Chapter 22: Deep Waters

"Is that illegal printing shop still there?"

Su Ze was interested in the printing shop because he wanted to build one in Peach Blossom Spring as well.

Printing in the Song Dynasty was already highly developed. Beyond the official workshops managed by the Ministry of Palace Affairs, there were many private printing establishments. These were divided into legal and illegal operations. The legal ones were bookstores registered with the government, which helped famous figures publish collections of works or produced reference books and popular literature. The illegal ones were pirate publishers, as well as those distributing erotica or street literature banned by the government.

For instance, the pirated court bulletins Su Ze had purchased were clearly illegal; printing such government documents was a crime, so they must have been produced by an illicit printing shop. Su Ze wanted to make money through newspapers, so he naturally needed to see how to run a printing shop first.

Chief Li immediately replied, "The Palace Imperial Guard sealed the shop on the day we raided it. Does Master Su wish to see it for himself?"

Su Ze nodded, but the thin military officer wore a troubled expression. "Master Su, the Ghost Market in the Canal Market District only opens after nightfall. Wouldn't it be too conspicuous to go now?"

"Ghost Market?" Su Ze asked.

The thin officer, a sharp-witted man, realized Su Ze had never been to one and explained: "The Canal Market District is the largest commercial hub along the Bian River. Goods from the entire canal network converge here. It is the most prosperous place in the capital of our Great Song, but it is also the biggest headache for the Kaifeng Prefecture."

Su Ze understood. The more bustling a commercial district, the more it harbored filth and corruption. Moreover, since the Canal Market District was located near a water transport hub and port area, it would be a miracle if it were ever peaceful. The Kaifeng Prefecture, responsible for public order in the capital, naturally found it a major nuisance.

The thin officer added, "The Kaifeng Prefecture has cracked down on the Ghost Market many times, but the one in the Canal Market District is a 'real' ghost market."

"A real ghost market?"

The officer pointed to the ground. "This ghost market is underground. Originally, it was the sewage and drainage system for the nine surrounding wards. After the dynasty established its capital here, outlaws kept digging and building beneath the surface, creating a labyrinth. Not even the Kaifeng Prefecture knows how many people live down there."

Su Ze was astonished. An underground Bianjing? But then, it made sense. Bianjing was a megacity with a population of over a million; it had to have a sewage system, or the city would have been suffocated by the waste of its own inhabitants.

The officer continued, "The Ghost Market has its own rules: it opens at the Hour of the Rat and closes at the Hour of the Tiger. Our Palace Imperial Guard only sealed the illegal printing shop, but we cannot control the entire market. We can only enter when it is open."

Su Ze nodded and said, "Then let us go at the Hour of the Rat tonight."

Both men nodded. Su Ze then asked Chief Li, "Are there any other clues?"

Chief Li looked distressed. "Other than that, there are truly no other leads. Otherwise, we wouldn't have set our sights on you! Our superiors are pressuring us to solve the case, and we are truly at a dead end."

Su Ze asked, "What about the owner of the printing shop? Was there any testimony?"

Chief Li hesitated before saying, "The owner is already dead."

"Dead?"

"He died in the Dali Temple prison."

Su Ze wondered, "Why the Dali Temple prison? Isn't this case handled by the Kaifeng Prefecture and the Palace Imperial Guard?"

The Dali Temple was the institution responsible for finalizing judicial verdicts in the Song Dynasty. In the early Northern Song, its only role was to review cases sent by the judicial offices of various prefectures and counties. Before the reforms of Emperor Shenzong, the Dali Temple’s authority was even weaker; it could only adjudicate cases reported from the provinces but lacked the authority to hold trials. However, as the nominal supreme judicial body, it did have its own prison.

The Kaifeng Prefecture also had its own major jail. Keeping a prisoner in the Dali Temple prison was technically a procedural irregularity.

Chief Li quickly explained, "Master Su is indeed quick-witted! At the time, we felt the case was convoluted and of great importance, and the Kaifeng jail was not secure enough, so we requested to have him held in the Dali Temple prison. Who would have thought an accident would still occur?"

"How did he die?"

"He hanged himself."

"Where did he get the rope?"

"The prisoner hanged himself with strips torn from his clothing."

Su Ze asked, "You cannot investigate further?"

Chief Li replied, "We cannot. The person in charge of the Dali Temple is the current Censor-in-Chief, Wang Gongchen. Even Military Commissioner Li would not dare to easily offend him."

Su Ze understood. Wang Gongchen was indeed a major figure in the current officialdom. He had studied the administrative structure of the Song Dynasty; in the early and mid-Northern Song, the system was incredibly complex, but power always tended to centralize. Generally speaking, there were several powerful departments in the imperial court.

First were the "Two Offices": the Secretariat and the Bureau of Military Affairs. The Secretariat served as the center of government affairs, led by the Chancellor. The current Chancellor was Lü Jianyi. The deputies were the Ministers of State. The head of the Bureau of Military Affairs was the Commissioner, the highest military official, with a Vice Commissioner as his deputy. All of these could participate in the governance of the state.

Then there were the "Three Offices," the highest financial institutions, managing salt and iron, expenditure, and the census bureau. The Commissioner of the Three Offices was known as the "Chancellor of Finance"—he lacked the title of Chancellor but held equivalent power.

Below them were the supervisory institutions. During the reign of Emperor Renzong, to strengthen imperial power, the functions of the Censorate and the Remonstrance Bureau were continuously reinforced. The Censor-in-Chief, as the leader of the entire oversight mechanism, was a strong contender for the position of Chancellor.

With Wang Gongchen holding the position of Censor-in-Chief and overseeing the Dali Temple, Li Yonghe, the Military Commissioner of the Palace Command, dared not make any rash moves. After all, as a military official and a relative of the imperial family, if he were targeted by those civil officials in the Censorate, his life would become unbearable.

Su Ze felt a slight regret. The "Case of the Demon Book" involved so many people; it likely concerned not just the affairs of the previous reign, but perhaps the recent political struggles in the court. However, since he had already accepted the ink stick from Chief Li, and because he wanted a glimpse into the court's situation, he warned himself to be more cautious.

He said to the two men, "When night falls, meet me at the entrance of the ward. Do not show your Palace Imperial Guard credentials; keep a low profile."

The two men nodded, thanked him profusely, and left Su Ze’s small cottage.

Su Ze looked outside. In this era, one could not avoid the whirlpool of politics. If he wanted to take the imperial examinations and become an official, he could not avoid these matters. Judging from this case, Li Yonghe was the most innocent, and given his status, he had the least reason to stir up trouble. These two men were Li Yonghe’s confidants, and he could use them to get a look at the current state of the court.

A storm was brewing. Su Ze decided to heed Zhang Daocheng’s advice: he would finish his breakfast, study at home, and then visit Peach Blossom Spring to check on the progress of the construction.

Regrettably, the trees desire quiet, but the wind will not cease. Soon, there was another knocking at his door.