31: Chapter 31 Liu Ruyan

The morning wind swept past the eaves, causing the paper lantern in the courtyard to sway gently.

Chen Xuan had just finished his fist forms, a light sheen of sweat on his brow. As he reached for his outer robe hanging on a bamboo pole, he caught sight of a figure standing at the courtyard gate from the corner of his eye.

It was Liu Ruyan.

She wasn't wearing her usual pink gauze dress. Instead, she had on a simple, plain lilac-colored cloth garment. Her hair was tied up with just a wooden hairpin, and she held a small box wrapped in an embroidered handkerchief.

Standing there, she didn't look like a courtesan, but more like an ordinary woman paying an early morning visit to a relative.

"You're here so early?" Chen Xuan put on his robe and walked over. "Didn't you say yesterday you'd sleep until the sun baked your bottom?"

Liu Ruyan didn't smile, nor did she respond to his glib remark. She glanced around, her voice lowered. "Can I speak with you alone?"

Chen Xuan was taken aback. Her tone was off. Usually, even when troubled, Liu Ruyan would hide her worries behind a smile and clever words. This seriousness felt like she was knocking on the door carrying a heavy stone.

He nodded and turned, leading her towards the stone table in the corner of the courtyard.

A row of bamboo planted against the wall there cast a small patch of shade, a perfect spot for a private conversation.

They sat down. Liu Ruyan placed the box on the table, her fingers rubbing the edge of the handkerchief a few times before slowly opening it.

Inside was a yellowed letter and half a jade pendant. The jade was a bluish-gray, with a diagonal crack along its edge, as if it had been forcefully snapped in two.

"This was left by my mother," she began, her voice still soft but steady. "I searched for three years and finally found this letter in the old records of a pawnshop west of the city."

Chen Xuan didn't rush to ask questions, he just watched her.

"The letter has no name on it, only mentions a place: Chunhe Ward, number thirty-seven. It's an official residence. Ten years ago, it was occupied by a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Later, he was transferred away from the capital. The house stood empty for two years, and when it was used again, it had a new owner."

She paused. "But I found out from the pawnshop that the person who pawned this letter back then was registered as the Purple-Robed Guest, with a note saying he often rode in a four-man sedan chair with eight attendants."

"Purple robes... only those of the third rank or higher are allowed to wear them," Chen Xuan remarked, his brow raised slightly.

Liu Ruyan nodded. "What's more, the pattern on this jade piece resembles the family crest of a certain northern clan.

Dugu Xue mentioned offhandedly the other day that when her father was young, he formed an alliance with a high-ranking court official and exchanged tokens of trust. Among them were a pair of 'twin fish' jades, interlocking with a living clasp, which could be matched even if broken."

She pushed the half-pendant towards Chen Xuan. "My piece is one side of the twin fish."

Chen Xuan picked up the jade and examined it, his thumb brushing over the break. The fracture was uneven, clearly the result of forceful snapping, not a fall. He looked up. "You suspect this 'Purple-Robed Minister' is connected to your mother?"

"More than that," Liu Ruyan said, taking a deep breath. "I was only five when my mother died.

They said she died suddenly of a fever, but that night, someone saw a black-canopied sedan chair carrying a small coffin out from the back alley, without even a name plaque. The next day, I was sold into the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion south of the river."

After speaking, she didn't cry or lower her head. She just looked straight at Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan was silent for a few breaths, then suddenly reached out, covering the jade and letter back with the handkerchief, and pushed the entire small box back towards her.

"What do you plan to do?" he asked.

"I don't want to investigate alone anymore," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Before, I was afraid of bringing trouble upon myself, afraid to speak out. But now...

I know I'm close to the truth, but I also know that taking one more step might be more than I can handle."

"So you came to me?"

"Who else can I turn to?" she replied with a bitter smile. "Leng Shuang protects you, Zhao Hongling protects you, Dugu Xue protects you. The five of you are like grasshoppers tied to the same string now. But me? I may seem glamorous, but I'm actually the loneliest. No one speaks for me, no one dares to stand up for me."

Chen Xuan stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. "The way you say it makes it sound like if I don't agree, you're planning to drop everything and run away."

"That's not what I meant!"

"I know," he waved his hand. "I'm saying, since you've laid all your cards on the table, I'll take on this matter."

Liu Ruyan was stunned.

"You say you're lonely, but you're not alone now," Chen Xuan said, standing up and flexing his wrists. "Your problem is our problem. Whoever touches you touches all of us.

If they really have the guts to flip the table, then let's see whose official hat is harder, or my fist."

He said it lightly, but the ruthless edge in his tone was unmistakable.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

Zhao Hongling strode in, holding two meat buns in her hand, taking a bite as she walked. "Hey, what are you two whispering about over here? So secretive, first thing in the morning."

She approached, saw the small box on the table, then looked at Liu Ruyan's expression, and immediately stopped chewing. "What's wrong? Something happened?"

Before the words fully left her mouth, Leng Shuang also emerged from the covered walkway. She didn't enter the courtyard, just stood under the western eaves, her gaze falling on the stone table. Her eyes were cool, but she didn't speak.

Immediately after, Dugu Xue walked in through the courtyard gate, her steps steady, her hand resting on her sword hilt. She swept her gaze over everyone.

"Just now at the street corner, I heard someone was asking about Chunhe Ward in the east market. The person wore a yamen runner's uniform, but his waist token didn't match."

Chen Xuan's eyebrows jumped. "They're here fast."

Zhao Hongling stuffed the remaining bun into her mouth, freeing her hands to place them on her hips. "Wait! What are you talking about, Chunhe Ward? Liu Ruyan, are you hiding something from us?"

Liu Ruyan glanced at Chen Xuan. He nodded.

She took a deep breath and repeated what she had just said, from the pawnshop records, to the Purple-Robed Guest, to her mother's death and the nameless small coffin.

After listening, Zhao Hongling's face darkened. "So you're saying a high official might have harmed your mother? And sold you into a brothel?!"

"For now, it's just clues," Dugu Xue said calmly. "But if it truly involves an official of the third rank or higher, the repercussions could be significant."

Leng Shuang finally spoke, her voice not loud. "Why didn't you tell us you were investigating this earlier?"

Liu Ruyan lowered her head. "I didn't want to implicate you."

"And telling us now doesn't implicate us?" Zhao Hongling glared. "Do you think we're just decorations? We were on night watch together yesterday, and today you come sneaking around asking him for help?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"Enough," Chen Xuan cut in. "She didn't say anything because she hadn't decided whether to drag us into this. Now she's told us, that means she trusts us. If you truly consider her a sister, stop arguing about who came first or last."

The four women fell silent.

The wind rustled through the bamboo leaves.

After a moment, Leng Shuang walked forward and stood beside Liu Ruyan, saying softly, "From now on, if there's something, just say it directly."

Zhao Hongling snorted, then also walked over and placed a hand on Liu Ruyan's shoulder. "Exactly! We're all in the same boat now. No one gets left behind."

Dugu Xue walked to the other side of the stone table and lightly tapped the letter with her fingertip. "The paper is palace-made 'cloud pattern' stationery, forbidden for civilian use. Whoever could get this paper must be at least a Director-General or higher in one of the Six Ministries."

She looked up at Chen Xuan. "If you're going to investigate, you must be prepared. Once you start, you're targeting a court-appointed official."

Chen Xuan rubbed his chin, looking at Liu Ruyan. "Are you afraid?"

She shook her head. "I am, but I don't want to live my whole life in the dark even more."

"Good," he said, standing up, closing the small box, and tucking it into his robe. "Then we investigate. Since we're going to investigate, we do it thoroughly."

He looked around at the four women. "I won't go alone. If you're willing, we'll walk this path together. I can't promise we'll come out unscathed, but I promise no one will lay a finger on her."

Leng Shuang nodded silently.

Zhao Hongling grinned. "Obviously! I'm waiting to see you slap those corrupt officials in the face!"

Dugu Xue pressed her hand on her sword and nodded. "People from the northern frontier aren't afraid of wind and snow."

Liu Ruyan's eyes reddened slightly. She opened her mouth, but in the end, only said softly, "Thank you."

The sky gradually brightened. Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The five of them sat around the courtyard. No one spoke further, but the atmosphere had already changed.

Chen Xuan looked down at the small box in his robe, then lifted his gaze towards the sky in the direction of the palace. The clouds there were thick and heavy, pressing down low.

He said softly, "Since we're going to investigate, we'll start with Chunhe Ward."