Yan Tongshu glared at Meng Zheng.
Meng Zheng looked utterly innocent, asking Yan Tongshu with his eyes: “Aren’t you the emperor’s favorite minister? You two have a grudge?”
Yan Tongshu squeezed the snacks she had tucked in her arms, hiding them further, and said aloud: “Your Majesty, your servant was not running.”
Qin Yi let out a cold “Hah.” “Not running? Then why did you turn around?”
Who said turning around meant running?
Could she not simply have had a sudden whim to walk backward?
Seeing someone turn around and assuming they’re running—that’s pure prejudice.
Yan Tongshu ranted inwardly, but her face remained perfectly respectful: “Your servant came today to visit General Meng.”
Qin Yi glanced at Meng Yi. Meng Yi set down the white chess piece in his hand and replied with deference: “Your Majesty, yesterday General Cao was assassinated in his home. Your servant and General Cao had some argument a few days prior. I imagine Minister Yan is here to ask about that.”
Qin Yi’s eyes darkened. “Were you involved?”
Meng Yi said firmly: “No.”
That being so, Qin Yi was satisfied. He said: “Then go ahead and ask.”
Yan Tongshu bowed: “Yes.”
Yan Tongshu and Meng Zheng walked over.
Qin Yi looked at Yan Tongshu: “When you’re done asking, come play a game of chess with me.”
Why?
What’s the point?
It made no sense.
Yan Tongshu answered reluctantly: “Yes.”
Yan Tongshu and Meng Yi went aside. Yan Tongshu asked Meng Yi where he had gone, who he had seen, and what he had done after parting ways with Cao Jian yesterday.
Meng Yi answered one by one.
Yesterday, after he and Cao Jian separated, he went straight to the military camp and stayed there until the you hour, when he returned home for dinner.
After the you hour, he called his subordinates to a meeting in his study, handling official business until the xu hour when the meeting ended.
Afterwards, he remained in the study, continuing to work until after the hai hour. It was too late; he didn’t want to wake Lady Meng, so he told the attendant on duty in the study and stayed there for the night.
While Meng Yi spoke, Yan Tongshu kept watching him.
Meng Yi was wearing a dark blue long robe today.
On his sash was embroidered an abstract totem.
Yan Tongshu, while compiling books at the Xianlin Pavilion, had once read about this kind of totem in a book: it was an ancient totem meant to bless warriors.
And this totem only carried its blessing blessing significance if it was embroidered personally by a loved one for their beloved.
Meng Yi wore wrist guards, inlaid with sword-shaped, cross-like metal ornaments. The guards seemed to be many years old, covered with scratches, and the metal ornament on his right wrist had a fresh repair mark.
It seemed that after so many years, the fastening thread had come loose, and the ornament had been re-inlaid.
When Meng Yi finished, Yan Tongshu pressed for details: “General Meng, I hear that you and Lord Cao were at Huihua Tower…”
“Huihua Tower?”
Meng Zheng walked over, exclaiming: “Father! You went to Huihua Tower?”
“Shut up.” Meng Yi kicked Meng Zheng in the leg. “Don’t you dare tell your mother.”
Meng Zheng dodged nimbly: “Fine, Father! You go to Huihua Tower, and now you kick me too?”
He shouted: “Mother—”
Meng Yi clamped his hand over Meng Zheng’s mouth, gritting his teeth: “It was Cao Jian who dragged me there!”
Meng Zheng pulled his father’s hand away: “Your legs are your own. If you hadn’t wanted to go, could Lord Cao have forced you?”
“You little brat!” Meng Yi raised his hand to hit him.
Yan Tongshu pursed her lips, holding back a smile.
Oh-ho—who would have thought that the iron-boned general Meng Yi was also a henpecked husband at home?
After Meng Yi and Meng Zheng fought for a good while, the commotion really did bring Lady Meng out.
Both of them immediately stopped.
Lady Meng paid her respects to Qin Yi, then shot a fierce glare at the father and son: “What is it now? Why are you two fighting again?”
Meng Zheng: “Mother, Father went to Hui—”
Meng Yi clamped his hand over Meng Zheng’s mouth again: “My lady, nothing’s wrong. Go on about your business.”
Lady Meng looked at them suspiciously, but with guests present, she didn’t press further and let it go.
She reminded them: “His Majesty is still here. Don’t make a fuss and upset him.”
Qin Yi’s lips twitched slightly: “I’ve rather enjoyed the show.”
Lady Meng gave Meng Zheng a scolding glance, shook her head, and left.
Yan Tongshu walked over to Meng Yi: “General Meng, what exactly was the dispute between you and Lord Cao at Huihua Tower?”
Meng Yi: “A private matter.”
Yan Tongshu: “What private matter?”
Meng Yi: “Minister Yan, my private affairs have nothing to do with Lord Cao’s death.”
He wouldn’t say.
Yan Tongshu mused: “Is it the same private matter from His Majesty’s birthday banquet?”
Meng Yi’s expression stayed cool: “No comment.”
Yan Tongshu’s mouth twitched.
Saying nothing while trying to clear his name.
She suspected that Meng Yi had gotten into a fight with Cao Jian over one of the flower girls at Huihua Tower and was too afraid to tell Lady Meng about it.
Meng Zheng also sided with Yan Tongshu, crossing his arms and giving Meng Yi the same skeptical look.
Meng Yi laughed in exasperation.
Little brat—turning against his own father.
Once the emperor and Yan Tongshu left, he’d see how he dealt with this kid.
Meng Yi took a deep breath: “Cao Jian dragged me to Huihua Tower. We only listened to a song, did nothing else. I had nothing to do with Cao Jian’s death.”
Yan Tongshu added: “You were alone in your study at midnight, with no witness.”
Meng Yi repeated emphatically: “In any case, I’ve only been to Huihua Tower that one time, and I did nothing there.”
Yan Tongshu: “…”
He wasn’t in a hurry to clear himself of murder suspicion—only to clear himself of Huihua Tower. He really was terrified of making Lady Meng unhappy.
Meng Yi cared deeply about his innocence, but of course Meng Zheng picked that moment to twist the knife: “How would we know? Father, you’re always so busy and often away from home. Even if you went three or five times a month, Mother and I would never notice.”
Meng Yi clenched his fist. Once the emperor and Yan Tongshu left, he was definitely going to beat that little brat who loved digging pitfalls for his own father.
Yan Tongshu pulled out the drawing of the jade pendant found in Cao Jian’s bedroom: “General Meng, do you recognize this pendant?”
Meng Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly: “This is a family heirloom jade pendant of the Meng family. It was lost twenty-six years ago and has never been found. Cao Jian said he had news of the pendant, which is how he tricked me to Huihua Tower. So, this general has been to Huihua Tower exactly once in his entire life.”
That simple?
Yan Tongshu was skeptical, but she put the drawing away and didn’t press further.
Yan Tongshu smiled: “Since I’ve asked everything I needed, I’ll take my leave.”
She turned to go.
Qin Yi’s voice, calm but weighty, reached her ears: “Get back here.”
Yan Tongshu pouted.
This dog of an emperor—how could he still remember?
Yan Tongshu shuffled back and sat across from Qin Yi: “Your Majesty.”
Qin Yi’s gaze was cold. He commanded: “Sit.”
Yan Tongshu sat obediently.
By then, the entangled black-and-white pieces on the board had been cleared by Lu Xi and put back into the bowls; the board was empty.
Qin Yi casually scooped up a handful of pieces.
Yan Tongshu placed a black stone on the board to indicate her guess of odd count.
Qin Yi opened his palm—two pieces. She guessed wrong. He’d play black first.
From the side, Meng Yi had quietly finished reprimanding Meng Zheng, and now the two walked over to watch.
Playing chess was a test of psychological strategy and intellectual combat—a proper way for sovereign and subject to align their minds.
Meng Zheng looked at Qin Yi, then at Yan Tongshu.
Yan Tongshu was a person of real ability.
As the saying goes, a thousand troops are easy to come by, but one general is hard to find.
That holds true for military commanders, and it holds equally true for capable ministers like Yan Tongshu.
The Emperor's aim was to completely win over Yan Tongshu, to make her serve his purposes, which was why he had arranged this game of chess today. But unfortunately, upright people like Yan Tongshu were the hardest to win over.
Meng Zheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
Winning over a minister was like climbing a mountain—the steeper the terrain, the more interesting the challenge.
The Emperor must have thought the same way.
Yan Tongshu propped her cheek on her hand, her eyes still fixed on the chessboard, but her mind had already wandered off somewhere.
It was almost time to clock out.
She wanted to go home and eat.
Today the kitchen had said they would make mushroom and black-bone chicken soup.
Fragrant, tender black-bone chicken.
Rich, savory broth.
Absentmindedly, Yan Tongshu picked up a white stone and placed it on the board with a soft tap.
Qin Yi's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. "Play seriously for me," he said.
Meng Yi's brow furrowed slightly. Anyone who could get the Emperor this riled up—this Master Yan truly had skill, and also quite a nerve.
Yan Tongshu blinked. What was the big deal?
She was playing seriously.
It wasn't as if she even liked chess to begin with.
She said pitifully, "Your Majesty, I am playing seriously."
Qin Yi tossed his black stones onto the chaotic jumble of black and white pieces. "Start over."
Yan Tongshu cursed Qin Yi furiously in her mind.
One round wasn't enough—he wanted another.
And she was still waiting to go home and have her black-bone chicken soup.
This time Yan Tongshu played black and moved first.
Qin Yi spoke slowly: "I'll make a bet with you."
Yan Tongshu shook her head.
Meng Yi and Meng Zheng both looked at her simultaneously.
"Why not?" Qin Yi asked.
Yan Tongshu looked at Qin Yi very seriously. "Your Majesty, from a young age I was taught: treasure your life, and say no to gambling, drugs, and other vices."
Meng Yi and Meng Zheng: "…"
Lu Xi, standing nearby in attendance, silently bowed his head even lower, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
Qin Yi laughed, but it was a forced laugh.
Fine. Just fine.
This kid kept playing dumb and bold, pushing her luck a little more each time.
He could tell she just didn't trust him and was deliberately trying to get under his skin.
Qin Yi curled the corner of his mouth. "A batch of fresh mutton has arrived from the northern frontier. I'll wager against whatever food you have on you. If you win, the mutton is yours. If you lose, you leave all your snacks behind."
Yan Tongshu pressed her lips together, fuming.
She knew it. This greedy Emperor had his eye on her good food again.
She should have run faster earlier.
Yan Tongshu was about to refuse when Qin Yi said offhandedly, "My words are the imperial decree. Those who defy it die."
The tone was light, but the weight behind it was heavy.
Yan Tongshu grabbed a black stone, her cheeks puffed up in frustration. Qin Yi's eyes flickered with amusement. Sure enough, if you wanted to hit this kid, you had to hit where it hurt most.
"Take out all the food you have on you," he ordered.
Yan Tongshu gritted her teeth and began pulling out her snacks: a bamboo tube of fruit soft candies, a packet of chestnut cakes, and a packet of jujube kernel pastries.
She placed a black stone on the board.
Qin Yi placed a white one.
A stick of incense later, Qin Yi was laughing in exasperation again. He tossed the white stone he held back into the bowl. "You're a terrible chess player."
If her chess was this bad, then how on earth had she devised that intricately interconnected, psychologically calculating scheme during the trial of the princess's case?
Yan Tongshu felt even more wronged. This time she couldn't hold back and murmured out loud, "I told Your Majesty, I am playing seriously."
She genuinely didn't know how to play chess. Who knew what kind of fit the Emperor had gotten into, convinced that she was some kind of chess prodigy hiding her talents, suspecting her of slacking off.
Just like last time—she had genuinely been sick with a fever and asked for leave, but the Emperor, for whatever reason out of left field, decided she was faking illness to shirk her duties and even came to the Yan residence to drag her back.
Did people in politics just instinctively assume the worst of others and overcomplicate everything simple?
She didn't get it.
Yan Tongshu carefully studied Qin Yi, making sure he wasn't truly angry, then reached for the bamboo tube of fruit candies while whispering, "Your Majesty, I'm terrible at chess. I won't waste any more of your time with General Meng's sparring. I'll take my leave now."
Qin Yi's gaze traveled downward and settled on Yan Tongshu's restless hand. Yan Tongshu froze, quietly set the candy tube down, lowered her head, and slunk out dejectedly.
Meng Yi spoke up: "Master Yan still seems to have reservations about the current political situation."
In other words, she was still waiting to see whether the Emperor was truly worthy of her wholehearted loyalty.
Qin Yi tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
Meng Zheng disagreed. "Father, don't you think you're overthinking it? I think Master Yan is a straightforward person. She might just genuinely be bad at chess."
Meng Yi: "…"
How had he ended up with such a simple-minded boy?
If Yan Tongshu were faking it, then that meant she was holding back from the Emperor.
And if she wasn't faking it, then exposing that and directly pointing out the Emperor's misjudgment—didn't the Emperor need to save face?
…
Coming out of the Meng residence, Yan Tongshu was screaming internally, punching the air.
That despicable Emperor, that despicable Emperor, that despicable Emperor.
Whenever she ran into him, nothing good ever came of it!
He was always stealing her food.
This time, and that time watching the street performers too—he tricked so much food out of her then as well.
Pearl and Jinbao lifted the curtain of the carriage. "Young Master, what's wrong? Who made you angry? Your face looks terrible."
Yan Tongshu hopped onto the carriage as Jinbao walked around to the front to drive.
Yan Tongshu huffed: "The Emperor. Chess. He won all the snacks I brought."
She tugged at Pearl's sleeve. "Pearl, you know it. When it comes to Go, I only know the basic rules—I have no real skill at all. I told him, treasure your life, say no to gambling, drugs, and other vices. And he still insisted on betting with me."
Pearl said, "Ah. And what did the Emperor bet against you?"
Yan Tongshu said, utterly aggrieved: "He said a batch of mutton had arrived from the northern frontier, and he used that to wager against the food I had on me. In the end, he took all the fruit soft candies I'd just invented."
"The mutton from the northern frontier?" Pearl pulled Yan Tongshu's sleeve, opened the chest inside the carriage, and pointed at what was inside. "Do you mean this mutton?"
Yan Tongshu froze.
Pearl explained: "Right after you went into the residence, Chief Steward Lu Xi sent people to carry this chest of mutton out, saying it was originally meant to be delivered to the Yan residence as a reward. Since we happened to be here, they just told us to take it home directly."
Yan Tongshu looked at the mutton—roughly ten-odd catties, with bright red, fresh flesh—and got even angrier.
The mutton had been sent by the Emperor as a consolation gift because he saw how hard she'd been working lately. It was basically a company benefit.
Which meant: the mutton was hers.
The fruit soft candies were also hers.
The Emperor had used her mutton to cheat away her fruit soft candies.
What a cunning, vicious move.
How despicable!!!
Yan Tongshu silently added another tally mark to the Emperor's account.
The next day, the Kaifeng Prefecture officers assigned to guard the Cao residence reported that Lady Cao had sent someone to invite Xiao Jun over, saying she had discovered some old belongings of General Cao and wished to personally hand them to Xiao Jun.
When Yan Tongshu heard the news, she couldn't help but sigh. Lady Cao might not have much intelligence when it came to managing her household, but she had a real gift when it came to evading the Kaifeng Prefecture's surveillance.
Now that she was being watched by the Prefecture, no matter how she came and went, she couldn't avoid being followed.
So rather than that, she might as well openly and generously invite Xiao Jun over for a chat.
The more aboveboard she acted, the less likely she'd leave behind any evidence of wrongdoing.
Once she'd confirmed the time Xiao Jun would be entering the residence, Yan Tongshu gave a few instructions to Xu Qiu, who followed them accordingly.
After all was done, Yan Tongshu stood up. "Come on, Pearl. Call Jinbao. Let's go get some noodles."
Noodles?
Pearl asked, puzzled, "At this hour?"
Yan Tongshu nodded.
The three of them hurried over to Aunt Yang's noodle stall. Aunt Yang hadn't expected Yan Tongshu to come after the breakfast rush, so she hadn't prepared anything in advance and started cooking the noodles fresh: "Oh dear, Master Yan, next time you come, just send word ahead of time, and I'll time it so the noodles are ready the moment you sit down."
Yan Tongshu smiled. "No need to fuss, Aunt Yang. We just like resting at your stall."
Aunt Yang stirred the noodles in the boiling pot with a pair of long bamboo chopsticks.
Yan Tongshu asked, "Aunt Yang, is Zhao Sheng coming by today?"
Just the mention of Zhao Sheng gave Aunt Yang a headache. "Him? He's always up to no good, doing heaven knows what. Half the time, I can't even find him when I look. But today's the ninth, so he's bound to be out of money. He'll come crawling back, playing the dutiful son, trying to squeeze some silver out of me. Let me see..."
She looked up at the sky. "Any minute now, right around this time."
Three bowls of noodles were served. Yan Tongshu and his companions had barely eaten half when Zhao Sheng showed up.
Sure enough, Zhao Sheng came in and immediately put on the filial act—wiping tables here, helping collect money there, stoking the fire, all while sweet-talking Aunt Yang.
Aunt Yang, still cooking noodles, shoved him away with her elbow. "Get out of here, get out. You're just making more work for me. I'm telling you, your old mother has no money."
Zhao Sheng tugged at her sleeve, acting coy. "Mama..."
Aunt Yang said with exasperation, "Shoo, shoo, shoo. You're driving me crazy."
Zhao Sheng kept up the act, babbling on: "Just this once, I swear. My big brother found a huge deal, guaranteed to make big money. Mama, once I earn it, I'll buy you gold, make you a gold hairpin, and you'll be the first woman in the village to wear one."
Aunt Yang shot him a look. "Gold hairpin? At this rate, we'll have to pawn your silver hairpin just to get by."
Zhao Sheng had swindled too much money out of Aunt Yang before, so no matter how hard he begged this time, she refused to budge.
Zhao Sheng gave up and squatted on the ground with a heavy sigh.
Yan Tongshu called out, "Check, please."
"Coming!" Zhao Sheng dashed over, eager to pocket a few more copper coins.
Pearl handed him the money, and Yan Tongshu smiled at him. "Zhao Sheng, did your big brother move again?"
Zhao Sheng shrugged nonchalantly. "He moves every other day. That's normal for him."
Yan Tongshu asked, "So where is he now?"
"Why?" Zhao Sheng's face turned wary. "Master Yan, I respect you a lot, but I will never rat out my big brother."
Yan Tongshu pulled out a tael of silver. "It's not ratting him out. I need his help with something—I want him to assist in an investigation."
Zhao Sheng said, "I—don't—believe you."
With that, Zhao Sheng tried to run, but Pearl and Jinbao each blocked one side.
Zhao Sheng's knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground, kneeling before Yan Tongshu. "Master Yan, last time I took you to find my big brother, I got beaten black and blue. If I sell him out again, he'll kill me for sure."
Yan Tongshu helped Zhao Sheng to his feet. "Your big brother hasn't done anything wrong. I just need a small favor from him. Come on, take the silver, and take me to him."
Zhao Sheng clutched the silver, trembling all over. "Can I say no?"
Yan Tongshu smiled. "No, you can't."
Zhao Sheng resigned himself to his fate and led Yan Tongshu to Gao Qi.
When Gao Qi saw Yan Tongshu and his group, he pointed at Zhao Sheng and gritted his teeth. "How did I end up with such a traitorous little brother?"
Zhao Sheng gave Gao Qi a fawning grin.
Gao Qi dropped to his knees before Yan Tongshu. "Master Yan, I swear I haven't done anything wrong."
Yan Tongshu said, "Who said you did?"
He gently helped the man up. "I genuinely need your help. That's why I found Zhao Sheng. Rest assured, once the case is solved and you've assisted the yamen, the Kaifeng Prefecture will properly thank you."
Gao Qi's mouth twitched.
Men like him—with less-than-clean hands—feared dealing with the authorities above all.
But with Yan Tongshu coming to his door, he had no choice but to accept.
He put on a fawning smile. "Master Yan, what can I do for you?"
Yan Tongshu said, "You know lipreading. I need that skill of yours."
...
By noon, Xiao Jun entered the Cao residence.
Madam Cao and Xiao Jun sat in the dining hall. After the servants finished laying out the meal, Madam Cao pretended to eat with Xiao Jun for a while, then dismissed everyone.
The dining hall had small windows, only half open, so it was hard to see inside from outside.
But Yan Tongshu had previously arranged for several mirrors to be secretly placed inside the walls, positioned so that the mirrors on the inside reflected to the mirrors on the outside, one after another.
From outside, they could easily observe the movements of those within.
Yan Tongshu, Pearl, and Gao Qi hid outside, while Gao Qi recited the conversation verbatim based on the lip movements.
Once the servants were gone from the dining hall,
Madam Cao put down her chopsticks, her expression grave. "Xiao Lang, that Yan Tongshu seems to have noticed something. He came by yesterday and questioned my maidservant. He didn't get anything out of her, but she didn't seem satisfied. She kept insisting on seeing Madam Xiao. Xiao Lang, we need to make plans early."
Xiao Jun chuckled lightly and pulled Madam Cao into his arms. "What has she noticed?"
Madam Cao glanced around nervously and slapped his shoulder. "I'm being serious here."
Xiao Jun was unbothered. "No one's watching."
As he spoke, Xiao Jun placed his hand on Madam Cao's waist and gently massaged it. "Don't worry, I've got it covered."
Madam Cao stopped struggling. "What do you mean?"
Xiao Jun nuzzled his nose against Madam Cao's cheek. "She and that surnamed Cen from the Ministry of Justice found the disownment letter, didn't they? The day she found it, I wrote to my wife that very day, told her her mother was ill, and had her detour to visit her mother. With the round trip, she won't be back for at least ten days to half a month. By the time she returns, the case will already be closed."
Hearing this, Madam Cao's whole body relaxed, and she gave Xiao Jun a playful glance. "You're quite cunning, aren't you?"
Xiao Jun's hands grew increasingly bold. "If I weren't cunning, how could I have stolen you away?"
With that, he tilted her chin up and kissed her red lips, licking and sucking. Before long, both of them were breathless.
Madam Cao leaned against him. "It's all that damned Cao Jian's fault. We'd agreed to let bygones be bygones and live in peace..."
The thought of it made Madam Cao seethe with hatred.
Cao Jian had ruined her entire life. She had finally latched onto Xiao Jun, had a fine pair of children, and had the whole Cao estate within her grasp—only for that dog Cao Jian to ruin it!
One arrow and he was dead. It was too good for him.
In her eyes, death by a thousand cuts wouldn't have been enough to quell her fury.
Madam Cao burrowed deeper into Xiao Jun's chest. "When do you think he figured out that Yue'er and He'er weren't his? He kept it well hidden, even wrote that disownment letter behind our backs."
"Why talk about all that? A night of passion is worth a thousand pieces of gold—let me kiss you first." Xiao Jun bit down on Madam Cao's earlobe.
The two of them dallied, whispering sweet nothings, until Madam Cao looked up at Xiao Jun with hazy eyes. "He really wasn't killed by you?"
