Su Jin paid no attention to the medical official and pushed the door open herself.

Her gaze fell on Liu Chaoming, and she said coolly, “Last night I heard Medical Director Fang mention that he had left a medical assistant to attend to the Fourth Prince. How is it that after one night has passed, the medical assistant is gone, and it’s Lord Liu guarding His Highness instead?”

Her tone was unfriendly. The medical official beside her, hearing this, hastily explained, “In reply to Lord Su, that medical assistant went to check the prescription for the Fourth Prince. This subordinate was temporarily switched in to keep watch. Lord Liu, concerned about His Highness’s condition, came to visit His Highness, just as Lord Su has done.”

Su Jin didn’t dwell on this point either. She glanced at Zhu Yushen lying on the bed with his eyes closed and asked, “How is the Fourth Prince?”

The medical official replied, “In reply to Lord Su, we administered a dose of medicine during the night. He seems somewhat better, but the specifics will only be known after Medical Director Fang examines him.”

Su Jin made an acknowledging sound. Seeing Liu Chaoming lift his foot to leave, she called out, “Lord Liu.” She hurried forward a few steps. “Is My Lord heading to the court session?” She glanced at the sky—there was still a good half hour before the hour of mao. She smiled slightly. “The day before yesterday, the deliberations were interrupted halfway through by the autumn ceremonies. Since My Lord has leisure at this moment, Shiyu will accompany My Lord to Fengtian Hall.”

This was another pretext to detain him.

Liu Chaoming guessed Su Jin’s intention but couldn’t refuse. Otherwise, she would block him with “Since My Lord has leisure to visit the Fourth Prince, can you not spare the time for deliberations?”

When the court session ended, he had just returned to Liuzhao Pavilion when Yan Xiu rushed up to him. “Lord Liu, something has happened.”

Liu Chaoming’s steps halted. “Zhu Yiheng?”

“Yes. Before dawn this morning, Lord Su ordered people to go to Orchid Garden in the rear palace and take away the Tenth Prince. Ostensibly, she only said there was a case to investigate. Our people immediately went to seek your instructions, but because you were at the Imperial Medical Bureau with Lord Su, they didn’t dare approach.”

Yan Xiu’s brow showed some anxiety. “My Lord, Lord Su must have guessed that the Tenth Prince was behind the Annan trading case. Should we go demand his return from her?”

How could they demand his return?

Currently, court power was split evenly between him and Su Shiyu. Unless they could catch Su Shiyu red-handed at the moment she abducted Zhu Yiheng, otherwise, how could they demand anything? Storm into the Ministry of Justice and make a scene?

Liu Chaoming said, “No need. Zhu Yiheng is a clever person. He knows that as long as he doesn’t reveal where the silver went, Su Shiyu won’t take his life.” He paused, then added, “He’ll just suffer some physical pain.”

But with things having reached this point, what was called “physical pain” could hardly be just “some”?

Yan Xiu was just thinking about whether to privately ask someone to go to the Ministry of Justice to inquire about Zhu Yiheng’s safety when Liu Chaoming asked, “Has Shen Qingyue already left?”

“Yes, at the hour of yin, he set out together with Censor Zhai and Vice Minister Liu. Lord Su sent off Lord Shen before going to the Imperial Medical Bureau.”

Liu Chaoming sat down at his desk. Though he hadn’t slept all night, he wasn’t tired now. He closed his eyes, and before them appeared last night’s chess game.

Surrounding the white stone was an impenetrable circle of black stones, but the only one that could devour it was another white stone called “Su Shiyu.”

How could he turn this white stone into a black stone?

Liu Chaoming thought deeply for a moment, then said to Yan Xiu, “Bring me the case files on the Annan merchant case. Have Qian Yueqian come to see me.”

At the end of the month, northern winds arrived. Each day grew colder than the last. Every morning upon waking, one could see early frost condensing on leaf tips and eaves—crystalline, desolate. Everyone said the frost and dew came early this year, so snow would surely fall soon.

But snow was slow to arrive. Come September, several cold rains came first instead.

When it rained, it was bone-chillingly cold. Wu Jizhi, rushing from the Ministry of Justice to Liuzhao Pavilion, pulled her cloak tighter. Only when she pushed open the door to the hall and a wave of heat hit her did the cold throughout her body ease—Su Jin, being a woman, feared the cold more than the court full of civil and military officials. Though it was only early September, silver charcoal already burned in the hall.

She supported her chin with her hand, eyes closed in meditation. Hearing Wu Jizhi enter, she didn’t open her eyes but only asked, “Did he confess?”

“Not yet.” Wu Jizhi found it somewhat hard to say. “Following your instructions, we switched to the rattan whip, but the Tenth Prince stubbornly insists he knows nothing.”

Zhu Yiheng was, after all, a prince. Before Zhu Nanxian returned to the palace, even if Su Jin wanted to conduct torture, she didn’t dare go too far. She couldn’t very well break his limbs, so she could only use the whip.

Unexpectedly, though Zhu Yiheng appeared mild-mannered, when it came to this, he had developed an iron backbone. No matter what combination of soft and hard tactics you used, threats or inducements, torture or cruelty, aside from laughing, he only gave four words: “I know nothing.”

Su Jin had no choice. Yesterday, she ordered the Ministry of Justice to switch to a specially made rattan whip with extremely fine iron hooks knotted into it. When the whip struck, before any mark appeared, blood mixed with fine bits of flesh would emerge.

“The Tenth Prince knows that My Lord absolutely cannot take his life, so he’s seizing on this point to manipulate My Lord.”

Hearing this, Su Jin laughed once. “Let him manipulate. Does he think that without him, this official cannot investigate?”

Only then did Wu Jizhi notice an opened secret dispatch on Su Jin’s desk. She seemed to have already read it—though her eyes were closed, there was a trace of fatigue in her brow.

The secret dispatch stated that in Qiongzhou, a tea merchant whose business wasn’t large had, over a dozen years, transferred tens of millions of taels of silver on several occasions under the guise of tea trading. Because the Ministry of Revenue’s yellow registers had no record of this, investigating it was like searching for a needle in the ocean. Finding clues this quickly could already be considered extremely fortunate.

Unfortunately, the tea merchant had long since died, and his family members were nowhere to be found.

Wu Jizhi asked, “Should My Lord send people to Qiongzhou to investigate further?”

“No need.” Su Jin said. She opened her eyes and casually picked up a map of Da Sui’s northern frontier, pointing to Qiongzhou’s location. “I have a rather unfortunate conjecture.”

Qiongzhou was located between the northern frontier and the northwest. On the surface, there seemed nothing remarkable, but looking upward, one could see three neighboring countries bordering Da Sui. From west to east, they were Chili, Dadan, and Northern Liang.

Among them, Liang was established by remnants of the former dynasty’s Liang Kingdom and old Dadan forces. Chili was located to the west, while the vast grasslands inhabited by Dadan were divided into different tribes, each with its own king, collectively called Dadan.

“Minister Yin from the Ministry of Revenue, along with several others, helped me calculate something. One hundred million taels of silver flowing from Annan into Da Sui in multiple installments—no matter how carefully concealed, as long as it remains within Da Sui’s borders, it’s very difficult not to trace. “

“My Lord means that after this one hundred million taels entered Da Sui, it flowed out again?”

Su Jin made an acknowledging sound. “Since it appeared in Qiongzhou, it should have gone north. We’ve had battles with both Chili and Northern Liang.” Her fingertip slid straight up on the northern region map, then tapped. “Investigate this Dadan.”

“Investigate Dadan”—just three words, simple to say, but how to investigate and where to begin was a difficult problem.

There were too many tribes, forming alliances and connections with each other. Where to start, and how to proceed afterward—all required careful consideration.

Su Jin only gave orders and only asked for results. The difficult problems didn’t fall on her; those below had the headaches.

Wu Jizhi put away the secret dispatch, thinking there was no time to lose. She planned to go find people from the Ministry of War to discuss together. She had barely left when she returned. “Lord Su, Marquis Wenyuan has arrived.”

Su Jin was startled. Qi Boyuan had an aloof temperament and kept far from court. Though he was close friends with Xie Xu, aside from helping once when she impeached Zhu Jiyou, over the years he hadn’t had much contact with her. Even when there was contact, it was minimal.

After all, he was an elder of their family’s generation. Su Jin dismissed Wu Jizhi, straightened her clothing, and went out to greet him from the hall, bowing with proper etiquette. “If the Marquis has business, you need only send word to this junior. Why make this trip yourself?”

Qi Boyuan’s beard and hair had turned completely white. His gaunt cheeks bore the marks of age, but the scholarly integrity sedimented into his bones remained unchanged.

He smiled faintly. “This old man has come to bid farewell. In July, Xuzhi came to the capital and invited this old man to stay at the Liu residence in Hangzhou. This old man accepted. Not knowing when I’ll return from this trip, and with few old friends remaining in the capital, I’ve specifically entered the palace to bid farewell to you and Liu Yun. I hope all will be well with you in the future.”

Su Jin said, “The Marquis and Elder Liu are close friends. If you can stay at the Liu residence in Hangzhou for several months or even a year, keeping each other company, this is a good thing. When the Marquis returns to the capital, I hope you’ll send Shiyu a letter so that Shiyu can fulfill her duties as a junior and go outside the city to receive you.”

Qi Boyuan had no intention of staying long. After drinking a cup of tea in her hall, he rose to take his leave.

But his leave-taking wasn’t to go elsewhere—it was to the main courtyard of Liuzhao Pavilion to find Liu Chaoming.

Su Jin naturally accompanied him. As they walked through corridors and paths, she heard him say, “When Xuzhi came to the capital in July, he stayed at this old man’s residence for a while. After all these years, he’s still rigid. He mentioned Liu Yun’s jade token several times—each mention made him angry, and each anger made him unwilling to return to the residence to see Liu Yun. I heard he later specifically met with you. I only hope he didn’t make things difficult for you.”

Su Jin’s ears perked up. “Lord Liu’s jade token?”

Qi Boyuan made an acknowledging sound. His tone was light and calm, yet carried a hint of surprise. “When Liu Yun left the Liu residence, he was only eleven years old. He took with him a jade token—it was the only memento his mother left him, and also his most precious possession.” As he spoke, he smiled. “What, Liu Yun hasn’t mentioned this to you? This old man thought that with how close you two have been these years, you would know about this.”

Su Jin said, “The Marquis jests. Lord Liu habitually doesn’t like to discuss his own affairs. Though this junior has been close to him, it’s mostly been discussing official business.”

Qi Boyuan nodded. “Mm, that’s his nature.”

Su Jin originally didn’t want to ask further, but regarding this so-called Liu residence jade token, she also had one—given to her personally by Liu Xuzhi.

Those words “only memento,” “most precious possession” were like a suddenly crooked stitch in an embroidered brocade—she couldn’t ignore them.

“May I ask the Marquis, was Lord Liu’s jade token originally a pair?”

“One shouldn’t say a pair, but rather a matching set.” Qi Boyuan said. “Xuzhi is a rigid person. When he married, even his betrothal gifts were completely proper. Just this one matching set of jade tokens—he deliberately selected fine jade and had craftsmen make a pair. He gave one to Liu Yun’s mother, a rare instance of worldly warmth and joy. He later planned to pass them down to Liu Yun, and then to his children and grandchildren.”

Hearing this, Su Jin’s heart jumped in alarm. A thought vaguely floated up in her mind—so the jade token Liu Xuzhi gave wasn’t intended for Minister Xie’s descendant, but for Liu Yun’s wife?

But she had already promised herself to Zhu Nanxian. How could she accept it?

Whether this thought was true or merely speculation, once it took root in her heart, she couldn’t keep that jade token for even a moment longer.

Qi Boyuan saw Su Jin frozen in place and called out, “Ayu?” Then he asked, “What is it? Do you actually know about this jade token?”

Otherwise, how would she know it was a matching set?

Su Jin shook her head and smiled. “I’ve seen Uncle Liu wearing it, that’s all.”

She raised her eyes to look at the plaque—they had reached the main courtyard of Liuzhao Pavilion. “This junior has urgent matters at the Ministry of Justice, so I’ll see the Marquis off here. I hope the Marquis’s journey to Hangzhou will be smooth.”

Qi Boyuan nodded. “Good. In the future, remember—you needn’t call this old man Marquis. You should also call me Uncle.”

Su Jin agreed. She bade farewell to Qi Boyuan, watched him enter Liu Chaoming’s hall, then hurriedly left.

But this departure didn’t take her back to the Ministry of Justice with its “urgent matters” she had just mentioned. Instead, she turned and left Liuzhao Pavilion, saying to the minor official guarding outside, “Prepare a horse. Take this official back to the residence.”

The official hastily complied. By the time Su Jin reached Zhengwu Gate, a carriage was already waiting by Jinshui Bridge.

Su Jin ordered the carriage driven back to the residence. She went into her room to retrieve the jade token. Before she could leave the room, A’Fu saw her and started calling, “Thirteenth Prince! Thirteenth Prince!”

This cry attracted Tan Zhaolin. Seeing that Su Jin had already removed her official robes and was wearing plain blue clothing, he asked, “My Lord, why have you returned to the residence at this hour?” He asked again, “Where are you going? I’ll escort you.”

A’Fu called again, “Prince! Prince!”

The box containing the jade token felt like a branding iron in her hand. She had already accepted Zhu Nanxian’s betrothal. How could she now accept someone else’s token?

Su Jin found it hard to speak of, and only said, “Never mind about that. I have urgent business to attend to. I’ll return to the palace right after.”

When she reached the gate and saw Tan Zhaolin still following her, she added, “I’ve been busy with palace matters recently. I likely won’t be able to return to the residence for several days. You guard Su residence, and be alert in your daily duties.”

Tan Zhaolin grinned and scratched his head. “I know, I know. My Lord can rest assured.”

Su Jin dismissed the palace official who had driven the carriage and drove alone to the Liu residence.

An’ran answered the door. Hearing Su Jin’s purpose, he didn’t dare accept the box, saying, “Since the jade token was given by the Master, even if Lord Su wishes to return it, it should be received by our Master. There’s no reason for An’ran to receive it in his place.”

Su Jin said, “I originally didn’t know this jade token was so precious. I thought it was merely a token. Now knowing that the other jade token is actually My Lord’s mother’s memento, I feel unworthy of receiving it and dare not keep it even a moment longer.”

She didn’t mention that she knew the jade token was part of a matching set meant to be passed down. It was too difficult to say.

An’ran was very troubled. After thinking for a long while, he said, “Then how about this—please have Lord Su sit in the main hall for a moment. Let An’ran fetch brush and ink, and Lord Su can leave a letter for my Master, explaining the reason for returning the jade. When my Master returns to the residence, An’ran will present the letter for him to read.”

Su Jin nodded.

This was good. Her reason for coming to the Liu residence was precisely to avoid the awkwardness of returning the jade in person. Leaving a letter would be better than explaining the circumstances face to face.

Who knew that An’ran had barely retreated a few steps when he returned. “The brushes in the accounting office and side room were taken by A’Liu to the rear courtyard to be washed. Though my Master’s study is nearby, it cannot be entered casually. An’ran will go to the east courtyard study to fetch brush, paper, and inkstone. Please allow Lord Su to wait a bit longer.”

Su Jin agreed and sat alone in the main hall drinking tea.

Earlier, she had only been thinking of quickly returning the jade token and hadn’t thought much about it. Now, sitting quietly, quite a few thoughts floated up from her heart.

The Annan merchant case investigation had reached the most crucial step, but the trail had gone cold. She could very well use the existing “evidence,” combined with the secret edict of “kill without mercy,” to prosecute Liu Yun. But then what?

Did she truly want Liu Yun’s life?

Su Jin knew she should be decisive, unsparing. But reaching this final step, she felt as if she were standing at a cliff’s edge, mountain mist howling, with Liu Yun beside her.

With one push of her hand, she could send him over.

Her fingertips had already touched his back, but suddenly she had no strength. Before her eyes was that first meeting in the continuous spring rains. In her ears was his question, “Would you be willing to come to the Imperial Censorate and serve as a censor under this official?” Mustering courage again, she saw White Screen Mountain with its rolling rocks, and he had come to rescue her.

What she owed, she hadn’t repaid and couldn’t repay.

Su Jin only hoped for some force, whether from the ninth heaven or from Yama himself, to help her disregard the turmoil in her heart and push this palm strike down.

Push it down, and everything would be settled.

The Liu residence was quiet. Somehow, a sentence An’ran had said earlier suddenly floated up in Su Jin’s heart: “Though my Master’s study is nearby, it cannot be entered casually.”

She still remembered that A’Liu had once told her, “No one can enter my Master’s study except Third Brother. Once, there was a maid who entered my Master’s study…”

A’Liu hadn’t finished speaking, but Su Jin had privately taken note and later sent people to inquire.

Liu Chaoming had ordered the maid beaten to death with rods and established a rule. Since then, no one in the Liu residence dared enter his study.

Was that force that could help her push this final palm strike at the cliff’s edge—was it in Liu Yun’s study?

Su Jin set down her teacup and stood up.