298 Counterfeit Coin Case
At this moment, Zhao Yue was somewhat overwhelmed by Elder Song singling him out and said repeatedly, "Indeed, it is I."
Song Renying had also witnessed Zhao Yue's earlier performance. He stroked his beard and nodded. "Hmm, not bad. You have some resemblance to that old fox Zhang Jianzi. However, you mustn't become arrogant; you need to proceed with caution."
This affirmation left Zhao Yue even more flattered, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Elder Song, your instruction is wise. I will certainly remember your words."
As the four of them were conversing, Magistrate Han approached.
He didn't recognize Song Renying, but hearing Zhao Zhitong and the others address him as Elder Song frightened him considerably.
Elder Song... Although he had never met him, he knew who he was: Song Wenchang, the Deputy Minister of Revenue and concurrently a Grand Councilor of the Phoenix Pavilion and Luan Terrace—a man deeply trusted by the current Emperor.
And he was merely the magistrate of Anyang County, a minor seventh-rank official. He naturally seldom had the chance to see the dynasty's prime minister, and now his legs were already trembling with fear.
When Song Renying looked at him, he immediately knelt, wiping sweat from his brow. "This subordinate greets Your Excellency. This subordinate was unaware of Your Excellency's arrival and failed to welcome you from afar. I beg Your Excellency's forgiveness..."
Song Renying nodded and waved his hand. "Alright, rise. I decided to stop here on the spur of the moment and didn't send word ahead. You've committed no offense."
"Yes, thank you, Your Excellency."
Magistrate Han wiped the sweat from his forehead again and finally rose from the ground.
Song Renying said, "I've already been briefed on the riverbank corpse case you were handling. Bring me the copper coins found on the deceased."
Hearing this, Magistrate Han hurriedly retrieved the copper coins from the table. Bowing respectfully, he approached Song Renying's side and presented them, "Your Excellency."
Song Renying nodded, picked up a copper coin, examined it from all angles, and then weighed it in his hand.
He then handed it to Qiao Muchen and asked, "Here, you take another look at this copper coin. Is there anything amiss?"
Qiao Muchen took the coin and examined it carefully. After a moment, he found nothing wrong, so he shook his head, looking ashamed. "This student is dull-witted."
Song Renying retrieved a copper coin from his own money pouch, handed it to Qiao Muchen, and said, "Here, take another good look."
Qiao Muchen took the second coin with a puzzled expression and compared the two. The patterns and sizes of both copper coins were identical.
Qiao Muchen couldn't find anything visually amiss. He then placed them in his hand to weigh them and paused, a look of astonishment crossing his face as he glanced at Song Renying. "This..." he stammered. The weight is wrong!
Song Renying nodded. "Your thoughts are correct."
He then walked over, examined all the copper coins on the table, and stated, "Every coin in this bag is the same."
The secret orders he was carrying this time were, in fact, related to this matter. He hadn't expected to encounter a homicide case directly pertinent to his investigation before even reaching the Xuzhou Government Office.
Thinking this, he decided to make a temporary stop in Anyang County first.
Although Song Renying didn't explicitly state it, everyone present, few of whom were fools, understood that these copper coins were likely problematic.
Magistrate Han was nearly frightened to death at this point. If counterfeit currency surfaced in the area under his governance, he would undoubtedly be held accountable!
Song Renying ignored the terrified Magistrate Han and immediately asked, "Is the body from the riverbank still at the Charitable Cemetery? Take me there for a look."
Magistrate Han nodded at once. "Yes, yes, it is. This subordinate will take you there immediately."
Saying this, he summoned his men and personally led Song Renying to view the body.
Zhao Zhitong and the other two were also called by Song Renying to accompany them.
「Charitable Cemetery.」
It was a place specifically for storing unclaimed corpses and coffins, seldom visited on ordinary days.
At this moment, several Yamen clerks carried a body out to a well-lit area outside, where Song Renying was inspecting it.
His conclusions were largely similar to Zhao Zhitong's, but somewhat more detailed. For example, the deceased's clothes were quite unique, bearing strange patterns not typically worn by commoners. The murder weapon was a willow leaf knife. The deceased had burn marks on his hands, suggesting he might have worked in a place like a blacksmith's shop prior to his death.
After obtaining the clues he sought, Song Renying led the group out of the Charitable Cemetery.
Zhao Zhitong followed, her eyes gleaming. She marveled inwardly at this Minister of State's superb skills in postmortem examination.
More critically, those who examined corpses were generally considered bearers of ill fortune. Esteemed individuals, in particular, would be even less likely to touch a body.
But Song Renying was an exception.
Zhao Zhitong said, "Your Excellency, you are truly amazing."
Song Renying smiled. "It's not any remarkable skill. But if one wishes to seek justice for the deceased, one must understand what the deceased is trying to convey. How else can one truly put oneself in their shoes and seek justice for them?"
Zhao Zhitong and the other two nodded repeatedly, feeling that Song Renying spoke with great truth.
Because there was a scarcity of talent in the coronial field, most officials in charge of criminal cases could only rely on butchers to fill this void. Consequently, this often led to many miscarriages of justice and wrongful convictions.
Yet, Song Renying handled all these tasks himself, and thus, the cases he solved were innumerable.
Wasn't this the very embodiment of the judge they had revered in their youth?
While the two young ones were looking at him with utmost admiration, Song Renying asked gently, "Young girl, who taught you these skills in corpse examination?"
"No one taught me," Zhao Zhitong shook her head. "I am a physician, so I frequently encounter various injuries and patients. I'm also very interested in this, so I would pay attention and take note. I've also read many books, learning everything by piecing it together myself. My skills are still unrefined; I hope my amateurishness isn't a cause for laughter for Elder Song."
"Hahaha." Song Renying couldn't help but laugh. "It's already very good. In my leisure time, I compile the experiences and lessons from the various major and minor cases I've handled. If you are interested, you may visit my residence another day, and I shall gift them to you."
At these words, Zhao Zhitong was instantly overjoyed. "Really?"
Song Renying was amused by the young girl's earnest expression. "Of course, it's true. Would I deceive you?"
"That's truly wonderful!" Zhao Zhitong's almond-shaped eyes were filled with delight. "Thank you, Your Excellency!"
Song Renying nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Qiao Muchen and began to discuss his views on the current case with him.
The group conversed as they returned to the Yamen. Just as they stepped inside, a slightly portly, middle-aged man in official robes rushed towards them.
He reached them and immediately knelt in salute. "This subordinate, Li Zhoucheng, Governor of Xuzhou, greets Elder Song."
Li Zhoucheng, Governor of Xuzhou.
He had received word early that morning that Elder Song would be coming to Xuzhou for an inspection. Therefore, he had long since arranged a banquet at the government office, waiting to host Elder Song.
Unexpectedly, after a long wait yielded no results, he received a report from his subordinates that Elder Song had already arrived. However, he had encountered a murder case in Anyang County and had thus stopped there.
He was thoroughly alarmed. A murder case had occurred in a territory under his jurisdiction precisely when his superior was due for an inspection! If the Anyang County's Magistrate mishandled the situation, he, the Governor, would likely be implicated as well.
Thus, he had rushed over in great haste.