Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 38: Flower and Willow Lane

Rong Wanyin loosened her hands due to the burn, and her shoes fell to the ground. Aunt Qing wanted to grab them, but she didn't dare. She hugged the shivering Erya and cried softly.

It was already night and there were almost no pedestrians on the road.

Yan Mingzhang picked it up with tongs. Although the first object was burnt black, the general shape could be identified as a shoe. The other one was only slightly burned, with most of it intact. It was a pair of red-soled peony-embroidered shoes. The uppers of these embroidered shoes were mostly made of silk, so the smell of burning was similar to that of hair.

Rong Wanyin frowned, remembering that the deceased was barefoot. Since this place wasn't far from the crime scene, she carefully checked the size of the shoes and compared them to the size of the deceased's feet. She said, "Where did these embroidered shoes come from? They're not cheap! Why did they burn them? ... These shoes belonged to the deceased, right?"

Erya was so scared that she couldn't help sobbing and shaking like a sieve. Aunt Qing protected her behind her without saying a word.

Rong Wanyin stared at the two of them: "Aunt Qing, only if you tell the truth can Lord Yan and I help you!"

Aunt Qing hardened her heart and cried out, "It's all me, it's all me. I killed that woman. It has nothing to do with... with Erya!"

Rong Wanyin's face was solemn as she looked into Yan Mingzhang's eyes. It was obvious that neither of them believed it.

Yan Mingzhang said seriously, "Aunt Qing, then tell me, where did you buy that murderous dagger?"

Aunt Qing looked bewildered. After thinking for a moment, she pretended to understand: "Dagger... dagger... I bought it... Yes, I bought it!"

"You're lying." Rong Wanyin couldn't bear it and said to Aunt Qing, "Aunt Qing, the deceased wasn't killed by a dagger at all. I know you're eager to protect your daughter, but this kind of perjury is meaningless because a simple investigation would reveal the truth. But I want to hear what Erya has to say. I hope you believe her. She didn't kill the person."

Erya finally came out from behind Aunt Qing, trembling. Seeing how nervous she was, Yan Mingzhang glanced at Rong Wanyin, nodded, and then stood up and walked to the corner, letting Rong Wanyin do the questioning so that Erya could relax.

Rong Wanyin asked Erya to sit down and poured her another glass of water: "Erya, I hope you can tell the truth. Don't let your mother worry."

Erya looked panicked and quickly waved her hands, saying in a breakdown: "I didn't kill anyone! I didn't kill anyone! I really didn't kill anyone!"

Rong Wanyin took Erya's hand and said earnestly, "I believe you. Can you tell me everything you know? Don't miss any details."

Arya calmed down a bit and said, "This morning I wanted to light the stove, so I went to the backyard of Yuexiang Tower to get some firewood. Then, I stepped on something. It turned out to be a pair of embroidered shoes. I thought someone had dropped them, but I had always wanted a pair of embroidered shoes like that, so I hid them."

Rong Wanyin then asked, "Why did you burn it just now?"

Erya was a little flustered: "I heard someone say that a woman died in the alley, so I suspected that these were her belongings, but I couldn't bear to burn them. Then you came, and I was afraid you would suspect I killed her, so... so... and Sister Xiuniang also has a pair of shoes like this..."

Upon hearing this, Erya burst into tears. Aunt Qing quickly hugged her and comforted her, "No, it can't be Xiuniang... Good people will be rewarded..." Yan Mingzhang carefully examined the stitching of the embroidered shoes. Without saying a word, he closed his eyes and thought carefully. It was as if his mind opened cabinets one after another, calling up the memories of that day. After a long time, Yan Mingzhang opened his eyes and shook his head, "No, it's not that pair. The pattern on the upper is different. The shoe store owner was right. Every pair of shoes is different. The silk thread for the peony flowers on these shoes is darker than Xiuniang's. I guess the color of each bundle of silk thread is slightly different."

Erya sobbed, "Really not Sister Xiuniang?"

Yan Mingzhang nodded affirmatively.

Rong Wanyin looked incredulous, yet she couldn't bring herself to speak. A heavy weight weighed on her heart. Was Yan Mingzhang telling the truth? He was probably just trying to comfort Erya. Who could remember the color of the silk thread on someone else's shoes? How could it be possible? The same red peony-embroidered shoes, a similar figure, and right behind Yuexianglou—how could it be such a coincidence?

Seeing Rong Wanyin's face full of disbelief, Yan Mingzhang's lips curled slightly as he explained, "I've had this problem since I was a child. I usually remember things I've seen, and once I remember something, I never forget it for a long time."

Rong Wanyin still didn't quite believe it: "If the memory is really that good, how can it be called a problem?..."

Yan Mingzhang suddenly stood there motionless, as if possessed by a demon. "Don't say anything. Wait... I think I've seen these shoes somewhere before... But where exactly? As long as I remember where they are, I'll know who they belong to. But where is it?"

"Didn't you just say you had a good memory? Now you can't remember it? Take your time to think about it!" Rong Wanyin didn't want to pay attention to him anymore. He was just bragging.

Yan Mingzhang didn't mind at all. He nodded, closed his eyes, and sat at the table, reminiscing. He was lost in his own world, with only one scene in his mind: he paced through a memory palace, walked forward, opened the door of a room, and the room suddenly lit up. He saw a pair of delicate feet wearing a pair of red-soled peony-embroidered shoes. Looking up, he saw the hem of a red skirt. Above that, it was all white smoke, and Yan Mingzhang couldn't see clearly. He had always been very confident in his memory. As long as he remembered it, it couldn't be wrong. If he didn't remember it, it meant he didn't see it at the time. The scene was very noisy. What kind of scene was it? Why didn't he look at the face of the owner of the shoes? Yan Mingzhang felt a headache.

At this time, Su Zhan staggered over, obviously drunk. He sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. "Hey, what are you doing? Did you have a fight?"

Rong Wanyin covered her nose with her sleeve and said with disgust, "Where have you been? What's that smell?"

Su Zhan looked helpless and said, "How come your nose is so good? I've changed my clothes and you can still smell it."

Rong Wanyin looked disgusted. "You're all marinated in rouge and powder. What's the point of just changing clothes? Are you going to the red-light district again?"

Su Zhan looked hurt and hummed softly: "I heard that a big case had happened, so I hurried over to take a look. That's why I didn't have time to take a shower. I care about you guys, and you still despise me."

Yan Mingzhang seemed to come to his senses suddenly and asked back, "Are you going to the Red Willow Lane?"

Su Zhan looked uneasy, afraid that Yan Mingzhang would bully him again: "So what? I just went to listen to some music, I didn't do anything else. The courtesan is already booked, so I won't be accepting any customers. You know me, I'd rather have nothing than something unsuitable."

Yan Mingzhang ignored him completely, sitting quietly with his eyes closed. After a long time, he opened his eyes, his eyes sparkling. He turned to Rong Wanyin and said, "Miss Rong, I remember where I saw those shoes!"

(End of this chapter)