After returning home, Ning Yan took off her outer robe and looked at her left shoulder in the mirror. A flame-shaped mark also appeared on her shoulder. She had asked Liu Ye about it before. Liu Ye had told her that when they brought her home years ago, the mark had already been there. Everyone had assumed it was a birthmark.
But now both Xu Tiao and that young woman had possessed identical markings on their shoulders. Even after being burned beyond recognition, that patch of skin had remained completely unharmed.
How could that be? Did the symbol carry some special meaning? Or would she one day burst into flames as well?
Ning Yan pondered the question for a long time but found no answer. For now, she could only set the mystery aside and investigate it later if the opportunity arose.
After bathing and drying her hair, her cousin Liu Zhan returned home.
“A-Yan, you’re home.” He hurried into the room, grabbed a horsewhip, greeted her, and headed back out. “There are some pastries in the room. Don’t forget to eat them.”
Ning Yan nodded in acknowledgment. As she turned around, she spotted the name card lying on the table. Other matters could wait for now, but she still had to figure out how to support herself. Should she go find Pei Yan and take a position in the army?
Then again, Pei Yan commanded the entire Qiantan Prefecture region, which is why the area remained relatively peaceful.
Beyond Qiantan Prefecture, however, Great Zhou’s borders were in turmoil. To the north, the Beiman tribes eyed the realm like hungry wolves. To the south, southern tribes and Japanese pirates launched relentless raids.
In Ning Yan’s eyes, the Great Zhou Dynasty, after two hundred years of rule, was like an elderly man drawing his final labored breaths. If she joined the military, there would undoubtedly be no shortage of battles. It wasn’t that she was afraid. She simply saw no reason to place herself in unnecessary danger. If she couldn’t even become a constable, how could she possibly work her way into an official military post?
That evening, after Liu Ye and Liu Zhan returned, Ning Yan told them what Pei Yan had said.
“No, absolutely not.” Liu Zhan immediately ran to close the door, then lowered his voice. “Putting aside what a young woman could even do in a military camp, there’s another problem.”
“Pei Yan himself.”
Liu Ye nodded vigorously. “The other day Commander Pei went to a pastry shop to buy cakes. The owner accidentally gave him the wrong sesame cake. Guess what happened?”
Ning Yan paused her chopsticks and waited for him to continue. “He broke the man’s hand.”
Liu Zhan raised his thin arm and mimed the motion. “Like this. Crack! One twist, and it was broken. Scared everyone half to death.”
Liu Ye nodded again. “In any event, ordinary folk like us should avoid him whenever possible. If we can’t afford to offend someone, we can at least stay out of their way.”
Ning Yan clicked her tongue.
“You don’t need to worry so much about finding work. Besides, your wedding date is coming up soon. Why not first…”
Before Liu Zhan could finish, Ning Yan quickly interrupted. “You mean Song Changming?”
She had completely forgotten about her fiancé.
“Who else would I mean?” Liu Zhan said with a laugh. He placed a piece of fish into her bowl. “When he left to do business two years ago, he said he’d return this year to marry you. It’s already past the middle of the seventh month. It won’t be long now.”
Ning Yan rubbed her forehead in distress. The moment Song Changming was mentioned, a clear image surfaced in her memory. He was reasonably handsome and usually wore a long gray robe. He greeted everyone with an easy smile. A textbook merchant. The reason they were engaged was fairly simple. Her uncle had once saved Song Changming’s father. The two families had decided that a marriage alliance would strengthen their relationship. Song Changming had originally opposed the idea. In the end, however, he failed to persuade his parents and was forced to choose between Ning Yan and Liu Ye. He had chosen Ning Yan because she was the prettier of the two. Yet after the engagement, he had left Zining County under the excuse of conducting business elsewhere. Before his departure, the two families had agreed he would return this year for the wedding.
“We’ll talk about it later.” Ning Yan felt a headache coming on.
Marriage was out of the question. When Song Changming returned, she intended only to break off the engagement.
Just as Liu Zhan was about to say more, someone called for him from outside.
“…Master wants everyone to go help search for a murderer. Hurry and get ready.”
“I’m coming!” Liu Zhan immediately rose to leave.
“What murderer?” Ning Yan asked.
Liu Zhan told Liu Ye to explain while he hurried out the door.
“It’s the Second Young Master,” Liu Ye said in a lowered voice. “The Second Young Master was arrested and taken to the county yamen at noon today.”
Ning Yan frowned. No wonder the front courtyard had been so noisy earlier. So that was what had happened.
“The Second Young Master spent the night with a courtesan at a pleasure house yesterday,” Liu Ye said, curling her lip. Then she added, “When he woke up this morning, the woman had been strangled to death in bed.”
“And then?” Ning Yan asked. She was interested in every case. At this point, it was simply instinct.
Lowering her voice, Liu Ye continued, “Then the Second Young Master ran home. He had barely made it back and hadn’t even finished a cup of tea before the county yamen officers arrived.” She spread her hands.
Liu Ye had never liked the Second Young Master. Despite his young age, he spent all day loafing around brothels and entertainment districts. In her opinion, he was completely ruined. She doubted he knew as many characters as her brother did.
“The Second Young Master insists he didn’t kill anyone. He says he got drunk last night and did nothing else. He collapsed into bed and slept until dawn, knowing nothing at all.”
“But the authorities don’t believe him. He was the only person in the room, and the door was bolted from the inside. Unless someone went in and murdered the courtesan right beside him.”
Still, Master Zhang believed his son’s story. He led the investigation himself and questioned everyone in the brothel.
After two hours of investigation, they finally learned that a thief had been seen entering and leaving the establishment the previous night. Several guests had also reported missing valuables.
The thief had been identified as someone nicknamed Erhei. Because he had two black birthmarks above his eyebrows, people called him “Blackie.”
Now Master Zhang had taken the household servants to capture Erhei, intending to turn him over to the authorities and secure the Second Young Master’s release.
“That works too,” Ning Yan said. “The authorities would need to question both sides anyway.” As she cleaned up the dishes and began washing them, Liu Ye prepared to return to work in the front courtyard. Before leaving, she slipped ten copper coins into Ning Yan’s hand.
“I’ll probably be back after you’ve already gone to sleep. Tomorrow morning you can go out by yourself, have some fun, and buy something good to eat.”
They treated her far too well. At times, Ning Yan felt like a complete freeloader.
“Got it. Thanks.” Ning Yan slept for a while.
But even by the second half of the night, neither Liu Zhan nor Liu Ye had returned. She found it strange. Liu Ye wasn’t on duty that night. Why hadn’t she come home?
The next morning, she had just finished washing up and was about to go out when someone began pounding frantically on their door. She opened the door to find a maid named Dujuan rushing in, panicked.
“Ning Yan, something terrible has happened! Y-Your cousin is being taken to the yamen!”
Ning Yan frowned. “Don’t panic. Tell me what happened slowly.” She poured Dujuan a cup of water.
After a drink and seven or eight disjointed attempts at explaining, Dujuan finally got to the point. “Erhei isn’t the murderer. Someone at the yamen showed Master Zhang an easy solution. They told him to find a servant to take the blame.”
She stamped her foot anxiously. “And… and Master Zhang chose Liu Zhan.” Tears welled in her eyes. “Hurry! Go get your cousin back. Liu Ye has been locked in the woodshed. She can’t leave.”
“Let’s go.” Ning Yan had never expected to find people openly arranging a scapegoat. “The county yamen doesn’t care?” she asked coldly as they hurried along. “They can simply point at someone and say he’s the murderer?”
Dujuan nodded. “They say that’s how it works. As long as they can produce a culprit.”
Ning Yan let out a contemptuous laugh. “That’s certainly enlightening.” She strode ahead while Dujuan trotted after her.
“It’s useless for you to go,” Dujuan urged. “Master Zhang might lock you up too.”
“You should go find your uncle. He’s the only one who might be able to do something.”
But distant water could not put out a nearby fire. Besides, her uncle’s indenture contract also belonged to the Zhang family. No matter how much favor he might have earned over the years, how could a servant’s worth compare to that of a young master?
In the courtyard of the central compound, Liu Zhan was bound with ropes and gagged. Seven or eight servants stood guard over him.
Master Zhang seemed to be saying something. Then he suddenly raised his hand and slapped Liu Zhan across the face.
Master Zhang’s given name was Zhang Xingben. He came from an official family. Rumor had it that his father had once served as a third-rank minister before retiring to his hometown.
Zhang Xingben never pursued education or official examinations, but thanks to his family’s status and influence, he held wealth and power in Zining County. Everyone respectfully addressed him as Master Zhang.
“Stop!” Ning Yan strode forward and grabbed Zhang Xingben’s wrist. “I’ve never seen anyone look so righteous while forcing an innocent person to take the blame.”
Zhang Xingben froze. Then he turned and glared at her. “Who are you to interfere?”
“And what gives you such audacity?”