Chapter 99: Homicide Case

"Officer Pang truly is a living bodhisattva with a merciful heart." Sun Tianxiu's second uncle stood carefully in the center of the main room, paying his respects to Pang Yu with the utmost deference.

"This young master is indeed merciful at heart." Pang Yu turned to the petite Sun Tianxiu beside him and smiled. "Tianxiu, you seem to have grown taller."

Sun Tianxiu's face flushed red. She set down the basket from her back and said softly, "I brought radishes for Uncle. The elders say eating radishes in winter is good."

Pang Yu hurriedly rose and accepted it with both hands. The basket was filled to the brim with radishes, quite heavy — hard on the little girl to carry so far. Beside her, the second uncle carried an even larger basket, but it was empty; he had likely brought radishes too and already sold them.

Sun Tianxiu knelt and kowtowed to Pang Yu and his parents. "I kowtow to the elders. I wish Grandmother and Grandfather a long life of a hundred years."

The old father and mother listened, beaming. They quickly urged Sun Tianxiu to rise. Pang Yu's mother drew Sun Tianxiu close and stroked her hair with tender affection. Sun Tianxiu was somewhat malnourished; her hair was yellowish.

She stole glances at the furnishings in the main room. The house Tang Weimin had given Pang Yu was originally an outer-chamber residence — not a grand mansion, but still possessed a certain modest, refined charm. To Sun Tianxiu's eyes, every corner exuded an air of wealth and nobility.

Sun Tianxiu's second uncle then said to Pang Yu, "All thanks to Officer Pang's reputation, the Lice and the Village Chief now look after the Sun family. This autumn's tax submission to the Bench reduced their burden by more than half — they only assessed five mu of land for Commuted Tax."

Pang Yu stroked his chin. "That's not looking after them. The Sun family's fields aren't even on the Fish-Scale Map. On what grounds does the Lice collect Commuted Tax on five mu?"

"I beg Officer Pang not to go make trouble with the Lice. There are so many times in the village when we need their help. The Lice is also the clan head of the village's great family. For that great family to refrain from bullying the Sun family on ordinary days, and to say they'll lend the Suns their ox and large plow for free next spring plowing — that already counts as a kindness bestowed."

Pang Yu was silent for a moment, then smiled. "Then we'll do as you say. If there's anything excessive, come find me again."

The second uncle also knelt and kowtowed to Pang Yu. "The Sun family owes Officer Pang a debt of gratitude. When these two younger ones are grown, they will care for Officer Pang in his old age to repay this kindness."

"It's enough that you have that intention." Pang Yu looked toward Sun Tianxiu. "Tianxiu rarely comes into the city. Don't go back today — there will be decorative lanterns everywhere in the city tonight. We'll call your Big Sister Zhou and go enjoy the lanterns together."

Sun Tianxiu's face lit up with joy, but then she shook her head. "No, my two little brothers are still at home with no one to cook for them."

"Your second uncle can go back first. Tomorrow I'll have someone escort you home and let you ride a big horse."

Before Sun Tianxiu could answer, the second uncle quickly said, "This is a kindness bestowed by Officer Pang. Tianxiu, accept it quickly. I'll look after the two at home."

Pang Yu stood up and laughed. "It's settled then. Let's have dinner first, then go out to see the lanterns."

……

At the head of Bean Family Bridge, cheers roared like thunder. A pile of old brooms blazed in a raging fire. The watching common folk were jubilant. From time to time, children arriving late braved the heat wave to toss their own old brooms onto the pile.

Sun Tianxiu shielded her face from the heat with her hand and carefully leaned an old broom against the fire beacon, then leaped back and ran out. Once clear, she stopped and stared at the campfire with excitement, her small face gleaming bright in the firelight.

Pang Ding carried two lanterns as he followed beside Pang Yu. He pointed south. "Young master, it's even more lively over at Bai Shun Tang."

Pang Yu looked in that direction. On the street going south, an even larger fire blazed — Bai Shun Tang's doing. Though far away, Pang Yu could still hear Jiang Shuqiong's loud voice.

Pang Yu smiled at Sun Tianxiu. "That Big Sister Zhou of yours is right over there by that fire ahead."

Sun Tianxiu let out a cry and ran ahead in great strides. It seemed only at moments like this that she was a little girl, rather than the head of a household burdened with caring for two younger brothers.

Pang Yu followed behind at a leisurely pace. Every house along the street had hung red lanterns. The children on the street each carried a lantern, singing and dancing their way along. Others chased and roughhoused with brooms in hand. Hawkers seized the chance to sell small trinkets — a scene of festive celebration.

When they reached the front of Bai Shun Tang, the fire in the street was burning fiercely. Some gamblers were still desperately throwing things into it.

Sun Tianxiu stood timidly off to the side. Pang Yu swept his gaze around and spotted a few Foot Runners from Team Three nearby, but saw no sign of Zhou Yueru. Noticing Sun Tianxiu staring fixedly toward the street side, he looked over and finally saw Zhou Yueru — pinned against a wall corner by Jiang Shuqiong.

Pang Yu quietly crept closer. He heard Jiang Shuqiong say viciously to Zhou Yueru, "Then you still can't move it back home. What Boss Pang says must be burned — it absolutely must be burned."

Zhou Yueru had not noticed Pang Yu. Squeezed into the corner by Jiang Shuqiong, she looked utterly ill at ease and hurriedly argued, "That chair only needs a little repair and it can be sat on. It's going to be burned anyway — if I take it home, I can still use it. Why not?"

"Bah! Burning it brings prosperity to Bai Shun Tang. You secretly taking Bai Shun Tang's things — what good does that do the Dongjia? It's plainly chipping away at the Dongjia's foundation. As long as I'm here today, don't even think about taking a single chair leg."

Jiang Shuqiong finished speaking and shoved hard. Zhou Yueru shrank back and quickly said, "Fine, I won't take it."

"Not taking it isn't enough either. I'm going to report this to Liu Shopkeeper and let him judge. It was clearly stated when we arrived — the Shopkeeper said no object in the establishment may be taken privately, with no distinction between good and broken items. Everyone else can follow that — only you, Zhou Yueru, always have to stir up trouble. Your voice is the quietest during morning recitation too, and you still draw three taels of silver a month. Today I absolutely must—"

Pang Yu coughed behind her. Jiang Shuqiong turned her head, recognized Pang Yu, and the fleshy folds of her face instantly squeezed into a radiant smile. She dropped Zhou Yueru and sidled over.

"Greetings, Boss Pang. Aiya, on such a big holiday, the Dongjia should be at ease at home keeping his parents company. Having us Bangyong here at the establishment is enough — we'll be sure to look after everything well for the Dongjia. Just now, your servant caught a—"

Pang Yu interrupted with a smile. "Team Leader Jiang is selfless, devoted to duty, and diligent in her work. Every Bangyong at Bai Shun Tang should take you as their model. At the gathering later this evening, Pang will praise Team Leader Jiang in front of everyone."

"I don't deserve such words from the Dongjia. It's all just what I ought to do, isn't it. Just now, your servant caught a—"

Pang Yu lifted his chin, his gaze passing over the top of Jiang Shuqiong's head, and said to Zhou Yueru in the corner, "Sun Tianxiu came today. Yueru, once you're off duty, come join us to see the lanterns."

Jiang Shuqiong was startled. After he finished speaking, Pang Yu turned back to Jiang Shuqiong. "Team Leader Jiang, you were saying just now you caught a what?"

"That what, caught, caught a..." Jiang Shuqiong suddenly clapped her hands. "Caught a White Pigeon Ticket! Today the Shopkeeper gave every one of us Bangyong a White Pigeon Ticket — said they'd draw the winning numbers during the evening meal gathering."

Pang Yu gave an "oh," then turned back to look at the campfire. "Team Leader Jiang manages very well. If the establishment's things cannot be taken, then they cannot be taken. Continue to act boldly in the future — I value your ability greatly."

After these words, the expression on Jiang Shuqiong's face was both delighted and puzzled. Pang Yu offered no explanation. He walked back to Sun Tianxiu's side and joined her in tossing old items into the fire.

Jiang Shuqiong stood stunned for a moment, then spun around and dashed back toward Zhou Yueru. Zhou Yueru recoiled in fright and quickly left the wall corner, lest she be squeezed back inside by this fat woman.

Jiang Shuqiong grabbed Zhou Yueru's hands and said with great emotion, "Aiya, Sister Zhou, my dear sister, see, that's just how I am — a knife's mouth but a tofu heart. My words are harsh, but inside there's nothing to it. That old chair — even repaired, it wouldn't be much use. Sister Zhou, better to let it go. We sisters have worked together all this time, and I, as the elder sister, haven't looked after you properly. Here's what we'll do: tomorrow, your elder sister will buy you a brand-new chair and deliver it to your home."

The fat woman's face was full of sincerity as she gripped Zhou Yueru's hands tightly, like sisters reunited after years of separation.

Zhou Yueru said in alarm, "Ah, this... there's no need."

"Sister, don't refuse your elder sister. If you decline, it means you're still holding a grudge against me. It's settled then." Jiang Shuqiong released Zhou Yueru's hands and solicitously brushed the fire ash off Zhou Yueru's trousers. "Sister, go inside and rest. Your elder sister can handle things out here. Quick, tell me your home address..."

From a distance, Pang Yu watched the two women tussling at the doorway. When he'd left the house earlier, he hadn't recalled that Bai Shun Tang closed later today and that there would be a gathering afterward. Pulling Zhou Yueru away alone would make things somewhat awkward for Liu Ruogu's management.

Just then, a group carrying lantern riddles came by — three wen per riddle. It happened that there were many gamblers in front of Bai Shun Tang, and these people were heavy gamblers by nature. They immediately crowded around in a large throng, all talking at once as they guessed the riddles.

Pang Yu brought Sun Tianxiu over to join them, planning to find a couple of lantern riddles to try and see if they matched the difficulty of those in Ruan Dacheng's Spring Lantern Riddles.

Before they could squeeze to the front, Jiang Fan's figure appeared at his side. Pang Yu knew there was business and immediately stopped. "Team Leader Jiang, is there something?"

Jiang Fan said in a low voice, "Squad Leader, there's been a homicide case."

"Oh?" Pang Yu drew Jiang Fan to a less crowded spot and asked, "Who is the deceased?"

"A beggar."

"A beggar? Are you certain it's a homicide and not death from cold or hunger?"

"Definitely a homicide. The body is covered in sword wounds."

Pang Yu knew this holiday was ruined. Whenever a homicide case occurred, no matter who was killed, the Fast Squad was obligated to pursue the murderer. Otherwise, when the Branch Surveillance Circuit investigated later, there would be no way to account for it. He rubbed his face, then nodded. "Take me to see it."

……

Outside the White Robe Nunnery inside Xiangyang Gate, a group of black-clad bailiffs had cordoned off a semicircle. Over ten torches flickered in the cold night, illuminating the surroundings brightly. Some nearby residents stood watching from a distance.

The black-clad men holding torches bowed and greeted Pang Yu as they saw him. Everyone here was Fast Squad personnel. Because there was no curfew during the Upper Lantern Festival and the streets were full of common folk, Pang Yu had ordered the entire Fast Squad to remain on duty. That was why, as soon as the homicide was discovered, over ten men were immediately mobilized and arrived on the scene — an efficiency unimaginable in the old Fast Squad.

The composition of the current Fast Squad was already vastly different from before. Pang Yu had eliminated many incompetents, established a promotion and demotion system between Auxiliaries and Runners, and created enormous disparities in pay grades within the Runners themselves. There was also the biannual Elimination of the Last Rank system, forcing these Runners to constantly improve their efficiency.

Pang Yu's primary duty as Fast Squad Head was patrolling, apprehending criminals, and catching murderers. During the civil unrest he had been called out many times to seize rebels, but after the unrest the county seat had seen no murder cases — only one in Kongcheng Town, where the local people caught the killer themselves and dragged him to the county yamen. Today was Pang Yu's first time at a murder scene.

The crime scene was in a secluded alley to the left of the White Robe Nunnery's main gate. A long trail of blood stretched across the ground, extending all the way to the street and into a gallery room. In a pile of dry grass behind the gallery room, a gaunt corpse lay face-up on the ground. The tattered cotton clothes on the body were dyed red, a large pool of blood had seeped out around it, and the air was thick with the stench of animal dung.

After a brief sweeping glance, Pang Yu said, "Whose gallery room is this?"

Ruan Jin answered respectfully at his side, "It belongs to the White Robe Nunnery, for pilgrims to rest. Behind the gallery room is the horse pen, where pilgrims who drive carts from afar can feed their horses. At night there are usually no livestock, so in winter some beggars sleep in the horse pen at night, burying themselves in the dry grass piles to keep warm."

"So that means quite a few beggars stay here. Any witnesses?"

"Today is the Upper Lantern Festival. Many temples and nunneries inside and outside the city are distributing relief congee. The beggars got word and all went off begging in every direction. After the commoners discovered the bloodstains, I rushed over at once from the Xiangyang Gate City Tower. At the time the corpse was covered in weeds. I asked around the area, but no one witnessed how the murder happened."

"Where's the Coroner?"

"Someone was sent to fetch him, but he couldn't be found. They say he went out to see the lanterns."

Pang Yu thought briefly, then stepped into the horse pen. Jiang Fan and a few other Runners followed him in, bringing the torchlight closer so Pang Yu could see clearly.

Pang Yu narrowed his eyes and searched his memory, dredging up his limited scraps of crime-solving knowledge. He began surveying the surroundings, and his gaze finally settled on the left corner of the wall.

On the dry grass and the wall in the corner were some faint bloodstains. A chipped-rim ceramic bowl lay overturned on the ground. Scattered messily around it were some strips of cloth, and a single black-faced cloth shoe.

Pang Yu raised a hand to make the others stop outside the horse pen, moved his steps carefully, and casually asked Ruan Jin, "The Second Squad is responsible for Xiangyang Gate. Squad Leader Ruan, what's your take on this murder?"

Ruan Jin licked his lips and said, "Beggars have always fought often, usually over food and shelter. It's not like no one's ever died, but those were always accidental injuries. But look at this beggar — thirteen knife wounds on the body, two on the neck, eleven on the chest and abdomen, all aimed at vital points. No matter how you look at it, this was deep-seated hatred. The intent from the first strike was to take a life. It's absolutely not an ordinary revenge brawl. Judging by the blood, he's been dead no more than one double-hour."

Pang Yu drew close to the corpse and pulled the beggar's tattered cotton coat open a little. The chest and abdomen were covered in red, and beneath he could see three knife wounds. Ever since he had chopped off that head at Yunji Temple, Pang Yu had become almost immune to wounds, flesh, and blood.

Using his hand to roughly gauge the width of the wound, Pang Yu frowned and said, "The weapon went in quite deep. The wounds are slender and long — you can see the blade was very thin. It must be far sharper than the knives ordinarily used for slaughtering cattle or pigs."

Ruan Jin immediately said, "The Head makes a good point. It must have been a short blade with a guard, to put force behind it. Slender, long, and sharp means it was frequently honed. It may very well be a weapon specifically meant for killing."

Pang Yu pointed at the corner. "There's less blood here, but it's in a spray pattern — on the surrounding weeds and the wall too. This should be the first blood spatter. The cloth strips were what the beggar wrapped around himself for warmth; they fell off in the horse pen as he struggled. The beggar's bowl was left here too, which means this should be the primary scene. The beggar must have been resting in the dry grass pile, was suddenly attacked, fled into the street after being badly wounded, and then was dragged back here by the killer and hidden."

"This cloth shoe is of excellent quality. The beggar definitely couldn't have afforded it. It should belong to the killer." Jiang Fan frowned and said, "That means the killer may not be a beggar, so it's not a case of beggars fighting each other for revenge. The beggar had nothing of value, so it wouldn't be a robbery-murder either. But what kind of enemy could a dead beggar like this have provoked? To skip even the Upper Lantern Festival and come here to commit murder — it seems a bit bizarre."

Ruan Jin cursed too, "Son of a bitch. I can forget about my midnight snack tonight. When I get my hands on him, I'll make him wish he were dead."

A Runner outside called out, "The Abbot of White Robe Nunnery is here."

Pang Yu walked out a few steps and saw an elderly nun standing outside, trembling with fear.

"Venerable One, don't be afraid. There will be yamen runners standing guard here all night tonight." After reassuring her with a couple of words, Pang Yu asked, "May I ask, did any of the venerable ones in the nunnery hear any unusual sounds tonight?"

The nun's face was full of alarm. "We heard it. Someone screamed — screamed terribly."

"Does the Venerable One remember what they screamed?"

"It was just screaming… and, and also something about a Liu-something. I was huddled in the corner, too terrified to listen clearly."

Pang Yu asked a few more questions, but the nun was in a daze and could offer no further information. Pang Yu could only console her for a while and send her back into the nunnery.

"Everyone will have to work hard tonight. Our first priority is still to treat this as a fight among beggars. But we can't seal the city tonight. Jiang Fan, send two teams of four mounted Runners each to lock down the north and south Official Roads. If you see any beggars leaving the city, arrest them first. The other Foot Runners are each to search the beggars in their own jurisdictions. Ask if there's anyone surnamed Liu or acting suspiciously. In short, catch the killer as fast as possible."

Once Pang Yu had finished making arrangements, Jiang Fan immediately took his orders and left the city. Another Runner went to find He Xianya and have him search the South City area.

"Your granny's killer. Now I can't even guess lantern riddles." After cursing, Pang Yu said to Ruan Jin, "I have to go report to the His Honor. Send men to seal off this stretch of street. Don't let commoners come near. Cover the corpse, and don't touch anything else at the scene. Today is the Upper Lantern Festival, and this murder is somewhat bizarre. Tell your men to keep their mouths shut tight. Whatever you do, don't cause a panic in the city."

"Understood."

Pang Yu turned to Pang Ding. "You go to the Zhuang Squad Barracks. Transfer the Fifth Squadron to guard the county yamen. Split the First Squadron and Third Squadron apart — send one Squad to each city gate, and keep an eye on beggars entering or leaving."

After Pang Ding left to carry out the order, Pang Yu stayed at the scene a while longer to observe, then headed west back to South Main Street, preparing to return to the county yamen and report.

The street was a roar of voices. Lanterns of every color shuttled back and forth like weaving, lighting the street as bright as day. The campfire in front of Bai Shun Tang had gone out; a few Bangyong were putting out the remaining embers. The crowd had shifted north, gathering around other fire piles.

Sun Tianxiu was still waiting at the door, standing with a few Runners who were keeping order. She was looking all around, and when she spotted Pang Yu she came over excitedly to greet him.

Pang Yu eased his expression, walked over with a smile, and asked, "Was looking at the lanterns in the city fun?"

"Just now Elder Sister Zhou said the flower lanterns in Fengyang Prefecture are the liveliest, much more beautiful than Tongcheng's. Tongcheng's are already beautiful enough — I can't imagine what Fengyang must be like."

Pang Yu patted her on the head. "Fengyang Prefecture, eh? It's only five hundred li. Uncle will take you to see it someday."

Sun Tianxiu nodded firmly, a sweet smile spreading across her face.

……

Upper Lantern Festival, Chongzhen Eighth Year. Fengyang Prefecture, Nanzhili — the hometown of the Ming Grand Ancestor Zhu Yuanzhang.

Fengyang Prefectural City, which had no City Wall, was filled with weeping and screams that shook the heavens. Countless figures chased and killed amid the firelight. The streets and alleys were littered with fallen lanterns, their glow reflecting the corpses piled everywhere.

North of the city, the Imperial Mausoleum blazed with fire that lit the sky, dyeing the horizon a sheet of gold. Tens of thousands of pines and cypresses were set alight, giving off a continuous, dense crackling sound. Within the thick black smoke, countless burning ashes whirled and danced, shooting straight into the heavens on the heat wave.