“Not just that.” Huang Zixia stared unwaveringly at Zhang Xingying and continued, “Brother Zhang Er, you also knew early on that Wei Ximin was one of the primary culprits who caused Dicui such misery, didn’t you?”

“Yes… I deceived you all.” Zhang Xingying finally spoke, his voice hoarse and dry, speaking with extreme difficulty and slowness, “I knew Adi’s true identity from the beginning. So I secretly went to the Lu Family Incense and Candle Shop, wondering whether I should tell Adi’s father that his daughter was now at my home, not dead…”

But when he went there, he found several people entering with rather heavy packages, including Wei Ximin from the Princess’s mansion, whom he had seen once before.

The people from the Princess’s mansion stayed inside for a long time. He waited in a corner, occasionally hearing mentions of “Dicui,” and finally couldn’t resist anymore. He quietly walked to the window, pressing his ear against the wall to listen to their conversation.

He first heard Wei Ximin speaking arrogantly: “Old Lu, Dicui offended the Princess first, that’s why I ordered people to give her a beating. Who knew she was so weak that she’d faint after just a few strikes? The Princess’s mansion couldn’t possibly keep someone inside to recover, so naturally she was thrown out. Whatever happened after that has nothing to do with us! I’m laying it out here today – what happened was just your daughter’s bad fortune, originally having nothing to do with the Princess’s mansion! Now the Princess and Prince Consort are only showing you pity by rewarding you with these things, to prevent you from spreading rumors and damaging the Princess’s mansion’s reputation, do you understand?”

From inside came the sound of Lu Zhiyuan counting silver coins, followed by his slow voice: “Don’t worry, noble sirs. My daughter has already taken the rope I gave her and found herself a quiet place. She will never appear before you all again.”

“As long as you understand.” Wei Ximin dropped these words and turned to leave with several other eunuchs.

Zhang Xingying crouched beneath the window, hearing them talking as they walked: “This old bastard, he won’t live many more years himself, but he’s quick to take the money, not even considering if he’ll live long enough to spend it!”

“Right, with no son or daughter, when he dies, who will the money go to?”

“Heh, that little bit of money, you’re worried he won’t be able to spend it all!”

As Zhang Xingying recounted that day’s events, he stared blankly for a while, then his gaze fell on Dicui’s face as he said softly: “Adi, it’s all right now. Everyone who caused your misfortune is dead… From now on, you’ll surely live well.”

Dicui stared at him with bloodshot eyes, neither speaking nor moving.

Zhou Ziqin asked in disbelief, his voice trembling: “Brother Zhang Er, could it be… could it be that you’re really the killer?”

Zhang Xingying shook his head, explaining: “It wasn’t me. I truly wanted to kill them, but I never found the opportunity.”

Huang Zixia looked at the two people sitting before her – one a tall, upright man, the other a pretty and capable woman. Originally they made such a good couple, but who could have imagined how much bitter rain and harsh wind, how many twists and turns would lie between them?

She sighed and gestured for Zhou Ziqin to put away his notes, saying: “Brother Zhang Er, I hope you haven’t deceived us this time. I hope we won’t continue to find evidence of your crimes.”

Zhang Xingying stood up, head lowered in silence. His tall, straight frame at this moment seemed somewhat stooped as if the heavy pressure upon him had become unbearable, unconsciously no longer able to maintain his previous spirited demeanor.

Huang Zixia’s gaze fell on Dicui again, saying as if with a light sigh: “I hope that painting appears quickly too. The sooner it’s handed over to the Court of Justice, the sooner one matter will be resolved.”

After leaving Zhang’s home, Huang Zixia remained silent. Even Zhou Ziqin, who usually lived life in high spirits, unusually kept his mouth shut.

He rode Little Xia following behind her Fusha, accompanying her as she continued east. When she circled past Liquan Ward and entered the West Market, he finally asked: “Where are we going?”

Huang Zixia said: “To find Qian Guansuo, the owner of Qian’s Cart and Horse Inn.”

Qian’s Cart and Horse Inn occupied quite a large storefront in the West Market, visible as soon as you entered. Even larger was the area behind the shop – a huge courtyard with rows of stables. The short, fat owner Qian Guansuo was strutting contentedly between the stables, looking at this horse, patting that horse, his face full of joyful shine.

“Manager Qian.” Huang Zixia greeted him.

The joyful light instantly faded, and Qian Guansuo’s face showed a mixture of embarrassment and perfunctory delight: “Oh my, Eunuch Yang! Eunuch Yang, I apologize for not coming out to welcome you, I’ve been truly negligent!”

“Not at all, I didn’t want to disturb Manager Qian, so I came in to look at the horses without announcement.” Huang Zixia said while casually handing her horse to the stable boy.

As soon as Qian Guansuo saw that Fusha, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly went over to stroke it repeatedly, clicking his tongue: “What a fine horse, truly a fine horse… In all these years, among all the horses I’ve handled, not one could compare to this one! Eunuch, where did you get it?”

“Oh… the horse’s original owner thought its temperament was too gentle, so I’m just riding it for now.” Huang Zixia said, then continued, “Manager Qian, never mind about the horse, I came today because I have something to ask you.”

“Oh my, I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare, Eunuch, please ask whatever you wish, I’ll tell you everything I know without holding anything back!” As he spoke, his eyes were still fixed on the horse, full of envy.

Zhou Ziqin glumly led his Little Xia to tie it next to Fusha to eat hay. As soon as Manager Qian saw him, he quickly bowed: “Young Master Zhou! Your presence at our humble establishment truly brings light to our home! I’ve long admired you!”

“You know me?” Zhou Ziqin asked.

“You jest, who in Chang’an doesn’t know you?”

Huang Zixia looked over Zhou Ziqin’s attire today – a peacock blue silk robe, bright orange belt, brownish-red shoes, still covered all over with small ornaments and trinkets – unique in all of Chang’an, absolutely memorable at first sight, unforgettable for life.

Zhou Ziqin bowed to him: “Manager Qian, I’ve long admired your reputation too. I hear you’re the best at making money in the capital, building such a fortune in ten years – it’s truly legendary.”

“You’re too kind, it’s all thanks to everyone’s support.” He smiled and led them inside, sitting down on a thick Persian carpet, and ordered tea to be brewed before asking, “What brings you two here? Does the Duke of Kui’s mansion need my services, or does the Ministry of Justice have some instructions?”

“To be frank, we’re currently both seconded to the Court of Justice, investigating several cases related to the Princess’s mansion.” Huang Zixia said straightforwardly.

The fat on Qian Guansuo’s face trembled, and he looked as if in heart-wrenching pain: “Eunuch Yang, I already confessed to you last time, I only met the Prince Consort those three times! As for the Princess, I swear to heaven, I never had the fortune to see her even once!”

“I’m not here to ask about the Prince Consort this time.” Huang Zixia held the freshly brewed tea, looking at him through the rising steam. “I want to ask Manager Qian about… your daughter from ten years ago.”

The trembling fat on Qian Guansuo’s face froze. He stood there stunned for a long while, then finally sighed, his whole body collapsing down, looking like a pile of fat melting onto the carpet: “Eunuch Yang, my daughter… sigh, I don’t know why you suddenly ask about things from ten years ago.”

“I heard that when Manager Qian first fled here with your family from your hometown, you were penniless, nearly freezing and starving to death on the streets. And your first fortune came because…”

“Because I sold my daughter.” He interrupted her words, his voice weak and lifeless. “Sigh, for many years I’ve been too ashamed to speak of it, but since you know, Eunuch, I’ll tell you about it. Ten years ago, the Yellow River changed course, and my hometown was flooded, our house and fields all submerged. I thought there was no way to live, so I brought my wife, daughter, and two sons to the capital. But my wife fell ill and died on the way – we could only hastily dig a hole by the roadside to bury her. Later, after I became wealthy, I went back to look for where we buried her several times, but could never find exactly where it was, ah…”

Zhou Ziqin took out paper and brush from his side and professionally began recording.

Seeing him taking notes, Qian Guansuo hesitated slightly but continued: “After reaching Chang’an, I stood on the street with my three children and realized I was finished. Start a business? No capital. Manual labor? The journey had left us too weak from hunger. So I could only beg on the streets with my three children, hungry one meal, full the next, clearly seeing that this way, one adult and three children would all perish. Until one day, while begging with the children at a street corner, I saw a eunuch recruiting palace maids and eunuchs – five strings of cash for one child! I looked at my three children, thinking if I sold one, and got some capital, maybe the other two children would have a chance to live. So I told Xing’er – that’s my daughter – I said, ‘Xing’er, your two brothers are young, and besides, when boys grow up, they need to continue our family line, right? Why don’t you go with this sir?’ Xing’er wailed and cried, clutching my leg and refusing to let go. I had no choice, squatted down to hold Xing’er, and tears fell. I said, ‘Xing’er, if you enter the palace as a maid, you’ll have good clothes to wear and good food to eat, but if your brothers enter the palace as eunuchs, their lower parts will have to be cut off – can you let your brothers suffer such a cut? As their older sister, how can you be so inconsiderate?'”

At this point, tears fell from Qian Guansuo’s eyes too. A forty-year-old man crying and whimpering, tears flowing crookedly down his fat face, should have been comical, but neither Huang Zixia nor Zhou Ziqin laughed, only feeling a deep ache in their hearts.

“Ah, poverty limits one’s choices… Thinking back now, wasn’t I just a bastard to my daughter? In that place, so many palace maids die silently each year, thrown and buried in mass graves, just another girl gone. But at that time there was no way to live, we were counting on Xing’er to save us, so I said those things, and did those things…” He hung his head, speaking listlessly, “With the money from selling Xing’er, I started selling fodder, then while selling fodder I met a noble person who guided me to trade horses beyond the passes. I was lucky, starting from trading two or three horses, to trading over ten horses, and later when my reputation grew, the court would order thousands of horses from me at once. Suddenly I was wealthy, I took another wife and a concubine, thinking of having another daughter, but who knew that in all these years, only my concubine bore me another son. I think heaven must be punishing me – in this life, I’ll never have another daughter…”

Huang Zixia softly consoled him: “Manager Qian, at least heaven has blessed you – being able to find your daughter in the Princess’s mansion now is fortunate.”

“Yes, but Xing’er still won’t forgive me…” he lamented, “I secretly went to the Princess’s mansion to see her, but she wouldn’t meet me, only showed me the birthmark on her arm through a screen, never showing her face. I sent her some food and supplies, and she returned some things to me… but she just wouldn’t meet me face to face, saying she had sworn when she was sold that she would never see my face again.” He slumped his shoulders dejectedly, shaking his head, “In this life, knowing my daughter is still alive and being able to exchange a few words – I suppose that’s my fortune.”

At this, even Zhou Ziqin couldn’t help asking: “How do you know… this person speaking to you behind the screen is your daughter?”

“Of course it is! The shape of that birthmark on her arm is the same as the one on my daughter’s arm back then, even that pinkish-blue color is identical! If it’s not her, who else could it be?” Qian Guansuo shook his head firmly, defending the fact that he had found his daughter again, “Besides, what benefit would there be in pretending to be my daughter? I just sent her some food, nothing valuable. The only time she asked me for something, she just asked if there were those small porcelain dogs in the market outside, the kind she used to like but had been thrown away. I quickly bought one and gave it to her when I went to see her next time, and she gave me a small box in return. I didn’t think much of it at first, but when I opened it… ah, it gave me quite a shock.”