"Me? The Street Administration Office?"
"That’s right, young lady. I saw everything you did just now! You are exactly the kind of talent our Street Administration Office needs." Fan Lutong spoke with excitement. He loved the Li Family Baozi Shop and ate there every day while on patrol; he never expected it was diseased pork!
They were a group of seasoned veterans who dealt with such matters every day, yet they had been blindsided in their own backyard.
The Street Administration Office was specifically responsible for urban street hygiene, business order, ditch repairs, and so on. Therefore, the street stalls operating throughout the city fell under their jurisdiction.
"You’ll have to ask my father about that." Shen Yuan remembered her father’s advice to keep a low profile and simply pushed the problem onto him.
"May I ask who your honorable father is?"
"My father is the Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
"So you are the daughter of Lord Shen! You truly take after your father!"
Hearing him say this, Shen Yuan instinctively asked, "Do you know my father?"
Fan Lutong gave a dry laugh. "Haha, I’ve heard of him, I’ve heard of him."
The Street Administration Office was under the Imperial City Administration and rarely interacted with the Dali Temple. He was just a minor Chief; he never had the chance to enter the palace or attend court sessions. He didn't even know what the Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review looked like.
At dusk, most of the roadside stall owners began packing their things to head home, while others were just coming out to prepare for the night market.
In this dynasty, there was no curfew within the city. If one wished, they could conduct business all through the night.
Realizing her father would soon be home, Shen Yuan didn't dare stay out any longer. After bidding farewell to Fan Lutong, she took her attendants and headed back.
Once home, Shen Yuan went straight to her brother and sister-in-law's courtyard. Her brother was studying away from home and only had three days of leave per month to return; usually, he stayed at the academy.
Shen Yuan feared her sister-in-law would be lonely, so she often went to keep her company.
The grandfather and father of He Ying, Shen Yuan's sister-in-law, were both famous Grand Secretaries of the current dynasty. Shen Su had studied under He Ying’s father since he was a young boy. Thus, although the two had only recently married, they were childhood sweethearts of many years and shared a deep affection.
"Manman, did you go out to the streets again today?"
"Mhm! Next time, Sister-in-law should come with me. Brother isn't home, and it’s so dull for you to be here all by yourself!" As soon as Shen Yuan entered, she snuggled into He Ying’s arms—treatment that even Shen Su didn't always get.
"This…"
He Ying was somewhat hesitant. She had a quiet and refined nature; her most frequent activity was reading, and she rarely went out for leisure.
Moreover, her mother often told her that after marriage, one must never simply act according to one's whims.
In all fairness, she had lived very comfortably since marrying into the Shen family. Her husband was the man she loved, her sister-in-law was adorable and endearing—a girl she had watched grow up—and her father-in-law was open-minded, even letting her manage the household as soon as she arrived.
However, being married was different from being an unmarried girl at home.
Seeing her sister-in-law's hesitation, Shen Yuan said considerately, "If you don't want to go to the streets, we could go to the Imperial College together to see Brother and bring him some things. Didn't he say the food there is terrible?"
In any case, once they were out the door, it wouldn't be far from the streets anyway!
Although the Imperial College did not allow students to return home at will, their families could visit every month to bring food and clothing. There was even a dedicated dining hall for visiting families to eat.
Shen Su and He Ying had married at the end of last year. Due to the honeymoon and the New Year festivities, Shen Su hadn't returned to the Imperial College until after the Lantern Festival.
Therefore, it was only after Shen Yuan’s reminder today that He Ying remembered she could visit Shen Su at the academy.
"Then in a few days. I was planning to make your brother a new set of clothes; I’ve only just started."
As a newlywed couple in the heat of passion, of course she missed him. Originally, He Ying had intended to wait until Shen Su’s next leave to have the new clothes ready. But now that visiting the Imperial College was mentioned, she thought about rushing the sewing over the next few days.
Seeing the two red clouds drifting onto her sister-in-law’s face, Shen Yuan knew she was thinking of her brother. She didn't disturb her further, grabbing a piece of milk cake from the table before heading out.
Leaving the courtyard, Shen Yuan went to the front study to find her father. Shen Yun had also just returned.
The father and daughter had dinner together, so they simply set the table in the study, chatting as they ate.
"Dad, the Chief of the Street Administration Office asked if I’d be willing to work for them today."
Shen Yun nearly dropped his chopsticks upon hearing this. He couldn't understand how his daughter had gotten involved with the Street Administration Office.
"Why were you out on the streets again? Didn't I tell you to stay quiet for a few days?"
Shen Yun was afraid the Wang family would realize what happened and investigate who had exposed their son's affairs. If they traced it back to Manman, it would be bad for her.
"I have people with me when I go out. Besides, I didn't cause any trouble today."
"Oh? Then tell me, what did you do that made the Street Administration Office come looking for you?"
Shen Yuan’s little mouth rattled on as she recounted everything she had done that day.
"You, oh you…" Her father couldn't help but laugh. He never imagined his daughter’s "mind-reading" could be used for something like that. No wonder the Street Administration Office wanted her.
But after laughing, he turned serious. "No matter how much you play around, the Street Administration Office is no place for you."
Setting aside whether it was appropriate for a daughter of an official family to do such work, Shen Yun was also worried about his daughter frequently displaying this ability. When one meets too many people, there will always be someone "sharp-eyed" who might become suspicious.
"I know that, of course." Shen Yuan pursed her lips. Her father always treated her like a fool.
"Dad, what’s wrong?" Shen Yuan noticed her father had barely eaten a few bites before putting down his chopsticks, sensing something was troubling him.
"It’s about a case. You don't need to worry about it." Shen Yun didn't say much. Before a case was tried, it was classified and could not be revealed to anyone.
It was still that massacre case from the outskirts of the capital. Both he and Xie Hui suspected that the matter might be related to Chen Shi's husband, Lin Yougui. However, after bringing the man in, he did nothing but weep and refused to say another word.
Currently, they only had suspicions and no evidence, so they couldn't officially imprison him and could only keep him under separate supervision. Yet without evidence, they couldn't keep him detained at the Dali Temple forever.
The villagers from the same village were very dissatisfied when they learned Lin Yougui was being held. When faced with Dali Temple officials sent for questioning, they didn't dare say anything on the surface, but were actually very resistant and unwilling to cooperate.
Some even muttered behind their backs that the Dali Temple couldn't find the killer, so they were trying to frame Lin Yougui to close the case.
The common people didn't know how to solve crimes, but they had their simple perceptions: if the Dali Temple had no evidence, then they had caught the wrong person.
Were the people wrong? No.
Ultimately, it was because the Dali Temple had found nothing.
According to the villagers, Lin Yougui and Chen Shi were a loving couple. They had been married for ten years without so much as a quarrel and had three children—two daughters and a son.
Years of experience in solving cases made Shen Yun focus on Lin Yougui, yet sometimes he doubted his own guess. Even if Lin Yougui wanted to kill Chen Shi, could he really have the heart to strike down his own three children?
If they didn't find anything soon, the Dali Temple would have to release Lin Yougui.
Shen Yuan also knew she couldn't casually pry into the case, but she suddenly thought…
"Dad!" Shen Yuan suddenly grabbed her father's sleeve, her eyes sparkling.
Shen Yun’s eyelid twitched. Without her saying a word, he immediately knew what his daughter was thinking.
Shen Yun refused without a second thought. "No!"