"Mr. Song, don't you think you've been inviting me to race horses too frequently these days?" Shen Huaian sat on his horse, looking at Song Yan who was galloping fast on the racecourse. Song Yan held the whip in his hand, looking rather exhausted.
Although Song Yan would invite him to the racecourse when he was in a bad mood, it used to be only once every six months. But now, it was almost once every half - month. Shen Huaian was just a businessman and didn't have that much energy.
After several times, he was physically worn out. Moreover, his shop was about to open, and he had too many things to do.
Hearing Shen Huaian's words, Song Yan pulled the reins, and the horse obediently stopped. Even after running on the racecourse for so long, the depression in his heart still hadn't dissipated.
"If you're not willing, just don't come next time." Song Yan's voice was not loud, but Shen Huaian heard it clearly. He knew that the other was angry again and quickly rode his horse to his side.
He handed the water flask in his hand to Song Yan and said with a smile, "Hey, what's our relationship? Don't say such things in the future. It'll hurt our brotherly bond."
Song Yan turned his head and glanced at Shen Huaian's smiling face but didn't say much. He took the water flask and took a big gulp.
Seeing that Song Yan wasn't being cold - spoken anymore, Shen Huaian knew the matter was over. He rode his horse side by side with Song Yan on the racecourse.
"You said a while ago that you'd found evidence to catch the murderer. Why do you look so glum now?" Shen Huaian held the reins and asked while walking. He remembered that it was only a few days ago when Song Yan was all excited, saying that the murderer would surely be caught. But just a few days later, looking at his expression, he knew the matter had hit a bottleneck.
Song Yan sighed softly. Just thinking about it made him angry. His brows were knitted like an unsolvable knot. "It's true that I found the evidence, but these days, the hand - painted lotus pattern has become popular both inside and outside the palace. This evidence is useless now."
"I heard that it was the Queen who started the trend of the hand - painted lotus. Could it be..."
"Don't make wild speculations." Before Shen Huaian could finish his sentence, Song Yan glared at him. Immediately, Shen Huaian shut his mouth and looked around at the servants. It wasn't appropriate to say such things in this place.
"Then do you have any idea what to do?" Shen Huaian quickly changed the topic.
Song Yan was silent for a moment, then suddenly sped up and rode his horse towards the stables.
"Let nature take its course. We'll surely find some clues." Song Yan's voice came to Shen Huaian's ears with the wind. Looking at his back, Shen Huaian could only shake his head helplessly.
When Song Yan returned to the Investigation Department, a clerk pulled him aside at the door. He looked around and then whispered in Song Yan's ear, "Sir, where have you been? Master Ye from the outskirts came to look for you just now."
Hearing Ye Zhiqiu's name, Song Yan patted his robe, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Where is he now?"
The clerk looked a bit embarrassed. After a pause, he slowly said, "When Master Ye came, some joking clerks in the department teased him, so he left first. It seems that he's angry."
"Teased him? What did they say?" Song Yan frowned when he heard this. He knew that there were a few clerks in the Investigation Department who couldn't keep their mouths shut and always liked to tease others. He had too many people and things to manage, so he usually didn't say much as long as they didn't go too far.
But this time...
For Ye Zhiqiu, who was always cold - tempered and uninterested in anything, to be angry, it must have been something serious.
"They saw that Master Ye was good - looking, so they called him a beauty at the door. Master Ye's face darkened immediately. I was going to invite him into the reception room to wait, but he didn't stay."
The clerk carefully recounted what had happened. As he was speaking, he saw that his superior's expression was getting worse. Immediately, he distanced himself from the matter and blamed those talkative clerks.
"Since you said that Master Ye is an important guest, sir, I tried my best to make him stay. But it seemed that Master Ye was really angry, and I couldn't persuade him. Master Ye also said that you should go to the private school where he teaches in the future."
Song Yan's face darkened even more. He lifted his robe, waved at the clerk and said coldly, "Tell the clerks who were involved in this matter today to sort out the archives in the storage room. They're not allowed to eat until they finish. Give them a good reminder to think before they speak next time. If I find out about such things again, it won't be just this."
The clerk knew that those clerks had really stepped on a landmine when he saw Song Yan's serious expression. How unlucky they were to cause such a thing when the superior was in a bad mood.
He silently mourned for those trouble - making clerks in his heart.
After returning to the Investigation Department, Song Yan changed into a clean set of clothes before going to see Ye Zhiqiu. After getting ready, he headed towards the private school in the outskirts.
When he arrived, he saw a person sitting in the yard. There was a large pile of things on the table beside him. His moon - colored long gown glowed faintly in the light. His black hair was tied up with a white jade hairpin.
His beautiful eyebrows were relaxed as he was sipping the tea in his cup indifferently.
Just looking at him, it was like a painting. No wonder the clerks in the department had teased him as a beauty. Even Song Yan himself couldn't help but silently sigh when he saw this scene.
"You're here." Ye Zhiqiu didn't turn around. He spoke indifferently. From his voice, it was hard to tell what mood he was in.
Knowing that he was in the wrong, Song Yan stepped forward and sat down in front of Ye Zhiqiu. He apologized for what had happened before. "I failed to discipline my subordinates well. I hope Master Ye won't take it to heart."
Ye Zhiqiu raised his eyes and glanced in Song Yan's direction. There was no expression on his face, and there was not the slightest hint of emotion in his eyes. He put the tea cup on the table with a soft sound and ignored Song Yan's polite words.
"I came to you today because of the popular lotus tattoos in the city." He got straight to the point. Song Yan wasn't surprised at this question. He had expected Ye Zhiqiu to ask about this.
"Do you also suspect that it was deliberately done by the Queen in the palace?" Song Yan paused and then asked.
Ye Zhiqiu tapped his fingertips on the stone table. His beautiful eyebrows frowned slightly. "I don't know much about the affairs in the palace. When you went to the palace to report this matter to the Emperor that day, did you notice anything unusual?"
"There are many people with many eyes in the palace. Every person there could be an informant arranged by the ministers or concubines. Even if there really was something unusual, it wouldn't be easy to find out." Song Yan rubbed his temples. It was obvious that he found this matter very troublesome.
"You should have been to the palace once before..."