Yan Shizhi stared at Lin Chengyou in astonishment, unable to process the question for quite some time.

“How… how can one even make such a comparison?” He laughed in surprise. “Both Assessment Official Lin and His Highness the Prince of Second Rank are extraordinary men.”

However, Lin Chengyou’s tone remained completely serious – he was genuinely asking the question. Yan Shizhi studied him carefully, feeling inexplicably uneasy. Being a naturally meticulous person, even when faced with such an odd question, he couldn’t help but treat it with the utmost consideration since the other party was asking in earnest. After some careful thought, he measured his words and replied: “Assessment Official Lin has the grace of jade and pearls, while His Highness the Prince has the clarity of wind and moon. Each has their own merits, but if we’re purely discussing ‘attractiveness’—”

He tilted his head back slightly, carefully examining Lin Chengyou: “Assessment Official Lin’s features might have a slight edge.”

After saying this, he quietly wiped away his sweat.

Lin Chengyou pondered briefly before a confident smile spread across his face. Yes, that’s what he thought too. Teng Yuyi had met both him and Imperial Uncle – if she liked Imperial Uncle, she should be more concerned about Imperial Uncle’s affairs.

Yet she worried constantly about his future just because of a dream, even going so far as to mobilize her father and Xiaoyi to pass messages to him, all to make him take her words seriously.

He had pondered this matter extensively before bed last night and concluded: that Teng Yuyi cared deeply about his affairs. She might have fallen for him long ago.

With Yan Shizhi saying this today, he became even more certain of this conclusion. Yan Shizhi was already married, so he must understand these matters well. According to Yan Shizhi’s analysis, perhaps Teng Yuyi simply preferred his looks.

This thought made his steps considerably lighter, though it was unfortunate that his poison probably couldn’t be cured. He wondered how he could dissuade Teng Yuyi from her feelings. Ah well, let her fancy him for now – he’d find an opportunity later to help her understand the reality of the situation.

If she still insisted on liking him…

Then—

He thought about it seriously, remembering what his master had said: that in this world, the hardest thing to fathom was the “human heart,” and the most uncontrollable thing was “love.” If Teng Yuyi insisted on liking him, he couldn’t stop her, so he might as well let her continue.

Though Yan Shizhi had answered the question while nervously sweating, he couldn’t help but ponder silently. For Assessment Official Lin to suddenly ask such a strange question was truly puzzling. He had just been inquiring about why a young lady might like a certain gentleman, could it be that—

Yan Shizhi was startled, turning to study Lin Chengyou’s profile suspiciously, only to see him smiling, clearly thinking of something pleasant.

He grew even more surprised. Perhaps due to his young age and inexperience, Assessment Official Lin had never been involved with any young ladies during his time at the Court of Judicial Review.

He often praised how well Prince Cheng and his wife had raised their son. Though Assessment Official Lin could be arrogant, he didn’t have the wastrel habits common to nobles’ sons. But looking at today’s situation, not only were his questions peculiar, he had suddenly become interested in why young ladies might fancy certain gentlemen. Could it be that… he had taken a liking to some family’s daughter?

While Lin Chengyou was fretting about Teng Yuyi’s feelings for him, he suddenly felt two strange gazes from beside him. Turning his head, he found Yan Shizhi examining him curiously.

He asked in confusion: “What is it?”

Yan Shizhi started, thinking this was what he should be asking, and quickly shook his head, pointing ahead: “Ah, we’re almost at the Jingyun Waterfall Shop.”

Lin Chengyou’s smile faded slightly as he looked up at the shop before entering first.

To facilitate their investigation, both Lin Chengyou and Yan Shizhi were dressed in civilian clothes today. The shop assistant sized up their appearance and enthusiastically welcomed them: “Please come in! Are the two young masters here to have clothes made for your wives?”

“Wives?”

“Don’t the young masters know? Our Jingyun Waterfall has always exclusively made ladies’ garments.”

Lin Chengyou casually made up an excuse: “Oh, that’s right. First, find us a private room, and then fetch your master.”

Hearing the shop assistant’s description of Lin Chengyou’s bearing and manner, the shop owner assumed a big customer had arrived. He hurriedly set aside his work and rushed upstairs without hesitation.

“Young master has the appearance of an immortal, so your wife must surely not settle for ordinary fabrics. Rest assured, whatever other shops in Chang’an have, we have it too; what they don’t have, we also have! These are the finest materials in the shop, and I dare say even the most particular lady wouldn’t find fault with these pieces of cloth.”

Lin Chengyou had initially been disinterested in the shopkeeper’s chatter, but hearing these last few lines, he couldn’t help but glance at the pile of silvery-bright fabric. Not even the most particular young lady would find fault? That was quite a boast.

He smiled slightly and cut off the owner abruptly: “Do you know the wife of the Rong’an Earl’s heir?”

The owner paused, then showed an expression of fear: “Young master knows about this too? She was here just a few days ago to have clothes made, but yesterday we heard that this lady… alas…”

Lin Chengyou naturally followed up: “So did the Rong’an heir’s wife show any unusual behavior during her previous visits to your shop?”

The owner was about to nod, but suddenly looked at Lin Chengyou suspiciously, seeming puzzled about why he was inquiring about these matters.

Yan Shizhi spread out the brush and ink he had brought, saying unhurriedly: “I am Yan Shizhi from the Court of Judicial Review, and this is Assessment Official Lin. We are here to investigate a case.”

The shop owner instantly broke into a cold sweat – so this young master before him was Prince Cheng’s heir? He dared not prevaricate any longer and hurriedly said: “Speaking of unusual matters, there was nothing particularly strange about the lady herself, but when I heard the tragic news yesterday, I immediately recalled something odd. On the seventeenth, when the heir’s wife came to have clothes made, a shop assistant suddenly told me that that dirty vagrant had come again and wouldn’t leave despite being shooed away. Fearing it would affect the shop’s business, I had to go downstairs personally to drive him away. By then, the heir’s wife had also chosen her fabric and came downstairs with me. As soon as that vagrant saw us, he ran away. Later, when the heir’s wife was leaving in her carriage, I saw that vagrant mixed in with the crowd, looking as if he intended to follow her carriage. I was worried something might happen and thought about having someone warn the heir’s wife, but two days later, when she came to the East Market to buy cosmetics, I didn’t see that vagrant in the crowd. I thought that day must have been a coincidence, so I didn’t make any more fuss about it. Besides, with so many attendants around the heir’s wife, if anything was truly amiss, her people should have noticed.”

“What did this vagrant look like?”

The shop owner said: “He was very short, only about up to my chin here.”

Lin Chengyou and Yan Shizhi exchanged a glance. The shop owner wasn’t particularly tall, and if that person only reached his chin, he would be about the same height as Zhuang Mu – it was most likely the culprit.

This meant the perpetrator had been following Young Lady Jiang for some time before acting, otherwise he wouldn’t have been so familiar with her habits. It was precisely because he had thoroughly understood Young Lady Jiang’s schedule at various places that he finally decided to set up and act at that spice shop in the West Market.

“Were there any other unusual features about this vagrant’s appearance?”

“He wore a felt hat, and his face was filthy.” The owner recalled carefully. “Speaking of this, I remember one year when I went beyond the passes to purchase textiles, I met an official at an inn. That official said that while people who travel the jianghu often disguise their appearances, no matter how they disguise themselves, their hands and eyes cannot be changed. I remembered these words, and afterward, whenever I was out purchasing goods or traveling, I would observe jianghu travelers this way. That day, fearing the vagrant might steal from the shop, I particularly noticed his hands – they were extraordinarily dirty, but strangely, his nails were cut very short. Oh yes, his hand joints were very thick, and his palms were large—”

The shop owner gestured to demonstrate: “About this big.”

Such a short person with such large hands – either it was a natural deformity or the result of years of martial arts training.

As for the short nails… hands could be temporarily dirtied, but nails couldn’t be temporarily grown out.

Perhaps this person habitually kept his nails short.

A person who paid attention to keeping their nails trimmed must be accustomed to a life of luxury – how could such a person be a vagrant mixing with common folk?

Lin Chengyou: “You just said ‘that vagrant had come again,’ meaning he had been here before?”

Shop owner: “Indeed, that vagrant had passed by the door last month, but that time he only appeared briefly before leaving, unlike the later occasion when he lingered outside for so long.”

“Which day was that last month? What customers were in the shop?”

The shop owner shook his head: “I can’t remember.”

Lin Chengyou: “You must remember a customer named Shu Liniang – she came to have clothes made last month, and a few days ago, she had your shop’s seamstress deliver fabric to her home.”

“The one from Spring Peace Lane?” The shop owner nodded eagerly. “Yes! Yes! I secretly guessed this Lady Shu must be the wife of some wealthy merchant from another region because, in less than a month, she spent nearly ten thousand coins just on having clothes made. She had just had a bunch of clothes made last month, and not long after, she had our people deliver another batch of fabric. Of course, I was delighted, but those new clothes from last month had barely been worn, which is too—”

Lin Chengyou suddenly interjected: “You and the seamstress didn’t know this lady was pregnant?”

The shop owner was greatly surprised: “Pregnant? No wonder she acted this way.”

Lin Chengyou lowered his eyes in thought. Shu Liniang wasn’t as flamboyant as Young Lady Jiang – she never mentioned her pregnancy when out in public. Moreover, being only three months pregnant, her condition probably wasn’t very noticeable. Minister Zheng kept this relationship strictly secret and certainly wouldn’t announce it everywhere, so how did the culprit know about Shu Liniang’s pregnancy?

He thought for a moment and asked: “Shu Liniang came on the eleventh of last month. Was that vagrant loitering outside the door that day?”

The shop owner smiled bitterly and shook his head: “I can’t remember. There are too many customers in the shop each day, how could I remember everything?”

“You could describe that vagrant’s appearance in such detail, surely you remember how many times he appeared outside the shop.”

The shop owner was quite certain about this: “I saw him twice – once on the seventeenth, and once on some day last month.”

Lin Chengyou rubbed his chin: “Did Lady Shu ever chat with other customers when she was in the shop? For instance, saying things like ‘long time no see’ or ‘how come you’re also in Chang’an now’ – that sort of catching up?”

The shop owner found this question strange: “No, Lady Shu always came and went alone.”

“Have you ever seen her talking with Young Lady Jiang?”

The shop owner shook his head like a rattle drum: “Even less so! Besides their servants, neither of these ladies ever had female companions. Lady Shu probably hasn’t been in Chang’an long so she has no friends, but strangely, the Rong’an heir’s wife was the same. Speaking of this, I have heard others discuss a few things—”

“Oh?” Lin Chengyou smiled. “What did they discuss?”

“They said the heir’s wife—” The shop owner hesitated for a long while, then smiled awkwardly. “I’m not trying to gossip about customers, but these things might help solve the case. They all said that other noble ladies didn’t look up to this heir’s wife, so they didn’t associate with her much. Unlike the previous Lady Jiang of the Rong’an Earl’s mansion – though she didn’t come often, she was always accompanied by ladies from noble families.”

Lin Chengyou’s eyes flickered: “You’ve seen Elder Lady Jiang?”

“Of course I have, our Jingyun Waterfall has been open in the East Market for many years. The previous Elder Lady Jiang sometimes came with her mother-in-law to have clothes made, sometimes with friendly ladies. I would hear them talking, and knew those ladies all liked Elder Lady Jiang. I thought, with such a proper lady managing the household, how could the Rong’an Earl’s mansion not rise in prestige? Later when I heard this lady had passed away, I felt it was truly regrettable. Oh yes, back then the Rong’an heir often accompanied his wife to have clothes made, but he hasn’t come in these past few years.”

When Lin Chengyou and Yan Shizhi left the East Market, Yan Shizhi pondered: “This is too much of a coincidence – the fake ‘vagrant’ appeared only twice, once to track Young Lady Jiang and the other time to track Shu Liniang?”

Lin Chengyou thought for a while with his hands behind his back, then smiled: “Let me guess, the killer followed for some time, found no opportunity to kill Shu Liniang outside, and with Nai Zhongjin anxiously waiting to feed the second Moon Phase Young Lord, they had no choice but to act in her home?”

Yan Shizhi started: “Does Assessment Official Lin mean that the killer would have preferred to act outside?”

Lin Chengyou smiled: “This person targeted both Young Lady Jiang and Shu Liniang, showing they knew exactly what misdeeds these women had done in the past. Someone who knows their backgrounds so thoroughly – how could they not know where they lived? Going to such lengths to track them before acting, just to thoroughly understand their regular haunts, doesn’t this indicate they were constantly calculating where to strike? Perhaps the killer never intended to take the fetuses in the victims’ homes.”

He turned to look at Yan Shizhi, patiently explaining: “This point is easy to understand in Young Lady Jiang’s case. The Rong’an Earl’s mansion is heavily guarded – even a supreme expert couldn’t set up a perfect trap there. So after tracking Young Lady Jiang for some time, the killer finally decided to set up the trap in the spice shop.”

Yan Shizhi said in bewilderment: “But the killer also tracked Shu Liniang, and that residence in Spring Peace Lane only had six people including servants. Wouldn’t it have been easier to take the fetus directly from Shu Liniang’s home rather than acting in the crowded marketplace?”

Lin Chengyou pondered: “That’s true, but the killer still tracked Shu Liniang outside for a while before acting, indicating that unless necessary, they didn’t want to act in her home either.”

Yan Shizhi was thoroughly confused: “But why?”

Lin Chengyou smiled meaningfully: “Naturally because this person is meticulous and had to eliminate all clues that could lead back to them before acting. You heard earlier – even the tailor didn’t know Shu Liniang was pregnant. Though she had clothes made, she never mentioned this to outsiders. Yet the killer not only knew she wasn’t a good person but also knew precisely that she was pregnant. From this, we can deduce that this person had contact with Shu Liniang in the past three months, since she became pregnant, and might even have recently visited Spring Peace Lane. As for why they were unwilling to act in Spring Peace Lane—”

Lin Chengyou smirked: “Perhaps because they knew that even if they used the finest incense to knock out the servants, they might still be seen by Shu Liniang’s neighbors while escaping, whereas acting outside eliminated this concern.”

Yan Shizhi pondered back and forth, gradually showing a look of realization: “Yes, a face can be disguised, but not one’s build.”

Lin Chengyou was silent for a moment, becoming increasingly certain of his guess, and continued following this line of thought: “If neighbors happened to see the killer’s figure while escaping, they could quickly connect it to this person. The killer having such concerns can only mean… they are someone familiar to Shu Liniang, who has recently visited Spring Peace Lane. Not only do Shu Liniang and her servants know the killer, but the surrounding neighbors know this person too. So our previous approach was wrong – Young Lady Jiang isn’t the key to solving the case, Shu Liniang is.”

Yan Shizhi’s spirits lifted – Shu Liniang only had one relative in Chang’an.

“So now we’re going to find—”

“Administrative Assistant Shu,” Lin Chengyou said coldly, shaking his reins as his horse shot forward like an arrow.

When they arrived at the Metropolitan Prefecture, both the Prefect and Deputy Prefect were absent. A lower official came out to receive them, and upon hearing that Lin Chengyou was looking for Shu Wenliang, said with slight surprise: “Looking for Administrative Assistant Shu? He’s on his ten-day leave today and hasn’t come to the office.”

After getting Shu Wenliang’s address, Lin Chengyou asked: “How tall is this Administrative Assistant Shu?”

“Extremely short.”

“How short exactly?”

Though puzzled, the officials still gestured at their chest: “Only this tall.”

Yan Shizhi and Lin Chengyou exchanged a look.

One official smiled and said: “Speaking of this, Administrative Assistant Shu suffered because of this in the past. I heard that fifteen years ago, he had passed the imperial examinations, but was filtered out during the Personnel Ministry’s selection due to his unseemly appearance. Proud of his talents, he went on to serve as an advisor to General Peng in Huaixi Circuit, and only returned to the capital to take up his post two years ago on General Peng’s recommendation.”

“Is that so?” Lin Chengyou raised his eyebrows. “Thank you all for informing me.”

After leaving the Metropolitan Prefecture on horseback, they didn’t rush to the Shu residence but instead dismounted at the nearest ward gate. Finding nearby military inspectors and urban patrol officers, Lin Chengyou removed the golden fish pouch from his waist: “Go immediately to the Left and Right Guard Commands with a message – seal the city gates at once. We have a wanted criminal to catch today, don’t let anyone in or out.”

“What does the criminal look like?”

“Extremely short. Unknown if male or female, but wearing a disguise. The inspection must be extremely thorough. Detain anyone who is both disguised and short. If someone claims to be Administrative Assistant Shu, arrest them too. Oh, and this person has considerable martial arts skills and knows evil arts, so be careful not to fall victim to their tricks when making the arrest.”

“Yes, sir.” The military inspectors left with their orders.

Having arranged all this, Lin Chengyou and Yan Shizhi hurried to the Shu residence, where only a few elderly doorkeepers were present. They rushed out upon hearing the visitors: “Master received an invitation from a friend and just left the city with his wife and daughter, saying they were going to rest for a few days at that friend’s villa in Quechuan. They haven’t gone far.”

Yan Shizhi angrily struck his fist – they were one step too late, but fortunately, Assessment Official Lin had made arrangements in advance, so perhaps there was still time to intercept this person.

Lin Chengyou asked the old servant: “What’s this friend’s name?”

The old servant shook his head: “This old servant doesn’t know.”

The two rode out of the lane in front of the Shu residence side by side, and Yan Shizhi anxiously asked: “Where do we go now?”

Lin Chengyou said: “Most pregnant women in the city have been recorded. The killer can only get fetuses outside the city now. I need to go to the palace immediately. Please, Brother Yan, go to the Court of Judicial Review and look for the case files of the ‘Evil Sect Case’ from fifteen years ago.”

“Evil Sect Case?” Yan Shizhi was bewildered.

Lin Chengyou said thoughtfully: “The killer knows how to collect Moon Phase Young Lords and how to awaken Nai Zhong, showing they are extremely well-versed in dark arts. Combined with these recent cases, it’s clear these evil arts are showing signs of resurgence. I feel this must be related to the court’s great purge fifteen years ago – perhaps it’s those evil practitioners from back then causing trouble. I need to go to the palace to ask Uncle about what exactly happened back then. If Yan Shizhi finds all the original case files, please have someone send word to me at the palace immediately.”

They parted at Shunyi Gate. As Lin Chengyou continued rushing to the palace, he encountered Kuan Nu halfway. Kuan Nu, leading a group of guards, came to meet him as if they had been searching for the young master for a long time: “My good young master, we’ve searched half the city to finally find you.”

Lin Chengyou reined in his horse: “How is it, did you find anything?”

Kuan Nu came close and whispered: “We followed Young Master Zheng all morning but didn’t see him visiting any women or ladies. Maybe the young master overthought it – perhaps Young Master Zheng only asked that extra question last night because he was shocked by the killer’s brutality.”

Lin Chengyou rubbed his chin. Zheng Yanliang worked at the Ministry of Rites during the day, and after returning home still had to deal with his engagement to the Wu family’s eldest daughter. He was busy from dawn to dusk – would he have the energy to inquire about these matters?

No, better to be cautious.

“What results could you get in just one morning? Keep following him.” Lin Chengyou glanced at Kuan Nu. “By the way, did you investigate those pharmacies I asked about the other day? Have any women come to secretly buy abortion medicine recently?”

Kuan Nu patted his chest: “Rest assured. After the young master mentioned this the other day, we investigated them one by one. Recently, thirty-seven ladies in the city bought such medicine from pharmacies. Except for a few unmarried young ladies who became pregnant, most were courtesans from Pingkang Ward. After finding where these ladies stayed, we specially sent midwives to visit them. All thirty-seven ladies who took the medicine have already miscarried… Along with the recent investigations by the Court’s runners, military inspectors, and urban patrol officers, there absolutely cannot be any pregnant women in the city who haven’t been registered.”

It seemed there wouldn’t be any more “fish that slipped through the net,” but both Nai Zhong and the killer were extraordinarily capable. Lin Chengyou wracked his brains, frowning in thought: “Think carefully again – what other situations might there be where women wouldn’t mention their pregnancies?”

Kuan Nu said with a bitter face: “How would I know? I’m not even married, how could I understand these things better than the young master?”

Lin Chengyou: “Fool, couldn’t you ask Commander Chang? I’m in a hurry to enter the palace now. Split into groups – have some go back to ask Commander Chang, and the rest continue watching the pharmacies. If anyone comes to secretly buy medicine, immediately send word to Yan Shizhi at the Court of Judicial Review.”

***

Teng Yuyi returned to Libai Pavilion, initially wanting to change into men’s clothes to practice swordplay, but considering the many eyes and ears in the temple, she had to abandon the idea. She paced the courtyard with her hands behind her back for a few circles, watching the spring day drag on, and feeling utterly bored, decided to go to her room for a nap first.

Returning to her room and lying on the bed, she had just closed her eyes when she remembered what Juesheng and Qizhi had said in the morning, and sat up again.

Strange – who was that young lady who went out secretly last night? Even knowing that Nai Zhong might break into Dayin Temple at any time, that person still dared to sneak out. Weren’t they afraid of being eaten by Nai Zhong on the way?

She considered herself quite brave, yet even she wouldn’t dare go out alone late at night these days, so this matter seemed suspicious no matter how she thought about it.

Thinking back to Juan’er Li who had been turned into a puppet by the corpse demon, she gradually became uneasy. Yesterday, Lin Chengyou and the officials from the Court of Judicial Review were busy looking for the killer, but the killer was too cunning and they had no leads yet. Should she tell Lin Chengyou about this? It might be a breakthrough.

Last time, Xiaoyi said she had to rely on eliminating evil spirits to break the borrowed life disaster, but this time Nai Zhong’s magical power was truly terrifying. She felt that a confrontation was out of the question, so she hadn’t dared to entertain the thought. But if she could help eliminate evil and gain some merit from it, perhaps she could escape her unfortunate state of being constantly entangled with evil spirits sooner. After all, Nai Zhong was no ordinary evil spirit.

Once the thought occurred, she began to seriously consider this matter.

Last night, Juesheng and Qizhi only saw that person’s large cloak…

Large cloak… she pondered for a while. Simple – there were only a few ladies in the temple, and although they only saw this one detail, it should be barely enough. However, to figure out who that person was, she would need to set up a trap first.

Having made up her mind, she got out of bed and called: “Chunrong, help me call Duan Fu in.”

Later, when Duan Fu arrived, Teng Yuyi paced the courtyard with her hands behind her back while making arrangements: “Bili, go send a message to those four ladies in the east wing… when you see them, do exactly as I say; Chunrong, go to the Sutra Library to find the two young Taoist priests; Duan Fu, after I confirm something, have someone quickly go to the Court of Judicial Review to find Lin Chengyou. If he’s not there, pass the message to Yan Shizhi – in any case, my words must be delivered without missing a single word.”

***

Lin Chengyou entered the palace and was told that Imperial Uncle was receiving several ministers in Hanyuan Hall. Upon hearing of Lin Chengyou’s arrival, the Emperor quickly sent word asking Lin Chengyou to wait for his uncle at the Empress’s quarters, saying he would come shortly.

Lin Chengyou looked outside and saw no messages had been delivered yet, knowing that although forces had been dispatched in all four directions, he could only wait patiently no matter how urgent the situation was. So he left Hanyuan Hall and went to the Empress’s quarters. As soon as he entered the hall, he saw the Empress holding Changyi and Azhi in her arms, smiling as she helped the two children choose ornaments.

Lin Chengyou’s gaze fell on the hairpin in the Empress’s hand, suddenly remembering that yesterday Teng Yuyi said she had lost a hairpin in the underground palace, wondering if it could still be found. As he was thinking, Azhi and Changyi happily jumped down from the Empress’s lap.

“Elder Brother!”

The Empress also said with delight: “Your uncle was just talking about you this morning. You’ve come at the perfect time, quickly come choose some ornaments. Don’t just stand there – Aunt knows you don’t have any young lady you fancy yet, these are for your two sisters.”