Yan Tongshu finished reading out the last name, and the entire court fell into silence so profound that a dropped needle could be heard.
Her voice was cold to the extreme: “These twelve individuals, along with Xiao Jun, have all been arrested and brought to justice. Physical evidence and confessions are all in hand. Your Majesty, I request that you issue a decree to have these twelve people immediately taken to Caishikou and beheaded in public, to uphold the law and to comfort the wronged souls.”
She paused briefly, her tone dipping slightly. “As for Bai Qingmu and Bai Qinglan, their entire family died tragically, and they had nowhere to turn for justice. They were forced to take the lives of their enemies into their own hands. Their crime warrants death, but their circumstances merit compassion.”
Yan Tongshu knelt on both knees, her words earnest: “I humbly beg Your Majesty to issue a special decree of mercy, commuting their death sentence to exile, so as to demonstrate the justice and benevolence of heaven.”
At this moment, no faction dared to defy basic human decency by speaking up on behalf of a group of wicked villains.
The Minister of Rites, the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Personnel, along with their subordinate officials, all knelt down.
The Privy Councilor, the Vice Privy Councilor, the Grand Commandant, the Censor-in-Chief, and others all knelt as well.
With the first to lead the way, row after row of officials knelt in orderly fashion.
All spoke in unison: “We request Your Majesty to punish the wicked evildoers to set the record straight, and to exempt the Bai siblings from the death penalty to demonstrate virtue and mercy.”
Qin Yi looked down at the ministers kneeling in the court.
The Minister of Rites was his man.
The Minister of Personnel had always been a neutral, forming his own clique, rarely stepping forward or stirring trouble.
The Minister of Revenue was a veteran official from the previous emperor’s era, never satisfied with Qin Yi, believing that by not maintaining the imperial policy of balancing factions among ministers, Qin Yi would sooner or later stir up great chaos.
The Privy Councilor, the Vice Privy Councilor, the Grand Commandant, and the Censor-in-Chief could not see eye to eye with one another either.
But on this matter, they all spoke with one voice.
Not for factional struggle, not for selfish scheming, but for the sake of justice.
Qin Yi’s thin lips parted slightly. “Granted.”
The decision was sealed.
Yan Tongshu, along with the others, bowed low: “Your Majesty is benevolent, long may the Emperor live, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years.”
Coming out of the palace, Yan Tongshu looked up.
It was a bright winter day, the morning sun just rising.
The accumulated snow of deep winter covered the azure tiles of the majestic imperial city.
Frost clung to the branches.
The snow had cleared, and the sky was fair.
Radiant, clear, and bright.
Pearl and Gold both clenched their fists, staring at Yan Tongshu with such tension that they didn’t even dare blink.
The Bai siblings had truly suffered so much.
They had carried the weight of a family massacre, through hardships and trials, only wanting to kill their enemies with their own hands.
Pearl and Gold honestly thought that if they had experienced even a fraction of what the Bai siblings had gone through, they would have been consumed by despair and unbearable grief.
Because they knew they didn’t have the ability, nor the cunning, to lay intricate traps again and again to slay their enemies.
Pearl could not wait to ask: “Young Master, what did the Emperor say? Did he spare Miss Bai and the others?”
Yan Tongshu nodded.
“Long live the Emperor!”
At the same moment, Pearl and Gold both raised their hands towards the sky: “Long live the Emperor, the Young Master is the best!”
Yan Tongshu smiled. “Come on, let’s go to the dungeon and bring this good news to Bandmaster Bai and Miss Bai.”
“Yes!” The two nodded with effort.
The moment the three stepped into the Kaifeng prefectural office, everyone inside crowded around them—the constables, the recorder, the coroner, the clerks, Zhang Jiu, and Li Fulin.
Even Meng Zheng had come early to the prefectural office to wait for news.
Yan Tongshu made an OK gesture with her hand, but no one understood it.
Pearl and Gold raised their hands again and shouted: “Long live the Emperor!”
Then everyone understood.
In an instant, the Kaifeng prefectural office filled with sounds of celebration.
Meng Zheng leaned against the wall, smiling sincerely from the heart.
Yan Tongshu could hardly wait to go down to the dungeon to announce the good news.
At that moment, Yan Liangrong was already in the dungeon keeping Bai Qinglan company. The two had grown close, so no matter how the morning court session turned out, Yan Liangrong wanted to stay by Bai Qinglan’s side.
If she lived, they would celebrate together. If she died, then Yan Liangrong would serve as her elder sister, bid her a final farewell, collect her body, and give her a proper burial.
Thankfully, heaven was merciful.
Yan Liangrong hugged Bai Qinglan, wild with joy: “Wonderful, wonderful.”
Exile was fine. As long as she was alive, everything still held hope.
Yan Liangrong said, “Don’t worry, I’ll pull strings for you and send you things. You won’t suffer at the place of exile.”
Bai Qinglan was still too stunned to react. She had thought she was doomed. She truly believed there was no way she could survive this time. She couldn’t yet process this shocking good fortune.
She looked at Yan Tongshu, as if seeking final confirmation.
Yan Tongshu gave her a firm nod: “It’s true. Your brother and you have been specially pardoned by the Emperor, with the sentence changed to exile in Yinzhou. Yinzhou is up north—bitterly cold, sparsely populated, hard to live in. But at least you’ll be alive.”
After full confirmation, tears streamed down Bai Qinglan’s face.
Yan Tongshu crouched down. “Don’t worry, your brother will go to Yinzhou with you. As for the bandits who murdered your entire family, today they will be taken to Caishikou for execution. From now on, you won’t have to carry that heavy burden of vengeance anymore. You and Bai Qingmu can live your own lives.”
Sobbing uncontrollably, Bai Qinglan immediately knelt in front of Yan Tongshu, kowtowing repeatedly: “Thank you, thank you, Lord Yan. Thank you, thank you…”
She didn’t know what else to say. She couldn’t find the words to express the thrilling mix of emotions she felt at that moment.
All she could do was repeat herself again and again: thank you, thank you.
At noon, one bandit after another was led out of the Kaifeng prefectural office and escorted all the way to Caishikou for execution.
Xiao Jun was first in line.
As head after head rolled to the ground, the sky fully cleared.
Lady Cao came to see Xiao Jun off one last time. She had hoped to collect his body, but she was neither his wife nor his kin, and so had no right to claim it.
As for Xiao Jun—orphaned, with no parents—the wife who could have collected his body had long been tricked away by him, sent off to care for her ailing mother, and had not yet returned.
In the end, the bodies of these executed bandits, with no one to claim them, were gathered by the Ministry of Justice and thrown into a mass grave, left for the wild dogs to gnaw at.
Meng Yi watched the execution to the end, then turned to leave. Meng Zheng pushed through the crowd to his side. “Father, Lord Yan won.”
Meng Yi shot him a look of contempt.
Won, huh? Just look at the idiot boy grinning with delight.
One would think he was the one who had won.
Meng Yi regarded Meng Zheng with a hint of curiosity: “When did you get so close with Lord Yan?”
Meng Zheng was carefree and hid nothing about his feelings: “I like him.”
Meng Yi’s eyes widened in shock: “Like?”
“That’s right.” Meng Zheng’s stride was steady, the jade pendant at his waist swaying: “Lord Yan—though occasionally a bit moody, petty, greedy for food, holding grudges and being playfully stubborn—has a good heart at base. He’s clever, sharp, well-read, lively, and cheerful.
Besides, Lord Yan has principles. When he’s investigating a case, he just investigates the case. Father, didn’t you warn Lord Yan? You said something like, if this killer’s value wasn’t higher than Xiao Jun’s, it would be better not to overturn the case. But before overturning the case, Lord Yan didn’t know that the Bai siblings would lead her to the bandits. She was simply investigating, hunting down the guilty, seeking the truth. So, I like her, and I’m willing to call her friend and brother. Father—isn’t that the kind of person you’d like?”
Meng Yi let out a long sigh and shook his head.
That boy, over twenty years old, still hadn’t figured things out.
He had just feared for a moment that this kid had a peculiar fondness for men, but instead he had to produce all this useless nonsense.
When would he ever get to hold a grandchild?
The more Meng Yi thought about it, the more he felt that Meng Zheng would have great difficulty ever marrying. Fury welled in his chest, and he lifted his foot to kick Meng Zheng in the left leg. "Get lost!"
Meng Zheng dodged agilely.
He had grown up taking beatings under his old man's hand, and he knew exactly what tricks his father would pull.
After a few exchanges of blows, Meng Zheng closed in on Meng Yi once more: "Dad, when you're a person, you need to know when to admit defeat. Would it kill you to admit that Magistrate Yan is right?"
Meng Yi kicked out at him: "This time it was luck. She uncovered the bandit case and swept up even more imperial guards who were close to Prince Qin's men, which was exactly what the emperor wanted. But what about next time, if it's not what he wants? If her investigation results run contrary to what the emperor desires, can she still win?"
Meng Yi's paternal warmth faded from his face, and his gaze was heavy as he fixed it on Meng Zheng: "Meng Zheng, you must remember. The reason Yan Tongshu, ever since she took up this position as acting head of Kaifeng Prefecture, has been able to firmly hold the upper hand every time and walk away unscathed, is not only due to her own ability—more importantly, everything she does and every word she says aligns to some degree with the emperor's wishes. So, in the end, the one who has been winning is not her—it is the emperor."
The carefree mischief on Meng Zheng's face also faded completely.
"So," Meng Yi continued persuasively, "if you want to keep your good brother, you'd best advise her. As a minister, one should shoulder the emperor's burdens. So never turn yourself into the emperor's worry or his trouble."
Meng Yi said no more on the matter, but Meng Zheng was unconvinced.
"So what?" His face was defiant. "Dad, this time I stand with Magistrate Yan. Next time, and the time after, and every single time after that—even if Magistrate Yan becomes the emperor's worry or trouble, I will still side with Yan."
Meng Yi's heart cramped: "You rotten brat! This stubborn, unyielding temper of yours—who do you take after?"
Meng Zheng raised an eyebrow with a grin: "You, Dad. I'm your own flesh and blood."
Meng Yi: "Get lost!"
A son like this, who never listened and only made him angry—he didn't want him anymore.
Five days later, Bai Qinglan and Bai Qingmu set out for Yinzhou in chains and shackles.
Yan Tongshu and Yan Liangrong had prepared changes of clothes and food for the two of them.
Yan Liangrong embraced Bai Qinglan and whispered in her ear: "I've sewn some silver notes into the clothes. Hide them carefully. We've greased palms along the way, but the road is long and harsh—who knows whether you'll encounter disaster or calamity halfway. Take care of yourselves."
Bai Qinglan nodded, burying her face hard in the hollow of Yan Liangrong's shoulder, tears streaming down in heavy drops.
If only, when they had first reported to the authorities, they had met Yan Tongshu and the people of Kaifeng Prefecture instead.
After a moment, Bai Qinglan raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed as she looked at Yan Tongshu: "Magistrate Yan, take care."
Yan Tongshu nodded and handed her a letter: "There's a branch of the Qian Family Silk Shop in Yinzhou. This is a letter of recommendation from Boss Qian. When you get there, give the letter to the shopkeeper, and he'll look after you."
Exile was not merely a matter of being sent there and done with it—at the destination, one had to endure an arduous period of penal labor.
During this period, men generally built city walls and fortifications, while women washed clothes and cooked.
Yinzhou lay in the far north, and the winter there was bitterly cold, incredibly hard to bear.
During penal servitude, both men and women had to work from dawn until dark without any wages, and the food was nothing more than pig slop. Without someone to care for them, few made it out in one piece to the end of their sentence.
However, if one could guarantee basic nutrition and maintain physical strength, enduring the rest was basically manageable.
The Qian Family Silk Shop wouldn't lack the means to feed one or two people.
Bai Qinglan took the letter of recommendation, and she and Bai Qingmu waved farewell.
The guards pressed the two into the exile convoy, and the group slowly advanced north.
Yan Liangrong remarked with a sigh: "Thankfully, it's winter right now. By the time they walk all the way to Yinzhou, spring will have come, and they'll at least have one fewer winter to endure."
Yan Tongshu withdrew her gaze: "Everything's been smoothed over. They'll be fine."
Yan Liangrong nodded.
The two rode in a carriage back to the Yan residence.
At the entrance of the Yan residence, Ying Li paced back and forth. When she saw Yan Liangrong descend from the carriage, she hurried over: "Madam."
Yan Liangrong was already feeling mournful over Bai Qinglan's departure, and now seeing someone she wished not to see only made things worse: "Go. Whatever between us has nothing to do with you."
"But—" Ying Li's large, fair eyes brimmed with crystal tears. She dropped to her knees with a thud in the thick snow: "Madam, the lord has arranged a family for me, and he wants me to marry into it. Madam, if I've displeased you, you can hit me, you can scold me—but please, don't pressure the lord. The lord... his heart is full of bitterness."
"Ying Li, I'll tell you one last time. How he is, how I am—none of it has anything to do with you." Yan Liangrong was exhausted right now and had no desire for words. After speaking, she took her maidservant and walked straight through the gates.
Yan Tongshu remained in the carriage.
She had come to drop off Yan Liangrong, and afterward still needed to go to the Kaifeng Prefecture offices.
She quietly examined Ying Li—a girl of sixteen, delicate and pretty, frail and pitiful, the sort that invited sympathy.
Earlier, when Yan Liangrong had suddenly returned to the family home for an extended stay, and Zheng Chun had come to visit every other day, she had known something had gone wrong between Yan Liangrong and Zheng Chun.
But Yan Liangrong had been unwilling to speak of it, and she and Yan Liangyu had not dared to pry.
Never did she expect that now an outside woman would follow them all the way to the family's front gate.
Back at the Kaifeng Prefecture, before entering, Yan Tongshu instructed Jin Bao to wait at the Zheng residence and have Zheng Chun, once he was off duty, come to the Yan residence gate at once to take his person away.
After she had gotten through nearly half of her official documents, Li Fulin suddenly came rushing in, his face alight with joy, urging Yan Tongshu to go out at once.
Yan Tongshu set down her brush and raised her eyes: "What is it?"
Li Fulin swelled with pride: "Great news."
Yan Tongshu pressed again, but Li Fulin wouldn't say, and with an air of mystery he urged her out to receive the imperial decree.
Yan Tongshu stepped into the courtyard, where Lu Xi was already waiting with a party of edict-bearing messengers.
When he saw Yan Tongshu, a smile immediately spread across his face: "Magistrate Yan, receive the decree."
Yan Tongshu straightened her robes, composed her expression, and knelt with proper reverence.
Lu Xi read aloud: "By the mandate of Heaven, I, the Emperor, decree: Yan Tongshu, acting head of Kaifeng Prefecture—clear-sighted, loyal, and upright; resolute and daring; wise in judging criminal matters; eliminating treachery and reassuring the people; repeatedly meritorious. Now I hereby confer upon her the title of Grand Scholar of the Dragon Pavilion, and grant one thousand taels of gold, a set of antique jade go stones, a pair of jade ruyi, a red coral display, and various paintings and rare objects, to make manifest her merits and encourage her resolve..."
The title of Grand Scholar of the Dragon Pavilion carried no actual political power—it chiefly represented the emperor's trust and favor toward a minister, a type of honorary rank.
Lu Xi paused slightly, let his gaze sweep over all the officials of the prefecture with a smile, and continued his reading: "The officials, clerks, and constables of Kaifeng Prefecture, having carried out their duties with integrity and shown devoted care for the people, bring comfort to My heart. By special decree, each of you is to receive an additional full year's salary at the end of this year, as a token of commendation."
Wow!
Everyone in the prefecture burst into collective joy.
New Year's was right around the corner, and the emperor was giving every one of them an extra year's salary as a bonus.
That was a massive sum of money.
Lu Xi smiled and respectfully placed the imperial decree into Yan Tongshu's hands: "Magistrate Yan, you are a person with good fortune. Congratulations."
With reward silver, gifts, and twelve months of year-end bonus to top it off.
How could they not be overjoyed?
Yan Tongshu happily accepted the imperial edict, a brilliant flower of a smile blooming across her face, and she said repeatedly to Lu Xi, "Congratulations, congratulations."
Lu Xi took out a token from his bosom and said, "Master Yan, this is a palace entry token. With this token, you may enter the palace at any time without prior announcement."
"Alright, alright, alright."
Yan Tongshu nodded over and over, showing no interest at all in the token. She casually stuffed it into her pocket and had already started counting the emperor's gifts.
The edict mentioned various paintings, books, and curiosities.
Just how many were "various"?
Could they be sold for money?
Paintings and antiques bestowed by the emperor—those should be treasures, right? Surely they were quite valuable.
Lu Xi reached out a hand toward Yan Tongshu, who was gleefully tallying her haul, then lowered it again.
He very much wanted to say that the token was the most precious item of all, but... never mind...
Lu Xi waved his hand and led the eunuchs and guards away. Before leaving, he couldn't help but look back at Yan Tongshu, who was surrounded by the people of Kaifeng Prefecture, all celebrating and congratulating her, her face wreathed in smiles.
Normally, one would be expected to go to the palace to express gratitude for the emperor's favor.
Although it wasn't strictly required, this time the emperor's rewards were exceptionally generous—especially that token...
Surely the brilliantly clever Master Yan would understand this social courtesy?
Surely she would?
Lu Xi wasn't so certain, given that Master Yan had previously missed his hints and had once kept all the spoils for herself without sharing any with the emperor.
At dusk, Lu Xi replaced the cooled tea at Qin Yi's side with hot tea.
He glanced at the sky outside. At this hour, no one should be coming to the palace anymore.
Sigh...
Oh, upright Master Yan, when will you ever use your wits on social graces?
Qin Yi raised his head and asked, "What time is it?"
Lu Xi answered cautiously, "It's past the hour of You (around 6 PM)."
Just as he expected—still the same old behavior.
Playing dumb.
Qin Yi let out a contemptuous snort and continued reviewing memorials.
Lu Xi held his breath, feeling the extremely low atmosphere in the hall, and deeply regretted not having spelled things out explicitly for Yan Tongshu.
...
After finishing her business at Kaifeng Prefecture, Yan Tongshu returned to the Yan residence just in time to see Zheng Chun and Ying Li struggling with each other.
To be precise, Zheng Chun stood frozen while Ying Li knelt in the snow, her frostbitten red hands clutching the hem of his robe.
Her face was pale from the cold and her body swayed as if about to collapse, yet she stubbornly lifted her chin, as if nothing in the world could make her retreat.
She said tearfully, "My lord, I beg you, don't force me to marry someone else. I know you cannot cast aside the constraints of worldly propriety, but I can—I can run to you without fear. If... if you truly care so much about worldly conventions, I'm willing to follow you for the rest of my life without any title or standing."
When Zheng Chun saw Yan Tongshu step down from the carriage, the blood drained from his face.
He opened his mouth and explained, "Don't misunderstand. It's not what you think."
Yan Tongshu looked at him quietly and said, "Then you tell me—what exactly do I think?"
Zheng Chun pressed his thin lips together, wearing the expression of a man unfairly misunderstood who didn't know how to explain himself.
Yan Tongshu walked past Zheng Chun and stepped through the gates of the Yan residence.
Pearl shot Zheng Chun a fierce glare.
Bad man.
Zheng Chun looked at Ying Li, then at the Yan mansion door about to close, and lifted his leg to quickly catch up with Yan Tongshu.
"Tongshu," Zheng Chun said in a low, hoarse voice, "You can't sentence me to death based solely on Ying Li's words. At least hear what I have to say."
Yan Tongshu turned to face him. "Then tell me, what really happened? Why has my good sister been so despondent ever since she returned? Why does she keep hiding at her natal home, refusing to go back to the Zheng residence? Why has a woman suddenly appeared at the gates of the Yan mansion, kneeling and begging your wife to let you go? How exactly did my sister 'force' you? Did she force you to throw yourself into a river, or to hang yourself?"
Zheng Chun felt deeply wronged. He had only rescued a person out of compassion, only sought a quiet place to sit because of turmoil in his heart, and then exchanged a few extra words.
The fault lay in his pride—he didn't dare confide his domestic troubles to his fellow scholars. The fault lay in his assumption that Ying Li was an orphan with no parents, so even if he poured out his unspeakable frustrations, she wouldn't spread them to others.
"I..."
Zheng Chun opened his mouth and, under Yan Tongshu's questioning gaze, stammered through his explanation.
At first he was quite flustered, but the more he spoke, the smoother and more fluid his words became.
As Zheng Chun went on, his voice grew choked with emotion: "Tongshu, these past days, you've been busy with the bandit case. I didn't want matters between me and your sister to trouble you and affect the case. That's why every time I came, I secretly begged your sister in private and didn't dare stay long at the Yan mansion.
Tongshu, please help me persuade your sister. I truly only see Ying Li as a daughter. Nothing improper has ever happened between us, and I've already found a good family for her, right in her own village. Once Ying Li marries, I promise to cut off all contact with her. I promise that from now on, I'll tell your sister everywhere I go and won't keep a single coin on me."
Zheng Chun raised his hand and said, "I swear, everything I've said is true."
A wave of sadness gradually crept into Zheng Chun's voice: "But your sister—she doesn't believe me."
At that moment, Yan Tongshu suddenly understood what Yan Liangrong had been suffering through all these days.
Faced with a man like Zheng Chun—a man so skilled at deceiving himself—if Yan Liangrong were a little more foolish, a little more muddleheaded, she might have been swayed by his smooth talk.
But Yan Liangrong was anything but foolish.
Yan Liangyu kept wavering over Zhou Zhengxun because she didn't know what was going on in his mind—she wanted to figure it out. But Yan Liangrong was different.
She understood all too clearly what Zheng Chun was thinking and doing.
Yan Tongshu asked Zheng Chun, "How do you know my sister doesn't believe you?"
Zheng Chun furrowed his brow, confused. "She believes me, then why—"
Yan Tongshu said, "Yes, she does believe you. Then why hasn't she forgiven you all this time? Zheng Chun, don't treat people like fools. My sister and I both believe you. We believe you initially acted out of compassion when you rescued Ying Li, and we believe you didn't intend to have anything improper with her from the start. After all, when you saved her, she was only thirteen—she was still a child. What could she possibly understand? We also believe that nothing physical ever happened between you. Precisely because nothing substantive occurred, you can stand here and argue so self-righteously.
Zheng Chun, don't treat people like fools. Ying Li was only thirteen when you saved her—she knew nothing at all. She didn't even know my sister, didn't know what kind of person your wife truly was. Everything she knew about your marriage, about your wife, about the way her feelings sprouted and grew for you—it all came from you. Even her very worldview took shape because of you.
You savored a young girl's innocence, savored her pure adoration and wholehearted devotion, savored this ambiguous situation. You never took that final step, so you think you still have a chance to turn back, think you deserve to be forgiven. But Zheng Chun, even now you lack the courage to admit your own fault, even now you can't face the truth..."
Yan Tongshu shook her head. "You are truly disappointing."
Yan Tongshu finished speaking and turned to leave. After two steps, she suddenly turned around, came back to Zheng Chun's side, and looked straight into his eyes: "Besides, you have no right to decide when any woman should marry, or whom she should marry."
...
At night, snow and moonlight mirrored each other as all things froze.
The plum blossoms in the courtyard stood cold and sharp.
Fierce winds howled in gusts, evening snow fell in flurries, tapping against the window lattice without cease.
Yan Tongshu pulled Yan Liangyu and Yan Liangrong along to cook a hotpot of pearl milk tea together.
The three of them sipped the milk tea slowly. Though it seemed peaceful and tranquil, Yan Tongshu could sense that Yan Liangyu and Yan Liangrong were both in low spirits. After thinking for a moment, she took out the paintings, calligraphy, and rare trinkets the emperor had bestowed upon her that day, and waved her hand generously: "Come on, take your pick."
Yan Liangrong gave her a gentle, reproachful glance: "You really—these are hard-earned gifts. How can you just hand them out so casually?"
Yan Tongshu took the items out of the box one by one: "I'm not handing them out casually. I'm giving them to the people closest to me. But let me say this first—the white jade Guanyin statue is reserved for Mother."
Yan Tongshu pulled out a jade bracelet of deep green: "Sister, this color is lovely. It suits you."
Yan Liangrong had fair skin, and green set off her complexion like congealed cream—she looked most beautiful in it.
Yan Tongshu then brought out a delicate seal blank: "Liangyu, how about this jade seal? This is fine Hetian white jade, not yet carved. One day we'll find a skilled craftsman and have your name engraved on it."
Yan Liangyu declined: "Eldest sister, this is very precious."
"Then I don't want to hear it." Yan Tongshu placed the jade into Yan Liangyu's hands: "Anyway, it's a gift from the emperor. We won't worry about whether it's precious or not—we'll just use it."
"Eh?" Yan Liangrong reached into the box and pulled out a case. Opening it, inside were a set of Go pieces made of Hetian jade and green jade. "Why is there even a Go set here?"
This absolutely must not come out.
Yan Tongshu hurriedly closed the lid: "Sister, don't touch that one. It's terrifying."
She always felt that the damn emperor had deliberately sent her the Go set to hint that she should practice every day, and that he'd test her again next time.
That lunatic.
She'd already told him she didn't know how to play Go, and he still insisted on thinking the worst of her.
