Ying Xiaoman sat alone in the brightly lit courtyard, unconsciously gripping her own hands tightly.
For the first time in her life, she was being questioned for a testimony, but the process was unexpectedly simple.
The questions revolved around her adoptive father. His age, name, when he went to his hometown village, how he made a living. How he died, where he was buried. If he had traveled far in recent years.
Ying Xiaoman testified truthfully.
"My father's surname was Ying, his given name was Dashuo."
"He passed away last December. My mother told me that my father was fifty-one when he died. He's buried on the hilltop in our hometown."
"He made a living by hunting in the mountains. My father had a lame leg, so it wasn't convenient for him to travel far. As long as I can remember, besides going into the mountains to hunt, the farthest my father ever went was to the town thirty miles away."
"What did he do in town? The owner of a fabric shop in town sent a steelyard to our house, wanting to buy me as a concubine with an equal weight of silk fabric. My father went to town, found the fabric shop owner, dragged him out of his house and gave him a severe beating..."
The night wind blew through the bamboo grove, making the slender leaves rustle. Two clerks recorded rapidly.
Zhao Eleventh Young Master flipped open the testimony file on the long table, his gaze stopping at a certain point.
"Fang Xiang, the manager of Yuqing Tower, testified yesterday that your father's surname wasn't Ying, but actually Zhuang."
"Zhuang Jiu." Ying Xiaoman admitted she had heard of it: "My father might have used this name when he was young? But for the dozen or so years my father was in our village, he was called Ying Dashuo. The wooden tablet we put on my father's grave also says Ying Dashuo."
Zhao Eleventh Young Master looked up from behind the long table, his gaze piercing towards Ying Xiaoman sitting on the wooden chair below.
When it came to crucial testimony, his eyes suddenly became sharp: "When did you learn that your father was Zhuang Jiu?"
Ying Xiaoman calculated: "Last month."
"Last month?" Eleventh Young Master frowned slightly. Wasn't that in the capital city?
"How did you come to know about Zhuang Jiu?"
Ying Xiaoman's eyes flickered for a moment.
Seventh Young Master had told her.
Seventh Young Master had told her to be honest and testify truthfully. But if she answered honestly here, would it implicate Seventh Young Master?
Her previous testimonies had been quick questions and prompt answers. Now her rare hesitation was instantly noticed by everyone present, all of whom were experienced in investigating cases.
Not only was Eleventh Young Master's gaze piercing, but even the two clerks on the side simultaneously stopped writing and looked over.
Being stared at from all directions at once, Ying Xiaoman, sitting under the lamp, gave a slight shudder.
"..."
In the brief silence that suddenly swept over the small courtyard, Yan Rongshi, sitting on the side listening, spoke up unhurriedly: "I told her."
"Everything she knows about Zhuang Jiu's background, she learned from me. Everything I know about Zhuang Jiu's background, I learned from reviewing old files during the investigation."
"Ying Dashuo has already passed away, Zhuang Jiu has disappeared into the vast sea of humanity. When I informed Xiaoman, I said the two were 'possibly' the same person. But there's no actual evidence, only based on the few words recorded: 'giant strength, skilled with flying claws'. We can't confirm these two are the same person."
The questioning ended here.
The two clerks respectfully presented the still-wet recorded testimony. Zhao Eleventh Young Master placed the testimony on the long table, flipped through it several times, his knuckles tapping long and short on the table.
"The two are possibly the same, but can't be confirmed. Is the Ying family line of inquiry closed with this?"
"It's closed here." Yan Rongshi walked to the front of the long table, blew on the testimony to dry the ink, and handed it to the clerk to seal and file.
"What, do you want to investigate further? The Northern spy case is of great importance, what more can you uncover besides involving unrelated people?"
Zhao Eleventh Young Master looked up at his calm-faced friend in front of him, then at Ying Xiaoman sitting under the lamp looking slightly uneasy, and raised his hand to rub his brow.
Indeed, to consider her a Northern spy who had infiltrated the capital, mistaking Yan Seventh Young Master and Yan Rongshi for two brothers? Eleventh Young Master himself didn't believe it.
Continuing to question further, besides implicating Seventh Young Master, what else could be uncovered?
"The Yuqing Tower Northern spy case, the Ying family line of inquiry ends here."
After saying this, Eleventh Young Master rubbed his brow and stood up from behind the long table.
"Although the Ying family is unrelated to the Northern spy case, Seventh Young Master, you should still ask her privately about what exactly this 'avenging her father' is all about—"
He looked up, but his friend was already gone...
Yan Rongshi helped Ying Xiaoman stand up, gently squeezing each of her curled fingertips. "Were you scared?"
Actually, it was fine at first. Question and answer, honest replies, nothing much to think about.
Until Eleventh Young Master's narrow hawk-like eyes looked up, fixing her with his habitually gloomy gaze, asking how she knew her father was Zhuang Jiu.
In that brief moment, she suddenly realized that her next honest answer might very well implicate Seventh Young Master in the case.
When she fell into an uncomfortable silence, Seventh Young Master spoke up himself.
Opening his mouth to take all the responsibility directly!
The instant Eleventh Young Master's sharp gaze turned towards Seventh Young Master...
In the early autumn night wind still carrying heat, a cold sweat suddenly seeped out on Ying Xiaoman's back.
In that moment, sitting on the wooden chair in the small courtyard where the Ministry of Justice detained officials awaiting trial, her slender shoulders tensed straight, her breathing becoming three times heavier.
All she could think of was the miserable scene of Seventh Young Master being implicated because of her, losing his official position, sitting in a small blue sedan chair, being escorted by Ministry of Justice officials to this cold and quiet courtyard for questioning.
Seventh Young Master falling suddenly from his high position into dire straits, possibly like Eighth Young Master, unable to sleep night after night, lamenting over the moonlight, reciting poetry to the small bamboo grove in the middle of the night... possibly even confined next to Eighth Young Master's small courtyard, having to endure the sarcasm of his sharp-tongued brother... all because she had implicated him!
Until a pair of hands pulled her to stand up, gently squeezing each of her tightly clenched fingers, loosening the fingernails that had dug deep crescent marks into her palms, her fingertips held in a warm grasp.
Ying Xiaoman looked up, her clear dark eyes still containing traces of wariness and lingering fear: "Is it just closed like this? What about later, no more questions?"
"The case is closed. The Ying family is not involved, there won't be any more questions in the future."
Ying Xiaoman stood up somewhat dazedly, the thin layer of sweat on her back clinging stickily to her body, feeling a bit cold as the night wind blew.
She looked up at the moonlight overhead, then at the small clump of bamboo in the corner.
The case was closed.
The Ying family was not involved, so Seventh Young Master wouldn't be implicated either.
Seventh Young Master wouldn't lose his official position because of her, wouldn't be detained in a small courtyard lamenting over the moonlight, reciting poetry to the small bamboo grove in the middle of the night, and certainly wouldn't be sarcastically mocked by Eighth Young Master...
Their clasped hands tugged urgently, she lowered her head and smiled silently, hearing Seventh Young Master's familiar voice:
"After tonight's testimony, the Ying family has no more connection to the Yuqing Tower spy case, tell your mother to set her mind at ease. By the way, since Eleventh Young Master is after all the chief investigator who closed your case, while he's free tonight, why don't you go over and say a few words, to clear up the matter of the alley incident face to face? Don't worry, Eleventh Young Master is not a narrow-minded person, since he let the alley incident go before, he won't pursue it again..."
The two stood facing each other in the center of the small courtyard, surrounded by bright lantern light. Yan Rongshi leaned slightly forward, speaking softly and slowly to persuade the young woman in front of him who was keeping her head down without a sound. Suddenly, Ying Xiaoman raised her head.
The bright light illuminated her smoothly blooming face, like a spring flower blossoming brightly on a branch in March, her clear eyes reflecting Seventh Young Master in front of her, her gaze startlingly bright.
Ying Xiaoman stood on tiptoe, and just as the young man in front of her was leaning down slightly to speak softly to her, she directly stretched out both arms and wrapped them around his slender neck.
"Seventh Young Master." Ying Xiaoman's cheek pressed against the smooth silk robe, the familiar faint scent of incense entering her nostrils. She had never asked what kind of incense he usually used, but it was Seventh Young Master's scent.
She nuzzled contentedly, and called out softly again, "Seventh Young Master."
Plop, the testimony record held by the clerk fell to the ground, then was hurriedly picked up.
The two Ministry of Justice clerks spun around in circles in the narrow courtyard. Looking down at the ground, busy with nothing, scurrying about aimlessly.
Eleventh Young Master stood behind the long table, his motion to leave paused, his narrow eyes glaring at the scene before him.
He closed his eyes, then opened them again. The two people embracing in front of him still hadn't separated.
Eleventh Young Master's voice was low and cold, enunciating each word:
"I spent five long nights in the Ministry of War. On a rare evening when I'm free, I invited him for a drink, he said he was too busy, dragged me to the Ministry of Justice to take testimony... to show me this?"
Wu Xun stood beside him with a straight face.
With nowhere to rest his gaze, he finally stared straight at the courtyard gate. "Your Highness is wise."
Eleventh Young Master: "..."
Fortunately, the couple embracing in the center of the small courtyard finally parted reluctantly.
Their hands still clasped, Ying Xiaoman walked to the long table, glancing up close at this noble scion of the imperial clan: Zhao Eleventh Young Master.
The Eleventh Young Master stood behind the long table with his hands behind his back. For some reason, his expression looked even gloomier in the lamplight...
Ying Xiaoman silently mused to herself: He still doesn't look like a good person.
But one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The incident in the dark alley before was truly a case of mistaken identity on her part, causing the Eleventh Young Master to have a fright in the middle of the night. Afterwards, he took charge and suppressed the matter without seeking revenge on her. The Seventh Young Master was right, she really should clear things up with him face to face.
Ying Xiaoman gathered her courage to approach the Eleventh Young Master. She gave a somewhat stiff curtsy and began to thank him in person.
"About that time in the dark alley, I acted rashly and mistook you for someone else. I later heard from the Seventh Young Master that you decided not to pursue the matter with my family. You're truly magnanimous. Thank you for not holding it against us."
Her sincere praise of his "magnanimity" softened the Eleventh Young Master's expression considerably.
He spoke in his usual low, slow voice: "It's a small matter, no need to dwell on it. As for my inappropriate words in front of your family's butcher shop before, I hope Miss Ying won't take offense either."
"Inappropriate words in front of your family's butcher shop"...
The Eleventh Young Master spoke so formally that it took Ying Xiaoman a while to recall what he was referring to.
One night before, he had inexplicably shown up outside her lamb shop, muttering something about "wild orchids on a secluded path" and "fine jade fallen in the mire"... He seemed to look down on her running a lamb shop business.
But the Eleventh Young Master was originally a stranger to her. Even if he had made some disparaging remarks and looked down on her family's lamb shop, what did it matter? As long as the Seventh Young Master supported her running the meat shop, that was enough.
Ying Xiaoman was in especially high spirits tonight.
So she said cheerfully, "I'd forgotten all about it until you mentioned it. Don't take it to heart either, it's all trivial matters."
This was the first time the Eleventh Young Master had seen Ying Xiaoman smile.
The young woman was already in the bloom of youth, and her smile made her look even more carefree. Her eyes curved into enchanting crescents, her long lashes fluttering a few times, their bright depths reflecting his figure.
The Eleventh Young Master's heart skipped a beat when he encountered her radiant smile head-on.
He quickly averted his gaze and strode towards the courtyard gate.
Standing by the gate, he said to Yan Rongshi in a deliberately cold tone: "Are you drinking or not? If you're drinking, let's go to a nearby tavern. If not, I'm heading back to my residence."
"I know you've spent five long nights at the Ministry of War," Yan Rongshi said leisurely as he saw the Eleventh Young Master out. "Go back to your residence and rest early tonight. As I've said before, haste makes waste, while patience brings success. We have plenty of time, there's no need to rush."
The Eleventh Young Master snorted as he walked out.
He was the one being unreasonable. The Seventh Young Master could find time to whisper sweet nothings to his beloved young lady even while reviewing cases; whereas he himself was stuck at the Ministry of War, wrangling with a bunch of old foxes until the wee hours.
"I'm going back to sleep," the Eleventh Young Master ordered coldly:
"After I wake up, I'll go back to the Ministry of War and continue grinding them down. We'll see if I wear them out first, or if they wear me out!"
Wu Xun followed a few steps behind, silently casting a grateful look at Yan Rongshi.
If they had to endure a few more sleepless nights, His Highness's health would suffer before those old foxes at the Ministry of War were worn down. But the first to die would definitely be the close attendants like themselves.
"Your Highness is wise," Wu Xun said sincerely.
Halfway out, the Eleventh Young Master seemed to recall something and stopped to say: "I heard that besides you making the greatest contribution in uncovering the long-hidden Northern spy den in the capital this time, Yan Yilang also played a part? Word from the palace is that they're going to reward both of you."
"Yan Yilang, huh." Yan Rongshi thought of the shattered porcelain and broken iron strewn all over Yuqing Tower. The punches and kicks Yan Yilang had endured from the angry crowd as the prison cart drove away.
Yan Rongshi had realized there was great merit to be earned shortly after arriving at Yuqing Tower.
He had provoked Yan Yilang verbally several times along the way, but Yan Yilang was so fixated on Xiaoman that he refused to leave, inadvertently allowing Yan Rongshi to claim the credit.
"Fools have fool's luck," Yan Rongshi explained leisurely. "Although he initially went to Yuqing Tower just to cause trouble... it's undeniable that he did contribute some effort."
The Eleventh Young Master nodded.
Taking the opportunity as he turned back, he cast an inconspicuous glance towards the small courtyard gate.
Ying Xiaoman stood under the brightly lit lamps of the courtyard, watching them leave from afar.
"Have you resolved the blood feud between you and her?"
"Hmm..." Yan Rongshi avoided the topic, saying lightly as before: "There's still a long road ahead. No need to rush things."
So that meant it wasn't resolved yet. The Eleventh Young Master snorted.
"Be careful of Yan Yilang."
"Yan Yilang is from the Empress Dowager's maternal family. He's had access to the inner palace since childhood, and the Empress Dowager favors him. The Emperor also dotes on this nephew of his. Last time when he publicly bullied an innocent young woman, it caused quite a stir. Yan Yilang lost his position in the Imperial Guard, but he still retains his post at the Court of Judicial Review and can still enter the imperial city. It shows how much the Emperor favors him."
Yan Rongshi walked a few steps and asked, "So?"
"So, you need to be careful at this palace banquet meant for rewards and honors."
As he spoke, he took the chance to glance again at the lamp-lit courtyard as he turned. The gate had been quietly closed at some point, the fair lady's silhouette was gone, leaving only desolation all around.
The Eleventh Young Master suppressed the melancholy in his heart and continued speaking as if unconcerned.
"I've heard rumors from the palace. Yan Yilang has competed with you several times, and this time he wrecked the tavern was also to avenge her? Who knows how much of this has reached the Empress Dowager's ears. At this rewards banquet, they might summon the Ying family to the palace to see them in person."
"Be wary of Yan Yilang. He's always causing trouble. Be careful he doesn't stir up a storm while seeking rewards."
In the dimly lit small courtyard.
Ying Xiaoman blew out the lamps one by one, returned to the main room, and happily hugged her mother.
"The Ying family is safe now." Lying in the warm embrace, Ying Xiaoman envisioned the future.
"Mother, now that this case is closed, we should be able to go back to our hometown to see Father soon."
"That's wonderful." Her adoptive mother wiped away tears of joy: "Heaven has eyes."
The question of whether her adoptive father was the disappeared Zhuang Jiu was put out of their minds with the conclusion of the Ying family's case. After all, he was their own kin, so what did it matter what name he went by in the past?
"Mother, I want to take the Seventh Young Master to Father's grave to ask him something."
"Ask what?"
"Now that Father has passed on, he must have met his former masters in the netherworld and learned many things he didn't know in life. Perhaps Father targeted the wrong enemies, and the Yan family of Changle Alley isn't his masters' enemy? Father's old friend from the past turned out to be a bad person, so maybe his master wasn't a good person either?"
Her adoptive mother found this quite reasonable. "Your father indeed wasn't very good at judging people when he was alive. His friend of many years actually turned out to be a spy hiding in the capital! It's possible his master wasn't a good person either."
"Mother, I want to take the Seventh Young Master to offer incense at Father's grave. Once Father sees the Seventh Young Master clearly, I hope he can appear in my dreams and tell me that our family can get along well with the Seventh Young Master."
Her adoptive mother thought further: "What if your father appears in your dreams and insists that the Seventh Young Master is an enemy?"
The mother and daughter looked at each other for a moment, then the adoptive mother continued:
"Your father wasn't very good at judging people when he was alive, so he might continue to be a muddled ghost after death. When we go to burn paper money at his grave, we should remind him a few more times that the Seventh Young Master is a rare good young man, and tell him not to send misleading dreams, but to take a good look at people. We'll also have the Seventh Young Master burn some paper money for him in person. If that's not enough, we'll offer some wine at the grave too."
"...Let's wait and see if Father appears in my dreams first."
"Mention it to the Seventh Young Master first. He's very busy, who knows if he can go back to our hometown with us this year..."
Ying Xiaoman covered a yawn, her voice gradually becoming muffled as she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
In her dream, the scenes shifted, all showing the Seventh Young Master burning paper money and offering wine at her father's grave. Her father, happy with the food and drink in the netherworld, appeared at his grave, patting the Seventh Young Master's shoulder and speaking in his usual booming voice:
"He really is a good young man!"
Ying Xiaoman turned over in her sleep, smiling sweetly in her beautiful dream.
At the Xingning Marquis Mansion in the east of the city.
The lamps burned bright in Yan Yilang's small courtyard. Several of his confidants sat around, their eyes red from lack of sleep.
Yan Yilang sat with his legs crossed at the center of the long table, tapping an ivory fan rhythmically on the tabletop: "With so many people here, you still can't come up with a solution? Are all these heads on your shoulders just for show?"
His confidants sighed and said: "Young Master, it's really difficult. The difference in their family backgrounds is too great. Even taking her as a concubine might not pass muster with the old Marquis, let alone marrying her."
"Indeed, Yilang. The lady is also prone to stirring up trouble. So many eyes are watching in the Marquis Mansion, hoping for Yilang to make a misstep and hand over the title. If there's even a slight misstep in the matter of marriage, it will become a major weakness."
"Think thrice, Yilang!"
Yan Yilang curved his lips into a smile: "The eldest son of the Yan family in Changle Alley is the head of the household, isn't he? How come he's not afraid of the vast difference in family status, being pointed at and gossiped about by the elders of various branches? Am I inferior to him? Just because I don't want to hand over our family's title to my two dear brothers, should I hand over the girl I like to someone else?"
He slapped the table: "I've got it!"
Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, Yan Yilang stood up and took two steps towards the moon, reciting two lines of unconventional poetry:
"'Natural and unadorned quality, innately without artifice.' That's it, I have a plan. Everyone can disperse now."
"..."
The bright moon hung in the sky.
Under the half-round moon of early autumn, Yan Rongshi treaded on the night shadows and knocked on the door of Han Xingji, a semi-retired elder statesman who had served three reigns, currently holding the position of Minister of the Ministry of Justice and the honorary title of Grand Tutor of the Three Excellencies.
"Elder Han, I apologize for disturbing you so late." Yan Rongshi performed a junior's respectful gesture and briefly explained his purpose.
"Elder Han had a deep friendship with my late grandfather. You have also shown much appreciation and support for us juniors, which I keep close to my heart."
"My parents and grandfather have all passed away. I have an urgent matter now and would like to entrust Elder Han to help. I cannot express my gratitude enough."