A country maidservant entered, carrying two cups of bone china tea, and gently set them down on the side table beside the two.

Everything here was truly exquisite.

Yang Zicang glanced left and right, feeling a bit at a loss.

An arm wrestling match erupted in his mind as he scrambled for words, rifling through every scrap of textbook rhetoric from his school days. He took a deep breath and said solemnly:

“̔Er… Lady Huosang, thank you for taking the time to see me.“̔ I have taken the liberty of visiting you over the land belonging to the villagers at the foot of the mountain. The people of Qiaoshi Village._”

“Oh? ” Lady Huosang leaned forward in her chair. “I fail to see what that has to do with me. “

Yang Zicang leaned forward slightly, his expression earnest as he spoke, “The gentry of White Violet City are using legal measures to forcibly seize the lands of Qiaoshi Village. My Lady, the villagers have tilled those fields for generations, yet they possess no land deeds. Now the opposing side has hired a team of lawyers to press them step by step. The villagers are in a difficult situation… “

She raised her eyes, her gaze seeming to pierce through the wooden window set with glass panes, gazing into the distance beyond.

“I’ve heard that His Highness the Crown Prince has issued anEdictto reclaim all uninhabited farmlands. Isn’t that only right and proper? “

Yang Zicang let out a soft sigh, and after stating the facts plainly, he said, “Although they are using theEdictas their justification, in truth, they dare not wield that tool excessively. Ah, forgive my crude phrasing. “

“It’s fine. “

“Their primary aim is, they want, to use legal means to take possession of Qiaoshi Village’s land for themselves. That way, this reclaimed land won’t have to be allocated by the assembly to… nobles like you, my Lady.” Yang Zicang finally let the words out.

Lady Huosang pondered for a moment. “You think I am like them, ” she said, turning her gaze toward him. “The very fact that you found your way here suggests you already know that this area is a hereditary fief bestowed upon our family by the first Grand Duke. “

“Yes. Your family were founding heroes. Therefore, all this land is indeed Huosang territory, including Qiaoshi Village. “

The lady’s voice came, cold and crisp. “But the land of Qiaoshi Village does not belong to the Huosang family. “

Yang Zicang held her gaze for two seconds, feeling the urge to look away.

“Don’t you admit it? Yet the memories of several witnesses recorded in Saint ‘Stialnushimin’s’ memoirs all show that the other family which branched off from the House of Huosang… the disgraced Cilliers Huosang, originally belonged to this land. “

He summoned his courage and met her eyes steadily.

“Guest… it’s getting late. ” Lady Huosang issued a dismissal.

“I came for the honor of Mr. Cilliers. “

Yang Zicang interrupted that sentence, and with it, the look on Lady Huosang’s face.

A faint chill seeped through the study.

“Madam, I understand this history is a wound the Huosang family would rather not touch. The branch in Bridge Stone… “

“Elliot. ” Lady Huosang rose coldly.

“Madam. ” The old butler entered from the doorway.

“Please, wait. ” Yang Zicang forced himself to speak calmly. “I implore you, not just for the sake of those innocent villagers, but for the integrity and dignity of the Huosang family’s history, please hear me out. “

Lady Huosang fixed him with a cold stare. “Do not use your Fogfolk’s skill for intelligence-gathering to disgrace the glory of others. “

“What I’m doing is precisely meant to restore its glory. “

“Ahem, Mr. Yang, ” the butler interjected at this point. “Please leave. Huosang’s domain does not welcome you. “

“I can leave. “

Yang Zicang took a cloth-wrapped item from his bundle and placed it beside the bone china teacup.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the lady and the old butler who were staring at the bundle, and spoke solemnly: “That historical incident was a meticulously planned deception. “

The woman’s eyes widened in an instant.

“Those so-called ‘venereal disease’ symptoms were counterfeit illusions created by poison. As long as you are willing to investigate, it will be easy to find out the truth… “

Looking at Lady Huosang’s shocked expression, Yang Zicang continued: “Those who truly died from syphilis suffer from ‘periostitis’ in their late stages due to bone inflammation, leading to abnormal hyperplasia of the periosteum in bones like the tibia and femur. There will also be joint effusions, and destruction of articular cartilage and bone tissue… “

“Wha… What! ” The old butler’s hand suddenly trembled. He raised it in disbelief— “You, this young man, what you placed on the table… could it be… “

Yang Zicang turned his head and smiled apologetically, “Sorry about that. “

Lady Huosang took a sharp, deep breath. She quickly walked to the door, glanced outside, then slammed it shut. After signaling the old butler to be silent, she turned around and roared like a young lioness:

“How dare you desecrate the bones of my uncle! You brute! “

“Excellent. I’m glad you acknowledge that he is a member of the Huosang family. “

“Outrageous! ” A torrent of conflicting emotions surged within Lady Huosang.

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“If it were a tertiary syphilis patient, ” Yang Zicang continued, “there would also be ‘gumma’ destroying the bone, leading to proliferative sclerotic bands, punched-out skull defects, perforation of the nasal septum, and even saddle nose deformity. I’ve checked—none of these symptoms are present on him. “

He gently patted the cloth bundle that held the bones.

Lady Huosang’s heart thumped loudly. She walked over slowly, cast a deep glance at Yang Zicang, took the bundle, and carefully unwrapped the cloth.

“Then why did he have those… disgraceful behaviors? “

Although the Huosang family had tried their utmost to cover it up, now that the Fogfolk already knew, and had even produced investigative evidence, it was clear they were thoroughly aware of what had happened decades ago. Lady Huosang realized that concealment was pointless.

“It’s all a conspiracy, ” Yang Zicang said.

The woman and the steward were utterly incredulous. Even an investigation bureau agent would not act like this—coming directly to their doorstep with a bag of bones…

The steward also drew closer to look. The owner of these bones had once been his playmate… In a mournful voice, he said softly, “My lady… that matter… hasn’t it already been settled by the Grand Duke? “

Lady Huosang’s eyes were filled with sorrow.

In the old days, Cilliers Huosang had been young and promising, with an excellent reputation, known for his integrity and strict adherence to noble codes. Therefore, the acting head of the family had allotted him land near Bridge Stone Village, permitting him to establish his own collateral branch.

Yet, after he became independent, he changed.

At first, the acting patriarch was merely disappointed, but never expected that a confidential letter from the then Grand Duke would arrive, sternly reprimanding the Huosang family for their lax discipline.

Only through this secret letter did belatedly learn that Silas had degenerated so shockingly, even contracting syphilis, and that his victims had gone directly to the capital to file charges!

Faced with the Grand Duke’s rebuke, the enraged old patriarch, feeling his honor deeply tarnished, journeyed that very night to Bridge Stone Village. Yet, reportedly, he merely took a single, distant glance at Silas, then returned to the castle, thereafter proclaiming his banishment from the family.

No one knows exactly what the old patriarch saw back then.

Only Yang Zicang knew that what the old patriarch witnessed was merely the spectacle others had wanted him to see.

So… it was time, wasn’t it? Since he had traveled from afar, only to be led directly into the inner chamber by a common, elderly butler…

Thump. Thump. Thump.

A clear sound of a knock rang out.

Yang Zicang looked towards the source. The old butler, after a brief pause of surprise, lowered his head and pulled the door open without seeking Lady Huosang’s permission.

A gentleman with an erect bearing, an aged face yet sharply defined features, stood silently in the doorway, leaning on an obsidian-inlaid gnarled walking stick.

“So, he has been bearing this pain all along, alone. ” The old man looked directly at Yang Zicang, speaking in flawlessly standard Chinese.

Huosang woman, still immersed in misery, finally looked up in shock and gasped: “Great-grandfather! ” Let out cry instinctively tried prop toward forward leaning assistance self previously,stop succume,come from had own fingers – “I hear know be there been utterly poisonous bane burning lately come internal meeting broke spread across end been nothing come think each by. “

That title… tension coiled in Yang Zicang’s chest like a drawn bowstring.

The old man stepped in with steady, unruffled strides, settled onto a soft-leather chair carved with floral patterns, and fixed his gaze on Yang Zicang with eyes as deep and still as an ancient well. Drawing a long, measured breath, he asked, “You know who I am?“

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“Mmh, I figured,” Yang Zicang nodded.

The Huosang family had always regarded the farmers tilling the earth around their lands with a kind of detached indifference—never interfering in whatever they did, yet that very hands-off restraint was, in truth, the quietest form of silent care.

Two full centuries, unchanged.

The reason lay squarely with this “Great-grandfather.“

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“As expected of a Fogfolk,” the old man gave a slight nod of approval. “Although you’ve only just set foot on this Continent of Eras, you’ve managed to uncover word concerning me. I won’t ask how you did it; I’ll only say this: thank you for coming today, and for clearing the name of this descendant of mine.” He slowly raised a hand.

Lady Huosang caught the hint and carefully presented the cloth-wrapped bundle of bones before him.

The old man examined it closely, a trace of quiet sorrow flickering in his eyes.

“As for the rest… I’m afraid I am powerless to help.“

Yang Zicang’s heart tightened as he pressed on: “Is it because the guilt was sealed by the Grand Duke back then?“

The old man shifted his gaze away from the remains and motioned for Lady Huosang to put them away.

“The Grand Duke… can never be wrong.“

……

After dining with the family, Yang Zicang, filled with disappointment, adjusted his mood and was driven out of the ancient forest surrounding the manor by the old butler.

“Farewell. “

“You are welcome to visit again when you are free from past constraints, ” the old butler said, tipping his hat from the carriage before steering it back into the dense woods.

The charming countryside night unfolded around them. Anxi’s figure was standing by a yard with a few old farmers, so Yang Zicang approached.

“It’s the Senior Investigator! ” several farmers shouted excitedly.

Anxi stepped forward joyfully, wearing a tired yet bright smile. “I was swamped all afternoon, you know, but luckily, I managed to break down some of their strongholds. “

“Oh? It actually worked? ” Yang Zicang was somewhat surprised.

Anxi exuded a fair amount of confidence, “The land ownership there was never clear-cut in the first place. The more they traced it, the more they got stuck at some points. “

“But those gentlemen in the city are masters at the game of documents, ” a worried villager chimed in, “They’re sure to rack their brains for new tricks tonight, and will probably use a bunch of official papers to pressure us tomorrow. “

“None of that matters. I’m just afraid they’ll forge the land deeds, ” said the young man beside him, dressed luxuriously.

“Fake land deeds? Uh, may I ask who you are… “

Before Yang Zicang could finish, Anxi grabbed his arm and squeezed it hard, whispering in Chinese:

“This is Old Brother Hurst, our company’s first licensed employee. “

“Ahem.“

Yang Zicang gave a light cough, “Mr. Hearst, hello. “

“Uh, hello to you too, Senior… Investigator. “

Hearst finally understood why the man beside him behaved so strangely; it turned out he was a Fogfolk. That explained everything.

“May I ask why you mentioned the possibility of forged land deeds? “

“My grandfather told me many stories about such matters, ” Hearst shrugged. “He often interacted with influential people, and I frequently heard him recount secrets unknown to ordinary folks. Decades ago, forged land deeds were quite common for a period. I suspect we might run into the same thing here eventually. “

That point in time…

In his mind, Yang Zicang began piecing together the fragments he had dug up from his memoirs and the Huosang family records.

……

Over sixty years ago, the brightest young talent of the Huosang family was granted permission to establish his own branch lineage. Not long after, he fell victim to poisoning and false accusations.

—Cilliers Huosang, seemingly righteous and dignified on the surface, but in truth leading a debauched private life.

—He had illicit relations with multiple servants and village women simultaneously!

Rumors spread like wildfire. Gravely ill, Cilliers had no way to defend himself, and inside Bridge Stone Castle, morale crumbled amidst the master’s so-called “scandal. ” Some who had been bought off even spread accounts of how Cilliers had deceived them.

—Witnesses claimed Cilliers was researching polluted demonic energy, his body showing abnormalities, and he had contracted some unspeakable vile disease…

Finally, on a night eerily similar to this one, Cilliers Huosang’s blood-written testament—threatening and torturing both his own and others’ minds and bodies—along with those indecent and fabricated photographs, was thrust by the councilors of the Senate into the imperial palace, thus delivering the scandal that blemished the reputation of the dynasty’s founding heroes…

A few days later, the equally enraged head of the main family announced the severance of all ties with this collateral branch, and Bridge Castle was expelled from the clan.

This was the Huosang family’s response to the royal court.

A slightly rough hand grabbed hold of Yang Zicang’s arm, interrupting his train of thought. Turning his head, the young man saw it was the boy who had sent word the day before.

“Senior Investigator, sir,” the boy said, full of anticipation, “I see your shoes and trousers are covered with dust. You must have been working hard for us these past two days. You have our gratitude for your toil.“

The boy’s plainspoken words carried a trace of warmth. Yang Zicang felt comforted and replied, “It’s nothing much.“

“Mr. Anxi said you were looking for key evidence on our behalf,” the boy pressed on eagerly. “Have you found it, sir? Would you like us to help?“

The boy’s urgent question prompted several dozen children nearby, as well as the clustered youths, to fix their gazes on him with hopeful anticipation.

Seeing this, Anxi reached out and “rescued” Yang Zicang’s arm from the grips of the younger boys, pulling him aside and lowering his voice.

“You went to the main branch of the Huosangs, didn’t you? Did you get the deed, or any relevant evidence?“

Yang Zicang looked down at his empty hands, and silently shook his head.

“The operation failed?“