Chapter Four: Crimson Tears on the Winter Plum Chapter Thirty-three: The Mystery of the Handkerchief

“What? There’s not a single coroner in such a large county? How do you solve cases, then?” Zhang Huai found it all rather unbelievable.

“There used to be one. But ever since the Prefect’s bizarre suicide and the coroner’s mysterious drowning, no one has dared take the job. They say coroners are always closest to corpses and will be haunted by vengeful spirits at any moment!” Magistrate Cai replied cautiously, all the while watching Zhang Huai’s expression. If he saw the slightest sign of displeasure, he immediately stopped talking.

“Never mind! It doesn’t matter if there’s no coroner.” She fixed her gaze on Magistrate Cai again. “Did you prepare everything I asked for? Don’t tell me you didn’t!”

“There’s soapberry, atractylodes, fresh ginger, and sesame oil. I’ve got them all. I’ve also prepared a clean pot and five pounds of the finest pork. As for oil, salt, sauces, and vinegar, I brought extra, since no one had breakfast! Oh, and there’s plenty of firewood everywhere…” He trailed off, realizing by the baffled, half-amused expressions around him that he’d once again done something foolish.

“This is your method for solving cases?” Zhang Huai couldn’t help but laugh as he looked over the heap of supplies, examining them seriously before turning to Yu Bing. “Well, to be fair, this is better stocked than most kitchens!”

“Hahaha…” Kai Xin was already doubled over with laughter, clutching her stomach, gasping between giggles, “Bing, don’t tell me you gathered all these people here to cook breakfast yourself!”

“Didn’t you call everyone here to make breakfast?” Magistrate Cai asked quietly, suddenly realizing he might have made a mistake.

“Have you ever seen a coroner cook at a crime scene?” Yu Bing rubbed her temples, exasperated. “Besides, even if I did, would you dare eat it?”

“Then… I…” Magistrate Cai was left speechless by their questions.

“Keep only the atractylodes, soapberry, sesame oil, ginger slices, strong liquor, and vinegar. Return everything else you borrowed, personally, and leave a few bailiffs to help me dig. Make sure you return everything yourself!” Yu Bing ordered sternly, worried he’d come up with something even more absurd if left unchecked.

“Are you sure you don’t need my help here?” Magistrate Cai hesitated to leave since Zhang Huai hadn’t said anything.

“Go return the things first!” Zhang Huai waved him off, and when he’d gone, turned to Yu Bing with a smile. “What a character!”

By now, all the flowers in the courtyard had been moved outside, filling the outer yard. Seeing the ground was clear, Yu Bing called out, “Alright, let’s get to work!”

She had a few bailiffs carefully clear away the topsoil in the courtyard, while some soldiers were sent to gather dry firewood. By the time the firewood was piled up, the soil had been mostly removed.

“Ah! Bones? There are bones!” one bailiff shrieked, startled by the sudden appearance of skeletal remains in the pit. He tossed his hoe and scrambled out, retreating in terror.

Yu Bing, seeing what she was after, immediately stopped everyone from digging further. Once everyone was out, she jumped into the pit alone, picked up a skull, and examined it carefully in the sunlight.

The gathered crowd erupted at the sight, voices rising in speculation:

“It’s true! Look, there are so many bones!”

“Heavens, how many people were buried here?”

“Who could they all be?”

“What do you mean? Obviously, it’s the whole family that vanished!”

“And how do you know that? Do you know how they ended up buried here?”

“How would I know? I’m not the killer!”

Yu Bing listened to the townsfolk’s wild guesses as she inspected each bone. With the crowd’s help, all the remains were retrieved, washed, and carefully examined—yet not a single mark was found. It was as if the victims had willingly jumped into the pit and buried themselves. But Yu Bing knew such a theory was too bizarre to voice.

So she used the bone-steaming method on each skeleton, then tested them with red oil and umbrellas. Still, there was nothing, not a single clue. Afterward, Yu Bing had to admit their deaths were truly strange.

Unconvinced, she dug up the grave of the bailiff who’d supposedly died of fright, testing his remains the same way. The result was the same: he’d died in his sleep. But how? Another unsolvable mystery! The only certainty was that he hadn’t been frightened to death.

“Kai Xin, bring me the sword!” Yu Bing suddenly called out.

“Here!” Though she didn’t know what Yu Bing wanted with a sword, Kai Xin handed it over without question.

Taking the sword, Yu Bing turned to the rib bones before her and struck down with a crack—one of Xiao Li’s ribs split in two, and a few shriveled insect droppings rolled out from the marrow.

“So it was her after all! But eight years ago, she was only a child, wasn’t she? If not her, then who could the killer be?” As Yu Bing puzzled over this, the crowd’s chatter reached her ears:

“Heavens! Wasn’t he frightened to death? How did it become murder?”

“Exactly! Everyone knew he died of fright, and now it’s murder? What’s going on?”

“Juanzi has suffered so much these past eight years. I wonder if knowing this will bring her any comfort.”

“Yeah, they say Xiao Li was going to buy her freedom the very next day! Who could’ve expected this?”

“I heard he even gave Juanzi a handkerchief the day before.”

“What a pity…”

A handkerchief? Giving a handkerchief to someone who would be by your side the next day? Yu Bing’s mind flashed—could this be related to the jade token? In any case, she had to speak with Juanzi.

At that moment, Yu Bing saw Magistrate Cai returning from his errands. She quickly beckoned him over, “Magistrate Cai, come here—I have something to ask you.”

“Do you know where Xiao Li’s wife is?” she asked urgently as he approached.

“You mean Juanzi? I know, she’s at the Haotian Casino, west of Yanzhou City.”

Yu Bing didn’t wait to hear more. The group mounted up and rode swiftly toward Yanzhou City.

West of Yanzhou City, at the Haotian Casino.

Even riding hard, it was already well past noon when they arrived. After a quick meal at a nearby eatery, they headed to the casino.

A few taels of silver at the entrance, and the doorman was all smiles, ushering them inside.

Once inside, Yu Bing took in the dazzling array of gaming tables and whispered to Zhang Huai, “This should be your forte, shouldn’t it? Why not show us a trick or two?”

Zhang Huai could only smile bitterly. “But my teacher only taught me how to ride, fight, and govern a country—no one ever taught me to gamble!”

Yu Bing had no choice but to look at Kai Xin.

“Don’t look at me!” Kai Xin shook her head vigorously, unnerved by their stares. “If you two can’t play, I certainly can’t!”

Yu Bing turned to the beaming manager waiting for them to buy chips. “You heard us—we’re not refusing to play, we simply don’t know how.”

“We’re here to find someone. Her name is Juanzi; she was the wife of the late Xiao Li, a bailiff in Xiaqiu County eight years ago,” Kai Xin blurted out.

The manager’s smile vanished the instant he realized they were here to find someone, not to gamble. With a wave, he tried to shoo them away. “No one like that here. Move along! Don’t disturb my business!”

“He’s a royal inspector,” Yu Bing said quickly, pointing at Zhang Huai. “He’s investigating a murder case. If you don’t want to get shut down, you’d better bring the person we’re looking for here at once. Otherwise, face the consequences!” She shot her companions a meaningful look and moved to sit at a nearby table. Though confused, they followed her and sat down as well.

“What are you all gawking at?” the manager barked at his staff, feigning anger. “Go on, find her if you don’t want your wages docked!”

Soon, a delicate young woman appeared before them and greeted them with a graceful bow. “I am Xiu Juan. Greetings to all of you.”

“You’re Juanzi?” Yu Bing went straight to the point. “The day before your husband’s accident, did he give you a handkerchief?”

“Who… who are you people?” Juanzi’s eyes were wary; many had already asked her about the handkerchief. But she remembered Xiao Li’s warning: if anything happened to him, he must have been murdered. Never trust local officials; only hand the handkerchief to someone from the royal family to clear his name.

Yu Bing said nothing more, borrowing the jade pendant from Zhang Huai and pressing it into Juanzi’s palm, closing her fingers around it. As Juanzi’s lips parted in surprise, Yu Bing quickly raised a hand to silence her. “Now you can trust us, can’t you? Where’s the handkerchief?”

True to her word, Juanzi reached into her blouse and pulled out a pink handkerchief. She stroked it against her cheek, lost in memory, then quickly handed it to Yu Bing before hurrying away, as if afraid she might change her mind.

Snow falls in the hour of the Boar, awakening spring,
Grain is stored coolly in the hour of the Snake.
Frost dots the solstice in the hour of the Dog,
And autumn wind sighs mournfully around the city walls.

Neither quite poem nor song—these were the only lines on the handkerchief that none of them could decipher.

On the road back to the Central Prefecture office, Yu Bing and her companions puzzled over the meaning of these verses. Bereft of any leads, they could only speculate in vain.

As they neared the city gates, Yu Bing suddenly pulled up her reins and turned to the others. “Does anyone remember who Magistrate Cai said led the investigation eight years ago?”