Chapter 4 – Fake Injury

Editor: mako

“What is true will remain true, while what is false will remain false. The truth cannot be false, while what is false can never be true. No matter how real it seems, it is still just a fake that is discernible.” After saying these words, Zhuang Zhong then proceeded to chant a long Sutra. It appeared deceiving enough that everyone present followed him with chants of Amitabha. Zhuang Zhong might appear delicate, but he had a steady temperament. So despite not appearing as convincing as senior monks, he also did not seem like someone to be taken lightly either.

Zhang dalang gave his mother a meaningful glance and she immediately wailed, “Little monk, such words pierce my heart. My family’s Zhang dalang has been seriously hurt until this state and now you are adding fuel to the fire! That is not right. How come I have never seen you before despite being very familiar with all the temples around here? Could it be that you were purposely invited to act as support for the Wang family? My poor dalang, the people of the Wang family have beaten you so badly. Let us not mention how they do not have any intention of repentance, but they are even attempting to exterminate you!”

Despite those words, Zhuang Zhong ignored her and gazed at Wang xiaolang. “Are you willing to accept the same crime as Zhang dalang in order to wash away your sin?”

Wang xiaolang, without hesitation, answered with a firm expression, “I do! Since I am the one who caused this trouble, I will take sole responsibility for it.”

Madam Wang opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but ended up keeping quiet.

Seeing this, Zhuang Zhong nodded as it seemed like a pretty responsible act. He then looked to the village head. “Do you know where one can find Japanese elm trees¹Here, 榉树 also known as Zelkova serrata (Thunb.) Makino (Latin name) is a type of ornamental tree native to Japan, Korea, eastern China and Taiwan. ?”

As soon as Madam Zhang heard this, her face immediately paled. The original domineering and arrogant person suddenly became stiff. Even Zhang dalang forgot to groan in pain.

Seeing this, the village head became more certain that there was something fishy going on with Zhang dalang’s injury. “Japanese elm trees? We do not have them around this area, but I have heard that it is commonly seen in the south. Little monk, what is special about those trees for you to ask about them?”

Zhuang Zhong understood and said, “Since there are no Japanese elm trees here, it is no wonder that people will be deceived. I would like to trouble this benefactor to send someone to look for its bark at dalang’s household. By right, there should be some remaining and it will appear grayish-white or brownish-gray. It does not matter if you cannot find them, as it will just be a slight setback. After all, the issues of this world cannot be hidden from the Buddha.”

After hearing this, Madam Zhang collapsed to the ground limply. Initially, she had wanted to leave things to luck, but upon hearing such a clear explanation from the little monk, her heart became filled with despair. Zhang dalang was also covered in sweat, his face pale and tight.

How could anyone not understand the situation upon seeing this? If they were truly hurt by Wang xiaolang, they would not have any fear. It was only when they had something to hide that would cause them to be afraid of hearing about Japanese elm trees. Many then started to denounce the people of the Zhang family for possessing such evil schemes in their minds. There were even some who had impulsively ran to the Zhang household to find the bark.

Seeing this, Zhang dalang, who had forgotten his act of being seriously injured, roared, “All of you come back! Whoever dares to enter my house will be incurring a fight with me!”

Originally, there were some who were hesitant, but this scene had solidified the idea that Zhang dalang had employed tricks of unknown origins to cause a fake injury with the intention to blackmail. It was exactly this that caused them to ponder – how was it even possible for a 12-year-old child to hurt a grown man until such a state. It could only be a fake injury.

At this moment, Zhang dalang had wanted to justify himself, but Zhuang Zhong coldly said, “Zhang dalang, the fabricated injury from Japanese elm trees is not uncommon in the south. It has been spread all over to the ears of people in DaYou. Even if the county’s magistrate and the post-mortem examiner were not aware, it is still only a half-day journey to the capital. For those talented from the capital, it is nothing for them to see through such cheap tricks. How bold of you to try to extort others with this. You should be spurned by everyone!”

Zhang dalang was frightened terribly, all the while harboring resentment in his heart. He had spent a large sum of money for this trick, but it turned out that everyone had already known of it! In the face of public condemnation, Zhang dalang jumped off from the stretcher and ran away like a rabbit. There was not even a sign of the serious injuries that he supposedly suffered. Madam Zhang also fled in defeat as soon as she saw that the plan had been exposed, with villagers spurring her along the way.

“Amitabha, it is quite a bad omen to see such filthy and crafty people coming from such a place that originally produces outstanding people.”

The village head frowned as DaYou had regulations that punished those who were closely affiliated with offenders. Initially, Zhang dalang’s crimes were just trivial matters, so he tolerated them in a bid to avoid trouble whenever possible. However, with such an insidious scheme and due to the little monk’s words, he could not stop his heart from pounding. For such people to stay in the village, it was indeed frightening.

After glancing at the village head’s expression, Zhuang Zhong did not speak anymore. Sometimes, words are more effective to a certain point. The commoner people of DaYou were similar to those found in the rural areas of his past life. As the majority of them were close to each other, most will forgive others if possible, as they did not want to get involved with the law. This has led many people like Zhang dalang to cross others without care. In the end, those who were kind and innocent will be oppressed.

Grabbing her son, Madam Wang proceeded to kneel down in front of Zhuang Zhong. She continuously kowtowed²Kowtow is an act that was formerly performed in China. It involved the person to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground, usually in an expression of deep respect, worship, or submission. and expressed their thanks with tearful eyes. A little color had also returned to her haggard face. “Thank you for your help, or we would have been faced with imminent disaster!”

Wang xiaolang was also so excited that he could not speak. He just kowtowed his head until it was starting to bruise.

Zhuang Zhong lifted them up. “Buddha is merciful, saving people is better than building a seven-level pagoda. This is what I should have done, so there is no need for such acts.”

At this time, young Lady Wang had also returned home. When she heard that Zhang dalang was exposed for using false injuries to blackmail, she had rushed into the crowd and cried with her family. She had initially resigned herself to enter the fire pit, but did not expect that the haze surrounding the Wang family would have completely dissipated upon returning.

Someone from the crowd could not help but ask, “Little monk, how did you know that Zhang dalang’s injuries were fake? I have examined them closely before and they seemed just the same as a real wound, as they were unable to be wiped off with water. How can the bark create such false injuries?”

Zhuang Zhong laughed. “In order to prevent others from using such tricks elsewhere, I will not be releasing the method that was used. Besides, it is not difficult to distinguish true injuries from false ones. If the injury were real, there would have been swelling around the injured area; while the fake injury would be deep black and the four sides would be greenish-red with no swelling. One can then determine whether it is true by carefully comparing a real injury with a fake.”

Everyone sighed as the method to distinguish the injuries seemed really simple. It was really hateful how they were actually hoodwinked by Zhang dalang just now. Besides, it was also unclear how Zhang dalang came across such a method as well as the bark. With no such tree around this area, this plan must be crafted in advance and the dispute with Wang xiaolang that day had to be intentional. It must have been thought that with the incident seen by all, Wang xiaolang would have been unable to dispute it. Such a view was truly vicious.

After laying out the issue in the open, Zhuang Zhong also did not stay and left TaoYuan village unrestrainedly. The Wang family had sent them off until they were unable to keep up, before kneeling down on the road and kowtowing three times heavily.

Zhuang Zhong sighed in satisfaction. After being a monk for such a long time, he had almost forgotten that he used to be a forensic expert. He then heard ZhouTong urging him to change his clothes quickly. Even though ZhouTong was quite tolerant of other things, he took this the most seriously.

After changing his clothes, ZhouTong could not help but voice his doubt – how can one uses the bark to create such fake wounds.

Without concealing, Zhuang Zhong revealed, “Spread the bark on the skin before heating it up with fire. It will exactly resemble a flog injury.”

“How did the young master know of this method?” ZhouTong finds this the most unconvincing, as how could a young monk in an old temple have knowledge of such things.

Zhuang Zhong laughed. “Since I was a child, I have traveled far and wide for alms, so I know a lot about such things. In the South, whenever there is a small dispute, people there would go as far as to commit suicide to scheme others. Zhang dalang valued his life so his actions were not as vicious.”

In modern times, such methods were rarely employed. With modern technology and machinery, faking an injury was not that easy. However, in the age of underdeveloped science and technology, the success rate of such extortion attempts would be much higher and could easily deceive others. There were also records of the use of Japanese elm bark to create a fake injury in SongCi’s “Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified”³ 宋慈 (SongCi/SungTzu)《洗冤录集》is known as Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified or literally Collected Writings on the Washing Away of Wrongs. More information can be found in the Translator’s Notes. and ZhengKe’s “Magic Mirror for Deciding Cases”⁴For 郑克 (ZhengKe)《折狱龟鉴》I am unable to find an official English name but did come across someone naming it as Magic Mirror for Deciding Cases. More information can be found in the Translator’s Notes..

ZhouTong nodded his head and no longer spoke. He then ordered the people to accelerate their journey to the capital, as the stop at TaoYuan village had delayed them. After all, they still had to make sure that they arrived at the marquis’ household at the appointed time.

Zhuang Zhong was clear that after such a small matter, ZhouTong would be making another evaluation of him and will no longer regard him as an ignorant countryside little monk. However, it did not really matter, as one should not overdo their attempts to remain unexposed; one should also elevate their status in the eyes of others. Besides, in order to stay firm in the household, he also did not intend to conceal much of himself.

It had never crossed Zhuang Zhong’s mind that he was much smarter than the people in this world, as he just came from a place where science and technology were more developed. He planned to enjoy the profound experiences brought by these ancestors so as to broaden his horizon.

Under the hot sun in the sky, two orderly columns of fifty horses were galloping on the road. All the horses were strong and bulky with glossy manes, while those riding on them were dressed in dark blue textured yarn outfits adorned with coiled braids. Such a neat progression caused many to view them in reverence and admiration. The one leading them in front was even more dazzling with a begonia-colored riding outfit. His appearance was also outstanding with an imposing presence – a born noble.

This man is Prince Si Zhao, Feng Huan.

A horse then came from the side, traveling side by side with Feng Huan. That person was named HouShu, nicknamed monkey. He was young and his eyes seemed to indicate that he was someone unruly with no care for boundaries.

With a seemingly mysterious air, HouShu said, “Leader, I heard of an interesting matter when I was wandering about just now!”

To this, Feng Huan only looked steadily forward, appearing as if he had not heard anything. Despite facing such cold indifference, HouShu gave a laugh and did not allow that to dampen his desire for gossip. With no care to whether Feng Huan was listening or not, he then proceeded to recount the story of a little monk who had recognized a fake injury with a glance.

“Leader, do you know how the Japanese elm tree’s bark could be used to create false injuries? That little monk is really annoying and he only spoke halfway with regards to this matter. He even said that the post-mortem examiners from DaYou know of such methods. Do you think I should catch one and ask?”

It was here that Feng Huan gave a reaction. “Who do you want to blackmail with a fake injury again?”

HouShu continuously protested against such words, “How can I do that, I am just curious. Leader, don’t you want to know too?”

Despite knowing that HouShu was purposely baiting him with such words, Feng Huan did not make any fuss and answered, “In order for the injury to take shape when using the bark, you would have to burn it with fire.”

With this sudden enlightenment, HouShu started sprouting flattering words so exaggeratedly that it made others want to slap him.

“Anyway, this little monk has great connections, as it is said that he is the son of Marquis WenYuan’s original wife. Everyone thought that he had died early, but it was really unexpected for him to return more than ten years later. Marquis WenYuan had also seemed to conceal this matter quite tightly, as no one knew that he had a wife in the countryside. I heard that the original wife used to be the daughter of a pig killer. Tut, she must be tall and big-sized, so Marquis WenYuan was not willing to mention it. The very thought of Marquis WenYuan, who is rich in spirit and handsome, standing beside a hag with a round waist and thick arms is really ha ha ha—” HouShu laughed until he was falling over so much that the horse had trouble trotting on.

Marquis WenYuan was a widely known, famous handsome man in the capital. Even if he was now thirty-two, he was still the same as before, perhaps even better. Officials with handsome faces that were pleasing to the eyes were rather well-liked by the public. Thus, the reason why Marquis WenYuan was able to climb to his present position was not only because of his own talents, but also due to his dashing appearance. One could then just imagine how outstanding his appearance was – so if the original wife was really Wu Yan Nu⁵“无盐女” (Wu Yan Nu) is 钟无艳 (Zhong WuYan)/钟离春 (Zhong LiChun). She is recorded as one of the 四大丑女 (Four Ugliest Women) in China with 嫫母 (MoMu), 孟光 (MengGuang) and 阮氏 (RuanShi). You can learn more here: https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/48709.html, it would no doubt damage the godly appearance of Marquis WenYuan.

Feng Huan knocked on HouShu’s head with the handle of his horsewhip. This resulted in HouShu hugging his head and yelling, “Leader, why did you hit me again?”

Feng Huan unconcernedly replied, “My hands slipped.”

*Translator’s Notes:
-The Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified or literally Collected Writings on the Washing Away of Wrongs is a very popular record by SongCi (1127-1279) on forensic science in ancient China. There are even translated versions of the records if you are interested. If you just want a brief summary you can try out the following links:
https://web.archive.org/web/20121208182726/http://www1.chinaculture.org/created/2005-08/01/content_71484.htm
Forensics: Hollywood vs. Ancient China

-For the Magic Mirror for Deciding Cases, I am only able to find its information in Chinese. It may be because it is less popular than Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified so there is no official English translation that is available. However, I somehow managed to come across a research article that uses the name Magic Mirror for Deciding Cases so I just ended up using that. Here is the link to the open-access research paper it appeared in if you are interested:
https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/3846/hawes.pdf;sequence=1

-Take Note: My attempts in researching the use of such tree bark in creating false wounds were quite unsuccessful so I tried going through the translated English version of Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified. This is where there is some confusion as it does not really tally – the author had used 榉树 (aka Japanese elm from my research) but in “Chapter VIII. – To Distinguish Real and Counterfeit Wounds” in the translated record, sapanwood was mentioned instead with ingredients like safflower, black plums, “earth’s blood,” green alum or nutgalls (ingredients used depend on the colour of counterfeit wounds). I am pretty sure both trees are from different family so it is either a discrepancy made by the author or the use of Japanese elm tree’s bark is a different possible method that I did not manage to find while searching it up.

• 1
  Here, 榉树 also known as Zelkova serrata (Thunb.) Makino (Latin name) is a type of ornamental tree native to Japan, Korea, eastern China and Taiwan. ↩︎
• 2
  Kowtow is an act that was formerly performed in China. It involved the person to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground, usually in an expression of deep respect, worship, or submission. ↩︎
• 3
  宋慈 (SongCi/SungTzu)《洗冤录集》is known as Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified or literally Collected Writings on the Washing Away of Wrongs. More information can be found in the Translator’s Notes. ↩︎
• 4
  For 郑克 (ZhengKe)《折狱龟鉴》I am unable to find an official English name but did come across someone naming it as Magic Mirror for Deciding Cases. More information can be found in the Translator’s Notes. ↩︎
• 5
  “无盐女” (Wu Yan Nu) is 钟无艳 (Zhong WuYan)/钟离春 (Zhong LiChun). She is recorded as one of the 四大丑女 (Four Ugliest Women) in China with 嫫母 (MoMu), 孟光 (MengGuang) and 阮氏 (RuanShi). You can learn more here: https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/48709.html ↩︎