24. A visit to the market
"This market is large." Rushuang said, when the group reached the market the following day. Yunchuan had made sure the Beirong garments were ready to be worn and during the morning two maids had helped Su and Rushuang with their hair. Yan and Xie had both smiled when they had seen their wives, the dress and hair was a little simpler, but the jewelry was heavier. And as Su and Rushuang rarely wore jewelry as it was, the difference was quite obvious. Yunchuan had actually given Su and Rushuang old dresses that had belonged to her. Likewise Yan, Xie and Zihou were dressed in some old clothes of Shuomo, with a few alterations. After they left the mansion they went to the morgue, where they had viewed the body of the trade minister and spoken to the detective that had investigated the murder. Rushuang had noticed some puncture wound on the forearm near the wrist of the trade minister, she pointed those out to Su. "It could be how the poison was administered." Rushuang suggested. "Can you still find out which poison?" Su asked, Rushuang considered the case, the body had already been cleaned so it wouldn't be easy to find the poison still in the body. "Didn't the report say he convulsed and threw up before dying?" she asked. Yan who was reading the report confirmed that was the case. "Are his clothes still here? Maybe if he threw up there might be some on his clothes." Rushuang said glancing over to Xie who was huddled in a corner, quickly left to find the clothes, relieved to have an excuse to go. "I also need to speak to the physician. Maybe I can find the poison. But I think it would be safe to say it is a slow acting poison. After he returned from the market there was still some time before he collapsed and died." Rushuang explained, once more looking at the body laid out before her.
"There are no other wounds or marks that indicate something else killed him. It must be poison." Su commented and glanced at the body as well. She patiently waited for Rushuang to declare she was done investigating the body. After a while Rushuang turned, walked to the washing basin and washed her hands: "I'm done sister Su." They went to find Xie. He had managed to find the clothes. Carefully Su examined the clothes and found a few stains down the front, they were bright yellow and dark blue. On the sleeves were some dirty patches that looked like he had wiped his mouth. Rushuang collected samples from both stains. "Prince Shuomo, where did they find the medal?" Su asked.
"In the front pocket." Shuomo stepped closer to see what Su was doing. Su opened the pocket trying to see in. Then she put her hand in the pocket. "It's not frayed, but…" she took her hand back out and looked at her fingers, there was some yellow powder on them. She checked the place of the yellow stain. "What have you found?" Yan asked, noticing Su was concentrating. "Look at this yellow stain. There is some yellow powder in the pocket." Su showed her hand, Yan handed her an handkerchief to clean her hands. "But the stain is too far away for the powder to get in the pocket accidentally. So what kind of powder is this? Why is it on his clothes? How did the powder get in the pocket and why only the yellow powder and not the dark blue?" Yan took the clothes from Su and sniffed: "I don't recognize the scent, but I don't think it's a drug." He commented, they remained silent for a short moment, then Yunchuan had suggested they all go to the market, which they had done.
"It's the largest market in Beirong." Yunchuan told them after Rushuang's comment. She then pointed out some interesting stalls. "It's divided in different sections. Food, clothing, jewelry, herbs, make-up, tools." Yunchuan pointed the different sections out.
"Let's go to the food section, I'm quite hungry." Rushuang said and before she had finished her sentence Yunchuan was already pulling her along. The rest followed in a slower pace. Observing all the different food and considering that all were not fit to eat for Su, Yan turned to Shuomo: "Your highness is there a restaurant where we may sit and eat?" Shuomo nodded and said to his sister: "Yunchuan, we are going to the Bexin Restaurant. Please join us there after you showed Lady Xie some more stalls." Yunchuan and Rushuang both waved to indicate they'd heard. "I'll join them." Zihou said quickly walking to the two ladies. Fei Yuan turned to follow Yan and Su, but Yan said: "Go with them Fei Yuan, enjoy the market."
"Are you sure young master?" Yan smiled: "Go on, we can manage." Su watched Fei Yuan run to Rushuang and Yunchuan, she then placed her hand in the crook of Yan's elbow, pulling a little bit to get his attention. He turned to her and with a glint in her eye Sus said: "You do realize he will have to call you master or old master soon?"
"Hmm, not yet though. Come you need to rest and eat something." After a long period Yunchuan, Rushuang, Zihou and Fei Yuan finally joined the others at the restaurant. They relayed all the tings they had seen and the foods they had tasted. "Will you join us for the clothes and clothing stalls, sister Su?" Yunchuan asked, anxious to also show Su the market she loved so much. "Yes, do you need to eat something? I've rested enough so we can go when you are ready." Su replied.
"I think I ate enough to last me to dinner. Come, the clothing section is closest to the office of the supervisor, so you can ask him about his meeting with the trade minister." Yunchuan commented, remembering Su had wanted to speak to him.
"That would be good." Su said, while Yan helped her to rise from her seat. The others also came to stand and together they went to the supervisors office. Only Shuomo, Su and Yan would go to the supervisor, the others went to different stalls. "Your Highness." The supervisor was clearly surprised to see Prince Shuomo approach his office.
"You may rise." Shuomo said, he then indicated Yan and Su: "These are good friends of mine, in their own town they had a poisoning, similar to the poisoning of the trade minister. So they came here to see what they could learn from this case. Could you tell us about the last meeting you had wit the trade minister?" the others bowed, which the supervisor returned.
"Of course, but there actually isn't much to tell. The trade minister came to discuss trade here in the market, as he always does the first day of the month. We first discussed the current state of affairs here in the office. After that we made our customary walk over the market. He spoke to some stallholders and when we had competed the walk he went home." The supervisor finished.
"What did the minister look like, did something catch your attention about him that day?" Su asked, the supervisor looked at her and considered the question before answering: "No, he looked like his normal self, nothing special. But when he left, he seemed a bit unsteady and maybe a bit pale. But I think that's because someone pushed him into a stall."
"Someone pushed him into a stall?" Yan repeated as a question, the supervisor raised his hands: "Well no, well we don't really know what happened, it was busy that day. So it might have been an accident."
"Could you take use on the accustomed circuit you took with him." Yan asked.
"Of course, if you follow me." The supervisor led them through the paths between the stalls. Occasionally he pointed something out and on other moments he would tell them about the market. Su saw nothing suspicious and the stallholders, whom they occasionally asked about the last time the trade minister had passed their stall, confirmed the account of the supervisor. "This is where the minister was pushed." The supervisor halted at a stall with colored powder. The stallholder recognized Prince Shuomo and bowed. "Did the minister of trade get pushed here?" the prince asked. The stallholder swiftly glanced at the supervisor and then nodded. "He fell against my stall, it knocked some powders over. I believe one or two fell on him, at least the yellow, of that one I'm sure. The supervisor helped him up, the minister seemed to need some more support, so the supervisor supported him."
"Yes, he seemed unsteady from that moment on." The supervisor corroborated. Su turned back to the stallholder: "You mentioned the yellow powder fell on the minister, can you recall if any of your other colors fell on him?"
"I think also the blue fell on him, many colors were mixed. I had to throw them all out, they had become useless."
"These colors are used to dye cloth right?" Su asked, taking a small bowl of green powder in her hand. Then she switched it for a blue powder. She held it up for Yan to see, slightly higher then necessary. "I like this color, what do you say my dear?"
"Let me see." Yan took the bowl from Su and took a closer look and a surreptitious sniff. The stallholder, sensing a possible sell, turned to grab some blue cloth. "This is the color after it has been applied."
"Oh, that is beautiful. What will the yellow look like? One of our maids died a dress for me, but it wasn't a good dye. The result was terrible." Su inquired, looking over the different bowl and selecting the one with yellow powder. The stall holder switched the blue cloth for a yellow cloth and handed it to Su, who made sure to make the right noises to encourage the stallholder to continue: "Yes, yellow can be difficult, but you are in luck. I received new yellow dye today. It is quite expensive, that's why I was quite upset that the minister knocked it over. I believe I used some words I shouldn't have used. But I apologized and he was very gracious over it." The stallholder placed his hand on the yellow cloth that Su was holding. Su took a new look and then said: "Oh yes, this is the color I'm looking for. My dear husband, we have to get my friend to visit this shop, she has been looking for some dyes as well. In our own town they are not nearly as good as these." If this change in behavior of Su surprised prince Shuomo, he was wise enough not to show it. Yan, already suspecting Su had other motives for befriending the stallholder, played his part without missing a beat: "I'm sure you are right, dear. After I've finished my business with the supervisor we can return here. Boss, could you set the blue and yellow apart for me?"
"Of course sir." The stallholder took the money Yan offered him. Prince Shuomo then turned to the supervisor and asked to continue the circuit. After they had returned to the office of the supervisor and had found the others, they returned to the stall. Su had explained the story she and Yan had started. "Why do you want to return to this stall?" Rushuang asked.
"The stallholder kept glancing to the supervisor, I want to speak to him without the supervisor present." Yunchuan, Rushuang, Zihou and Fei Yuan looked at each other. Suspicious Yan asked them what they knew or had heard. Yunchuan spoke first: "When we got to some stalls we heard a couple of stallholders talk about the situation in the market. They said that there was a lot of stealing and fighting the last few months. When we heard this I asked them if they had reported this to the supervisor. He is supposed to deal with theft and any other wrongdoings in the market. They laughed and said they and others had done so, but the supervisor did nothing. So they had hoped with the monthly visit of the minister of trade some might speak with him without the supervisor. But unfortunately they couldn't. Some said the supervisor and the trade minister were no friends of each other. They believe the supervisor profits from the thefts and therefore would do everything to make sure the trade minister wouldn't be able to intervene. Actually the visit from the minister was earlier then normally, a week early. Some believe the minister wished to surprise the supervisor, but the supervisor still knew." Yan looked at Shuomo: "Can you find out what was known in court?" Shuomo nodded.
"After we finish here we need to talk to the wife of the trade minister." Su said, Yan looked at her: "Are you sure you can? We could do it tomorrow." Su regarded her husband and considered his question, then she responded: "Let's meet with the stallholder first, after that we can see where we are."
A little while later the group, without Fei Yuan, Shuomo and Zihou halted in front of the dye stall. "You came back, come and see." The stallholder said, when he recognized Su and Yan. Su grabbed Yunchuan and Rushuang's hands. "Come and see. These colors are so beautiful. Can you show the yellow again?" While the stallholder handed the yellow cloth to Rushuang, all three ladies enthused about it, as one might expect from ladies. "How do you make the color so full on the cloth, mostly when my maid colors cloth, the colors are dull after the clothes have dried." Rushuang asked, reaching for a small pot with red powder.
"A special ingredient is added, it allows the color to stick to the cloth better. Oh madam, be careful." He said when he saw Rushuang reach in the pot to take some powder out. "It also stains he fingers for a longer period of time. It can take a week or longer to clean the color from your fingers. The powder is very fine and hard to remove from surfaces." He explained.
"Ahh." Rushuang quickly placed the pot back.
"Boss, I would like to ask you something about the trade minister. How did he fall? Was he pushed?" Yan asked, while the three women kept investigating the wares on the stall.
"Pushed? By whom? The market was quiet when the minister was here. I remember because usually it would be quite busy at that time of the day. That day the customers came a little bit later. No, I think he tripped over that crooked stone." He pointed to a stone a little bit away from the stall. "I have asked the supervisor many times to make sure it would no longer be crooked. I've said someone could easily trip. Well now the trade minister has tripped over it, but as you can see it is still not handled. It shouldn't surprise us though. So many wrongdoings and needed repairs were reported to the supervisor, but nothing happens. The stallholders dare not speak out more, the supervisor has banned people in the past. Can I interest you in more colors? I have your blue and yellow here." Understanding the stallholder told as much as he dared Yan looked at Su: "Dear, do you need other colors?" Su ordered green as well as appreciation for his information. Rushuang and Yunchuan also bought some colors. They said goodbye and went to find Shuomo, Zihou and Fei Yuan. When they did Su declared she wished to see the trade ministers wife. "After we met her we'll go back to Shuomo's mansion." Yan said decidedly.
"I'll come with you, the others can stay here on the market. I don't think it would be wise to meet her with too many. I'd like not to bring attention to the fact that we're investigating his death." Shuomo said. Su nodded and asked: "Did you already speak with her?"
"No, I haven't interfered with this investigation. I only got the report when it was finished. When I saw they were looking for someone from Liang I asked my father to let me look into the case more closely. But I haven't spoken to the widow yet."
"So for now…"
"For now the murderer of the trade minister is Jiang Xiwu, a soldier from Liang. There is a request for information on Jiang, but my father, that is: our emperor, has stopped this request, until I report my findings." Shuomo explained as they entered the carriage. They then were driven quickly to the mansion of the minister.