Everyone was stupefied, and a few cowardly people at the front row only reacted after a while, staggering back, triggering a small disturbance.
"Kill… killed?" Chen Haiping spoke in amazement: "Who killed her? Could it really be a malicious spirit…"
He wanted to ask if it was the work of a malicious spirit, and thus Fu Xiangrong would claim grievance, yet he had barely spoken when he heard the Old Madam shout behind him: "How is that possible! Where in this world would a dead body speak about malicious spirits at work, clearly this monk is twisting words and forcing logic, to wreck havoc in the mourning hall! Guards, throw him out—"
"In this world there is certainly no such thing as evil spirits at work, and this miss was not killed by an evil spirit either." Shan Chao paused, and his voice lowered: "Before the fire started, she was already… dead."
Everyone"s expression shook, and even the Old Madam"s expression was stiff.
n.o.body had noticed when this young monk was using a hoa.r.s.e voice to speak the last few words, how his intonation hid grave sorrow, and anger.
Only Xie Yun at the back of the crowd, looked away, and softly shook his head.
"Why…" Chen Haiping gasped: "Why do you say that?"
Shan Chao pointed to the corpse"s hand: "After catching fire a person would struggle and call for help, the fingers and toes would curl, and after death it would exhibit the appearance of rigid coiling; yet the fingers on this body are loose and spread out, could it be that this miss endured the pain of being roasted and broiled in the raging flames, and her limbs were completely motionless?"
A few brave disciples at the front moved up to look at the corpse"s coal-like fingers, and were startled: "It really is!"
"Wait, we can"t conclude just based on this point, what if before the fire reached her arms and legs Xiangrong was already… already…" Chen Haiping"s eyes reddened, and was unable to continue: "What if she was already like that?"
He had just finished when Shan Chao looked him up and down for a moment, and in his gaze hid a rather threatening keenness—yet Chen Haiping in the throes of sorrow reacted slower, and did not immediately sense that the other was studying him.
"It won"t," Shan Chao casually looked away, and said: "Because the deceased"s mouth is clean, without any ashes, or soot."
He raised the hand that a while ago had stretched into Fu Xiangrong"s mouth to wipe around, revealing it around in a circle, to show that indeed his fingers only had a bit of dirt, with no distinct grey-black soot in sight, utterly different from the scorched appearance of the corpse.
Chen Haiping asked in suspicion: "So what does this explain?"
"When a human is calling for help in a fire, coughing and choking in thick smoke, their mouth and larynx is bound to come into contact with soot and ash; even if their mouths were blocked up, due to the need to breathe their nose would also be filled with black grains of soot. Yet this miss" mouth and nose is clean, which points to only once case, which is that throughout the entire course of the fire she made no movements, and was not even breathing."
Shan Chao let out a long breath, and spoke lowly: "She was… already a dead person then."
"It was because a malicious ghost frightened her to death, that"s why it"s like that!" The Old Madam hurried over, raging: "These maids can bear witness, there was the howls of a female ghost in the sea of fire, my poor daughter was already frightened to death by the ghosts demanding her life before the fire came up!"
Shan Chao coldly said: "Oh? A ghost demanding a life would need to strangle with a rope? This is the first time that this monk has heard it."
The Old Madam"s footsteps immediately froze, as Shan Chao half-knelt, carefully turning the corpse over — when he did this several people around him evenly backed away a half-step, yet he himself did not show fear, nor did he refrain from the dirt, pointing to the corpse"s nape as he looked around at everyone present: "Can"t you see what are these?"
The surroundings were speechless, and for a while Chen Haiping shuddered as he advanced, his chest urgently heaving, yet unable to speak.
Jing Ling was impatient, striding forward to peer at it, and coolly said: "Ligature marks."
The two words just left, when the surroundings echoed with a collective breath of shock.
"I examined the corpse"s mouth a moment ago, and found these two rope-like marks by the sides of the corpse"s neck which were especially scorched black, where the degree of burning was completely different from other areas, like clotted blood was cauterised. My first suspicion was suicide by hanging, but looking at the angle again, the marks from hanging should be slanted up towards the nape, but these slant down."
"Furthermore self-hanging should leave a splayed figure of eight (八), and the rope traces should not cross over; the traces on this miss"s nape clearly cross in two places, because the rope had circled the neck twice…"
Shan Chao"s finger touched the corpse"s neck bones, and spoke in a low voice: "Even the bones have distinct damage, from this it is clear, the murderer was vicious and merciless."
Chen Haiping suddenly clenched his teeth, stepping up to crouch down, and his shivering fingers touched the corpse"s neck bones.
In the next moment he fiercely closed his eyes, the tears falling down immediately.
Everyone exchanged looks of dismay, their faces extremely fearful. Who could have expected that a simple accidental fire could in a moment actually change into a murder case, and these waves after waves, were simply unexpected, having never appeared even in plays!
"Who did it…" In the silence only Chen Haiping"s voice slowly rang out, and then he gritted his teeth: "Exactly who did it? Xiangrong was so young! Exactly what kind of deep hatred—!"
"You look back," Shan Chao looked him in the eye, voice level without the slightest tremor: "Look back and see your aunt, your cousin, and ask them who is the true murderer."
Chen Haiping"s pupils contracted, and he jerked his head back.
On the main seat Fu Wenjie looked away to avoid his gaze, and the Old Madam"s face had turned ashen, her body shaking, with one hand clutching her walking stick in a death grip.
"…what are you saying…impossible…" Chen Haiping gasped: "Xiangrong is their blood and flesh daughter, their sister, what nonsense are you saying…"
"Then what if the deceased was not Fu Xiangrong at all?"
The sentence ended, and everyone around looked thunderstruck, and the Old Madam"s face turned white right there, and almost swayed to the ground.
"Wha, what?" Chen Haiping stuttered: "It"s not Xiangrong?"
Shan Chao gave a cold laugh, maintain his half-kneeling posture on the ground, as he lightly lifted up the corpse"s hand and raised his own hand to compare the two:
"Have you seen the joints?"
Everyone stared blankly, only seeing the corpse and its charred flesh. The joints may look sinister, yet they were also exceedingly clear.
"The finger joints are much thicker than those of normal women, and only a bit smaller than mine, and this bulk seems to come from doing a lot of coa.r.s.e handicraft. Tell me, which young mistress pampered since young in her boudoir has such finger joints?"
Chen Haiping incredulously stared at the finger joints for a long while, and abruptly looked towards the corpse"s face which had been changed beyond recognition, his lips trembling speechlessly.
"Sure, sure enough…" The crowd behind began to raise a light hubbub, gradually blending together: "Sure enough it"s strange!"
"It"s not Young Mistress Fu?"
"The deceased is… fire…"
"Enough!" the Old Madam abruptly howled in rage, using her walking-stick to heavily strike the ground a few times: "What nonsense, this is precisely Xiangrong! Could this old body1 have two daughters? Don"t listen to this monk babbling nonsense!"
Shan Chao seemed to disregard this hysterical cursing. He put down the corpse"s hand, and used the white shroud to carefully cover it, until that horrifying corpse had been completely covered with nothing revealed, that he put his palms together and spoke the name of Buddha.
—within these syllables, he had never before expressed such pity, serenity or seriousness.
At that moment his entire body seemed to give off some kind of strength, which seemed to forcefully crush the fretting and doubtful mood prevalent in everyone present, just unconsciously standing there.
"Old Madam Fu."
Shan Chao stood up, and said:
"Do you need me to invite a coroner, and then go around inquiring to see if any young girls from poor families had gone missing, before you can speak the truth, yes or no?"
The young man"s valiant and refined frame stood tall and straight like a pine tree, the sunlight shining from behind him, outlining his silhouette of standing with weapon drawn, projected over the green bricks.
"……" Old Madam Fu trembled violently, opening her mouth before everyone"s eyes a few times, before she bit out a sentence: "You who delude the people with lies—"
"No need to say anymore, Mother," a sighing voice suddenly spoke up, saying: "Master is quite correct, this Fu truly admires it."
Low cries of alarm came from the crowd, and Chen Haiping spoke in grief and indignation: "Cousin!"
On the main seat, Fu Wenjie put down the hand which had been constantly rubbing his temples onto the table, showing his pale face, as an expression of helplessness floated up.
Chen Haiping abruptly got up: "What exactly is going on here, where is Xiangrong? Did you really—"
"Xiangrong is very safe, last night we sent her to to the villa behind the mountain, this entire arrangement was for her safety…" Fu Wenjie pointed towards the shrouded corpse, and gave a bitter laugh: "I was planning to carry out a plan where the plum withers to preserve the peach tree2, and escape the Mysterious Demon School"s forced marriage, and this corpse before you all, is a coa.r.s.e-work girl that our Manor went out last night and bought back."
The moment these words came out, everyone stared in astonishment, and only after a long while did a few senior disciples of the Qingcheng Sect speak in disapproval: "Young Master, human life is beyond value, how could you do this?"
A few others full of youthful vigour agreed in succession: "Exactly!" "Sword-Forging Manor has decades of foundation, how could they do such a thing?!" "This was still the family business of the late Alliance Master, to go as far as to kill people like scything gra.s.s, how would the Old Master under the nine springs3 be able to raise his head?"
The condemnations came in waves after waves, and Fu Wenjie looked around at everyone in the hall, the sorrow on his face growing heavier: "Everyone please remain calm, I too understand that such conduct is inappropriate, and carried out such a foolish plan for lack of better options…this servant girl"s parents have also received a large amount of silver, and were completely willing to do so, there was no swindling involved…"
He was still explaining, yet he was interrupted by an angered Shan Chao: "Completely willing to do so? Who knew if this agreement was obtained by Sword-Forging Manor"s coercion in every way, who even knows if—"
"That girl was also willing to do so?" this clear and cold voice suddenly resounded from behind the crowd.
Fu Wenjie immediately choked, and was immediately unable to continue.
Shan Chao looked back, to see Xie Yun leaning on one shoulder against a stone pillar, arms crossed, with an indifferent expression behind the gauze veil.
He did not seem like anyone else present with anger, sympathy, or loud remonstrations, if there was a need to describe him, he was distant and outside from this chaotic situation in the hall.
Yet for some reason, when Shan Chao spotted Xie Yun, his heart was abruptly put to rest.
As if subconsciously he knew that this person stood at his side, and no matter how the situation became treacherous, dangerous and adverse, Miss Long would always stay with him, just as in the past, unchanging.
"What do you all know? If this girl does not die, my daughter would have to marry into that cult of the martial-arts circles, is not my daughter innocent!" Old Madam Fu pushed aside the maid who had come up to lend an arm to support, and used her walking-stick to point to Shan Chao, bellowing: "How could a person with such vicious intentions still exist under the sun, at last I have seen it this day! What hatred or complaint does my Sword-Forging Manor have with you, that you must say these before everyone"s faces? Are you looking forward to my daughter marrying into that shameful place, so that you can gain something, is it?—yes or no!"
The Old Madam"s wails made her hoa.r.s.e, and her gaze hateful as if dipped into poison, yet under the sunlight and shadow Shan Chao"s expression was unconcerned, and not even his voice was stirred the least bit:
"The matter of the Mysterious Demon School forcing a marriage with Sword-Forging Manor, no matter how unjust or helpless, should not implicate the life of an innocent third party. No one is ent.i.tled to use money to buy out the lives and deaths of others."
He turned his wrist to take out the Seven Stars Longyuan on his back, his hand holding the scabbard, held horizontal before everyone, slowly showing it around.
The man"s deep gaze was grave and steady, as if imperceptibly, it held a sort of overwhelming power which could conquer every obstacle.
"On this day if the Mysterious Demon School failed to force the marriage, and wished to exterminate the Sword-Forging Manor, then they must first snap this sword in my hand, and cross over my body of seven feet; at that time I believe that everybody present and even the entire martial-arts circle of the Jianghu, would not watch blankly with folded arms."
"Yet if any innocent party was to die here, even were it a common girl from a poor family, even were it a coa.r.s.e-work girl as lowly as the mole cricket and ants, this is no different from the extermination of the entire Sword-Forging Manor—"
Shan Chao"s every word echoed in the silent atmosphere, shaking and transcending the red-lacquered paulownia and carved beams with patterned tiles, resounding in this solemn main hall which had towered countless years under this sunlight:
"The lifetime matter of your Fu family"s Young Mistress, the wedding of the foremost beauty of the Jianghu, and even the grand prestige of your Sword-Forging Manor"s estate accrued over a lifetime."
"In my eyes, it is the same as the life of this coa.r.s.e-work girl currently in this hall, and has the same measure."
Translator"s Notes Chapter 10: Forensic Science in Tang-dynasty China
Joseph Needham records in his series Science and Civilisation in China of a long tradition of forensic science stemming from the Han dynasty onwards. The oldest forensic textbook known is The Washing Away of Wrongs 洗冤集录 by Song Ci, compiled during the later Southern Song dynasty. However we must note that Song Ci was only the first person to compile a long tradition of ancient coroners and their works, setting out the procedures and things to look out for in formal writing.
I must also note that this book is set in the coming era of Di Renjie. In history Di is more known for his role in governance, and less in solving crimes - that comes from his appearance in the Qing-era gong"an novels and then his newest appearances in movies, TV series, etc. Ironically, later in history he would fall afoul of Lai Junchen, who wrote the Manual of Accusation which tell the reader how to manufacture false evidence in a Tang-era court of law.
Having laid out a background of the existence of ancient Chinese forensic knowledge and counter-knowledge, Shan Chao"s explanation, while slightly tinged with the supernatural, would make sense in this pseudo-mystical world of Tang China where science and superst.i.tion are deeply intertwined. Given some of the later events in the books—dragons and giant tortoises and strange weather phenomena—the ability to reason logically rather than accept at face value is one of the cla.s.sic lessons in this story that I believe is always worth taking away.
On a fun note, probably no forensic examination in the world could ever account for Xie Yun"s youthful looks. Like, on all the physical book-covers, Sis Yun remains eternally young and beautiful, while Shan Chao grows up. I really have to do some notes on beauty treatments in the future.
- LLS
1 ZH: 老身 - first-person p.r.o.noun for older women.
2 ZH: 李代桃僵 - figuratively means a subst.i.tution.
3 ZH: 九泉 - synonym for the Chinese underworld.
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