Wen Zhengshen laughed heartily: “He breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing that Qiao Qingqing had left and gone home, he actually breathed a sigh of relief. Hahaha, so he was forced into it and never wanted to elope in the first place. What a gentleman, what a good man—turns out, that’s all he was. So, I coaxed him into drinking, put poison in the wine, and poisoned him to death. It was an accidental killing, unplanned, so I was scared. I knew I was full of holes and afraid of being exposed. But, hahaha…”
He turned a vicious look toward the Qiao and Ma families: “But these people were so stupid, they believed it and even wanted to hold the funeral. They had their suspicions, but to protect their own reputations and cover up this scandal, they chose to hide it, chose not to investigate. I was almost in the clear. What a pity, though—something unexpected happened. Why?”
His voice trailed off, and he slumped his head as if drained: “Why? Why are people so dumb? Why could those two foolish families, the Qiaos and Mas, make so much money? Why could they live better than me? I’m clearly a hundred times smarter than them… My paintings could sell for twenty taels of silver… Everything should have been mine…”
Mr. and Mrs. Qiao and Mr. and Mrs. Ma sat on the ground crying.
Wen Zhengshen rambled like a madman.
Yan Tongshu shook his head and ordered Wen Zhengshen to be taken away and executed in seven days. As for the maid Tao Hong, for hiding the land deed and committing the crime of harboring a criminal, she was sentenced to one year of hard labor.
The Qiao and Ma families came to their senses, supporting each other as they left.
Pearl wiped away her tears: “That despicable Wen Zhengshen is so evil.”
She said with reddened eyes: “I thought it was a tale of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman torn apart by others, but it turned out to be a coward and a pretentious, bad-tempered young lady.”
Yan Tongshu wiped Pearl’s tears: “There aren’t that many perfect people. As long as someone is human, they have flaws in their character; those without flaws are gods. Ma Tianci might have been somewhat cowardly, but in the end, he had the courage to save Qiao Qingqing. Look at the deed, not the heart.
As for Qiao Qingqing, she might have had a bit of a temper and used a ghostwriter, but she wasn’t malicious. Initially, using a substitute was just to avoid homework. She cherished genuine feelings and knew when to turn back. Though they had many imperfections, the feelings between them were real.”
Pearl pouted: “But I still don’t feel happy about it.”
Yan Tongshu pinched Pearl’s round cheeks: “Then… come on, this young master will take you to eat some delicious treats. Have some persimmon walnut cakes, drink some Longan milk tea, and add a serving of nougat. Nothing in the world is incurable with sweets; if there is, just add another helping.”
Pearl immediately cheered up, giving Yan Tongshu an enthusiastic thumbs-up: “Okay!”
After accompanying Pearl for the sweets and working for a long time, Yan Tongshu finally reached the once-a-month day off.
No early court session, no need to go to Kaifeng prefecture.
She held Yuanzi, wrapped herself in a thick quilt, and slept until noon, then groggily got up.
Yuanzi meowed, seemingly hungry.
Yan Tongshu stroked her round little head—the cat, hungry as she was, hadn’t disturbed her, just quietly stayed by her side sleeping until she woke up.
Yan Tongshu set Yuanzi on the floor, and Yuanzi immediately scampered over to her food bowl, gobbling up her meal.
So she was indeed starving.
Yan Tongshu patted her stomach—she was hungry, too.
She got up, changed clothes, and came out. Pearl sat her down and had the maids bring up the meal.
As Yan Tongshu ate, she asked: “What about Mother and the others? They didn’t wait for me, did they?”
Pearl smiled: “Young master, the madam and the second young lady knew you were tired and ate long ago. The madam has gone to a gathering, and as for the second young lady, her maid said she went to the kite festival.”
The kite festival?
Yan Tongshu’s interest sparked: “Are there good snacks?”
“Yes, probably,” Pearl said uncertainly. “I’ve heard many street vendors set up stalls around the kite festival to make money from the crowd.”
Yan Tongshu said immediately: “After we eat, let’s go too.”
Pearl thought for a moment: “I’ll grab three kites from the storeroom. If the food there isn’t good, we can always fly kites.”
Yan Tongshu nodded repeatedly: “Great.”
Pearl went to fetch the kites from the storeroom. Yan Tongshu wolfed down her meal and then headed to the kite festival with Pearl and Jinbao.
The festival was held on a patch of open ground in the suburbs. The authorities had put up a wooden sign and that was enough approval.
Men, women, the young and old—everyone was flying kites here.
Some families had custom-made kites. One carp-shaped kite was twenty feet long, spectacular to behold.
When they got tired, thirsty, or hungry from flying kites, there were street vendors nearby selling fruits, teas, and a variety of snacks.
Before Yan Tongshu even got her kite up, she bought three bowls of pea cake, one each for Pearl, Jinbao, and herself.
No sooner had she finished the pea cake than she got a serving of crystal jelly.
Crystal jelly was made somewhat like pork skin terrine, but with chicken or fish broth that was boiled and left to cool, using the natural gelatin in the meat to set into translucent chunks.
When eaten, seasonings were added, making it especially delicious.
Yan Tongshu put the crystal jelly on the ground, paid out the kite string, and once the kite flew up, she fixed the string reel to the ground, sat on the grass, and leisurely savored her food.
Pearl and Jinbao followed her example.
Yan Tongshu bit into the crystal jelly and looked up to admire her cat-shaped kite.
The cat on the kite was drawn just like Yuanzi, a cartoonish version, vivid and lifelike.
After a while, Yan Tongshu finished her crystal jelly and left Pearl to watch the kite while she wandered off to see what other treats she could find.
She strolled around and was drawn to a pot of bubbling dumplings.
The dumplings were triangular, filled with three types of stuffing in three flavors, similar to wontons or dumplings.
Yan Tongshu was just about to order three bowls when she heard a familiar voice: “Boss, here’s the money.”
The man in front of her, holding a bowl, turned around and met her eyes. The two of them froze, feeling a bit awkward.
Yan Tongshu said: “Brother-in-law.”
She asked: “You’re here for the kite festival too? Alone?”
Zheng Chun’s gaze drifted to the in the distance where Zheng Ke was running wildly with a kite.
Yan Tongshu was surprised: “My little nephew came too? Aren’t the two of you supposed to be at Old Master Gu’s school today?”
“Yes, we have class, but we took the day off.” Zheng Chun pulled Yan Tongshu aside and begged: “Tongshu, please, I’m begging you—don’t tell your sister about this. Ke’er and I came without her knowledge.”
Zheng Chun, seeing Yan Tongshu pursing her lips in silence, quickly added: “Don’t blame Ke’er and me—it’s really because your sister schedules way too many lessons, not allowing any time off. Ke’er’s wanted to fly a kite for ages, and I’ve hinted at it with your sister several times, but she hasn’t agreed. I had no choice but to take Ke’er out behind her back without telling her.”
Yan Tongshu thought back to Zheng Ke’s class schedule—it was even worse than senior high school—and Zheng Ke was only six years old.
That sure was a rigorous, pushy parenting style—more intense than the modern-day rat race.
Yan Tongshu looked puzzled. "Keep what from you? I didn't see my brother-in-law today."
Zheng Chun was touched. "Good brother, today your wontons are on me. How many bowls do you want?"
Since they were family, Yan Tongshu didn't stand on ceremony. She held up three fingers. "Three bowls."
Zheng Chun took out his flat money pouch from his waist, shook it—a few coins were left at most. He looked even more awkward.
"Um, Tongshu..." Zheng Chun grinned sheepishly. "Your sister's allowance for me... well, it's really not much."
Yan Tongshu: "..."
Zheng Chun smiled warmly. "Next month, when your sister gives me my allowance, I'll treat you to a meal first thing."
With that said, Zheng Chun hurried off. "Keke is young, I should go keep him company."
Yan Tongshu watched his retreating back and shook her head with a resigned smile.
Her henpecked brother-in-law.
She took out some coins and gave them to the vendor. The vendor brought out three bowls and filled them for her. Yan Tongshu carried them back to Pearl and Jinbao.
"Wow, this smells amazing." Pearl took her bowl, closed her eyes, and sniffed. "So fragrant."
Yan Tongshu took out chopsticks from her waist and handed them to Pearl and Jinbao. "Hurry and try them. I ordered a mix of three fillings: fish, dried shrimp, and chicken with mushrooms."
Pearl and Jinbao nodded happily.
Pearl randomly picked one and took a bite. "Wow, Young Master, I got the shrimp filling. It's so fresh."
Jinbao beamed. "Young Master, I bit into the chicken filling. It seems they added something else to it—it's especially chewy."
"Really?" Yan Tongshu said, picking out one from Jinbao's bowl. It turned out to be chicken filling. She wasn't sure what the vendor had put in it, but the chicken was wonderfully chewy and not dry at all.
After a while, when they were full, Jinbao returned the bowls to the vendor. The three of them grabbed their kites and ran off, the kites flying higher and higher.
"Wow! Mine's the highest!"
"No, mine is!"
"I've already beaten you!"
"That's only because my kite flies further."
"We're competing for height!"
"Young Master!"
Jinbao and Pearl both pouted and looked at Yan Tongshu, wanting her to be the judge.
Yan Tongshu fell silent.
How did these two manage to start arguing?
She took two steps to the right and decisively ran off.
She wasn't going to get involved in this.
If she offended Jinbao, Jinbao would cry like a little gold nugget; if she offended Pearl, Pearl would definitely give her the cold shoulder tonight.
They played until the sky grew dark, and then Yan Tongshu and her companions took the carriage home.
Passing by the city gate, Yan Tongshu saw Lady Qing again.
Lady Qing was holding half a piece of flatbread in her hand. Beside her stood her mother-in-law and two children. Granny Chen hadn't eaten the bread in her hand and instead kept drinking plain water.
Lady Qing was standing at the spot where people waited for rides.
When ordinary folks needed to travel farther, they would find a passing oxcart or donkey cart that was going their way, pay the driver, and ask for a lift. Once they reached a new place, they would either walk a bit or search for another cart heading in the right direction.
There were many people leaving the city for the Kite Festival, and now Yan Tongshu was heading back during the peak time. The carriage was stuck at the gate in a queue.
Taking the opportunity, Yan Tongshu lifted the carriage curtain and greeted Lady Qing.
Lady Qing was also happy to see Yan Tongshu. She took out a sesame pastry and gave it to her, thanking her for answering her question last time.
Yan Tongshu accepted it generously and asked, "Lady Qing, are you heading out of the city to sell your sesame pastries?"
Lady Qing smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm going back to Jiangzhou."
Yan Tongshu was stunned. "Why the sudden return?"
Does that mean she'll never get to eat such delicious sesame pastries again?
Wah, wah, wah.
This made her unhappy.
Lady Qing lowered her eyes, a mix of helplessness and bitterness on her face. "I traveled all the way to the capital this time to look for my husband and my younger brother. But in the end..." She sighed. "I didn't find my husband, and there's no word of my brother either. There's no point in staying any longer. It's better to just go back."
Lady Qing truly had taken Chen Sizhen's words to heart.
In this world, people mocked poverty, not prostitutes.
Since Chen Sizhen was already a royal consort—the princess's husband—instead of offending the princess and him, wouldn't it be better to take the money, go home, and have Chen Sizhen send her silver every year? Use it to improve her life, take care of her mother-in-law, and support the two children.
After all, that was how she had gotten through all these years.
Even if she resented and hated him, even if she went to Kaifeng Prefecture to file a complaint and had him sentenced to death—what good would it do?
In the end, her mother-in-law and children might end up hating her anyway, and she'd still be without a husband, still living in hardship. Better to take the money and have a decent life.
Yan Tongshu could more or less understand Lady Qing's thinking.
The husband of a princess had the backing of the princess, who had immense power. What could a common, uneducated woman without power or influence do?
Yan Tongshu asked, "Do you have enough money?"
Lady Qing nodded.
That likely meant Chen Sizhen had given her some money.
Well, that was okay. At least Lady Qing had gotten something, and her life would be a bit better from now on.
Civil cases were always like that—unless someone officially filed a complaint, the authorities wouldn't get involved. It was all up to the parties themselves.
Yan Tongshu smiled. "Safe travels, then. It's just a pity for us foodies. From now on, we'll miss your sesame pastries every day."
Hearing this, Lady Qing thought for a moment, then took out five sesame pastries from her cloth bag. "You've been so good to me as a customer, Officer Yan. These pastries are a farewell gift from me."
"There's no way I'll just take them for nothing."
Yan Tongshu pulled out some money. "But I truly love these pastries, so I'm buying them. Thank you, Lady Qing."
Lady Qing tried to decline but couldn't, so she accepted the money.
Just then, the oxcart that Lady Qing was waiting for arrived. Granny Chen helped the two children climb onto the large plank bed of the cart. Lady Qing bowed to Yan Tongshu, then jumped on as well.
The old driver cracked his whip on the ox's rump, and the ox trudged forward slowly.
The group gradually left Bianjing behind.
Wei Bao, whom Chen Sizhen had sent to keep an eye on Lady Qing, watched as Lady Qing and her entourage left the city. Then he immediately went back to report.
That night, after washing up, Yan Tongshu lay in bed, hugging her cat Yuanzi and going a little crazy.
Ahhh!!!
I don't want to go to work, I don't want to go to work, I don't want to go to work!
Why do I have to attend the morning court, why, why, why?!
Can't the damned emperor just die?
If the damned emperor croaks, I get a day off.
Wah, wah, wah.
Yan Tongshu hugged Yuanzi and cried, staring into the cat's big round eyes. "Yuanzi, I've heard that some cats can become cat demons. Tell me, do you have some secret power? Can you turn into a cat demon too? Wah, wah, wah..."
Yuanzi blinked its round eyes and let out a confused, "Meow."
Yan Tongshu hugged Yuanzi tighter. "Yuanzi, turn into a cat demon and go bite that damned emperor to death in the palace. I really, really don't want to go to morning court. I don't want to go."
Morning court was earlier than high school early self-study, dammit.
Why were ancient people so intense?
Yan Tongshu lifted her head, looking at Yuanzi with tear-filled eyes. "Yuanzi, let's both run to the city gate and jump off together!"
"Meow!"
Yuanzi had had enough of crazy Yan Tongshu. It gave a meow, leaped out of her arms in a flash, then dashed out the window and escaped.
Wah, wah, wah.
Yan Tongshu was in tears again. Even Yuanzi didn’t want her anymore.
Her life was so miserable.
She hadn’t slept long before she was called up to attend the morning court.
Afraid she’d doze off during the session, Yan Tongshu tucked a pack of lemon candy into her sleeve.
Standing among the officials, she sucked on a candy that was more sour than sweet, enduring the ordeal, minute by minute.
Qin Yi furrowed his brow slightly. This kid was back to that lifeless, spiritless look again. Boring.
After surviving the morning court, Yan Tongshu went to work at Kaifeng Prefecture as usual: people’s welfare, economy, civil cases, criminal cases.
Yan Tongshu sighed and groaned, feeling worse than dead. Only at lunchtime did her mood lift a little.
At noon, Yan Tongshu skipped having noodles and took Pearl and Jinbao to Pan-Picked Tower.
Pan-Picked Tower was the best place to enjoy crabs in autumn. Every year, the fattest crabs were delivered there.
Yan Tongshu ordered a full crab feast: steamed crab, crab roe tofu, crab roe buns, and spicy crab.
The three of them ate to their hearts’ content.
After the meal, Yan Tongshu felt much better. Good food had pulled her back from the brink of wanting to jump off the city wall.
Coming out of Pan-Picked Tower, Yan Tongshu bought three sticks of candied hawthorns, handing one each to Pearl and Jinbao.
As she was eating, someone bumped into her. She looked and recognized the man—it was Zhao Sheng, Aunt Yang’s son.
Yan Tongshu grabbed him. “What’s the rush? Did you steal something again?”
“No!” Zhao Sheng immediately stretched out both hands. “See, Magistrate Yan? Nothing. After what happened last time, I’ve washed my hands of it. I’ve turned over a new leaf.”
Yan Tongshu felt for her pouch. Still there. Not stolen.
She released Zhao Sheng. “Alright, I’ll trust you for now.”
Zhao Sheng chuckled twice but didn’t leave. Instead, he fell into step beside Yan Tongshu, grinning ingratiatingly. “Magistrate Yan.”
Yan Tongshu bit into her candied hawthorn again, finding it sweet and sour. “What is it now?”
“Well...” Zhao Sheng rubbed his hands together. “I heard the Kaifeng Prefecture was looking for a thief recently, pretty urgently. Seems like it’s calmed down the past couple of days. Did you catch him?”
Yan Tongshu swallowed the hawthorn and turned to Zhao Sheng with a smile.
Zhao Sheng’s hair stood on end. “Wh-what?”
Yan Tongshu kept smiling. “You just gave yourself away, kid.”
Panic flickered in Zhao Sheng’s eyes, and he spun around to run, but Pearl and Jinbao had already blocked his escape.
Yan Tongshu grabbed him. “Talk.”
Zhao Sheng yelped. “Hey, hey, what are you talking about? Magistrate Yan, I really haven’t done anything.”
Yan Tongshu held his collar firmly. “But you definitely know who the Kaifeng Prefecture is looking for.”
At that, Zhao Sheng’s eyes darted nervously.
Yan Tongshu pressed on. “Do you want to talk now, or after I drag you back to the Prefecture for a beating?”
She yanked his collar. “Talk!”
Zhao Sheng stammered. “I-I-I-I... I...”
Yan Tongshu: “Fine. Looks like you want the beating.”
She began dragging him toward Kaifeng Prefecture. Zhao Sheng grew even more timid. “Magistrate Yan, oh, my dear Magistrate Yan. Please let me off. That’s my sworn elder brother. He’s always looked after me. If I betray him, I’m no man of honor.”
“You’re pretty loyal, huh?” Yan Tongshu shot him a look.
Zhao Sheng snorted, puffing up with pride. “Of course. In this line of work, it’s all about loyalty.”
Slap.
Yan Tongshu smacked him on the head. “You’re proud of sneaking around and stealing all day?”
Zhao Sheng rubbed his head, not daring to argue.
Yan Tongshu said, "That elder brother of yours got mixed up in a murder case. But he didn’t kill anyone or steal anything—he just tried to break into a place and failed, then found the body and called for help. It’s not really a big deal. The magistrate’s office mainly wants to question him. And I want to find him just to ask a few questions."
Zhao Sheng’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Yan Tongshu nodded.
Zhao Sheng: “Magistrate Yan, you’re an upright official. You wouldn’t lie to us common folk, would you?”
Yan Tongshu: “No.”
Zhao Sheng relaxed. “Then I’ll take you to him.”
Yan Tongshu nodded.
Before long, after several twists and turns, Zhao Sheng led Yan Tongshu, Pearl, and Jinbao into a deep, narrow alley.
The alley was a mix of riffraff. The ground was covered with filthy water, and the air reeked of a complex, foul odor.
Zhao Sheng hadn’t yet led them to his elder brother Gao Qi’s house when they ran into Gao Qi right at the alley’s entrance, getting into a cricket fight with someone.
These petty thieves and hoodlums always made sure to recognize big shots from the capital to avoid trouble. So Gao Qi instantly recognized Yan Tongshu as the Acting Magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture.
Then he saw it was Zhao Sheng, that traitor, leading her here—nothing more needed to be said.
He was one hundred percent sold out.
Gao Qi bolted.
Pearl and Jinbao instinctively gave chase, but Yan Tongshu grabbed them both, one in each hand.
She wasn’t going to run. Now that she knew who it was, she’d just sit tight and wait. Why bother chasing?
Yan Tongshu told Zhao Sheng to go after Gao Qi and pass along her message.
“Got it!”
Zhao Sheng called out and took off running.
Before long, Zhao Sheng returned with Gao Qi in tow.
Gao Qi slouched reluctantly behind Zhao Sheng, who had one swollen eye—clearly from a beating by Gao Qi.
Probably Zhao Sheng hadn’t explained things clearly at first, so Gao Qi, angry at the betrayal, had beaten him up before they settled it.
Yan Tongshu sat by a tea stall.
Gao Qi bowed. “Magistrate Yan.”
As he spoke, his eyes darted around restlessly—a habit from his line of work, always scanning, always ready to bolt.
Yan Tongshu got straight to the point. “You often go thieving around Bitai Lane in the west city?”
Gao Qi forced a sly smile. “I didn’t steal anything, Your Honor. That time was my first. And the first time I saw a dead body, I got scared and called people. I’m an honest man, no criminal record.”
Yan Tongshu gasped in mock surprise. “So you mean you’ve stolen plenty of times, but never been caught once?”
Gao Qi: “...”
This Magistrate had a way of thinking that was too devious, too sharp. Hard to deal with.
Yan Tongshu sized up Gao Qi. He was quite tall—about six feet—but thin and gaunt. He always hunched his back as he spoke, his face sallow, giving off a cowering, beaten-down vibe, steeped in a weariness ground into him by life.
Plus, his eyes never stayed still, constantly measuring the surroundings. On the surface, he seemed humble and obedient, but every second was spent calculating, assessing, looking for an escape route.
It made sense, though. A guy sharp as this had to be to get Zhao Sheng to gladly call him “big brother,” and to be an old hand at thieving without ever getting caught.
And precisely because he’d never left a mark with the authorities, he hadn’t turned up when the Prefecture checked its list of known thieves.
Yan Tongshu said, “Don’t worry. I’m not here to settle old scores.”
Gao Qi bent his knees and immediately knelt down. "If you have any orders, sir, please just say the word."
