History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 432 The Potter, Sun Tu
The symbolism of the Big Dipper is recorded in many ancient books. Whether it is said that the seven stars govern the four seasons or govern yin and yang and the five elements, it means that the seven stars have a supreme status.

Yuan Yu was not only intelligent, but also had a habit of preparing in advance. He showed Wei Yao several scrolls of bamboo slips on the table, all of which looked like they had been stored for many years.

Yuan Yu first explained how he obtained these documents: "When you were the Prefect of Luoyang, you helped a clerk. When Jia Zhen was the Prefect of Luoyang, he ordered the clerk to dispose of an abandoned archive of documents. The clerk cherished the documents and kept them all at home. He didn't even burn the tattered ones. When you returned to the capital, the man brought the useful documents to the Sizhou office."

He continued, “The cases recorded in these volumes are all strange and murder cases handled by Li Ying, the Commandant of the Capital Region during the reign of Emperor Huan of Han. Sister-in-law, please read this volume first.” After saying this, he untied the rope binding the top bamboo slip.

Wei Yao unfolded the document and examined it closely. The case recorded on it was about Zhang Rang, a eunuch in the Han Dynasty, who was superstitious about various legends about the Big Dipper. This eunuch ordered his men to kill people who lived in the four seasons and put their bodies into seven earthenware urns, each with the names of the seven stars engraved on the bottom. Zhang Rang used the resentment of ghosts as offerings to the Big Dipper, hoping that the seven stars would grant the emperor power so that he could overthrow the Han Dynasty and ascend to the throne.

"Beast!" Wei Yao endured the reading, only regretting that she was not born in that era and could not save those innocent people who died unjustly.

She pondered for a moment and said, "Since the idea of ​​offering ghosts to the Seven Stars was prevalent at the time and Zhang Rang believed in it, it would not have been eradicated and would have been passed down through oral traditions. People who believe in this kind of ghost theory are no different from evil people who worship Taotie and Taowu. In their eyes, human life is no different from ants or weeds. What's ridiculous is that they believe in celestial phenomena, evil birds, and evil people, but they don't believe in cause and effect or retribution."

Wei Yao lowered her voice and sighed, "The most frightening thing about this kind of person is that they don't believe in cause and effect and retribution, and they despise the court's criminal law."

“Yes,” Yuan Yu said. “Don’t worry, sister-in-law. I have informed the registrar about this matter. I believe the registrar will investigate the rumors about the Big Dipper and other such falsehoods.”

Ke Bomao and Liu Caidao committed murder and hid the bodies in a cellar. These two murder cases were combined into one. Due to the large number of wrongful deaths, after Wei Yao presented the case to the emperor, it was transferred from the Sizhou Office to the Tingwei Imperial Prison.

The twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month.

North of the city, in Wenyi Lane.

Before the capital was moved, this neighborhood was called "Shangshangli". It was a place where the remnants of the fallen Yin dynasty gathered and lived as punishment for not submitting to the new dynasty. Emperor Xiaowen disliked the negative connotation of "Shangshangli" and changed it to "Wenyili".

The Minister of Justice, Zheng Gukai, arrived with two tasks: first, to follow the orders of the Vice Minister of Justice to take the disfigured tiler, Sun Tu, to the imperial prison for questioning; and second, to search for scrap collectors in the rotten tile field east of Wenyi Lane, and to inquire about clues about the inscriptions on the urns by asking them about their usual practice of collecting old urns and tiles there.

Upon arrival, the sounds of children singing were carried to our ears by the cold wind.

“In Shangshangli, northeast of Luocheng, the stubborn people of Yin used to live. Today, the people are making urns, and everyone is abandoning them, as those who live there are ashamed.”

Gu Kai had some malt sugar in his pocket, so he went up and distributed it to the children who were singing nursery rhymes. These children had never eaten such delicious sweets before, and they all eagerly answered Gu Kai's questions.

“I know, I know. There used to be several high-ranking officials living in Wenyi Village. I don’t know who said it first, but it was said that the high-ranking officials living there would be like the roof tiles, exposed to the sun and rain, and would not have a good future. So all the high-ranking officials moved away.”

"Now, all the people living here are bricklayers. People outside laugh at us, saying that we'll grow up to be bricklayers too, that we're not going to amount to anything."

After Gu Kai began working for Wei Yao, his heart softened. He stroked the child's head and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name is Song Yun."

"Song Yun, what a fine name! Remember, if anyone else ever mocks you with such harsh words, just tell them... If it weren't for the bricklayers who bore the hardships of sun and rain while firing the tiles, they would have to suffer for the tiles!"

Song Yun smiled and nodded emphatically: "Yes, I've got it."

Gu Kai arranged for jailers at the entrance of the neighborhood to divide the people into two groups. One group followed him into the neighborhood to find Sun Tu, while the other group of jailers went east to Lanwadi.

"Young master, are you looking for Sun the tile maker? I know where he lives. I'll take you there." Song Yun, with her smiling eyes, was very sensible and skipped along the way. Gu Kai already knew that Sun Tu made tiles and also sold pottery. People who knew Sun Tu said that his disfigured face was caused by fire poisoning. Because of his ugly face and violent temper, his tile and urn businesses were not doing well, barely enough to make a living.

Wenyi Lane is a spacious area, filled with the smell of pottery. Gu Kai was leading a hunting dog. Before Song Yun pointed to a house in front of them, the dog began to struggle against its leash, indicating that it had smelled blood.

Gu Kai gave the remaining maltose to Song Yun and instructed, "I have to go on an errand. It's dangerous, so stay away from it while you play."

Song Yun looked around Sun Tu's house, then turned her head to look up at Gu Kai and said, "I don't remember which day it was, but it was a few days ago. I saw a young man who wasn't from Wenyi Village come to see Sun Tu. That young man had a very pale face and long earlobes. He was dressed better than us, but he acted like a thief in front of Sun's house. I was afraid he would find out and beat me up, so I stopped watching him."

The jailer beside Gu Kai immediately realized something and whispered in Gu Kai's ear, "It sounds like the missing Liu Shun."

According to a eunuch who knew Liu Teng, Liu Teng adopted Liu Shun because he valued Liu Shun's long earlobes, believing they were a sign of good fortune.

Gu Kai praised Song Yun: "Good boy."

Song Yun puffed out her chest proudly, and before leaving, she quickly patted the hunting dog's back with her little hand, which made the dog whimper in dissatisfaction.

The gate to the courtyard was slightly ajar, just enough to prevent anyone from peeking out.

The jailer called out, "Is craftsman Sun home?"

A man in his fifties with hair covered in dust opened the courtyard gate. Although he was rough-looking, he was clearly a normal person and could not possibly be Sun Tu.

Judging from the way this man was staring at the jailer's uniform, he must have recognized the character "吏" (li, meaning official). He stammered, "You...you are from the government?"

Gu Kai grunted in response.

The man quickly pointed to the wheelbarrow placed against the wall opposite the courtyard gate and explained, "I came here to sell firewood, I haven't done anything wrong."

A jailer said irritably, "If you're not Sun Tu, then don't block the door!"

"I'm leaving now." The man pushed the wheelbarrow, showing both timidity and strong curiosity, turning back to look around every few steps.

Having handled cases for many years, Gu Kai had seen all sorts of criminals. After the man turned the corner and disappeared from sight, he instructed the jailer who had just reprimanded the wood seller: "Follow him and see where he goes. Be careful."

Gu Kai led the other three prison guards into the courtyard. The residents of Wenyi Village, including ordinary pottery and tile merchants, were like Sun Tujia. Their homes were actually small-scale kilns, and they made do with whatever they could find for themselves in terms of clothing, food, and shelter.

Sun Tu stood facing the kiln stove, seemingly hard of hearing. Only when the jailer called him did he turn around. Sure enough, his face was pockmarked with red spots of varying sizes and shades, resembling burns.

"Officials? They're not here to buy pottery or tiles, are they?"

He spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft. Gu Kai thought that this was not deafness or the sound of a stranger talking. Generally speaking, people with weak hearing assume that others cannot hear them either, so they naturally speak loudly.

The hunting dog started to struggle against its leash again, trying to get closer to the cellar. Gu Kai said, "Sun Tu, someone has reported that you are involved in a murder case. Come with me to the government office for questioning immediately!"