Chapter 24: 24

Zhang Ping Turned His Body and Pointed. “He is the Culprit Who Murdered Ma Lian.”

How could a dead person kill?

Deng Xu mildly said, “Zhang Ping, just state who you think the real culprit is. If you have evidence, list them one by one. In this courtroom, there’s no need to deliberately act mysterious.”

Zhang Ping turned his body and pointed. “He is the culprit who murdered Ma Lian.”

Zhang Ping’s finger was pointed to someone beside Chen Chou.

It was the other scholar who’d drunk by the lake with Chen Chou that night – Lu Zhonghe. 

Everyone’s expressions changed once again. Chen Chou looked completely astonished, his mouth half-open. Deng Xu said, “Zhang Ping, the Three Judicial Ministries’ courtroom isn’t a place for you to randomly point out a culprit. You say Lu Zhonghe is the culprit – what evidence do you have? You also said the culprit is a person who’d already died. Are you suggesting to me and everyone else that this person has another identity?” 

Zhang Ping lowered his eyelids. “I’m not eloquent. This case is too complicated, so I didn’t know where to start. My Lord can arrange for someone to confiscate Lu Zhonghe’s possessions from his residence. The clothes he wore on the night he committed the crime and all other evidence should be at his home. They will be enough to prove my honesty. It should’ve been very easy to figure out Lu Zhonghe was Ma Lian’s murderer. However, Lord Wang was too astute and the culprit miscalculated several people, leading to today.” 

Wang Yan’s face was completely green. Deng Xu immediately ordered people to Lu Zhonghe’s residence before speaking again, “Zhang Ping, although you have the Emperor’s Imperial Assent, we cannot tolerate you ridiculing Assistant Minister Wang as such in this courtroom.” 

Zhang Ping raised his eyes with an upright expression to look at Deng Xu, then at Wang Yan. “I was speaking the truth, not ridiculing Lord Wang. The culprit wished to be caught as soon as possible, so he deliberately left a lot of clues at Ma Lian’s residence… I’m ashamed for not being able to speak properly.”

Wang Yan’s face became increasingly more colourful. Bo Yifan smoothed things over, “No matter – you don’t have to be nervous. Take your time.” 

Zhang Ping paused. Only after sorting out the sequences in his heart did he continue, “When I was locked up in the cells, everyone was sharing their thoughts on why they were being suspected. I found a mistake in Brother Lu’s story. He didn’t seem to have any resentment against Ma Lian. Ma Lian never made sarcastic remarks about him, and the script mocking him wasn’t written by Ma Lian.”

After Ma Lian became famous, too many major troupes asked him to write scripts for them. In addition to preparing for the Imperial Examination, Ma Lian was only accepting money for the scripts to be his nominally, especially for the past half-year. 

Deng Xu asked, “If Ma Lian asked someone to ghostwrite for him, he definitely wouldn’t admit it. How would you know if the script wasn’t written by him? And why would Lu Zhonghe tell a lie that wouldn’t benefit him?” 

Zhang Ping answered, “Brother Lu said he arrived at the Capital last year in the twelfth lunar month and got to know a lady. When they began discussing marriage, they were ridiculed by Ma Lian’s script, so the matter dispersed. No matter how I calculated, the times just didn’t match up. At that time, I also couldn’t understand why Brother Lu would tell such a lie.” 

If Lu Zhonghe didn’t hold any grudges against Ma Lian, then he wouldn’t be a suspect for killing Ma Lian. Typically, a criminal would lie to exonerate themselves, so why did Lu Zhonghe decide to carry the weight of suspicion for murder? 

So, at first, Zhang Ping thought he was wrong. He went to investigate Ma Lian’s residence, then the examination venue, and became increasingly more puzzled. 

“After I investigated Ma Lian’s residence, I found an overt and a covert plot. These two plots could’ve led me to two completely different culprits. But clearly, only one person murdered Ma Lian.”

The overt plot was Ma Lian drowned in his bathtub. There were knife wounds on his body before his death, the murderer abandoned the murder weapon at the scene of the crime and Ma Lian’s valuables weren’t robbed. Such a ruthless approach indicated the culprit held a grudge against Ma Lian. They infiltrated his residence while he was bathing and killed him. 

“Ma Lian’s bedroom walls and latch were scratched. It must’ve been when the Ministry of Justice were collecting evidence. I’m guessing there are also traces of mud on the walls.” 

Wang Yan nodded expressionlessly. “That’s right. There were bits of grass in the dry mud, which may have been rubbed off from the culprit. In addition, there were dried phlegm stains with food residues on the ground which smelt of alcohol. Either Ma Lian or the culprit could’ve spat it out.”

The mud marks could prove the culprit possibly came from a damp and grassy area. The dried phlegm stain meant the culprit may have drunk alcohol. 

On the night Ma Lian was killed, the most suspicious people who both stayed in a damp area and drank alcohol included the three scholars Chen Chou, Lu Zhonghe, and Han Weijuan; they were all drinking by Chen Zishang’s ancestral hall.

Wang Yan cupped his hands and cast a sidelong glance to the front of the courtroom. “In the dossiers handed to the Court of Judicial Reviews, this subordinate also stated these doubtful points; however, Lord Deng kept turning a blind eye. 

Deng Xu’s eyebrows jumped. With an amiable tone, he said, “Zhang Ping, continue.”

Zhang Ping continued, “At first, the culprit thought that since the evidence was so obvious, the Ministry of Justice would definitely catch the three of them. These three all had grudges against Ma Lian and were suspicious. According to the typical methods of handling a case, their possessions would be taken inventory of and confiscated from their residence to remove any misleads. When the evidence was to be found in Lu Zhonghe’s residence, the case would conclude and the criminal convicted. If my words aren’t believable, then I’ll continue after the evidence is found.” 

Lu Zhonghe’s home was quite far away from the Court of Judicial Reviews. Even if one rode a quick horse to and from it, in addition to searching it, it’d take at least two hours. Deng Xu said, “No matter, you may continue. You said there were two plots that led to two different culprits – what’s going on here?” 

Zhang Ping replied, “I said the culprit miscalculated several people, the first being Lord Wang. Lord Wang noticed the flaws, so rather than following his deductions to investigate the residences, he first collected evidence to support his speculation. Because the involvements in this case are far too complicated, this method failed to solve it.”

With an ashen expression, Wang Yan said, “I checked the bathtub and found something unusual about the bloodstains. It didn’t seem like Ma Lian was ambushed while he was in the bathtub; instead, it seemed as if he was dragged into the bathtub and drowned after he finished bathing. This is why I thought this case wasn’t as simple as it appeared. These pieces of evidence couldn’t be considered direct evidence, so I didn’t hastily investigate them; I only detained the suspects and checked out their stories.”

Zhang Ping continued, “This student saw the covert plot. It is consistent with Lord Wang’s inference.”

Wang Yan glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. “I dare not accept such compliment. I didn’t manage to find the real culprit, so how can I compare with you? In this courtroom, don’t beat about the bush; you can say things directly.”

Lan Jue had been listening from the side, finding the situation before him quite interesting. 

He was also confused by this case, but he knew Zhang Ping was right – because Lu Zhonghe had been silent ever since Zhang Ping identified him as the culprit. His head was also hung down as he knelt, hiding his expression, which was as good as a confession. 

Zhang Ping said, “The covert plot is also quite simple – the culprit is someone Ma Lian was familiar and had a very intimate relationship with; so intimate Ma Lian would even invite him into his residence for a conversation. The culprit snuck an attack on Ma Lian in his bedroom, then fetched water and drowned him in the bathtub, making it appear as if he was ambushed when he was bathing.”

But the culprit never expected that Ma Lian usually bathed in the yard. 

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“Actually, after confirming this it should’ve been easy to identify the culprit. Ma Lian was a cautious man. He hid a secret he was afraid of being discovered, so even the old woman who washed his clothes weren’t allowed to pass through his door. Who could possibly be so intimate with him to be allowed into his room?”

The atmosphere in the courtroom suddenly became warm and strange. The ministers’ expressions also became meaningful. 

Bo Yifan stroked his beard. “It…… Can only be his lover.”

Zhang Ping solemnly responded, “It was definitely not his lover. If it was his lover, it’s impossible for them to not know Ma Lian bathes in the yard.” 

Bo Yifan was taken aback. “Then who could it be?”

Zhang Ping answered, “We can figure this person’s identity by thinking over Ma Lian’s experiences. Ma Lian came from a humble background. During these five or six years, he earned himself the title ‘East Lake Lay Buddhist’, clung onto the Imperial Tutor, and could even cheat in the Imperial Examination. Someone must have been supporting him.”

Who supported Ma Lian?

When Ma Lian put together Feng Ruoqi’s essays and began his career, who backed him up? Ma Lian behaved sinisterly and viciously, yet he could still stand straight with his head up – who was his patron? 

“Troupe Leader Cui was Ma Lian’s first supporter, but during these few years, Ma Lian’s constant support had always been from the Sixian Bookstore.”

Wang Yan’s eyebrows knit tightly together. He’d taken note of Sixian Bookstore before, but his inference was different from Zhang Ping. He only paid attention to Sixian Bookstore because of Gong Qinchuan and Feng Ruoqi’s statements. 

Troupe Leader Cui was a highly profitable businessman. Ma Lian’s first script was written for him, so supporting him wasn’t wrong. However, Sixian Bookstore was one of the Capital’s largest bookstores. Back then, Feng Ruoqi’s fame was higher than Ma Lian’s, so why would the Sixian Bookstore choose to possibly offend a scholar who’d already gained some reputation by flattering a nobody like Ma Lian who plagiarised essays? 

“Sixian Bookstore is one of the Capital’s largest bookstores. With their influence, it’s not surprising they could get Ma Lian connected with Imperial Tutor Wang. I specially went to investigate Sixian Bookstore. The one in charge of Ma Lian’s scripts is the second shopkeeper.”

The Sixian Bookstore’s main shopkeeper hadn’t appeared for many years now, so the second shopkeeper had always been in charge. Rumours say the main shopkeeper had already passed away, so the bookstore was as good as the second shopkeeper’s. However, few people have seen this second shopkeeper. 

Ma Lian’s residence was rented by the Sixian Bookstore, so he must have had an intimate relationship with the second shopkeeper. 

“I speculate the course of events behind this case as followed – the culprit knocks on Ma Lian’s door and Ma Lian receives them. Ma Lian stays with them in the study first. He enters his bedroom to obtain something, thus losing his life. This student believes it may be due to the tea leaves or teapot.” 

When Zhang Ping investigated his kitchen, he discovered Ma Lian had boiled water and steeped some tea before his death. The teapot was in the study. The culprit took a cup away with him, leaving only one other cup on the table; however, there weren’t any teacups in Ma Lian’s bedroom. 

“Of course, when the culprit arrived, he didn’t bring a knife. The murder weapon was taken from the study. Hung on the white wall by the incense burner should’ve been a knife. There is iron on the knife’s scabbard, which is why there are traces of wear on the wall. If the Ministry of Justice discovered the murder weapon wasn’t brought along with the culprit, maybe they would’ve suspected Ma Lian wasn’t ambushed while he was bathing, so the culprit deliberately brought a half-worn scroll of calligraphy and hung it over the traces. Unfortunately, they made a careless mistake – there was no dust on top of the scroll and lanyard. When obtaining the knife from the table, they accidentally overturned the incense burner. The incense ash in the burner and emery at the bottom mixed together.”

Deng Xu asked, “This does sound reasonable. But, why do you say the culprit is Lu Zhonghe? Isn’t it possible the culprit shifted the blame to Lu Zhonghe?”

Zhang Ping replied, “When I was in the cell with Lu-xiong1, I found traces indicating he’d been burnt by incense ash on his ankle. The culprit killed Ma Lian; after, they cleaned up the study and changed out of their bloody garments before wrapping them up. They left Ma Lian’s residence after tidying up their appearance, hence accidentally leaving a piece of evidence.”

Deng Xu frowned. “What evidence?”

Zhang Ping answered, “Ma Lian’s comb and Lu Zhonghe’s head. Perhaps it was because of the weather…… So there was some inflammation…… There was ointment on the comb. Maybe Lu-xiong didn’t take notice and neglected cleaning the comb, or perhaps he deliberately did this so the ministry could catch him as soon as possible.” 

Lu Zhonghe slowly raised his lowered head, a glint of astonishment flashing past his eyes. 

Yamen runners came forward and lifted the bottom of his trouser legs; sure enough, there was a small burn mark on his right ankle.

Tao Zhoufeng shook his head. “This is truly outrageous…… If Lu Zhonghe has two identities and one of them is the Sixian Bookstore’s second shopkeeper, then wouldn’t this be contradictory? He murdered Ma Lian, wanting us to think it is him but isn’t him. I’m becoming more and more confused by our youths’ thinking.” 

Deng Xu said, “To say Lu Zhonghe is the culprit is currently justifiable, but to say he is Sixian Bookstore’s second shopkeeper sounds more like a baseless and subjective assumption instead of a substantive confirmation. Lord Tao is right – why would he jump back and forth like this?”

Zhang Ping raised his eyelids and looked at Deng Xu. “Sixian Bookstore orders scalp ointments from the Jishi Store all year round. In addition, there are still several people who have seen the second shopkeeper. Before this case, the second shopkeeper already decided to sell the bookstore and even the contract had been drawn up – My Lord can investigate this. I couldn’t understand at first either – why would Lu-xiong do this? But then, something happened and I discovered another truth. Only then did I understand why Lu-xiong did this. It’s because he’s a law-abiding person. To kill is to pay with one’s life. He’d premeditated Ma Lian’s murder and already planned on repaying with his life. He didn’t want anyone to discover the real reason behind his actions, so he created another identity. But in addition to Assistant Minister Wang, he miscalculated two other people. One of them is Chen Chou – he didn’t expect Chen Chou to be Chen Zishang’s younger brother, causing Lord Wang to focus the investigation on Chen Chou instead of suspecting him. The other person he miscalculated was Ma Lian – he didn’t know Ma Lian’s true secret, which had attracted the Court of Judicial Review’s attention and, contrary to his expectations, allowed him to stay safe.” 

Zhang Ping looked at Lu Zhonghe, a trace of sorrow in his expression. “Lu-xiong, Ma Lian didn’t rely on Grand Tutor Yun and Grand Preceptor Wang’s help. He didn’t know the truth – he only wanted revenge.”

Lu Zhonghe was startled.

Zhang Ping shifted his eyes again and continued, “Lu-xiong’s secret is-”

Lu Zhonghe suddenly spoke up. “Zhang Ping, I’m begging you, please don’t.”

Zhang Ping paused and looked at him again. Lu Zhonghe wore an expression of indifference as he stared at Zhang Ping. “I killed someone and I’ll pay with my life for that. Those who deserved to die are dead. Since you know the truth, then you should understand as well. Please, I’m begging you, please don’t say it.” 

Zhang Ping was silent for a moment before he solemnly said, “If I display thoughtfulness to the real culprit’s reputation, then two cases and three unjust souls will find no peace.”

Lu Zhonghe’s expression finally changed into hopelessness. He suddenly closed his eyes and ferociously punched the pillar beside him. The yamen runner by his side instantly held him down, forcibly opened his jaw, and stuffed a ball of cloth into his mouth. 

Sympathy and pity flashed through Zhang Ping’s eyes. In the end, he stood up straight and, with a heavy tone, said, “Although Lu Zhonghe is the culprit, he isn’t the true wrongdoer – the true culprit died six years ago. If it wasn’t for Lord Lan’s reminder, I never would’ve expected the truth behind this and Chen Zishang’s case to be as such.”

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