Chapter 3: It's Me

The banquet in the inner courtyard of the Yang family had not yet concluded.

Yang Mingshan, the Fourth Master of the second branch, smiled at his guests, his face beaming with self-satisfaction.

The death of the third branch’s Sixth Young Master had come at just the right time. He had spent a great deal of silver trying to secure a position for his son, Ji-ge’er, at the Military Patrol Office, only to be turned away. Now, with the Sixth Young Master’s death as a pretext, the Military Patrol Commissioner had finally agreed.

Thinking of this, he looked around but did not see Madam Zou. He waved his hand, "Hasn't my wife returned from the third branch yet?"

The servant shook his head.

"Go find her," Yang Mingshan frowned. "There are many female guests here; don't waste time on useless matters."

After saying this, Yang Mingshan put on a smiling face again and continued to toast his guests.

"What is that?"

A plume of black smoke drifted over from the front courtyard, and some guests stood up to investigate.

"There’s fire! A fire has broken out!"

Someone shouted. Yang Mingshan was stunned; the place where the flames were rising was exactly where the wedding hall had been set up in the front courtyard.

The Old Master of the second branch, who had been sitting steadily at the table, raised his eyes and asked, "What happened?"

Yang Mingshan hurried forward, "It’s likely the third branch was careless while burning paper offerings. Father, do not worry. Zhen-niang is over there; she will handle it properly."

Zhen-niang was the pet name of the Fourth Lady, Madam Zou. She had been helping manage the household for some time and usually handled things well, so the Old Master nodded slightly.

"I will go and take a look."

The Second Master, Yang Mingjing, walked toward the exit, and Yang Mingshan quickly followed his older brother. Seeing Yang Mingjing’s deeply furrowed brows, Yang Mingshan comforted him, "There are plenty of servants in the house; the fire will be extinguished in no time. Second Brother, there is no need to worry so much."

Yang Mingjing’s expression remained grim. "It hasn't snowed since winter began. The air is dry, and the paper crafts for the ghost wedding are piled up there. It just had to happen at a time like this."

Yang Mingjing was currently the head of the Yang clan and had been assisting the ward head with administrative affairs. If things went smoothly, he would soon be promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Yong'an Ward. He did not want any trouble at this critical juncture. Otherwise, what did it matter if two rooms burned down? It would just cost some silver to repair.

Yang Mingjing said in a low voice, "The new Chief Inspector just took office. Only two days ago, he instructed us to be vigilant about patrolling for thieves and fire hazards."

He had been working from dawn till dusk precisely because of this, yet he never expected the first fire of the winter in Yong'an Ward to break out at the Yang family’s ancestral home.

Yang Mingshan’s eyes flickered. "Isn't the new inspector that man? Our two families have a connection; at worst, we can pay a visit..."

Yang Mingshan’s calculations sounded like a thunderclap in Yang Mingjing’s ears.

"Shut up..." Yang Mingjing scolded, his voice dropping lower, fearing walls might have ears. "What connection? We merely relied on his favor to conduct a few deals. If those words reach the wrong ears, it will surely bring disaster upon this house."

Yang Mingshan felt resentful but had no choice but to hold his tongue.

The brothers reached the front courtyard and saw servants rushing back and forth. Although they were responding well, the fire was fanned by the wind and proved difficult to extinguish in the short term.

Just as Yang Mingjing was about to order the steward to summon the ward’s laborers, a clamor erupted at the gate. The Yang family’s main gate was pushed open, and a squad of soldiers charged in.

Yang Mingjing took a deep breath; the city’s patrol had been alerted after all. Fortunately, he recognized the leader—a military officer named Chen Ju.

"Commander Chen," Yang Mingjing stepped forward to salute. "My sister-in-law was careless while burning paper and knocked over the yin-yang basin. The servants are already putting out the fire; it will be under control shortly."

Yang Mingshan added, "I have already ordered the other paper crafts to be moved away. The fire shouldn't last much longer."

Chen Ju’s face was taut, his eyes scanning the area. Only when he saw the Yang servants suppressing the flames did his expression soften slightly.

"Where is your nephew serving in the military?" Chen Ju asked in a low voice.

Yang Mingjing quickly replied, "The Jingwei Army in the Northwest."

A flicker of emotion crossed Chen Ju’s dark face. "Many men in the Jingwei Army come from our Guangxin Army. Two months ago, I heard the Qi people invaded, and they held the pass to the death."

Yang Mingjing immediately bowed. "My nephew is among them."

Hearing this, Chen Ju and the soldiers beside him immediately cupped their hands in a salute to Yang Mingjing and Yang Mingshan. The Yang brothers knew that bringing up the Sixth Young Master might be useful, but they hadn't expected it to unexpectedly bridge the gap with this officer.

Chen Ju seemed to notice Yang Mingjing’s confusion and glanced at his men. "These are all veteran soldiers who retired from the battlefield. The Inspector petitioned the imperial court to have them serve as military patrolmen. We respect men of loyalty and courage above all else."

Yang Mingjing felt a surge of joy and nearly couldn't hide his smile. His luck was truly good. Although his house had caught fire, he had encountered this group of men. If he invited them to drink once the fire was out, this whole affair might just be swept under the rug.

As he was calculating this and preparing to strike up a conversation with Chen Ju, he saw the officer’s face tighten again.

Chen Ju pointed toward the direction the men had come from. "How could someone be trapped inside?"

Yang Mingshan turned to look, only to see a patrolman rushing out of the smoke carrying someone. The bright red wedding dress on the person was particularly striking.

"Commander Chen, it’s all a misunderstanding," Yang Mingshan said. "That is my Sixth Young Master’s wife. She passed away long ago... we brought her back to..."

Yang Mingshan’s voice cut off abruptly. His eyes widened, then trembled.

The woman in the wedding dress had just lifted her head, her gaze locking with his.

This...

"A dead person?" Chen Ju snorted and took a few quick steps forward to inspect her. Although the woman was weak, she was clearly still breathing. "You said this was a woman who had already passed away?"

Before one wave could settle, another rose. Before Yang Mingjing and Yang Mingshan could recover to respond, the patrolmen carried out two more people: Madam Zhang and Yang Qin.

Yang Qin’s face was streaked with tears from the smoke. As soon as he was brought out, he struggled to his feet and rushed to his mother.

Watching that small, thin figure, Chen Ju’s heart softened even more. It was one thing for soldiers to die on the battlefield, but it was pitiful to see the elderly and young they left behind.

Chen Ju had also left the Guangxin Army after suffering severe injuries. Upon returning, he had divided the silver rewarded by the court into several portions to visit the families of his fallen brothers. He felt deeply moved, so when the Inspector sought to arrange positions for veteran soldiers, he had gladly stepped forward to serve as an officer here.

Moved by his emotions, Chen Ju immediately crouched down to check on Madam Zhang.

The poor woman was clutching a spirit tablet tightly to her chest, as if protecting her son, and she was muttering incessantly.

Chen Ju leaned in to listen. Yang Mingjing tried to step forward to speak, but Chen Ju held up a hand to stop him.

When the surroundings grew quiet, Chen Ju heard clearly what the woman was saying: "My son’s pure heart... how loyal and heroic... I cannot... I cannot... let his coffin become a place to hide grievances and treat human life like grass... I must... report this to the authorities... report this..."

Madam Zhang’s gaze wandered through the crowd and landed on Xie Yutang.

"Do not harm her life... you must... seek justice for her..."

A person who should have been dead was alive right here, and Madam Zhang was calling to report to the authorities. Even the dullest person could understand what had happened.

Yang Mingjing, being the clan head, was the first to recover. "Third Sister-in-law, rest for now. I will get to the bottom of this."

"Report to the authorities... seek justice..." Madam Zhang continued to mutter.

Yang Mingshan also stepped forward. "Reporting to the authorities isn't that simple. We still need to..."

Before Yang Mingshan could finish, a majestic voice spoke up: "How difficult is it?"

Xie Yutang used her sleeve to shield her face as she looked toward the gate. A man in purple official robes walked into the courtyard, followed closely by his officers. The entire courtyard immediately took on a stern, murderous air.

The man’s eyes were exceptionally deep, his brow bone and nose bridge sharp and straight. His complexion appeared somewhat pale, but even encased in armor, he remained intimidating.

Chen Ju hurried forward with his men to salute, showing full reverence and submission to the man.

"Inspector."

Xie Yutang naturally shifted her gaze away. Although the man was a stranger, she had already guessed who he was from his official robes and the way he was addressed.

This was He Tan, the famous warrior from the He military family of the Great Liang.

When Xie Yutang was still in her boudoir, she had heard her grandfather mention He Tan more than once. If he hadn't been framed and besieged, he would surely have inherited his grandfather’s position as Grand Marshal. Her grandfather’s words had piqued her curiosity, and she had read the military treatises He Tan had written while still at home.

She had transmigrated sixty-four years later, long before her previous self was born, yet here she was, seeing He Tan.

However, she wasn't overly surprised. In the seventh year of Zhiping, He Tan had been appointed Chief Inspector of Daming Prefecture and had incorporated veteran soldiers from the frontier into the military patrol. It was precisely because she had thought of this that she had persuaded Yang Qin to set the fire.

Once this case blew up, He Tan would inevitably intervene. It had only happened a bit earlier than she had anticipated.

"Inspector He," Yang Mingjing stepped forward to salute. "It was all due to negligence in our household, which nearly led to a catastrophe. I will certainly investigate thoroughly and report the results to the yamen."

With He Tan here, Yang Mingjing knew he wouldn't be able to brush this off easily; he only hoped this "God of Slaughter" would show some mercy.

He Tan ignored Yang Mingjing and walked over to Yang Qin. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he asked, "What is this fire about?"

Yang Qin’s face showed hesitation. He restrained himself from looking at the woman in the red wedding dress. It was he who had discovered the bruises on her neck, and he who had told his mother. The woman had suddenly woken up and scared him into fainting.

Later, the woman had woken him, asked him many questions, and then... she had said to him, "Do you want to kneel at the very front of the ancestral hall to offer incense to your grandfather, father, and brother?"

"Your brother died in vain, and his reputation is being exploited by other clansmen after his death. I fear he will die with grievances in the underworld."

"You are so frail; if you don't grow up, your mother will also meet a miserable end."

Every word had struck home in his heart.

"I can help you."

For some reason, he had blindly believed her words. It was as if, deep down, he subconsciously felt she was trustworthy.

Even though he knew what she was teaching him was wrong, he couldn't help but obey.

And so, he had gone to the side room to set the fire, doing a bad deed he had never done before.

The woman had also told him, "If you see the Inspector, tell him..."

"I set it," Yang Qin blurted out. "The fire... I set it."

After saying this, Yang Qin watched as Inspector He’s gaze darkened.

***

*Thank you to Die Dou Hua for sponsoring the alliance leader, and thank you to Yun Yue Xiang Qi and You Lan for the tips. Thank you all for your support.*

*P.S. I am working on adjusting my schedule and expect to fix the update time to 7:00 AM every morning.*

*Tomorrow should be about right. Continuing to work hard.*

*Please provide recommendation votes, follow-up reads, and comments. New books are especially important at the start. Please help the Sect Leader boost the new book rankings. Thank you all for your company.*

*(End of chapter)*