Chapter 1794 - The Deceased

Such transactions naturally left records. The shopkeeper produced his ledger and checked: the purchaser was one Shi Tidi.

Li Ziyu had never heard of Shi Tidi, but every criminal police officer at the bureau knew the name. This managing shiye—private advisor—of Wenlan Academy had already been arrested for his role as middleman in hiring thugs to attack the Chaoshan Guild Hall. He currently languished in the prefectural yamen prison.

Wu Xiang interrogated him immediately. Upon learning the inquiry concerned shoes purchased from Changyu, Shi Tidi proved surprisingly forthcoming, admitting without hesitation that he had handled the transaction.

The batch had been purchased for students at Wenlan Academy. As the largest and wealthiest academy in Guangzhou, Wenlan distributed so-called "clothing and shoe money" annually—each recipient receiving a bolt of cotton cloth and two pairs of shoes. As the shiye who actually managed the academy's practical affairs, profiting from such allocations came naturally to Shi Tidi.

So that was the connection. Wu Xiang reasoned that since Wenlan Academy had purchased these shoes, the victim was very likely a student or someone else affiliated with the institution.

"Have all the shoes been distributed?"

Shi Tidi explained this had occurred at year's end; the shoes had long since been handed out. A dozen or so pairs remained unclaimed at the academy.

Wu Xiang immediately dispatched officers to obtain the New Year's Eve shoe distribution roster and the remaining inventory. Comparison confirmed the leftover shoes matched the burned specimens—all from the same batch of Changyu goods.

With the case developing in this direction, Mu Min sensed matters might prove more complex than initially imagined. She ordered the establishment of a special task force under Wu Xiang's leadership, dedicated exclusively to this investigation. Li Ziyu and Zhao Gui were added to its ranks.

The task force conducted systematic visits, tracing every pair of shoes. Their screening ultimately confirmed that students, teachers, and miscellaneous workers—more than two hundred and forty people in total at Wenlan Academy—had received shoes.

Most recipients still remembered those two pairs vividly, because the quality had been truly abysmal. Whether worn personally or passed on to others, virtually none lasted more than three months before the soles cracked or wore through. Everyone accepted such inferior goods with resignation—distributions from the academy had always been this "black-hearted." The blue cloth bolts issued alongside the shoes featured coarse, loose weaves that couldn't withstand water; a single washing left them rotting.

However, some recipients were no longer at the academy. Police screening revealed thirty-one people currently unaccounted for. Most had requested leave from the institution. The reasons varied, but Gao Chongjiu understood: these individuals likely feared encountering misfortune under Australian rule and had retreated to the countryside to wait out events.

After thorough investigation, Gao Chongjiu reported that among the thirty-one absentees, five were locals who had neither appeared at school nor at home—whereabouts unknown. He recommended listing these five as priority screening targets.

Subject A: Male surnamed He, from Nanhai County. Age forty. An Added Student (zengsheng) of Nanhai County who had studied at the academy for five years, repeatedly failing the provincial examination. Married, family circumstances relatively strained, dependent on assistance from parents and in-laws. He had reportedly gone to drink tea and discuss matters with friends near the end of last month; family members had searched for days without result. He had not returned. Known for diligent study habits and limited social connections.

Subject B: Male surnamed Cao. Age thirty-four. From Nanhai County, a Student of the Imperial College (jiansheng). Married. Enrolled at the academy for seven years, though rarely attended. Had gone out for tea at the beginning of this month; had not returned.

Subject C: Male surnamed Xun. Age twenty-six. From Haikang County, an Added Student of Haikang County. Widowed. Enrolled for two years. Reportedly served as a shiye in a wealthy household; virtually never attended the academy. His last appearance had been during the New Year distribution of money and rice. Not seen since.

Subject D: Male surnamed Wang. Age twenty-four. From Panyu County. A Child Student (tongsheng). Married. Enrolled for three years. Attended frequently but showed no interest in study. Shortly after the Senate entered the city, he stopped appearing at the academy—and his entire family had simultaneously vanished.

Subject E: Male surnamed Pu. Age twenty-one. From Guangzhou Rear Guard military household. Unmarried. Enrolled for three years. A relatively serious student. Had disappeared shortly after the Senate's arrival; family knew nothing of his whereabouts.

However, none of these five matched the discovered headless corpse. According to Liu San's examination, the deceased's age fell roughly between fifty and fifty-five. None of the missing persons matched.

Yet because students might not necessarily wear the shoes themselves—might pass them on to relatives, friends, or servants—ruling out suspicion of these five on age alone seemed premature.

The task force interrogated family members and associates of all five, inquiring about the shoes' whereabouts. Except for the male surnamed Wang, whose entire family had vanished, and the male surnamed Xun, whose employing household remained unknown, relatives of the others all recalled what had become of both pairs of shoes.

Thus only two people's footwear remained unaccounted for. Wu Xiang ordered parallel investigations: one team to research the backgrounds of the missing Xun Sansheng and Wang Dong at the academy; another to bring Shi Tidi back for questioning. This old hand knew Wenlan Academy intimately—perhaps useful intelligence could be extracted.

With forces divided, Li Zhenguo proceeded to the academy. He learned that Xun Sansheng had been recommended for admission by a certain influential family in the city, claiming to be an Added Student of Haikang County—yet no one had ever seen his student certificate from Haikang County School.

Because Wenlan Academy was not a government institution, whether students were truly Licentiates (shengyuan) hardly mattered. However, Wenlan had always prided itself on "literary examinations." Even children of wealthy and noble families, if they genuinely lacked talent and couldn't pass the Xiucai examination, at least obtained the title of jiansheng before enrolling. Someone arriving with nothing was virtually unprecedented.

"Although this Xun Sansheng enrolled, he never once came to study," the administrator explained. "But he never missed collecting money, rice, and goods during the three festivals. From his appearance and manner of speaking, he's no scholar."

"Do you know which family recommended him, sir?"

"That background is quite substantial, actually." The administrator paused. "Master Zhong Aijiao—one of this academy's board directors."

This piqued Li Zhenguo's interest. Though Master Zhong ranked merely at the tail end of Guangzhou's first-tier gentry, for him to inexplicably sponsor someone of unknown origins into the academy raised obvious questions. What was Xun Sansheng's true background?

The administrator said Xun Sansheng was purely hanging a name at the academy. Apart from collecting money, rice, and goods during the three festivals, he never attended classes. Though plain in appearance, nothing about him seemed outwardly improper.

As for Wang Dong, the administrator shook his head. "A loafing profligate son. Rotten wood that cannot be carved." He knew little about the young man, saying Wang came purely to kill time, attending as caprice dictated. "He often seduced ignorant and handsome students in the academy. Some, coveting his money and pleasures, succumbed to him, and there were frequent jealous fights. The whole place became foul and misty."

"Frankly, our academy would never tolerate such a student. But the managing Shi Shiye insisted on keeping him, which allowed him to run wild here." The administrator's expression darkened. "Alas! Truly a disgrace to gentility!"

His hatred for Shi Tidi's coercion of the academy was palpable.

Li Zhenguo departed the academy and hurried to the Zhong residence. Master Zhong confirmed that Xun Sansheng had indeed been recommended by him—the man was actually a shiye of his household. The academy recommendation was merely a means of securing additional income. Such arrangements were tacitly understood among the board directors.

As for Xun Sansheng's current whereabouts, Master Zhong explained that with the outside situation so chaotic and countryside estate staff feeling uneasy, he had dispatched Xun Shiye to the country several days ago.

Regarding the academy-distributed shoes, Master Zhong naturally had no recollection. But the shoes should be worn by Xun Shiye himself—"His wife is dead, no one makes shoes for him. Would he not wear ready-made ones?"

Meanwhile, Wu Xiang's interrogation of Shi Tidi yielded crucial information. Wang Dong, it transpired, had considerable background: he was the young master of the "King of Drains" family.

Wang Dong was the son of Wang Daniao—the very labor foreman Liu Xiang had been seeking. His family held hereditary responsibility for clearing silt and unblocking drains, possessing the "Drain Map" that earned them the nickname "King of Drains."

Wang Daniao had vanished without trace shortly after Liu Xiang entered the city. His son had evaporated along with him, leaving only female relatives and servants at home. Despite the Police Bureau circulating portraits and conducting investigations both openly and covertly throughout Guangzhou, not a single trace had been found.

Now, unexpectedly, this case connected to Wang Daniao. When Li Zhenguo returned and they compared notes, both felt suspicion weighed more heavily on the Wang family. Li Zhenguo ventured a hypothesis: the deceased was Wang Daniao himself.

In terms of both age and body type, the deceased closely resembled Wang Daniao.

Wu Xiang, however, remained uncertain. The records indicated Wang Daniao was merely a hereditary foreman under the prefectural yamen's Works Workshop, responsible for drain-clearing and silt-digging—the lowest rank in the runner hierarchy. As a working foreman, he should have labored hard. Yet the deceased possessed a portly figure, undeveloped muscles, no calluses on his limbs, and fine, pale skin... he looked every inch a wealthy landlord living in comfort.

"Captain Wu, there's something you don't know," Gao Chongjiu interjected, having listened to their discussion. "That foreman's family is tight with money." The Wang family possessed the Drain Map and never concerned themselves with actual construction—they simply summoned disciples and sub-disciples to do the digging. Though successive heads of the Wang family held humble official status, the private wealth accumulated over generations was substantial.

"...I believe the deceased may well be Wang Daniao. The body type matches closely—and now we have shoes as corroborating evidence."

"If his family has money, why wear such inferior shoes?"

"That's not strange at all," Gao Chongjiu replied. "Wang Daniao was famously stingy in daily life. He only spent freely on women and his son. In food and clothing, he never bothered."

"Assuming the deceased is indeed Wang Daniao, why did the murderer want him dead? And why remove both his head and his genitals?" Wu Xiang pressed. "The most valuable thing he possessed was the Drain Map. The killer needed only to slay him and take it. Why risk that elaborate series of actions afterward?"

End of Chapter