Placid Chang’an

Chapter 13: Rumors

After much effort, the crowd that had been stirring up trouble around him was finally dispersed. Song Jiancheng's face turned pale as he pointed at Su Cen and angrily rebuked him, "Look at the mess you've caused! It will unsettle the hearts of the people in the capital. Once it reaches the ears of the higher-ups, let's see who can protect you."

Protect him? Su Cen smiled indifferently. In Chang'an City, there were those who wanted to suppress him, those who envied him, and even those who wanted to take his life. But no one wanted to protect him.

Su Cen spoke earnestly, "It's not the work of a vengeful ghost. I'm afraid someone is committing crimes under the guise of a vengeful ghost."

Although reluctant, Song Jiancheng still asked, "What do you mean?"

"Do vengeful ghosts get injured?" Su Cen asked.

Song Jiancheng was taken aback.

Su Cen no longer kept them in suspense. He gestured for someone to turn the body over and said, "There is a bloodstain on the deceased's back that does not belong to him."

Sure enough, there was a scratch-like bloodstain on the deceased's clothes. It was almost overlooked because the clothes were originally dark brown.

Song Jiancheng stiffened his neck and said, "It's not strange for the deceased to have bloodstains on his back after his throat was cut."

"But the deceased's throat was cut after he was suspended." Su Cen slowly explained, "There are no signs of struggle at the knife wound, and it is located on the left side of the body. Who would calmly watch someone cut their throat without any reaction? It can only happen when he has no ability to resist. Moreover, when a living person's throat is cut, it causes a large amount of blood to gush out. However, the amount of blood on the deceased's body is clearly insufficient, indicating that the deceased was already on the verge of death or even dead."

Everyone was stunned.

"And there's this broken rope," Su Cen paused and picked up the rope that had hung the body. "No one would use a broken rope to commit murder, so the rope must have snapped during the act."

"I've examined it. There are two marks on the body, both appearing bluish-purple, indicating that the person was alive when these marks were made. It seems that the killer first grabbed the person from behind, forming the mark around the neck. However, the killer didn't expect Yuan Shaochun to survive the strangulation; he only lost consciousness temporarily. When the killer tried to hang him on the tree, Yuan Shaochun unexpectedly regained consciousness and broke the rope. A struggle ensued, and the killer was injured during the fight. But in the end, Yuan Shaochun was overpowered and hanged on the tree, resulting in the second mark behind his ear. At that moment, the killer also smeared his own blood on the back of the deceased, perhaps to prevent further attempts to break the rope. The killer then inflicted another knife wound on his neck."

Song Jiancheng nodded, realizing that he had actually agreed with this person's explanation. He remained silent, his face expressionless.

Su Cen didn't explicitly point it out and continued, "The so-called vengeful ghost killing is just a smokescreen. The killer is most likely the person spreading the rumors."

Song Jiancheng finally showed some intelligence and instructed the subordinates behind him, "Go investigate the person who was causing trouble in the crowd just now."

"Furthermore," Su Cen interjected, "focus on investigating those who failed the imperial examinations but stayed in the capital. It's no coincidence that the killer specifically targets those who passed the exams. The killer is around seven to seven and a half feet tall and, importantly, has injuries on his body."

After giving the instructions, Su Cen turned around and continued examining the scratches on the branches of the crooked-necked tree at the crime scene.

Song Jiancheng stared at Su Cen's figure, feeling stunned. A young and inexperienced lad like him could succinctly point out the key points of the case, daring to raise doubts and carefully seeking confirmation. Experienced investigators might be able to deduce the killer's stature based on the angle of the knife wound and the position of the hanging, but Song Jiancheng couldn't understand how this young man could see it at a glance.

Meanwhile, Su Cen stood under the tree lost in thought. There was something he hadn't mentioned just now. From the crime scene, it seemed that the killer must be a weak or frail person. Otherwise, they wouldn't have failed to kill their target once and had to do it again, nor would they have injured themselves while dealing with someone who had just caught their breath.

But Qu Ling’er had mentioned last night that the person who brought Lü Liang into the East Market had some skills. Although this person was usually unreliable, their solemn appearance at that time didn't seem like a joke.

Who was right and who was wrong? Who was innocent and who was guilty? Or could it be... the person who brought Lü Liang into the East Market was not the same as the killer at all?

After the officials from the Dali Hall had finished packing up and left, Su Cen slowly made his way back. As he passed by a corner of the Imperial Academy's wall, he couldn't help but pause.

It was here that a group of people had burned paper, supposedly to commemorate the souls in the Imperial Academy.

Su Cen squatted down, staring at the small cluster of ashes in the corner of the wall, lost in thought. After a while, he reached out and pinched the ashes.

The ashes were dry and delicate. But it had rained just two days ago!

In other words, the imperial examination had ended over a month ago, yet someone had come here to offer sacrifices within the past two days!

Su Cen suddenly turned around, and within a hundred paces, he could see the crooked-necked tree.

A chill ran through him... When that person burned the paper here, could Yuan Shaochun have been hanging from that crooked-necked tree?

Making his way around from behind, Su Cen noticed that the sugary water shop in front of the Imperial Academy's gate was still open, and quite a few people were sitting there, most likely onlookers who had come after the commotion.

Su Cen also went over to find a table. Just as he sat down, he heard someone behind him saying, "It's really a vengeful ghost killing people. I told you we should have paid our respects that day. Look, two people have already died."

Su Cen turned his head at the sound and raised an eyebrow. How coincidental, it was the chubby man from the paper burning incident.

As the sugary water arrived, Su Cen was about to reach for it but remembered that he had touched the body and hadn't washed his hands yet. He could only reluctantly withdraw his hand and instead focused his attention on the chubby man.

At the table sat three people, leaning in and whispering to each other. Their voices were just loud enough for those who wanted to listen to hear, while easily ignored by those who didn't. Su Cen glanced around and realized he wasn't the only one eavesdropping.

The chubby man continued, "The one who died yesterday was ranked third, and today's victim was ranked second. I wonder if there will be three top-ranked scholars who die next. I can't help but wonder which unfortunate child will win this year's top spot. If it were me, I would hide at home and never go out."

Su Cen: "..."

It seemed that someone had already made arrangements for the aftermath without his knowledge.

Su Cen took a couple of steps forward and tapped on the table where the three people were sitting. They all looked up at him.

"It's you?" The chubby man had good memory, recognizing him immediately after more than a month had passed.

Su Cen didn't beat around the bush and directly took a seat on the empty side, staring at the chubby man. He asked, "You keep saying it's the work of a vengeful ghost. Have you actually seen one?"

The chubby man chuckled foolishly, "If I had seen one, would I still be here? But well..." He waved his hand, and a few people lowered their heads. Only Su Cen remained unfazed, observing as the chubby man pointed towards the Imperial Academy, lowering his voice, "Inside there, people have really died."

Su Cen looked towards the Imperial Academy not far away, its grand characters shining brightly in the sunlight. How many people had dedicated their lives to study in order to have their names inscribed on the golden list? Not long ago, he had been frantically writing inside, but now it was empty, the gates tightly shut, leaving people to speculate and pry.

"Don't doubt it," the chubby man said, seeing Su Cen's fluctuating expression and thinking he was not taking it seriously. He raised his hand and called over the old man selling sugary water, pulling him closer and pointing at Su Cen. "You tell him, have people died inside there or not?"

The old man smiled apologetically, and Su Cen shifted his gaze away from the entrance of the Imperial Academy, smiling at the old man. "Say what you know."

The old man sighed and said, "There was indeed a person several decades ago who went in through that gate and never came out."

"Never came out?" Su Cen frowned. "You can remember something that happened over a decade ago so clearly?"

"He drank sugary water from me before going in, and he gave me extra silver. I waited for him to come out so I could return the silver, but he never came out even after the gate closed."

"He must have died inside and turned into a vengeful ghost, targeting those who passed the exams," the chubby man said, lifting the bowl of sugary water in his right hand, frowning, and then switching it to his left hand. He drank it all in one gulp before continuing, "I told you to burn some paper back then, but you didn't listen. Now look, the vengeful ghost has come out to commit crimes. Who knows who the next victim will be?"

"Is your arm injured?" Su Cen's sharp eyes caught the action of the bowl-switching.

"It's an old problem. I fell from a tree when I was young, and it aches whenever it's going to rain." The chubby man casually twisted his arm and smiled at Su Cen.

Su Cen looked up at the clear blue sky, showing no signs of rain. He furrowed his brow and shifted his gaze, asking, "Do you still burn paper offerings now?"

"What are we burning now? We didn't pass, so the vengeful ghost won't come for us," one of them replied.

"We didn't pass?" Su Cen subtly raised an eyebrow. "Are you all from the capital? If you didn't pass, why are you still staying here?"

"The capital is bustling," one of them exclaimed. "Who knows when we'll have the chance to come again? It's not easy to visit, so we might as well stay a few more days."

"There will be a provincial examination in three years. Won't you come for that?" Su Cen asked.

The chubby man shook his head. "I barely scraped by in the imperial examination. My father is a butcher, and we don't have much money. This time, my family gave their all to send me to the capital. I plan to go back and open a private school to teach and educate. Who knows, maybe one day those gentlemen at the Ministry of Personnel will remember me and assign me as a literary teacher in some county office."

Su Cen remembered how this chubby man had been verbally attacked and drenched in sweat during the provincial examination at the Imperial Academy. It seemed that his opportunities were indeed limited by his academic abilities. He nodded and smiled at them, "That sounds good too."

"We are fated to meet," the chubby man raised his bowl towards Su Cen. "I'm Gao Miao. May I ask for your honorable name? If we have the chance, it would be considered a true acquaintance."

Su Cen looked at his own hand, then helplessly wiped it on his robe before picking up his bowl. "Su Cen."

"Su Cen?" The three of them exchanged glances. "That name sounds familiar."

Su Cen rubbed his nose. "I'm the unfortunate child you mentioned."

The three of them: "..."