Chapter Ninety-One: Noble Character, Dreaming

After saying that, Di Ying took Peng Liang to the post station in Ping'an County.

Han Lixing's case file was not in that wooden chest.

Since Di Ying had already uncovered half of this case, he would not hand it over to anyone else.

Though Zhang Jian had given Di Ying the impression that he might already have some notion of who the killer was, Di Ying had no intention of prying into that guess.

He no longer trusted Zhang Jian.

That man’s insides were too long, too twisted.

As for the remaining cases in the chest: they were so thoroughly detailed that they were only one final step away from being solved, and Di Ying intended to let Zhang Jian kick that step himself.

He had chosen Han Lixing’s case simply because this was the one case for which Zhang Jian might truly have found no clue or evidence.

In other words: the door was a little too far away, and Zhang Jian really could not reach it.

So Di Ying would do it himself.

...

Meanwhile, in the Tao Residence in Ping'an County.

Tao Changling had once been the grand tutor of Crown Prince Li Xunlun.

Those who held the position of grand tutor to the crown prince were generally men of lofty virtue, distinguished character, profound learning, and eminent reputation, many of them grand chancellors or high ministers of the court.

As for Tao Changling... back then, he had opposed the Empress Dowager's interference in state affairs to no avail, so in anger he retired from office and returned to his home village, taking all his sons and grandsons with him.

Now over seventy years old, his children and grandchildren had all resigned from office as well, keeping close around him in lively attendance.

Among his grandsons, the fifth, Tao Qing, was the most restless.

Tao Qing adored, even adored to the point of obsession, the study of mechanics and never let a day pass without devoting himself to it.

That day, he had devised yet another curious contrivance.

It involved using a long pole to lever up a heavy object at the far end.

A dozen or so servants who followed him were sweating all over from the labor.

And listening to the shouting, running, and commotion coming from Tao Qing's courtyard, Tao Changling, resting in the cool shade beneath the grape arbor, let out a silent sigh.

In his life, he had taught and nurtured countless students, some of whom now held high office in the capital.

But he simply could not teach his own grandson, Tao Qing.

Tao Qing had become one of Tao Changling's abiding worries, like a lump of mud in the midst of his otherwise glorious and brilliant career as a teacher.

Yet Tao Changling had no choice. Among his grandchildren, the one he loved most was still Tao Qing.

So he let Tao Qing be. Though craftsmen held low status, he never intended for Tao Qing to enter officialdom, so why restrain him?

Only...

Tao Qing was a little too willful.

In his studies, he often failed to keep proper measure. After Tao Changling's warnings proved useless, he arranged for more people to keep watch over Tao Qing, lest he do something outrageous.

Or... to clean up after him.

That was all the elder generation, and Tao Changling in particular, could do for a grandson whose talent he deeply admired.

At that moment, a servant came to report that Di Ying, Deputy Minister of the Supreme Court, had come to Ping'an County to investigate a case.

Tao Changling frowned with some displeasure.

He was now a retired elder of the homeland, and though he had requested leave from office, his status remained exalted.

Not to mention some petty Deputy Minister of the Supreme Court even if His Majesty had come in person to Ping'an County, he would still have come to pay respects in person according to proper ceremony.

That Di Ying had not come to visit, and had not even sent a formal calling gift. This clearly meant he did not place Tao Changling in his eyes.

Still...

After pondering for a few moments, Tao Changling let the matter slide.

When one grew old, one had to accept being old.

The fellow was here to investigate a case; if he did not come, so be it. Tao Changling was not so petty as to quarrel with a junior over such things.

These days, young people who understood etiquette were becoming fewer and fewer.

Tao Changling snorted and went back inside.

Yet inwardly, he still considered that tomorrow he would summon Di Ying and remind him not to stretch his hand too far, and to mind his sense of proportion in handling the case.

...

Back at the post station, when Di Ying received the report from the investigating guards and heard that Tao Changling had actually retired to live out his later years here, he was startled.

A surviving elder of the dynasty, of noble standing. Though no longer in the court, his disciples and protégés were still numerous, and he could still easily influence affairs at the capital.

So no matter who it was, even if merely passing through the place where he lived, one had to pay a formal visit. If time truly did not permit, then a calling gift must at least be sent to show respect.

He, Di Ying, had been careless.

By now, the man likely already knew that Di Ying had arrived in Ping'an County. Even if Di Ying wanted to make amends, it was already too late.

But Di Ying had not intended to make amends.

If he had been careless, then so be it. He would simply apologize properly before leaving. A man of such rank and virtue would not bicker with a young official. He would be tolerant.

Yet after hearing all the reports from the guards, Di Ying was no longer certain whether he might have offended Tao Changling.

"Sir, a constable said that when Han Lixing died, he was face down and lunging forward, with his body less than a meter from the cliff edge."

"Sir, among the constables who went to the valley where the incident occurred, one mentioned something unusual: there was some remaining substance on Han Lixing's head, something like egg white."

"They supposed it had been left by bird eggs that had accidentally fallen from a small tree near the cliff. They did not pay much attention. Still, they felt there was rather too much broken shell and egg matter scattered in the grass."

"Sir, among the wealthy and powerful families in Ping'an County, only Tao Changling's fifth grandson, Tao Qing, has somewhat strange behavior. He is obsessed with mechanics and often uses living creatures for his studies."

After hearing this, Di Ying closed his eyes.

Now all the threads could be joined together.

The killer was very likely Tao Qing!

But though the line of reasoning held, the chain of evidence was still incomplete.

After thinking it over, Di Ying decided to secretly arrest Tao Qing, along with the personal servants who habitually accompanied him in and out.

Those people knew their master's secrets best of all.

...

The night was cool as water, lulling into sleep the crowds who had spent the day sweltering in the heat and fretting in discomfort.

But Tao Qing was still awake.

He cared nothing for the cool breeze. Great ice tubs had been set all around his room, so that he was not only unsleepy, but positively brimming with energy.

Leaning over his desk, he wrote furiously.

Using the various data from the day's tests, he kept advancing the calculations with numbers.

He wanted to figure out: with the longest possible pole, and what kind of fulcrum, what was the greatest weight it could pry up.

Suddenly, the candle flames in the room were extinguished at once.

Before Tao Qing's eyes had adjusted to the darkness, someone knocked him unconscious.

When he felt a sharp pain on his lips and came to, he opened his eyes only to find that he was actually in a magistrate's hall.

Thinking he had seen a ghost, or perhaps fallen into a dream, Tao Qing rubbed at the area beneath his nose, sat up, and looked toward the man on the bench above the hall: a young official in robes, with a stern, noble face and phoenix brows.

This only made Tao Qing more certain that he was dreaming.

He had seen this hall before; it was the county's magistrate hall. He also knew Magistrate Zhang Jian, and this man was certainly not him, but a young stranger.

"What game are you all playing? Holding a court hearing on a criminal?"

As he spoke, Tao Qing yawned widely.

Though he did not understand how he had fallen into such a dream, since he had, he might as well play along; it would count as a bit of amusement.