Hua Yitang seemed to be angry.

It had started when Lin Sui’an invited Jin Ruo to be a partner.

Specifically, he had sulked his way through twelve steamed buns in one sitting, and showed signs of attempting a thirteenth. Each bun was the size of a fist, leaving Jin Ruo utterly astonished. “Lucky for him he was born into the Hua Family — no ordinary household could possibly afford to feed an appetite like that.”

Hua Yitang swallowed the last bite of his final bun, belched, took a sip of tea, and began fanning himself with sweeping flourishes, sleeves billowing like clouds. “Why has Ling the Sixth been gone so long and still hasn’t returned? Are we solving this case or not?”

Lin Sui’an and Jin Ruo stared at him blankly.

“I’m going to keep an eye on things,” Hua Yitang announced.

Lin Sui’an made an “after you” gesture.

Hua Yitang took two steps, then turned back, narrowing his eyes at Lin Sui’an. “What if he loses his nerve and runs? I’m a useless wastrel who can’t carry anything heavy or lift anything — I can’t take him in a fight.”

Lin Sui’an was rather exasperated. So he wanted her to come along? This man — could he not just say so directly?

“I’ll go with you.”

Jin Ruo moved to follow, but was blocked by Mu Xia’s perfectly professional smile.

Hua Yitang walked through the prefecture yamen as if no one else existed. Clerks along the way went out of their way to avoid him. He turned here and turned there until they reached a garden with no one in it, then snapped his fan shut with a crack, turned around, and stared at Lin Sui’an, his eyes practically shooting sparks.

Lin Sui’an felt not the slightest panic. For one thing, Hua Yitang was definitely no match for her in a fight, and for another, she had already guessed what he wanted to ask — it was almost certainly about why she had concealed her connection to the Ten Purity Sect. On that point, Lin Sui’an intended to tell him the truth.

“I only found out about Qian Jing’s connection to the Ten Purity Sect a few days ago,” Lin Sui’an said. “As for Jin Ruo — today was the first time I’ve seen his real face. I wasn’t deliberately hiding anything—”

“I am your partner.”

“…Pardon?”

“You didn’t consult me.”

Hua Yitang’s eyes were slightly reddened and he actually looked a little aggrieved. Lin Sui’an scratched her head, feeling the direction of this conversation had taken a peculiar turn.

So what this man was hung up about was — that she had brought on a new person without going through him, threatening his — standing?

“Jin Ruo’s skill at tracking has its uses for solving the case…”

“His words are evasive and he’s hiding a great deal — he doesn’t deserve to be called a partner.” Hua Yitang said it with great conviction. “A true partner must be as devoted as liver and gallbladder, open and sincere with one another!”

Good heavens, what kind of middle-school speech is this? Lin Sui’an found it equal parts funny and baffling. They were just throwing together a makeshift crew to crack a case and make a little money on the side — and yet from the way he was talking, it sounded as if they ought to be swearing a blood oath and pledging to live and die together.

Lin Sui’an genuinely wanted to counsel him a little — take it easy, don’t get too caught up in things — but looking at that earnest, stubborn expression, she thought better of it. She had lived two lifetimes; why get into it with a middle-school-level young man? Better to just smooth his ruffled feathers.

“I was hasty.”

“He’s only a helper at best. Not a partner.”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

Hua Yitang was finally satisfied. He resumed walking and fanning himself, complaining along the way about how Ling the Sixth was dragging his feet. Lin Sui’an followed behind rolling her eyes, turning left and right until they entered another courtyard. The guards were Ming Shu and Ming Feng, who seemed almost visibly relieved to see Hua Yitang and Lin Sui’an, and led the two of them to the outside of the main hall window.

The room was abuzz with voices. Only now did Lin Sui’an understand why Ling Zhiyan had still not returned — he had been waylaid by a group of people.

That group of people included: Yangzhou Prefect Zhou Changping, Feng Yuyi’s grandfather Feng Song, Bai Shun’s grandfather Bai Fan, Jiang Hongwen’s grandfather Jiang Xingchang, and Yan He’s grandfather Yan Yan.

Bai Fan: “Waaah, my poor son — three generations the Bai Family has had only one son to carry on the line — and to die such a miserable, wrongful death! Inspector Ling, you must get to the bottom of this case and give us justice! Waaah! Otherwise I’ll die without closing my eyes!”

Yan Yan: “Three people have already died in just a few days — why has the criminal still not been caught? How is the case progressing? Is this how the yamen does its work? This is outright dereliction of duty!”

Prefect Zhou, in a sickly, languid tone: “Elder Yan, those are harsh words. The yamen staff have been working without sleep to crack this case, but this criminal is unspeakably cruel and cunning, and Zhou is truly helpless despite every good intention. Fortunately Inspector Ling happened to be conducting his circuit inspection here — a true gift from heaven. The safety of all Yangdu rests entirely on Inspector Ling’s shoulders.”

Jiang Xingchang: “I’ve long heard that since taking up his post at the Court of Judicial Review, Inspector Ling has solved countless strange and difficult cases — so why has this case made no progress at all until today? Are our children to die in vain? I intend to write directly to the Chief Justice of the Court and ask him just how he selects and dispatches his officials!”

Prefect Zhou: “Everyone, please don’t be anxious. The situation is urgent, but I trust that given some time, Inspector Ling will certainly give us an answer.”

The four of them had a clear division of roles: Bai Fan wept and played the victim; Yan Yan used sharp words to accuse the yamen of incompetence; Jiang Xingchang attacked in a roundabout way and directed blame elsewhere; Prefect Zhou appeared to be keeping the peace while actually offloading responsibility — and on top of all this, Feng Song sat there saying nothing, using only meaningful looks to signal the others to keep up their combined pressure on Ling Zhiyan.

As for Ling Zhiyan — he held his teacup in both hands, eyelids lowered, slowly sipping his tea. Every now and then he replied with a “quite so,” “indeed,” and “well said,” sitting there steady as a mountain.

“Ling Zhiyan’s composure is impressive,” Lin Sui’an murmured.

“All hot air — naturally not worth heeding,” Hua Yitang said.

The Feng contingent went on jabbering for quite a while longer. Seeing that Ling Zhiyan showed no reaction whatsoever, they were genuinely beginning to tire. They each shot pleading looks at Feng Song.

Feng Song cleared his throat and came to the point. “I hear that Inspector Ling has invited Hua Family’s Fourth Young Master to assist in investigating the case?”

Ling Zhiyan set down his teacup. “Not only that — I have also invited Lin Sui’an.”

Feng Song: “The two of them are suspects. Is this not inappropriate?”

“I have already verified they are not the killers.”

Feng Song heaved a deliberate sigh. “Inspector Ling comes from the Eastern Capital and may not be aware — there is longstanding bad blood between the Hua and Feng Families. Hua Family’s Fourth Young Master is clever, but he is young and hotheaded. Having him also stick his hand into this case, I fear… Well, I do hope I’m worrying for nothing.”

“Feng Elder doesn’t trust Hua Yitang?”

“It’s not that I judge a gentleman by a petty man’s standard — it’s simply that this matter is of great importance and cannot be approached with anything less than the utmost caution.”

Ling Zhiyan looked around at Yan Yan and the others. “Do all of you share this view?”

Everyone chimed in their agreement.

Lin Sui’an laughed coldly in her heart. She and Hua Yitang had offered their help out of goodwill, yet had ended up being assessed as having ulterior motives. It truly lived up to that old saying: the dog bites the kindly immortal, and goodness goes unrecognized.

She was only cursing him in her heart — but Hua Yitang went even further. He let out a “tch,” kicked the main door open, pointed his finger at Feng Song’s nose, and unleashed his tongue: “You dog-eating old scoundrel Feng!”

Ling Zhiyan nearly threw his back out. Feng Song’s face went green. “Hua Yitang, you dare insult me?!”

“Insult you? I’m absolutely insulting you!” Hua Yitang’s voice shot up. “Three people are already dead, and you’re still here harping on this petty crap about family feuds — do you feel nothing because it isn’t your son who died?!”

Feng Song slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. “What did you say?!”

“And you three—!” Hua Yitang pointed at Yan Yan and the others. “Your children’s bodies are barely cold, the killer is still at large, and there’s barely enough time to race against the clock for clues — yet you have the leisure to be here helping that old dog Feng make trouble! Do you understand that every minute we waste is one less chance of catching the killer?!”

The faces of Yan Yan and the others turned deeply unpleasant.

“Hua Yitang, don’t put on this performance here! Dare you say that all your maneuvering to insert yourself into this case has no ulterior motive?!” Feng Song roared.

“My one and only motive is to catch the true culprit and see justice done for the dead!” Hua Yitang’s voice rang out to the sky. “Human life is weightier than heaven!”

Dead silence fell over the hall.

The wind lifted Hua Yitang’s robes, a corner of snow-white catching the sunlight — brilliant enough to dazzle.

Lin Sui’an stared, a strange and profound feeling of being moved welling up in her chest.

That is genuinely such a middle-school line.

“Clap — clap — clap — clap.” Ling Zhiyan rose to his feet, applauding. “Well said. Human life is weightier than heaven.” His star-bright eyes swept steadily over the faces of each person in the room, and he spoke with calm authority: “The Court of Judicial Review conducts its investigations according to its own methods. Everyone need say no more. Please return home and await news in peace. Within seven days, all shall be brought to light and the criminal brought to justice.”

“Crack the case in seven days? How is that possible?” Jin Ruo said. “We haven’t even caught a shadow of the killer yet!”

Lin Sui’an’s response: Ha.

The whole back-and-forth with the Feng group and their verbal skirmishing wasted over an hour in total, but at least there was something to show for it — the Feng Family had finally relented and allowed Hua Yitang and Lin Sui’an to participate in the investigation. Only then did Prefect Zhou have the six-division staff registry of the yamen sent over, and at long last they could begin going through the yamen’s internal personnel.

The table was covered in scroll books. Ling Zhiyan sat on one side, Hua Yitang on the other, and both buried their heads in the documents. Lin Sui’an moved to help, but quickly realized it would be superfluous. These two read at a speed far exceeding any ordinary person — Hua Yitang’s was especially absurd; for every scroll Ling Zhiyan finished, Hua Yitang had already gone through five. He was like a high-speed scanner.

Now and then, constables came in to report the results of external searches to Ling Zhiyan:

No eyewitnesses found in Qingge Ward.

No eyewitnesses found in Ling Third Ward.

Second search of Liuyue Tower yielded nothing.

Second comprehensive sweep underway — results to be reported as soon as available.

Yangdu Prefect Zhou Changping had been home all of last night — servants, family, and physician could all attest, providing an alibi.

Lin Sui’an was both amused and exasperated — Ling Zhiyan had actually taken Hua Yitang’s wild-brained theory seriously and looked into Zhou Changping.

Ling Zhiyan sighed and rubbed his brow.

“Searching like this is like looking for a needle in the ocean,” Hua Yitang said, setting down a scroll and pulling open the next one.

Ling Zhiyan: “I still need to go through the motions to silence the Feng Family.”

Hua Yitang raised an eyebrow. “You look stolid, but you’re actually quite sharp.”

“How is the review going?” Ling Zhiyan asked.

“The Yangdu Prefecture yamen has two hundred and thirty-two registered staff. Beneath the Prefect are a Deputy Governor, a Chief Secretary, a Commandant, and a Records Adjutant, one of each. The Commandant holds a nominal post and rarely attends to anything. The Records Adjutant oversees local supervision and doesn’t interfere in specific duties. The Prefect’s true deputy is the Chief Secretary, Hè Congshan, of senior fifth rank upper grade. Since Zhou Changping took ill last night, all orders have been issued through him,” Hua Yitang said. “This man’s character is indecisive and he excels at keeping the peace. Under his and Zhou Changping’s combined influence, the yamen’s six divisions operate by a single guiding principle: seek no merit, only seek no fault.”

“That matches what I’d heard previously,” Ling Zhiyan said.

“Among the yamen’s six divisions, the two with direct relevance to this case are the Division of Military Affairs and the Division of Justice. The Division of Justice handles criminal cases and the capture of thieves; the constables fall under this division. The Division of Military Affairs handles military defense and courier relay, and oversees the city patrol guard.”

“The only ones who would have first access to the ward-sealing and patrol-deployment orders and the power to arrange patrol routes should be the two adjutants of the Justice and Military Affairs divisions,” Ling Zhiyan said, then thought for a moment. “Please bring Chief Secretary Hè here.”

Ming Shu acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Hua Yitang stretched lazily, got up and walked around a couple of times, then sat down beside Lin Sui’an and helped himself to a bowl of tea, his gaze drifting sideways toward Jin Ruo at the other table.

Lin Sui’an was genuinely at a loss. Jin Ruo had originally been sitting with her, but this man had glared so relentlessly that Jin Ruo had been forced to swap seats.

“Why did you come over here?” Lin Sui’an asked.

“I can see things better from this side,” Hua Yitang said.

That thought had occurred to Lin Sui’an as well. Neither she nor Hua Yitang held any official position — at best they were consultants. Their role in questioning witnesses wouldn’t carry authority, so it was better to observe from the side. The bystander sees most of the game; they might spot a different angle.

Before long, Ming Shu led a man in at a hurried pace — a man past fifty, face anxious, bowing repeatedly the moment he saw Ling Zhiyan. This was Chief Secretary Hè Congshan.

“Hè presents himself to Inspector Ling. Might I ask what matter has prompted Inspector Ling to summon me?”

Ling Zhiyan was amiable. “I simply wanted to ask Chief Secretary Hè — when was the order to seal the twelve wards in the southeastern city issued last night, and through whose hands did it pass?”

Chief Secretary Hè: “Inspector Ling, in perfect clarity — Hè acted in full accordance with the provisions of the ‘Yangdu Patrol and Governance Code.'”

So saying, he drew a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Ling Zhiyan.

Ling Zhiyan read through it carefully, then passed it to Hua Yitang.

“The Yangdu Patrol and Governance — Code?” Lin Sui’an said.

What was that?

Hua Yitang scanned it at a glance. “A code is a set of procedures that officials and departments are required to follow in their regular operations.”

Lin Sui’an translated it in her head: this “code” was roughly the equivalent of the administrative regulations that government departments were required to observe in their daily work — Yangdu City’s code for law enforcement and municipal security management. However, the language was too archaic and abstruse, and scanning through it, Lin Sui’an could only make out phrases such as “maintaining household registration” and “prioritizing stability” and “clarifying assigned duties” and “ensuring ward-level coverage.”

“This code specifies in precise detail what is to be reported following a violent incident in the city, who reports it, who issues orders, who transmits them, how wards are sealed, how the city is patrolled, the scope and duration of the seal, patrol routes, and the allocation of patrol soldiers — everything,” Hua Yitang said.

Lin Sui’an felt a twitch at her temple. “Are you saying the yamen’s entire operational timeline can be calculated in advance?”

Hua Yitang nodded. “In actual practice there may be slight deviations, but for the killer, it would be more than sufficient.”

If the killer had truly used this code to plan their body-dumping route, then they wouldn’t have needed to be first in line for the ward-sealing order — they would only have needed to time when the body would be discovered.

In other words — anyone who had ever handled the “Yangdu Patrol and Governance Code” was a potential suspect!

Lin Sui’an was elated. This meant that lower-ranking constables, clerks, and the like could be provisionally excluded — they didn’t have the rank to access the full text of official codes and regulations, and most of them were illiterate to begin with. Currently they only needed to examine the upper echelon of the Justice and Military Affairs divisions and their social connections, greatly narrowing the range of suspects.

Ling Zhiyan had clearly reached the same conclusion. “Might I ask — who drafted this code?”

Chief Secretary Hè: “Inspector Ling, the code was jointly drafted a year ago by the Division of Justice and the Division of Military Affairs. After Prefect Zhou issued his approval, it came into effect this past spring.”

Shortly afterward, Military Affairs Adjutant Xu Zhengming and Justice Adjutant Li Cheng arrived. When Ling Zhiyan asked about the “Patrol and Governance Code,” they immediately began shifting blame onto each other.(Note 1)

Adjutant Xu: “This code was led by Justice Division’s Adjutant Li — I merely added my signature.”

Adjutant Li: “The main articles of this code were drafted by the Military Affairs Division. I only added a few words and wouldn’t dare take credit.”

“No, no, you’ve got it wrong.”

“Not at all — Adjutant Xu must be very busy and has simply mixed things up.”

Anyone who had reached the rank of adjutant was a shrewd operator. With Ling Zhiyan now asking about the “Patrol and Governance Code,” it was plain as day that this was connected to the string of murders — and so these two refused to take responsibility, each pinning it on the other. Chief Secretary Hè tried to mediate a couple of times and only poured fuel on the fire. The two adjutants grew increasingly agitated, and it looked like they were on the verge of coming to blows.

Ling Zhiyan pinched the bridge of his nose and let his gaze move back and forth between the two adjutants. Whether or not it was because he had been up all night, his face looked more grimly exhausted by the minute. Yet he made no move to stop their squabbling — he simply listened in silence.

Lin Sui’an found this strange and was about to ask Hua Yitang his thoughts when she turned her head — only to find Hua Yitang had crept up close to her, startling her.

“Who do you think is most suspicious?” Hua Yitang asked.

Lin Sui’an: “…”

Jin Ruo leaned over: “Both their arguments have equal merit. A dead end.”

Hua Yitang looked rather disdainful. “Aren’t you the Acting Sect Leader of the Ten Purity Sect? Don’t you have any inside gossip?”

Jin Ruo: “The Ten Purity Sect isn’t the Southern Heavenly Gate — I’m not a deity.”

Lin Sui’an: “…”

In truth, she didn’t think either of them was particularly suspicious. Because according to the conventions of detective stories, the real culprit behind a serial murder case of this caliber was either a deranged killer or someone with a deeply hidden secret. In dramatic works, the culprit would always be a major character — either strikingly good-looking or visually distinctive, with that telltale dark-villain aura. Looking at these two adjutants, however, both were thoroughly unremarkable in appearance — the kind of faces you’d forget the moment you looked away, with absolutely none of that “sinister supporting antagonist” energy.

Unfortunately, this line of reasoning was completely unspeakable. It was far too absurd.

The two adjutants were still at it, and had now begun presenting the specifics of the event itself as contradictory evidence.

Adjutant Xu: “I remember it perfectly clearly — it was a scribe from your Division of Justice who sent over the initial draft for me to review.”

Adjutant Li: “And I remember it perfectly clearly — when the scribe brought over the draft, it already had your signed approval on it, making it the final version.”

“Wait—!” Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang shouted simultaneously, startling everyone in the room.

“Which scribe are you referring to?” Hua Yitang demanded.

“Was it the same person in both cases?” Lin Sui’an pressed.

Ling Zhiyan’s eyes flashed.

The two adjutants were taken aback.

“It was… I think it was Scribe Qi, from the Division of Justice,” Adjutant Xu said.

“Now that you mention it — it was indeed Qi Yuansheng,” Adjutant Li confirmed.

One cup of tea later, everyone laid eyes on this ninth-rank lower-grade scribe of the Division of Justice. Qi Yuansheng was a young man a little past twenty — pallid-faced and slight of build, with features so delicate they could have belonged to a woman.

Lin Sui’an’s instincts immediately set off alarms.

There it was — the dark aura of a villain.

Note 1: Adjutant (参军, cānjūn) was the most common civil official position in prefectural offices. An adjutant given a specific portfolio title, such as the Military Affairs Adjutant, was typically referred to as a “Supervising Official” (判司, pànsī).