Chapter 116: The Gatekeeper

The new emperor’s benevolence shone through in his second decree: a grand amnesty across the realm, with taxes waived for an entire year and corvée labor lightened.

It was a policy that truly benefited the people, and the common folk rejoiced without exception.

In a remote backwater like Qinglu County, tales of the late emperor’s grand achievements and bold strategies rarely reached the ears of the villagers. But the relief from taxes and labor was real and tangible. Thus, even as they wore expressions of deep grief on their faces for the departed sovereign, their hearts brimmed with quiet delight.

Pondering state affairs was for the great figures in the capital. For ordinary folk like Embroider Maiden, Wu Wei, and the family of Second Lady Liu—the lowliest of the low—their concerns were far simpler: filling their bellies and keeping warm.

Yet with the imperial decree’s arrival, the required observances still had to be followed.

Suddenly, plain white cloth—which normally gathered dust unsold—became scarce and sought after. Households with stores of it hung strips from their doorframes and bound wider bands, three fingers thick, around their brows. These headbands, at minimum, had to remain for three days before they could be removed.

The county magistrate sent officials to the village with official notices. The village head dispatched men to go door-to-door, announcing that all weddings must be postponed, and gatherings with music and festivities were entirely forbidden.

The emperor had passed, and the entire nation mourned.

Wu Wei, the transmigrator, received a strip of white cloth from Second Lady Liu and bore witness to a pivotal moment in Liang Dynasty history.

The ice cave had just been completed, and Wu Wei had planned a modest banquet to thank the craftsmen. Now, even that was off the table.

That night, Embroider Maiden quietly asked Wu Wei, “Weiwei, with the new emperor’s great amnesty, does that mean Lord Dongfang can come back too?”

Wu Wei sighed and shook her head at the hopeful look in Embroider Maiden’s eyes. “From what I know, crimes of the ‘Ten Heinous Offenses’ aren’t pardoned. Lord Dongfang’s charges of murdering imperial offspring and fleeing in guilt are grave. I’m afraid…”

Embroider Maiden sighed along with her and softly asked, “You’ve been lighting lamps every night these past months to pore over that dossier. Why aren’t you looking at it tonight?”

Wu Wei fell silent for a moment, unsure how to respond.

Back on Blue Star, she had read countless declassified criminal case files. Though not a forensic expert by training, she had picked up some understanding.

From a Blue Star investigative perspective, Dongfang Rui had no motive for murder.

A woman serving as an official in the court, overseeing an office under the emperor’s direct command—with no husband or children—she had no reason to meddle in factional strife.

According to Gao Ningxue’s account, Dongfang Rui had never formed cliques or curried favor with courtiers. Keeping aloof from them was her longstanding principle. What reason would such a woman have to assassinate a prince?

If one assumed Dongfang Rui had been framed, then the question became: who stood to gain the most from the Fourth Prince’s death? The answer was obvious—the crown prince, another legitimate son of the empress.

History was rife with cases where the elder heir was deposed for a favored younger one due to imperial and empressial bias. Moreover, the banquet had been hosted by the crown prince’s family, and he controlled all the Forbidden Army guards at the estate. He had both the means to kill the Fourth Prince and frame Dongfang Rui.

Dongfang Rui’s flight made sense too: she had realized she stood no chance against the crown prince and had no choice but to run.

Of course, all this was merely Wu Wei’s personal speculation, backed by no concrete evidence.

…

These days, Wu Wei spent her mornings overseeing the ice cave’s excavation on the back mountain and her nights by candlelight, combing through the dossier. Her notes alone filled over fifty pages.

Even if hope was faint, she wanted to contribute something.

But now?

It was pointless.

The crown prince had ascended the throne as the new emperor, supreme ruler of all Liang. In a feudal society like this, neither Dongfang Rui nor Gao Ningxue could topple a sovereign—let alone someone like her.

Wu Wei felt a deep pang of regret. That extraordinary woman, insightful as if peering through flames and unyielding as a mountain in enforcing the law, was likely to be swallowed by the tides of history.

“Weiwei?” Embroider Maiden’s call snapped Wu Wei from her reverie.

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong? You look so serious.”

“I’m fine. I just… feel it’s a shame.”

Embroider Maiden sensed something and quietly took Wu Wei’s hand, falling silent.

The next day, Wu Wei gathered all the dossiers and her notes into a wooden box, intending to toss it into the stove and burn it clean.

Carrying the box to the kitchen, she crouched down, staring at the flickering coals in the firebox. Her fingertips pressed white against the wood.

Human memory was finite. After so much time, even Gao Ningxue probably couldn’t recreate such a detailed dossier.

But keeping it meant risking her life.

Wu Wei wavered several times, then gritted her teeth and hurled the box into the stove.

As smoke rose and faint crackles sounded, a sharp ache stabbed her heart.

Visions of Dongfang Rui flashed in her mind—her teachings, Gao Ningxue’s tearful eyes.

Resolutely, Wu Wei thrust her hand into the stove, yanking out the half-charred box. She brushed off the embers, flipped it open, and clutched the dossiers tightly to her chest.

Her fingertips burned with fiery pain.

But the ache in her heart vanished, replaced by a steadfast resolve.

“Weiwei, those of us who do forensic work have to pierce through the fog of mystery, giving the authorities the truest, most solid leads. We speak for the dead and seek justice for the living. Forensic experts are one of the gatekeepers of the criminal law—we have to hold that gate firm. Got it?”

“Got it, Dad. I’ll guard it with my life.” Wu Wei murmured softly.

…

Wu Wei cut three sheets of oiled paper and wrapped the dossiers meticulously—three layers thick—before placing them in a new wooden box. She fetched a shovel.

“Weiwei, what are you doing?”

“Heading to the back mountain.”

“The vegetable patch has been harvested ages ago. What are you digging for?”

Wu Wei paused, then said, “Embroider Maiden, come with me.”

“Alright.” Embroider Maiden stood, dried her hands, and followed Wu Wei out.

They climbed the mountain path for half an hour until it petered out amid waist-high withered weeds.

Wu Wei pointed to a nearby hill. “Embroider Maiden, see that rock over there? It looks just like a palm.”

“Yes.”

“Mark this spot. Then head west from here.”

“Got it.”

They walked a bit farther until Wu Wei stopped before a peculiar tree, its trunk hollowed out large enough for a person to crawl inside.

“I stumbled on this place by chance before. There’s even a dried beehive inside. From the palm rock, turn and walk another two or three hundred steps, and you’ll find it.”

Wu Wei pulled the wooden box from her bosom and said to Embroider Maiden, “If you ever meet someone powerful enough to clear Lord Dongfang’s name—or if Gao Ningxue comes looking—and I’m not around, bring them here. This box holds the dossier Gao Ningxue wrote and my notes. I’m not capable enough to find the evidence in them, but I believe they hold a key piece of the truth. Keeping them at home is too dangerous now, and from here on, we never speak of this case again.”

Embroider Maiden nodded solemnly and whispered, “Don’t talk like that—it’s bad luck. Why wouldn’t you be here?”

Wu Wei gave a wry smile. “I will be. But guarding a secret this big alone is too risky. Let’s both be gatekeepers.”

“Mm.”

Embroider Maiden watched Wu Wei crawl into the tree hollow and place the box inside. Then they headed back, and on the way, she paid extra attention to the surroundings, noting several more landmarks.

Descending was harder than ascending. By the time Embroider Maiden and Wu Wei reached their courtyard, the sun was setting in the west.

Old Lady Liu stood at the west room’s door, leaning on her cane, beaming at Wu Wei and Embroider Maiden.

The two laughed at each other’s disheveled states while plucking cockleburs from one another’s hair and clothes.

Embroider Maiden said, “Slow down—you’ll tear the fabric. When we were kids climbing mountains, we hated these burr balls most. They stick like glue and sting if they catch your skin.”

Wu Wei removed a cocklebur from Embroider Maiden’s temple and laughed. “It’s been years since I last saw these. When I was tiny, my grandma cleared a little plot on the mountain. We’d get covered in them on our trips up. Haven’t seen one since I grew up. Hey, Embroider Maiden, think these things are edible? Deep-fried? Steamed? What would they taste like stir-fried?”

Embroider Maiden shot Wu Wei a playful glare. “All you think about is food. These aren’t edible.”

…

Once they’d cleared off the cockleburs, Wu Wei and Embroider Maiden turned to find Old Lady Liu, who had been standing at the door for some time. The pair flushed like scolded children. Before they could explain, Old Lady Liu turned with a tap of her cane and went back inside.

Wu Wei stuck out her tongue at Embroider Maiden and pulled her to the water tap to wash their faces.

…

Meanwhile, the regional kings received word of the late emperor’s death and, per protocol, needed no petition to enter the capital and pay their respects.

Vice Minister Xiao, swamped with duties, lingered in Taizhou Prefecture only ten days before returning to the capital. Gao Ningxue, however, was kept behind by her grandfather, awaiting her wedding day.

Upon receiving the news, Old Yan Prince immediately assembled his troops and set off for the Capital with Gao Ningxue. She had wanted to drop by Wu Wei’s place along the way to ask if she had uncovered any clues, but Old Yan Prince kept a tight watch on her, so she was unable to do so.

The procession from Yan Prince’s Residence raced all the way to the Capital.

…

Wu Wei remained completely oblivious to everything happening outside Qinglu County. She continued living her quiet little life with the Embroider Maiden.

Every month, she returned to Clear River County to extend her Migration Permit. While there, she nurtured her relationship with Zhang Cheng and brought him the latest news from Qinglu County.

Time always slips away unnoticed, and before long, the first snow of the year blanketed Qinglu County.

Wu Wei awoke to find the courtyard covered in a pristine layer of white. She felt a moment of disorientation, as if the autumn harvest had only happened a few days ago, and yet here was the snow.

The whole family pitched in. The Embroider Maiden and Wu Wei swept the snow from the courtyard, while Old Lady Liu fetched a clean cloth to brush the accumulation off the firewood pile. She then covered it with a layer of straw matting to keep the wood from getting damp during the harsh winter.

On a sudden whim, Wu Wei joined the Embroider Maiden in building two snowmen in the courtyard. They used a pair of carrots for noses and four dried jujubes for eyes—a sight that made Old Lady Liu’s heart ache all over again.