law." "The law! The law! Why did we set so many laws? Isn't the laws there to maintain people's peace of mind and protect their safety? What if those who killed someone were forced by the circumstances? How will those laws give them justice?!" At this moment, Ji Yunshu appeared to be somewhat revolted. The magistrate didn't dare to speak and looked stupidly at her. 'What did Yunshu ate today to be so irritated?' Jing Rong sent a meaningful glance at the magistrate. "Withdraw to the side." "Yes your Highness." He didn't dare to go against the order, thus he obediently retreated to the side. Ji Yunshu's expression was grave, showing a hint of regret and indignation. Jing Rong asked her, "Tell me, what is going on?" "Nothing." "Your feelings are showing on your face! After what happened yesterday, we could be considered people who had go through trials and tribulations together. So, there's no harm in telling me what's on your mind." He was very gentle and considerate. Yet Ji Yunshu lowered her eyes and shook her head. "Forget it! It's my own problem. I shouldn't disregard the strictness of the laws. I'm just depressed that murderers are murderers and they need to pay with their life." She convinced herself with great effort of her words as to not let her feelings caused her pain. Jing Rong didn't disturb her and let her calm down while sitting next to him. It had been more than two hours since Wei Wu and Wang San left for Zhao Village, based on the distance, they should have already arrived at the yamen. However, a runner's sudden intruded into the room and said, "Sir, Madame Jiang is here." "Why is she here again?" sighed the Magistrate. He was more afraid to see Madame Jiang than Jing Rong now.
Before the Magistrate could say anything, JIng Rong proposed, "I'll go have a look."
'Oh, I forgot that there's a more powerful deity on my side. Well, no worries then.' thought the Magistrate as he and Ji Yunshu followed Jing Rong to the great hall. Madame Jing was dressed sumptuously, flaunting her elegance as she did before. However, she seemed quite irritated about the equivocation she received from Magistrate Liu the day before. Today, she was determined to secure the release of her brother. However, much to her surprise, Jing Rong was also at the yamen.
"This peasant wife greets your Highness," said Madame Jiang unwillingly. She did not try to hide her dissatisfaction, even in the presence of an authority.
Jing Rong spoke coldy, "Madame Jiang, why did you suddenly decide to show up at the yamn? I've Magistrate Liu retell your numerous visits to the yamen these past two days."
'It's only two counting this one, alright?' thought Madame Jiang. But in front of Jing Rong, she had to maintain an ostensible curteousness. She answered with an smile of formality, "I'm sure that your Highness has heard about "I've heard that he killed someone." 'No no no, I think that you've heard wrong.' thought Madame Jiang.
Magistrate Liu whispered to Jing Rong's ear, "Your Highness, he has not been accused of murder, only of burying a corpse."
'Are you being dumb on purpose?' thought Jing Rong, who genuinely wondered whether the Magistrate had a functioning brain at all. He stared at the Magistrate with an unusual sharpness. On the receiving end, the Magistrate shuddered at Jing Rong's frustrated look, retreated to the side and became silent as a brick. "Your Highness, my brother is not a murdered. He has always been a person of little courage, and he wouldn't even dare to hold a knife in his hand, even less kill someone. The yamen must have made a mistake," retorted Madame Jiang.
"But he confessed to burying the corpse."
"That must have been an excuse made up under the stress of the moment," Madame Jiang argued forcefully.
Jing Rong hated to argue with women like Madame Jiang, who could not see the light of "reason". Instead of wasting his time, he simply said, "Madame Jiang, the one thing I dislike most is trying to convince obstinate women. Cease your meaningless bickering, or I'll simply throw you into jail. Want to bet on it?" 'What?" Madame Jiang was rather surprised, but she did not doubt the seriousness of the threat. "Whether Li Zhao murdered someone remains under investigation, but he has already admitted to burying the corpse. It is futile to mask the words he has said himself. Why are you threatening Magistrate Liu into releasing him? Unless… do you want to the privileges you've inherited from General Li?"
"That is not the intention of this humble peasant wife," answered Madame Jiang, a little panicked, but she maintained a surface of calmness.
Jing Rong had stern look. "Then, no need for arguments, we shall know what the truth is very soon."
'Very soon?' thought Madame Jiang with some anxiety. However, she did not have much time to sort out her thoughts, since Wei Wu and Wang San already arrived at the yamen, accompanied by Yu Sao and Ah Yu.
Yu Sao seemed calm. Instead of panic, one would find a resolution which transcends life and death in her eyes. She carried Ah Yu with her arms. The latter was quiet and leaned her head against Yu Sao's shoulder. It seemed like she fell asleep, but the metal shackles were still locked around her limbs, which caused a cacophony as Yu Sao dragged them around. Yu Sao knelt down gently upon entering the hall, and she seemed to be very careful as to not wake Ah Yu up.
Ji Yunshu was not look at Yu Sao and Ah Yu. Instead, she focused her attention on Madame Jiang. She saw the panic and surprise within her eyes, even the trembling of her legs in trepidation, which almost caused her to collapse to the ground.
'So it is as I thought.' Wei Wu said, "Milord, Yu Sao has arrived." "Good. To the courtroom." Magistrate Liu cleared his throat, went into the courtroom and sat down.
Luminol test: ↩
Note: Mature content in the chapters to come. Oh and prepare some tissue box.
Jing Rong watched with gravity, from a seat reserved for him, as the Magistrate ordered to open the doors to the great hall and the runners aligned themselves into two columns. Magistrate Liu smashed the table with his gavel. "Peasant, your name." Yu Sao refused to answer. She kept her head bowed down and even started humming as she gently tapped Ah Yu's back.
'Has she gone mad?' thought everyone present with no small wonderment.
Magistrate Liu was provoked by Yu Sao's disregard. He made a gesture to strike his gavel again, but Ji Yunshu stopped him. "Milord, perhaps it would be better to bring Li Zhao forth."
As always, Magistrate Liu heeded Ji Yunshu's advice, so he asked a runner to fetch Li Zhao from his prison cell. Meanwhile, Ji Yunshu approached Yu Sao and knelt down right beside her. She asked her in a soft voice, "Yu Sao, Ah Yu is asleep, I could bring her to a place with a bed, okay?"
Yu Sao continued humming her tune. She moved her eyes and saw Ji Yunshu beside her. "It's you, you came to my home yesterday." She did not seem surprised at all. Instead, she smiled very miserably. "Can I have a look at Ah Yu?"
Yu Sao continued her tune and rocked Ah Yu gently. Ji Yunshu realized that there was something wrong with her: she looked at Ah Yu and had a wild guess. "Yu Sao, can you let me have a look at Ah Yu for a second? I promise you that I won't hurt her."
"Don't touch my Ah Yu! She's asleep now, she's asleep now. Don't wake her up, stop disturbing her," answered Yu Sao with a smile. 'Has she really gone mad?'
Ji Yunshu extended her arm carefully and grazed Ah Yu's bare feet without letting Yu Sao notice. She nearly lost the strength in her legs and broke down in tears when she realized what had happened: "Ah Yu is dead?"
Ji Yunshu's observation surprised the crowd, especially Wei Wu and Wang San, who accompanied Yu Sao from Zhao Village, but did not notice anything abnormal about the little girl she carried.
Ji Yunshu finally understood why Yu Sao acted so abnormally. Her heart probably extinguished along with Ah Yu, to the point that it seemed like she had lost her sanity. Shock and remorse struck Ji Yunshu: had she known, she would definitely have removed Ah Yu from her humid and somber cell the day before.
The sight of Yu Sao murmuring a lullaby while carrying a corpse was an ordeal for Ji Yunshu, each second pained as if a thousand knives stabbed through her heart. Magistrate Liu was dumbstruck by the turn of events, but he did not forget to verify of the veracity of Ji Yunshu's statement. He beckoned a runner and said to him, "Go have a look, is that little girl really dead?" "Yes sir." The runner was about to forcefully remove Ah Yu, but Ji Yunshu signaled him to stop. "Please, leave Ah Yu to her; in her heart, Ah Yu is still alive." "Teacher Ji?"
"Yu Sao was ready to do anything for her daughter, even if it would end up costing her own life. I don't think that she'll outlive her daughter for very long." This remark was easy to understand, but its gravity was much harder to fully appreciate. Nobody understood why Ji Yunshu was stricken with such an outburst of empathy.
Nobody but Jing Rong, that is. He noticed the glow of tears within her eyes, and the deep sorrow and guilt on her countenance. To his compassion for the fate of the little girl he added a slice of Ji Yunshu's grief, and both made his heart ache. Ji Yunshu bit her trembling lips, to the point that it created bloody fissures on the surface of the skin. After a few involuntary spasms, hinting at the tremendous amount of effort required, Ji Yunshu managed to hold in her tears.
"I didn't kill anyone, let go of me." Li Zhao's voice grew louder as he entered the hall, but he knelt down without resisting. A few straws were stuck to his hair and his face was barely distinguishable through the muddy blotches which covered it. An uneven beard and his disorderly garments completed the portrait; the two days he spent in the jail completely swept away his refined air from a few days ago. 'He's like that after only two days? Will he start pissing on himself in a few more days?'
At the sight of his elder sister, Li Zhao started begging as soon as he knelt down. "Please, help me older sister. I don't want to stay in jail anymore. It's dark, the food is bad and I can't sleep well. I keep having nightmares. Please, elder sister, get me out of there."
"……" Li Zhao failed to notice that Madame Jiang's attention remained fixed on Yu Sao. He did not see in the panic in her eyes as he crawled to her, raised his head and pleaded miserably, "Older sister, please, go ask dad. Go ask grandfather, ask them to come and help me. Dad is going to help me. Older sister…"
'He's so noisy and irritating," thought Ji Yunshu as Li Zhao's voice pulled her out of her anguish. She turned around and said to Li Zhao, "Don't you worry, you're not the culprit. You won't die today."
Upon hearing Ji Yunshu's words, Li Zhao jumped and seemed to hardly believe her.
"Am I really not the culprit?" he asked. After being tortured by terrible nightmares for two consecutive nights, Li Zhao conviction in his own innocence dwindled. 'Bad luck for Madame Jiang, who has to deal with such a younger brother. IT must be expiation for sins from another lifetime.' It was at that moment that Li Zhao realized that someone else was beside him, a woman with a little girl in her arms. He looked more carefully, and, although her face has hidden behind disordered hair, he recognized her instantly. "Yu… Yu sao?" cried Li Zhao as he collapsed on the ground in shock. His reaction was even more violent than Madame Jiang's, to everyone's astonishment: it was indeed curious to see Yu Sao, a simple peasant, surprise, or even scare Madame Jiang and her brother to such an extent.
Ji Yunshu recollected herself and slowly approached Madame Jiang. "I finally know why Madame Jiang didn't alert the yamen about the death of her own husband. Instead, she buried his corpse with the help of her brother." The sudden statement made veins pop out on Madame Jiang's forehead. She jumped upon hearing the voice which beguiled her toward a confession. "What nonsense are you spewing?" she said as she turned her head violently to stare at Ji Yunshu.
'Still denying the truth, even now?'
"Madame Jiang, Yu Sao is right here. She's the one who murdered lord Jiang. As for you, you saw her do it."
The revelation dropped into the hall like a stone into a calm lake. The buzzing sound of the runners whispering to each other, exclamations of disbelief and even monologues of deduction replaced the silence that persisted a moment ago.
The first one to speak out was the magistrate, who, along with many others, had difficulty believing that Madame Jiang could have been a witness to her husband's assassination, and, instead of telling the yamen, she abetted in the burial of the corpse. "What did you say? Madame Jiang saw lord Jiang murdered in front of her? That makes no sense!".
Ji Yunshu did not answer his question right away. She looked at Madame Jiang in the eyes and repeated with determination. "If my deductions are correct, you were actually quite happy when you saw Lord Jiang murdered by Yu Sao. In fact, you longed for him to die for a long time."
"You… slandering lies." "Lies?" said Ji Yunshu with a cold smile, "Very well, if you won't confess, then I'll do it on your behalf: I shall tell everyone exactly what happened that night."
Madame Jiang was surprised by such a daring proposal.
Ji Yunshu walked at a leisurely pace until she stood in front of Li Zhao. Then, she lowered her head to look at him and said, "That night, you were dead drunk. In the courtyard, you saw Lord Jiang alone. Perhaps being drunk gave you the courage to ask him for some money. Not only did Lord Jiang refuse to lend you any money, he scolded you and even said that he would talk to your sister about it. You angrily shoved him to the ground and left. However, during his fall, Lord Jiang sprained his ankle and hit his head on the trunk of a tree, so he was unable to get up."
Ji Yunshu was next to Yu Sao now. "Lord Jiang sat on the ground, and he could not get up. I've said that the depth gradient of the markings on his bone suggested that the culprit is taller than lord Jiang; I was mistaken. There is yet another possibility: Lord Jiang was on the ground when he was stabbed by the culprit, who was standing. That culprit… is Yu Sao."
Yu Sao did not answer the accusation. She was still emotionlessly rocking Ah Yu and humming her tune. Ji Yunshu took out the little knife from her sleeves and displayed it. "After Li Zhao left, Yu Sao, came out of her hiding spot behind the tree and used this knife to stab him to death from the front while he was defenseless." "Proofs?" asked Magistrate Liu. "This small knife constitute an irrefutable proof. I've used vinegar to wipe its blade. There are indeed traces of blood on it."
"Well the blood would have come from anywhere, couldn't it? What about a cooking accident?" "Impossible," answered Ji Yunshu as she brought out the paper which had been stained in crimson. "On this sheet of paper, I've collected pigments from Lord Jiang's wound on the ankle. The color, which can only be extracted from the bones by adding vinegar and camphor juice, matches the hue of Lord Jiang's blood. It's identical to the blood found on the knife, and even melts into a homogeneous whole when you mix the two."
"This is enough to show that the blood on the knife belongs to Lord Jiang. There's no doubt that Yu Sao killed him," conclude Ji Yunshu. Surprise within the crowd turned into a few murmurs of amazement.
Ji Yunshu continued, "When Yu Sao took Lord Jiang's life, Madame Jinag, who was nearby, saw everything with her very eyes. After Yu Sao left the scene, Li Zhao came back, terrified, and Madame Jiang asked for his help to bury Lord Jiang's corpse." "Wait, wait…" said the Magistrate as he gestured with his arm and frowned. "You still haven't explained why she did that." Ji Yunshu glanced at Ah Yu's inanimate body, still within Yu Sao's embrace, collided with Madame Jiang's regard midair and answered, "Because she knew that if she told the yamen, not only would everyone know about her husband being a yin-yang man, but it would also become evident that he was an individual of inhumane cruelty."
The statement hit Madame Jiang like an invisible hammer and almost caused her to collapse to the ground. Ji Yunshu accosted her and said in a severe tone, "Madame Jiang is someone who cares a lot about her honor, the honor that she inherited from the Li family. The preservation of her own honor was more important to her than other people’s' lives."
"Enough," said Madame Jiang, who finally interrupted her.
Ji Yunshu walked toward the object, compelled perhaps by her woman's intuition. The blade was one with the wall due to the accretion of rust, and reddened specks covered the body of the blade. The edge was severely chipped, which made the knife seem more like a deformed cogwheel rather than an tool made to cut things.
Jing Rong approached and asked, "Is there something special about this knife?"
"Yes," answered Ji Yunshu with a nod.
Ji Yunshu unfolded a handkerchief from her pockets, swathed it around her hand, and removed the little knife from where it hung. She then carefully wrapped the tissue around the blade and placed it inside her sleeves.
'This little girl, she'll even steal a knife from a peasant's home!" thought Jing Rong.
"It's getting late. We should head back to the docks. If it gets any later, even a mountain of silver from your highness will not suffice to convince the boatman," said Ji Yunshu as she opened her umbrella against the wind and led the way.
Jing Rong followed Ji Yunshu and paid close attention to her struggles to walk on the slippery road. On several occasions, Ji Yunshu lost her footing and had to stretch her limbs unnaturally to maintain her balance. Instead of hiding his hands in the pockets of his robe to retain warmth, Jing Rong extended his arms out slightly so that he would be able to catch Ji Yunshu if she ever faced the risk of hitting the ground.
The two passed by the ruins and hurried to Zhao village's docks. When they arrived, to their disappointment, they saw nothing but foam and froth on the river as waves crashed into each other.
"It'll turn dark soon. There won't be any ships today," said Jing Rong, who, instead of being worried, felt a secret joy. "Had I known, I would have told that boatman to wait for a bit," bemoaned Ji Yunshu in a low voice. "We'll have to stay here for the night." "Any other ideas to get us out of here, your highness?" "I do have an idea," said Jing Rong as he raised his brows. Ji Yunshu promptly asked, "What is it?"
Jing Rong pointed toawrds the mountains in the distance. "We take a detour." 'Are you kidding me?' "The roads through the mountains will take more than a day. We might as well wait for another boat," said Ji Yunshu.
A subtle smile appeared on the corners of Jing Rong's lips, but he hid it with a look of concern and furrowed his brows. "I don't think that we can hope for a boat today. If we stay in Zhao village tonight, we'll have trouble finding a house big enough to accommodate both of us. But…"
"But what?" "Well, on our way here, I remember passing by a temple. Perhaps we will find it to be a suitable shelter." "A temple?" asked Ji Yunshu.
'I don't remember seeing something like that! Should I trust him?' thought Ji Yunshu as she ruminated over Jing Rong's proposal. "Fine, let's go there."
Ji Yunshu followed Jing Rong as they headed towards the temple. Not only did the unpleasant conditions of the road worsen, the torrential rain and the darkling sky exacerbated the problem, thus making the two even more miserable.
A sudden gust of wind yanked the umbrella from Ji Yunshu's hand, launching it into a shrub nearby and tearing it to shreds against the branches. The instant Ji Yunshu felt the weight in her hands disappear, the rain merciless attacked her. She felt a tingling coldness descend from her hair to her face, running down her neck and spreading throughout her body. However, before she could feel it down in her feet, another umbrella appeared over her head, shielding her from the rain and the raging tempest.
Ji Yunshu raised her head and saw Jing Rong in the rain two feet away from her, with his arms extended to bring the umbrella to her.
"Your highness," said Ji Yunshu as she put her hand on his and pushed the umbrella towards him, "You are more worthy of its protection than I am."
"I'm not as frail as you think I am. Keep it," said Jing Rong as he pulled his hand back, turned around, and marched into the rain. 'Playing cool, isn't he?'
Ji Yunshu jogged to catch up to Jing Rong, held him by his sleeves and brought the umbrella above both of them. The two were now separated by only two inches , and although their shoulders remained exposed, both of them, tall and short, were both somewhat sheltered from the storm.
Jing Rong seemed a little surprised by her initiative, but above all, he was deeply moved by it. He lowered his brows and cast a look that revealed a deep affection. Ji Yunshu raised her head. When she saw the flame burning within Jing Rong`s eyes, she hoped that she had made a mistake. She hurriedly looked away and said, "I hope that your highness does not mind sharing the umbrella."
"Of course not!"
'How could I be unhappy?' Jing Rong had a grin on his face, and returned to his usual playful mood. He took the handle from Ji Yunshu and raised it high. With his other hand, he gently pulled on Ji Yunshu's wrist and guided her steps. Ji Yunshu did not resist. They walked for a few minutes more and finally arrived to the temple Jing Rong mentioned. It was more of a family memorial hall than a temple1. Despite the desolation and the dilapidation of the building, it sufficed as a temporary shelter. Upon entering, Ji Yunshu examined the interior; no one had been there for a long time. A wooden panel hung diagonally above the doorframe and seemed like it was going to fall down at any moment. A layer of dust had accumulated on it, and covering it were several more layers of spider webs. Two words, "Zhao Memorial", were barely legible. The floor was cluttered with ornaments and piles of straw, which were connected by more spider webs. Fortunately, the giant Buddha statue was still standing, but the gold laminated copper tiles, which used to form the outer layer of the statue, were removed quite brutally as indicated by the knife markings on what remained of it.
"It's disorderly, but it should be good enough for the night. I'll think of a way for us to return tomorrow," remarked Jing Rong as he scrutinized the surroundings and set down his umbrella. "Teacher, we can dry our clothes if you make a fire for us."
Jing Rong did not wait for an answer, he quickly cleaned up a large area on the floor and brought one of the broken wooden pillars. He then covered the wood with some straw and used his flint and stone to set it ablaze.
'Clean and quick, I would have thought that he grew up in the wilderness!'
Night had fallen, and the small fire seemed to glow stronger thanks to the darkness which surrounded it. The hall, battered by the wind and the rain from the outside, was becoming quite comfortable inside. Jing Rong assembled a makeshift hanger and suggested, "Teacher Ji, we should dry our clothes here. With your fragile health, you wouldn't want to catch a cold."
"……" As Jing Rong said so, he started removing his clothes. Ji Yunshu turned around and held her freezing arms to her body.
"Hey, come here," called Jing Rong.
Ji Yunshu did not bulge, she held onto her wet robe, feeling a little panicked. Seeing that she did not answer, Jing Rong approached her and dragged her by the wrist to the fire. "This humble one is just fine. Please dry your clothes, your highness," said Ji Yunshu as she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.
"I'm just telling you to remove your clothes. Why are you so shy? Do you need help for that?" asked Jing Rong, who pretended to be surprised, but playfulness in his mood grew by the second.
Ji Yunshu took a few steps back and forced a smile, "This humble one does not dare to compare his body to your highness's. It'll be fine."
"Pfft, meaningless bickering," said Jing Rong as he approached her and extended his arms toward her.
"Come on, what are you so scared of? If you don't want to remove your clothes, I'll help you do it." Jing Rong raised the corners of his lips. "There's no need, really." "Oh, of course there is." Jing Rong's firm grip locked Ji Yunshu's arms, so that no matter how hard she struggled, she could only hold onto the collar of her robe in a symbolic gesture of resistance.
'No!'
Ji Yunshu knew that it would be of no use even if she tore her throat yelling for help. She lowered her head even further and her breath quickened. Jing Rong looked at Ji Yunshu's long and curled eyelashes fervidly: a flame burned within his eyes. He held Ji Yunshu's arm tightly with his hands, feeling the soaked cloth and her cold flesh. He felt his own blood freeze as the frigidness climbed from Ji Yunshu into his palm. Jing Rong was suddenly seized by an urge to capture Ji Yunshu and her whole being in his embrace, but the more reasonable part of him checked his folly before he could enact it. "Teacher, your clothes are soaked. If you don't want to remove your garments in front of me, then I suggest that we use our clothes as a curtain to grant ourselves some privacy."
'Wow, I'm impressed now,' thought Ji Yunshu.
Jing Rong released her and seemed very serious. He moved the makeshift hanger between them and said, "I won't look at you. I give you my word. Just get rid of your wet clothes; it does no good to hesitate."
Jing Rong removed both of his shirts and placed them onto the hanger. He then sat down on a pile of straw and put his boots, decorated by golden motifs sewn onto the fabric with silvery threads, upside down, right beside the fire.
Jing Rong's "obedience" calmed Ji Yunshu down. She trusted him enough to remove her own belt and robe and put them onto the hanger. She then imitated Jing Rong, sat down on a pile of straw and put her own boots, made with rough fabrics, upside down by the fire.
The two of them sat, separated only by the improvised curtain. Both felt the warmth of the fire gently caress them and appreciated the comfort of having a roof over their heads to shield them from the downpour. "Teacher Ji," called out Jing Rong all of sudden.
"Yes?" "Have you ever been to… the Capital?" asked Jing Rong as he picked up a small bamboo stick and poked at the fire.
Ji Yunshu looked in his direction. She saw a hand holding a bamboo stick emerge from behind the curtain and cause the fire to crackle in a small explosion of sparks. She held her own legs with one hand and imitated Jing Rong with the other. "No, I haven't been there." "Do you want to go then?"
"How's the air quality over there?" "What?" "I'm talking about the smog." Jing Rong was perplexed and stopped poking. "Smog?"
Ji Yunshu smiled and answered, "Oh, it's nothing." Ji Yushu was thinking about Beijing in modern times.
Jing Rong was confused by her question. He wanted to remove the curtain and ask her about the "air quality" or "smog" she was talking about. He shook his head and moved onto another topic. "If I asked you to go back to the Capital with me, would you agree?"
Grenn’s Rants Corner
Erff… x_X Suddenly the chapters got longer.
It is Chinese custom for wealthy families (or even not so wealthy ones) to gather small versions of their ancestors’ tombstone in a place and pray to them as if they were gods. ↩
Unedited
"If this Prince, I, want you to go back with me to the capital, will you be willing?" "No." She blurted out the word with a second of hesitation. Jing Rong inquired, "Why?" 'Why?' Ji Yunshu's expression immediately sank. She stirred up the campfire which caused the flames to burn more ardently.
After a long moment of silence, she squeezed out a few more words. "I can't leave." Sometimes Jing Rong really couldn't fathom what goes through her mind. A moment filled of silent thoughts settled between them, yet their thoughts remained difficult to decipher despite the constant pondering. Her temper was simply too insipid causing people to be unable to connect with her mind! Jing Rong pondered, but in the end, he didn't probe further. During that time, her eyes were lowered while her mind fell in thoughts. The bamboo stick in her hand inadvertently caught on fire. The stick ignited and sparked like a firecracker, sending a flame spark onto the back of her hand. "Ouch!" She let out a painful groan. She immediately released the bamboo stick, letting it fall as she covered her hand to lower the painful burn. The instant she groaned in pain, Jing Rong was already up on his feet. He abruptly tore away the curtain of clothes separating them and nervously walked to Ji Yunshu before crouching in front of her and pulled near him her burnt hand. The damage of the flame spark could be seen by the several red dots covering the back of her hand. Jing Rong carefully blowed on it while speaking. "Why are you so careless?" Ji Yunshu froze in surprise for a moment before retracting her hand at once.
They were currently only dressed in their inner garments! Ji Yunshu, who was sat on the ground, got up with waste while wrapping an arm around herself and reached out for the cloth on the frame with her other hand and pulled one to her. Unfortunately for her, in her haste, the bead securing the hat holding her hair bun came loose, added to her abrupt movement, her hair came undone, unfurling slowly, spilling out her black long hair like a waterfall birthed from the high mountains. As a breeze blew in, her hair danced, brushing against her thin waist. The sight was ephemeral as Ji Yunshu timely grabbed onto her clothes. By the time she tightly wrapped herself with it, her hair was messily scattered passed her shoulders. She glanced back and brushed away the hair sticking onto her delicate and rosy cheeks. Her current appearance let out an otherworldly impression causing Jing Rong to stare at her stupidly. Jing Rong stood frozen as he stared at her while still holding in his hand the fallen bead that was securing her hat. He wasn't simply surprise, rather he gasped with amazement! Many times he had imagined her appearance with unbound hair, but reality offered him a more wondrous sight than his fantasy could have created.
Often, he would imagine taking off her hat or fantasied how she would look, groomed in female clothing, standing in front of him. Yet, at this moment, her appearance was simply beautiful. No, extremely beautiful! He had to admit that his heart was palpitating with excitement despite the lack of words he expressed. His mood was a mix of feeling of awe and satisfaction which was perfectly concealed within him since he would like to avoid having his mind completely read by a certain woman with excellent observation skill!
Ji Yunshu shivered from the cold and wrapped her clothes more tightly around her. She glanced at him and faintly spoke. "This humble one lacked manners… I hope your Highness forgives me for my crime." "What crime?" "The crime of duping you." "Duping me of what?" "My… identity." "Ah, that?" He always asked tit-for-tat. It caused Ji Yunshu to be at loss on how to reply. Suddenly, Jing Rong stated, "Don't fret over it. As for that crime, this Prince is willing to turn my eyes from it." His tone was gentle while his mouth pursed into a smile. Ji Yunshu didn't speak a word and only lowered her head. Her black hair brushed against her cheeks, concealing part of her face with only the bridge of nose that could be seen. Jing Rong took two small steps forward and gave back the hat's bead to her. Ji Yunshu reached out for it, but the bead was tightly held into his palm. "This bead… I still haven't let go of it."
"This is just a common hat's bead, is there a need for your Highness to forcibly take it?" "Common? I feel this bead is very precious." Ji Yunshu's body stiffened. "…" Jing Rong played a bit with the bead and sat on the ground. The corner of his mouth hooked up as he looked at the bead reflecting the flame color. "Teacher Ji… Ah no! It should be Miss Ji. I am very curious on the reason why you would crossdress and be in contact with a pile of corpses? Don't the daughters of any family mostly stay cope in the bedroom and barely go out half a step? They would spend their time embroidering flowers and search for a good husband to marry when they come at age." He sum up quite well the usual matters of a woman. Ji Yunshu simply replied, "I'm short on money." "Short on money?" Jing Rong was flabbergasted. He raised his head and took a good look at her. "The Ji family is prestigious and wealth home. How can they be short on money?" As expected, her background information had already been thoroughly grasped by him! "It appears that everything your Highness did the last time you visit my father – gifting me the Turniplike cowparsnip root and burning my father's whip – was completely intentional." He rotated the bead with his fingers and smiled. "I didn't need to lift much of a finger." That statement was quite underwhelming. Jing Rong continued, "Miss Ji, you're already dressed, so there's no harm sitting down. This prince doesn't like to look up at people." Once again, Ji Yunshu wrapped herself tightly before sitting down, keeping a two steps distance from Jing Rong. "Are you very afraid of this prince?" He raised his sharp-like eyebrows. "Not at all." "Then why are you sitting so far away?" Jing Rong was displeased with her action. He used his hand and patted a place next to him. "Come and sit here. It's not like I'm naked. What are you afraid of? Besides, sitting so far away, how are you going to keep yourself warm through this endless night?" Those words sounded quite wrong for some reasons, but Ji Yunshu couldn't refute them. She grudgingly scooted over toward the fire.
"Since your Highness had already known my identity, why didn't you expose it?" She spoke out the question that nagged her mind. 'Oi, oi, oi! Are you playing with me?'
Her question cause Jing Rong's handsome face to break into a rotten smile, stirring a thought-provoking feeling. In reply, he said, "Since you intended to hide it, why should I expose you?" His reason caused Ji Yunshu to forget any intention to argument with him. Jing Rong frowned and cast a sidelong glance at her before throwing back the question at her. "I'm truly curious. Aren't the third miss of the Ji family? Why would you lack money? And why do you need to endure that old bastard whipping you?" 'Old bastard?' Ji Yunshu inwardly gave Jing Rong a thumb up. She lowered her voice and replied, "Every family had their own problems. As someone from the imperial household, your Highness also have your own shares of bitterness. Let alone someone from a common family, a drop of oil, a grain of rice or even a small needle could be source of conflicts. Getting scold or getting beat, aren't but usual things?" Her words caused Jing Rong to become pensive. "You're wasting your talent in this tiny little Jinjiang city." "I am unable to understand your Highness' meaning." "You should know that the capital is big filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons, and the mighty army numbered in thousands. Within the capital, there's the palace, outside the city walls. From the grand Emperor to the common guard overseeing the city gates, everyone followed the rules and laws strictly; efficient administration, bustling streets, with the occasional joyous wedding and dowry procession. Such place is where Miss Ji ought to stay."
His speech was quite convincing. She never expected such eloquence coming from Jing Rong. Unfortunately… "A place for dragons and phoenixes is where dragons and phoenixes belong. I am but a tiny canary. A small city, a small county is where I could dwell peacefully." "Why?" "Although the capital is big, dangers lurk everywhere. Despite a strict administration, justice is not beyond human emotion. A bustling place yet couldn't compare to the idle tranquility of the small road of Jinjiang." Hearing her words, Jing Rong couldn't help but exclaimed. "Such a glib tongue!" But he couldn't deny that each of her sentences rang true! Jing Rong stirred the fire with a bamboo stick with a deep smile that had never left his mouth, letting the fire burned stronger.
Ji Yunshu wrapped her arms around her knees and walled herself behind silence. The conversation in the cold night had come to an end. Both people were now sitting side by side, each of them silent, lost in their own thoughts: one was apprehensive, the other pleasantly surprise. Each of their arguments had their own merits, none of them were wrong yet they weren't all right. As the long night slowly passed, Ji Yunshu had pulled her long hair into a bun and leaned on a pillar behind her. She squinted her eyes. 'Jing Rong, your thoughts were wrong.' Jing Rong observed Ji Yunshu. Under the orange and red light of the fire, her palm-sized face was comparable to the highest quality blood jade, unconsciously attracting people's gaze. As for those closed eyes under those small eyelashes, always seemed to be filled with worry, and indifferent at times, only further made people's heart itch!
With no other thoughts, Jing Rong took off his dried clothes from the frame and covered Ji Yunshu with it. As for him, he simply added more wood to the fire and rest nearer to the fire. Throughout the night, the wind and rain whistled outside the temple. When Ji Yunshu woke up the next day, the rain had already stopped. She discovered Jing Rong's cloth covering her, but when she swept a glance at the place, he was nowhere in sight. As she was puzzled by his disappearance, Jing Rong came in from outside. In his hands, he was holding several hot steamed buns. "Awake?" She nodded. Jing Rong handed over a steamed bun. "Eat while it's still hot." Ji Yunshu gave Jing Rong back his cloth and took a few steamed buns from his hands. Then, she observed him. She asked with a strange look. "Your Highness, you didn't go out dress like this?" At this moment, Jing Rong was only dressed in his inner garment. Although he had boots and wasn't naked, it was still a bit inappropriate. "Yeah. No one was looking anyway." He also nodded and dressed himself in the meantime. "No one was looking?" Ji Yunshu was puzzled. "Then, where did you get those steamed buns?" "I just took them on the way." 'Shame on you! Stealing is stealing!' Ji Yunshu gained a new level understanding of this deity! Which eyes saw him steal? He clearly left money to pay for those steamed buns! After eating a steamed bun, they cleaned up and left the temple to the pier. Due to the calm water, many boats were docked at the pier. They picked a boat and quickly return to the city. Jing Rong wasn't reassured to leave her alone, so he wanted to accompany her back.
"No, I'm going to the yamen." "At this hour?" Jing Rong couldn't understand why. Ji Yunshu nodded before she walked in the direction of the yamen while explaining herself. "If nothing unexpected occurs, the yin yang corpse case will be solved today." "Did you come to a conclusion?" Jing Rong followed behind her. "Wait until I'm done checking something and you will know. However…" She came to an halt and gave Jing Rong a serious look. "I need to ask your Highness to not expose my gender as to avoid unnecessary troubles." With a faint smile, Jing Rong stated, "As a matter of fact, this prince is used to you wearing male clothing." "…" With nothing to reply with, Ji Yunshu simply accelerate her pace. Jing Rong laughed and followed suite They had yet to reach the yamen's entrance when Magistrate Liu saw them and was somewhat surprise.
Note : Unedited
Liu Qingping was stunned for a moment, but recovered and stepped forward to greet Jing Rong. "This official pays his respect to Prince Rong. I don't know why your Highnes…" Jing Rong raised his hand and interrupted Magistrate Liu. "You don't need to attend to me. Go and see what Teacher Ji needs." "Yes, yes, yes…" The magistrate went next to Ji Yunshu. "Ah! Yunshu, could it be that you found some evidences?" "Lord Liu, right now, I need vinegar and strong alcohol. I'll trouble you to bring them to me while I go to the autopsy room." "Of course. No problem." Liu Qingping replied straightforwardly. He summoned two yamen runners and ordered them to find the material Ji Yunshu needs. While Ji Yunshu went to the autopsy room, Jing Rong sat in a room and drank tea. 'Ah~ Jinjiang's tea is really the best!' In the autopsy room, Ji Yunshu took out the rusted iron knife from her sleeve. Wei Wu and Wang San came in with the vinegar and spirit. "Teacher, what do you want to do with those things?" "Blood test." "Blood test?" Wei Wu and Wang San looked at each other, then they took out a notebook and a brush from their pockets, wet the brush with their mouth and were ready to record what Ji Yunshu would say. 'Teacher's autopsy is a great source of learning! We must record everything and maybe, in the future, we can become coroner! That will be fantastic!'
Ji Yunshu didn't care about them as long as they could keep their mouths shut. She put on gloves and mixed the vinegar with the alcohol. After mixing for a moment, she dipped a white fabric in the solution and used it to wipe the knife. The rust gradually fell off with most sticking to the white fabric. Gradually, the black silvery glint of the knife was revealed. Once the knife was cleaned, it was put into the solution. After a moment, dark red spots appeared on the edge of the knife. "Eh? Why did it change color?" Wang San exclaimed in surprise. "This is not color. It's blood." "Ah?" Wei Wu and Wang San cried out at the same time. Ji Yunshu held up the knife, her expression was extremely tense. She had wished with all her heart that there would be no blood on the knife. "How can blood appeared like that?" asked Wei Wu. "Because this knife was stained with human blood." Ji Yunshu stated to explain. "If you want to ascertain the presence of blood on a knife, or even on clothes, the best method would be a luminol test1. However, without this mean, using a solution which combines vinegar and spirit would give a similar effect." "What is that… lum..luminol test?" Wei Wu stammered on the word as he inquired. 'Urgh! How should I explain it?' She didn't feel like explaining that part. She put down the knife and uncovered the yin yang skeleton. She pick one of the broken bones hand. Then, she ordered the two yamen runners, "Like last time, go and bring me some camphor juice." "Yes, sir." They went to fetch the camphor juice without asking further questions. They quickly and swiftly set up everything and just like last time, Ji Yunshu applied some camphor juice on the skeleton's ankle. Next, she wrapped it with a white paper soaked in vinegar. In less than a moment, the paper turned red. Soon after, she covered the knife with that paper. After the time it took for half a joss stick to burn, when she unfolded the paper, all the old blood on the knife has been imprinted on the paper. 'The result turns out to be positive!'
"Wei Wu, Wang San! Immediately go to the Zhao family village and bring back Yu Sao." "Hehehe! Yes, sir!" They became excited and rushed out to accomplish their assignment. As for Ji Yunshu, her complexion was far from good. Her heart was becoming more and more heavy. She covered the remains of Lord Jiang and only took with her the knife and the paper before leaving to the room behind the courtroom. At this moment, Wei Wu and Wang San preparing to run a trip to the Zhao family village, leading a few runners with them. Jing Rong was enjoying his tea while watching the two runners grabbing some of their colleague by the collars. He presumed that Ji Yunshu had already discovered who the murderer was. He rolled his eyes and casted a side glance at Ji Yunshu walked like someone who had lost their soul. The one who took the initiative to greet her was none other than the magistrate. Then he leaned toward Ji Yunshu by habit and inquired, "Did you discover something? Does it have something to do with Yu Sao from the Zhao family village?" "Yes," replied Ji Yunshu with confidence. "Is she the murderer?" "…yes." Magistrate Liu was shocked yet his face revealed his confusion. "Then… Then, shouldn't I send people to arrest her? But what about Li Zhao who is still imprisoned? Oh my god! This is a disaster!" Ji Yunshu whose mood was bad glared at him. "Even if he wasn't the murderer, he is still liable." "But…" "But what?" The one who just spoke was Jing Rong. He got up from the chair. From Ji Yunshu's and the magistrate's conversation, he started to overhear them at the part mentioning about Li Zhao's imprisonment. The magistrate stepped back and took the initiative to distance himself from Ji Yunshu when Jing Rong lashed out. How could Liu Qingping dare to continue blabbering? Jing Rong leisurely walked up to Ji Yunshu and stated, "If you have the evidence that the person is a murderer, this prince would absolutely not be lenient towards them. The same also applied to anyone who destroyed the evidence which incriminated a murderer." It appeared that he had correctly guessed Ji Yunshu's thoughts. In fact, having this kind of backer for this kind of case was quite useful. Ji Yunshu lowered her eyes and asked Jing Rong, "Your Highness… do you believe that a murderer have to pay back with his life?" The magistrate rushed to answer. "This is how the laws stipulate – murderers pay with their life." "The laws do not take in account human emotions." Ji Yunshu was solemn as she spoke those words. "Yunshu, killing people need to be punish with the murderer's life. That is the law." "The law! The law! Why did we set so many laws? Isn't the laws there to maintain people's peace of mind and protect their safety? What if those who killed someone were forced by the circumstances? How will those laws give them justice?!" At this moment, Ji Yunshu appeared to be somewhat revolted. The magistrate didn't dare to speak and looked stupidly at her. 'What did Yunshu ate today to be so irritated?' Jing Rong sent a meaningful glance at the magistrate. "Withdraw to the side." "Yes your Highness." He didn't dare to go against the order, thus he obediently retreated to the side. Ji Yunshu's expression was grave, showing a hint of regret and indignation. Jing Rong asked her, "Tell me, what is going on?" "Nothing." "Your feelings are showing on your face! After what happened yesterday, we could be considered people who had go through trials and tribulations together. So, there's no harm in telling me what's on your mind." He was very gentle and considerate. Yet Ji Yunshu lowered her eyes and shook her head. "Forget it! It's my own problem. I shouldn't disregard the strictness of the laws. I'm just depressed that murderers are murderers and they need to pay with their life." She convinced herself with great effort of her words as to not let her feelings caused her pain. Jing Rong didn't disturb her and let her calm down while sitting next to him. It had been more than two hours since Wei Wu and Wang San left for Zhao Village, based on the distance, they should have already arrived at the yamen. However, a runner's sudden intruded into the room and said, "Sir, Madame Jiang is here." "Why is she here again?" sighed the Magistrate. He was more afraid to see Madame Jiang than Jing Rong now.
Before the Magistrate could say anything, JIng Rong proposed, "I'll go have a look."
'Oh, I forgot that there's a more powerful deity on my side. Well, no worries then.' thought the Magistrate as he and Ji Yunshu followed Jing Rong to the great hall. Madame Jing was dressed sumptuously, flaunting her elegance as she did before. However, she seemed quite irritated about the equivocation she received from Magistrate Liu the day before. Today, she was determined to secure the release of her brother. However, much to her surprise, Jing Rong was also at the yamen.
"This peasant wife greets your Highness," said Madame Jiang unwillingly. She did not try to hide her dissatisfaction, even in the presence of an authority.
Jing Rong spoke coldy, "Madame Jiang, why did you suddenly decide to show up at the yamn? I've Magistrate Liu retell your numerous visits to the yamen these past two days."
'It's only two counting this one, alright?' thought Madame Jiang. But in front of Jing Rong, she had to maintain an ostensible curteousness. She answered with an smile of formality, "I'm sure that your Highness has heard about "I've heard that he killed someone." 'No no no, I think that you've heard wrong.' thought Madame Jiang.
Magistrate Liu whispered to Jing Rong's ear, "Your Highness, he has not been accused of murder, only of burying a corpse."
'Are you being dumb on purpose?' thought Jing Rong, who genuinely wondered whether the Magistrate had a functioning brain at all. He stared at the Magistrate with an unusual sharpness. On the receiving end, the Magistrate shuddered at Jing Rong's frustrated look, retreated to the side and became silent as a brick. "Your Highness, my brother is not a murdered. He has always been a person of little courage, and he wouldn't even dare to hold a knife in his hand, even less kill someone. The yamen must have made a mistake," retorted Madame Jiang.
"But he confessed to burying the corpse."
"That must have been an excuse made up under the stress of the moment," Madame Jiang argued forcefully.
Jing Rong hated to argue with women like Madame Jiang, who could not see the light of "reason". Instead of wasting his time, he simply said, "Madame Jiang, the one thing I dislike most is trying to convince obstinate women. Cease your meaningless bickering, or I'll simply throw you into jail. Want to bet on it?" 'What?" Madame Jiang was rather surprised, but she did not doubt the seriousness of the threat. "Whether Li Zhao murdered someone remains under investigation, but he has already admitted to burying the corpse. It is futile to mask the words he has said himself. Why are you threatening Magistrate Liu into releasing him? Unless… do you want to the privileges you've inherited from General Li?"
"That is not the intention of this humble peasant wife," answered Madame Jiang, a little panicked, but she maintained a surface of calmness.
Jing Rong had stern look. "Then, no need for arguments, we shall know what the truth is very soon."
'Very soon?' thought Madame Jiang with some anxiety. However, she did not have much time to sort out her thoughts, since Wei Wu and Wang San already arrived at the yamen, accompanied by Yu Sao and Ah Yu.
Yu Sao seemed calm. Instead of panic, one would find a resolution which transcends life and death in her eyes. She carried Ah Yu with her arms. The latter was quiet and leaned her head against Yu Sao's shoulder. It seemed like she fell asleep, but the metal shackles were still locked around her limbs, which caused a cacophony as Yu Sao dragged them around. Yu Sao knelt down gently upon entering the hall, and she seemed to be very careful as to not wake Ah Yu up.
Ji Yunshu was not look at Yu Sao and Ah Yu. Instead, she focused her attention on Madame Jiang. She saw the panic and surprise within her eyes, even the trembling of her legs in trepidation, which almost caused her to collapse to the ground.
'So it is as I thought.' Wei Wu said, "Milord, Yu Sao has arrived." "Good. To the courtroom." Magistrate Liu cleared his throat, went into the courtroom and sat down.
Luminol test: ↩
Note: Mature content in the chapters to come. Oh and prepare some tissue box.
Jing Rong watched with gravity, from a seat reserved for him, as the Magistrate ordered to open the doors to the great hall and the runners aligned themselves into two columns. Magistrate Liu smashed the table with his gavel. "Peasant, your name." Yu Sao refused to answer. She kept her head bowed down and even started humming as she gently tapped Ah Yu's back.
'Has she gone mad?' thought everyone present with no small wonderment.
Magistrate Liu was provoked by Yu Sao's disregard. He made a gesture to strike his gavel again, but Ji Yunshu stopped him. "Milord, perhaps it would be better to bring Li Zhao forth."
As always, Magistrate Liu heeded Ji Yunshu's advice, so he asked a runner to fetch Li Zhao from his prison cell. Meanwhile, Ji Yunshu approached Yu Sao and knelt down right beside her. She asked her in a soft voice, "Yu Sao, Ah Yu is asleep, I could bring her to a place with a bed, okay?"
Yu Sao continued humming her tune. She moved her eyes and saw Ji Yunshu beside her. "It's you, you came to my home yesterday." She did not seem surprised at all. Instead, she smiled very miserably. "Can I have a look at Ah Yu?"
Yu Sao continued her tune and rocked Ah Yu gently. Ji Yunshu realized that there was something wrong with her: she looked at Ah Yu and had a wild guess. "Yu Sao, can you let me have a look at Ah Yu for a second? I promise you that I won't hurt her."
"Don't touch my Ah Yu! She's asleep now, she's asleep now. Don't wake her up, stop disturbing her," answered Yu Sao with a smile. 'Has she really gone mad?'
Ji Yunshu extended her arm carefully and grazed Ah Yu's bare feet without letting Yu Sao notice. She nearly lost the strength in her legs and broke down in tears when she realized what had happened: "Ah Yu is dead?"
Ji Yunshu's observation surprised the crowd, especially Wei Wu and Wang San, who accompanied Yu Sao from Zhao Village, but did not notice anything abnormal about the little girl she carried.
Ji Yunshu finally understood why Yu Sao acted so abnormally. Her heart probably extinguished along with Ah Yu, to the point that it seemed like she had lost her sanity. Shock and remorse struck Ji Yunshu: had she known, she would definitely have removed Ah Yu from her humid and somber cell the day before.
The sight of Yu Sao murmuring a lullaby while carrying a corpse was an ordeal for Ji Yunshu, each second pained as if a thousand knives stabbed through her heart. Magistrate Liu was dumbstruck by the turn of events, but he did not forget to verify of the veracity of Ji Yunshu's statement. He beckoned a runner and said to him, "Go have a look, is that little girl really dead?" "Yes sir." The runner was about to forcefully remove Ah Yu, but Ji Yunshu signaled him to stop. "Please, leave Ah Yu to her; in her heart, Ah Yu is still alive." "Teacher Ji?"
"Yu Sao was ready to do anything for her daughter, even if it would end up costing her own life. I don't think that she'll outlive her daughter for very long." This remark was easy to understand, but its gravity was much harder to fully appreciate. Nobody understood why Ji Yunshu was stricken with such an outburst of empathy.
Nobody but Jing Rong, that is. He noticed the glow of tears within her eyes, and the deep sorrow and guilt on her countenance. To his compassion for the fate of the little girl he added a slice of Ji Yunshu's grief, and both made his heart ache. Ji Yunshu bit her trembling lips, to the point that it created bloody fissures on the surface of the skin. After a few involuntary spasms, hinting at the tremendous amount of effort required, Ji Yunshu managed to hold in her tears.
"I didn't kill anyone, let go of me." Li Zhao's voice grew louder as he entered the hall, but he knelt down without resisting. A few straws were stuck to his hair and his face was barely distinguishable through the muddy blotches which covered it. An uneven beard and his disorderly garments completed the portrait; the two days he spent in the jail completely swept away his refined air from a few days ago. 'He's like that after only two days? Will he start pissing on himself in a few more days?'
At the sight of his elder sister, Li Zhao started begging as soon as he knelt down. "Please, help me older sister. I don't want to stay in jail anymore. It's dark, the food is bad and I can't sleep well. I keep having nightmares. Please, elder sister, get me out of there."
"……" Li Zhao failed to notice that Madame Jiang's attention remained fixed on Yu Sao. He did not see in the panic in her eyes as he crawled to her, raised his head and pleaded miserably, "Older sister, please, go ask dad. Go ask grandfather, ask them to come and help me. Dad is going to help me. Older sister…"
'He's so noisy and irritating," thought Ji Yunshu as Li Zhao's voice pulled her out of her anguish. She turned around and said to Li Zhao, "Don't you worry, you're not the culprit. You won't die today."
Upon hearing Ji Yunshu's words, Li Zhao jumped and seemed to hardly believe her.
"Am I really not the culprit?" he asked. After being tortured by terrible nightmares for two consecutive nights, Li Zhao conviction in his own innocence dwindled. 'Bad luck for Madame Jiang, who has to deal with such a younger brother. IT must be expiation for sins from another lifetime.' It was at that moment that Li Zhao realized that someone else was beside him, a woman with a little girl in her arms. He looked more carefully, and, although her face has hidden behind disordered hair, he recognized her instantly. "Yu… Yu sao?" cried Li Zhao as he collapsed on the ground in shock. His reaction was even more violent than Madame Jiang's, to everyone's astonishment: it was indeed curious to see Yu Sao, a simple peasant, surprise, or even scare Madame Jiang and her brother to such an extent.
Ji Yunshu recollected herself and slowly approached Madame Jiang. "I finally know why Madame Jiang didn't alert the yamen about the death of her own husband. Instead, she buried his corpse with the help of her brother." The sudden statement made veins pop out on Madame Jiang's forehead. She jumped upon hearing the voice which beguiled her toward a confession. "What nonsense are you spewing?" she said as she turned her head violently to stare at Ji Yunshu.
'Still denying the truth, even now?'
"Madame Jiang, Yu Sao is right here. She's the one who murdered lord Jiang. As for you, you saw her do it."
The revelation dropped into the hall like a stone into a calm lake. The buzzing sound of the runners whispering to each other, exclamations of disbelief and even monologues of deduction replaced the silence that persisted a moment ago.
The first one to speak out was the magistrate, who, along with many others, had difficulty believing that Madame Jiang could have been a witness to her husband's assassination, and, instead of telling the yamen, she abetted in the burial of the corpse. "What did you say? Madame Jiang saw lord Jiang murdered in front of her? That makes no sense!".
Ji Yunshu did not answer his question right away. She looked at Madame Jiang in the eyes and repeated with determination. "If my deductions are correct, you were actually quite happy when you saw Lord Jiang murdered by Yu Sao. In fact, you longed for him to die for a long time."
"You… slandering lies." "Lies?" said Ji Yunshu with a cold smile, "Very well, if you won't confess, then I'll do it on your behalf: I shall tell everyone exactly what happened that night."
Madame Jiang was surprised by such a daring proposal.
Ji Yunshu walked at a leisurely pace until she stood in front of Li Zhao. Then, she lowered her head to look at him and said, "That night, you were dead drunk. In the courtyard, you saw Lord Jiang alone. Perhaps being drunk gave you the courage to ask him for some money. Not only did Lord Jiang refuse to lend you any money, he scolded you and even said that he would talk to your sister about it. You angrily shoved him to the ground and left. However, during his fall, Lord Jiang sprained his ankle and hit his head on the trunk of a tree, so he was unable to get up."
Ji Yunshu was next to Yu Sao now. "Lord Jiang sat on the ground, and he could not get up. I've said that the depth gradient of the markings on his bone suggested that the culprit is taller than lord Jiang; I was mistaken. There is yet another possibility: Lord Jiang was on the ground when he was stabbed by the culprit, who was standing. That culprit… is Yu Sao."
Yu Sao did not answer the accusation. She was still emotionlessly rocking Ah Yu and humming her tune. Ji Yunshu took out the little knife from her sleeves and displayed it. "After Li Zhao left, Yu Sao, came out of her hiding spot behind the tree and used this knife to stab him to death from the front while he was defenseless." "Proofs?" asked Magistrate Liu. "This small knife constitute an irrefutable proof. I've used vinegar to wipe its blade. There are indeed traces of blood on it."
"Well the blood would have come from anywhere, couldn't it? What about a cooking accident?" "Impossible," answered Ji Yunshu as she brought out the paper which had been stained in crimson. "On this sheet of paper, I've collected pigments from Lord Jiang's wound on the ankle. The color, which can only be extracted from the bones by adding vinegar and camphor juice, matches the hue of Lord Jiang's blood. It's identical to the blood found on the knife, and even melts into a homogeneous whole when you mix the two."
"This is enough to show that the blood on the knife belongs to Lord Jiang. There's no doubt that Yu Sao killed him," conclude Ji Yunshu. Surprise within the crowd turned into a few murmurs of amazement.
Ji Yunshu continued, "When Yu Sao took Lord Jiang's life, Madame Jinag, who was nearby, saw everything with her very eyes. After Yu Sao left the scene, Li Zhao came back, terrified, and Madame Jiang asked for his help to bury Lord Jiang's corpse." "Wait, wait…" said the Magistrate as he gestured with his arm and frowned. "You still haven't explained why she did that." Ji Yunshu glanced at Ah Yu's inanimate body, still within Yu Sao's embrace, collided with Madame Jiang's regard midair and answered, "Because she knew that if she told the yamen, not only would everyone know about her husband being a yin-yang man, but it would also become evident that he was an individual of inhumane cruelty."
The statement hit Madame Jiang like an invisible hammer and almost caused her to collapse to the ground. Ji Yunshu accosted her and said in a severe tone, "Madame Jiang is someone who cares a lot about her honor, the honor that she inherited from the Li family. The preservation of her own honor was more important to her than other people’s' lives."
"Enough," said Madame Jiang, who finally interrupted her.
