Chapter Fifty-Three: Unmasking the True Culprit!
White Mantou moved swiftly. In less than half an hour, he returned to the county office, carrying a large bundle on his back, within which rested the ‘Spirit-Communing Bronze Bell.’ He did not open it—such a treasure of the Buddhist order was not something to be casually displayed.
There was no shortage of rooms in the county office. Magistrate Cao ordered one to be thoroughly cleaned; the doors and windows were covered with black cloth, blocking every ray of sunlight. Inside, they set up an altar, offerings, incense, and candles.
Li Dayong’s corpse was carried in, and the bronze bell placed upon the altar. The old coroner personally cut a lock of hair and placed it within.
...
“Heaven and earth, spirits hear my plea. By the command of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, I call forth the soul. Wandering spirits, keep away! Ksitigarbha calls your name; wandering souls, make way... Li Dayong, I summon you, dare you not come? No name in the underworld, no home in the world. Behold this banner and come swiftly—cross the bridge and do not look back... Li Dayong, soul return!”
Meanwhile, Li Zhao performed a soul-summoning incantation at the doorway, then signaled Madam Sun and the others to enter one by one and touch the bronze bell. Should there be a sound, the culprit would be revealed.
Madam Sun entered first—the bell was silent.
A local ruffian entered—no sound.
Another ruffian entered—still silence.
...
At the same time, Li Zhao watched closely and noticed a ruffian with a bluish birthmark on his face acting nervously, quietly retreating behind others, attempting to hide.
When he could no longer avoid it, he reluctantly stepped forward... yet within the dark chamber, the bronze bell remained silent.
Soon, all those suspected of poisoning had entered the chamber, but the bell never sounded. Why was this?
Was the poisoner someone else, or was Li Zhao boasting and the bell itself nothing but a sham?
“Master Zhao, what is going on?”
“Do not be anxious, Magistrate. The culprit will soon emerge. Bring me a basin of clean water, some wood ash, and a brush.”
“Yes!”
The items were quickly fetched. Li Zhao had Madam Sun and the others stand in a row, poured wood ash into the water, and dipped the brush in the solution to stroke their palms...
“Ha! Found him. This is the one who poisoned!”
Moments later, Li Zhao pointed his finger at the man with the bluish birthmark—a confidant of Black Whirlwind Li Dayong, whose real name was Zhao Liu.
Because of the birthmark, he was nicknamed Blue-Skinned Zhao Liu.
“I am innocent! I did not poison anyone!”
“Zhao Liu, if you are blameless, why did you not dare touch the bronze bell in the chamber? Is this not the guilty conscience of a thief?”
“I did touch the bell, truly I did!”
“No, you did not. Look at your palm and compare it to the others—are they not different?”
“Ah!”
The crowd now saw that the palms of Madam Sun and the others were tinged faintly red, while Zhao Liu’s showed no change. What did this mean?
Li Zhao explained clearly to all: the ‘Spirit-Communing Bronze Bell, connecting the realms of yin and yang,’ was nothing but a fabrication, meant to frighten the poisoner and unsettle their mind.
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As for the bronze bell, White Mantou had purchased it from the nearby market for half a tael of silver, and, per Li Zhao’s instructions, coated it with turmeric powder.
The chamber was pitch-black; those entering could not see clearly. The innocent boldly touched the bell, picking up some turmeric powder. The guilty, fearful, avoided touching it, leaving their palms clean.
Wood ash solution is alkaline; when it meets turmeric, it turns red. Thus, the guilty are exposed at a glance... Having explained, Li Zhao demonstrated before everyone, and indeed, the results were exact.
“Thud!”
Blue-Skinned Zhao Liu collapsed to the ground, sweating profusely—his guilt laid bare.
The constables immediately rushed forward, shackled him, and dragged him to the main hall for interrogation. Should he refuse to confess, torture awaited.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Cao approached, his gaze filled with admiration: “Master Zhao, your intellect is extraordinary. In less than an hour, you have found the murderer. I am deeply impressed!”
“You flatter me. I merely borrowed a bit of wisdom from others. Magistrate, though the true culprit has been found, I believe there is more to this poisoning case. I urge you to investigate thoroughly and uncover the mastermind.”
“Rest assured, Master Zhao. I will see justice served.”
...
After exchanging a few words with Magistrate Cao, Li Zhao took his leave, leading his companions out of the county office.
Escaping a prison disaster naturally called for celebration. Back at Hidden Dragon Hill, the ancestral residence of the Li family hosted a grand banquet, expressing gratitude to the villagers for their assistance... Toasts and laughter abounded.
The festivities lasted until nightfall, when everyone departed to rest. Li Zhao returned to his own chamber, but sleep eluded him.
This prison ordeal had clearly been orchestrated by Li De and Madam Zheng. With their cunning, if one plot failed, they would try another, each scheme more vicious than the last.
What to do?
Should he simply wait at home to be framed again?
Next time, he might not be so lucky.
Rather than passive defense, it was better to strike first. Only by eliminating Li De and Madam Zheng—those two villains—and their powerful backer, Deputy Magistrate Zheng, could he sleep soundly.
The problem was, Deputy Magistrate Zheng had power and influence, was ruthless, and commanded a host of henchmen, dominating Wu’an County like a tiger.
Li Zhao, on the other hand, had neither power nor influence—no more than a weak kitten.
A cat against a tiger—direct confrontation was impossible. Only by employing unconventional means could he hope to prevail.
“Attend me!”
“Master... Young Lord!”
At his call, White Mantou and White Day Rat entered the chamber, both sober and alert.
Before the banquet, Li Zhao had privately instructed them to abstain from alcohol that night... even then, he had begun to plan.
“Prepare yourselves. We are going into town shortly.”
“Master, what for? It’s late—the city gates are already closed.”
“If the gates are closed, we’ll scale the walls. I intend to infiltrate the Zheng residence and investigate. This prison disaster was their doing, nearly costing me my life... this grudge must be repaid!”
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They had never imagined Li Zhao would attempt a night raid on the Zheng residence—it was far too risky. If caught, the consequences would be dire.
By Tang law: those who break into a private home at night may be killed without penalty.
“Master, you’ve just endured a prison ordeal. Perhaps it is wiser to rest for a few days before seeking revenge?”
“Heh, precisely because I’ve just emerged from jail, no one would expect me to act tonight. That is why it is the safest time. Enough, go and prepare.”
“Yes!”
White Mantou tried to dissuade him, but Li Zhao’s resolve was firm. They could only obey.
The three soon readied themselves, then led out three swift horses, departing Hidden Dragon Hill under cover of darkness, heading straight for Wu’an County. Around midnight, they reached the area near the eastern gate.
They tethered the horses in a grove, leaving White Mantou to guard them. Li Zhao and White Day Rat changed into black night garb, smeared their faces with ash, donned black masks, and quickly approached the base of the city wall.
Wu’an County’s city wall stretched eight li in circumference, two zhang and two chi wide at the base, one zhang and four chi tall, packed with yellow earth within and clad with blue bricks without. At first glance, it appeared decent.
But on closer inspection, the wall was severely damaged—cracks and gaps everywhere, with parapets, arrow slits, corner towers, and barbicans mostly in disrepair. The wall itself had not seen a patrolling soldier in ages.
There was little choice; the Central Plains had known no warfare for over a century. People indulged nightly in revelry, forgetting the threat of war, so military preparedness was lax. In truth, this was the case across all of the heartland. Local garrisons no longer knew how to fight, could not draw a bow or mount a horse.
Though the nation was vast, those who forget war invite disaster.
...
“Young Lord?”
“Over the wall!”
“Right!”
Li Zhao produced a steel grappling hook, flung it to catch the parapet, then climbed the rope with agility akin to a monkey. White Day Rat, impressed, followed closely.
Thus, the two smoothly scaled the city wall.
...
“Dong dong—dry weather, beware the flames!”
“Dong dong—watch for thieves, lock your doors and windows!”
Wu’an County’s main street was eerily silent, save for two watchmen making their rounds; not another soul was seen, nor any hint of nightlife.
Tang law decreed: in every city, the evening drum sounded at the first watch, beginning curfew; the morning bell at the fifth watch ended it.
During curfew, except for official business, auspicious or ominous events, or illness, no one was to venture out. Violators would be flogged forty times.
The deserted streets made movement easy. In the time it takes to eat a meal, the pair reached their destination—the residence of Deputy Magistrate Zheng.
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