They walked deep into Louze Garden, finding Aunt Xu's new grave, and began burning gold and silver joss paper and spirit money. Ying Xiaoman was still pondering the familiar hand she had seen earlier.
The fan handle she was fiddling with was milky white, looking like it might be made of ivory.
"Was that official we saw earlier from the Court of Judicial Review?" She lifted her bamboo hat a few inches and looked up to ask Seventh Young Master.
She now trusted Seventh Young Master's knowledge in all aspects. "Are the officials in the Court of Judicial Review very powerful?"
Seventh Young Master stood beside her, also looking down at her.
While Ying Xiaoman had been lost in thought along the way, Seventh Young Master had been discreetly observing her.
As his adoptive mother led Zhi to burn paper money, he picked up a tree branch and drew a triangle on the ground.
"Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Punishments, Court of Judicial Review."
"These three offices jointly manage major criminal cases throughout the empire. The idea is to keep each other in check."
The Ministry of Justice handles major criminal cases across the empire; the Ministry of Punishments is responsible for reviewing the files from the Ministry of Justice.
As for the Court of Judicial Review, it's a newly established office that reviews cases judged by both the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Punishments.
As Seventh Young Master explained, he used the branch to draw many arrows at the ends of the triangle:
—The Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Punishments shoot arrows at each other.
—The Court of Judicial Review's arrows shoot towards the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Punishments.
—The Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Punishments' arrows shoot back at the Court of Judicial Review.
The arrows poking at each other from all three sides were bewildering. Ying Xiaoman murmured, "The offices in the Capital City are so complicated."
"Indeed," Seventh Young Master tossed the branch aside and dusted off his hands.
His peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed towards the distant, barely visible pavilion.
"As for the Detailed Discussion Official from the Court of Judicial Review who came today, he's from a royal or noble family. His main post is in the Imperial Guard, and his position at the Court of Judicial Review is a concurrent one. It's Yan Erlang from the Marquis of Xingning's family in the east of the city, Yan Yixing—have you met him before, Xiaoman?"
Ying Xiaoman remained silent.
Of course, she had met Yan Erlang before, but she didn't know he was from a noble family.
New to the Capital City and unfamiliar with its customs, she had been led into the Yan family's house in a daze and then thrown out. Ying Xiaoman found the incident deeply embarrassing and hadn't even told her own mother about it, let alone Seventh Young Master.
The past events were vivid but buried deep. However, last night by the river, she had encountered two men sent by Yan Erlang to look for her, calling her a "runaway maid," "cunning," "thief," "spendthrift"...
Who were they cursing!
Ying Xiaoman remained silent, but her thoughts raced a thousand miles in an instant. Her emotions surged, and her gaze towards the pavilion changed.
"Yan Erlang is not a good person."
Unable to contain her anger, she added another curse towards the red-robed figure lounging and fanning himself in the pavilion, "Dog official."
This was an implicit acknowledgment that the two knew each other.
Seventh Young Master glanced at the young woman's displeased expression, then looked towards the pavilion, thinking silently that the girl forcibly taken by Yan Erlang was most likely Xiaoman...
A strong scent of incense ash wafted from behind them.
Zhi threw the last silver spirit money into the fire and asked her adoptive mother in confusion, "Aunt, we've burned all the spirit money for Mother, why hasn't she come out to take it? I miss Mother."
The adoptive mother's eyes reddened slightly as she hugged Zhi, "Your mother won't come out. From now on, she'll always be sleeping underground, and the paper money we burn will go into her pocket by itself."
Zhi froze for a moment, as if finally realizing something, and burst into violent tears, "I want Mother! Mother, wake up! Mother, come out!"
The women visiting graves nearby stopped to sigh in sympathy. Ying Xiaoman went over and picked up the wailing Zhi, softly comforting her, "We'll come see Mother again next time," then said to the adoptive mother, "Let's go."
Seventh Young Master was in no hurry to leave, using his foot to erase the triangle with intersecting arrows on the ground.
Ying Xiaoman also helped erase it with her toes.
The child's shrill cries were deafening. As Ying Xiaoman carried Zhi from the depths of Louze Garden towards the gate, her ears were buzzing so much she could barely hear anything.
"Let me," Seventh Young Master took Zhi onto his shoulders, expertly patting the child's back and rubbing her little head.
A man's broad shoulders easily provide a sense of security. Zhi, still sobbing, wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in Seventh Young Master's shoulder blade. After walking a dozen steps or so, her cries gradually subsided.
Ying Xiaoman rubbed her aching ears, only now noticing the unusual atmosphere around them.
A crowd had gathered at the open gates of Louze Garden, with people swarming into the garden. At the forefront were men wearing dark clothes and boots, with swords at their waists, moving in perfect unison—clearly official guards.
In the center of the guard formation appeared an official in a crimson robe, slowly entering the garden gate.
The current dynasty's official robes were ranked by color: purple, vermilion, crimson, and blue-green, with brighter colors indicating higher ranks. The surrounding commoners hurriedly made way, clearing a large space.
Because of this open space, Ying Xiaoman easily saw the crimson-robed official's face and let out a surprised sound.
She had just seen this man last night.
Fair-skinned with delicate features, it was actually the Eighth Young Master Yan who had met with her enemy on the official river boat last night, only to be rebuked and dismissed after a few words.
Yan Erlang, wearing a red official robe and lounging with a fan in the pavilion, slowly stood up and strolled out to greet him.
The two recognized each other from afar and exchanged greetings. Eighth Young Master Yan bowed halfway before being helped up by Yan Erlang. Judging by their actions, they seemed to be quite close.
Ying Xiaoman walked on, looking back in surprise.
These two seemingly unrelated men turned out to know each other.
"Eighth Young Master Yan is from the Ministry of Justice," Seventh Young Master said calmly beside her. "Yan Erlang holds a position in the Court of Judicial Review. It's not surprising that they know each other, given their interactions in official circles."
Ying Xiaoman nodded, recalling the triangle Seventh Young Master had drawn earlier.
Seventh Young Master, carrying the softly sobbing Zhi, walked slowly towards the gate. "It's interesting that the two of them have gathered at Louze Garden today."
After pondering for a moment, he suddenly smiled, "Could it be as I suspect?"
Ying Xiaoman lifted her bamboo hat three inches, their eyes meeting briefly, urging him to stop being mysterious and speak up.
However, Seventh Young Master began with an even bigger mystery.
"Speaking of which, last autumn and winter, there was a sensational case in the Capital City involving treason and the illegal sale of fine iron weapons. It shocked the officials in the imperial palace and led to a joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices."
"The Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Punishments, and Censorate participated in the joint trial, drawing attention from both inside and outside the court. The trial lasted from last autumn and winter until early spring this year. Just as they were beginning to uncover some clues, one of the imperial officials involved in the trial disappeared."
Ying Xiaoman's interest was piqued, and she asked, "What happened then?"
Seventh Young Master held Zhi up and patiently wiped the tears that covered her entire little face.
"So, these two came to Louze Garden today. The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review don't get along, and these two individuals' personalities don't really mesh either, so they rarely cross paths. For them to suddenly arrange to come to Louze Garden together... I'm thinking that perhaps they're here to examine the recently buried corpses, to see if the missing official is among them."
"And then?" Ying Xiaoman, not hearing what she wanted, pressed on, "What about the aftermath of that major case of illegal iron weapons trafficking that shocked the entire city, alarmed the imperial family, and led to a joint trial by the three judicial departments?"
"With the presiding official missing, the case will inevitably be suspended. It can't proceed. That's it."
Ying Xiaoman: "..."
This was the most anticlimactic story she had heard all year!
She walked slowly, observing her surroundings.
Eighth Young Master Yan quickly left the pavilion, continuing deeper into Louze Garden accompanied by several officials in green robes. Yan Erlang remained in the pavilion, smilingly watching them leave.
While he was all smiles and friendly chatter as he watched them go, the moment he turned around, the smile vanished from his face completely. He stared expressionlessly at the retreating figures in the distance, snapped open his fan handle, waved the delicate ivory fan a couple of times, and then turned to leave.
Ying Xiaoman: "..." What a two-faced tiger! Changing expressions as quickly as turning a page.
At this point, they hadn't gone far. Seventh Young Master was carrying the sobbing Zhi, while Ying Xiaoman, wearing a conical hat, supported her adoptive mother. At first glance, they looked like an ordinary family of four, not drawing any attention.
Yan Erlang led his entourage out the door, brushing past Ying Xiaoman's family. He mounted his horse outside the wooden gate, and Ying Xiaoman heard him cursing from atop the horse.
"Riding thirty miles out of the city, reviewing piles of documents, exhausting this old man half to death, finally finished with official business, now I can attend to some personal matters. Where are those two idiots who were swindled at Wazi Gate last night?"
Hmm? Wazi Gate, two idiots?
That sounded familiar!
Ying Xiaoman unconsciously slowed her pace, glancing back.
Sure enough, two men sheepishly emerged from the crowd, falling to their knees before the horse, kowtowing frantically, "Please forgive us, Young Master! We know we were wrong..."
Yan Erlang on horseback sneered, "I don't keep fools in my service. If we successfully find the person today, I'll consider it atonement for your crime and won't hold last night against you. If we can't find them, don't blame me for being unkind. I'm making this clear upfront. You two lead the way to Tongluo Alley."
Hearing the words "Tongluo Alley" so unexpectedly, Ying Xiaoman's heart suddenly began to race, thump!
She instinctively wanted to turn and look.
At that moment, someone gently but firmly pressed down on her conical hat.
Seventh Young Master whispered in her ear, "Don't move. Keep walking normally."
Ying Xiaoman's right hand was lightly tugged. Seventh Young Master, while holding Zhi with one arm, took her hand with the other and walked forward.
On her left side, her adoptive mother also looked bewildered upon hearing "Tongluo Alley". Ying Xiaoman instinctively reached for her adoptive mother's hand.
The group walked hand in hand, and Ying Xiaoman felt as if she were sleepwalking as they approached their rented carriage. It was then that she noticed something amiss and forcefully pulled her right hand away from the warm palm that had been holding it. Seventh Young Master, caught off guard, grunted, "Xiaoman... you've got quite a grip."
Ying Xiaoman quickly hid her right hand behind her back.
Her index, middle, and ring fingers curled slightly within her sleeve, rubbing together gently.
Those three slender, delicate fingers had just been held by Seventh Young Master for the entire walk. The touch had been warm, but unlike skin—more like the bandages on his left hand.
Ying Xiaoman slightly regretted using too much force. Her instinctive tug might have aggravated one of his wounds.
She took Zhi from Seventh Young Master's arms and placed her in the carriage, muttering, "Don't move your injured hand around carelessly. I can act quickly when needed."
Seventh Young Master, enduring the pain in his hand, said with satisfaction, "Indeed, you move as quick as lightning. Ouch... It's reassuring."