Madam Yan was rather well known in Yan City.
Several women had already gone missing in succession before this—some tortured and murdered, others tormented into madness.
If misfortune befell her as well, it would surely spark tremendous panic among the populace.
Yan City’s Patrol Office would also come under unprecedented pressure.
Tang Jinxian understood the gravity of the situation. She immediately left the prison cell with Jiang Mu and rushed at full speed toward the residence where Madam Yan lived.
Yet just as they arrived before the residence gates, a yamen guard came galloping over on horseback.
The guard swung down from his horse, hurried to Tang Jinxian, dropped to one knee, and reported:
“Reporting to Chief Commissioner, Madam Yan has been successfully rescued and is presently unharmed. Deputy Commissioner Yu is personally escorting Madam here.”
Tang Jinxian froze.
So quickly?
She stared at him and asked, “What about the culprit?”
The yamen guard replied:
“When the culprit saw there was no hope of escape, he killed himself out of fear of punishment. The body is currently being transported here.
“Deputy Commissioner Yu’s preliminary judgment is that this man is very likely the true culprit behind the previous cases of missing women. Some crucial evidence was also found at the scene.”
When the other Patrol Office personnel around them heard this, strange expressions appeared on their faces.
Quite a few gazes flicked toward Tang Jinxian, their meanings complicated.
After all, this newly appointed Chief Commissioner had been exhausting herself for days, even going so far as to arrest a xiucai degree-holder, isolate the higher-ups within the office, and stir up no small commotion.
In the end, as soon as Deputy Commissioner Yu Zhengqing took action, he directly found the true culprit and rescued the victim.
Whose ability was superior and whose was inferior was clear at a glance.
It was truly a slap in the face.
Tang Jinxian pressed her thin pink lips together and said nothing more, patiently waiting for Yu Zhengqing and the others to arrive.
About the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a carriage slowly approached.
Yu Zhengqing personally rode beside it, guarding the carriage.
At the rear of the procession, several yamen guards were pushing a flatbed cart. On it lay a corpse covered with white cloth.
The carriage came to a steady halt.
Madam Yan, her expression haggard and her hair bun slightly disheveled, was helped down by her maid. A lingering pallor remained on her face.
“My lord.”
Yu Zhengqing dismounted, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in salute to Tang Jinxian.
“This subordinate was originally leading men to search Madam Wu’s residence when, halfway through, I suddenly received an urgent report saying Madam Yan had been kidnapped. This subordinate immediately led men to rescue her.
“Fortunately, when the culprit committed the crime this time, his movements were exposed and witnessed by passersby. This subordinate followed the clues, tracked him down, arrived in time, and rescued Madam Yan.”
He turned slightly and pointed toward the flatbed cart, continuing:
“I had intended to capture the villain alive, but unexpectedly, when he saw there was no hope of breaking out, he swallowed poison and killed himself. This subordinate failed to stop him in time. Through a moment’s negligence, an important criminal died. I ask Chief Commissioner to punish me.”
The yamen guards pushed the flatbed cart over.
The white cloth was lifted, revealing the corpse of a middle-aged man.
Beside it was also a cloth bundle stained with filthy blood.
“This man’s identity has been preliminarily verified. His name is Yang Wushun. He lived alone on Longyu Street and was an idle vagrant addicted to gambling.”
As Yu Zhengqing spoke, he picked up the bloodstained bundle and opened it.
Inside were several intimate garments—bellybands, underclothes, and the like—in various colors, clearly belonging to women.
Yu Zhengqing said in a grave voice:
“Chief Commissioner, according to preliminary identification, these garments match those of the previous victims. They are undoubtedly evidence.”
Tang Jinxian carefully examined the corpse.
“So you believe he is the mastermind behind this string of missing women cases?”
Yu Zhengqing shook his head slightly, choosing his words cautiously:
“This subordinate would not dare make a rash conclusion. However, according to Madam Yan’s recollection, while the culprit held her hostage, he smugly boasted about the details of how he had tortured and murdered the other women before.”
At this moment, Madam Yan was helped over.
After suffering such a great calamity and nearly losing her life, although this woman looked haggard and lingering terror remained in her eyes, her bearing had not completely collapsed. She still barely maintained a measure of composure.
“The culprit told you with his own mouth that he had once tortured and murdered other women?”
Tang Jinxian gazed at Madam Yan and asked.
Madam Yan glanced at the corpse on the flatbed cart, then hurriedly turned her delicate head away. A few traces of fear were still hidden in her eyes as she said softly:
“Yes. At the time, this humble woman resisted fiercely, so he… he deliberately spoke to frighten me, boasting about how he had violated, tortured, and killed those women…”
Madam Yan recounted the details the culprit had bragged about.
By the end, the woman’s voice was trembling, and in the end she shed tears.
Even a woman with the strongest temperament would still be left with a psychological shadow after encountering such a perverse demon.
Tang Jinxian fell silent.
To be honest, if she did not absolutely trust An Chenghu and Jiang Mu’s deductions, at this moment she truly might have believed that the culprit was this man named Yang Wushun.
But all of this was far too coincidental.
Jiang Mu came to the flatbed cart and carefully observed the corpse.
He looked at those garments. Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed his mind, and he vaguely realized that he seemed to have overlooked something.
Overlooked a very crucial clue.
Tang Jinxian had originally intended to ask Jiang Mu for his opinion, but seeing that he was pondering something before the corpse, she said, “Take the body back to the Patrol Office first. We will discuss it after returning.”
……
Patrol Office, council hall.
The atmosphere was subtle.
Looking at the culprit’s corpse on the ground, one hall master coughed lightly, then was the first to cup his hands and speak to Tang Jinxian, who sat upright at the head seat:
“Chief Commissioner, at present, we can confirm that the culprit in this spiritual calamity case is this man named Yang Wushun. Although the whereabouts of the spiritual object remain unknown, the evidence we have already obtained, along with the eyewitness testimony, is sufficient to close the case.”
Several others echoed in agreement.
Among them, Huang Kezi, the hall master of the Fifth Hall, was Yu Zhengqing’s absolute confidant. He said even more bluntly:
“Chief Commissioner, since the true culprit has already been brought to justice, that proves our Patrol Office arrested the wrong person before. Wu is not the culprit. Should we release him at once to avoid causing needless trouble?”
The expressions of everyone in the hall varied, their gazes flickering.
Although Huang Kezi had said “we arrested the wrong person,” in truth, everyone understood that the spearhead was aimed at Tang Jinxian.
This time, Tang Jinxian had truly stumbled hard.
Especially since she had even put Wu to torture.
Though the Wu family was not one of great wealth and rank, his mother was an imperially conferred Yiren.
If she truly submitted a written complaint to the imperial court, and His Majesty considered the old ties with her deceased husband, Tang Jinxian’s position as Chief Commissioner would likely come to an end.
Thinking this, quite a few people secretly took pleasure in her misfortune.
“Don’t you all think this is too much of a coincidence?”
Tang Jinxian said coldly. “I had just arrested someone, and immediately afterward the culprit took the initiative to expose himself for us to catch. If the culprit were truly this stupid, we would have solved the earlier cases long ago.”
Huang Kezi, who had proposed releasing the man, frowned and said:
“Chief Commissioner, solving cases and arresting criminals depends on genuine evidence, not baseless conjecture.
“There is no perfect crime in this world, nor is there any culprit who never makes a mistake. No matter how cunning a criminal is, there will always be a time when he slips up.
“At present, the chain of evidence is clear, and both witness and physical evidence are present. Yang Wushun is the true culprit. This case ought to be concluded!”
Several other trusted men of Yu Zhengqing also echoed him one after another.
Only a small number of people remained silent, their attitudes ambiguous, unwilling to easily take a stance.
Adding fuel to the fire, no one knew who had let Madam Wu in.
As soon as the woman entered the hall, she shouted angrily at Tang Jinxian:
“Chief Commissioner, I hear you have already caught the culprit, so why have you still not released my son?”
“If the Patrol Office does not give me an explanation today and clear my son’s name, this humble woman will smash her head against a pillar and die right here!”
As she spoke, she made to ram herself into a pillar.
Everyone hurriedly stopped her and tried to console her.
The woman became even more emboldened, making a noisy fuss about submitting a memorial to the imperial court.
This scene gave Tang Jinxian a terrible headache.
Just as she was somewhat unable to withstand the pressure and was hesitating over whether to release Wu Yi first to ease the situation, a resonant voice suddenly rang out from the hall entrance.
“This lord is correct. There is no perfect crime in this world, nor is there any culprit who never makes a mistake!”
“So… the man absolutely cannot be released!”
Thanks to Yidiandian Zhen Haohe for the tip.
Thanks to Fanzui Tuanhuo Baili for the tip.
Thanks to Gushan Wuming for the tip.
Thanks to Book Friend 20200801090609216 for the tip.