Chapter 22 - Simply Mediocre

Today, East Street was exceptionally lively. This was due to an ongoing trial of a judicial case by the prefectural magistrate. It was said that a young lady, who had been banished to the county estate, murdered a maid of the estate and disposed of the body inside a dried up well. Also, the witness to the crime was the son of the steward. This matter had both human testimony and material evidence. There was much discussion among many people about what a vicious heart the murderous young lady possessed. Somehow, that maid must have unknowingly offended her. Some asserted that the young lady abased her status, to even contend with a maid in such a manner. To not even spare a person’s life, who knew which family’s young lady could be this arrogant.

At this moment, in the prefectural magistrate’s office, a paunchy middle-aged man sat in the central seat. Wearing a lake green silk brocade chang pao[1], the jade girdle at his waist was a little strained because it was unable to cover his portly build. Wearing a gilded jade ornamental ring on his thumb, this fair, yet chubby, person was the prefectural magistrate, Qian Wan Li.

[1] Cháng páo ( 长袍 ) – traditional Chinese men’s long robe.

At the left side of the central seat, the person sitting there did not appear to be as wealthy and influential as Qian Wan Li. On the contrary, he was dressed in clothing made of such simple and unadorned material that it could even be considered somewhat coarse. Portraying an appearance of poverty from head to toe, he was an incongruous fit in a hall filled with moneyed aristocracy.

Still, Qian Wan Li was extremely deferential to this plainly dressed guest, to an extent that it could even be termed as effusive flattery. Instructing his subordinates to pour a cup of hot tea for his esteemed guest, Qian Wan Li gave a smile, “Wang Daren, please take a look at the current judicial case…”

Official Wang glanced at him and declared indifferently, “You may investigate, I will just watch over.”

“Yes, yes.” Furtively fishing out a handkerchief from his vest, Qian Wan Li wiped away his sweat. Looking at the crowd of people, he slammed down the wooden gavel[2], “Bring in the accused!”

[2] Jīng táng mù  ( 惊堂木 ) – It has many different appellations in Chinese, but essentially, it is used in the same way as a gavel. However, the Chinese wooden gavel is crafted into a rectangular thick block.

As soon as Jiang Ruan was brought out of the cell, Shu Fen grabbed onto her hand through the bars of the cell in worry, “Nothing will happen, right?”

“Nothing at all,” Jiang Ruan patted her hand, “My father will come to meet me. No need to worry. Remember what I have said- soon everything will be alright.”

Shu Fen then loosened her grip. Li Mi looked at Jiang Ruan with pity. In fact, not only would Jiang Ruan’s father not receive her, there wasn’t even anyone to plead for leniency on her behalf. Today was just an examination of the legal records. Currently, all the leads pointed towards Jiang Ruan, as there was no one willing to plead in her defence. And even though he would like to help, he was powerless, and as the investigator of the case he also needed to avoid arousing suspicion of showing favoritism. Li Mi heaved a deep sigh; it would be difficult for Jiang Ruan to escape conviction. The verdict was already predetermined. Thinking about Jiang Ruan’s imminent tragic circumstances, Li Mi’s manner became even more gentle.

When Jiang Ruan was brought out to the magistrate court, the curious crowd surrounding the main court hall was a little surprised. They were under the impression that the young lady, with the courage to commit murder, would inevitably be a fiend- a vulgar, shallow shrew. After all, her appearance would resemble her heart. And so, who could have known that the person who would be brought in was in fact a beautiful young girl. Her overall demeanor was calm and tender, and not even the least bit terrifying. People easily believed what was in front of their eyes, but at the moment, they were in disbelief that Jiang Ruan could really be the individual behind the murder.

In his own mind, Qian Wan Li, too, felt it was weird. It was unexpected that the main suspect could actually be this delicate and charming beauty. This kind of thought betrayed his tender and protective feelings for beautiful women. However… With a quick glance at the person sitting beside him, he cleared his throat and slammed down the wooden gavel with a loud shout, “Audacious criminal, why are you still not kneeling!”

With a lowered head, Jiang Ruan quietly knelt. Then, raising her head, she revealed a clean, graceful young face and asked in puzzlement, “I am unaware, Daren, what crime did this citizen[3] commit?”

[3] Nǚfàn ( 女犯 ) – female offender in olden times in imperial China. Here it depicts Jiang Ruan humbling herself in her speech in front of the magistrate.

As she spoke, her facial expression remained unchanged, moreover, her voice seemed extremely soft and melodious. All at once, it seemed as if she were a beautiful painting, her each and every little move causing people to admire her.

Knitting his brows, Qian Wan Li slammed down the gavel. “Silence! Suspect Jiang Ruan, you are accused of killing a maid, Chun Ying, and disposing of her corpse inside a dried-up well. There is testimony and evidence against you; I would like to see how you will deny this crime!” Then, he yelled, “Bring in the witness!”

Sitting in the seat beside him, a glint of dissatisfaction flashed through the eyes of Wang Daren. In this manner of investigating a case, it seemed as though one was practically seizing through forceful means, with no room for a word in the defendant’s defence. Honestly, it seemed as though the purpose of this investigation was to convict the girl hastily, as if he was impatient to establish her crime.

The ‘witness’ was swiftly brought in. Today, Chen Zhao wore a set of white clothes to put on an appearance of being extremely neat. Upon entering the main hall, he immediately made his salutations to Qian Wan Li.

Qian Wan Li questioned, “Chen Zhao, did you indeed personally witness Jiang Ruan commit murder?”

“Yes, Daren, that’s right,” Chen Zhao replied, glancing at Jiang Ruan, “I attest to witnessing Miss Jiang murder Chun Ying and pushing her into the well.”

The crowd immediately burst into a chaotic discussion. With such conclusive testimony, it seemed almost definite that Jiang Ruan had really committed murder.

Jiang Ruan looked towards Chen Zhao, “I have a few questions, Daren, would you please permit me to ask him?”

Qian Wan Li chanced a look towards Official Wang sitting at the side, and when he gave a wave of his hand, Qian Wan Li then responded, “You may ask.”

Jiang Ruan gave a slight smile, “Thank you, Daren. I would like to ask Chen Zhao, are you sure that you witnessed me commit murder?”

“Yes.” Chen Zhao responded, “At the time, I was in the courtyard and saw with my own eyes when Miss killed Chun Ying in the residence.”

“Chen Zhao, even if we set aside the possibility of you, as a male outsider, entering my courtyard without giving due notice, since you saw me commit a murder, why did you not try to thwart it? Furthermore, you even continued to watch me dispose of the corpse. Wouldn’t this be considered as you being my accomplice? If I were to be convicted, should you not be convicted as well?”

When Chen Zhao heard this, he was shocked and unconsciously replied, “N-No. By the time I noticed, she was already dead.”

“Then,” Jiang Ruan blandly responded, “So you are asserting that when you saw Chun Ying, she was no longer alive. How did she die? What was the cause of her death? How did you conclude that it was me who had murdered her? You only saw a corpse then and did not actually witness me kill her, right?”

Chen Zhao started, and immediately shook his head, “No, at that time only you were there with her. Moreover, your actions were definitely those of a person who had committed murder. ”

Qian Wan Li’s face turned pale and he gripped his handkerchief nervously. He then heard Jiang Ruan continue without pause, “Alright, even if you did see me murder her… Based on your testimony, at the time of the murder there was no one around me. However, I am just a young girl, yet Chun Ying was already eighteen. My height falls short of reaching even Chun Ying’s chest. To be able to drag Chun Ying’s corpse over such a long distance, and afterwards throw her in the dried up well, can you explain in detail how that was even possible?”

“You- You dragged her,” Chen Zhao stammered, beads of sweat beginning to faintly cover his forehead.

“You’re lying,” Jiang Ruan shook her head, “Chen Zhao, before beginning your lies, perhaps you should have first pondered this: Chun Ying and I had a stark contrast in height, not to mention, I do not possess that much physical strength. Comparatively, Chun Ying was larger in size, had more strength, and her reflexes were also nimble. How could I possibly hold a knife and stab her in the heart?

“What knife? She was strangled!” Chen Zhao bellowed.

With a shadow of a smile, Jiang Ruan glanced at him, “Oh, is that so? It has not been revealed how she died, how did you know that she was suffocated. Didn’t you say that when you saw her, she was already dead?”

Chen Zhao began to sweat profusely and Qian Wan Li followed the lead as well, becoming as white as a sheet. With such a weak testimony that was full of flaws, the truth of the matter had immediately become evident to the crowd. Nonchalantly, Jiang Ruan fiddled with her hair, “Daren, is there still a need for a further investigation?”