Chapter Thirteen: The Public Red Envelope

  Magistrate Song hesitated, and a man who looked like a teacher, fanning himself with a folding fan, walked up to Magistrate Song's side, leaned over and whispered: "Your Honor, this murder case is very tricky. Why not let this little scoundrel examine the body and fill out the autopsy report? If anything goes wrong, there will be room for excuses."

  County Magistrate Song appears to be at leisure, but in reality he is having a headache over this murder case. Every three years, officials are evaluated and scored on their performance, and such a major case is a severe test for county officials. If they happen to crack the case, it would be a significant achievement that could add weight to their promotion prospects three years later. However, there is a time limit for solving major intentional homicide cases, and if the case remains unsolved by then, points will be deducted, greatly affecting one's official career. Since murder cases must be reported, concealment is impossible. Moreover, this is a major murder case involving the family of an imperial official, so it can only be manipulated in the report submitted to the authorities.

  Here, there are many tricks. The main one is that when filing a case, it's not possible to clearly state whether the nature of the case is intentional homicide or manslaughter, accidental event, so superiors can't limit the time for solving the case. Later, based on whether the case can be solved or not, it will be flexibly grasped. Since the report needs to be attached with an autopsy report, also known as a death certificate, how this death certificate is written often plays a crucial role. The investigation and evidence collection are independent and not subject to the county magistrate's decision. Therefore, the more vague and simple the death certificate for such major homicide cases is written, the better. Let the coroner come to investigate and fill out the death certificate. It's hard to guarantee that he won't write down the truth. If a young apprentice writes it, I'm afraid this little apprentice doesn't understand anything and can't write anything. Moreover, if there are problems in the future, there will be an excuse to push the blame.

  Yin De's proposal plus Master Shi's analysis, just in line with Song Zhizhou's intention. Song Zhizhou nodded: "Lao Lao is not feeling well and cannot continue the autopsy. Yang Lao will be responsible for conducting the autopsy."

  Yin Dejian nodded to several attendants: "You quickly help the old master back to rest." Several attendants responded, and went forward to support the old master who was coughing continuously out of the door.

  Song Zhixian asked: "Yang, Yang Wu made, issued to you, where is your corpse certificate? Put it in what place?"

  Yang Qiuchi smiled wryly and thought: "How would I know?" He casually said: "Maybe at my home."

  Magistrate Song nodded: "You, you first examine the corpse, I'll call someone to help, help you carry it." Then he turned his head and ordered a long servant: "Quickly go to Yang's house and bring back his coffin!" A long servant responded and went. The long servant was a privately employed person by the county magistrate during the Ming and Qing dynasties, assisting in handling official business or taking care of family members, not an official nor an ordinary servant.

  Yang Qiuchi looked around the scene, thinking about where to start investigating. Yin De walked over and patted Yang Qiuchi's shoulder: "Young brother, you've worked hard, this is your starting money and washing money, take it." He handed over a string of copper coins, roughly one hundred or so wen.

  What is this thing? Yang Qiuchi didn't understand, he didn't know that in the Ming dynasty, when coroners performed autopsies, the family of the deceased would give them a red envelope, which was called "opening hand money" or "washing hand money". This was one of the main sources of income for coroners. The salary of officials and yamen runners in the Ming dynasty was the lowest in history, so various kinds of "red envelopes" became the main source of income for officials and yamen runners. Coroners were no exception. If they only relied on the two taels of silver given by the government each month, their living expenses would be a problem. The imperial court also tacitly approved of this practice. Otherwise, no one would be willing to work in the yamen, and the huge bureaucratic system would not be able to function normally.

  Yang Qiuchi didn't understand the rules here, so he pushed his hands to decline. Yin De looked at Yang Qiuchi and nodded, then took out another string of copper coins from his sleeve and stuffed both strings into Yang Qiuchi's pocket. Yang Qiuchi saw that he had misunderstood his intention and was about to explain when a voice came from behind: "The sky is already dark, hurry up and close the stall, it's time for inspection!"

  "Are you asking me to take the money?" Yang Qiucheng couldn't believe his ears, turned his head and took a glance at Song Zhixian, raised the two strings of copper coins in his hand, implying: "Is this county magistrate openly letting his subordinates accept bribes?"

  Song Zhixian scowled and snorted heavily through his nose: "How's that? Still not enough?"

  As soon as he heard this, Yang Qiucheng understood that the county magistrate really wanted him to accept the red envelope. It seemed that ancient and modern times were different after all, with bribery and corruption being openly conducted. He was puzzled in his heart but didn't dare ask more questions, so he quickly stuffed the two strings of copper coins into his pocket.

  Yang Qiuchi carefully examined the body of Bai Xiaomei on the bed, and found that there was a ring of dark bruises around her neck, scratches and bite marks on her breasts, and half-dried white **condensation on her yin department and inner thighs, possibly *residue.

  At this time, Yang Qiuchi smelled a faint scent of fragrance coming from behind him. Without turning his head, he knew it was that fake little kid Song Yun'er. Sure enough, Song Yun'er's slightly trembling voice came from behind: "Hey! How is it? Found anything?"

  Yang Qiuchi didn't answer nicely: "You can come up and see for yourself!"

  Song Yun'er hesitated for a moment, no longer as scared as before. Moreover, with her own father, the county magistrate, standing at the door with a group of people, she felt bolder. Curiosity took over, and she took a small step forward, stretching her neck to peek around Yang Qiuchun's side, grasping his clothes with one hand, ready to flee at any moment. Then, she carefully examined the corpse on the bed and whispered, "Hey, what's going on with her neck?"

  "Can't you see? I'm being pinched!" Yang Qiuchi said in a low voice.

  "Oh!" Song Yun'er dragged out her voice and said as if she had suddenly realized something. She stopped for a moment, then asked strangely: "Hey, why is her pee white?"

  "Where is the urine white?"

  "Look!" Song Yuner's pale and slender jade-like hand stretched out, pointing between the two feet of Bai Xiaomei's corpse at the remaining white * left there.

  Song Yun'er was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and she lived in the Ming Dynasty where feudal etiquette prevailed. She didn't understand anything about men and women, so how could she know what this thing was? She just made wild guesses. Yang Qiuchi felt a bit embarrassed and it wasn't convenient for him to explain physiology and hygiene to her, so he brushed her off saying: "I'm working, can you not talk and cause trouble?"

  Song Yun'er gently patted Yang Qiuchi's back and scolded: "Great! If you don't say it, then don't say it."

  Yang Qiuchi lifted the eyelids of the deceased and saw that the eyes were congested, a symptom of asphyxial death. He opened the mouth and saw a faint blood stain at the root of the gums. He put his finger on the stain and smelled it under his nose, detecting a bloody smell. He turned over the inner side of the lips and found pinpoint bleeding, indicating that there had been an action to cover the mouth and nose. With his fingers pressing down on the trachea, he felt a slight depression and heard a faint gurgling sound, suggesting that the larynx had already been crushed.