Сhaptеr 82: Rеаsоning thе Case (Раrt 1)
Zhu Yan regаined somе соmроsurе, bowed оnce more to the Еmрress, аnd got strаight tо thе рoint. "Тhе first bоdiеs disсovеred were thоsе of Liаng and Kuang, fоund by a уoung noviсе frоm thе Wеstеrn Вrightness Tеmрle whilе digging fоr bаmboо shoоts.
Тhe bodiеs wеre disсovered оn the eighth daу оf thе fifth month. Тhrough our investigаtiоns, wе leаrnеd frоm Rоng Zhui, thе mаdam оf thе Bright Нall, thаt Kuang Zhаnxin hаd gоnе missing on thе sеvеntеenth day оf the fourth month. Howеver, a clеrk from the Аnciеnt Тreаsure Manor across the street claimed to have seen Kuang Zhanxin as late as the twentieth day of the fourth month. As for Liang Chenzhong, he had not been seen at his usual haunts since the nineteenth day.
Liang Chenzhong and Kuang Zhanxin were deeply in love, and Liang had even promised to take Kuang as his concubine. Therefore, we can conclude that their deaths were not a suicide pact.
Before the fifteenth day of the fourth month, the two had only encountered Madam Tang by chance, yet she had already developed the intent to kill them.
The burial pit was dug around that time.
It had rained on the fifteenth day of the fourth month. With fewer pilgrims visiting on rainy days and the soil softened by the rain, it was the perfect time to dig the pit, which also facilitated the murderer's actions.
We also examined the splatter patterns at the scene, which pointed directly toward the burial pit. The patterns were thicker at the bottom and thinner toward the top, confirming they were made on the same day.
But why did Madam Tang dig the pit at that time? Because she had already decided to act then.
Around the twentieth day of the fourth month, Liang Chenzhong and Kuang Zhanxin visited the Western Brightness Temple for leisure, but this outing became their final resting place.
Madam Tang was skilled in using incense and had the aid of narcotics, so the deed likely proceeded smoothly.
However, dealing with two bodies and arranging everything alone would have been no easy task.
Thus, in this murder case, Madam Tang must have had an accomplice, which is how she succeeded.
As for who the accomplice was, we will set that aside for now.
Next, let’s discuss what took Madam Tang by surprise. She went to great lengths to dig the pit and bury the bodies to prevent their early discovery, but she never expected the truth to come to light so quickly.
If not for the novice digging for bamboo shoots, the bodies of Liang Chenzhong and Kuang Zhanxin might have remained undiscovered for a long time, or perhaps never at all."
"So you’re saying... the discovery of Liang Chenzhong and Kuang Zhanxin’s bodies was entirely accidental?"
An official among the group suddenly posed this question, and Zhu Yan nodded earnestly.
"Exactly. According to Madam Tang’s plan, the bodies of Kuang Zhanxin and Liang Chenzhong should have been the last to be discovered, or perhaps never found at all. The case would have been closed as a disappearance. But this time, her plan failed."
"What about the rest?" another official asked, voicing the concern shared by everyone, including the Empress.
"The rest..." Zhu Yan remained calm, letting out a soft sigh. "Let’s talk about Liu Fu. Liu Fu came from a family that had fallen into decline. He was lazy and ignorant of basic livelihoods, living in Luokou Lane of Fengle Ward. On the seventh day of the fifth month in the eighth year of Feisheng, Liu Fu deposited six thousand taels of silver at Li’s Bank. After making the deposit, he disappeared. Six years later, he was found dead, with his heart removed.
This case may seem like an unsolved mystery, but it’s actually quite straightforward.
Before his death, Liu Fu had engaged in other activities. Perhaps the murderer overlooked this, but through our investigations, we uncovered the truth."He had once taken the Blue Rain Butterfly to an artist to design jewelry patterns and had it custom-made at the Bijiang Gold Workshop. Moreover, at that time, he was wearing clothes with the Precious Phase Twin Fish Pattern.
Everyone present knew that the Precious Phase Twin Fish Pattern was a spring clothing style produced by the Brocade Workshop, the largest silk workshop in the capital at the time, in the eighth year of Feisheng. It was sold from February to April of that year. In June of the eighth year of Feisheng, the Brocade Workshop was charged with treason for exceeding regulations in presenting summer clothing to Princess Runing, and it vanished without a trace thereafter.
Since Liu Fu happened to be wearing clothing from that period, it could be determined that he died between April and June of the eighth year of Feisheng—specifically, the day after the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the eighth day of the fifth month.
This detail was also recorded at the Bijiang Gold Workshop. Liu Fu had deposited money and eagerly went to custom-make butterfly-patterned jewelry the next day, after which he disappeared. Not long after, his elderly mother also passed away from depression.
The mother and son could be considered unfortunate souls. However, the crux of this case was not about their misfortune but rather the source of the money Liu Fu had deposited—where did that money come from?"
Zhu Yan paused halfway, deliberately building suspense, then cast a deeply meaningful glance at Madam Tang. "That money was given by you, wasn’t it?"
"Nonsense!"
Even with the cloth gag in her mouth, Madam Tang’s muffled words could vaguely be discerned.
Zhu Yan curled her lips into a strange, eerie smile. "Am I really speaking nonsense? Then let me explain why you did this."
Zhu Yan straightened her posture and addressed everyone present. "Liu Fu had taken a liking to a courtesan in the Pingkang Ward. He wanted to gift her jewelry and redeem her freedom. What should have been a beautiful story of a courtesan meeting a good man and fate smiling upon them was, in Madam Tang’s eyes, an entirely different scene..."
Zhu Yan once again fixed her gaze on Madam Tang, deliberately slowing her speech. "Madam Tang despises those who linger with courtesans. She used this money to gain Liu Fu’s trust and then killed him. Madam Tang’s ruthlessness was so absolute that she didn’t even blink. As for the courtesan in the Pingkang Ward, she naturally became an unwitting casualty. Heh..."
At this point, Zhu Yan let out a light, sorrowful chuckle. "Their lives as humans were already hard enough. If not forced by circumstances, why would they have fallen to such a state? Believing they had met a good man, they hoped to change their fate, only to be schemed against and lose their lives. How tragic."
Zhu Yan’s eyes trembled slightly, whether from hatred for Madam Tang’s methods or sympathy for the deceased courtesans.
By now, Madam Tang had ceased resisting. After hearing Zhu Yan recount the entire case in such detail, it was as if she had personally witnessed the events herself.
Seeing this, Zhu Yan reached out and removed the cloth gag from Madam Tang’s mouth. "Did you do all this merely for a fleeting moment of satisfaction?"
Madam Tang’s eyes were hazy, her gaze somewhat vacant. "Heh..."
She sneered coldly. "Aren’t you good at deduction? Then go on. See if I killed for pleasure or if there was another reason."
"Truly, you won’t admit it until faced with undeniable proof." Zhu Yan had completely given up hope that Madam Tang would confess voluntarily.
"You used such cruel methods to harm others. Was it out of personal malice, or was there another purpose? You are also a woman. Why do you hate them so deeply?"Zhu Yan was furious at Madam Tang, but the angrier Zhu Yan became, the more fearless Madam Tang grew, even beginning to laugh maniacally.
"Everyone says Madam Shen is clever, so why don't you guess for yourself? The deaths of Liang Chenzhong and Liu Fu were stated so clearly. Presumably, you are also well aware of the truth about the others. Why not speak it all out and let everyone hear it together? They were all people who deserved to die—what crime have I committed by killing them?"
"Heh heh..."
Madam Tang admitted to the murders.
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