Judge Song Ci: Blood Evidence and Buried Truths

During the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song, an autumn wind sprang up. At the foot of Wu Hill, mist hung over a small town, and dawn had yet to dispel the darkness. The riverbank lay in silence, until a frantic cry broke the stillness. “Someone’s dead! Help!” A ragged porter ran along, waving the carrying pole in his hands in a panic. His trembling voice roused the townsfolk from their deep sleep. Before long, the town’s night watchman arrived at the scene. A woman’s body had been found beside the riverbank, soaked through, her face as pale as paper. There were clear bruises on her wrists and a ligature mark around her neck. Her eyes stared wide open, as if she had been gripped by terror before she died. The nearby water had taken on a reddish hue, as though bearing witness to the brutality of the crime.