This man excels at examining corpses and is even more skilled at observation—a true talent for criminal investigations…
After half a year of difficulty, Madam Zhou finally recovered from her illness. Just as the Yan family was about to propose marriage, the late emperor passed away.
Now, Yan Liangyu had already turned sixteen and was approaching seventeen, on the verge of becoming an "old" maiden. Madam Yan grew anxious and constantly sought opportunities to intercept Madam Zhou.
Yan Tongshu placed the peanut dish back on the table and lay on the couch, deep in thought.
It seemed she had succeeded in intercepting her.
Yan Tongshu didn’t consider seventeen years old to be old, but in this era, if Yan Liangyu were to pass seventeen and approach eighteen, it would be difficult to find a suitable unmarried man among her peers who didn’t already have a concubine.
Yan Tongshu could understand Madam Yan’s urgency.
But the Zhou family… was hard to judge…
Deep down, Yan Tongshu felt that even if Zhou Zhengxun persisted and the Yan family repeatedly compromised, ultimately leading to marriage, the Zhou family would still not be a good place for Yan Liangyu.
Unfortunately, not only was Zhou Zhengxun determined, but the foolish Yan Liangyu was equally resolute.
Now, Zhou Zhengxun had passed the imperial examination and become a jinshi, awaiting an official vacancy.
It was said that the silver bank the Zhou family had invested in some time ago had collapsed, causing them to lose a large sum of money and offend many colleagues who had also invested with them. Now was precisely the time when they were short on funds.
Yan Tongshu estimated that Madam Yan’s deliberate "chance encounter" was likely met with Madam Zhou’s willingness to go along, hoping to borrow the Yan family’s money to secure a favorable official position for Zhou Zhengxun.
Tomorrow, the Zhou family would probably make exorbitant demands regarding the dowry.
"Sigh…"
Yan Tongshu sighed and decided not to dwell on it. No matter how much she thought, she couldn’t dictate the affairs of the Yan and Zhou families, nor could she influence the thoughts of the two parties involved, Zhou Zhengxun and Yan Liangyu.
Yan Tongshu opened the cabinet, selected a copy of The Mirror of Romance: True Hearts of Heaven and Earth, and began to study it carefully.
…
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a dappled glow on the green-glazed palace tiles.
Chuigong Hall stood tall and majestic, with golden dragons coiling around its pillars.
Qin Yi sat upright on the dragon throne, dressed in black robes and crimson skirts, the twelve imperial insignias symbolizing supreme authority.
His brows were stern, and his eyes held an indifferent, unreadable calm.
Chang Zhengzhang, the Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and concurrent Vice Director of the Chancellery, was granted a seat below.
"Teacher."
Qin Yi spoke slowly, his voice clear and crisp, like the chime of cold jade. Though there remained a trace of the respect a former student held for a teacher, it was overshadowed by a measured, imperial distance and detachment.
This young emperor, who had feigned madness and displayed filial piety to his father, biding his time for years after the crown prince’s incident on Hongqiao Bridge, had unexpectedly revealed sharp claws after formally ascending the throne and seizing power.
Only now did Chang Zhengzhang, the Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, concurrent Vice Director of the Chancellery, and former Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, with over thirty years of official service, suddenly awaken. Through the haze, he glimpsed the new emperor’s innately aloof, cold-blooded nature.
At the address "Teacher," Chang Zhengzhang rose from his chair and respectfully bowed. "Your Majesty has now ascended the throne, and I have relinquished my position as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. The title 'Teacher' no longer befits me."
Qin Yi’s voice remained cold, as if unmoved by Chang Zhengzhang’s caution.
He said, "Teacher, Yu Ping, the Prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, has resigned due to old age. For the position of Acting Prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, do you have any recommendations?"
Chang Zhengzhang pondered briefly. "Your Majesty, do the Secretariat-Chancellery and the Ministry of Personnel have any recommendations?"
Chang Zhengzhang, as the Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Vice Minister of the Chancellery, naturally knew which candidates had been recommended by the Secretariat-Chancellery and the Ministry of Personnel. However, proper procedures had to be followed, and certain questions had to be asked in the emperor’s presence.
Qin Yi flipped through the bright yellow memorials. "These are all elderly ministers, seasoned and experienced, but overly cautious…"
Though described as cautious, these individuals were all appointees of the late emperor, most of whom were connected by kinship to Prince Ming. Prince Ming had once strongly advocated for Qin Yi’s removal and supported the late emperor’s seventeenth son—the biological son of the current empress dowager, now confined in Zhanglongtai—as the crown prince.
Qin Yi spoke up, "Does my teacher have any other candidates in mind?"
Although after Qin Yi’s ascension to the throne, the distinction between ruler and subject had created an invisible boundary between Chang Zhengzhang and Qin Yi, loyalty was ingrained in the bones and blood of the Chang family. Moreover, Chang Zhengzhang had been the former crown prince’s tutor, and his entire family was bound to Qin Yi’s cause. Their interests were currently aligned.
Chang Zhengzhang carefully considered the capable individuals in the court.
With the new emperor’s accession, the old ministers were discontented. In his later years, the late emperor had grown senile and muddle-headed, sowing the seeds of a "bloated, corrupt, and rigid bureaucratic system" that continued to bear bitter fruit. An urgent overhaul of the court administration was needed.
To reform the court, an entry point was required—someone young, unafraid of powerful authority, and exceptionally capable.
As Chang Zhengzhang pondered deeply, Qin Yi did not disturb him and instead began reviewing the next memorial.
After a long while, having weighed and compared various options, Chang Zhengzhang spoke, "Your Majesty, I dare to suggest…"
Qin Yi set down the memorial, his scrutinizing gaze falling upon Chang Zhengzhang.
Chang Zhengzhang said, "Your Majesty, have you heard of the fourteen-year-old top scholar who caused a sensation during the late emperor’s reign—Yan Tongshu?"
Qin Yi lowered his eyes slightly, a vague impression surfacing in his mind. He rested his hand on the desk, the pale skin of his arm revealing faint blue veins.
Qin Yi’s voice lifted slightly. "Is that the young top scholar who was convicted for speaking out bluntly?"
Chang Zhengzhang’s voice was deep and firm. "Exactly."
The talent Qin Yi needed now required more than just integrity; capability was also essential. Thus, Chang Zhengzhang explained, "The imperial examination in which the young top scholar Yan participated was one I presided over. I read her essays—they were erudite, drawing from the strengths of various schools, penetrating and subtle, profound and extraordinary. She is a talent. Moreover, beyond her mastery of classical and contemporary writings, she also possesses practical skills."
Integrity and scholarship were secondary.
The last sentence was the key.
A flicker of interest appeared in Qin Yi’s deep eyes. "What do you mean by that?"
Chang Zhengzhang smiled. "Your Majesty, this person is skilled in medicine, adept at examining corpses, and excels in observation. She is a master of interrogation and investigation."
Qin Yi asked, "Has my teacher met her?"
Chang Zhengzhang replied clearly, "It was also a coincidence. About six years ago, this young top scholar was only sixteen. She had just been convicted for her outspokenness and was ostensibly promoted but secretly demoted to Xianlin Hall…"
Chang Zhengzhang vividly recounted an incident from six years ago.
It was then late spring, early summer, when lotus leaves and water chestnut stems were newly green, and the temperature difference between day and night was extreme.
Yan Tongshu loved to play and went into the mountains to catch wild pheasants. Upon returning, she caught a chill and fell ill for half a month. She drank bitter medicine and ate bland, tasteless meals for those two weeks, feeling so deprived she nearly withered away.
Finally, she recovered.
With Madam Yan’s permission, Yan Tongshu eagerly took her maid Zhenzhu and page Jinbao to the Yang Family Soup Cake Stall in the eastern part of the city for noodles.
Although the Yang Family Soup Cake Stall was just a small stand, the owner's fish paste topping was absolutely unmatched—spicy, fragrant, and savory, with tender meat and crispy bones. A ladleful poured into a bowl, paired with chewy hand-pulled noodles and a bright red topping, would delight not just the taste buds but even the capillaries with its comforting warmth.
It was late spring, early summer, and the weather hadn't yet turned hot, still carrying a slight chill.
After downing a bowl of such hot and spicy noodles, sweating from the heat, the feeling was indescribably satisfying.
During her illness, Yan Tongshu had craved this very bowl of noodles for a long time.
Finally, she eagerly took a carriage to the soup cake stall, only to find it closed.
The once bustling spot now only had a patched-up sign for the Yang Family Soup Cake Stall, swaying desolately in the wind.
She had waited and endured for half a month, finally able to eat, yet now she couldn't.
Yan Tongshu's eyes reddened with frustration.
Zhenzhu quickly comforted her: "Young master, don't cry. I'll go ask around and make sure we find someone so you can eat it today."
Zhenzhu turned and went to ask nearby about where Yang Dama had gone.
Her young master was perfect in every way, except she couldn't bear any disappointment when it came to food. If something she craved couldn't be eaten, she'd be downcast for days.
And if someone tried to take her food, she'd even fight for it.
Before long, Zhenzhu returned dejectedly: "Young master, something's happened. Yang Dama won't be coming to set up her stall."
Yan Tongshu sniffled, feeling even worse.
She asked, "What happened to Yang Dama?"
Zhenzhu replied, "Young master, Yang Dama's son, Zhao Sheng—that good-for-nothing who idles around all day and stole your purse the first time you met—has gotten into trouble again."
Yan Tongshu set aside her frustration and asked, "What trouble did he cause?"
Zhenzhu pursed her lips. She had no fondness for the scoundrel who stole her young master's purse, even if he was the son of the kind-hearted Yang Dama, who made excellent noodles.
Zhenzhu said, "What else could it be? That Zhao Sheng usually hangs around with a bunch of troublemakers, acting fierce and picking fights.
A few days ago, Yang Dama's father-in-law, Zhao Gengtian, came to the Yang family to demand support money. Zhao Sheng lost his temper and accidentally killed Zhao Gengtian. Now he's locked up in the yamen.
Yang Dama lost her husband and only has Zhao Sheng as her son. With Zhao Sheng in prison, facing execution, how could Yang Dama have the heart to run her stall?" After Zhenzhu finished speaking, an aunt selling vegetables nearby, overhearing their conversation about Yang Dama, sighed and chimed in, "Actually, this isn't entirely Zhao Sheng's fault. That Zhao Gengtian wasn't a good person either."
Yan Tongshu squatted down beside the aunt, helping her pick vegetables while asking, "Auntie, what do you mean by that?"
The aunt sighed again: "Ah, speaking of it, Yang Dama is a pitiful woman. Her husband died when he accidentally fell into a deep pit while cutting firewood in the mountains. She was pregnant at the time.
Her father-in-law… oh, right, that Zhao Gengtian, we call him Old Zhao. That heartless man, as soon as he heard his eldest son had died, immediately brought his second son's family to Yang Dama's door and drove her out."
"Ugh! What a despicable person!"
Zhenzhu, hearing this, was filled with righteous indignation and immediately cursed.
Zhenzhu was eighteen, and Jinbao was five years younger than her, only thirteen now—still a child. Hearing this, she also grew angry, clenching her fists tightly.
The auntie, as if having found a kindred spirit, immediately said, "Exactly, they're truly inhuman. But what can you do? Yang Dama's family has no man. In these times, if you don't have a man, you'll be bullied."
Yan Tongshu placed the freshly picked vegetables neatly to one side. "What happened after that?"
The auntie took a handful of fresh vegetables from her basket and set them on the ground. "After that, Yang Dama gave birth to a son, Zhao Sheng. She went to the village head to reclaim the house, borrowed some money, and while raising her child, she opened a noodle soup stall.
At first, the noodle soup stall didn't do well, and the taste was just average. So Yang Dama would come to us every day to taste-test and adjust the recipe. The flavor of the noodle soup got better and better, and business gradually picked up.
As business improved, she earned more money. That's when Zhao Lao Er's family and Old Zhao started getting jealous. That family is truly despicable—knowing full well that Yang Dama was a widow with a child, they still went to her house every few days to demand money. They insisted that since Yang Dama had married into the Zhao family, she was a Zhao for life and had to support Old Zhao in his old age and provide for his funeral.
Yang Dama had no choice but to give them silver every month. Who would have thought Old Zhao's greed would grow bigger and bigger, demanding more money from Yang Dama every year? Pah! Everyone knows what they're like. They're nothing but troublemakers."
The auntie tugged at Yan Tongshu's sleeve, leaning in as if sharing gossip with a confidant. "Let me tell you, young master, the money Yang Dama gave to Old Zhao basically went to supporting Zhao Lao Er's family.
I heard from villagers who were there on the day of the incident that Old Zhao had been drinking and insisted on causing trouble at the Yang house. He made a scene, demanding that the Yang family hand over the recipe for the noodle toppings so Zhao Lao Er could open a noodle soup stall too. He threatened to hang himself at their doorstep if they refused. I think Zhao Sheng was just pushed to the edge by Old Zhao and snapped. Honestly, people like Old Zhao deserve to die."
Yan Tongshu listened with a heavy heart.
Greed knows no bounds, and he brought his own death upon himself—truly deserved.
But Yang Dama is so pitiful. Widowed at a young age, she struggled to raise her child, and just when life seemed to be getting easier, disaster struck again, leaving her with no hope.
Yan Tongshu asked, "Auntie, do you know where Yang Dama is now?"
The auntie sighed. "Where else could she be? At the entrance of Kaifeng Prefecture, holding a sign pleading for justice, kneeling and begging for mercy. She's been kneeling for three days now. I saw her when I passed by the city today—pitiful, just a few days and she's already skin and bones, her hair turned white."
Wait.
If she were just begging for mercy, there would be no need to hold a sign pleading for justice.
Yan Tongshu pressed further. "Has Yang Dama been crying out for justice?"
The auntie replied, "Of course she has. But everyone saw Zhao Sheng kill someone—what injustice is there? Though, given that Old Zhao deserved to die, from that perspective, the Zhao boy is indeed wronged."