34: Chapter 34 With Evidence in Hand, the Truth Gradually Becomes Clear

Morning light slanted through the cracks of the dilapidated house, falling on Chen Xuan's open palm.

The ledger lay quietly in his hand, the edges of its pages charred and curled, as if licked by flames.

He wasn't in a hurry to open it. Instead, he rubbed his thumb lightly against the tip of his nose, an old habit when he was thinking.

Liu Ruyan sat on a straw mat, her hands clutching the hem of her skirt, knuckles white.

She stared at the booklet, her lips trembling slightly, but she didn't say a word.

Leng Shuang leaned against the wall, her palms pressed against the surface as she slowly rubbed them. A chill seeped through the wooden planks into the ground, forming a thin layer of frost.

She was suppressing the internal backlash within her body. Her movements were light, not wanting to disturb the quiet of the room.

Zhao Hongling sat cross-legged by the fire, specks of mud from last night's well tunnel still clinging to her shoulders.

She rubbed her arm and complained, 'This wretched place doesn't even have a stool. My backside is sore from sitting.'

That's what she said, but she didn't move an inch, her eyes fixed on the object in Chen Xuan's hand.

Dugu Xue stood by the window, her back to the others, a hand resting on her sword hilt.

She didn't speak, only occasionally tilting her head to listen for sounds outside. The wind rustled the treetops, a few birds called—everything was normal.

Chen Xuan finally spoke: 'We survived, and we got the ledger. Now it's time to see who exactly forced a girl from an embroidery workshop into the life she's been living.'

He said it plainly, as if talking about someone else's business. But as soon as the words fell, Liu Ruyan's eyes reddened.

'Chunhe Ward, Number Thirty-Seven.'

Chen Xuan opened the first page and read the small line of text. 'Annual income: eighty thousand taels of silver. Source unknown. Recorded in the private accounts of the Purple-Robed Guest.' He looked up. 'Did your mother ever mention this place before?'

Liu Ruyan nodded, her voice soft. 'That's where I lived when I was little. There was an old plum tree in the courtyard; its winter blossoms were especially fragrant.

She said she and my father planted it when they got married... Later, the tree died, and we moved away.'

'Eighty thousand taels.'

Zhao Hongling abruptly sat up straight. 'How much is the annual salary of a third-rank court official? Three thousand *dan* of rice converted to silver is only about five thousand taels! Who could secretly swallow that much money? And dare to write it in a ledger?'

'Not stupid. Arrogant.'

Chen Xuan gave a cold laugh. 'He thought no one could trace it, so he kept it as proof. In case he needed to blackmail someone someday, he could still take it out as evidence.'

'Purple-Robed Guest.'

Dugu Xue turned around, her gaze steady. 'I've heard that name in the northern borderlands.

Three years ago, a batch of military pay went missing. The trail went cold in Jiangnan. The only lead was a single testimony—the money went into the Purple-Robed Guest's pocket.

Back then, we thought it was just a Jianghu nickname. Never imagined... someone actually wearing purple robes, a thief operating within the court.'

Leng Shuang suddenly spoke: 'The handwriting is off.'

Everyone looked at her.

She walked over, crouched down, and pointed to a small line of text in the corner of a page in the ledger:

'The ink here is deep, the brushstrokes steady. Now look here, the characters are slightly slanted, as if someone else took over the copying.

And this page, the paper is different, the corners cut unevenly. It was added later.'

Chen Xuan looked carefully and saw it was indeed so.

'More than one person handled this. And these last few pages, the ink has a bluish tint, as if soaked in some medicinal liquid.'

'Developing agent,' Liu Ruyan said softly. 'My mother taught me. Hold it near a lamp, and hidden words will appear.'

Zhao Hongling immediately stood up. 'I'll gather firewood! Build up the fire!'

She deftly gathered a pile of dry branches and placed them on the fire to kindle it.

Chen Xuan brought the ledger close to the flames, slowly turning the pages. The firelight danced, casting flickering shadows on their faces.

Suddenly, on the edge of one page, several lines of extremely fine script appeared.

'Descendant of the loyal Liu Clan. Convicted for remonstrance. Female descendant fallen into disrepute. Should be swiftly eliminated.'

The air instantly turned cold.

Liu Ruyan's breath hitched, her entire body freezing.

'Liu Clan...'

She murmured, 'My father's surname was Liu, his given name... Liu Zhengyan. He said he was once a Secretary in the Ministry of Revenue. Later, he was convicted for speaking out, and the whole family was demoted to commoner status. I never met him. I only know he fell ill and died on the exile journey...

But no one told me he was murdered.'

'Not an illness.'

Chen Xuan's voice lowered. 'It was an incomplete extermination. They left you alive, yet still sent people to hunt you down for years.'

'Why?' Liu Ruyan looked up, her eyes filled with tears. 'Just because my father spoke a few truths? Just because my surname is Liu?'

No one answered.

Zhao Hongling gritted her teeth. 'Damned officials! Wearing purple robes, worse than wild dogs!'

Leng Shuang was silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and lightly placed a hand on Liu Ruyan's shoulder. The gesture was light, but it was the first time she had actively touched anyone.

'You are not an orphan. You are the descendant of a loyal official. They wanted you to rot in the mud, but you didn't. You lived, and you found the evidence.'

Liu Ruyan looked down at that line of text, her trembling fingers tracing over the three characters 'should be swiftly eliminated.'

She suddenly smiled, tears falling as she did. 'So I wasn't an unwanted child... I was forcibly snatched from my home.'

The room was quiet for a long time.

Chen Xuan closed the ledger and placed it on his lap. He looked at Liu Ruyan, his voice not loud, but each word clear:

'You have two choices now. First, take this booklet and hide, find a place where no one knows you, and live your life.

Second, we expose this. Let the whole world know there's a girl named Liu Ruyan, her father was an honest official, she was wronged, and those who climbed to power stepping on bones have dirty soles on their shoes.'

Liu Ruyan lifted her face, tear stains still wet, but her eyes were bright.

'I don't want to hide. My mother hid for so many years, waiting for someone to see these words. Now you've all seen them. I won't run anymore.'

Zhao Hongling slapped her thigh. 'That's more like it! What's there to hide? There are five of us, are we afraid of one man in a purple robe? At worst, we storm the court and make him take off his robe in public!'

'It's not that simple.'

Dugu Xue said calmly, 'Purple robes represent rank. Not many can wear them. If it truly is a high official of the third rank or above, the forces behind him are deeply entangled. If we act rashly, we might be stopped outside the city gates before we even reach the Golden Hall.'

'Then we take it step by step.'

Chen Xuan rubbed his chin. 'With evidence in hand, we're not afraid he won't show himself. I want to make this ledger into a knife, slowly cutting open his skin.'

Leng Shuang nodded. 'We can start by finding witnesses. The clerks and merchants who handled Chunhe Ward affairs back then might not all have stayed silent.'

'I also know a few old accountants.'

Liu Ruyan wiped her tears. 'They used to work for my family, then scattered. If we can find them, they might know more details.'

'Good.'

Chen Xuan stood up, carefully tucking the ledger into his robe. 'Since we've decided to do this, there's no turning back. I will make this matter public, to get justice for Miss Liu.'

'I'm in!' Zhao Hongling jumped up, raising her hand as she shouted.

Leng Shuang glanced at her and gave a slight nod.

Dugu Xue didn't speak, just placed her hand back on her sword hilt and stepped to a position half a pace behind Chen Xuan.

Liu Ruyan looked at them, her eyes reddening again, but this time she didn't cry.

She straightened her back, took out a folded piece of old paper from her sleeve, and handed it to Chen Xuan. 'This is the last letter my mother left me. I never dared to read it, afraid I'd go mad if I did. Now... I think it's time.'

Chen Xuan took the letter but didn't rush to open it.

He looked around at the four of them and smiled. 'Alright then, we've just formed a gang. Specializing in matters the court officials don't want people to know.'

Zhao Hongling snorted. 'You're the leader, don't act like it's nothing.'

'I'm the leader, and I'm also the shield,' Chen Xuan shrugged. 'Are you with me or not?'

'Nonsense!' Zhao Hongling planted her hands on her hips. 'Last night we jumped into wells, had stones blocking our heads, and you're still asking if we're with you?'

Leng Shuang said plainly, 'I said there's no reason to turn back.'

Dugu Xue looked out the window, the sunlight just now spilling onto her shoulders. 'I've retreated once before. I won't retreat again.'

Chen Xuan nodded, put the letter away in his robe alongside the ledger.

He walked to the door, pushed aside a piece of rotten plank blocking it, and looked outside. The forest was quiet, the wild path deserted.

'Rest for two hours. When it gets dark, we'll move to another place. This needs to be done slowly, but...'

He paused, glanced back at Liu Ruyan, 'From today on, no one can make her carry this burden alone anymore.'

Liu Ruyan sat on the straw mat, her arms tightly wrapped around her knees. She looked down at her feet, where the bloodstains from climbing the well last night still showed.

But she felt that the stone that had been pressing on her heart for over a decade seemed to have loosened a corner.

The wind blew in, rustling a corner of the ledger.

Chen Xuan stood at the doorway, his back to the light, his figure straight.