The fire was very big and the house itself was very old. By the time the neighbors carried buckets of water over to douse the fire, it was already too late. Ming Yue could only watch as the house burned to ashes.
Meanwhile, Bai Shui and Qin Fang had already arrived at the Su residence. Hearing that Su Yunkai hadn’t returned yet, they turned to leave. Just as they were leaving the alley, they bumped into Su Yunkai.
“Brother-in-law.” Seeing that Ming Yue was not beside Su Yunkai, Qin Fang asked, “Where’s Ming Yue?”
“We went to the Qin residence and didn’t find the two of you, so we split up. Let’s go over to Ming Yue’s house together.” Seeing that Bai Shui was still wearing the tattered uniform, Su Yunkai added, “There’s a tailor shop on the way. Let’s go there first to buy you some comfortable clothes.”
Bai Shui followed and asked, “Where is my brother, my lord?”
“He’s still at the Ministry of Justice. Since neither of us works under the ministry, we don’t have the right to bring him away with us. I promise you that once the case is over, I’ll bring him out of there.”
Bai Shui nodded. After a pause, she added, “My lord…will you help me…”
The voice was so feeble that Su Yunkai hardly recognized it as Bai Shui’s. Although she was a woman, she was far better and far more capable than the majority of the men who served in the yamen. No matter how much hardship she endured or how exhausted she got, she never spoke in such a tone.
When people were extremely tired, even their hearts became fragile. Su Yunkai said, “I will help you. Even if I lose my official hat, I will help you.”
Bai Shui’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you…”
Su Yunkai’s promise provided Bai Shui some relief. She didn’t want Qin Fang to interfere in this matter, because his identity was different from that of Su Yunkai. She could not push Qin Fang away and he would not listen to her at all.
They walked past another street and arrived at Bai Shui’s house. Even from a distance away, Su Yunkai could already see thick smoke in the direction of her house. He also saw people running about. He felt that something was not right. He stopped a man in the crowd and inquired, “May I ask what happened?”
The man replied, “I heard that someone’s house caught on fire. Some of the neighboring houses have been burned as well, since the homes are so close together.”
Hearing this, Su Yunkai immediately ran over. He could tell that the first house that had caught on fire was Bai Shui’s house, as her house was nearly burned to ashes, while the neighboring houses were only half-burned.
He was about to run inside, but suddenly, he felt someone grab him.
“Brother Su.”
Su Yunkai paused and turned back. It was Ming Yue.
Ming Yue’s face was covered with white ash. It looked as if she had just come out of the fire, as her clothes were coated in ash as well. She looked bedraggled. He took her arm and looked at her carefully. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine. I ran out when I saw that the fire was getting too big. There was nothing at home anyway,” Ming Yue said. Seeing Qin Fang and Bai Shui, she tugged on Su Yunkai’s hand and led him out of the crowd. She motioned for Qin Fang and Bai Shui to come over.
They headed to a different street, where there were fewer people.
Su Yunkai lifted his sleeves and wiped Ming Yue’s face, but the dust only smeared, making her face even dirtier. Su Yunkai tried again with his hands but found that she was becoming even sootier. He didn’t dare do anything else.
On the other hand, Ming Yue didn’t notice at all. “Just now, I was about to go home when I heard a noise coming from Shui Shui’s courtyard. I saw that the door was locked, so I ran up to the attic of my neighbor’s house and saw two people skilled in martial arts emerging from Shui Shui’s house. Soon after they leapt over the courtyard wall, a fire began to ravage the house.”
Qin Fang was startled. “Could my father have been the one who did it?”
Su Yunkai immediately guessed the meaning behind Qin Fang’s words. “Uncle Qin knows that Constable Bai is a woman?”
Qin Fang thought for a moment, then shook his head. “It can’t be possible. My father has something to do today. When I left, he hadn’t even returned yet. It can’t have been my mom, either. She’s a Buddhist. She can’t even bring herself to squash an insect, much less burn down a house.”
Ming Yue was still suspicious about the two men she had seen. She said, “Those two had good martial arts skills. They must’ve been looking for something in the house. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have lingered for so long. What do you think they were looking for?”
Bai Shui said, “I just came to Kaifeng, so I haven’t been in charge of any case on my own. I couldn’t have offended any powerful people. Plus, I’m just a poor constable. What could those people be after that I possess?”
The more Su Yunkai thought about it, the more his cloud of doubt grew, rendering him unable to push away a notion. “Could it be…that someone knows you’re Bai Ying’s relative?”
Bai Shui paused. Her first clenched. “Then this only further proves that someone intentionally brought about my brother’s death.”
Su Yunkai’s face grew tense. “Bai Shui, you should leave Kaifeng quickly. Bai Ying was a constable and the court will have kept a record on file of him. If someone checks his identity registration in the Ministry of Personnel, they will know that he has a sister. They’ll find you.”
Bai Shui said, “When I entered the yamen to work, I purchased an identity from another. I entered under a false name. They won’t be able to find me. Don’t worry.”
“There is no airtight wall that exists in this world. If you can pay for another identity, others can also figure it out. Apart from that, you are being targeted, and I can’t think of any other reason why you might have been targeted.” Su Yunkai knew that the matter wasn’t simple. Still, it made sense, considering how hastily the case of Bai Ying going missing had been closed. “You should go back to Nanle County and take refuge there for a while. I’ll take care of the matters here.”
Bai Shui shook her head. “My lord, if it is indeed what you have guessed, then I am the best bait for the case…Once there is bait, the fish will take it. If I leave, we might lose a trail of clues.”
Ming Yue spoke urgently. “How can you be thinking of that at this time? It’s important to protect your life. Otherwise, who will bring justice to your brother?”
Bai Shui still shook her head. It was clear to her that she was being watched, which was even more reason why she couldn’t leave. The perpetrator might very well appear again and find her. “I can’t leave. Moreover, my lord…as those people have already come to my house, that means that they thought my brother gave something important to me before his death. Could we use that to find the murderer?”
This reminded Su Yunkai. “Did he give you anything?”
“No… I only know that five years ago, shortly after my brother disappeared, a bag of silver was sent to me anonymously. At the time, I had thought that the silver was from his colleagues in the yamen, but I recently discovered that it wasn’t them after we chatted about it.”
“Was there anything else in the bag?”
“No. There was only money. Later, I thought that it might have been sent by the girl my brother liked, because the handkerchief wrapped around the silver carried a flowery fragrance.”
Perhaps Bai Shui really hadn’t left any evidence for Bai Shui, Su Yunkai thought. After all, Bai Ying died soon after being poisoned. Before that, he had worked normally in the yamen, leaving home at an early hour and returning at a late hour, as usual. It was just that the perpetrator didn’t know this. However, this meant that Bai Ying had indeed found evidence that made the perpetrator panic.
What would that evidence be?
Why did Bai Ying clutch an ingot of silver in his hand until his death?
The silver was still in Su Yunkai’s pocket, but he had not noticed anything unusual.
Bai Shui’s face suddenly turned serious. She took her sword back from Qin Fang and looked warily down the end of the street. The other three looked over as well. There were seven or eight people coming their way. They stepped calmly and did not bother to conceal their purpose in coming here.
Qin Fang retreated slightly, “Guard Li.”
Guard Li led the eight people to a halt before the four of them. First, he greeted Su Yunkai. Then, he faced Qin Fang. “Master’s orders. I’m here to escort the young master back.”
Qin Fang said angrily, “Scram! All of you, leave!”
Guard Li didn’t retreat. His face remained calm. “The duke also said that if the young master resists, we can tie him up and bring him back if necessary.”
Su Yunkai said, “Please tell Uncle Qin that Qin Fang is with me. I will look after him and I won’t let him cause any trouble.”
Guard Li continued, “Our master is obviously at ease when the young master Qin is with young master Su. However, our master has a message for you, Lord Su. If you wish to keep the subordinate surnamed Bai, do not meddle in the affairs of the Qin family. Otherwise, our young master will get locked up and Constable Bai will also get locked up…in the yamen’s prison.”
The words were threatening. Su Yunkai realized that the Duke of Yan already knew Bai Shui’s identity. The Duke of Yan was giving Bai Shui the opportunity to walk free because the Qin family was close with the Su family. If Su Yunkai persisted in allowing Qin Fang to stay by his side, then Bai Shui’s identity would be revealed.
Su Yunkai knew that Uncle Qin always had his methods. The Duke had not yet revealed Bai Shui’s identity, which meant he was giving face to Su Yunkai, who was his junior. Su Yunkai considered his options, then said to Qin Fang, “Go home first. I will continue to work on this case.”
Qin Fang was not reassured, but he had recognized the meaning behind his father’s message as well. He would only get grounded. Bai Shui’s identity would be kept safe. The duke also wasn’t preventing the Su family from continuing to investigate the case. If Qin Fang was stubborn and refused to return, he would instead cause trouble and hinder the progress of the case. Still, Qin Fang was unwilling to leave Bai Shui. However, after thinking about it, Qin Fang said, “I’ll go back. Brother-in-law, take care of Bai Shui for me.”
Then, Qin Fang spoke to Bai Shui alone. “Once I go back and persuade my parents, I will come to you. You should take good care of yourself and treat your injury with medicine. Eat more meat during meals. You’ll recover faster that way.”
Bai Shui agreed. After watching him get taken away, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that she had discovered the atrocities committed to her brother, she had a premonition that it would be difficult for her to leave Kaifeng safely. She shouldn’t hold back Qin Fang this way. Once he returned home, it would be best if they never saw each other again. She would feel more at ease and she could work harder to pursue the case of her brother.
Still, her heart was sad at the parting. If she could’ve, she also would’ve wanted to leave here with Qin Fang and find a place to live peacefully.
Ming Yue took Bai Shui’s hand, her heart aching for her good friend. Ming Yue empathized with them for the twists and turns in their relationship.
The billowing smoke from Bai Shui’s house had not stopped, gradually condensing into the sky. For all the houses in the mile radius, the sky above had been darkened with a black cloud that seemed to signal a rainstorm, blocking out the sun and weakening the summer heat.
Ming Yue looked up at the dark sky, drew her gaze back slowly, and asked, “Where do we start now?”
Su Yunkai frowned as he said, “Let’s start by going to the summer resort.
.
A Hint of Spring 