The new sun that day was not brilliant, hanging forlornly at the edge of the sky. From time to time, wind arose, and the layers of clouds rolled thicker and thicker.

Su Jin raised her hand to shield her eyes. Seeing that a sudden rain was imminent, there was nowhere to take shelter around the vast Meridian Gate.

She gathered her sleeves, planning to find a corner to crouch in, when someone behind her called out, “Master Su.”

It was Ren Xuan’s attendant—Brother A’Li had arrived: “This morning, the marquis and master left in such haste that they forgot to bring the backup tribute scholars’ roster. I’ve brought it, and thinking it might rain, I also brought master’s umbrella along.” He handed the oiled paper umbrella to Su Jin while glancing around in all directions. “Just as I guessed—late spring weather changes at a moment’s notice.”

Su Jin thanked him. Seeing a corner of the册子 册子 册子 peeking from his bosom, she couldn’t help asking, “I remember the Ministry of Rites’ documents are bordered with jade-green cloud patterns. Why is this one different?”

A’Li replied, “Oh, this is a tribute scholars’ roster that Minister Luo had prepared privately. He said Lord Liu from the Imperial Censorate wanted it. It’s not an official document, but it’s more comprehensive than the Ministry of Rites’ roster.”

He took out the document and showed it to Su Jin. “There’s nothing secretive about it. It’s just that the new boss at the Imperial Censorate has a wide scope of authority—he wants to know even poor scholars’ ancestors eighteen generations back. If you ask me, what’s the point of managing all that? Isn’t it enough if their scholarship is good?”

Su Jin casually flipped through it. A’Li’s words were true—this roster was like a genealogy, indeed tracing back ancestors eighteen generations.

Seeing Su Jin’s grave expression, A’Li leaned in to ask, “Master Su, looking at this roster, have you discovered something strange?”

Su Jin replied, “What?”

A’Li looked around cautiously, afraid someone might overhear: “The tribute scholars in this examination are nearly all from the south. Young Marquis says with such a disparity between north and south, who knows what troublesome matters it will stir up!”

Never mind this examination’s tribute scholars—even before the spring examinations, the candidates who came from various places were predominantly southerners. After the spring examinations, when the apricot roll was posted, of the eighty-nine tribute scholars, northerners accounted for only seven. Consequently, some northern scholars were dissatisfied and caused disturbances at the tribute scholars’ lodgings several times. Zhou Ping had led the office guards to disperse them.

Su Jin made light of it: “Young Marquis overthinks it. The Jiangnan region is a reservoir of talent and ink. Having more candidates and tribute scholars is not unusual.”

They were talking under the corridor eaves when suddenly thunder crashed in the distant sky. Bean-sized raindrops fell, instantly soaking a spot beneath the eaves.

A’Li opened his umbrella while saying to Su Jin, “This rain is fierce. An inch of space under the eaves won’t provide adequate shelter. Master, why not come with me to the Ministry of Rites to take cover? In any case, when Young Marquis comes out and doesn’t see anyone, he’ll return to the Ministry of Rites.”

Su Jin agreed and opened her umbrella to follow him to the Ministry of Rites.

This day was the palace examination. The people from the Ministry of Rites had gone to Fengtian Hall, leaving only a Director of Ritual Administration on duty.

The director’s surname was Jiang. He was leaning on his desk dozing when he vaguely heard voices in the corridor. He stuck his head out to identify the visitor, then went out to greet him: “What wind has blown Brother A’Li here?” He took A’Li’s umbrella to dry it on the side, then bent slightly to invite him inside: “Are you delivering documents for the marquis?”

“Yes, Young Marquis left in such haste this morning that he forgot the tribute scholars’ roster the Imperial Censorate requested, so I brought it.” A’Li replied, gesturing to Su Jin with a “please” as well.

Only then did Director Jiang notice Su Jin. He looked her up and down, seeing only someone in plain clothes standing gracefully with an extremely refined bearing. Unable to determine this person’s identity, he raised his eyebrows and humbly inquired, “And this person is?”

Su Jin presented her calling card and bowed in greeting. A’Li said, “Master Su came with me.”

Director Jiang opened the calling card. Seeing it was merely a junior eighth-rank magistrate from Yingtian Prefecture, he straightened his back and said indifferently, “Oh, then come inside together.”

The three had not yet taken their seats when Lord Liu from the Imperial Censorate arrived, followed by the Imperial Censorate’s second-in-command, Vice Censor-in-Chief Lord Zhao Yan.

Director Jiang jumped in alarm, his drowsiness completely gone. He immediately invited the two noble persons to the seats of honor, served tea, and said respectfully, “The ‘Dragon Clusters’ bestowed by the Emperor were finished early this month. Now we only have some ‘Silver Threads’ left, which this humble official brewed this morning. Please make do with it, my lords.”

Zhao Yan laughed, “That’s wonderful. We still have whole blocks of ‘Dragon Clusters.’ The Ministry of Rites loves them—come to the Imperial Censorate another day to get some.”

Director Jiang nodded in agreement, then thought better of it and said anxiously, “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.”

Zhao Yan waved his hand, indicating no need for formality, and continued, “Lord Liu and I need to go outside the palace. Thinking the tribute scholars’ roster we asked the Ministry of Rites to compile some days ago should be ready, we came to collect it.”

Director Jiang bowed at the waist: “Yes, Minister and Young Marquis both instructed about this matter. Yesterday this subordinate official finished compiling the roster. Young Marquis even personally took it home to verify. Fearing things would be busy at Fengtian Hall, he specially instructed Brother A’Li to deliver it.” He finished speaking with a beaming smile at A’Li, waiting for him to produce the document and complete the task.

A’Li thought his luck had truly run out. Earlier, chatting with Su Jin, he had given her the roster and never got it back.

Young Marquis had lectured him plenty about Lord Liu’s iron-fisted methods. If he were caught red-handed now, with him discovered handing over Ministry of Rites documents to an outsider, his own death would be minor—but implicating Young Marquis would be unacceptable.

A’Li broke out in a cold sweat all over his forehead. His knees went weak and he was about to kneel when Su Jin stepped ahead of him and presented the document with both hands: “Please review it, Lord Liu and Lord Zhao.”

A’Li closed his eyes, thinking it was over. Director Jiang was also dumbfounded, thinking inwardly that they were probably finished.

The hall fell deathly silent. After a long pause, Liu Chaoming asked coldly, “Why is a Ministry of Rites document in your possession?”

Before Su Jin could respond, Director Jiang suddenly interjected, “This young person is a newly arrived Supervisor at the Ministry of Rites Seal Casting Bureau, just assumed office these past few days. Being unranked and beneath my lord’s notice is hardly surprising.”

He thought rather than sitting and awaiting death, it was better to fabricate a falsehood and contrive an escape route. Little did he know that in just these past two days, Su Jin and Liu Chaoming had already met twice—once at the Court of Judicial Review where she was a junior eighth-rank magistrate from Yingtian Prefecture, and once at the Meridian Gate where she was an attendant from the marquis’s residence.

Liu Chaoming’s voice was bland: “Oh, now she’s a Ministry of Rites Supervisor?”

Su Jin was quite speechless. She had originally intended to say A’Li feared the roster would be soaked by rain so she helped hide it. Who knew this Director Jiang was such a spineless shrimp who, at Liu Chaoming’s mere question, threw himself into confusion.

Now forced into a corner, she was compelled to acknowledge the Supervisor identity.

Liu Chaoming accepted the roster and casually flipped through it: “Since you’re from the Ministry of Rites, you must have helped compile this roster somewhat. Which entries did you compose?”

Having not examined it closely earlier, only roughly scanning the first few pages, Su Jin replied, “In response to Lord Liu, the first few entries in the roster were composed by this humble official.”

Liu Chaoming said, “I’m too lazy to read. Recite them for me to hear.”

Su Jin had no choice but to comply.

Director Jiang thought death was imminent, hunched over like an old ginseng root. However, hearing Su Jin recite increasingly incredible details, he slowly straightened his back and stared at her in astonishment—names, native places, birth order in the family, ancestral occupations, whether officials or merchants, promotions and demotions—all correct, as if she had truly composed this roster herself.

After listening for a while, Liu Chaoming interrupted, “Enough.” He closed the roster and fixed his gaze on Su Jin, leisurely remarking, “You have a photographic memory.” With that, he covered his tea bowl and stood up with Zhao Yan.

Seeing the two lords preparing to leave, Director Jiang used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead and bent to see them off respectfully.

Liu Chaoming reached the threshold and paused, asking without preamble, “That old friend of yours—what day did he disappear?”

Su Jin froze briefly, then bent to bow deeply: “In response to my lord, it was five days ago, the ninth day of the fourth month.”

Liu Chaoming said a bland “Oh,” then continued, “On the ninth day of the fourth month, after the court deliberation, Yan Ziyan went to the Eastern Palace and didn’t return until evening. Where would he find the idle time to go to the tribute scholars’ lodgings?”

In other words, the person who went to find Chao Qing with the Yan family jade seal that day was not Young Master Yan the Third.

Actually, after intercepting Yan Ziyan this morning to question him, Su Jin had already guessed this point. She just hadn’t expected the person to confirm this guess for her would be Liu Chaoming.

Su Jin hesitated for a moment, unable to understand what Liu Chaoming intended. She pondered how to thank such an unpredictable and inscrutable figure in a way that would seem proper and sincere.

Liu Chaoming had already stepped across the threshold and said indifferently, “Su Jin.”

Su Jin startled: “Yes.”

Liu Chaoming said coldly, “Still lingering here? Are you waiting for me to have the patrol censors throw you out of the palace?”

There was only one way out of the palace. Liu Chaoming and Zhao Yan walked ahead while Su Jin followed at a measured distance behind.

The sudden rain had stopped. The iron horses on the corner tower of Chengtian Gate were rusted, and when the wind blew, even the bell sounds were hoarse. Zhao Yan took the opportunity to glance back and said in a lowered voice, “So this is Su Jin.”

Liu Chaoming hummed in acknowledgment.

Zhao Yan shook his head. “What a pity. Back then, when the old Censor read his essay ‘Clear Silk Manuscript,’ every word a pearl, criticizing contemporary ills, he said that among essays on governance throughout the realm, no one could surpass it. He thought since the Hanlin Academy didn’t want him, our Imperial Censorate should take him. Who knew that when you and I rushed to recruit him, we were still a step behind those murderers at the Ministry of Personnel.”

Liu Chaoming said, “Rising smoothly may not be good. First difficulty, then success—this can be called benevolent.”

Zhao Yan laughed, “I only fear the old Censor identified talent among the multitude, and just because you and I were a step late, the person was lost to us.”

While speaking, they reached Chengtian Gate. An Imperial Censorate clerk was holding a carriage waiting outside the gate. Su Jin quickened her steps: “Lord Liu.” She raised the umbrella with both hands to eyebrow level and said solemnly, “This subordinate official thanks my lord for lending me the umbrella.”

Liu Chaoming glanced at her, his gaze falling on the distant sky. Though the rain had stopped, the clouds had not dispersed. He said flatly, “No need.”

After boarding the carriage, remembering Zhao Yan’s earlier words, he asked, “From what you said, someone else once asked the Hanlin Academy for Su Jin?”

Zhao Yan replied, “I also heard it from Qian San’er later. After Su Jin was sent to Songshan County, the Thirteenth Prince inquired about his whereabouts. Learning of his fate, he even made a scene at the Ministry of Personnel, frightening that badger Zeng Youliang into thinking he’d stirred up some terrible trouble—he nearly resigned his position. Fortunately, after that, Zhu Shisan went with the army to the northwest garrison, and the matter was dropped.”

Liu Chaoming listened to him speak while lifting the rear curtain to look. Su Jin stood properly at attention in place for a while. Seeing the carriage disappear in a cloud of dust, she slung the paper umbrella over her back, took a shortcut, and strode away.

“The Thirteenth Prince?” Liu Chaoming lowered the curtain, frowning slightly. “Zhu Nanxian?”

—

**Author’s Note:** Unranked: Officials without rank, meaning they don’t even have ninth rank.