Before Song Heting could investigate three generations of Bingxin's ancestors, I quickly dragged her away and sent both mother and daughter to the hotel. Song Jie said, "I slept on the plane earlier so I’m not sleepy at all! I’d like to explore the city nightlife with you."
As she spoke, her eyes inadvertently flitted to Song Xingchen.
Since the lady asked, I said, "Aunt Song, can I take Song Jie out for a bit?"
"No drinking and come back early," instructed Song Heting.
"Mom, you’re the best!" beamed Song Jie as she wrapped her arms around Song Heting's neck and kissed her cheeks.
As soon as we were out of the door, I handed Song Jie over to Song Xingchen. While the two spent time together, I headed back to the store. Bingxin was still there waiting for me. "What a dashing woman your aunt is!” she laughed. “I didn't know you had such relatives."
My head throbbed, "Her reign of terror has descended upon Nanjiang City."
"Who’s the lovely girl?" she asked curiously.
"A distant cousin!"
"Are you guys close?"
"Don't even think about it. She likes Song Xingchen. The two grew up together."
My words seemed to allay her worries. "But aren't they close relatives?!" exclaimed Bingxin.
I did ask Song Xingchen about this matter. It turned out that they were distant relatives as well. Song Xingchen's parents were both martial arts masters who died during a mission so Song Heting raised him as a son. In theory, he could marry Song Jie, though I wasn’t sure if Song Heting would approve.
Over the next few days, I lived in constant unease. Both mother and daughter would visit when they weren’t shopping. Upon discovering our pigsty-like apartment, Song Heting had us scrub every nook and cranny!
At the sight of our takeout, Song Heting tossed them into the trash can without so much as a word, headed down to the supermarket to buy a bunch of groceries, and proceeded to personally cook us a meal.
Song Heting's cooking was excellent, but eating at the same table was torture.
In order to keep me away from my ‘unhealthy' diet, she even taught Luo Youyou how to cook!
The special team hadn’t received any cases of late, but according to regulations, members had to show up in the office to deal with emergencies. Though I wasn’t very happy to sit in an empty conference room, I took the initiative to apply for duty with Song Heting’s arrival.
One morning as Bingxin and I chatted in the conference room, Xiaotao suddenly walked in and interrupted, "Bingxin, do you like the Hanfu?"
Bingxin’s eyes flashed with an eager gleam, "Do you mean Quju robes? I love them! When CCTV broadcasted the ancient poetry contest last year, there was a craze for Chinese cultural studies. I too purchased a Hanfu. My dad insisted it was bizarre and wouldn't let me wear it."
"Well, you’ll enjoy this then!"
Xiaotao placed two photos on the table–the first showed two female corpses dressed in Hanfu and locked in an iron cage, one in red and the other in white. They were soaking wet, and their faces disfigured so the flesh had melted and blended into the blood.
In the second photo, a man in Hanfu was hung from a tree with his hands tied, his stomach was cut open, and his bloody intestines were draped from his torso. Similarly, his face had been disfigured by some sort of chemical.
At first glance, I got the feeling this wasn’t an ordinary case. My blood boiled with excitement.
Upon examining the photos, Bingxin arched her eyebrows, "Wow, they’re wearing the Hanfu!"
"Your point of focus is certainly unique!" I quipped. "I can’t tell the cause of death based on these photos alone. Is there a Hanfu killer in Nanjiang City?" I turned to Xiaotao.
"No, this was sent to us by the Jiangling City Bureau. Captain Xing handed them to me. I thought you might be interested in this case," Xiaotao explained.
"Jiangling?" My grin stretched from one ear to the other. "So we’re going out of the city to handle a case? Great, I finally have an excuse to hide from that woman!"
"The ancient city of Jiangnan," Bingxin clapped her hands in glee. "How interesting! I’ll wear a Hanfu and a handheld fan while solving a murder. I'm definitely going!"
"Let’s leave immediately!" chuckled Xiaotao.
Afraid Song Heting might insist on personally protecting me, I discreetly sent a text message to Song Xingchen, instructing him to meet us after fetching my equipment.
Half an hour later, the five of us headed to Jiangling City in two vehicles without Lao Yao.
Jiangling City was located north of Nanjiang City, a three-hour drive away. Surrounded by two rivers, the city was known for its outstanding citizens and beautiful scenery that inspired countless poets throughout history. Along the way, Bingxin read aloud ancient poems describing Jiangling City. At the sight of the sign "Jiangling City welcomes you" on the expressway, she excitedly waved her hands in the air. "Ancient Jiangnan City, here we come!"
Xiaotao playfully smacked her, "Do you think we're here to have fun? We have a case!"
Along our journey, I busied myself with pursuing the thick files on the case. The murder happened around ten days ago and the first body was found in a park at about five in the afternoon. A group of tourists was visiting the park when a body dressed in Hanfu suddenly fell from a tree. The local police hit a roadblock in their investigation because the victim’s face had been seriously damaged and the fingerprints on all ten fingers removed. It was impossible to determine his identity.
The other two female bodies were found four days ago abandoned in a lake within a university when the school was cleaning out the bottom of the lake. The cage itself was terribly heavy. The victims were about twenty-eight years old and suffered the same disfigurement and missing fingerprints as the first victim.
The most striking thing about the two cases was the Hanfu worn by the victims which had very exquisite workmanship and cost upwards of a thousand yuan. After inquiring about the city, the police centered on a small workshop that made and sold Hanfu. However, the owner, Ke Wenyuan, had disappeared and was wanted as a suspect at the moment.
Upon entering the city, Bingxin said, "Should we drop by the station first?"
"What do you think, Song Yang?" Xiaotao turned to me.
A quick glance at my phone revealed it was already three in the afternoon. "It's a waste of time. Let's head directly to the crime scene."
After entering the location on the navigation system, Xiaotao hit the steering wheel, "Let’s go then!"
We first headed to the park, a scenic spot–the official residence of a prime minister in the Ming Dynasty. Like the other tourists, we had to buy tickets to enter the park.
"Wow, the peace and quiet inspire great creativity," gushed Bingxin.
"How can it be so beautiful? It really deserves its reputation," echoed Xiaotao.
The girls walked into a pavilion, stopping to take pictures. Reluctant to disturb them, I headed straight to the crime scene with Song Xingchen.
Using the photos for comparison, I soon located the tree. Due to heavy foot traffic and fear that the incident might have an impact on citizens, the police removed the cordon the next day. I looked up and noticed a broken branch that appeared to have been caused by the weight of the dead body.
On the lake beside the tree was a marble boat. A heaped arrangement of rock stones stood by the lake and antique buildings visible between the leaves–a breathtaking scene befitting paradise.
"Is the killer trying to suggest something by hanging the corpse here?" I mused.