Chapter 444: Interrogation

Cao Ye paused, seeing Ma Shun listening intently, then said: "After the second search of Pan Zhai, the Southern Military Surveillance Office lost a Embroidered Uniform Guard named Wang Yong, who was of the same clan as Wang Zhangyin."

Ma Shun's expression turned solemn. "I remember now. We investigated this for half a year, but it was eventually dropped."

"Yes," Cao Ye bowed his head. "Because the timing was suspicious, we always suspected the Pan family was responsible. We stationed men to watch them for a while but found nothing unusual. However, during the investigation, we discovered Wang Yong had once chased a little girl down the street."

"The little girl's name, origin, and appearance were unknown, but we always suspected she was the Pan family's deceased young daughter, also named Pan Yun."

Ma Shun's eyes lit up. "If it's her, this just got interesting. What crime did Pan Hong commit that led to his household being seized?"

Cao Ye replied: "He was the censor in the former Xue Shaoqing case at the Court of Judicial Review."

Ma Shun's smile froze. Him?

Ma Shun's heart lurched, a discomfort rising in his chest.

He disliked Xue Shaoqing. Deeply.

Xue Shaoqing was an odd man—born of humble origins, talented enough, yet inexplicably lucky.

He passed the imperial examination on his first try, and every time his career hit trouble, fortune always saved him.

Last time, they'd already dragged him to the execution ground—yet the Emperor suddenly changed his mind and spared him, merely exiling him from Jingcheng and banning him from official service.

Ma Shun paced anxiously in place. "Only three years. Could he be returning again?"

Cao Ye frowned. "My lord?"

Ma Shun raised a hand to stop him. "How can you prove this Pan Yun is the same Pan Yun? Her original registered name was Zhang Xiaomei. She took the surname Pan only because the god of Mount Sanqing is Pan Gong—and 'Yun' is a common given name."

Ma Shun met Cao Ye's gaze, his tone heavy. "Without evidence that convinces you, you cannot convince the Emperor. She isn't some stranger like Yue Shi. The Emperor has met her. He once traveled with her."

Cao Ye understood. He bowed low. "I will find proof, my lord. Rest assured."

"The spring examinations end in two days. The imperial court's top priority is the exams. You must resolve this before the results are announced—otherwise, neither the Emperor nor the ministers will have any interest in this matter."

Cao Ye agreed. He immediately left and took men to the old Pan residence, dragging out every neighbor on the street. "Which of you remembers what Pan Hong's young daughter, Pan Yun, looked like?"

The neighbors stared, bewildered. "My lord, we never saw that child."

"That child was frail. She never left the house. We truly never saw her."

"Never saw her?" Cao Ye sneered. "If she never left the house, did you never enter the Pan residence? I suspect you know something and are deliberately hiding a criminal."

The neighbors cried out in protest. Cao Ye ordered them separated, took over one household's courtyard, and interrogated each one individually: "Tell me—was Pan Yun's face peach-blossom pale, with fine arched eyebrows and large almond eyes?"

Neighbor: "..."

Not only had she never seen Pan Yun, but even if she had, that description didn't match at all.

Everyone knew Pan Hong's daughter was frail from birth. She'd been nursed for years without improvement, never able to step outside the gate.

Still, she had glimpsed her once in the Pan courtyard—but it bore no resemblance to Cao Ye's description.

Just one glance: thin, yellowed hair, sallow, pale skin, slight and frail—clearly a child with no longevity.

Indeed, within two years, word came that the child had died of illness. And then, as if fate mocked them, the Pan household soon fell into disaster and was seized.

The neighbors, terrified of the Embroidered Uniform Guard yet furious, could not help but demand: "The Pans moved away years ago. The child died long ago. Why are you still clinging to the Pan family?" "Shut up! Who gave you the right to question my lord's investigation? Was Pan Yun like this or not?"

Some, bold, declared outright: "No. I don't know the person you describe. I never saw Pan Yun."

Others, fearful, pleaded softly: "My lord, I truly never saw the Pan family's daughter. It's been so many years—I've forgotten what even the eldest and second sons looked like."

Yet some, unable to withstand the Embroidered Uniform Guard's pressure, reluctantly followed Cao Ye's lead.

Cao Ye remained in the alley until nightfall, then departed with a stack of confessions, satisfied.

At the same moment, Pan Yun frowned at the shattered bowl on the floor.

Yin Song glanced at it, then dismissed it. "Pour another bowl of rice."

Yin Qingjun nodded and moved to serve.

Pan Yun crouched to gather the rice, then reached for the shards. Yin Song stopped her: "Don't use your hands..."

Too late. The porcelain shard was large, and she'd deliberately avoided the sharp edges—she shouldn't have been hurt. Yet her fingertip pierced anyway.

Pan Yun lifted her finger. Blood welled quickly. She sighed. "Looks like bad luck is coming."

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Yin Song stared. "You knew it was bad luck—and still touched it?"

Pan Yun calmly placed the rice into another bowl, wiped her hand with a cloth, then slowly pressed her fingertip. "I wanted to see how bad it would be."

Wang Cong frowned. "We've spent all the money. The first grain shipment should've reached Runing Prefecture by now. Why would bad luck strike now?"

Pan Yun: "Fate. Bad luck was always coming—it doesn't vanish just because we spent money. But I believe we can still mitigate some of it."

Pan Yun turned to Yin Song. "Second master, you seem unusually calm?"

Yin Song: "A moment's fortune means nothing."

He said: "A mayfly lives one day. A grain of sand in the ocean. We are insignificant in this world. A single day's fortune is no more than a speck in our lifetime. Wait patiently for what comes."

Pan Yun had never been worried. After Yin Song's words, she was even less so.

After dinner, someone quietly knocked at the door.

Feng Yan opened it, then led a man inside. "Master, it's the congee vendor from the entrance of Shangxi Alley."

Pan Yun's hand froze around her teacup.

Shangxi Alley was her old home—just two alleys away, in the same district.

Though close, she'd never returned since arriving in Jingcheng. Always avoided Shangxi Alley.

Yin Song glanced at Pan Yun, then told Feng Yan to bring the man into the main hall.

An old man with a limp entered and immediately knelt to bow to Yin Song. Yin Song had Feng Yan hold him up, and asked gently: "Why are you visiting at night, old man?"

"You once asked me to watch for news from Shangxi Alley. Nothing ever happened—until today. Before noon, a group of Embroidered Uniform Guard stormed the alley, arresting several households. They were interrogating about the Pan family who once rented there years ago."

(End of Chapter)