Chapter 10

Tao Zhu had a quirky and unruly personality. Lu Shanrou seemed to see her younger self in Tao Zhu. She had been the youngest child in her family, born when her parents were over forty, with elder brothers and a sister above her. Her entire family spoiled her endlessly, indulging her as she grew up. When she wanted to dress as a boy and pretend to be a servant accompanying her father on investigations, her parents objected. But she cried, made a fuss, and even threatened drastic actions, eventually getting her way.

Lu Shanrou herself had been rebellious, unruly, cynical, and covered in thorns. Half her life had been filled with pampering and the other half with hardships. Over time, experience and life wore down her sharp edges. She locked away her true self deep in her heart, hidden behind a facade of gentleness and elegance—a mask worn for so long it had almost become one with her, leaving her to forget the defiant, headstrong part of herself imprisoned within.

Therefore, when faced with Tao Zhu’s unreasonable tantrums, Lu Shanrou empathized and chose not to get angry this time. She said, “Once this matter is resolved, and we’re back at the house on Qianyu Alley, I’ll open my wardrobe and jewelry box. You can pick anything you like. How does that sound?”

Tao Zhu had already calmed down but needed an excuse to let it show. Hearing this, she clapped her hands and said, “Good, good, good! Liu Xiu and Commander Wei can testify—you better not go back on your word!”

And just like that, they reconciled.

By now, the sun was fully up, shining brightly and warmly in the summer sky, drying the puddles on the ground. The bailiffs searching the courtyard brought out hidden items they had dug up from various places, filling three entire tables. They claimed, “…We even filtered the latrine water twice and found these things. However, we still haven’t located the murder weapon described by Madam Lu. Do you think any of these items are useful?”

Upon hearing this, Tao Zhu, who had just eaten her fill, nearly vomited and couldn’t bear to look at the items on the tables.

Lu Shanrou remained composed, putting on gloves she had personally sewn from sheep intestines. Her fingers moved freely, shielded from filth, as she examined the items one by one. The first thing that caught her eye was a large ham shaped like a pipa (a traditional Chinese lute).

Lu Shanrou was speechless: “Could this thing possibly be the murder weapon used to slash a neck? Oh! If this thing can chop off half a neck, I’ll twist my own head off for you!”

The bailiff explained, “We found this in the ash pile in the kitchen. The cook had stolen the ham, wrapped it in oiled paper, and hidden it in the ash pile, intending to take it when dumping the ashes. Madam Lu, this was a place you specifically instructed us to search thoroughly.”

Does your brain not work at all? Can this thing be used to slash a neck? Could you be a bit more reasonable? Lu Shanrou suppressed her anger and said, “A cook who doesn’t steal can’t harvest the grains. Move the ham away; it’s just getting in the way here.”

The Ministry of Rites’ bailiffs lacked experience with murder cases and were chaotic in their approach, much like their random way of arresting people.

The items found next were varied, mostly gold and silver jewelry hidden by the performers in beams and swallow nests under the eaves. Lu Shanrou carefully inspected each one.

Since Lu Shanrou had highlighted certain areas, the bailiffs found the most items in the latrine pit, living up to the claim of “filtering the sewage water twice.” The large and small items took up an entire table. Though they were cleaned, a foul smell lingered.

Lu Shanrou first unwrapped a cloth bundle. When she saw what was inside, she froze in place.

Tao Zhu craned her neck and stood on tiptoes. “What is it? Looks like a dead rat.”

“It’s a barely formed fetus,” Lu Shanrou replied, covering the bundle again. She removed a golden shrimp-shaped bracelet from her wrist and said, “Buy a small coffin and give it a proper burial.”

In the world of brothels, the suffering of courtesans extended far beyond selling their bodies. They had no control over their own bodies, let alone their ability to bear children. Unwanted pregnancies were discarded as “cursed roots of misfortune” thrown into the latrine, and life went on as they continued to entertain guests. Now that it had been found, it couldn’t simply be thrown back into the cesspit. The small bundle was taken away, and the golden bracelet served as the burial fee.

The atmosphere grew heavy instantly, and even the usually noisy Tao Zhu fell uncharacteristically silent.

Lu Shanrou continued her inspection. People tended to relax in places where the cycle of grains ended, making it easy to drop things. This wasn’t an ordinary place, though. If something fell in, it sank to the bottom, out of sight, and could only be retrieved by sifting through it. As a result, there were many items.

The variety of items that had fallen in was extensive, and Lu Shanrou inspected each one carefully. There was a set of seven golden tools, one of which was a gold earwax picker with the name “Qiu Boyan” engraved on its handle—likely the owner’s name.

There was also a set of seven silver tools and a set of three bronze tools, all without any inscriptions. Two jade pendants, three fan cases, and four pouches containing copper coins and scattered pieces of silver were also found. These were items typically hung from the waist, and it was likely that people, preoccupied with untying their belts, had unknowingly dropped them.

Additionally, there were two combs, a single jade rabbit pestle earring, a single silver clove earring, a silver ring, a jade thumb ring, and a white jade hairpin carved in the shape of twin lotus blooms. The white jade was as smooth as congealed fat, and on the hairpin was inscribed a line of poetry: “The grain harvest abundant as clouds rise, belonging to the noble residence of the virtuous.”

“What is this engraving? It’s so mismatched and clumsy,” Tao Zhu scoffed, unable to resist adding a mocking remark:

“‘The grain harvest abundant as clouds rise’ comes from White Hair, an ancient pastoral poem by the Song Dynasty poet Lu You, and it means that the crops have yielded a great harvest. The next line, ‘Belonging to the noble residence of the virtuous,’ is from Yue Zhen Song by another Song poet, Xu Xuan, and it praises the virtuous women of grand mansions. Both are excellent lines, but when forced together, they just don’t fit. It’s strange—probably something jewelry sellers came up with to dupe uncultured, wealthy bumpkins.”

Lu Shanrou cast a deep, thoughtful look at Tao Zhu. This person was eccentric and unpredictable but evidently well-read. The last time, Tao Zhu casually quoted the names Liu Xiu and “jade pendant” from the line ‘The Tower of Prince Teng overlooks the riverside, the jade pendants and ringing chimes cease as the dance ends,’ a famous piece from Wang Bo’s Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng. Knowing that reference might be normal, but the obscure poems White Hair by Lu You and Yue Zhen Song by Xu Xuan were not widely known—not even Lu Shanrou herself had heard of them. But Tao Zhu could casually reference them. Just who was she, really? Still, with the murder case unresolved, Lu Shanrou couldn’t dwell on Tao Zhu’s identity.

The three large tables held nothing that matched the characteristics of the murder weapon. Lu Shanrou removed her gloves made from sheep intestines and tossed them aside. She said, “The most important thing now is to find the murder weapon. The brothel has already been searched once, but now I’ll start from the crime scene and personally go over everything again.”

These incompetent bailiffs could no longer be relied upon.

Everything had to be investigated from the very beginning. The corpse in the bedroom had already been examined. Lu Shanrou ordered the bailiffs to place the body on a door plank and store it in the underground ice cellar of the brothel. All the doors and windows were opened, allowing sunlight to pour in, illuminating every corner so that not even a strand of hair could remain hidden.

First, the bedding was shaken out to check for any items the murderer might have left behind during the act, but nothing was found. Then, the bed itself was inspected, and a few drops of blood were discovered on the footboard.

Lu Shanrou knelt and leaned close to the ground for a careful look. The blood droplets were round, with jagged, wavy edges. “They must have dripped from the murder weapon,” she concluded.

Standing up, Lu Shanrou imagined the cane in her hand as the murder weapon. “After slashing a few times, the murderer ran off with the weapon. At that point, the tip of the blade was pointing downward, and blood dripped from the tip onto the footboard.”

Lu Shanrou’s cane pointed directly toward the doorway. “Move all the ice containers leading to the door and look for blood droplets.”

To maintain a cool temperature and prevent decay, the bedroom was filled with various containers of ice. It was a lavish bedroom with a Hetian wool carpet covering the floor. Blood had dripped onto the carpet, and even though footprints and ice containers had later disturbed it, traces still remained. The initial spots where the blood had fallen were the most distinct. The trail of blood extended to the doorway, where a single, intact droplet was found on the threshold. However, once outside in the courtyard, it was impossible to find any traces. A heavy rain had poured all night, washing the bluestone-paved path in the courtyard completely clean, leaving no evidence behind—not even a speck of dust.

Lu Shanrou said, “Get some white vinegar and spray it onto the bluestone slabs.”

What was this for?

Everyone was puzzled except Wei Cuicheng, whose eyes lit up. He couldn’t help but explain, “Blood washed away by water can reappear when exposed to vinegar. In the fifth chapter of Continued Cases of Lord Lu by Wutong Jushi, titled A Poor Girl’s Fate Ends at the Black Tavern, A Devoted Suitor Marries Her Bones, Lord Lu used this method to locate the burial site of the unfortunate girl and dismantle the murderous, thieving black tavern. The beauty had turned into mere bones, and her devoted fiancé traveled miles to retrieve her remains and held a ghost marriage.”

As an avid fan of the public case novel Lu Case Records, Wei Cuicheng knew all three volumes inside and out—even better than the original author, Lu Shanrou.

Novels differ from reality; they are based on real cases but tailored to suit readers’ tastes and emotions, highlighting resonant elements through creative retelling. The black tavern existed, the missing woman was real, and white vinegar was indeed used to trace blood stains and recover the victim. However, the romantic storyline was Lu Shanrou’s invention.

But the story wasn’t entirely fabricated—the tale of the fiancé marrying the remains of the deceased bride was inspired by Lu Shanrou’s brother-in-law and elder sister. Years after her sister’s death, the brother-in-law had never moved on from his grief and ultimately hanged himself from a parasol tree in Qianyu Alley in an act of devoted mourning.

Lu Shanrou was deeply affected by this tragedy, the cruel truth behind the story known only to her, silently carrying its weight.

Stories of beautiful yet sorrowful love resonate the most deeply. The crowd was moved and soon brought out the white vinegar and a tin spray kettle. The kettle had a large body and a spout with fine holes resembling a showerhead, which sprayed a delicate mist as thin as strands of hair when tilted.

“Let me do it! Let me spray!” Tao Zhu bounced excitedly like a rabbit, clutching the spray kettle and sprinkling white vinegar on the ground—the air filled with its sharp tang, echoing the poignant atmosphere of the love story.

The white vinegar fell like rain in midsummer, revealing bloodstains wherever it touched, leading to a point where the trail abruptly stopped. It ended at a large water vat in the corner of the courtyard, where lotus flowers were flourishing.

Since the house was made of wood, fetching water from the kitchen would take too long in case of fire. Therefore, a water vat was placed in the corner of the courtyard. It served a dual purpose, holding goldfish and lotuses for decoration—both practical and aesthetically pleasing. In the height of summer, the vat was overflowing with red, blue, and white lotuses, their leaves spilling out over the edges.

Lu Shanrou asked the bailiffs, “Did you search here?”

The bailiffs hesitated and stammered, “No… probably not… Madam Lu didn’t specifically instruct us to check places like this.”

All they could think of was digging through latrines, fireplaces, and sauce jars!

As Lu Shanrou was about to roll up her sleeves, Tao Zhu bounced over like a rabbit and exclaimed, “Let me do it! Let me, let me!”

Wei Cuicheng stopped her, saying, “With your small frame and short arms, you won’t be able to reach the bottom. You might end up falling headfirst into the lotus vat. I have long arms—let me do it.”

In truth, Wei Cuicheng volunteered because he was concerned that if Lu Shanrou exposed her arms, it might invite gossip in the future. Life was already difficult enough for a widow; why risk adding further complications?

Wei Cuicheng was long-limbed, with fingertips that nearly reached his knees.

Tao Zhu was unwilling to accept it but had no choice, though she still grumbled, “Just because your arms are long—you look like a monkey.”

If you were a man, I’d have flung you to the far reaches of the heavens by now! Wei Cuicheng rolled up his sleeves and extended his right hand into the lotus vat, moving his hand among the lotus leaves to the east, then west, then south, then north. His fingers roamed through the soft silt at the bottom and encountered something sharp. Slowly, Wei Cuicheng felt his way and lifted the object.

It was a thin, long blade shaped like a common watermelon knife!

The knife’s edge had a crescent-shaped notch in the middle. Lu Shanrou fitted the fragment of the blade taken from Young Master Li’s throat to the notch.

A perfect match!

The murder weapon was found.