Chapter 42: The Dead Man’s Hand

The yamen runners received their orders and departed in haste. Qinglu County’s coroner left alongside the clerk as well, leaving only Zhang Wei, Dongfang Rui, and Wu Wei behind in the charity mortuary.

Dongfang Rui instructed, “Zhang Wei, hurry to the coffin shop in town and buy a set of clothes to change him into.”

“Yes.”

After Zhang Wei had gone, Dongfang Rui turned to Wu Wei and said, “Your home is nearby—why haven’t you gone back yet?”

Wu Wei carefully washed her hands in the basin, shaking off the water as she grinned sheepishly at Dongfang Rui. “Milady~ Does this count as atoning for my crimes through merit?”

Dongfang Rui’s lips curved slightly. She nodded and replied, “It does. You can go now.”

Wu Wei rubbed her hands together. “Milady, as the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime~ You’ve cleared my fugitive charge, but as long as my household registration isn’t sorted out, I’ll still end up getting flogged sooner or later. So…?”

Dongfang Rui arched an eyebrow. “When did I ever promise to help you resolve your household registration?”

Wu Wei felt a tightness in her chest. She was about to argue, but upon second thought, she realized Dongfang Rui had never actually said anything about the registry from start to finish. The woman had only mentioned that performing merit could waive the flogging penalty—it was Wu Wei’s own assumption that had filled in the rest.

Somewhat angry now, Wu Wei pressed her lips together and stared at Dongfang Rui in silence. The latter merely smiled easily and explained, “Do you think I don’t want to help? Household registration falls under the Ministry of Household’s purview, handled by the prefectural yamen in each region. The Bright Mirror Division has no authority to intervene. Your merit on our behalf lets me waive your flogging, but as for the registry issue, there’s truly nothing this official can do.”

Wu Wei shot back, “What kind of waiver is that? It’s nothing more than a delayed execution. The moment someone reports me down the line, won’t I still get beaten?”

Dongfang Rui pondered for a moment before replying, “Your ideas are remarkably novel and insightful. Whether it was your earlier mention of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ or this notion of delayed execution—who taught you these things? Your father?”

Wu Wei hadn’t expected Dongfang Rui to have such a sharp memory. She broke out in a cold sweat inwardly: Clearly, she’d need to be twelve times more careful in her conversations with this woman from now on.

Wu Wei answered, “Yes, my father told me about them.”

Another stretch of silence fell between them. Dongfang Rui stood with her hands clasped behind her back and sighed. “Innocent until proven guilty… easier said than done. With some vicious criminals out there, even a slight delay in striking could mean the death of innocent commoners. Who will protect their safety then?”

Wu Wei fell silent as well. She had no desire to debate such weighty matters with Dongfang Rui. After all, vast differences in time and perspective separated them—many of her modern viewpoints simply didn’t apply in this world.

This was a place with primitive technology and no electronic communications whatsoever. Without surveillance beyond human dispatch, and lacking the means to safeguard the innocent otherwise, it was impossible to simply preach “innocent until proven guilty.”

“In my view, cases must be resolved swiftly, enforcement carried out strictly, with no favoritism shown regardless of a case’s scale. Only then will those harboring wicked intentions think twice before acting—that’s the superior strategy.” Dongfang Rui continued, speaking as if to herself.

“Milady is absolutely right,” Wu Wei agreed.

“If only more officials could uphold such principles.”

Wu Wei nodded once more.

Dongfang Rui looked at Wu Wei. “Is there anything else?”

Only then did Wu Wei remember that, beyond hoping Dongfang Rui might help with her registry, she had one other matter to report.

It had been too crowded earlier to speak freely.

Wu Wei stepped closer to Dongfang Rui and whispered, “Milady, did you notice the victim’s hand?”

Dongfang Rui’s eyes snapped up sharply. She stared into Wu Wei’s gaze for a long moment, sending a chill down the younger woman’s spine. Wu Wei instinctively took half a step back.

When she looked again, the keen edge in Dongfang Rui’s eyes had vanished entirely, as if it had all been an illusion.

“You’re sharp,” Dongfang Rui told Wu Wei, “but this matter… you’d best forget it. Don’t breathe a word to anyone.”

Wu Wei’s heart sank, but she nodded.

Dongfang Rui patted her shoulder with earnest gravity. “Go on home. Your friend is still waiting for you there.”

“Alright.”

…

Dongfang Rui returned to the coffin and gazed wordlessly for a long time at the corpse shrouded beneath the white cloth. Then she extinguished each of the candles in the charity mortuary one by one. She stepped outside, mounted her black horse, and spurred it into the enveloping night.

The moment Wu Wei reached the courtyard, the door swung open. Embroider Maiden had been keeping watch on the mortuary’s activity and, seeing the yamen runners leave one after another, had stationed herself just inside the door. The faint sound of footsteps had prompted her to open it.

Wu Wei hurried inside and shut the door behind her before saying to Embroider Maiden, “In the future, don’t open the door at every little footstep—what if it’s a bad guy?”

Embroider Maiden replied, “With all those yamen runners around, any bad guys would’ve fled long ago. I was just keeping track of the time, figuring you’d be back soon.”

Embroider Maiden had already prepared a basin of warm water for Wu Wei to wash up with. As Wu Wei scrubbed her face, her mind wandered: In a few days, she’d gather some materials and make soap. Once the weather warmed, pathogens would spread faster; proper handwashing would help prevent illness, and with their modest means, she and Embroider Maiden couldn’t afford to fall sick.

After washing up, Wu Wei flopped onto the kang and let out a soft hum. Propping her head on her arm, she wheedled at Embroider Maiden, “Embroider Maiden~ My waist is killing me—it’s so sore. Could you give it a rub?”

“Mm.”

Embroider Maiden emptied the basin first, then returned to the room. She slipped off her shoes, knelt beside Wu Wei, and began massaging her.

Wu Wei let out a contented hum. “A little higher~ Now just a tad lower—yes, yes, right there~ So good~”

After massaging for a while, Embroider Maiden said softly, “I had some free time during the day and finished your dudou. Want to try it on? I can adjust the fit if it’s off.”

“Mm… tomorrow. Too sleepy now.”

Mumbling, Wu Wei rolled half a body length to the side and patted the spot beside her in a daze. “Come~ Sleepy time.”

Embroider Maiden chuckled helplessly, though she was used to Wu Wei’s occasional odd turns of phrase. She tucked the blanket around Wu Wei, blew out the candle, and lay down beside her.

…

Meanwhile, the Jade-Faced Strategist first rode to the county yamen to inform the magistrate that the autopsy was complete and the victim could be buried ahead of schedule.

Though puzzled, the magistrate acquiesced out of deference to Dongfang Rui’s status.

Only then did Dongfang Rui spur her horse back to her temporary residence in the county seat. She frowned upon seeing an extra white horse in the stables and strode purposefully toward the lit room.

Outside the door, Dongfang Rui drew a deep breath and knocked. The door opened promptly, and a joyful voice called out, “Master~”

Dongfang Rui entered and closed the door behind her. The newcomer was none other than Pingjia County Princess Gao Ningxue.

Gao Ningxue wore a snow-white silk chemise, her dark hair cascading loosely. The bedding had already been laid out.

Dongfang Rui’s brows knitted tightly. “Why are you here, County Princess?”

“Naturally because… And don’t you dare blame me, Master. You took on a case and didn’t even bring me along—I’m your one and only disciple!”

“Did Your Highness give permission for you to leave?”

“At first…”

“Please speak truthfully, County Princess.”

Gao Ningxue’s voice caught noticeably. “I… I sneaked out.”

“This is outrageous! Qinglu County has been unsettled lately. With your noble status, traveling the roads at night—what if something happened to you?”

Gao Ningxue cut in, “I disguised myself! Grandpa gave me a Yan Prince’s Residence token ages ago. I pretended to be a messenger guard, and they let me through. I didn’t run into anyone on the way. I asked at the yamen—they said you were staying here—so I came. Honestly, Master, how could you keep such a major case from me?”

Dongfang Rui let out a long sigh. After the day’s ordeals, she was exhausted, yet this county princess refused to let her rest.

“Please pack up at once, County Princess, dress properly, and I’ll escort you back.”

“I won’t! The prince’s residence is so stuffy—no one to play with. I grew up in the Capital… I’m not familiar with Taizhou Prefecture at all. We usually set out after the fifth day of the month to return—why can’t I this year?”

“A murder has occurred in Qinglu County. It’s dangerous!”

“I’ll stay nights here with you, Master, and follow you by day. It’s so close to the yamen—how is that dangerous?”

“County Princess, please don’t put me in a difficult position. Your Highness must have noticed your unannounced departure by now and sent people searching everywhere. He’s advanced in years—surely you can be more understanding.”

“I left Grandpa a note. He’ll know I’ve come to you. I don’t care—I’m not leaving.” With that, Gao Ningxue climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head.

Dongfang Rui sighed again and withdrew. She went to the study, lit a candle, and waited.

She waited for the people from Yan Prince’s Residence to arrive.

With Gao Ningxue stubbornly refusing to budge, Dongfang Rui couldn’t very well tie her up and drag her back. Nor could she leave the county princess alone here while going to report to the residence herself—that wouldn’t be safe. Waiting was her only option.

She was certain it wouldn’t be long before the Yan Prince’s people tracked her down.

…

On Dongfang Rui’s desk, Zhang Wei had already placed the transcribed notes from the coroner. She unrolled the scroll, and as she traced the words with her eyes, the scene of Wu Wei examining the corpse flashed vividly before her once more.

In the Liang Dynasty, the coroner trade attracted no young people—and certainly no women.

Whether born of reverence for spirits and ghosts, or simple fear of the dead, few were willing to take up such work. And even among those who tried, anyone lacking the raw courage to confront a corpse head-on would flee in terror from the scene.

Typically, those who stuck with the profession were weathered elders who had stared down life and death many times. Coroners couldn’t be trained in academies; the craft passed from father to son. Even scions of coroner families might let the lineage die out if they couldn’t stomach the sight of a body. Add to that the wary disdain most folk held for coroners, and the job became a grueling, thankless one—laden with duty yet scorned as lowly. Skilled coroners were thus exceedingly rare.

Learning that Wu Wei’s father had been a coroner came as no surprise to Dongfang Rui; it explained everything. Judging by Wu Wei’s deft techniques and hard-won experience, her father must have been a master of the craft. If she was his only child, it stood to reason he would impart all his knowledge to her.

This realization filled Dongfang Rui with profound respect for Wu Wei’s father.

She rolled up the scroll, and Wu Wei’s parting words echoed in her mind: “My lord, did you notice the victim’s hand?”

Dongfang Rui’s face grew solemn. She leaned back in her chair and slowly closed her eyes.