Anyi Ward, the Capital.
Autumn rain fell without cease. The house stood on low ground that became a muddy mess whenever it rained, and a woman in plain cloth clothes was sweeping away the standing water outside her door.
Jia Huan approached beneath an umbrella.
"Who are you?" The woman set down her broom. The visitor was young and wore an ordinary black robe, yet he faintly exuded the air of someone accustomed to authority.
"Are you Lan'er?" Jia Huan looked at her. She matched the woman in the portrait.
Having her private name called out by a strange man made her cheeks burn. She hurriedly called:
"Husband, we have a visitor."
A moment later, a man came out carrying a child, his face full of confusion.
"I'm here to ask her about something from years ago." Jia Huan smiled.
The woman looked at her husband.
The man clearly trusted his wife and nodded with simple sincerity.
"Our home is humble. Please don't mind it, honored guest."
With that, he carried the child over to visit a neighbor.
Jia Huan stepped beneath the eaves. Looking at the woman, who did not know what to do with herself, he said softly:
"I mean you no harm. The master of the Chen Family Estate mentioned you."
The woman breathed a sigh of relief.
Jia Huan watched her face, his voice barely audible.
"Shen Jing'an and his wife died horribly. Where were you that night?"
The woman instantly turned pale. Her eyes reddened, and pain stabbed through her chest several times before she answered in a trembling voice:
"That night five years ago, I... I was secretly meeting my husband. I didn't return to the residence."
As soon as she finished, her tears gushed like a spring.
Jia Huan remained silent. He did