Her features were truly somewhat similar to Huang Zixia’s mother. Unconsciously feeling closer to her, Huang Zixia found herself asking: “Nianniang if I were to learn the qin, which pieces would be best to start with?”

“For beginners, there are good introductory pieces that are popular nowadays, with simple melodies that are easy to learn.”

Huang Zixia suddenly remembered something and asked: “What about ‘Entering the Gate’?”

“Young eunuch jests – that piece is extremely difficult to play well. Even my master often sighed that he hadn’t reached true mastery of it, unable to capture its essence.”

“Then, are there any beginner pieces that start with the character ‘liu’ (flow)?”

Chen Nianniang thought briefly and said: “In all my years teaching in Jiangnan, I’ve taught many pieces, but I can’t recall any qin pieces beginning with ‘liu.'”

“What about similar-sounding characters, like ‘liu’ (willow), ‘liu’ (stay), or ‘liu’ (six)?”

“There is ‘Liu Yao,’ but that’s a major pipa piece. As for ‘liu’ (willow), there’s ‘Breaking Willow,’ which is simple to learn.”

Huang Zixia shook her head, saying: “Not ‘Breaking Willow,’ but one that starts with the character ‘liu.'”

Chen Nianniang pondered, then suddenly exclaimed softly: “Ah, there is one – simple to learn, though the piece is soft and lingering. It’s popular in Yangzhou’s entertainment districts, and many girls at our Yunshaoyuan learn it when first starting the qin. I teach it sometimes. But you, being from the capital and serving in a noble prince’s residence, surely wouldn’t know it.”

Thinking of the shy Wang Ruo, Huang Zixia felt somewhat awkward and said: “Then it’s probably not that one.”

“I suppose not – such pieces rarely grace refined settings.”

As they were speaking, Li Run finished writing his letter and affixed his seal. Being familiar with Chang’an, Huang Zixia accompanied Chen Nianniang to retrieve the portrait of her and Feng Yinian, assuring Chen Nianniang to leave the matter to her. She then casually opened the small scroll to look.

The portrait showed two women, one seated and one standing. The seated figure was Chen Nianniang, drawn very true to life, with vivid, expressive features. The standing figure leaned against Chen Nianniang, her smiling eyes curved in crescents. Though in her forties, she still possessed an ineffable charm and grace.

Huang Zixia studied the standing woman intently and asked: “Is this Feng Yinian?”

“Yes, my senior sister was very beautiful.”

“I can see – you’re both beautiful, like spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums,” Huang Zixia said slowly.

“My senior sister’s grace and bearing were particularly beautiful – difficult to capture in a portrait. When you see her, you’ll understand,” Chen Nianniang said with a smile.

Indeed, only seeing her in person could one appreciate that engaging charm. Huang Zixia thought to herself that Chen Nianniang didn’t know she had seen her just days ago, outside Chang’an, sharing a carriage with Prince Kui’s future consort Wang Ruo, who had even invited Huang Zixia to join them.

A daughter of the Langya Wang family traveling with a qin teacher from Yangzhou’s Yunshaoyuan, claiming her as a family – there seemed to be quite a few strange things about Wang Ruo.

In that case, the “friend’s daughter” must be Wang Ruo? But how would the parents of Wang Ruo, a young lady from the noble Langya Wang family, be acquainted with Feng Yinian, much less entrust their daughter to her care for the journey to Chang’an?

After some thought, she decided not to tell Chen Nianniang directly. After all, many people look similar. Better to pretend ignorance for now – perhaps the Ministry of Personnel would have records of Feng Yinian’s registration, showing how the Langya Wang family had documented her identity.

She put away the portrait and bid farewell to Chen Nianniang with a normal expression before boarding the carriage.

As she was getting in, Chen Nianniang suddenly remembered something and pointed to the portrait in her possession, saying: “I just recalled – Yinian has a black mole between her left eyebrows. Anyone who’s seen her would notice it.”

Huang Zixia tried to recall the woman in Wang Ruo’s carriage but only remembered she wore a headband that precisely covered the area between her eyebrows.

She nodded to note this detail. The carriage set off toward the Ministry of Personnel.

The Three Departments and Six Ministries of the dynasty were all within the Imperial City. She entered through the Anxiang Gate and headed for the Ministry of Personnel. The duty officer that day, Administrator Hu, was very helpful, assisting her in checking the records of women entering the capital in recent months. But they found no one named Feng Yinian – either the ages didn’t match or the physical descriptions were different.

After thanking Administrator Hu, she turned as if to leave, then seemingly remembered something. She awkwardly smiled and approached the administrator, saying in a low voice: “Administrator Hu, I have a presumptuous request, if I might trouble you further…”

“Young eunuch, please feel free to ask.” With Prince Kui’s growing power at court, Administrator Hu naturally wouldn’t dare slight his attendant and quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

“It’s like this – our Prince has betrothed the Wang family’s daughter and will marry soon. I visited the residence the other day, but my memory is poor. Though all the attendants around our future Princess Consort gave me their names, I can’t remember a single one… I heard these attendants all came to the capital with our future Princess Consort. Could you help me with a small favor and let me see their household register?”

“A small matter.” Administrator Hu immediately turned and pulled out a register from last month’s records, saying, “I remember clearly – on the twenty-sixth of last month, the Langya Wang family asked me to register their household. It was their fourth branch’s daughter… Yes, here it is, four people total.”

Huang Zixia quickly looked at the page, which showed the registration of the Langya Wang family’s fourth branch daughter Wang Ruo moving to the capital, accompanied by serving maids Xian Yun and Ran Yun, both aged fifteen, and manservant Lu Yi, aged thirty-five.

The dynasty maintained strict household registration, especially in the capital under the Emperor’s feet. Even temporary residents moving from other regions needed to report to the Ministry of Personnel.

“Ah, only these two maids’ names? I suppose I’ll have to swallow my pride and inquire again elsewhere.” Huang Zixia feigned disappointment thanked Administrator Hu again and went to gather her things to leave.

As she was putting away the portrait, she suddenly caught sight of a minor official at the Ministry staring at it with a very startled expression.

She asked: “Sir, have you seen the woman in this portrait?”

“Well… I saw someone who looked similar, but I’m not sure…” he stammered, seeming reluctant to speak.

Huang Zixia quickly asked: “Where did you see her?”

The clerk hesitated for a moment before saying: “At the public cemetery in the western city.”

Public cemetery. As soon as these words reached Huang Zixia’s ears, she immediately furrowed her brows, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart. Those appearing in public cemeteries and handled by the Ministry of Personnel were usually unidentified corpses.

Sure enough, the clerk turned to take out a register from the cabinet, saying: “Over a dozen refugees from Youzhou in the western city caught an illness a few days ago and all died. This morning when I went to record the deaths, one of the deceased greatly resembled this woman you’re looking for…”

He opened the register and read: “Deceased female, identity unknown, approximately forty years of age, height five chi three cun, well-proportioned figure, very fair skin, thick black hair, full cheeks and prominent nose, black mole above the left eyebrow.”

A black mole above the left eyebrow.

Huang Zixia immediately straightened up, her voice urgent: “Is the body still at the public cemetery? Could you direct me there to take a look?”

The clerk put the register back, shaking his head: “That’s impossible now. The group died of a terrible illness, so according to regulations, their bodies and belongings were all cremated and buried deep.”

“I see… nothing to be done then.” She carefully rolled up the portrait and thanked the clerk, saying: “It seems I’ll have to continue searching the capital as instructed, looking for someone resembling the portrait. If no one is found, I’ll have to tell the lady that perhaps she has died.”

She left the Ministry, the sound of carriages rumbling along the road. She repeatedly studied the portrait, examining the two smiling women, thinking silently about Wang Ruo’s earlier words.

She had said: Because I was selected as Princess Consort, the nanny hurriedly returned to Langya to fetch my daily necessities.

Her expression had been slightly unnatural then, and she had hastily added: She’s elderly, so she might not return, probably staying in our hometown to live out her years.

Not returning. She truly would never return.

Huang Zixia thought of Wang Ruo’s shallow dimples and adorably shy demeanor, feeling somewhat dazed as if bewitched by the wisteria in the courtyard.

Rather than seeking out Chen Nianniang, Huang Zixia first returned to Prince Kui’s residence. She placed the portrait before Li Shubai, detailed everything from the Ministry of Personnel, and then pointed to her brow: “Both Feng Yinian and the female corpse had a black mole between their left eyebrows. But that day I couldn’t see clearly whether the nanny accompanying Wang Ruo had a mole there.”

“Regardless, it’s a lead we can work with.” Li Shubai rarely showed pleasure, but now he gently placed the glass vase he was holding onto the desk. The small fish inside, slightly startled, swished its long tail.

“A qin teacher from a Yangzhou entertainment house accompanying a noble family’s daughter to the capital for imperial selection, then dying among Youzhou refugees – there seem to be many things worth investigating here.” Li Shubai was satisfied with the intelligence she had brought back, showing a kind of satisfaction as if hoping for chaos and greater complications. “First, she used a false age record, forged her birth date, and must have had capable help to pass the verification.”

“Second, Wang Yun of the Langya Wang family doesn’t know her well, yet her identity truly exists in decade-old records, not forged. The standard procedure for conferring the title of Princess Consort requires bringing household registers to Chang’an – I had someone check, and it’s genuinely an old record that can’t be forged, clearly showing the youngest daughter of the Langya Wang family’s fourth branch, Wang Ruo.”

Li Shubai continued without looking at her, lazily raising a third finger: “Those are the things I find suspicious. Now tell me what you find questionable.”

Huang Zixia pulled out her hairpin and began drawing on the table: “Third…”

As she spoke, she quickly raised her hand to gather her falling hair, then immediately secured it with the pin.

Li Shubai watched her silently. She lowered her head sheepishly, saying: “Force of habit – I keep forgetting I’m now a young eunuch with just one pin in my hair…”

“What strange habit, unable to remember one, two, three, four without marking with a hairpin.” Li Shubai frowned slightly, pulling a sheet of Chengxin Hall paper from his desk and tossing it to her.

Huang Zixia took a brush from nearby, gathered her thoughts, then wrote one, two, three on the paper, saying: “Third, according to Chen Nianniang, Feng Yinian was temporarily escorting a friend’s daughter to the capital, but Wang Ruo said Feng Yinian had been by her side since childhood. Moreover, I truly sense they must have known each other before, because the Princess Consort learned qin from childhood, and her teacher was likely Feng Yinian – her first piece was one of those from the Yangzhou entertainment houses… like that one.”

“For the century-old noble Langya Wang family to let a qin teacher from a Yangzhou entertainment house teach their daughter such pieces, and then have her escort their clan daughter to the capital as a candidate for Princess Consort – this is the biggest suspicion. Furthermore…” Li Shubai’s gaze turned cold, his voice becoming slow and deep, “Feng Yinian’s death might be because they felt she shouldn’t exist in this world anymore, as she could bring unnecessary trouble.”

“But the question requiring verification now is whether that woman resembling Feng Yinian who died is her. After all, people who look similar are common, a small portrait isn’t proof, and I couldn’t see clearly whether the nanny beside the Princess Consort had a mole on her left brow.”

Li Shubai lightly drummed his fingers on the desk, then after a moment said: “Knowing those ministry servants, those lazy ones who cut corners whenever possible, they definitely wouldn’t have properly cremated and buried deeply.”

Huang Zixia felt a sense of foreboding rise within her, involuntarily feeling her scalp tingle. Sure enough, Li Shubai pulled open a drawer and tossed her a small golden fish, saying: “Go to Zhou Ziqin, the young master at the Zhou residence beside Dong Zhongshu’s tomb in Chongren District.”

Huang Zixia certainly remembered the young master Zhou who aspired to be a coroner, and that sense of foreboding grew stronger: “My Lord wants me to…?”

He looked at her, his lips curving up slightly at the corners. How strange – though he seemed to be smiling at her, it made her feel chills down her spine, spontaneously giving her the feeling she was about to be kicked into a mud pit again by the man before her.

Sure enough, he said: “Naturally, to dig up the corpse with Zhou Ziqin and examine it.”

Huang Zixia felt she was about to break down!

“Prince Kui! I’m a young lady! I’m a seventeen-year-old young lady! You want me to go dig up corpses in the middle of the night with a strange man?”

“Didn’t you often follow your father to investigate cases before? I imagine you’ve seen plenty of corpses.” Faced with her tearful protest, Li Shubai remained unmoved, merely glancing at her from the corner of his eye. “Or were all those words about avenging your parents just empty talk, with no real intention to follow through?”

“…” Huang Zixia looked at his slightly upturned lips and the amused expression in his brows, feeling full of resentment. But hearing him mention her parents, that ice-cold feeling of having cold water poured over her seemed to spread through her body again.

Huang Zixia, hadn’t you already resolved to put aside everything in the world except avenging your family’s blood debt – wasn’t that your only reason for living?

Gritting her teeth hard, she snatched up the golden fish from the table and turned to leave.

Li Shubai listened to the water clock outside and said: “Hurry up, the first watch is almost here, and the capital’s curfew will begin.”

She turned back and shouted angrily: “Get me a horse!”

He waved her away: “Two horses, hurry up and go!”