This incident also happened in Puyang. Those who have read “Murder on Crescent Street” will remember that on the one hand Puyang bordered on Jinhua County, ruled by Viceroy Luo, and on the other, on Wuyi County, which was ruled by the stern Viceroy Peng. The murder described in this story happened in the absence of Judge Dee: he went to Wuyi to discuss with his colleague Peng an issue affecting both districts. The judge left Puyang three days ago and took Councilor Hong and Dao Gan with him, leaving the court in the care of Ma Rong and Jiao Tai. Three days passed without any incident, but on the evening when Judge Dee was expected to return, these events suddenly occurred.