Zhou Ziqin sat on the railing of a small roadside pavilion, idly swinging his feet back and forth as he waited for her return. Upon seeing her silhouette, he quickly jumped down from the railing and asked, “Chonggu, shall we head back for food first? Where are we going this afternoon?”

Huang Zixia led him toward the city: “To Qi Teng’s house.”

Zhou Ziqin exclaimed joyfully: “Wonderful! I love following you to search for clues. By the way, are we going to Yu Xuan’s place? I’d like to see that too.”

Huang Zixia’s hand holding the reins slowed slightly: “What do you want to see him for?”

Zhou Ziqin scratched his head embarrassedly and said: “I don’t know… I just feel that Huang Zixia likes him, and Princess Tongchang also has some unclear relationship with him, plus how the poetry society members describe him… makes me want to meet him and figure out what’s going on.”

Huang Zixia lowered her head silently, walking forward without a word. Only when passing under the climbing rose vines did she look up at the tangled green branches that had long since dropped their flowers, and in an extremely soft and slow voice, uttered two words: “Once upon.”

Zhou Ziqin looked at her puzzled: “Once upon?”

She nodded, in the dense shade of the roses, in the late summer’s hot wind, saying softly: “Huang Zixia once liked Yu Xuan.”

Amid Zhou Ziqin’s constant pestering questions of “How do you know if Huang Zixia still likes Yu Xuan now?”, Huang Zixia maintained her usual expression as she rode her horse, entering the city and returning to the prefectural mansion.

She was very familiar with the government office, walking past the polished bluestone ground after entering, passing the loquat tree in the courtyard, and through the wooden door with cracked boards. She didn’t look at the ground, but her steps were unhindered, proceeding smoothly all the way.

Zhou Ziqin brought over two bowls of lamb noodle soup from the side, and attentively set up chopsticks for her, almost wagging his tail: “Chonggu, tell me, do you know Huang Zixia? Oh right, how didn’t I think of this? You’re both master detectives, you must have had exchanges, right?”

Huang Zixia didn’t want to talk much with him, so she could only bow her head to eat: “No, just spiritual connection.”

“Alright…” he said, holding his chopsticks and spacing out for a while, muttering, “Wonder where Huang Zixia is now? Is she still evading capture everywhere, is she also eating somewhere like us? What is she eating?”

Huang Zixia wordlessly took a sip of soup and tapped his bowl with her chopsticks: “Eat quickly, otherwise I’ll go investigate at Qi Teng’s house first.”

“Oh okay…” Zhou Ziqin hastily sped up his actions.

Huang Zixia looked at his manner, sighed, and said again: “Don’t worry… I think Huang Zixia must be like us, eating delicious lamb soup pancakes.”

Zhou Ziqin nodded, his expression even more determined than hers.

Before they finished eating, the little dog that Huang Zixia had picked up from the street to test for poison had already crawled under their stools, drooling at the fragrance.

Zhou Ziqin quickly threw two of the biggest pieces of lamb, saying: “Fugui, you must grow up quickly! The government office is waiting for you to show your skills in the future, smelling ten li with the wind, five li against the wind, mastering the scents of all the bad guys in Chengdu Prefecture, catching them all at once!”

Huang Zixia watched the happily eating puppy, her mouth twitching slightly: “Fugui?”

“Yes, the dog’s name,” he said.

Huang Zixia was utterly speechless. Looking at this ugly dog with mottled fur, she suddenly remembered something and called to Zhou Ziqin: “Let me see that double fish jade bracelet.”

Zhou Ziqin took it out from his bosom and gave it to her, saying: “Be careful, this is Huang Zixia’s thing…”

Huang Zixia ignored him, slowly turning the bracelet around, and looking at the patterns on it. Two small fish biting each other’s tails, two lustrous rice-grain pearls.

She held up the bracelet, looking through it against the sunlight from the window. The pure white jade, like a curved piece of ice, after being hollowed out inside, the light refracted within in threads and strands, ethereal and beautiful.

She returned the bracelet to Zhou Ziqin, then lowered her hand to pat Fugui’s head.

Fugui, having just eaten two pieces of lamb, was in high spirits, so without hesitation licked her hand while wagging its tail frantically.

She let Fugui lick three or four times before standing up and walking to the well, washing her hands clean in the overflowing water trough, and then sitting at the table watching Fugui.

Seeing her wash her hands, Zhou Ziqin said: “Yesterday the cook gave Fugui a thorough wash, it shouldn’t be that dirty.”

“Mm, I know,” she casually responded. Seeing Zhou Ziqin hadn’t finished eating, she pulled out the hairpin from her head and slowly drew on the table, organizing her thoughts while at it. “By the way, didn’t Qi Teng say earlier he’d get some pure water from Master Yu-Shan to properly purify your bracelet? Did that happen later?”

“No, where was there time? I never thought Brother Qi would die so suddenly.” Zhou Ziqin said with a worried face, “Poor my sister, thought she could get married this time, and to quite an excellent man in all aspects… unexpectedly now there’s no prospect again.”

Huang Zixia nodded, continuing to draw slowly on the table. Zhou Ziqin finished his soup pancakes, and seeing her still drawing, didn’t disturb her, just lying on the table, watching her without moving.

Huang Zixia felt awkward being watched by him, so she put her hairpin back in her hair and asked: “Shall we go?”

Zhou Ziqin nodded, standing up to ask: “Chonggu, before… I mean before becoming a eunuch, what were you like? Did many women like you?”

Huang Zixia said flatly: “No, no women liked me.”

Zhou Ziqin couldn’t help but take a deep breath: “Then… did many men like you?”

Huang Zixia gave him a “don’t imagine things” look and walked away on her own.

Qi Teng’s parents had passed away, and although there were clan members at home, they were all distant relatives without much influence, so when Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin arrived, they only saw several distant relatives fighting over things, their righteous manner making it seem like they each already viewed his belongings as their own.

Zhou Ziqin stared in disbelief, shouting at the crowd: “Who’s in charge here? Someone come out quickly, the government office has questions!”

Those people paused for a moment, then all unanimously turned their backs and continued efficiently packing things away.

Huang Zixia walked to the center of the courtyard and shouted: “Listen, all of you! Qi Teng’s case is no small matter, the government has already sealed all household items. Whoever takes anything away is the unauthorized appropriation of government property, obstructing official business! At minimum caning, at worst detention, who dares to act recklessly?”

Several people were immediately frightened, quickly dropping the things in their hands and obediently retreating to the corridor while spreading their hands to show they hadn’t taken anything.

Huang Zixia asked again: “Where’s the steward? Who’s in charge here?”

An old man standing by the side door who was also spreading his hands quickly ran over, bowing repeatedly: “This humble one is Qi Fu, normally managing internal and external affairs here, paying respects to the two officials!”

“Elder, let’s talk over here.” Huang Zixia said, gesturing for him to go with her to the side hall.

This side hall was quite uniquely arranged, with a small artificial mountain in front, a pool of emerald water below the mountain, moss green on the rocks, and a lush osmanthus tree planted.

After Qi Fu poured tea for them, he sighed: “I’m also a distant relative of Magistrate Qi. Last year when he returned home and saw me, knowing I somewhat understood human relations, and said that after becoming a magistrate he needed someone capable by his side, so he had me come here to help manage affairs. When I came, I saw there was no one in the mansion, just us few clan members who came along. It turned out the previous steward was dishonest, and along with several servants had all been driven away by him. Look, those in front, are all people I found after returning to the clan.”

Zhou Ziqin asked: “All being from the same clan, the person just died yesterday, and today you’re dividing up possessions?”

Qi Fu smiled sheepishly: “Well… anyway Magistrate Qi has no close relatives left when other clan members come, won’t it all be divided up anyway… We served him daily, if not merit then at least effort, taking a bit more, that, well, is reasonable, hehe…”

Zhou Ziqin was utterly speechless at his righteous manner.

Huang Zixia asked again: “Magistrate Qi held office here, who did he usually associate with?”

“He was busy daily, mostly at the Military Commissioner’s mansion, even when returning home to sleep it was early out late return. At such a young age already being the Military Commissioner’s magistrate, such a high official is quite something, right? Our Qi clan has only had one such high official in so many years…”

Huang Zixia persistently steered the topic back: “Elder, please think carefully, in his daily associations, besides people from the Military Commissioner’s mansion, who else was there? This relates to whether we can quickly find the true culprit in Magistrate Qi’s case, please help us recall.”

Qi Fu then thought carefully, then said: “The magistrate often went to Master Yu Shan’s place to discuss Buddhist principles, Master Yu Shan also came to our home for meals, this… does this count?”

Master Yu Shan. Huang Zixia remembered this name. So she asked: “So Magistrate Qi was fond of Buddhist principles?”

Qi Fu seemed a bit confused, saying: “This I don’t know, I don’t even know which temple Master Yu Shan is at.”

Huang Zixia asked again: “Besides the master, who else?”

Qi Fu seemed truly unfamiliar with Qi Teng’s daily social circle, showing a hesitant expression.

Huang Zixia had to ask again: “There’s someone called Yu Xuan, does the elder have any impression?”

Qi Fu exclaimed “Ah!” and quickly said: “There is such a person! Even stayed here briefly for two or three days, seemed to have attempted suicide, and was saved by Magistrate Qi. At that time Master Yu Shan also came to see him, don’t know what happened, the three of them talked in the room then, Magistrate Qi even smashed the porcelain cup that he kept fish in, and told Young Master Yu to return his fish!”

Fish. Huang Zixia keenly caught this key point, immediately asking: “I heard Magistrate Qi liked keeping fish?”

“Like it, well not necessarily. Just that Magistrate Qi was particularly proud of that fish he kept, said Master Yu Shan happened to get it from the capital and brought it back to give him, originally a Western species, very rare in Central Plains.”

Huang Zixia asked again: “He told Yu Xuan to return the fish to him, so that means, he had given the fish to Yu Xuan? Such a rare fish, would he be willing to give it to others?”

“Exactly, looking at it, Magistrate Qi and Yu Xuan’s relationship hadn’t reached that level, I also felt he wouldn’t likely give away something he liked so much. The magistrate once boasted to us saying this fish could live a hundred years, when he died he’d put a vat of clear water in his tomb, and let the little fish go with him… thinking about it now, these words were unlucky, no wonder he… alas!” Qi Fu spoke with sighs, his face also piled with some sorrowful expressions, but his eyes kept rolling toward the furnishings in the hall, especially those with traces of gold, inlaid with silver, set with jade, almost drooling.

Huang Zixia asked some more about Yu Xuan, but Qi Fu only remembered superficial things, just saying that during his brief stay here, he lay motionless like a dead person, and after becoming slightly more clear-headed, had people from his mansion come take him back. He didn’t hear him make a sound.

Seeing he couldn’t say much more, Huang Zixia asked: “Well then, where did Magistrate Qi usually handle affairs? Are there any documents or such left?”

“All in the study, please follow me.” Qi Fu turned to lead them to a small pavilion in the back. There were bookshelves and desks, and several hanging paintings, depicting monthly roses, azaleas, daffodils, and one pine tree.

Huang Zixia stood before the pine tree painting, looking at the three or four graceful green pine trees above, a person sitting peacefully playing the qin. That person placed the qin on their knee, lightly waving ten fingers, beside it was written “Wave once for me, like hearing ten thousand valley pines.”

Zhou Ziqin looked at this painting behind her, saying: “Seems… a bit strange.”

“It is a bit strange, if it were hanging a painting of hydrangeas, perhaps it would be more appropriate.” Huang Zixia said.

Qi Fu made a “yi” sound, saying: “Indeed, what hung here before was exactly a painting of hydrangeas.”