Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 671 Victims of the Coup
"Didn't they say they'd close the door and beat the dog?" Once the guards from the Uigeumbu had fully steadied themselves, the leader, Uigeumbu Deputy Magistrate Gu Shibo, walked through the temple gate with his arms crossed. He looked down at Zhang Er and Li Liu, who had barged through the gate, a mocking smile on his face. "Where are they?"

"Hehe." Zhang Er and Li Liu couldn't respond and could only scratch their heads and chuckle awkwardly.

"See, I told you so!" Zheng Dushi jumped to Ju Shibo's side, pointing proudly to the pile of stones by the courtyard wall—clearly a deliberate stepping stone. "You can just use anything to step on and flip it over!"

"Yes, you think you're so smart." Ju Shibo sneered, then turned to the others and ordered, "Quickly, turn this damned dilapidated temple den upside down!"

"First, find the sedan chair carrying the huanghuali wood!" Zheng Dushi added loudly.

"Yes!" the guards responded loudly and then dispersed.

"Commander Ju, Commander Ju! Take a look at this!" The first discovery came from near the Heavenly King's Hall. Not long after the patrolmen had dispersed, Zhang Er, who was in charge of checking the backyard, found Ju Shibo, who was still pacing and deep in thought in the front yard, holding a charred, tattered red cloth.

"What is that?" Ju Shibo pulled his wandering thoughts back and stared intently at Zhang Er's palm.

“This is probably part of the official robe that Judge Zhang was robbed of,” Zhang Er paused, “…”

"Official robes." Ju Shibo was taken aback, then reached out and snatched the tattered red cloth. The red cloth had been burned beyond recognition, but its remaining soft texture stubbornly testified to its uniqueness. "It really is Suzhou and Hangzhou brocade. Where did you find it?"

"It's right in the open space behind the Hall of Heavenly Kings!" Zhang Er turned to the side and pointed to the Hall of Heavenly Kings, which was missing several doors.

Following the direction, Ju Shibo immediately saw the clay Maitreya statue in the center, and a beam of light shining on the back of Maitreya's head.

"What about inside the Heavenly King's Palace?" Ju Shibo asked.

“There are many footprints and other signs of activity in the Hall of Heavenly Kings, but we didn’t find anything particularly new. It’s all old, dilapidated junk,” Zhang Er said.

"Is there anything else?" Gu Shibo didn't mind the dirt and simply stuffed the tattered red cloth into his pocket. Then, Gu Shibo started walking towards the Heavenly King's Palace.

“There are quite a few smaller ones, all the same color. This one is the biggest.” Zhang Er quickly followed and led the way from the side, soon bringing Ju Shibo to a pile of ashes.

“Comrade Ju, that’s where we found this piece of fabric.” Zhang Er pointed to an empty space next to the pile of ashes, where some loose ash had accumulated. “Judging from the scene, this piece of fabric must have been blown here by the wind. They left before the clothes were completely burned, so they must have left in a hurry.”

“You’re right. But I want to ask,” Gu Shibo squatted down beside the pile of ashes, without reaching out to touch it, “is there anything else in here besides the clothing?”

"It looks like there are still some burnt paper scraps and charcoal that hasn't burned completely." Zhang Er didn't mind and started rummaging through the ashes with his hands.

“Hmm,” Ju Shibo lost interest. He stood up and pointed to the pile of ashes, saying, “Collect all the cloth in here and around here.”

"Yes." Zhang Er immediately got to work and began collecting the conspicuous red fabric.

Ju Shibo started walking, preparing to go and take a look at the Heavenly King's Palace. Suddenly, he saw Zheng Dushi leading several people running towards him, so he stopped and asked, "What have you found this time?"

"Blood! They found a huge pool of blood in the kitchen over there!" Zheng Dushi's face was noticeably pale, but he remained relatively calm overall.

"Let's go. Lead the way!" Gu Shibo immediately gestured for them to turn around.

"Yes." Zheng, the magistrate, immediately stopped and turned around.

A moment later, led by Zheng Dushi, Gu Shibo bypassed the main hall and arrived at a kitchen in the backyard. Before even entering, Gu Shibo noticed the bloodstains that were unusually glaring in the bright sunlight.

The summer heat and dryness had long since dried the bloodstains, but Gu Shibo still hallucinated a faint smell of blood. He went into the kitchen and, without much effort, noticed the signs of a struggle.

"Judging from the way the bloodstains are scattered, someone was probably hit on the head with a blunt object during a struggle." Zheng Dushi was experienced and could even intuitively imagine the victim struggling and writhing on the ground. "If all of this is one person's blood, then that person must be dead."

“Those sedan chair bearers?” Ju Shibo immediately guessed the identity of the victim.

“I also think it was those sedan chair carriers,” Zheng, the magistrate, nodded in agreement. “Unless those rebels kidnapped other people as well.”

"Have you found the body?" Gu Shibo came to the stove and looked into the firebox.

“The body shouldn’t be able to fit inside,” Zheng Dushi’s lips twitched slightly, fearing that Ju Shibo would suddenly reach in and pull out a head.

“If you want me to say it,” Ju Shibo did reach out, but only rubbed some ash on the edge of the stove. “I’m not looking for a body, but checking if there are any signs of the stove being lit.”

"A stove-raising ceremony?" Zheng Dushi was taken aback, but quickly understood what Ju Shibo meant. However, he still deliberately said, "This is a dilapidated temple. How could there be any traces of a stove-raising ceremony?"

Ju Shibo withdrew his hand and wiped it heavily on the stove. This wipe didn't completely remove the black charcoal ash from his fingertips, and added some yellowish-brown ash to the sides of his fingertips. "Everyone needs to eat. If someone stays here for a long time, they will inevitably need to light a fire and start a stove. The charcoal ash here is all clumped together, clearly not the newest, at least much older than the wood ash from burning clothes outside."

"Oh! I see." Zheng, the magistrate, immediately looked enlightened and then flattered him, "You have a brilliant insight, Vice Magistrate!"

"Hehe." Zheng Dushi's expression was somewhat exaggerated. Ju Shibo immediately saw that Zheng Dushi was intentionally flattering him, but he still put on an appreciative look and laughed a few times before returning to the previous topic: "The body, I asked you, have you found the body?"

“We’ve already sent people to follow the trail of blood,” Zheng, the magistrate, said, shaking his head, “but no one has returned to report yet.”

"Did you find Judge Li's sedan chair?" Ju Shibo turned and walked out of the kitchen, letting out a long breath.

"Also..." Zheng Dushi was about to speak when he was interrupted by a hurried call.

"Zheng, the Prefect, and his deputy!" A figure darted through the temple's back gate and rushed towards the two. "We...we've found the sedan chair!"

"Where are you!?" Gu Shibo took the initiative to go forward, his voice revealing obvious anxiety.

"It's on the hillside near the back gate, leaning against a tree. It must have been pushed down." The guard approached Gu Shibo, but before he could even bow, Gu Shibo pushed him around. "Quickly! Get that sedan chair out of there!" Gu Shibo ordered urgently as he walked.

"Be very careful, that sedan chair is very valuable!" Zheng Dushi followed after them.

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“Tsk tsk tsk.” Zheng Dushi stood on a terrace halfway up the mountain, looking at the sedan chair that had been carried over by six or seven guards. He clicked his tongue in admiration and said, “This sedan chair is really sturdy. It didn’t fall apart even after rolling down from a height of six zhang.”

"Fujian rosewood, how could it not be sturdy? This kind of top-quality wood that takes a hundred years to mature, even in the Celestial Empire, there are very few people who can afford it." Uncle Ju also wanted to get one for himself, but unfortunately he didn't have enough money and could only look on with envy.

"As expected of our Judge Li!" Zheng, the magistrate, paced around the sedan chair, loudly flattering Li Erzhan as if Li Erzhan were sitting inside.

Suddenly, Zheng Dushi stopped in his tracks, raised his hand and exclaimed in surprise, "It's broken! It's broken here!"

"Where? Where is it broken!" Ju Shibo walked over quickly.

“Here it is,” said Zheng Dushi, pointing to a broken decorative carving.

"Damn, that scared the hell out of me." Ju Shibo touched the rough surface of the broken piece. "It's just a carving, it was originally thin, so it's normal for it to break. We can just take it apart and replace it with a new piece of wood."

"What a pity," said Zheng, the magistrate. "Even if the carvings were changed, it would still be a poor addition."

"Not necessarily. After finishing this sedan chair, there's still plenty of usable timber left. Adding a few carvings shouldn't be a problem." Uncle Ju carefully examined the sedan chair several times and discovered several broken decorative structures. "I'm worried that there might be hidden damage in the four pillars, crossbeams, and corner braces. Those parts are truly damaged. We need to find a good carpenter to inspect it thoroughly before we can use it again."

"You are truly learned." Zheng Dushi nodded as if he understood, and subconsciously offered a sincere compliment.

"Hmph." Gu Shibo proudly raised his head. "Nonsense, I was the one who supervised the construction of this sedan chair. I followed it around for several months, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I'm a semi-expert."

"Oh my! No wonder you're so highly regarded." Zheng, the clerk, plastered a fawning smile on his face. "When do you have some free time, sir? Teach me a few tricks. Then I can be there to check on you when you're in your sedan chair."

"Let's take care of the immediate matter first." A shadow inexplicably fell over Ju Shibo's eyes. He casually beckoned to a guard and ordered him, "Go find a cart that can move this sedan chair, and it would be best to recruit a few more laborers."

"Can we just carry it back? We've already found the carrying poles anyway," the patrol guard said, turning to another guard who was holding the carrying poles.

"Are you stupid? Didn't you hear Magistrate Ju say he was worried about hidden damage to the sedan chair?" Zheng, the magistrate, raised his hand and gently patted the patrolman on the head. "If it shakes and falls apart on the road, you'll have to pay for it."

"Hehe. How could I possibly afford to pay for it?" The guard sheepishly shrank back. He didn't know what "Fujian rosewood" was, nor did he know how much it cost, but he understood the blunt description that "not many people in the Celestial Empire could afford it."

"Then hurry up and go!" Zheng Dushi shouted, glaring at the patrolman.

"Yes!" The guard turned around and hurriedly ran down the mountain.

Ju Shibo watched the patrolman's staggering figure, his brows gradually furrowing. "Now that the sedan chair and the palanquin bearers have been found, where have the sedan chair bearers gone?"

"They're probably all dead." Zheng, the magistrate, lowered his voice instinctively. "It's normal not to leave any survivors in this kind of situation."

“I think so too,” Gu Shibo said, rubbing his forehead. “But what about the body?”

"Either bury it or dump it." Zheng Dushi turned to look south. "I tend to think we should dump it. It's only about two miles from here to the Han River. Dumping the body is very convenient, at least more convenient than digging a pit."

“Indeed.” Gu Shibo nodded, then turned and beckoned to a patrolman: “Go back to the yamen now and send two more teams to search downstream along the Han River. Ask the towns and villages along the way if they have seen or retrieved any bodies.”

"Yes!" The guard didn't say anything more and left immediately.

"Should we send someone down to the bottom of the Han River to take another look?" said Zheng Dushi.

"You mean to tie a stone to the river and throw it into the river?" Ju Shibo immediately realized.

"That's exactly what I meant," Zheng Dushi nodded.

“Forget it. I just went to the river to water the horses, and the current was turbid and rapid, and it had risen quite a bit more than before.” Ju Shibo shook his head. “Sending people down into the river to look for the bodies now would probably just turn them into corpses themselves. Now that we’ve found the clothes and the sedan chair, we can already give an explanation to the palace and clear Judge Li’s name. There’s no need to risk the lives of the living for the sake of the dead.”

“You’re right,” said Zheng, the magistrate. “But it hasn’t rained lately.”

"It just rained in places like Yeoju and Chungju upstream," Gu Shibo shrugged. "What's so strange about that?"

“Your vision is truly superior,” Zheng Dushi’s eyes flashed suddenly, as if he had just thought of something: “Tell me, if those rebels hadn’t tied the sedan bearers to stones and thrown them into the river, but had simply dumped the bodies, wouldn’t the Ming army downstream have been able to retrieve them?”

"You mean Jiang Hua?" Ju Shibo's eyes flickered.

“That’s right. Isn’t it a rumor in the capital that the Ming army entered the capital region from Ganghwa and then moved north along the river to control Jangtan and Paju, thus blocking the communication between Pyongan and Hwanghae provinces?” Zheng Dushi spoke eloquently. But Gu Shibo didn’t want to discuss this issue now.

The Ming army, the Ming army... What will the future hold? The thought filled Gu Shibo with a sense of panic and helplessness. The inevitable, uncontrollable, and unavoidable change was truly unsettling!

Just then, a commotion arose from the direction of the temple on the slope, and Ju Shibo took the opportunity to change the subject: "Huang Tingyue and the others must be here. Let's go over there."

"Yes." Zheng Dushi gathered his scattered thoughts and immediately responded. Then he turned to the guards who had brought the sedan chair out and ordered, "You guys, quickly move the sedan chair down the mountain. Be careful, don't break it apart!"

"Yes," the guards exchanged glances and slowly exhaled a hot, tired breath.

(End of this chapter)