As Beijing approached May, the weather gradually turned warmer. With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, shops began selling colorful rice dumplings and mugwort for warding off evil spirits.
Ying Xiaoman, wearing a bamboo hat and a white wrist adorned with a five-colored silk string to ward off evil, held a spinning rainbow pinwheel as she descended the bustling Dongming Bridge and headed south through the streets and alleys.
As she neared the pawnshop in Anding Ward, she paused to look up at the sign that read "An Family Pawnshop" hanging high above.
This was the same pawnshop where she had pawned her white jade fan pendant when she was still living in Tongluo Alley.
She nodded to the young master beside her, handed the pinwheel to Yan Seventh Young Master, and they entered the pawnshop together.
Above the tall counter, the shopkeeper stopped calculating on his abacus and looked over the two customers who had entered. "What would you like to pawn?"
Ying Xiaoman took out an ivory fan from her bosom and placed it on the high counter.
"Shopkeeper, please take a look at this fan."
The shopkeeper took the ivory fan, opened it for a brief inspection, and noticing the flawless ivory fan surface, his expression turned to one of surprise.
Upon closer examination, he noticed a small red seal at the end of the last fan rib that read "Yan." He was slightly startled again and quickly glanced at the simply dressed young woman in front of the counter.
"Young miss, you look somewhat familiar..."
Of course she looked familiar. She had deliberately worn the same plain-colored spring jacket with a front opening and a light-colored skirt with small floral patterns at the hem, and the same bamboo hat as she had worn last time.
Ying Xiaoman made a sound of agreement, her clear voice coming from under the bamboo hat, "I came to pawn a white jade pendant last month."
The shopkeeper immediately recalled this transaction.
Realizing this, he tentatively inquired, "That jade pendant was of good quality. It seemed to be part of a set with this ivory fan..."
"They are indeed a set."
Ying Xiaoman pushed the ivory fan closer to the shopkeeper, "We urgently need money at home. Shopkeeper, please take a look and tell me how many strings of cash this fan can be pawned for?"
The shopkeeper's eyes darted left and right, "An ivory fan is a valuable item, it should be worth at least twenty strings of cash..."
As he spoke, he came out from behind the high counter and politely made a gesture of invitation, "Young miss, please go upstairs to the loft to sit. The fan is too precious, I need to consult with the owner first."
Ying Xiaoman was led to a grand hall on the second floor to sit down. Two servants brought tea, and Seventh Young Master followed by her side, holding the pinwheel.
After everyone had left, Ying Xiaoman didn't bother to drink the tea but pushed open the window to look outside. However, this loft didn't face the street, and she could only see the shopkeeper hurriedly walking away, unable to see where he was going.
She sat back down and quietly asked Yan Seventh Young Master, "Did the shopkeeper indeed go to inform Yan Erlang?"
"Yan Erlang leads a group of imperial guards and has the authority to maintain security in the capital. If his fan ended up in your hands, and if Yan Erlang had any intention of tracing you through the fan, he would certainly have notified all the pawnshops in the city first. This is standard procedure for investigations."
"What if this shopkeeper didn't inform Yan Erlang?"
"If the fish doesn't bite the hook, then we'll change to another pawnshop and continue fishing."
Yan Seventh Young Master casually picked up a tea cup and took a sip of the clear tea, "The tea they serve guests here is quite well-prepared. Xiaoman, you should try it."
Ying Xiaoman absent-mindedly took a sip of tea.
She had been thoroughly annoyed by Yan Erlang lately.
Every day, at unpredictable times, either early or late, Yan Erlang would always lead a squad of imperial guards to make a round in Seven Scholars Lane, and they would run into each other every few days.
When she confronted him directly, Yan Erlang would nonchalantly reply, "I'm on official duty, patrolling the streets and alleys."
Seventh Young Master had explained it to her once: "He's playing hard to get, using military tactics with you, intending to break through your mental defenses and make you lose your composure. But you're a law-abiding citizen, as long as you don't give him any leverage, just walk past him as if you don't see him when you meet face to face, and he can't do anything to you."
Not having leverage and Yan Erlang not being able to actively provoke her was one thing; encountering him "by chance" at her doorstep every morning and evening was another matter entirely.
After a few days of this, Seventh Young Master instructed Ying Xiaoman to bring out the ivory fan she had been keeping hidden.
Today, they brought the fan and openly went to the pawnshop.
The two of them sat drinking tea for two cups' worth of time. Estimating that enough time had passed, if the shopkeeper had gone to report, he should be bringing someone back soon. Ying Xiaoman slammed her teacup heavily on the tea table:
"Where's the shopkeeper? Making us wait for so long, there's no sincerity here. We're not pawning at this place, let's go."
The servants couldn't stop them, and the two of them clattered down the stairs. Ying Xiaoman took back the rainbow pinwheel, which was still spinning in the wind, and went out onto the street.
As they passed through a shaded alley, a young woman in plain clothes and skirt who had been waiting early in the alley emerged from behind an elm tree, took the pinwheel from Ying Xiaoman's hand, and put on a bamboo hat. Beside her was a young man dressed in the same blue robe as Seventh Young Master, and the two of them walked side by side out of the other end of the alley.
The breeze blowing through the alley kept the rainbow pinwheel spinning continuously. At first glance, the backs of these two people looked eight parts similar to Ying Xiaoman and Seventh Young Master who remained in the small alley.
The two people in front walked out of the shaded alley and strolled along the bustling long street, looking at the shops on both sides. They hadn't gone far when suddenly, a team of several dozen imperial guards came running from the end of the long street. The leader at the front of the team came face to face with them, and a few light cavalry directly went up to stop the young master and young woman in front.
The infantry guards scattered to both sides, and Yan Erlang, wearing a vermilion narrow-sleeved military official's robe, leisurely appeared on horseback, parting the crowd.
"I have to say that line again. Searching far and wide yields nothing, yet it comes effortlessly when least expected. Miss Ying, I thought you could keep your composure and never touch this ivory fan. What's the matter? After moving from that shabby house by the muddy river to a quiet and comfortable residence in a good neighborhood, does the young miss still find herself short of money?"
The commotion on the street was big. Passersby stopped to watch.
The young woman with her face hidden under the bamboo hat discreetly pressed her left sleeve. The spring breeze blowing through the thin sleeves on the street vaguely revealed a long, thin folding fan inside.
Stopped by the imperial guards in the middle of the street, the young woman remained silent throughout.
The young man beside her, also with his face hidden under a bamboo hat, spoke up in a deep, cold voice: "She's selling her own fan, which law has she broken? Yan Erlang, as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, you're abusing your military power in broad daylight and obstructing civilians without cause. How unreasonable."
The name "Yan Erlang" had become quite famous in the capital recently, and the surrounding onlookers burst into discussion.
Ying Xiaoman, watching from afar, suddenly made a puzzled sound and said, "The young master replacing you, his voice sounds somewhat familiar, as if I've heard it somewhere before..."
Seventh Young Master beside her chuckled softly, "You indeed have heard it before."
Ying Xiaoman: ?
Meanwhile, Yan Erlang paced back and forth on his horse, not at all avoiding the watching crowd, laughing wildly and unrestrained.
"Since you know who I am, you surely know even better about the entanglement of the young miss beside you. She had already agreed to enter my household, privately accepting my token of love, but later changed her mind. Having changed her mind, she was unwilling to return the love token, and instead wants to pawn it. How am I, the one who gifted the fan, supposed to feel about this?"
"Now that we've run into each other here, all the onlookers are witnesses, and the Yan family folding fan in this young miss's hand is the physical evidence. Everyone, please judge for me, why would the young miss who privately agreed to marry me, Yan Erlang, now abandon me after leading me on?"
Ying Xiaoman was stunned, her jade-like cheeks under the bamboo hat instantly turning red with anger.
"Who privately agreed to marry him and abandoned him after leading him on?! He's talking nonsense in front of the whole street, how can he be so shameless!"
"Yan Erlang has always been unrestrained and unruly, the words 'shame' and 'propriety' have little to do with him."
Yan Seventh Young Master pondered thoughtfully, his amber eyes observing the grand spectacle of the crowd gathering three layers deep on the long street.
"However, to publicly reveal such an embarrassing matter, claiming 'private agreement to marry' and then being 'abandoned after being led on' by a young woman... Xiaoman, he seems to fancy you quite a bit. If you were really standing in the crowd holding the so-called 'love token' bearing his Yan family mark, with this scandalous affair spreading throughout the capital, I'm afraid you would have no choice but to either enter the Yan family's door or become a nun. There would be no third option."
Ying Xiaoman felt a chill down her spine. In her imagination, at most, the shameless rogue would harass her at her doorstep, and she could just beat him away with a door bolt.
She never expected Yan Erlang to do something like this, openly causing trouble on a busy street in the capital, a crazy approach of "hurting the enemy a thousand while injuring oneself eight hundred."
In addition to her fear, she was also greatly angered.
"These nobles in the capital have such wicked hearts!" she cursed angrily, "Not only are they mean-spirited, but they can also suddenly go mad!"
"The Yan family has improper family values, and Yan Erlang does indeed occasionally go mad," Seventh Young Master agreed, then changed the subject:
"However, I must say in all fairness, the same rice can nurture a hundred different people. Not every young man raised in the capital is as wild as Yan Erlang."
The girl who had remained silent on the street finally spoke up.
She seemed agitated, pulling an ivory fan from her sleeve and angrily throwing it to the ground in front of everyone.
"Everyone, please judge for yourselves! My family is poor, and I only have this ancestral ivory fan. I intended to pawn it to solve an urgent matter, but this young master Yan appeared out of nowhere and slandered me! I have never met him before, and this folding fan has nothing to do with the Yan family! I beg everyone to examine it publicly!"
One insisted the fan determined their relationship, while the other vehemently denied it.
On the spot, a curious onlooker crouched down and opened the disputed ivory fan.
The delicate fan, having been thrown down in public, now bore a large crack on its lustrous ivory surface, causing the crowd to lament its damage.
Yan Erlang didn't care much about the fan itself, but he frowned when the girl spoke, turning his head to carefully observe her figure beneath the conical hat.
As the fan slowly opened, a vermilion private seal was revealed at the end of the handle.
The curious onlooker examined it for a moment, then held it up high, announcing to the crowd, "It's carved with the character 'Xu'. This folding fan bears no mark of the Yan family. It indeed looks like an heirloom of the Xu family."
The girl immediately bowed gracefully, sobbing, "My family name is Xu."
The crowd buzzed with chatter, many commenting, "Isn't this just baseless slander against an innocent young lady?"
"He even forced her to damage her family's ivory fan in public."
"Yan Erlang is indeed as unscrupulous as the rumors say."
"Forcing an unacquainted respectable girl to be his servant or concubine, he's even worse than the rumors!"
Yan Erlang's smile faded as he sat on his horse, adopting a thoughtful expression.
He promptly dismounted, took the ivory fan to examine it briefly, then carelessly tossed it back to the ground. He walked a few steps towards the girl in plain clothes and lifted her face-concealing conical hat.
"Tch." Amidst gasps, Yan Erlang had already let go, saying disinterestedly, "A fake."
In the alley across the street, Ying Xiaoman's shoulders trembled slightly as she struggled to contain her laughter.
"Seventh Young Master," she whispered to the young man beside her, "With hundreds of eyes watching, I feel embarrassed for him."
"For a noble son like Yan Erlang, what's a little embarrassment? He'll sleep it off and be back at your doorstep tomorrow as if nothing happened," Yan Seventh Young Master observed the chaotic street scene. "He needs to be taught a lesson."
Meanwhile, Yan Erlang had lost interest. Leaving behind the sobbing girl clutching the fan and the noisy crowd of onlookers, he remounted his horse, shouted "Let's go," and was about to lead his troops away.
The young man who had stood beside the girl, having spoken only once before fading into the background, suddenly called out loudly, "Halt!"
He removed his conical hat in public, revealing a pale, somewhat effeminate scholarly face.
Ying Xiaoman, who had been covering her mouth to stifle her laughter, was startled upon seeing the young man's face and blurted out, "Why is it him?"
No wonder his voice had sounded familiar.
It was actually Eighth Young Master Yan, whom she had encountered jumping over the wall on the day of the dog chase and who had been detained in the government office courtyard!
Wasn't he supposed to be under investigation for a case? How did he get out?!
Several plainclothes officials who had been mingling with the crowd pushed through the onlookers and stood behind Eighth Young Master Yan, displaying their Ministry of Justice badges.
Eighth Young Master Yan maintained his gloomy expression, "Yan Detailed Discussant, pleased to meet you." He addressed Yan Erlang by his concurrent position as Detailed Discussant in the Court of Judicial Review.
The two clearly knew each other. Yan Erlang sneered, "Isn't this Magistrate Yan from the Ministry of Justice? You're facing charges of plotting against your own brother, how come you're not awaiting trial at the Ministry but meddling in my personal affairs instead? Who put you up to this?"
Eighth Young Master Yan's face remained expressionless, "No one put me up to anything. The case is under review, and I was released home today pending trial. On my way home, I happened upon this injustice. I, Yan, couldn't stand by and watch a poor girl be forcibly taken by a noble's son in broad daylight."
Amidst the roar of discussion in the street, Eighth Young Master Yan maintained his sullen expression, as if someone owed him five hundred taels of silver and refused to pay, and continued impassively:
"Although I am under investigation, my official position has not been formally revoked. As long as I hold my position, I remain an official of the Ministry of Justice and cannot turn a blind eye to evil deeds in the capital. I will write an impeachment memorial as soon as I get home." With that, he turned and walked away.
Several plainclothes officials parted the crowd to follow him.
Behind them, the buzz of discussion continued unabated.
Ying Xiaoman listened with a face full of doubt.
Although Eighth Young Master Yan wasn't as wild as Yan Erlang, he was known for being eccentric and full of resentment, often speaking of life and death at the drop of a hat. For such a person to "draw his sword to help upon witnessing injustice"? She found it hard to believe.
"Eighth Young Master Yan is..."
"I gave him some friendly advice, and he came around," the Seventh Young Master beside her said casually. "Atoning for his crimes through meritorious service. It's better than being a prisoner."
"Oh."
Meanwhile, Yan Erlang rode his horse, leading the imperial guards slowly down the long street.
Having lost face in public and threatened with impeachment by Eighth Young Master Yan, he was in no hurry to leave. Instead, he leisurely surveyed the surrounding alleys.
"He's looking for you."
The Seventh Young Master chuckled softly. "Generally, perpetrators of sensational crimes like arson or murder often like to return to the scene to observe. He's been publicly tricked by us in broad daylight, so he thinks you'd stay nearby to watch him make a fool of himself... His guess isn't entirely wrong."
Yan Erlang rode his horse slowly along the main street for a while, then suddenly and without warning reined in his horse, sharply turning the reins and galloping into a nearby alley at lightning speed.
There weren't many people in that alley. Amidst the startled cries of pedestrians scrambling to get out of the way, Yan Erlang quickly emerged on horseback.
Ying Xiaoman, watching clearly from the entrance of the alley, stepped back and retreated deeper into the small lane. But the sound of hooves was urgent, trampling on the bluestone path, as the light cavalry rapidly approached.
Yan Seventh Young Master gestured for her to stand behind a leafy elm tree.
"No need to panic. In the bustling streets, under everyone's watchful eyes, he won't do anything if he doesn't want to lose his family's title."
Meanwhile, Yan Erlang had ridden into the alley and was calling out.
"What a grand street performance. After going to such lengths to arrange this show, how could you not stay nearby to watch it unfold clearly? Looking around, there are only these few alleys where someone could hide."
He leisurely guided his horse closer, "The one wearing a conical hat behind the elm tree, could it be Miss Ying, Ying Xiaoman? Won't you come out?"
Ying Xiaoman immediately wanted to reveal herself. Yan Seventh Young Master gently pushed her behind the tree trunk and stepped out from behind the tree himself.
"Just happened to be passing by and unintentionally saw a good show," the Seventh Young Master strolled out about ten paces from the side, standing in front of the horse, his peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed, "Erlang looks a bit disheveled today."
Yan Seventh Young Master's voice was clear and gentle, like a summer mountain stream, easily recognizable after a few encounters. The rakish smile on Yan Erlang's lips vanished, and he suddenly burst into laughter,
"So it's you!"
Yan Erlang pointed and laughed, "Eighth Young Master Yan is a tough nut to crack, I wondered who had the ability to unleash that wild dog to block my path. If it's you, then it's not surprising."
The two began to exchange pleasantries in front of the horse, surprisingly politely.
Yan Erlang: "I heard you went missing a while back, I also helped look for you everywhere. Couldn't find you anywhere in the capital region, I thought something had really happened to you."
Yan Seventh Young Master calmly replied, "Thank you for your concern. I suffered some minor injuries but have recovered well after some rest."
Yan Erlang smiled, "Injured, huh? It wouldn't happen to be injuries that the Ying family's young lady picked you up and nursed, leading to your acquaintance?"
The Seventh Young Master calmly asked in return, "What do you think?"
Yan Erlang laughed a few times, then suddenly leaned down from his horse, their gazes almost level, and stared at Yan Seventh Young Master, saying, "That good show on the street just now, the Ying family's young lady definitely couldn't have pulled it off. You arranged it?"
Yan Seventh Young Master remained unmoved, still responding noncommittally: "What do you think?"
Yan Erlang: "Fine. With our families' friendship of many years, if you don't want to admit it, I can't force you to speak up."
He rode his horse in circles on the spot, staring behind the tree, as if remembering something, he laughed to himself and turned to say to the Seventh Young Master, "You don't want to talk. Then let me tell you something interesting."
"This little white rabbit following you, I don't know if she's mentioned our past grudges to you. Don't be fooled by the little white rabbit's appearance, she's very bold! The stories of her sneaking into my family's courtyard, holding a knife to my heart, intending to assassinate me..."
Ying Xiaoman: !!
"Hmm?" Yan Seventh Young Master turned his head to look towards the elm tree.
Behind the elm tree, a flash of plain-colored skirt hem was visible. The person clearly wanted to rush out but forcibly restrained themselves.
"I heard it," Yan Seventh Young Master made a gesture towards the tree to stay calm, then turned back to examine Yan Erlang, interrogating him like a criminal with four consecutive questions, "Do you have evidence? Where are the witnesses? Where's the weapon and physical evidence? Do you have any wounds? Without evidence, it's just baseless accusation."
Yan Erlang: "..."
Damn it, the small wound from the oil-skin puncture that day had scabbed over by the second day, and the scab had fallen off by the third!
Ying Xiaoman was trying her best to hold back laughter behind the tree.
After being confounded by Yan Seventh Young Master's tricky four consecutive questions, she suddenly wasn't afraid to face Yan Erlang directly anymore, nor was she afraid of the assassination attempt being exposed to Seventh Young Master.
From behind the elm tree, a slender shoulder peeked out, and the conical hat was lifted slightly, revealing half of a snow-white chin.
Ying Xiaoman snorted in front of them, "Do you have evidence? No proof, no evidence? Not only do you forcibly abduct women on the street, but you also falsely accuse an innocent rabbit!"
Yan Erlang: "..."
A jumble of footsteps came from the entrance of the alley. The imperial guard infantry who had fallen behind finally arrived. After glancing at the confrontation in the alley, several officers went over and urged in low voices.
"Young Master Er, leave quickly. The matter has escalated and alarmed the Shuntian Prefecture. Several constables have brought over a hundred bailiffs to cause trouble."
"Young Master Er, if you don't care about yourself, at least think of your family."
"The young lady whose ivory fan was broken is quite good at crying and complaining. Some meddlesome students from the Imperial Academy have already helped her write a petition on the spot. If Young Master Er doesn't leave now, it'll be hard to resolve the matter outside."
Several imperial guard officers surrounded Yan Erlang, half-persuading and half-pulling at his horse's reins, leading him towards the alley exit.
Yan Erlang rode his horse slowly out of the alley. Just as he was about to brush past Ying Xiaoman, he suddenly reined in his horse and dropped a sentence.
"Miss Ying seems to be laughing so happily, but actually, what I've done today hardly counts as a big deal. At most, I'll be reprimanded by my family and have my salary docked for a few months. There's something I want you to pass on to the person beside you - what kind of hero ambushes someone from behind? If he's got the guts, let him meet me face to face at the martial grounds, and we'll have a real fight with real weapons."
Yan Seventh Young Master leisurely dusted off his robe and said, "Young Master Er, don't just focus on talking tough. Get through this current situation first."
Ying Xiaoman chimed in: "If you want to find someone to fight at the martial grounds, come directly to me. I'll use the iron claws passed down from my father to fight you."
Yan Erlang was about to exit the alley when he heard this. He reined in his horse and turned back, revealing an expression caught between laughter and exasperation. "Why does this little white rabbit always want to bite people? Brother only wants to cherish you, who would bear to take you to the martial grounds for a fight?"
Ying Xiaoman glanced at him disdainfully.
Facing Yan Erlang's nonchalant expression, she said very seriously: "But I just want to beat you up!"