“Yan Shian! Yan Shian! Yan Shian!”

The person sitting next to him suddenly patted his shoulder hard. He hurriedly looked over and saw her pointing outside with a joyful expression: “Look, look! It’s snowing!”

Yan Shian was momentarily stunned. He turned his head to look, and indeed, snow was falling.

He stood up and stood shoulder to shoulder with her, both looking up at this year’s first snowfall. The snowflakes drifted down lightly, small and scattered. They melted before even touching the ground.

Is it usually snowing at this time of year? Yan Shian thought for a moment. Other than the vast white expanse and the way the melting snow always dirtied clothes and shoes, he had no other memory of snow.

With so many things to handle every day, so many problems to think about, and constant worries about when his own head might be at risk, where would he have the leisure to care about when the first snow falls, or when the first thunder of spring sounds?

Yan Shian thought to himself that he had never really paid attention before, and might not remember in the future, but he would remember today — the tenth day of the eleventh month in the twentieth year of the Deyong era, when this winter’s first snow fell. He would remember where he was, who patted his shoulder excitedly to tell him, and who stood side by side with him watching the snowflakes scatter in the air.

He Yisheng had originally stood up as well, but seeing the two of them, he sat back down and quietly started shelling melon seeds.

The light snowflakes drifted off and on throughout the day. At night, large goose-feather-like snowflakes began to fall, continuing all night long.

In the following days, the heavy snow came and went intermittently, covering the land in a thick white blanket, freezing the soil and burying the filthy, hidden places.

Forgetful people gradually forgot old affairs. Conversations over tea and meals shifted to talk about how Baokou City had been lost again. Deyou had not lost a battle for many years, but this year it had already lost three cities — was a military disaster coming?

The Marquis of Loyalty and Courage naturally was pulled out to be scolded again. The frequency was so high that even passing dogs would bark fiercely at the mention of his name. But in these few days, the winds shifted, and people finally remembered that it was General Duan Qi who had lost these three cities for Deyou!

The Duan family had originally joined the crowd in cursing the Marquis, but upon realizing that their own family was being blamed instead, they quickly tucked their tails and slipped home quietly, not daring to go out until the storm calmed.

This storm would not calm anytime soon.

The emperor wanted to divert attention away from this matter and absolutely did not want it to be investigated further.

Li Sheng, as the lead official on the case, under pressure from all sides, was also eager for everyone to forget about it.

Yan Shian added more fuel to the fire, and within just a few days, the number of people paying attention to the matter dwindled to almost none.

You Fu entered the Zeng family’s gate with a solemn face.

Having been dismissed from office, the Zeng family now lived in an ordinary, modest residence.

Zeng Zheng was sitting by the stove cooking snow and brewing tea, slowly flipping through a book, but in a very good mood. Those relatives who always urged him to leave had stopped caring now that he had lost power, and all agreed to return to their hometowns. After all, the hometown didn’t know he was dismissed yet, so he could still show off a little.

Seeing You Fu come, Zeng Zheng put down his book and gestured for him to sit, pouring tea and placing it before him.

“Sir, this subordinate…”

“Now it should be me calling you ‘Sir,’” Zeng Zheng said as he looked at the gloomy ex-subordinate. “Planning to retire to your hometown?”

You Fu was stunned — how did Sir know his plan?

“You’ve always been someone who hates evil with a passion. After all these years at the Dali Temple, you’ve become even more black and white in your thinking,” Zeng Zheng leaned against the table, looking out at the white snow decorating every corner. “Snow can be purely white, ink can be purely black, but people are never pure. Officials are the most cunning people under the sky. Some use this cunning to be good officials; others use it to benefit themselves and their families, even their country.”

“Sir!”

Zeng Zheng withdrew his gaze and smiled at You Fu’s shocked expression: “People like that have never been few, in any dynasty or era.”

“You mean… someone is…” You Fu leaned in close and whispered, “plotting against the country?”

Zeng Zheng neither confirmed nor denied. With the recent changes in the capital’s situation, he felt like a net was stirring somewhere, but he didn’t know which side. He even suspected Yan Shian. When he and Xian’er collected evidence, things seemed twisted, but those twists seemed smooth.

These days, he had learned more about this person from various sources and thought he was simple — too simple, as if deliberately so.

He had investigated cases for many years and was good at discovering and summarizing. He could summarize Yan Shian, but the conclusion was so detailed and precise it felt strange.

If there was truly a problem with him, who was his real identity? An enemy spy? Taking advantage of Deyou’s unrest to stir up trouble?

But after thinking about it, he felt he might be over-suspicious. He was just a young man smart enough to outwit Xian’er, but not clever enough to play such a huge game.

Another possibility was that the deceased all had pale skin, and judging by various signs, they were definitely not from ordinary commoner families. Maybe the wrong people were tied up, accidentally provoking powerful figures behind the scenes.

“Sir, I’m not afraid of retirement because of these matters. I’m just somewhat disheartened.” You Fu picked up the teacup and took a sip. “Such a major case, and you were removed for not concluding it in three days. But Li Sheng has investigated for so many days and found nothing, yet nothing happens, as if he deliberately prevented you from solving this case.”

Zeng Zheng naturally knew who “he” referred to. “What if that were true?”

You Fu opened his mouth but closed it again — some things were better left unsaid.

They had seen all kinds of cases at the Dali Temple; some cases had to be understood thoroughly when they entered, to train their sensitivity. So when Sir was imprisoned and told him to hand over the clues from the mass grave, he already felt something was off. Seeing Sir’s attitude now only strengthened his suspicions.

But why? Could it be related to someone in the royal family?

“Let’s wait and see how things develop.” Zeng Zheng gestured for him to finish his tea, then poured another cup. “Has Zhu Ling been released?”

“Not long ago.”

Zeng Zheng understood why You Fu came. The case was unresolved, but the suspicious person was released. Such an unreasonable situation was unacceptable to the upright Dali official, especially since Zhu Ling’s suspicious releases had happened twice now, both times without explanation.

However…

Zeng Zheng smiled: “The people behind the scenes put him in prison the first time. The second time, who says it’s the last? Maybe they’ll put him in a third time?”

You Fu couldn’t help but ask: “Sir, do you know who it is?”

“No. But whoever it is…” Zeng Zheng looked at the snowflakes drifting in the wind outside the door. He, Zeng Zheng, had actually become someone who could be manipulated at will. Such an underestimation of him!

“You Fu.”

You Fu sat up straight and saluted. “Yes, please instruct, Sir.”

“Guard the Dali Temple well. Keep those clues hidden. Tell Old Ke to wait patiently.” Zeng Zheng looked at him: “Returning home with glory is better than retiring in bitterness, right? Won’t you avenge your grandfather’s grudge?”

You Fu’s anger surged inside, and he nodded vigorously: “This subordinate will follow your orders.”