As dusk approached, Chu Chu went with Jing Yi to inspect the betrothal gifts he had prepared, leaving Xiao Jin Yu alone in his room reviewing official documents delivered during the day. He had only finished half of one when a guard gently knocked three times on the door.
"Enter."
The guard slipped inside and swiftly closed the door behind him, moving so quickly it seemed he had phased directly through the wood.
Xiao Jin Yu set down the document, his brow slightly furrowed. "Did you find anything?"
"Wang Ye, I've located the storyteller's residence in a desolate village on the city outskirts. The village has fewer than ten households remaining, each spaced far apart with little interaction. No one knows when he moved in, and no one recognizes him."
The guard presented a small bundle to Xiao Jin Yu. "Aside from everyday items, there was nothing unusual in his room, but I found these two objects hidden beneath his bedding."
Xiao Jin Yu untied the bundle. The moment the first item came into view, his expression darkened abruptly.
"Summon Jing Yi."
"Yes."
Jing Yi leaped through the window with a rather smug grin, turning to close it behind him. "See? I told you I'd handle this sort of thing more efficiently than you. That girl couldn't find a single fault..."
His smile froze when he spotted a bloodstone seal on Xiao Jin Yu's desk, and he drew a sharp breath. "Whose... is this?"
Xiao Jin Yu frowned, his voice low. "The storyteller who kept mentioning Six Doors."
Jing Yi picked up the seal and turned it over, revealing four carved characters:
Intelligence Sixteen.
"Why would someone from the Imperial Surveillance Agency be in a place like this?"
Xiao Jin Yu lowered his voice. "Do you remember the case of Prince of Wu Commandery Xiao Jue's rebellion?"
Not a trace of laughter remained on Jing Yi's face as he furrowed his brow. "Didn't you investigate and clear his name the year before last?"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded faintly. "After his exoneration, he went into seclusion here. Very few know about this."
Jing Yi's fox-like eyes widened. "Prince of Wu Commandery emerged from Heavenly Prison with half a life left. Why would the Emperor still have the Surveillance Agency watching him?"
Xiao Jin Yu shot him a cold glare. "Is that your place to ask?"
Jing Yi immediately fell silent.
In his shock, he had forgotten himself. Matters of the Imperial Surveillance Agency were not for him to inquire about—not even Xiao Jin Yu had the right to ask, nor were they supposed to know of these agents who performed surveillance exclusively for the Emperor.
Xiao Jin Yu picked up a thin booklet from the desk. "This was also found at the storyteller's residence."
Jing Yi casually flipped it open. After reading just half a line, his composure broke. "Pig hair, dirt egg, dogtail grass..." He looked up with a darkened expression. "What is this nonsense?"
"You don't know either?"
"Why would I know... Perhaps you should ask your Imperial Concubine. She might know."
Xiao Jin Yu's heart sank abruptly. "Why?Jing Yi苦笑ed and tossed the booklet back onto the table. "No reason... What we know, she doesn't. What she knows, we don't. Since we don't know now, perhaps she might."
"...We'll discuss this later. Go to the magistrate's office in Purple Bamboo County immediately."
"Understood."
☆、43 Four Happiness Meatballs (II)When Jing Yi drifted into the room like a ghost in the dead of night, Xiao Jin Yu was already sitting inside waiting for him. A strong smell of alcohol assaulted Xiao Jin Yu’s senses, and he frowned. "Have you been drinking?"
Jing Yi sat down steadily by the table, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a cup of water. Neither his expression nor his voice betrayed any hint of drunkenness. "Zheng Youde has been a county magistrate for over ten years—he’s as slick as an old fryer. I had to get him drunk before he’d spill anything... I didn’t drink a drop; I poured it all out. He was the one who got drunk and insisted on performing a monkey act for me, hopping around and knocking over two jars of wine, splashing it all over me."
"Did you manage to find out anything?"
Jing Yi downed the cup of water in one gulp and shook his head. "I told him I was here for the Three Law Divisions’ year-end routine inspection of local offices, and he just kept saying everything was fine everywhere. Then he set up a banquet to treat me. While I was plying him with drinks, I asked him outright and indirectly, but at first, he insisted everything was perfect. Later, no matter what I asked, he claimed not to know—he didn’t know who the Prince of Wu Commandery was, and he didn’t know about the storyteller at the teahouse spreading rumors about the Six Doors... He’s just a muddled petty official, no wonder he’s been stuck as a county magistrate for over a decade."
Xiao Jin Yu nodded thoughtfully.
Jing Yi gave a bitter smile. "What kind of big trouble could possibly happen in this backwater town?"
"Let’s wait and see... It’s bound to be no small matter."
Early the next morning, Xiao Jin Yu’s carriage entered Chu Shui Town from Zizhu County. After passing the Fragrance Adding Teahouse, there were no more roads wide enough for the large carriage to proceed. So, they left the carriage at the teahouse, with Chu Chu pushing Xiao Jin Yu’s wheelchair ahead and two guards carrying three boxes of betrothal gifts on a shoulder pole behind them. The four of them wound through various narrow alleys, turning and twisting until the surroundings grew increasingly quiet. They walked until they could see mountains and a river, and Chu Chu finally pointed to a small riverside courtyard and exclaimed, "We’re here, we’re here! That’s the place!"
Before Xiao Jin Yu could say a word, Chu Chu was already pushing him forward. "Grandma! Grandpa! Dad! Brother! I’m back!"
Before they even entered the courtyard, an elderly woman with graying hair and a sturdy posture came out to greet them. Chu Chu let go of the wheelchair and threw herself into the old woman’s arms. "Grandma!"
Grandma Chu smiled and patted the back of her head. "Ah! It’s good to have you back... Come inside, everyone, come inside!"
Watching Chu Chu and Grandma Chu go inside, Xiao Jin Yu realized he had been so tense he had forgotten to breathe.
He didn’t even get nervous when meeting the Emperor, so why was he nervous now...
In that moment of hesitation, Chu Chu came running back, leaned close to Xiao Jin Yu’s ear, and said with a laugh, "Don’t be afraid. My grandma says you’re very good-looking!"
Xiao Jin Yu’s face warmed, but before any blush could show, Chu Chu had already turned and run back inside.
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