Fu Jue looked at Qi Xun. “How can you prove that *Bai Fu Zi* came from my courtyard? There are nearly a hundred people at Furong Station. Could it not be used by someone else?”
His phoenix‑shaped eyes, framed by the snow‑white fox fur on his shoulders, seemed darker still. His tone was calm, but that very calmness made him unreadable.
Qi Xun stood firm. “*Bai Fu Zi* is commonly used for external injuries, but never alone. Prescriptions containing it are costly. Ordinary folk would not discard it after only three decoctions—the dregs I found had been boiled only three times. Normally, such precious medicine would be boiled five or six times until its strength faded. At Furong Station, aside from the postmaster’s household, only the officials could afford it. And among them, the heir is the only one with external wounds.” She spoke steadily, though her heart was anxious. He was the heir of Marquis Linjiang; she was but a coroner. If he turned against her, even Song Huaijin could not protect her. Her heart was in her throat.
Yet Fu Jue unexpectedly nodded. “Reasonable. It seems I am indeed highly suspect—”
Qi Xun thought he was convinced. But then his words turned. “Then you must investigate all the more carefully. The killer has deceived even you, showing his cunning. The more time you waste on me, the more time he has to plan his next murder. Everyone carries karmic sins. Which hell will the killer send his next victim to?”
His words chilled everyone. Song Huaijin frowned. “The heir has time to worry about others—why not explain himself?”
Fu Jue’s lips curved. “If such tricks can fool the Court of Judicial Review, how dare you claim to judge the empire’s crimes?” He glanced at Qi Xun, then said to Song Huaijin: “Since testimony and evidence point against me, I will grant you two days’ delay before returning to the capital. I hope you find the truth quickly.”
His gaze swept past Song Huaijin into the room. “I barely knew Xin Yuanshou. His garrison in Suzhou is a thousand li from my Northern Army. I had no motive to kill him.”
Song Huaijin recalled Liu Yishan’s words about the temple. “Three years ago you came to Furong Station, and even worshiped at the Guanyin Temple. If someone is mad with faith, reason cannot explain him.”
Fu Jue’s eyes darkened. “I do not believe in Buddha. My father did. When his coffin passed here, I prayed only for his soul.”
Song Huaijin pressed further, but Fu Jue said: “The killer punishes according to karmic sins. He must know what sins the victims committed. If it were random murder, why cloak it in hell’s punishments?”
He was reminding Song Huaijin. Song Huaijin paused—Fu Jue had no ties to Yu Ming or Xin Yuanshou. Even if he were mad with faith, he had no reason to kill them. Though evidence pointed to Fu Jue, Song Huaijin dared not falsely accuse him.
“True enough. But for now, the heir remains the prime suspect.”
Fu Jue smiled kindly. “No matter. You may set your men to watch us day and night.”
Song Huaijin’s heart jolted. Yesterday, after the fire, he had indeed set men to watch Fu Jue’s courtyard. Seeing no anomaly, he withdrew them. He thought it flawless—but Fu Jue had noticed.
He had not yet spoken when Fu Jue coughed lightly twice. The day was overcast, the cold biting. He was unwilling to say more, and Lin Wei quickly wheeled him away.
Yang Fei soon stepped closer. “Vice Minister Song, what do you think? Now there is testimony…”
Song Huaijin steadied himself. “We must continue investigating. The heir is the prime suspect, but we cannot judge rashly. His status is extraordinary. I must send word to the capital at once.”
Back inside, Song Huaijin summoned a man and gave detailed instructions—indeed, to carry a message to the capital. Only after did he turn to Qi Xun. “What do you think? Could the body yield more clues?”
Qi Xun frowned. “Two men are dead. One trait of the killer is great strength. Both deaths used punishments from the Eight Hot Hells—surely the same hand. He killed Lord Yu, then General Xin. And those two lodged together at Furong Station twelve years ago. I lean toward investigating what happened then.”
She thought carefully. “Lord Yu’s death—the strange blade was not direct evidence. But General Xin’s death—someone saw him go to the northern courtyard, and his nails held medicine dregs from the heir’s courtyard. However you look, it is strange.”
“Too much direct evidence?” Song Huaijin asked.
Qi Xun could not explain the feeling. “The heir does not look like a man concealing guilt.”
Song Huaijin shook his head. “His mind is unlike ordinary men. How can you judge by appearances?”
Qi Xun nodded. “I must examine General Xin’s body more closely. Better to move it to Lord Yu’s chamber. Last night’s records showed only their names. The rest was too faded. Later, you should send men to sift them again.”
Song Huaijin immediately ordered the body moved. Qi Xun, with Zhou Wei, returned to Yu Ming’s chamber. Facing two corpses, she did not begin at once. Standing before the long table, she gazed at Yu Ming’s body in thought, then picked up the strange blade and measured it again.
Zhou Wei looked puzzled. “What is it? Could the heir of Marquis Linjiang truly be the killer?”
Qi Xun shook her head. “Did you not hear Hu Li today? Those who fall into the Black Rope Hell are hacked or sawn apart, suffering endlessly. If the killer is imitating hell’s punishments, would he not go to extremes? General Xin drowned, yes—but I suspect the killer first intended to boil him alive. That matches the hell’s description exactly.”
“You mean Lord Yu was sawn apart?”
Qi Xun shook her head. “Look at the wounds—they were made by a blade, not a saw. But Hu Li’s mention of hell’s punishments reminded me of a thought I had before. Lord Yu’s dismemberment, especially the wound at his waist, resembled execution by waist‑cutting. Do you know what instrument was used for that punishment?”
Zhou Wei shook his head. “Waist‑cutting is a severe penalty. I have not heard of it in years.”
Qi Xun said: “It was done with a guillotine‑like blade. I wonder if Furong Station has anything similar.”
Zhou Wei’s eyes widened. “A guillotine?”
Qi Xun looked at the strange blade before her. “With so many people here, suspicion scatters easily. Because of this blade, and the heir’s strange behavior since arriving, he draws suspicion. But the key in Lord Yu’s case was not dismemberment—it was how the killer froze him outside, then returned the body to his room, arranging it as a locked chamber.”
The past two days had been chaos, Zhou Wei’s mind muddled. Qi Xun’s words refocused him. She went to the door, checked the latch, then the window frames. Measuring the distance between the latch and the window, she quickly understood. “The window has a gap, very near the latch. With a fine thread, I could fake a locked room. What remains unclear is how the body was brought inside in daylight.”
She frowned, then turned to General Xin’s corpse. “He was to leave at dawn. Yet at midnight, knowing a killer lurked, he left his quarters. If it were you, under what circumstances would you risk that?”
Zhou Wei said: “If I were about to leave this place of trouble, I would avoid complications—unless… unless something threatened my interests or safety. Otherwise I would not risk it.”
“Interests and safety.” Qi Xun nodded. “He must have had a hidden reason—perhaps tied to the case.”
As she spoke, she stripped the corpse’s clothing. When she unfastened his collar, she found the buttons misaligned. She frowned. “Even his buttons wrong—he must have left in haste.”
Removing the garments, she donned gloves and examined carefully.
“Deceased: General Xin Yuanshou. Height: five chi, two cun. Time of death: between the third and fourth watch last night. Cause: drowning.”
“Right hand: two broken nails, two cuts, two abrasions. Back of head: blunt trauma, swelling of occipital flesh—likely knocked unconscious. Wrists: binding marks, purplish bruising, bleeding abrasions. Binding material: hemp rope from the boiler room.”
The findings matched her initial exam. Yet Qi Xun’s brows furrowed. “No. There should be more injuries.”
She applied vinegar and wine across the body, waited half an hour, then checked again. Still no hidden bruises. She was baffled. “Impossible. If he were attacked in the north courtyard, the killer had to carry or drag him to the boiler room. His body should show marks.”
Zhou Wei said quickly: “Perhaps he went to the heir’s courtyard, met him, then returned—only to be attacked near the boiler room? That would prove the heir and General Xin had dealings, and that he lied.”
If Xin Yuanshou met Fu Jue before his death, no explanation could clear Fu Jue.
Qi Xun sighed over the corpse. “His wounds are nonspecific—any blunt weapon could cause them. His robes bear only hearth ash, no other traces. I do not know if the lord has found more useful clues.”
At that moment, Qi Xun looked toward the eastern wing. She remembered the frozen blood on the ground had not yet been cleared. Taking a small knife, she entered the chamber. The floor was covered in congealed, blackened blood, unpleasant to behold. She crouched down and scraped the frozen blood into a porcelain basin.
Zhou Wei asked: “What use is all this blood? Surely it’s Lord Yu’s blood.”
Qi Xun shook her head. “The killer is meticulous, leaving almost no trace. Aside from clothing, the most likely place for foreign matter to cling is the victim’s large wounds. I examined the body and found nothing, but the softened wound bled. Perhaps it carried something with it.”
Looking at the basin full of blood‑ice, Zhou Wei’s stomach churned. Qi Xun kept scraping, watching carefully. Soon she spotted a darker shard of ice and exclaimed softly: “Fetch some hot water.”
Zhou Wei quickly poured a cup. Qi Xun dropped the shard into it. The blood melted instantly. She poured the water away, and at the bottom of the cup lay a thin fragment.
Zhou Wei asked: “What kind of debris is that?”
“Not debris. Medicine. *Bai Zhi* (Angelica root).”
“*Bai Zhi*?” Zhou Wei’s eyes widened. “*Bai Zhi* and *Bai Fu Zi* are—”
“They are medicines from the same prescription. *Bai Zhi* expels pus and promotes healing, invigorates blood and relieves pain. It is an excellent remedy for external injuries!”
Zhou Wei could not contain himself. “Evidence! This is direct evidence against the heir! Together with the strange blade, it proves Lord Yu’s death is tied to him! We must report this at once!” Excited, he leapt up and ran outside.
Qi Xun, stunned for a moment, followed after.
When Song Huaijin heard that more evidence linked to Fu Jue had been found, he rushed with his men into Fu Jue’s courtyard. Fu Jue himself had not expected that in mere moments, suspicion of him killing Yu Ming would grow heavier.
“You recognize *Bai Zhi* too?” Fu Jue looked at Qi Xun. “You are a coroner—how do you know so much about medicine?”
Standing behind Song Huaijin, Qi Xun thought, *Is this really the point?* But she stepped forward. “Coroner’s work requires knowledge of medicine. I studied it privately.”
Fu Jue said: “My prescriptions indeed contain *Bai Fu Zi* and *Bai Zhi*. But the dregs found on them could not have come from my courtyard.”
At this, Lin Wei added: “I just remembered—every two days, someone comes to collect refuse. Our discarded medicine dregs are taken away. They could appear anywhere outside.”
Song Huaijin was doubtful. Qi Xun recalled what Zhang Xun had said about old steward Zhang, who collected refuse and emptied night soil each morning. “My lord, there is indeed someone in the station responsible for this.”
Her mind was already calculating. Song Huaijin thought, *But someone saw General Xin visit you. It is easier for him to pick up medicine dregs in your courtyard than elsewhere.*
Qi Xun saw his suspicion and said softly: “My lord, regardless of General Xin, Lord Yu’s body bore medicine dregs. That means he was killed where the dregs were discarded. If we find old steward Zhang and ask where he dumped them, we can locate the place of Yu Ming’s death!”
Song Huaijin agreed and, with a brief farewell to Fu Jue, led his men to seek out old Zhang.
In the warm chamber, Lin Wei watched them leave and said helplessly:
“Vice Minister Song sometimes thinks less clearly than that coroner. Strange indeed—a young woman working as a coroner.” He added: “I inquired—she joined the Court of Judicial Review only a year ago. Now she is highly valued by Vice Minister Song. Her autopsy skills are exceptional. And she can reason through cases. But this time, she has clearly gone astray.”
“It is not her fault. The killer deliberately misleads.” Fu Jue gazed out the window. “Chu Qian, return to the capital and investigate something.”
The attendant stepped forward. “What does master wish to investigate?”
When Fu Jue explained, Chu Qian and Lin Wei exchanged glances. Lin Wei said: “Master, you do not plan to return to the capital on schedule? Are we to help the Court investigate? We are already late. The Emperor may be angered.”
Fu Jue gave him a look. “Too much talk.”
Those two words made Lin Wei shrink back, silent.
Song Huaijin and his men soon learned that old Zhang did not live in the station. Shortly after, Liu Yishan hurried over. “Old Zhang is aged. He should not be a clerk. But he has no family, no livelihood. I kept him here, giving him silver each month. He collects refuse and empties night soil. He lodges in a small room by the horse pond.”
Liu Yishan led them. From the east gate, they passed the main road with its archway and reached the west side of the station. Entering through the gate, they saw rows of granaries and the horse pond. At the end stood the small room Liu Yishan described.
“Others have homes and return on rest days. Old Zhang lives here year‑round. So we gave him the end room, with inner and outer chambers and a hearth—his home.” Liu Yishan explained as they walked, greeting stable hands along the way and waving them off.
Qi Xun followed behind, her sharp eyes scanning. Suddenly she saw a granary door wide open. Inside, a laborer was chopping fodder for horses. She stopped at once.
The unfamiliar laborer wielded a guillotine‑like cutter. Its blade gleamed coldly. One stroke, and even thick fodder splits clean. The blade was two feet long—longer than the strange blade carried by Fu Jue’s attendants!
“Qi Xun—!”
She was staring, entranced, when Zhou Wei’s voice called from afar. She turned to see his pale face. “Come quickly—old Zhang has had an accident!”