The Minister of Justice was so enraged that his chest heaved violently and even his beard seemed to fly up. "You—you—" He pointed furiously at Lady Cao. "You are utterly shameless!"
Lady Cao lifted her chin. "The truly shameless one is the person who refuses to leave someone else's home."
He couldn't out-argue her, and with so many people present, he couldn't very well start cursing. The Minister of Justice gave a cold snort and swept away in a huff.
Cen Xu bowed to Yan Tongshu and followed him out.
Once all the Justice Ministry officials had left, Lady Cao faced Yan Tongshu directly. Her affair with Xiao Jun had already been exposed, and there was no way she could remain in the capital now. Since that was the case, there was no need for her to keep up any pretense of civility.
Lady Cao raised her hand in a gesture of invitation. "Lord Yan, I ask that you also leave as soon as possible."
Yan Tongshu narrowed her eyes. "The case is not yet closed."
Lady Cao asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Yan Tongshu replied, "Cen Xu's reasoning is barely plausible, but there are still many loose ends in this case. For instance, the manner of Cao Jian's death was too tranquil, why the fire thorn branches in the study bloomed, and who was the voice that answered that night. Furthermore, Xiao Jun has not yet confessed."
Lady Cao's brows were frost-laden. "Then please give me a specific date for concluding the case."
Yan Tongshu lowered her gaze for a moment. "Within the next few days."
With that, she rose and left.
When she stepped outside, most of the Justice Ministry guards watching over the Cao residence had already been withdrawn, though the Kaifeng government runners remained.
Seeing that the matter had been resolved, Gao Qi slipped away in a flash.
Yan Tongshu said quietly to Pearl, "Pearl, bring Zheng He—the one who was on night duty in the study the night Cao Jian died."
Pearl bowed her head. "Yes, my lady."
As Yan Tongshu paced back and forth in the garden waiting for Zheng He, two familiar figures approached from ahead.
Yan Tongshu said in surprise, "Elder Sister, why are you here?"
Yan Liangrong replied calmly, "I've been absent-minded these past few days and haven't gone out. Today, on a whim, I went looking for Miss Bai to take a walk, and only then did I learn that she had run into trouble."
"Knowing she was in trouble, I hurried over to see her." She took Bai Qinglan's hand. "And she—being forced into marriage by that Lord Cao was such a huge matter—she bore it all alone and never thought to come find me. Had she come to me, with you serving as the acting magistrate of Kaifeng, I dare say Cao Jian would never have dared lay a hand on a good girl right here in the capital."
Yan Liangrong let out a sigh. "Miss Bai has suffered these past days."
Bai Qinglan shook her head, not hiding her resentment toward Cao Jian. "At least the villain is dead, and now the killer has been caught too. It's just that the Dingsheng Troupe has been delayed too long in Bianjing... and left some unpleasant memories behind. My big brother said once the case is closed, we'll leave Bianjing."
The Dingsheng Troupe made its living by traveling far and wide performing acrobatics. After such a big incident in Bianjing and all that bullying they endured, wanting to leave was only natural.
Yan Tongshu lowered her gaze in thought for a moment, then said softly, "But the case isn't closed yet, so you may need to wait a few more days."
Yan Liangrong asked in confusion, "As we walked over just now, we heard the Justice Ministry guards being withdrawn, saying the culprit had been caught. If the culprit has been caught, doesn't that mean the case is settled?"
Yan Tongshu said, "There are a few points that remain stuck, and I haven't been able to work through them yet."
Yan Liangrong nodded. "Well, staying a few extra days is fine then."
She looked at Bai Qinglan tenderly. "Consider it giving us sisters more time to talk."
Bai Qinglan smiled and nodded.
At this moment, Pearl brought Zheng He in. Seeing that Yan Tongshu was busy with the case, Yan Liangrong took Bai Qinglan and left.
Yan Tongshu asked Zheng He to describe the flower he had seen that night and drew it on paper accordingly. Yan Tongshu studied the "flower" on the paper.
Five slender petals—two long, three short.
There were also some strange patterns in the middle of the petals.
Yan Tongshu asked Zheng He, "Are you sure it looked like this?"
Zheng He shook his head. "Not sure."
Yan Tongshu's face went stiff. Zheng He said awkwardly, "Master Yan, I only got one glance that day, and then the candle went out. I'm not very sharp, and with just one look, I really can't remember clearly. But vaguely, it should have looked like this."
Yan Tongshu thought for a moment, then took Zheng He to the study.
The yamen runner guarding the study door respectfully let them pass.
Yan Tongshu walked into the study holding the drawing, standing beside the desk.
On the desk sat a vase with branches of firethorn inserted in it.
Because the water hadn't been changed in a long time, the firethorn branches had already dried out.
Then there were the brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and some official documents.
Yan Tongshu raised her eyes toward where Cao Jian had died—that is, the tea table in the southeast corner.
Beside the tea table stood a candlestick about one meter and two tall.
She lifted her hand and pointed at the candlestick's position.
"If Cao Jian died while sitting in that seat, and the person who responded to Zheng He only answered once, then blew out the candle—if that person really was Cao Jian, why would he still be sitting in his seat? If the person who answered was not Cao Jian, then it makes sense."
Yan Tongshu looked at the tea table and chair in the southeast.
The tea table and chair sat steady and unmoving.
"By the time that person answered, Cao Jian was already dead. Xiao Jun said that when he came to the study, he saw the candle burning, but he didn't mention seeing anyone. Xiao Jun was searching for something—the study showed signs of being ransacked—and that person was also searching for something."
Yan Tongshu mused, "If the person who answered wasn't Cao Jian, then when the thief entered the study, Cao Jian had likely already lost consciousness or was already dead. He was rummaging through things, and Zheng He, thinking Cao Jian was still alive, asked at the door. The other party, fearing exposure, quickly answered once, then reached up with something to extinguish the candle. So what did he use to put it out?"
Yan Tongshu's gaze dropped. Firethorn!
The leaves on the firethorn branches were already half-withered, but on the night Cao Jian died, they should have been fresh.
The culprit casually broke off a leaf and used it to extinguish the candle.
When Lady Cao discovered Cao Jian's body and rushed in with her people, so many feet trampling the ground—the leaf vanished without a trace.
There were fresh scratch marks from a sharp tool on the window latch.
The person entered through the window, searched around, answered once, blew out the candle, then went out through the window and closed it from the outside.
Yan Tongshu placed her hand on the firethorn branch...
It was Meng Yi!
The person who sneaked in that night was Meng Yi!
Yan Tongshu said in a low voice, "Let's go, Pearl—to the Meng residence."
"Yes." Pearl quickly followed.
As usual, Jinbao drove the carriage.
Partway there, they encountered Meng Zheng leading troops on patrol through the city. Yan Tongshu lifted the carriage curtain and called out to him, "Meng Zheng."
Meng Zheng tugged the reins and rode his horse to the carriage. "What do you want of me?"
Yan Tongshu handed the drawing over. "Does anything on this look familiar to you?"
Meng Zheng took the drawing and examined it closely. "It looks like a flower?"
Yan Tongshu said, "Or maybe not."
Meng Zheng said, "Five petals—it does look somewhat familiar."
Yan Tongshu said, "This is what showed through the paper window at night—it's already distorted and deformed. If you straighten the shape, the five petals should be roughly the same size. Take away one petal, and you get four petals, which forms a cross shape."
Meng Zheng frowned slightly. "Take away one petal, and it does kind of look like it."
Yan Tongshu held her breath, watching him.
Meng Zheng: "...It looks like the military emblem of the Yinzhou Army. Especially that blurry grid pattern in the middle—like you said, if straightened, it would definitely be a well-shaped grid."
Yan Tongshu: "How do you know the Yinzhou Army emblem?"
Meng Zheng: "My mother's uncle was a commander in the Yinzhou Army. Twenty-six years ago, my father served as a guard captain there, and that's where he met my mother. She had deep feelings for Yinzhou and was always unwilling to leave. My father chased her for over a year before she finally agreed to marry him and come to Bianjing. My father's wrist guards and belt were all made by my mother's own hands. She holds Yinzhou dear, so she often sewed Yinzhou Army insignia onto these items."
With that, Meng Zheng bent slightly, stared into Yan Tongshu's eyes, and teased, "What? Did my father get into trouble at the Huihua Brothel and end up on your desk, Magistrate Yan? If that's the case, just say the word—I'll immediately disown him and help you haul him in."
Meng Zheng knew his father well and trusted him completely, which was why he dared joke with Yan Tongshu like this.
Who would have guessed that Yan Tongshu would stay completely silent, those dark eyes staring at him so deeply that Meng Zheng suddenly lost his confidence.
Meng Zheng probed carefully: "Did my father really commit a crime?"
Yan Tongshu nodded. "A murder case."
Meng Zheng: "Who did he kill?"
Yan Tongshu: "Cao Jian."
Meng Zheng's confidence wavered even more, his face going pale. "My father killed him?"
Yan Tongshu suddenly smiled. "Hard to say. Maybe he did; maybe he didn't."
Meng Zheng froze, then let out a low, furious growl: "Yan! Tong! Shu!"
Yan Tongshu gave Meng Zheng an ingratiating smile. "Just joking. Don't be mad. Your father most likely isn't the culprit."
Meng Zheng's teeth itched with irritation.
He was the son, and he'd actually doubted his own father because of a single comment from Yan Tongshu.
That was utterly outrageous.
Meng Zheng stared at Yan Tongshu's face, beaming like a blooming flower, and grew even angrier. He reached out and pinched her cheek. "Is this something you can joke about?"
"Ow, ow, ow." Yan Tongshu tried to pull his hand away, but she couldn't. "You seemed so confident, I just wanted to spook you a bit."
Seeing that her fair cheek was already red where he'd pinched her, Meng Zheng's heart softened, and he let go. "Well, you nearly scared me to death."
Yan Tongshu: "Oh, so you're not very good at taking a scare."
Meng Zheng raised his hand in a pinching threat.
Yan Tongshu flinched, rubbing her reddened cheek. "I-I-I-I'm telling you, I'm a third-rank official. My rank is higher than yours. I'm not afraid of you."
Meng Zheng let out a snort. "Not afraid? Then why are you stuttering?"
Yan Tongshu pressed her palms together. "Magistrate Meng, let's go find your father."
Meng Zheng straightened up, looking down at Yan Tongshu from head to toe. "That sweet attitude means you're up to something."
Yan Tongshu: "Magistrate Meng, your father has a tight mouth. I need your help."
Meng Zheng: "Magistrate Yan, you flatter me. Do you really think I can pry open my father's mouth?"
Yan Tongshu pressed her palms together again, making pleading gestures.
Meng Zheng thought for a moment. "Actually, there is a way. My mother doesn't yet know about my father visiting the Huihua Brothel. In this life, my father fears nothing—except my mother."
Yan Tongshu understood: “Your mother doesn’t know yet, huh?”
The two exchanged a knowing look, tacit understanding passing between them.
Then Meng Zheng pulled on the reins, handed off the street patrol to his subordinates, and rode back to the Meng residence with Yan Tongshu to watch the fun.
Meng Mansion.
At that moment, Meng Yi was in his study handling official affairs.
A servant on duty knocked and announced their arrival. Meng Yi set down his documents and had Yan Tongshu and Meng Zheng come in.
Yan Tongshu entered and, without beating around the bush, placed a diagram directly on the table: “General Meng, you’ve changed your wrist guard. I remember yesterday, the metal ornament on your wrist guard had signs of being newly repaired. Because it had been used for a long time, the stitching had snapped, so you re-sewed it with new thread?”
Meng Zheng leaned against the wall nearby, looking like someone eager to watch the drama unfold.
Meng Yi’s brow twitched violently.
He truly couldn’t stand the sight of Meng Zheng’s sloppy, soldier-of-fortune demeanor.
Meng Yi said, “Get out.”
Meng Zheng didn’t move.
Meng Yi raised his hand to hit him, and Meng Zheng complained, “Father.”
Meng Yi’s voice carried an unyielding authority: “Get out.”
“Fine,” Meng Zheng turned, “I’ll go find Mother and tell her you hit me.”
Meng Yi: “Get back here.”
Meng Zheng raised an eyebrow in triumph, and Meng Yi ordered, “Close the door.”
Meng Zheng shut the study door. Now only the three of them were in the room.
Meng Yi gestured to a chair, letting Yan Tongshu sit. “Continue, Magistrate Yan.”
Yan Tongshu sat down. Meng Zheng walked over and leaned one hand on the back of her chair.
Yan Tongshu continued: “On the night of the incident, just before the third watch, Zheng He, the study duty attendant, caught a glimpse of a shadow shaped like a ‘flower.’ I drew that image.”
Her fingertip lightly tapped the paper. “Meng Zheng recognized it as the insignia of the Yin Province army.”
Yan Tongshu’s gaze was sharp as she looked straight into Meng Yi’s eyes: “General Meng, on the night it happened, you snuck into Cao Jian’s study. After you entered, you were searching through the room when Zheng He called out from outside. At that time, Cao Jian was already dead. You feared exposure, feared drawing suspicion—so, while answering him, you plucked a leaf from a firethorn branch and snuffed out the candle flame.
What you didn’t expect, however, was that while plucking the leaf, the fixed thread on the metal ornament of your wrist guard suddenly snapped. The metal ornament combined with the firethorn leaf at that moment, and due to the distorted, warped candlelight, Zheng He mistook it for a ‘blossoming’ flower.”
Meng Yi gave a small smile and asked, “How do you know that the person who slipped into the study that night didn’t do so after killing Cao Jian?”
Yan Tongshu: “Cao Jian died at the hour of zi. Of the three windows in the study, only the one behind Cao Jian showed signs of being opened. This means all three windows were locked from the inside that night. There was a hole in the window to the northwest, opposite Cao Jian, where an arrow had been shot through—which also shows the arrow entered through the window. It was dark that night, and with the window in between, it clearly was not a good moment for an assassination. Cao Jian was unusually strong by birth, and after gaining the favor of Prince Ming, he had trained for years in the military, becoming both agile and highly alert to danger. For someone to ambush outside the window and kill Cao Jian with a single shot—technically speaking, it would have been not only difficult but also ill-timed. In such a blurry situation, if that arrow hadn’t immediately incapacitated Cao Jian, he would have fought back without question, and the culprit would have been exposed at once.”
General Meng’s martial arts were superior to Cao Jian’s, so there was no need to take such a risk. Moreover, if General Meng were looking for something, shooting Cao Jian with an arrow would be a terrible choice. Through a blurry window, it would be too difficult to land a single arrow that precisely cripples Cao Jian’s ability to fight back. How could General Meng guarantee a killing blow, ensure no one was alerted, and still slip into the study to search? If General Meng wanted Cao Jian dead, he had far better options.
This was also the question that had always nagged at Yan Tongshu: why would the killer choose such a dangerous and ill-timed moment?
Yan Tongshu said, “The killer couldn’t have planned to charge into the study to finish the job if the arrow failed. Cao Jian’s martial arts were too high — there are only a handful of people in Bianjing who could overpower him. And all of them are prominent figures who wouldn’t dare expose themselves. Even if Cao Jian were wounded, a drawn-out struggle would keep the killer from escaping quickly. If the killer had simply fired a shot on a whim, hoping for luck...” Yan Tongshu let out a faint smile. “I don’t think someone as meticulous as General Meng would be the type to rely on blind hope.”
Meng Yi rested his hand on the table, but Yan Tongshu’s words had done nothing to ease his guard. “Lord Yan has spent a great deal of breath clearing the name of the person who snuck in that night. All you’re doing is trying to lure someone into confessing. If I were that intruder, and I believed your argument, I’d let my guard down. Whether that intruder is the killer or not, the moment they speak, you’d find a flaw to pick at.”
Yan Tongshu rose, planting both hands on the desk, his gaze clashing with Meng Yi’s like blades meeting. “Then tell me, General Meng — after you entered the study that night, what exactly did you see? And what were you looking for? Was it that jade pendant?”
A vein throbbed at Meng Yi’s temple. “Lord Yan, Xiao Jun is the killer. Aren’t you satisfied with that conclusion?”
Yan Tongshu frowned.
The truth was the truth. What did satisfaction have to do with it?
Meng Yi’s voice deepened. “But this conclusion should satisfy His Majesty quite well.”
The commander of the Divine Strategy Army had been killed, and so had the deputy commander.
The two highest positions in the army were now completely vacant.
His Majesty could place his own people in those roles, gradually taking full control of the Divine Strategy Army, and in doing so, weaken Prince Ming’s power.
But once this conclusion was overturned, Xiao Jun — the loyal commander of Prince Ming — would remain firmly seated atop the army, and the Divine Strategy Army would stay unshakably in Prince Ming’s hands.
Yan Tongshu looked at Meng Yi with bafflement. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. But the truth is the truth. That’s a matter of principle.”
A flicker of emotion passed through Meng Yi’s eyes, and he seemed genuinely moved. “Lord Yan is indeed an upright man.”
Meng Zheng could no longer hold back. “Father, stop being so cryptic.”
Meng Yi shot him a piercing glare, but Meng Zheng had always been spoiled and was hardly afraid. He said bluntly, “Father, Lord Yan is holding something over your head.”
Yan Tongshu chose that moment to speak. “The Floral Pavilion... oh dear, if General Meng went to the Floral Pavilion, Madame Meng would be heartbroken — and furious.”
Meng Yi clenched his fist.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to send Meng Zheng to the frontier.
“Very well. Since General Meng is so cautious and shrewd, I’ll have to go have a word with Madame Meng instead.” Yan Tongshu turned and walked away.
Meng Zheng rose as well. “Ah, I’ll go talk to Mother too, to make sure some people don’t get so lost in the pleasures of the harem that they forget their family.”
Yan Tongshu exchanged a glance with Meng Zheng and walked to the door, hand resting on it: "Once I walk out this door, I'm not coming back."
Still no reaction?
Fine. General Meng had a hard mouth and a hard heart, so she would go find Madame Meng instead.
"Come back."
The door had barely opened a crack when Meng Yi's gritted voice came from behind.
Yan Tongshu and Meng Zheng turned around at the same time.
Meng Yi pointed furiously at Meng Zheng: "Wait until I deal with you later."
Meng Zheng shot Yan Tongshu a pleading look, but Yan Tongshu very shamelessly looked away.
Meng Zheng: "..." Where was the integrity she was supposed to have?
Yan Tongshu sat down in front of Meng Yi: "General Meng, the day Cao Jian died, did you go to his study?"
Meng Yi took a deep breath, glared at Meng Zheng, and only then spoke: "As you said, I slipped into the study near the hour of yin."
Yan Tongshu: "How did you manage to enter the Cao estate?"
The Cao estate guards patrolled every day. Even if Meng Yi was highly skilled in martial arts, this wasn't a martial-arts world with inner strength or wall-scaling leaps. Silently infiltrating an estate was no easy feat.
Meng Yi: "Didn't you already look into it?"
The unexpected counter-question caught Yan Tongshu off guard. She pointed at herself: "I found out?"
Meng Yi hinted: "Most of the servants in the Cao household harbor deep grudges against the Cao family. They loathe Cao Jian to the bone and wish every Cao would die. Why would they patrol with any real diligence? The Cao estate therefore has plenty of weaknesses. I climbed over the wall, then easily dodged the guards on patrol."
That made sense.
Too much sense.
Yan Tongshu nodded in agreement.
Meng Yi continued: "When I entered the study, Cao Jian had already been struck by an arrow and lay on the ground. I approached to take a closer look and, based on the trajectory, spotted a hole in the window across from him. I guessed someone had slipped in and shot him."
Yan Tongshu: "Aside from that, did you see anything strange?"
Meng Yi thought carefully: "Something strange... The position Cao Jian lay in was too composed. There was no sign of struggle at all. Even if the arrow was perfectly aimed, for a military man like him, one shot wouldn't immediately render him unconscious without any instinctive reaction. And there was something else..."
Yan Tongshu watched him nervously.
Meng Yi: "...There was a small puddle of water under Cao Jian's chair. I was there looking for something, so I didn't examine it too closely. Everything else was as you had deduced. Someone called out, I was afraid of being discovered, so I answered, then snuffed out the lamp with a leaf."
Yan Tongshu pressed on: "What were you looking for?"
Meng Yi avoided the question: "That has nothing to do with the case."
He could say only so much. The rest was not up for discussion.
Yan Tongshu stared at Meng Yi, unconvinced.
Meng Yi was searching for something at the Cao estate, and Xiao Jun was also searching for something, and both of them kept whatever it was to themselves.
Something was off.
Meng Yi's eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice dropped as he asked once more: "Magistrate Yan, I'll ask you one last time. Is the murderer Xiao Jun?"
Yan Tongshu: "The clue General Meng just provided is very valuable."
Yan Tongshu raised her eyes to meet his directly, but she didn't answer head-on, because she hadn't yet pieced together all her doubts.
Meng Yi was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice even further: "Magistrate Yan is a good friend of my son, so let me offer you a word of advice. If the murderer is not as valuable as Xiao Jun, it's best not to reopen the case."
Otherwise, His Majesty would be very displeased.
That last sentence Meng Yi didn't say aloud, but they both understood it without words.
Yan Tongshu pressed her lips together. "The definition of a murderer is a criminal subject who carries out the act of homicide. There is no question of greater or lesser worth."
With that, Yan Tongshu rose to take her leave.
Meng Zheng was about to follow when Meng Yi called out to him: "Where do you think you're running off to?"
Meng Zheng smiled. "Father, I think Magistrate Yan is right."
Meng Yi reminded him: "You are a subject of the Emperor."
"No," Meng Zheng said, the playfulness fading from his face as he spoke with gravity. "Every person under heaven is a subject of the Emperor. Father, you are the Emperor's subject, and also the Emperor's citizen. And so am I."
With that, Meng Zheng strode away.
Meng Yi sat in his chair, his gaze drifting toward the doorway.
It had started snowing again.
The rain and snow fell thick and fast, followed by fine drizzle.
Drifting on emptiness, scattering in the wind.
He was an old minister who had come up from the previous emperor's reign, one who had helped the current Emperor ascend the throne. His first instinct in any matter was to share the sovereign's burden and weigh the pros and cons.
But clearly, the younger generation did not think that way.
Meng Yi pulled at the corner of his mouth and smiled. Interesting.
He just wondered what would remain once the snow melted.
Yan Tongshu stood outside the door, reaching out a hand to catch the falling snow. The snow landed in her palm, touched by the warmth of her body, and turned to water.
Snow melts into water.
There was water under the chair in Cao Jian's study.
Too many mysteries.
Her head ached.
She felt there was something she had overlooked—something that had kept her walking in circles, unable to find a way out.
