Chapter 22 – Zhuang Zhong Felt as if He Had Seen God

Editor: mako

Proofreader: kllua

As usual, Zhuang Zhong awakened to the sound of the beating drums, while JiangXun had already left for the library. Despite feeling tremendous pressure living with such a diligent person, he still did not have any plans to get up so early. After all, he was still growing and needed enough sleep to grow well. His past original stature was also not tall. If he did not pay attention and end up even shorter than before, he would really cry.

When Zhuang Zhong was brushing his teeth, he heard someone yelling in the distance, “A person was killed, a person was killed…”

Upon hearing the ruckus, people started to come out of their own rooms.

“I think I heard someone saying that a person was killed?”

“I heard it too! It seems like… like Yuan LiangJun was the one who died?”

Even though the students in Tai Xue were very lively, they would not make such a joke. Everyone then became terrified, and they headed to Yuan LiangJun’s room without any care about washing up. Following the crowd, Zhuang Zhong also ran to the room that was already surrounded. He ended up expending quite some effort to squeeze to the front of the room.

Lying on the bed was Yuan LiangJun, who was covered in blood. There were sprays of blood on the wall and a large pool of blood under the bed. Han Chuan, who was rooming with him, sat shivering on the ground with dull eyes and a pool of liquid beneath him. As all the students in Tai Xue took classes regarding case solving, only one person went in to check whether Yuan LiangJun was still breathing. Meanwhile, the others did not enter, and the scene was preserved.

At this time, the crowd split to create a path, and Zhuang Zhong was squeezed aside. Da sicheng¹ “大司成” (da sicheng) is an official title for officials responsible for teaching the sons of noble families., the person in charge of Taixue, had arrived in a hurry. When he saw the miserable sight of the room, he became very sombre.

“How bold, how bold!” Da sicheng gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and trembled. Most of the students here would end up being the pillars of the country in the future, and Yuan LiangJun was one of the best who was likely to enter the top three in the upcoming public examinations. It was unexpected that he would die and, more specifically, be killed in Tai Xue. Such unbridled violence!

“Investigate! Investigate it for me!” Da sicheng then asked the education officer beside him, “How come the people from the Central Judicial Office have not arrived yet?!” 

The education officer replied hastily, “They are already rushing here.”

Just then, the people from the Central Judicial Office arrived. One of them was Official DaWei, a famous expert in solving cases in the capital. A fierce-looking man with an imposing build, he was highly praised for his high efficiency in handling cases and even managing to solve a big case in just a single day. As soon as he came in, he led the Yamen runners to check the scene without many words.

Official DaWei went to Yuan LiangJun and checked his breathing with his hand. He then shook his head and proclaimed, “He is dead.”

After a further review, he came to a conclusion. “He was killed by a cut to his throat with a sharp weapon.”

Zhuang Zhong, who managed to finally squeeze in, saw the Yamen runners searching the room roughly and became very anxious. Just as he was about to stop them, one of the Yamen runners suddenly cried out, “My lord, I have found the murder weapon!”

In his hand was a knife that was about one foot long with bloodstains. The Yamen runner handed it over to Official DaWei and said, “I found it under the bedding here.”

Official DaWei’s pupils narrowed as he took the knife to Yuan LiangJun’s corpse and gesticulated. “This man died under this exact murder weapon. Whose bed is this?”

The education officer pointed to Han Chuan, who was on the ground paralyzed with fright. “It is this man’s bed.”

The moment Han Chuan heard someone bringing him up, he finally recovered from his daze. However, he saw the knife and cried out in horror, “I am not the one who killed him. I really did not kill him. When I woke up this morning, I found Yuan LiangJun already lying in a pool of blood, so I cried out loudly. Fang Xiang can testify for me!”

Han Chuan violently pulled Fang Xiang, who had been the first to enter the room. With his whole body shivering, Han Chuan seemed almost crazy. “Fang Xiang, quickly tell this lord that I am not the murderer!”

Fang Xiang was also frightened, but his speech was quite organized. “At that time, I was passing by the room with the intention to head to the dining hall when I heard Han Chuan screaming that a person had died. So, I rushed in and saw Yuan LiangJun lying in a pool of blood, while Han Chuan was sitting paralyzed on one side. When I used my fingers to check, I found out that Yuan LiangJun had already stopped breathing, and after that, people started coming when they heard the news. As I was afraid that they would damage the scene, I told them to stay outside and not move while I also remained still.”

“That is to say, when you came, the deceased was already dead?” Official DaWei was not angry and only stared at Fang Xiang with burning eyes that one would find impossible to escape from.

“Yes.”

“Do you know whose knife this is?” Official DaWei continued to ask while holding onto the bloody knife. Zhuang Zhong could not help but frown when he saw the official holding it without any gloves.

Fang Xiang looked carefully before turning his gaze towards Han Chuan. For a while, he did not say a word.

Official DaWei squinted his eyes. “Deliberately concealing information is considered an obstruction to official business. Even if you are a student in Tai Xue, you will still be punished.”

Fang Xiang hesitated and spoke with a falter, “I think… think that I have seen Han Chuan holding it before.”

Hearing this, Han Chuan quickly rebutted, “My lord, I lost this knife a few days ago and did not know where it went. I do not know who picked it up and deliberately tried to frame me. I really did not kill anyone…”

Official DaWei snorted coldly, “Is there really such a coincidence in the world? For you to lose your knife and someone using it to kill?”

Han Chuan found it hard to argue with such words, “I… I…”

Seeing that Han Chuan could not defend against his questions, Official DaWei became more and more pleased with himself. “Before I even said anything, you already kept defending yourself. According to my previous cases, a person who carried out an accidental murder or a crime of passion would often be the most eager to defend themselves. If the murderer is not you, how can you explain the murder weapon that was found under your bedding?”

When Han Chuan heard such words, the sweat on his forehead would not stop dripping. With the smell of urine, sweat, and blood mixed together, he could hardly breathe in the room. His voice was full of tears as he defended himself, “I do not know why it was under my bed either, but I really did not kill this man. Normally, I fear seeing such things, so how could I kill someone with a knife? I am also so scared that my legs become weak when I see blood. My lord, I am wronged!”

“Then did you hear anything last night?”

When Han Chuan heard the question, he cried harder with a tremor, “I am usually a heavy sleeper, so even if you were to carry me away, I would not know, so I had not heard anything.”

Official DaWei’s voice got even colder, “You keep on saying that you are wronged, but you cannot tell me who killed Yuan LiangJun. Are you saying that he committed suicide? Only you and the deceased were in the same room, and the murder weapon was found under your bedding. The evidence is irrefutable, so how dare you try to refute!”

Han Chuan immediately began to cry and howl. His usual demeanor had already disappeared quite early on! “My lord, I am wronged! The murderer is really not me. There are no ill feelings between us, and we get along pretty well. Why would I destroy my future by killing him?”

“This is something that you should ask yourself.” Official DaWei swung his sleeve, turned to da sicheng, and continued, “Now, the evidence is conclusive, and the murderer is this man. If da sicheng has no objection, I will take him back to prison. The corpse of the deceased will also be brought back to Yi village and be held until his family members can retrieve his body.”

Da sicheng’s eyes widened as if he could not believe it. “The case is settled just like this?”

Official DaWei, who was called into question, was very unhappy, but patiently replied as the Tai Xue’s da sicheng was not an ordinary person, “This man took advantage of the fact that the deceased was not conscious in the early morning to slit his throat. He then hid the weapon in a hurry and cried out in panic to attract passersby. The details of the case are clear, and the evidence is conclusive. What else can we investigate for?”

Da sicheng choked. He had heard of Official DaWei’s quick speed in solving cases, albeit in an oversimplified and crude way where people remained totally unconvinced of the conclusions drawn. This, coupled with the fact that no other killers were found when the cases were reviewed again, made people believe that the official had some talent in solving cases. Even so, the da sicheng did not expect that Official DaWei was even more unreliable than he thought!

“Han Chuan is a student in the upper-division and has a bright future. Why would he want to kill Yuan LiangJun? Could it be that someone else was shifting the blame to him?”

“Most murders are not premeditated. Sometimes, it is impulsive where a little thing or even a dream becomes an incentive for someone to kill. After the murder, the murderer may find it hard to conceive what they did and think that it was a dream, unwilling to admit it. Moreover, if the murderer is someone else, is it not too risky to only kill Yuan LiangJun? There is always noise when someone is getting killed. If someone else wakes up at this time and shouts out loud, is this not suicidal for the murderer? Besides, is the great Tai Xue a place where others can go in and out at will? Why would someone even deliberately blame Han Chuan?” At this time, Official DaWei suddenly jolted and questioned sharply, “Han Chuan, do you have an enemy?”

Han Chuan was confused and subconsciously shook his head, “No, I have never contracted  enmity with anyone.”

After saying that, Han Chuan then realized why Official DaWei had asked such a question. He saw the sneer on the official’s face, and his whole body became weak while repeatedly muttering, “I didn’t kill him, I didn’t kill him.”

Official DaWei raised his eyebrows and said with pride, “What else does da sicheng want to say? As an official, I have been handling cases for many years and have trained my eyes to have penetrating insight. No matter how cunning the murderer is, I will see through it at a glance. I have seen many of such murder cases due to jealousy, and most of them are the same. Now, with the conclusive evidence, I have asserted that the murderer is Han Chuan. Regarding Han Chuan’s motive, da sicheng should be most clear about it.”

In Tai Xue, there has always been fierce competition with open rivalry and veiled strife. Particularly, in the past, they were controlled by influential people and divided into different factions, so it could be said that they were no different from the complexity of the imperial court. It was not until Emperor Qian Xing succeeded the throne that it became better. The reform of Prince Si Zhao also contributed a lot, but it did not mean that there was no strife at all.

Da sicheng frowned tightly. “I still think that it is too hasty, as Han Chuan is also an excellent student of Tai Xue. If a wrong judgment were made, it would mean losing two future pillars of our country. Both you and I cannot afford it.”

“Da sicheng can rest assured that this case will not be so hastily settled, and it will only be concluded after a careful follow-up investigation. It is just that the corpse cannot be left out like this under the summer heat, so this person will have to go back to the Yamen with me first. It is the rule, and no matter who it is, it cannot be broken. After all, the one who died is another student from Tai Xue, and it is not like other trifles that can be solved with money.”

Essentially, Tai Xue’s students enjoyed many privileges. If they break the law, as long as they were not serious crimes, they could just pay money to atone for their crimes and avoid the pain of being beaten²The author used “杖刑”, which is a punishment of by being beaten with heavy bamboo. and imprisoned.

Knowing what place the prison was, Han Chuan knelt down in panic in front of da sicheng after hearing the official’s words. “Da sicheng, this student really did not kill anyone. Please do not let him take me away. I am really being wronged!”

Official DaWei clasped his hands behind his back as he stood in the hall, calm and unhurried. Although he said that just now, he had already convicted Han Chuan. With human and material evidence, was it not indisputable? He had also checked just now, and there were no other clues.

Zhuang Zhong, who was standing aside, was so anxious that he was panicking. Although Official DaWei’s words contained certain truths – that Han Chuan was suspicious, such a hasty decision still made Zhuang Zhong unconvinced. The corpse had not been examined, the scene had not been carefully investigated, and no one had been ordered to record the specific situation in the room before they were about to move the corpse. This would destroy the scene, which was something he cannot tolerate as a forensic expert.

Zhuang Zhong finally could not help but butt in, “This student feels that such a final decision is too hasty, as the scene has not been investigated thoroughly. Although Han Chuan is suspicious, it does not rule out the possibility of others being the murderer. If this lord wants to move the body now, I am afraid it will destroy many clues and, like spilled water, cannot be undone.”

When Official DaWei took a look at the speaker – who had a tender face and only 14 or 15 years old, he burst into a rage, “Who are you to dare speak nonsense in front of this official?”

Zhuang Zhong cupped his hands in front of him and replied, “I am Zhuang Zhong, a law student. My teacher has taught me that human life is as great as the heavens, and even if the case appeared clear, one should still carefully investigate before a decision can be made.”

“Zhuang Zhong?” Official DaWei swept his eyes over him. When he saw that Zhuang Zhong was wearing a hat that could not hide his lack of hair, he thought of the rumor in the capital. “Are you the son Marquis WenYuan just found that was a monk?”

“Yes.” Zhuang Zhong felt that something was not right, as the official seemed to clearly dislike the marquis when he mentioned him. Marquis WenYuan had no doubt made many enemies in the court. If Official DaWei was one of them, it would make things difficult.

Sure enough, the official said with a draggy voice full of sarcasm, “I was just wondering whose bold child he was, and he turns out to be the son of the descended immortal. This is not a place for you to play, so quickly leave and stop disturbing official business.”

Zhuang Zhong wanted to go forward and reason, but he was stopped by the Yamen runners from entering, which made him very angry. As he saw the scene become more and more disorderly in front of his eyes, he could not control it anymore and cried, “You really act with utter disregard for human life!”

Official DaWei knitted his brows and said, “You rascal, do not think of acting wild. Having a father that attracts too much attention and invites trouble does not mean that you are extraordinary and can act wildly. If you have any doubts, you can investigate later, and I would like to see what you are able to find!”

As Zhuang Zhong saw that the Yamen runner was about to lift the corpse again, he was so anxious that he directly retorted without careful diction, “It is bullshit for me to investigate if you are already about to destroy the scene!”

Such words angered the official. “If you dare talk nonsense again, you will be escorted to the Yamen together with the offender.”

Feng Huan, who got wind of something happening, then appeared and said coldly, “Official DaWei, you actually dared to come into my territory and act wildly.”

It was here that Zhuang Zhong felt as if he had seen god.

• 1
  “大司成” (da sicheng) is an official title for officials responsible for teaching the sons of noble families. ↩︎
• 2
  The author used “杖刑”, which is a punishment of by being beaten with heavy bamboo. ↩︎