“Mingye is truly chivalrous…”
“A few months ago, Mannu’s other patron, Madam Liu, was newly widowed. It was all thanks to my sharp eyes that I uncovered the real culprit.” Eighteenth Lady counted on her fingers as she recounted to Xu Jichun the minor cases she had investigated.
Xu Jichun did not entirely disbelieve her; in the recent heart-removal case, several key clues had come from her hints.
He was simply particularly curious: why would Ghosts help people solve cases?
Thinking of this, he pressed further: “Do you help people investigate cases to accumulate Karmic Merit?”
Eighteenth Lady shook her head: “We receive offerings from people, so we must help them with their troubles. If the Offerors get angry and stop making offerings, we’ll have a very hard time.”
Xu Jichun asked his final question: “Does that mean if I have any worries, you must also help me with them?”
“Mhm, mhm!” Eighteenth Lady nodded vigorously, promising repeatedly, “Zi’an, don’t worry. I am a Ghost who keeps my word. Whatever I promise you, I will definitely do.”
Soon, Xu Jichun had his first worry.
After studying for ten days straight, he felt exceptionally weary today: “I want to take a walk outside the city, but it’s a pity I have no one to accompany me.”
Eighteenth Lady enthusiastically suggested: “Mingye is definitely at home. I’ll go beg him to accompany you.”
Xu Jichun frowned, somewhat dissatisfied with this candidate: “Mingye likes to practice martial arts at the training grounds. Swords and blades have no eyes—I’m afraid of getting hurt.”
“Helan Wang?”
“You just said yesterday that he likes men. I’m worried about my safety.”
“Moyu’er?”
“I’m not familiar with him.”
“Mannu?”
“Men and women should not interact closely.”
After listing everyone she knew, whether human or Ghost, Xu Jichun rejected them all.
Eighteenth Lady hung her head dejectedly: “I only know them…”
“Forget it, I’ll go by myself. The mortuary is outside the city; we can walk together for part of the way.” Xu Jichun emerged from behind the screen after changing clothes and urged Eighteenth Lady to head out.
Eighteenth Lady followed him, complaining pitifully: “I’ll definitely make more friends, human or Ghost, in the future.”
Xu Jichun walked ahead with his hands behind his back, asking in a calm tone: “Where did Madam Zhang’s sister die?”
Eighteenth Lady: “In Peachwood Village near Mount Buting. The body is kept at the Mount Buting Village mortuary.”
Xu Jichun: “Is Mount Buting fun?”
Hearing this, Eighteenth Lady eagerly floated in front of him, gesturing animatedly: “It’s fun! Around the Dragon Boat Festival, the village of Buting at the foot of the mountain holds dragon-head rituals every day. Today happens to be the last day.”
“Sounds good. I’ll go take a look at the festivities.”
“I know the way; I’ll take you there.”
By then, Xu Jichun could watch the dragon-head rituals in Buting Village while she first went to the mortuary to examine the body, then to Peachwood Village to look for clues. This way, she could both ease his worries and not delay helping Su Yingtang investigate the case—truly killing two birds with one stone!
The human and Ghost chatted and laughed along the way until they reached Buting Village outside the city.
Eighteenth Lady led Xu Jichun to the village entrance to see the novelty, but just as she was about to float away, she heard him sigh: “There are too many people; it’s a bit stifling. Hey, Eighteenth Lady, are there many people at the mortuary?”
“Not many, just corpses.”
“Good. I’ll go to the mortuary to catch my breath.”
Eighteenth Lady had no choice but to accompany him to the mortuary at the village’s end.
As they walked, Xu Jichun blamed himself: “I’m not delaying your investigation, am I?”
Eighteenth Lady beamed: “No, Madam Zhang is kind-hearted. She gave Mannu ten days.”
Xu Jichun: “Madam Zhang? When I returned to the city yesterday, I heard that the Minister of Agriculture Qin, along with his wife and child, died mysteriously. The minister’s wife, if I recall, is also surnamed Zhang?”
Eighteenth Lady: “Correct, Lord Qin’s wife is Madam Zhang’s younger sister. Madam Zhang and her sister are twins. The elder sister, Zhang Wanniang, married the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Ji Xiuzhu, while the younger sister, Zhang Huiniang, married the Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Granaries, Qin Rong.”
Many days ago, Xu Jichun had heard a romantic anecdote about Lord Qin from Eighteenth Lady.
Little did he expect that, many days later, he would personally lay eyes on this Lord Qin, who was said to have bedded two beauties in one night.
Naturally, it was a corpse.
To be precise, a corpse hacked beyond recognition.
The mortuary in Buting Village had always been loosely guarded. Today, with festivities at the village entrance, most of the constables had slipped away early in the morning.
Only two remained, slumped over a table at the entrance, snoring thunderously in deep slumber.
Eighteenth Lady had visited this mortuary countless times. This time, sneaking in with Xu Jichun, who insisted on going inside for some air, was effortless.
The mortuary housed numerous corpses, each covered with a white cloth.
Xu Jichun lifted several cloths before finding the bodies of Qin Rong and his family of three.
Apart from the young son, Qin Shuyan, the mangled corpses of Qin Rong and Zhang Huiniang were riddled with knife wounds, each cut deep enough to expose bone, rendering them almost unrecognizable as human forms.
Eighteenth Lady quickly counted over thirty crisscrossing wounds on their upper bodies alone.
Each slash was deep enough to reach bone, each slash driven by a hatred that seemed intent on shredding them to pieces.
Xu Jichun leaned down, meticulously scanning every inch of torn and gaping flesh: “The flesh is gruesomely splayed outward, the blood dark and congealed, with extensive bloodstains. Most of these are blade injuries inflicted before death.”
Eighteenth Lady moved closer to Qin Rong and Zhang Huiniang’s arms: “But there are no wounds on their hands. It seems they didn’t resist. Or perhaps…”
“They were unable to resist.”
The human and the Ghost spoke in unison.
Eighteenth Lady: “The killer was very strong and harbored extreme hatred toward them.”
“On Madam Zhang’s corpse, there are marks from a blunted blade. Lord Qin likely died first, followed by Madam Zhang.” Xu Jichun pointed to each of the three corpses in turn, finally stopping at Qin Shuyan’s excessively emaciated body. “Young Master Qin’s lips are purplish, more indicative of death by poisoning.”
All three corpses bore peaceful expressions in death.
Based on this, Eighteenth Lady speculated: “They didn’t even furrow their brows despite such excruciating pain. They must have been unconscious before death.”
Xu Jichun concurred: “The coroner has already conducted autopsies. Perhaps there is already a conclusion.”
Eighteenth Lady walked familiarly to the desk and beckoned him over: “The coroner’s notes are here. Zi’an, come quickly and look.”
All the coroners’ notes were stored here.
Xu Jichun sifted through dozens of scrolls before finally finding the autopsy records for the three members of the Qin family.
As they had guessed, the tea the three had consumed before death was laced with datura flower juice.
The killer had precisely measured the poison dosage—enough to induce unconsciousness without causing immediate death.
Within the autopsy records, there were two additional clues.
First: Qin Shuyan died from long-term ingestion of cinnabar. Second: The coroner found fragments of yellow paper in his stomach and, based on the remnants, sketched half of a talisman.
Eighteenth Lady: “I heard from Mannu that Young Master Qin had been frail and sickly since childhood. Lord Qin and Madam Zhang exhausted all means seeking remedies and consulting physicians. One of their methods was: performing a ritual service every three months to exorcise evil spirits.”
Xu Jichun raised an eyebrow and looked at her: “On the day of their deaths, could they have been performing a ritual service in Taomu Village? Let’s go, we should check Taomu Village.”
Having said this in one breath, he nimbly climbed out through the window.
Leaving Eighteenth Lady standing alone, utterly perplexed.
“Now it seems as though I’m the one accompanying him on this investigation…”
The human and the Ghost headed west, making their way to Taomu Village, approximately five li from Buting Village.
Halfway there, Eighteenth Lady pointed toward a mountain shrouded in mist in the distance and said, “Zi’an, look, that’s Fúshān.”
Xu Jichun followed her gaze toward Fúshān. “Is Fúshān Tower on that mountain?”
Eighteenth Lady replied, “It’s on the mountainside, with a broken signpost marking the fork in the road at the entrance. But knowing this won’t help you—mortals can neither see Fúshān Tower nor enter it.”
Xu Jichun smiled. “Perhaps I can enter.”
Seeing that he didn’t seem to be joking, Eighteenth Lady was startled. She hurried over to him and pleaded earnestly, “You must not go in. Last time, someone accidentally entered the tower. A Ruo managed to send him back, but he went mad.”
As they spoke, they arrived at Peachwood Village.
Due to the murders in the village—the victims being a third-rank official in the court—guards with swords patrolled the village entrance, forbidding anyone from entering.
Eighteenth Lady left Xu Jichun behind and drifted directly into the room where the three bodies lay.
Xu Jichun waited for a long time but still didn’t see her return. He decided to ask for directions and approached a villager farming outside the village to inquire.
The villager, having received ten copper coins, was more than willing to share everything he knew.
According to him, Peachwood Village had only about ten households, and few people stayed in the village during the day.
“The house where they were killed has been abandoned for a long time. We were also puzzled as to why a high-ranking official from the city would come to such a remote place.” The villagers had no idea when Qin Rong and his family of three had entered the village.
Xu Jichun asked, “Who discovered their bodies?”
The villager replied, “Tao Dalang. He was carrying firewood into the city to sell early in the morning and passed by the house. Seeing the courtyard gate slightly ajar, he spotted a bloody kitchen knife lying on the ground inside.”
Tao Dalang mustered his courage and entered the house to investigate, only to find three people lying in pools of blood.
The three were dressed in fine robes, making it clear they were no ordinary commoners—they were undoubtedly people of wealth and status.
Panicked, he rushed into the city and reported the incident to the Jingshan County Magistrate’s office.
The Jingshan County Magistrate initially assumed it was a robbery and murder case and led a few guards to investigate.
However, upon identifying the victims’ appearances, the magistrate was so terrified that his soul nearly left his body, and his legs gave way beneath him.
The deceased were not ordinary merchants but the Minister of the Court of the Imperial Granaries.
A third-rank official of such stature had died violently in a desolate village outside the city, causing widespread panic in the court.
Emperor Yanping was furious and issued an edict ordering the Ministry of Justice to take charge of the investigation, with the assistance of the Dali Temple, and to report the findings within a set deadline.
“They often complained near my back door, so I overheard them.” The villager claimed that the above court secrets came from several officials of the Ministry of Justice.
As for other clues, the villager sighed helplessly, “Don’t be fooled by how diligent those officials seem today—their superior is here, so they’re putting on a show! They’ve been here for five days, idling around the village all day.”
“Which superior?”
“I heard it’s the Minister of Justice.”
Since it was Wu Feijue who had arrived, Xu Jichun felt he had met him a few times before and decided to approach him for information to help Eighteenth Lady solve the case quickly.
After thanking the villager, Xu Jichun left and spotted a figure drifting toward him from afar.
Just as he was about to call out to her to slow down, another man suddenly appeared before him, bringing a gust of wind with him. “Zi’an, what a coincidence!”
Xu Jichun said, “So it’s Mingye.”
Lu Xiuyan replied, “I came to the outskirts of the city with my uncle today for a walk. As soon as I entered the village, I saw you and Eighteenth Lady standing at the entrance.”
Eighteenth Lady drifted up to the two of them and said cheerfully, “Zi’an, Mingye said he’s willing to help me investigate the case.”
Xu Jichun smiled broadly. “Mingye is truly chivalrous.”
Lu Xiuyan beamed. “It’s nothing. No need to thank me.”
The two exchanged a smile, then quickly turned their faces away in embarrassment.
Eighteenth Lady stood between them, only half understanding. Seeing them finish smiling, she hurriedly said, “Let’s go, let’s go, we should hurry and ask Lady Qin.”
Lady Qin was the eldest daughter of Qin Rong and his principal wife, Madam Zhang.
She had been recuperating at the old residence in Xuzhou for many years and had only arrived in the capital the day before yesterday.
Currently, she was staying at the home of her aunt, Madam Zhang.
The Ji residence in the Jiaoyi quarter.
Upon hearing the servant’s report that Lu Xiuyan had arrived with Xu Jichun, Madam Zhang was filled with confusion. After tidying her appearance slightly, she went out to the hall to greet them: “What brings you here, my good nephew?”
Lu Xiuyan: “Greetings, Aunt. My mother asked me to convey her regards and wish you well.”
The Ji and Lu families had never had any dealings, and she herself had even fewer interactions with the second wife of the Lu family.
However, guests were guests. Madam Zhang smiled and invited them, “Please, have a seat.”
Lu Xiuyan and Xu Jichun sat down as instructed in the lower seats.
After half a cup of tea and dozens of disjointed remarks,
Madam Zhang noticed their frequent glances toward the rear courtyard and heard that the case involving her brother-in-law’s family had been handed over to the Ministry of Justice. Understanding the situation clearly, she asked directly, “My good nephew, did Lord Wu send you to find Fan’niang?”
Lu Xiuyan nodded with a smile: “I wonder if Lady Qin is available today?”
Madam Zhang beckoned a maid closer, then gracefully rose and said gently, “Please, both of you, follow me to the rear courtyard.”
Lady Qin’s name was Qin Caifan, and she was already twenty-three years old this year.
Due to her poor health, she remained unmarried and still lived in the inner chambers.
From behind a screen, Qin Caifan’s timid voice sounded: “Last month, my mother sent a letter ordering me to come to the capital before the Dragon Boat Festival. But my old cough flared up again, and I was bedridden for many days. It was only ten days ago that I managed to set out.”
Her words stopped there, and no more speech came from behind the screen—only muffled sobs.
Madam Zhang took over: “The servant I sent to fetch Fan’niang met her at Hulao Pass. Only after Fan’niang safely arrived in the capital did I inform her of their deaths.”
Before she finished speaking, Madam Zhang was already in tears, the handkerchief she used to wipe them crumpled into a ball.
After a moment of composure, her voice trembled as she forced herself to speak: “Qin Silang deserved his death. I only pity my poor sister and her five-year-old nephew…”
Author’s Note:
Residents of Fúshān Tower
First floor: Eighteenth Lady
Second floor (from left to right):
Yellow-robed Guest, Hexian, Qiu Sese, Moyu’er, Ren Liuzheng (pet name Zhengniang, the tower’s accountant)
Third floor (from left to right):
Helan Wang (courtesy name Shenzhi, but aside from Moyu’er, the other ghosts all call him by his given name), Su Yingtang (pet name Mannu, paired with Moyu’er), Meng Yingqiu (pet name A Ruo, Soul-Capturing Envoy of the Underworld, master of Fúshān Tower)