Yan Tongshu: "Where is the corpse now?"
Xu Qiu: "Shenming Pavilion, Building Jia, Room Seventeen."
The moment Yan Tongshu stepped into Shenming Pavilion, Pearl rushed in behind him and clung to Jinbao, hiding under the big locust tree at the entrance. Every time she heard the word "corpse," she was terrified.
Jinbao was only thirteen and scared too. The two of them huddled together, trembling like leaves.
Yan Tongshu followed Xu Qiu to Building Jia, Room Seventeen.
The coroner on duty that day was the same female coroner who had examined Qiao Qingqing's body with Yan Tongshu last time—Wu Suowei.
She had worked in this trade for years and had never believed in ghosts or spirits. But this time, her face was pale as ash, and her fingertips trembled.
When Yan Tongshu drew near, Feng Rang's body was still covered with a sheet of burlap.
But even just from that, Yan Tongshu already sensed something was off.
Feng Rang had been missing for over a year. If he had died at the time of his disappearance, his body would have long since decomposed into a skeleton.
Yet the shape of the body under the burlap was intact—no smell of rot, and faintly, he could even catch a whiff of something sour or earthy.
What's more, Feng Rang's body was contorted—lying on its side, legs bent forward. If the corpse were straightened out, it would look like someone sitting on flat ground.
Yan Tongshu asked: "Did Feng Rang die only in the last two days?"
Wu Suowei shook her head, closed her eyes, and flung the burlap off in one motion.
The moment he came face to face with Feng Rang's corpse, Yan Tongshu's pupils constricted sharply, and his breath caught in his throat.
Feng Rang's body was perfectly preserved—no sign of decay whatsoever. In fact, it was so lifelike, so vivid, it looked as if he were still alive.
If not for the unnatural grayish-white discoloration on his face, buttocks, and thighs.
If not for those eyes, frozen wide open, as if he had died with a burning grievance.
If someone glanced at him from a distance, they might easily mistake him for a living person.
Wu Suowei's voice trembled: "His body... it's not a corpse."
She was terrified, but still held onto her professionalism, forcing down the fear in her heart, and said: "But he is indeed dead. And he's been dead a long time."
Yan Tongshu's expression grew grave. He nodded: "Yes. He's been dead at least a year."
Xu Qiu stammered: "Is it because he was murdered, and died with his eyes open, so he became a zombie?"
Yan Tongshu: "No."
Yan Tongshu stepped closer to Feng Rang: "This is adipocere formation. It's a natural transformation of a corpse."
At the mention of professional knowledge, Wu Suowei snapped out of her fear of the supernatural: "Adipocere? What is that?"
Yan Tongshu stared at Feng Rang with dark, heavy eyes: "Generally speaking, a corpse will naturally decompose upon contact with air. But there are two exceptions. One is mummification."
Wu Suowei: "Right. When I was studying, my master told me that if a body is dried out before it begins to rot, all the moisture removed, it becomes like a dried fish—a mummy. A mummy can be preserved for a very long time. But adipocere... what is that?"
Yan Tongshu: "It's like soap. After death, the fat in the body breaks down into fatty acids and glycerol. If soaked in cold water, it combines with the alkaline components in the water to form a soap-like substance, causing the body to turn into a waxy state—like a wax figure."
Seeing that he was getting too technical and that Wu Suowei and Xu Qiu didn't follow, Yan Tongshu explained: "An ordinary corpse, if submerged in cold water for about a month without decomposing, will begin to form adipocere. For the entire body to become waxy, it takes over a year. Once fully waxed, the body is fixed in place and will no longer change unless the environment shifts."
Wu Suowei: "So Feng Rang had been dead for at least a year."
Yan Tongshu: "Right. The saponification can't give us an exact time of death, but the process takes at least a year."
Moreover, saponification had one great advantage.
Yan Tongshu looked at the fingernail marks on Feng Rang's arm.
Compared to bodies that decay into bones, or soften beyond recognition due to time, saponification preserves the state of the body before death to the greatest extent—wounds from knives, ligature marks, fingernail impressions, fingerprints, and so on.
Just like the Feng Rang lying before her now.
There were stab wounds on his abdomen, chest, and lower back, bruises on his face, fingernail marks on his arms, and bruises around his waist.
It was clear that he had been stabbed, then wrestled with his killer, who had dealt a few more blows before finally killing him.
The injuries left from the struggle, along with the killer's fingerprints, could all serve as evidence to identify the culprit.
Yan Tongshu asked: "How was the body discovered?"
Xu Qiu: "A hunter on Song Mountain found it while he got lost during a hunting trip, in a cave at the summit."
"A cave?" Yan Tongshu pressed her lips together, her expression growing even more solemn.
The conditions for a body to saponify were extremely strict. Though Song Mountain was high in altitude, it wasn't nearly high enough.
Feng Rang had gone missing before taking the imperial exam last year. At that time it was autumn, and the peak of Song Mountain would have been colder — but by the following spring, the temperature at the summit would rise, and the snow would melt.
Feng Rang was in a state of complete saponification. If he had truly been saponified at the peak of Song Mountain, he should now be only partially saponified, or show signs of decomposition.
Yan Tongshu asked again: "And the hunter?"
Xu Qiu: "He's waiting at the government office."
Yan Tongshu: "Let's go see him."
Yan Tongshu arrived at the main hall, and Xu Qiu brought the hunter in.
The hunter wore typical hunting attire, his body lean and sinewy. As he walked, his feet splayed outward. Upon entering the hall, he knelt—right knee first, then left.
He bowed and said: "Your Excellency, this humble one is Li Si, twenty-three years old, of Luogu Lane, and I make my living as a hunter."
Yan Tongshu narrowed her eyes. "How did you find the body?"
Li Si raised his head, his eyes bright and sharp: "This morning, I went to the mountain to hunt. My companions goaded me, and relying on my youth and strength, I insisted on showing them a thing or two. So I went into a dangerous area I wasn't familiar with. I never expected to get lost. I wandered around the summit and stumbled upon a cave where I found the corpse. It scared me out of my wits—my soul nearly left my body. I scrambled and rolled down the mountain, and after catching my breath, I reported it to the authorities. Then I led the constables back up the mountain, and it took us a long time to find the cave again."
Yan Tongshu: "Is that all?"
Li Si nodded.
Yan Tongshu lowered her gaze, a faint tug at the corner of her mouth, and said with no small hint of disappointment: "Very well. Go wait outside. I'll have more words with you shortly."
Li Si: "Yes."
With that, Li Si rose, stepped backward a few paces, then turned and walked out of the hall.
Yan Tongshu propped her head in her hand, looking weary.
Xu Qiu stepped forward: "Yan-gong, what's wrong?"
Yan Tongshu stared at the token on the desk, staying silent.
Xu Qiu called again, cautiously: "Yan-gong?"
Yan Tongshu's lashes fluttered, and she spoke: "He is Imperial Guard."
Imperial Guard?
Xu Qiu said in shock: "Not a hunter?"
Yan Tongshu said, "No. He walks with a distinct duck-footed stance, and every step is exactly the standard stride length of the imperial guards. That’s a habit formed by long-term training, and even if he tried to correct it deliberately, he couldn’t change it. Besides that, ordinary commoners hold the court in awe. When they kneel, they drop both knees at once. Only those who serve within the imperial court kneel on one knee first and then settle the other foot down. And as for how he left—only people from the yamen or servants of official households have that habit, as a mark of respect. One thing could be a coincidence, but three things together absolutely are not."
Connecting this with the case of Lady Qing, he thought it over carefully. The emperor had sent the case to the Kaifeng Prefecture, and now someone who appeared to be from the imperial guards had delivered Feng Rang's corpse here as well.
Could it be...?
Yan Tongshu seemed to have thought of something and immediately said, "Xu Qiu."
Xu Qiu said, "At your service."
Yan Tongshu said, "Go pull up the confession that Chen Sizhen signed, and compare the fingerprints on it with Feng Rang's fingerprints."
Xu Qiu was startled too. Was Master Yan suspecting that Chen Sizhen had committed murder?
He immediately answered, "Yes."
Not long after, the comparison results came back—the fingerprints on Feng Rang's body were indeed Chen Sizhen's.
Yan Tongshu thought for a moment, whispered a few instructions to Xu Qiu, and then ordered Chen Sizhen to be brought in.
Chen Sizhen was now wearing a gray, grimy prison uniform. Every trace of his former pampered, privileged air was gone. His hands were shackled, and his entire demeanor was one of deep listlessness. But the moment he saw Yan Tongshu, a faint spark of hope flickered in his dim eyes.
Could it be that the Empress Dowager had sent someone to rescue him?
Yet the moment Yan Tongshu opened his mouth, that illusion was shattered: "Chen Sizhen, someone has filed a charge of murder against you."
Chen Sizhen looked as if he had been struck by lightning. "Wh-what?"
Yan Tongshu's expression was stern. "Are you going to confess on your own, or should I bring the plaintiff out to confront you face to face?"
Abandoning his wife and child and neglecting his birth mother would only get him ten years in prison.
But murder—that was a capital offense.
Chen Sizhen certainly dared not admit to it. He immediately denied the charge: "I don’t know what you’re talking about. Murder? I don’t know anything about that."
"Is that so?"
Yan Tongshu suddenly raised his voice, deliberately infusing his tone with a condescending, all-knowing contempt—making Chen Sizhen feel as if he had already been completely seen through, as if death were already upon him. This was to apply psychological pressure.
Chen Sizhen trembled all over, cold sweat streaming down.
Yan Tongshu waved his hand. Xu Qiu and another constable carried Feng Rang out.
Feng Rang sat on a stretcher.
After saponification, the corpse was very stiff, but Feng Rang's body happened to have retained a seated posture. Sitting on the stretcher, he looked just like a living person sitting upright.
Xu Qiu turned Feng Rang's face toward Chen Sizhen. Feng Rang's eye sockets were deeply sunken, his eyelids severely drooped, and the yellow-white wax-like masses formed by the saponification of the orbital fat gleamed with an eerie light in the bright daylight. If one didn’t look closely, one might mistake them for the eyes of a living man.
Add to that the lifelike skin, the body, the expression...
"Ah—!"
Chen Sizhen let out a piercing scream, his legs flailing wildly as he scrambled backward in terror.
He screamed, he shrieked, he babbled incoherently: "Impossible, absolutely impossible. You’re dead, you’ve been dead for a year—how can you still be alive... I saw you stop breathing with my own eyes... impossible, impossible..."
Yan Tongshu's voice was cold and sharp: "He is indeed dead, but he died with his eyes open. He knew you had been arrested by the Kaifeng Prefecture, so he came back specifically to haunt you, to demand your life in repayment for his!"
"Impossible..." Chen Sizhen was scared out of his wits, his eyes bulging so wide they nearly popped out of their sockets.
To an ordinary person, a man dead for a year and left to rot in the wilderness would be nothing but a skeleton—not this. Not like this.
This surpassed the limits of Chen Sizhen's understanding, crashing against every nerve he had.
Just as the constables felt genuine terror at the sight of Feng Rang's corpse, believing it to be the work of ghosts or gods, Chen Sizhen was no different.
He collapsed to the ground, trembling, and after shivering for a long while, suddenly knelt before Feng Rang's body, knocking his head on the floor and wailing: "Brother Feng, I was wrong. I really was wrong. I didn't mean it. At the time... at the time... it was you who wouldn't listen! I told you clearly—if you just didn't expose me, then once you passed the imperial exams, I would beg the Princess to let you return to your hometown as a county magistrate! But you refused! You insisted on burning bridges! I lost my head in a moment of panic and stabbed you once... I didn't mean it!"
Yan Tongshu could no longer bear to listen: "Chen Sizhen, you're still making excuses. Feng Rang lived in the most remote part of Songshan Temple. The knife wound on Feng Rang's body shows that the dagger used to stab him had a blade one chi long and one zhang wide—about a foot by two inches.
A dagger of that length could never be an ordinary kitchen knife or fruit paring knife from a common household. Nor could it possibly appear at Hongwen Temple. It could only have been brought there by you from the outside. If you didn't have evil intentions, why would you bring a dagger to a place like that?"
"I didn't!" Chen Sizhen bawled, tears and snot streaming down his face. "I just forgot to put the knife down... That day, I really only went to persuade him! He wouldn't listen!"
He suddenly raised a finger and pointed at Feng Rang's corpse, screaming hysterically: "If he had just kept his mouth shut, I would have given him the greatest rewards—he could become an official, and I could stay a consort. But no! He was too stubborn! He didn't know what was good for him! He didn't know how to play along! I was forced into it!"
He then turned to Yan Tongshu, crawling forward on his knees and begging pitifully: "Your Honor Yan, I really didn't mean it. A year ago, at Hongwen Temple, while accompanying the Princess to offer incense, he suddenly rushed out and dragged me, demanding an explanation. Later, I reasoned with him for a long time and promised him many benefits. He refused. He cursed me, called me ungrateful, called me a white-eyed wolf.
If I were truly an ungrateful, betraying sort, why would I have bothered to argue with him at all? Why promise him an official post? Your Honor Yan, that night, I was just furious—I stabbed him once out of anger. I really was enraged. I didn't mean to kill him. But he thought I was going to kill him, so he tried to kill me—I was only defending myself. He wounded me too. At most, you could call it mutual combat..."
Yan Tongshu lowered his gaze, staring at Chen Sizhen kneeling below, filled with disgust.
People like Chen Sizhen never reflect on themselves. Whether they commit murder or arson, it's always someone else's fault—someone else wronged them, someone else drove them to it.
It was utterly revolting.
Yan Tongshu demanded coldly: "Then where did you throw the body?"
Chen Sizhen said in disgrace: "I... I didn't mean to. I was too terrified. I could only drag the corpse to the back hill and toss it into the lake."
Yan Tongshu understood everything now, his voice devoid of any emotion: "According to the law of this dynasty, a murderer must die."
Chen Sizhen collapsed completely, falling like a heap of mud to the floor.
Yan Tongshu commanded: "Take him away. Throw him in the dungeon. In seven days, he will be beheaded at the vegetable market."
The attendants on both sides responded solemnly, "Yes."
Chen Sizhen was led away, and Yan Tongshu then had Xu Qiu inform Lady Qing about Feng Rang's matter.
In this capital city, Lady Qing was Feng Rang's only remaining family.
However, judging from what Chen Sizhen had just said, Feng Rang had insisted on settling things with Chen Sizhen for Lady Qing's sake—so Lady Qing was likely to take the news hard.
Chen Sizhen's trial was concluded.
The head bailiff came over and said, "Your Honor, the hunter Li Si asks when he may leave."
Yan Tongshu said, "Let him in."
Once Li Si entered, Yan Tongshu dismissed all the attendants in the hall before asking, "Which division of the Imperial Guard do you belong to?"
Li Si froze for a moment, then smiled and said, "Before I came, the general said that Lord Yan would see through me—and so it proves. I, Li Si, am a lowly soldier under the Shenwei Army."
Yan Tongshu: "Who is your commanding officer?"
Li Si: "The commander of the Shenwei Army, General Meng Yi of the Meng family."
Yan Tongshu nodded. That was more or less what she had guessed.
Lady Qing and Chen Sizhen had first met at General Meng Yi's residence.
She had been among the invited guests back then as well.
And Meng Yi was the very person the Emperor trusted most.
Yan Tongshu looked at Li Si. "The conditions for a corpse to undergo saponification are extremely stringent. Song Mountain isn't tall enough, nor cold enough. There's only one way Feng Rang's body could have fully saponified: by keeping it submerged in ice water stored in an icehouse."
Li Si: "Lord Yan, to be honest, today is the first time I've ever heard the word 'saponification.' I don't even know which characters make it up."
Yan Tongshu: "You may not know, and General Meng may not know what saponification means either. But you certainly discovered something. After Chen Sizhen killed him, he threw the body into the lake. That was autumn—Song Mountain was high enough that the temperature was low, and the lake water was already on the verge of freezing. Nature itself refused to abide Chen Sizhen's wickedness, and protected Feng Rang's body.
When you found the body, you noticed it had saponified, so you imitated those conditions and kept the body preserved ever since. A saponified corpse demands such harsh conditions, but it has one advantage: it preserves every feature of the body as completely as possible."
Li Si: "Then may I ask Lord Yan—why would General Meng do such a thing?"
Yan Tongshu pressed her lips together, her gaze fixed hard on Li Si.
Why else?
To pressure the Empress Dowager. To test her.
The Emperor and Meng Yi had obtained all of Chen Sizhen's criminal evidence long ago—including the murder—and had kept Feng Rang's body preserved all this time.
At first, bringing Lady Qing before her and setting her against the Princess's household was a test: to see whether she was worthy enough to be used by the Emperor.
If she dared to challenge the Princess and had the ability to suppress her, then Feng Rang's body could be handed over to her in due course.
Chen Sizhen being imprisoned, the Princess might still tolerate. But the death sentence—the Princess would never let the little county lady lose her father, so she would surely beg the Empress Dowager.
The Emperor wanted the Empress Dowager to step in, so he could take her down.
If she didn't dare challenge the Princess, or lacked the ability to suppress her, then the body could remain hidden, waiting for a better opportunity.
The twist in all this was that she had exceeded the Emperor's expectations. She uncovered Princess Tijia's murder in the brothel, arrested the Princess as well, and forced the Empress Dowager to intervene. And so Feng Rang's body lost its value.
Perhaps the emperor and the empress dowager had already spoken, and the empress dowager had given up on Princess Tijia.
Perhaps they hadn't, since the empress dowager had already been openly placed under house arrest.
From start to finish, Feng Rang, Lady Qing, and she herself had all been pieces in the emperor's hands.
"Forget it."
Yan Tongshu was growing weary of her current situation.
Even if she asked for clarification, even if everything was said and done, what difference would it make?
Could she really challenge the emperor?
Yan Tongshu shook her head. "You may go."
Li Si was taken aback. "Does Lord Yan have nothing more to say?"
Yan Tongshu replied, "There's nothing left to say. What was said today, you may repeat to General Meng, or you may not. Either way, leave now."
Li Si couldn't fathom what was going through Yan Tongshu's mind, but great figures like her were not meant to be understood by a mere soldier like him. He rose and took his leave.
Yan Tongshu got up from her seat and raised her middle finger at the sun outside the door.
That bastard emperor.
One finger wasn't enough—Yan Tongshu raised both middle fingers.
Damn the emperor, go to hell!
The next day, at the morning court session, Yan Tongshu requested leave.
The third day, morning court, Yan Tongshu requested leave again.
The fourth day, morning court, Yan Tongshu requested leave once more.
The fifth day, morning court, Yan Tongshu continued to request leave.
Qin Yi could no longer sit still. He summoned Meng Yi and Chang Zhengzhang.
Qin Yi slammed the memorial on the imperial desk. "What's this tantrum about?"
Meng Yi stepped forward. "Your Majesty, Lord Yan's leave requests are likely because of Feng Rang."
Meng Yi then repeated the conversation between Li Si and Yan Tongshu word for word.
Chang Zhengzhang stroked his beard. "It seems Lord Yan feels wronged."
Qin Yi dismissed the notion. "She feels wronged? In all my court, I've never seen anyone so audacious and overbearing—and she's the one feeling wronged?"
Chang Zhengzhang bowed and offered counsel: "Your Majesty, those with talent always have a temper. Lord Yan is candid by nature, young in years, and thus naturally more stubborn. You appreciate talent, you cherish it—if you could condescend to show respect, you would truly win over a loyal and capable official. Would that not be a story for the ages?"
Qin Yi pressed his lips together coldly.
Ha. Him, showing respect to Yan Tongshu? Dream on.
...
Meanwhile, the supposedly "wronged" Yan Tongshu was wrapped in a thick quilt, genuinely whining in a spoiled tone: "I don't want to drink that herbal medicine, it's so bitter."
She wanted to take Western medicine instead—just a handful, swallowed down with warm water.
Herbal medicine was a broth, meant to be sipped one mouthful at a time.
Wah wah wah.
Yan Liangrong shot her a glare. "Now you know it's bitter? Who was it who ran into the mountains at dawn to pick wild greens for the autumn feast? Others sent servants to buy theirs—only you had the wild idea to go pick them yourself. And look where that got you: scraped up and bruised, plus a fever that's lasted for days."
Yan Tongshu pouted.
She'd just wanted to try some wild game, hadn't she?
Who knew that mountain would be so hard to climb? Who knew the temperature would suddenly drop? Her clothes simply weren't enough.
Yan Tongshu turned to Yan Liangyu. "Liangyu..."
Yan Liangyu shook his head. "Big brother, this is one thing I can't help you with."
Yan Tongshu then appealed to Pearl. Pearl planted her hands on her hips, eyes wide, and said sternly, "Young master, drink the medicine!"
Wah wah wah.
A bunch of evil people.
Yan Tongshu reluctantly picked up the medicine bowl, took a deep breath, and with an expression of utter resignation, gulped it down—then quickly popped a candied fruit into her mouth. Instantly, her mouth was both bitter and sweet.
She'd never get sick again. After taking medicine, even candied fruit didn't taste good.
Seeing that Yan Tongshu had finished her medicine, Yan Liangyu felt her forehead again and, confirming that her fever had mostly subsided, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yan Liangrong said in a tone that was half reproachful, half sympathetic, “You’re an official now, a third-rank senior official at that. How can you still be so greedy? Don’t do anything this foolish again.”
Yan Tongshu lowered her head. “I understand. I won’t make any more autumn treats after this year.”
Anyway, with the temperature dropping this sharply, snow would probably fall within a few days. Once it snowed, there wouldn’t be much left to forage on the mountain.
Yan Liangrong patted her on the forehead. “Who said just this year? You’re not allowed to do it again, ever.”
Yan Tongshu said, “Oh.”
After the medicine had taken effect and her body had settled, Yan Tongshu asked, “Sister, has Brother-in-law’s official start date been confirmed?”
Yan Liangrong nodded with a smile. “It’s confirmed. It came down three days after the princess was imprisoned. Your brother-in-law has already gone to take up his post.”
Yan Tongshu tugged at the loosened blanket and wrapped herself tighter. “That’s good. I was just afraid I’d drag you all into trouble.”
Yan Liangrong shot her a teasing glance. “We’re family. What’s all this talk about dragging into trouble?”
Yan Tongshu then asked about Zhou Zhengxun and Chen Meirong.
Yan Liangyu said, “On the Zhou family’s side, once the post was taken over, that was that. They can only keep waiting for a vacancy. They haven’t come around making trouble anymore, so they must have figured out their own way to handle it. As for Mother and Boss Qian, their household accountant stayed up for days and nights to sort out the account books, and now the court’s not in any hurry for them. Mother grumbled for a while and then let it go. Just yesterday she came to visit you, wearing that big new peony-patterned gold necklace. But at the time you hadn’t gotten over your fever yet, Brother, and Mother only sat for a bit before she left. She didn’t want to wake you.”
Yan Tongshu said, “That’s good, that’s good. At least no one’s come to any harm.”
As for the Zhou family, they’d gotten exactly what they deserved—it was their own fault for stringing along Yan Liangyu.
Yan Liangrong told Yan Tongshu to lie down. “Alright, stop worrying about all this. Rest well and recover. Liangyu and I won’t disturb you anymore.”
Yan Tongshu hummed in agreement.
Her voice was still muffled, since she hadn’t fully recovered from her illness.
At noon, after lunch, Yan Tongshu hugged Yuanzi and hid under the covers to read a picture book.
She had to admit, being sick did have its perks—no morning court, no work.
It was way too comfortable.
And besides, the calico cat Yuanzi was plump and fluffy, and hugging it was wonderfully warm.
Yan Tongshu read her picture book for a while, then reached one hand out from under the blanket and grabbed a milky persimmon roll, pulling it back into the covers.
She had her blanket tucked in tightly, covering her head, so she had no idea how heavy the atmosphere outside had become.
Yan Tongshu bit into the milky persimmon roll. It was sweet enough to reach her heart.
Yuanzi blinked its round, odd-colored eyes as it watched her, meowing twice like it wanted some too. Yan Tongshu firmly refused. “Little kittens can’t eat this. So, Yuanzi, you can just keep being a free little furnace for your master.”
She finished one persimmon roll, and the picture book was half-read by now without her even turning over. Lying with her back to the bedside cabinet, she reached her arm behind her without looking.
She grabbed it, shoved it into her mouth, and took a bite.
Suddenly, a deep, rich voice spoke up. “Is it good?”
Of course it was good.
This milky persimmon roll was a recipe she’d brought over from modern times.
Wait.
No.
Yan Tongshu hugged Yuanzi and sat straight up, craning her neck to look.
Qin Yi sat in a deep blue casual robe on the armchair across from her bed, his figure bathed in the sunlight, his jawline knife-sharp.
He looked at Yan Tongshu with a hint of amusement, almost a smirk.
Lu Xi stood respectfully behind Qin Yi.
Why was that damned emperor here?
Yan Tongshu hastily knelt and performed the ritual bow, but with a creamy persimmon roll in one hand and Yuanzi in her arms, her posture on the bed was utterly awkward and ungainly.
Qin Yi's gaze fell on the dessert in Yan Tongshu's fingers—something he had never seen before. His Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke again, "Is it good?"
