The autumn rain drizzled incessantly.
Before Yan Rongshi lay a freshly inked confession. At the bottom, a signature and seal marked the confessor's name: "Zhu Chennian."
The confession was brief, containing only two points:
First: Zhu Chennian claimed to be an advisor under Prime Minister Zheng.
Second: He insisted that his abduction was a misunderstanding. He had merely encountered Miss Ying on the street, and recalling the recent Yuqing Tower case, struck up a curious conversation with her.
Of course, the second point was confirmed to be a lie.
Ying Xiaoman, on her way home, had encountered an ill-intentioned middle-aged scholar who had spilled everything to her without reservation—every word the villain had said to her.
So, Zhu Chennian clearly knew Ying Xiaoman's identity and was aware of the past connection between her adoptive father and Manager Fang of Yuqing Tower. He had deliberately sought her out.
As for what he wanted to say when he stopped Ying Xiaoman midway, his words were left unfinished, his purpose unclear.
But there must have been a purpose.
Yan Rongshi pondered, his knuckles tapping the confession a few times.
The man was Prime Minister Zheng's advisor. Was Zhu Chennian's search for Ying Xiaoman on his master's orders? His own initiative? Or was there someone else behind it?
But the man had suddenly died in the small courtyard of Kappa Alley.
Moreover, it happened under the strict watch of the Yan family's skilled guards, with someone silently sneaking into the room and breaking his neck.
The trail had gone cold again.
In the misty rain-shrouded capital, it seemed as if an invisible hand was meticulously controlling the situation from somewhere. Whenever the case made progress, on the verge of a breakthrough, the clues were immediately severed.
But thinking inversely... the deliberately severed clues were precisely the useful ones.
Amidst the sound of rain on the long eaves, a series of chaotic footsteps echoed. The coroner had finished examining the body, returning it to the Ministry of Justice's custody. Now, the corpse, wrapped in white cloth, lay in the hall below.
On Yan Rongshi's desk, several confessions were arranged in order.
Zhou Xianguang, the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, testified:
During the transfer from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Punishment, there was foul play. Numerous confiscated goods that vanished into thin air, written off by both sides' documents, were all handled by Evaluator Bian of the Ministry of Justice.
Bian Zhishu, Evaluator of the Ministry of Justice, testified:
The goods confiscated by the Ministry of Justice had many channels for disposal, depending on their use. Iron items were sold at high prices to Yuqing Tower in the east of the city. Whether privately forged or government-made iron tools, from plowing harrows to wall-climbing claws, from thieves' stolen iron caltrops to small bronze cannons, Yuqing Tower wanted them all. It was a stable and reliable fence, a sales channel they had cooperated with for many years.
As for what Yuqing Tower wanted these iron items for? Evaluator Bian claimed ignorance. He only remembered that a discarded tiger-head small bronze cannon, confiscated and stored by the Ministry of Justice, had earned him a hefty sum.
Fang Xiang, the manager of Yuqing Tower, testified:
The northern country's land was barren, in dire need of refined iron. With long-term warfare between the two countries, iron and copper trades were banned at the border. As a long-term base in the capital, one of Yuqing Tower's important tasks was to purchase refined iron weapons.
But weapon control was strict. No matter how well-connected they were, the sixth and seventh-rank secretaries and gentlemen in the capital dared not get involved in armory trades. Yuqing Tower could only settle for the next best thing, buying up all the refined iron tools privately traded or confiscated by officials. They bought as much as they could.
"The large-scale refined iron weapons trafficking case that spread throughout the capital last autumn and winter? It had nothing to do with Yuqing Tower." Fang Xiang withstood several rounds of severe torture, still refusing to budge.
Yan Rongshi had interrogated him once. Fang Xiang self-deprecatingly said to his face: "If we had connections with important people and the ability to quietly remove a warehouse full of refined iron firearms, why would Yuqing Tower need to collect even civilian iron harrows and thieves' grappling hooks? Why would I have stayed at Yuqing Tower for twenty years? Wouldn't it be better to return to my country and enjoy the rewards of my service?"
Though unpleasant to hear, it did sound like the truth.
In the endless drizzle, Yan Rongshi picked up another stack of confessions.
This stack was the testimony recorded by the Eleventh Young Master, who had recently taken charge at the Ministry of War. Bypassing the Minister of War and the two Vice Ministers above him, he had interrogated and recorded confessions from hundreds of officials, from the fifth-rank Lang Zhong down to the eighth-rank Cheng Wu Lang.
The border had long been at war. The court relied heavily on the Ministry of War, allocating large sums of expenditure every year.
The Ministry of War had bred a large group of old hands.
These low-ranking officials, who handled the daily affairs of the six ministries, all cried foul when asked about the disappearance of large batches of refined iron weapons from the warehouses:
"The number of weapons recorded in the Ministry of War's books has never matched the actual number in the three warehouses of the capital."
"It's been decades. Everyone in the Ministry of War knows this is an old, unresolvable problem."
"It's not just the weapon numbers in the warehouses that don't match the records. The actual numbers of prohibited troops and local militia, the number of horses distributed at the border, have never matched. The numbers reported from below are already inaccurate, how can we in the capital verify them?"
"It's the custom of the Ministry of War that before every major battle, as long as the number of weapons dispatched to the border matches the order, it's fine. If the count is insufficient, we urgently manufacture more. As for how many weapons are actually stockpiled in the warehouses, what numbers are in the books, no one takes it seriously."
Everyone takes a little. Everyone feels innocent. How can you blame someone who only scooped a drop of water from the edge of a disappearing sea?
The top three confessions in the thick stack were from the Minister of War and the two Vice Ministers.
The young and vigorous Right Vice Minister, newly transferred to the Ministry of War last year, was the one who noticed that an entire warehouse of refined iron weapons was missing from the three major warehouses in the capital, and blew the whistle.
The Left Vice Minister had been stationed in the Ministry of War for ten years.
Faced with the relentless pursuit of the Eleventh Young Master, after a long silence, he said: "The matter of weapons warehouse shortages, in fact, has been this way since over twenty years ago, when Minister Yan was in office..."
The Minister of War, who had presided over the ministry for twenty years, remained silent even longer before finally saying: "When the water is too clear, there are no fish..."
The Eleventh Young Master had personally come to the Ministry of Justice to deliver the confessions early in the morning, sitting across from Yan Rongshi.
With dark circles under his eyes and having lost weight, a gloomy light flickered in his narrow eyes.
"Listen to this, Seventh Brother. These old hands keep passing the buck, pushing it back more than twenty years to your grandfather's time."
As the Ministry of Justice clerk served clear tea, the Eleventh Young Master laughed coldly.
"So, there was never any 'sudden' 'refined iron firearms trafficking case'. There's only been year after year of cover-ups, concealing shortages from who knows how many years ago. The officialdom has its own rules, everyone takes it for granted. When there aren't enough weapons in the warehouses, they just rush to manufacture more. When there's not enough money, they just ask the national treasury for more. Where did the entire warehouse of missing refined iron firearms go? How did they gradually disappear over the long river of time, how did they vanish under so many watchful eyes? As long as the six ministries operate as usual, who cares."
The more the Eleventh Young Master spoke, the angrier he became, furiously smashing his teacup. Tea spilled all over the floor.
"'When the water is too clear, there are no fish; when people are too scrutinizing, they have no followers.' These old fools are subtly warning me not to meddle! In April, I privately interrogated a former Lang Zhong of the Ministry of War who managed the weapons warehouses. I promised him great rewards, and he finally loosened his lips, saying he would consider it. That very night, he died violently in prison. It's hard to say there wasn't some scheme by these people involved!"
"Seventh Brother, it involves the period when Minister Yan was in office over twenty years ago. How can we investigate? What do you think about this matter, Seventh Brother?!"
Yan Rongshi's long desk was covered with confessions.
His slender fingers pressed down on one in front of him, patiently flipping through them one by one, searching for a second one from the pile of papers.
"Calm down. Let's take a look at our Eighth Young Master's confession first." He unhurriedly brought Eighth Young Master Yan's confession close, indeed scanning it quickly.
The Eleventh Young Master's lips twitched: "At a time like this, you're still concerned about Eighth Young Master Yan? He can't cause any waves in your hands. The case of plotting against you, his elder brother, can be pushed back a bit..."
"It can't be delayed. It's not very cold in August, but if we wait a few more days, the corpse will start to rot."
In the few exchanges, Yan Rongshi had already found the key words he was looking for, his knuckles gently tapping on the paper.
"On a winter night last year, the one who stopped the Eighth Young Master on the street and eloquently persuaded him to send out information was a scholar in his forties. About seven feet tall, with a thin build, a goatee, and quite elegant in speech. — The description matches."
He immediately ordered: "Where is the Eighth Young Master? Summon him to the hall."
Eighth Young Master Yan was currently atoning for his crimes by meritorious service.
In a certain interrogation room of the Ministry of Justice, he was interrogating criminals and recording confessions day and night. Except for the three meals a day when he could leave the interrogation room to get some air, he hardly saw daylight.
Summoned by his elder brother, Eighth Young Master Yan drifted over like a specter.
With dark circles under his eyes, he had lost a lot of weight compared to when he was confined in the waiting trial courtyard, spending his days in melancholy.
Yan Rongshi satisfactorily called the Eighth Young Master to come closer.
Eighth Young Master Yan was indeed capable. With him taking charge, Yan Rongshi had become much less busy lately.
Yan Rongshi began his daily routine of gentle encouragement.
"By rights, you should be dismissed from office and awaiting trial. But your luck is extraordinarily good. Recently, the Ministry of Justice has been investigating major cases one after another and is in urgent need of manpower. Therefore, you have this rare opportunity to atone for your crimes through meritorious service. Eighth Brother, can you still handle it?"
Eighth Young Master Yan mustered his strength and said through gritted teeth, "This official can endure! This official can do even more!"
"Very good. Go down to the hall and take a look at the corpse in the corner."
Eighth Young Master Yan was puzzled, but after spinning like a top for several days, his mind was already numb. He drifted over like a ghost and indeed lifted the white cloth to take a look.
Just one glance made his face change dramatically.
He retreated two steps in succession, leaning against a pillar and closing his eyes briefly.
Yan Rongshi revealed a satisfied expression: "So you know each other. Tell me honestly, how exactly did you become acquainted?"
"Thank you." He placed Eighth Young Master Yan's confession in front of Eleventh Young Master. "When friends and relatives are involved in a case, one should recuse oneself from judgment."
Eleventh Young Master: "..." Who told him to never learn his lesson, approaching Seventh Brother once or twice? He deserved to be caught up in this!
Eleventh Young Master expressionlessly dipped his brush in ink.
Three or four more lines were added to Eighth Young Master Yan's confession.
The scholar Zhu Chennian, who died from a broken neck, was indeed the "advisor" he had met with a few times and started liaising with last winter, though he didn't know his name.
The person behind Zhu Chennian was the one who had promised Eighth Young Master Yan a "promotion."
Yan Rongshi flipped over Zhu Chennian's confession and circled the words "Prime Minister Zheng" with his brush.
He casually tossed the confession into a large pile of case files.
When the duty clerk nervously brought a second cup of fresh tea, Yan Rongshi changed the subject and spoke to Eleventh Young Master, who was examining the corpse's features with a grim expression.
"Speaking of my grandfather, the old man was extremely good at judging people. There were several times when he laughed and commented on the rising stars of the court, their personalities, conduct, strengths, and weaknesses, all of which later proved to be accurate."
"There was only one person in the court whom he misjudged. This person's personality and way of handling affairs were completely different from my grandfather's predictions. After my grandfather retired due to illness, he mentioned him two or three more times."
Eleventh Young Master's attention was diverted.
"The rising star from when Minister Yan was in power must be quite old by now. I wonder which pillar of the court he was evaluating?" Yan Rongshi took a sip from his teacup and said slowly, "It was none other than the current Prime Minister Zheng."
In the evening, as the old doorkeeper shakily hung two lanterns high on the lintel of the Ministry of Justice office, a carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the office steps.
Ying Xiaoman jumped down from the carriage, helping her adoptive mother and Zhi alight. Several of the Yan family's servants took down packages big and small from the carriage.
"This way to the west," Sui Miao led the way, entering the Ministry of Justice.
Due to a sudden homicide in Hetou Lane, the Ying family, who lived next door, became witnesses again and moved into the small courtyard on the west side of the government office. They were staying in the same small courtyard as before.
Once bitten, twice shy; this time when the Ying family moved into the office to stay, their attitude was much more relaxed than the last time.
The jade ruyi scepter bestowed by the palace was the first to be taken out of the trunks and enshrined in the center of the main hall along with the painting of Guanyin Bodhisattva. The other trunks and bundles were then unpacked slowly.
While unpacking the trunks, the adoptive mother chatted idly with Ying Xiaoman.
"Now that we've moved into the office again, will Seventh Brother come in the evening? He's been as busy as a spinning top."
"Recently, Eighth Brother has been helping him. Seventh Brother is gradually freeing up his hands and can occasionally come to our house for dinner. Now that we've moved into the office... he might come when he has time."
The adoptive mother was very pleased. "Brothers should help each other in times of need, like father and son in battle."
But looking at the packages scattered all over the floor in front of her, she became worried again.
"We're about to return to our hometown, and here we are moving back and forth, it's quite a hassle."
Ying Xiaoman just smiled with pursed lips, happily opening the bundles and putting things away in various places.
Zhi, sucking on the candy figure that Sui's brother had stuffed into her hand while helping with the move, said with certainty, "Elder Sister likes living here."
Ying Xiaoman gently flicked Zhi's little nose.
Her heart was thinking of someone, but her mouth stubbornly talked about other things.
"The butcher shop is just diagonally across, it's only a few steps away, which is convenient for business. It's not bad to stay here until the end of August."
The adoptive mother didn't believe it: "How can you do business while staying in the government office as a witness to give testimony? Can you slaughter sheep in the government office?"
Ying Xiaoman was suddenly stunned. She had forgotten about that...
"When Seventh Brother comes, I'll ask him."
"Give this bag of case files to Magistrate Yan."
Yan Rongshi handed over the cowhide bag containing over twenty catties of case files to the executive official in person.
Shopkeeper Fang's connections in the capital were too extensive; he himself had confessed to regularly socializing with over three hundred people. They were short-handed for recording confessions.
Fortunately, now they had Eighth Young Master Yan working like mad, doing the work of three people.
"Pass on a message to Magistrate Yan for me, saying that the Yuqing Tower spy case has already been reported to the court, with a deadline set for mid-August. If he can record at least twenty confessions daily, he'll be able to close the case on time and offset his crimes with meritorious service. Tell him to work hard. Oh, and add a dish of roast mutton to his official dinner tonight, tell him to eat more and not to exhaust himself."
"Yes, sir." The executive official struggled to drag away the heavy bag of case files.
As twilight enveloped the sky, Yan Rongshi changed out of his official robes, left the office duty room, and walked along the corridor to the west, knocking on the door of one of the quiet small courtyards on the western side.
The door opened.
Zhi's little head poked out from the crack in the door, and she turned back joyfully to call out, "Aunt, Elder Sister. Seventh Brother is here!"
Yan Rongshi smiled and gently rubbed Zhi's hair bun, handing over the fragrant paper package in his hand. "Freshly made roast mutton from the kitchen, take it to your aunt. Where's your elder sister?"
"She's in the east room tidying things up." Zhi clutched the paper package, hopping and skipping into the house to find her adoptive mother for a large plate.
In fact, Ying Xiaoman had already heard the commotion and came out in a few steps. She was now standing under the eaves, facing the familiar figure stepping over the threshold in the twilight.
Yan Rongshi stood by the bamboo grove in the small courtyard, his gaze sweeping towards the eastern wing room, finding it empty. Just as he was slightly stunned, he caught a glimpse of a slender shadow stealthily moving along the shadow of the long eaves.
A smile immediately rippled in his almond-shaped eyes. Pretending not to notice, he even cooperatively turned half his body, walking straight towards the east room.
Soft footsteps came from behind.
Ying Xiaoman held back her laughter, spread her arms and pounced straight at him, hugging the waist of her beloved from behind: "Seventh Brother!"
Yan Rongshi wrapped his arms around the little woman he had been thinking of, lifting her and spinning her half a circle.
"Wow." A clear exclamation came from the direction of the main hall. Zhi excitedly shouted, "Seventh Brother, I want a hug too~ I want to spin too mmph—"
The adoptive mother, holding the plate of roast meat in one hand and dragging Zhi with the other, had just stepped out of the main hall when she retracted her foot, saying loudly from inside, "Ahem, little one, we're about to go out."
"Aunt, we've already gone out mmph—"
The embracing couple by the bamboo grove in the small courtyard reluctantly parted.
In the light of the small courtyard, Yan Rongshi carefully observed Ying Xiaoman's expression at this moment. He had a hidden worry.
After all, it had happened suddenly, with a death occurring right before her eyes.
"A witness died next door, were you frightened?"
Ying Xiaoman looked up at him, her eyes bright and sparkling. There was no sign of fright, but she did have a question for him: "Can we slaughter sheep in the small courtyard of the Ministry of Justice?"
Yan Rongshi: "..."
Very good. She wasn't frightened at all.
"Live sheep cannot enter the Ministry of Justice."
Yan Rongshi patiently explained the rules of the government office to her: "The main gate of the office is only for people to enter and exit. Even the hunting dogs kept by the Ministry of Justice have to go in and out through the western side door. Don't you remember?"
That made sense. Ying Xiaoman pondered worriedly for a good while, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Then, can we lead the live sheep to the neighboring courtyard where they keep the dogs, and borrow a space to slaughter it?"
Faced with the expectant, bright eyes before him, Yan Rongshi couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her soft, rosy cheek.
"You just won't leave the Ministry of Justice's dogs alone, will you?"