Duan Duo fumed, "If that Lord Yan doesn't know her place, you tell me, and I'll take care of her for you."
"Uncle Duan, this is the law!" Meng Zheng shot back angrily. "And besides, Lord Yan has been very diligent and earnest in investigating the case. If it weren't for Lord Yan's caution, Father's case would have been brought to trial on his very first day at the Kaifeng Prefecture and sealed shut as an ironclad conviction."
Duan Duo took offense at that. "Listen to this boy—since when do you side with outsiders like this? What, are you and this Lord Yan having an affair or something?"
Meng Yi said in a low, stern voice, "Duan Duo."
Duan Duo grumbled reluctantly, "I misspoke."
Meng Yi scolded him with a stern face, "Lord Yan is a third-rank imperial official of the court. She is not someone to be casually insulted by just anyone."
Meng Yi was still kneeling on the ground at this point, not daring to rise without Madame Meng's word.
Duan Duo's voice boomed, "She had you thrown in jail, and I can't even say a word or two about her?"
Duan Duo was irritated. Extremely irritated.
He wouldn't just dare to curse—if that Lord Yan woman didn't know what was good for her and actually laid a hand on Meng Yi, he'd bring his troops and surround this entire Kaifeng Prefecture.
...
In the study, Yan Tongshu sat beside a brazier, warming herself by the fire as she reviewed official documents.
She finished with the paperwork quickly.
Then she propped her chin on her hand, staring at the brazier, and went over Xinniang's case from the beginning, again and again.
She kept operating under the assumption that Meng Yi was telling the truth.
But what if she assumed that Meng Yi had deceived them, that Meng Yi really had killed the woman, that no one had been hiding onboard the boat to commit the murder?
That would make everything even smoother than having a hidden killer.
When Meng Yi left, Xinniang was already dead, so of course Ding Shan heard no cries for help.
No, there were still doubts.
The biggest doubt was those three knife wounds. Meng Yi wouldn't need three cuts to kill someone—one cut, or even a single hand, would have been enough.
Just as Yan Tongshu's thinking had hit a dead end, Pearl and Jinbao came stomping in, both looking cross.
Pearl was carrying sweet potatoes in her hands, and Jinbao's eyes were red, clearly having been crying.
Yan Tongshu asked, "What's wrong? Fighting again?"
Pearl tossed the roasted sweet potatoes into the charcoal brazier in a huff and grabbed Yan Tongshu, demanding she mediate. "Master, don't you think Jinbao is being unreasonable?"
"Alright, alright." Yan Tongshu said with a smile. "First tell me what Jinbao did, then I'll decide who's right."
Jinbao stood off to the side, head lowered, fiddling with the hem of his clothes.
Pearl pouted so hard her lips could hang an oil jar. She huffed, "Jinbao and I were washing sweet potatoes in the courtyard earlier, planning to roast them later. We each washed three. Jinbao finished first and went to get a cloth to dry his hands. When he came back, the sweet potatoes were gone, and he glared at me with those suspicious eyes of his, accusing me of hiding them on purpose just to mess with him."
"Master," Pearl said, getting even angrier. "Tell me, is that fair? I do like to play little jokes sometimes, but when have I ever played a joke and not owned up to it? He insists I was deliberately bullying him."
Yan Tongshu asked, "Did you do it?"
Pearl's eyes went wide as saucers. "Of course not!"
Yan Tongshu said, "Then I believe you."
As Pearl herself had said, Jinbao was young and looked like a lucky doll, so she enjoyed teasing him and had gotten him riled up more than once. But Pearl always had a good sense of proportion—at most, she'd tease Jinbao a bit before laughing and admitting it. She'd never fight with him to the point where one was red-faced and the other was crying.
Yan Tongshu reached out a hand toward Jinbao, and Jinbao shuffled over with his head down.
Yan Tongshu asked, "So have you two found the sweet potatoes by now?"
Jinbao shook his head.
Yan Tongshu looked at Pearl, who also shook her head. "Jinbao finished washing the sweet potatoes and left first. I went to dump the water right after. By the time I turned around, the sweet potatoes were already gone. Master, it really wasn't me."
Jinbao was equally upset. "Master, at the time, only Pearl and I were there."
Pearl shot up from her chair, hands on her hips. "So you're saying I'm lying to Master's face right now?"
Jinbao pouted. "Then prove it to me. Prove you didn't take them."
"There's no such thing as proving a negative!" Pearl thrust out her hands. "Look, see anything? No! There's nothing in my hands! I didn't take them!"
Jinbao lost his temper and shouted, "If you didn't take them, then where did my sweet potatoes go?!"
Just then, Aunt Wang, who worked in the back courtyard washing the yamen uniforms, came over. "What are you two squabbling about?"
She set down the sweet potatoes she was holding. "Oh dear, sorry about that. I went to the back courtyard to get some water just now and didn't pay attention. I tossed my clothes into the basin next to me and picked up a basin, then walked off. Turns out I tossed into the wrong basin and picked up the wrong one too. I asked around just now and only then realized these were you girls' sweet potatoes."
Pearl let out a humph, and Jinbao lowered his head, saying nothing.
Yan Tongshu said with a smile, "Perfect timing. Aunt Wang, you can head back now."
Aunt Wang saw the tense atmosphere and didn't dare linger. She hurried off.
Yan Tongshu looked at the two of them. "Now the truth is out."
Pearl sniffled. "See, I told you I didn't take them. And he still wanted me to prove it. When there's nothing, how am I supposed to prove it?"
Yan Tongshu turned to Jinbao. "Jinbao, this time you wronged Sister Pearl. Apologize."
Jinbao shuffled over to Pearl and said in a small voice, "Sister Pearl, I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
Pearl: "Hmph."
Yan Tongshu tugged at Pearl. "Some of this is on you too. You're always teasing Jinbao, so of course he suspects you first."
Pearl was indignant. "Master! You're not even on my side!"
Yan Tongshu said, "Well, tell me—how many times have you teased Jinbao? Hiding Jinbao's gloves, tricking him into thinking Yuanzi ate his snowflake crisps, and..."
"Alright, alright, Master." Pearl wouldn't let Yan Tongshu go on. "I was wrong. I won't tease Jinbao anymore."
Jinbao plucked up his courage again and spoke. "Sister Pearl, I was wrong. I shouldn't have accused you without proof. Please forgive me."
Pearl pointed at the wooden basin on the ground. "Then go get those three sweet potatoes and put them in the brazier. We'll roast all six—one for each of us, two each."
Jinbao immediately brightened. "I'll eat one, and Sister Pearl can have three."
Pearl said, "No need. These sweet potatoes are big—I can't eat that many."
Jinbao beamed. "Sister Pearl is the best."
Seeing the two happily reconciled, Yan Tongshu smiled and shook her head, picking up a stick to poke at the sweet potatoes in the brazier, turning them over.
Jinbao really was stubborn.
How can you ask someone to prove a negative?
There's nothing there—that's just how it is. How could anyone prove that?
Yan Tongshu's hand, holding the stick, froze.
That's right.
A negative can't be proven. Nothing there means nothing there. How can you prove it?
The deductions they'd based on the case couldn't go on spinning infinitely into hypotheticals.
Nothing was there. Nothing was there.
The flower boat had been cleaned and tidied beforehand to welcome its distinguished guests.
There were no foreign fingerprints, footprints, hairs, or traces left by anyone else on the boat.
Nothing was there, so she couldn't just conjure up some person out of thin air.
So let's go back to square one.
Xinniang died on the boat, with the time of death falling between when Meng Yi left her and when Ding Shan discovered her body.
The choke marks on her neck were from Meng Yi. The accidental fingerprints on the perfume-dusted collar were Meng Yi's. The bruises on her body were from Meng Yi throwing her down.
Meng Yi wouldn't need three stab wounds to kill someone.
Which leaves one more possibility.
When Xinniang died, she was the only person on the boat.
She had been misled all along.
Xinniang was frail, timid, afraid of pain, but that did not mean she lacked courage.
If there was only Xinniang on the boat at the time, and she had stabbed herself three times, a suicide, then everything would make sense.
After Meng Yi left, Xinniang stabbed herself with a knife to fake a murder, but because she had never killed before and did not understand the force or placement needed, it took three stabs before she was completely drained of strength.
She curled up on the ground, unwilling to give up halfway, so she would rather scratch at the floorboards of the boat over and over, enduring inhuman agony, than cry out for help.
That was why Ding Shan heard no sound.
Yes, Xinniang died curled up on the ground. If there really had been a murderer covering her mouth, this posture would have made it extremely inconvenient for the killer to do so.
Then a new question arose—
Why would Xinniang, who had no grudge against Meng Yi, frame him?
Yan Tongshu recalled the few questions Xinniang had stopped her to ask.
High position, great merit, no one dares to put him on trial.
Meng Yi dared not say what had happened between him and Xinniang.
Why did a stone pendant, not even worthy of being called jade, hold such power to threaten Meng Yi again and again?
What was the secret that Meng Yi, who loved his wife so deeply, would rather go to prison and be separated from Madame Meng than reveal?
After a while, the roasted sweet potatoes were done.
Pearl took one and gave it to Yan Tongshu. Yan Tongshu held it through a dry cloth, carefully tore it open, and a burst of hot steam rushed out.
The aroma of roasted sweet potato filled the entire room.
Golden and honey-scented, with a tempting color.
Yan Tongshu blew on the hot steam and took a bite. Mm, only roasted sweet potatoes and candied chestnuts truly do justice to winter.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came at the door, and Cen Xu stood at the entrance.
Cen Xu wore his red official robes, a light gray cloak draped over his arm.
Yan Tongshu, Pearl, and Jinbao each held a roasted sweet potato, all looking at him at the same time.
Cen Xu smiled. "May I have one?"
The three of them nodded.
Cen Xu brought over a chair, draped his cloak over the back, placed his official documents respectfully on Yan Tongshu's desk, and then sat down.
Jinbao pulled a roasted sweet potato from the coals, put it on a plate, and handed it to him.
The freshly roasted sweet potato was too hot to hold, so Cen Xu did not pick it up right away. While waiting for it to cool down, he said, "The Emperor sent me."
Yan Tongshu nodded.
That was only natural.
After the case of Cao Jian last time, Cen Xu had been exposed, so there was no need to keep up the pretense, and he could freely serve the Emperor now.
Cen Xu tilted his head to look at Yan Tongshu. "Lord Yan, can you guess what the Emperor sent me here to do?"
Did that even need guessing?
Yan Tongshu swallowed the sweet potato in her mouth and let out two words: "Meng Yi."
"Mm." Cen Xu gave a soft acknowledgment. "I was ordered by the Emperor to visit General Meng. To my surprise, just as I reached the entrance of the dungeon, I overheard General Meng conversing with someone else. The Emperor's wish is that Lord Yan investigates this case quickly and clears General Meng's name."
Yan Tongshu countered, "And if he is not innocent?"
If Xinniang truly committed suicide—a woman so timid, so afraid of pain, so averse to trouble—and yet endured immense fear and agony to frame a man, then that man must have done something, or Xinniang believed he had done something truly terrible.
Cen Xu's pupils shifted slightly, and he asked with meaning, "Would General Meng not be innocent?"
Yan Tongshu countered again, "Would he be?"
Cen Xu's eyelid twitched. "Lord Yan, if—just if—General Meng really did kill someone, what would you do?"
Yan Tongshu stared at the sweet potato in her hands. "If it were me, I would hope to bring justice to the victim."
Even though she knew it would be difficult.
Cen Xu opened his mouth, then closed it. He picked up the roasted sweet potato from the ground.
The temperature of the sweet potato had not yet come down, and Jinbao had no extra dry cloth to protect his hands from the heat. The scorching heat turned Cen Xu's fingertips red, but he did not utter a single sound.
That evening, just before the end of his shift, the head constable suddenly stopped Yan Tongshu. "Lord Yan, the people we sent to investigate Pu Xin's whereabouts brought back a man."
Yan Tongshu said, "Who?"
The head constable said, "Zhong Hua. This man is well-read, dissolute by nature, and fond of traveling. He paints mountains, rivers, and scenes, and he has a photographic memory. On the day of the incident, he was on the opposite side of the pleasure boat, drinking and enjoying the scenery. He also drew all the onlookers who gathered when the incident occurred."
With that, the head constable unrolled a scroll.
It was indeed the scene from that day.
Yan Tongshu asked, "Where is he now?"
The head constable waved his hand, and a bailiff brought the man in.
The man had very pale skin, pale to the point of looking sickly, and was very thin, all skin and bones.
Zhong Hua knelt and paid his respects to Yan Tongshu. Yan Tongshu got straight to the point and asked him directly if he had seen any suspicious person on the pleasure boat that day.
Zhong Hua shook his head. "At that time, the best part of the scenery hadn't even started yet. At most, there were a few regulars. When the boatman shouted, I also went over to watch for a while. Everyone around was a familiar face from the nearby area."
Yan Tongshu frowned. "Did you see anyone come out of the boat?"
Zhong Hua shook his head. "When Ding Shan shouted that someone had died, everyone was startled, and then they quickly surrounded the pleasure boat. There were only so many people in such a small space. If someone had really run out, no one would have forgotten it."
That said, Yan Tongshu still had Zhong Hua draw what he had seen that day.
After all, people sometimes have blind spots.
Once Zhong Hua finished drawing, Yan Tongshu had the bailiffs compare the portraits and verify each person one by one.
If they could confirm everything, they would know whether a third person truly existed.
If not, then the matter would be very clear.
The next day, the bailiffs spent almost the entire day investigating. They started with the portraits, verifying each person's identity one by one, asking about what had happened that day, then asking who they had been with, and verifying whether that person appeared in the portrait, to make sure nothing was missing.
In the end, everyone could not help but marvel. That Zhong Hua truly had a photographic memory—he had not missed a single person.
By evening, Yan Tongshu received the results of the investigation, confirming that on the day of the incident, there had been no third person on the boat besides Meng Yi and Xinniang.
So either it was Meng Yi, or it was suicide.
Yan Tongshu calculated the time, considering whether to set a trap to force Meng Yi to speak, or to wait for the reply from the local magistrate of Yinzhou.
Meng Yi refused to speak, and Yinzhou was a thousand li away.
Both paths would easily waste time.
……
On the main street, Meng Zheng was patrolling with heavy heart alongside the Divine Guard Army. As they reached the city gate, a low-key carriage stopped in front of him.
"Zheng'er!"
A booming voice rang out.
Meng Zheng looked over. Madame Meng's uncle Wen Shouan and aunt Wu Yao were across the street, greeting him from a distance.
Meng Zheng immediately pulled the reins and rode over. "Grand-uncle, grand-aunt, why didn't you send a letter before coming to the capital? If you had, I would have been at the city gate to welcome you by now."
Wu Yao waved her hand. "The moment we heard your mother was seriously ill, we rushed out the door in a panic. How could we remember to write a letter? Besides, your grand-uncle and I hurried all the way here—how could a letter have outrun us?"
“Ill? What do you mean seriously ill?” Meng Zheng frowned sharply, his instincts screaming that something was wrong. “Great-Uncle, Great-Aunt, my mother has been in good health all these years—she rarely even catches a cold. Where did you hear she was sick? Who told you?”
Wen Shouan and Wu Yao were people who had survived the harsh realities of the battlefield; the moment they heard this, they knew something had gone terribly wrong.
Wen Shouan said, “About twenty-odd days ago, a man arrived at our door, travel-worn and covered in dust, carrying the seal of the Meng family. He said your mother was ill—first it was just a cold, but then, seemingly out of nowhere, her condition worsened, she fell unconscious, and kept calling out for Yinzhou and mumbling our names. We saw the seal, and with your mother sick, we panicked and rushed over. Now it looks like we’ve been set up.”
The only question was what the schemers hoped to gain.
Wu Yao tried to comfort him: “In any case, since we’re here, let’s just settle in. We’ll go to your estate and see your mother first.”
“Mm.” Meng Zheng nodded and led their carriage toward the Meng residence.
Wen Shouan and Wu Yao had only visited the capital, Bianjing, once some fifteen years ago; they’d been stationed in Yinzhou ever since. In all those years, they found that Bianjing had only grown livelier and more bustling.
Wu Yao smiled. “If all goes well, when we head back, we should bring the children at home some of the latest trinkets from the capital.”
Wen Shouan chuckled warmly. “Whatever you say.”
Twenty-six years ago, when Yinzhou fell to siege, the old couple’s eldest son had died in the chaos of war. But thankfully, they still had their three daughters—all of whom had married fine husbands and blessed them with eight grandchildren, boys and girls alike. These days, the old couple lived a peaceful, joyful, and lively life.
Soon the carriage arrived at the Meng estate. Meng Zheng handed the old couple over to the steward, and, using the excuse that he needed to continue his patrol, quietly slipped away to the Kaifeng Prefecture office.
At that moment, Yan Tongshu still hadn’t figured out how to break through Meng Yi’s defenses.
Meng Zheng strode into the study. “Lord Yan, my great-uncle and great-aunt have arrived.”
Yan Tongshu let out a soft “Ah.”
Meng Zheng took a step closer to her, and Yan Tongshu instinctively stepped back.
If Meng Yi was truly involved in something, then right now she shouldn’t be getting too close to his son, Meng Zheng—nor should she reveal any details of the case to him.
Meng Zheng narrowed his eyes. “Why did you back away?”
Yan Tongshu deflected. “What happened to your great-uncle and great-aunt?”
Meng Zheng replied, “Someone went to Yinzhou twenty days ago and tricked them into coming here, claiming my mother was sick.”
Just as she suspected.
Yan Tongshu pressed her lips together tightly.
This was indeed a carefully woven trap aimed directly at Meng Yi.
Xinniang’s death was only the opening act.
If someone had gone to such great lengths to set this elaborate scheme in motion—with the prologue done and the main plot now unfolding—the next move would be the climax.
Meng Zheng keenly sensed the shift in Yan Tongshu’s demeanor. “Lord Yan?”
He lowered his voice, testing the waters. “What have you discovered?”
Yan Tongshu said, “Meng Zheng, if I were you, I wouldn’t waste a single moment here. I’d go home right now and stay by your mother’s side.”
Meng Zheng’s sharp brow twitched; he understood at once, turned, and left at a brisk pace.
Whoever had summoned the relatives from Yinzhou surely had a next step in store.
Yan Tongshu let out a sigh.
For now, all she had to do was wait—and she’d soon find out what the other side was really after.
…
Meng Estate.
When Madame Meng heard that her uncle and aunt had arrived, she hurried out to greet them.
It had been so many years since they’d last met. The moment she saw the old couple, tears streamed down her face.
Years ago, when the Wen family’s lantern-sending boat had been caught in a sudden storm at sea, she lost both her parents. It was only through reaching out to Wen Shouan and Wu Yao—distant relatives, so far removed they were technically beyond the fifth degree of kinship—that she managed to hold onto the Wen family fortune.
Back then, everyone had warned her that the two of them were wolves in sheep’s clothing, that they would surely drain the fortune her parents had worked so hard to build.
But in reality, after she went to Yinzhou, her uncle, aunt, eldest brother, and two sisters had all treated her with incredible kindness.
Her food, clothing, and daily needs were the same as those of her cousins; her uncle and aunt never once tried to take a penny from her.
They always said that, as an orphan, she needed her money as a foundation of security, and that she should guard it carefully, saving it for her future dowry.
In fact, when she eventually married Meng Yi, her uncle and aunt not only returned everything her parents had left her, but also added a generous amount to her dowry as a gift.
To her, they were saviors, worth more than life itself.
Madame Meng threw herself into their arms, sobbing like a child, even though she was now past forty—as if she were once again the frightened girl of twenty-six years ago.
The three of them talked for a while, and gradually their overwhelming emotions calmed down.
“By the way—someone tricked us.” Wen Shouan recounted his conversation with Meng Zheng, then asked, “Whoever lured us here must have a purpose. Has anything out of the ordinary been happening at the estate lately?”
Madame Meng opened her mouth, then hesitated.
Her uncle and aunt were getting on in years. Though they still were nominally stationed in Yinzhou, they were effectively semi-retired, rarely needing to report for duty at the garrison.
Madame Meng was torn—she feared that telling them about Meng Yi’s situation would only worry the old couple, given their age.
Just then, the gatekeeper sent word: “Madame, the heir of the Earl of Yuguo has come to call.”
Ning Yuan?
Madame Meng had lived in Bianjing for years. Given Meng Yi’s high rank and his considerable prestige in the military, she was a regular at various social gatherings among the noble ladies and knew the capital’s political landscape intimately.
The Earl of Yuguo was a close ally of Prince Ming, and the Ning and Meng families were sworn political enemies—irreconcilable opponents.
Now that Meng Yi was imprisoned, and the heir of the Earl of Yuguo came calling out of nowhere…
She had the steward escort Ning Yuan to the reception hall first, then settled Wen Shouan and Wu Yao before washing up and receiving her guest.
…
Reception Hall.
Madame Meng, supported by her maidservant, walked out. Ning Yuan rose with a smile.
His moon-white robe made him look all the more refined and noble, tempered with an air of scholarly elegance.
Ning Yuan bowed with proper etiquette. “Madame Meng.”
Madame Meng gave a slight nod, raising her hand to invite everyone to take their seats.
She got straight to the point: “What brings the heir of the Earl of Yuguo here today? Do you have something to tell me?”
Ning Yuan smiled lightly. “As expected—Madame Meng is truly worthy of General Meng’s wife.”
He gestured slightly, and the maidservant behind him, Liao Zhu, slowly walked over to Madame Meng and offered up a wooden box. “Madame Meng, please take a look.”
Liao Zhu opened the box. The moment Madame Meng saw the heirloom jade pendant of the Meng family inside, alarm flashed across her face. She demanded, “How do you have this?”
Ning Yuan maintained his refined smile. “It’s a long story, with much hidden truth behind it. Perhaps you might dismiss your attendants so that I may explain in full detail.”
Madame Meng pressed her lips together, then ordered her servants to leave.
Now, only she, Ning Yuan, and Liao Zhu remained in the room.
Ning Yuan spoke with measured calm: “This matter goes back more than a month. When General Cao and I clashed on Flower Street, everyone assumed it was because I, in my usual indulgence, was fighting over a singing girl. In truth, General Cao had collided with a woman, and from her body fluttered down a drawing of the Meng family’s heirloom jade pendant. At the time, the situation was dire, and I myself knew none of the details. It was only later, after I had repeatedly looked after this woman and rescued her from General Cao’s grasp, that I won her trust and learned the origins of the pendant.”
Cao Jian wanted to claim all the credit for himself, while Xiao Jun wanted to snatch it away from Cao Jian. Neither of these men cared for anything but their own gain—not a thought for Prince Ming.
Madame Meng pressed urgently: “So, who is this woman?”
A wild suspicion crossed her mind, yet she dared not confirm it.
Madame Meng asked: “And how did she come to possess the pendant?”
Ning Yuan glanced at Liao Zhu. Liao Zhu lifted her pale, bloodless face and placed the wooden box on Madame Meng’s tea table: “Madame Meng, my name is Liao Zhu. I was Xinniang’s roommate—we lived together for seven or eight years.”
Madame Meng’s expression turned grave: “So you know the truth?”
Liao Zhu nodded: “Madame Meng, look closely. There is blood on this pendant.”
Madame Meng picked up the pendant, and indeed, half of it was stained with dried blood.
