On the desk of the An’du Judicial Office sat two letters sent from the Guangdu Jingmen Sect — their contents were far beyond what anyone had expected.

Lin Sui’an: “If the ‘Zheng Yongyan’ in Guangdu City died of illness twenty-two years ago, then who is this Adjunct Zheng currently in An’du City?”

“Surely he is an impostor who took over someone else’s identity!” Jinruo exclaimed. “Not only taking over another person’s identity, but somehow managing to sit the imperial examinations, become an official, and even rise to the position of adjunct? That is simply too outrageous!”

“If the controlling force behind him is powerful enough, it is not impossible.” Hua Yitang said.

Jinruo: “Who could have that kind of power?”

Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang both said nothing, and fixed their gazes on the second letter — from Bai Rong of the Bai Family of Qingzhou, passed on by Hua Yihuan to Hua Yitang. It explained the trail of the silver stolen from the Sui Prefecture Su Family by the Cicada Shell Shops: the journey was circuitous, but in the end, the money had lined the pockets of the Jiang Family of Taiyuan.

To put it in plain terms: the Jiang Family of Taiyuan was like a perpetually insatiable beast, having swallowed the half-dead Su Family of Sui Prefecture whole.

“Twenty years later — the same method, the same Cicada Shell Shops——” Hua Yitang let out a short laugh. “Would you care to guess whether the Cicada Shell Shops twenty years ago had any connection to the Jiang Family of Taiyuan?”

Jinruo: “I’ll bet this year’s white sugar cakes — twenty years ago it was also them who did it!”

Lin Sui’an: “Why would the Jiang Family of Taiyuan fabricate a Zheng Yongyan?”

Jinruo: “Just grab Zheng Yongyan and beat the truth out of him, won’t that do?”

Hua Yitang shook his head. “Zheng Yongyan is timid as a mouse. Last time he was so frightened he wet himself, yet he still refused to let go of this identity — which shows this identity concerns his life itself. Without solid evidence, he will not crack. Moreover, now that the Jiang Family of Taiyuan has been drawn in — Hua has a feeling that behind all this is hidden a case of earth-shaking magnitude.”

Lin Sui’an: “We are on the Jiang Family of Taiyuan’s territory right now — we must not be too conspicuous. Let us first secretly investigate along the thread of Zheng Yongyan, and once solid evidence is found, then conduct the interrogation. That way we can break through Adjunct Zheng’s psychological defenses in one decisive stroke, and find out the truth.”

Jinruo: “Should we bring that witness from the Guangdu government office, Old Liang, over here?”

“Old Liang only knew the Zheng Yongyan who died. He does not know Adjunct Zheng. Moreover, with only one witness and no physical evidence, and with so much time having passed, Adjunct Zheng can simply deny everything outright.” Hua Yitang thought for a moment. “What we really need to investigate is Adjunct Zheng’s true identity.”

Lin Sui’an rubbed her chin. “We should start from the point when Adjunct Zheng took over Zheng Yongyan’s identity.”

Hua Yitang: “According to Adjunct Zheng’s own confession, he sat the special imperial examination in the ninth year of Xuanchang, passed as a Presented Scholar, entered the civil service, and then spent a number of years working his way to An’du as Director of Works. Therefore the fastest approach is through the personnel archives at the Ministry of Personnel in the capital — they will have his documentary record and file.”

“I’ve got it!” Jinruo was overjoyed. “Ask Ling the Sixth Young Master in the Eastern Capital for help!”

“Not so fast——” Hua Yitang waved his hand. “There is one more thing Hua finds rather strange.”

Lin Sui’an: “Are you thinking about Gong Feiyang’s whetstone?”

Hua Yitang nodded. “If Adjunct Zheng is truly connected to the Jiang Family of Taiyuan, given his background, it is highly likely he has seen a genuine Covert Censor’s token. In that case, the probability of mistaking the token would be negligible.”

“Hey, hey, hey — Gong Feiyang isn’t actually the Covert Censor, is he?” Jinruo broke into a cold sweat. “Teacher — you haven’t gone and beaten a colleague senseless, have you?”

Lin Sui’an rolled her eyes magnificently. “Covert Censors are personally selected and interviewed by the Holy Sovereign. As for Gong Feiyang’s appearance and caliber — would the Holy Sovereign even look at him twice?”

Jinruo nodded in understanding: “Gong Feiyang naturally cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the majestic and formidable Teacher!”

Hua Yitang stood up, grabbed his cloak from the coat stand. “Since the whetstone was not found on Gong Feiyang when he was searched, it is in all likelihood at his home.”

Gong Feiyang’s residence was located at No. 73, Locust Tree Street, Great Tranquility Quarter — just a short walk from the Fusheng Sect’s former main hall. Their guide was an old acquaintance: the butcher Hu Buling.

Among the Fusheng Sect disciples, those who had done great evil and had lives on their hands were all pressed by Jinruo to turn themselves in and were locked up in prison. The remainder had some hope of redemption — most had committed civil disputes — and went door-to-door to the households of ordinary people to pay reparations and kowtow in apology, securing lenient treatment.

The Eastern Capital being the closest major city to An’du, Jinruo sent an urgent carrier pigeon summoning the Seven Stars. With decisive efficiency, they began rebuilding the Jingmen Sect’s An’du branch hall. Tianshuu temporarily served as hall master, joining forces with the Four Saints to subject the Fusheng Sect disciples to a thorough overhaul and training regimen. The specific process was the secret of the Jingmen Sect’s senior management, and outsiders were not privy to it — but judging by Hu Buling’s current demeanor of extreme deference and trepidation toward Jinruo, the process had likely been rather unpleasant.

“Gate Master, Lin Niangzi, Military Advisor Hua — this is Gong Feiyang’s residence.” Hu Buling bowed and cupped his hands. “Since Gong Feiyang’s arrest, this residence has been sealed. Disciples have kept watch day and night, and there has been absolutely no one entering or leaving.”

Lin Sui’an examined the residence before her: low walls and dark roof tiles — a very ordinary commoner’s house with no distinguishing features. After entering, they found a two-courtyard compound. The outer courtyard had one main hall and one side hall. The inner courtyard had a large open area with a weapons rack set up, and the ground was spread with fine gravel — apparently Gong Feiyang’s daily practice ground. There were also three side rooms: the main side room was a bedroom, one smaller room was a guest room, and another had been converted into an armory, stacked with broadswords of various lengths — the four-chi broadswords being the most numerous.

Jinruo led her people to search the armory. Hua Yitang was obviously more interested in Gong Feiyang’s bedroom. Lin Sui’an strolled around the practice ground, casually picking up the sabers and spears on the weapons rack to try out a few moves, when suddenly a flash of light glinted and was gone from the shelf’s dividing panel.

Lin Sui’an’s eyes lit up. On the dividing panel sat a rectangular black stone, its four corners and edges worn smooth and rounded. Held in the hand, it was cool and slippery as jade.

“Found it!” Lin Sui’an called out.

Hua Yitang and Jinruo rushed out. One look made them both suck in a sharp breath.

Hua Yitang carefully wiped the whetstone clean with his handkerchief, and placed it side by side with Lin Sui’an’s Covert Censor token in the sunlight. The surfaces of both black stones shimmered with flowing, water-like brilliance, as though a galaxy of nine heavens were contained within — the materials were identical.

Lin Sui’an: “It is genuine.”

Hua Yitang: “A genuine Covert Censor would never use their token as a whetstone. Naturally, anyone who recognized the Covert Censor token would not have the audacity to do so either. So Gong Feiyang must have had no idea of this token’s origins.”

Jinruo: “Where on earth did Gong Feiyang get a Covert Censor token?”

Lin Sui’an: “More importantly — who is the true owner of this Covert Censor token?”

The three looked at each other.

Hua Yitang worked his jaw. “I have an ominous feeling.”

Every year after the Grand Court Assembly on New Year’s Day, the officials of the Eastern Capital’s imperial city looked forward to the long New Year holiday. The holiday was ten days long, but officials of the Six Ministries, Nine Courts, and Five Supervisors would all come back to the imperial city one day early to clean and tidy up, exchange New Year greetings, make visits, and send gifts and local specialties — building goodwill with colleagues across all departments, in hopes that the coming year’s work would go smoothly.

This was also the one day in the year when officials could openly exchange New Year gifts without fear of receiving a formal report from the Censorate.

New Year gifts were quite refined affairs. They were either “cultured gifts,” such as calligraphy and paintings done in one’s own hand, carved seals, or poetry collections, or “product gifts,” such as homemade side dishes, pastries, sugar cakes, or local specialties from one’s hometown. None of these were worth much money, but they all needed to be given auspicious names to bring good fortune.

Sending silver or antiques — even if the Censorate’s people did not investigate, one’s colleagues would certainly mock them for being vulgar.

Ling Zhiyan of the Court of Judicial Review was known for being rigid and miserly, and was the imperial city’s notorious “one-track mind,” who had never had anything to do with the customs of New Year gift exchanges. Yet this year, against all expectations, he received a “local specialty” — ten small canisters of mixed-flower tea.

Along with the tea came a letter and a small wooden box.

The letter was written by Hua Yitang; the tea leaves were chosen by Lin Sui’an — good quality at an affordable price, plenty for drinking.

Ling Zhiyan instinctively felt this matter was not straightforward. He first opened Hua Yitang’s letter and read through it at a glance. His expression shifted slightly. He then opened the small wooden box, took out the black stone within, and examined it carefully. He furrowed his brow and said nothing.

Ming Shu and Ming Feng saw Ling Zhiyan’s expression and knew another difficult major case had appeared. They discreetly withdrew and closed the door.

Ling Zhiyan read Hua Yitang’s letter a second time.

The letter gave a brief account of the origins of the Chief Secretary Liu stabbing case — truly not a complicated major case on the surface, but what it had dredged up was rather peculiar.

First, the Cicada Shell Shops. Second, the identity of An’du City’s Director of Works Zheng Yongyan. Third, the connection between the Fusheng Sect and the Covert Censor.

Three threads of evidence — superficially seeming unrelated, yet upon careful reflection, connected by a thousand strands and ten thousand filaments.

What Hua Yitang asked him to investigate were the latter two — in particular, the origins of the Covert Censor token.

The identity of a Covert Censor was known only to the Holy Sovereign and the head of the Censorate — the Censor-in-Chief.

Ling Zhiyan had originally intended to enter the palace to see the Holy Sovereign, but upon reflection, this Covert Censor token might be of an older generation, and the Censorate’s records should be more complete. Moreover, today was still the holiday period, and the Holy Sovereign had gone to the hot spring resort outside the city and would not return until the afternoon of the following day.

With that thought, Ling Zhiyan called for Ming Shu and Ming Feng, prepared five book-boxes, distributed the ten canisters of mixed-flower tea among them, went out the door, and headed straight for the Censorate.

The Court of Judicial Review was located in the northwestern part of the imperial city, adjacent to the Xuanren Gate. The Censorate stood at the southernmost point of the imperial city, adjacent to the Duan Gate. Going from the Court of Judicial Review to the Censorate required passing through the Binyao Gate and the Eastern Palace, crossing nearly diagonally through the entire imperial city. Along the way he encountered no small number of colleagues from the Six Ministries, Nine Courts, and Five Supervisors.

Everyone who saw the famous Judicial Reviewer Ling Zhiyan striding briskly along, followed by two long attendants carrying book-boxes, entering the Censorate — jaws dropped all around.

For it was well known that Censor-in-Chief Fang Feiguang and Court of Judicial Review Chief Chen Yanfan had long harbored grievances, and those two old men together were nearly two full cycles of sixty years in age. Before the new year they had even come to blows in court over a discrepancy in a case file, and Chen Yanfan had had several more hairs pulled from his head. The Holy Sovereign’s face had gone green with fury.

Ling the Sixth Young Master of the Ling Family was Chen Yanfan’s most prized student — and yet he was coming to the Censorate to deliver New Year gifts? Could it be that the sky was about to rain blood?

News traveled fastest within the imperial city. By the time Ling Zhiyan stepped over the threshold of the Censor-in-Chief’s study, Censor-in-Chief Fang Feiguang had already received word. His first reaction was that the Court of Judicial Review Chief Chen Yanfan had sent someone to settle a score; alarm bells went off in his heart. He mentally ran through all the cases he had recently quarreled and brawled over with Chen Yanfan, composed his mental script for shouting back, and braced himself fully.

Yet when Ling Zhiyan entered, performed his courtesy salute, and opened his mouth, the very first words were: “This subordinate respectfully greets Minister Fang!”

Fang Feiguang startled, then slapped his forehead — and only then remembered that this Judicial Reviewer Ling was also a Covert Censor, and therefore his subordinate. He exhaled in great relief, drew Ling Zhiyan inside to sit down, brewed tea, and ordered the door to be guarded.

Covert Censors conducted their affairs in secrecy. If it were not something major, Ling Zhiyan would never come so boldly.

Fang Feiguang: “Has Sixth Young Master encountered a difficult case?”

Ling Zhiyan handed the small wooden box from the book-box to Fang Feiguang. Fang Feiguang opened it, and his face changed dramatically. “This — this is — a Covert Censor token. How did it end up in such a state?”

“This token was found by Lin Sui’an inside a jianghu sect called the Fusheng Sect. The Gate Master, Gong Feiyang, did not recognize it and had been using the token as a whetstone.” Ling Zhiyan said. “This token is closely connected to the case Lin Niangzi is investigating — I wonder if Minister Fang is able to trace who the owner of the token is?”

Lin Sui’an had been personally selected by the Holy Sovereign as a Covert Censor, and moreover had a close relationship with Hua the Fourth Young Master of the Hua Family. Together they had cracked multiple major cases and were held in high regard by the Holy Sovereign. Fang Feiguang dared not be careless, and examined the Covert Censor token from front to back several times. “This is a fourth-generation Covert Censor token. Sixth Young Master, look here——” Fang Feiguang pointed at the side of the token. “Feel this carefully.”

Ling Zhiyan ran his fingertip gently over it. There was a peculiar granular sensation. “Are these carved hidden markings?”

“These are the cipher inscriptions of the fourth-generation Covert Censor token, indicating the Covert Censor’s name. The cipher format is slightly different from the sixth-generation cipher currently in use.” Fang Feiguang ran his fingers over it again. “The problem is that this token has been worn down severely — the inscription can no longer be made out.”

Ling Zhiyan: “When were the fourth-generation Covert Censor tokens issued?”

“Approximately thirty years ago.”

Ling Zhiyan’s brow furrowed deeply, and he fell into silence.

The sunlight was just right, falling across Ling Zhiyan’s handsome brow and eyes. Outside the window, the winter plum was blooming — the entire garden was fragrant.

Fang Feiguang felt a momentary trance. Many years ago, a young man with bright and open brow and eyes had also sat in this garden, saying he was going to go and investigate a case — and after that, he never returned.

“Is there any record in the Censorate of any fourth-generation Covert Censor who went missing?” Ling Zhiyan asked.

Fang Feiguang nodded, spread out white paper, dipped his brush in ink. “Their names are engraved in the mind of every successive Censor-in-Chief — never to be forgotten.”

Ling Zhiyan knitted his brow and watched as name after name flowed from the brushstroke. These names were all unfamiliar — he had never heard any of them in court. The Covert Censors’ selection truly did not follow the conventional path of talent discovery. Then suddenly a familiar name jumped out:

【Ling Xiuzhu】

“The Sixteenth Uncle was also a Covert Censor?!” Ling Zhiyan was greatly shocked.

Fang Feiguang’s expression was one of fond memory mixed with sorrow. “Ling the Sixteenth Young Master of the Ling Family — he was the most promising of that generation of the Ling Family. At the time, he said he was going to An’du City to investigate a case, and after that he vanished — no trace of him living, no trace of him dead.”

Ling Zhiyan’s heart hammered wildly. “What case was he investigating?!”

“The disappearance case of Wan Leyi of the Wan Family of Qingzhou.”

Ling Zhiyan’s pupils contracted sharply. Ling Xiuzhu. Wan Leyi. Both of these people were on that scroll — the scroll from the former head of the Jiang Family of Taiyuan, Jiang Yongshou — the one inscribed “pluck the flower while it blooms.”

Wan Leyi’s disappearance was thirty-one years ago. The Ling Family’s recorded date of Ling Xiuzhu’s death was thirty years ago. In other words, both of their true causes of death — were because of——

Ling Zhiyan squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear recalling any further.

“Is this case connected to the Jiang Family of Taiyuan?” Fang Feiguang asked.

Ling Zhiyan opened his eyes; his pupils blazed like fire. “It is!”

Fang Feiguang exhaled a long, heavy sigh. He lit the Covert Censor name list on fire and burned it to ash. “I cannot say with certainty whether this Covert Censor token belonged to Ling Xiuzhu. But — since it has come into your hands, it is the silent workings of fate.”

Ling Zhiyan straightened and cupped his hands formally. “Ling Zhiyan requests Minister Fang authorize this subordinate the special investigative powers of the Covert Censor!”

Fang Feiguang nodded. “Sixth Young Master and Lin Niangzi may investigate freely without restraint. Once the Holy Sovereign returns to the palace, I will report on behalf of you both!”

“I respectfully obey!”

Fang Feiguang gave Ling Zhiyan’s shoulder an encouraging pat, and was just about to say a few more things, when a servant outside the door called out: “Assistant Censor Jiang asks the Minister to wait a moment — Minister Fang is currently receiving a guest.”

Assistant Censor Jiang — that was Jiang Wende of the Jiang Family of Taiyuan!

Ling Zhiyan and Fang Feiguang flashed each other a rapid look.

Fang Feiguang lowered his voice. “Don’t you still have two canisters of mixed-flower tea in the book-box?”

Ling Zhiyan was embarrassed. “They are a local specialty Lin Niangzi asked me to bring for you……”

“Excellent.” Fang Feiguang smiled, then seized one canister of tea from the book-box and hurled it hard to smash on the ground, bellowing at the top of his voice: “Ling the Sixth Young Master, you go back and tell that Chen Fanfan that for those cases, he and I are far from finished. Does he think he has reason? I have more reason than he does! When we are next in court, I will go three hundred rounds with him!”

Ling Zhiyan stared with his eyes wide open, utterly struck dumb.

Fang Feiguang banged bang-bang-bang on the desk, flashing rapid eye signals at Ling Zhiyan. “Get out now!”

Only then did Ling Zhiyan understand. He bowed with an expression of deep trepidation, lowered his head, and fled out the door.

Outside the door, Jiang Wende watched Ling Zhiyan run off red-faced at full speed, then saw Fang Feiguang inside the room jumping and cursing. A sharp gleam flashed across Jiang Wende’s eyes. He entered and performed his salute. “Minister Fang, please calm yourself — it is the New Year, not worth getting angry over that bald-head from the Court of Judicial Review——”

Ling Zhiyan walked out of the Censorate’s main gate and exhaled a long breath.

Fang Feiguang’s textbook-level performance of a sudden reversal had genuinely shocked him just now. Indeed — a man who had risen to the position of Censor-in-Chief was no ordinary person.

Ming Shu was quite worried, and asked whether he had been mistreated at the Censorate. Ling Zhiyan shook his head, straightened his clothing, set his official hat properly, and moved on to the next destination: the Ministry of Personnel.

Minister of Personnel Sima Qi was fifty-eight this year — the most well-liked of all the senior officials in the Six Ministries, Nine Courts, and Five Supervisors of the imperial city. Moreover since the Ministry of Personnel managed the appointment, assessment, promotion, conferral of titles, and transfer of all civil officials throughout the realm — a position of great responsibility — on this one day of the year, the stream of colleagues coming to pay New Year calls and deliver small gifts never stopped, stretching into a line that could extend two li out from the gates.

Sima Qi was long accustomed to this, and received colleagues in orderly fashion, accepting small New Year gifts and exchanging a few formal words. All proceedings were conducted in the Ministry of Personnel’s main hall — open, fair, and transparent, convenient for everyone to observe. Upon hearing that the Court of Judicial Review’s Judicial Reviewer Ling Zhiyan had come, Sima Qi was also genuinely startled, and exceptionally broke procedure to invite Ling Zhiyan into the inner hall. Then seeing Ling Zhiyan take out two canisters of mixed-flower tea from his book-box, Sima Qi’s expression changed.

“My dear Sixth Young Master — though your grandfather and old Sima are longtime friends, you can see for yourself — the Ministry of Personnel is a clean water office, nothing profitable about it!” Sima Qi grabbed his sleeve and wiped the corners of his eyes. “Old Sima is getting on in years, and this body is like a candle flickering in the wind — any day now the legs could give out and that would be that. What little silver old Sima has saved is all funeral money — cannot be touched! Your difficulties, old Sima truly has not the ability to help with!”

Ling Zhiyan paused for a moment. “Did the family head borrow money from you again?”

Sima Qi covered his face and wept. “Better not to speak of it — the memories are too painful!”

“Ahem!” Ling Zhiyan felt rather embarrassed. “This young one has come here on official business——”

Sima Qi’s tears dried in an instant, and he switched to a completely different expression. “Court of Judicial Review business? How did the investigation lead here to the Ministry of Personnel?”

Ling Zhiyan cupped his hands, drew out the Covert Censor token and pushed it forward. Sima Qi’s expression shifted greatly; he rose to bow in salute. Ling Zhiyan quickly steadied Sima Qi, and lowered his voice. “This young one needs to look into the personnel file of An’du City’s Director of Works, Zheng Yongyan.”

A “personnel file” was an official’s personal archive — similar to a combination of a “file” and a “resume.” From the moment an official entered the civil service, every detail was recorded by a dedicated person: place of birth, family background, circumstances of appointment, official title, rank, detailed career history, governance accomplishments, examination records — all information was recorded, submitted through county to prefecture to the Three Departments and Six Ministries in ascending layers of approval, and finally entered into storage. It ultimately flowed into the Ministry of Personnel’s “File Archive.”

Officials’ assessments and selection were conducted once per year, so the “File Archive” was updated every year as well. As the highest administrative body of the File Archive, the Ministry of Personnel’s files were the most detailed and complete.

Based on the clues provided by Hua Yitang, the critical focus of Ling Zhiyan’s investigation was Zheng Yongyan’s record from around the eighth year of Xuanchang, as well as his background and identity.

The File Archive was located within the Ministry of Personnel’s case registry depository. The volume of data was enormous. Since this concerned a Covert Censor matter, Sima Qi dared not delegate it to others, and personally searched through the File Archive index to locate the record — it took a full hour before it was found.

Ling Zhiyan could not wait. He opened it: the pages of the dragon-scale bound volume fluttered open:

【Zheng Yongyan: ancestral home, Liuan County, Taiyuan; a concubine-born son of Zheng Qi Zhong of the Zheng Family (ranked second). Father Zheng Qi Zhong (deceased). Principal mother, Zheng-Huang Shi (deceased). Birth mother, Wang Shi (deceased). Elder brother Zheng Yongshou (deceased). No other brothers or sisters.】

【From childhood studied in Qingzhou; also worked as a construction craftsman for a living. Diligent in his studies, outstanding in his skills. In the ninth year of Yongchang, was recommended by the Qingzhou prefectural office to sit the special examination; placed thirty-sixth of the second tier, Presented Scholar in the Comprehensive Arts and Learning subject. Entered the Ministry of Works, Bureau of Forestry and Crafts, as a Section Chief, from-the-ninth-rank below. After two years in office, was transferred to the An’du prefectural government as a clerk of the Director of Works Bureau, from-the-ninth-rank.】

The personnel file documents included a portrait of Zheng Yongyan. Ling Zhiyan took out the descriptive portrait sketch sent by Hua Yitang and compared them carefully. Though there was a difference in age, it was unmistakably the same face.

Also attached were Zheng Yongyan’s examination papers from when he sat the special imperial examination — entirely different from ordinary examination papers. It was a design blueprint for a storage warehouse. Ling Zhiyan had no expertise in blueprints, but felt the blueprint was drawn with great precision. The handwritten notations had a distinctive style: every stroke with a falling-left or sweeping-right brushstroke carried a slight upward hook at the end.

Sima Qi: “That year’s special imperial examination had specifically opened a Comprehensive Arts and Learning subject, primarily to recruit a batch of construction and engineering technical talents for the Ministry of Works. Zheng Yongyan was one of them. If Sixth Young Master wishes to know more, you might as well go ask the Ministry of Works.”

Ling Zhiyan rolled up the scroll document. “Many thanks, Grand-Uncle!”

Short Sketch

Lin Sui’an: “Those tea leaves for Judicial Reviewer Ling — they were not expensive, were they?”

Hua Yitang: “Do not worry — cheap stuff. Twenty coins a canister.”

Mu Xia: “It is only that the canisters holding the tea are a little special.”

Lin Sui’an: “Special how?”

Hua Yitang: “Do not worry — also cheap stuff. At most one hundred and fifty guan per canister.”

Lin Sui’an: “……”

Our understanding of “cheap” is not on the same plane!