Dawn. Birdsong echoed back and forth, resounding through Tongluo Alley.
Two mule-drawn carts hired from the transportation agency waited early outside the Ying family's door.
Amid tearful goodbyes from her adoptive mother and neighbors, Zhi drowsily clutched her bundle. Ying Xiaoman embraced Zhi, tilting her head to gaze at the newly sprouting willow leaves above Tongluo Alley, her mood torn between anticipation and melancholy.
Yesterday, when hiring the carts, they had agreed to only rent vehicles, not people. But today, seven or eight sturdy men unexpectedly arrived with the mule carts, forming a protective circle around the Ying family's two vehicles.
The Seventh Young Master, no, now to be called Yan Seventh Young Master, took advantage of the chaos outside to don a wide-brimmed hat and sit in the driver's seat of one of the mule carts.
"Let's go," he called to Ying Xiaoman. "These are all Eleventh Young Master's men. They can be trusted."
The wheels began to roll, bumping along the narrow alley. The crooked elm and drooping willows at the alley's entrance gradually disappeared behind them.
The adoptive mother, holding Zhi, sighed, "Just now, when saying goodbye to the neighborhood women, I wanted to mention where we're moving to, but they all hushed me. The other day when the Yan family's nobles came knocking, Sister Yang said it's best if fewer people know our new address - who knows if someone might talk in their sleep and be overheard? Ah, our neighbors are such good people... Child? Child? What are you daydreaming about?"
Ying Xiaoman's wandering thoughts were suddenly pulled back into the cart. She replied:
"There's nothing to fear from Young Master Yan. He may have many men, but they're not tough fighters."
Her adoptive mother scolded, "You still want to brawl with them in the street?"
Ying Xiaoman didn't answer, her mind drifting again. Gazing at the tall figure ahead, her feelings were complex.
The Seventh Young Master washed up at their doorstep turned out to be Yan Seventh Young Master, one of the thirty-six brothers of her enemy.
If she had known he was from the Yan family, would she have saved him or not...
This was truly a vexing, draining thought. After pondering it for a while, she felt a headache coming on and decided to push it out of her mind.
As the mule cart drove from the alley onto West Gate Inner Street, steam rose from freshly steamed buns at a meat bun shop by the roadside.
Ying Xiaoman had an idea. "Slow down! I want to buy some meat buns."
The young master sitting at the front of the cart turned back, his refined air not diminished by his plain blue robes. His amber eyes, softened in the sunlight, crinkled in a smile at her.
"Didn't you just eat before we left? Are you hungry again so soon?"
Ying Xiaoman jumped down from the cart. Moments later, she returned hugging a steaming bamboo basket with four meat buns. "They're not just for me."
As the mule cart turned onto West Gate Inner Street and proceeded slowly along the left side, she stared intently at the Ministry of Justice building on the right, calling out again, "Go slower!"
Yan Seventh Young Master pushed his sun-shading hat lower and also gazed thoughtfully to the right.
The Ministry of Justice compound was spacious, its black-lacquered main gates wide open. Occasionally, officials in blue robes entered and exited.
No matter how slowly the mule cart went, in the short span of half an incense stick's burning time, the two black-lacquered gates of the Ministry of Justice had passed from in front of them to behind, and they were nearing the end of the long street.
Ying Xiaoman looked somewhat disappointed, lowering her eyes to stare at the meat buns in her hands, muttering:
"How come I didn't see any dogs?"
Ever since she had called for the cart to slow down while clutching the meat buns, Yan Seventh Young Master had been glancing her way from time to time. Hearing this, he finally understood, his gaze falling on the small bamboo basket she was holding, a mix of amusement and exasperation in his expression.
"The main entrance of the Ministry of Justice is only for officials. The dog kennels are in the back courtyard, with a small side door in the western alley for access. Don't tell me you bought these meat buns intending to..."
Ying Xiaoman's disappointment was evident.
She had wanted to test how easily the Ministry's dogs could be bribed.
If two meat buns tossed their way were enough to lure the dogs away, she could still use her initially planned first method of revenge.
She hadn't expected that the Ministry's dogs wouldn't use the main entrance, and the western alley was too narrow for the mule cart to enter. Today's plan to test bribing the dogs with meat buns couldn't be carried out.
Regretfully, she lifted the gauze cover of the bamboo basket, picked up a steaming meat bun, and offered it to the Seventh Young Master, "You eat it then."
Yan Seventh Young Master: "..."
He had overthought it; Xiaoman simply didn't want to waste good buns, and hadn't meant to imply he was a dog.
After giving him one bun, she then distributed the remaining three to her adoptive mother, the cart driver, and split one between herself and Zhi.
The Ying family had no hesitation about the food, each happily eating their meat bun. Only the cart driver, being Eleventh Young Master's trusted guard, seemed to have misunderstood as well... He stared silently at the meat bun for several moments, glanced at the Seventh Young Master who had started eating his bun with refined manners, then took a somewhat reluctant bite.
The mule cart traveled north from West Gate Inner Street, along the spacious Imperial Road, then turned east. After passing two streets and alleys, they angled into Seven Scholars Lane.
Their new home was right before them.
The colorful pinwheel under the window spun merrily in the breeze. Zhi exclaimed in delight and surprise, rushing over to it.
The adoptive mother stepped onto the green brick floor as she entered, standing beneath the lush osmanthus tree. She raised her hand to stroke the thick trunk for a good while, then walked to the corner to feel the clean, newly built stove. Zhi excitedly pulled her into the house, and they toured the three spacious, bright rooms facing south.
The woman turned slightly away from the light, discreetly wiping the corner of her eye.
As the excitement subsided, anxiety rose in her heart. She looked around for her daughter.
"Such a nice house, no wonder it costs two strings of cash per month. The money your father left you for protection before he left, how can we spend it like this? We'll need to work hard to earn more in the future... Xiaoman? Xiaoman?"
Zhi, crouched by the pinwheel under the window, poked out her little head. "Big sister went out with Seventh Brother."
*
Ying Xiaoman and Yan Seventh Young Master finished moving the bundles and boxes into the house, then stood side by side near the courtyard wall to examine a pair of grappling hooks.
"So, the purpose of these grappling hooks isn't for hunting in the mountains, but for climbing over the Yan family's wall." Yan Seventh Young Master inquired with certainty.
Ying Xiaoman nodded, "The Yan family's walls are high. Without grappling hooks, it's impossible to climb over."
Yan Seventh Young Master: "There are guards patrolling below the outer walls of the Yan compound. The grappling hooks would make quite a noise, very likely to be discovered."
"That's why I wanted to find someone to keep watch..." Ying Xiaoman muttered softly.
Who would have thought there could be such a coincidence in the world, that her helper would turn out to be one of the Yan family themselves - the Seventh Young Master was actually from the Yan family.
Their long talk in the west room last night felt like a bolt from the blue, or like a sudden summer storm. Her head was buzzing from the shock; the Seventh Young Master wasn't much better off, looking equally shaken.
They each returned to their rooms and slept long under the covers. This morning when she woke, her head was still buzzing, but the Seventh Young Master seemed to have regained his usual calm demeanor, treating her as he always had.
But she felt somewhat uncertain inside.
The "dog official" was the Seventh Young Master's clan brother. No matter how poor their relationship, they still shared blood ties. She didn't know if the Seventh Young Master, being from the Yan family, would still be willing to help her climb over his own family's wall and assist an outsider like her in seeking revenge after a night's sleep...
Yan Seventh Young Master looked up to examine the pair of grappling hooks and iron claws hanging on the wall.
He had even hammered in the iron nails to hang the grappling hooks himself.
At this moment, he couldn't describe his feelings. The phrase "digging one's own grave" flashed through his mind, along with the image of Xiaoman's focused, sharp gaze when killing fish.
On the chopping board, a live fish would turn into a pile of bones in mere moments. He estimated that facing Xiaoman's willow leaf thin blade, he wouldn't last much longer either... His emotions were complicated.
The Seventh Young Master sighed inaudibly, "I am from the Yan family, Xiaoman. Why do you need me to keep watch? I can help you open the door, let you walk into the Yan family compound openly and righteously."
"Hm?" Ying Xiaoman's eyes suddenly brightened as she turned her head.
Working together from both inside and outside, entering the Yan family compound through the front door to seek revenge openly - this was a path she had never considered!
She felt moved, and this emotion was clearly visible in her expression. Her gaze softened and brightened, "Seventh Young Master, so you truly want to help me seek revenge."
Yan Seventh Young Master sighed inwardly, speaking gently, "Give me some time. After I uncover the culprits in my family who harmed me and clean house, when the family becomes safe, I can bring you in openly and righteously. Then—"
What would happen then, he wasn't entirely sure himself. But in the next moment, Ying Xiaoman shook her head resolutely, her expression still touched.
"Don't misunderstand, Seventh Young Master. It's not that your proposed method of revenge isn't good. But I am my father's daughter. If a member of the Yan family brings me through the Yan family's main gate, rather than me entering by my own abilities to seek revenge, my father would be upset in the afterlife."
Yan Seventh Young Master was silent for a moment, surprised.
"Your father, the old man, sounds very stubborn."
"Indeed. I've never met anyone more stubborn than my father."
Ying Xiaoman's hair fluttered in the spring breeze as she looked up at the iron grappling hook on the wall, brought from her old home. Remembering the past, her eyes shimmered with soft light:
"When I was little, no one dared bully me or my mother. My father would always grab a weapon and go demand justice, ready to beat even the King of Hell himself. Later when I went into the mountains, I wasn't allowed to return empty-handed. Even if I cried and rolled on the ground, I still had to catch at least a mountain sparrow to bring back."
"When I was fourteen, a wealthy cloth merchant in town wanted to arrange a marriage. He sent two big men carrying a scale, saying they would weigh me and exchange however many catties I weighed in fine silk. My father was furious. He kicked the iron scale and broke it, then picked up the two men and threw them several yards away. The onlookers were so frightened they wet themselves. The silk scattered all over the ground, but no one in the village dared to pick it up."
Ying Xiaoman reminisced nostalgically about her old village life for a moment. Gradually filled with strength, she stepped forward with determined eyes and took down the grappling hook, hanging it at her waist.
"Since we've already moved near the enemy's home, I'll polish this hook tonight and get ready to use it."
"..."
Yan Seventh Young Master was speechless for a while before saying, "There's no need to be so hasty."
Ever since Xiaoman had candidly revealed her enemy's identity last night, the situation had snowballed like a landslide. Now he felt half-buried in the mudflow.
He needed time to carefully sort out the cause and effect.
Where exactly had things gone wrong?
Where did this blood feud of the Ying family come from?
Who was this so-called enemy that Xiaoman had her sights set on?
"Let's get the household sorted out first, then confirm the target's whereabouts. Remember you said before that you once tracked the enemy's trail from Changle Alley all the way to the Ministry of Justice."
At this point, the Seventh Young Master had a thought, "The enemy you saw... does he look similar to me?"
Ying Xiaoman blurted out, "Not at all similar."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she belatedly grew puzzled. Since they were brothers of the same clan and blood relatives, how could they look completely different?
The Seventh Young Master, on the other hand, looked thoroughly relieved, his brows and eyes relaxing as he happily walked out first.
"It's the hour of the Dragon now. Let's go watch at the entrance of the alley and see who this enemy you've been tracking really is."
Ying Xiaoman followed in confusion, reminding him, "I told you before, my enemy is your clan brother, that dog official Yan Rongshi. Did you forget?"
Yan Seventh Young Master turned back with a smile: "...How could I forget? The dog official Yan Rongshi, that's exactly who I meant."
*
The mid-spring sun slowly rose from the east to overhead.
There was no harvest from today's stakeout. The enemy did not appear at the entrance of Changle Alley during the Dragon hour. After waiting half the day, Ying Xiaoman only saw the Eighth Young Master Yan leave wearing a crimson official robe.
"Eighth Brother also works at the Ministry of Justice," said Yan Seventh Young Master, leaning against the alley entrance. He was tall, almost level with the neighboring wall, and lazily plucked grass blades from the top of the wall one by one:
"He was just promoted to Minister of Justice last year, overseeing several assistant ministers in case judgments and various affairs. It's quite a demanding job."
"He always looks unhappy."
"How can you tell he's always unhappy?"
Ying Xiaoman pulled down the corners of her mouth and eyes, showing the whites of her eyes.
"Does this expression look happy? I think this Eighth Young Master Yan is probably too tired and busy with official duties, full of resentment, showing a bitter look despite his young age."
She had seen several old women in the village who lived hard lives with the same bitter expression, eyes and mouth constantly drooping.
"Hmm, Eighth Brother studied law. He was the best in the family at legal matters and entered the Ministry of Justice early, steadily rising through the ranks. Assistant Minister is a fifth-rank official position. For someone his age, you could say his future is bright."
"Then why does he look at people like this..." Ying Xiaoman pulled down her eye corner again, showing the whites.
Her eyes were naturally round, bright and clear, with large black pupils. Even forcing them to show white didn't make her look fierce, but rather cute and playful. The Seventh Young Master smiled and lifted her hand,
"Alright, stop pulling at your eyelids. I understand what you mean."
The Eighth Young Master Yan's figure had already disappeared at the end of the long street.
With his crimson robe and gold belt hook, surrounded by servants and runners clearing the way, to outsiders he certainly looked like a young nobleman from a prestigious family.
But the capital never lacked for prestigious families. The great clans were all related by marriage, with many young men of similar age who grew up together in the capital.
Among the truly noble young lords, whether it was his status as a concubine-born son or his background of passing the imperial examinations in law, the Eighth Young Master always fell a bit short.
What the Eighth Brother yearned for in his heart was always just a bit beyond his grasp.
As he grew older day by day, his temperament became increasingly gloomy. Even last year's good news of his promotion to Minister of Justice couldn't make him happy.
After all, along with the Eighth Brother's appointment as Minister of Justice, the imperial edict also arrived appointing his elder brother - myself - to the long-vacant position of Junior Vice Minister of the Right at the Ministry of Justice.
Yan Seventh Young Master took two steps out of the deep alley, his amber eyes gazing thoughtfully at the receding figure.
Among the family members who might have tried to harm him, the Eighth Brother was a major suspect among his generation.
"It's getting late," the Seventh Young Master said to Ying Xiaoman. "The officials who need to report for duty are already in their offices. We won't find anything else in Changle Alley, so let's come back another day to keep watch. Where do you want to go next?"
Ying Xiaoman was a bit disappointed.
She had once staked out at the same time and seen the enemy leave Changle Alley, heading straight for the Ministry of Justice.
So the enemy's daily routine wasn't fixed?
"Let's go back. We've been out for a while, and Mother will be anxious waiting at home."
The two slowly walked back towards the entrance of Seven Scholars Lane.
The Seventh Young Master brought up another matter, "Eleventh Young Master is coming to see me tonight to discuss some business."
Ying Xiaoman nodded. Her impression of the Eleventh Young Master had improved somewhat lately.
Not only were the strong porters who helped them move today the Eleventh Young Master's men, but even the sturdy mule cart wasn't from a regular transportation company, but sent by him. He was worried that hiring outside carts might leak the Seventh Young Master's whereabouts and bring trouble.
Though arrogant and rude, the Eleventh Young Master was loyal to his friends.
"I told him to come after nightfall. Madam Ying can go to bed with Zhi first. As for you, Xiaoman..." The Seventh Young Master paused.
Ying Xiaoman said in surprise, "The Eleventh Young Master is your good friend, so you should wait for him. I'll go to sleep too. Remember to bolt the courtyard gate when he leaves."
Yan Seventh Young Master looked at her deeply, his gaze a bit unusual. "Do you really want to go to bed first? The Eleventh Young Master wants me to introduce you. He says you've met before. He saw you once by the river on a boat, and there may have been some misunderstanding."
"He's talking nonsense," Ying Xiaoman wrinkled her nose in disgust.
There were plenty of pompous nobles in the capital, and few of them were any good. Just look at how Second Young Master Yan behaved.
"First of all, I don't know him. I've seen plenty of people when I used to sell and kill fish by the river, how would I know which one he is? Secondly, I don't want to meet someone like the Eleventh Young Master who looks down his nose at everyone. My mother just discussed this with me last night - we're not going to bother with him."
"I've known the Eleventh Young Master for many years. He may be reticent and cold towards strangers, but he's quite sentimental with those close to him."
Yan Seventh Young Master spoke up to explain the Eleventh Young Master's character, but didn't try to persuade Ying Xiaoman to meet him tonight. He changed the subject:
"Of course, I was just asking on his behalf. It wouldn't be proper for a man and woman to meet at night... How about this: I'll meet with him alone tonight and ask how he knows you, then relay it to you in the morning. You can decide then if you want to meet him."
And so it was decided.
The Seventh Young Master turned to address the cart drivers who had been following and guarding them all day: "You all heard that. Miss Xiaoman is of a simple and unaffected nature, with no intention to offend. There's no need to report her words verbatim to the Eleventh Young Master today. Just convey her meaning."
The cart drivers' expressions were complex. After silently struggling for a moment, they bowed their heads and said, "We'll follow the Seventh Young Master's instructions."
As they approached their new home, the gate of the neighboring courtyard opened halfway. Madam Shen, whom they had met once before, stood in the doorway. She and Xiaoman's adoptive mother were talking about something, both wiping their reddened eyes.
"Every family has its troubles," the adoptive mother sighed after they went home and closed the door.
"The Madam Shen next door seems well-educated and cultured, like a daughter raised in a good family. She said the pillar of her household is hardly ever home, and it makes no difference whether he's there or not. Recently, he made a mistake at work and was fined three months' salary. Now they can barely afford to eat. I quickly sent her a basket of millet from the stove. Madam Shen just thanked me profusely."
Ying Xiaoman said, "The Madam Shen next door is the wife of an official."
The adoptive mother was shocked, "That can't be! She looks like the wife of a schoolteacher to me!"
"I heard it from the matchmaker. The Shen family moved to the capital from another place. The husband is a censor official, though I'm not sure of his exact rank."
Seventh Young Master Yan chimed in from the side, "Censor Shen from the Censorate holds the seventh rank. He can report directly to the emperor and criticize officials of all ranks. Though his position is low, he wields considerable power as part of the censorate faction."
The adoptive mother's hand trembled, causing her bamboo chopsticks to clatter to the ground. "Seventh rank is quite high! Even the county officials who govern large areas in our countryside are only seventh rank. How can we have an official's wife as our neighbor?"
She recalled in terror, "Did I let anything slip earlier? Child, if I accidentally said something..." At this point, she abruptly stopped speaking, glancing at Seventh Young Master Yan, who tactfully retreated to a corner.
Only then did the adoptive mother continue in a hushed voice:
"If I accidentally let something slip and they find out you came to the capital to seek revenge and kill the corrupt official, the officials will protect each other. They'd immediately report us to the authorities..."
These few sentences made Ying Xiaoman nervous as well. "Mother, you... you didn't say too much, did you?"
The adoptive mother quickly pulled her daughter into the room and sat her on the kang bed. "Come, ask me. Pretend we're having a casual conversation and I'll answer according to our earlier dialogue. Let's go through it all again!"
The two went through the conversation from the beginning. Ying Xiaoman let out a long sigh of relief, "No. Mother, you kept your mouth firmly shut."
"You scared me to death. If my loose tongue had harmed my child, I could only hang myself with a white silk rope to atone for my sin..."
"Mother, don't ever say that! I'd jump into the Bian River before letting anything happen to you..." Mother and daughter embraced tearfully.
Zhi was playing in the next room and, hearing the commotion, came running over. Without hesitation, she hugged Ying Xiaoman's legs tightly. Looking up, her eyes, like black grapes, instantly welled up with tears. "Auntie, Big Sister..."
The three of them clung to each other, all in tears.
Yan Seventh Young Master waited patiently alone in the main room for a while. As the hot dishes on the table grew cold, he went to the stove to reheat the food himself. He set out the rice bowls one by one, then gathered and washed the scattered chopsticks from the floor. Standing in the main room, he called out:
"Are you done hugging in there? Come eat."