Kuangjing stood with his hands behind his back, watching his little junior sister run toward him. As usual, she adamantly denied any fault of her own—if the bowl shattered on the ground, clearly the floor was too hard.

Still, seeing with his own eyes that the Shi family’s situation hadn’t affected her in the least, he finally allowed himself to feel at ease.

Their Little Twelve was never a heartless child, but neither did she carry burdens or bottle things up. That kind of temperament was the best.

He rapped her on the forehead with a knuckle as she reached him. Ignoring her exaggerated cries of pain, he looked past her to Yan Shian. Although his features clearly took after Consort Li, there were unmistakable traces of the late emperor in his appearance—only, compared to the emperor’s handsome sharpness, Yan Shian’s looks carried a softer, more delicate charm.

Kuangjing didn’t mention the man’s identity. He simply bowed in greeting—not with the stiff etiquette of the official court, but with a reserved grace that implied mutual understanding.

Yan Shian returned the gesture.

Shi Buyu glanced between them, wondering whether she should go visit her sister first. Her Seventh Brother once said that men sometimes needed to talk about things not suitable for a young lady’s ears—and right now, she had that exact feeling.

“Get rid of all those messy thoughts in your head,” Kuangjing said, flicking her on the forehead again before leading the two of them inside.

“It’s all Seventh Brother’s fault! If he hadn’t told me all those ridiculous things, I wouldn’t even have known!”

Kuangjing sat down, giving her a look that was both amused and knowing. “And how many times have you said to your Seventh Brother, ‘It’s all Fifth Brother’s fault?’”

“Never!”

“You answered too fast and too loud. That’s called guilt.”

Shi Buyu simply stopped replying, instead tugging Yan Shian to sit upright and primly in a lower seat, appearing very proper.

Kuangjing’s gaze swept over the two of them but let it go for now. “Your sister knew you were coming and insisted on cooking herself. She said she’d make a whole table of your favorite fish dishes.”

Shi Buyu peeked out the window and saw her aunt speaking with Cousin Qian. She quickly asked in a whisper, “Is there fish sashimi?”

“You think your sister would serve you raw fish in this freezing weather?”

So that was a no.

Shi Buyu slumped her shoulders and sighed deeply. These people didn’t understand—when you couldn’t have something, you wanted it even more. If they’d just let her eat her fill once, she wouldn’t be obsessing over it like this!

Kuangjing glanced at her and lightly adjusted his sleeve. “You want it that badly?”

Shi Buyu immediately sat up straight, eyes shining, nodding so hard her head nearly fell off.

Kuangjing nodded as well, still speaking unhurriedly: “If Wanxia agrees, I won’t stop you.”

“Fifth Brother!” Shi Buyu was so exasperated she nearly bared her teeth. If her aunt would’ve agreed, she’d have eaten it already! Would she still be craving it like this?

After teasing his junior sister for a bit, Kuangjing, now in a pleasant mood, got down to business. “Being able to keep Zeng Zheng was a very good move. Yan Gongzi, what’s your assessment of him?”

Yan Shian hadn’t expected the sudden question. Whether it was a test or something else, he knew he had to answer carefully.

After a brief moment of thought, he said, “I’ve looked into his background. Not long after entering officialdom, he joined the Dali Temple and has steadily risen through its ranks over the years. He’s solved numerous major cases and has also overturned many wrongful or deceptive ones. In this regard, he’s extremely capable.”

Kuangjing nodded, signaling him to go on.

“This latest case—when it was under Li Sheng, he uncovered nothing. But once it was transferred to the Dali Temple, within three days, my people discovered that he’d already found quite a lot. Unfortunately, the emperor never intended for the case to be solved and didn’t even give him a chance to speak about it in court. The evidence later sent from the Dali Temple to the Capital Prefecture was part of what he found. The more he uncovered, the more the emperor wanted him dead.”

Shi Buyu interjected, “Brother, you don’t have any personal grudge against Zeng Zheng, right?”

“I’m not a criminal. What kind of grudge could I have with someone from the Dali Temple? He and I were schoolmates,” Kuangjing replied, then looked at Yan Shian. “He’s far from the rigid, impersonal man he appears to be. That reputation of being strict and impartial? He built it to cut down on people begging for leniency when he handles cases. After all, cases that reach the Dali Temple are never small. You helped him this time—it’ll be of great use in the future.”

“We didn’t think that far ahead,” Shi Buyu confessed. “When we set the trap, Zeng Zheng’s son, Zeng Xian, fell into it. When we were searching houses, his was the first to open its doors. Later, during the investigation, he was also the first to allow Capital Prefecture officials in. When we were collecting silver, he donated a thousand taels. Given his relationship with Yan Shian, that’s not a small amount. The emperor is petty. Not only did he fail to get what he wanted, some of his secrets got exposed. Of course he’d want to vent his anger, and Zeng Zheng just happened to be the unlucky target. Zeng Xian’s actions likely played a part in that.”

Kuangjing nodded. “If it weren’t him, it would’ve been someone else. And others wouldn’t have had as clean a background. Better it was him.”

Shi Buyu said sincerely, “Brother, your schoolmate probably didn’t want to be punished just for being too clean.”

“No harm done—he doesn’t know,” Kuangjing said, picking up his teacup and looking at his little junior sister. “If he did find out, I’d have to suspect it was you, Little Twelve, who ratted me out.”

“So, Fifth Brother, have you decided how you’re going to bribe me into silence?”

“There’s no way you’re getting fish sashimi.”

“…I don’t even want any!” Shi Buyu muttered, grinding her teeth. Why mention it again if he wasn’t going to give her any?!

After teasing her again and then soothing her a bit, Kuangjing opened a square box on the table and took out a small dish of fish balls, setting them in front of her. “The people around the Fengxian River have a tradition of making fish balls passed down through generations. Theirs are better than anywhere else. These ones can be eaten cold, too, like snacks. Your sister bought fresh ones and made you fish ball soup.”

Shi Buyu took a bite and her eyes lit up—delicious! So springy!

Out of habit, she popped one into Yan Shian’s mouth, then grabbed the plate and ran outside, calling as she went, “I’m going to find my sister! You two go ahead and talk!”

Yan Shian was caught off guard with a fish ball in his mouth. He quickly bit down, turned away, covered his mouth, and chewed and swallowed as fast as he could.

Kuangjing narrowed his eyes slightly and sipped his tea. That little ingrate—why didn’t she think to put one in his mouth?

“How’s Little Twelve been lately?”

Yan Shian sipped his tea to clear his mouth and replied, “She’s doing well. She wouldn’t let herself be mistreated.”

Kuangjing smiled. “But having her live at your place all the time isn’t ideal. I’ve bought her a residence not far from your house. It’ll be convenient for visits and won’t interfere with anything.”

“No need for that,” Yan Shian refused immediately. “Miss Shi has her own courtyard. Without her permission, not even I can enter freely. She can go wherever she wants in the house, and the gatekeeper will notify her directly if someone comes looking. Sometimes, news comes unexpectedly and we have to discuss things at night. If she lives separately, it would cause more inconvenience.”

“Is that so?” Kuangjing took another sip of tea. “Then she can keep living there for now.”