If Yu Fenglin had a paler complexion, it would not be an exaggeration to call him a white-faced scholar. However, his skin was dark and he had a muscular physique. He walked forward with a gallant air. The moment his steps paused, wind blew into Ming Yue’s face, which made the silky threads of hair at her shoulder flutter in the air. Yu Fenglin laughed heartily. “When did you come back to Kaifeng? Weren’t you the Chief of Crime at Damingfu? The breaks only start after the seventh of July.”
Su Yunkai smiled but did not explain. Yu Fenglin looked over at Ming Yue and said with a smile, “You must’ve returned to see the moon with this beautiful lady.”
“The marquis has guessed wrong. I was transferred back to the capital. I came back half a month ago.”
Yu Fenglin asked, “Back to the Court of Judicial Review or the Ministry of Justice?”
Su Yunkai said, “The Ministry of Rites. I was promoted to assistant minister.”
Yu Fenglin paused. “The Ministry of Rites? How come a talented investigator like yourself got moved to the Ministry of Rites?” He was puzzled and even let out a light chuckle. “Promotion indeed. I see that you’ve been demoted. To think that you still have the time to spend the Qixi Festival with a girl. Let’s go. His Majesty may not have retired yet. I’ll take you to the palace.”
Su Yunkai had been an official for many years, and knew the Prime Minister. When Su Yunkai had just gotten transferred, people had looked into the matter for him. They asked around, but the emperor refused to say a word. Su Yunkai doubted this time would make a difference. Moreover, the matter could still be postponed for a while, but once Qixi was over, he would have to wait until next year.
Su Yunkai still wanted to bring Ming Yue to the Yuelao Temple and tie the red string. On the other hand, the Marquis of Pingxi had a harem full of concubines. Once, the marquis had even given a concubine to his subordinate. How could someone like Yu Fenglin think that today was a big day?
Su Yunkai felt distanced from Yu Fenglin in his heart. Now, he was even more unwilling to go with the marquis.
Catching sight of his frown, Ming Yue knew that Su Yunkai was irritated. She reached out and grabbed Su Yunkai’s wrist, which the Marquis of Pingxi was holding onto. She looked at the man who was taller by a full head and articulated, “I appreciate the kindness of the marquis. However, I have made an appointment with my sisters tonight to take Lord Su to see the lanterns. It is nearly time. We will be late if we don’t go now. The marquis has read many books, so you must know that a gentleman’s promise is worth a thousand in gold.”
Yu Fenglin looked her up and down several times. Seeing that she was resolute, he thought for a moment before letting go. He said with a smile, “Miss, you are right. Go quickly and without delay.”
Ming Yue sighed with relief. She said her thanks and pulled Su Yunkai into the crowd for fear that Yu Fenglin would suddenly take back his words and chase them down.
Su Yunkai didn’t expect Ming Yue to be so brave. The Marquis of Pingxi was well-known for his domineering presence, but she hadn’t shown fear. His hand was held tightly by her slender one. They passed one group after another and one area of prosperity after another. When she finally stopped, the shadow of Marquis of Pingxi had long disappeared.
“I almost thought he was going to eat you,” Ming Yue muttered. Su Yunkai raised his sleeve to wipe away the sweat on her forehead. She froze in place. For a moment, she didn’t move, taking a while to muster the courage to look up at him. Su Yunkai looked down. Ming Yue’s cheeks were as red as rouge. Her eyes were like black pearls and she did not dodge his gaze.
“Ming Yue…” Su Yunkai slowly moved his sleeve back. “A little further ahead, after we turn a corner, we’ll be at the Yuelao Temple.”
Ming Yue lowered her head and intertwined her fingers. “Oh…”
“Lord Su.”
Su Yunkai’s words were abruptly interrupted again. He was good-tempered, but now, even he couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. When he looked up, he saw a middle-aged man with a plump figure, still dressed in official uniform, coming towards him with a cheerful look on his face.
“Even if you went to the Ministry of Rites after you returned, you should not forget that you were once a member of the Ministry of Justice.”
Mine Yue noticed the stranger approaching had a gentle look to his face. His expression was less rough than that of the Pingxi Marquis. She looked at the man standing by her side. There was none of the displeasure that had been present earlier. It was clear that Su Yunkai and this stranger had quite a strong bond.
Indeed, what she guessed was not wrong. Su Yunkai said quickly, “Assistant Minister Li Kang, a former colleague of mine at the Ministry of Justice.” He added, “A good man.”
The last sentence allowed Ming Yue to know which side she should be standing on. She couldn’t help but give a closed-lip smile. Li Kang walked up to Su Yunkai and bowed. They exchanged greetings. Su Yunkai then asked, “I don’t see a beauty by your side and the yamen hasn’t retired for the day. Where is Lord Li heading?”
Li Kang’s clothes were half-wet. He sighed, “Since when did I have spare time for those kinds of things? I run left and right. Just as I had time to catch my breath for dinner at home, I was called back to the ministry again.”
Su Yunkai understood. “A big case?”
Li Kang said, “The case is not big. The day before yesterday, a rich businessman bought a house and asked someone to dig out the wilted lotuses in the garden. Instead, a woman’s body was fished out. The corpse appears to have been there for about twelve years. The flesh has been eaten by the fish in the pool, leaving only a skeleton…” He paused and saw Ming Yue. “Look at me, talking about such gruesome things. I didn’t notice a girl standing beside Brother Su.”
Ming Yue shook her head. “I’m not afraid. You can continue talking. Don’t worry about me.”
Li Kang thought she was just being polite, but Su Yunkai nodded, looked around, and said, “Let’s go to the noodle stand over there and talk.”
After sitting down at the stall, Li Kang continued. “I know what you’re thinking. For people in the department, an old murder case is not a big one. That is indeed true. However, the reason why the case is “big” is because the female corpse was about sixteen or seventeen years old at the time of death. After a coroner’s assessment, we discovered that all the bones in her body showed signs of tearing, especially at her thighs and pelvis.
Su Yunkai was stunned. “Could it be…”
The color of Ming Yue’s face turned ugly.
Li Kang nodded. “She was violated before her death. Judging from the blood stasis between the bones, those injuries were all caused when she was still alive. It seems that she was tortured to death. Because the means were so cruel and since the man who bought the house is Minister Han’s brother-in-law, the superiors were infuriated and ordered us to arrest the murderer as soon as possible.”
Su Yunkai pondered this for a moment and then said, “No wonder the information hasn’t spread around the capital, even after two days. The heads must’ve forbidden any discussion of the case.”
“Precisely.”
“So…” Su Yunkai looked at him, “You’re telling me this because you want me to help you find clues?”
Li Kang hadn’t intended to hide his ulterior motives but being exposed like that while standing amidst such beautiful scenery caused him to feel somewhat embarrassed. “Brother Su is a good investigator. I don’t have any other methods. The house has changed hands several times. After much difficulty, we found the name of the owner at the time. The name was a fake and we are unable to find such a person at all.”
Su Yunkai frowned and fell into deep thought about the cause. He began to consider where to start. Seeing this and fearing that he wouldn’t be willing to help, Li Kang said quietly, “To be fair, I don’t know why you were sent to the Ministry of Rites to be a weak assistant minister. Have you ever offended the Marquis of Pingxi?”
Su Yunkai’s thoughts were quickly drawn back from the lotus pond. Su Yunkai looked up at Li Kang, “What did you say? The marquis was the one who suggested this transferal to the emperor?”
Li Kang said, “I’m not sure. It’s just that he came back to the capital in a hurry. He went into the palace very secretively and few people saw him do so. Not long after he came out, my younger brother, who is the chief clerk in the Ministry of Personnel, received an order that you were to be transferred back to the capital. The Marquis of Pingxi has been stationed at the frontier fortress all the year round. Why did he come back suddenly? Why did he suddenly enter the palace? Why were you suddenly transferred? Even the Prime Minister couldn’t find out who spoke those ‘good words’ in the emperor’s ear for you. Not many that have that persuasive power.”
The more Ming Yue listened, the more she felt that the earlier behavior of the marquis had been frightening, especially if it was indeed him who had ordered the transferral. After having been with Su Yunkai for a while, she had started to think more deeply about matters. Did that Marquis of Pingxi extend his invitation to take advantage of the fact that Su Yunkai was unaware of the rumors? Was he trying to make it such that Su Yunkai wouldn’t suspect him? Alas, paper cannot contain fire; it will be pierced out in an instant.
After hearing this, Su Yunkai wasn’t too surprised. Judging from the strange and overly familiar behavior of the Pingxi Marquis just now, this was the most reasonable explanation. He also understood why Li Kang wanted to tell Su Yunkai this himself. If Minister Han was pressuring the ministry from above, Li Kang must solve the case quickly. It was hard to come with ideas when rushed. Furthermore, Li Kang was not that interested in the case.
The reason Li Kang told Su Yunkai these things was to win his favor, which in turn made it easier to get some useful advice about the corpse in the pond case.
Su Yunkai said, “Even if you can’t find the real name of the person who bought the house, you can still check on the people who bought the house in the past. It costs a lot of money to buy such a big house. They must be careful and avoid blind purchases. Even if ten people bought the house, you can ask around, such as asking about the ninth from the tenth and the eighth from the ninth.”
Li Kang was overjoyed. “How come I didn’t think of that?”
“Additionally, check any missing cases in the yamen about a girl of that age. If such a young girl is missing, someone is bound to report it to the police. Also, don’t rule out the possibility that she is not from here. If so, then it would make things more difficult.
“That’s not a problem. Even if that is so, we still gain a clue.”
“In addition, check if there were similar cases these past few years.”
Li Kang was aghast. “Brother Su, you think this is not an accident?”
Su Yunkai was also unsure. “To kill a young woman with such cruel means . . . there very well might have been a second instance. Once we find the commonalities between these instances, we will discover more clues about the murderer.”
Li Kang sighed. Ming Yue also felt appalled.
Su Yunkai added, “Oh, right… If you don’t think the current coroners at the Ministry of Justice are good, I can recommend one. “
Li Kang recalled, “The girl you hired at Damingfu?”
Ming Yue blinked. To think that she was so famous even the people in the Ministry of Justice in Kaifeng knew about her. She blurted out and asked, “You know, my lord?”
Li Kang said, “How could I not? The information has been spread around the capital for a while. In the imperial court, I have only heard of three lords who are willing to let women work by their sides. Which one of these women isn’t well-known by now? If I didn’t know what Brother Su was like, I would’ve thought that he was openly keeping a lover by his side.”
Su Yunkai suddenly coughed. Ming Yue also hastened to drink tea to get rid of her embarrassment. Su Yunkai said seriously, “Don’t say that again in the future.”
Li Kang lacked some qualifications as an official, but he had a good understanding of the ways of the world. With the tiniest of indications, Li Kang was able to guess that this girl was likely the rumored “lover.” Li Kang immediately changed the subject. “I know, I know. I won’t talk nonsense anymore. If others talk nonsense, I won’t allow them to do so either. Then again, you are upright and not afraid of your shadow slanting. On the other hand, I am afraid that my wife will make trouble for me. She really is a jar of vinegar[1]. I can’t afford to provoke her.”
Su Yunkai had also heard about the jealousy of Li Kang’s wife. Thus, he didn’t continue to persist in recommending Ming Yue. He wanted to ask when Li Kang was leaving, but Li Kang didn’t seem as if he had any intention of leaving. Of course, he knew that it was Qixi, but he still prioritized his progress in solving the case over the feelings of the young lovers. He could only feign obliviousness and continue to “dig treasures” from Su Yunkai.
Su Yunkai was utterly helpless. Ming Yue cast him a comforting glance. The future was long; they had no need to be urgent.
It was just that Ming Yue kept on thinking about one thing—how he had called her name earlier and said that there was a Yuelao Temple ahead…
They might not be able to have such a lovely atmosphere again.
*
The crescent moon hung high. With neither wind nor clouds, the airflow was blocked. There appeared to be layers of pressure coming from the sky, making people sweat.
Qin Fang had already eaten all the food he packed. As for the mosquitoes, they had already eaten all of Qin Fang. The moon had been in the sky for a long while by now, but Bai Shui still hadn’t come. Qin Fang simply lit up a lantern on his own and placed it into the small stream. He recited, “Lamp God, Lamp God, show your spirit and bring my wifey.”
The lantern swayed down the river, but the lamp god didn’t send Bai Shui over.
.
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[1] If someone is jealous, in Chinese, people will say they are eating vinegar. Naturally Li Kang’s wife being a jar of vinegar means that she gets jealous easily. ↩
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A Hint of Spring 