Taking the Princess as My Wife - Chapter 10

It is hard to say; perhaps by finding a courtesan familiar with him, something might be learned.

The next day broke clear and sunny.

When Liu Ruheng arrived at the Court of Judicial Billows (Dali Si) on horseback, the entrance was swarmed with a crowd of yamen runners. The air was thick with clamor and shouting. Her heart skipped a beat, and she secretly thought to herself that something was wrong.

As Liu Ruheng stepped forward, one of the runners looked as if he had finally found a pillar of support. With a mournful face, he cried out, “Milord, something has happened! Please, go and take a look.”

Suspicion rose in Liu Ruheng’s mind. She asked, “Why are so many people gathered here? What happened?”

As she questioned him, she walked toward the center of the crowd. After the runners explained all at once in a confusing jumble, Liu Ruheng finally understood the specifics.

Last night, right at the gates of the Court of Judicial Billows, someone had committed suicide by hanging. Furthermore, the individual was dressed in purple official robes, indicating a high-ranking position.

Hearing this, Liu Ruheng’s brow furrowed slightly. She asked, “Has the body been moved?”

The runner shook his head. They had some experience with such matters, but since the person who had hanged himself was of no ordinary status, they did not dare to take matters into their own hands.

Liu Ruheng pondered for a moment. She dismissed all the irrelevant bystanders, keeping only one runner who seemed relatively organized.

She then questioned that runner in detail about who had been on duty yesterday and when the body was discovered.

Once the crowd dispersed, the corpse became even more conspicuous. He had hanged himself on a covered corridor not far from the main entrance of the Court of Judicial Billows. The purple official robes hung loosely on his frame like a wide sack.

When the wind blew, the corpse swayed along with it.

Liu Ruheng instructed the runner to wait at the gate for Vice Minister (Shaoqing) Lu to arrive while she kept watch on the spot.

Anyone entering the Court of Judicial Billows would inevitably pass this corridor. Why would a man of such high rank hang himself here?

Liu Ruheng changed her position, walking to the front of the corpse to get a clear look at his face. But upon seeing the front, she fell silent.

The corpse’s face was covered by hair. Strands of half-white hair completely veiled his features, leaving only a glimpse of his dark purple lips.

Her brow tightened. In folk legends, covering the face with hair signified having “no face to see others.” He had hanged himself at the Court of Judicial Billows—could it be out of a guilty conscience?

“Liu Ruheng, what is your insight?”

Vice Minister Lu stood near the corridor with his hands behind his back. His brow was locked in a frown, and his eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, stared straight at Liu Ruhang.

Liu Ruheng shook her head. She pointed to the face of the corpse and said, “Reporting to Milord, your subordinate did not dare to move the body at will and only observed from a distance. I found only that the face is covered by hair.”

Vice Minister Lu stepped closer. He called for an attendant and ordered, “Find several coroners to perform an autopsy.” He paused, then added, “Remember to call Xiao Qing.”

Xiao Qing?

Liu Ruheng recalled the day at the Marquis of Yuchang’s estate; it seemed the person who had supported Miss Liu to rest was also her.

“Milord, I inquired just now. The runner on duty yesterday seems to have fallen ill, sleeping fitfully through the night. That is why no one noticed the suicide.”

Liu Ruheng hesitated for a moment but still spoke up: “Milord, do we need to check the incense in the runners’ quarters?”

Hearing this, Vice Minister Lu raised his eyes to look at Liu Ruheng, bypassing her question. “Regarding today’s matter, what are your thoughts?”

Liu Ruheng’s palms sweated slightly. She bowed to Vice Minister Lu and said, “Your subordinate believes there are three possibilities for this suicide: first, a vendetta killing; second, a hidden grievance; and third, that he committed some shameful act.”

She paused and continued, “To enter the Court of Judicial Billows and hang oneself so silently requires either high martial arts skill or a plot against the duty runners. The priority now is to inspect the duty room to prevent evidence from disappearing.”

A flash of satisfaction crossed Vice Minister Lu’s eyes. He stroked his beard. “What you say is not without reason. However, you have overlooked one point. Have you looked at the traces around the corpse?”

Liu Ruheng was stunned. She indeed had not noticed the surrounding marks.

Vice Minister Lu walked to the front of the corpse and pointed to a dustless railing. “Look here, and then look at the soles of the corpse’s shoes.”

Liu Ruheng crouched down to check. The soles of the corpse’s shoes were very clean. If he had walked here, the soles would inevitably be stained with mud and dust; they could not possibly be pristine.

Then it was highly likely that the “suicide” was actually a murder.

Just then, the coroners arrived, carrying a bamboo stretcher.

They first carefully lifted the body, cut the rope used for the hanging, and meticulously coiled the rope away. After placing the body on the stretcher, they took it to the morgue.

Before leaving, Vice Minister Lu instructed the female coroner named Xiao Qing to take Liu Ruheng to inspect the scene for any overlooked items.

Xiao Qing was a woman of few words. After bowing to Liu Ruheng, she began to search the scene meticulously.

At first, Liu Ruheng thought Xiao Qing was simply naturally silent, but after seeing her communicate with other coroners and runners using hand gestures, she realized that Xiao Qing was unable to speak.

At the end of the corridor, the two of them discovered a pair of official boots (zao xue). Bringing the boots, Xiao Qing and Liu Ruheng went together to the morgue.

By the time Liu Ruheng arrived, the coroners and Vice Minister Lu had already discovered the true identity of the corpse.

The Minister of Revenue, Pang Jitong.

Vice Minister Lu’s expression was solemn. He directed the coroners to continue the autopsy. The ligature mark on the neck was deep purple, the eyes were closed, and the lips were parted. No matter how one looked at it, it appeared to be a death by hanging.

It was entirely different from a post-mortem suspension.

Xiao Qing’s sharp eyes noticed a sliver of white within the lapel of the purple official robe. She made a gesture to alert Vice Minister Lu, but he and the other coroners were busy with the autopsy and did not spare her a glance.

Seeing this, Liu Ruheng sighed softly. She said quietly, “Vice Minister, Xiao Qing seems to have something to report.”

Xiao Qing looked at Liu Ruheng with a bit of surprise and mouthed the word “Thank you.” She then gestured toward the white scrap in the lapel.

Another coroner pulled out the white cloth and turned pale with shock.

He hurriedly handed the cloth to Vice Minister Lu. “Milord, it is a blood letter!”

Vice Minister Lu’s brow furrowed tightly. He took the blood letter and read it word by word. After finishing, his pulse quickened, and he cursed under his breath, “Beast.”

Liu Ruheng had a vague, ominous premonition. She brought out the boots and said hesitantly, “Reporting to Milord, these are the boots Xiao Qing and I found at the end of the corridor. The size roughly matches the corpse, and the soles are stained with mud.”

Vice Minister Lu gave them a cursory glance. Seeing Xiao Qing nod, he let out a long sigh. “It seems none of you will be having any time off for a while.”

Liu Ruheng was startled, her heart tightening. Did this corpse involve the Court of Judicial Billows so deeply? Had he been burdened with many capital crimes, leading him to hang himself here?

Despite her internal speculation, Vice Minister Lu took the blood letter and departed. Before leaving, he said, “Liu Ruheng, you, Cheng Xuehai, and Gong Fan are to go to the Ministry of Revenue to inquire about the recent circumstances of Minister Pang Jitong.”

Though filled with doubts, Liu Ruheng could only comply.

Gong Fan was a Court Judge (Dali Sizheng) who usually had little contact with her and Cheng Xuehai. It was already past the hour for duty, and Cheng Xuehai was already busy writing in the records room.

Liu Ruheng said, “Official Cheng, Vice Minister Lu has ordered you, me, and Official Gong Fan to investigate Minister Pang Jitong’s recent affairs together.”

Cheng Xuehai’s hand holding the brush paused, nearly dropping a blot of ink onto the scroll. He looked up, puzzled. “Why the sudden investigation into Minister Pang?”

Liu Ruheng was also surprised. “You don’t know? When I arrived this morning, Minister Pang was found hanged at the gates of the Court. I happened to be the first one there.”

The two looked at each other. Cheng Xuehai put down his brush and stood up to lead Liu Ruheng to find Gong Fan. He was clearly worried. “How did we end up with Official Gong? He…”

Speaking of him, he sighed and whispered a warning, “Official Gong has an unpredictable temperament. Once we go in, make sure you don’t speak out of turn.”

Cheng Xuehai knocked on the door. A booming voice came from inside: “Enter.”

He stepped into the room lightly. “Official Gong, Vice Minister Lu has instructed that the three of us investigate the recent affairs of Minister Pang Jitong. We are to set out immediately.”

Hearing this, Gong Fan stood up. Liu Ruheng quietly observed him; his features were regular enough, but he was built like a bear—he didn’t look like a scholar, but rather a butcher.

Leaving the Court, the three of them mounted horses and soon arrived at the Ministry of Revenue.

The Ministry of Revenue lived up to its reputation as the seat of financial power; its decor looked several times better than that of the Court of Judicial Billows.

Gong Fan took the lead. He clicked his tongue and strode directly into the main hall of the Ministry. Breaking into the room, he gave a cupped-fist salute to the crowd. “Gents of the Ministry of Revenue, this official is here today to ask about the recent situation of Minister Pang Jitong. I hope you will all inform me.”

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue looked at each other, and for a moment, the main hall fell silent.

Liu Ruheng and Cheng Xuehai stood behind him, unable to stop him. Fortunately, a familiar Vice Minister Qiu appeared in time. He stepped forward and took hold of Gong Fan’s large frame. “Official Gong, if there is urgent business, please let us discuss it in the inner room.”

Before being led away by Vice Minister Qiu, Gong Fan turned his head toward Liu Ruheng and Cheng Xuehai. “You two, make sure you record everything clearly.”

Standing behind them, Liu Ruheng wanted to laugh but didn’t dare; the scene was truly too grand. she gave a light cough and whispered to Cheng Xuehai, “Let’s split up.”

There were many officials in the Ministry of Revenue, but not many had frequent contact with the Minister. Liu Ruheng and Cheng Xuehai questioned them separately, each needing to talk to only three people.

The questioning process was somewhat difficult. Those officials spoke in vague terms, saying only that the Minister had been in high spirits recently and that they knew nothing else.

These people in officialdom had long ago become “slick as eels.” Toward a young, easily-fooled official like Liu Ruheng—who had some backing but not much—their attitude was polite on the surface, but the words they spoke were entirely useless.

After a while, Liu Ruheng and Cheng Xuehai met at the gate, both looking discouraged. Cheng Xuehai said, “Those officials are truly slippery. After all that asking, we didn’t get anything. How about you?”

Liu Ruheng also sighed. The results she got were no different from his.

After a long time, the two felt they couldn’t just sit and wait. They turned to question several lower-ranking officials. One of them, a scholar from the same imperial exam class as Liu Ruhang, gave a different answer.

That Minister Pang Jitong had indeed been in high spirits lately. Liu Ruhang’s classmate subtly revealed that Pang Jitong frequently visited Tianxiang Brothel.

Tianxiang Brothel was a famous place of entertainment in the capital. Before becoming a Tanhua (third-place graduate), Liu Ruheng had been invited by classmates to participate in poetry gatherings there.

Since the Minister of Revenue went there often, perhaps by finding a courtesan familiar with him, something might be learned.

Gong Fan spoke with Vice Minister Qiu in the inner room for a long time. When he came out, there was no particular expression on his rugged face. He spoke with the same booming voice as before: “My thanks to you all, Milords.”

Only after leaving the Ministry of Revenue did Gong Fan’s face darken. He said, “To Manjiang Restaurant.”

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