Chapter 26: All Is Well

The other three nodded silently, though one still looked somewhat worried. "Chief Li, if we can’t find the murderer, I’m afraid this case can’t be closed..."

Before Chief Li could respond, another pursed his lips and said, "There’s no shortage of criminals in Mayi. The culprit certainly won’t be missing..."

Relieved, the captains then dispersed to their separate tasks.

This wasn’t due to any corruption in officialdom. The case hadn’t even begun investigation, and yet they were already contemplating how to clean up afterward.

These four captains had apprehended countless criminals over the years; even they themselves had lost count.

They were seasoned old officers, their eyes sharp and discerning.

After just a quick sweep of the murder scene, they all had a gut feeling.

The killer was both cold and arrogant.

To enter through the back door, kill, and then swagger out through the front door—such behavior could only mean one thing: the murderer was a seasoned veteran of killing, with no other explanation.

Having slain so many people, all with similar death scenes, barely any trace of struggle, and yet not a single person had risen in desperate defense.

After slaughtering everyone in the house, the killer even calmly cleaned up in the back kitchen.

The captains felt a chill run down their spines upon seeing this.

The only tangible clue was that the murderer had rifled through Zhang Dalang’s room, seemingly searching for something.

They all ran through their mental rosters of heroes and villains repeatedly, yet no one matched.

Thus, they began to suspect that if the killer did not strike again, this bloody case was doomed to remain unsolved.

Since it was a headless case, they needed to discuss how to handle the aftermath.

Chief Li concluded it was a hired killing. As for the origin of the story or whether any other traces left by the culprit would be found later—those were matters for the future.

As expected, after questioning around, no one had witnessed anything the night before.

At this point, someone even suggested rounding up all the known shady characters in the city—so-called assassins—and interrogating them.

This was a terrible idea. Not only did the captains frown silently, but others refused to engage.

The case was fresh; did anyone really want to dredge up old crimes?

But one thing was clear.

Once they began entertaining other ideas, it meant everyone believed there would be no evidence found in that house.

In other words, they were ready to abandon the most crucial first crime scene and shift their focus elsewhere.

By this stage, the captains all thought alike.

They even began imagining a thorough investigation of recently arrived swordsmen in the city, hoping to make a merit. Though they never spoke of it openly, this did not mean they lacked other plans.

But what happened next completely caught the captains off guard.

The next day, squads of soldiers took over the human market.

They turned the market upside down, arresting many.

The magistrate’s furious rage forced everyone to keep their distance.

There was no deadline set for the investigation, nor any official mandate for a thorough inquiry.

The magistrate, with a swift stroke, severed all potential complications.

Soon after, news spread through the magistrate’s office: Zhang Dalang, the human trafficker, was labeled a Turkic spy, his death well deserved. A righteous hero had slain him, and this report had been submitted to the magistrate’s office.

It sounded almost like a joke. Yet, tales of righteous heroes were common in the Great Sui.

The government frequently exploited such stories, and the common folk loved them, leading to a proliferation of so-called heroes known as youxia.

In truth, these were wandering warriors who relied on their strength, without a fixed home—a socially encouraged yet destabilizing group, very much a product of their era.

In any case, the bloody incident at the North City human market in the winter of the sixth year of the Daye era was quickly closed.

The people of Mayi soon shifted their attention to the so-called righteous hero. In this martial-minded place, such bold men were naturally admired.

As for the claim of Turkic espionage—cut it out. Mayi, along with Yanmen and Jinyang, all bordering Turkic lands and heavily influenced by them, had northern warlords with ties to the Turks.

The Great Sui, the Northern Zhou, Western Wei, and Eastern Wei all clashed with Turkic forces from time to time, but more often bowed to their might, courting the powerful Turkic Khaganate.

When the Rouran were strong, southern lords fought viciously just to marry Rouran princesses.

Thus, the idea of Turkic spies was truly laughable...

Having done a good deed without leaving a name, Li Po gradually relaxed.

After a few quiet days, he ventured out again into the biting cold.

He had no choice—the food and firewood supplies were dwindling. A few more days and he would face hunger and freezing nights.

His sources of information were few, mostly hearsay from the porridge stall.

He was unaware that the case involving seventeen deaths had deeply troubled Mayi’s prefect, Li Jing. He also did not know that Emperor Yang Guang of the Great Sui had, that very winter, passed a decree to launch a campaign against Liaodong.

The regional governor’s office in Daizhou immediately ordered Mayi to prepare provisions for deployment to Hebei the following spring.

And this was only the beginning. Everyone knew the emperor loved grand ventures.

Once the campaign against Goguryeo started, places like Mayi would face more than just provisioning orders.

Now, Mayi’s prefect, Li Jing—Chief Li—was overwhelmed.

But Li Po knew none of this, nor would he care if he did. All he wanted now was to struggle free from the refugee camp.

National affairs were of no concern to him.

He no longer needed a companion. He could swagger freely in the human market, with no one bothering him.

He owed this to the murder case. It was exactly the outcome he desired.

Though people still came and went in the market, the merchants had all changed.

Many houses bore the prefecture’s official seals.

The prominent men who once ruled the market were now mostly behind bars in Mayi’s great prison, their release depending entirely on the prefect’s mood.

Evidently, the prefect was in a very foul one.

Having strolled through the market, Li Po saw no more leisurely idlers striding arrogantly, nor the knife-wielding swordsmen casting sideways glances.

Everyone walked close to the walls, wary and cautious.

This fearful atmosphere pleased Li Po greatly.

Without major incidents, a blind refugee like him could never have survived in a place like this.

For the native merchants, this was a disaster.

But for Li Po, the situation looked promising.

Still, there was one more thing he had to do.