Yan Tongshu set down her brush. “Lady Qing has cried until her eyes are swollen, and she has visibly wasted away. Before today, I hadn’t thought much about it. But seeing her so heartbroken today, I suddenly wondered—if it hadn’t been for that ambush in the wilds, forcing her back to confront Chen Sizhen in court, would it have been better for her? She had already taken the two hundred taels and headed back to Jiangzhou. In Jiangzhou, two hundred taels would have been more than enough for a family of four to live comfortably.”
For Lady Qing, these two days of court hearings had been nothing short of psychological torture.
She had to confront the darkness of human nature again and again, a strange world she had never imagined.
She had to face public condemnation and the humiliation of her character.
But if they had simply taken the two hundred taels and returned to Jiangzhou, her mother-in-law would still have been a loving one, and her son would still have been filial, considerate, and endearing.
Yan Tongshu’s slender lashes trembled. “But that would have been false. Though she would never have had to face it, it would still have been false… but a lifetime—if she could live a lifetime that way, wouldn’t the false be better after all?”
Pearl didn’t understand. “Young master, what are you saying?”
Yan Tongshu gave a helpless smile. “I don’t know myself. Maybe I’m just rambling.”
Yan Tongshu was silent for a moment, then lifted her head. “Pearl, Jinbao.”
She asked, “If you were Lady Qing, knowing everything that happened after accusing Chen Sizhen—if there had been no pursuit, and you went back to before it all began—would you still choose to accuse Chen Sizhen?”
Pearl puffed up her cheeks. “Of course I would!”
Jinbao also huffed. “Right, definitely!”
Pearl snorted, hands on her hips. “If I didn’t accuse him, I’d have to serve a black-hearted mother-in-law and an ungrateful son for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t be such a fool!”
Jinbao fumed with righteous anger. “Exactly. Who wants to be that kind of sucker?”
Hearing Pearl and Jinbao’s crisp, decisive answers, Yan Tongshu froze for a moment. Then her brow relaxed, and she nodded firmly. “Mm, I was overthinking it.”
…
As Zheng Chun had predicted, Chen Sizhen lost ground in the second round of hearings at Kaifeng Prefecture, and the Yan household incurred the fierce retaliation of the Princess’s residence.
First, Yan family shops were repeatedly harassed by petty thugs picking fights and causing trouble. Then Zheng Chun’s appointment date as Court Gentleman was postponed indefinitely. Then Qian Buping’s silk shop came under constant scrutiny and audits, even going so far as to retroactively examine the past five years of tax filings.
Finally, the Zhou family spent a fortune to bribe officials on behalf of Zhou Zhengxun, who had already passed the mandatory examination for the seventh-rank position of Promoter of Virtue—only for the appointment to be given to someone else when the paperwork came down.
In other words, the Zhou family’s money was wasted, and Zhou Zhengxun would have to keep waiting for an opening.
As the third hearing approached, Yan Tongshu received a message from the Princess’s residence, saying they wished to meet her. Yan Tongshu declined.
At a teahouse, Yan Tongshu looked at Cen Xu sitting across from her—a young man of elegant, aristocratic bearing, cradling his teacup—and suddenly understood.
Cen Xu was the Director of the Ministry of Justice, in charge of criminal matters, and extremely familiar with legal statutes.
With such a person as an advisor, no wonder she hadn’t been able to take Chen Sizhen from the Princess’s residence even with soldiers at her back.
Yan Tongshu asked, “Was it you who broke Chen Sizhen’s legs?”
Cen Xu smiled, a hint of it curving at the corners of his mouth, and nodded, gazing at Yan Tongshu like warm spring sunshine.
Yan Tongshu took a deep breath through her nose.
That bastard—she was still holding a grudge because he'd impeached her elder brother back then, so now she was picking fights with him.
Cen Xu smiled. "I've delivered Her Highness's message. What do you think, Lord Yan?"
Yan Tongshu gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "The Princess's estate has terrible feng shui for me. I'm afraid that if I go pay my respects, Consort Chen might lose his other leg. Better not to bother."
Cen Xu set down his teacup. "I figured you'd say that."
With that, Cen Xu produced a box of tea leaves. "I hear you're fond of tea, Lord Yan. This is nine-times-scented jasmine silver needle white tea—smooth and mellow on the palate." He handed the box to Yan Tongshu.
Yan Tongshu paused for a moment. "What I actually like is milk tea."
Cen Xu replied calmly, "Then use this to steep it."
Yan Tongshu smiled, rose to his feet, and thrust his middle finger at Cen Xu. "Thanks, but no thanks." He turned and walked away.
Cen Xu looked at his own middle finger, puzzled. Was that gesture... a way of saying thanks?
Yan Tongshu rode back to the Yan residence in his carriage with Pearl and Jinbao. At the main gate, Yan Liangyu was seeing Zhou Zhengxun out.
Yan Tongshu stepped down from the carriage and walked over to Yan Liangyu. "What did he come for? Trying to mediate again?"
Yan Liangyu shook her head and gave a bitter, almost helpless smile. "The Zhou family kept dragging their feet on the engagement, and now they've shot themselves in the foot. Because of the marriage connection, the Zhou family has drawn Princess's estate's retaliation too—all the money they spent greasing palms went to waste. And he..." She paused, letting the bitterness fade, replaced by a look of pity. "His position... has been given to someone else. He'll likely have to wait a long, long time for another opening."
Years of hard study, passing the imperial exams, spending money to smooth the way—only to have the post he'd finally secured stripped away in a single day. And with the next opening nowhere in sight, he might even be dispatched to some distant post at any moment.
Anyone would feel gutted by that.
Yan Tongshu understood. "He came to ask you to persuade me?"
Yan Liangyu shook her head. "Zhou's mother came this morning and caused a scene with Mother, saying the Yan family dragged the Zhou family down. He came to apologize on his mother's behalf."
Yan Tongshu said, "This affair really was my fault. I dragged the Zhou family into it."
"If they'd agreed to break off the engagement early, none of this would have happened." Yan Liangyu took his arm and said softly, "Come on, big brother. You've been busy all day—the kitchen has kept some late-night snacks warm. Let's go inside and have something."
Yan Tongshu nodded and walked inside with Yan Liangyu.
They strolled along the covered walkway for a while, and then Yan Tongshu, after weighing his thoughts, said, "Actually, this case—"
"Big brother." Yan Liangyu cut him off. "We all bear the surname Yan. We're family. If you do well, the Yan family does well. If you stumble, the Yan family stumbles. So I believe in you—I believe every decision you make is the best path forward for the Yan family. You don't need to explain yourself to me. I'll always trust you and support you."
A warmth spread through Yan Tongshu's chest. "Liangyu, your faith in me moves me. But some things do need to be explained. Precisely because we're family, we can't carry questions between us."
Yan Tongshu stopped walking and lowered his voice. "The Chen Sizhen case—the Emperor himself sent it to the Kaifeng Prefecture. The Emperor is not the Empress Dowager's birth son. Prince Ming is the Empress Dowager's younger brother, and he once pushed hard to depose the Emperor as Crown Prince, in favor of the Empress Dowager's own son, the Seventeenth Prince. And Princess Tijia is the Empress Dowager's most beloved daughter. This post of mine as Acting Prefect of Kaifeng was given to me by the Emperor. Plainly put, in the eyes of the outside world, I'm the Emperor's man."
Yan Tongshu looked into Yan Liangyu's clear eyes. "Even setting aside all fairness and justice, and the laws and morality, in this case, I cannot yield. The Emperor is using me to strike against the faction of Prince Ming and the Empress Dowager. If I don't yield, the Empress Dowager, the Princess, and Prince Ming will not let me off. But if I do yield, the Emperor will not let me off either. I have no choice but to press forward without hesitation."
Yan Liangyu had thoroughly read the Four Books and Five Classics, and was well-versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. But to put it plainly, Lady Yan had raised her more in the mold of a refined young lady of a great household. As such, she had little understanding of court politics.
Now, having heard Yan Tongshu's analysis, Yan Liangyu finally realized just how delicate and dangerous the position of Acting Prefect of Kaifeng was.
With the slightest misstep, her elder brother could be devoured to the bone by others.
Yan Liangyu instinctively clutched her brother's sleeve, worry rising in her eyes. "Brother..."
Yan Tongshu reassured her, "Don't be afraid. I will protect you, and I will protect the Yan family."
Yan Liangyu shook her head. "I'm not afraid. I am a daughter of the Yan family — daughters of the Yan family have nothing to fear. I'm worried about you, Brother."
"Your brother is this clever, and blessed by heaven above. Nothing will happen to me." Yan Tongshu's lips curved upward, his smile like moonlight breaking through the clouds. "Come, let's go eat."
Yan Liangyu brightened and replied, "Alright."
At the same time, candlelight flickered in the Zheng residence.
Zheng Chun's appointment had been put on hold. He sat alone before his desk, his brows knotted with a gloom and resentment too deep to dissolve.
It seemed he was always unlucky.
Several times, when opportunities for promotion arose, he had been pushed aside for various reasons by others.
He was not one for socializing, not one to flatter or ingratiate himself, and certainly not skilled at currying favor. Rare were the chances that came his way. Finally, the Emperor had decreed that all appointments required examination, and with financial assistance from the Qian family, he had secured a modest recommendation. He came in first in the examination and received his appointment — only to face retaliation from the Princess's estate right at the threshold of taking office.
Zheng Chun drowned his sorrows in wine.
If he were still in his early twenties, perhaps he could take it in stride.
But he was already thirty.
As the wine burned his heart, Zheng Chun thought bitterly: was he destined for a rocky official career?
Was it simply not his fate to climb step by step?
Why had Yan Tongshu's life been so smooth?
He had bided his time at the Xianlin Academy until reaching the rank of third grade, and then stepped straight into the position of Acting Prefect of Kaifeng — an official of the third grade wielding the real power of the second grade.
Why was it so hard for him to catch even one chance?
Yan Liangrong walked into the study and pressed down on the wine cup in Zheng Chun's hand. "Drink too much, and it will hurt your stomach."
Zheng Chun said bitterly, "Must you control even this?"
Yan Liangrong sat down and said gently, "Husband, it's only a delay. Once the case concerning the Princess's estate is properly concluded, perhaps the date for taking office will come through. Let us be patient a little longer. Things are bound to turn around."
Zheng Chun shook his head, raised the cup, and drained it in one gulp.
He was somewhat drunk now — his mind hazy, his body and spirit exhausted.
Yan Liangrong spoke again. "Husband, you have talent. I believe in you. As long as there's a chance, you will soar."
"Is that so?" Zheng Chun gave a bitter smile. He himself had begun to doubt it.
He poured another cup and asked in a low voice, "Really... is it not possible?"
Yan Liangrong was taken aback. "What?"
He lifted his head, his drunken eyes hazy: “Liangrong, is it really impossible? Consort Chen didn't do it on purpose either. Isn't he suffering just as much? In this world, not everyone is a genius like Tongshu, who could pass the imperial examinations as the top scholar, never having to wait for an official vacancy, entering the bureaucracy directly at the sixth rank. For someone from a farming family, just being able to study was already a struggle. Without a teacher to guide him, unable to afford brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone—what else could he do?”
His voice grew hoarse, tinged with drunkenness and pleading: “It's not that he doesn't want to go back to find his wife and children, his parents—it's that he genuinely has no face to return home. Can't Lady Qing and Consort Chen really be reconciled? What good does this mutual destruction do? If they reconcile, Consort Chen can give them money, ensuring Lady Qing and her child are secure for the rest of their lives. Isn't that better than fighting over a moment's pride?”
Yan Liangrong was stunned.
She looked deeply at Zheng Chun. She had never imagined that her husband would actually sympathize with Chen Sizhen on this matter.
Even more so, she never expected that her husband would show not a shred of political sensitivity regarding the Chen Sizhen case.
Zheng Chun, unaware of Yan Liangrong's shock, reached out and took her hand: “Is it truly impossible?”
Yan Liangrong withdrew her hand: “You're drunk. I'll take what you've said tonight as drunken rambling—don't bring it up again.”
With that, she rose and left the study.
Outside the door, Yan Liangrong looked up at the sky. The autumn moon hung like a jade gui, as if suspended against an ink-blue curtain.
The bright, clear light reflected off dew drops like pearls, crystal clear and translucent.
The wind stirred the trees, and the shadows of people, trees, and flowers swayed and overlapped, faint and shifting.
The dew fell to the ground, mirror-bright and clear, like ice hearts and jade shattering.
The osmanthus tree gave off a faint autumn fragrance.
Round like dew drops, abacus beads moved between her fingers.
Inside the Qian family courtyard, the sound of abacuses rose and fell one after another.
Eighteen accountants, working under green oil lamps, their fingers flying over the abacus beads, checking accounts while flipping through pages.
The Qian family's business was vast, and the court needed the figures urgently. Even with eighteen accountants working through the night without sleep, it would still take three days.
Qian Buping had assigned each accountant a maidservant to hold the lamp, prepared couches for them to rest on, and brought in chefs from Huicui Tower to keep food ready at all times to replenish their strength.
Chen Meirong watched, feeling deeply guilty.
The Qian family's silk shop was doing booming business, and Qian Buping had already planned to step back, gradually handing the business over to the eldest Qian son. But now, in his old age, he had been dragged down by her.
Chen Meirong handed the freshly stewed bird's nest porridge to Qian Buping: “Husband, I'm so sorry—it's all my fault for dragging you into this.”
Qian Buping took it, patted the spot beside him, and gestured for Chen Meirong to sit down.
Qian Buping looked prosperous and honest. If you didn't know who he was, you might take him for a vain, jewel-bedecked rich bumpkin.
But a man who had built his business to its current heights was by no means a fool.
He set the bird's nest porridge on the table: “You married me, so you're my wife. What's this talk of dragging me into things? Besides, how much have we benefited from the Yan family? Many of these booming silk patterns were designed by Lord Yan himself. And he never takes a single coin for it.
Then there's Lord Zheng—he gives our second son careful guidance on his studies. This time, after taking the capital examination, the boy said he hadn't studied under Lord Zheng long enough, and though his results may not be ideal this time, he improved greatly. He believes that if he can study under Lord Zheng a while longer, he's certain to pass next time.”
He held Chen Meirong's hand, his tone warm and kind. "Thanks to you, the eldest and second sons have patched things up, our shop's business has picked up, and all these years we've been looked after by the Yan family, spared from so much extortion and under-the-table demands. These are all favors. After receiving so much kindness over the years, how could I feel wronged or blame them just because of one rough patch? That's not how the world works."
Chen Meirong was still full of guilt. In all the years of their marriage, Qian Buping had always treated her well.
The Qian family's money had been earned through Qian Buping's hard work over the years. Last time, when he heard that Liangyu's marriage had run into trouble, he had even voluntarily offered to give Liangyu two prime-location shopfronts in the gold district and five thousand strings of cash as her dowry.
Those prime-location shopfronts were nothing short of geese that laid golden eggs.
The eldest and second sons were also good-hearted men—the eldest had prepared farmland and antiques for Liangyu, and the second had prepared a good number of precious calligraphy, paintings, and jewelry as part of her trousseau.
The Qian family had no daughters, and both brothers doted on Liangyu as if she were their own little sister.
As long as Liangyu didn't fixate on Zhou Zhengxun, there was no way she'd ever have a bad life.
Qian Buping gently patted the back of her hand. "Alright, stop worrying. I, Old Qian, have been in business for a long time. An audit is just an audit. I haven't done anything to be ashamed of, so I'm not afraid of it. Even if business takes a hit for a while, they can't keep auditing forever. Trust Magistrate Yan—this matter will be settled properly."
Chen Meirong nodded. "Mm, that's what I thought too. I was afraid of disturbing Tongshu's focus, so I didn't mention any of this to the Yan family."
Qian Buping laughed heartily. "Once the audit is done, I'll take you out and buy you a big pendant—a peony-shaped one, gold the size of a fist. We'll wear it and take a trip somewhere out of town."
As soon as she heard about the big gold pendant, Chen Meirong's eyes lit up at once. "Then... I want two."
Qian Buping roared with laughter. "Alright, we'll buy two."
The next day, Yan Tongshu finished her soy milk and steamed buns, then stumbled into the Kaifeng Prefecture office yawning all the way.
She had just opened the official documents and started her routine work when Meng Zheng arrived.
He placed the carefully adjusted joint patrol duty roster on her desk. "Final version."
Yan Tongshu took it and casually set it aside.
Since it was the final version, she couldn't be bothered to care how much effort Meng Zheng had put into arranging it.
Meng Zheng strode over to stand right in front of Yan Tongshu, bracing his hands on the desk, his arm muscles bulging. "You're really not even going to take a look?"
Yan Tongshu pinched her nose and reached out to push Meng Zheng away. "Stay away from me. You reek."
Meng Zheng raised his arm and sniffed it.
The Divine Guard had just finished their morning training, and he'd come straight to the Kaifeng Prefecture without even washing up.
Meng Zheng raised an eyebrow. "That's called manly scent."
Yan Tongshu looked at him with disdain. "That's called sour sweat."
Meng Zheng argued, "Now, scholars—those are the ones who smell of stale, fusty old books."
Yan Tongshu: "..."
Meng Zheng simply rested his elbows on the desk, heedless of whether Yan Tongshu was pinching her nose. "Heard that yesterday, Princess Tijia went into the palace to see the Empress Dowager, and afterward, she paid a visit to the Shence Army barracks. Deputy Military Commandant Cao Jian personally assigned her a squad of soldiers for her disposal."
At that, he leaned down lower, dropping his voice, and stared straight into Yan Tongshu's eyes. "Magistrate Yan, tomorrow's court hearing—it's not going to be easy."
Yan Tongshu looked at him oddly. "Why wouldn't it be easy for me?"
Meng Zheng's brow furrowed as he suddenly realized something was off.
A sly smile crept across Yan Tongshu's face. "The Divine Guard has a duty to assist the Kaifeng Prefecture in handling cases. Officer Meng, it's you who ought to be worried."
As he spoke, Yan Tongshu pulled an official document from a drawer. "This is a letter requesting assistance from the Divine Guards. Since Magistrate Meng has come in person, you may take it back with you."
Meng Zheng: "You—"
Yan Tongshu flashed a peace sign.
Though Meng Zheng had no idea what the gesture meant, he could read the expression on Yan Tongshu's face well enough.
That round, cherubic face—vivid and full of life—arched brows brimming with mischief, sparkling eyes gleaming with the light of a scheme accomplished. Utterly insufferable.
Meng Zheng was livid. Through gritted teeth: "Fine, Magistrate Yan."
With that, he reached up and flicked Yan Tongshu on the forehead. Yan Tongshu rubbed the spot, puffing out his cheeks indignantly as he tugged at his official robes. "This official holds the third rank, and you only the fifth. That is insubordination."
Meng Zheng thrust his own face forward, tapped his forehead, and said, "Go on, hit me back."
Yan Tongshu shot him a cold glare. "Brute soldier."
Meng Zheng let out a chuckle, waved the document in his hand, and said, "See you tomorrow."
The next afternoon, the capital was suddenly hit by a drop in temperature—fierce winds howled, and the cold was biting.
Yan Tongshu added two layers of padded clothing beneath his official robes before braving the wind to preside over court.
Just like the previous two sessions, Li Fulin and Zhang Jiu sat in the deputy judge seats.
Lady Qing, as the plaintiff, entered first with Yan Liangrong.
Then Chen Sizhen rolled in on a wheelchair, accompanied by Zhao Kuangzhi.
Zhao Kuangzhi bowed in salute.
Before Yan Tongshu could tell him to rise, a voice rang out from afar—Princess Tijia's: "Magistrate Yan, I trust you don't mind if I attend the trial today?"
Princess Tijia swept into the courtroom with her personal guards in full force, an intimidating presence.
The moment she stepped inside, the Divine Strategy Army surrounded the Kaifeng Prefecture.
Then, Wang Tuwei, Military Commandant of the Divine Strategy Army, strode in with the bearing of a dragon and the step of a tiger.
Wang Tuwei, thirty-six years old, was a powerfully built man with blazing, piercing eyes.
He ignored Yan Tongshu entirely, walking straight to Princess Tijia's side and taking his stance there.
Yan Tongshu raised an eyebrow in a faint smile. Sure enough, at the final hearing, Princess Tijia would come in person. She rose and bowed to the princess. "It is this official's honor to have Your Highness observe the proceedings."
Li Fulin and Zhang Jiu bowed simultaneously behind Yan Tongshu.
Then Yan Tongshu ordered the bailiffs to bring a seat for Princess Tijia.
Princess Tijia arched a brow and gave her a sidelong glance, sneering inwardly. So much for the upright Magistrate Yan—before the might of the army, she still bowed her head like everyone else.
Once Princess Tijia was seated, Yan Tongshu returned to the presiding judge's seat. "Bring in the men."
The bailiff captain stepped forward. "At your command."
"All persons aside from Princess Tijia and Commandant Wang,"—Yan Tongshu swept her gaze over the hall—"are to be escorted out of the courthouse. This is Kaifeng Prefecture, not a place for showing off one's might."
The bailiff captain was briefly taken aback, then bowed. "As you command."
He walked behind Princess Tijia and gestured to the guards with a "please leave" motion. "Gentlemen, if you would."
The smile on Princess Tijia's face froze instantly.
Wang Tuwei shoved the bailiff captain aside with one hand, glaring at Yan Tongshu. "Magistrate Yan, these guards are here under orders to protect Her Highness."
Yan Tongshu's gaze was as sharp as a blade, and she gave no ground. "This is Kaifeng Prefecture, guarded within and without. It is a place for holding trials—there is no danger here, and no need for protection."
Wang Tuwei let out a sneer. "Yan Tongshu, you've been acting prefect for only a few days. You dare—"
"How dare you!"
Bang!
The gavel struck the table with a thunderous crack, cutting Wang Tuwei off mid-sentence.
Yan Tongshu said coldly, "I am the Acting Prefect of Kaifeng, appointed directly by His Majesty, ranked at the third grade, with full authority over Kaifeng. As for you, Wang Tuwei—a mere Military Commandant, a fifth-grade military officer—who gave you permission to address me by name?"
As Yan Tongshu finished speaking, the yamen runners of Kaifeng Prefecture simultaneously pressed their hands on the swords at their waists, their gazes as sharp as blades, fixed on the people the princess had brought.
Princess Tijia had brought so many people precisely to intimidate Yan Tongshu and make a show of force. Unfortunately, she hadn't expected him to be so unyielding—to refuse her any face at all in the face of such military display.
Seeing both sides on the verge of confrontation, Li Fulin broke out in a cold sweat. Heavens, was this the legendary unbending and upright Lord Yan they'd heard about?
Had it been the same when he went to the princess's residence to "summon" Consort Chen?
Li Fulin looked at Zhang Jiu. Zhang Jiu shook his head.
He hadn't gone into the princess's residence that day, so he didn't know the specifics either.
Yan Liangyu stood in the crowd, her heart in her throat.
Yan Liangrong's heart too was pounding with anxiety; she instinctively glanced in the direction of Yan Liangyu.
At this moment, she needed support.
But no one was beside Yan Liangyu.
She asked Yan Liangyu with her eyes: Where's your brother-in-law?
Only then did Yan Liangyu think of Zheng Chun. She looked around, shook her head at Yan Liangrong, and mouthed: Could he have been delayed by some accident on the road?
Yan Liangrong worried about Zheng Chun, but she couldn't step away right now, so she forced herself to set the fear aside.
Just then, the Shenwei Army arrived.
Meng Zheng, clad in armor with a long sword at his hip, led the troops through the main gate.
He held Yan Tongshu's official dispatch, approved by the imperial court—fully legitimate, entirely unlike the unilateral troop deployment of the Shence Army. As such, he brought three times as many Shenwei soldiers, and every single one radiated killing intent.
No one wanted bloodshed before the case even went to trial.
Moreover, if a clash between two armies broke out in Kaifeng Prefecture, it would amount to rebellion—neither Princess Tijia nor Wang Tuwei would dare take that risk.
Princess Tijia suppressed the fury in her heart and smiled. "Lord Yan, I was only thinking of keeping one or two guards by my side, that's all."
Yan Tongshu emphasized again: "This is Kaifeng Prefecture. If the princess has committed no crime, there is no danger here. Please—"
Princess Tijia clenched her jaw until her knuckles turned white from the grip of her fists, her chest heaving violently. Finally, she waved a hand and ordered her personal guards to withdraw.
Now that the guards had fallen back, Meng Zheng also signaled his deputy with a glance to lead the troops back, keeping a close watch on the restless Shence Army and the princess's retainers surrounding the prefecture.
Meng Zheng stepped aside and stood alert, maintaining complete control of the situation.
Yan Tongshu struck the gavel, his voice icy: "Court is now in session."
