Chapter 89: The Cave Skeleton (XIII)

The shrill cry entered Qin Fang’s ears, shocking him so much that he almost found it difficult to remain standing. Qin Fang reached out to support Bai Shui. His throat felt dry and uncomfortable.

The moment these words exited her mouth, she had already stepped half into the king of hell’s palace.

Yu Fenglin and Li Kang both paused. Li Kang thought for a moment. “No, that’s not right. When I researched Bai Ying, he clearly only had a younger sister, not a younger brother.”

Yu Fenglin suddenly realized that Bai Shui was the younger sister of Bai Ying! But did she not know that exposing herself could mean a path to death for her? 

So even if she died, she still wanted to save this corpse and find the culprit?

The Marquis exclaimed, “What nonsense!”

Bai Shui glared at him, her eyes red. “It’s not nonsense. Bai Ying is my brother by blood. I’m called Bai Yao. Bai Shui is an identity I bought. My lord, you only need to check to know whether or not what I said is true. I recognize this corpse. It’s my brother! Since the Marquis of Pingxi believes that the bodyguard’s family members can recognize the remains, so can I! He’s my brother, I recognize him!”

In the end, Bai Shui couldn’t endure it, her tears falling down her face and her whole person nearly collapsing on the stretcher, not letting them take her brother away. When she touched the bones under the white cloth, she started to sob. If Qin Fang hadn’t been holding onto her, she probably would have already fainted in pain.

Yu Fenglin angrily cried, “Quickly leave!”

Li Kang stepped forward and blocked his hand. “Miss Bai’s words are reasonable. The marquis thinks that the bodyguard’s relatives can recognize the remains. In the same way, she can too.”

The Marquis of Pingxi said coldly, “She said she was Bai Yao and you believe her? As an official of the Ministry of Justice, how can you be so rash to judge a person’s identity?”

Li Kang had no words.

“She is Bai Yao,” said Qin Fang. Every word was like an awl stabbing into his heart.

He knew that his testimony was like helping her into hell, but he knew even more her determination. If she did not save her brother and testify against the murderer, she would not be at ease her whole life.

His heart was being cut apart as he said the words, his voice trembling. “I can testify that she is Bai Yao, Bai Ying’s sister.”

Bai Shui looked up at him, not expecting this from him. He couldn’t fail to understand what would happen if she was recognized as Bai Yao. She had always felt that Qin Fang didn’t understand her, but now she felt that there were finally no walls between them.

Yu Fenglin didn’t expect that she was going to a life-and-death struggle. He was about to open his mouth, but Li Kang was no longer afraid. He said solemnly, “Marquis! If you violate the law of the Ministry of Justice again, I will go into the palace and ask the emperor to decide who the corpse belongs to. If the marquis insists on taking him away, please wait. I will enter the palace immediately. If the marquis wants to rob by force, I will have to go invite the nearby imperial guards that are patrolling.”

“Li Kang!” Yu Fenglin shouted. The bodyguards behind him wanted to move, but he raised his hand to stop them. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Bai Yao deceived others and entered the capital under a fake identity. As she is from the yamen, she should be sent to the prison and locked up, waiting for her fate.”

Li Kang was unable to intervene in this matter, and even if Qin Fang wanted to stop it, he couldn’t. All he could do was to accompany Bai Shui to the yamen. He understood that if Yu Fenglin was determined to send Bai Shui to the yamen, some of his subordinates must be there. “Let me go with you.”

Li Kang watched Qin Fang and Bai Shui get taken away, leaving only white bones in front of the door. He ordered people to carry them inside. He knew that he could not drag the matter out any longer. He needed to tell Su Yunkai as soon as possible. Yu Fenglin was already on the move!

*

The night was deep, the surroundings in complete silence.

Ming Yue didn’t know whether or not Qin Fang had found Bai Shui or what Su Yunkai was doing currently. But it was useless to think more about it. It was not safe to go outside. She planned to go back to her room and rest, then go in the morning with two of Li Kang’s bodyguards to find them.

“Miss Ming.”

Ming Yue turned and saw a person in servant’s clothing. “What’s the matter?”

The servant replied, “Master let me tell you that someone is waiting for you at the back door.”

“Who is it?”

“Master didn’t say, but that person was sitting in the carriage, and I couldn’t see who it was.”

Ming Yue was excited. It was probably either Su Yunkai or Bai Shui. “I’ll go immediately.”

The man led the way from the garden path to the back door, opened the door, and led her out. There was an inconspicuous carriage in the back alley. The curtain of the carriage was lowered and the inside could not be seen. She stepped up, bent over, and lifted the curtain. When she saw the person in the carriage, she was instantly surprised.

Yu Fenglin said with a smile, “Miss Ming, please.”

Ming Yue turned away to get down, but the servant viciously pushed her inside. If Yu Fenglin hadn’t “kindly” held onto her, her head would be directly knocked into the carriage.

The servant jumped on his horse and drove the carriage away from the Li family.

Yu Fenglin noticed that she did not struggle or call for help, instead sitting down, quiet and wordless. He smiled, “Why didn’t you call for help? This is the back door of the Li family. If you call for help, they will certainly rush out to save you.”

Ming Yue looked up at him. “Since the lord dares to come alone, you must have been ready to kidnap me anyway. Now it’s late at night, even if I yell at the top of my voice, when they come out, they can’t be as fast as your carriage.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”

Ming Yue couldn’t help laughing. “If the marquis can let your people come in disguised as servants of the Li family, you could naturally ask them to kill me there. Why bother to trick me into the carriage? On the other hand, if I really resisted, I might be killed. Therefore, I think that the marquis wants me to do something for you. But I only know how to do autopsies and the marquis certainly doesn’t need it. So the person you really want to see is Brother Su.”

It was then that Yu Fenglin finally properly looked at her. She was so delicate that she could be strangled to death with one hand, but she was not frightened. This made him feel the same degree of disgust for Su Yunkai’s determination to investigate to the end even when in danger. “It was Su Yunkai who forced me. It was him who continued to investigate.”

“If you were a good man and didn’t do anything wrong, Brother Su would be your friend.” Ming Yue raised her eyebrows and looked at him, “It’s a pity that you are not, so no matter how you obstruct him, it’s useless.”

“I know. That’s why I had you leave.”

Ming Yue couldn’t help wringing her fingers. “You want to use me as bait to kill him?”

Yu Fenglin did not answer. Suddenly, he saw her raise her hand to pull out the hairpin from her bun. He knocked it out with one hand, causing Ming Yue’s hand to dislocate, her face instantly turning ghostly pale.

“Each and every one of you is like this. For a corpse, Bai Shui took on the crime of deceiving the emperor. For a man, you’d commit suicide. You all only have one life. Why should you give away the flesh and blood granted to you by your parents for the sake of another?”

Ming Yue held onto her wrist, her voice shaking, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“You’d better not bite your tongue and commit suicide, because if you die, I’ll still act as though you’re living and let Su Yunkai come. He doesn’t know your status. If he came, he might be able to save you, but if you die, even if he comes, he can’t save you. Isn’t that right?”

Ming Yue viciously spat at him. “Not that it’s come to this point, what you should be doing is turning yourself in at the palace gate, rather than thinking about turning this matter over.”

Yu Fenglin said coldly, “Turn myself in? As long as Su Yunkai stops, I can continue to be a marquis in the capital! Even if he insists on checking and even if I die, I will drag you all down with me.”

Ming Yue leaned on the wooden planks of the carriage. Hearing his fury, she was happy. This at least proved that her Brother Su’s investigation was in the right direction, perhaps even touching Yu Fenglin’s bottom line, giving him a sense of crisis. Otherwise, he would not have taken the risk of kidnapping her to capture Su Yunkai.

But, according to what he said just now, Shui Shui’s identity had gotten exposed?

Her eyes dimmed. She was worried about her good friend and her lover.

It was indeed the autumn. The number of things happening was increasing and hearts were getting disturbed.

*

In the early morning, Su Yunkai came out of the palace and rode the carriage back with his father. As soon as he entered the alley, he saw someone looking around. Seeming to recognize the carriage, the person rushed over. The carriage did not stop and so the man’s voice was accompanied by the sound of the wheels, “Lord Su, my master let me come to inform you that Miss Ming disappeared last night. The back door was open and she might’ve left from there. But earlier, when I asked your servants, they said she hadn’t come here.”

Su Yunkai was stunned. He quickly got out of the carriage and asked, “Did you go to other places to look for her?”

“I did, but I didn’t see anyone.”

Su Yunkai’s heart sank. Su Gu came down as well and said, “Ming Yue is not that kind of ignorant child. Moreover, she left from the back door and the door was not closed. I’m afraid…”

Su Yunkai thought for a moment and caught onto a seedling. He walked to the door.

Hearing the commotion outside, the doorkeeper had already opened the door. Su Yunkai entered and asked, “From last night until now, has anyone sent a message or letter to me?”

The servant was surprised and replied, “No.”

Su Yunkai slightly paused, turned to his father, and said, “Father, you take Li’s servants to go in and ask clearly. I’ll look around.”

“Okay.” Su Gu sighed, hoping for Ming Yue’s wellbeing, otherwise what face would the Su family have to meet the Ming family?

After Su Gu went in, Su Yunkai didn’t leave. He said to the doorkeeper, “You can go ahead and tell me what happened.”

In his heart, the servant almost regarded Su Yunkai as an all-seeing god. “When it was close to three, I heard someone knocking at the door. When I opened the door, someone delivered a letter and said that only you could know of it, otherwise the person in the letter would die. I didn’t dare fool around, so I lied just now.”

Su Yunkai asked urgently, “Where’s the letter?”

The servant hastily gave the letter to him. Sy Yunkai opened it and found that there were only a few words on it, inviting him to meet in the eastern suburbs at five. There seemed to be something in the envelope, so he withdrew it and realized it was a nanmu wood hairpin. He looked at the envelope again. It was clear that the seal was not red wax, but solidified blood. His hands trembled slightly and his face went livid.

When the servant saw these things, he was flustered and said, “Young master, this matter should be reported to the master.”

“No!” Su Yunkai had already guessed who sent it and what the purpose was. But even though he knew that this was a trap, he couldn’t tell others. He had to go now. He put the things away and reminded the servant, “Do not tell my father.”

The servant nodded. As soon as Su Yunkai left, the servant still went inside immediately to report.

Su Yunkai walked out of the alley. At this time, the day was almost clear. By five, the morning sun would rise. He went out of the alley, not to the east, but to the south.

At four, it was hazy and the shops selling breakfast had not yet opened.

He nearly walked to the end of the street until he saw the doors of a four-story restaurant open. The lights were bright inside and a person stood at the door, looking at him and then bowing slightly, as if inviting pedestrians in.

Su Yunkai went inside and looked up at the sign: Chaoyang Inn.

Kaifeng had a vast east area. Yu Fenglin clearly wanted to meet him but hadn’t specified a location. Su Yunkai thus thought that the place they were meeting was not the east. Moreover, if the marquis revealed it and others saw, it would be dumb. Of course, the marquis was not a fool. Additionally, the nanmu hairpin was not Ming Yue’s. Then the only reason the marquis put it there was to give him a hint. The nan from the name nanmu meant south.

In the south of Kaifeng, there was a famous inn called Chaoyang Inn.

Chaoyang, the rising sun in the east.

Su Yunkai went to have a look and hadn’t expected his guess to actually be correct.

The waiter led him upstairs without saying a word. As soon as he entered the door, someone closed the door behind him. The whole inn was very quiet, but there seemed to be a slight sound in every corner. There were many people lurking here, ready to ambush. The trap was prepared.

The waiter led him to the third floor and knocked on the door gently. When the person inside answered, he opened the door.

The wooden door opened slowly. Su Yunkai immediately saw Ming Yue sitting opposite from the front door. She didn’t look good; her hair was a little messy, her lips pale, but she still looked at him quietly. Su Yunkai felt like he’d been punched and slowly walked over. It was then that he saw that to the right of the square table was Yu Fenglin.

Yu Fenglin said with a smile, “You came faster than I expected. It seems that you didn’t take a detour and came here directly. I was afraid that you wouldn’t get the hint and go east.”

Su Yunkai said calmly, “If I really went there, then the marquis wouldn’t be so afraid of me. That would mean that I was a fool.”

“I’m afraid of you? Why should I be afraid of you?”

“If you weren’t, then why are you using Ming Yue to blackmail me?”

Yu Fenglin said coldly, “Yes, I am afraid of you, but I also know what you are afraid of. I did not invite Ming Yue here to kill you. On the contrary, I wanted to give you some benefits. As long as you become loyal to me, half of the gold and silver I got in my whole life will be yours. In Kaifeng, no one will be able to touch you. Glory, wealth, power and status…”

“Did you forget that I am from the Su family?” Su Yunkai said, “You should know that I went to the palace tonight.”

“Indeed.”

“But the marquis is not in a hurry. It seems that you have already decided for either the fish to die or the net to break. What you want is not me going to the emperor to overturn the case, but for the Su family to be loyal to you… After all, our Su family holds weight in the government and has a good reputation among the people. Just imagine, if we Su family offer allegiance to you, then you will be able to sit more steadily on the throne you want.”

Hearing this, Yu Fenglin’s smile disappeared, his eyes cold and sharp. “Oh? Do you mean I’m going to plan a revolt?”

Su Yunkai coldly looked at him, reaching out to pull over the empty bowl on the table and front of him and then took out the silver ingot and put it in the bowl. He then poured in tea, the tea flowing into the bowl, stopping only when it was about to overflow. Afterwards, he took an ingot of silver of the same value from his bag and put it into a bowl.

The silver was of the same value, but the latter sank into the bowl and the water in the bowl immediately overflowed.

Ming Yue caught on. “Both of these are official silver, so why is the density so different?”

“Because it’s fake silver.” Su Yunkai looked at Yu Fenglin and said, “The fake silver was mixed with iron so it’s heavier than pure silver. You can’t see it from the outside, but the moment it enters the water, it’s immediately evident. And this piece of silver…is what Bai Ying retrieved from the villa before his death, clenching it tightly in his grasp even as he died.”

Ming Yue was stunned.

Su Yunkai’s voice was deep, barely suppressing his immense fury. “Yu Fenglin, you dug mines privately, collected iron ore, and made fake silver on the spot. But silver is precious. You could only add a little silver to each ingot. You didn’t need to empty the whole of Mount Gu, so I think most of the iron has been made into weapons! The elm on the mountains can make bows and arrows. The local materials can make weapons and money. You have everything. All you need is to recruit some people and then you can kill the emperor and seize the throne!”

Yu Fenglin was silent for a moment. Then, he suddenly laughed. “You say this lightly. Making fake silver? If I needed to recruit troops and buy horses, I would need a lot of money. It would have to be real silver. Otherwise, the people would rebel the moment they discovered it was fake. I would be killed by them, so what rebellion could there be?”

“Because you distributed the fake silver to subordinates all over the country and let them use their official positions to exchange for real silver and transport it back to the capital.”

Yu Fenglin was stunned. The eyes that carried belittlement finally had some vigilance. 

Su Yunkai said, “Before, I worked in Damingfu, yet received a transfer order after only a mere few months to become an Assistant Minister of Rites at the capital. It was an open promotion but an actual demotion. It was because the gold corruption case I found in Damingfu was not actually a corruption case. The prefect of Yuzhou is also your subordinate. He was exchanging fake silver for real gold for you. It was just that the person was you, so he didn’t dare say it. That would be admitting to another crime. After the case, you were afraid I’d investigate further, so you hurried back from the frontier, faced the emperor, and had me transferred back to the capital to keep me from criminal investigation.”

Yu Fenglin did not speak. He was listening and surprised. However, he had been through many battles and had seen many storms. Even now, he was still able to maintain his calm, not stopping Su Yunkai nor being angry.

“But you didn’t expect that, by chance, I was invited to go to Mount Gu, where you made weapons and counterfeit silver. You probably didn’t expect that Chen Lilang would be so careless and not destroy the places where the craftsmen and workers lived after the mine was hollowed out. You may have never thought that his nephew would have bought it and invited me to go there. So you also showed up there, saying it was a summer vacation. You were actually watching my movements.”

Ming Yue’s right wrist was still very painful. She couldn’t help clenching the left hand that she’d been using to cover it, her whole body in sharp pain. “You were the one who poisoned Brother Bai, right?”

“That constable?” Yu Fenglin suddenly laughed. “He traced the counterfeit silver to the villa. I just poured him a cup of tea. By the way, he was very good at martial arts. He even hurt me and escaped from the villa. If I had known that he still had the strength to escape, I should have given him an extra cup of tea. Two cups of tea would’ve done the trick.”

“Shut up!” Ming Yue was so angry that she shook. She stood up and yelled, “That’s a human life! A living human life!”

Yu Fenglin reproached, “If he’d quietly stayed in yamen and continued being a little constable, why would I kill him?”

“The job of a constable is to catch monsters like you!”

Ming Yue raised her hand to slap him, but she couldn’t get to him at all. If Su Yunkai hadn’t pulled her back, Yu Fenglin’s retaliating hand would’ve taken her arm off directly.

“Su Yunkai.” Yu Fenglin ignored Ming Yue’s actions, but turned to look at Su Yunkai coldly. “You are right. I indeed need the Su family to help me. But even without the Su family, I was ready for everything. Your loyalty can help me to control the government more quickly. If not, I will simply need to spend more time. It’s just that, there will be a flood of blood and even your Su family will not be an exception. Don’t you want to be with her? Then why fight against me? Money, I have. Weapons, I also have. I came back to the capital this time also for this matter.”

“When you took a fancy to the Su family, you should also remember why you took a fancy.”

Yu Fenglin suddenly felt that talking about it was just a waste of time. Su Yunkai was right. He settled on the Su family because they had been loyal officials for generations. He thought that he’d be able to use money to sway their hearts, but he underestimated their loyalty. Only now, there was no need to keep Su Yunkai.

“Marquis, I have just come out of the palace. You must know that the Emperor gave me a secret order.”

“Oh? What does it say?”

“If the Marquis of Pingxi continues to make a last-ditch fight, kill him. If he is willing to enter the palace to confess his guilt, spare his life.” Su Yunkai said, “We already got a secret order to get the Court of Judicial Review to catch all the officials who exchanged counterfeit silver for you. When they get there, it’s not possible for all of them to not confess. If they don’t, then those who dug mines for you or transported money for you will. By that time, it will be useless for you to enter the palace to plead guilty.”

Yu Fenglin sighed. “I said, I dared to ask you to come because everything was ready. You forcing me like this is just asking for your own deaths.”

“Then why hasn’t the marquis started yet? Is it not easier to force me to submit to you after you start your revolt?” Su Yunkai was already slowly moving so that Ming Yue was behind him. “Because you aren’t ready at all and you still need the Su family as a bargaining chip!”

Yu Fenglin, who had been calm, turned pale.

“You haven’t deployed your people at all. Otherwise, you should’ve killed me when I returned to Kaifeng. You’ve put up with me again and again, because you’re afraid that my death will reveal what you’ve done. You might not have known, but it is because of your obstruction that I was able to trace the truth. If you didn’t have a guilty conscience, I might still be acting as the Chief of Crime in Damingfu now. Marquis of Pingxi, you tripped yourself.”

Yu Fenglin couldn’t help but shout, “Su Yunkai! If you hadn’t interfered in my plan, why would I have come back in a hurry? You cut off my wealth and ruined my efforts. Now you want to kill me. Is it worth it for such a muddled emperor? What benefits did the Zhao family give to the Su family? Have you gotten a first rank official or a marquis position? No, none at all. I, on the other hand, can give that to you.”

Su Yunkai shook his head. “If you continue to get stuck on this problem, you are doomed to fail. Marquis, I respect you for your talents and contributions in the war. You are well-known in the frontier and deeply trusted by the emperor. Why do you have to cling to imperial power?”

Yu Fenglin sneered. “In the same way, you asking this question means that you’ll never climb to a high position in your life.”

The two were silent. In the small room, there was only silence. Outside the inn, roosters crowed. Dawn was about to break.

Su Yunkai said, “You can’t escape. Go and confess.”

Yu Fenglin said with a smile, “I won’t plead guilty, but you two also can’t get out of this room.”

Ming Yue noticed his bone-chilling tone and held onto Su Yunkai. When she was taken here, she knew that there were many people lurking in the inn and there was no chance to escape. The hand that she tightly grasped onto flipped over and held back onto hers. With a slight tug, she was completely protected behind his back.

“Brother Su…”

Su Yunkai tapped a finger on the back of her hand to pacify her. He looked at the Marquis of Pingxi and said, “In lieu of your great achievements in war and your defense of our Great Song’s territory for over a decade, the emperor had the heart to let you go, but you didn’t repent.”

Yu Fenglin suddenly realized something was wrong. He hurried to the window to look out. The street was still empty, but he jerked his head and saw a figure dodging in the dark of the opposite pillar. He looked back and glared. “That many people and even I didn’t notice. The people outside are the imperial palace guards?”

Su Yunkai nodded and Yu Fenglin burst into laughter. He raised his hand to the right and slapped fiercely. The window was like a piece of light paper, instantly broken into smithereens.

There was the sound of weapons clashing downstairs. Yu Fenglin could hear that his men had been completely suppressed. He stepped forward. Even if he died, he would kill Su Yunkai first! If it weren’t for him, he would not be in such a mess!

Su Yunkai had expected that he would come forward, so he caught onto a stool and threw it towards Yu Fenglin. Yu Fenglin raised his feet and split it in half. His palm pushed forward. Su Yunkai originally thought Yu Fenglin would kill him, but he instead grabbed Ming Yue’s shoulder and dragged her out.

This grasp used his full strength. Ming Yue clearly heard the sound of dislocation and her face became colorless. Su Yunkai’s expression also changed. He reached to capture Yu Fenglin.

But Yu Fenglin had been a general on the battlefield. It was not difficult to subdue two people who had barely any strength. When Su Yunkai smashed at Yu Fenglin’s arm, which was grabbing onto Ming Yue, Yu Fenglin punched him in the chest. Su Yunkai spat out a mouthful of blood, but even after he fainted, he didn’t let go.

Yu Fenglin didn’t want to kill him first. He wanted to kill Ming Yue and let Su Yunkai see her die in front of him!

What iron backbones of the Su family? If their bones were made of iron, what about their hearts?

Suddenly, a figure jumped through the window, accompanied by the glare of a blade, directed straight at the marquis.

Yu Fenglin hadn’t dodged in time and his shoulder was sliced into by half an inch. He retreated in a hurry. Seeing the person, he was stunned. “Why are you here?”

Bai Shui carried the sword given by the yamen to all constables. Her gaze was like the shine of the sword, cold and filled with hate. “You can lock me up, but the Duke of Yan can come and let me out. I will avenge my brother myself.”

The blade was sharp, and Yu Fenglin’s shoulder continued to bleed. He heard the sounds of fighting coming closer. He realized that if he didn’t escape now, it’d be too late. He opened the door to exit, but who knew that a stab came from the right. Bai Shui flashed past, blocking the door with her body.

Yu Fenglin had no weapons in his hand, so he could hardly get close to her. He bent over to pick up a bench. He threw it at her.

Bai Shui sliced it. At the same time, Yu Fenglin was right in front of her, knocking the sword from her hands. In the moment she paused, he punched her injured shoulder.

It was this arm that Yu Fenglin had injured in the last fight at the villa.

Bai Shui’s whole body shook with the pain. Her strength couldn’t compare with his. After a couple of moves, she lost feeling. But she couldn’t let him open the door and escape. She had survived after her brother passed away and she had survived the villa twice. Now, if she couldn’t see Yu Fenglin dying, everything she had done would’ve been in vain.

Even if she were to die, she would kill Yu Fenglin first!

Yu Fenglin hit hard with his fist, each punch meeting flesh, powerful enough to break bones. But Bai Shui didn’t move. He was surprised at the woman’s determination, Su Yunkai had been right. He didn’t understand these people. All of a sudden, detecting something behind him, he didn’t even look. He turned his palm and hit Ming Yue right in the chest.

Ming Yue was in too much pain to stand. Su Yunkai got pressed over by Ming Yue falling. He suppressed the pain of his chest feeling like it was ripping apart to slowly stand up and pick up the sword on the ground. He grasped the handle of the sword and slashed at Yu Fenglin’s waist. This location was extremely difficult to avoid. The knife rose and fell, cutting a wide gap at his waist.

In pain, Yu Fenglin dodged, but Bai Shui rushed forward and similarly hit a heavy blow on his bleeding shoulder and then another at his waist. She furiously punched one after another, full of resentment, five years of it.

The people downstairs already gradually came up, but Yu Fenglin was unable to stand.

Su Yunkai walked forward to pull at Bai Shui. “Bai Shui! That’s enough. You can’t kill him, or else you’ll become a murderer. “

When he grabbed Bai Shui, he found it was easy to pull her away. He then realized that she had long lost her strength. Who knew where her earlier strength had come from?

As Bai Shui was dragged away by Su Yunkai, her feet were still kicking at Yu Fenglin. Ming Yue climbed up and hugged her and cried, “That’s enough, Shui Shui. You’ve avenged Brother Bai. He won’t blame you.”

Bai Shui also finally cried out, stopping the beating. “I will not kill him, but I will see him get ruined and beheaded in public with my own eyes!”

She hissed at Yu Fenglin, full of despair and everlasting hatred. Even if Yu Fenglin was beheaded, her brother would not come back.

She hugged Ming Yue and cried as hard as she could.

Qin Fang, who followed her, stood at the door and heard her cry of despair. He knelt beside Bai Shui and took her from Ming Yue’s arms. He said softly, “It’s okay. We can take your brother home.”

Su Yunkai, who was badly hurt at his chest, suddenly vomited out a mouthful of blood. Ming Yue was panicked. “Brother Su.”

Su Yunkai shook his head gently, “I’m okay.”

Not caring about the imperial palace guards pouring in one after another, Ming Yue embraced him. “Since all the guards were deployed, why didn’t you wait for the guards to come first? You know you couldn’t defeat Yu Fenglin. If you were unlucky, you would’ve died.”

“I wanted to see you.”

It was a lie and a truth. Ming Yue’s eyes watered. “Brother Su…”

Su Yunkai caressed her silky hair. Looking at the mess on the ground, he was full of feelings.

People with evil in their hearts will be empty, even if they ascend the throne in the future.

*

In September of the third year of the Zhihe era, the Renzong Emperor, Zhao Zhen, changed the name of the year to “Jiayou”, meaning blessing and protection from the heavens. In the same year, the whole empire was granted amnesty, and everyone was celebrating.

Standing in front of the yamen prison, Qin Fang was waiting. The people were coming out at noon, but he still came before dawn. The servant advised him to wait in the carriage, but he did not stay.

“What if she comes out early?”

“Then come out of the carriage when she does.”

“In that case, wouldn’t she have seen you first?”

The servant was rendered speechless. He detected strong jealousy and didn’t dare speak anymore.

Qin Fang waited and waited. It was half a quarter before noon when the gate of the prison creaked open. He stood up straight and looked over.

Bai Shui slowly came out of the prison. Seeing the bright sunlight, she stretched out her hand to feel the warmth. It felt surreal. Suddenly, a hand reached for hers. It became warmer.

Qin Fang said with a smile, “I knew you’d come out early.”

The servant mumbled, but Qin Fang pretended not to hear. Bai Shui looked up at him and asked, “How come you’ve thinned so much?”

“I’ve missed you.” Qin Fang looked down at her shoulder. “Has the injury healed?”

Bai Shhui nodded, “It’s healed. The medicine your father sent is very easy to use. Your father talked to the people in the yamen. The food and drink is all very good. Being in prison was not that difficult.”

Qin Fang stroked her hair, wanting to hold her, but also afraid of her crying. “Shui Shui… Yu Fenglin will be beheaded in an hour. If we go now, we’ll make it in time.”

Bai Shui paused and finally shook her head, “I want to see my brother.”

Qin Fang didn’t try to persuade her otherwise. He took her to the carriage and said, “Let’s go. Brother-in-law and my sister have been waiting for us for a long time.”

Bai Shui asked doubtfully, “Your sister?”

Qin Fang said with a smile, “Brother-in-law is going to get married. My parents won’t let me call him that, but I’m used to it, so I simply recognized Ming Yue as my elder sister.”

Bai Shui smiled. “But you’re clearly older than Ming Yue.”

“I don’t care. Also, my parents don’t care either, so it’s fine.” Qin Fang first sent Bai Shui to the carriage, then whispered, “Those aristocrats, after knowing Ming Yue’s origin, they’re all jeering. No matter what, I have to support Ming Yue.”

Bai Shui smiled again and finally said, “That’s good.”

Qin Fang saw that she was thoughtful and said, “For you, I can’t find you such a good adoptive father. After all, it’s useless.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going back to your hometown with you. I’m no longer a future marquis.”

Bai Shui paused. “Qin Fang…”

Qin Fang took her hand and said with relief. “The title was never mine. I’ve already told my father about it and he agreed. He said that I can borrow his money, his books, and his weapons.  I can do whatever I want, but I can’t be unaccomplished.”

These words had shown that he’d really put down everything. Bai Shui hadn’t expected such strong determination.

Qin Fang knew that she didn’t like Kaifeng and would not be happy even if she stayed here. Therefore, he wanted to take her away—not follow her away—from this sad place. He also wanted to have his own life; he didn’t want to continue to live under the glory of his father all the time.

Bai Shui leaned on his shoulder, her thoughts extending far away. They appeared to have arrived near the execution ground. Pedestrians hurriedly scurried in the same direction, whispering that they were going to see a person beheaded, a marquis.

She was calm in her heart, but the raised curtain let her see more clearly a prison car pass by. She seemed to have seen Yu Fenglin without actually seeing him. She was in a trance for a moment. She closed her eyes slowly, tears falling down her cheeks.

“Brother…”

*

Most scholars liked the scenery in the spring but not the autumn, because the autumn scenery was more sorrowful. It was easy to pick up sad memories from familiar places. 

Ming Yue squatted in front of a newly erected tombstone, burning paper money. Su Yunkai was at her side lighting incense.

Once they lit the incense, they bowed three times before Bai Ying’s grave. After waiting and not seeing Bai Shui, they went on a walk nearby to enjoy the unique colors of autumn.

The river was shallow enough that the bottom could be seen. It flowed slowly past stones of all shapes and sizes, many covered with slippery green moss. Ming Yue bent down to wash her hands, cupped some cool river water, then poured it back into the river.

The water returned to the river, which would eventually return to the oceans. It was always full of vitality.

“Qin Fang said that when Shui Shui comes out, he will take her away from here.” Ming Yue looked at the man next to her. It had been more than a month since the Chaoyang Inn event happened, but his injury has not been completely healed, so he had not moved much to avoid worsening it.

The imperial doctor said that the blow happened to hit his heart and that it was a miracle he was still alive.

Su Yunkai smiled. “You also want to leave, right?”

Ming Yue smiled but didn’t respond. Su Yunkai said, “Then let’s go with them. Of course, it’ll be after we finish the wedding, since we’ve already brought your grandfather here, so we can’t trouble him with another long journey.”

Ming Yue blushed and finally shook her head. “The government needs good officials like you. If I abduct you away like this, that will be a pity. Even if I am willing, my grandpa won’t be.”

“Even when I’m not an official in Kaifeng, I can go to other places. The emperor has promised me that when I have recovered, I can take any position.”

“Even prime minister?”

Su Yunkai laughed. “That’s what he promised. Why? You want to be a prime minister’s wife? I’ll go and ask, then.”

Ming Yue smiled. “I believe that you’ll become prime minister eventually, but not by the emperor’s promise. Even if he promises you the position of duke, you wouldn’t want it, because your surname is Su, and you are part of the Su family. You have the backbone of the Su family.”

Su Yunkai lowered his head and touched her forehead with his. “You know me.”

Ming Yue squeezed his hand. Her eyes curved into a smile. “I still want you to be an official. I’ll be a coroner and we can be neighbors with Shui Shui again.”

Su Yunkai also had this intention. With such an excellent coroner like Ming Yue, he didn’t want her to be trapped in the house, which would be a waste of talent. Moreover, in the officialdom, husband and wife joining hands and advancing and retreating together was what he wanted.

While they chatted and laughed, there was the sound of horse’s hooves in the distance. They looked up and saw Qin Fang and Bai Shui waving at them.

The four people looked at each other and they all smiled.

This smile melted the melancholy nature of the autumn scenery. It warmed the autumn wind and the ice water. Next year, spring would come again, filling the world with its exuberant greenery.

.

.

FIN.

.

---

PREVIOUS | TABLE OF CONTENTS