The sky had darkened without anyone noticing. Outside, wind arose, and flowing clouds graced the horizon.

The glow of sunset penetrated through the window, enveloping Liu Chaoming’s figure in an interweaving of bright light and shadow.

After a long silence, he asked: “Su Shiyu, after the scholar case back then, you once aspired to enter my Imperial Censorate. What was your aspiration?”

Su Jin opened her mouth, finding it difficult to answer.

Was it to clearly distinguish right from wrong, to guard one’s heart consistently?

Was it to establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish life for the people, to aid the people, to aid the world, to aid the realm?

But such lofty aspirations—if one cannot maintain them consistently from beginning to end, to speak them would only be a laughable blasphemy.

“The moon obscured by clouds—have you found it?” Liu Chaoming asked again.

“Still on the journey,” Su Jin answered. After a pause, she asked in return: “Back then, you told me—sailing in the dark night, facing only the bright moon. Your moon—have you found it?”

Liu Chaoming said: “I am also still on the journey.”

He pondered for a long time, his gaze falling upon Su Jin: “Actually…”

However, before he finished speaking, a knock suddenly came from outside. It was Li Qiong leading Guard Captain Que Wu.

Que Wu entered the study, bowed with clasped hands to both Liu and Su, and said: “Lord Liu, His Majesty has received military correspondence. The northwestern Chili tribes have been moving abnormally frequently. He has decided to break camp early, traveling through the night tonight, determined to reach Sword Gate Pass before daybreak. He has specially ordered this subordinate to come receive you, Lord. I wonder if you have already prepared your belongings?”

These words were spoken very tactfully.

As for the so-called prepared belongings, besides the censor’s robes to be returned and the official seal of the Left Chief Censor, what else could there be?

Liu Chaoming did not answer. Li Qiong at his side said: “Already packed. Lord Que, please wait a moment. This subordinate will go fetch them now.” With that, he hurried down the steps.

Que Wu then looked toward Su Jin: “Lord Su, His Majesty originally intended to summon you today, but because he is entangled with a hundred matters and must return ahead of schedule, he truly has no time to spare. You were once sentenced to exile, and are still bearing your crime. His Majesty commands that you temporarily remain at the Jinzhou Prefecture office. When His Majesty decides how to deal with your case, he will naturally send someone to convey the imperial decree.”

Su Jin bowed in acknowledgment.

Que Wu continued: “This morning, after Lords Shen and Zhai visited the Regional Military Commission, they accompanied His Majesty to inspect the troops in the eastern suburbs. They have now preceded His Majesty to Sword Gate Pass and could not return to bid Lord Su farewell.”

As he spoke, he withdrew from his robes a letter and a willow branch: “These are what the two lords entrusted this subordinate to deliver to Lord Su.”

The letter was written in Zhai Di’s own hand, the characters vigorous and clean.

As for the willow branch… it was probably casually broken off from the roadside by Qingyue.

Mounting a horse without grasping the whip, instead breaking off a willow branch.

A thousand words left unspoken—spring ever remains, and in the future we shall surely meet again.

Su Jin gripped the willow branch tightly in her palm: “Many thanks, Lord Que. Also, please convey Su’s wishes for Qingyue and Qiguang’s safe journey.”

In a moment, Li Qiong returned with two junior clerks, having prepared the belongings. He handed the documents in his hand to Que Wu: “These are three years’ worth of case files related to the tuntion cases, including the mulberry field case of Cuiwei Town. Because we don’t know whether His Majesty will transfer this case to the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review after returning to the capital, Lord Liu has already written summaries at the end of the documents according to the different investigation procedures of the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, with evidence and witness lists appended.”

Que Wu said: “Lord Liu has worked hard.” He glanced at the guard waiting in the courtyard. Understanding, the guard came forward to take the case files.

Li Qiong stood silently for a moment, then carefully received the crimson robes from another junior clerk behind him: “These are the lord’s censor robes and the official seal of the Left Chief Censor of the Imperial Censorate.”

Que Wu did not summon the guard, but personally took them, holding them in his hands.

The brilliant crimson color looked as new as ever. Just one glance was enough to make one lose focus.

Que Wu said again: “Since you have finished preparations, why not immediately accompany this subordinate to the eastern suburbs to meet with His Majesty?”

Liu Chaoming nodded slightly, about to leave with Que Wu, but Su Jin’s gaze inadvertently fell on that touch of brilliant vermillion. She couldn’t help but call out: “Liu Yun.”

The twilight was brilliant. Her gaze moved from the crimson robes to him. “Just now, the last thing you were about to say to Shiyu—what did you actually want to say?”

The wind blew from the edge of heaven.

He stood with his back to the light, she stood facing the light.

Liu Chaoming also looked toward Su Jin. After a long while, he shook his head: “Nothing.”

The carriage departed. Que Wu drove very quickly. By nightfall, they had already traveled several miles outside the city, yet even the rural households had sounds of celebration. The recovery of Annan, the expansion of territory, the establishment of circuits in Yunnan and Guizhou—after decades, the realm finally had its first real piece of good news.

Who knew if there would be more in the future, if things would get better.

Liu Chaoming lifted the carriage curtain. Tonight’s moon was extremely bright and brilliant.

So bright it resembled the sunset glow that had melded into one with Su Shiyu when he departed just now.

She stood in the slanting sun and evening light, the glow pouring down from above her head, her plain white robes as if scorched, asking him “actually what.”

Actually what indeed?

Liu Chaoming thought—initially, wanting her to come to the Imperial Censorate was truly because of the Old Censor’s entrustment. Later, discovering she was a woman, he regretted it deeply. The times were dangerous and difficult. Even for a man it would be a narrow escape from death, let alone with her identity as the descendant of Prime Minister Xie.

After the scholar case, she knelt before him, saying “Your aspiration, Lord, is also Shiyu’s aspiration.” He didn’t know how he came to believe her.

All those earlier calculations of advantages and disadvantages, weighing gains and losses, counted for nothing. Su Jin never knew that the reason she so easily became a censor back then was because the day before the trial of the scholar case in Fengtian Hall, Liu Yun had sought an audience alone with Zhu Jingyuan, begging him to allow Administrative Commissioner Su, who had rendered merit in the scholar case, to enter the Imperial Censorate.

“Your aspiration, Lord, is also Shiyu’s aspiration.”

Setting aside matters of allegiance, her subsequent actions never once disappointed him.

That touch of bright crimson had once fostered in his heart a beautiful vista of lotus leaves spreading across the fields.

What a pity that beautiful vistas should be hidden in the wind, concealed beneath the moon, only when twilight dyed her plain robes with scorching light and fierce fire arose in her bright eyes could one glimpse it again in a trance.

And past events, stripped of their dross, ground into jade, ultimately became still waters running deep.

What else could there actually be?

Actually, she was also the best censor he had seen in all these years.

Perhaps Zhu Yushen had already sent word ahead. When Su Jin returned to the Jinzhou Prefecture office, the courtyard where she stayed had been separated out, with partition walls built, patrols increased, and attendants added—it was practically being made into a special envoy’s residence.

Su Jin originally wanted to tell the staff not to trouble themselves, but thinking that the current master of the office, the Provincial Administration Commissioner, only knew how to flatter and fawn, she let it be. She summoned a junior clerk to ask about Tan Zhaolin and Chao Qing’s whereabouts. The clerk answered: “This morning, you ordered Guard Tan and Master Chao to search for the townspeople of Cuiwei Town together. They haven’t returned yet.” He quickly asked again, “Would you like to dispatch soldiers to search for them?”

Su Jin shook her head: “No need.”

After the meal, washing away the dust of travel, lying down on the couch, she still couldn’t close her eyes no matter what.

Su Jin didn’t know where her future lay. She wanted to go to the northwest to find Zhu Nanxian, but he had finally found safety. With her status as a criminal official, she feared it would bring disaster upon him.

That day, Shen Xi said it would be better for the Thirteenth to remain in the northwest these few years. Those words had double meaning—she understood clearly enough.

Small impatience ruins great plans. These few years, the court situation was still turbulent. Her identity and Zhu Nanxian’s were too special. Acting rashly would be the worst strategy. She should quietly wait for the right opportunity.

In confusion, she didn’t know when she fell asleep. The next day when she woke and finished tidying up, with nothing to do, she originally wanted to go to the office to inquire again about the tuntion cases. Walking to the courtyard, she unexpectedly heard footsteps.

She had thought it was Tan Zhaolin and Chao Qing returning, but going to the courtyard gate to meet them, it was actually Que Wu.

Su Jin said in surprise: “Didn’t Lord Que already leave Shu with His Majesty to return to the capital?”

Que Wu said: “Yes, but His Majesty had important matters to convey, so this subordinate turned back midway.”

He bowed with clasped hands: “Lord Su, His Majesty wants you to know—he already knows that Emperor Jing’an is currently on his way to the northwest.”

Su Jin’s brows furrowed slightly. Unable to discern the deeper meaning behind these words, her whole person became alert.

Who would have expected that Que Wu would turn the conversation, no longer mentioning Zhu Nanxian, but instead saying: “His Majesty asks, in Lord Su’s view, among all the civil and military officials in court, aside from Lord Liu, which office would be most suitable to try the major tuntion cases?”

Su Jin thought for a moment and said: “The tuntion cases involve the new policies, and many officials are implicated. In Su’s view, naturally it would still be most suitable for the Imperial Censorate to try them. But Lord Zhao has already retired. In the Imperial Censorate, although Vice Chief Censor Yan Xiu and Zhai Di, Assistant Censor Song Jue, and the newly appointed Right Assistant Censor Gu Yunjian are all very capable people with promising futures, they are accustomed to acting on Liu Yun’s orders. With no one to take charge in the Censorate for the time being, and the case being so serious, I fear the investigation process would be delayed and difficult, not worth the loss. To be safe, it’s still best to follow Liu Yun’s intention and have the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review jointly investigate.”

Que Wu said: “His Majesty says he has an office in mind. He wonders if Lord Su thinks it suitable?”

Su Jin bowed with hands clasped in her sleeves: “Please speak, Lord Que.”

Que Wu glanced outside the courtyard and clapped his hands together.

In a moment, two guards entered the courtyard, one after another.

Between the two of them, one held the tuntion case files that Li Qiong had returned the day before, the other held a set of vermillion crimson robes and the official seal of the Left Chief Censor.

The two walked before Su Jin and directly knelt down.

Que Wu said: “His Majesty asks—in Lord Su’s judgment, if the former Minister of Justice and First-rank Cabinet Minister Su Shiyu were appointed as Left Chief Censor, could the Imperial Censorate under her leadership try this case well?”