Prefect Fan was having a very disagreeable day. First, that girl, as thin as a piece of kindling, had proven to be a tough nut to crack. Then, the eldest son of the Qiu family had caught wind of the situation and rushed over to oppose him in open court. Now, some villager from who-knows-where had popped up. Was everyone here to put on a theatrical performance? They clearly had no respect for a Prefect of his standing!
He took a deep breath, but before he could vent his fury, the Secretary standing beside him, Cao, beat him to it with a loud roar.
"Who goes there? Do you not know that trespassing into a government office is a punishable offense?!"
A delicate voice rang out, sounding entirely out of place among this hall full of "crude men" and their heated tempers.
"Su Muhe of the Su family from the north of the city greets Military Supervisor Qiu and Prefect Fan. I heard that His Honor was presiding over a case today. As a member of the Su household, I have some observations I wish to discuss with both of you. I hope you will not take offense at my uninvited arrival."
As soon as these words were spoken, Fan Tong felt a momentary surge of relief that he hadn't been the one to speak first.
On the other side, Qin Jiuye finally realized that there was someone else following behind Li Qiao. Though the woman was somewhat disheveled from the rain, her posture remained exquisite. As she walked forward, shaking the droplets from her clothes, she looked like a fresh lotus heavy with dew after a storm.
But none of that was important. What mattered was that Qin Jiuye found the umbrella in the woman's hand strangely familiar.
However, the umbrella was folded away in the next instant. Aside from her, no one else in the room paid any attention to it.
Secretary Cao, who had just offended someone with his quick tongue, proved himself a true product of the bureaucracy—highly flexible. Seeing that Prefect Fan clearly did not wish to offend the Su family, he immediately changed his expression and stepped forward to apologize.
"So it is the Second Miss of the Su family! How could this lowly official have been questioning you? It is simply that I have spent too long in this post; my tone was a bit abrupt. If I startled you, Miss, I offer my apologies." He paused, his gaze shifting to the youth in plain clothes, and in a flash, his face reverted to that terrifying mask. "And who are you?! Trespassing is one thing, but to hide behind the Second Miss and borrow her prestige—you certainly have the gall!"
Perhaps because Secretary Cao was ultimately a civil official, no matter how fiercely he threatened, the youth simply watched him quietly. Only after the echoes of the angry rebuke had faded from the hall did he reply at his own pace.
"To answer Your Honor, I have no connection to the Su family. I am merely here to answer Military Supervisor Qiu's previous question." Having said that, he looked toward the woman standing in the courtyard. "I am Shopkeeper Qin's younger brother. From the hour of the Pig last night until this morning, we were together. She never left Guoran Pavilion. I can testify for her."
As he spoke, a faint smile played on his lips. It was subtle, but it carried a deep sense of comfort and a protective instinct toward someone close.
Watching from a few paces away, Su Muhe felt her heart tighten for no reason. She followed his gaze toward the woman by the courtyard's lightwell.
It was a thin, withered woman with a sallow, dull complexion. Though she wasn't old, she possessed a sense of decay as if she were in the twilight of her life. Only her eyes, dark and bright, were striking, but they were raised for only a moment before quickly dropping. She looked like a frost-bitten eggplant—wilted and dejected—and her posture was quite undignified.
Is this the person he was waiting for? She seems so far removed from his temperament.
Su Muhe’s heart settled back down. When she turned her gaze toward Qiu Ling, her eyes were much calmer.
The eldest son of the Qiu family was the person she had been waiting for in the rain, and the reason she had slipped out of the estate today.
And now, he was looking at her with a frown.
"Miss Su?"
She composed herself and performed a quiet salutation.
"Greetings, Military Supervisor."
After the brief greeting, a sudden silence fell.
Was this how a betrothed couple acted when they met unexpectedly? It seemed quite different from what was written in the opera scripts.
After stealing a glance at Qiu Ling’s expression, Qin Jiuye couldn't help but peek at Su Muhe.
She hadn't been able to see her clearly during the medical consultation, but seeing her now, the Second Miss of the Su family was indeed beautiful. While her features might not be considered exceptionally striking individually, together they possessed an indescribable harmony. The rain had not diminished her radiance; instead, it added a touch of soft elegance. Even the slight nasality in her voice seemed perfectly placed—she was the quintessential misty-rain beauty of Jiugao City.
Had she truly suffered from such a severe illness? Or was Kang Renshou’s medicine truly so miraculous that it could restore someone’s spirit in a single day?
Qin Jiuye was staring blankly when the Military Supervisor’s voice rang out again, sounding exceptionally cold and hard.
"Is Miss Su not ill? What are you doing here? Prefect Fan did not summon anyone from the Su family for today’s inquiry, did he?"
Qin Jiuye lowered her head, thankful she wasn't the Second Miss. To drag a body newly recovered from illness out of the house to see a fiancé, only to be publicly interrogated like this—wouldn't that feel like thorns in one's back and sitting on pins and needles?
Yet, while she, the outsider, was dying of awkwardness, the Second Miss remained poised and graceful.
"The person fled from the Su estate, and the trouble arose because he came to treat me. I felt uneasy in my heart. Seeing that I felt better today, I felt I had to make this trip regardless. I ask the Military Supervisor and Prefect Fan to uncover the truth. If there is any area where you need my cooperation, please do not hesitate to ask."
Truly, one cannot compare people. Setting aside everything else, the sense of propriety and the confidence to never lose ground that a daughter of a wealthy family possessed was truly extraordinary.
Qin Jiuye felt a pang of envy. Feeling inferior, she curled inward, trying to minimize her presence.
However, someone refused to let her have her wish. In the next moment, she heard Qiu Ling’s emotionless voice.
"Regarding the case, I shall continue questioning Shopkeeper Qin. Miss Su, please return."
Qin Jiuye was struck with alarm and anxiety. Even without looking up, she could feel everyone’s eyes stabbing into her.
What was wrong with this man? Why was everyone in this hall fixated on her? Was there only one straight path on Mount Qingzhong? He had read so many books, yet he didn't know how to be flexible?
She licked her lips, which hadn't touched a drop of water since morning, and spoke hoarsely.
"During the consultation, Miss Su must have seen Master Kang. Miss Su is compassionate, and since she has come in person, if she can recall some details, perhaps it could shed some light..."
As the woman spoke fearfully on her own behalf, Su Muhe heard the familiar voice and realized it wasn't the first time they had met.
Seven physicians had entered her room that day, and they had conducted the consultations one by one through a gauze curtain; it was only natural she hadn't recognized her. However, the woman had asked some strange questions that others hadn't, and she still had some impression of that.
But before the woman could finish, Prefect Fan shouted from his official chair.
"You are a suspect! You haven't even cleared your own name; what right do you have to speak of the Su family? Shut your mouth at once!"
Qin Jiuye felt as if she’d been struck by a club and was forced to close her mouth in grievance.
Su Muhe took this all in and spoke up at the appropriate moment.
"It is no matter. I came today specifically to assist with the investigation. If you do not ask a single question, my trip will have been in vain."
After saying this, she subconsciously glanced at Qiu Ling. However, the latter remained unmoved by her words, seemingly having some reservations about her status as a member of the Su family.
Observing the situation, Prefect Fan stepped in to smooth things over, using a businesslike tone to give the Second Miss an opening.
"In that case, may I ask Miss Su, when was the last time you saw Master Kang?"
Su Muhe pondered for a moment before answering softly.
"Since the consultation the day before yesterday, I have indeed not seen Master Kang again. However..."
She showed a look of hesitation, and as expected, Fan Tong pressed her.
"However what?"
"Master Kang did not show his face after the consultation, but he was constantly sending inquiries through the household servants. Most of the questions were about my condition after taking the medicine—how my appetite was, how I slept, whether the symptoms had eased, and so on. He would ask roughly every two hours, even during the night. But after noon yesterday, no one came to ask anymore, and then he left the estate directly."
This time, Prefect Fan fell silent. He clearly realized that what the Second Miss was about to say did not favor the outcome he wanted to force. But his silence was quickly broken by the young Military Supervisor.
"Specifically, when was the last time Master Kang sent someone to inquire?"
Qin Jiuye glanced at Qiu Ling, thinking to herself: *You just told her to go home, so why are you asking now?*
But Su Muhe didn't seem to mind. After a moment of reflection, she answered methodically.
"It was around the third quarter of the hour of the Horse (approx. 12:45 PM). The sun was high in the sky then, but the head maid of the inner court said the rain was coming and feared the dampness. She hurried to collect the furs and pelts drying in the courtyards and even called Shang Qu to help, so I remember it clearly."
Qin Jiuye kept her head down, but she didn't miss a single word.
If he inquired every two hours, Kang Renshou should have made another inquiry around the hour of the Monkey (3-5 PM) before leaving the estate.
If Su Muhe was telling the truth, there were two possibilities: First, Kang Renshou became negligent once he had the gold and only thought of returning to his pharmacy, so he stopped inquiring. Second, something happened to him between the end of the Monkey hour and the beginning of the Rooster hour (around 5 PM), and it happened within the Su estate. By that time, Qin Jiuye had already left the Su estate. Based on the timeline, her suspicion of committing the crime was minimal.
However, Su Muhe’s words were not ironclad evidence. If someone insisted on pinning the crime on her, she still couldn't escape.
Qiu Ling was clearly aware of this as well and continued his questioning.
"After that, did anyone else in the estate see Master Kang?"
Compared to her previous composure, Su Muhe hesitated visibly this time. Her expression was subtle, and she adjusted almost instantly, such that nearly no one noticed. But from the corner, the youth in plain clothes, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.
"Since Miss Su came here alone, you must have made a decision in your heart. It would be a pity to have braved this rain for nothing."
Su Muhe couldn't help but look at him, but the youth had already averted his gaze, retreating back into the shadows as if someone else had spoken.
The water stains on her embroidered shoes had spread into a dark patch, and the oil-paper umbrella in her hand was still dripping. She stared at the small puddle on the floor and finally spoke again after a long pause.
"I live in a side courtyard and do not have much contact with the others in the household. I do not know if anyone else saw him. However... shortly after nightfall yesterday, around the hour of the Dog (approx. 8 PM), when I pushed open the window for some air, I seemed to hear a sound."
The young Military Supervisor, who had held no expectations for this inquiry, looked up.
"What sound?"
"In the Su estate, to prevent theft, the inner courtyards are paved with crushed stones. The sound was like something being dragged across the gravel. The courtyard where I live is on the west side of the estate, separated from the guest courtyard where Master Kang was staying by only a small bamboo grove. At the time, I thought it was just a servant cleaning the yard, but thinking back now, it had already started to rain. No servant would be cleaning the courtyard at such a time..."
Su Muhe’s voice grew faint with hesitation, but Qin Jiuye’s ears perked up even more.
If this noise truly concerned Kang Renshou, it not only confirmed that he hadn't left the Su estate right after her, but it also meant the perpetrator might still have been in the estate after nightfall. The gates of Xifeng City closed after the hour of the Rooster (7 PM). If she had lied and stayed in the city to commit the crime, she wouldn't have appeared at Guoran Pavilion this morning. Prefect Fan’s "frame-up" would naturally fall apart.
But if that were the case, wouldn't Su Muhe’s account conflict with Guo Rengui’s statement?
Did Kang Renshou leave the Su estate around the start of the Rooster hour or not? Did Old Qin’s boat actually carry him? Where was he now? Who was lying?
Not just her, but everyone else present clearly heard the contradiction. Before Su Muhe’s voice could even settle, Qiu Ling asked.
"Did you hear it clearly? Besides the sound, did you see anything suspicious?"
Su Muhe fell into deep thought, but before she could speak again, a sharp shout erupted from the entrance of the office.
"Su Muhe!"
The woman trembled and turned her head, only to see her father and brother approaching in a fury.
She knew her secret escape would eventually be discovered by the people in her mother’s courtyard, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon.
Su Lin’s sapphire-blue brocade robe was askew, and his hem was half-soaked. He had clearly left the house in a hurry, rushing in through the rain without even waiting for a servant to hold an umbrella. Standing beside him was a man with a square face and thick eyebrows—Su Peiyuan, the only son of the Su family. He was currently dragging a maid in pink with some impatience; it was Su Muhe’s personal maid, Shang Qu.
Su Muhe bit her lip, steadied herself, and bowed.
"Greetings, Father. Greetings, Brother."
Before she could finish her bow, Su Lin brushed past her like a gust of wind, heading straight for the man in charge of the office.
"I have failed to discipline my daughter; I apologize to the Military Supervisor and Prefect Fan for the embarrassment. I shall take her away now." At this, Su Lin’s expression changed instantly. When he looked at Su Muhe, the shape of his mustache became sharp and biting. "Look at yourself! Do you have no sense of propriety or shame?! Get over here this instant!"
Su Muhe stood there stiffly, momentarily frozen.
Her neck bowed, and her face turned even paler than when she had walked in from the rain. Her lowered eyelashes trembled, betraying endless shame and embarrassment. One moment, she was a member of the Su family being treated with respect in this hall; the next, her own family appeared to tell everyone that she did not deserve such treatment.
If the rain had stripped her of her poise, Su Lin’s appearance had stripped her of her dignity.
"Father, I still have words for the Military Supervisor..."
Before Su Lin could speak, her dissatisfied brother snorted.
"What words? Your heart has flown out before you've even married; you've shamed your father and brother completely."
Her marriage wasn't even her own decision, yet now it was used as a reason to humiliate her. Her brother was mediocre and her father was stubborn—what did that have to do with her? Usually, there was no room for her in their lives, so why was it that whenever something happened, she was the one to be blamed?
Su Muhe clenched her fists. She had always been better at enduring than anyone else, but for some reason today, she felt this endurance was utterly useless and ridiculous.
"I dared to come today not for private matters, but to offer what little help I can for Master Kang, whose fate is unknown. He treated me, and before he disappeared, he was at the Su estate..."
Before she could finish, Su Lin interrupted her again.
"You are a mere girl. You've been confined to your room with illness these past days; what could you possibly know? It’s all just nonsensical rambling." His tone softened slightly, but the contempt on his face hadn't faded, making him look strangely eerie. "You haven't taken your medicine today. Come back with your father. If there is truly something important, the Military Supervisor will come to find me; there is no need for you to show your face. Shang Qu, take her."
At the mention of the word "medicine," Su Muhe’s previously stubborn expression suddenly wilted for some reason.
The maid in pink stepped forward tremblingly to support her. Mistress and servant stood in silence for a moment before slowly walking behind Su Lin.
Qin Jiuye watched everything unfold, not yet having processed it all. Prefect Fan, seeing the situation clearly, hurried to go with the flow.
"Miss Su has been caught in the rain; it is best she returns to rest early. I suspect this case won't have any progress for a while..."
He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly feeling a chill. Turning his head, he saw Qiu Ling staring at him in silence.
Fan Tong choked on his words and swallowed the rest of his sentence.
Qiu Ling retracted his gaze and turned toward Su Lin, who had been acting somewhat unusually.
"There are many suspicious points in this case. Master Su, it would be best if you do not leave the city in the coming days, lest the authorities be unable to find you when we need to ask questions."
Su Lin had regained his usual composure. He gave a practiced bow, his tone not yielding an inch.
"Rest assured, Military Supervisor, I shall be waiting at the estate. Uncovering the truth and capturing the criminal is what everyone desires. But if someone fails to distinguish black from white and insists on muddying the waters, the Su family will not let the matter rest. Military Supervisor, Prefect Fan, I shall take my leave."
If these words had come from an ordinary merchant family, no matter how wealthy, they would never dare say them to the face of a Prefect and a Military Supervisor. Yet they slipped easily from Su Lin’s mouth, proving that he was far from a simple medicine merchant; perhaps he had another backer.
Having finished his piece, Su Lin turned and left without looking at anyone’s expression. Only Su Muhe’s pace remained somewhat sluggish. Falling slightly behind, she looked back at the people standing in the hall.
However, no one’s gaze fell upon her. When she walked in from the rain, she seemed to have escaped her past shadow, but as she left, she became once again the ignored Second Miss of the Su household.
As she turned away, her peripheral vision caught the youth in plain clothes standing beside the thin woman in the corner. A strange sense of envy flashed through her heart.
But she eventually regained her calm.
It didn't matter. Even if the time wasn't right just yet, she firmly believed she had found the way to start a new life.
***
