At the Wang He family’s courtyard, a huge osmanthus tree was planted against the wall. It had grown vigorously, with many branches stretching over the wall and reaching out into the street. One could easily imagine how beautiful it would be when the flowers bloomed.
Xie Yu and Ma Bing stood outside, preparing to knock on the door when they heard soft reading voices coming from under the tree.
“…Clouds rise and bring rain; dew condenses into frost. Gold is produced by the waters of Lishui, and jade emerges from the Kunlun Mountains…”
It was the “Thousand Character Classic,” one of the foundational texts for children’s education. It was said that Wang He had two daughters, and the younger was just turning five.
The two exchanged glances, suddenly feeling that the hand preparing to knock weighed a thousand jin.
Once they entered, the beautiful scene they had just witnessed might never appear again.
But what had to be done, must be done.
“Who is it?” came a young woman’s voice.
Ma Bing steadied herself. “People from the yamen, here to ask a few questions.”
The reading sound abruptly ceased.
“Didn’t you come yesterday?” the woman asked from inside.
Her voice was calm and composed, not like the typical rural housewife who spoke without order.
Xie Yu placed his official identification card in the door crack. “Some matters weren’t clarified.”
After a while, the door creaked open, revealing the face of a young woman in her twenties.
As the little girl had described, she was very delicate in appearance, with a scholarly air about her. She was tall, a rare beauty among common folk.
Her name was Wang Xiang, Wang He’s wife.
She looked at Ma Bing with some surprise but eventually stepped aside. “Come in.”
It was still cool in the morning, and many people had come out to fetch water and wash clothes. Seeing outsiders at her house, people stopped to watch. “Pingping’s mother, you have guests?”
After many women had children, their own names seemed to disappear, replaced by terms like “so-and-so’s mother” or “so-and-so’s wife.”
But clearly, Wang He was not well received in this area, so people used the nickname of her eldest daughter to address Wang Xiang.
Wang Xiang smiled slightly. “People from the yamen, here to ask some things.”
The person speaking exchanged glances with several others. “Didn’t they just come yesterday?”
Wang Xiang replied, “Perhaps some matters weren’t made clear.”
The group looked at Xie Yu and Ma Bing again. Seeing they indeed did not seem like bad people, they finally walked away.
As Xie Yu and Ma Bing listened to Wang Xiang’s conversation with the neighbors, they also observed the courtyard scene:
Besides the osmanthus tree against the wall, there was also a pomegranate tree in the courtyard. Both trees symbolized respectively “winning laurels in the moon palace” and “abundance of children and blessings,” making them two of the most beloved courtyard trees.
Unfortunately, expectations do not always come true.
Wang He neither achieved academic success nor had many children.
Under the pomegranate tree sat two elderly people. The old man was teaching the younger girl to recite the “Thousand Character Classic,” while the old woman was sewing and watching the older girl practice calligraphy.
It seemed the town of Baishi indeed had a strong culture of education. Unlike in other places where girls were usually engaged in needlework, here they were studying.
Needless to say, studying was quite expensive. Moreover, girls who studied still could not take the imperial examinations or hold official positions.
Yet they still taught them, clearly showing great affection for their granddaughters.
When Xie Yu and Ma Bing entered, the old and young alike stopped their activities simultaneously and looked up together.
The two hesitated in their steps, feeling awkward for the first time about entering someone else’s home.
They seemed not to belong here.
Wang Xiang did not close the door but returned to say to Xie Yu and Ma Bing, “Please sit. I’ll go make tea.”
The older girl, Pingping, pursed her lips and softly asked, “Are you here to ask my dad for money too?”
The younger girl immediately added, “He’s not home.”
Xie Yu was silent for a moment before replying, “We don’t want money.”
Before the two girls could say anything else, the old woman gently patted them. “Don’t be disruptive. Come along, let’s go inside.”
She looked at the old man, who nodded at them and waved his hand, reminding, “Don’t be lazy.”
The two girls replied in unison, “We know.”
What a wonderful family, Ma Bing thought to herself.
“There’s no good tea,” Wang Xiang said as she brought a tray. The teapot and teacup on it were not a matching set. “And no good utensils either. Please forgive the poor hospitality.”
Indeed, it was not good tea. The color was light and brownish, and the taste was unpleasant.
But no one showed any disdain.
Faced with such a composed woman, Xie Yu felt somewhat at a loss for words.
In his heart, he truly admired such a woman.
She was very different from the wife of Wang Man Cang. Her every movement exuded a very calm demeanor.
Like a still pond, when the wind blows, ripples form, but after the wind passes, everything returns to calm.
Ma Bing thanked her and seemingly casually asked, “Your neighbors are very caring.”
Wang Xiang nodded. “They are all very good people. My husband is not capable, and they pity this family, often looking after us.”
She looked at them. “Yesterday, the yamen officers came, and they also came to ask questions.”
Xie Yu and Ma Bing exchanged glances. “You don’t ask why we’re here?”
A gust of wind passed through, making the osmanthus tree rustle. Wang Xiang stared at the swaying branches for a while. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
The two were startled. They heard her continue, “In the past, there were occasionally people from the yamen, but never so secretly. Before, they would just say they were here to arrest someone or collect money…”
But this time, the yamen had sent two groups of people, yet both were very vague about their intentions, speaking only about height and appearance.
This wasn’t looking for Wang He, but for someone, a person of unknown identity.
“You’re really very smart,” Xie Yu said earnestly.
He rarely expressed admiration so openly.
Wang Xiang gave a bitter smile. “Being with such a man, it seems I can’t really be considered smart.”
Ma Bing asked, “He wasn’t always like this, was he?”
Although marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers, the Da Lu culture was relatively open. Many couples met a few times and talked before marriage, to avoid blind marriages that could ruin their lives.
In rural areas, both men and women worked, so they were less concerned about gender segregation.
Wang Xiang seemed surprised by the question but nodded slightly after a moment’s hesitation.
The Wang He of the past had been gone for too long, so long that she could barely recall.
Yes, he had once been a very lively and ambitious scholar.
Wang’s father was quite good at studying and passed the county examination at around thirty, but his talent was limited, and he never advanced further. Thus, he placed his hopes on his son.
At first, Wang He was indeed quite promising.
“He was very smart as a child,” a trace of nostalgia appeared on Wang Xiang’s face. “He always ranked first at school, and everyone said he would surely pass the county examination soon…”
But it never happened.
Once, twice, three times. After the third failure, Wang He did not return home immediately after checking the results.
Wang Xiang and her in-laws waited and waited until it was dark, but he still hadn’t returned. They became anxious and asked neighbors to help look for him.
It was not until dawn that someone found Wang He gambling in a tavern.
His father was furious and slapped him several times on the spot, calling him a “wicked son!”
Those slaps briefly restored Wang He’s senses, but soon the effects of gambling began to show.
After repeated failures, Wang He had clearly lost confidence in the imperial exams. He began to fear studying and feared failing again. Sometimes he thought he was not suited for studying, sometimes he suspected the exams were rigged, and sometimes he thought the examiners were against him…
The frustration of sitting at a desk was soon replaced by the thrill of sitting at a gambling table.
Wang He began to frequently recall the gambling table, longing for the excitement of life and death.
When Wang He was caught, he was actually winning money!
“I have a talent for winning money,” Wang He thought absentmindedly while flipping through his books.
If his father hadn’t come to catch him that day, he might have already won a fortune.
Yes, it must have been like that!
Wasn’t studying also aimed at achieving fame in the future and becoming an official? Once he became an official, he would have a lifetime free from worries, all for the sake of money in the end!
Wang He’s thoughts became active.
At the gambling table, hundreds of taels were often won or lost. If he had good luck, he might win dozens of taels in one night. The dealer had even said he had talent!
Becoming an official… with their background, they probably couldn’t become high-ranking officials. How little salary did a low-ranking official earn in a year?
But gambling was different. He had heard that some people, when lucky, could earn thousands of taels in a day!
When a person is used to smooth sailing, it’s easy for them to have an overinflated sense of self-worth. And when such a person, who values face above all, faces repeated failures, they are far more likely to give up than an ordinary person.
They would think, how do others see me? They must be laughing at me behind my back…
They never consider that after decades of hard study, how few actually achieve success? What are a few failures?
They fear taking action because they fear failure.
And when the pain of “failure” and the affirmation of the gambling table appear at the same time, they easily lean toward the latter.
“Father-in-law tried to persuade him several times but eventually couldn’t stop him,” Wang Xiang said, surprised at how calm she felt when recounting these events. “He was a grown man, couldn’t be tied up, so he often climbed over the wall to gamble late at night.”
Later, when Baishi Town was cleaned up and there were no more gambling houses, Wang He, addicted, started gambling elsewhere.
“After a few times, the gambling house people came to the door, and later, when all the valuable things in the house were taken, loan sharks came…” Wang Xiang said.
“Was that when his finger was cut off?” Ma Bing asked.
Wang Xiang nodded.
Some things she didn’t say, because they were too shameful to speak of.
At that time, Wang He had already lost his mind from losing, ran back to look for money but couldn’t find any, and even beat up the whole family. The neighbors couldn’t stop him.
In the end, it was the loan sharks who caught him.
By then, the family had no money left. Facing the raised axe, Wang He, in a fit of madness, actually said: “I have daughters! Though they’re still young, with proper training over the years, they’ll surely grow into beauties!”
At that moment, Wang Xiang felt a buzzing in her head, as if something had completely shattered inside.
When she looked at Wang He again, it was as if she was staring at a complete stranger.
It wasn’t until that moment that she completely gave up hope.
She realized that her husband had already died long ago.
At that time, the person who came to collect the debt was a big-bearded man, and the people following him all called him “Sixth Master.” Originally, Wang Xiang was quite afraid of them, but after hearing Wang He say those words, she actually felt they weren’t so intimidating after all.
Sixth Master immediately slapped Wang He across the face. “Damn it! I thought I was no saint, but I never expected you to be even worse!”
Even a vicious tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs, yet this scoundrel would sell his own daughter!
“I’m a loan shark, not a kidnapper!”
With that, he snatched the axe from his subordinate and chopped down himself.
“He was murdered,” Xie Yu said slowly, gazing at her face.
Wang Xiang’s expression remained completely unruffled. “Hmm, I figured as much. Someone like that would get beaten to death sooner or later.”
When they left the Wang family’s house, Xie Yu and Ma Bing were silent for a while. Even after walking a long distance, they couldn’t help but turn back to look at the small courtyard where the osmanthus tree stretched out.
“Perhaps, perhaps we shouldn’t have come at all,” sighed Ma Bing.
Xie Yu remained silent.
Ahead, someone was driving a flock of ducks past, so the two quickly reined in their horses and stood by the roadside to let them pass.
“No, perhaps we shouldn’t have gone to Zhangyu Village in the first place,” Ma Bing murmured.
If we hadn’t gone to Zhangyu Village in the first place, we wouldn’t have discovered that skeleton, and without finding that skeleton, we wouldn’t be facing the current situation today.
Xie Yu could tell she had softened, but he didn’t agree. “Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. Those who kill must pay with their lives.”
“Are all murderers truly deserving of death?” Ma Bing retorted sharply, her words suddenly cutting like a blade, her eyes frosty. “Have all killers really paid with their lives?”
Wang He is clearly a scoundrel. His existence harms others, himself, the nation, and his family. Only in death would there be universal rejoicing.
In her view, the murderer was merely eliminating a public menace.
“Miss Ma!” Xie Yu slightly raised his voice.
Ma Bing looked at him calmly, waiting for what would come next.
Xie Yu really wanted to tell him that the law was correct—those who killed had paid with their lives. Yet all the case files and historical records he had reviewed these days completely overturned this belief.
He had even begun to doubt, questioning whether what he had firmly believed all these years was actually right.
He was gradually beginning to understand why his parents and uncle had initially been reluctant to let him see those things.
For an ancient dynasty to maintain its footing, it inevitably buries many dark secrets of the past. As time passes, these layers of darkness accumulate, eventually transforming into a twisted logic that ordinary people find difficult to accept.
Anyone with even a slightly wavering resolve would be greatly shaken.
Xie Yu ultimately didn’t speak it out.
Ma Bing gave him a deep look. “No, Lord Xie. ‘A life for a life, a debt must be repaid’ is just a comforting lie kind people tell themselves. Those murderers and debtors have become untouchable figures, basking in wealth and glory…”
She didn’t continue speaking but instead pressed her lips tightly together, spurred her horse with a squeeze of her legs, and galloped away abruptly.
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