The paper in the copper basin had mostly turned to black ash, except for a few overlapping corners that were too thick to burn completely. Faint lines of black ink could still be seen.
Xie Yu drew a dagger from his waist and tried to lift them out. To his surprise, several sheets came away together with the paper ash below. Remarkably, they remained quite intact, proving they were significantly tougher than ordinary paper.
Moreover, after being burned, the paper’s texture became even clearer.
“Jade tablet paper—one of the most common writing papers.”
The airflow from his words made the ash tremble slightly, like black butterflies fluttering their wings, ready to take flight.
Jade tablet paper was made from bamboo. After processing, it became lustrous and smooth, resembling jade, hence its name.
Due to its excellent quality at a reasonable price, and its durability far superior to regular paper, it was easy to write on and preserve. Thus, it was highly popular and could be found in nearly every shop that sold the Four Treasures of the Study.
Ma Bing said regretfully, “Then we can’t determine the owner’s identity from the paper’s origin.”
Xie Yu hummed in agreement and took out the cheat sheet he had retrieved from Musheng, comparing it. He was basically able to confirm they were written by the same person.
Ma Bing squinted and examined it several times. “The content on these sheets is roughly the same, but the font size and layout order differ slightly…”
Looking at the paper, she could almost visualize someone practicing diligently to write these notes.
Ma Bing looked up and exchanged glances with Xie Yu, but neither spoke.
Investigators loved evidence the most. Now they had found evidence, yet they felt no joy.
Was this evidence… really too easy to come by?
There was a chamber pot in the room, and not far outside the inn was a river. The paper had been burned—why not throw it away elsewhere to destroy it completely?
Instead, it was neatly placed under the bed, as if waiting for someone to find it.
As if deliberately drawing attention?
It seemed more like an attempt to cover up, making Musheng’s suspicion suddenly diminish.
Seeing them suddenly fall silent, the innkeeper outside the door asked nervously, “Is there anything I can assist you with?”
Ma Bing and Xie Yu snapped back to reality. When they looked up, they realized they had leaned too close, almost close enough to count each other’s eyelashes.
Both felt somewhat embarrassed and instinctively stepped back, causing the copper basin to start falling.
Oh no!
Ma Bing, without thinking, reached out to catch it. But Xie Yu was faster, supporting the bottom of the basin first. Her hand ended up pressing on his hand, as if intentionally doing so.
Xie Yu’s hand was slightly cold, with smooth skin like fine jade. For some inexplicable reason, Ma Bing found herself stroking it a couple more times.
Xie Yu’s eyes widened in surprise, his gaze filled with astonishment.
“Er… misunderstanding, all misunderstanding.”
Ma Bing quickly pulled her hand back and hid it behind her, her face burning hot.
This blatant act of pretending nothing happened infuriated Xie Yu into laughter.
Ma Bing chuckled awkwardly.
But come to think of it, it really felt nice…
Coughing slightly from the rising ash, Xie Yu turned and placed the copper basin back on the washstand. “After Musheng left this morning, did anyone else enter his room?”
There was only one copper basin in the room. Musheng must have used it to wash his face that morning. In other words, the paper should have been placed inside after he left.
The innkeeper hesitated. “Your Lordship, I won’t lie to you—there have been so many people coming and going these past few days. If not eight hundred, then at least three hundred. And there were servants delivering meals and fruits from various places. Even if I had eight heads, I couldn’t remember them all!”
“Then did anyone notice a smell of burning?” Ma Bing asked.
The edge of the copper basin showed clear signs of scorching. The paper must have been burned here.
Recently, the city of Kaifeng had been dry and rainy, with several fires breaking out. People were quite vigilant. If a burnt smell had appeared suddenly, someone should have noticed.
The innkeeper rubbed his hands. “Look, miss, the first floor is the main hall, and right behind it is the kitchen. We also have to boil hot water for the guests’ washing needs. Out of the twelve hours in a day, at least ten of them involve fire. The entire place is filled with the scent of smoke and cooking. With the aroma of food and alcohol in the air, how could ordinary people tell the difference?”
Ma Bing thought for a moment and realized that was indeed the case.
Xie Yu asked again, “Did he have any conflicts with anyone?”
The innkeeper shook his head again.
Ma Bing and Xie Yu couldn’t help but ask in unison, “Then what exactly do you know?”
With no answers to their questions, the innkeeper himself also felt awkward, his face turning red. After a long pause, he muttered like a mosquito buzzing, “Well, I can’t just go around making things up…”
Seeing that they couldn’t get any further information, Ma Bing and Xie Yu had no choice but to return to the Kaifeng Prefecture first.
Approaching noon, the sun shone fiercely, clearly showing signs of early summer’s intensity.
Walking along the shaded edge of the road, the two of them kept reflecting on the events in their minds.
Just ahead, a sesame cake shop accidentally spilled some oil paper. The wind blew, and the small square paper pieces fluttered into the air, then drifted down like a snowfall on a sunny day.
The back of the oil paper bore the shop’s red imprint. As they flipped and twirled, they caught everyone’s eye, drawing waves of astonished exclamations from the diners.
Ma Bing also looked up, murmuring, “The paper scroll in the boot might have been placed there by someone. But how to explain the slip of paper stuck to Musheng’s shoe sole?”
With the clue of the copper basin’s ashes, recalling now, the slip of paper on his shoe sole seemed even more suspicious:
The paper was clearly skewed, with the corner almost sticking out. If it were carefully prepared by himself, he would surely have considered its position repeatedly. How could it be so carelessly placed?
But it didn’t make sense!
According to Musheng, the shoes were newly bought yesterday, completely clean. This morning before leaving, he had checked the soles and confirmed there was nothing on them. If someone was framing him, that slip of paper could only have stuck to the sole somewhere between the inn and the palace gate.
But… how was it done?
Xie Yu reached out and caught a piece of flying oil paper, unconsciously rubbing it between his fingers, clearly deep in thought as well.
By now, many pieces of oil paper had fallen onto the ground. Against the dark-colored bluestone road, they were very noticeable.
Many pedestrians avoided stepping on them, while others who accidentally got them on their soles immediately bent down to pull them off.
But the slip on Musheng’s shoe was white, making it even easier to notice…
If someone had just carelessly scattered them on the ground, how could he possibly not notice?
Another point puzzled Xie Yu the most:
According to Musheng, he had left the inn this morning together with a friend staying at the same place. Until the incident occurred, they had never separated.
So how could someone ensure that it was definitely Musheng who stepped on the paper, and not someone else?
If someone else had stepped on it, wouldn’t the handwriting comparison later expose the trick?
Both were deeply puzzled until they returned to the Kaifeng Prefecture and met Huo Ping waiting outside, still frowning.
“Chief, Miss Ma.” Seeing them return unharmed, Huo Ping sighed in relief. “Chief, I’ve placed the case files in your study.”
Xie Yu paused for a moment. “Why not send them to Magistrate Song first?”
The Kaifeng Prefecture was headed by the Prefect, with two senior officials assisting him—the Tongpan and the Panguan. Below them were three Magistrates responsible for specific duties, among whom Magistrate Song was mainly in charge of legal cases.
According to protocol, any case files should first be submitted to him for review.
Huo Ping looked somewhat embarrassed. Just as he was about to speak, a loud curse came from the back courtyard.
“Damn it! What kind of nonsense do they send to the Kaifeng Prefecture? Are all the local courts just eating for free? Someone’s already dead and they’re still causing trouble. It’s clearly revenge. Heaven’s justice will prevail eventually. Investigate, investigate, investigate my grandma’s leg!”
Ma Bing: “…”
This is definitely a civilian official?
What a convincing debater!
The three froze at the entrance like they had been enchanted, watching helplessly as passing officers also flinched at the sound of the curses.
Huo Ping whispered, “Magistrate Song… might not be very convenient right now. I think it’s better to send the files another day.”
Xie Yu nodded in agreement. “Fine.”
“Er,” Ma Bing suggested, “I see you both don’t seem to be in a hurry to go back. It’s getting late. Why don’t we have lunch at my place and discuss the case a bit more?”
Xie Yu quickly accepted the suggestion.
As soon as they entered the herb garden, Wang Heng was already waving a large palm-leaf fan at the corridor, calling out to her. “I’ve been watching the fire for you, not a bit of it got burnt.”
The old man was quite proud of himself, eagerly seeking praise. Ma Bing gave him a big thumbs-up and lavishly praised him.
“Smells so good!” Huo Ping sniffed appreciatively. “What’s that delicious smell?”
Under the corridor was a small stove, on which a clay pot was simmering. The heat made the lid rattle, and steam poured out from the gaps, carrying a rich aroma that spread in all directions.
“Chinese yam and lotus seed stewed chicken,” Ma Bing washed her hands and used a thick towel to lift the lid. Instantly, the intense meat fragrance became several times stronger. “It’s the season for changing weather lately. We should nourish ourselves a bit. Plus, I noticed everyone might be a bit overheated. As the saying goes, food is better than medicine. So I made something to satisfy our appetites while strengthening our bodies. Isn’t that great?”
Lotus seeds soothed the mind and calmed the nerves, Chinese yam nourished the lungs and strengthened the spleen, and the fatty chicken warmed the middle jiao, strengthened the spleen, and replenished qi and blood. Slowly stewed like this, eating several bowls of both broth and meat was the most comforting.
“I started stewing it early this morning. Several hours of slow cooking with charcoal, without lifting the lid or adding water, making the bones tender and the meat soft.”
Ma Bing poked the chicken with chopsticks. Yep, soft and tender. She then scooped up a spoonful of the thick white chicken broth and tasted it. Wow, rich and smooth. Since she had skimmed off the fat, it wasn’t greasy at all. After finishing the meat, she could even use the chicken broth to cook a bowl of noodles.
“Where’s Chief Yuan?” Ma Bing casually asked.
Huo Ping, familiar with the place, went to get bowls and chopsticks. He chuckled, “He should be patrolling the streets by now.”
Too bad he missed out—truly a matter of fate.
At times like these, camaraderie among colleagues could be surprisingly fragile.
So they quickly abandoned Yuan Pei and eagerly gathered around the table to eat chicken, drink soup, and cook noodles, warming their entire bodies. It was indeed satisfying.
During the meal, Ma Bing asked about Magistrate Song. Xie Yu smiled and shook his head. “He originally came from a military background, but later got injured in battle and had to step down. However, he couldn’t bear to stay idle, so the Emperor, considering his hatred for evil, appointed him as a magistrate in the Kaifeng Prefecture…”
But his nature was hard to change. Although he became a civil official, he still retained his military temperament, often cursing the staff from other departments into silence.
Speaking of which, Magistrate Tu sometimes scolded people too, but always quoted classics and never used a single dirty word. Those scolded might need to go home and ponder for a while before realizing they had been insulted, then toss and turn in anger for half their life.
Magistrate Song was different. He had a fiery temper like burning sorghum liquor, and he cursed with the most direct and scorching words, delivering a truly satisfying tirade.
Recalling what she had heard earlier, Ma Bing couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Are soldiers really that good at cursing?”
Xie Yu paused mid-sip of his soup. Beside him, Huo Ping slapped his thigh and laughed, “He used to be the one shouting challenges on the battlefield.”
After the meal, Xie Yu first went to inform Magistrate Tu of the situation, then bypassed the courtyard where the magistrates lived and took a detour back to his study to review the case files.
The former official from Liangzhou whose grave had been dug up and his corpse hanged was named Fan Shixi. Although he was no longer in office, he still represented the dignity of the imperial court, and the Emperor took the matter seriously.
It didn’t matter if the investigation was slow, as long as there was a result.
Xie Yu decided to start by reviewing Fan Shixi’s official career records. But when he saw a certain place name, he was startled.
“Liangzhou…”
If he wasn’t mistaken, Xu Maocai, who was currently imprisoned, had also served in Liangzhou.
Could this be a coincidence?
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