Chapter 16: Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

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Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

 Chapter 16: 

 The Serial Murder Case (2)

Lifting the white cloth revealed an even stronger stench of decay. The bodies laid out on the wooden boards had turned into brown, desiccated corpses, though their skin still retained some elasticity, allowing their facial features to be faintly discernible.

   The female corpse had a long, ghastly scar running from her brow bone to her chin, with the surrounding skin creased along this wound, clearly displaying the damage suffered at the time of death.

According to the arrangement, the level of decomposition increased as one moved inward. By the last two bodies, they were almost mere skeletons, covered with severely eroded silk. Several damaged bones had been picked out, and despite the passage of many years, the incision marks on the sternum could still be seen.

"From the looks of it, all the bodies bear the same injuries: their hearts were removed, and the women's faces were slashed."

As she examined each corpse, Zhu Yan made a mental note and quickly reached this conclusion.

"These two bodies are the oldest. By the time they were exhumed, the coffins had been damaged by wild animals, leaving the bodies incomplete and decayed. It’s challenging to determine the exact time of death, but according to the coroner, it was approximately between five to ten years ago."

Beside the male corpse lay a lacquered tray, containing scattered items found in the coffin, including a jade pendant, a woman's hairpin, and a belt adorned with pearls.

Standing before these remains, Shen Du's gaze fell upon the tray. Noticing a gold medallion with cloud patterns, he scrutinized it for a moment. Immediately, Jing Lin stepped forward, understanding Shen Du's intent. He carefully wrapped the medallion in white cloth and presented it to Shen Du.

The medallion, about the size of a palm, featured a carved Pixiu in the center, with a line of small text at the bottom. The engraving was shallow, and the initial characters were obscured by grime, but the remaining characters were still clear.

"‘The inspector in the seventh year of Feisheng.’" Zhu Yan noted the line in her mind.

Seeing Shen Du furrowing his brow and gazing thoughtfully at the gold medallion, Jiang Ming couldn’t help but wipe the sweat off his forehead.

The young and formidable Grand Chief Guard Shen Du was known for his ruthless and domineering nature. Witnessing him up close, Jiang Ming felt the oppressive weight of his gaze and trembled, fearful of accidentally offending this figure of authority.

"Does the Grand Chief Guard have any instructions?" Jiang Ming asked, sensing that Shen Du had discovered some clue.

"The murderer’s first crime was six years ago," Shen Du said, his lips barely moving as he spoke.

Jiang Ming was startled and quickly pulled out a charcoal pen and a small booklet to record Shen Du’s statement.

"Why?" Zhu Yan instinctively asked.

Shen Du raised his eyes slightly, his gaze filled with disdain. Zhu Yan lowered her head and rubbed her nose. “The murderer’s method is consistent in each crime, so the time of the killings must follow some pattern. A small error in deduction can lead to a significant deviation. To find the real culprit, accuracy is crucial. I’m merely considering the Grand Chief Guard's esteemed reputation.”

Lu Chuichui couldn’t help but chuckle, leaning towards Zhu Yan and whispering, “I didn’t expect you to flatter someone. That’s quite rare.”

Zhu Yan turned and gave her a playful glare. Lu Chuichui stuck out her tongue, but the tension in the room quickly sobered her up, making her wary of offending the imposing figure.

Shen Du frowned, seemingly impatient with Zhu Yan’s chatter. He walked around the wooden board where the bodies were laid and pointed to the outer robe of the male corpse. “This is adorned with a double fish pattern.”

The coffins containing these two bodies had been damaged, and the clothing on the corpses had also suffered significant decay. However, after cleaning, the pattern of gold thread woven into the shoulders was still visible.

Zhu Yan pondered deeply but found the pattern unfamiliar. Given that if these individuals were indeed killed six years ago, she would have been only ten years old at the time and unlikely to have paid attention to such details.

She stood quietly to the side, waiting for Shen Du to continue.

Wu Taiming, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up upon hearing Shen Du’s remark. “The double fish pattern… could it be…”

The pattern seemed vaguely familiar to Jiang Ming. He strained to recall and suddenly had a realization. He slapped his hand in surprise and exclaimed, “Jinxiu Workshop!”

“This double fish pattern was a special design created by Jinxiu Workshop, which was all the rage in the capital back then!” 

“Cough, cough.”

Seeing Jiang Ming’s sudden excitement, which led to a lapse in decorum in front of Wu Taiming and Shen Du, Zhu Yan couldn’t help but give a light cough to remind him.

Jiang Ming realized his reaction had been too intense and his behavior somewhat inappropriate. He quickly regained his composure and bowed, saying, “My apologies, Lord Shen and Lord Wu. I was impolite.”

“It’s fine. Continue,” Shen Du said, his expression still serious but not angry.

“Yes!”

“Jinxiu Workshop was the premier silk workshop in the capital at that time, renowned for its luxurious fabrics. It was highly coveted among the city’s elite, and Jinxiu Workshop even provided silks to the palace on the first day of each month.”

“However…” Jiang Ming hesitated as he recalled the events from that time, but under Shen Du’s unyielding gaze, he had to continue. “In June of the eighth year of the Emperor’s reign, Jinxiu Workshop was accused of treason due to an issue with summer garments they presented to Princess Ru Ning.”

Zhu Yan’s eyes brightened with realization. So, it was that incident!

She recalled some details about the silk workshop’s treason case. During those years, the Empress Dowager was known for her harsh rule and frequent purges, making the details of individual cases less memorable.

However, although Princess Ru Ning managed to keep her life during this incident, her consort was sentenced to be cut in half at the waist. As for the true details of what happened, no one has dared to investigate further for a long time. After her consort's death, the princess was forced to become a nun at Mingsheng Temple, forbidden to ever step foot outside the temple for the rest of her life.

Overnight, the once-flourishing Jinxiu Workshop was reduced to ashes, and all the seamstresses who had designed patterns and tailored garments for the princess were executed by hanging. In the city, men and women hurriedly burned any clothes made by Jinxiu Workshop to avoid suspicion and prevent being reported.

Although the fabrics from Jinxiu Workshop were luxurious, they were also very expensive. Zhu Yan's father, Minister Zhu, known for his integrity and frugality, would never have allowed such costly fabrics to be purchased for his household. Therefore, the panic of burning clothes behind closed doors never occurred in the Zhu residence.

From Jiang Ming's account, Zhu Yan quickly realized one thing: after June of the eighth year of Feisheng, no one in the capital would have dared to wear fabric from Jinxiu Workshop in public.

Thus, the deceased man must have died before the treason case involving Jinxiu Workshop.

“The eighth year of Feisheng is exactly six years ago, but this gold medallion was made in the seventh year of Feisheng. It’s not impossible that this person died in the seventh year,” Jing Lin, having figured out the connections, couldn’t help but voice his doubt.

“Impossible,” Shen Du's tone was indifferent but carried an undeniable certainty. “The Baoxiang Double Fish pattern was the style for spring clothes made by Jinxiu Workshop in the eighth year of Feisheng, sold between the second and fourth months of that year.”

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