◎Yang moves in Kan, yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity◎

“Did he say anything else?”

Luo Wanqing looked at this character “辛” (Xin), wanting to ask for more information. However, Cui Niang only shook her head and said truthfully: “In the eighth year of Changshun, Master Luo came to Yangzhou and gave me this note, saying that if he were no longer in this world and the young miss could find me, I should give this character to you. Although he visited me every year after that, he never instructed me about anything else.”

“He anticipated that I would come back then?”

Luo Wanqing’s gaze moved slightly. Cui Niang thought for a moment and only said: “Yes.”

Luo Wanqing understood this meant that at that time, Luo Qushu already knew he would die and that she might come one day.

Luo Wanqing’s expression shifted slightly. She controlled her emotions and then said, “I understand. Are there any other unusual matters?”

“No more.”

Cui Niang shook her head and said gently, “This servant is of humble status with little influence. There’s not much I can do for my benefactors. This is all I can manage now.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing knew Cui Niang was telling the truth. She looked up at Zhang Yiran, who nodded.

“In that case,” Luo Wanqing said, standing up and bowing, “We won’t disturb you further.”

The three of them rose to take their leave. Cui Niang had someone fetch four cloaks and had them led out through the back courtyard of Mingcui Tower.

Xie Heng had brought a carriage when he came. After Zhuque settled the bill, the four of them reached the carriage. Luo Wanqing immediately said: “This subordinate will drive.”

She had the lowest rank here, so there was no reason for Zhuque to drive. But as soon as she spoke, Zhuque instantly glared and said excitedly: “You want to steal my job?!”

Luo Wanqing was startled. Xie Heng suppressed his laughter and glanced at her, only saying, “Get in the carriage to discuss.”

Speaking thus, Xie Heng turned to Zhang Yiran: “Master Zhang, please.”

The three of them got into the carriage one after another. Xie Heng’s carriage was extremely large, with each side having positions separated by small tables into independent spaces. Xie Heng sat in the main seat, Luo Wanqing sat to his lower left, and Zhang Yiran followed them in, naturally sitting beside Luo Wanqing.

Xie Heng looked up at Zhang Yiran, then withdrew his gaze, saying casually, “Master Zhang is a guest. Please take the upper seat.”

Zhang Yiran was somewhat surprised to hear this. His rank was lower than Luo Wanqing’s, so by rights, he should sit below her. Yet Xie Heng directly invited him to the upper seat. He couldn’t help but feel grateful and immediately said, “This official’s rank is humble. I dare not presume. This official appreciates Chief Xie’s kind intention.”

Seeing him unmoved, Xie Heng couldn’t say more. In officialdom, positions were always determined by rank. This was Zhang Yiran’s respect for Luo Wanqing, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Xie Heng stopped concerning himself with this and turned to Luo Wanqing to ask: “Where do you plan to go now?”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing exchanged glances with Zhang Yiran. Xie Heng watched coldly as Zhang Yiran thought for a moment and said seriously, “Kaiyuan Gambling House and the Matchmaker Temple don’t have anything special. Either place would be the same.”

Having received this response, Luo Wanqing considered for a moment and, according to distance, determined her plan: “The Matchmaker Temple.”

Hearing “Matchmaker Temple,” Xie Heng’s expression became somewhat colder. He gave instructions to Zhuque outside, then turned back, pouring tea while casually asking: “What news did you two obtain that brought you to Mingcui Tower, and why go to the Matchmaker Temple?”

Speaking thus, Xie Heng filled two teacups and was about to hand one to Luo Wanqing, but just as he moved, he saw that Zhang Yiran had already poured tea for Luo Wanqing and placed it beside her hand.

Xie Heng’s movement froze as he held the teacup, then he brought it to his own lips and lowered his eyes to take a sip.

Luo Wanqing noticed the extra cup in her hand and instinctively turned to thank him. She then turned to look at Xie Heng and said in a business-like manner: “This subordinate met with Xiang Sizi today and obtained some information.”

Speaking thus, Luo Wanqing told Xie Heng about confirming that the two families knew each other today with Zhang Yiran, and how they would regularly visit the Matchmaker Temple on the third day of the third month, Mingcui Tower on the eighth day, and Kaiyuan Gambling House on the tenth day.

Xie Heng listened quietly, slowly sipping his water.

When Luo Wanqing finished, Xie Heng had just finished a cup of tea. He asked casually, “So, regarding the Matchmaker Temple and Kaiyuan Gambling House, you only know these two locations, and besides that, you have no other clues at all?”

“Correct.”

Luo Wanqing heard Xie Heng get to the point, and she also felt somewhat worried: “This subordinate plans to first take Master Zhang there for a look, following the path his father took, to see if there are any other hints. If not,” Luo Wanqing pressed her lips together and only said: “Then this subordinate must prepare two approaches.”

“Which two approaches?”

Xie Heng asked, and Zhang Yiran also looked over.

Luo Wanqing pondered: “Luo Qushu was very thoughtful. He began planning six years ago and prepared for his daughter to come seeking evidence, having Cui Niang provide the character ‘辛’. If the other two characters have no obvious hints, this ‘辛’ character must be the hint itself, so I need to work from this ‘辛’ character, reasoning backwards to see if I can deduce a pattern.”

“His daughter?” Zhang Yiran, hearing Luo Wanqing’s words, couldn’t help but ask the question that had puzzled him for a long time: “Was Inspector Liu pretending to be Miss Luo just now?”

“Correct.” Luo Wanqing nodded: “This face I wear belongs to Miss Luo. Since she mistook me, I went along with it.”

Zhang Yiran was startled and couldn’t help but take several more looks at Luo Wanqing’s face.

Xie Heng glanced at him indifferently and continued: “What about the other approach?”

“But deducing patterns from just this one character is, after all, only this subordinate’s speculation,” Luo Wanqing heard Xie Heng ask and immediately refocused, saying seriously: “As a precaution, this subordinate still needs to thoroughly search the Matchmaker Temple and Kaiyuan Gambling House. I hope the young master will approve.”

“Going to Mingcui Tower alone to arrest people, but knowing to ask for help when it comes to the Matchmaker Temple and gambling house,” Xie Heng said, suppressing his laughter as he glanced at her: “Xiniang, you certainly know how to climb up the pole.”

“This subordinate is of humble status. For my mission, I wouldn’t dare disturb the department,” Luo Wanqing explained today’s actions: “Mingcui Tower was just a restaurant. This subordinate had already determined whom to find and could directly force them out. There was no need to negotiate with them. But the Matchmaker Temple involves the people’s livelihood, and since you said this subordinate’s case is urgent, that’s why I thought of sealing and searching.”

Xie Heng listened and thought for a moment, then nodded: “Let’s see first. If you truly can’t find clues, then do as you suggest.”

Hearing this response, Luo Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Xie Heng didn’t oppose her search, she felt much more confident.

The carriage became quiet for a moment, with only the scent of incense floating around.

This was calming incense. Xie Heng’s chronic headaches made him accustomed to burning calming incense. The amount wasn’t large – for Xie Heng it only had a calming effect, and for Luo Wanqing it only caused slight drowsiness. She was smelling the incense and thinking about arrangements for the upcoming visit to the Matchmaker Temple when she heard Zhang Yiran’s breathing beside her become deep and steady.

The speed of falling asleep surprised Luo Wanqing somewhat. She turned to look at Zhang Yiran and saw him sleeping peacefully. She couldn’t help but look at Xie Heng and instinctively asked: “Young master, you didn’t add anything to this calming incense, did you?”

“I did.”

Xie Heng looked down at his book with an indifferent tone. Before Luo Wanqing could examine it carefully, Xie Heng said nonchalantly: “Heartbreak grass, crane’s crest red, bone-sinking fragrance, seven-step absolute…”

Speaking thus, he looked up at Luo Wanqing with a cool tone: “Guaranteed to make your childhood fiancé sleep forever.”

This statement made Luo Wanqing choke, quickly realizing Xie Heng was joking.

Xie Heng also knew when to stop and looked down at the documents in his hands: “He hasn’t practiced martial arts. This dosage is too strong for him. He won’t wake up for a while.”

“Oh,” Luo Wanqing nodded dully, relieved: “That’s good then.”

Xie Heng said nothing, only methodically turning pages. The sound of turning pages echoed in the carriage. Luo Wanqing listened to the creaking sounds in the carriage and felt that the silence was somewhat awkward.

She thought for a moment before speaking: “Where does the young master plan to go later?”

As soon as she spoke, Xie Heng understood her meaning and looked up at her: “Where do you think I should go?”

“This subordinate believes that after the young master reaches the Matchmaker Temple, you can return to the residence,” Luo Wanqing considered. “The young master’s status is precious. It’s improper to be out alone like this. This subordinate can handle the remaining matters. The young master needn’t worry.”

Hearing this, Xie Heng gave her a cool glance and completely ignored her, only lowering his head to mark something in the documents.

This made Luo Wanqing somewhat embarrassed, but she couldn’t say much more. Wanting to find another topic to persuade Xie Heng to leave, she began looking around.

As a result, she noticed the two cups of water Xie Heng had drunk and couldn’t help but frown.

It was now mid-October with cold weather, yet Xie Heng had drunk two cups of water in succession – this was not normal.

Luo Wanqing looked at Xie Heng, somewhat worried: “Has the young master felt dry mouth and tongue recently, with difficulty sleeping at night?”

Xie Heng looked up at her. Luo Wanqing’s gaze fell on Xie Heng’s water cups, her expression serious as she advised: “The young master’s injuries haven’t healed yet. If there’s excessive internal heat, it won’t be conducive to recovery. The young master should return to the residence now and find Doctor Wei…”

“Xiniang,” Xie Heng, hearing her trying to send him away, finally put down his book and spoke with some dissatisfaction: “Since you’re so concerned about my health, why not examine me yourself?”

Speaking thus, without waiting for Luo Wanqing’s reaction, Xie Heng had already proactively raised his hand and placed it on the table, leaning forward slightly. His clear, cold voice carried a tone that seemed to have hooks as it rolled off his tongue, looking at her: “Examine me.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing was startled and instinctively looked down at the pale hand with half of a forearm exposed on the table.

He placed it casually, palm up, fingers slightly curved, with distinct joints and slender finger segments. Sunlight fell from the small window, making his jade-like skin glow with flowing light, particularly alluring.

From years of sword practice, his hands had a thin layer of calluses. This sandpaper-like texture from the calluses was completely different from the smooth jade-like feel of other areas. Luo Wanqing could almost recall it with just one glance.

Her thoughts wandered inappropriately. Not daring to look more, she turned her gaze away and, under Xie Heng’s watch, feigned composure as she reached out to take his pulse.

However, as soon as she began the examination, Luo Wanqing’s body stiffened.

The person before her had a calm expression, composed and leisurely, with a pure and flawless temperament, like jade offered from high mountains. From him, one could see strength, beauty, the propriety carved into his bones from his aristocratic family, and the naturalness treasured in his heart from the Daoist sect, yet it was hard to find any trace of desire.

But his pulse was precisely yang moving in Kan, yin deficiency, and yang hyperactivity.

He knew what his pulse was like. His dark golden eyes watched her. Though his eyes were cold and cool, they made Luo Wanqing almost instantly recall the absurdity of that night in the cave. At that time, he had also watched her with such calm eyes, giving her pain and pleasure that were opposite to this calmness.

She instinctively tensed her body. Xie Heng, seeing she was no longer urging him to leave, also knew he had overstepped. He withdrew his hand and looked down at the documents: “The forces behind Mingcui Tower are complex. You don’t have time to investigate slowly. While you could certainly arrest the boss for interrogation, there’s no need to be so conspicuous. The Supervision Department has some connections with Mingcui Tower, and you’re handling an important case. Today, I would have gone regardless of which Inspector was involved. You can handle the rest yourself. I’m just returning from Mingcui Tower and giving someone a ride along the way.”

Hearing his explanation, Luo Wanqing knew he had his discretion. This was the first time she had seen him use Xie Heng’s identity to sulk with her, which was rather novel.

Then she realized that if she didn’t know Cui Heng’s identity, she might not have noticed he was angry right now.

Her thoughts scattered, and she couldn’t help but think of the few times she had met “Xie Heng” in the past, beginning to wonder what he had been thinking then.

As she pondered this, she became somewhat absent-minded. Xie Heng noticed, glanced at her, and said coolly: “Yangzhou is truly the Inspector’s favorite. October brings winter, vegetation near withered, frost and cold rain, yet the Inspector can still be distracted by the scenery.”

“Oh,” Luo Wanqing heard the displeasure in his tone and suppressed her laughter as she turned back: “This subordinate just has one thing I don’t understand, so I was thinking about it.”

Xie Heng looked up at her. Luo Wanqing pointed toward the “Xie residence” direction, seeming thoughtful: “The Xie residence and Matchmaker Temple are in opposite directions. By no means could this be considered ‘along the way.’ Where is the young master planning to go later?”

Speaking thus, without waiting for Xie Heng to respond, Luo Wanqing immediately continued: “However, where the young master goes is not something this subordinate can comment on, so I also felt I was overthinking and became distracted for a moment. I hope the young master will forgive me.”

Luo Wanqing had said both the good and bad, leaving Xie Heng with no need to speak at all.

Seeing Xie Heng unable to say a word, Luo Wanqing slightly bowed as a courtesy, then turned to look aside.

After a moment, she heard Xie Heng say indifferently: “What if I’m taking a detour?”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing instinctively looked at Zhang Yiran, who was sleeping deeply. Seeing him sleeping peacefully, she felt somewhat relieved but dared not respond further.

Xie Heng, seeing her expression, chuckled softly and turned back to look at the documents on the table.

Luo Wanqing knew he spoke without restraint and dared not provoke him further. Since she knew he only intended to give someone a ride, she had nothing more to persuade him about. She simply leaned into the corner and closed her eyes to rest.

Xie Heng, seeing her close her eyes to sleep, thought for a moment, then took a blanket from the side and spread it over her. The blanket fell, just covering his toes. He looked down at the scene that seemed to include him under her skirt and felt his heart stir slightly. He smiled silently and turned back to look at the documents in his hands.

Luo Wanqing closed her eyes and napped for a while. When the carriage reached the Matchmaker Temple, Zhang Yiran still hadn’t awakened. Just as Luo Wanqing was about to push him, Xie Heng flicked his hand.

A golden bead hit Zhang Yiran. Zhang Yiran suddenly woke up and, seeing Luo Wanqing reaching toward him, said with some surprise: “Inspector Liu?”

“Master Zhang, we’ve arrived at the Matchmaker Temple.”

Luo Wanqing knew Xie Heng was being mischievous, but couldn’t say much. She withdrew her hand and stood up, smiling to prevent Xie Heng from causing more trouble: “You slept quite soundly.”

“Oh,” Zhang Yiran came to his senses and quickly stood up: “Yes, I haven’t slept so well in a long time. We’ve arrived?”

Speaking thus, Zhang Yiran lifted the curtain to look outside, then exchanged pleasantries and thanks with Xie Heng before getting off the carriage.

Luo Wanqing waited for Zhang Yiran to get off, then turned to look at Xie Heng and respectfully bowed: “This subordinate takes leave.”

“Xiniang,” Xie Heng looked down at the documents in his hands: “Come back for dinner later.”

These words were too intimate. Luo Wanqing couldn’t react for a moment. Xie Heng waved his hand, reminding her: “Go on.”

Luo Wanqing knew Zhang Yiran was waiting outside and couldn’t think much about it. She could only nod and get off the carriage, watching as Xie Heng’s carriage departed.

After Xie Heng left, Luo Wanqing turned around and immediately saw the marriage tree outside the Matchmaker Temple.

In October, the marriage tree’s flowers and leaves were nearly withered, with only red ribbons covering the entire tree, dancing lightly in the wind – still a splash of bright color.

Luo Wanqing looked at that marriage tree and instantly remembered that she had come here every year in the past.

This tree bore the marriage ribbon for her and Jiang Shaoyan, and the main hall held all her prayers for them.

At that time, her greatest wish was to grow old with Jiang Shaoyan.

However, when she recalled this wish now, it seemed laughable, yet also felt distant, as if it were something from a previous life that had little to do with her anymore.

“Let’s go,” Luo Wanqing led Zhang Yiran inside, her expression calming: “Please lead the way, Master Zhang.”

Zhang Yiran nodded and led Luo Wanqing inside.

They walked the path Zhang Qiuzhi had previously taken Zhang Yiran along, then followed the route Luo Qushu had taken her in the past. Luo Wanqing paid attention to every detail along the way but found no clues whatsoever.

Luo Wanqing had prepared for this and wasn’t surprised. She only pondered: “Since they didn’t leave overly obvious clues, let’s search first.”

Speaking thus, Luo Wanqing looked at Zhang Yiran: “Master Zhang may return to rest. I’ll bring people to search. If there are results, I’ll inform Master Zhang.”

Zhang Yiran nodded: “I’ll think more about other clues. If I remember anything, I’ll also tell you.”

The two confirmed their respective tasks and parted ways. Luo Wanqing immediately went to the Yangzhou Supervision Department, processed documents with Qin Huaiyu, and counted personnel. In less than an hour, Luo Wanqing returned with people, sealing off the Matchmaker Temple and Kaiyuan Gambling House under the pretext of searching for imperial criminals, beginning to search inch by inch for clues.

This method was time-consuming and labor-intensive – truly a last resort. But thinking of what Xie Heng had said at Mingcui Tower today, she understood that opening this box was now the top priority.

Everything now was proceeding according to the charges against Xie Heng from her previous life, without major deviation. For Xie Heng, the greatest variable was meeting her.

In her previous life, Xie Heng hadn’t met her, so he probably hadn’t paid attention to her father and would have found it difficult to follow her trail to Jiangnan and discover the iron box.

The Cui family’s lack of vindication in her previous life – was it because of this box?

Xie Heng’s eventual death, to reverse his fate, was it also related to this box?

If she didn’t figure out what was in this box, she feared she wouldn’t sleep peacefully even in death.

At this thought, Luo Wanqing’s expression turned cold. She began the search.

She started with the inner hall, which was easiest to hide things in. Once she began working, she forgot everything else. When evening came, she vaguely remembered something but couldn’t recall what it was, so she simply stopped worrying about it and continued searching.

The Matchmaker Temple wasn’t large – a front courtyard plus back courtyard forming a small compound. By evening, Luo Wanqing had already searched through once and found no clues.

After confirming nothing could be found, Luo Wanqing felt somewhat frustrated, frantically trying to recall if there was any overlooked information.

She had turned over every bit of soil in the Matchmaker Temple and checked every red rope on the marriage tree. What else was there…

The marriage tree.

Luo Wanqing’s thoughts stopped abruptly.

She suddenly remembered that she recalled hanging a marriage ribbon for herself and Jiang Shaoyan on the tree, but when she had searched earlier, she had even found Zhang Yiran’s parents’ marriage ribbon, yet hadn’t seen hers and Jiang Shaoyan’s.

This struck her as strange. Not wanting to overlook any anomaly, she immediately returned to where she remembered hanging the marriage ribbon and searched carefully.

The hanging marriage ribbons didn’t have their names on them. The time of hanging the marriage ribbon was only early last year. She had specifically asked Li Guiyu to tie several knots, fearing it would fall. Among all these marriage ribbons, everyone else’s were fine – was she so unlucky?

Luo Wanqing felt something was amiss. After searching for a while, she glanced over the tree trunk that was bound so tightly the original color was completely invisible, and suddenly realized something.

She pushed aside the hanging marriage ribbons to look at the trunk. The trunk was wrapped with layer upon layer of red cloth. After surveying for a moment, Luo Wanqing saw a place that was wrapped in multiple layers.

She reached out to untie the wrapped marriage ribbons, and after slowly opening them, she saw the names written on them:

Luo Wanqing

Jiang Shaoyan

For life after life, forever united in heart

Luo Wanqing looked at this cloth strip and frowned. After a moment, she turned and raised her hand, calling to someone behind her: “Come here, take down all the marriage ribbons on the tree for me.”

Hearing this, everyone was startled, but they dared not say anything.

Over ten Inspectors came over and began removing these marriage ribbons, bringing them to Luo Wanqing for inspection after taking them down.

This task wasn’t difficult, but it had an enormous workload. It continued until near dawn when a marriage ribbon with familiar handwriting was brought to Luo Wanqing.

That marriage ribbon was written by her father, with her parents’ names on it.

Luo Qushu

Yao Zelan

A hundred years together, staying faithful till white-haired

A hundred years together, staying faithful till white-haired.

Luo Wanqing looked at that character “甲” (Jia) and thought of the “辛” (Xin) from Mingcui Tower.

First day, Matchmaker Temple, 甲 (Jia).

Eighth day, Mingcui Tower, 辛 (Xin).

It was time.

Luo Wanqing instantly realized the pattern between them was time.

Heavenly Stems mark days, with a month divided into three cycles of ten Heavenly Stems. 甲 (Jia) represents the first, eleventh, and twenty-first days, while 辛 (Xin) represents the eighth, eighteenth, and twenty-eighth days.

Going to the Matchmaker Temple on the first day, the answer given by the Matchmaker Temple was 甲 (Jia).

Going to Mingcui Tower on the eighth day, the answer given by Mingcui Tower was 辛 (Xin).

Then, going to Kaiyuan Gambling House on the tenth day…

It was 癸 (Gui).

Thinking of this answer, Luo Wanqing suddenly stood up, took her parents’ marriage ribbon, and immediately said: “Hang the marriage ribbons back in their original positions. Everyone rest.”

After speaking, she hurried to leave. Qin Huaiyu picked up the “Luo Wanqing and Jiang Shaoyan” marriage ribbon that had been set aside separately and asked puzzledly: “Inspector Liu, where did you get this marriage ribbon? Where should we put it?”

Luo Wanqing looked at that marriage ribbon, hesitated for a moment, then said: “I can’t remember. Just put it anywhere.”

After speaking, she turned and went outside, casually taking a horse and galloping urgently back to the residence.

It was now near dawn, and the Xie residence had long since extinguished its lights. Luo Wanqing quickly returned to Xie Heng’s courtyard and saw Xuanshan standing outside the courtyard upon entering.

Seeing Luo Wanqing return, Xuanshan nodded: “Inspector Liu.”

Luo Wanqing hurriedly bowed, then stepped into the courtyard.

Just as she entered the courtyard, she discovered Xie Heng’s room was open, with lamplight spilling from his room, flowing on the ground and merging with the moonlight.

The lamplight was dim yellow with warmth, like a beacon in the night, quietly waiting.

Luo Wanqing couldn’t help but pause, instinctively slowing her steps as she came to Xie Heng’s door.

Xie Heng sat at his desk reviewing documents, wearing a white single robe with a dark blue outer garment, his hair bound with red cord – his attire quite casual.

With the recent cold nights, a brazier had been placed in the room. Warmth flowed from within the room. Xie Heng raised his eyes to look at Luo Wanqing at the door.

“Xiniang has returned.”

Author’s Note:

[Mini Theater]

Luo Wanqing: “Young master, you drinking two cups of water at once is problematic. Quick, have Doctor Wei come take a look.”

Wei Qianqiu arrives.

Luo Wanqing: “Doctor Wei, look at the young master. He drank two cups of water at once. What’s the reason?”

Wei Qianqiu: “…”

Luo Wanqing: “Doctor Wei, don’t be afraid. I’m mentally prepared. Tell me loudly – why exactly does the young master drink two cups of water?”

Wei Qianqiu: “…”

Luo Wanqing: “Doctor Wei, don’t be afraid. Say it loudly – what did the young master say about me?”

Wei Qianqiu: “Should I say it?”

Luo Wanqing: “Go ahead.”

Wei Qianqiu: “Unsatisfied desires, petty-minded.”