“What a rip-off.” Two street corners away, Li Yan, dressed in elegant men’s attire, lowered her head to tighten her waist sash and pulled off the brocade pouch attached to it, weighing it in her hand a few times. “This was supposed to be a smoke bomb, but there’s not a single puff of smoke.”
Yu Bei sat on a tree branch, pulling a case file from his robe and tossing it down. “Young Mistress, this is a transcript—only the key details were copied. If anything is unclear, just give the order, and I’ll go back to copy more.”
Li Yan raised her hand and caught the booklet steadily.
She flipped through it briefly, then instructed, “Stay away from the government office these next few days. I know Yun Chuan’s capabilities—you won’t be at a disadvantage in a fight, but he’s the type to dig to the root of things. If he sets his sights on us, it’ll be troublesome.”
“Understood.”
After that, Li Yan waited a few moments but didn’t hear any movement from above indicating his departure. Puzzled, she looked up. “Is there something else?”
From within the tree canopy, Yu Bei remained silent for a moment before speaking. “I also managed to retrieve an item.”
Seeing him raise his arm, Li Yan instinctively reached out and caught a handkerchief-wrapped object.
With the case file tucked under her arm, she unfolded the handkerchief and froze.
Inside was a blood-stained frog clasp, its pale blue braided strap woven into the shape of a small butterfly. On the wing, a white jade stone was embedded with a pure gold character for “Yan.”
The night breeze rustled through the tree canopy, and a silvery glow like thin clouds enveloped Qingzhoucheng. Nearby, the chaotic footsteps of government runners searching the streets echoed disorderly.
Her gaze upon the frog clasp grew increasingly solemn, the surroundings so cold it felt as if even her breath would freeze.
If her earlier investigation of this case had merely been precautionary—overthinking and scrutinizing too much—from this moment on, the nature of the entire case had changed.
“Where did you find it?” she asked.
“The evidence room.”
“A keepsake of my mother, lost for a month, in the government office’s evidence room?” She looked up, incredulous.
Yu Bei, sitting cross-legged on the branch, nodded. “While copying the case file halfway through, I saw it mentioned a frog clasp embedded with the character ‘Yan.’ I went to confirm and, unexpectedly, it was indeed the one left by Madam.”
He hesitated for a moment before adding, “Young Mistress, this case is strange. The government office clearly has a prime suspect but has remained inactive for ten days. It’s very odd.”
Indeed, if the runners had taken this piece of evidence to question people around the commercial streets, someone would surely have recognized that this frog clasp came from the hand of the Li family’s madam. It would inevitably lead the investigation to Feilong Shanzhuang.
Coupled with the distinctive whip marks, even a fool would suspect Li Yan.
Yet, whether it was Qingzhou’s prefect Lin Jian’an or the renowned first-class constable Yun Chuan, they both acted as if blind, turning a blind eye.
She clenched the frog clasp in her palm, her expression serious. “…I understand. Be careful on your way back.”
Yu Bei cupped his hands in a salute, then vanished into the night.
The night was like water, cold and piercing.
Li Yan tucked away the frog clasp, drew the folding fan from behind her, and flicked it open with a swish. Putting on a drunken act, she adopted the demeanor of a frivolous young master, humming a tune as she headed back to Haixi Lou.
At the last corner, spotting a shivering little beggar curled up on a straw mat, she dropped half a string of copper coins into the broken bowl before him.
Looking up, she saw someone standing in front of Haixi Lou.
Li Yan’s heart skipped a beat.
The hour of Zi had already passed, and the place should have closed long ago. Why were candles still lit and lanterns still hanging?
Swaying her fan, she watched the approaching figure and felt a growing sense of unease.
That silhouette, that presence—searching through her memories, it could only be Shen Hanzhou.
"You're back?" Shen Hanzhou stood in a thin robe, his long hair disheveled, hands clasped behind his back as he gazed at her, his tone cold and distant.
She instinctively felt a chill down her spine, a flicker of panic rising within her.
But then it struck her—she was the master of Feilong Shanghang! What was there to fear?
Li Yan straightened her posture and strode forward. "I'm back. Why aren't you asleep yet? If your health isn't good, you should rest early. What if you catch a chill standing out here?"
Better to strike first than be accused.
Ever since losing his memory, Shen Hanzhou's health had been fragile.
Already slender, now wearing only an outer robe and standing in the midnight street breeze, his face appeared even paler.
After speaking, Li Yan felt even more guilty. She averted her gaze and tried to slip into Haixi Lou.
Shen Hanzhou sidestepped, blocking her path, his voice still icy. "Where did you go?"
He wasn't falling for her deflection.
Li Yan looked at him, recalling the danger she had just faced. Not wanting to worry Shen Hanzhou further, she lied, "I went for a couple of drinks."
"Liar." Shen Hanzhou showed no mercy, exposing her immediately. "You don't smell of alcohol."
"Huh?" She paused, lowering her head to sniff her sleeve.
Indeed, there was no scent.
"Listening to music? Visiting male entertainers?" Shen Hanzhou's voice grew colder with each word. "Didn't I tell you not to go?"
Li Yan faltered. "Do I have to report to you every time I go somewhere out of boredom?"
She saw a frosty layer settle over his handsome face. He pressed his lips together, forcing out the words with difficulty, "If you're bored, tell me. Why waste money like that? Music, chess, calligraphy, painting—I, Shen Hanzhou, excel in all of them!"
With that, he turned abruptly and strode toward the backyard.
Li Yan stood dumbfounded at the entrance, watching his distant, cold retreating figure, her heart filled with confusion.
As the esteemed master of Feilong Shanzhuang and a tycoon of Qingzhou, why did she lack even this bit of freedom?
"Miss." Only then did Cao Qie poke his head out.
He said apologetically, "Not long after you left, Accountant Shen suddenly came out carrying a tray of sandalwood, saying you couldn't sleep soundly without it lit at night. I couldn't stop him. When he realized you weren't here, he just stood there for over an hour. I tried to persuade him, but he said he was afraid you'd get into trouble if you drank too much and refused to go back."
"What trouble could I possibly get into?" Li Yan looked up toward the second floor, then waved her hand dismissively after a moment. "Never mind, I'll explain it to him tomorrow."
"Oh, right." She pointed at Cao Qie. "That smoke bomb of yours—it worked, but don't do it again."
"Huh? Was it not effective?" He hurried after her.
"Effective? It was too effective. When that firework went off with a bang, the look on Chief Constable Yun's face—I bet it'll shock him for twenty years."
"Firework?" Cao Qie stopped, his expression shifting dramatically.
He had seen three fireworks earlier, shooting high into the night sky and exploding beautifully.
At the time, he had only cursed the person setting them off for lacking virtue, disturbing everyone's sleep in the dead of night, without considering any other possibilities.
Now, hearing Li Yan's words, his brows furrowed tightly.
He hissed, "That shouldn't be… I thought I mixed it properly…"
"Stop overthinking it." Li Yan closed her fan and turned to face him. "Let's get to business. Help me look into someone."
She spoke solemnly, "Last March in Liuhe Xian, there was a girl surnamed Ning, a slave, who beat the young master of the Chen family into disability."
The moonlight spilled across the ground like scattered silver, and the uniquely cool spring breeze rustled Li Yan's clothes in gentle waves.
She appeared as a scholar, sitting in the main hall and speaking calmly: "After the girl was brought to trial, she was sentenced to Moxing, with the character 'Violent' branded below her collarbone. Send someone you trust, who is skilled and reliable, to investigate as soon as possible and find out exactly what happened. On the way, also send a message to Du Erniang at the manor, asking her to look for the records of the twisted whips previously custom-made by the bandits in the area. We’ll likely need them in the coming days."
"And one more thing," she tapped her fingers on the rosewood table, lowering her voice, "Get me an invitation. I want to attend the Qulou Shihui across the street. I refuse to believe that someone could drag a headless corpse up onto their roof to dump it without anyone inside noticing anything unusual."
Beyond that, Li Yan was also pondering the missing head.
Why did the killer take the head, how did they dispose of it, and where exactly was the primary crime scene—all these questions troubled her.
Gazing at the still-wet puddles outside the door, she slowed the fanning of her hand.