The summer sun blazed fiercely, dazzling to the eye. Ming Shu, carrying a tray of jewelry, had walked halfway through the Zhen family garden, her back already damp with sweat. Now blocked by Third Young Lady Lu, she could only stop in the sunlight.
Seeing the other’s ill-intentioned gaze, Ming Shu gave a curtsy and said calmly: “Third Young Lady Lu, please make way. Madam Zhen is waiting to review these jewelry samples.”
This was the Zhen residence, with Zhen family maids nearby. Ming Shu didn’t think Third Young Lady Lu, known for her virtue, would openly cause trouble in someone else’s home. A few taunting words were still bearable.
“Oh?” Lu Ruishan glanced at the tray in her hands and smiled at a younger girl beside her.
The girl wore red clothing and had an arrogant expression. She waved her hand, and the Zhen family’s maid respectfully withdrew. Then she spoke disdainfully: “Items from a fallen establishment—how could Grandmother appreciate these? The elder doesn’t have time to see you.” She finished with a covered laugh.
“This is the Zhen family’s eldest legitimate daughter, Madam Zhen’s most beloved granddaughter,” Third Young Lady Lu introduced.
Ming Shu frowned slightly, vaguely guessing this visit to the Zhen family was someone’s malicious prank. She only said: “In that case, I’ve intruded. I’ll take my leave.”
“What’s the hurry? Grandmother might not be interested, but I am.” Young Lady Zhen gave a signal to those around her, and immediately two maids blocked Ming Shu’s path.
Before Ming Shu could react, Young Lady Zhen had already pulled off the red cloth covering the tray, carelessly tossing it to the ground. Ming Shu turned her body aside but still couldn’t avoid Young Lady Zhen’s hand as she snatched away a butterfly hairpin.
This new set of hairpins featured an insect and grass theme, each piece vivid and lifelike. Ming Shu had invested considerable effort, and the craftsmanship was extremely delicate and detailed, making them too fragile for rough handling. Young Lady Zhen was seen holding the butterfly hairpin, shaking it around, then pretending to accidentally drop it before stepping on it.
“Sorry, I wasn’t careful and broke it. How much silver? I’ll compensate you,” Young Lady Zhen kicked aside the flattened butterfly hairpin and said provocatively.
Ming Shu gripped the tray tightly and smiled: “Young Lady Zhen, the hairpins delivered to your mansion today are new samples, unique in all of Kaifeng, priced at eight hundred taels of silver.”
“Eight hundred taels? For one broken hairpin? Eight hundred taels?” Young Lady Zhen’s face darkened. “Indeed a black-hearted merchant, seizing the opportunity to extort people. Third Sister Lu, is this how you were bullied too? But not here—this is the Zhen family home, you can’t run wild here.”
“Of course, a single butterfly hairpin isn’t worth eight hundred taels. The eight hundred taels is the price for this entire set of hairpins. This set includes three insects and three flowers, six pieces total. Please look carefully…” As she spoke, she presented the tray before everyone, lowering it slightly so they could see all the gold hairpins from above.
It was indeed a set of six hairpins, but each piece wasn’t independent. The six hairpins could perfectly combine to form a summer scene, extraordinarily lively and unique.
“Everyone can see, these six hairpins form one complete set. Missing one piece makes it incomplete. If it were other hairpins, you could compensate based on the individual price, but not with this butterfly hairpin. I’m not extorting you—these hairpins are valuable for their craftsmanship, not just their gold content. Eight hundred taels are merely the cost of producing this set,” Ming Shu smiled, showing no anger. “The Zhen family is a renowned noble house in the capital, and Young Lady Zhen is the eldest legitimate daughter. Surely you wouldn’t quibble over money with a small jewelry shop owner. Would you prefer to pay in silver or bank notes?”
“…” Young Lady Zhen’s face had turned pale, nearly overcome with anger.
Eight hundred taels—where would an unmarried young lady get such money?
“Young Lady Zhen finds it inconvenient? That’s fine too. You could either leave an IOU for future payment or perhaps have your family elders handle it…” Ming Shu continued adding fuel to the fire.
Young Lady Zhen’s expression worsened. Eight hundred taels of silver—if her parents found out, they’d kill her.
“You swindler! You fraudulent merchant!” Anxious and angry, she pulled at Lu Ruishan’s sleeve, “Sister Lu, look at this person! How could Song Brother and Madam Xu favor someone like this!”
Ming Shu raised an eyebrow—Song Brother? Song Qingzhao?
It seemed she was another young lady who admired Song Qingzhao and had been stirred up by Lu Ruishan.
She sighed inwardly. Since entering the capital, young ladies who caused trouble were either after Lu Chang or Song Qingzhao. She hadn’t done anything, yet somehow managed to offend everyone.
Lu Ruishan hadn’t expected Ming Shu to be so unyielding. Their mockery and tricks had backfired, making things worse. She could only try to comfort Young Lady Zhen: “Don’t worry, everything can be discussed.”
“Eight hundred taels, no discussion. I came here today with your family’s invitation to present jewelry samples. Many people witnessed this, even the Duke’s Heir’s wife knows about this matter and has seen this set of hairpins. She knows their value. If Third Young Lady Lu feels sorry for Young Lady Zhen, perhaps you’d like to help cover some of the compensation?” Ming Shu put away her smile and spoke firmly. Seeing Lu Ruishan’s expression change, she couldn’t help but think of the case she had been investigating recently.
Born into an official’s family yet developing such a temperament—who knows how she would handle herself when the truth comes to light?
“You!” Young Lady Zhen shouted angrily, then called for servants, “Throw her out!”
“Go ahead and try. One way or another, I won’t leave today without a resolution. Even if this matter goes to the authorities, your family is clearly in the wrong. There’s nothing to fear,” Ming Shu had no noble lady’s face to maintain. As a merchant, face was the easiest thing to cast aside. Since Young Lady Zhen dared to bully her using inner courtyard tactics, she would also let the other party know how treacherous the world could be.
“You…”
Neither Young Lady Zhen nor Lu Ruishan usually dealt with anyone but noble families. They had never encountered someone willing to tear off facades and make a scene like this. For a moment, they didn’t know what to do and were frantically thinking of solutions when suddenly a servant came running urgently from afar.
“What? Kaifeng Prefecture yamen runners? What matter do they speak of?”
After hearing the Zhen family servant’s report, Ming Shu frowned. Ying Xun had sent yamen runners to find her, saying there was an urgent matter requiring her presence at the yamen. Ming Shu pondered silently—it must be extremely urgent, otherwise Ying Xun wouldn’t have sent people to find her at the Zhen residence.
“They say there was a fire at the Liu household on North Xie Street.”
Ming Shu was shocked—Liu Wan’er’s home was on fire.
“What crime has Young Lady Lu committed to have Kaifeng Prefecture yamen runners come to arrest her at the Zhen residence?” Over there, Lu Ruishan, hearing the news, shed her previous anxious expression and mockingly pressed Young Lady Zhen’s hand, but involuntarily shuddered when Ming Shu looked her way.
That gaze was no longer one of minor confrontation.
Ming Shu didn’t hesitate or argue with the two of them, only leaving these words: “I have urgent matters to attend to and must leave first. Regarding today’s incident, I will send a letter to your family’s master. Farewell.”
With that, she hurriedly followed the servant away.
On the way, the yamen runner explained the general situation to Ming Shu.
The fire had started at Liu Wan’er’s home last night and then spread to neighboring houses. Residents and the fire brigade worked until dawn to finally extinguish the dangerous fire. In the fire, one person was injured and one died—the injured was Liu Wan’er, and the deceased was Madam Cai.
Why was Madam Cai at Liu Wan’er’s home?
Ming Shu was extremely puzzled.
When she arrived at the Kaifeng Prefecture yamen, everyone involved in the fire had been brought there. Ying Xun was assigning people to take statements from those brought to the yamen when he suddenly heard someone call “Master” from outside. He turned his head to see Ming Shu, quickly gave final instructions about the remaining matters, then waved her over and led her aside.
“How is Liu Wan’er? How serious are her injuries?” Ming Shu asked.
“The injuries aren’t serious, she just woke up,” Ying Xun replied with a grave expression. “She has external injuries, not burns.”
“External injuries?” Ming Shu became even more puzzled. “Can I see her?”
Ying Xun nodded: “She wants to see you too.”
As they spoke, the two had already walked to a room. Through the window, Ming Shu saw Liu Wan’er sitting on the bed with bandages around her forehead, while an elderly cleaning woman from the yamen was looking after her. When the two entered the room, Liu Wan’er heard the movement and looked up. Seeing Ming Shu, her expression brightened, and she said happily: “Young Lady Lu…”
Ming Shu quickly went forward and pressed down on her hand: “Don’t get up, stay seated while we talk. This is Constable Ying, he’s in charge of investigating this case. Just tell us directly what happened last night.”
The elderly woman beside them poured three cups of water and placed them on the table. Ming Shu saw that Liu Wan’er still looked frightened, so she picked up a cup and handed it to her: “Take your time, there’s no rush. This is the Kaifeng Prefecture yamen, don’t be afraid.”
Liu Wan’er took a sip of water to moisten her throat before slowly speaking: “Yesterday was like any other day, I closed my door early, but around the middle of the xu hour [7-9 PM], someone suddenly visited late at night. Living alone, I shouldn’t have opened the door, but I saw it was a woman, and she said she was… sent by Young Lady Lu to tell me about my background. So I didn’t suspect anything and invited her in.”
As she spoke, she seemed to recall something frightening and tightly gripped her cup.
Ming Shu and Ying Xun exchanged glances, and she said: “I never sent anyone to find you.”
Ying Xun nodded and asked Liu Wan’er: “What happened next?”
“After letting her in, she asked many questions, all about my foster parents and childhood. We talked for about half an hour, then she suddenly said… ‘It’s you, it is you.’ I didn’t understand what she meant, but thinking about my background, I asked her about it. But she went behind me, and I don’t know what she used to hit my head, but I immediately lost consciousness.” She shuddered again.
Ming Shu gripped her hand tightly.
Liu Wan’er continued recalling.
After being knocked unconscious, she woke up not long after to find herself gagged and bound, thrown into her hall. The person who had entered was turning her back while spreading dry grass around, muttering to herself: “I’m sorry, you shouldn’t have investigated… my daughter, you must die… once you’re dead, no one will interfere…”
Liu Wan’er saw the situation was dire and, while the person wasn’t paying attention, found a small knife she had hidden in a nearby cabinet. She quietly cut her bonds, planning to escape. However, she was discovered while trying to flee, and they started fighting in the house.
“The candlestick on the table was knocked over, igniting the dry grass and starting a big fire. She tried to drag me back into the room. I was terrified and somehow pushed her. She tripped and fell, hitting her head on the table corner and passing out. I took that chance to escape the house, but after running a few steps, I felt weak and everything went black. I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up here. That person… was she caught?” Liu Wan’er finished her story and asked fearfully.
It seemed she didn’t know Madam Cai was dead.
“Did she say who she was?” Ying Xun asked in return.
“Yes, she said her surname was Cai,” Liu Wan’er replied.
“Surname Cai… this person died in the fire at your home,” Ying Xun said.
Liu Wan’er became both anxious and frightened, her face turning pale. She looked at Ying Xun, then tremblingly gripped Ming Shu’s hand: “Dead? Dead in my home? No… I didn’t kill her, Constable Ying, Young Lady Lu, I didn’t kill anyone, she was trying to kill me! I was only trying to survive.”
“We know, don’t be afraid. Don’t be scared,” Ming Shu comforted her. “With Constable Ying here, you won’t be wrongly accused, rest assured.”
It took quite a while of comforting before Liu Wan’er gradually calmed down. Ming Shu and Ying Xun bid farewell and left, telling her to rest well.
“Master, what do you think?”
As soon as they left, Ming Shu grabbed Ying Xun and asked.
“Liu Wan’er has an injury on the back of her head, marks on her hands and feet from being bound, and many bruises from the struggle, consistent with her description. As for Madam Cai, we need to wait for the coroner’s report, but she was burned beyond recognition, so external injuries will be hard to verify. Plus, the scene was destroyed by fire, making evidence collection difficult,” Ying Xun answered.
“How did Madam Cai find Liu Wan’er?” Ming Shu asked while frowning and thinking, suddenly realizing something, “Could it be Madam Peng…”
Did Madam Peng reveal something while trying to get information from Madam Cai, making her suspicious? Along with Ming Shu and Ying Xun’s previous questioning, she feared the baby-switching would be exposed, so she decided to kill Liu Wan’er, but unexpectedly failed to burn Liu Wan’er to death and instead got herself killed.
“We’ve already sent people to find Madam Peng,” Ying Xun said coldly, then added self-reproachfully, “How evil, we should have arranged protection for Liu Wan’er then.”
His thoughts aligned with Ming Shu’s speculation.
“Master, don’t blame yourself,” Ming Shu comforted him.
If there was blame to assign, she shared in the error.
They just hadn’t expected human hearts could be so malicious.
Ming Shu didn’t have to wait long before the yamen runners brought Madam Peng back.
As they had speculated, Madam Peng’s son had indeed tried to get information from Madam Cai but hadn’t managed to learn the baby’s whereabouts from her.
Only Madam Cai knew where that child was, which explained why she appeared at Liu Wan’er’s home.
The coroner’s report came quickly—Madam Cai died from the fire, with no other suspicious marks on the body.
The scene investigation revealed no suspicious points, and nearby witnesses confirmed Madam Cai had visited at the time Liu Wan’er mentioned.
One by one, everything matched Liu Wan’er’s account and Ying Xun and Ming Shu’s speculations.
This arson case could be concluded quickly.
Ming Shu was one of the witnesses and needed to testify in court. Since this matter involved an old case concerning Minister Lu of the Ministry of Works, the judge in charge felt some difficulty and sought Lu Chang’s guidance.
“Since it involves the Lu family and relates to an old case, naturally the Lu family members should be summoned to the yamen,” Lu Chang said solemnly, sitting behind his desk. “You needn’t worry, just proceed as usual. I will attend the hearing.”
The judge accepted the order and left, leaving only Ming Shu standing nearby.
This was her first time entering the yamen, her first time in his second hall office, yet she just stood there in a daze.
“Ming Shu? What’s wrong?” Lu Chang walked around his desk to her side and asked.
Ming Shu shook her head, only saying: “Brother, if things proceed this way, the Lu family’s old case will have to be exposed in court, won’t it?”
“When there’s a death involved and it reaches the court, there’s no avoiding it. What’s wrong? Don’t you want the truth to come to light?” Lu Chang asked again.
“It’s not that…” Ming Shu shook her head again.
It was just that there were still some things she couldn’t make sense of.
Madam Cai’s attempt to silence Liu Wan’er, the arson case—although all evidence pointed to Madam Cai, it had inadvertently… confirmed Liu Wan’er’s identity.