Seeing Su Jin and Zhu Nanxian, Yao Youcai realized these two were precisely the ones who had caused chaos for him and Zhang Zhengcai last night. A surge of nameless anger rose in his heart.

“You… what do you want?”

Yao Youcai glanced at Jiang Jiutong and his daughter, calculating in his mind. If this person surnamed Su wanted to rescue Master Jiang, he might as well give them the man. After all, Jiang Jiutong had already signed the land deed and written a confession. Let them take him, then make a great show of recapturing him, creating a tremendous commotion—perfect for letting the imperial envoy lords witness Pingchuan County’s “clear and upright law enforcement.”

But Su Jin saw through his thoughts with a single glance, her words hitting the vital point precisely: “We’re taking Master Jiang. The signed land deed and the sealed confession—please hand those over as well, Magistrate Yao. Additionally, we have a few questions that trouble the magistrate to answer for us.”

Yao Youcai had half a mind to flay Su Jin alive, but the dagger was right at his throat. He couldn’t act out. Setting aside the land deed and confession for now, he asked, “What do you want to know?”

“The three imperial envoys who came to Jinzhou Prefecture—what are their names, what is their purpose, and when will they return to the capital?”

Yao Youcai’s heart filled with suspicion. If they were just commoners or scholars, why would they care about the imperial envoy lords?

He looked at Su Jin more closely. “There are only two imperial envoy lords. One is surnamed Zhai—Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Imperial Censorate. The other is surnamed Shu—Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet ranked from first grade, Assistant Grand Secretary.”

It was actually Zhai Di and Shu Wenlan.

Su Jin’s heart relaxed slightly. With Qiguang in Shu, matters would be much easier to handle.

But she couldn’t fully ease this breath. That black-curtained sedan chair still made her uneasy.

Yao Youcai continued, “There is indeed one additional person, but who this lord is, this official doesn’t know. This official is merely a seventh-rank county magistrate—I can hardly speak with the imperial envoy lords.”

His words revealed half while concealing half.

Though he didn’t know who that person was, this morning when he took the Cuiwei Town garrison field case to Zhai Di—ostensibly to seek instruction but actually to claim credit—he personally witnessed Zhai Di turn back to inquire the opinion of that lord.

Yao Youcai dreamed of promotion. He knew perfectly well who held power and governed in the capital.

Lord Zhai was already Vice Censor-in-Chief. Someone worthy of his consultation—there were no more than ten such people in the entire court.

Yao Youcai had already speculated about the identity of the lord in the black sedan chair, but he was unwilling to say.

While answering, he observed Su Jin’s reaction. He wanted to see just what background this person surnamed Su had, along with the one beside him who kept holding a blade to his throat.

Unfortunately, Su Jin’s expression remained calm and unruffled. Yao Youcai watched for a long while without gleaning anything.

Zhu Nanxian said, “Continue.”

Continue?

Oh, right. Earlier these two had asked about the imperial envoy lords’ names, their purpose in coming to Shu, and when they would return to the capital.

“Initially they said they came to inspect the garrison fields, but after arriving, only Lord Zhai is investigating the New Policy on garrison fields. He’ll finish in three months and return to the capital. Lord Shu seems to be departing soon from southern Shu to Yun-Gui. As for that other lord—again, this official doesn’t know.”

Shu Wenlan was going to Yun-Gui?

The clouds of doubt in Su Jin’s heart gradually dispersed, then suddenly her heart lurched.

In these three or four years of Yongji, Great Sui hadn’t been entirely peaceful. Less than a year after Zhu Yushen ascended the throne, Northern Liang learned that their former formidable enemy had gone to Yingtian to become emperor. They reorganized their troops and invaded again. Without a word, Zhu Yushen handed court affairs to Liu Yun and Shen Xi, immediately led troops back to Beiping, and personally campaigned against the enemy. Fortunately, Northern Liang had already been defeated once two years prior. This time they reorganized only remnant forces and defeated soldiers, who were repelled within half a year.

After that, eastern sea pirates raided again. Qi Wujiu took command and went on campaign. Zhu Yushen believed the eastern sea battles were frequent, with the Ministry of Finance funding and the Ministry of Works building ships, causing many important affairs to lag behind. He personally issued an imperial decree ordering Qi Wujiu to restore peace to the eastern seas within three years.

Qi Wujiu lived up to expectations. By last year, pirate leaders had personally landed at the Tianjin docks to present surrender documents and seek peace.

Unfortunately, one wave had barely settled when another rose. Years ago, Su Jin had gone on a diplomatic mission to Annan and reached an agreement with Emperor Hu for peace between the two borders. But who knew that early last year, internal strife erupted in the Hu Dynasty’s royal family. The imperial kinsman Hu Shao usurped power, executed the young emperor and seized the throne. His ambitions didn’t stop there. Not only did he hunt down the young emperor’s former supporters, he also reneged on the peace Emperor Hu and Su Jin had agreed upon, frequently violating Great Sui’s borders.

Hu Yuanjie escaped with his life and rushed to Great Sui territory to seek help. When Zhu Yushen received the urgent dispatch and learned that tiny Annan dared tear up the treaty, he flew into a rage. He originally wanted to send troops south to suppress them. However, since Zhu Qiyue’s death, the region from Lingnan to the southwest had lacked capable commanders. After much deliberation, Zhu Yushen decided to personally campaign again. He departed last summer and by autumn had reached the Yun-Gui area.

Because this campaign was in foreign territory, the gazette records weren’t detailed. As for common people, they only knew the war was going smoothly.

Luo Songtang was old with creaky joints and couldn’t travel far. Shu Wenlan was Vice Minister of Rites. Now he was to enter Yun-Gui from southern Shu—could it be that Zhu Yushen had already achieved great victory and Shu Wenlan was going to receive him?

Thinking of this, Su Jin’s brow furrowed slightly.

Yun-Gui was too close to Sichuan-Shu. If Zhu Yushen led his great army back to the capital and received news, what if he entered Shu?

Yesterday Zhu Nanxian had already told her of Yunxi’s identity. One prefecture harboring two imperial bloodline heirs was truly too dangerous.

Yao Youcai stared at Su Jin, inwardly sighing that this person truly kept their composure. Only now did their face show slight fluctuation.

He wasn’t a fool. After dealing with Su Jin two or three times, he could now see that this person surnamed Su was definitely no common citizen. Never mind bearing—just this composure alone, how could it be forged without experiencing considerable trials?

“Young Master Su, this official knows you’re no ordinary scholar. You have scholarly achievements and titles. Did you perhaps serve as an official before, manage affairs, know some people in the capital?”

“And Guardian Nan—with your martial skills and abilities, you surely aren’t an ordinary escort. Did you perhaps serve in the military before, act as a commander or something?”

As Yao Youcai spoke, he actually wasn’t even afraid of the dagger Zhu Nanxian held at his neck. He smiled indifferently. “This official actually knows why you’ve tried by every means to inquire about those imperial envoys from the capital. You want to seek justice for the Jiang family, seek justice for Cuiwei Town. You think the imperial envoys from the capital should be old acquaintances from years past, so you want to ask them to punish this official.”

“But unfortunately,” he glanced lightly at Su Jin and Zhu Nanxian each, “the imperial envoys who came this time hold positions too high. You don’t know them. Your wishful thinking missed its mark. You have no path forward now, do you?”

Yao Youcai’s thinking was actually quite reasonable.

Su Jin and Zhu Nanxian had indeed shown difficulty the moment they heard Shu Wenlan’s name. However, this difficulty was because they thought of Zhu Yushen.

It was also too coincidental—the higher the officials in the capital, the more familiar they were with them.

Seeing the two neither confirm nor deny, Yao Youcai became even more certain his guess was correct. He appeared magnanimous with great forbearance. “How about this—this official won’t hold it against you for repeatedly offending this official. I’ll point out a clear path for you. As long as you’re willing to let Cuiwei Town’s—”

“Enough nonsense.” Zhu Nanxian interrupted. He and Su Jin had already clarified the root causes. To investigate deeper would involve internal court affairs that Yao Youcai definitely wouldn’t know. Now that Zhai Di was in Jinzhou, as long as they handed Cuiwei Town’s case to him, they could be at ease.

In the future, with heaven and earth far apart, he would simply take A’Yu and Lin’er and leave.

“Hand over the land deed and confession.” Zhu Nanxian struck at Yao Youcai’s vital point.

Yao Youcai never imagined that after wasting so much breath with these two, they would still walk the same old path.

They could take the person, but Jiang Jiutong’s confession and land deed were his treasures for promotion—absolutely not to be surrendered.

Zhu Nanxian knew well that when dealing with this type of person, if you could use your hands, don’t waste your breath. Seeing Yao Youcai hesitate, without a word he gripped his right arm and wrenched it back hard. With a “crack,” he actually dislocated it completely.

Yao Youcai immediately screamed miserably. The pain made him bend over. Only then did he realize this person truly dared harm him. He hurriedly ordered, “Get them! Quickly get what he wants!”

Before long, a servant from the courtyard presented Jiang Jiutong’s confession and land deed. Zhu Nanxian looked them over and handed them to Su Jin. Su Jin put them away, tucking them into her sleeve, saying lightly, “Let’s go.”

Only at this moment did Yao Youcai suddenly understand something.

Could these two actually know one of Lord Zhai or Lord Shu?

Amid his severe pain, he summoned a thread of clarity from his mind. If this person surnamed Su and the one surnamed Nan truly found someone to seek justice for Cuiwei Town, wouldn’t his, Yao Youcai’s, official career be completely ruined?

So be it. Even if Su Gongzi knew Zhai Di or Shu Wenlan, he wasn’t afraid.

After all, the one above him was the true one below only one person and above ten thousand.

Things having reached this point, he had no choice but to reveal his cards to establish authority, Yao Youcai thought.

“Wait—” Supporting his arm, drenched in sweat, having already walked to the residence gate, Yao Youcai suddenly spoke. “You only know to demand the land deed and confession from me, but do you know into whose hands these items would ultimately be submitted?”

Su Jin had long known Yao Youcai had someone above him. She had originally wanted to ask, but figured even if she asked, he wouldn’t want to say. Better to leave it to Zhai Di to investigate. So she hadn’t opened her mouth. She hadn’t expected that now, like a cornered rabbit seeing red, he would willingly shake out all his cards.

“Who?”

Yao Youcai preened proudly, raising one hand toward heaven in salute. “Do you two perhaps know of the current National Uncle, first-rank Duke, first-rank Cabinet Grand Secretary, Minister of the Ministry of Finance—Lord Shen Xi?”