Su Jin’s steps thus stopped outside the threshold.

Her first feeling in her heart was surprisingly a joy of unexpected reunion, but it wasn’t exuberant—rather it was both serene and pleased, like this late summer drizzle covering the eaves with faint light.

Only then did she suddenly realize this joy shouldn’t have come.

She had come to investigate a case. The Annan merchant case was clearly related to Liu Yun. Running into him here meant that this lead she had worked so hard to find was about to be cut off by him getting there first.

“Young Master Jia?” The servant beside her, seeing that she seemed dazed, called out to her.

Su Jin gathered her composure, nodded to the servant, stepped over the threshold, and bowed to Liu Chaoming: “My humble surname is Jia, given name Su. I’m from Qizhou. Today I came to visit County Magistrate Hu of Qinghe. I didn’t expect to happen upon you, sir. May I ask your honored surname and given name, and when did you arrive?”

This series of questions was actually just to lead to the last sentence: “When did you arrive?”

Liu Chaoming naturally understood clearly, so he only answered one sentence: “Just a quarter-hour before you.” He even omitted mentioning the alias “Zhen Liu.”

The servant again invited Su Jin to be seated, lifted the teapot to pour tea for her and Tan Zhaolin, and apologized: “Seeing Young Master Jia’s appearance, with guards accompanying you when you go out, you must be of extraordinary birth. The residence has some mingqian tea left, already my master’s treasured collection. I hope you won’t find the service lacking.”

Su Jin pressed her lips and shook her head: “I heard that Magistrate Hu originally served as Prefect in Wuzhou Prefecture in Lingnan, then was idle for three years before being transferred to Qinghe County in Suzhou Prefecture in the first year of Jin’an?”

The servant said: “My master often teaches us humble ones to treat people with sincerity. Being idle for three years is just a way of putting it. In the twenty-second year of Jingyuan, because the master was excessively grieved by his wife’s death, he delayed by two days a batch of military supplies stored in Wuzhou Prefecture that were to be sent to Lingnan Guard. He was dismissed from office by the Prince of Zhennan according to military law. It wasn’t until two years ago, when His Majesty ascended the throne and granted general amnesty, that the master returned to officialdom to serve as County Magistrate in Qinghe County.”

The Prince of Zhennan was Zhu Qiyue. The two characters “Zhennan” were a posthumous title Zhu Nanxian conferred on him after his death, honoring his heart of defending the nation through half a lifetime guarding the borders.

Actually, Su Jin had long heard of this old matter the servant just mentioned. She also knew that this County Magistrate Hu had been deeply in love with his first wife. After she passed away, he neither remarried nor took concubines, remaining alone to this day.

Su Jin’s thoughts drifted back to the case.

She had originally planned to disguise herself as a scholar and spend half a day maneuvering with Magistrate Hu to probe for some truth. But just now Liu Chaoming had made it clear he arrived only a quarter-hour before her—which meant he had come precisely to compete with her for this person.

She had investigated the Annan merchant case, not hesitating to claim illness and stay in Annan for more than half a year. Now that she had finally found an informant, she absolutely couldn’t let Liu Yun get there first.

There was no need to pretend to be a real or fake scholar anymore. When Magistrate Hu returned from duty, she would reveal her identity, find a pretext, and have Tan Zhaolin directly take the person away. Su Jin thought as much.

The servant refilled Liu Chaoming’s tea and withdrew from the hall.

Su Jin thus sat facing him. Both held teacups, with swirling tea mist before them. For a moment, there were no words.

Indeed, they didn’t know what to say.

Though they had clashed due to their positions and parted ways feeling their paths were different, they had still treated each other fairly openly, and their words had all come from genuine hearts. Sitting here today, she was investigating him, he was guarding against her. Their purposes were mutually understood without being spoken. Though estrangement had long grown, she still couldn’t persuade herself to step forward and call out “Young Master Zhen Liu.”

Su Shiyu had weathered the officialdom’s ups and downs for nearly a decade, developing the excellent ability to remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before her. Only in front of Liu Yun could she truly not muster even half a measure of false pretense.

After a while, it was Liu Chaoming who asked first: “Has your illness recovered?”

He was naturally asking about the “fake illness” she had contracted in Annan.

Su Jin was silent for a moment: “There are no major problems anymore.”

Liu Chaoming made an “mm” sound and stopped speaking.

Fortunately, not long after, County Magistrate Hu returned. The person was still in the outer courtyard when his voice reached the main hall: “This official has served for decades, and this is still the first time I’ve seen such fine calligraphy. I dare not presume to instruct on literary compositions. The talents of you two—”

Before he finished speaking, he looked up to see two people standing in the main hall and immediately froze.

Both wore blue scholar’s robes. One was cold and clear, the other distant and aloof. Their bearing was extraordinarily distinguished, making him involuntarily feel reverence. He even unconsciously ignored the burly guard standing behind that distant gentleman.

“Are you two…举人 Zhen and Scholar Jia?” County Magistrate Hu said hesitantly. Having made the bowing gesture halfway, he suddenly realized that these two, whether in terms of scholarly achievement or age, were his juniors, and he shouldn’t be the one to bow first. He forcibly withdrew his hand.

Su Jin was quiet for a moment, then apologized: “I hope County Magistrate Hu won’t take offense. I’m actually not a scholar, but rather—”

“Master, Master!” Just as Su Jin was halfway through speaking, the servant guarding outside the courtyard hurried over: “The Prefect has come to the residence with dozens of yamen runners!”

“The Prefect?” County Magistrate Hu was startled. “Prefect Cao of Suzhou Prefecture?”

The servant, out of breath, nodded vigorously.

County Magistrate Hu was stunned. This was his private residence, not an official yamen. What matter was so urgent that the Suzhou Prefecture Prefect would personally lead yamen runners to his home?

Ordinarily, upon hearing that the Prefect had arrived in person, County Magistrate Hu would surely rush out without stopping to pay respects. But right now, the two seemingly immortal figures in the main hall made it impossible for him to simply ignore them. He thus asked: “Since the Prefect has arrived at the residence, would you two be willing to go out with this official to pay respects? With your two’s outstanding character, you would surely gain the Prefect’s appreciation and obtaining an official position would be no problem.”

Liu Chaoming didn’t answer. Su Jin bowed: “Thank you for your trouble, County Magistrate.”

Prefect Cao’s complexion seemed rather poor. He stood outside with his hands behind his back, waiting anxiously. As soon as he saw County Magistrate Hu come out, without waiting for formalities, he grabbed his arm and asked: “Did you see the Chief Grand Secretary today?”

County Magistrate Hu was stunned for a moment: “What Chief Grand Secretary?”

“The Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat, Left Censor-in-Chief, Minister Liu.” Prefect Cao said word by word, then anxiously added, “This official heard last night that Minister Liu was coming to Qinghe County. I rushed here with yamen runners overnight but couldn’t find him. Have you seen him?”

This time County Magistrate Hu finally understood clearly and grew anxious along with Prefect Cao.

The Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat held the First Rank, was first among all ministers of the current court. During these two years of Emperor Jin’an’s personal campaign, he managed court affairs together with Minister Shen, who also held the First Rank as Assistant Grand Secretary. He could be said to be below one person and above ten thousand others. If Minister Liu suffered any slight in Qinghe County, anyone would be unable to bear the consequences.

But he truly hadn’t seen many outsiders today, except for the two scholars who came to visit his residence.

Thinking of these two scholars, County Magistrate Hu couldn’t help but turn his head. Both stood with hands behind their backs. Even seeing Prefect Cao, they neither knelt nor bowed.

“Who are these two?” Following County Magistrate Hu’s gaze, Prefect Cao also saw Su Jin and Liu Chaoming.

County Magistrate Hu, fearing that Prefect Cao would rebuke them for their rudeness, hastily said: “Reporting to the Prefect, these two are scholars who came to visit my humble residence. They possess great talents. This subordinate official was just planning to introduce them to you.” He then reminded Su Jin and Liu Chaoming: “Why don’t you pay respects to the Prefect?”

Only at this moment did Su Jin finally have the opportunity to speak again. She thus continued from where she left off earlier: “I hope Prefect Cao and County Magistrate Hu won’t take offense. I’m actually not a scholar, but rather someone from the Ministry of Justice, surnamed Su. I came here today for a case and need to ask County Magistrate Hu to return with this official to the capital to write a confession.”

As soon as these words came out, both Prefect Cao and County Magistrate Hu were stunned.

After a while, Prefect Cao cupped his hands: “So you’re actually an official from the Ministry of Justice.” He then said carefully, “I hope Minister Su won’t take offense. I don’t really know people from the Six Ministries. Speaking of those surnamed Su in the Ministry of Justice, I only know of one—the Assistant Grand Secretary and Minister Su. May I ask which department of the Ministry of Justice you serve in?”

His words were not false.

In the twenty-fourth year of Jingyuan, Su Jin solved the “forged documents” case in Suzhou Prefecture, and Zhu Jingyuan furiously executed the Suzhou Prefect. This Prefect Cao was appointed as Prefect afterward. In the second year of Jin’an, after completing his three-year term, he returned to the capital to report on his duties. Su Jin was still in Annan, and Liu Chaoming was already Chief Grand Secretary, so he hadn’t had the fortune to meet them.

Su Jin said: “Precisely the Minister of Justice Su Jin.”

The surroundings seemed deathly silent.

A moment later, Prefect Cao and County Magistrate Hu’s knees simultaneously hit the ground. While kowtowing, they said: “Minister Su, please forgive us. Your subordinate official knew that Minister Su and the accompanying imperial guards had arrived at Suzhou Prefecture. Yesterday when we went to request an audience, we were stopped by the guard commander. Your subordinate official therefore didn’t dare disturb you further. It wasn’t intentional neglect of the Minister.” He then raised his head and, though somewhat understanding, still asked very cautiously: “Since Minister Su has also come to Qinghe County, have you seen the Chief Grand Secretary?”

Though Su Jin felt awkward in her heart, her face remained unchanged as she responded: “The person beside this official is precisely him.”

Prefect Cao and County Magistrate Hu, thinking of their earlier urgency in searching for Liu Chaoming, just wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury themselves. It was Su Jin who said: “You two need not be overly courteous. Please rise and speak.”

Prefect Cao finally managed to get up from the ground. Thinking that before him stood two Grand Secretariat officials—one from the Ministry of Justice and one from the Censorate, who could be said to hold the power of life and death over all under heaven—he dared not stand straight, asking as if treading on thin ice: “What can your subordinate official do to serve you two Ministers who have personally come to Qinghe County, Suzhou?”

Su Jin didn’t want to delay here, saying: “This official came to handle a case. I’ve investigated and found that County Magistrate Hu is a witness in the case. I need to take him back to the Ministry of Justice for questioning.”

Prefect Cao asked again: “May I ask what case County Magistrate Hu is involved in?”

“A case of merchants trading goods.”

Though County Magistrate Hu’s expression quickly returned to normal, the slight tremor at the corner of his mouth when he heard the words “trading goods” was still completely caught by Su Jin’s eyes.

She made an immediate decision: “Zhaolin.”

Tan Zhaolin understood. He removed the Ministry of Justice token from his waist and held it before Prefect Cao and County Magistrate Hu, saying: “County Magistrate Hu, let’s go.”

“Wait a moment.” Just then, Liu Chaoming said flatly.

He descended the steps with his hands behind his back and stopped before Su Jin: “County Magistrate Hu is a court official. Although Minister Su may use the Minister’s token to request someone come to the capital, without an official warrant issued from the Ministry of Justice, the trial cannot begin. Minister Su just returned to the capital from Annan and hasn’t yet returned to the Ministry of Justice. Presumably you don’t have a warrant.”

Su Jin said without revealing emotion: “Thank you for Minister Liu’s reminder. After returning to the capital, this official will personally write the warrant without a moment’s delay.”

Liu Chaoming said: “As it happens, this official is also investigating an old merchant case from Lingnan.” He took a paper scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Su Jin. “I did remember to write the warrant first.”

Su Jin unrolled the paper scroll. This warrant was clearly something Liu Yun had written temporarily. Only his name was signed on it, with no statements or evidence written by subordinates below. But he was, after all, the Left Censor-in-Chief. Even with only his name, as long as it bore the seal of the Imperial Censorate, she had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Su Jin handed the warrant to County Magistrate Hu: “Since it’s so, you go with Minister Liu to the Imperial Censorate for trial first.”

County Magistrate Hu received it with both hands, then performed another grand bow to Su Jin. Just as he was about to leave with Liu Chaoming, he suddenly heard Su Jin call from behind: “Minister Liu.”

She stepped forward two paces and smiled slightly: “I suddenly thought that Minister Liu came in haste and probably didn’t bring guards with you. Even if you did, they wouldn’t be as thorough as the imperial guards. As it happens, Shiyu’s return to the capital has imperial guard escorts all along the way. And as far as I know, this merchant trading case is no small matter. Now that we’ve found a witness, we should protect him all the more. Minister Liu is returning to the capital, and Shiyu is also returning to the capital. Why not travel together, with the imperial guards protecting County Magistrate Hu along the way?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of marching troops actually came from outside the alley. Shortly after, armored military guards appeared at the street head, cupping their hands and bowing to Su Jin—precisely the two Fengxiang Guard commanders who had accompanied Su Jin to Lingnan these two years.

After the two finished their salute, they didn’t come forward, presumably having received Su Shiyu’s instructions.

Civil officials had no authority to command troops, but the current situation was distinctly different. These imperial guards had been sent by Emperor Jin’an to protect the envoy. As long as Su Jin hadn’t returned to the capital for even one day, she was still the envoy, and these imperial guards still obeyed her orders.

Liu Chaoming thus understood that Su Shiyu had decided early on that if she couldn’t win openly, she would use military force against him. In any case, she would take County Magistrate Hu away no matter what.

He looked at Su Jin. After a long moment, he curved the corner of his mouth and actually showed a slight smile: “Minister Su’s thinking is indeed thorough. Let the imperial guards provide the escort.”

The drizzle continued. The wind was cool and the air clear. After the several people waited in the rain for a moment, the Fengxiang Guards led two carriages forward and back.

Su Jin and Liu Chaoming each boarded a carriage, one in front and one behind. With a single command from the Fengxiang Guards, the procession slowly set off again.

Prefect Cao knelt with the yamen runners at the end of the alley, and only after watching the procession of these two “golden Bodhisattvas” completely disappear did he manage to get up. But then he saw a unit of twelve Fengxiang Guards turn back, walk directly to the front of the Hu residence, ask: “Has anyone left the Hu residence just now?” and then begin guarding it front and back.

Prefect Cao dared not ask more questions and quickly left with the yamen runners.

In the carriage, Tan Zhaolin said very puzzled: “Minister Su, you’ve already got County Magistrate Hu in hand. Why still send people to guard the Hu residence?”

Su Jin didn’t answer this question, closing her eyes and leaning against the carriage wall, as if resting.

However, just a moment later, she suddenly opened her eyes: “Zhaolin, ride fast immediately. Return to the capital within one day. Have Qingyue use my imminent return as a pretext to personally send people to wait outside Zhengyang Gate.”

“Why?” Tan Zhaolin asked, not understanding.

Su Jin said: “Qingyue’s power in the court now rivals Liu Yun’s. It’s not too difficult to conduct affairs while keeping things from Liu Yun. Judging from Liu Yun’s actions just now, he arrived at Qinghe County only a quarter-hour before me. The Imperial Censorate warrant was also written on the road, proving he was very rushed. He must have only learned in the past couple of days that Qingyue and I were investigating the Annan merchant case, and it’s highly likely he guessed based on my whereabouts.

“Liu Yun is unfathomably deep. He never fights battles he’s not sure of winning. This time he was so rushed that he still had to take back County Magistrate Hu, which proves this county magistrate definitely knows extremely important inside information. Liu Yun won’t easily give this person to me. He must have hidden a backup plan I can’t anticipate.”