The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (ENGLISH TRANSLATION)

CH 22

The conversation coming to that point, Li Man, of course, could not offend Tang Fan too greatly, so he had to personally bring him to Lady Zhang’s living space and let him go in for an inspection.

Her corpse had already been moved to a side room. This area was the equivalent of a crime scene, but because the body had been shifted, said scene was thus equivalently destroyed. At first look, it was difficult to find any clues of use.

Ah-Chun followed after, repeating to him what she had seen and heard after she had come in here. When he heard her say that she shut the window, he went behind that screen, opened said window, carefully looked it over, then walked back to the inner room.

The rope Lady Zhang had hung from the beam was still there, likely because after her body was carried away, no one had the mind to go untie it. The stool next to her hanging site had also been overturned onto the floor.

Ah-Chun tailed him, on edge, and looked on as he rummaged through the disheveled bed for a spell, then as he lifted the sheets hanging off of the bed, examined them for a time, and went to feel about past them.

When he straightened back up, he had a jade earring in hand. The jade was quite exquisite, carved into a lotus shape with silver tassels hanging below it.

“Do you recognize this?” he asked.

She nodded. “It’s something of the Madam’s.”

“I found it under the pillow.”

Ah-Chun gave an ah. “I’m guessing that she forgot to take it off before she went to sleep, and then it accidentally fell onto the bed?”

“Why is there only one, then? Where’s the other?”

She was unsure. “Maybe it’s on the bed, too?”

He nodded, handing the earring to her. “You go on and put it away, then.”

Li Man saw Tang Fan exit from where he stood outside the door. “Have you gained anything, Sir?” he questioned.

Tang Fan shook his head. “No gains at all. Perhaps your good wife really did hang herself.”

Li Man sighed, the disappointment on his face plain to see. “Honestly speaking, I was actually hoping that someone had brought harm to her. If that was the case, the true killer could be found, and her spirit would be comforted in the Heavens.”

“You can think of it this way,” Tang Fan replied, “her heart will definitely be at peace, because she won’t have to bother with the concubine you brought back from outside.”

Li Man was shamed from his words, immediately after which he got a bit angry. Even if Tang Fan was a Dynasty official, taking a concubine was a family matter. How was it this guy’s place to criticize him?

Tang Fan was disinclined to care about how Li Man felt. After leaving the house, he went straight to Wanping County, sought out its Magistrate, and then discussed the matter with them, asking that they send people to go investigate Lady Zhang’s body.

The Li’s didn’t want to report to the authorities, but he still wanted Wanping County to take a round over there. It was, if nothing else, in regards to Madam Li having constantly treated him well; if she really had died unjustly, then he wanted to get justice for her, no matter what.

Officials of higher rank crushed those lower than them to death. Tang Fan was only from the sixth rank, but he was a member of Shuntian Prefecture regardless, which was in direct control of Wanping County. After hearing him out, the Magistrate didn’t dare to slight him, and sent a Deputy and Registrar over at once.