Chapter 5
The Secret of the Gold Hairpin
(1)
Shen Ying listened carefully to Zhao Siniang and Zhan Tianhong’s testimony, then, eyes narrowing, he blew out a puff of smoke and said plainly, “Madame, do you think Sima Qianjun or Sima Cheng could have killed Manorlord Ouyang?”
After a while Zhao Siniang said, “Sima Cheng killed my pup, no question about that, so what’s so strange about him killing my husband?”
Shen Ying’s eyes widened. “Who says Sima Cheng killed your son and your daughter-in-law? Who saw it? Are you telling me that just because Sima Cheng left without bidding farewell that you suspect him? Preposterous!”
Zhan Tianhong said, “But Sima Cheng had courted the young lady unsuccessfully, he…”
“Also preposterous!”
Zhao Siniang said, “This widow asked the amazing constable here to find out how my husband died, not about my pup’s affairs.”
Shen Ying’s eyes widened, then narrowed again. “Last night didn’t Madame send people to kill Sima Cheng?”
Astounded, Zhao Siniang said, “What? Sima Cheng has come to Luoyang? Steward Zhan, did you not know this either?”
Shen Ying “This old fellow asked you a question, you still have not answered.”
Zhao Siniang said, “Nothing of the sort happened. Our humble manor didn’t even know that Sima Cheng had slipped into Luoyang.”
“I hope Madame is telling the truth. It’s important, because if your esteemed manor really didn’t go after Sima Cheng, then that proves there is another party, and there might be many secrets hidden behind this!”
Zhan Tianhong blurted out, “What secrets? Even if there are secrets, they have nothing to do with our humble manor and the Young Master’s death!”
Zhao Siniang said, “Yes, Amazing Constable, you must act fast and find my husband’s killer as soon as possible.”
Shen Ying stood up and said evenly, “Listen to me, Sima Cheng is reported to have no enemies, and even if he did they could challenge him openly. Why take out Ouyang Manor and their reputation to do it? Therefore, if your esteemed manor really didn’t go after Sima Cheng, this old fellow believes this would be a case of grafting a flower onto another plant to shift the blame to your esteemed manor.”
“Our humble manor really didn’t know Sima Cheng’s whereabouts, how could we send people to go kill him?” Zhao Siniang continued, “What could be their goal?”
“The goal this old fellow doesn’t yet know, but I can take a haphazard guess,” Shen Ying said calmly. “It could be that someone is trying to provoke a row between your esteemed manor and the Sima family so that you two will fall to open fighting, which would accomplish their goal.”
Zhan Tianhong at once asked, “If what Amazing Constable says turns out to be true, well our humble manorlord and young master are dead, and Sima Qianjun and his wife have also passed away, so their goal has already been reached. Then why then continue and go gill the younger one, Sima Cheng, too?”
“Because if Sima Cheng doesn’t die, then one day the scheme might still be exposed, and that would not be good for them, so they must cut the weeds and dig up the roots to eliminate future trouble.”
Zhan Tianhong said, “I hope it really is as Amazing Constable conjectures.”
Zhao Siniang said, “Amazing Constable, how do you plan to conduct your investigation?”
Shen Ying said proudly, “This old fellow has his his old fellow’s methods. But first I have to make it clear that if this old fellow finds Manorlord Ouyang’s murderer for you, Madame, how much are you willing to pay?”
“As much as Amazing Constable says.”
“Good, this old fellow will give you a rough estimate first. At least 50,000 taels, at most 100,000. Think it over and decide!”
Amazed, Zhao Siniang said, “This widow has never heard of Amazing Constable charging so much before!”
“Ouyang Manor has wealth of the first order, this is a small amount. Besides, if the killer is actually a group, that could be be more thorny. This old fellow might have to spend a lot of manpower and maybe even lose a few subordinates in the process. How can that amount then be considered expensive?”
“Alright, we’ll do as you say.”
“Also, if the results of this old fellow’s investigation proves that your son and daughter-in-law died at the hands of others, then the fee will have to be recalculated.”
Zhao Siniang said, “If Your Excellency can find out the true facts, this humble manor above and below will be grateful without exception. However much Amazing Constable wants will not be a problem.”
Shen Ying smiled. “Good, this old fellow won’t make a quote willy-nilly. For now, if Madame and the steward will lead me to the scene of the crime for inspection.”
“Your Excellency, please come in,” Zhao Siniang said, urgently ushering Shen Ying to the study behind the main hall.
The room had been restored to how it had originally been. Zhan Tianhong remembered to overturn the chairs again as they had been, then pointed to the floor. “Our humble manorlord was lying here.”
It was the middle of the room. Though the chairs were overturned, they were not just thrown about. Ouyang Changshou seemed to have suddenly died unawares as if someone had pressed a fatal acupoint.
“There was no blood on the floor?” Shen Ying asked after a moment of thought.
Zhao Siniang and Zhan Tianhong said at the same time, “No.”
Shen Ying pointed to a sword hung on the wall. Is that Manorlord Ouyang’s weapons?”
“Yes,” Zhao Siniang said at once.
“Steward Zhan, when you arrived on the scene, was the sword still hanging on the wall?”
Zhan Tianhong answered cautiously, “At the time I didn’t pay much attention, but because there was no sword on the floor, and our humble manorlord was emptyhanded, I assume the sword wasn’t moved.”
Shen Ying became lost in thought. He walked over to the window, pushed the shutters open. Just a flower garden outside, exotic plants and flowers, a rock garden and gazebo, a little bridge over a flowing stream, all painstakingly laid out.
Zhan Tianhong said, “At the time, the window was open!”
Shen Ying went “Oh” and swept his gaze across the garden. It was a rather large garden, an enclosing wall in the far distance.
“What’s beyond the enclosing wall?”
Zhao Siniang answered, “The kitchen and the servants’ quarters.”
“What’s beyond the quarters?”
“Your Excellency, there’s an enclosing wall beyond the servants’ quarters, and beyond that is no longer our humble manor,” Zhan Tianhong answered promptly.
Shen Ying muttered, “In that case, the killer murdered, then escaped from there… Hmm, no one in the kitchen in the middle of the night, no one noticed, he ran somewhere he didn’t expect to be discovered, then…”
Zhan Tianhong broke in, “Your Excellency, that night I ordered the guards to closely guard all the exits, because after Young Master was discovered slain in the antechamber, I didn’t dare get careless!”
“Oh?” Shen Ying began pondering and muttering. “So, on your lordson’s wedding night, the manor’s security was quite lax?”
Zhan Tianhong lowered his head and said hoarsely, “It was Young Master’s joyous day, everyone was in high spirits, it’s only natural that security would slacken. Besides, this manor has sat magnificently in Luoyang for decades, who would dare tweak the tiger’s whiskers, so…”
Shen Ying suddenly interrupted, “Before the murder at your esteemed manor, were there any new servants hired?”
“No, this manor has not hired any new servants in six years.”
“On your lordson’s joyous day I hear there were over a hundred guests. Were there enough hands in the kitchen for that?”
This time is was Zhao Siniang who answered, “That was taken care of by hiring a couple dozen renowned chefs from the area as temporary workers. They worked for three days before the big banquet, but every day they left at sundown, and every time they left there were people keeping watch.”
Shen Ying sat in a chair, feeling there were no further questions to ask. “Madame, if you would please take this old fellow to your son’s newlywed chamber so I can have a look.”
× × ×
“Everything in the newlywed chamber is in perfect order,” Zhan Tianhong said, “nothing out of place. Young Master and the young mistress were sleeping naked in bed. There was a hole pierced clean through their bodies, and a hole split through the bedboard. The killer obviously was hiding under the bed and at the final opportune moment struck suddenly.”
Shen Ying and Zhao Siniang knew what moment Zhan Tianhong meant when he said “at the final opportune moment”.
Shen Ying asked, “Could you tell what weapon made the wounds?”
Zhan Tianhong said in a low voice, “I didn’t want to disrespectfully take a closer look.” Ouyang Peng and Chao Xiaoyan were naked, naturally Zhan Tianhong couldn’t take a closer look.
Zhao Siniang said, “The wounds were very narrow, made by a sword, and the sword was somewhat narrower than an ordinary sword.”
Shen Ying said, “Tomorrow this old fellow will bring several assistants here to investigate again.”
Zhao Siniang said, “Your Excellency, our humble manor welcomes you whatever time you come.”
× × ×
Sima Cheng had just opened his eyes when Shen Ying returned. After being helped over here by Gu Sinan, he was treated, spoke a few words, then fell into a drowsy sleep till he woke up just now.
Shen Ying said, “You rest there a while till your wounds are better.”
“Thank you Your Excellency for saving my life. I really hope Your Excellency can help me clear my name so that I am no longer falsely accused!”
“This old fellow and Cui Yishan have been old friends for many years. I met your father several times. Just relax and get better. In a couple days this old fellow will have some questions to ask you.”
(2)
The next morning, Shen Ying took Gu Sinan and Yun Feiyan once again to Ouyang Manor.
This time he didn’t want anyone showing him the way, he took them himself to the study and locked the doors.
First thing he said was, “There are scant few people in the martial world who have the ability to kill Ouyang Changshou. Therefore, I’ve had strong doubts about his death right from the beginning. There are only two circumstances in which Ouyang Changshou could have been killed: firstly, the killer’s martial arts were exceptionally strong and Ouyang Changshou was killed at a moment when he had completely dropped his guard. Secondly, the killer and Ouyang Changshou knew each other well, so Ouyang Changshou definitely would not be on guard at all around him, and so the killer was able to strike in one blow. But I think the latter is the most likely.”
Yun Feiyan was confused about something. “Since Uncle suspects the killer was one of Ouyang Changshou’s people, then why did we come here to investigate?”
“Because there’s still one area of doubt!” Shen Ying suddenly turned over the two chairs. They were made of pearwood and were heavy and sturdy and made a loud bang when they fell over.
“How could such a loud sound in the quiet dead of night not alert the manor guards? But instead was only discovered by a handmaid early the next morning?”
Yun Feiyan and Gu Sinan felt this quite suspect as well. They looked wide-eyed at Shen Ying.
Shen Ying said quietly, “There’s two possibilities here as well: one is the chairs weren’t knocked over but were manipulated that way by someone later on. The other is the killer was well-known to Ouyang Changshou, and fearing he would be discovered, intentionally messed up the scene afterward to shift attention.”
Gu Sinan blurted out, “Chief, which do you think is more likely?”
“The first is more likely. Because that night security in the manor was very tight. If the killer was an outsider, even though he was successful, he would never be able to leave without being noticed. Therefore, I suspect the person was either one of the manor’s people or one of the guests present at the time.”
Yun Feiyan muttered, “Who had a grudge against Manorlord Ouyang?”
Gu Sinan said, “A good thing to know!”
Yun Feiyan rolled her eyes at him. “You mean you know?”
“I have an idea,” Gu Sinan said to himself. “If the killer’s goal was to get Ouyang Manor and Sima Manor fighting with each other, killing Ouyang Peng would be enough, so why did he risk the danger of killing Ouyang Changshou as well?”
Shen Ying clapped his hands. “Little Gu sure enough is improving. This old fellow thought you were a blockhead!” He paused and said, “This old fellow took you two here precisely because of this> we’ll search this place thoroughly, see if any clues turn up! Feiyan is in charge of the rafters, Little Gu, you take the floor, and this old fellow will inspect the walls.”
In fact Gu Sinan was not a blockhead, he was the kind of person who is like the saying: a great ware takes years to produce, everything gradually developing, till a certain stage when there was suddenly breakthrough progress.
He heard Shen Ying and was delighted and set to at once, stooping down to inspect the floor.
After a long while, Yun Feiyan found a gold hairpin on one of the roofbeams. On the gold forks was a phoenix spreading its wings to fly. The chasework was immaculate and lifelike, two dark green jadeite pieces inlaid for the eyes. It looked very precious and valuable.
What was a gold hairpin like this doing stuck into a roofbeam?
Yun Feiyan was filled with suspicion, but she couldn’t figure it out so she flew down off the roofbeam. Looking up, the gold hairpin was difficult to notice where it was lodged in the beam. She gave the gold hairpin to Shen Ying. “Uncle, this gold hairpin was in the roofbeam, see, stuff right up there!”
Shen Ying looked the gold hairpin over, also filled with suspicion. He thought for a while, then said, “Feiyan, go get Madame Zhao over here for a chat. Don’t alert anyone else!”1
× × ×
Zhao Siniang took one look at the gold hairpin and said, “This belonged to Young Mistress.”
“But how did it get in the roofbeam?”
Infinitely astounded, Zhao Siniang said, “This was discovered in the roofbeam? The day her body was dressed, this widow noticed that the gold hairpin Young Mistress usually wore was missing, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. Who put it on the roofbeam?”
Shen Ying asked, “Your daughter-in-law didn’t use the goldware gifted by your family?”
“No, Young Mistress said that she was orphaned as a small child, picked up on the road by Abbess Kindheart. The gold hairpin was there in her swaddling clothes, probably left there by her mother, so she always wore it!”
“I see, this is really strange!” Yun Feiyan blurted out.
Shen Ying pondered this for a time. “This old fellow will take this gold hairpin for now and will return it to Madame later. And the bride’s maid? She was the first one to arrive on the scene.”
“Ever since the incident, the bride’s maid has been ill from fright. I heard she went back to the countryside.”
“Is the handmaid called Chunhua still here? If Madame would call her over here.”
“This widow will get her right away.”
× × ×
Chunhua stood before Shen Ying, somewhat scared.
Shen Ying told Zhao Siniang to withdraw, then he said gently, “This old fellow only has a few questions to ask you. I hope you will answer them truthfully.”
“Yes sir…” Chunhua curtsied.
“When you arrived here, what did you see?”
“This slave saw Master fallen on the floor. I was alarmed and called out twice, but when Master didn’t respond I thought something was wrong and ran out to inform Madame!”
“Were the two chairs tipped over at that time?”
Chunhua thought for a moment. “Yes, they were tipped over on the floor.”
Shen Ying followed up with another question, “Was the window open as well?”
Chunhua nodded.
“Is everything you’re telling me the truth?”
“Every word this slave has said is the truth!”
Shen Ying again said gently, “Alright, you can go. Later if you think of anything else you can come find this old fellow and tell me directly. This old fellow will keep your secret.”
“Yes sir, this slave understands!”
“Feiyan, give her the address.”
(3)
The gold hairpin kept Shen Ying up all night, unable to sleep.
Early the next morning, he sent a carrier pigeon to summon several of his assistants to Luoyang.
He didn’t summon Gongsun Liang or Xiao Mu, deciding to let Gu Sinan take on the task as his major helper to allow him to learn how to take charge.
After a cup of “soul-returning wine”,2 Shen Ying’s mind was more awake and alert. He handed the gold hairpin over to Yun Feiyan and told her to go to Clear Voice Hermitage to get Abbess Kindheart.
Yun Feiyan received the gold hairpin and mounted up and left the city. Clear Voice Hermitage was no more than 200 miles from Luoyang, and with her fast horse she was there in a few days.
Clear Voice Hermitage was not large, but not small either, green bamboo growing all around it, the bamboo leaves rustling in the autumn wind like billowing waves that cleared one’s mind like a mirror to listen to them, taking all one’s worries away.
Yun Feiyan knocked on the door for a bit and the hermitage doors opened. This was the time for the nuns’ liturgical formularies and there were no other worshipers there. When the door opened she heard them chanting scriptures, along with the sounds of the wooden fish block and brass gong. It was solemn and holy and pure.
A middle-aged nun opened the door. “Has Almsgiver come to worship? They are performing the prescribed liturgy now, please come in and sit for a while.”
Yun Feiyan said hastily, “Master, this pupil has come to see Abbess Kindheart.”
The nun was a bit surprised. “Our humble director has been roaming outside for two years now, what does Almsgiver seek her for?”
“Ah? Abbess Kindheart has been away from the hermitage for two years!” Yun Feiyan was greatly disappointed.
“Almsgiver has come a long way, please come inside and have a cup of tea.”
“Master, may I ask your dharma name?”
The nun put her palms together. “This poor nun’s lowly name is Plainheart, the director’s senior disciple and temporarily presiding over the hermitage in Master’s stead.”
“Excuse me for my lack of manners, in that case Master must be very familiar with Chao Xiaoyan!” Saying that, she stepped into the hermitage.
After Plainheart offered her tea, she said, “Has Almsgiver come to inquire about matters concerning Junior Sister?”
“That’s right. May I ask if Xiaoyan was an orphan?”
“Yes, this poor nun has heard Master mention this. When this poor nun joined, Junior Sister was only three or four years old.”
“In the jianghu they say that Abbess Kindheart only had one female disciple, how many does she actually have?”
“Master’s dharma power is vast, she has ferried over countless people of the world to break away from the Sea of Misery, naturally her disciples are not few in number. However, Junior Sister was not predestined for enlightenment, so she only practiced self-defense martial arts with Master. Us in the hermitage are all weaklings, renunciates who hold ourselves aloof from the world. Consequently, people in general think that Junior Sister is Master’s only disciple.”
“I see.” Yun Feiyan took out the gold hairpin. “Can Master tell if this belongs to Junior Sister or not?”
“It does. This gold hairpin is stuck in Junior Sister’s hair night and day. Eh, I wouldn’t have thought Junior Sister at such a young age… Master turns out was right!”
Yun Feiyan was stumped and asked urgently, “What did your master say?”
“My master said that Junior Sister ought to marry early, that if she waited till she was over twenty to marry then she would suffer a fatal disaster. Sure enough, her prediction has come true. Junior Sister this year happens to be twenty-one!”
Yun Feiyan found this mysterious and didn’t quite believe it, but she didn’t contradict her. “May I ask Master if you know who your junior sister’s natural parents are?”
“That, not even my master is clear on.”
Yun Feiyan couldn’t think of anything else to ask and took her leave.
× × ×
One day, Shen Ying ate supper and was just in the little parlor thinking when the doorman suddenly reported that a girl was here seeking an audience. Shen Ying was much surprised and quickly instructed him to let her in.
The arrival was a handmaid of the Ouyangs—Chunhua.
Shen Ying was greatly delighted and asked her to have a seat.
“Your Excellency, this slave specially requested Mistress to give me the day off to leave the city and visit my family. Before that I’ve come here to tell Your Excellency something.”
“What is it, please say it.”
“The night Master was killed, this slave saw Steward Zhan go to the study to see Master. Afterward, Master extinguished the lamps…”
Shen Ying asked, feeling it odd, “How did you see that at the time? I heard you are assigned only to wait on Madame Zhao. And, did Steward Zhan see you?”
Chunhua asked blankly, “Your Excellency, is that important?”
“Of course.” Shen Ying’s face suddenly clouded. “If you don’t state it clearly, how can this old fellow know whether or not you are intentionally trying to malign Steward Zhan?”
Chunhua was shocked and stammered, “This slave didn’t malign Tianhong…”
“What?” What kind of person was Shen Ying to catch that she had referred to him so intimately. He said sternly, “Tell me the truth quickly, what is the relationship between you and Steward Zhan?”3
“I… didn’t…” Chunhua dropped to her knees and knocked her head on the floor. “Your Excellency, if this slave tells you, please cover for me in front of Mistress.”
“Shen Ying said, “Let’s hear it first. If it’s not a big deal then this old fellow will agree to your request.”
“Tian… Steward Zhan and this slave have been having an affair for over a year now… That night, Mistress was grieving over Young Master’s death and was not in a good mood and sent this slave away early. This slave was happy to be able to rest earlier and went to find Tianhong. On the way I saw him hurriedly going into Master’s study.
“Not long after, Tianhong came back out. Master had told him to order the guardhouse to make careful rounds. He hurried off, and later I found him but he said he had no time, but not long after that he went to see Taohua! So, this slave got madder the more I thought about it and decided to tell Your Excellency the truth. He’s so cold, no feeling and no sense of duty. Originally he said that after Young Master got married he was going to marry this slave, but now he’s passionately in love with Taohua!”
Shen Ying said, “Did your master know about this?”
“To answer Your Excellency, Master was a playboy himself. A man his age, still getting handsy with us slaves. He always said that being a romantic was not low-class. He didn’t care about that stuff.”
Shen Ying became lost in thought. By the looks of it, Zhan Tianhong would not have been reprimanded by Ouyang Changshou over amorous matters and so that would not lead to a motive for murder. He thought about it for a while, then asked, “How long has Steward Zhan been with Ouyang Manor?”
“Seven or eight years,” Chunhua said. “I heard that Master met him on the road once, saw how down and out he was and asked him to come be his head steward.”
“How did he come to meet your master?”
“This slave heard one of the guardsman say that Master had run into a group of bandits and Tianhong stepped in to help Master run them off. When he first came to the manor he was just a guardhouse foreman, then later the old steward died and Master promoted him!”
Shen Ying stood up. “You go on back for now. If there’s anything, this old fellow will get you. Also, you can’t tell anyone else my address here.”
× × ×
Just after Chunhua left, Gu Sinan had investigated Ouyang Changshou’s behavior. Though Ouyang Changshou was a playboy, he treated people justly. He enjoyed a rather good reputation in Luoyang, and under his awe-inspiring renown, Luoyang became known for its public order. There were gamblers and prostitutes, but the gamblers were smart about it and the prostitutes were all willing participants, and those prostitutes who were forced into it, Ouyang Changshou helped get them buy back their freedom get married.
By comparison, Ouyang Changshou’s little shortcomings were not a big deal.
After Shen Ying listened quietly to Gu Sinan’s report, his mind was jumbled, his thoughts racing.
“Little Gu, from now on you need to keep an eye on Zhan Tianhong’s activities. If anything odd pops up, report it at once. Until Lang the Fourth gets here, then you can leave.”
“Yes sir, Subordinate will go at once!”
Gu Sinan ran into Yun Feiyan as soon as he stepped outside. He was happy and said, “What did you find out?”
Yun Feiyan said dejectedly, “A wasted trip. Abbess Kindheart has been roaming around all over the place for the past two years and still hasn’t returned yet.”
“Hurry on inside, Chief’s been anxiously waiting for you.”
At noon the next day, Lang the Fourth and Ge Gensheng arrived together. Lang the Fourth took over for Gu Sinan, who went back “home”.
(4)
Sima Cheng had recovered from his injuries, his wounds all healed up, and at this time, Cui Yishan requested Shen Ying to investigate the facts of Ouyang Peng’s murder and handed over to him the task of clearing Sima Cheng’s name.
Shen Ying decided to question Sima Cheng.
“Why did you leave that night without bidding farewell?”
“This nephew was going to take my leave with Manorlord Ouyang after the banquet, but he was very busy and was always with Great Xia Peng and Uncle Cui and the others, so this nephew went back to my room. Another guest in the same room asked me how I felt about all this. Probably he had heard about me trying to court Chao Xiaoyan the previous year.”
Shen Ying interrupted, “Why did Chao Xiaoyan discard you and go into Ouyang Peng’s arms?”
Sima Cheng sighed and said with wry smile, “It’s hard to say. Actually, this nephew is not too sure himself. I only know that every since she got to know Ouyang Peng she became more and more distant from me. Probably she thought Ouyang Peng was better than me.”
Shen Ying asked, “That’s really how you two broke up?”
“Yes,” Sima Cheng said. “This nephew is unworthy, but I’m also not delusional. I thought since she’s having second thoughts, why should I keep on trying to win her heart? So I didn’t see her anymore. In addition, my father was illness relapsed. Years ago he was struck by Flying Demon from Beyond the Wall’s Three Poison Palm and had not dispelled all the poison. In his later years, his strength declined and it gradually flared up again. When it does he’s completely powerless and in so much pain it’s like steel needles piercing the bone. A goodfellow like my dad couldn’t even stand it!”
He paused, then continued, “This nephew was a filial son during these times and waited on him, bringing him medicinal soup to his bed, so I cut off contact with Xiaoyan.”
Shen Ying said, “Keep going.”
“That guest asked me how I felt about it all, and naturally I found it unbearable, and many people were teasing and mocking me. This nephew couldn’t help but sneak out in the dead of night.”
“Where did you leave from?”
Sima Cheng’s face reddened. “I climbed over a wall.”
“Did you know those young men?”
Sima Cheng shook his head.
“This old fellow asked around at Ouyang Manor about the night you were ambushed. They said they didn’t know you had come to Luoyang and denied sending people to kill you.”
“But they clearly said they were from Ouyang Manor and wanted this nephew to go see their madame.
Shen Ying sighed. “A lot of things in this world are not what they appear to be on the surface. This case might be that way. It might be extremely complicated. Let this old fellow ask you, are the murders of Ouyang Changshou and Ouyang Peng related? Were they committed by the same person?”
Sima Cheng blurted out, “Of course they were.”
“This old fellow believes they may not be, because the killer’s aim seems contradictory. Killing Ouyang Peng is so that Ouyang Manor and Sima Manor would fall to fighting each other, but why kill Ouyang Changshou?”
Gu Sinan suddenly cut in from off to the side, “Perhaps killing Ouyang Peng was just to throw Ouyang Changshou’s mind all out of sorts. How could a person like Ouyang Changshou under normal circumstances be so easy to kill?”
Shen Ying had a thought and his eyes lit up in approval. “If that’s the case, the motive for killing those two would be identical! But then what is the motive for killing them?”
Sima Cheng suddenly recalled the conversation those eight people were having at the restaurant that day, and he immediately told them about it.
Shen Ying’s eyes lit up. “So it’s just as this old fellow expected, those men are probably part of a secret organization. From their manner of speaking, they could have Luoyang in their sights, seems like a black path organization. Ouyang Changshou’s existence made them unable to expand, so they had to kill him!”
He suddenly said to Yun Feiyan, “Feiyan, go to the yamen tomorrow and ask what gangs this place has. Little Gu, this gold hairpin might be the key to this case. I hope you can find out this key within ten days.”
Sima Cheng got some disguise cosmetics from Yun Feiyan and left furtively, planning to go back to Zhengzhou to see Cui Yishan.
Notes
- About the use of surnames with “Madame”, there seems to be no fixed rule in the old days but more a matter of custom. Here Ximen Ding has Zhao Siniang using her original surname and calling her Madame Zhao, but it is often customary for wives to be called by their husband’s surname, in which case she would be Madame Ouyang. In such cases, the wife isn’t actually taking her husband’s surname as is customary in the west. Rather, it’s just a term of address, basically like saying “Husband Ouyang’s person, 夫人 meaning husband person. In real life, take Chiang Kai-shek’s last wife, who was known as Madame Chiang, her husband’s surname.
- 回魂酒, a refresher drink, equivalent to English’s “hair of the dog that bit you”. When you’re hungover, drink a bit more and you will recover somewhat from the hangover effects. Here Shen Ying wasn’t hungover, just groggy and shitty from lack of sleep.
- I just want to intrude for a moment to point out that, see? The terms of address here are important to the plot. It often is in Chinese “period” fiction especially. If you don’t translate them but just go with plain I and You and He and She, etc., then what would you do as a translator when you get to something like this, where the specific term of address is a plot point? That’s why I translate them. Those who don’t are depriving their readers of important information.