level_act40side_01_end

What do you want to show me?

Pick up the pace a little, we'll be there soon.

If you walk in the snow by the stream, the fragrant plum blossoms are rare. However, you can find some at the base of the mountain.

I suppose the view of the fireworks against the city skyline from atop the mountain could be the only thing worth climbing all the way up here.

Fireworks? Who cares about those?! I brought you here to see... this pine tree.

An evergreen... It can withstand the cold weather.

No. That's not what's special about it.

I planted this tree myself, right before I assumed my post in Baizao. Back then, I had the same mindset as you.

After all these years, I'm a different person now, and this tree is a different tree.

I do not understand.

That doesn't matter. All you need to do now is look at the tree; imprint it in your memory.

Qingyan, you will do well in the Judicial Review Office. You will go on to be an excellent Deputy Minister or maybe a minister yourself!

Those cases will not be a problem for you. There's really only one issue that you'll need to focus on—

Will you be able to handle the truth?

I do not understand.

You don't need to understand now. Every once in a while, you will think back to this pine tree. Once you've spent enough time contemplating the tree, you will understand the rest.

After I die, cut down the tree. Use its wood to fashion my coffin.

Mr. Yu...

We should be going. The higher you climb, the colder it gets.

Years of wind and snow, moments fleeting like blossoms in the morning and evening light.

Once more, I think back to the pine tree and the mountain path, buried in snow.

Yu Cheng, what penalty do you propose to atone for your guilt?

(snoring softly)

*cough* *cough*

Huh? What time is it? Has the suspect confessed yet?

Censor Jie Zhen, this is a serious matter. Please mind your words and behavior.

This is a routine internal matter for the Judicial Review Office. The Department of Discipline and Supervision is just going through the motions. It's not a big deal.

However, this trial today certainly has been interesting. The minister is usually quite well-tempered. I've never seen her that angry before.

Yu Cheng, you served in the Judicial Review Office once. You took an oath before the bronze mirror.

Do you really think the Judicial Review Office is the proper place for you to act like a spoiled brat?!

That's an unjust accusation. You asked me all that you needed to ask, and I answered them. What else would you have me do?

On the fifteenth of last month, around 1:45 AM, someone set fire to the southern end of the Judicial Review Office scrollery. That person was me.

Liar! When the fire broke out, you were in pre-trial detention. How could you have started it?

If you planned the fire, you had help. Name your co-conspirator.

I had no co-conspirator. However, I did have a helper.

A fowlbeast.

That night, a wounded fowlbeast landed by the window of my cell. I fed it a few grains of rice and some fresh water.

The fowlbeast was quite intelligent. I saved it, and it was willing to return the favor. I gave it a burning straw and told it to fly to the scrollery.

Whaa???

*cough* *cough*

Yu Cheng, the courtroom has no time for your games!

I'm not playing games. Ask me anything, and I will answer truthfully.

Very well. You say you started the fire. Elaborate on that, if you will.

What species of fowlbeast was it that you used?

Do I look like a fowlbeast expert? I only remember that it was completely black, without a single stray hair... as black as the human heart.

You said you gave the fowlbeast a burning straw. You were locked in a cell. Where did you get the straw?

I picked it out of my sleeping cushion.

Your cushion was made of cotton.

Then my memory is mistaken. It must have fallen in from the fowlbeast's nest.

The guards did a full search of your cell after the fire. They did not find any fowlbeast nest.

If criminals didn't try to cover their tracks, we wouldn't need the Judicial Review Office or the Ministry of Justice, would we?

That fowlbeast truly understood human nature.

Why you...

Oh, right, as for how I lit the straw in the first place—I struck the cell bars with these iron shackles exactly eight hundred sixty-three times, one for each year of the Judicial Review Office's existence.

That is as much detail as I can provide on the fire. Will it do?

Madam Minister, do you have more questions for me?

It seems that he has been reading some fanciful stories since his retirement.

This is no time for jokes.

Well, she had the patience to play along with him and indulge his insanity.

Do you want to enter this line into the record?

...Of course.

Interesting...

Yu Cheng was once appointed Deputy Minister for the Judicial Review Office's Haoran Pavilion. There, he took down countless corrupt mandarins and notorious criminals.

However, after his retirement, you convicted him of fabricating evidence, which is how he ended up here.

As you think back now, do you regret your choice, Deputy Minister Lin?

The law is the law. It bends for no man. Stop trying to stir up trouble, Censor Jie.

But when we look at it, Yu Cheng's behavior is quite odd. When he was charged with fabricating evidence, he did not question it or protest. Now, after he's been convicted, he decides to start a fire?

That's not right...

I still have questions!

Yes, Deputy Minister Lin?

...Hmph.

Lin Qingyan puts down her pen and paper and happens to meet Yu Cheng's gaze. The prisoner, who has been pretending to be insane, is now staring at her intently.

She wants to know the truth. She does not fear revealing herself in the process.

Yu Cheng seems pleased with Lin Qingyan's reaction. He closes his eyes, as an ugly grin crosses his face.

Deputy Minister Lin, as acting clerk, you need only take notes.

Minister Chen, there is one question you haven't yet asked. Yu Cheng claims he set the fire. What was his motive?

The suspect's confession is clearly nonsense. Why bother asking his motive?

Hahaha. I am the one who set fire to the scrollery. You must believe me.

As for why I did it...

Yu Cheng!

There were seventy-four thousand case files in the southern section of the scrollery, the result of sixty years of painstaking effort and the hard work of twenty-four deputy ministers—and you saw fit to turn it all to ash?

Yu Cheng suddenly droops his head. He remains silent for what seems like ages. The Minister's eyes remain fixed on him, watching his every move.

As I see it, it was no great loss.

Those files were filled with half-truths, whitewashed fabrications, and outright lies. Gazing upon them dirties the eyes; thinking of them taints the mind.

So I thought it best to cleanse it all in flames.

Cleanse?

Just what are you trying to say?

What am I trying to say? If you keen to know, then let's have a discussion: that which I burned, was it clean, or dirty?

Minister Chen, The suspect is clearly suffering from some sort of mental disease. It's getting late. Shall we conclude the questioning for today?

Escort Yu Cheng back to his cell.

I truly regret that we subjected the Department of Discipline and Supervision to this circus here today.

It is truly a vexing case. We understand.

The Judicial Review Office will be sure to submit a full explanation to the Department of Discipline and Supervision.

Sigh... I just hope this can be resolved quickly, so I don't have to make so many trips here. You've planted way too many camphor trees in this courtyard—they're making me sneeze.

I shall take my leave now, Deputy Minister Lin. See you.

You should be off too, Lin Qingyan.

The courtroom door swings open, as sunlight pours in once more. Lin Qingyan immediately spots the seven towers with eighteen-pointed roofs hidden in the shadows of the trees.

The Judicial Review Office scrollery were all built in this style. The roofs of the towers seem to be covered with ash, the remnants of the burned southern section.

Just as she is about to step out the door, she hears a faint voice.

Lin Qingyan, it's almost time.

Do not forget.

Lin Qingyan steps out into the cold sunlight without even hesitating.

Achoo!

Censor Jie Zhen, you're still here?

I was waiting to chat with you for a minute. It's not convenient to talk in there.

If you still want save... I mean... investigate Yu Cheng's case, you'd better move quickly.

After the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies is over, all prisoners detained in Baizao will either be transferred to another prison or exiled. In any case, the cells must be emptied within two weeks.

Two weeks...

The imperial decree should reach you shortly. I just spotted it early, so I'm giving you a heads-up.

And here I thought you didn't care much for these things.

It is within my power to avoid caring, but you cannot get it out of your head. Yu Cheng is very important to you, isn't he?

He was kind of like my teacher in the Judicial Review Office. He's the one who taught me to distinguish right from wrong.

When I first discovered that he had fabricated evidence to convict a corrupt mandarin... well, I shrugged it off as 'using any means necessary to achieve justice.'

However, I never imagined he would set fire to the scrollery. There's absolutely no justice in that.

Indeed... I can't figure him out.

But it does provoke a question... They've never emptied the jails for the Feast before. Why do it this year?

This matter may not concern you directly, but I'm sure you've heard something about it?

Yumen experienced a Catastrophe at the beginning of the year. Then, this summer, we suffered the Dahuang incident.

And what was the root cause of all this?

...The bestial Sui.

This thousand-year-old case must finally be resolved...

I dare not engage in presumptuous speculation. This is as much as I can say for now.

Duoxie...

Censor Jie Zhen... why did you terminate the ongoing interrogation?

Ah...

As the saying goes, 'Words may deceive, so trust your eyes.'

I wager you haven't seen the burned scrollery yet.

No, I have not.

Perhaps you'd better go see for yourself.

I will take my leave.

The restaurant, which was loud and boisterous just a moment ago, goes completely silent.

The regulars, anticipating what is to come, file out of the diner one-by-one. Of course, they remember to leave money for their meals.

Jiang, close the door.

...*sigh*

What? What happened?

Jiang, wasn't she just eating these tangerine cakes here?

Yes, she was.

And didn't you tell me she was criticizing the taste?

No. She said they taste 'different', not bad, just 'different'.

(winking vigorously)

I guess you'd call it criticism. They're not exactly orthodox, different to what I had before.

So you're the head chef, eh? Pretty young, aren't you?

Don't try to change the subject!

I was just critiquing the food. That's not a capital offense!

Besides, I thought the rest of the dishes were awesome.

Now you're on to flattery! This is my restaurant, and I have my rules! You either tell me what's wrong with the tangerine cakes, or I won't let you leave!

I told you already. They taste different to the ones I've had before.

Where, and when, did you eat them before?

Oh maybe... more than ten years ago? When I was living in Victoria, a relative sent them to me.

Did you come here to stir up trouble? Jiang! Escort her out!

No. We're not in the habit of kicking customers out of the restaurant...

Good madam, think for a minute. What exactly is it about these cakes that tastes different? Maybe this is all some kind of misunderstanding?

Let me think... I remember the tangerine cakes I had before were sweeter. Yes, you must not have used enough sugar.

The tangerine cakes need more sugar? Hahaha...

To think I took you for a food critic. You are a woman with absolutely no taste. I won't waste my time arguing with you. Please leave.

You say I have no taste, when the real problem is your cooking?

Oh... no...

My cooking, you say?

Don't make me laugh! My cooking... my culinary talent, my—

Alright then. I'll make you a bet. Go out this door here and sample the food at some of the other restaurants. If you find a better tasting meal, I'll give you this entire shop!

(softly) No, please no.

But if you can't find better food, you have to sit at this table by the window and shout out to the streets...

Shout what?

Apologize to me! One hundred times!

But what would I want with your restaurant?

Let's do this instead. If I find food that tastes better, then you'll let me eat here for a month, free, and you'll teach me how to cook a few of the tastiest dishes in Yanese cuisine, also free of charge.

Huh?

There's an old Yanese saying, 'Give a man a fin and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fincatch, and you'll feed him for a lifetime.'

This restaurant... when I leave, I can't take it with me. If you teach me how to cook a few tasty dishes, I can cook them for my friends.

But weren't you just criticizing my cooking?

I told you, all your other dishes taste great.

Wait. Wait a moment! Don't think you can just trick me like that! We still need to discuss the tangerine cakes!

Okay. Then I'll take your bet. I know I can find tangerine cakes, somewhere in Baizao, that taste like the ones I had before.

Hmph...

Huh? What's that weird smell?

I think it's coming from back in the kitchen...

I know that smell. It's like something is overcooked.

My stew!

Dear customer, I apologize. Our head chef has a bad temper and is easily offended.

Please come again, alright?

Pretty weird...

I've heard that skilled chefs tend to be eccentric.

In fact, I'll bet the reason he was able to become a good chef was precisely because he takes his food so seriously.

Did you notice that each of the five tofu dishes you ordered had tofu cut in a different way, yet every piece of tofu within each dish was exactly the same size and shape?

I don't think many chefs in Baizao could accomplish that.

Hm? You overheard our argument?

Sorry, I wasn't eavesdropping. You were just within earshot.

You were all having such fun, sharing your dishes amongst yourselves. Well, I believe you accidentally took the plate of tangerine cakes that I ordered.

Oh! Sorry about that!

What a dummy I was, taking someone else's food and then having a fight with the chef over it.

You wait here. I'll order you some more, straight away!

No. There's no need for that.

I came here today to try the food. After seeing how much you all enjoyed it, well, I figure it must be good enough.

However, I'm still a little curious, what exactly did you not like about the tangerine cakes?

I can't really put my finger on it, but I just know I've eaten better ones before.

Are you sure the dish you ate before was indeed 'tangerine cakes'?

Of course!

One of my relatives lived in Baizao, and would ship me these cakes. There's no way I'd be wrong... I'm sure.

May I trouble you with a request, then?

You're going out looking for another restaurant that serves these tangerine cakes, right? Can you take me with you?

Sure! You're from Baizao, aren't you? That's perfect. You know your way around these parts!

Then again, it's getting kind of late. Let's meet here again tomorrow at noon. What do you say?

Certainly.

Oh, right. By the way, my name is Blaze. I'm a tourist from Victoria. How should I call you?

I am a woman of few hobbies. I like to write, and I like to eat.

My pen name is 'The Wandering Foodie'. In any case, you may call me Xingzhu for short.

Such a trove of knowledge, those wonderful archives...

Ashes to ashes... dust to dust...

The dark space still has a lingering, acrid smell. On the collapsed beams of ironwood, murky raindrops tremble, ready to fall.

The iron chests that once held so many records and books have been warped and twisted by the flames. The paper and ink within have smoldered into ash, leaving only faint traces of words.

Do not linger too long. Rain showers after a fire send smoke up into the air.

What have we learned so far?

We've determined this to be arson.

The absurd part? The fire's time and location match Yu Cheng's confession perfectly.

The scrollery was heavily guarded, yet on the night of the fire, the guards didn't notice anything.

Not only was the perpetrator highly skilled in kung fu, but they also had intimate knowledge of the Judicial Review Office's layout. They must have been working with Yu Cheng for quite some time.

You're saying... you think this was an inside job?

We cannot be certain.

How bad was the damage?

All records that were burned were from old cases, which has little effect on our current work. However, if these cases were ever to be reviewed in the future, there would be no evidence to go on.

Nearly all of these cases were Yu Cheng's responsibility.

Do you really believe Yu Cheng was the one who burned the scrollery?

Absolutely not...

No matter what nonsense he spouts, he was imprisoned when the fire broke out. There's no way he could have done it himself.

However, I'm sure he's involved in some way. He's working with someone else.

What did he mean when he suggested the files are 'dirty'?

Is there something on your mind?

Do you still remember... the last case Yu Cheng investigated before he retired?

How could I forget?

Forty years ago, the Minister of Justice was stabbed in the street. The assassin turned out to be a mad beggar.

The Judicial Review Office did everything in their power to uncover the man's identity, to no avail.

In the end, they classified the murder as a random, spur-of-the moment act of violence.

But nearly thirty years later, Yu Cheng accused the sitting Minister of Rites, Ning Shu, of being the murderer.

I worked with Yu Cheng for many, many years. I knew him better than anyone.

However, in his last few years at the Office, he began to change.

Something radicalized him. He began doing 'whatever it takes' to catch criminals. He even started fabricating evidence to close cold cases and settle old scores.

If the accusations against him were baseless, then why did Minister Ning resign?

What do you mean?

Do you still remember... Gu Quan?

It all began when Gu Quan, serving as the envoy of ceremonial rites, died en route to Victoria...

Yu Cheng believed that Minister Ning murdered the Minister of Justice, and then killed the important witness in the case thirty years later.

But that's the absurdity... the envoy had only just taken office. How could he have been connected to a case from thirty years prior?

Moreover, the envoy's manner, place, and time of death were all clearly established: he drowned near the Victorian border. How could the Minister of Rites have orchestrated his death, all the way from Baizao?

The Judicial Review Office recorded Gu Quan's death in the case files...

The files are somewhere in this pile of ash that lays before you...

Why raise these two cases now? Do you think they are connected to the fire somehow?

I would call it a hunch...

Yu Cheng's confession has drawn our attention, but clearly, there's some kind of larger scheme behind the fire. The real question isn't who set the fire, but the arsonist's ultimate goal.

Would you hand this case over to me?

No.

On what grounds?!

Yu Cheng asked you to take notes during his trial. This is why you stand here now, and it is also the reason I cannot allow you to participate any further.

Whatever Yu Cheng's plan, you are most certainly a part of it.

I know you regard him as a mentor and couldn't bear to see his reputation tarnished, but I will assign someone else to investigate the fire. Rest assured, we will get to the bottom of this.

What about the cases that Yu Cheng once investigated?

You'd best forget about those.

No matter what you intend to investigate, it's simply not a good time.

Why do you say that?

Lin Qingyan, you are a Deputy Minister in the Judicial Review Office, not some patrolwoman. Every case you handle has a ripple effect.

Your so-called 'act of justice' may very well become a dagger in the hands of those with ulterior motives.

So you know what's really going on with these cases, don't you?

Stay away from Yu Cheng's cases. That is my suggestion. Do not force me to make it an order.

Oh, and I have one final piece of advice...

You must learn to prioritize. The past is never as important as the present.

The young Deputy Minister is still standing in the same spot.

She walks down the path that's been cleared through the rubble, through the place that once held so many case files.

The arsonist's motive is quite clear: he never wanted those files to see the light of day.

Whether Yu Cheng fabricated evidence or not, all available clues in both cases point to Ning Shu.

But why would the Minister of Rites assassinate another high-ranking mandarin?

She bends down and brushes aside a charred beam, revealing a hint of green emerging from the ashes.

It's a pine tree.

Yu Cheng, you...

I planted this tree myself, right before I assumed my post in Baizao.

After I die, cut down the tree. Use its wood to fashion my coffin.

Lin Qingyan, it's almost time.

Do not forget.

This month's water bill is two thousand, and electricity is two thousand five hundred, while ingredient costs...

Go do your accounting somewhere else please. I can't stand you buzzing in my ear.

According to my calculations, if you can come up with another three thousand, we'll be able to keep the doors open past this month.

And where am I going to dig out that coin?

There are ways to do it—like the two months of meals owed by Wang the carpenter, or you can visit Shopkeeper Liu across the street and ask him for the balance he owes for last month's funeral banquet.

Collect enough of those outstanding debts, and we'll have what we need to make it through the month.

That's... less than ideal... isn't it?

Customers on credit are in a tough spot. Going up to them and calling in the debt right now... feels awkward, to say the least.

You want to play the good guy? Why, every time the rent collector comes calling, do you ask me to deal with him?

You're... big-boned. Even if the rent-collector is angry, he won't take you in a fight.

Maybe... there's another way...

Ding Feng Lou is coming here again today to hand out invitations to the competition.

They're hiring chefs in preparation for the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies. If you can manage to win the competition, the prize money alone will be enough to pay our rent through the end of the year!

No! No way, no how!

I am the proud owner and head chef of 'Savors at Yu's'! How could I stoop so low as to work for someone else?

This is no ordinary cook! The head chef of Ding Feng Lou doesn't take apprentices, but even a casual demonstration provides enough to keep most chefs learning for three to five years. Plenty of people dream of working under him, never to get the chance!

Besides, it's for the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies! The menu is recorded every year and passed down through generations. This is the lifelong dream of countless chefs—

Those who want to attend are free to go. I shall not.

Are you scared?

I'm not scared! You're scared!

Hmmph. What Feast of a Hundred Delicacies? It's nothing more than a group of old gray-hairs hosting a big dinner party.

All they ever talk is politics. They don't even have a chance to eat. It's a waste of time.

Just listen to your arrogance. You talk as if you've been there in person.

I've catered so many banquets. They're all the same.

You won't take any of my suggestions! I guess we're just going to let this restaurant fail then!

Good grief, with a boss like you, I've got to start making new career plans.

Okay, okay. If it's just another three thousand we need, I'll start making extra deliveries each day through the end of the month.

Have you no ambition? As a chef, don't you want your restaurant to do well? I'm not even sure why you opened it in the first place.

People need to eat, which means there has to be someone to cook for them. As long as we have customers who want to eat my food, this restaurant will do just fine.

More importantly, I promised I'd wait for a certain customer, and that one still haven't shown. I can't close the shop yet.

What customer? Who do you need to wait for?

It's just not time yet. A great stew demands patience. You have to add in the ingredients at just the right time.

There's no need to rush.

What's with this thing? I can't get any channels. I want to watch the news!

Hey. You're back.

Indeed.

What have you learned?

I brought some food for you. I found a new restaurant today. The kitchen stinks to high heaven, but the cooking is pretty solid.

Oh, right, there's one other thing. Today I found these snacks that my dad once sent me a long time ago.

Who gave you permission to leave you room as you please?

Wha?

Seriously? I've been living off takeout for three days straight. I just wanted to go out and grab a bite to eat—is that not allowed?

How many times have I told you? Your identity and status are extremely important; your current situation is dreadfully tenuous. Are you taking this seriously or not?

Lin Qingyan! Are you off your rocker? We already established the three rules. No one said I was confined to my room!

I had a good life back at Rhodes Island. Then you showed up and told me my father's death was suspicious, without giving any details.

I came all the way here to Baizao, the place where my dad used to live, and you still haven't told me anything! You've made me stay in this room, day after day, and now you have the gall to yell at me?

I... that is—

Forgive me. I should not have scolded you. The current situation is not as I had anticipated.

What 'situation'? Is there anything I can do to help?

I don't know. A lot of unexpected things happened in Baizao before we arrived.

If you would aid me, then simply do what you can to avoid danger, understood?

As for your father, I just happened to be handed that case a few years ago.

The case was originally being handled by my predecessor, someone I trusted deeply. Your father seemed to have been spending a lot of time pursuing a certain 'truth' in the last few years of his life.

His death was suspicious. Every clue we've found hints that there were larger forces at work there. How large? We don't know for certain, nor can we even hope to guess.

But your mere existence is the most important piece of evidence we have.

Blaze, I vow to you I will find the truth, and once I do, I will tell you everything.

However, until I do, I simply need you to trust me. I need you to cooperate with me.

By the way, what were you saying about your father just now?

I said I found these snacks that he used to send to me a long time ago.

And?

They don't taste the same as they used to. Maybe it's just because I'm remembering wrong.

The Yanese have a saying for this, right? 'The situation remains the same, yet the people have changed.'

No. That's not right. The situation has also changed.

Well then, a more apt saying would be, 'Times change, and with them, change all things.'

Too much time has passed. It will be very hard for us to find any clues left from back then.

But these are in fact one of the few things I've found in Baizao that relates to my father.

When I lived with my mother in Victoria, my dad would send them to me from time to time.

I figured that by the time I got my disease under control and figured out what I really believed in, my dad would be back in Victoria, waiting for me to come home. Naive.

Everyone longs for that sort of 'happy ending'.

And yet, by the time I found a place that could treat my Oripathy and finished some of the things I had to do with the bunny's crew... my dad... was gone.

Before you came and found me, I always thought my dad's death was an accident. I was sad, but there was nothing I could do about it.

But if you're telling me my father was murdered.... then that's an entirely different story.

I need to learn the truth. I owe that to my father... and myself.

In all truth, I know very little about what happened to your father. Many of the old archives have been lost, and very little information can be extracted from what remains.

Just from looking at the case files he left behind, we can see that your father worked as a ceremonial officer in the Ministry of Rites for over ten years but never got promoted. It seems he was not well-suited to serve in public office.

However, to stay in a position like that for over a decade... he must have been a good person.

Good people... good people also die.

She walks over to the window, closes her eyes, and rubs her temples.

The faraway city lights are shimmering in the twilight. The years of wandering are long over.

People today are moving from one stage of life to the next, as the city guides them and runs right behind them.

Many boundaries are blurred, many high walls become thoroughfares, many hurried footsteps pass over the paving stones. Not everyone is qualified to etch their name into the annals of history.