Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

Fan Changyu left the room, but the person sitting at the desk, writing with a brush, didn’t look up. Only the corners of his lips tightened slightly.

Listening to the fading footsteps, he set down the brush and leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes shadowed and unreadable.

Summoned at will, dismissed at will?

She really had the nerve—

After instructing her younger sister not to wander off while she was away, Fan Changyu bid farewell to Aunt Zhao from the neighboring house and prepared to head to the County Government Office.

Aunt Zhao, however, insisted, “Your uncle and I will go with you. That place is terrifying—I’ve heard that one wrong move could get you beaten with the intimidating rod. A few dozen strikes would leave your flesh torn open! If anything happens, we’ll be there to help you figure something out.”

It’s often said that commoners shouldn’t provoke officials. Since Fan Da had connections with the Record Keeper, who held a grudge against Fan Changyu’s family, the elderly couple from the Zhao family had been so worried about her that they couldn’t sleep.

Though Fan Changyu was skilled in martial arts, this was her first time appearing in court in over a decade. After a brief consideration, she agreed.

The three of them took an ox cart to the County Government Office. By the time they arrived, it was still early, but a crowd of onlookers had already gathered at the entrance.

Fan Changyu was familiar with the trial procedure. Once the County Magistrate took his seat, she and Fan Da would be summoned inside. The magistrate would first question Fan Da about his accusations, while the Record Keeper documented the proceedings. If there were disputes, witnesses might also be called.

Fan Changyu’s witnesses were neighbors from the old Fan family residence. Most people wouldn’t willingly involve themselves in such trouble, but Fan Da and his family had made plenty of enemies. After visiting a few households, several neighbors, disgusted by Fan Da’s behavior, agreed to testify that he was a gambler.

Time passed slowly, and the crowd outside the Yamen grew larger. Yamen Runners had already placed the bamboo slips and the magistrate’s gavel on the desk in the courtroom, but Fan Da, the plaintiff, was nowhere to be seen. Fan Changyu couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Even arriving late to court could earn someone a beating. Could Fan Da have forgotten about the trial and overslept?

Aunt Zhao glanced around and muttered under her breath, “Where is Fan Da?”

Fan Changyu had an absurd thought—had she been so exhausted from memorizing legal statutes the past few days that she’d sleepwalked last night and kidnapped Fan Da?

The sound of three drumbeats snapped her back to reality.

Three rows of Yamen Runners entered the courtroom first, lining up on either side like a flock of geese. Each held a punishment rod nearly as tall as a person, their faces stern and intimidating.

The spectators outside the courtroom gasped and murmured at the sight of them, clearly intimidated.

Fan Changyu also noticed that none of these Yamen Runners looked familiar—none were from Head Constable Wang’s team. Wondering if the Record Keeper had pulled some strings, she felt a flicker of unease.

The County Magistrate, clad in his official robes, entered through a side door and took his seat behind the high desk. His eyes, narrowed by his plump face, swept over the courtroom before he raised the gavel and slammed it down.

“Court is in session!”

The Yamen Runners struck their rods against the ground in unison, chanting, “Dignity and authority—”

The sound of the rods hitting the floor nearly merged with the pounding hearts of the spectators outside.

The Record Keeper, with his thin mustache, called out, “Bring forth the plaintiff and the defendant!”

Though nervous, Fan Changyu gave Aunt Zhao and her husband a reassuring glance as the Yamen Runners escorted her into the courtroom.But even now, Fan Da had yet to appear, leaving only her, the accused, kneeling alone before the court.

The portly magistrate, clearly encountering such a situation for the first time, exchanged glances with his advisor, both baffled by the circumstances.

The onlookers outside the court buzzed with discussion.

With the standoff unresolved, the magistrate finally addressed Fan Changyu: "Who kneels before this court?"

Fan Changyu replied, "This humble woman is Fan Changyu."

The magistrate squinted at the indictment and bellowed, "Where is the plaintiff, Fan Da Niu?"

No one answered from within or outside the court.

In the silence, the hushed murmurs of the crowd outside became all the more conspicuous.

The portly magistrate slammed his gavel heavily. "Outrageous! In all my years presiding over cases, never have I encountered a plaintiff who dares not show up in court! This is sheer lawlessness!"

The gaunt advisor, thin as a bamboo pole, cast a few glances at Fan Changyu and advised, "Your Honor, please calm your anger. Fan Da Niu is but a commoner—he wouldn’t dare be late to court without reason. There must be some underlying circumstances. Perhaps we should dispatch yamen runners to his home to inquire, demonstrating Your Honor’s thoroughness and fairness."

The magistrate pondered briefly. "Granted!"

Soon, yamen runners were sent to Fan Da’s home to fetch him. The magistrate ordered a temporary halt to the proceedings, sparing Fan Changyu from having to kneel any longer.

With this unexpected turn, the gathered crowd didn’t disperse but grew even more curious about Fan Da’s absence, lingering stubbornly at the entrance.

Fan Changyu sat on a small stool, rubbing her knees, when a minor official approached her. "Head Constable Wang requests Miss Fan’s presence."

Assuming he had something to convey, Fan Changyu followed the official through a side door to the duty room behind the County Government Office.

The official, likely Head Constable Wang’s trusted subordinate, kept watch at the door after she entered.

Head Constable Wang wasted no time and got straight to the point. "Your uncle… did you have him taken?"

Fan Changyu thought to herself that while she had initially considered it, she had since abandoned the idea in favor of another plan. She shook her head firmly. "How could I commit such a reckless act?"

Head Constable Wang exhaled in relief. "Good."

He had recalled Fan Changyu’s earlier question about what would happen if Fan Da failed to appear in court and had sought her out privately to confirm.

Lowering his voice, he said, "Fan Da has connections with Master He. Even if you had resorted to such measures, he would have turned the tables on you, accusing you of lawlessness. You could’ve ended up in prison."

Fan Changyu nodded. "I understand."

The fact that the yamen had sent its own men to search for Fan Da—excluding Head Constable Wang’s people—spoke volumes. There was little he could do to help in this matter.

After leaving the duty room, Fan Changyu returned to the courtroom to wait. But even after a full half-hour, the yamen runners sent to fetch Fan Da had not returned.

The magistrate grew impatient and sent someone to hurry them along. Another half-hour passed before the runners returned, carrying a stretcher covered with a white cloth.

Fan Da’s wife, Liu Shi, and his elderly parents followed behind, wailing loudly.

It was clear that the figure beneath the white cloth was Fan Da.

Fan Changyu’s face registered shock. Fan Da was dead?

The crowd outside the yamen buzzed with speculation, their eyes repeatedly darting toward Fan Changyu.

Fan Da had schemed to seize her family’s property, and now, at this critical moment, he was dead. It was impossible not to suspect foul play.

"How could he have died on the very day of the trial?""Fan Da was as strong as an ox—it wouldn’t be easy for an ordinary person to take his life..."

Fan Changyu felt the weight of the varied gazes upon her and pressed her lips together slightly, her heart equally filled with shock and doubt.

Who killed Fan Da?

Her mind instinctively flashed back to Yan Zheng’s words a few days ago about "settling" Fan Da, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

Not only was Yan Zheng’s injury worsening—he had barely left the house these past few days—but he had also painstakingly taught her all the legal statutes she might need in court. There was no way he would act against Fan Da.

Moreover, their marriage was only a sham. He had no grudge against Fan Da and no reason to kill him.

When the county magistrate heard that the plaintiff, Fan Da, was dead, he rushed out of the side room in such haste that his official hat was barely secured. His eyes, narrowed to slits by his plump face, widened in horror. He clearly hadn’t expected a property dispute to escalate into a murder case. "This... what is this? Is there no law left in this land?"

A constable who had gone to search for Fan Da replied respectfully, "Your Honor, when we found Fan Da, he had already been dead for some time. His body bore multiple wounds from blades and swords."

The magistrate ordered the white cloth covering Fan Da to be lifted. One glance was enough to make the fat on his face tremble in fright. "Summon the coroner!" he cried.

Fan Da’s wife, Madam Liu, collapsed beside his corpse, weeping so violently she nearly fainted. Spotting Fan Changyu, she lunged at her like a vengeful spirit. "Was it you? Did you kill him?"

Changyu stepped back to avoid her, her voice icy. "Don’t slander me, Aunt. Uncle owed piles of gambling debts—who knows which creditor he crossed? What does that have to do with me?"

Madam Liu and Fan Laopozi continued wailing, their cries giving the magistrate a headache. He ordered the yamen runners to take them away.

Before Old Fan left, he looked at Changyu hesitantly, his lips pale as if recalling something terrifying.

Since Changyu was involved in the lawsuit with Fan Da, she was unavoidably detained.

After examining the body, the coroner concluded that Fan Da had likely died that morning on his way to the County Government Office. There were eleven wounds in total, but only the fatal stab through the heart had killed him.

"The first ten cuts were vicious yet deliberately avoided vital areas," the coroner said. "The killer must be someone skilled with blades. If not for revenge, these wounds suggest... interrogation."

Changyu frowned at this.

Interrogation?

What could they have been interrogating Fan Da about?

Forcing him to repay debts?

But if the goal was repayment, why kill him?

For a moment, Changyu felt lost in a fog of confusion.

However, since Fan Da was killed on his way to the county seat, Changyu had an alibi—she had been traveling at the time, and the elderly Zhao couple and the oxcart driver could vouch for her.

Yet the magistrate’s advisor wasn’t ready to let her off. "Your Honor," he said, "though Miss Fan has an alibi, what if... she hired someone to kill him? I’ve heard she’s close with that local ruffian Jin Lao San and his gang. To be safe, shouldn’t we search her home?"

The sudden murder case during the New Year festivities struck the magistrate as terribly unlucky. With a life at stake, he set aside his usual scheming and turned to Head Constable Wang, a seasoned investigator. "Take some men and search her house."Fan Changyu stood tall and unafraid, her conscience clear. Even when faced with Head Constable Wang and the sly, weasel-like gaze of the clerk, she didn’t flinch in the slightest.

The group of yamen runners arrived at the residential alley in the western part of town. The north wind howled fiercely, and one of the runners sniffed the air. “Did someone slaughter a pig? The smell of blood is so strong.”

Head Constable Wang caught the scent too, but since the Fan Family lived nearby and Changyu made a living as a butcher, he didn’t think much of it at first.

But when they pushed open the gate to the Fan Family’s courtyard and saw the corpses strewn across the ground, even the seasoned constables from the capital, accustomed to all manner of violent deaths, paled at the sight.

The ground was littered with bodies, their blood staining the snow that had yet to be swept from the courtyard.

Head Constable Wang, who had been friends with Changyu’s father, knew she had a younger sister. Not spotting a child’s body in the yard, he hurried inside to check.

As he climbed the steps, he saw a man lying on his back at the entrance of the main hall, his neck torn apart by some kind of claw-like weapon. A few large feathers, the size of goose down, were scattered on the ground, and the door bore marks from sword slashes.

His heart sank. He pressed on into the inner rooms, where another corpse lay face-down in the northern chamber, a kitchen knife embedded in its back.

The blade had struck the spine dead center, yet it had sunk two-thirds of its length into the bone. The sheer force required to drive it in so deeply was unimaginable.

With a heavy heart, Head Constable Wang searched every room but found no trace of the Fan Family’s youngest daughter or the live-in son-in-law. He couldn’t decide whether to feel relieved or more worried.

“It seems someone came seeking vengeance against the Fan Family,” he said grimly. “Quick, report back to the County Government Office!”

The sky was overcast, and thick snowflakes drifted down like goose feathers, occasionally shaking loose from the pine needles in small flurries.

Xie Zheng’s chest was soaked with blood. Behind him, the startled caws of crows rose from the dense forest as chaotic footsteps crunched through the snow, tightening like a net around him. Yet he seemed oblivious, leaning against a pine tree with his bloodied sword planted three inches into the snow as he bandaged the wound on his hand with a torn strip of cloth.

A few flecks of blood dotted his pale jaw, and his lips were pressed into a thin line, his mood clearly foul.

Changning and the gyrfalcon, its feathers dulled with grime, huddled nearby. The bird still had shreds of pink flesh clinging to one talon, while Changning sobbed intermittently, her small face ghostly white from terror.

He lifted his cold gaze. “Stop crying.”

Changning immediately stifled her sobs, though fat tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

“Just what kind of enemies has your Fan Family made?”

The terrified child before him couldn’t possibly answer, and Xie Zheng’s question seemed more like a muttered thought to himself.

By the time the chaotic footsteps finally closed in, he had finished tying the bandage with his teeth, the metallic taste of blood lingering on his tongue.

His fierce, ruthless phoenix eyes reflected the figures of masked men advancing with swords and knives through the pine forest.