CH 9

“Gold dusted paper is a common fine writing paper, it’s just that when the fine writing paper is being manufactured, gold and silver – either in fine powder or foil form – will be adhered to the surface with gum powder, which gives rise to the lustre of gold and silver on the coloured wax paper. Hence, it is called gold- and silver-dusted multi-coloured wax paper.”

Bó Ruò Yōu used two bamboo tweezers to carefully manipulate the paper in the porcelain platter. “Consequently, gold dusted paper is much thicker than ordinary fine writing paper, and the ink doesn’t bleed as easily, which is why many people are fond of reciting poems and drawing on it, since it appears more antiquated and loftier. In a Marquis Residence, it should be a frequently seen item. However, this item was swallowed by the deceased and remained in his stomach for a long time, so the ink stains have been mostly digested, but the fortunate part is that the paper material is thick, and there’s a method to salvage it at least.”

Having said that, Bó Ruò Yōu raised her head, “Min’nü needs a type of blue grass.”

Bó Ruò Yōu bent over, rolling her robe sleeves up which revealed a section of her jade-like arms and luminous wrists, her slender body and waist becoming fuller as she held that particular position. It was evident that she was wholly absorbed in her work, but she was suffused with an indescribable gentle elegance.

Huò Wēi Lóu peered at her, “What kind of blue grass?”

“Persicaria tinctoria, isatis tinctoria works too.”

Blue grass could be used to apply colour, and it was frequently used in the dyeing of common fabrics. Huò Wēi Lóu nodded, going out of the door to issue a command.

Bó Ruò Yōu lowered her eyes again to fiddle with that small ball of gold dusted paper.

The gold dusted paper was only the size of a palm, which had been squeezed into a ball before it was swallowed into the stomach, and then slowly digested in the stomach for a few days, starting from the outermost layer. Currently, only a thin translucent layer remained, and Bó Ruò Yōu did not dare to be negligent, genuinely afraid that the word traces would be removed if it was torn.

After changing the water twice, that wrinkled paper ball gradually showed its original form. Fu gonggong was also standing at the side and he said in surprise: “It really is gold dusted paper.”

After it was cleansed with water, the faint gold and silver fine powder revealed its lustre; the entire paper became thin and slack, and an occasional downward or curved inked brushstroke could be perceived on its surface.

Fu gonggong sighed, “How are we supposed to distinguish it?”

Bó Ruò Yōu replied, “Wanting to distinguish every character is impossible, but min’nü will try her best.”

Fu gonggong shifted his pupils to look at Huò Wēi Lóu, “Did Hou’ye gain anything from the questionings in the front courtyard?”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s expression was grave, “It did not differ much from Zhèng Wén Yàn’s account.”

Fu gonggong heaved a sigh, “Therefore, there is no way of confirming if Zheng san’ye (3rd) had lied. Although his intentions are slightly dishonourable, there is no evidence, and it’s not possible to determine if he has harmed someone.”

Fu gonggong’s bright eyes landed on Bó Ruò Yōu’s person, “It will depend on whether Bó guniang can bring out the word traces.”

Huò Wēi Lóu stared at Bó Ruò Yōu as well.

Among the numerous instances where he arrived at a prefectural government office to handle a case, this was his first time encountering someone like Bó Ruò Yōu, a small coroner who was more hardworking than the main official, and the most important part was that she had the skills to match. Had she been a man, she could be subordinated.

A trace of regret emerged from the depths of Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes uncontrollably, and Bó Ruò Yōu happened to be wiping the sweat off the back of her hands when she raised her eyes slightly and collided with Huò Wēi Lóu’s peculiar gaze, which made her stiffen slightly, somewhat confused.

The emotions in Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes were only there for a fleeting moment. Frowning, he asked: “How long will it take for the word traces to appear?”

His tone of voice was strict again, as if that instant was just Bó Ruò Yōu’s vision playing tricks on her. She mulled over it, “By tomorrow perhaps.” She looked out of the window after saying that, only to see that the rising sun was going to reach the middle of the sky soon, and she added, “And it needs to be sunny today.”

Huò Wēi Lóu furrowed his brows, as if he was not very satisfied with the time necessary. Bó Ruò Yōu did not know why, but she abruptly recalled that during their first meeting yesterday. Huò Wēi Lóu had been displeased when he learned that she was actually the coroner that Hè Chéng invited, which caused the thought that “Huò Wēi Lóu denigrated women” to flow past her mind, and she subsequently changed her words, “When the sky darkens, in the best-case scenario, it will manifest this evening.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows relaxed slightly, and his eyes cleared up like the clouds dispersing too. Which superior in the world didn’t like having a subordinate like this?

A trace of regret emerged from the bottom of Huò Wēi Lóu’s heart again, except there was not the slightest indication on his face.

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“Hou’ye—”

The voice abruptly rose. It was Hè Chéng rushing over. Huò Wēi Lóu turned around, and Hè Chéng immediately spoke after he stepped through the door: “Xiaguan has already dispatched someone to the ancestral hall and has met with Momo Yu. She lives in the ancestral hall alone, and according to what she said, she has not exited the ancestral hall’s doors at all in the past few years. With regards to the happenings in the residence, she only knows that Lao Furen has passed, and she didn’t even know that Zheng er’ye fell off a building.”

Having said that, Hè Chéng’s expression became a little queer, “This individual is rather strange.”

Huò Wēi Lóu stared at Hè Chéng, causing his obese face to wrinkle into a ball, “Xiaguan does not know how to describe it either, he simply feels that a person staying inside the ancestral hall for so many years without setting a foot outside once, seems quite impossible. Moreover… Hou’ye didn’t see her, she looked like, she could invoke fear in the hearts of others. Gloomy, she’s incredibly gloomy…”

After pondering for a moment, Hè Chéng used the word ‘gloomy’.

Huò Wēi Lóu knitted his brows, “Where is this person right now?”

Hè Chéng replied, “She’s still in the ancestral hall.”

Huò Wēi Lóu swept a glance in Bó Ruò Yōu’s direction before saying: “Bring benhou over to have a look.”

Hè Chéng nodded without missing a beat, while Huò Wēi Lóu looked at Fu gonggong again, to which Fu gonggong promptly stated: “Hou’ye may be at ease, laonu will stay.”

Conversation closed, Huò Wēi Lóu then departed from the mourning hall.

Once he stepped out, he sensed that while the sun was out today, the wind that blew past his face was particularly cold. At this moment, there were two servants carrying over heavy furniture in the distance, and Huò Wēi Lóu noticed that the hands they were using to lift those objects had been frozen to the point where they were red. His phoenix eyes became a little profound, suddenly recalling how Bó Ruò Yōu’s fingers had looked like as she was holding the bamboo tweezers. Her slim, jade-like fingers were slender like peeled scallions, as if they had been covered by the snow once.

Huò Wēi Lóu retracted his line of sight.

He did not verbalise any of his thoughts, only scrutinising the Marquis Residence’s Garden. Because the ancestral hall was far removed from the Marquis Residence’s main body, Huò Wēi Lóu had to travel further north, which made him realise how big the Marquis Residence was. “This garden was built by the Zheng clan?”

As Hè Chéng mulled over the implications of Huò Wēi Lóu’s question, he could only answer with the facts: “It wasn’t. This garden was a travelling residence of qinwang from the previous dynasty, and when it was being constructed, it drew over the flowing waters from Huanhua Brook which was located south of the city, and three lakes were constructed inside the garden. Later, the previous dynasty changed over, the garden was abandoned, and even the lakes dried up. It was roughly sixty to seventy years ago when the former Old Zheng Patriarch purchased it, thus turning it into the ancestral residence after it was renovated.”

Huò Wēi Lóu absorbed the entire scenery into his eyes. The further north they went, the more hundred-year pine and cypress trees he could see. If this garden was built by the Zheng clan, then they would have spent quite a sizeable amount of money. Since he was vested with the duty of checking the hundred officials, it was natural that he would pay attention to these minor details.

Once they traversed through a moon gate, they truly left the main body of the Marquis Residence. In front of them was a dense bamboo forest, where the sunlight being cast down became a mottled area of light and shadow. Huò Wēi Lóu passed through the secluded path with his entourage, and he caught sight of the Marquis Residence’s secluded ancestral hall which was being cloistered by pine and cypress trees.

The accumulated snow was akin to jade, the luxuriant pine and cypress that reached high into the sky formed an umbrella canopy which seemed like a sky dome, thus shrouding the entire ancestral hall. Despite standing at the periphery of the ancestral hall, he still felt that this place rarely saw daylight, and the gloom was exceedingly heavy.

Although pine and cypress were frequently planted beside ancestral halls to manifest a solemn and serene atmosphere with the intent of respecting their ancestors, the scene before them truly conformed with Hè Chéng’s shortly worded description of ‘gloomy’.

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The group entered the courtyard gates. The accumulated snow covered the ground inside the courtyard, and there were only a few sets of evenly-spaced footprints that were left behind a while ago. Hè Chéng walked over in quick strides and called for the door: “Momo Yu? The Marquis has arrived, open the door—”

It was so quiet inside the room a pin drop could be heard. Just as Hè Chéng was wrinkling his eyebrows, the door was opened without any warning. Prior to this, Hè Chéng did not hear a single sound of footsteps approaching.

A face, which appeared ghastly pale because it barely saw the sunlight all year round, appeared behind the door. Momo Yu was fifty years old, and her visage was originally withered like chicken skin, and now with brown spots and a pair of lifeless, black and penetrating eyes joining the mix, it was slightly frightening.

After her face appeared behind the door seam, and saw the people outside, her gaze focused on the space behind Huò Wēi Lóu.

It was unknown what she was thinking, but her expression suddenly contorted a little. The corners of her lips pursed before she opened the door.

She was wearing black robes instead of a white silk mourning dress. The room was dim, and her entire body looked like it was hidden in the darkness as well. Hè Chéng wavered on whether he should go through the door, while Huò Wēi Lóu stepped into the ancestral hall with large strides.

There was a large central hall after he stepped through the door. The memorial tablets of the Zheng clan’s forebears were placed in the truth north, and the flames of the altar lamps below were dim. There were wing-rooms on both sides; one side stored the incense and offerings, the other was Momo Yu’s room. Huò Wēi Lóu surveyed the room with widened eyes before shifting back to stare at Momo Yu, who had her hands crossed behind her back as she stood, and she did not look at Huò Wēi Lóu face-to-face since her head was lowered.

Huò Wēi Lóu said: “How many years have you been here?”

“Nubi has been here for fifteen years.”

When Momo Yu spoke, it was pervaded with a sense of rigidity, like she had not spoken to another human for a long time, and in addition to the hoarseness of her voice, it sounded a little strange.

Huò Wēi Lóu continued to ask: “Why were [you] sent here?”

Momo Yu pursed her lips, “Nubi had erred, she came here to atone for her crime.”

Momo Yu lowered her head. If the doors were closed, she would be akin to a human puppet hiding in the darkness, for her whole body was devoid of any vitality. Huò Wēi Lóu remained silent for a moment before asking: “What crime?”

Momo Yu’s head kept her head lowered, unwilling to answer that question up until now.

Huò Wēi Lóu scowled. Hè Chéng stated: “The personage asking these questions is Marquis Wuzhao. Momo Yu, there are currently doubts about Lao Furen’s death in the residence. Benguan advises you to speak of everything you know without reservation, and seek justice for Lao Furen at least, to fulfil your long-standing relationship as master and servant.”

Momo Yu’s head was still lowered, “Lao Furen’s mortal age is above half-hundred, and she has died of old age. In the next few days, nubi will follow her too, till the depths of the earth, and nubi will surely sustain the relationship of master and servant with Lao Furen.”

After she uttered those words, Hè Chéng could not help but fight a shudder.

Not only did she say that she was also going to die in the next few days, but she even declared that it was to the depths of the earth…

Amidst the darkness, Huò Wēi Lóu issued a cold laugh, “Momo does not fear death, but has she ever thought about the other sons and grandsons within the Maquis Residence? Momo is an old servant by Lao Furen’s side, and since [you] refuse to answer what the crime was, why don’t [you] talk about the matter of Zhèng Wén Yàn being born inauspicious?”

Momo Yu’s shoulders clearly shrank. All of a sudden, she raised her eyes to look behind Huò Wēi Lóu, as if someone was hiding behind Huò Wēi Lóu. That gaze made Hè Chéng shiver internally, and he quickly looked behind Huò Wēi Lóu’s body as well. A short distance away from Huò Wēi Lóu’s person, however, was merely a portrait of an ancestor of the Zheng clan, though it was unknown who he was.

“Fifteen years ago, one of the Marquis’ concubines was giving birth to a child, but nubi’s care was ineffectual which led to the deaths of the mother and child. It was supposed to be a death by cane flogging, but Lao Furen remembered [our] master-servant relationship and ordered nubi to come to this place to atone for her crime, and that is the reason why nubi is here.”

After Momo Yu was done speaking, she turned around, walking up to the front of the columns of Zheng clan’s ancestors and knelt down, reciting the scriptures out loud.

Her back figure was like a stone carving. Hè Chéng wanted to step forward and continue interrogating her, but Huò Wēi Lóu raised his hand to stop him. Huò Wēi Lóu knew that this Momo Yu would not be opening her mouth again today.

A sardonic smirk, however small it was, hung on Huò Wēi Lóu’s lips as he twisted his body and walked outwards. Hè Chéng trailed after him, and he could not resist rubbing his arms after coming out because they were strewn with goosebumps. “Hou’ye, someone like her is really too strange. When xiaguan came over just now, she merely opened half of the door, and she replied from behind the door, it was truly terrifying. Hou’ye, what should be done now?”

“Check the servants in the Marquis Residence and see if there’s anyone who has stayed in the residence for more than fifteen years and verify if she’s speaking the truth or not. Furthermore, ask all the old residents in the Marquis Residence about the rumour regarding Zhèng Wén Yàn’s inauspiciousness, one by one.”

Just as Huò Wēi Lóu reached the courtyard exit, he abruptly halted. When he turned around to look at the hall doors again, a harsh tint appeared in the bottom of his eyes once more, “The more [they] dress up as God and play the Devil, the more it seems that the inauspicious rumour has some deeper meaning.”

Then, Huò Wēi Lóu departed from the ancestral hall without sparing another glance.

Inside the mourning hall of the western courtyard, an embroidered emissary brought over the persicaria tinctoria he had found. Bó Ruò Yōu was currently submerging the thin gold dusted paper in the colourless juice water. Fu gonggong was visibly intrigued, so Bó Ruò Yōu explained: “This juice water looks colourless, but after it saturates cloth or paper, and is exposed to the sun, colour will be applied. This gold dusted paper is already incredibly thin, and the applied colour will be of the worst quality, but colour will nonetheless appear on the areas with ink.”

Surprised, Fu gonggong asked: “How did you come to know this?”

Bó Ruò Yōu smiled, “Yifu taught it once. Two years ago, there was a case in the county government office where the murderer sank a letter to the lake bottom. The handwriting was faint and hard to recognise, so Yifu used this method to make the words appear.”

Fu gonggong replied, “Then your foster father is a highly skilled person as well.”

Bó Ruò Yōu only smiled wordlessly. After letting that gold dusted paper soak for an hour, she dredged it up and spread it out on a handkerchief, then brought it to a sunnier place to dry. Fu gonggong stared at that gold dusted paper without blinking, only to realise that as it was being exposed under the sun for a longer duration, the originally brownish-yellow paper started to change in colour as expected, and those inked traces started to show some form.

As the sun gradually slanted to the west, the written characters increased, but there were one or two words that were barely recognisable. Bó Ruò Yōu’s visage darkened, and she brought the handkerchief and paper into the morning hall before asking a government hireling to kindle a fire brazier to bake it.

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In the evening, Huò Wēi Lóu brought Hè Chéng to the mourning hall again. When they were speaking of their experience in the ancestral hall, Hè Chéng was full of laments, while Fu gonggong clicked his tongue in wonder as he listened, “A proper aristocratic and influential family, why is it pervaded with oddities in every corner?”

The night was about to descend, and while Fu gonggong might have forgotten how Bó Ruò Yōu had said that the words would appear by evening, Bó Ruò Yōu did not. She held onto the paper – not too near or it would burn to a crisp; not too far or else it would not be effective – at a distance that was neither near nor far, which broiled her small face to a bright red. Yet, as her bright eyes reflected the fire light, the inundating and blooming colours caused by each leaping flame flowing between her brows and eyes, unexpectedly giving rise to a distinct, flattering and coquettish flavour.

Huò Wēi Lóu stood at the entrance, initially stunned by a single glimpse of the beauty, though his gaze continued to linger unconsciously.

At this moment, Bó Ruò Yōu’s refined eyebrows arched, her beautiful eyes sparkling and her lip corners raising high, “The words can be seen—”

This was the first time Huò Wēi Lóu witnessed Bó Ruò Yōu smiling like this. Her flowing and inundating charms became all the more vivid in a split second, and in that instant, it was like a ray of light piercing through the dark, gloomy, and indistinct mist of dawn, shocking his state of mind. He was used to only focusing on official business, and owing to this momentary sluggishness, Fu gonggong stepped across the threshold first despite being one step behind him.

In the faint fire light, Fu gonggong could not help but recite the visible words out loud.

“On my first seventh, thus death is due.”

“Yin Year Yin Hour, for I… What is that character?”

Some of the handwriting had lost its form, and Fu gonggong struggled to discern it in the moment, but Huò Wēi Lóu recognised it.

“Yin Year Yin Hour, for I pay with life.”

Huò Wēi Lóu recited the nine words in a cold and deep voice. Fu gonggong and Hè Chéng shuddered right then and there, whereas Bó Ruò Yōu suddenly frowned, “Today… is the second seventh of Lao Furen’s passing…”

Hè Chéng and Fu gonggong did not understand Bó Ruò Yōu’s words, but Huò Wēi Lóu rose to his feet instantaneously. It was also at this moment where an embroidered emissary sprinted into the mourning hall, “Hou’ye, something bad has happened to Zheng san’ye!”

Translator’s Notes:

The actual two-line and four-character poem is actually this:

吾之头七，尔之死期。 (wu zhi tou qi, er zi shi qi)

阴年阴时，为吾偿命。(yin nian yin shi, wei wu chang ming)

It actually flows and rhymes rather well in Mandarin, and it should be noted that the last part of the poem – ‘for I pay with life’ (为吾偿命) – can also be interpreted as ‘pay with your life for me’.