“Shh!” Ming Huashang looked at Xie Jichuan with solemn gravity and spoke with impeccable reasoning: “We are on official business. Do not obstruct official duties. The gentleman’s form need not match his heart — his heart need not match his skill. As long as the heart is upright, what does outward appearance matter?”

Xie Jichuan stared at her silently, raised an eyebrow, and asked: “In that case, why have you covered your face?”

Ming Huashang’s hand reflexively went to the cloth over her face. She maintained her air of righteousness: “That is because I am afraid of startling Widow Hu.”

“Neither of you speak.” Ren Yao draped herself over the top of the wall and said quickly: “She has gone inside — I can’t make out what she’s doing. What do we do?”

Ming Huashang quietly knotted her face covering tight and said: “Go in and listen — ah, I mean, continue the pursuit.”

Ren Yao was first over the wall. Ming Huashang scaled the bricks like a gecko — not particularly elegant, but she managed. The effort loosened her hair; one of her yuanbao-shaped decorative hairpins hung loose beside her bun, swaying and about to fall.

Xie Jichuan’s gaze settled on the swaying tassels beneath the hairpin. It struck him that she was genuinely fond of things shaped like yuanbao and ruyi — if he recalled correctly, her maids were named the same. Ming Huashang, seeing that Xie Jichuan had not moved, pressed her voice down to a hiss: “Hurry — she’s about to notice us!”

Xie Jichuan looked at her a moment longer, then climbed the wall with languid ease, clearing it with one hand in a single unhurried vault. He landed silently, without the faintest sound, stirring only a small scattering of dust.

Ren Yao moved with swift precision to find cover, slipping forward like a hunting cat. Ming Huashang crouched over and crept up behind Ren Yao with careful, tiptoeing steps, peeping out one head’s width to look — the very picture of someone doing something illicit.

Xie Jichuan watched the two of them moving about and sighed again. He was too obviously unwilling even to bother concealing himself, and walked over upright.

Ming Huashang caught the motion from the corner of her eye and waved urgently, signaling him to crouch down. Xie Jichuan gathered his robe, grudgingly half-crouched against the wall, and asked: “What are you planning to do?”

“Not sure — let’s see how things develop.” Ming Huashang’s eyes were fixed intently ahead without so much as a blink. She breathed the words: “We improvise.”

Inside the room, Widow Hu looked around, then retrieved a piece of paper from the cabinet. She muttered quietly to herself for a moment, then produced a fire striker and made to set it alight.

Ming Huashang instinctively felt this was evidence, and her alertness sharpened: “We can’t let her burn it.”

She had been about to suggest that she create a distraction to lure Widow Hu outside while Ren Yao and Xie Jichuan went in to retrieve the evidence — but before she could even get the words out, Xie Jichuan had already pinched a stone between his fingers and flung it through the window.

The back of Widow Hu’s hand stung. The fire striker dropped from her hand, rolled once, and went out. Widow Hu scrambled to her feet in alarm: “Who is there?”

Xie Jichuan stood up plainly and revealed himself: “I am Deputy Jing Zhaoyiin of the Jing Zhaoyin, Ming Huazhang, here to investigate a case. What is it you are holding?”

Ming Huashang was startled. She looked up in fury: “What did you say?”

Xie Jichuan looked down at her, entirely unabashed: “Did you not say the gentleman is in his heart, not his form?”

Ming Huashang choked back a furious hiss: “Then use your own name — why would you impersonate my Second Elder Brother?”

“I am not a gentleman. He is.”

Ren Yao found these two quite insufferable. She lunged upright, vaulted through the window, and landed in the room. Before Widow Hu had time to react, Ren Yao had already snatched the paper from her hand. Widow Hu was badly startled and instinctively lunged for it: “Give it back!”

Ren Yao stepped back with ease, avoiding Widow Hu’s grasp effortlessly. She looked at what was written on it, and paused: “A prayer charm for a son?”

Not a letter, not evidence — merely a charm paper to pray for the birth of a son?

Ren Yao stood there startled for a moment too long. Widow Hu lunged again and yanked the charm paper back with force. She glared at Ren Yao fiercely, blustering despite her clear unease: “You brazen ruffians — how dare you barge into a private home? Get out! Or I will report you to the authorities!”

“No need for that — we are the authorities.” Xie Jichuan pushed open the door and walked in. “I have no doubt you have heard what happened to the keeper of Jinxiu Tower. Madam Qian filed a report claiming that the child in your womb is a baseborn bastard of unknown origin, disguised as Innkeeper Qian’s posthumous heir, in an attempt to seize his estate. Widow Hu — will you confess on your own, or shall we follow Madam Qian’s request and bring you to the cells to take your time thinking it over? The cells are cold and damp. Whether the child in your womb survives — that is difficult to say.”

Ming Huashang came in last. She glanced at Xie Jichuan, privately marveling that this man could fabricate and incite trouble with such casual ease.

True enough, the moment Widow Hu heard, she exploded. She snarled: “That vicious woman Liu! ‘Madam Qian,’ ha! A woman on her second marriage — she calls herself Madam Qian? Lord Investigator, the child in my womb is the genuine blood of the Qian family — Liu is only saying that to eliminate my child so she can keep the estate to herself. Lord Investigator, you must uphold justice for this common woman!”

Xie Jichuan stood with his sleeves folded, unwilling to touch a single thing in Widow Hu’s home, and said languidly: “Now that Qian Yi is gone, who can confirm this is his child? And even granting that it is truly his flesh and blood — Liu has already borne a legitimate eldest son. All the property of Jinxiu Tower and the Qian family estate rightfully passes to her son by inheritance. Regardless of whether your child is male or female, that child has no claim whatsoever on Jinxiu Tower.”

Widow Hu was incensed beyond restraint and bellowed: “That promiscuous woman — she could poison Innkeeper Feng to get remarried before, so who’s to say this time Qian dear’s death wasn’t her doing as well?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Widow Hu realized what she had said. She clapped her hand over her mouth in a panic — but it was too late. Xie Jichuan looked down at her with an expression between a smile and not, and said: “What was that? The Widow Liu killed Innkeeper Feng?”

Widow Hu was flustered. She turned away, her fingers unconsciously shredding the prayer charm to pieces: “I was talking nonsense. I’ve had a bad bout of morning sickness these last few days — my head is muddled, and I often speak without thinking. Please disregard it, Lord Investigator.”

Ren Yao had entirely lost patience with Widow Hu’s hemming and hawing: “Just tell us what you know! If you tell us, we can clear up the truth.”

Widow Hu still kept her head down, unmoved. Ming Huashang studied Widow Hu’s behavior carefully and said: “Is this something Qian Yi told you?”

Widow Hu’s shoulders drew in slightly. She looked away in a fluster: “No. I don’t know anything.”

Ming Huashang was about to reason with her and appeal to her better judgment when Xie Jichuan raised a hand to stop her. His gaze went cold as he fixed it on Widow Hu: “My patience is limited. I will give you one piece of advice — do not mistake kindness for weakness. If you do not speak, then I have no choice but to report your words from just now to the Widow Liu. Once that happens, if you want to speak to the authorities — you will find you have no opportunity left.”

Xie Jichuan turned and walked out without a glance back. Widow Hu was frightened, and rushed to call out: “Do not go! Lord Investigator, please — I dare not.”

Ming Huashang and Ren Yao sat at the table. Xie Jichuan still stood, arms folded, refusing to touch so much as a hem of Widow Hu’s furnishings. Widow Hu sat opposite them and said: “What I said was not without cause. There was a time when… when Qian dear told me that in Jinxiu Tower he did not dare sleep too deeply, for fear he would end up like Innkeeper Feng. He also said he wanted to leave Jinxiu Tower to our child — and that if anything were to happen to him, I must beware of the Widow Liu.”

Ming Huashang and Ren Yao exchanged a glance. Ming Huashang asked: “Why beware of the Widow Liu?”

“I am not entirely certain…” Widow Hu said haltingly. “Qian dear said that three years ago, the Widow Liu had asked him to buy a particular medicine. He assumed it was needed to replenish Innkeeper Feng’s supply of the same, and went without thinking. When he came back, the Widow Liu decocted the medicine herself. The next day, Innkeeper Feng fell violently ill in the night and was dead.”

When she finished, Widow Hu looked at Ming Huashang and Ren Yao with an eager expression: “Lord Investigator, if the Widow Liu did truly poison her first husband, surely she would face the death penalty?”

Ming Huashang looked at the greed and anticipation in Widow Hu’s eyes and did not have the heart to disillusion her. If Qian Yi’s errand to buy the medicine was true, the death penalty would not fall solely on the Widow Liu — Qian Yi could not escape the charge of being complicit in the murder of his master. He too would face death. And Jinxiu Tower would never be awarded to Qian Yi, but returned instead to the Feng family.

Ming Huashang said nothing of this, and instead asked: “When did he tell you this?”

“Just a few days ago, when I had confirmed I was with child.” Widow Hu said. “Qian dear was overjoyed and had a few extra cups to drink. Then he said all this.”

So it was spoken in wine. No wonder Qian Yi let the truth slip. Ming Huashang asked: “Did he say from whom he bought the medicine?”

Widow Hu hesitated. Xie Jichuan saw it and cut in smoothly: “Without a time and place, how can we verify what you have said? As long as there is evidence that the Widow Liu truly purchased the medicine, her crime of murdering her husband is established.”

Widow Hu heard this and immediately brightened: “Lord Investigator, do not be impatient — let me think. I recall Qian dear mentioned a name… it was something like Black Tiger.”

The three of them walked out of Widow Hu’s home. Once there was no one nearby, Ren Yao asked: “Who is Black Tiger?”

“Unknown.” Ming Huashang said. “Adulterated medicine would not be purchased from a legitimate pharmacy. Let us ask the veteran yamen runners — they should have a count of the people dealing in black-market medicines in the West Market.”

But when Ming Huashang inquired, the senior runners of the Jing Zhaoyin all exchanged uncomfortable looks: “Second Young Maiden, the West Market draws people from every corner under heaven — merchants, monks, foreign traders, all coming and going. For a rare medicine it might be manageable — but aconite root is the most common of herbs. It would be very difficult to trace.”

“What if we already know his name is Black Tiger?”

“That would certainly be a false name. Black-market dealers change their names every few months — and this was three years ago. It will be difficult.”

She asked several more people, all of whom kept shaking their heads. But she had come this far — Ming Huashang was not about to give up. She said: “Difficult only means it will take longer — it does not mean it is impossible. Come, let us go to the West Market right now. I will find him myself.”

The Jing Zhaoyin runners glanced back at Xie Jichuan and dared not push back. They raised their hands in acknowledgment: “Yes, ma’am.”

While the three of them searched the West Market, Ming Huazhang and Jiang Ling had been at their own labors all day. Jiang Ling found that accompanying Ming Huazhang to investigate was more exhausting than a full day of military training.

He dragged himself out of the fourth residence, worn down like a dog, and said with no energy left: “That’s the fourth household. Aside from a few leftover fireworks from the Lantern Festival, there’s no other gunpowder to be found. Are you still going to keep looking?”

Jiang Ling had had quite a full day. They had begun at the Feng family residence, and Ming Huazhang questioned everyone one by one — from the masters of the household down to the old servant who hauled away the slop pails. The Feng family members said that on the day Huichun Hall exploded, Feng Liang had been at a friend’s home for a banquet, and many people could vouch for him. Ming Huazhang had then led his people to search the Feng residence — barely stopping short of prying up the floor tiles.

No suspicious traces were found at the Feng residence. Jiang Ling had thought that would be the end of it — but instead Ming Huazhang moved without pause to the next location and ran through the same process again.

Ming Huazhang had gone through every acquaintance who had spent significant time with Feng Liang in the recent period. All of them corroborated that Feng Liang had not lied — his alibi seemed solid enough to tentatively rule him out. Ming Huazhang drew a line through Feng Liang’s name on the paper and said: “That is enough for today. I will compile a list tonight — we continue tomorrow.”

Jiang Ling looked at Ming Huazhang, who was bright-eyed and showing not the slightest sign of fatigue, and asked with genuine curiosity: “Is this what the Jing Zhaoyin is like every day?”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly this — running four or five locations every day.”

Ming Huazhang did not even look up: “Is that a lot? Compared to the backlog of unsolved cases at the Jing Zhaoyin, this is nothing at all. Surely you are not tired?”

Jiang Ling clicked his tongue, struggling to find words, let out a complicated sigh, and in the end clapped Ming Huazhang on the shoulder with a sincere question: “Don’t tell me you actually intend to work through every last case?”

Ming Huazhang finally looked up. He stared at Jiang Ling with an expression that was both surprised and entirely matter-of-fact: “What else?”

The Jing Zhaoyin’s senior officials had changed frequently — fifteen Jing Zhaoyiins in the past ten years alone. The result was that the senior officials thought only of protecting themselves, the lower clerks idled along in equal complacency, and the whole culture was one of flattery and evasion. Who, in all that time, had actually solved any cases?

And so, over those ten years, the Jing Zhaoyin had accumulated mountains of unsolved and neglected cases. When people filed reports, they fell into silence — there was simply no response. Even when officers did appear, as with Innkeeper Feng’s case, it was a performance — officials going through the motions with no intention of actually investigating. Year after year of this had no wonder left the people of Chang’an with no trust in the authorities.

Those cases had occurred during the terms of previous officials — but official terms had their end. Did the people’s grievances?

Now that he was the Deputy Jing Zhaoyiin, the duty of being a parent official to the people of Chang’an fell to him. The negligence of the officials who came before was his responsibility to rectify.

Jiang Ling met Ming Huazhang’s clear, resolute gaze, and for a moment was left without words. He raised a brow and asked: “Did you enter officialdom because you wanted to be a good official?”

Ming Huazhang brushed Jiang Ling’s hand from his shoulder, shook it off lightly, and walked forward in long strides: “What else?”

The sun sank low in the west, and the birds returned to their roosts. Jiang Ling called out after him and then, stepping through the golden blaze of the setting sun, jogged to catch up with the slender, upright young man ahead: “All right, enough with the gravity. You have been tense all day. What do you feel like eating? My treat!”

“No need. I am going to pick up Shang Shang.”

“You two siblings are absurdly devoted — she is grown, not a toddler, and she can walk on her own two feet. Why the constant escorting? The West Market is just up ahead — I heard there is a new restaurant there with excellent food, especially the pastries. Shall we try it?”

Jiang Ling came over to drape an arm across Ming Huazhang’s shoulders. Ming Huazhang shifted one quiet step to the right and avoided the hand: “If it involves pastries, I am not going.”

Ming Huazhang was in the process of turning the man away when he suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind. He looked back to see a small figure in the not-so-distant crowd, waving vigorously the moment she spotted him: “Second Elder Brother!”

Ming Huashang jogged over, beaming: “Second Elder Brother, it really is you. What brings you here?”

Ming Huazhang glanced in the direction of Jinxiu Tower, then turned a furrowed brow on her: “What are you doing over here?”

“We came across a clue by chance and have been searching the West Market all afternoon.” Ming Huashang said. “We were just discussing whether to go eat at that new restaurant in the West Market — are you and Elder Brother Jiang coming?”

Jiang Ling sat in the private dining room, looked over the menu, and leaned toward Ming Huazhang: “Didn’t you say you weren’t coming if it involved pastries?”

It was the same restaurant. He had even offered to pay. And Ming Huazhang had refused without hesitation. Then Ming Huashang said the word — and he quietly agreed.

Utterly no justice in this world.

Ming Huazhang paid Jiang Ling no mind. One glance at the menu, and he handed it straight to Ming Huashang to choose. He asked Xie Jichuan: “What did you find today?”

“Not much.” Xie Jichuan said. “Qian Yi’s mistress said he once let slip when drunk that three years ago he bought a medicine from someone who went by the name Black Tiger. We have no way of knowing if it is true. We spent all afternoon looking for Black Tiger in the West Market — with no results.”

“Black Tiger.” Ming Huazhang repeated the name quietly, then asked: “This came from Widow Hu?”

Xie Jichuan nodded: “Yes.”

Ming Huazhang fell into thought: “Tomorrow we bring more people and search together. What did you get from the Widow Liu?”

Xie Jichuan shrugged and pointed at Ming Huashang: “That, you will have to ask Second Little Sister.”

Ming Huashang was in the middle of comparing dishes with Jiang Ling, and spared a moment to answer: “The Widow Liu’s son is ill. She has been occupied caring for him these past days and has people who can vouch for her whereabouts. I felt that trying to pressure her would not work, so I did not raise the case at all. But she definitely knows something — when I mentioned that Huichun Hall physician Chu Ji had been blown to death, her expression shifted noticeably.”

Ming Huazhang nodded: “You did the right thing. For someone like her, winning over her mind is far more effective than intimidation.”

“I knew Second Elder Brother would understand me.” Ming Huashang’s eyes were bright with pride and satisfaction. Xie Jichuan heard this and felt strangely put out. He said with a slow drawl: “These are things you never said to me.”

“You have the nerve to bring that up!” Ming Huashang shot Xie Jichuan a glare and turned to lodge her complaint with full indignation: “Second Elder Brother, he impersonated you today!”

Xie Jichuan raised an eyebrow and smiled: “I only did as you said. What — someone else’s reputation can be ruined, but Ming Huazhang’s cannot?”

Jiang Ling seized his chance to join in: “What happened?”

Ren Yao said: “We were trailing Qian Yi’s mistress today. I did not see the problem with it, but Xie Jichuan kept insisting that climbing a widow’s wall was improper.”

Jiang Ling sucked in a breath and smacked the table: “I said it this morning — I wanted to join your group. If I had known it would be this exciting, nothing could have kept me away!”

Ming Huazhang tried several times to steer the conversation back to the case, but the other four were all talking over each other, every one going in a different direction, with no one listening at all. Ming Huazhang pressed at his ear, thoroughly pained: “So much noise.”

Ren Yao asked: “What about your side?”

At that, Jiang Ling came alive. He groaned and complained: “Don’t even ask. I ran four locations today — questioning witnesses, searching premises — it wore me out more than military drills.”

“That is because you are lazy, and your superior is too polite to call you out on it given that you are the Marquis Jiang’an’s heir.” Ren Yao shot him an exasperated look and fumed: “Do not embarrass the Imperial Guards. The other soldiers of the Northern Garrison are nothing like you — a completely useless disgrace.”

“Who are you calling useless!” Jiang Ling slapped the table in outrage: “Am I not better than Ming Huashang at least?”

Ming Huashang, who had been exchanging barbs with Xie Jichuan, suddenly heard Jiang Ling openly drag her down and snapped: “What was that? Order every expensive dish — add them all to his tab, since he is treating!”

Xie Jichuan calmly lifted his cup of tea and murmured: “One dish is hardly enough. Given the Marquis Jiang’an heir’s reputation, treating the entire floor would not even put a dent in his wealth.”

Watching the situation shift from a single duel to an all-out brawl — with Xie Jichuan still fanning the flames — Ming Huazhang had finally reached his limit. He suddenly let his voice go cold, and knocked on the table with his knuckles: “Enough, all of you. The server is still here — stop making a spectacle of yourselves.”

The server stood in the doorway, unable to enter or leave, looking pained: “It is my bad timing for coming in, sir. Please, carry on as you like — I will return in a moment.”

“No need.” Ming Huazhang took the menu and said: “Add those last few dishes — today it is my treat. Is that settled?”