Duan Xu had anticipated that Jin Yan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, would seek him out. When the invitation arrived, he simply made brief preparations and rode to Jin Yan’s residence. As he dismounted at the gate, Jin Yan was already standing in the courtyard wearing an official purple robe embroidered with peacock patterns and wide sleeves, scrutinizing him with an eagle-like gaze as if trying to see through his outward appearance into his heart.

Jin Yan was just over thirty years old. His elder brother was the Prince Consort to Princess Anle, the Emperor’s most beloved princess. With this connection, the Jin family had the confidence to remain unaffiliated with any faction. Over the years, he became famous as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review for his meticulous judgment and impartiality, overturning and retrying many cases from the Ministry of Justice, never misjudging.

Such a gaze had seen through the hearts of countless bandits and prisoners. Duan Xu neither dodged nor avoided Jin Yan’s scrutiny, naturally bowing in greeting: “Greetings, Minister Jin. I have come as requested.”

His acquaintance with Jin Yan was not deep. Their last meeting was at a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet before he left Southern Capital, where they had played a game of Go. The game had not concluded when the banquet ended. Today, Jin Yan’s pretext for inviting him was to complete that unfinished game.

Jin Yan gazed at him deeply, then said coolly: “This way, please, Lord Duan.”

They sat in Jin Yan’s study, where the unfinished Go game from before was indeed set up on the table, the black and white pieces interlocked exactly as they had been. Duan Xu glanced at the board and couldn’t help but smile, thinking that Jin Yan must have memorized the game early on, genuinely intending to finish it with him. However, with the sudden emergence of the Horse administration corruption case, the game now had some additional purpose.

Duan Xu placed a piece and said leisurely: “Minister Jin is wearing his official robes—you must have just returned from the Court of Judicial Review. For you to remember our game despite your busy official duties is truly my honor.”

Jin Yan also placed a piece and said: “I’ve heard that General Duan is decisive on the battlefield, unstoppable in courage. I once thought General Duan was merely a civil official, but now I must view you with new respect.”

Duan Xu raised his eyes to Jin Yan and said: “Minister Jin, you might as well be straightforward. Surely you didn’t invite me just to play Go?”

Jin Yan thus went directly to the main topic: “Have you heard about Sun Chang De recanting in the Horse administration corruption case?”

“I’ve heard something about it.”

“He has confessed that he was coerced to falsely accuse Minister Sun of the Ministry of War and Minister Li of the Court of the Imperial Stud. He claims the person who instructed him was you, General Duan.”

Duan Xu’s gaze remained on the game board. Hearing this, he laughed heartily, as if finding it absurd: “I instructed him? As a young man just starting, barely stable in my position, I would dare to do such a thing. He thinks too highly of me.”

“Three days after the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, he accidentally fell into the water while crossing Lanqing Bridge at night. You saved him.”

“Correct, that is my only impression of him. Is saving someone also a fault?”

“According to him, he had past grievances with the Director of the Court of the Imperial Stud and suspected the Director wanted to harm him. After that day, you supposedly used that debt of gratitude to extract information from him, coercing and bribing him to fabricate the horse administration corruption case to frame the Ministry of War and the Court of the Imperial Stud.”

“Ridiculous. After that day, I never saw him again. Does he have any evidence for such baseless claims?”

Jin Yan adjusted his sleeve and placed a piece, saying coolly: “He naturally has many letters and material evidence, but it’s insignificant because, in my view, that evidence is fake.”

Duan Xu raised an eyebrow and looked up at Jin Yan. On the Go board, black and white pieces were interwoven, occupying most of the grid, like two forces devouring each other in a game of strategy.

Jin Yan also looked at him, his expression unchanged, saying: “Just like the crucial ledger that Sun Chang De used to accuse the Director of the Court of the Imperial Stud of corruption—it’s all forged.”

“Oh?” Duan Xu showed a surprised expression as if hearing for the first time that the ledger he had forged was fake: “Sun Chang De’s ledger was also forged? How bold of him.”

“Although the ledger is forged, it wasn’t Sun Chang De who forged it. When he made the accusation, he probably believed it was a real ledger. There was indeed someone behind the scenes, pushing him forward with so-called evidence to strike the imperial drum and expose the case. But Sun Chang De doesn’t know who was behind it. Now he’s just following certain arrangements, shifting the blame to you,” Jin Yan stated calmly.

Duan Xu’s eyes held a smile as he said: “Minister, you are perceptive.”

Jin Yan placed a piece and said coolly: “However, forging a ledger is not a simple matter. This ledger passed through the hands of several officials at the Ministry of Justice without any problems being detected. When I first received it, I also believed it to be genuine. If it weren’t for Sun Chang De’s recanting, causing me to verify it carefully multiple times, I wouldn’t have discovered the ledger was fake. The person who could create this ledger must have seen the real ledger and copied at least half of it according to the original.”

Duan Xu’s hand holding the Go piece paused. Jin Yan continued: “There are only two possibilities. Either this person has the real ledger but for some reason is unwilling to present it and therefore forged a copy. Or this person has seen the real ledger, but it has been lost or destroyed and cannot be used as evidence, so they could only forge one. Since Sun Chang De can recant so confidently, it seems someone has confirmed that the real ledger has been destroyed before daring to do so. So it must be the second situation—this person looked through the real ledger in a very hurried and urgent manner. They couldn’t even take the real ledger away, yet afterward, from hasty memory, reproduced most of the ledger, suggesting an astounding memory.”

Jin Yan’s sharp gaze looked directly into Duan Xu’s eyes, saying: “In July last year, General Duan returned to Dai Prefecture to pay respects to your ancestors, and the Shun Prefecture horse farm, which Sun Chang De exposed, was along your homeward route. This ledger also came from Shun Prefecture. And the timing of your memorial to attack Yun and Luo Prefectures coordinates too well with this case.”

Duan Xu burst into laughter. He held his forehead and said: “Has Minister Jin also been deceived by those street rumors, believing I’m truly a young genius with a photographic memory? Those are just empty words of flattery from others because of my family’s position. What you described—memorizing half a ledger at a glance—I cannot accomplish.”

“Really?” Jin Yan coolly placed a piece and said: “This game was played more than half a year ago. I can reproduce it because I drew the board position as soon as I returned home. When you first entered and saw this board, you were somewhat surprised, presumably discovering it was identical to half a year ago, and then you sat down and played without hesitation. You not only clearly remember our game from half a year ago but also where you intended to place your next piece. With such memory, wouldn’t writing down a ledger be effortless?”

Duan Xu gradually lowered his gaze. Holding a black piece, he carelessly tapped the board. After a while, he smiled and said: “Is that all? Everything Minister Jin has said is mere conjecture without a shred of evidence. What does it prove?”

He leaned forward, caressing the black piece in his hand while looking at the deadlocked game, saying lazily: “As Minister Jin said, in this case, apart from the witness, all other key evidence turns out to be forged, and this witness vacillates, with one set of statements today and another tomorrow. In the end, Sun Chang De is just a piece in this game, and the real players aren’t us, though we are within the game. The Ministry of Justice has already concluded the case with a final verdict, yet when it reached the Court of Judicial Review for verification, the witness recanted—isn’t that because the Ministry of Justice is under Minister Du, and Duke Pei certainly wanted him to break away from Minister Du’s sphere of influence before stirring up trouble? Now the case, witness, and evidence are all in your hands. They each hope you can use the false evidence and witnesses they’ve prepared to attack the other side. No one cares about the truth; they only care about the outcome.”

“No, I care about the truth.”

“Minister Jin cares about the truth. Then do you believe the Horse administration corruption case is real or a false accusation?”

Jin Yan shook his head and calmly said: “The evidence is insufficient. No conclusion can be drawn.”

Duan Xu repeated: “Insufficient evidence? So this matter just passes by? Great Liang has no natural pastures. All horse farms require occupying farmland meant for the common people. The land needed to raise one horse could feed twenty-five people—three thousand horses means seventy-five thousand people. If the corruption is real, the livelihood of these seventy-five thousand people has been embezzled. Meanwhile, on the frontlines, I face a shortage of war horses, cavalry units are incomplete, and I can only use surprise attacks instead of facing the enemy head-on. Every victory is extremely difficult. How can we defend our country this way?”

Jin Yan looked at him steadily, his deep, piercing eyes gazing directly into Duan Xu’s. From the incense ball on the table, wisps of fragrant mist rose, drifting hazily between them. Jin Yan slowly said: “All these things you mention, I know. I understand more clearly than you.”

“I called you here today to tell you that if false evidence is treated as true, today you may fabricate it, tomorrow someone else may do the same—how can truth stand? General Duan, you are still young. You should know that falsehood cannot lead to truth, and unjust means certainly cannot achieve justice. Sitting in the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, I believe only in concrete evidence.”

Duan Xu’s eyes flickered slightly, and he remained silent.

Concrete evidence—easier said than done. The traces of this matter had been completely covered up, and the ledger he had painstakingly found had been destroyed. If an investigation were to proceed, it would have to start with the Minister of War, the Director of the Court of the Imperial Stud, or even Qin Huan Da and Duke Pei behind them—not only exposing himself but also facing obstruction at every step.

“Minister Jin, can concrete evidence truly be found?”

“I will do my best to investigate, but without evidence, no case can be decided on forgeries.” Jin Yan placed a piece and raised his eyes to Duan Xu, saying: “General Duan, for someone so young navigating the court, having deep thoughts is not a bad thing. However, you must not become too obsessed and take the wrong path. Today’s matter will remain in this study. Once we leave, it will not be mentioned again. General Duan, please take care of yourself.”

Duan Xu lowered his eyes for a moment, then looked up at Jin Yan, placed a piece on the board, and said: “Thank you for your guidance, Minister Jin.”

The endgame was ultimately won by Jin Yan. As Duan Xu was leaving Jin’s residence, he bowed to Jin Yan and smiled: “I’ve long heard that Minister Jin is skilled at Go. Today I’ve seen that the reputation is well-deserved.”

Jin Yan merely nodded slightly and said it was his pleasure.

Duan Xu mounted his horse, holding the reins as he looked at Jin Yan, and said: “Minister Jin, may there never be wrongful cases under your jurisdiction in Great Liang.”

These words sounded like sarcasm, but they came from the heart. The schemer lays a path intertwined with truth and falsehood, while the judicial official adheres to the true law—each performing their duty without fault.

Jin Yan would always be the strongest shield, protecting Great Liang’s law, not someone’s unproven sense of justice.

After leaving Jin Yan’s residence, Duan Xu did not return home. He rode along Shengxin Street toward the south, stopping beside an apricot-yellow wall. Under the flying eaves, bells rang cheerfully in the wind, and many common people came and went through the wide-open vermilion doors, their expressions both respectful and joyful.

This was the Lotus Life Pavilion of the Imperial Preceptor’s residence.

To show care for the common people and share in their joys, the Emperor built the Lotus Life Pavilion connected to the Imperial Preceptor’s residence. It opened on the first and fifteenth day of each month and during festivals. On ordinary days, the Imperial Preceptor, who usually only divined and blessed for the royal family, would preside in the Lotus Life Pavilion, listening to the wishes of all beings and solving the worries of the common people.

All commoners could enter the pavilion to make wishes, but only those chosen by the Imperial Preceptor as fate-connected individuals could ask him questions. It was said that the Imperial Preceptor’s disciples would place tokens in the homes of these individuals or present them in person, inviting them to the pavilion for enlightenment.

Those who carried the red lotus umbrella were the fate-connected ones.

Duan Xu took out the paper umbrella that He Simu had given him when they met on the streets of the Southern Capital, with vibrant red lotuses depicted on it, from the bag tied to his horse.

A few days ago, during morning court, he had encountered the Imperial Preceptor, who casually said to him: “Fate-connected one, won’t you come to return the paper umbrella?”

Duan Xu weighed the umbrella in his hand, smiled lightly, and stepped through the vermilion gate.