The Great Qing Divine Judgment

Chapter 5

A short while later, Cheng Dong was brought up and made to kneel beside the campfire.

"Cheng Dong, I ask you, why did you kill Ji Fu?"

“I’m innocent! Ji Fushi was burned to death in the fire. You can have an autopsy if you don’t believe me.”

“What a cunning madman! Do you think I can’t tell? When a living person is burned to death, they always struggle, so they are charred all over, and the charred areas are very uneven. But when a dead person is burned, the charred areas on the ground are not obvious, while the other parts are uniformly charred.”

"Ji Fu was drunk that night, and he was probably burned to death without realizing it."

"Hmph, you still want to argue? Let me tell you: whenever a living person is burned, their mouth and nose will always inhale a lot of soot; but a corpse that dies first and is then burned will have a clean mouth and nose."

"What you say may not be accurate, sir."

Ji Xiaolan angrily said, "You treacherous disciple! Lord Zhang's analysis is perfectly logical and refute, yet you still insist on denying it. It seems you won't confess without severe torture. Guards!"

"Wait a moment, Your Excellency," Zhang Wentao waved his hand and said, "I have two live pigs here. I will kill one and throw it into the fire, and tie up the other and burn it alive. What do you think of the result?"

Having said this, he ordered his men to burn the pigs as instructed. The bailiffs threw one pig, dead and one alive, into the fire, and after they were charred, they dragged them out. The coroner stepped forward and used a sharp knife to pry open the mouths of both pigs. After examining them, he reported to his superiors: "Reporting to Your Excellency, Magistrate Zhang, and County Magistrate, there was a large amount of soot in the mouth of the live pig, but the mouth of the dead pig was very clean."

Zhang Wentao slammed his gavel and shouted at Cheng Dong, "What else do you have to say? Ji Fu was originally going back to his hometown in Shandong, so he was carrying a large sum of money. You were determined to renege on your debt and coveted the cash he was carrying, so you decided to kill him. But the net of justice is inescapable, how can you escape? If you still don't confess, I will make you taste what it's like to be roasted alive."

Cheng Dong collapsed to the ground, kowtowing and saying, "I shouldn't have been so greedy. I smothered Ji Fu to death with a blanket in the middle of the night, and then set fire to the body to cover up the crime. I am willing to pay with my life to repay this debt!"

The Great Qing Divine Judgment Twenty-Two

On the third day of the ninth month, at the residence of Prince Hui of Jin.

For several days, the case made no progress, and Yonglin was extremely frustrated. He had assured his brother, Jiaqing, that with Zhang Wentao as his right-hand man, the case would be resolved within a month. Yonglin knew that Jiaqing also wanted a quick resolution. Having just assumed power, Emperor Jiaqing inherited a mess left to him by Qianlong: the White Lotus Rebellion, though led by Wang Cong'er and Yao Zhifu, had not yet subsided; Cai Qian was gathering followers along the coasts of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong, and his influence was growing; furthermore, the livelihoods of the Eight Banners, the deficit in funds and grain, the problems with river transport, official corruption, and France's covetousness of coastal islands all caused Jiaqing great anxiety. He wished he could be in several places at once to quickly resolve these issues, in order to stabilize the country and revitalize the nation. He did not want the internal strife to consume too much of his energy. He needed to quickly stabilize the palace so that he could focus all his attention on state affairs.

Yonglin was deep in thought when a servant came to report that Zhang Wentao requested an audience. He put down his teacup on the coffee table, stood up, and said, "Zhang Wentao has finally arrived. He must have brought good news. Please come in quickly!"

Not long after, Zhang Wentao was led to the study by his family. Before he could even sit down, Yonglin asked, "How did it go? How did Chihuo Ziyan die? Was it murder or suicide?"

"I have found evidence that it was murder."

"Good!" Yonglin excitedly took a few steps and said, "As expected of the Great Qing's Divine Judgment, it really has a set of skills."

Zhang Wentao smiled and said, "I was also completely baffled and still hesitant. Just then, Minister Ji asked me to go to the capital to solve a case. I deduced from the absence of ash in the victim's mouth that he was first murdered and then his body burned to cover up the crime. After solving this case, I suddenly remembered that when I examined Chi Huo Zi Yan's body, because of the haste and my flustered state of mind, and because I didn't find any signs of water, fire, poison, or torture, I hadn't carefully examined the victim's mouth, throat, genitals, anus, and other private areas. After returning from Wanping County, I immediately re-examined the body and indeed found strange injuries on the corpse."

Both the corpses of Chi Huo and Zi Yan had severe burns at the base of their tongues, suggesting they might have ingested an extremely scalding liquid before death. However, strangely, there were no burn marks on their palate, gums, lips, or other parts of their tongues. Their throats were also covered in burns. Clearly, someone had forcibly poured a scalding liquid down their throats using a funnel, thus only injuring the area below the base of their tongues. What exactly was poured down their throats?

I cut open the stomachs of both corpses and found nothing unusual. But when I cut open the throats, I found the tracheas filled with tin.

Upon hearing this, Yonglin couldn't help but exclaim, "Who came up with this method? It's truly insidious and vicious!"

Zhang Wentao continued, "Therefore, it must have been Prince Cheng who bribed the jailers in the imperial prison and taught them this method. First, they drugged the two men's food to make them unconscious, and then they killed them by pouring tin over their mouths."

Twenty-three

After analyzing the case, Zhang Wentao and Yonglin immediately went to the Dali Temple and interrogated the jailers and officials detained at the Prison God Temple. At first, these men thought the matter was well-hidden and that Zhang Wentao had no evidence to convict them, so they all steadfastly denied it. Zhang Wentao sneered and said, "After half a day of interrogation, you must be thirsty. Here's some tea!" Several yamen runners immediately brought them tea and placed it before them. Looking down, they saw it wasn't tea at all, but clearly molten tin. After staring at it for a while, they looked up at each other in disbelief, and then one by one confessed.

The two-year-long murder case of Mu Qingyi finally came to a close. Emperor Jiaqing dismissed Prince Cheng from all his posts, exempting him from all duties within the inner court, and ordered him to reflect on his actions in seclusion at his residence. He was also fined half his salary for ten years. Princess Chengyi, of the Guarjia clan, was ordered to be imprisoned for life by the Imperial Clan Court. All other involved parties were sentenced to death by hanging. However, the mysterious figure who suggested the tin-melting method of murder disappeared.

Yonglin was about to report the facts and issue an arrest warrant nationwide. However, Zhang Wentao dissuaded him, and Yonglin asked in bewilderment, "This man is too despicable. He actually came up with such a vicious trick. I can't quell my hatred without killing him. Why are you stopping me?"

“Your Highness, I grew up with my master since childhood, and we are as close as father and son. My master has three sons. The eldest son lives in seclusion in the mountains with my master, the second son runs the family business in a county in Shanxi. The third son is very intelligent, but he has been unruly and disobedient since childhood, and he makes friends indiscriminately. Later, he was expelled from the family by my master and his whereabouts are unknown. I have found out that his surname is Shi (十) and his given name is Kou (口), which are homophones that form an ancient character; his ancestral home is also in a county in Shanxi, and he is skilled in the art of analyzing cases and investigating crimes. It must be my third brother without a doubt. In fact, in terms of both sentiment and law, he does not deserve to die, but the emperor has ordered that, except for members of the royal family, everyone else in this case, regardless of their role or severity, shall be hanged. I really cannot bring myself to kill him. Although I have let him go this time, if he does not repent and continues to aid and abet evil, he will surely not escape divine retribution!”

Twenty-four

The following year, in the late spring of March.

The incessant rain, lasting for days without a clear sky, caused the peach and apricot blossoms at the Five-Mile Pavilion outside Yongding Gate in Beijing to be blown down by the wind, leaving a messy, muddy landscape. A winding, damp pebble path, a tapestry of crimson, pink, and white blossoms, filled Zhang Wentao, who was about to leave the capital for his new post in Laizhou Prefecture, Shandong, with a growing sense of melancholy.

Because Zhang Wentao was extremely famous and well-liked, a group of his colleagues and influential figures from the capital, who admired him, held a farewell banquet at the long pavilion outside the city. After the banquet, everyone took their leave, some holding hands and choking back tears, others offering words of advice. Zhang Wentao bowed and thanked them all. After seeing everyone off, only three people remained at the five-mile-long pavilion. Besides Zhang Wentao, there was Prince Yonglin of Jin Hui, and the other was Ji Xiaolan, the seventy-seven-year-old Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary.

The rain outside the pavilion gradually subsided, with only a few raindrops occasionally carried by a cool breeze. Prince Yonglin of Jinhui walked up to Zhang Wentao, took his hand, and said, "Zhang Wentao, I truly do not understand your request to be transferred to an outside post. The capital is like the North Star, and the prefectures and counties of the empire are merely the stars surrounding it. Why would you rather abandon the central government for a remote post? Can you really not find the prosperity and convenience of the capital to your liking?"

Ji Xiaolan raised his copper pipe and took two deep drags, then said with regret, “In your three years at the Dali Temple, you adjudicated over two thousand long-pending cases, with not a single wrongful conviction. Your reputation soared, and the whole country knew of you. Emperor Gaozong bestowed upon you the title ‘The Great Qing Divine Judge.’ You also solved the major case of Prince Cheng’s murder of an official. You were at the height of your promising future, yet why did you cut off your own path and choose to remain in a corner? Didn’t you see those fallen petals outside the pavilion? Stuck in the mud, their vibrant colors and fragrance tarnished, it’s truly pitiful.”

Zhang Wentao gave a wry smile and said to the two men, "It is true that I live in the capital and look down upon the world, with great influence and a bright future. However, I always find those piles of official documents and paperwork tedious and tasteless. I only want to find a place where I can put my talents to use and test my abilities to be resourceful and skilled in my own area. Only then can I live up to my unrestrained spirit and romantic sentiments. Your Highness and Grand Secretary, please do not worry about me."

The Great Qing Divine Judgment Twenty-Five

One year later, in June, at dawn.

A violent storm with thunder and lightning shook Laizhou Prefecture in Shandong Province.

The sky, as black as ink, was intermittently ripped open by streaks of lightning, illuminating the earth in a ghastly white light before plunging it back into deep darkness. The thunder rumbled and roared, rolling back and forth, its sound terrifying. A torrential downpour poured from the sky, crashing against the earth with a deafening roar. In the gardens, banana leaves, scattered here and there, were a vibrant green; in the ponds, lotus petals, one above the other, were scattered, their red blossoms in disarray. Thousands of tiny waterfalls cascaded from the eaves and walls, flowing down into courtyards and streets, converging into streams that flowed directly towards the Nanyang River outside the city.

Summer downpours come and go quickly. At 6:30 AM, the rain stopped and the thunder ceased. The sun rose, its rays warm and gentle, the sky clear and blue, and the earth a vibrant green. Just then, a rider galloped out of the Ning family mansion, a wealthy and powerful family on the banks of the Nanyang River outside Laizhou City. The rider shouted as he rode, "Make way! Make way! Someone's been killed! Report to the authorities!"

Because the Ning family mansion was not far outside Laizhou city, the Laizhou government sent people in less than an hour. A blue official sedan chair carried by two men led the way, followed by a gray sedan chair. Seven or eight constables and bailiffs followed behind. The two sedan chairs stopped in front of the Ning mansion, and two people stepped out from each. The man from the official sedan chair wore a plain gold-topped hat, a robe with five pythons and four claws, and an outer robe with a round collar, straight sleeves, and embroidered patterns. He walked steadily and had a dignified demeanor; he was Chen Wenwei, the prefect of Laizhou. The man from the sedan chair was a plump, fair-skinned man with a large face, small eyes, and red lips. He wore a crimson gauze robe, but because of the heat, he wasn't wearing a jacket. He was Qian Botang, the prefect of Laizhou and a disciple of the famous Qing Dynasty fortune teller Zhang Wentao.

That day, Zhang Wentao happened to be in the fields of the surrounding counties and villages to inspect the summer planting situation. Since the assistant magistrate Ye Jinli was unfamiliar with criminal law, he sent the magistrate Chen Wenwei to investigate the case. Qian Botang had been waiting in Laizhou for more than half a year since he became Zhang Wentao's apprentice at the end of last year, but he had never encountered a major case. This time, he had come across a major murder case, so he could not miss it. He asked Chen Wenwei for a favor and came along as well.

Ning Gong'an, the eldest son of the Ning family, was already waiting at the door with a group of family members. Upon seeing Chen Wenwei, he hurriedly knelt down and said, "Master, I am Ning Gong'an, the master of this house. My family was robbed last night, and my third brother was killed. It was a terrible disaster! We rely entirely on you, Master, to help us find the real culprit and avenge my third brother."

Chen Wenwei observed that the man appeared to be in his fifties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and a straight nose. He was wiping away tears as he spoke, so Chen Wenwei went over and helped him up, saying, "The long arm of the law will prevail; I will certainly investigate this case thoroughly." He then asked, "Has anyone else been injured?"

"No, only the third brother, Ning Gongwei, died from a knife wound."

"Did you write down the lost order?"

“Here it is.” Ning Gong’an presented the lost item list.

Chen Wenwei looked at the missing items list and asked, "That's strange. Why was only your third brother Ning Gongwei's room burglarized? Have you checked everything in the other rooms? Are you sure nothing is missing?"

"Well—it's possible that the thief went to my third brother's house first, killed someone, and got a lot of things. He had no intention of stealing anymore, so he didn't go into any other houses, and there were no more thefts."

Why would the thieves go to Ning Gongwei's room first?

Ning Gong'an sighed and said, "I don't know either. Master, it's not convenient to talk here. Please come to the study with this gentleman."

"No rush, this theft is rather strange. Let me examine the scene first. You lead the way."

"Yes."

Chen Wenwei put away the lost receipt and followed Ning Gong'an into the Ning Mansion with Zhang Wentao. From the outside, they could only see the tall walls of the mansion, but once inside, they realized that the mansion was extremely grand and luxurious, imposing and majestic, clearly belonging to a very wealthy family.

Upon entering, one is greeted by a large brick-carved screen depicting the auspicious symbols of fortune, prosperity, and longevity. Passing the screen, a long, nine-foot-nine-foot-wide blue brick path leads to a two-story hall. From top to bottom, the brickwork is adorned with carvings of the five auspicious symbols (pine, bamboo, plum, water, and moon) and the four seasonal flowers (peony, lotus, chrysanthemum, and snow plum). Beyond the hall lies a spacious courtyard, over an acre in size, with watchtowers and pavilions dotting the distant walls. A short walk from the main gate leads to a hanging flower gate, flanked by covered walkways. In the center is a central passageway with a large marble screen on a rosewood frame. Beyond the screen is a small three-room hall, behind which lies the main courtyard. The main building has five rooms, all with carved beams and painted rafters, flanked by covered walkways and side rooms, where various parrots, thrushes, and other birds are kept. Turning east again, you'll find a small garden with artificial hills made of earth and stones, ancient trees with new branches, swaying bamboo, and vines hanging down, creating a unique rustic charm. Passing through a long corridor, you'll reach another moon gate.

Ning Gong'an stopped and turned around, saying, "Master, this is the courtyard where my third brother lives. Please come in."

Chen Wenwei walked in and saw that this courtyard was slightly cramped compared to the entire Ning family compound, but it was exquisitely decorated, with lush flowers and trees, slender bamboo, scattered lake stones, and green vines winding around the trees. Facing south was a main house with three rooms in a row, above the door hung a large gilded plaque with three large characters: "Zhiyue Hall." On either side hung black lacquered couplets with gold lettering: the first line read, "Guests, do not complain that tea serves as wine"; the second line read, "In the bustling city, a secluded retreat, bamboo forms a grove."

After reading the document, Chen Wenwei told everyone else to stand outside, and he and Qian Botang stepped into the main room. As soon as they entered, a stench of blood assaulted their nostrils. The scene inside was completely different from what they had seen in the courtyard. Although it was already 8:00 AM, the curtains and windows were still closed, and the room was dark and gloomy. Ning Gongwei lay supine on the floor of the main room, a large bloodstain on his chest, a plan overturned, and several teacups shattered on the floor. There were also signs of a struggle on the floor and the east wall.

Chen Wenwei walked to the corpse, squatted down, put his hand under the corpse's armpits to test it for a while, pressed several parts of the corpse, and then unbuttoned the deceased's shirt to examine the wounds. He turned to Qian Botang and said, "Judging from the body temperature and the degree of rigor mortis, Ning Gongwei died about two hours ago, around 3 a.m. (the beginning of the fifth watch).

Chen Wenwei stood up and went to the west study. He found it ransacked; some hidden cabinets had been opened, and everything inside had been looted. The east bedroom was also in disarray. Silver gauze curtains lay on the floor, clearly trampled. Bamboo pillows and gauze curtains were tangled together. A three-foot-long steel scabbard, engraved with gold thread, hung on the wall, but the sword itself was missing.

Chen Wenwei walked out of the house and asked Ning Gong'an, "Did you see the murder weapon?"

"No, did the murderer take it?"

"The victim's wound had lacerations, and the punctures in the clothing were not very smooth, indicating that the murder weapon was not very sharp. If it were a weapon carried by the murderer, they would not have brought it to the crime without sharpening the blade, so the murder weapon must have come from the scene. The victim's wound was about one and three-tenths of an inch wide, which matches the size of the short sword, so the murder weapon is probably this short sword. But if it wasn't the murderer's own, why would they take it? That's another strange thing."

Chen Wenwei turned to look at Ning Gong'an, who was equally puzzled, and said, "Tell me what happened last night."

The Great Qing Divine Judgment Twenty-Six

"Our family owns several estates, about a dozen shops, and over four thousand acres of land. We live quite well. In Laizhou Prefecture, we are considered the wealthiest family. Usually, only my grandfather, my eldest son's family, and my widowed second brother's wife live in our mansion. My third brother, Ning Gongwei, is unmarried and has not separated from the family, but he is fond of wandering and often engages in trading, so he is not often at home. We also have a younger sister, Wei Ningshi, who married into Jinan Prefecture and is not at home either."

Yesterday was our grandfather's 75th birthday, a rare occasion for the whole family to gather. My third brother, Ning Gongwei, and my younger sister, Wei Ningshi, and her family of three all came back. The whole family held a banquet in the main house in the front courtyard, inviting relatives and friends. Our grandfather wasn't feeling well and only drank one cup of birthday wine before retiring early. Around midnight, the guests took their leave, leaving only our family. Still enjoying themselves, we started playing mahjong. At 2:15 AM (10:15 PM), my third brother, Ning Gongwei, said he was tired from his journey and couldn't stay up late, so he went back to his courtyard to rest.

We played mahjong until 3:30 AM when my nephew, Wei Chengying, discovered his Lantian jade pendant was missing, suspecting it was lost at the foot of Daze Mountain. There's a nunnery there, but unlike other nunneries, it's for guests. We all know he has a lover named Mingyue there. We figured he was going to spend the night at Mingyue's, and looking for the pendant was just an excuse. I advised him to go tomorrow, but he said the pendant was a talisman his grandfather gave him last year, instructing him to always keep it close and not lose it. He usually didn't care, but this time, for the birthday celebration, he wore it specifically. Tomorrow, he'd greet his grandfather and ask about the pendant; if he said it was lost, it would displease his grandfather. Because his grandfather loves this grandson the most, even more than his own grandson, we couldn't stop him. Fortunately, Daze Mountain is only about twenty li away, and there's a main road; it only takes about half an hour to walk there at night. So he asked his family member Gao De to hitch up a horse-drawn carriage and take him there.

After Wei Chengying left, everyone continued playing with the sparrows for a while. They didn't stop until 2 a.m. I went to sleep at 6 a.m., and didn't hear any noise then. Later, thunder woke me up once, and at 5:30 a.m., the servant who came to attend to my third brother discovered that he had been murdered. Ning Gong'an finished speaking and couldn't help but wipe away her tears again.

After listening, Chen Wenwei pondered for a moment and said, "You may leave the courtyard." He then said to the yamen runners beside him, "Seal the courtyard gate. No one may enter without my permission."

After Ning Gong'an left, Chen Wenwei asked Qian Botang, "Brother, what do you think of this case?"

Qian Botang said, "I am not very talented and have not seen any clues. However, the murderer should be a short man of about five feet tall." (A Qing dynasty foot is equivalent to 4.8 feet, or 1.6 meters in modern measurements)

Chen Wenwei laughed and asked, "How did you know, brother?"

Qian Botang, somewhat smug, said, “Brother Chen, look! There are two fresh footprints under the eaves, coming from the other side of the courtyard wall. Who but a thief would walk along a wall? Moreover, I just asked Ning Gong'an, and apart from the maid, his sister-in-law, and himself, no one else has entered this courtyard since the incident. In other words, these footprints can only belong to the thief. From the size and stride of these footprints, we can tell the thief's height; from the depth of the footprints, we can deduce that the thief must be a fat man. Interestingly, this morning, a torrential rain washed away all traces in the courtyard, but these footprints, because they followed the wall, were left behind. If one day we catch the thief based on these footprints, he will probably regret it to death.”

Chen Wenwei said, "I also saw these footprints, but my opinion differs completely from yours. Do you think these footprints were deliberately forged?"

Qian Botang exclaimed in surprise, "A forgery? I would like to hear the details."

“Look, these footprints follow two different routes before entering the house and after leaving. If it were truly a thief, they would definitely return the way they came, not take the way out. Also, these footprints show steady, square steps. But when scouting at night, one should take small, straight steps, and because of the forward lean, the footprints at the toes would be deeper. Therefore, these two sets of footprints must be fake.”

"Could it have been forged by someone from the Ning family? And why?" Qian Botang asked, then answered himself, "Perhaps to cover up the murderer!"

“Brother Qian is right, the murderer is very likely a member of the Ning family! And because this person is very popular, he has received protection from other members of the Ning family.”

"Who could it be?"

Chen Wenwei smiled slightly and said, "The deceased Ning Gongwei has already told me."

Qian Botang said, "What do you mean by that? Can corpses talk? Brother Chen, don't try to be mysterious."

"Brother, please wait a moment. Once I have gathered everyone from the Ning family, I will point out the murderer to you on the spot and give you the answer."

The Great Qing Divine Judgment Twenty-Seven

After about half an hour, Chen Wenwei and Qian Botang entered the main hall of the front courtyard. Everyone from the Ning family, except for the patriarch, was already waiting in the main hall. Upon seeing Chen Wenwei, they all stood up to kneel, but Chen Wenwei said, "Please sit down and talk; there's no need for formalities. Ning Gong'an, please introduce them to their identities!"

“Yes,” Ning Gong’an replied, pointing to a woman and saying, “This is my third sister, Wei Ning.”

Chen Wenwei followed his finger and saw that the woman was about forty years old, with a dark face, wide mouth, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. She was burly, with a thick waist and broad shoulders, looking more like a man than a woman. Chen Wenwei couldn't help but think to himself, "I've been wandering the martial arts world for many years, and this is the first time I've seen a woman like this. Judging from her bright eyes, she seems to know martial arts."