The next day, Li Yan was squatting in the kitchen early in the morning.
She kneaded two liang of flour, brushed it layer by layer with lard, and personally fried six pieces of Taohuasu.
"Looking across the entire manor, only Accountant Shen gets to enjoy such a treat."
Before Cao Qie, the golden pastries looked absolutely delicious.
Li Yan untied her apron behind her back and wiped her hands with a handkerchief: "I have to butter him up; I'm counting on him for the poetry gathering."
She picked up the plate and turned toward Shen Hanzhou's room.
Li Jia had only Li Yan as the sole heir, and she had been raised since childhood with the goal of taking over the mountain stronghold.
Now, at twenty-two, the gap between Li Yan and Shen Hanzhou was evident.
If Shen Hanzhou was a frail scholar skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and song, then Li Yan was the complete opposite—a "top swordsman" who appeared very ladylike but was actually unfathomably skilled with swords and blades.
Holding the plate in one hand, she stood before Shen Hanzhou's tightly shut door and knocked three times: "Accountant Shen, come out for some snacks."
All was quiet around, with no response.
Li Yan knocked three more times: "Last night was my fault. Open the door and have something to eat. How can you skip breakfast when you're not in good health? I specially made Taohuasu for you, fresh out of the pan."
The tightly shut wooden door showed no sign of opening. Li Yan stood in place and turned in a circle.
The sky was already bright, and the flow of guests in Haixi Lou gradually increased. The Taohuasu in her hand slowly cooled.
Li Yan took a deep breath and raised her voice a few notches: "Shen Hanzhou, open the door!"
"Customer." Just as she finished speaking, a waiter with a white towel over his shoulder politely said, "There's an official downstairs who invites you for a brief chat."
"An official?" Li Yan was surprised.
Following the waiter's pointing finger, she saw the figure in black clothing at the entrance of Haixi Lou.
Just as she was about to leave, the wooden door beside her suddenly swung open.
Shen Hanzhou, with a sour expression, wore a thin inner garment and was pulling his outer robe over his head, fastening it around his body.
"Finally decided to open the door?" Li Yan chuckled.
With a cold face, he took the Taohuasu along with the plate and spoke without any pleasantries: "Didn't pay last night and got reported to the authorities, chased all the way here?"
Li Yan was speechless: "Am I that kind of person?" She tucked her hands into her sleeves and leaned closer to Shen Hanzhou, whispering, "I went to scout the government office last night."
Shen Hanzhou, biting into the Taohuasu, chewed slower and slower.
He put down the remaining half-piece, worried: "…Left a trail?"
Li Yan shook her head: "Didn't leave anything behind, didn't leave a trail."
After saying this, she noticed Shen Hanzhou's face clearly read "I don't believe you."
"Hey, it's true! If I had to say there was any mishap, it was the smoke bomb Cao Qie gave me. When I was making my escape, it released three fireworks, which completely stunned me."
Shen Hanzhou stared at her, his expression growing increasingly serious.
He tapped his chin with an empty fist, pondering: "If you needed to escape, that means someone was chasing you… Why didn't you mention this last night?"
Li Yan was at a loss for words: "Last night, it was clearly you who didn't listen to my explanation and stormed off."
"You could have chased after me," he argued confidently. "We've grown up together since childhood. What misunderstanding couldn't be cleared up by chasing after me?"
Li Yan fell silent.
Arguing with Shen Hanzhou always made her feel like she was in the wrong no matter what.
Frowning, she complained: "Accountant Shen, aren't you frozen silly? What lady would run into a man's bedroom in the middle of the night?"
Shen Hanzhou was taken aback, greatly surprised: "Since when do bandits have manners?"
A soul-searching question.
Li Yan was completely at a loss for words.
Especially when she noticed the look in his eyes held a hint of "frustration at her lack of progress," she felt even more speechless.
She quickly changed the subject, calling out to the waiter, "Hurry and take me to see the official!"
Haixi Lou was the largest restaurant in Qingzhou and also one of the most prominent businesses of Feilong Shanzhuang.
However, most of the patrons here were merchants discussing business, with few literati or government officials.
At this moment, a dignified and imposing sword-carrying constable standing in the main hall was particularly eye-catching.
Shen Hanzhou walked ahead, with Li Yan following behind him.
Before they even finished descending the stairs, they recognized the person as Qingzhou's renowned constable, Yun Chuan.
"Oh no, I fought with him on the roof last night. Could he have recognized me?" Li Yan whispered.
Shen Hanzhou paused, slowly turned around, and lowered his gaze to advise, "Don't panic."
After saying this, he kept one hand behind his back, still holding the plate of Taohuasu, his steps steady.
Yun Chuan was a martial artist. Although he was as tall as Shen Hanzhou, there was a significant difference in their builds.
At a glance, he appeared much more robust, his entire frame a size larger.
"Villa Master Li," he clasped his fists in greeting, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword. His expression grew slightly complicated as his gaze swept past Shen Hanzhou's icy, unapproachable face. "Thank you for your assistance in the investigation yesterday, which helped uncover such crucial clues."
After speaking, he turned to Shen Hanzhou and clasped his fists again. "And thank you, Brother Shen, for your Shiyushu, which turned the case around."
Shen Hanzhou remained expressionless, raising a hand in a gesture of modesty. "Constable Yun, you flatter me. I never expected that your yamen would go ten days or half a month without anyone bothering to examine the body."
His words were sharp but hit the mark. Yun Chuan had no defense and could only smile awkwardly. "We didn’t expect it either. The coroner we hired for three taels of silver to lend a hand was so unreliable that he didn’t even mention the Moxing mark on the body."
His gaze shifted between the two of them before he asked, "Are you two in Qingzhou to collect debts?"
"Spring outing to admire the flowers," Shen Hanzhou answered first.
Hearing his tone grow increasingly cold, Li Yan hurriedly smoothed things over. "Collecting debts, and also sightseeing. What brings you here today, Constable Yun?"
It was unclear what offense Yun Chuan had committed against Shen Hanzhou, but ever since he visited Feilong Shanzhuang a few times to see Li Yan, Shen Hanzhou had held a grudge against him.
To prevent the atmosphere from becoming even more awkward, Li Yan quickly invited him to sit.
"Actually, there are two matters on which I’d like to hear Villa Master Li’s… and Brother Shen’s insights," he said, removing his sword and sitting down after adjusting his robe. "To be honest, last night, a thief broke into the yamen."
So it was because of this.
Li Yan feigned surprise. "What? A thief? Was anything important stolen?"
Yun Chuan hesitated for a moment. "We haven’t finished taking inventory yet, so it’s unclear for now. I discovered the thief in the Hufang. He was very clever—as soon as he heard movement, he blew out the candle. His Qinggong was also excellent; he jumped out the window and flipped onto the roof. I chased him for a quarter of an hour but couldn’t catch up."
"How strange. Constable Yun, the great divine constable, is said to have the best Qinggong in the world. I never thought there would be a thief you couldn’t catch," Shen Hanzhou said, sitting between the two of them and pouring a cup of tea exclusively for Li Yan.
Yun Chuan forced an awkward smile. "There’s always someone better, and skies beyond skies. The title of 'best in the world' is not something to be claimed lightly."
Noticing that she was the only one with tea, Li Yan kicked Shen Hanzhou under the table and shot him a look: What about Constable Yun’s tea?
Shen Hanzhou looked at him with a cold expression, answering evasively, "You were dead drunk last night and still want to drink? No."
Li Yan froze.
What a massive false accusation!
But Yun Chuan actually laughed heartily, going along with it, "Villa Master Li indulging in wine again? Drink less, your health is important."
He reached out, picked up the teapot, and casually poured two cups, pushing one toward Shen Hanzhou. "That thief was quite interesting. When I chased him to the end, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and pulled a hidden weapon from his pocket. I thought it was something like a Tangmen throwing dart, but he set off three fireworks in a row."
Yun Chuan took a big gulp of tea. "I’ve never seen a thief set off fireworks. I couldn’t figure it out at all."
In all of Qingzhou, Li Yan least wanted to face Yun Chuan.
Due to his nature, whenever it came to cases, he loved digging to the bottom of things. If a certain thief caught his attention, he would pursue them relentlessly until they were cornered.
Just as she was struggling to come up with some nonsense to smooth things over, Shen Hanzhou spoke unhurriedly, "What fireworks… Constable Yun should already know the results of my autopsy yesterday. The female victim had whip marks on her body and neck, and on her collarbone was a Moxing tattoo. If the government office investigates, it should be easy to identify who the victim was."
Yun Chuan was stunned, then his face lit up with delight as he leaned closer to Shen Hanzhou. "Brother Shen, I’d love to hear the details."