Washing One’s Hands Of An Official

Fan Xian washed his hands seriously. It took three basins of clear water before the fresh blood was washed off his hands. The servants poured the bloody water onto the roots of the trees by the stone lions outside the front doors of the Fan manor. No one knew if it would raise some kind of evil spirit. The clothes on his body were still covered with bloodstains. He took them off nonchalantly to put on a fresh set of outer clothing. The sleeves of the robe fluttered slightly in the evening air.

This dramatic scene was performed outside of the front doors of Fan manor. Sun Jingxiu, a leading official of the Ministry of Justice, and an internal court eunuch sent by the Palace all came after hearing the news and saw all of it.