Love in the Clouds (Ru Qing Yun)

Buxiu then noticed there was another person standing beside the crowd in the courtyard.

A boy of fourteen or fifteen, dressed in a robe embroidered with green jujube motifs, held a thick case record in his hand. His delicate features and refined demeanor exuded brilliance.

Following Mingyi’s gaze, he turned to look at him and gave a slight nod. "How much is it worth?"

It turned out to be the newly appointed Coroner and Patrol Inspector of the Hall of Judgment, Situ Ling.

Buxiu hurried over and cupped his hands respectfully. "Reporting to the lord, this storeroom is where our master keeps gifts bestowed by Da Si and other imperial relatives. Though there is no exact tally of their value, the gift registry is preserved and can be checked."

Mingyi gasped upon hearing this. "Gifts from Da Si and the imperial relatives? That’s no small matter!"

She then frowned at Situ Ling. "Burning items bestowed by Da Si is a grave offense."

Situ Ling was both amused and exasperated. "Sister Ming, it wasn’t me who set the fire."

"If not you, then who? Us?" Mingyi stamped her foot. "You came to visit, deliberately when our master was absent, and insisted on seeing me—forcing me to summon all the servants to avoid suspicion. And then, in the blink of an eye, the storeroom caught fire without anyone noticing. Isn’t this a classic diversionary tactic?"

Situ Ling shook his head repeatedly. "This is my first visit. I don’t even know where the storeroom is—how could I have deliberately set it ablaze? Moreover, I came today precisely to inspect the items in that storeroom. If anything, Sister Ming, your suspicion is greater than mine."

Mingyi widened her eyes in disbelief, pointing at her own nose as she stared at him. "Me? I was originally inside Lord of Flowing Radiance’s quarters the whole time—Granny Xun can vouch for that. It was only because you arrived that I was forced to come to the front courtyard. I didn’t even get near the storeroom during that time. How could I be the prime suspect?"

"Sister Ming, have you forgotten?" Situ Ling tilted his head. "You can use Essence—"

Before he could finish, Mingyi covered his mouth.

Buxiu and Granny Xun were stunned, only to see her give a guilty smile and mutter something under her breath.

They were too far away to hear, but Situ Ling caught every word as she gritted her teeth and whispered, "Didn’t we agree you’d keep this secret for me?"

Situ Ling blinked, trying hard to recall.

Back at Gong Wang’s residence, she had single-handedly beaten down a group of burly men before kneeling before him in gratitude for saving her life. From start to finish, there had been no such "agreement."

But Sister Ming was very beautiful, and her Essence Power was exceptionally formidable. He decided to humor her and pretend he had agreed.

She released her hand and curtsied apologetically. "I saw a fly just now—forgive my rudeness, my lord."

Situ Ling shook his head. "No need for courtesy, Sister Ming. As long as you tell the truth, I won’t press further on other matters."

"I am telling the truth," Mingyi sighed. "When you arrived, Granny Xun and I were having a meal. How was I to know what business you had here? And I certainly wouldn’t set fire to the storeroom for no reason. Everyone in the household knows how much I treasure money—why would I waste things like this?"

Situ Ling found her reasoning sound. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Then let’s wait until the fire dies down before investigating further."

"Wise decision, my lord." Mingyi nodded and curtsied, instructing servants to bring a chair for him to sit.

Behind them, a few servants whispered curiously, "How old is this boy? How is he already an official?""This is Situ Ling, the one with exceptional talent for investigations. Born a commoner, without Essence Power, but exceedingly clever—Lord Zhao has been relying on him a lot lately."

"Is that so..."

Mingyi stood beside Situ Ling, maintaining a composed smile on her face while her mind was in turmoil.

How could such a coincidence happen! The little scholar she had randomly dragged into her mess to save her life that day was actually this very Situ Ling before her?

If someone like him knew she possessed Essence Power and accidentally let it slip, would Ji Bozhai ever spare her?

Distraught, she rubbed her temples.

When the Fire Suppression Division arrived, the flames were still raging. Fortunately, those men all wielded Essence Power, and by gathering their power to suppress the fire, the unquenchable blaze gradually died down.

The manor's staff began assessing the damages, but Situ Ling took the lead, immediately sealing off the scene with his men.

Buxiu stood behind Mingyi, slightly tense. "Miss?"

Without looking up, Mingyi replied, "Don't worry."

With just those two words, Buxiu inexplicably felt reassured. He did nothing else, simply waiting with the others in the front courtyard.

Half an hour later, Situ Ling returned and said to Mingyi, "Most everything else has burned to ashes. Only some fabric storage boxes survived, thanks to their fireproof material."

Mingyi was heartbroken. "Only fabric is left? What about the gold, silver, and jewels?"

Granny Xun chuckled faintly. "Most of what Da Si and the clan elders gifted were cultural relics. The more mundane items weren’t stored in the treasury."

Her lips twitched as Mingyi muttered, "Not treasuring gold and silver but instead valuing fabric and scraps of paper... Fine, fine. At least the losses are smaller this way."

As she spoke, Situ Ling watched her closely, scrutinizing her expressions and movements.

Unfortunately, after careful observation, he found that this sister revealed no flaws, as if she truly didn’t care what fabrics had been in those boxes.

Lowering his gaze in thought, Situ Ling spoke again. "The reason for my visit today is also to ask Sister Mingyi—have you seen a Mulan Qing dress?"

Mingyi gave him a baffled look. "No. I already answered Lord Zhao last time. With my lowly status as a Dancing Girl, where would I get my hands on Mulan Qing?"

"Lord Ji hasn’t gifted you any?"

Mingyi pursed her lips. "Young sir, you yourself said Mulan Qing is precious. Why would Lord Ji give it to me?"

"But I’ve heard Sister Mingyi is deeply favored."

"Deeply favored?" She curled her lips in self-mockery, then quickly smoothed her expression, her eyelids lowering slightly to hide the glimmer of tears. She pointed to the nearby corridor. "With such a massive fire in the manor and me still inside, why don’t you go see where Lord Ji is? If he doesn’t even care whether I live or die, what favor is there to speak of?"

Situ Ling, still young and inexperienced in matters of the heart, frowned at her words and turned to Buxiu. "Where has Lord Ji gone?"

Buxiu grew impatient. "Young sir, you ask too much. How would we servants know our lord’s whereabouts?"

"This is an investigation," Situ Ling instructed his men. "Go and request Lord Ji’s return."

As his subordinates hurried off, he turned back to Mingyi. "If Lord Ji never gifted you a Mulan Qing dance dress, then where did the dress you wore to the clan’s private banquet come from?"

Mingyi was puzzled. "Who told you I attended the clan’s private banquet?"Situ Ling let out a light sigh and handed her a neatly transcribed confession. She took it and glanced over it, her face immediately turning pale. Tears welled up in her eyes again as her lips trembled, "What is she saying?"

"Zhang Tai has already confessed, saying that on the day of the royal family banquet, Xu Lan abused her power for personal gain and had you attend the banquet in her place," Situ Ling pressed his lips together. "Sister, why did you lie?"