Progress

The wind blew fiercely, stinging people's faces. The villager forcefully breathed warm air into her palms a few times, then rubbed her hands over her face.

"The court implemented the Grace Tribute examination the year before last, and he actually passed it. Later, he went to the Imperial College to study and prepare for the spring examination. He never came back after that, and the villagers couldn't get in touch with him either. He still doesn't know about what happened to Old Master and Old Madam Sang. Sirs, why are you suddenly asking about the Sang Family? Could something have happened to Sang Wen in the capital?"

The two constables from the Court of Judicial Review exchanged a glance. One of them asked, "That Sang Wen—are you certain he is a man?"

"Of course." The villager answered firmly, "When that child was born, the Sang family held a full-month feast. I even helped with the preparations. I held him before, and I pulled down his trousers and saw that thing. There's no mistake."

The two constables said, "...Ahem."

The constable who had questioned her earlier asked again, "Do you know which household Sang Wen served in while he was in the capital?"

The villager was an elderly old woman whose memory had greatly declined. She frowned and thought for a long while before saying, "That family had a high-ranking official. Their surname seemed to be Wang or Liu... Let me think... Ah, no, no. It was Zhan."

The constable frowned. "Zhan?"

The old woman nodded. "Yes, Zhan. That Master Zhan served at the Censorate, but something seemed to have happened three years ago. I heard the crime was quite serious. On the day the Zhan residence was confiscated, all the servants fled. Sang Wen left with them and returned here afterward, but..."

The constable pressed, "But what?"

"That child Sang Wen used to be quite dark, skinny as a monkey. But after returning from the capital, he became fair and clean-looking, with delicate features and steady, dignified manners. A servant who came out of a scholarly household truly was different. Now that he's entered the Imperial College, if he can pass the spring examination and become a jinshi next year, the old couple's good days will finally be in sight."

The old woman's voice faltered. Rubbing her hands, she looked toward the Sang residence, where only the crumbling framework of its walls remained. She shook her head with a sigh and repeatedly said how regrettable it was.

Wen Jingkong had drunk too much. Even after changing robes, the smell of alcohol on him could not be dispelled so quickly. When he went to report to the Chenghuan Emperor, the stench disgusted him so badly that he specifically bestowed a sachet for Wen Jingkong to wear.

Two vermilion plum trees had recently been planted outside the Hall of Literary Brilliance in the East Palace, their branches already covered in dense buds. Wen Jingkong whistled at the Gyrfalcon perched overhead, handed his sword to the guards, and was led into the hall by an eunuch.

Shen Tingjue was holding a ball of fur and teasing two wolves with it, leaving the area around the low couch a complete mess. All sorts of small items had been scattered across the floor, and a plate of osmanthus cakes sat nearby, crumbs strewn everywhere.

Xiao Hanye sat steadily behind the desk, a book held up before him. Only his long, sharp eyes showed as he stared at Shen Tingjue, like a wild wolf lurking in the dark, silently and dangerously watching its prey. Yet he also resembled an adult suppressing his temper, liable at any moment to leap up swinging his fists and thrash a brat.

The Crown Prince's Grand Tutor quietly sorted through documents, moving as softly as if even breathing too loudly would be a mistake, as though he desperately wanted to pretend he did not exist.

Wen Jingkong scratched at his hair a few times, finding the atmosphere indescribably strange. He did not dare act rashly. Lifting his robes, he dropped to one knee and cupped his fist toward Xiao Hanye in a perfectly respectful salute.

Shen Tingjue glanced up at him, then suddenly turned aside and sneezed loudly.

Xiao Hanye shifted position, set down his book, and crossed his long legs. Moving his gaze away from Shen Tingjue, he looked at Wen Jingkong with disgust. "How many pounds of incense did you smear on yourself? Or did you soak in a pile of rouge last night? You reek worse than a brothel."

Wen Jingkong raised an arm and sniffed himself, feeling that he smelled all right. "I just went to report in. His Majesty thought the alcohol smell on me was too strong and bestowed this sachet. It's heavy enough that there must be two pounds of incense stuffed inside. Such vast imperial favor—how could I not wear it around and show it off? The scent isn't bad, is it?"

Xiao Hanye glanced at Shen Tingjue, who sneezed again. Wen Jingkong followed his gaze and burst out laughing.

Xiao Hanye said, "See the guest out."

Wu Dequan stepped forward with a beaming smile and gestured for Wen Jingkong to leave.

Wen Jingkong's smile froze. "..."

Why? Why?

Why was Shen Tingjue, that idle loafer, not the one being sent away?

With no other choice, Wen Jingkong removed the sachet that displayed the vastness of imperial favor and handed it to an eunuch to throw out. He then removed his armor, which had absorbed the fragrance, and the eunuch carried that out as well.

Fortunately, the East Palace had underfloor heating. Wen Jingkong stood there in thin clothes without feeling cold, though he did feel that he looked rather pitiful.

After feeling sorry for himself for a while, Wen Jingkong concisely explained all the leads uncovered by the Court of Judicial Review. Once he finished, before Xiao Hanye could respond, he added on his own:

"Officials with the surname Zhan are rare. The only one who could have served at the Censorate was Zhan Ru. When his household was confiscated back then, all the servants were dismissed by the Ministry of Justice. The only family member left was his sole daughter, Zhan Lingxiang. She was implicated and sent to a brothel. When the Court of Judicial Review went looking for her, the madam said Miss Zhan could not endure the humiliation and used a strip of white silk to hang herself. As for the body, she said it was wrapped in a broken straw mat and tossed into a mass grave."

Wen Jingkong accepted the hot tea handed over by the eunuch and found himself a chair to sit in. "The mass grave is covered in bones and worms, and the stench reaches the heavens. There are countless corpses wrapped in broken straw mats. No one knows where Zhan Lingxiang might have been buried beneath them, and the Court of Judicial Review could hardly make a special trip to search through those mats just to see whether one really held the Zhan family's daughter."

Xiao Hanye lightly tapped the lid of his teacup. "It has been three years. Even if we found her, she would be nothing but bones."

Wen Jingkong said, "Oh, right. The Imperial Guard also found several scraps of burned paper in the brazier in Sang Wen's room. After piecing them together, they could only make out phrases like 'avenge my father's injustice' and 'account book for me.'"

Whenever Xiao Hanye thought, he habitually touched the Warm Jade at his waist. His hand reached out and found nothing. Only then did he remember that he had given the jade away, and his gaze unconsciously flicked toward Shen Tingjue.

Shen Tingjue happened to meet his eyes. In full view of everyone, he boldly and flirtatiously threw him a coquettish wink.

Wen Jingkong and Yao Yinqing were both occupied with serious matters and noticed nothing. Only Wu Dequan caught it. His expression changed several times, becoming extremely complicated.

Yao Yinqing pondered, "Could that Sang Wen be Zhan Lingxiang?"

"Judging by the situation, most likely. Unfortunately, Zhan Lingxiang was a sheltered young lady who rarely showed her face in public. When she went out, she wore a veil, and very few people had seen what she looked like. There is currently no way to verify it."

Wen Jingkong leaned against the back of his chair and crossed one leg over the other. "When women went out, they had to cover their faces. The unmarried daughters of scholarly households were mostly like that. They cared greatly about chastity and reputation."

As he spoke, he rubbed his chin and sighed. "Now this murder case has become entangled with a case from three years ago. The Court of Judicial Review has retrieved the files from the Ministry of Justice and plans to join forces with the Censorate to reopen the old case. Who knows what tangled vines and hidden roots will be dragged out then."