Crimson clouds filled the sky, spring’s beauty boundless.
Lu Xiuyan stopped in his tracks and smiled, “I know the female ghost Eighteenth Lady.”
Eighteenth Lady drifted to his side and bluntly denied it, “I’m the only ghost in the entire capital named Eighteenth Lady. I don’t know you, so how could you know me?”
Xu Jichun, while keeping a close eye on Shu Chi ahead, speculated, “Perhaps it’s another female ghost with the same name.”
Lu Xiuyan’s tone was firm, “I have the Yin-Yang Eye. My left eye can see ghosts, and my left ear can hear them speak. I truly know the female ghost Eighteenth Lady, though I’ve never seen her before.”
When he was very, very young.
When he was hiding under the bed, terrified by those fierce and menacing ghosts.
There was a female ghost who called herself Eighteenth Lady, always helping him scare away those Malevolent Spirits.
He couldn’t see her face, only hear her voice.
“Don’t be afraid, little one. Sister Eighteenth Lady will protect you.”
These words were etched into his memory, remembered to this day.
Eighteenth Lady leaned close to his face, trying hard to find someone she recognized from her memories in this unfamiliar face.
The complete appearance of a woman gradually became clear in Lu Xiuyan’s left eye, without warning.
Between her brows was a mole, dark brown and extremely small.
A tiny speck, hanging at the center of her forehead.
The female ghost he couldn’t see as a child gradually overlapped with the female ghost before him.
Sound vanished from his ears; he dared not blink.
He could only swallow hard, press a hand to his chest, and strive to calm the wildly beating heart within.
Seeing the human and ghost standing too close, and noticing Shu Chi frequently glancing back, Xu Jichun quickly coughed lightly to remind them, “Third Young Master Lu, where do you plan to take us?”
Lu Xiuyan snapped back to reality, “To the residence of the Minister of Justice.”
“Why?”
“Because the Minister of Justice is my uncle.”
In the study of the Wu residence in Jishan Ward.
Minister of Justice Wu Feijue coldly scrutinized the three young fools before him, “What do you think you’re doing? Playing heroes or eliminating harm for the people? The murderer is vicious and ruthless. With the slightest misstep, you’d lose your lives!”
Lu Xiuyan drew the long sword at his waist, glanced in Eighteenth Lady’s direction, and declared with righteous fervor, “Uncle, young men naturally have lofty ambitions…”
Before he could finish, Wu Feijue leaped forward and slapped him on the back, “Lofty ambitions? I think you’re just plain foolish.”
Xu Jichun and Shu Chi stood awkwardly frozen in place.
Lu Xiuyan had been brimming with confidence all the way here; they thought he actually had a plan.
Instead, there was no plan, only a beating.
Though Lu Xiuyan stood a head taller than Wu Feijue, he was chased around by the slender Wu Feijue like a rat scurrying across the street.
Eighteenth Lady hid behind Xu Jichun, occasionally peeking out, unable to stop laughing.
Today, he had embarrassed himself in front of the female ghost sister he had remembered for years.
Lu Xiuyan, furious and on the verge of collapse, shouted, “Uncle, if you hit me again, I won’t come back!”
Wu Feijue, panting from chasing him, leaned on an incense table and laughed, “You’d better keep your word.”
Xu Jichun mustered his courage and stepped forward, “Lord Wu, this student is not acting on a whim. As you said, the murderer is vicious and ruthless, and now everyone lives in fear. But this student is willing to contribute what little strength I have to track down the true culprit.”
Wu Feijue, “This is not a matter for you to handle.”
Xu Jichun clasped his hands respectfully, “Lord Wu, this student has already found a clue. I dare to ask you to hear what I have to say before making a judgment.”
Lu Xiuyan seized the opportunity, “Uncle, they really have a clue.”
Regarding the heart-removal case, the Capital Prefecture, the Ministry of Justice, and the Dali Temple had been busy for months without any leads.
He was hearing the term “clue” for the first time, yet it came from the mouths of two scholars who couldn’t even tie a chicken’s legs.
Wu Feijue sat down on a chair and calmly looked at Xu Jichun. “What clue?”
Xu Jichun replied, “They died in places where they shouldn’t have died.”
“What do you mean by ‘died in places where they shouldn’t have died’?”
Xu Jichun recounted in detail the suspicious points he had uncovered that day. Lu Xiuyan interjected from the side, “Brother Tang, who died half a month ago, lived in Zunxian Ward. He had arranged to meet me in Jiashan Ward that night but ended up dying in Zeshan Ward.”
Wu Feijue turned sideways and snorted dismissively. “Perhaps he wanted to walk more, or maybe he had something else to do.”
Shu Chi repeatedly disagreed. “Lord Wu, last night around the middle of the You hour, Zhao Guangning parted ways with us three students at the intersection of Gōng’ān Ward. Before leaving, he said he would return to the Zhuangyuan Inn before the curfew.”
The curfew in Luòjīng began at the first quarter of the Xu hour.
If Zhao Guangning had set out from Gōng’ān Ward in the middle of the You hour and encountered no mishaps, he would have arrived at the calligraphy and painting shop in the South Market within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
After selecting and purchasing an inkstone, if he had returned to the Zhuangyuan Inn by the same route, he would have arrived just before the first quarter of the Xu hour.
Xu Jichun added, “Brother Heyu always abided by the law and would never knowingly take a detour to Xunshan Ward when the curfew was approaching.”
Wu Feijue was inwardly startled. The officials had indeed overlooked why the five victims had appeared in those locations.
Previously, they had assumed the victims were merely passing through when they were killed. However, prompted by the two scholars before him, he considered another possibility: perhaps the murderer had lured or forced the victims to those places.
Seeing Wu Feijue frowning in deep thought, Xu Jichun pressed his advantage. “I suspect the murderer knew the victims.”
Wu Feijue slowly shook his head. “The Capital Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice investigated: none of the victims had anyone with them before their deaths.”
With these words, the room fell into silence.
Eighteenth Lady spoke up, “What if they encountered the murderer on the way and were lured to wait somewhere?”
Xu Jichun unconsciously continued, “What reason could the murderer have used to lure them elsewhere?”
The other three, whether standing or sitting, were lost in thought, and no one noticed his unusual demeanor.
Eighteenth Lady asked, “If you were walking halfway and someone suddenly rushed out to tell you that your aunt was waiting for you outside the city, Zi’an, would you go?”
Xu Jichun replied, “It would depend on who it was.”
If it were a fellow villager he knew, he would likely go.
If it were an unfamiliar passerby, he would never believe it.
Eighteenth Lady said, “That ‘who’ is the key.”
This person could easily gain the trust of the scholars, making them believe his words without question.
Xu Jichun understood and looked up at Wu Feijue, who sat upright at the head of the room. “Lord Wu, I suspect the murderer is an official from the Ministry of Rites.”
This bold assertion provoked Wu Feijue to slam the table and stand up. “Nonsense!”
Facing Wu Feijue’s anger, Xu Jichun explained, “All five victims were scholars coming to take the imperial examination. Take Brother Heyu as an example: he had traveled far and wide since the age of ten, was well-informed, and was by no means someone who would easily trust strangers. I suspect the murderer is an official from the Ministry of Rites because, after the scholars arrived in the capital, they had the most contact with officials from that ministry.”
The five scholars came from different places and stayed in different inns.
How could the murderer have formed deep connections with all of them in just two short months and gained enough trust?
An official from the Ministry of Rites, who frequently appeared in the scholars’ sight from the time they entered the capital until they stepped into the examination hall, was most likely to earn their trust and make them heed his words.
Wu Feijue stood with his hands behind his back by the window, pondering for a long time.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he turned and asked, “What do you want to see?”
Xu Jichun: “All assault and homicide cases in the capital from the past year.”
Wu Feijue called out loudly to someone: “Wu Li, take my Fish Tally and escort them to the Ministry of Justice to retrieve the case files.”
“Acknowledged.”
The three humans and one Ghost boarded a carriage, crossing White Horse Bridge and entering Shangye Gate to reach the Ministry of Justice offices within the imperial city.
Since Wu Li was Wu Feijue’s trusted subordinate, the guards on duty that night did not question them and allowed them to pass directly, enabling the three to enter the archives unimpeded.
Inside the storeroom, case files bundled into scrolls were too numerous to count.
Four archive clerks held lanterns, searching shelf by shelf.
Half an hour later, all assault and homicide cases in the capital from the past year were located.
Looking at the mountain of case files before him, Xu Jichun instructed Shu Chi and Lu Xiuyan beside him: “We need to find one or several cases where the victims’ wounds are concentrated on the back of the head, throat, and chest.”
The killer, in their first crime, had already mastered the precise killing process: striking to incapacitate with a hammer, slitting the throat to kill, and swiftly removing the heart.
Gold cannot be pure, and no person is perfect.
The killer also needed repeated practice to achieve perfection.
And they needed to find all the imperfections before that perfection was reached.
The archive clerks fetched candles, ink, brushes, and paper for the three.
By the flickering candlelight, their elongated shadows were cast on the white walls as they pored over the files.
Among the three, Eighteenth Lady was most concerned about Lu Xiuyan.
Seeing him flip through the files slowly, she scolded with exasperation: “This case is clearly a poisoning case, don’t slack off!”
If he flipped too quickly, she would flare up in anger: “Although this woman was wounded on her back, there are cuts on her chest—can’t you look carefully?”
Having lived for twenty-two years, this was the first time he had been repeatedly criticized.
And the one criticizing him was the female ghost sister he had yearned for all these years.
Lu Xiuyan said pitifully: “Why don’t you look instead?”
Eighteenth Lady leaned close to him: “Spread the file open, I’ll look myself.”
Because Lu Xiuyan was of noble status, to ensure his comfort, the archive clerks had specially brought him a large chair.
The chair was spacious enough for two to sit side by side.
Lu Xiuyan shifted over, indicating for Eighteenth Lady to sit beside him.
For the remaining time, he was responsible for turning the pages while Eighteenth Lady examined them, which turned out to be a rather harmonious collaboration.
After a full two hours of reviewing by the three humans and one Ghost, they finally found a peculiar case.
In early January of this year, a woman went to the Jingshan County office to report that her younger sister had been assaulted.
When the officers arrived at the woman’s home, they found her sister lying in bed, unconscious.
Upon examination, the officers discovered that the sister had been struck with a wooden club and a hammer, with two wounds of varying depths on her neck.
Three days later, however, when the officers returned to the woman’s home, they found that the sister had already been buried.
The woman claimed she did not want further trouble and insisted on withdrawing the case, which was subsequently dropped.
Coincidentally, the woman in this case was named Ruan Qingshang.
Her sister was named Ruan Shuyu.
“I know them,” Eighteenth Lady rose and drifted over to Xu Jichun. “Ruan Shuyu isn’t dead.”
“Brothers, shall we continue tomorrow?” Not daring to show too much shock, Xu Jichun raised a hand to rub his eyes, pretending to be overcome with fatigue.
Shu Chi was the first to agree: “Alright.”
Lu Xiuyan’s gaze lingered between Xu Jichun and Eighteenth Lady.
After a moment, he smiled and agreed: “Uncle Wu, please escort Brother Shu home. I will personally see Brother Xu back to the inn.”
Xu Jichun politely declined: “How could I trouble the Third Young Master Lu?”
Lu Xiuyan grabbed him and pulled him away: “Brother, there’s no need to stand on ceremony with me.”
By the time they left, it was already the end of the Zi hour. The streets were empty of pedestrians, with only the night patrol officers on duty.
Relying on Lu Xiuyan’s familiar handsome face, the officers spoke kindly to Xu Jichun and even personally escorted the two back to the inn.
At the entrance of the inn, Xu Jichun waved goodbye to Lu Xiuyan: “Third Young Master Lu, thank you for today.”
Lu Xiuyan glanced at the sky: “Brother, my family has a rule: returning home after the Zi hour means kneeling in the ancestral hall for three days.”
Xu Jichun understood immediately: “You want to stay at the inn?”
“I never carry money when I go out, so tonight I’ll have to make do in your room. Brother, I’ve helped you a great deal—you surely won’t refuse me, right?” Lu Xiuyan waved his hand, wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and headed toward the guest rooms on the second floor.
Xu Jichun initially wanted to refuse, but considering the great favor Lu Xiuyan had done for him today, he had no choice but to invite him inside.
Eighteenth Lady followed behind the two, planning to explain the matter of Helan Wang to Xu Jichun once Lu Xiuyan fell asleep.
But Lu Xiuyan stubbornly refused to sleep. Instead, he moved a chair to sit between them and asked endless questions: “Brother, do you also have the Yin-Yang Eye?”
“No.”
“Then why can you see Ghosts?”
“Third Young Master Lu.”
“Hmm?”
“If you keep asking, Eighteenth Lady is about to cry.”
Author’s Note: