Granny Chen used the hundred taels of silver that Mistress Qing had given her to buy two elaborate coffins and burial shrouds.
After she brought Chen Sizhen's body home, she dressed him in clean burial clothes, placed him in the coffin, then changed into a beautiful burial shroud herself and hanged herself that night.
She had found an old scribe to write a death note for her, and left behind all the remaining money from the coffin purchase, stating that whoever buried her and Chen Sizhen would receive the money.
When Yan Tongshu heard the news, she could only sigh deeply.
Granny Chen simply didn't have the courage to return to Jiangzhou.
Her son was dead, her daughter-in-law and two grandchildren refused to acknowledge her, her health was failing, and she had no acquaintances in the capital. She had no family left. Even if she kept the money, she could easily be swindled or robbed of it.
In this era, everything was backward. To survive and thrive, people needed the support and mutual aid of personal connections.
If Granny Chen wanted to live a few more years, her only option was to return to Jiangzhou.
But Chen Sizhen had been able to study only because the clan had pooled their resources to support him.
When a clan raises funds to lift one of its own, they expect that person to distinguish himself, give back to the clan, and elevate the entire clan's standing. They don't support someone just so he can rise alone and enjoy wealth and privilege by himself.
Chen Sizhen had even promised to return to his hometown to build a private school and provide free education for the clan's young men.
But now, the entire clan knew that Chen Sizhen had betrayed his word.
If Granny Chen returned to Jiangzhou, she would face the clan's collective fury. She didn't dare go back, didn't dare face their pointing fingers, and had even less courage to face an unknown old age with no one to care for her. So she chose to end her life.
"Alas."
Yan Tongshu sighed and ordered that Granny Chen and Chen Sizhen be properly buried.
…
The Yan residence.
The afternoon sunlight drifted through the carved window lattice like gauze, falling softly upon the glass vase on the table.
Lady Yan idly turned a string of vibrant green jadeite beads in her hands.
A moment later, Yan Liangyu entered and bowed respectfully: "Mother."
Lady Yan beckoned her: "Come closer. Sit beside me."
Yan Liangyu nodded: "Yes."
She stepped forward and sat down gently.
Lady Yan studied her daughter. This girl—her brows like distant mountains touched with ink, her eyes like autumn waters holding light—was as gentle as a watercolor painting of the Jiangnan region. Her temperament matched her looks: soft and yielding. But the flip side of excessive gentleness was indecisiveness.
That was both her strength and her weakness.
And Yan Liangrong, on the other hand, was too rigid, too forceful, too stubborn.
Sometimes, Lady Yan wished her two daughters' temperaments could be blended together.
Lady Yan spoke softly: "Liangyu, your elder brother handled himself well in the case of the imperial son-in-law, and has now firmly established himself in Kaifeng Prefecture. You are my daughter and his sister. As long as you're willing, even if we go to the Zhou family in broad daylight, with drums and gongs, to break off the engagement, no one will ever look down on your marriage prospects because of it.
I called you here today to ask your opinion. Your brother also brought it up before leaving this morning. Recently, you've been ill, so we couldn't act, but now that you've recovered, if you agree, he'll go to the Zhou residence tomorrow to annul the engagement."
Yan Liangyu pressed her lips together tightly. Lady Yan thought she still had reservations and said again: "Don't worry about how it affects the Yan family. The Zhou family has never been able to influence us. The only reason your mother and brother have tolerated them time and again is out of concern for your reputation and your marriage prospects. And now, that concern is no longer necessary.
There are plenty of fine young men in Bianjing. After the engagement is broken, I'll seek out more matchmakers and arrange more gatherings. You can meet prospects at your leisure. If any catch your eye, just tell me, and I'll make it happen. For now, just tell me honestly what's in your heart."
Every word, every phrase, was pure, unreserved motherly love.
Yan Liangyu's eyes grew hot: "Mother, I'm sorry. It's my fault for making you endure so much."
Lady Yan took her hand: "Silly child, this isn't your fault."
Yan Liangyu suddenly rose and knelt, burying her face against her mother's knees: "But Mother, I don't want to break off the engagement."
Lady Yan was taken aback.
Yan Liangyu wept: "Mother, I can't bear to just walk away like this."
Lady Yan sighed and reached out to wipe away her daughter's tears: "Silly child, nothing in this world matters more than your own happiness. Don't let a moment of pride or a grudge ruin your future."
Yan Liangyu shook her head through her tears: "Mother, it's not about pride, and it's not about revenge."
Afraid her mother would misunderstand further, she hurriedly explained: "Mother, a few days ago, Zhou Zhengxun came to the Yan residence. He stopped Brother at the gate and asked him to recommend him for the position of Military Aide. Brother asked him what he was thinking."
Yan Liangyu's voice grew softer, almost as if she were talking to herself: "Actually, that's the biggest question in my heart as well. All these years, all I've ever heard is what Lady Zhou was thinking, what she wanted, what Lord Zhou was thinking, what he wanted. How many concerns the Zhou family had, how many things they couldn't help but do.
But what about him? He hides behind everything, unable to see black from white, to distinguish truth from falsehood. Mother, this isn't about revenge or venting anger.
I want to switch places—to move from the Yan family's position to the Zhou family's, to put myself in his position, to become completely a part of what the Zhou family was going through, and use the engagement to provoke him, to provoke the Zhou family, so he reveals what he truly thinks, what he truly is."
As she spoke, a glimmer of stubborn clarity rose through her tears: "I think... if one day I truly understand the deepest, truest version of him beneath the surface, then this unwillingness, this obsession—perhaps it will dissolve on its own."
Yan Liangyu's voice broke as she reached the end of her words.
Lady Yan stroked her face.
This child—gentle on the outside but stubborn within.
Yes, wasn't it stubbornness that had made her elope in the first place? Wasn't it stubbornness that had made her hold onto a relationship for four years?
"Silly child." Lady Yan let out a helpless yet tender sigh. "Since you want to understand clearly, your mother will see it through with you. But Liangyu, the world treats women far more harshly than it treats men. Zhou Zhengxun is older now, but it's no problem for him to find a respectable young woman four or five years younger than him.
But you—if you let your age advance too far, it will be difficult to find a suitable match of the same age and good family background. You want to dissolve the obsession in your heart, and I agree. But you must also promise me: whether you understand him or not, after the new year, the engagement must be broken."
Yan Liangyu nodded firmly: "Yes, Mother."
…
That afternoon, at the hour of you, Yan Tongshu walked out of the Kaifeng Prefecture office, nearly moved to tears.
First, she no longer had to wake up at three or four in the morning to attend the imperial court session.
Second, thanks to her optimization reforms, she had finally—finally—finished her work and clocked out at just past five in the afternoon!
"Pearl! Jinbao!"
Yan Tongshu announced excitedly: "Come on, let's go shopping!"
She hadn't been out for fun in ages.
Yan Tongshu rarely allowed herself to relax, and neither had Pearl and Jinbao, so the two responded cheerfully: "Yes!"
Yan Tongshu changed out of her official robes in the carriage, then paraded through the streets with Pearl and Jinbao, eating their way from one end of the street to the other.
Along the way, they even stopped to watch a cockfight.
The three of them had only bet a single copper coin, but they cheered for the white-feathered fighting rooster with such wild abandon that they managed to sound like they had wagered a hundred taels of silver. In the end, they won two copper coins and bought a stick of candied hawthorns, splitting it three ways—two berries each—and eating them together.
By the time they had walked the whole circuit, the three of them were completely full.
But even so—they had gotten off work so early for once—Yan Tongshu didn't want to go back to the residence just yet. She dragged Pearl and Jinbao off to watch some street performers.
That troupe of acrobats—not tall, but stocky and sturdy—had a bamboo pole over a dozen meters long balanced on one man's head. At the top of the pole stood a child on one leg, with two porcelain bowls stacked on the child's head and another bowl hooked on the toes of the raised foot.
The child lifted that foot and tossed the bowl on his toes upward.
The bowl landed neatly, stacking itself on top of the other two.
"Bravo!"
Yan Tongshu applauded along with the crowd.
Then the man in charge of collecting tips made his rounds, holding out an upturned gong. Yan Tongshu dug out a few copper coins and dropped them in.
Seeing how enthusiastic the crowd was and how generous they were tipping, the performer on stage tossed up yet another bowl.
Pearl and Jinbao were hopping and jumping with excitement, cheering nonstop.
When the act was over, the three of them still wanted more.
Yan Tongshu and Pearl exchanged a glance, then nodded in perfect sync: "Right—still want to see more."
"Then go to Dingsheng Troupe," said the middle-aged man who was carrying a stick of candied hawthorns, grinning cheerfully. "The Dingsheng Troupe is the most famous acrobatic performance group around. They rarely make it to Bianjing, you know."
"Really?" Yan Tongshu loved fun and excitement, and her interest was immediately piqued. "Is the Dingsheng Troupe really that good? Where do they perform?"
The man laughed. "The Dingsheng Troupe isn't just good—they're extraordinary. They have three signature acts: spear play, ventriloquism, and animal acts. Spear play—they balance that long spear shaft right on their forehead, solid as a rock. And they hang a bronze gong from the spear tip; when they spin it, the gong clangs away while the spear shaft doesn't budge an inch. And their ventriloquism—one person can create the sound of a hundred people. Armies on the march, demons and ghouls, midnight pillow talk—they can mimic every last bit of it. And the animal acts—monkeys, cranes, snakes—whatever you want to see, they've got it."
Whoa!
Just hearing that description was enough to make Yan Tongshu's heart race with excitement.
There was no way around it—she absolutely had to go see this.
Yan Tongshu pressed her palms together. "Tell me, tell me—where do they perform?"
The man laughed heartily. "North Market Gate. Everyone in Bianjing knows that. Young master, how have you not heard of this?"
Yan Tongshu pouted.
Could she really be blamed, though?
Every day she spent signing official documents until her head spun, and by the time she got off work, curfew was nearly upon her.
This dynasty had a thriving night market, which meant curfew came late. If it were some other dynasty... wait, no. If it were another dynasty, wouldn't she already be home long before curfew anyway?
Yan Tongshu thanked the man, bought three more sticks of candied hawthorns to save for a midnight snack, and set off for North Market Gate with Pearl and Jinbao.
When they got there, they learned that the Dingsheng Troupe had only arrived in Bianjing two days ago and wouldn't begin actual performances for another three days. For now, they were only selling tickets.
Yan Tongshu quickly queued up to buy tickets.
The line was long. They waited for a good while—long enough that the candied hawthorns saved for a midnight snack were all finished—before the three of them finally reached the front.
Yan Tongshu looked at the ticket seller. "Young man, three seats in the first three rows."
The young man gave an apologetic smile. "Apologies, young master—tickets are in high demand. All seats in the first five rows for the next three shows are sold out."
"Ah?" Yan Tongshu's disappointment was plain to see.
The young man asked, "Then... how about row eight, seats three, five, and seven on the left?"
The auditorium seats were numbered separately for odd and even sides, so seats three, five, and seven on the left meant three consecutive seats.
Yan Tongshu asked, "Is there nothing in a better location?"
The young man said, "I'm sorry—everything else is sold out."
There was no helping it. Yan Tongshu had to buy three tickets in that corner spot.
Sigh.
Yan Tongshu heaved a despondent sigh. A seat that far away and that off to the side probably meant she wouldn't even be able to see the full show.
Pearl thought for a moment. "Young master, the performance doesn't start for another three days. We could see if anyone in between is willing to sell their tickets."
Yan Tongshu nodded.
Just as the two of them finished speaking, a man came slinking over with a sly, winking expression. "Brother—need some tickets?"
Yan Tongshu eyed him suspiciously. "You have tickets?"
The man, with his shifty eyes and scheming grin, chuckled. "Of course. See over there—that's my boss. He's got a dozen or so tickets in the front three rows, one tael of silver each. How about it? A man of means like you—surely you can spare that much."
Yan Tongshu followed the man's pointing finger and looked over. Well, well—an old acquaintance.
"Gao Qi! You dare scalp tickets!"
Yan Tongshu bellowed. Seeing the situation going south, Gao Qi bolted.
Yan Tongshu gave chase.
But Gao Qi was no ordinary man—he was a master among thieves, agile and nimble, constantly honed from years of practice. There was no way Yan Tongshu and her two companions could catch him.
Within moments, Yan Tongshu was left in the dust, hands on knees, gasping for breath.
"Wait a second." Gao Qi doubled back, realization dawning. "Yan, sir—I'm selling tickets I bought with my own money. That's not against the law, is it?"
Yan Tongshu let out a sheepish "Ah."
Good point.
Even in the modern world, ticket scalpers operated in gray-market territory.
Gao Qi smirked smugly at Yan Tongshu, lazily fanning the tickets in his hand. "Yan, sir—want some tickets?"
Yan Tongshu found his cocky demeanor incredibly irritating. She snorted. "No. I am an upstanding official. I would never resort to such underhanded dealings."
Gao Qi's mouth twitched several times. "Well then... if you don't want them, I'll be off."
Yan Tongshu crossed her arms, unmoved.
Gao Qi backed away, saying, "Leaving now."
He took a few more steps back. "Yan, sir—I'm really leaving."
Yan Tongshu remained resolute.
Gao Qi gritted his teeth. "Buy two, get one free."
Yan Tongshu: "Deal."
Gao Qi: "..."
So much for upstanding and refusing underhanded dealings.
After buying the tickets, Yan Tongshu regretted it the very next day.
Because Yan Liangrong showed up at the office, accompanied by Bai Qinglan from the Dingsheng Troupe.
Bai Qinglan was the junior senior sister of the troupe, the resident physician who traveled with them across the country. Her medical skill was exquisite, and she was passionate about learning.
About four years earlier, Yan Liangrong had been at a temple burning incense, praying for a smooth career for Zheng Chun, when she slipped and fell, injuring her lower back. Luckily, Bai Qinglan acted decisively—applying acupuncture on the spot to stabilize her, then hurrying her down the mountain for proper treatment—and that was the only reason Yan Liangrong hadn't ended up crippled.
Today, Yan Liangrong had brought Bai Qinglan here to ask a favor.
Only the government had the authority to perform autopsies and dissections. For a physician who wished to better study human anatomy, the only way was to register under the official bureau for study.
Since Bianjing was the grandest capital of them all, and the Dingsheng Troupe would be staying here for an extended time, Bai Qinglan wanted to find an opportunity to study at the government office.
And since Yan Tongshu worked for the Kaifeng Prefecture, Yan Liangrong had brought Bai Qinglan straight to her.
Bai Qinglan had never imagined that the lady she had casually saved was the elder sister of the city's magistrate. She was quite startled and quickly said, "Yan, sir—my apologies. I had no idea Madam Zheng was your sister. I had assumed she knew a few clerks in the yamen who might grant me a chance to observe and learn."
Yan Tongshu chuckled. “Any friend of my sister is a friend of mine, and this is only a matter of observing and learning—how trivial! Miss Bai’s medical skills are superb, and our government office just happens to lack an experienced coroner. If you come, it might even be us who come out ahead.”
Ever since the imperial court had decreed that “no burial without an official autopsy,” the coroner’s office in the prefectural seat had been severely understaffed. Having someone willing to help was more than welcome to Yan Tongshu.
Considering Bai Qinglan was a woman, Yan Tongshu placed her under the tutelage of the female coroner, Wu Suowei.
As a token of thanks, Bai Qinglan then gifted Yan Tongshu three tickets to the very front row.
Yan Tongshu stared at the tickets in his hand for a long while, then made his way back to the North Gate arena and found Gao Qi. “I want a refund.”
Gao Qi refused on the spot. “Lord Yan, once goods are sold, there are no returns or exchanges.”
Yan Tongshu: “The tickets you gave me were for the third row. Now I’ve got front-row ones.”
Gao Qi refused again. “Lord Yan, a man of honor keeps his word. If you truly don’t want the ticket anymore, I can find someone to take it off your hands for you?”
Yan Tongshu: “Deal.”
Gao Qi: “…”
Wasn’t this the incorruptible and upright Lord Yan everyone praised?
You’re unreliable, Lord Yan!
Gao Qi summoned one of his underlings to find a buyer.
Before long, the underling returned with a man who, though dressed in understated clothing, carried an unmistakable air of wealth and status.
Yan Tongshu looked up—an old acquaintance.
He pulled the man aside. “Eunuch Lu Xi, you’re interested in acrobatics too?”
Lu Xi had meant to deny it, but since the Emperor’s excursion had to remain confidential, he nodded instead.
Yan Tongshu immediately whipped out three tickets and waved them. “Eunuch Lu Xi, how about one tael of silver per ticket?”
Lu Xi raised his head and just stared at Yan Tongshu, staring until Yan Tongshu felt his conscience twinge.
Yan Tongshu asked: “What’s wrong?”
Lu Xi: “Lord Yan, if a government official engages in ticket scalping on the side, he could be impeached.”
Yan Tongshu objected immediately: “I bought these from someone else for one tael each! How is that scalping? And the thing is, I have other plans, I don’t need them anymore—I’m just reselling.”
Lu Xi thought it over. The Emperor had suddenly gotten a whim and by now there were no tickets left anyway, so there was no point continuing the argument. He took out two taels of silver and bought two tickets.
Yan Tongshu sold the last one to someone else, netting a tidy profit of one tael.
“Come on, Pearl, Jinbao—tonight’s expenses are on Young Master Yan.”
Yan Tongshu held up the silver.
Pearl and Jinbao, hearing food was on the way, immediately cheered and danced with glee.
…
The next day, Yan Tongshu took his constables on a leisurely patrol through Kaifeng Prefecture.
Pearl and Jinbao followed behind, exchanging sly winks and nudges.
Pearl mouthed: “Ever since our young master stopped attending the morning court, he’s been in a great mood every single day.”
Jinbao mouthed back: “This morning, when he got up, he was singing. After he finished, he hugged Yuanzi and kissed him for ages—Yuanzi was so annoyed.”
Pearl: “What song was he singing?”
Jinbao: “Never heard it before. All I remember are three words: ‘Good Times.’”
After patrolling Kaifeng Prefecture, Yan Tongshu arrived at the Shenming Pavilion.
The Shenming Pavilion was where all the corpses were kept, and also the most critical place in criminal cases.
The moment Pearl and Jinbao saw the words “Shenming Pavilion,” their faces turned as white as sheets, and they immediately scurried off to hide.
Yan Tongshu laughed. “Go play, don’t shadow me anymore. I’ve plenty of men here.”
With a crisp “Yes, sir!” the two fled in a flash.
Yan Tongshu walked into the Shenming Pavilion. On duty that day were three coroners—Wu Suowei being one of them—and so Bai Qinglan was there too. Besides the coroners, the military recorder, Lu Zhi, was also on shift.
Yan Tongshu walked from section A to section B and found the three of them gathered.
Yan Tongshu asked, “I saw you three huddled together from afar. What were you discussing?”
Wu Suowei and Bai Qinglan both wore cloth masks over their faces, with ginger and garlic placed inside to counteract the stench of the corpses.
Wu Suowei gestured to a body nearby. “Lord Yan, this body was brought in this morning. A forty-three-year-old man named Bao Qiang. Multiple fractures throughout his bones. According to his family, he went up the mountain to chop wood early yesterday morning, and never came back even after dark. His family grew worried and asked the village head this morning to organize the villagers to search. They found Bao Qiang’s body at the bottom of a cliff. The day before he left, Bao Qiang had been mocked for still being unmarried at forty-three, and in a drunken rage he’d had a quarrel with his parents, cursing them out. We’re currently debating whether he fell off the cliff accidentally or took his own life.”
Yan Tongshu studied Bao Qiang’s body. “Why suspect suicide?”
The military recorder Lu Zhi clasped his hands in salute. “Bao Qiang was stubborn by nature, thin-skinned, and highly sensitive. In the days before his death, he had already repeatedly expressed a wish to die. The day before he left, he felt humiliated in front of others, argued with his parents, and was more mournful than angry. And strangely, on the morning he left, he made his parents their very first breakfast ever. Furthermore, at the scene of his death, we found no obvious signs of an accidental slip.”
Wu Suowei’s voice came through the mask: “We were discussing whether there is any way to determine Bao Qiang’s cause of death through examination.”
Yan Tongshu nodded and walked over to Bao Qiang’s feet.
This era placed great importance on “the body, hair, and skin are inherited from one’s parents, and must not be harmed.” Dissecting corpses was considered a profound disrespect to the dead, so autopsies were extremely rare, approached with endless caution, and the art of death examination was underdeveloped.
Just as, in the book Records of the Washing Away of Wrongs, Judge Song had made many groundbreaking proposals and standardized the basic procedures of coroner work—yet, were those same methods placed in the modern world, they would amount to little more than basic common sense, and the book might as well have been retitled “Basic Code of Practice for Forensic Coroners.”
That was the coercive impact of era and technological advancement.
After a moment’s consideration, Yan Tongshu spoke up. “Actually, confirming whether it’s suicide or accident is quite easy.”
Wu Suowei had seen Yan Tongshu’s investigative expertise first-hand, and immediately bowed respectfully. “Please enlighten us, Lord Yan.”
Bai Qinglan didn’t know Yan Tongshu well, but seeing this, she too immediately bowed with clasped hands.
Yan Tongshu explained: “If it’s an accident, there are usually two scenarios: either one’s footing slipped and one landed, or one leaned out too far while working overhead. If you slip on unbalanced footing, you either land on one foot first or your body lands first. If you lean too far out, your feet leave the ground last, so you fall upside down—usually headfirst. As for suicide…” —Yan Tongshu began cutting open Bao Qiang’s trousers with scissors—“A person who commits suicide typically jumps from a height with both feet together, so the feet hit the ground first. The bones of the feet fracture before anything else, and there are varying degrees of fractures all the way from the feet up to the cervical spine. If it were homicide, the typical method would be disposal—the body thrown flat and landing horizontally. If someone was pushed off a cliff alive, then you’d need a detailed investigation of the surrounding area to determine whether it was truly accidental.”
Wu Suowei, Bai Qinglan, and Lu Zhi all bowed together. “We stand instructed, Lord Yan.”
When Bao Qiang’s trouser leg was cut open, fractures were indeed visible in the foot bones.
Bai Qinglan craned her neck forward to get a better look, utterly absorbed in the matter.
Yan Tongshu couldn’t help but marvel—she truly had an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
Since they had already come this far, Yan Tongshu decided to lay it all out. She pointed at one spot, then another: "If it were suicide, the feet would hit the ground first, followed by the buttocks. The head, being heavier, would bend forward toward the front of the body, causing injury to the cervical spinal cord. At the same time, due to inertia, the upper body would lurch forward, with the chest striking the thighs. Then, from the reactive force…"
Yan Tongshu used both hands to mimic the upper and lower halves of a body, gesturing as she spoke: "The upper body, pressed against the legs, would, because of that reactive force, fall backward onto the ground, ultimately ending in a supine position. So…"
