Today was a wonderful day. When Zhou Ziqin was in a good mood, his benevolence extended to all under heaven.
“A Zhuo! Quickly call everyone who’s been investigating the case recently. Everyone’s worked hard, tonight’s my treat – let’s all go drink!”
A lively group followed Zhou Ziqin as they walked down the street beside the magistrate’s office. Upon seeing the jade bracelet Zhou Ziqin was showing off, everyone exclaimed: “Yes, that’s the one Miss Huang used to wear, and it was her favorite!”
Behind them, Li Shubai, Huang Zixia, and Gong Sun Yuan couldn’t stand Zhou Ziqin’s excited chatter and chose to fall back two zhang behind them.
When the group was seated and they saw Gong Sun Yuan, everyone’s eyes went wide, especially the young constables. They felt it was such an honor just to sit beside her that they nearly got into a fight over seating. When the wine arrived, they rushed to toast her and curry favor.
After drinking their toasts, Gong Sun Yuan thanked them, saying: “My sisters’ children are about your age, but you’re much better behaved than them.”
The constables’ faces turned ashen as they sized up the beauty before them: “Madam, may I ask your age?”
“Almost forty,” she said with an unchanging expression.
Except for Huang Zixia and the others, everyone painfully covered their faces and turned away.
Zhou Ziqin said with a bitter smile: “Actually, Madam Gong Sun came here for her younger sister. The recent suicide case we’ve been investigating – the woman was her younger sister.”
Guo Ming, the former chief constable of Shu Prefecture, had become the cavalry captain because Constable Zhou Ziqin had come by imperial order to serve as chief constable. Though it was a half-rank demotion, his salary increased by one grade, which was quite practical, so he was still very happy: “Oh, that woman! Wasn’t she from an entertainment household? She was truly beautiful! Even with her body turned blue from the poison, she still looked like a jade carving, that figure, that face…”
At this point, he glanced at Gong Sun Yuan, suddenly remembered, and quickly asked: “So you mean she was… your younger sister, Madam?”
Gong Sun Yuan nodded, tears already welling in her eyes. She stood up and turned to toast the constables, saying: “My little sister A Ruan had jade-like beauty but withered away in her prime – truly pitiful. I know my sister had a strong character and had finally overcome her hardships. She absolutely would not have taken her own life. Please, brothers, take pity on my sister and help her get justice!”
Guo Ming and the other constables hurriedly agreed. The heavily bearded Guo Ming was particularly moved, repeatedly saying: “Madam, please don’t worry. If your sister was truly murdered, we brothers will do our utmost! Now that the young chief constable has invited Brother Wang and Young Brother Yang to help, I believe with their assistance this case will be solved in no time!”
But A Zhuo sighed beside them, saying softly: “If Miss Huang were here, this case would be solved. But now… I don’t see any leads at all…”
Huang Zixia lowered her head silently, eating without a word.
Zhou Ziqin, who had been playing with the bracelet, suddenly lit up. He quickly tucked the bracelet back into his robes and asked: “This Miss Huang you speak of, that would be Huang Zixia, right?”
Seeing A Zhuo wasn’t responding, Guo Ming answered for him: “Of course! She was our Shu Prefecture’s universally respected female detective…”
“Quick, tell me about Miss Huang! What was she like? How did she look? Does she look like the wanted poster? What does she like to eat? What colors does she like? What flowers does she like? What does she like to play with and what books does she read?” Zhou Ziqin eagerly questioned everyone.
“Miss Huang was very beautiful! Though she didn’t have Madam Gong Sun’s grace, her pure and transcendent beauty made her an outstanding beauty in her own right!”
“That wanted poster does look somewhat like her, it’s drawn very beautifully.” A Zhuo said this, then looked up at Huang Zixia, paused for a moment, and continued, “Come to think of it, Miss Huang and this Brother Yang… seem to have a slight resemblance.”
Though Huang Zixia knew she was in disguise, hearing him say this still made her wordlessly turn her face aside, somewhat embarrassed and silent.
Li Shubai glanced at her and couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Guo Ming raised his hand and gave A Zhuo a knock on the head: “Nonsense! How could Brother Yang and Miss Huang look alike – one’s a man and one’s a woman, one’s a detective from the capital and one’s… one’s now a criminal wanted throughout the nine provinces!”
A Zhuo rubbed his forehead and shrank his neck, not daring to speak anymore.
Guo Ming quickly apologized to Huang Zixia, then sighed, lowering his head to drink in silence.
The atmosphere at the table immediately became heavy. No matter how Zhou Ziqin tried to get everyone to talk more about Huang Zixia’s past, no one would speak up.
Everyone couldn’t help but remember that Miss Huang was now a serious criminal wanted across the seas. Her crime was poisoning her entire family.
Li Shubai turned back to see Huang Zixia with head lowered, her eyelashes covering her eyes, her gaze dim. He picked up a slice of lotus root from the table and placed it in her bowl, saying to her: “Even fallen in the mud, everyone knows the lotus root remains snow-white and sweet as pear. When the day comes that the mud is washed away, all will be clear – I wonder if you like to eat it?”
Huang Zixia raised her eyes to look at him and said softly: “Yes. I… like it.”
The others heard them talking about lotus root but didn’t understand the meaning, just continued drinking their wine sullenly. Only one constable muttered softly: “Speaking of which, I saw Yu Xuan yesterday.”
“That bastard, he completely wasted Miss Huang’s wholehearted feelings!” A Zhuo, the youngest and most admiring of Huang Zixia, cursed resentfully, “The Huang family’s kindness to him was as heavy as a mountain, and Miss Huang had known him for many years. Who would have thought that after the Huang family met with disaster, he would be the first to suspect Miss Huang and submit her love letters to General Fan, the Military Commissioner? Given that Miss Huang had previously exposed the crimes of the Military Commissioner’s nephews, how could the Military Commissioner not confirm this matter!”
“A Zhuo!” Guo Ming cut off his words with a meaningful look, “You haven’t drunk much but you’re already talking nonsense! General Fan has great foresight – what do we mere constables understand? Just listen and do our jobs!”
A Zhuo had to close his mouth but still wore a face full of hatred.
Zhou Ziqin was even more angry than A Zhuo, pounding the table as he asked: “Yu Xuan is this kind of person? This bastard still has the face to hide here in Shu Prefecture?”
“Him? He’s riding high – he was previously recommended to the Imperial Academy in the capital and became an instructor. Though he’s returned recently.”
Zhou Ziqin was stunned, mumbling: “Yu Xuan, the Imperial Academy instructor?”
“Yes, has the chief constable met him in the capital?”
“Not just met, it was practically…” Zhou Ziqin stammered, unable to reconcile the elegant, gentle, and kind Yu Xuan he had admired with this morally bankrupt Yu Xuan who had betrayed Huang Zixia.
But Huang Zixia asked: “Speaking of which, when Huang Zixia initially fled, her ability to successfully escape the dragnet must have been due to kind people helping her. Otherwise, with so many constables and soldiers in your Shu Prefecture, how could she have escaped safely?”
Guo Ming hurriedly said: “Absolutely not! We all very seriously followed orders to search for her! Really! Every person in the office searched day and night for several days!”
“Then, it seems her fate was not to die yet.” Seeing his obvious attempt to cover up, Huang Zixia just smiled and raised her cup, saying, “In any case, let me first toast everyone.”
The atmosphere at the table was awkward as everyone ate, each lost in their thoughts. In the silence, only Zhou Ziqin occasionally muttered: “I need to go find that Yu Xuan and figure out what happened.”
Guo Ming suddenly remembered something and asked: “Oh right, Judge Qi, wasn’t the residence assigned to Yu Xuan by the prefecture after he passed the examinations right next to your mansion?”
Qi Teng’s smile was a bit unnatural as he held his wine cup and said: “Yes, Brother Yu lives quite close to me. But… he’s solitary by nature and doesn’t like socializing, so we rarely interact and I don’t know him well.”
What he said was naturally true. Though Huang Zixia and Yu Xuan had been so close before, she had no impression of this Qi Teng at all. If he had been familiar with Yu Xuan, she definitely would have met him.
Huang Zixia smiled and toasted him, saying: “The Military Commissioner’s office currently has no deputy commissioner, so the judge is second only to one person and above ten thousand others. For Judge Qi to be entrusted with such heavy responsibility at such a young age, it seems the Military Commissioner must truly appreciate your talents.”
“Not at all, just good luck,” Qi Teng smiled.
Zhou Ziqin put his arm around Qi Teng’s shoulders and said: “Big Brother Qi, don’t be so modest! How could my father’s carefully chosen son-in-law be lacking? If you were an ordinary person, my father wouldn’t be willing to marry his daughter off!”
Huang Zixia was slightly surprised and asked: “So Brother Qi is to become the precious son-in-law of the Prefecture Governor?”
“Oh oh, forgot to mention to you all, my sister Ziyan and Big Brother Qi have agreed to marry at the end of the year.” Zhou Ziqin said, then looked at Qi Teng and shook his head with a smile, “Aiya, big brother suddenly becoming my brother-in-law, I don’t know if I’ve gained or lost in this deal?”
Guo Ming and the others hurriedly joined in the excitement, everyone competing to toast them, and the table finally became lively again.
After the meal was finished, the moon had risen to the center of the sky.
Zhou Ziqin and the other constables all reassured Gong Sun Yuan that they would give her an answer as soon as possible.
The group dispersed and returned to their respective places.
Zhou Ziqin escorted Huang Zixia and Li Shubai back to the inn as the three walked along the moonlit street.
Huang Zixia asked: “Ziqin, how old is that Qi Teng?”
“Almost thirty,” Zhou Ziqin scratched his head, quite helplessly, “It’s infuriating. When my father first arrived in Shu, he naturally needed to maintain good relations with the Military Commissioner. Qi Teng had been married some years ago, but his wife passed away long since. When General Fan learned my sister was still unmarried, he said Qi Teng was his right-hand man and was looking for a good marriage. Think about it – when the Military Commissioner says this, what else could my father do? He had someone match their birth dates, and unexpectedly they were perfectly compatible, extremely auspicious! And so the marriage was settled.”
Li Shubai seemed lost in thought as he said softly: “The sword reversed, nothing can be done.”
Huang Zixia knew his meaning – that the Military Commissioner’s power was too great, even constraining the Prefecture Governor. But Zhou Ziqin didn’t understand, just blinked his eyes, then smiled again: “But my sister isn’t losing out. After my sister had her engagement broken off, she definitely couldn’t find a good match in the capital, that’s why my father brought her all the way here. Wasn’t it just to marry someone whose background we don’t know, who would marry her without knowing everything?”
Huang Zixia immediately sensed there must be countless hidden matters, and quickly asked: “Why was the engagement broken off?”
Zhou Ziqin knew the street was empty at this time, but still looked east and west, checking that there was no one around, before leaning close to her ear and saying softly: “She met a man from the entertainment district who was skilled at playing the hujia drum. She was completely infatuated with him and even made him a fragrance sachet with her own hands. Someone saw this and spread rumors… Ah, family shame shouldn’t be aired publicly, you must keep this secret!”
Huang Zixia nodded and said: “That’s not so bad, it was just a sachet.”
“Anyway, my father nearly died of anger. My older brothers are all serving in various government offices with steady promotions, but the family produced unfilial children like me and Ziyan – truly the family’s misfortune, haha…”