Editor: mako
Proofreader: kllua
“My son, why did you leave like this! Since you left, I, a person who has long outlived my usefulness, would not be able to go on living—” Feeling her son’s cold body, Old Madam Zhao felt great sorrow in her heart. Besides losing her husband during her middle age, her body was also not good, requiring her to constantly consume medicine. So, as someone who has experienced all kinds of worldly sufferings, she had then thought that once her son grew up, she could finally enjoy a carefree life. However, with her son’s current unexpected death, her joy in life was lost. Here, Old Madam Zhao stood up and charged forward, intending to hit her head on the post.
Luckily, there was someone among the crowd with sharp eyes and agile hands. They quickly grabbed Old Madam Zhao while shouting, “Quickly stop Old Madam Zhao!”
“Just let me die. What is the purpose for me, a solitary woman, to live on? When I was young, my husband died, and when I got old, I only dragged my son to death. Me living is a curse, so I should die and get reborn sooner!” As Old Madam Zhao cried and howled, those listening could not help but grieve for her.
Aunt Wang next door could not help but condemn her son, “Ah, this Wang Gui1In case anybody is wondering, the night watchman’s name “Wang Gui” is the same as the brother of Wang Fu that appeared around chapters 12-17. However, they are not the same person and it is most probably a coincidence that their name was the same. . He had been living well, so why did he take his life?! It is really unfilial to leave his old mother alone.” Besides having the same surnames, they were neighbors, and both families have good relations with each other. Although Wang Gui could be said to be unexceptional – being unable to find a wife after growing up, greedy for small gains, and making others angry until their teeth ached, he was filial. Now, for him to die and leave his mother behind after realizing he could not obtain a good life had caused him to lose that only virtue he had.
Here, even though Old Madam Zhao was extremely heartbroken, she could not stand others saying that her son was lacking and sobbed, “Who says my son is not filial! A few days ago, he said that he had struck it rich and would give me a good life. My son — are you going to give your mother a happy life by bringing me to the underworld? You wait. After I burn some paper money, I will follow you down.”
Saying that, Old Madam Zhao stood up, intending to go out and buy some paper money, but Aunt Wang stopped her hastily. “There is no need for you to do such things, as I have already asked people to buy them. Now, we have to tidy up Wang Gui’s corpse. Let us also use the coffin prepared for you because it is too late to get another one made now.”
For commoners with elderly people in their families, they would usually prepare them a coffin in advance. This coupled with the fact that Old Madam Zhao’s body had been in bad health, she had ordered Wang Gui to prepare her coffin quite early on. So, when she heard Aunt Wang’s words, she became even sadder. Her son had bought this coffin made with good wood through gritted teeth. However, before she could use it, Wang Gui would be the one needing it. At this point in time, Old Madam Zhao cried on the ground limply, not even having the strength to buy paper money.
“My son, my ill-fated son, how can you just leave like this?! How can I live without you? Your mother does not want any money and only wants you to live.” Such gloomy cries were really heartbreaking.
Since they were all neighbors, they would usually help out with each other’s funeral arrangements. So, after giving a few words of comfort, they began to get busy.
When Zhuang Zhong stepped into the Wang family’s home, the body was just being prepared to be placed in the coffin.
“Wait a moment.”
The people who were bustling around stopped and turned their heads. Only Old Madam Zhao had not heard anything and continued crying painfully while guarding Wang Gui’s body.
Seeing them, Aunt Wang felt that the visitors had an extraordinary bearing, especially the tall man who gave her feelings of reverence. Nonetheless, despite her familiarity with the Wang Gui family, she was unsure of how to receive the two guests and asked carefully, “These two young masters, there is a funeral here. May I ask for the reason for your arrival?”
Zhuang Zhong gave his greeting. “I am currently a law student handling a case for the Central Judicial Office. Initially, I wanted to ask Wang Gui some matters regarding the case, but I only knew he recently died upon reaching here. May I take a look at him?”
Hearing that, Aunt Wang felt deep respect towards the other person. However, at the same time, her heart could not help but drum up. Did Wang Gui incite a lawsuit and commit suicide after seeing no way out? Wang Gui’s personality had suddenly changed in the first half of this year, perhaps…
Not only her but others at the scene were also becoming worried. Fearing that Wang Gui’s matters would implicate them, some even contemplated whether or not they should leave now. Meanwhile, Old Madam Zhao, who heard her son’s name and the words after that, jumped up from the ground.
“My son is the most honest person and will not participate in filthy matters! Now that he is dead, do not sully his reputation!” Old Madam Zhao rushed over agitatedly, wanting to dispute Zhuang Zhong’s words. Here, Feng Huan took a big step forward with his long leg and gave her a cold glance. She then immediately retreated a few steps back as her heart chilled, not daring to step forward again.
Here, Zhuang Zhong hastily added, “Old Madam, do not worry. I just wanted to come and ask something, and it was not because Wang Gui was guilty.”
Aunt Wang, who was afraid of offending those high-ranking people, also quickly consoled her, “Madam Zhao, do not worry. If it is really Wang Gui who was guilty, it will not be just these two young masters coming here.”
Old Madam Zhao was originally a timid person, and her sudden lack of control over her emotions was due to the loss of her son. So, faced with Feng Huan’s cold glance, she softened her attitude. “But my son is dead now, and you cannot ask him anything.”
Here, she could not help crying again. “My son, how can you bear to leave me all alone!”
Zhuang Zhong lowered his voice and asked Aunt Wang, who was beside him, “How did Wang Gui die?”
Aunt Wang sighed, “My family lives next door. Last night, I heard Madam Zhao’s cries, so I ran over and saw that Wang Gui had hung himself from the beam and died. It was also a man in my family who got him down. However, he had already stopped breathing, and his whole body had become stiff.”
“Then, can you lead the deceased’s mother to a corner? I want to examine Wang Gui’s body.”
Aunt Wang was stunned. Recalling Zhuang Zhong’s origin, she then muttered something to Old Madam Zhao, who was kneeling and crying bitterly on the floor beside Wang Gui’s body. Here, Aunt Wang supported her to a corner as requested.
Zhuang Zhong approached the body and squatted down. As it was not an official autopsy, he only examined the parts of the body that were exposed. However, when he turned the body over during the examination, he was spotted by Old Madam Zhao, who had turned back in worry. She wanted to rush over, but she was restrained by Aunt Wang and could only shout, “What are you going to do to my son?!”
Standing up, Zhuang Zhong had an imposing aura. “Your son did not die of suicide. He was murdered.”
Hearing that, Old Madam Zhao, who was making threatening gestures, immediately stopped struggling, “What…what are you saying?”
Aunt Wang, who found it inconceivable, exclaimed, “What?! How can Wang Gui, who was an upright person, be murdered?”
Meanwhile, others also found it incomprehensible and became frightened. If Wang Gui committed suicide, they at most just had to give a hand in the funeral arrangements. However, if he was murdered, it had become something that might affect them. The very idea that there was someone around them who was murdered with no reason whatsoever in the night really made sleeping peacefully impossible if the murderer was not caught!
“It should not be possible. Although this alley is remote, it is so safe that there is not even a thief. How can Wang Gui be killed?”
“Madam Zhao, have you lost anything in your house?”
Currently, Old Madam Zhao was still in shock and was unable to respond, looking stupefied.
So, Aunt Wang said, “How can no one know about the Wang family background? Besides, a person did not have to go as far as to kill someone when stealing.”
“Young Master, how do you know that Wang Gui was killed?” Aunt Wang was disturbed, and everyone present was also panicking because of the news.
Zhuang Zhong did not rush to answer but asked instead, “What was Wang Gui’s hanged appearance like? Was his head tilted forward, to the side, or back?”
“His head was tilted forward as he hung on the beam.” Aunt Wang even used a pair of gloves to act it out with her neck.
Zhuang Zhong narrowed his eyes. “If the head was tilted forward, it means that a person had hung himself to death. With the neck and veins completely restricted, the head will suffer from a deficiency of blood flow which creates the pale face that is commonly known as “white death by hanging2The author used “白缢死” which refers to the act of hanging oneself with rope or other materials. As there is no official English translation (I do not think there is an equivalent term in English either), I decided to translate it literally to “white death by hanging”.”. However, the deceased’s facial skin here has no signs of cyanosis3The author used “青紫” which is known as cyanosis, a bluish hue to the skin, gums, fingernails, or mucous membranes caused by a lack of oxygen in the blood., which is one of the reasons why it is not a suicide. Secondly, there should be surface abrasions at the ligature mark, some blood spots at the neck and mark areas, fracture at the greater horn of the hyoid bone4“舌骨” (“hyoid bone”) is a horseshoe-shaped bone situated in the anterior midline of the neck between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. Here, the author is referring to the “大角” (“greater horn”) which were projected from each end of the body in a posterior, superior, and lateral direction. It acts as a site of attachment for numerous neck muscles. accompanied by bleeding, etc. But he does not have such signs, possibly indicating that he was dead before being hung up. Most importantly, if a person hangs themself, the constricted area should also be purplish-red. If the corpse was suspended after death, there would be marks, but they would be white in color. As it was impossible to hang himself after dying, it was definitely someone who had killed him and staged it as suicide by hanging.”
Hearing that, the people present went forward to check, and it turned out to be true!
At this point, Old Madam Zhao, who finally managed to muster a reaction, threw herself on Wang Gui’s body. “My son! Who was so ruthless to take your life? I just knew that you could not bear to abandon your mother alone! Damm, whoever that killed my son has to pay with his life!”
Old Madam Zhao knelt down and crawled to Zhuang Zhong. Unable to be stopped, she repeatedly kowtowed several times.
“This Madam, if you have something to say, say it standing up. There is no need to do all this.”
Old Madam Zhao’s eyes that were initially full of despair suddenly gave off a scorching intensity. “Young Master, please obtain justice for my son! Although my Wang family is poor, we have not done anything harmful in this world. My son had died unjustly!”
In succession, others also pleaded for justice for Wang Gui. Besides their indignation at the injustice, they had also feared that with such a murderer still running amok outside, they might be the next target. This was especially so for Aunt Wang, who was given such a fright that she was trembling. They had a few small children in their household, and it would not be good if they came across the murderer.
Zhuang Zhong nodded to assure them. He then carefully checked the corpse again and concluded, “Wang Gui’s cornea is slightly muddy while pressure on areas with livor mortis has slight discoloration. As rigor mortis and livor mortis are still ongoing and the change of body position will not cause the signs of livor mortis to disappear, the timing of his death should be approximately within four to six hours. Right now, it is shortly after yishi5 “已时” (yishi) refers to the timing of 9 am to 11 am., so he should have died around choushi6 “丑时” (choushi) refers to the timing 1 am to 3 am. . The specific time can only be determined after dissecting the body…”
Upon hearing that, Old Madam Zhao cried out at once, “Nobody is allowed to touch my son!”
Since Old Madam Zhao had a strong reaction to dissection, Zhuang Zhong did not persist further. After all, it was already heartbreaking for the older ones to bereave the younger. This, coupled with a greater emphasis placed on the burial rites in this world, made it reasonable for her to object.
“Can this madam remember what she heard last night?”
Old Madam Zhao thought about it for a while before suddenly standing up. “Cat! At 2:30 a.m., I heard some movement in the courtyard. Just as I was just about to get up, I heard a cat meowing. Assuming that it was a feral cat, I did not pay much attention to it and went back to sleep.”
After saying that, Old Madam Zhao began to cry again. “It must be the time the thief entered the courtyard and killed my son. My ill-fated son! Why did I not get up?! Otherwise, you would not have died so unjustly!”
As Aunt Wang hurried forward to comfort her, Zhuang Zhong said, “How did you determine that it was 2:30 a.m.?”
Aunt Wang replied, “Madam Zhao’s husband and son were night watchmen, so she is very clear of the times. The time she says will never be wrong.”
Old Madam Zhao, who was crying sorrowfully to the point of almost fainting, paid no mind to Aunt Wang’s response.
Zhuang Zhong added, “Old Madam, I know that you must be very sad right now. However, for the sake of Brother Wang’s spirit, please pull yourself together and answer some questions for me. Like this, we can then find out who killed Brother Wang in the shortest time possible.”
Old Madam Zhao, who heard this, regained her strength and said with gritted teeth, “This old woman can still hold up. Until the murderer is found, this old woman will not collapse!”
“Please tell me what Wang Gui did and where he went yesterday.”
Raising herself up to Zhuang Zhong, Old Madam Zhao then began to speak, “Yesterday, my son was off duty, so he was resting at home. He also mentioned that he would be drinking with someone at night. When he returned, he only told me drunkenly that the both of us would enjoy a good life soon. When I asked about it, he was unwilling to say anything, only telling me to go to sleep without worrying about it.”
“Who did he seek to drink with yesterday?”
Old Madam Zhao shook her head. “My son did not mention. However, he was not usually like that, and I did not know why there were so many unmentionable things between us these days.”
“Since he said he would give you a good life, did he reveal where he got the money from?”
Old Madam Zhao sighed with a face full of deep grief. “I have asked him before, but he did not answer. All this time, this matter had made me uneasy, as I was afraid he had gone off the wrong path. However, my son did not listen, and now it has cost him his life.”
Zhuang Zhong asked further, “When did he start saying such words?”
Old Madam Zhao paused for a while. “It started about three months ago, and he also became much more generous than before. He even gave me, this old woman, a ginseng to supplement my body. When I asked him where the money had come from, he did not say anything except that it was of proper origin.”
Here, Aunt Wang injected, “I also know of all this. Some days ago, Wang Gui asked me to help him find a good lady, saying that he has money to marry now. However, when I asked, he also refused to say anything about it. At that time, I found it strange and told Madam Zhao that such actions should not continue further. After all, money that came from unclear origins really made one feel uncomfortable.”
Because they were neighbors, it was almost impossible to hide secrets from each other. So, although it was inevitable that there would be feelings of envy for Wang Gui’s sudden wealth, people who cared about him would always think of the negative possibilities first. In addition, besides those who had questioned Wang Gui’s influx of money that made him radiate such happiness, there was even one who made small talk, wanting to join this good business venture too. However, Wang Gui, who usually could not keep secrets, actually turned into an iron gourd and people were unable to pry any answers from him. He only said mysteriously that such sudden fortune was something that he could not prevent.
“You, come out.” Feng Huan suddenly pointed to someone in the crowd.
With his mouth sticking out and a chin like an ape’s, at first glance, the person appeared discontented with everything. However, after being called upon by Feng Huan, who gave off a taciturn but imposing presence, he trembled and knelt on the ground.
Feng Huan narrowed his eyes and coldly said, “Speak.”
Zhuang Zhong was confused at this scene and gave Feng Huan a puzzled look. Standing upright with an expression that was as sharp as a knife, Feng Huan radiated a hearty and dashing aura. In addition, his appearance of looking down at others was awe-inspiring, as no one dared not look at him directly.
Although Feng Huan was operating at a lower profile than usual, it was obvious to people that he was not just a young master from an ordinary wealthy family. With a cold gaze from Feng Huan, the man was frightened terribly. Fearing that he might have offended an important figure that would result in his death, the man did not dare to delay and spoke hastily.
“This lowly one was previously envious of Wang Gui and always wanted to know how he made his fortune. So, when I saw him sneaking around while I was walking around the streets, I followed him and saw him enter a pawnshop. Besides not daring to get too close, the people in the pawnshop also did not mention what he had pawned, so I only know that the items were not cheap. After all, when Wang Gui came out, he was all smiles. That night I even asked Wang Gui to treat me to a drink, and he actually agreed despite usually being quite stingy with his money.”
Here, Zhuang Zhong’s eyes brightened, and he asked, “What is the name of the pawnshop?”
“RongAn Pawnshop.”
4 thoughts on “Chapter 35 – Homicide”
thank u for the translation !!
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thank you for such a quality translation!! ❤💖💝
<3