Within two days, a new fence had been rebuilt on the ruins.

The new fence was taller and sturdier than the old one. Shen Zhuxi suspected that Li Wu had modeled it after a city wall — he had even installed crenellations along the top.

That the new fence could be built so quickly was largely thanks to the enthusiastic townspeople of Yutou County. Li Wu had asked the able-bodied men in the area to come help during the agricultural off-season. No payment was needed — a good meal and good drink were enough.

For two days, Li Wu’s home was lively and bustling.

Shen Zhuxi could not believe anyone would be willing to work for free, and confirmed it with Li Wu again and again, only to receive the same answer each time — they did not want money; a good meal to thank them was all they asked.

This peculiar arrangement, where one practically came out at a loss, was something Shen Zhuxi had never witnessed during her time in the palace. Although Li Wu told her not to think too much of it, she still felt uncomfortable about it, and so she put her heart into the cooking, doing her best to ensure everyone ate their fill and ate well.

Beyond not being stingy with the food expenses, Shen Zhuxi also made every effort to contribute in other ways.

She could not do any heavy lifting, so she was of no help with the fence construction — instead, she simply helped Fan Sanniang with the work in the kitchen.

On the day the new fence was completed, it happened to be the Ghost Festival. After finishing the evening meal early, the neighbors dispersed — some headed home, others to pay respects to their ancestors — and only Fan Sanniang remained, unhurried, still washing the bowls and dishes in the kitchen.

“Fan Sanniang, leave these to me. If you have things to do at home, head back early…” Shen Zhuxi said, walking into the kitchen after seeing off the helpers alongside Li Wu.

“Nothing to do at home. I’m not in a rush.” Fan Sanniang replied.

Seeing that she truly was not hurrying, Shen Zhuxi did not insist.

Fan Sanniang worked with nimble efficiency and finished washing an entire basin’s worth of bowls and dishes in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. This time, Shen Zhuxi refused to let her handle the last steps no matter what, saying, “Fan Sanniang, leave the rest to me — you head home quickly. Today is the Ghost Festival; you need to get back before sundown. Let me ask Li Wu to walk you—”

Fan Sanniang wiped the water from her hands on her apron. “No, no, I couldn’t bear to have him escort me. That fellow never does anything at a loss — who knows what he’d scrounge from my house before leaving. But you do have a point. Today is the Ghost Festival, and my late husband might come back to look in on me. I’ll head off now. If anything comes up, just come find me.”

Shen Zhuxi personally walked her to the door, thanking her repeatedly before letting Fan Sanniang leave.

She returned to the kitchen and was carefully putting the clean bowls and dishes away in the cabinet when Li Wu, who had been inspecting the new fence in the back courtyard, walked in.

“Where’s Fan Sanniang?”

“Just left.”

Li Wu crouched beside her and helped her put the bowls and dishes away.

“Left this early?”

“I told her to go.” Shen Zhuxi reminded him, “Today is the Ghost Festival — tonight the gates of the underworld are thrown wide open. We living people shouldn’t still be out after sunset.”

Li Wu curled his lip dismissively, making it perfectly clear he did not believe a word about any gates of the underworld.

“Those incense sticks, candles, and paper money you hid in the back courtyard — are they for tonight?” Li Wu asked.

Shen Zhuxi was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“What has Princess of Yue done for you, that you’re so wholeheartedly devoted to her? If I were to die, would you burn paper money for me?”

Shen Zhuxi could not bear to hear talk like that, and said angrily, “What nonsense are you spouting!”

Seeing that she was genuinely angry, Li Wu instead broke into a grin.

“I won’t die…” he said carelessly, “I still have to earn money to buy you toilet paper.”

Shen Zhuxi was too vexed to speak, letting him chortle away by himself.

After night fell, Shen Zhuxi took out the incense sticks, candles, and paper money and burned them beside the grave of Li Juan in the back courtyard.

For some unfathomable reason, Li Wu insisted on keeping her company. It left her no choice but to silently report her recent affairs to her Imperial Mother and Father Emperor in her heart.

“Father Emperor, Imperial Mother — I am outside the palace now. I have learned how to haggle, go to market, start a fire, boil eggs…”

The gates of the underworld were open. Would Imperial Mother and Father Emperor hear what she was saying?

If Father Emperor had gone to the Crown Prince’s side, then at least Imperial Mother would come to see her… wouldn’t she?

“I am getting along well enough in Yutou County. The people here are all very kind to me… The one who was just cooking in our home is Fan Sanniang. She and the others are fellow townspeople who came to help — she is not a household cook, so please don’t misunderstand… If you see Zhou Sao down below, treat her well. She helped me a great deal in the past…”

Shen Zhuxi reported to her parents every detail of her life, no matter how small.

Aside from the awkwardness she often felt about the relationship between Fan Sanniang and Li Wu, she and Fan Sanniang got along well on the whole. Fan Sanniang had a frank, forthright nature and spoke her mind, and every now and then reminded Shen Zhuxi of Sui Rui, who was far away in Xiangyang — and sometimes, she was also reminded of Zhou Sao, who was no longer in this world.

Whenever this happened, she could not help but sigh and drift into a daze. Fan Sanniang would seem to know exactly what she was thinking, yet offered no words of comfort — she would simply give her a gentle pat on the shoulder and tell her to wash a small vegetable, or fetch a spoonful of salt, using action to draw her attention elsewhere.

Shen Zhuxi had not interacted much with Fan Sanniang in the past, but she was finding now that Fan Sanniang was a good person.

With the exception of a very small number of individuals, the people of Yutou County all seemed to be good people. When Shen Zhuxi had first arrived, she could not stop thinking about how the pawnshop and He Liu Hall had fleeced her, but she had long since put those old grievances out of her mind.

To her, the He Liu Hall proprietor who liked to take advantage of others was a good person; the Ding Sanniang who sold taro cakes was a good person; Jiu Niang, who always sent extra things whenever she came to buy wine and dishes, was a good person; Sui Rui, who had left Yutou Town, was also a good person… In Yutou County, nearly all the memories she had gathered were good ones.

The best of all was Li Wu.

“Even though I often curse him in my heart as Li the Windbag, he has been the kindest person in town to me. If it were not for him, I don’t know where I would be wandering now… While you bless me, please bless him too…”

Li Wu was a good person — of that there was no doubt.

It would be even better if he did not lose his temper, did not curse people, and did not suddenly burst into poetry at the slightest provocation…

“What are you doing, making that sour face one moment and that strange expression the next?” Li Wu tossed down a whole stack of paper money all at once.

The thick pile not only smothered the flames but sent ash flying into the air.

“What are you doing!” Shen Zhuxi coughed while quickly picking up the fire tongs beside her to hastily retrieve that still-unshredded stack of paper money.

The culprit looked entirely innocent. “Burning paper money — what else would I be doing?”

“You’ll smother the fire if you do it that way!”

“Isn’t that how you were doing it?” Li Wu frowned.

“I was tearing it apart and placing two or three sheets at a time — you —”

“Alright, alright, alright…” Li Wu cut her off, grumbling under his breath as he began tearing the paper money in his hands, “Making such a fuss over burning a bit of paper, just burn it and be done with it…”

There were many customs to observe in these matters!

Shen Zhuxi was about to take the opportunity to teach him a proper lesson on funerary etiquette, when she saw him tilt to one side and plant himself squarely on top of Li Juan’s burial mound!

He reached over and pulled out the wooden tablet Shen Zhuxi had set before the mound as an unnamed marker — and not only did he fling it aside, but he also shifted his rear end around to get comfortable, saying, “This mound is actually quite comfortable to sit on — I don’t remember it being here before?”

Shen Zhuxi added another stack of paper money to the fire and said quietly:

“Li Juan, Li Juan — don’t take it to heart. He’s just a windbag…”

……

After the annual Ghost Festival had passed, the scent of candle wax and burnt paper money lingered throughout the town.

In Xiangyang, inside a grand and prosperous manor tucked away from the noise and bustle, a thin, frail man dressed in the robes of a sixth-rank official stood outside the spirit wall, waiting to be received by the master of the house.

His brow was tightly knitted, as though something was troubling him.

A graceful-looking maidservant hurried out and bowed her head. “Deputy Prefect Fang, the master will see you now.”

Fang Tingzhi followed the maidservant into a grand and lavishly furnished reception hall. A middle-aged man with a genial countenance was seated at a square table having his meal, with an array of fine dishes laid out before him that dazzled the eye. Hearing Fang Tingzhi enter, the man did not even raise his head.

“Deputy Prefect Fang has put on his official robes first thing in the morning — there must be important matters to report?”

Fang Tingzhi bowed deeply, a weight of gravity visible between his brows.

“My Lord Prefect, word came back from Yutou County yesterday that Huang Jinguang had been killed by bandits on the road. Since it was during the Ghost Festival holiday, I did not wish to disturb you.”

Xiangzhou Prefect Fan Wei slurped down the last of his shrimp congee with a gurgle, took the hand towel offered by the maidservant behind him and wiped his mouth, then said with lingering satisfaction, “Whoever made the shrimp congee today — well done. You shall be rewarded.”

He then looked over at Fang Tingzhi. “Who did you just say died?”

“My Lord, Huang Jinguang is dead.”

“Ah, Huang Jinguang.” Fan Wei said indifferently. “Didn’t he just take his seventeenth concubine? He couldn’t have died in the new bed, could he?”

“He had accompanied his new bride back to her hometown to visit relatives, but on the return journey they were set upon by bandits. Everything on him was stripped clean.”

“Ha — a predator meeting another predator. A bandit running into another bandit.” Fan Wei sneered. “Huang Jinguang has been outwardly obedient but inwardly defiant for a long time now. His death has saved me the trouble of dealing with him myself. Is that all you came here for? Have you had breakfast yet? The shrimp congee is excellent — sit down and have a taste.”

Fan Wei raised his voice. “Someone come, bring Deputy Prefect Fang —”

“This official thanks the Lord Prefect for his generous invitation, but this official has come not merely to report the news of Huang Jinguang’s death. In this official’s view, the circumstances of Huang Jinguang’s death are suspicious…”

“In what way suspicious?” Fan Wei picked up a soup dumpling and placed it carefully in a ceramic spoon.

“Huang Jinguang was a cunning and ruthless man who dealt with bandits himself on a daily basis — how could he have ended up dead at the hands of bandits?”

“Even those who always walk by the river will eventually get their feet wet…” Fan Wei murmured, as though something had come to mind.

“Beside Huang Jinguang’s body, we found a broken arrow bearing the remnants of an official government marking. Upon investigation, it was identified as belonging to a batch of military supplies stolen by the Tianwang Gang in a highway robbery one year ago.”

“With both material and witness evidence present, what are you still suspicious of?”

“The Tianwang Gang operates primarily in Yongtian County and Dongqing County — why did they come into contact with Huang Jinguang of Yutou County this time?”

“Yongtian County and Dongqing County are not far from Yutou County.”

“Yet they have never previously appeared anywhere near Yutou County.”

“Perhaps their stronghold has grown larger.” Fan Wei set down his empty ceramic spoon; it clinked against the bowl. He frowned with irritation. “Right now my hands are tied, but once I am done with this pressing matter, I will most certainly cut down this Tianwang Gang root and branch!”

“The road on which Huang Jinguang died leads straight to Xiangyang. It appears he was trying to return to Xiangyang as fast as possible, which is why he traveled through the night. Whatever happened must have been urgent enough to make him rush back to Xiangyang. Furthermore, Huang Jinguang had been wounded before his death, and the wound had been properly bandaged — yet no one in town will admit to having treated his injury.”

“A man like him gets injured more easily than he eats meals. Perhaps he applied the medicine and bandaged it himself.” Fan Wei waved a hand. “None of what you have described constitutes a real point of suspicion.”

“There is one more peculiarity — Huang Jinguang’s newly-wedded concubine. Her husband died scarcely after she entered his household. His principal wife blamed her for bringing bad luck upon her husband and drove her out with nothing. For a woman to face such calamity, one would expect her to be devastated with grief — yet when I saw her today packing her things to return to her hometown, she showed not a trace of sorrow. Far from it — she was animated and beaming, as though something wonderful had happened.”

Fan Wei scoffed. “Women of this world are fickle. How many can truly be said to love their husbands to death and beyond?”

“My Lord Fan…” Fang Tingzhi could not help himself. “Huang Jinguang may indeed be insignificant, but whoever is behind this clearly knew of his connection to Xiangzhou and still dared to strike — they even had the audacity to fabricate a bandit incident to obscure the truth. This is far too brazen. If we do not investigate this matter fully, I fear there will be others bold enough to challenge the authority of Xiangzhou.”

“Very well — if you truly suspect something, then look into it freely. It’s just one Huang Jinguang; it’s not worth my bothering over.” Fan Wei paused, then added, “You truly won’t have the shrimp congee?”

Fang Tingzhi: “…”

After leaving the Fan residence with a full bowl of shrimp congee that had been pressed upon him by sheer social obligation, Fang Tingzhi immediately called over one of his subordinates.

“Has the Zhu woman left the city yet?”

The subordinate looked completely blank. “Deputy Prefect Fang, which Zhu woman do you mean?”

“The one Huang Jinguang newly married.”

“Ah, her. While you were inside seeing the Lord Prefect, she already passed through the city gate. She should be on her way home by now.”

Fang Tingzhi’s expression darkened, and he said in a decisive, ringing tone:

“Bring my horse!”

……

“My Lady, this Xiangyang really is something else — even the roads are far better than ours in Yutou County. The carriage rolls over them without any jolting at all, not like the road out of our county — full of potholes, and so narrow too. Riding over it in a carriage was absolutely dreadful!”

The Zhu woman reclined on a soft couch, languidly fanning herself with a round fan, and replied with complete agreement:

“You’re not wrong… Yutou County has nothing like this. Just look at this fan — the embroidery is even better than what you’d find at a gold and silver shop.”

“My Lady, are we truly leaving Xiangyang?” the little maidservant asked timidly.

“Do you think I want to leave? If we stayed in Xiangyang, that wretched woman would eventually swallow us whole… But at any rate, we have money now. Let’s first go somewhere to lie low, and wait until — ah!”

Both the Zhu woman and the little maidservant cried out in unison as the carriage lurched violently without warning, then came to a complete stop.

“What kind of driving is that?! Are you blind?!”

The little maidservant shoved the carriage door open and began scolding at the top of her voice.

“It’s not me, it’s… it’s…” the driver said helplessly.

“It was I who stopped your carriage.”

The sound of steady hoofbeats approached from behind. The Zhu woman pushed open the carriage window and was startled to find four or five fine horses carrying men had drawn up alongside them. A man dressed in official robes nudged his horse forward, clasped his hands toward the Zhu woman inside the carriage, and spoke in an unreadable tone:

“Zhu woman, your husband’s death was suspicious. I have a few questions in my mind that I can only trouble you to accompany me to answer.”

The Zhu woman’s face went white. “My Lord, this servant knows nothing at all…”

Fang Tingzhi’s expression was unreadable. He raised his hand.

“Take her away.”