Unglaublich

Kapitel 7

"What grudge does that steward have against the Ning Palace Guard?"

"Steward Ning Fu is fifty-two years old this year. He has been a steward in the Ning family for thirty years and a servant for forty years. He has been with the Ning family patriarch since he was twelve years old, and together they built the family business. His status in the family is far different from that of an ordinary steward! He often acts as the second-in-command in the Ning family! Ning Gongwei has long disliked him. When the Ning family patriarch was in charge, Ning Gongwei didn't dare to do anything, but ever since the eldest son, Ning Gong'an, took over the affairs of the Ning family, and the patriarch divided the business among his three sons, Ning Gongwei has tried every means to ostracize Ning Fu. Once, he even found a pretext to almost kick Ning Fu out. If it weren't for the patriarch's intervention, this matter would have blown up. Ning Fu hates Ning Gongwei to the core!"

"Now that we've found the Ning Palace Guards' enemies in the Ning residence, how can you say we've gained nothing?"

“Last night, Ning Fu stayed with the old master of the Ning family, along with several servants. He didn’t have time to commit the crime!”

Qian Botang hurriedly said, "Ning Mengshi had the time to commit the crime; I've already checked that."

“Ning Mengshi is too weak to even kill a chicken. If she committed the crime, there would be no way she could have left so many signs of struggle at the scene. Besides, it is really illogical for a woman to go to her brother-in-law late at night. Also, Ning Gongwei was wearing a nightgown when he died. A brother-in-law would never wear such clothes when he sees his sister-in-law.”

"It's neither this nor that. Who could it be?"

As the two were talking, Zhang Wentao walked in, grinning as he entered, and said, "I've got it! I've got it!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Botang stepped forward and asked, "Lord Zhang, have you already found the murderer?"

"I just examined the body and found that the knife wound was angled to the left. Although it pierced the heart, it was in the middle of the chest. Only a left-handed person could make such a wound. And among the Ning and Wei families, there are four left-handed people. One is the old master of the Ning family, but he can be ruled out; one is Wei Ningshi, but she has also been ruled out; the third is Ning Gong'an's ten-year-old son, but that's impossible; the fourth is Ning Gong'an himself!"

“Is it Ning Gong’an?” Qian Botang never expected that the murderer would be this gentle and kind master of the Ning family.

"I've already had people check the accounts of the eldest son's family and extracted the truth from the accountant. Within the last three years, Ning Gong'an has remitted two sums of silver to his son, who does business in Guangzhou, each amounting to over 100,000 taels. However, I haven't seen him pawn any land or shops. This money might be related to Ning Gongwei's death. There's no time to lose, Chen Wenwei, pass down the order to arrest Ning Gong'an now!"

Thirty-three

In the secluded courtyard, the scorching June sun blazed down.

“I’m innocent! There are more than four left-handed people in my household. There’s one more you haven’t found!” Ning Gong’an knelt before Zhang Wentao and loudly protested.

"Who is it?" Zhang asked Tao in surprise.

"It's Ning Chenggao, the steward of the second branch of the family! He's also left-handed! He was at the Ning residence last night too!"

Zhang Wentao immediately ordered the constables to take Ning Chenggao to a side courtyard. Ning Chenggao knelt on the ground, shouting his innocence, but he couldn't produce any evidence that he was not at the crime scene the previous night, only saying that he had gone to bed early because he wasn't feeling well. Moreover, Ning Chenggao also had a motive to kill Ning Gongwei. He was Ning Mengshi's steward, and Ning Mengshi had a grudge against Ning Gongwei!

Of the two people, one must be the murderer? Who is it?

Zhang Wentao pondered, unable to make a decision for the time being!

The courtyard suddenly became eerily quiet, with only the cicadas chirping incessantly.

Qian Botang was overweight and sensitive to heat, so he kept wiping his sweat with a handkerchief.

Suddenly, Chen Wenwei walked up to Ning Gong'an and said, "Ning Gong'an, do you think I don't know what you and Ning Gongwei did? You plotted to kill someone because of a dispute over the division of spoils. If you confess on the spot today, I might save you some face! If you still refuse to confess, I will expose the truth and make you utterly disgraced, so that you won't be able to be buried in your ancestral grave after death!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Gong'an's eyes suddenly went blank, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, whispering, "My lord is wise, I am willing to confess. I only beg you, sir, to dismiss all the other people in my household from the courtyard."

Zhang Wentao ordered everyone else to leave, and the yamen runners guarded the gate, leaving only Qian Botang and Chen Wenwei in the courtyard. Then he said, "You may speak."

"I deserve to die. I was overcome with greed. Seeing how easily Ning Gongwei swindled money from the second wife's family, I joined him in his evil deeds. He operated in the open, while I operated in the shadows. We swindled all of Ning Mengshi's money. Last night, when I was dividing the accounts with him, he suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to stop. He demanded that we return half of the money we had previously obtained to Ning Mengshi. I refused, and we started arguing. He threatened to report me, saying that I had embezzled far more money from the second wife's family than he had, and that he wasn't afraid of being implicated." He was ultimately less guilty than I was. In a moment of fear, fueled by my drunken state, I conceived the idea of killing him to silence him. I reached for the short sword on the wall. Ning Gongwei, seeing me with the sword, tried to snatch it, and the two wrestled all the way to the hall. In the end, I was stronger and managed to wrest the sword from him, plunging it into his chest. Later, seeing that Ning Gongwei was truly dead, I sobered up instantly, filled with remorse and fear. Just then, my nephew, Wei Chengying, entered the courtyard, wanting my third brother to examine his jade. Upon seeing this scene, he was utterly terrified.

I hurriedly told him that I had seen Ning Gongwei bullying the second branch of the family and couldn't stand it. Today, on Father's birthday, I came to persuade him to change his mind. However, the two argued and fought, and somehow I ended up with a sword. I didn't intend to hurt my third brother. Wei Chengying didn't know what to do, so he consulted his mother. My third sister was a very filial person. She said that my second brother had died young, and now my third brother was dead. If I were to face legal trouble and lose my life, the old master would not be able to bear the blow. Moreover, if I left the Ning family, her eldest nephew was far away in Guangzhou, and no one could support the family. The Ning family would surely decline in the future, which would be even more disrespectful to our ancestors. So she agreed to take the blame for me. Upon hearing this, her nephew Wei Chengying also cried and offered to take the blame for his mother. After the three of them discussed it, they came up with a story about Wei Chengying resisting adultery and stabbing his third brother to death.

We went to the main house in the front yard, concealed the truth, and instead told them about the murder while resisting rape. Everyone was in a panic, unwilling to let Wei Chengying face legal trouble. Finally, it was her son-in-law, Wei Wende, who came up with a plan: to stage the scene to look like a thief committing murder. Everyone thought it was feasible, so they faked the scene. Wei Wende, however, feared the authorities would discover the so-called truth about Wei Chengying killing her third brother. He proposed that Wei Chengying first hide in Daze Mountain, while they would roast the body at home, thus creating evidence that Wei Chengying was not at the scene of the crime by postponing the time of the incident. Since everyone agreed, my sister and I couldn't object, so we had to agree.”

Thirty-four

Zhang Wentao uncovered the truth and brought Ning Gong Ansuo to justice. The three returned to the government office around 9 PM, when the moon was bright and the stars were few, and the lanterns were just lit. Only then did they realize they were hungry, so they set up a banquet in the West Flower Hall.

After the food and wine were served, Qian Botang said to Zhang Wentao and Chen Wenwei, "Lord Zhang found two suspects first, and Chen Wenwei identified the real culprit later. You are both excellent judges, and I admire you very much. However, there is one part of the case that I really don't understand, and I would like to ask you for your guidance."

Zhang asked Tao, "Tell me."

"Since both Ning Gong'an and Ning Chenggao are left-handed, and both had motives and opportunities to commit the crimes, why does Brother Chen believe that Ning Gong'an is the real culprit, rather than Ning Chenggao?"

Chen Wenwei poured himself a cup of wine and said, "Only Ning Gong'an would have the face, the talent, and the reason to make the Wei family mother and son take the blame! If it really was Ning Mengshi and her servant who did it, given Ning Mengshi's status in the Ning family and Ning Chenggao's position as a steward, they would have been exposed long ago! Not to mention that no one would take the blame for them. Alas, Ning Gong'an has used all the tricks of human relationships and the coldness of the world, but in the end, the net of heaven is vast, and no one can escape the law!" After saying this, he drank the wine in one gulp!

Great Qing Shen Duan Thirty Five

On the 20th day of the seventh month of the ninth year of the Jiaqing reign, at a small manor located in Zhaoyuan County, Laizhou Prefecture.

The setting sun was like blood, and the summer wind was like waves. The layers of tiled houses and woodcutters, and the crisscrossing fields and paths, were all painted with a thick layer of blood red, immersed in the last wave of summer heat in the July twilight, exuding a burning aura.

In the twilight, a middle-aged man in his forties, holding an axe in one hand and an unlit lantern in the other, walked toward a lonely old house.

He gently pushed open the courtyard gate, the dilapidated wooden door creaking gratingly. The middle-aged man walked through the knee-high weeds to the front of the old house. He put down the lantern, raised his axe, and with a few strokes, cleaved open the rusty lock on the door.

He gently pushed the door open.

With a series of swift movements, three sharp arrows pierced the middle-aged man's throat, chest, and abdomen. He let out a single groan before collapsing into a pool of blood.

On the afternoon of the second day, around 3 PM, Zhang Wentao arrived in a hurry with Chen Wenwei and Qian Botang.

The local magistrate, You Huanke, had been waiting five miles outside the manor. Upon seeing Zhang Wentao, he hurriedly stepped forward, presented his hand tablet, and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency has had a long journey."

Zhang Wentao laughed and said, "Why bother to greet him from afar?" He then noticed a young official in his early thirties beside You Huanke. The official was wearing an eight-dragon, five-clawed robe, a cormorant-patterned tunic, and a white glass cap. He was a sixth-rank official, but he was a complete stranger to the man.

Zhang asked Tao, "And who is this?"

The young official stepped forward, bowed, and said, "I am Chang Zhesong, the magistrate of Daxing County, Shuntian Prefecture, and the owner of this manor. I am currently at home in March due to the death of my father, and because of my poor health, I have not yet had the opportunity to pay my respects to you, sir."

"Wasn't it said that the middle-aged woman Jiang Lan, who just died, was the owner of this manor? How come there's a second owner now?"

"In reply to your question, sir. This manor was originally run by my late father. Several years ago, he made a will to bequeath one-fifth of the manor to his steward, Jiang Lan. This year, my late father suddenly passed away, and according to the will, a section in the northwest of the manor was given to him, so there are now two manors."

"So that's how it is. The old house where the accident happened is in Jiang Lan's estate?"

"Exactly."

"Why didn't anyone from the Jiang family come?"

"Jiang Lan's son has gone to the provincial capital to prepare for the autumn examination. His wife, Jiang Chengshi, is too grief-stricken to come and greet him. I hope you will forgive her."

“It’s only natural to grieve for loved ones and the deceased! There’s nothing to blame us for! Let’s go and check on the old house where the accident happened.”

“My lord, you have traveled a long way and are exhausted from your journey. Please rest at my residence first before you begin your investigation.”

"No problem, you can lead the way."

It was the hottest time of day, not a breath of wind in sight, and the sunlight pierced through like arrows, radiating intense heat everywhere. The solitary, gray old house, nestled in a corner of the estate, seemed to radiate heat like a brick kiln that had just been extinguished.

You Huanke had already ordered a shaded area to be built over Jiang Lan's corpse, but after only a few hours, the stench of death still permeated the air. A large swarm of flies excitedly circled the body, and two constables used long-handled fans to drive them away.

Zhang Wentao walked over and bent down to look. He saw three short arrows stuck in the deceased's throat, chest, and abdomen.

Chang Zhesong said, "Shortly after the incident yesterday, I had the courtyard cordoned off. If there were people inside, they must still be there now."

"No need. There's no murderer in the house. Jiang Lan was killed by a trap set inside."

Chang Zhesong asked in surprise, "Really? How did you know, sir?"

"Look, the short arrows have obvious rust. Only mechanisms that have been set up for a long time without being activated would leave this kind of rust. If there really is a murderer, who would use a rusty weapon? Also, each arrow has several slight locking marks at the tail, which is a common feature of traps and hidden weapons!"

After speaking, Zhang Wentao stood up. A yamen runner brought over a basin of water, and Zhang Wentao washed his hands, then asked Chang Zhesong, "Do you know the origin of this room? Has anyone been here before?"

“I have been studying and working away from home for seven or eight years. This manor was bought by my late father five years ago, so I don’t know anything about it. During the limited time I lived in the manor, I never saw anyone enter it. Moreover, my late father’s will specifically mentioned that no one was allowed to enter this house.”

"That's rather strange. It seems that the old housekeeper, Jiang Lan, suffered this misfortune because she went against the late master's wishes. What secrets does this old house hold? Have you searched the area around this courtyard? Have you found any footprints or traces of strangers?"

"Well—I was in a hurry at the time, so I sent my servants to surround the house. I'm afraid there are already thousands of footprints around the house now," Chang Zhesong said awkwardly.

Zhang Wentao looked at him suspiciously and said, "You've been a county magistrate and presided over cases before, how could you do something so foolish as to destroy the crime scene?" Then, he changed the subject and said, "Brother Chang, could you give me an ox?"

Chang Zhesong was completely bewildered and stammered, "Lord Zhang, you...you mean, you want a cow?"

"This room is too gloomy; we need to sacrifice a cow's blood. Are you willing to do that?"

“Sir, you have come all this way for this case, going through so much trouble. What is killing a cow compared to that? Please wait a moment, sir, I will have someone fetch it.”

Qian Botang knew that Zhang Wentao had never believed in ghosts or spirits, and wondered why he was doing this. When Chang Zhesong turned around to instruct the servants to prepare the ox, he quietly asked Zhang Wentao, "Teacher, are you really going to kill an ox? It's only late afternoon, the yang energy is at its peak, where would a ghost come from?"

Zhang Wentao smiled and said, "Don't worry, you'll know in a moment."

Not long after, a farmhand led over a large bull.

Zhang Wentao ordered his men to prepare Jiang Lan's body for burial. Then he said to Chen Wenwei, "Drive this ox into the house. Be careful, there might be traps inside." He then told the others, "Everyone, stay thirty paces away from this house and don't stand directly in front of the door."

Everyone stood in line as instructed. Then, Chen Wenwei pulled out a knife and stabbed the cow's rump hard, saying, "Could you please go and scout the way?" The cow mooed in pain and charged straight into the house.

As soon as the ox rushed in, there was a sound of tables being overturned and then a series of arrows being fired. The ox, hit by arrows inside, became even more disoriented, charging around recklessly. It went on for half an hour before finally quieting down.

Everyone was shocked. Forgetting the heat, they stopped fanning themselves and stood frozen in place, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Hearing no further movement from inside, Chen Wenwei said to Zhang Wentao, "Sir, I'll go in and scout ahead!" He then picked up his knife and went inside. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he came out and said, "It's alright now. Bring in a few more men to search the house. Officer Wang, bring a few men in."

Chief Constable Wang, accompanied by several constables, each carrying a broadsword, entered the old house.

A short while later, several more pitiful cries could be heard from inside.

You Huanke's body trembled upon hearing this, and he asked, "What is it now?"

Qian Botang, however, was very curious and peered into the doorway. Suddenly, Chen Wenwei emerged with a live creature on a knife, startling Qian Botang. He jumped aside and exclaimed, "What is that?"

Chen Wenwei laughed and said, "Did I scare you? Have you ever seen such a big rat?"

The group looked over and saw a rat, bigger than a cat, stuck on the tip of the knife. It was plump, black, and looked very fierce. It was writhing on the tip of the knife and baring its teeth, biting wildly in the air.

Qian Botang spat and said, "Brother Chen, you still have the mind to make jokes like this?"

You Huanke also said, "Such a big rat is really rare. As the saying goes, a big rat can become a spirit. I hope it doesn't actually become a spirit."

Chen Wenwei said, "It might have already become a spirit. Look at its teeth."

Having said that, he lifted the rat high. In the sunlight, everyone could clearly see that the rat's two large teeth gleamed with a golden light, extremely dazzling and eye-catching.

"Gold Tooth!" Zhang Wentao, You Huanke, Qian Botang, and Chang Zhesong all exclaimed in unison.

"What's going on?" Chang Zhesong asked in surprise.

Qian Botang said, "A rat with gold teeth? Could it have really become a spirit?"

Yu Huan squinted in the sunlight and said, "Interesting, very interesting."

Zhang Wentao walked over and examined the rat with gold teeth for a while before saying, "There isn't just one, is there?"

Just then, Constable Wang picked out a large rat and said, "Another golden-toothed rat."