【Shared by the Fire God】\Time: 2012-11-30 23:25 Source: "Folk Literature" Author: Li Qian Clicks: 2605 times\ 1\ In the seventh year of the Yongle reign in the Ming Dynasty, the Daqing Prefecture spent a large sum of money to build a Daqing Bridge. Just as it was about to be completed, the bridge suddenly collapsed, killing twenty-six workers. The emperor was furious and sent the Left Censor-in-Chief Chen Wenjue to conduct a thorough investigation.\ Chen Wenjue arrived at Daqing Prefecture overnight and met with Prefect Liu Yidi. Liu Yidi was talented in both civil and military affairs. In his youth, he had served in the military, and now he enjoyed the strong support of the local people. The bridge construction was supervised by Liu's secretary Guo Lun, and the contractor商人 involved in the accident was crushed to death. From Guo Lun's words, no flaws could be discerned, and the trail went cold. Chen Wenjue was frustrated when it began to snow heavily, with large snowflakes falling uninterruptedly for three days. After the snow stopped, people were astonished to find that next to the northern city earth temple, a snow statue of a Bodhisattva appeared! News spread immediately, causing a sensation throughout the city.\ Chen Wenjue and Liu Yidi, dressed in plain clothes, went to see the commotion. From afar, they saw incense smoke curling, with people bowing and praying. Incense, candles, and offerings were piled high, with many brand new robes and warm cloths gathered nearby, all offered by devout men and women. The snow Bodhisattva sat serenely on a lotus throne, holding a jade pure water vase in both hands, his expression solemn yet compassionate. Beside him stood a young girl, with delicate and beautiful features. Chen Wenjue was stunned and turned to Liu Yidi, saying, "Prefect Liu, this young girl looks somewhat familiar, doesn't she?"\ Liu Yidi looked carefully for a long time and said, "Really? Who does she resemble?"\ At that moment, unusual shouts came from the crowd ahead, followed by a loud commotion. An old beggar was being thrown out by several servants. Liu Yidi recognized the servants as his own household! Guo Lun hurried over to inquire and found out that they had been protecting Madam Liu as she went to burn incense. This beggar suddenly jumped out from somewhere and screamed ghostly cries at Madam Liu. No one could understand what he was yelling, and Madam Liu was so frightened that she fainted!\ Liu Yidi ordered his men to carry Madam Liu back to the residence. Chen Wenjue felt a stir in his heart; he realized that the young girl's appearance was identical to Madam Liu, of the Na family. Chen Wenjue had stayed in Liu Yidi's residence and had seen Madam Na before.\ The old beggar slowly got up, and everyone was shocked. Guo Lun, who was accompanying them, was so horrified that he cried out. The beggar was extremely ugly, with eyes that rolled outward, ears twisted into a lump of flesh, and his entire head covered in sores with a few sparse strands of hair standing upright.Liu Yidi's expression was not very good, obviously worried about the lady who had been frightened, but he still asked politely. The beggar hoarsely said, 'I have frightened the lady; please punish me, sir.' He spoke in a strange, formal Mandarin that made it hard to tell where he was from.
Liu Yidi's expression softened: 'The auspicious Snow Bodhisattva descends to bring blessings to all people; how could I blame you?' The beggar slowly lifted his head, and two strange lights shot from his bulging eyes. He stood up, his hunched figure smaller than that of a teenage child, and the surrounding people all praised the official's virtue. Chen Wenjue also nodded privately. Even though he had only known him for a few days, he could feel that Liu Yidi was approachable and decisive. No wonder the common people supported him.
Back at the office, Liu Yidi immediately arranged for his subordinates to set up pavilions around the Snow Bodhisattva, cover them with curtains, and place incense burners and precious cauldrons. He then drafted a memorial to rapidly report this joyous event to the court. Chen Wenjue knew that he intended to use this matter to counterbalance the impact of the collapsed bridge case.
Before the court's reply came, another case occurred!
2
Another night of heavy snow. Chen Wenjue did not sleep well; he kept hearing crying, and he had heard that after Lady Na was frightened by the beggar, she fell ill and remained in a daze in bed. The crying seemed to come from the inner residence; it was probably Lady Na having an episode.
Chen Wenjue was drinking tea with Liu Yidi when a clerk reported that the beggar had died.
The beggar's body lay behind the Snow Bodhisattva. His hunched body looked like a large shrimp, his face purple and bluish; his already ugly features were even more terrifying. He looked almost like a ghost.
The coroner came and examined the body: 'He died from cold and hunger.' Liu Yidi instructed for the body to be properly interred in the city outskirts' mass grave. Chen Wenjue said, 'Wait! There are plenty of warm curtains to get heat from, and countless delicacies at the foot of the Bodhisattva. How could this beggar die from cold and hunger here?' He walked over and tore the beggar's ragged clothes open, seeing that his chest was covered with scars. Next to his right neck, there was an area of intact skin, with a half tattoo, seemingly of some beast. Chen Wenjue carefully inspected it, his eyes resting on a palm print on the beggar's back, faintly red.
The coroner broke out in cold sweat. Chen Wenjue looked up at Liu Yidi: 'Sir Liu, you came from a martial examination background. If I am not mistaken, this palm print is the Red Sand Palm type, right?' Liu Yidi nodded.Chen Wenjue gently lifted the beggar's right wrist, which was tied with a bright red cloth strip, particularly striking against the heavy snow.\ Liu Yidi, along with the constables, carefully examined the scene, but too many people had passed through, and the footprints were chaotic, leaving no other valuable clues.\ As the constables lifted the beggar's corpse, the cold and slippery road caused one constable to stumble, sending the body crashing to the ground. Guo Lun swore and ran over a few steps to help lift it, when a small accessory fell from his neck onto the snow. Chen Wenjue picked it up and handed it to him, then directed the constables to place the body in a nearby ancestral hall.\ The emperor's edict arrived swiftly, stating that although the Daqing Bridge had collapsed, Heaven had sent this auspicious sign of the Snow Bodhisattva, a true omen of the peaceful and prosperous era that only a wise and sage ruler could enjoy. The emperor was greatly pleased and immediately allocated one hundred thousand taels of silver to construct the Great Snow Buddha Temple. On the day the temple was completed, the emperor would send high-ranking officials to officiate the ceremony and had personally inscribed the temple's name.\ Chen Wenjue could not help but smile wryly. Even though it had been seven years since Zhu Di usurped the throne from Emperor Jianwen, the emperor would never ignore such an auspicious sign.\ Once the news spread, the people of Daqing City were jubilant. Liu Yidi ordered every household to hang lanterns and decorate with color, but as soon as his own family's lanterns were put up, they had to be taken down—Madam Na had hanged herself!\ Chen Wenjue was shocked. Liu Yidi tearfully told him: 'Even though this beggar is dead, he got what he deserved. Ever since that day when he frightened my wife, she has been dazed, spouting words no one could understand. My wife had been with me for seven years, and I never expected that someone so young would take her own life!'\ Chen Wenjue said, 'Seven years? Sir, it has also been seven years since you were reinstated, right?'\ Liu Yidi nodded through his tears. Originally, he had been a favored minister of Emperor Jianwen. Seven years ago, when Zhu Di usurped his nephew's throne, Liu Yidi panicked and fled alone to northern Liaoning, where he married Madam Na, a woman of extraordinary beauty, though a member of a different ethnic group.\ Chen Wenjue suggested going to see Madam Na's body. Although reluctant, Liu Yidi did not refuse.\ Madam Na's funeral hall was not yet set up, and her body lay on the ground, appearing lifelike, except for a faint pink stain at the corner of her mouth. Chen Wenjue leaned closer to sniff, frowning silently.Suddenly, a bright red star was discovered in Na's sleeve. He reached in and flipped it, pulling out a strip of vivid red cloth from Na's wide sleeve—it was tied to Na's wrist! Liu Yidi was even more shocked and shouted at the family members, 'You didn't take good care of the madam's body; where did this cloth strip come from?'
The family members trembled in fear, but none of them could explain the origin of the red cloth. Chen Wenjue waved his hand, 'Don't trouble them anymore. Your madam is from the Guren clan, right?' Liu Yidi nodded in astonishment. Chen Wenjue nodded, 'Exactly. The Guren clan of northern Liao is known for their skill in riding and archery. The men are brave and the women are beautiful. Their people have a tradition: those who die away from home must have a red cloth tied to their wrists so that their souls can return to their homeland and attain transcendence.' At this point, Chen Wenjue suddenly rolled his eyes, his gaze sharp, and stared at Guo Lun, who looked desolate beside him. 'Master Guo, I wasn't wrong, was I?'
Guo Lun's face turned ashen, and he stammered, unable to speak.
Chen Wenjue said, 'If my guess is correct, you are a member of the Guren clan. Your clan's totem is the qilin; boys are tattooed with a qilin on the back of their necks from birth. The one on you, the one on the back of your neck, aren't they both qilins? That old beggar is also from your clan! You tied these two red cloth strips, didn't you?'
Guo Lun wiped the cold sweat from his hand, 'Yes, I am from the Guren clan. I couldn't bear to see my clan members' spirits wandering outside, so I secretly tied the red cloth strips for them.'
Liu Yidi was very surprised, 'You're also from the Guren clan? Then why haven't you mentioned this in all these years at the residence?'
Guo Lun was tongue-tied, 'I... I...' Large beads of cold sweat appeared. Liu Yidi's face darkened as he ordered the family to take Guo Lun to the flower hall for questioning.
A few people went to the flower hall and sat down. Before questioning began, a family member suddenly ran over in panic, saying the study had been broken into! Liu Yidi was shocked and ran over immediately. Chen Wenjue also realized that the emperor's handwritten temple name was kept in the study; if it was lost, it would be a capital offense, explaining why Liu Yidi was so frantic! He hurriedly followed.
The study was in a mess, but fortunately, the emperor's handwriting was still there. After the commotion, everyone remembered Guo Lun and rushed back to the flower hall, only to find he was gone.
Liu Yidi's face turned grim as he ordered the household servants to search everywhere.The lady's suicide and the beggar's death were both connected to Guo Lun. How could he just flee out of fear of punishment?\
After a noisy night, Chen Wenjue also didn't sleep well. Early the next morning, there was more commotion in the Liu residence—it turned out that Madam Na's body had disappeared!\
Three\
The Liu residence was in chaos. Liu Yidi ordered his subordinates to spread out and search for the lady's body. After some thought, Chen Wenjue called over his attendants and gave them instructions.\
In less than two hours, a hurried government official came to report that the lady's body had been recovered, with Chen Wenjue's attendant taking the credit for the main achievement.\
When Liu Yidi hurried over, he saw only a simple coffin. The attendant opened the lid, revealing the lady's body, but to their shock, there were actually two corpses inside the coffin!\
The other corpse was full of scars, grotesque in appearance—it was the beggar who had died tragically without cause.\
Liu Yidi stared blankly at the scene. Chen Wenjue spoke in a calm and deliberate manner: “I sent officials to the north gate of the city, and sure enough, not far out, we saw someone driving a large cart with a coffin. That's when we intercepted him.”\
Chen Wenjue clapped his hands, and his attendant pushed someone forward. The person looked pale, staring at Liu Yidi with resentment—it was Master Guo Lun.\
Liu Yidi was shocked and rushed forward, pointing at Guo Lun, his voice trembling with rage: “You! You villain! We took you in, yet I never imagined you would commit such a treacherous act!”\
Before he finished speaking, Liu Yidi swung his hand, slapping at Guo Lun with a gust of force.\
Chen Wenjue was alarmed and hurriedly intervened: “Sir, do not kill to silence him!” Before his words were finished, one of his attendants had already punched Liu Yidi's arm, deflecting his slap. With a look from Chen Wenjue, the attendant twisted Liu Yidi's arm, immobilizing him.\
Chen Wenjue sneered: “Twenty years ago, Lord Liu passed the military examinations; the Red Sand Palm was your unique technique. Years of difficult official duty may have left your skills rusty. Though the leftover power of the Red Sand Palm could easily kill the old, weak, and innocent, trying to kill someone in front of my attendant was just a bit short of enough!”\
Liu Yidi's face darkened: “Master Chen! Though you came under the emperor's orders, my heart aches over my beloved wife's tragic death, and her body was stolen. In my fury, I struck him once—what law of the Ming Dynasty did I violate?”‘And where does this accusation of killing to silence someone come from?'
Chen Wenjue shook his head without answering and instructed his men to bring Liu Yidi to the main hall. Calm and composed, he said, ‘You saw Guo Lun tying a red cloth for his clan members and began to suspect that he knew your secret, so you directed your family to stage a fake burglary in the study, using the opportunity to release Guo Lun. You think that would leave no evidence for death? Tell me, was the deaths of the old beggar and Lady Na your sole doing?'
Liu Yidi laughed bitterly in anger: ‘Haha! You say I attacked that old beggar—did I have any motive to kill? Why would I harm an old beggar? My wife and I have always been affectionate, so why would I want to kill her?'
Chen Wenjue sneered coldly: ‘The vomit at Lady Na's mouth has the fragrance of wooden chrysanthemum. Even the slightest sniff of that wood chrysanthemum makes one fall asleep, let alone ingest it? Tell me, how could a woman under hypnosis and deep sleep hang herself on her own?'
Liu Yidi was speechless. Chen Wenjue, leaving no room for him to differentiate, continued, ‘Do you still remember how you petitioned the second time? The cold jade dragon carving—you haven't forgotten so quickly, have you?'
Cold sweat ran down Liu Yidi's face.
Seven years ago, Liu Yidi abandoned his official post and fled to northern Liaoning. When he was about to freeze to death, he was saved by the old chief of the Gurun clan. In northern Liaoning, high mountains have perennial snow, and beneath the snow, a hundred-foot depth produces cold jade, a rare treasure. The clan chief then hid a…
