Chapter 7 The Destroyed Scene
Three fast horses pierced the morning mist and reined in their horses at the narrow alleyway where Zhang Yanzhi was attacked.
Before the dust kicked up by the horse's hooves had settled, Xiao Yunzhan had already dismounted, his movements swift and decisive.
Pei Zhiwei landed right behind her, her plain-colored dress cinched at the waist with a matching belt, and the brocade bag slung across her shoulder swayed slightly with her movements, the examination tools inside making a soft clattering sound.
“Your Highness, Lady Pei, this is the alley.” Zhou Ping stepped forward first, pointing to the messy yellow earthen surface inside the alley.
“I received the news last night and rushed here. When I arrived, the scene had been completely messed up. Someone had swept the ground with tree branches, and all the marks on the ground were scattered.”
Pei Zhiwei looked in the direction he pointed. The narrow alley was less than two zhang wide, with mottled earthen walls on both sides and piles of discarded pottery jars and dry firewood at the base of the walls.
The ground was compacted loess. Because there was no rain overnight, the soil surface was dry and loose, but it was covered with crisscrossing scratches.
The crisscrossing scratches from the branches of varying lengths had turned any possible footprints and drag marks into a tangled mess, with only a few scattered, unswept corners still bearing faint traces.
"At least one of them knows what he's doing." Xiao Yunzhan's gaze swept across the alley, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the mutton-fat jade pendant at his waist, and he said coldly, "Zhou Ping, you take the yamen runners and guard the alley entrance. No matter who it is, they are not allowed to come any closer."
"Lady Pei, you focus on the investigation. I will simultaneously draw a diagram of the scene, making sure to record every trace, leaving nothing out."
Pei Zhiwei nodded in agreement, took out the four small treasures from the brocade bag and handed them over, then squatted down and gently touched the soil with his fingertips. The dry yellow soil crumbled at the touch.
She became even more careful, avoiding obvious scratches from tree branches and focusing her search on places that cleaners easily overlook, such as the base of walls and under pottery jars.
Xiao Yunzhan took the four treasures from Xiao Sibao and said to a young yamen runner behind him, "Come here, keep your back straight."
The constable hurriedly stepped forward, straightening his back and not daring to move. Xiao Yunzhan laid Xuan paper on his back, pressed the edge of the paper firmly with his fingertips, dipped a small wolf-hair brush in ink, and first outlined the overall shape of the alley.
The crooked branches of the old locust tree at the alley entrance, the angle of the stacked pottery jars at the base of the wall, the area with the densest scratches on the ground, and even the shape of the brick seams in the peeling earthen wall, all appeared under the tip of the pen, so meticulous that even the knots on the bundle of dry firewood were not overlooked.
Pei Zhiwei slowly moved along the alley wall, and suddenly stopped in front of the bundle of dry thatch at the base of the west wall. The soil under the dry thatch had not been swept away, and a man's shoe print was perfectly imprinted on it.
Her heart tightened, and she moved even closer: the shoe print was about eight and a half inches long, and the cloud pattern at the toe was a simple three-stroke design, which at first glance looked exactly the same as the two found on the carpet in the Qin family's boudoir and at the base of the wall in the back alley.
But after staring at it for a while longer, Pei Zhiwei frowned.
She stretched out her fingertip and gently stroked the mud on the outside of the shoe print: the indentation at the heel was shallow, but the toe was unusually deep, as if the person wearing the shoe did not have the right foot shape or shoe size, and deliberately stepped on it with their toes to leave the mark.
Moreover, while the cloud pattern looks similar, upon closer inspection, it's discovered that it lacks a subtle wear mark compared to the one in the Qin family's collection. That wear mark would only appear after long-term wear, and it's something that a new shoe could never replicate.
These are not the same pair of shoes; someone deliberately wore similar shoes to leave behind false evidence.
Just as she was about to get up and talk to Xiao Yunzhan, hurried footsteps suddenly came from the alley entrance, accompanied by Zhang Qifeng's sharp rebuke, shattering the silence in the alley.
"Zhou Ping! How dare you block my way? My son almost lost his life in this alley, and instead of arresting the murderer, you're keeping me, the aggrieved father, out. Is this how the Dali Temple performs its duties?"
Pei Zhiwei looked up and saw Zhang Qifeng wearing a dark scarlet official robe, followed by four or five servants, each with an angry expression, as if they wanted to devour someone.
Zhou Ping stood at the alley entrance, sweat beading on his forehead, "Minister Zhang, His Highness and Lady Pei are conducting an inspection. Please wait a little longer, just a moment..."
"Wait my ass!" Zhang Qifeng shoved Zhou Ping aside and barged in, immediately spotting Pei Zhiwei squatting on the ground.
He glanced at the rubbing paper in Pei Zhiwei's hand, his face instantly darkening, and the contempt in his tone almost overflowing.
"It's you again? An unmarried young lady, hanging around crime scenes all day long, what kind of behavior is that? Does the Dali Temple have no one else? They have to send a young girl like you to do the dirty work?"
Pei Zhiwei slowly got up, carefully folded the rubbing paper and put it into the brocade bag, calmly meeting his gaze.
"Minister Zhang, that's not right. Investigating cases is all about skill, not gender. But why did you rush in today, Minister? Do you have a new lead to share with us, or are you here to disrupt the investigation?"
"Disrupting the investigation?" Zhang Qifeng sneered, pointing out of the alley, spitting as he spoke. "My son was attacked as soon as he left the Qin residence. Isn't this the Qin family's revenge?"
Back then, Qin Liang caused my Zhang family so much harm in the Grand Canal case; who in the entire capital doesn't know how badly he ruined us?
Now that his daughter has been having an affair and has committed suicide, he has lost face and wants to kill my son to silence him so that he can shift the blame onto someone else!
"What you're doing, instead of investigating the Qin residence, you're lingering in this alley. What is that if not covering it up?"
Pei Zhiwei raised an eyebrow, her tone remaining calm: "The Vice Minister said that the Qin family reported back, but do you have any evidence?"
The Qin family is currently under the Emperor's watchful eye because of Qin Niangzi's matter; the slightest mistake could result in the execution of the entire family.
If you really want to retaliate, you can find a more discreet way. Why choose to do it right after Young Master Zhang left the Qin residence?
"Such an obvious time and place, it seems like someone deliberately framed me. How could a vice minister, who's been in officialdom for so many years, not notice this little suspicious thing?"
These words hit the nail on the head, leaving Zhang Qifeng speechless and his face turning even more pale.
But he had always looked down on women, and he was not about to be refuted by Pei Zhiwei. He immediately said in a deep voice, "What do you, a little girl, know about the dangers of officialdom?"
That old bastard Qin Liang pretends to be upright on the surface, but he's got a lot of dirty tricks up his sleeve! You've probably been sold out by him and you're still helping him count the money!
"Today I must lead my servants to search the alleys. If you obstruct me again, don't blame me for going to court to impeach you for protecting criminals!"
"Whom does Vice Minister Zhang wish to impeach?"
Xiao Yunzhan's voice suddenly rang out, as cold as ice.
He had just finished the last stroke, took the Xuan paper off the yamen runner's back, and turned around with no warmth in his eyes.
As soon as Zhang Qifeng entered the alley, his eyes were only on Pei Zhiwei, and he didn't even look at the people around him.
Only when she met Xiao Yunzhan's gaze did she suddenly realize that she had just shouted "Qin Shi is having an affair with a man every day" so loudly that the whole alley could hear it.
If these words were to reach His Majesty's ears, even if Qin Chaochao were to commit suicide, he would still suffer a bad reputation. And the person who said these words in front of the prince would likely not have a good outcome.
Zhang Qifeng's arrogance vanished instantly, his back straightening instinctively, and even his voice softened: "Your Highness... I was only worried about my son, and in my haste, I lost my composure..."
"It's okay to be impatient, but you can't break the rules." Xiao Yunzhan interrupted him, his tone showing no softening.
"On-site investigations cannot tolerate the slightest interference. If you dare to take another step forward, you will be interfering with the Dali Temple's handling of the case."
"I'd like to see just how bold you are in submitting this 'impeachment'."
Zhang Qifeng's fingers, gripping the hem of his official robe, turned white, and his face was frighteningly ashen. In the end, he could only awkwardly cup his hands in a gesture of respect: "This humble official was only concerned for his son, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me. This humble official will now retreat to the alley entrance and wait. If any clues are found, please be sure to inform this humble official."
After saying that, he glared at Pei Zhiwei and led his servants to retreat to the alley entrance, only daring to watch from afar.
Pei Zhiwei leaned closer to look at the scene diagram in Xiao Yunzhan's hand. The paper not only marked the distribution of the tree branch scratches and the location of the withered grass, but also accurately marked the shoe print she had just discovered at the base of the west wall. She couldn't help but say, "Your Highness's drawing is so meticulous."
"You examined the traces, while I drew the whole picture. Neither can be missing." Xiao Yunzhan handed her the booklet. "Take a look and see if anything is missing."
Pei Zhiwei had only glanced at it twice when her gaze suddenly fell on a spot not far from the alley entrance.
There is a house with blue bricks and tiles, and the roof tiles are neatly laid. Standing on it, you can overlook the entire alley.
Further ahead, there was that old locust tree, its branches growing lushly, reaching all the way to the top of the alley.
A thought struck her: "Your Highness, I'll go check the rooftops and trees; perhaps I'll find something else."
As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Zhiwei's figure darted away.
With a light touch of the toes on the earthen wall, he leaped onto the roof of the tiled house, his movements as light as a leaf.
She stood on the roof ridge, her gaze sweeping over the tiles. Finding nothing amiss, she leaped and landed steadily on the thickest branch of the old locust tree.
A thin layer of dust had accumulated on the branches, and it would fall down with a rustling sound when the wind blew. There was a shallow footprint on a branch near the trunk.
The edge still bears a shallow groove left by half a shoe tip, clearly left by someone stepping on it for leverage.
A piece of dark fabric, no bigger than a fingernail, was wrapped around the edge of the scar. It was rough and looked as if it had been snagged on a branch and torn off. A few threads were still wrapped around the thorns of the branches, swaying gently in the wind.
Pei Zhiwei moved to the other side of the branch, parted the drooping locust leaves with her fingertips, and sure enough, found another faint shoe print in a more hidden place.
Dust settled on the print, blurring its outline, but it was still clear that it was a man's shoe, wider in the front and narrower in the back, with a similar curve to the fake shoe print in the alley.
Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps broke the silence of the alleyway, accompanied by the frantic shouts of servants: "Master! It's good news! Erlang... Erlang is awake! The doctor just examined him and said that although he's still weak, his life has been saved!"
Zhang Qifeng was already restless at the alley entrance. Upon hearing this, he no longer cared about keeping watch. He reached out and shoved the constable blocking his way, causing him to stumble, and then rushed out.
He kept shouting, "Quick! Prepare the sedan chair and go back to the manor! If anything goes wrong again, let's see who among you can take responsibility!"
Xiao Yunzhan looked up at the alley entrance, then turned back to look at Pei Zhiwei in the tree. Their eyes met, and they both saw urgency in each other's eyes.
Zhang Yanzhi was the only person who had seen the killer's figure with his own eyes. Now that he has woken up, he might be able to recall some overlooked details.
Whether it's the deliberately faked shoe print in the alley or this fragment on the tree, perhaps the key connection can be found in his words.
"Let's go to the Zhang residence first." Xiao Yunzhan carefully folded the scene map, tucked it into his sleeve, and took the lead in walking out of the alley.
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