The prison cart drove away most of the gathered crowd, suddenly quieting the area outside the restaurant.
A group of Ministry of Justice constables remained behind to continue sealing off Yuqing Tower, closing and sealing all doors and windows.
From the outside, the restaurant now appeared deserted.
With nothing exciting left to see, the remaining onlookers gradually dispersed.
On the third floor of the sealed restaurant, lights were on in a small room where several military doctors who had been summoned were urgently treating two gravely injured and unconscious assassins.
"Wait until nightfall. After dark, we'll bring another prison cart to secretly transport the assassins away. Since this case involves Northern spies, the assassins will be handed over to the Imperial Guard and taken to the imperial prison."
After explaining this, Yan Rongshi picked up a bottle of "Jade Tower Spring" wine from the table and poured half a cup for Ying Xiaoman.
"The wine at Yuqing Tower is indeed excellent. Since we're here, why not have a taste?"
Ying Xiaoman absentmindedly took a sip of the Jade Tower Spring. She didn't really taste anything, as her mind was entirely focused on the phrase "Northern spy base in the capital".
How could her father's old friend's restaurant be connected to enemy spies?
She put down her cup and said nervously, "My father was a hunter in our hometown for twenty years. He has nothing to do with spies."
"I know. Your adoptive father hasn't been in the capital for many years and cut ties with these people long ago. And he has already passed away," Yan Rongshi took a sip of wine and reassured her, "Don't overthink it. It's unrelated."
Ying Xiaoman relaxed and smiled at him.
Yan Rongshi continued: "But this restaurant does have major issues, and two assassins have escaped. You've been inadvertently caught up in this - the escaped assassins followed you for a while, all the way to the Great Xiangguo Temple. Until all the assassins are captured, you and your family need to be careful while in the capital. The tent is no longer safe to live in; your family needs to move to a secure location as soon as possible."
Ying Xiaoman thought to herself, my family is about to leave anyway.
She had originally planned to come today to seek out her father's old friend, who would escort them out of the city. Now it was clear the "old friend" couldn't be relied upon. She planned to hire a carriage herself and prepare their luggage, aiming to leave the capital within ten days at most...
But the mysterious "assassins" were indeed worrying. The tent where the Ying family was staying was indeed unsafe. She thought for a moment, then agreed.
"Once all the assassins are captured, you won't stop my family from moving out, right?"
Yan Rongshi looked at her deeply: "If you want to leave, I naturally won't stop you."
"I need to go find Eleventh Young Master," he said to Ying Xiaoman. It was already past noon.
He had only taken half a day off, originally planning to visit the Great Xiangguo Temple and then go to the Ministry of War to investigate the case. He hadn't expected the incident at Yuqing Tower.
He stood up and said, "I won't go to the Ministry of War now. It's more urgent to focus on investigating the lead at Yuqing Tower. I'll be at the Ministry of Justice for the next few days. If you need anything, you can come find me directly. When I'm not interrogating suspects, I'll mostly be in the official reception room."
Ying Xiaoman didn't say anything, but her clear eyes glanced at him. Her gaze clearly said, "I'm not going to the Ministry of Justice to find you."
Yan Rongshi smiled but didn't say more as he got up to leave.
Ying Xiaoman sat alone in Shopkeeper Fang's accounting room, touching each item on the table one by one. She soon discovered the teacup with the remaining half-portion of sheep's milk tea and held it up to look at in the sunlight.
An Imperial Guard came in and solemnly took away the teacup. "Young miss, please don't touch anything. This is evidence."
"Oh," Ying Xiaoman quickly let go.
In the quiet, sealed-off restaurant, Imperial Guards stood watch outside while Ministry of Justice officials arrived one after another to examine evidence and remove many items.
The sky gradually darkened.
After nightfall, as expected, two carriages drove up and stopped at the restaurant entrance. One was a prison cart that looked similar to an ordinary carriage from the outside, with only the windows sealed shut - in the darkness, the difference wasn't noticeable without careful inspection. Seven or eight elite Imperial Guards were on high alert as they loaded the captured assassin, bound tightly, into the cart.
Sui Miao led several other skilled men to escort Ying Xiaoman to the second carriage.
As soon as she got in, she felt the carriage looked familiar. Looking at the interior furnishings, she vaguely recognized it as the Yan family carriage she had ridden in once before.
At that time, Yan Rongshi wasn't yet Yan Rongshi to her, but just the Seventh Young Master of the Yan family.
That night she had used a grappling hook to climb over the Yan family's courtyard wall, keeping watch for half the night. The Seventh Young Master had taken her to the quiet little courtyard where his mother used to recuperate when ill. They had watched the koi fish swimming in the pond together, eaten fresh fruit in the cool pavilion, and then he had led her to Fengsong Courtyard to scout it out...
In the unseen interior of the carriage, Ying Xiaoman's toes curled up.
The Seventh Young Master had taken her to Fengsong Courtyard to scout it out to kill Yan Rongshi...
Why did she have to remember such an embarrassing thing late at night?!
Ying Xiaoman quickly pushed this memory out of her mind and felt the silver ingots hidden in her clothes.
Following her father's instructions, she had gone to seek out his old friend. But it turned out the restaurant was harboring assassins, her father's old friend had been arrested, the restaurant had been sealed off, and it was all connected to Northern spies.
What exactly was this messy situation she found herself in now?
Holding her father's recovered lost possession close, she suddenly remembered that according to the Seventh Young Master, the escaped assassins had once tracked her. To prevent accidents, he would assign people to closely guard the Ying family.
The Ying family's whereabouts would now be under the noses of many people.
She had planned to hire a carriage, prepare their luggage, and take her mother and Zhi back to their hometown. These actions couldn't be hidden from the Yan family at all. Should she tell the Seventh Young Master directly?
This was another difficult decision. Just then, the carriage slowed down, and she lifted the curtain to look around, immediately becoming confused.
She saw the conspicuous steamer-shaped sign of the meat bun shop on West Gate Inner Street.
"Whoa—" The carriage stopped at the side of the wide street. When Ying Xiaoman got out, she immediately saw several familiar white marble steps.
Walking a few more steps forward—
An imposing government office appeared before her, with two large black-lacquered iron gates.
High above the tall doorway, a large plaque with a black background and gold clay characters displayed three large seal script characters:
"Ministry of Justice".
Ying Xiaoman: "..."
She stood stunned for a moment at the edge of the steps to the Ministry of Justice office, then turned to ask Sui Miao, "Did we come to the wrong place? The Seventh Young Master said he'd prepare a safe place for the Ying family to stay, not come to find him at the government office."
Sui Miao bowed and said, "The young master instructed that the safest place would be the government office. It's guarded day and night, completely secure. There are quite a few empty, quiet courtyards in the Ministry of Justice where the Ying family can stay temporarily for a few days without issue."
Ying Xiaoman: "Where is the Seventh Young Master? Tell him to come out and talk to me. I'll move in after we've discussed it clearly."
Sui Miao looked a bit troubled: "The young master went to the Ministry of War to find the Eleventh Young Master and hasn't returned. Would Miss Ying like to go in and wait for him?"
"We need to discuss it clearly before I go in," Ying Xiaoman insisted.
As they were arguing, another carriage slowly approached from a distance.
The people in the carriage had already seen her and waved happily from afar, calling out, "Sister, sister!"
The second carriage also stopped at the steps of the Ministry of Justice. Her adoptive mother got out carrying Zhi, with the family's hastily packed bags and belongings piled inside the carriage.
Her adoptive mother smiled when she saw Ying Xiaoman.
She politely spoke to Sui Miao who had come to greet them, "Living in the tent was fine, but suddenly having to move to a house to live - I know it's the Seventh Young Master's good intentions. My only worry before was that our girl wouldn't be willing to come. Now that she's agreed to move here, I naturally have no objections. Young Sui, please thank the Seventh Young Master on my behalf when you see him."
Sui Miao: "It's not just about moving to a residence, but mainly to protect the safety of the entire Ying family. Miss Xiaoman has recently become involved in a major case, with several assassins on the loose, their whereabouts in the capital unknown. If the Ying family continues to live in tents without even surrounding walls, my young master fears the assassins might find you and harm you in secret."
Her adoptive mother was greatly shocked: "What major case? And assassins too? It sounds terrifying! My girl?"
This would take a long time to explain.
The entrance to the Ministry of Justice was not the place to discuss such matters. Her adoptive mother listened with partial understanding, only knowing that the courtyard the Seventh Young Master had prepared in the government office was safe. She immediately took Zhi in one arm and nervously grabbed Ying Xiaoman with the other, heading up the steps.
Ying Xiaoman: "..."
But with her family by her side, her heart couldn't help but soften.
The place the Seventh Young Master had arranged for them to stay certainly wouldn't harm them.
Sui Miao had already called for the Yan family's senior servants to carry the bags and packages from the carriage inside, leading the way: "This way, please."
"Which courtyard?" Ying Xiaoman asked as she looked around while walking.
"A row of quiet small courtyards near the west side, where officials involved in cases stay while awaiting trial. They're usually vacant. Those small courtyards have one great advantage - they're next to the dog kennels, so if there's any disturbance the hunting dogs will be alerted first, making it extremely safe."
"...The dog kennels on the west side?" Ying Xiaoman asked in surprise. "Where the Eighth Young Master Yan lives?"
Sui Miao was also startled, "The Eighth Young Master Yan is indeed detained in that row of small courtyards. How does Miss know this? Did the young master mention it?"
The adoptive mother was even more surprised, "Who is Eighth Young Master Yan? Could he be Seventh Young Master's brother? You even know his brother?"
Ying Xiaoman coughed. She had previously known him from climbing over the wall from the dog kennel into the small courtyard...
She didn't answer either side, just smiled with curved eyes: "Mm!" Glossing over it.
As they spoke, the group had already approached the row of small courtyards on the west side. Under the faint moonlight overhead, they heard an even fainter sigh coming from the distance ahead.
A familiar voice recited wistfully under the moon:
"With a heart full of ambition, one misstep led to imprisonment. Am I, Yan Gengsheng, destined to live under others for life..."
Zhi was frightened and held tightly to her adoptive mother's hand.
The adoptive mother was also quite scared, muttering softly: "Which young man is putting on a big show in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Ying Xiaoman pulled her mother along, quickening their pace past the small courtyard ahead.
"The one locked inside is Eighth Young Master Yan," she whispered in her mother's ear after passing the copper-locked gate.
"He was always a bit odd before. After committing some offense and being locked up for a month or two without visitors, he's become even stranger."
Mindful of Eighth Young Master Yan's penchant for muttering late at night, they had deliberately separated the Ying family's small courtyard by two rooms.
The layout of this quiet row of small courtyards on the west side was similar - a main room with two side rooms, a few slender bamboos planted in the corners, and stone tables and chairs placed in the center of the small courtyard.
That night before bed, while the adoptive mother was soaking her feet and taking medicine, she made a few remarks about their new neighbor.
"Putting on a big show in the middle of the night instead of sleeping, has this young man gone mad from being locked up... Xiaoman? Xiaoman? What are you spacing out about?"
Ying Xiaoman couldn't care less whether Eighth Young Master Yan had gone mad or not.
Now she was gazing at the slender bamboo grove atop the high wall of Eighth Young Master Yan's courtyard, her toes curling involuntarily.
In the past, when she and Eighth Young Master Yan had formed an alliance to plot the assassination of Yan Rongshi.
After conspiring with Eighth Young Master Yan, she then discussed it with Seventh Young Master.
Seventh Young Master was Yan Rongshi himself.
No wonder Eighth Young Master Yan had been locked up in the Ministry of Justice for so long without being released...
Wait a minute!
Eighth Young Master Yan and Seventh Young Master were blood-related brothers who grew up under the same roof. Even if they weren't close, they were still family!
How could he conspire with an outsider to harm Seventh Young Master? How vicious!
"No wonder Seventh Young Master immediately had Eighth Young Master Yan taken to the Ministry of Justice in a blue sedan chair after returning home," Ying Xiaoman realized with a mix of epiphany and anger, explaining the cause and effect she had just figured out to her mother.
"Mother, do you remember when Seventh Young Master was pushed into the Bian River and nearly killed while drunk?"
The adoptive mother certainly remembered.
"Was that the time we rescued him from the water in Tongluo Alley?"
"Yes. It turns out the one who leaked Seventh Young Master's whereabouts to outsiders from within the Yan family was Eighth Young Master Yan."
The adoptive mother was shocked: "His own brother, how could he be so wicked!"
"No wonder Eighth Young Master Yan has been detained for so long. He deserves it!"
Late at night, Ying Xiaoman was too angry to sleep. She held up an oil lamp, searching through the newly moved packages.
A big fire in Seven Scholars Lane had burned all of the Ying family's belongings, but fortunately, a pair of flying hooks that she had hidden in the meat shop beforehand remained unscathed.
After the fire, she brought them back to the tent, and her mother packed them along with other items when they moved.
Eighth Young Master Yan was suspected of conspiring to harm his brother and was detained in the Ministry of Justice awaiting trial. At first, he was allowed to leave the government office briefly each day to eat a couple of meat buns across the street.
Later, after his brother Yan Rongshi sent people to inquire several times and he stubbornly refused to confess, no one came to bother with him anymore, and he couldn't go out to eat meat buns even if he wanted to.
The small courtyard where he was detained seemed to have been forgotten. Apart from the furious barking from the neighboring dog kennel every morning and evening, there was no other activity.
Facing the few bamboo groves in the small courtyard under the moonlight every day, Eighth Young Master Yan's tendency to lament the passing of spring and autumn became increasingly apparent.
Unable to sleep late at night, he sat by the small table, reciting poetry mournfully over a bowl of cold tea:
"The general died before his troops could triumph, leaving heroes to shed tears forever..."
Suddenly, a shiny flying hook appeared atop the high wall under the moonlight.
The scene seemed familiar. Eighth Young Master Yan was startled, then a wave of wild joy flashed through his heart. His ally had returned!
Outwardly feigning composure, he slowly turned around.
"It's you again, you beautiful snake."
He took two steps towards the courtyard wall, his posture reserved but his voice filled with anticipation: "Since I told you the secret of Yan Rongshi's late-night travels through dark alleys and shortcuts to get home, I haven't seen him for a month or two, nor have I seen you. The Ministry of Justice, however, has been in chaos, with lights burning day and night. Could it be... you succeeded?"
Ying Xiaoman had no intention of telling him. She came tonight to scold him.
"You're a terrible person. What deep grudge do you hold against your own brother that you'd help an outsider harm him?"
She recalled the story about Eighth Young Master Yan that Seventh Young Master had casually mentioned while eating iced tangyuan on the street.
"He told me that when you were young students, you'd run into each other sneaking out to eat cold tangyuan on the way to and from school. You're brothers born in the same year, one legitimate and one not. No matter how bad your relationship is, you're still brothers."
Eighth Young Master Yan's expression changed.
"What do you know! You're just a young girl of ten or so. How could you understand the pain of being born to the wrong mother in a great clan, being compared year after year from birth, always being overshadowed in every aspect!"
He took a deep breath: "What's this? When you went to assassinate him, did he sweet-talk you into changing your mind and you didn't go through with it? I knew you beautiful snake were useless."
Ying Xiaoman was utterly exasperated.
Eighth Young Master Yan was also from the Yan family. How could the Yan family produce such a good bamboo shoot as Seventh Young Master, yet also produce such a bad sprout as Eighth Young Master? Every word out of his mouth made her want to punch him.
"I did go through with it," she said angrily. "Something unexpected happened that night. It didn't succeed."
Eighth Young Master Yan sneered: "The flying hooks didn't work? I knew you were all show..."
Ying Xiaoman, who had just sat down, stood up abruptly and glared at him.
Eighth Young Master Yan remembered their precarious assassination alliance.
Realizing he needed her help at the moment, he quickly changed his tune: "—However, the fact that you managed to escape safely after the assassination attempt shows that you do have some skill."
Ying Xiaoman: "Of course."
"Listen to my advice, use your beauty instead. Since he's keeping a mistress outside, beauty is the way to sway him."
Ying Xiaoman was taken aback.
This was the second time she had heard about "Yan Rongshi keeping a mistress outside."
But this time, the feeling was completely different from the last.
Seventh Young Master was so busy, hearing cases at the court during the day until late at night, and when he had free time in the evening, he would come to the Ying family to look for her, knocking on the door for ages. She had seen him gradually becoming thinner when he came to buy meat at the shop every morning at a fixed time. Where would he find the time to keep a mistress?
Could it be that the so-called "mistress kept outside" that Eighth Young Master Yan thought of was... herself?
It took her a while to process this realization. She stood there, too shocked to speak for a long time.
Eighth Young Master Yan thought she was considering his persuasion.
He immediately seized the opportunity to continue his persuasion: "I know reliable people. This person has run a restaurant in the capital for many years and has extensive connections. You can go through his channels, disguise yourself as a singing girl or waitress serving wine. The Yan family is bound to have grand banquets for guests, and you'll have the chance to approach Yan Rongshi with a bottle of 'Yulou Spring'. Beautiful snake, use your charms to make him fall for you..."
Ying Xiaoman: "...Yulou Spring?"
The name of the wine sounded very familiar. She blurted out, "Yuqing Tower? Shopkeeper Fang?"
Eighth Young Master Yan was genuinely surprised.
After a long silence face to face, he sneered, "So you know about Yuqing Tower too? I've underestimated you."
"I do," Ying Xiaoman looked at him sympathetically, "You're also acquainted with Shopkeeper Fang? You're going to be in jail for a long time now."
Eighth Young Master Yan: ?
"What do you mean?" Eighth Young Master Yan demanded angrily.
For the sake of their once fragile alliance, Ying Xiaoman told him, "Shopkeeper Fang was just arrested today. He seems to be a spy from the northern country. Yuqing Tower is suspected of being a spy base, and they even found assassins inside. I was there at the time and saw it with my own eyes."
Eighth Young Master Yan was shocked, his face changing dramatically on the spot.
"Is this true?!"
"Why would I lie to you? I won't come again after this. Our previous alliance ends here. From now on, you go your way, and I'll go mine. We'll have nothing more to do with each other."
Ying Xiaoman had said what needed to be said face to face and scolded what needed to be scolded on the spot, feeling extremely satisfied. The flying hook latched onto the top of the wall, disappearing under the moonlight.
Now it was Eighth Young Master Yan's turn to be unable to sleep.
He had been detained twice in the Ministry of Justice. Why had he been able to maintain such a strong stance, not confessing a single word?
After all, Yan Rongshi was his own brother. In the case of conspiring against his elder brother, Eighth Young Master Yan was neither the mastermind nor directly involved in the act, and Yan Rongshi had not died. He couldn't believe Yan Rongshi would be so cruel as to sentence his own brother to a severe punishment.
But being implicated with enemy spies, with the heavy accusation of colluding with the enemy...
That would be impossible to explain away!
Eighth Young Master Yan stood alone under the desolate moonlight, too shocked to move for a long time.
The night was deep.
A loud, banging knock came from the west side of the Ministry of Justice.
"I want to turn myself in!" Eighth Young Master Yan shouted in the night, "Call Yan Rongshi—no, call my elder brother to talk! I have confidential matters to tell him in person!"
*
It was late at night. The Adoptive Mother had not yet gone to bed.
For the first time in her life staying in a government office, she lay next to Zhi's soft little body, tossing and turning, unable to sleep in the unfamiliar room.
"It's already past midnight, why hasn't the Seventh Young Master come yet?" The Adoptive Mother sighed and said:
"What's all this about death squads and spies? We're just common folk, how did we get mixed up in these big affairs? The more I think about it, the more scared I get. I can't sleep. When the Seventh Young Master comes, I'll ask him properly."
Ying Xiaoman poured out the used medicinal dregs outside the room. "Mother, go to sleep with Zhi. He's busy, he might not come tonight."
"Oh my, in the middle of the night, that young man next door is shouting again. It would be terrible if he wakes Zhi up."
Ying Xiaoman pinched Zhi's rosy, sleeping cheeks and got up to blow out the oil lamp.
"Eighth Young Master Yan is always acting crazy, just ignore him."