The morning light at Baosu Pier was cold and desolate. Usually, by this hour, vessels of all sizes would have crowded the waterways until they were impassable, and the footfalls of those loading and unloading cargo would make the wooden boardwalks thunder.
But today, it was silent.
Occasionally, a few waterbirds skimmed the distant surface, but before long, the area returned to a deathly stillness.
A faint scent of charred wood lingered in the air, yet the crowds of onlookers had long since vanished. Only a few small boats remained, turning back to head for other docks, their owners cursing as they circled the water. To the ordinary folk struggling for a living in Jiugao City, the burning cargo ship on the Huan River this morning was merely a bit of excitement and gossip to break the monotony of their laborious lives. A few words shared over a rest stop were enough; the rest of the trouble was for the officials to worry about.
Half of the Prefectural Governor’s men had left to escort the unconscious Lord Fan, while those remaining conducted a final sweep of the pier. Most of them did not even know what they were looking for; they only felt that what they had witnessed on the ship was unlike anything they had ever seen, leaving them in a state of lingering shock.
Su Mizhi stood by a hitching post near the pier’s embankment, followed by a group of trembling managers and servants. These were old hands who had served her for many years and were no strangers to a bit of wind and waves, but anyone could see that the current situation was "ominous" in the extreme.
Their state of mind mirrored the two cargo ships moored not far behind them. Charred marks peeked through a hole in the hull of one ship, making the newly risen sun look like a dying star at dusk.
Lu Zican and his men had efficiently moved the massive iron cage off the ship and immediately loaded it onto a pre-arranged carriage, securing the four corners of the tarpaulin to the vehicle's frame. Qiu Ling directed the rest of his subordinates to organize anything that might serve as evidence, moving items one by one from the ship to the pier to be sent away in batches. From beginning to end, he did not spare Su Mizhi or her people a single glance.
He seemed entirely unconcerned that anyone from the Su family might flee. Or perhaps, before arriving here, he had already cast a dragnet across the entire city and its outskirts.
Su Mizhi’s expression was a mask of cold severity tinged with numbness. Her white silk robes were no longer as pristine and dazzling as they had appeared in the night, and the red spots on her fingertips were particularly jarring—bloody marks left by her own nails digging into her skin.
How could she not know what was on Qiu Ling’s mind? If the case involved an ordinary family or refugees, a single oxcart and a pair of straw sandals would be enough for the whole family to flee. But the Su family could not. She and the hundred-odd souls in her household were like a giant beast with its limbs entangled; their roots were buried deep within Jiugao City. Moving in any direction was an impossibility.
After a long silence, she finally spoke. Her voice was flat, which made it all the more chilling.
“How exactly did the authorities find this ship?”
Manager Guo Rengui shrank back, pulling his sleeves tight, looking utterly pathetic.
“In response to the Eldest Miss... the ship was burning like that. It would have been quite difficult not to notice...”
“I am asking how they found Baosu Pier so quickly!” Su Mizhi’s voice grew colder, sounding as if the words were squeezed through her teeth. “The Governor, then the Prefectural Governor’s office... they came one after another, and their timing was perfect. How could it be such a coincidence?”
Guo Rengui lifted his eyelids and stole a quick glance at Su Muhe, who stood a few paces away.
“I heard... I heard it was the Second Miss’s boat that first encountered the Governor and his men. After all, the Second Miss’s boat was the closest...”
Guo Rengui’s voice trailed off at just the right moment. Su Mizhi’s eyes shifted toward Su Muhe.
Su Muhe still kept her head bowed. Her personal maid in pink followed her mistress’s lead, always maintaining that stupid, submissive appearance.
Su Mizhi withdrew her gaze and continued to question Guo Rengui.
“Though she is betrothed to Qiu Ling, the two should have never met. They even avoided each other during Grandmother’s birthday banquet. How could they be acquainted? Think carefully before you answer.”
Guo Rengui’s eyes flickered, his expression one of affected difficulty.
“This...”
Seeing the situation, Shangqu, who stood beside Su Muhe, felt that if she didn't speak up, they would fall into a defensive position. She finally couldn't help but say, “Actually, our Miss...”
“Shut up! You are a mere slave. I did not ask you, yet you dare to interrupt?” Su Mizhi glared at her before looking back at Guo Rengui. “You speak. If you do not tell the truth, I will throw you into the river to feed the fish. There are plenty of people in this manor who want your job. Newcomers are easier to train, and the manor’s accounts might be cleaner for it.”
Guo Rengui had already seen that things were going poorly today, but he hadn't expected the fire to reach him so quickly. He immediately dropped to his knees, weeping and wailing about his loyalty while speaking in fits and starts.
“Eldest Miss, please be discerning! This old servant is loyal to the Su family and has no ulterior motives. Earlier... the day after the medical consultation ended, the Second Miss went to the Prefectural Governor’s office to find the Governor. She said she wanted to clarify the case and assist in the investigation. When the Master found out, he immediately went to bring her back and put her under house arrest. This was considered a family scandal, so no one else was told. This old servant was also instructed not to gossip, which is why I didn't inform the Eldest Miss! Please, Eldest Miss, it truly wasn't my intention to hide it...”
As Guo Rengui wailed incessantly, Shangqu shouted in anger.
“Manager Guo, why are you twisting the truth? Speak clearly! What does Miss going to the Governor’s office that day have to do with what happened today?!”
Su Mizhi raised an eyebrow and looked at Shangqu, who immediately fell silent, not daring to speak again. Su Mizhi turned her gaze back, staring intently into Guo Rengui’s eyes.
“And then?”
“Later, during the Old Madam’s birthday banquet, Xiao Hai, who is in charge of decocting medicine, mentioned something. He said he saw the Second Miss alone with a man under the hydrangea tree outside the bamboo grove in the back garden. Although he didn't see the man's face clearly, it’s possible... it’s possible it was...”
Guo Rengui dropped his loud voice, his tone becoming smaller as he reached the crucial point. The fire in Su Mizhi’s eyes, however, grew larger, and her voice sank to its lowest depth.
“Sister, as your elder sister, I am simply curious. On Grandmother’s great birthday, what urgent matter did you have that required a private meeting with an outsider? And what did you discuss during that private meeting?” She turned and walked step by step toward the quiet Su Muhe. “Were you discussing how to give Grandmother a surprise, or were you discussing how to give us a fright today?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding managers and servants lowered their heads. The pier fell into a dead silence.
Who didn't know that the main branch and the second branch of the Su family were only polite on the surface while being as incompatible as fire and water in private? The second branch relied on having a son and refused to yield in any matter. The main branch had fought back for years, often venting their frustration on the concubine-born Second Miss, guarding against their own kin as if they were thieves. Even this current marriage arrangement was something the Eldest Miss had passed over, only because the eldest son of the Qiu family had been in the military for years and was likely to have a short life.
But even so, neither side had ever exposed this layer in front of outsiders, nor had they ever humiliated Su Muhe so publicly with such harsh words.
The covert struggles of the past decade had never reached a conclusion, yet just as the Su family met with disaster, this bloodless war of the inner court suddenly erupted.
Everyone kept their heads down, speculating how this grand drama would end.
Not far away, Qin Jiuye, who was following Lu Zican off the ship, witnessed this scene.
She had just been untied and the rag removed from her mouth. Her wrists were aching and her mouth felt like it was on fire. She had no desire to watch the Su family’s sordid drama, but Su Mizhi’s aura was imposing. Though her voice wasn't loud, it made the air of the entire pier feel suffocating. She was clearly settling scores.
Back on the ship, Su Mizhi had acted very tough in front of everyone, likely deciding she no longer cared about the marriage alliance with the Qiu family. If she were only targeting Qiu Ling, it might be because she felt his roots in this city were shallow. But Fan Tong was an old hand in Jiugao City and had provided the Su family with many conveniences in the past; there was truly no need to offend him. Yet Su Mizhi had completely disregarded his face, publicly antagonizing both Qiu and Fan one after the other. This was likely not a result of a momentary impulse, but for another reason.
No matter how successful they were, the Su family was ultimately just a merchant family selling medicine. No matter how wealthy, what of it? Su Mizhi was not the type of arrogant person who only cared about venting her own emotions. For her to act this way, she must know she had a greater backer behind her. And once the events on the ship were exposed, the Su family would surely suffer the backlash of that power.
Perhaps the "Prince Xiaoning’s Manor" she had mentioned was not just an empty threat.
The waters of the Huan River gently lapped against the damp, rotting wooden planks of the pier. Qin Jiuye felt as if she were in the middle of a vast, boundless ocean. Amidst the rolling waves, she could not tell how deep the water was. The great ship named the Su Manor was slowly sinking before her, yet she could not see the outline of the opposite shore.
Collecting her thoughts and looking up again, Qin Jiuye’s gaze shifted from Su Mizhi to Su Muhe. Involuntarily, the scene she had glimpsed on the cargo ship flashed before her eyes.
In the silent night, on the calm river, the gauze curtains had been slightly lifted, and the two figures reflected in the carved window had merged together...
“It was I who met the Governor privately first. If Sister wishes to punish someone, then punish me alone.”
Qin Jiuye’s thoughts were interrupted. She saw that Su Muhe did not argue; she actually bowed her neck and admitted to everything.
“Miss!”
Shangqu shook Su Muhe in confusion, her voice filled with both anxiety and bewilderment.
When had her Miss ever met the eldest son of the Qiu family privately? Aside from that brief encounter at the Prefectural Governor’s office that day, they had no contact at all.
Not only was Shangqu stunned, but even Qin Jiuye was taken aback.
But her confusion lasted only a moment before she began to understand.
Su Muhe was providing cover for them. Or rather, providing cover for Li Qiao.
The girl would rather take on this fabricated crime than have Su Mizhi investigate the private meeting in the bamboo grove that night, the large hole in the cargo ship, and who exactly had quietly boarded her boat.
Qin Jiuye felt filled with a complex emotion. She wanted to leave this place quickly, yet she couldn't truly pretend nothing was happening and walk away from the Su family.
Over there, Su Mizhi stared at her younger sister’s calm, tranquil face, feeling the fire in her heart rise higher and higher.
“Could it be that you were also the one who told them the location of the cargo ship? And how did you let that thief onto the ship? Did you bribe the people around me?”
Su Muhe did not answer. Su Mizhi raised her blood-stained fingertip, pointing it directly between Su Muhe’s brows.
“Kneel.”
Su Muhe trembled, a trace of imperceptible stubbornness appearing on her face.
“I said, kneel!”
Su Muhe finally bent her knees slowly, kneeling on the mud-stained boardwalk of the pier.
“Su Muhe, you actually betrayed the Su family for an outsider. You are not fit to be a member of the Su family. Grandmother pitied your loneliness and was lenient with you since childhood, never once reproaching you. Now that she is burdened because of you, I will certainly not go easy on you!”
No matter what harsh words came out of Su Mizhi’s mouth, Su Muhe remained kneeling there with her head bowed from beginning to end, as if she were deaf and mute. Along with her pink-clad maid, they turned into two withered willows by the river; only when the wind blew did their hair sway slightly.
Qin Jiuye’s steps felt heavy as she forced herself to walk, but her gaze uncontrollably drifted toward those two figures from behind.
From the previous birthday banquet and today’s events, it wasn't hard to see that Su Mizhi was the one Su Lin trusted most. Many affairs in the manor were directly controlled by Su Mizhi; Su Muhe could only cooperate and had no right to question or be informed. Previously, when Su Lin had her take Grandmother’s place for the medical consultation, there must have been a certain explanation given. But that explanation was likely partial. After all, if one knew the full extent of this terrifying truth, how many people could pretend nothing was wrong and play a part in a "substitution" scheme? After all, she wasn't standing in for just anyone, but a killer burdened with two lives.
Su Muhe might not have been fully informed, and she was indeed implicated because of her status as a Su, but it was impossible for her to have noticed nothing at all. Whether Su Muhe was entirely innocent was unknown, but it was clear that she did not feel the same heart-wrenching pain over today’s events as Su Mizhi did.
Perhaps that was because of Su Muhe’s situation in the Su Manor.
Back when Su Muhe had charged into the County Magistrate’s office alone and was then taken away by Su Lin, Qin Jiuye had vaguely guessed that this sudden storm would not end easily. But for things to develop to this point was something even she hadn't expected.
If the Su family collapsed, Su Muhe would certainly have no place to stand. But if the Su family weathered this storm, her life would only become more difficult.
She had no real friendship with Su Muhe; at most, when she looked at her, she felt their situations often shared similarities—unable to control their own fates, being cautious at every turn, only to be stepped on in the end.
But what concerned her most was the way Su Muhe had looked when she charged into the Prefectural Governor’s office alone that day.
She was a bit disheveled, but she carried a spark of courage and a desire to break through everything.
She was not Su Muhe and did not know what the other was thinking at that time. But she instinctively felt that among the various reasons driving that woman to take that step, there might have been a small piece of something called conscience. And that faint, unspeakable thing was the greatest difference between Su Muhe and the rest of the Su family.
In her daze, Qin Jiuye’s steps brought her right beside the Su sisters.
Su Mizhi’s words became increasingly vicious and foul. Her bright red nails waved in the air, nearly scratching Su Muhe’s face. Su Muhe couldn't help but slightly turn her head to dodge, and the nails caught harshly on her hair bun.
Su Muhe let out an unguarded cry of alarm as a lock of black hair was instantly torn away, and she fell sideways in a pathetic heap.
Qin Jiuye finally couldn't help but reach out. Before she could even react, she had already caught the woman.
*They are family, why must it be like this?*
This thought flashed through Qin Jiuye’s mind. However, before she could speak, she was pinned in place by Su Mizhi’s gaze.
She had never seen such a terrifying look. Though set in that pretty face, it radiated absolute contempt and loathing. It was as if she were not looking at a person, but at an insect—an ugly insect that dared to crawl onto her embroidered shoe and interrupt her thoughts while she was speaking.
Qin Jiuye instinctively took half a step back, and just as she was about to say something, her vision blurred. Her left cheek went numb, followed by a searing, stinging pain.
“You wench, who are you to lecture the Su family! Don't think I don't know what you've done. You took the Su family’s silver, yet you dared to tell that Qiu boy about Grandmother’s illness. You are lower than a dog! Everything the Su family suffers today is thanks to you. I will never let you off! Never!”
Her head buzzed, and her eyes forgot to move. Qin Jiuye stood there, frozen in the posture of having just been slapped.
Beside her, Su Muhe stifled a cry of shock. She seemed to want to step forward, but her hand was held tight by the frightened Shangqu.
Lu Zican arrived a step late and hurried to pull Qin Jiuye aside, his thick brows knitting together.
“Does Miss Su think the Su family’s crimes are not enough, that she must cause more trouble? The Su family’s downfall is due to murder; what does it have to do with Shopkeeper Qin? Miss Su prides herself on being clever, so how can she not understand such a simple truth?!”
His voice was naturally loud, and now, out of urgency, he raised it further. Not far away, the young Governor, who had just mounted his horse to escort Old Madam Su away, heard the commotion and looked back, witnessing the scene.
Qin Jiuye touched her face. The first thing she felt was not grievance or sadness, but an indescribable sense of trance and absurdity.
She was like someone who was cautious and timid yet had poked a hornet's nest, covering her head and dodging everywhere until the moment the stinger pierced her flesh. Only then did her chaotic, fleeing heart finally settle.
She had known all along that this might be the price she had to pay—the price of making an enemy of the Su family. And this slap was merely the beginning. If an ant wants to resist, it must risk being stepped on. Hiding in a dark corner every day might allow one to survive, but one would never earn the right to speak for oneself.
She did not regret helping Su Muhe just now, nor did she regret her desperate decision last night.
The buzzing in her ears vanished instantly, and Qin Jiuye felt a wave of clarity. She quickly regained her composure and, after stepping back a few paces, managed to maintain her poise, cupping her hands in a formal salute.
“In that case, I shall wait at home for your arrival. Speaking of which, I have been to the Prefectural Governor’s office once; the place for interrogations is not very pleasant, and Lord Fan has many methods. I advise the Eldest Miss Su to behave herself and stop wasting time putting on a show here at the pier. If you have time, you’d be better off going to Dabeisi Temple in the north of the city to pray for your family. The first stick of incense there doesn't cost a copper.”
With that, Qin Jiuye didn't even look at Su Mizhi’s shocked and furious face. She turned and walked away quickly.
The Su family, the culprits who had put her and everyone at Tingfeng Hall in grave danger and nearly cost them half their lives in prison—she didn't consider herself a "saint" like Qiu Ling. If she could, she would have liked to vent her personal spite, but at this moment, aside from a momentary sharp retort, there was truly nothing more she could do.
A centipede dies but never falls; even if the Su family lost everything today, a small shrimp like her still had to be careful at every turn.
But what of it?
Tang Shenyan often spoke of the word "endurance," saying that those who achieve great things excel in this regard. After hearing it, she would often feel a secret disdain, thinking it was just a comfort for those in adversity. But at this moment, that word brought her endless strength. No matter what, she was still alive, and she had even brought down the Su family. As long as one is alive, there is hope; as long as one is alive, there is something to look forward to; as long as one is alive, there are infinite possibilities to reverse one's circumstances.
At this thought, her pace quickened.
She seemed to have never walked so fast. So fast that as she passed through the crowd, their faces became blurred and fragmented.
It turned out there was still a gap between thinking clearly and truly being free of sorrow or joy; otherwise, anyone could be the abbot of Dabeisi Temple.
For a moment, she found herself uncontrollably hoping that among those faces, there might be one or two familiar shadows—even if it were Xu Qiuchi, Jiang Xin'er, Old Dog Du, or... but in the end, she had to walk this path alone.
Perhaps from the moment they parted ways at the pier, some kind of alliance and connection between them had been declared over. Now that the dust had settled, there was no longer any need for them to gather together.
Just before leaving the pier, Qin Jiuye heard Lu Zican’s voice behind her, his tone sounding somewhat worried.
“Miss Qin!”
“Don't worry, I won't run before the case is closed.” She didn't look back, only raised her right hand and waved. “I’m just a bit tired. After tossing and turning all night, I need to go back and catch up on some sleep. We’ll talk about anything else later.”
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
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宝粟码头 | Baosu Pier | The location where the ships are docked.
郭仁贵 | Guo Rengui | A manager of the Su family.
商曲 | Shangqu | Su Muhe's personal maid.
小海 | Xiao Hai | A servant in the Su manor responsible for medicine.
大悲寺 | Dabeisi Temple | Literally "Temple of Great Compassion," a temple in the north of the city.
孝宁王 | Prince Xiaoning | A high-ranking noble mentioned as a potential backer for the Su family.
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