Futile Devices Scans

Compared with the chaos and commotion of the Fu family, Shicui Hall was so deserted that it hardly seemed inhabited.

Rong Rong, who normally holed up inside the palace and refused to go out, made the rare decision to have a palace maid hold a parasol for her as she stepped outside. Scissors in hand, she slowly walked over to the few lonely rosebushes and began pruning their branches.

A palace maid brought her a letter from Rong Yue. Rong Rong casually snipped it apart with the scissors and buried the pieces in the soil. “My dear brother claims nothing in this world matters to him, but the moment his own interests are touched, suddenly he can’t sit still.”

She picked up the branches she had cut away and placed them one by one into the hands of a palace maid crouching beside her, murmuring to herself, “Wang Yu wants to force me to show my hand. I refuse. A trump card is most powerful while it remains hidden in your hand.”

She smiled strangely.

“What does the Rong family have to do with me? They’re all supporters Prince Yunzhong left behind. It would be best if every last one of them died.

“The weather has been pleasant lately. Perfect for an outing. Buy me a batch of Thunderclap Bombs from the Ghostshadow Organization.

“Once Lou Wu Zai is dealt with, there’s still Fu Xi Yan. A fatty with such good luck—even the Immortal Treasury Palace is helping you…”

Her voice dropped slightly. “So easy for people to adore. You’re looking more and more like that bitch.”

She tightened her fingers around a rose branch and allowed the thorns to slowly pierce her palm, a peculiar smile curling at the corner of her mouth. “Tell Mei Xia Ying I want to see what that fatty looks like after he loses weight.”

＊

There were only two days left until Lunar New Year’s Eve, and the government offices had already gone on holiday early. Yet Fu Xi Yan could not shake the feeling that the year would not end so peacefully. That maddening sensation of an upstairs neighbor dropping one shoe and leaving you waiting for the other one to fall had returned. His anxiety was so obvious that even Fu Fu began wondering whether the last knock he had given his son on the head had been too hard and somehow beaten him stupid.

Once again, however, reality proved that Fu Xi Yan’s instincts regarding bad things were remarkably accurate.

That afternoon, Fu Xi Yan had barely dozed off on his couch when someone sent by a Deputy Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review arrived at the estate and asked him to come to the Court of Judicial Review immediately.

The junior official who came for him kept his mouth tightly shut. Even the steward’s attempt to slip him money got nowhere. Completely baffled, Fu Xi Yan could only throw on his cloak and hurry out.

Fu Xi Yan had been assassinated so many times that Fu Fu feared this might be yet another plot. He personally brought several men and followed his son’s carriage the entire way. Only after watching Fu Xi Yan enter the Court of Judicial Review did he finally relax and turn back.

Just then, Liao Shang arrived on horseback from the opposite direction.

Something stirred in Fu Fu’s mind, and he took the initiative to climb down from his carriage. He was, after all, the Vice Minister of War. Liao Shang could hardly pretend not to see him, so he hurriedly dismounted as well.

Fu Fu said, “Head Constable Liao is here at the Court of Judicial Review too? My son just went inside.”

Liao Shang sighed. “Most likely because of Head Constable Lou.”

“Lou Wu Zai? What happened to him?”

“Lou Wu Zai went to a pleasure boat this morning. Thunderclap Bombs had been planted aboard it.” Since Liao Shang worked for the Ministry of Justice, news about criminal cases within the city naturally reached him much faster than it reached the Ministry of War.

Fu Fu’s expression changed slightly.

Whether Lou Wu Zai’s theory about the “Six Young Lords of Haojing” was true or not, one thing was obvious: Fu Xi Yan and Lou Wu Zai were being subjected to assassination attempts far too frequently.

He told the driver, “Find somewhere nearby to wait. We’ll stay until Fourth comes out.”

＊

Although the Censorate had jointly heard the Chen family case together with the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, this was Fu Xi Yan’s first time actually visiting the Court of Judicial Review itself.

Doesn’t look particularly special.

Seeing him looking left and right like a tourist, the junior official could not help asking curiously, “My lord, aren’t you nervous?”

Fu Xi Yan said, “If you’ve done nothing guilty in your life, when someone knocks at midnight, don’t open the door.”

The junior official said, “Isn’t it supposed to be, ‘your heart need not fear’?”

“I don’t hurt people, so I’m not afraid of anyone seeking revenge. What I’m afraid of is someone hurting me.” Fu Xi Yan shook his head and sighed. “These days, life is much harder for good people than for bad ones.”

The junior official led him to his destination, but the person waiting for him was not the Deputy Chief Justice. It was Huang Song, a Director of the Court of Judicial Review.

Fu Xi Yan had met him once during the Chen family case. He immediately smiled. “If Lord Huang wanted to see me, you could simply have said so. Why invoke the Deputy Chief Justice’s name and make me nervous the entire way here?”

Huang Song said, “Lord Fu, please forgive me. His Majesty assigned this case to Deputy Chief Justice Cui. I’m merely the one running errands for him, so I wasn’t borrowing his name under false pretenses.”

Fu Xi Yan asked in confusion, “What case could possibly require the attention of the Deputy Chief Justice?”

Huang Song invited Fu Xi Yan to sit and handed him a cup of tea before finally asking, “May I ask where Lord Fu was this morning?”

“At home.”

“Had you arranged to go out with anyone?”

“No.” Fu Xi Yan’s eyes shifted. “Did something happen to someone I know?”

Several names flashed through his mind.

Someone had arranged to go out…

and it turned into a criminal case…

One name had already surfaced in his mind, but he did not say it. He waited for Huang Song to give him the answer.

Huang Song sighed. “Head Constable Lou Wu Zai was injured in an explosion aboard a Chan River pleasure boat this morning. At present, no one knows whether he will live or die.”

“Huh?” Although Fu Xi Yan had mentally prepared himself, hearing it with his own ears still sent a jolt through his heart.

Huang Song said, “As far as I know, Lord Fu has been rather close to Head Constable Lou since returning to Haojing from Luoyang. Do you know whom he intended to meet on the Chan River pleasure boat?”

Fu Xi Yan did not even know where the Chan River pleasure boats were, much less whom Lou Wu Zai had gone there to meet.

Based on what he currently knew, all he could say was, “I don’t know whom he was meeting. However, he once mentioned that the Ghostshadow Organization had tried to assassinate him. I wonder whether the two matters might be connected.”

Huang Song said, “The explosive used does indeed appear very similar to the Ghostshadow Organization’s Thunderclap Bombs, but everything still needs to be verified. May I ask where Lord Fu was yesterday?”

“Also at home.”

Huang Song probed, “Lord Fu is still so young. Why do you remain at home every day instead of going out with friends?”

Fu Xi Yan smiled bitterly. “To tell the truth, I’ve had quite a few brushes with death lately. If I stay at home, at least I can save all of you some trouble.”

Huang Song was temporarily speechless.

That was actually true. If Lou Wu Zai had stayed safely at home that morning, none of this would have become Huang Song’s problem either. But Lou Wu Zai never went to pleasure boats in the first place, much less first thing in the morning. So who exactly had asked him there?

When Fu Xi Yan left the room, he happened to find Liao Shang waiting outside.

Liao Shang greeted him.

Fu Xi Yan lowered his voice. “Why is the Court of Judicial Review investigating Lou Wu Zai’s case?” Surely either the Capital Prefecture yamen or the Ministry of Justice had a stronger claim to jurisdiction.

Liao Shang gave him a faintly knowing smile. “Capital Patrol Commissioner Fu sees me standing here and still hasn’t figured it out?”

Something clicked in Fu Xi Yan’s mind. He immediately understood why the emperor had handed the case to a Deputy Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review. His Majesty suspected that either the killer or an informant might be inside the Ministry of Justice. And since Liao Shang just happened to be competing with Lou Wu Zai for the post of Chief Constable, he naturally became the first person under suspicion.

As for the Capital Prefecture yamen, it had already lost the emperor’s trust during the Four Young Lords of Haojing case and the murder of Monk Zhi Ji.

That alone showed just how highly Emperor Jianhong regarded Lou Wu Zai.

The junior official who had brought Fu Xi Yan in was nowhere to be seen, so Fu Xi Yan made his own way out. Halfway there, a young servant suddenly rushed out and bumped into him. Immediately afterward, yamen runners from the Court of Judicial Review swarmed forward and dragged the servant away.

Fu Xi Yan shouted after them, “He only bumped into me! I still have all four limbs attached. There’s no need to lock him up, is there?”

No one from the Court of Judicial Review paid him any attention.

Fu Xi Yan tucked both hands into his sleeves and continued outside. His driver was standing at the entrance, waving enthusiastically at him.

He followed the driver for two streets and found Fu Fu sitting beside the road, eating wontons while keeping watch over the carriage. Fu Xi Yan sat down opposite him. “A dignified Vice Minister of War sitting by the roadside eating wontons—doesn’t that damage your status?”

Dressed in ordinary clothes, Fu Fu snapped, “If you don’t shout it out, who would know I’m the Vice Minister of War?”

“True.” Fu Xi Yan smiled, then turned toward the stall owner. “Boss, one bowl of wontons for the Vice Minister of War’s son, please.”

Fu Fu: “…”

Father and son finished their wontons and climbed into the carriage to go home.

Inside, Fu Xi Yan pulled a crumpled slip of paper from his sleeve and unfolded it. “Universal Relief Infirmary?”

Fu Fu frowned slightly. “What paper is that? Where did you get it?”

“A servant slipped it to me during the commotion at the Court of Judicial Review.” Fu Xi Yan asked, “What sort of place is the Universal Relief Infirmary?”

“It’s at Mingji Temple. It takes in homeless elderly beggars. Why would he give you that?” Fu Fu immediately became wary. “Don’t tell me Lou Wu Zai received a note like this too and stupidly ran off to that pleasure boat because of it. You are absolutely forbidden from doing anything that stupid!”

Elio’s Notes: A 病坊 was a charitable infirmary or hospice. In this setting, the Universal Relief Infirmary at Mingji Temple shelters destitute and homeless elderly people.

Fu Xi Yan looked surprised. “How did you know Lou Wu Zai went to a pleasure boat?”

“Liao Shang told me. You and Lou Wu Zai really are brothers in misfortune. When one of you rushes toward death, the other had better not follow right behind!”

Fu Xi Yan nodded. “Father is right. We really are brothers in misfortune. And when a brother is in trouble, you can’t simply ignore him.” He knocked on the carriage wall. “Driver, take us to Count Le’an’s Estate.”

Fu Fu was horrified. “But I— You— We’re empty-handed…”

“No need to panic. When visiting the sick, the whole point is to show how desperately worried you are. Arriving empty-handed is how you demonstrate true feeling.” Fu Xi Yan patted his arm reassuringly. “But Father doesn’t need to come inside. Otherwise, you and Count Le’an might end up clutching hands, gazing tearfully at each other, too choked up to speak.”

Elio’s Notes: Fu Xi Yan is borrowing a famous lovers’ parting image from Liu Yong’s ci poem Rain Bells, then absurdly applying it to his father and Count Le’an visiting over their sons’ troubles.

Fu Fu’s face darkened. “What kind of ridiculous language is that? When the Fu Clan School reopens next year, you’re going back to study with Chen Xing!”

Fu Xi Yan looked troubled. “But I am a dignified sixth-rank official…”

“You’re still perfectly capable of disgracing yourself at home.”

Fu Xi Yan: “…”

＊

Before arriving, Fu Xi Yan had already expected Count Le’an’s Estate to be in complete chaos. What he had not expected was that they would be so overwhelmed they could barely spare anyone to receive visitors.

It took roughly the time needed to drink a cup of tea before the steward hurried over. He apologized repeatedly and said that once Lou Wu Zai awakened, they would personally visit to express their thanks. Then someone came to report another distinguished guest at the entrance, and the steward hurried away again.

Only then did Fu Xi Yan realize just how well connected the Lou family was in Haojing. Civil officials and military officers alike had come to visit.

He returned to the carriage and remarked on it to Fu Fu, who said, “It isn’t that Count Le’an himself is especially popular. His Majesty values Lou Wu Zai, so everyone is using the opportunity to demonstrate their loyalty. But all of that depends on whether Lou Wu Zai survives this.”

Fu Xi Yan took out the slip of paper again.

Visiting Lou Wu Zai had merely been an excuse. Fu Xi Yan was not a physician; why would he add to the chaos at a time like this? He had simply had a question he wanted answered. Before leaving, he had specifically asked what had happened to Lou Wu Zai’s personal servant. A servant from Count Le’an’s Estate said the Court of Judicial Review had taken him away early that morning, which further confirmed Fu Xi Yan’s suspicion regarding the servant who had slipped him the note.

“This note may have come from Lou Wu Zai.”

Fu Fu immediately objected. “Lou Wu Zai is lying unconscious in there. How could he possibly write you a note? More likely the killer sent it. You absolutely cannot go!”

“Maybe Lou Wu Zai already sensed something was wrong before he went out and left me a clue?”

“I hear Count Le’an intends to request that Lou Wu Zai be formally named his heir next year. With his status, what possible reason would he have to know there was a tiger on the mountain and still insist on walking straight toward it?”

“He isn’t the heir yet?” Fu Xi Yan froze.

When Fu Li An was ten, Fu Fu had already begun actively petitioning to have his legitimate son formally recognized as heir. Lou Wu Zai was also a legitimate son and considerably more famous than Fu Li An. Even if he was two years younger, there seemed no reason for the matter to have been delayed this long.

Fu Fu said, “Lou Wu Zai originally had an elder brother. Count Le’an had him named heir when he was three, but the boy died less than two years later. People said he had been too young to bear such great fortune. After that, Count Le’an became much more cautious about naming another heir.”

Fu Xi Yan sighed. Count Le’an’s Estate truly had suffered one disaster after another. No wonder they had named their son Wu Zai.

Elio’s Notes: Wu Zai (无灾) literally means “without disaster” or “free from calamity,” making the name particularly poignant given the Lou family’s history.

The carriage reached the entrance of Count Yongfeng’s Estate. Fu Fu had already put one foot outside when he looked back and saw Fu Xi Yan still sitting firmly inside. He immediately climbed back in. “Why aren’t you getting out?”

“I’m going to the Universal Relief Infirmary.”

Fu Fu became anxious. “Didn’t I just tell you not to go?”

Fu Xi Yan said earnestly, “Lou Wu Zai is my friend. His life or death is uncertain right now, and I can’t ignore something he may have entrusted to me. This might be the key to finding the killer.”

“You!” Fu Fu wanted to call him an unfilial brat, but seeing his son sitting calmly in the carriage with such determination suddenly stirred a faint pride in him: My son has grown up. The words of objection became difficult to say. “Wait here.”

Fu Xi Yan watched Fu Fu storm out of the carriage and assumed he was going to find a stick to beat him with. He hurriedly urged the driver, “Go, go!”

But the driver had already received Fu Fu’s orders and did not dare move without permission.

Fu Xi Yan grew impatient, jumped straight out of the carriage, and ran off on his own two legs.

Fu Fu swallowed his pride and finally persuaded Shou Nan Shan to provide an escort, only to return and discover that the person needing protection had vanished. He immediately flew into a rage and glared at the driver. “Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on him?”

The driver felt terribly wronged. “Fourth Young Master ran too fast. This servant couldn’t catch him!”

Shou Nan Shan asked, “Where did he go?”

Fu Fu hurriedly replied, “The Universal Relief Infirmary.”

＊

Mingji Temple had once been one of the most popular Buddhist temples in and around Haojing, but the Monk Zhi Ji case had badly damaged its reputation. Female worshippers were afraid people would suspect them of having illicit relations with monks and no longer dared visit. Even male worshippers feared being accused of being “birds of a feather” with the monks and began going to other temples instead.

Thus, when the young monk guarding the entrance saw Fu Xi Yan arrive, he immediately welcomed him with unusual enthusiasm. “Benefactor, have you come to offer incense or fulfill a vow?”

“I’m looking for someone.”

The little monk’s heart gave a thump. Chen Wen Ju had also once come here “looking for someone.” The monk was young and could not hide his thoughts, so nervousness immediately appeared on his face. “May I ask whom Benefactor is looking for?”

Fu Xi Yan pulled out a banknote and handed it to him. “Put this toward the temple’s incense offerings. I’d like to visit the Universal Relief Infirmary.”

The young monk visibly relaxed. He accepted the banknote and said, “Benefactor, please follow me.”

The Universal Relief Infirmary occupied a row of simple rooms on the western side of Mingji Temple.

Before Fu Xi Yan had even reached it, he heard ceaseless coughing from inside. A man was crouched near the entrance washing clothes. Fu Xi Yan glanced at him and said to the young monk, “A friend of mine came here before. I wanted to…”

“Benefactor, please wait here.” The young monk hurriedly threw out the words and ran off without looking back.

Left with no other choice, Fu Xi Yan walked toward the man washing clothes.

The man looked up warily. “You are…?”

Fu Xi Yan said, “A friend of mine told me that he came to the Universal Relief Infirmary a few days ago and asked someone a few questions. The information helped him tremendously, so he asked me to come over and offer my thanks. Do you know who it was?”

Wariness became even more obvious on the man’s face. He lowered his head and scrubbed the clothes hard. “I don’t know what friend you’re talking about.”

“A young man. Very handsome… tall and thin,” Fu Xi Yan described. “You could tell at a glance he came from a wealthy family.”

Without looking up, the man said, “Never saw him. Don’t know.”

Fu Xi Yan looked toward the rooms. “Then I’ll ask someone else?”

The man immediately stood and blocked his path, intentionally or otherwise. “The people inside are all sick old men. Some of them can’t even remember who they are, much less your friend.”

While they were speaking, the young monk returned with the abbot.

The abbot chanted a Buddhist greeting.

Before he could ask anything, Fu Xi Yan had already declared his identity. “The Censorate is investigating a case.”

Having been tormented badly enough by the Monk Zhi Ji case, Mingji Temple’s abbot became exceptionally cooperative on the spot. Even the man washing clothes immediately behaved himself. “A handsome young man really did question me that day. But he gave me money and told me not to tell anyone else.”

The abbot said, “This gentleman is an official from the Censorate. He is not ‘anyone else.’”

Fu Xi Yan: “…” If you’d said that earlier, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble.

He asked, “What did that young man ask you?”

The man replied, “He asked whether my home was in Xingwu Village and whether I had fled because of the earthquake.”

Fu Xi Yan felt the words “Xingwu Village” and “earthquake” sounded strangely familiar. While he was still thinking, the man continued, “I told him yes. Then he asked whether I knew Zhang Da Shan.”

Zhang Da Shan!

Fu Xi Yan instantly became alert. That was right—the manager of the pawnshop in Luoyang had told him that Zhang Da Shan had fled after the earthquake destroyed Xingwu Village!

“What did you tell him?”

The man said, “We were from the same village, so of course I knew him. Then the young man started asking about Zhang Da Shan—big things, small things, everything. Zhang Da Shan never fit in. He didn’t associate much with the other villagers, and he had a bad relationship with his brothers too. When their household split up, the village head took money from his brothers and gave Zhang Da Shan the poorest fields. Zhang Da Shan went to the village head’s home and caused trouble for a long time until the man finally had no choice but to compensate him with money. But Zhang Da Shan’s family was still poor. He couldn’t scrape together the bride price, so he never married…”

He rambled on about scattered bits and pieces until Fu Xi Yan was almost beginning to fall asleep. Only then did the man abruptly change direction and say to the abbot, “The old people haven’t had medicine for several days. When does the abbot plan to buy more?”

Fu Xi Yan’s yawn stopped halfway. The abbot gave an awkward laugh. “Tomorrow.”

The man remained silent, his expression grim.

Fu Xi Yan “understood” immediately and pulled out another banknote. Only then did the man brighten. “Thank you, my lord. There wasn’t much else unusual about Zhang Da Shan, except that a man and woman who looked like immortals once stayed at his home. Zhang Da Shan called the man Mister Mo and the woman Miss Rong. Miss Rong had injured her foot, so the two of them stayed there for a while. Once her injury healed, they left. After they were gone, Zhang Da Shan suddenly had money. He bought pigs and cattle. Ah, but the good times didn’t last. Then the earthquake came, and his entire house was buried under earth from the mountainside. If he hadn’t gone with a matchmaker to propose marriage in the neighboring village that day, he would have been buried there too.”

Fu Xi Yan could not resist asking again, “You’re certain the man was called Mister Mo and the woman Miss Rong?”

The man swore confidently, “Absolutely. I even spoke with that Mister Mo once when I went to see Zhang Da Shan. Mister Mo was very amiable. Miss Rong, though, looked bad-tempered. She barely gave anyone a proper glance.”

“Do you know their actual names?”

“No.” The man shook his head. “They didn’t stay very long before leaving.”

Fu Xi Yan pondered for a moment, apparently thinking of something. “Does Xingwu Village still exist?”

“No.” The man wiped his eyes. “The fields are gone. The houses are gone. The people are gone… everything’s gone.”

Fu Xi Yan’s heart ached as well. Although his current life revolved around court and jianghu and sometimes seemed unimaginably distant from the lives of ordinary people, in reality they all lived beneath the same sky, in the same world.

For someone in his position, finding peace for himself might be difficult, but helping those people required very little effort. After returning from Mingji Temple, Fu Xi Yan deliberately went to Madam Fu and asked her to set aside part of his dividends each time they were distributed and donate the money to the Universal Relief Infirmary.

Madam Fu clearly approved of his kindness. “With your parents still here, what reason is there to make a child pay for charity? Take your dividends without worrying. I’ll arrange the donations to the Universal Relief Infirmary myself.”

After leaving Madam Fu’s courtyard, Fu Xi Yan went to find Fu Xuan. The government offices might be on holiday, but the Yulin Guard still had to maintain security day and night, so Fu Xuan’s hours remained unchanged.

“Uncle.”

Ever since Fu Xuan had exposed his own old wound, the two of them had grown even closer through sharing a secret.

Fu Xi Yan pushed the door open and walked straight in. “Uncle, did you send someone to take that copper coin to the bank? Did it work?”

Fu Xuan was wiping down his saber. His expression darkened immediately. “You came at the right time. I was just about to speak to you about this. You must never use that copper coin again. You must never return to that bank. In fact, you must not even mention this matter again.”

Fu Xi Yan’s heart gave a thump. “What’s wrong with it?”

“I had men watch that bank for half a month. They saw trusted household servants belonging to quite a few high officials and nobles.”

Fu Xi Yan looked confused. “Doesn’t that just mean business is good?”

Fu Xuan lifted his saber and gently placed it back on its rack. “An intelligence network outside His Majesty’s control, with numerous high officials and nobles involved, where people can not only buy information but also sell it… The frightening part is not what the person behind it intends to do. It is what they are capable of doing.”

Fu Xi Yan followed the implications to their conclusion, and his expression changed. “You mean…”

“No matter how it started, eventually some major power will take notice of it.” Fu Xuan said, “Neither you nor I can see how deep that pool truly goes.”

Remembering how he had openly walked in and out of those pawnshops and banks several times without the slightest attempt at concealment, Fu Xi Yan felt a delayed wave of fear. “Sure enough, convenience is the bait, and there’s a huge land mine buried underneath. Forget it. I’ll go ask Aunt Yu!”

Since Shou Nan Shan’s arrival in Haojing, all the Immortal Treasury Palace’s divisions within the capital had immediately reacted. The leaderless Wind and Thunder Divisions fell obediently into line and no longer dared entertain any other ideas. The Lightning Division had already been working overtime searching for people and now redoubled its efforts. Even the Rain Division, which had previously kept itself almost entirely out of sight, delivered its account books overnight. As a result, Yu Su Huan had once again spent the past several days locked in mortal combat with stacks of ledgers.

Naturally, the job of answering Fu Xi Yan’s question fell to the Chief Steward of the Wind Division.

Despite the bitter winter cold, Shou Nan Shan sat there waving a palm-leaf fan. “You want to ask about Mister Mo and Miss Rong?”

Fu Xi Yan stared at him in shock. “How did you know?” He was horrified by the reach of the Wind Division’s intelligence network, but also worried that his movements that day had somehow leaked.

Shou Nan Shan thought, Your father asked me to follow you the entire way. How could I possibly not know?

He deliberately put on an inscrutable expression. “If Young Madam wishes to know the answer, then please…”

Fu Xi Yan replied with practiced ease, “Young Madam orders you to tell him.”

“…” Shou Nan Shan said, “That wasn’t what I meant. I meant that if you want the answer, come to a pleasure boat tomorrow and we can discuss it at leisure.”

Fu Xi Yan fell silent for a moment. “A friend of mine just got blown up on a pleasure boat.”

Shou Nan Shan said, “I know. Which means the pleasure boats should now be under extremely strict investigation and therefore extremely safe.”

Fu Xi Yan: “…” After floundering around in conspiracies for so long, it was difficult for him not to think conspiratorially. “Why does it specifically have to be a pleasure boat?”

Shou Nan Shan smiled meaningfully. “Naturally because I want to go.”

＊

There were too many ledgers for Yu Su Huan to handle alone, so Pei Yuan Jin had no choice but to help beside her. The two of them were calculating until they had practically lost all sense of time when Shou Nan Shan finally returned reeking of alcohol—

and looking remarkably punchable.

Yu Su Huan glanced at Pei Yuan Jin. Pei Yuan Jin immediately pushed the ledger in front of him away. “Chief Steward Shou can check these.”

Shou Nan Shan rested one hand on the ledger. “That isn’t important. What matters is that the Young Madam wants to go to a pleasure boat tomorrow. There was only just an incident there, so it would be far too dangerous for him to go alone, Young Palace Master.”

Pei Yuan Jin raised an eyebrow slightly.

“But what can you do? The Young Madam must be indulged.” In only a few sentences, Shou Nan Shan arranged everything neatly. “Tomorrow, Young Palace Master will accompany the Young Madam aboard the boat. I’ll take men and keep watch along the riverbank.”

Yu Su Huan smiled. “And what about me?”

Without a word, Shou Nan Shan slowly pushed the stack of ledgers Pei Yuan Jin had given him back across the table until they sat in front of her.

Yu Su Huan: “…”

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