I mean, hypothetically

Peach Immortal Ward.

Night fell, and the streets gradually came alive.

Amid the clamor, a group of constables and Military Soldiers escorted a young man and woman toward the Welcome Inn, talking over one another along the way:

"Everyone eat quickly. The Yamen is busy. If we're gone too long, my father will scold me again for slacking off instead of doing proper work..."

"Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the woodcutting. How can we have the strength to work if we can't even fill our bellies..."

"The Welcome Inn's hazel grouse stewed with mushrooms is second to none..."

"Gooji-?! Gooji, gooji, gooji..."

"Huh? What's wrong with Coal Ball?"

"Urging us to hurry. That's a particular favorite. It's been ages since the last taste..."

Meanwhile, inside a nearby inn.

Hundred-Household Commander Zhou He stood at a window, studying the group on the street through a crack.

Behind him were two Scarlet Qilin Guards. Having seen a roomful of courtesans today without getting a taste, they had been utterly heartbroken. Now, however, they dared not dwell on that and merely questioned an old man:

"This case doesn't just involve the Dried Corpse Case in Capital City. It may also be connected to the Great Demon of Purple Emblem Mountain. You've seen the forces the Prince's Manor has mobilized, Mister Li. Unless you tell us the truth, even the Scarlet Qilin Guard won't be able to clear your son's name."

The old man's name was Lord Li Ming, and he was Li Gongpu's younger brother. Dressed in a scholar's robe, he sat beside the tea table with a trace of anger between his brows:

"My elder brother serves His Majesty in the Capital. Would the Li Household not know the bounds of proper conduct?

"My son did indeed allow Li Shizhong to sell Ascension Powder, and he buried gamblers who owed gambling debts alive. He even smuggled salt from Yaozhou to sell in other counties. But these are all trivial matters.

"Secretly colluding with Demon Bandits, throwing Luojing and Danyang into turmoil, even alarming His Majesty-if that charge sticks, our entire household could be confiscated and exterminated. However foolish my son is, could he be that foolish? What would our Li Household gain by colluding with a great demon?"

Zhou He closed the window and sat beside the tea table:

"Neither Lord Li nor your son has any motive to collude with a great demon. In my view, Mister Li, someone may have secretly plotted against you."

Lord Li Ming had come precisely to discuss this. He raised a hand to pour Zhou He some tea:

"You hold an important position in the Scarlet Qilin Guard, Commander Zhou. You must understand the situation in the Capital. If someone envies my elder brother and is striking at him from the shadows, I hope you can give us a hint."

Zhou He considered briefly. "We haven't found out who it is yet, but I do have some suspicions."

"Oh?" Lord Li Ming leaned closer. "Please, Commander Zhou, go on."

Zhou He lifted his teacup and briefly recalled the past:

"Three years ago, there was a case involving a haunting at the Imperial Palace. Thousand-Household Commander Han was implicated. Unable to give a satisfactory account, he pinned the blame for dereliction of duty on Xie Wen, the County Commandant of Wanan County. Xie Wen was subsequently demoted and sent to Lingnan."

"Does that have anything to do with the current affair?"

"On his way to take up his post, Xie Wen encountered an unidentified demon. His entire party was wiped out, with no survivors. But Xie Jinhuan, who has repeatedly distinguished himself lately, is Xie Wen's son. No one knows where he spent the past three years, but now he's back."

Lord Li Ming frowned and asked quietly:

"Were my elder brother's hands behind Xie Wen's transfer and the attack on his convoy?"

Zhou He shook his head. "How could a mere county commandant warrant Lord Li's attention? Making Xie Wen take the blame was Thousand-Household Commander Han's idea. The attack on the convoy was probably just bad luck.

"But if Xie Wen hadn't been made a scapegoat and demoted to Lingnan, he wouldn't have met that disaster. Strictly reckoned, that's a blood debt for his father's death!"

Lord Li Ming thought it over carefully, somewhat baffled:

"Xie Jinhuan has a blood feud with Thousand-Household Commander Han over his father's death. What does that have to do with our Li Household?"

Zhou He tactfully reminded him, "Without pulling some strings, could Thousand-Household Commander Han, with his authority and position, have extricated himself entirely and pinned all the blame on a county commandant under the prefectural government?

"I heard Thousand-Household Commander Han paid three thousand taels of Snowflake Silver to settle the matter. As for which official received it, that I don't know."

"..."

Lord Li Ming knew very well how his elder brother Li Gongpu had amassed his vast fortune, so he did not dwell on that:

"You mean Xie Jinhuan mistakenly believes my elder brother killed his father and is secretly framing our Li Household?"

"It's only a suspicion. But whether that's true or not, this man must be dealt with."

Zhou He said earnestly:

"Xie Jinhuan is an exceptional martial artist and has repeatedly distinguished himself lately. Today, he even won the Pill King's appreciation. Unless we take precautions now, once he returns to Capital City, he'll have achievements to his name, a prince backing him, and the emperor's favor. No one at court will dare touch him. When his wings are fully fledged and he starts investigating the case from three years ago..."

Lord Li Ming understood and asked:

"How do you intend to deal with this young man, Commander Zhou?"

Zhou He gently rubbed the rim of his cup:

"Dealing with Xie Jinhuan isn't difficult. The difficulty lies in dealing with whoever is behind him.

"The Scarlet Qilin Guard confirmed that Xie Wen died in the line of duty. Xie Jinhuan should have died too, yet now he's alive and has inexplicably acquired extraordinary martial skills. There must be an expert helping him.

"If we act rashly before uncovering his precise background, we may end up kicking an iron plate."

Lord Li Ming stroked his beard and asked:

"How do you intend to investigate, Commander Zhou?"

Zhou He stood and paced back and forth twice:

"Dongcang Street, Three Harmony Tower, the Corpse Pit, the field where the bodies were buried-Xie Jinhuan was first on the scene at all of them. He even cracked most of them single-handedly. Today, he was also the first to notice something unusual about the skeleton.

"Even if he solves cases like a god, that's a little too godlike. And there's simply no explaining how he deduced things like the Gu Flower and the Corpse Pit's location. We suspect an expert is helping him, but no one knows who that expert is."

At this point, Zhou He turned to Lord Li Ming:

"Let's consider a hypothetical. Suppose Xie Jinhuan had a great demon's help, allowing him to sweep through every obstacle while deliberately muddying the waters..."

?

At this, Lord Li Ming straightened slightly:

"That seems far too far-fetched. With the accusation that our Li Household colluded with Demon Bandits, there are at least stains like Ascension Powder and burying gamblers alive that are difficult for us to clear away.

"Xie Jinhuan lives openly right in front of the Commandery Princess's Manor. He's also been at the forefront of the recent investigations, fearing neither hardship nor exhaustion..."

"Ah..."

Zhou He raised a hand and said earnestly:

"I mean hypothetically. Xie Jinhuan certainly has nothing to do with a great demon. But if someone suspects him, doesn't he have to prove his innocence?

"Danyang is seeing enemy soldiers in every tree and blade of grass right now. Once Xie Jinhuan is linked to Demon Bandits, he'll have to explain everything that happened over the past three years, his master's background, and how he discovered all those clues.

"If he can't explain it, and the Li Household insists Xie Jinhuan framed them, won't the Yamen have to investigate his background and history thoroughly?

"If he does explain it, the Scarlet Qilin Guard will also learn all about his background. Won't we then have no further reservations about dealing with him?"

"..."

Lord Li Ming stroked his beard in serious thought and nodded slightly:

"Indeed. Your mind is truly sharp, Hundred-Household Commander Zhou. I'm sorry to trouble you, but I'll have to ask you to handle this personally..."

"Naturally. However, I'll also need your help finding a few things, Mister Li..."

The Welcome Inn bustled with activity. Waiters threaded through the room carrying food and wine, while a middle-aged musician on the stage cradled a pipa and sang a lilting tune from the Water Country:

"Plang, plang, plang..."

"White plumes dance lightly on the islet, pale reflections drift through water and cloud~ keeping pure, standing alone, a longing that will not cease..."

In the center of the dining hall, two square tables had been pushed together. Nearly ten constables and Military Soldiers sat around them, wolfing down rare delicacies from mountain and sea.

The most outrageous eater among them was none other than Coal Ball. If Xie Jinhuan hadn't held Coal Ball back, even the serving bowl might have been devoured!

As the host, Linghu Qingmo naturally occupied the seat of honor. Having given her meat to Coal Ball, she had only mushrooms left in her bowl. She was chewing slowly in small bites when she noticed Xie Jinhuan seemed distracted and asked:

"What's wrong? Is the food not to your liking?"

Xie Jinhuan looked at the tableful of constables, feeling rather wistful:

"No. I just remembered that I first met Brother Yang on an occasion like this."

After several rounds of wine, Yang Dabiao's face was already flushed with drink. Hearing this, he thought back carefully:

"Seems you're right. I remember it was six years ago, not long after I arrived in Capital City. The Yamen had solved a minor case, and Master Xie treated everyone as a reward. He brought Jinhuan along too. Back then, Jinhuan didn't even reach my shoulder, and Coal Ball was only fist-sized, so sweet and well-behaved. Who'd have thought so much would change in just a few years..."

Xie Jinhuan smiled and chimed in, "Yes. I remember that after dinner, a few of the officials suggested visiting a pleasure house..."

"Huh?" Linghu Qingmo frowned. "You went too?"

Xie Jinhuan spread his hands slightly. "I was only thirteen. How could I go carousing in a pleasure house? You'll have to ask Brother Yang about that."

Yang Dabiao instantly sobered up and defended himself with righteous indignation:

"You must be remembering wrong. I didn't go. It was Monk Jibei who suggested it. I'd just met my wife then. How could I go to a damned place like that? I turned around and left."

"Pfft..."

Liu Qingzhi snorted, plainly not believing a word of that nonsense.

Yang Dabiao immediately grew annoyed and was about to air his dirty laundry in public, but Liu Qingzhi hurriedly held him back:

"Drink, drink. Don't bring up irrelevant nonsense while we're eating..."

"What? Guilty conscience?"

"What do I have to feel guilty about? I haven't done anything shameful!"

"The day before yesterday, you helped Widow Wang look for her chicks..."

"I was just lending a hand. Widow Wang is over forty."

"Isn't forty-something just the age for quenching your fire? If your wife found out..."

The table erupted in noisy banter.

Having come from a Daoist sect, Linghu Qingmo rarely attended this kind of work-related gathering. Seeing all the constables and Military Soldiers suppressing their laughter, wanting to crack dirty jokes but not daring to, she could only feel that men were all Big Pig Trotters.

Just look at how decent Xie Jinhuan is...

With that thought, Linghu Qingmo placed another piece of chicken leg meat in Xie Jinhuan's bowl...

My word count has far surpassed books that launched four or five days earlier. Please send monthly votes, or2~

Just finished writing. Still need to polish it...