Hollow Paper Doll, Amber Prisoned Light 1 (14)
“It was just to placate Miss Qian, nothing more.”
Yin Guhuai’s voice drifted faintly through the air, light and indifferent, as though he were discussing something trivial. After saying that, he took his wine and walked away without so much as a glance at Su Qingtang, unconcerned about how she might react. He simply called down to the servants below, “Hey, someone—your lady’s drunk upstairs. Take her home. She has duties tomorrow.”
Hearing those almost heartless words, Yiyuan hiccupped quietly. No wonder her mistress always came home cursing after seeing the prince. Anyone would. Was he a man or a beast? Even oxen and horses got to rest once in a while!
The next morning dawned clear and bright. Su Qingtang, as usual, was practically dragged out of bed, dressed neatly, and delivered to the gates of the City Patrol Office. Standing before the towering plaque, she sighed heavily.
She never expected that after toiling like a workhorse in the modern world—rising early, returning late, working herself to the bone—she’d end up doing the same thing in ancient times.
Straightening her clothes, she was just about to step inside when a soft voice behind her asked, “Excuse me, may I have a sip of water?”
Su Qingtang glanced around, gripping the strap of her shoulder bag a little tighter. “Sure. Come in with me.”
As soon as she entered, she led the woman into the reception hall, where Gu An and the others were chatting. Seeing Su Qingtang enter with a stranger, they immediately stood up.
“Miss Su,” Gu An asked, “and this is…?”
“She was just passing by and asked for some water,” Su Qingtang said, pouring a cup of tea and handing it to the woman. “Here, have some.”
The woman took the cup and gulped it down noisily, producing an odd hollow sound as she swallowed. Gu An frowned slightly and stepped forward. “May I ask, miss, are you in Yingyue City visiting family or…?”
“I’ve come to find my fiancé,” the woman replied brightly, smiling as she finished the steaming tea. “We were betrothed since childhood. Now that we’re of age, I’ve come to fulfill the engagement.”
“Do you have any proof? Which family is he from?” Su Qingtang asked casually.
The woman opened a small square box from her bag. Inside was a piece of golden amber. “This is our family’s token. His name is Qi Ruheng—‘a gentleman as constant as his name.’”
Gu An nearly lost his footing at that name. “That’s… a pretty common name. There are many men with it in Yingyue City. Do you have any other clues?”
The woman looked troubled. “Actually, no. I only know that his family moved to Yingyue City.”
“This is a government office,” she added after a moment. “Could I ask you to help me find him?”
Su Qingtang nodded. “And your name, miss?”
“Qin Qinyuan,” she said sweetly, her smile as gentle as spring. “Like fragrance that soothes the heart, and a peach blossom paradise.” She bowed deeply. “Thank you for your time. I won’t stay in the city inns—I’m lodging in Wang Family Village outside Yingyue City. If you find any information, please let me know.”
“Alright,” Gu An replied, studying the amber closely. “Does the gentleman’s side have a matching one?”
“Yes,” Qinyuan said with a smile. “They’re a pair—mine’s the ‘mother’ amber, his the ‘child.’ The hollow part in his fits perfectly into mine.”
“Would you mind if we make a sketch of it?” Gu An asked.
“Of course not.”
The others quickly brought over ink and brushes. Gu An found himself staring at her a moment too long, hoping desperately that his suspicion was wrong.
When Qin Qinyuan left, Su Qingtang watched her go and then turned to Gu An, giving him a familiar pat on the shoulder. “Gu An, what’s wrong?”
Gu An glanced at the drawing of the amber, then pulled Su Qingtang aside under a tree. “Miss Su, where exactly did you meet that woman?”
“At the gate. She was already behind me when I arrived,” Su Qingtang said. “Don’t you think she’s strange?”
Ever since the sound-conch Yin Guhuai had given her shattered, her body had been acting differently. When she looked at Qin Qinyuan, she felt immediately that the woman wasn’t human—but not quite a demon, either.
“Strange? You’re getting braver, aren’t you, Miss Su?” Gu An teased, remembering how timid she had once been. “You’re not afraid she might kill you?”
Su Qingtang proudly pulled out an exquisite new sound-conch. After she’d fainted underwater, Motu—sharing the same origin as the conch—had awakened through it. When she later helped free him, the old one broke, and Motu replaced it with a stronger one. It had also made her completely forget about asking for the dragon pearl, focusing instead on the little dragon, Moti.
“With this, I’m not scared!” she said, patting her chest.
Gu An nodded, then lowered his voice. “If I’m not mistaken, she’s a hollow paper doll. We just don’t know who’s controlling her.”
His expression darkened. “And… maybe it’s a coincidence, but His Highness’s brother-in-law’s name is Qi Ruheng.”
“What?!” Su Qingtang’s eyes widened. “Qi Ruheng? Are you serious? Didn’t the prince investigate?”
Gu An sighed. “She’s an imperial princess favored by the Emperor. So what if she found herself a man? He’s not even officially a prince consort—his name isn’t on the royal registry.”
“So… she’s keeping a kept man?” Su Qingtang blurted, using the term shamelessly.
Gu Quan arrived just in time to overhear. “Oh? Our little Miss Su aims high, huh?”
He was about to tease her more when a black-robed figure appeared at the doorway.
“Your Highness.”
Everyone immediately bowed. Yin Guhuai nodded, then shot a quick look at Gu An and Su Qingtang before walking into the Ink Pavilion.
“What’s happening?”
Gu An met Su Qingtang’s eyes, then followed the prince inside and reported everything, handing over the drawing of the amber. “Your Highness, shall we investigate?”
Yin Guhuai took the sketch and said, “Not yet. I’ll speak with my sister first. And you’re certain she’s a hollow doll?”
“Yes,” Gu An replied. “When she drank tea, the sound was hollow—and the tea was still scalding hot.”
Su Qingtang added, “Her hands and feet were rough, but her face was too smooth. And I think she came here for us. There are tea stalls outside the office, but she came straight to me. Unless she had no money, which I doubt.”
【And I didn’t see any aura. Grandpa Banyan said everything alive has one—strong or weak—but everyone around had one. Except her.】
Yin Guhuai nodded. “Then hold off for now. We’ve been gone for a while, and the case backlog’s piling up. Help clear them first.”
He left soon after.
“His Highness must be heading to the palace to see Princess Baoshu,” Gu An guessed.
Su Qingtang nodded and followed him into the main office. Looking at the towering stack of files, she sighed. “Now I see why you’re short-staffed. Doesn’t anyone sort through these first?”
Gu An was already seated, flipping open a case file. “Sort what? This city’s full of humans and spirits. Some cases are humans blaming demons for their own crimes. Some are fights between demons—or between humans and demons. We just handle whoever’s strongest. Nobody can guarantee impartiality.”
Su Qingtang skimmed through another case. “So you’re saying everyone’s biased. What’s the point?”
“That’s why His Highness reviews everything after us,” Gu An said, still writing. “And you know that ugly box outside the Astronomical Bureau?”
Su Qingtang pictured it—the big, intimidating gate with a mismatched box sitting in front. “Yeah, that ugly one?”
“That’s the complaint box. If anyone’s unhappy with our ruling, they can drop a letter in there—it goes straight to the Emperor’s desk.”
“But,” Gu An warned, “don’t think you can just cry injustice. Challenging your superiors without solid proof is treason. And treason means death.”
Su Qingtang blinked. “Oh… okay.” She nodded vaguely and flipped open another file—one that looked freshly delivered today.
“Gu An, hey, let’s check out this one!” she said, waving the report excitedly.
He looked over her shoulder. The heading read: “Midnight Bride, Corpse-Walking Case.”
“You’re kidding me,” Gu An groaned. “You just want to dig into His Highness’s brother-in-law’s mess again, don’t you?”
Su Qingtang grinned. “No, no, of course not! Look—it says here, ‘Bride walking corpses at midnight!’ Don’t you think that sounds fun?”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “And that woman—Qin Qinyuan—wasn’t human. Maybe it’s related!”
Seeing her enthusiasm, Gu An didn’t have the heart to say no. He sighed. “Fine. Call Gu Quan—we’ll switch duties today.”
“Got it!” Su Qingtang bolted out the door. “Gu Quan! Your brother’s looking for you!”
Gu An slumped in his seat. So much for using her name to get cooperation.
Gu Quan, already preparing to lead a team elsewhere, froze at the doorway. “Wait—you mean he wants to go, not you? Be honest, or I’m not agreeing.”
【Weird… she usually hates going out.】
Su Qingtang thought quickly. “It’s that woman from earlier—the one named Qin. You get it. I really like the Crown Prince, so I just want to help him out.”
She looked sincere—like she was ready to walk through fire for Yin Guhuai.
But Gu Quan could hear her thoughts loud and clear.
【Wow, I actually moved myself with that one. But seriously, what kind of girl does Yin Guhuai even like? When will I get that dragon pearl? Maybe he’ll appreciate me more if I help solve this case? …Forget it, I’ve never seen a real corpse-walker before. This sounds way more fun. I’ll think about the prince later.】
Gu Quan chuckled. “Alright, fine. But this time, I’m helping you. You owe me one, Miss Su.”
“Sure, sure, no problem!” Su Qingtang grinned and dashed back. “Gu An, your brother said yes!”
Wang Family Village wasn’t close to the city. By the time they arrived, the afternoon sun was already sinking low. Like any rural town, the villagers greeted them warmly. Since they were just investigating, they weren’t wearing official uniforms.
The closer they got to the reporting household, however, the quieter it became.
Gu An knocked. An elderly servant opened the door and ushered them in. Su Qingtang noticed the red wedding papers still pasted to the gate, the spent fireworks scattered across the ground—a clear trace of last night’s celebration.
Inside, a white-haired old man sat waiting.
Gu An straightened his posture. “You’re the one who reported the ‘Midnight Bride Corpse-Walking Case’? Quite the poetic title.”
Old Master Qiu rose slowly, leaning on his cane. “I wouldn’t have if I didn’t have to. Please… follow me.”
A steward helped him down a corridor, explaining as they walked. “Yesterday was our young master’s wedding. It should have been a joyous night. But after the feast, when the young master returned to the bridal chamber with the guests… he saw—”
“Saw what?” Su Qingtang prompted.
The steward trembled, stopping before a bamboo courtyard. He pointed toward the gate. “It’s better if you see for yourselves.”
Gu An glanced at the household servants—each wore an uneasy, guarded expression. “You all, with me,” he said. Then, to Su Qingtang, “You stay in the middle.”
They stepped into the Purple Bamboo Courtyard.
The moment Su Qingtang crossed the threshold, she felt a chill crawl down her spine. Then came the eerie sound of bells—soft, tinkling, wrong.
White curtains hung all around, swaying in the wind. Behind them… vague human silhouettes.
A gust swept through, pulling one curtain aside—revealing a life-sized paper effigy.
Who on earth would put something like that at a wedding chamber’s door?
Su Qingtang stared at the paper figure. Suddenly, its painted eyes seemed to twitch. Then, slowly, its head turned—following her every move.
Before she could react, it tilted its head… and smiled.