In the southern main street of the city, the ancient clock tower stood tall at its center, its surface marked with the passage of time. Below it, a slowly gathering crowd buzzed with conversation.

The age-old clock atop the tower was now encircled by screens. In front of these screens were red cloth, incense, candles, and offerings.

As agreed, Huang Hu, with his four assistants, had arrived and stood to the side. Huang Hu’s face bore a serious expression, while his assistants, puzzled, looked to him, uncertain.

Ye Nanqiao circled the group, scrutinizing them, then stood at the center facing the crowd below and shouted, “Fellow townspeople, not long ago, Huang, a shopkeeper from Tong’an Town, lost a sum of money. The local authorities couldn’t help him, so he turned to Bingchen. I know I shouldn’t overstep my bounds, but Huang’s sincere plea was hard to ignore. Thanks to your trust, today Bingchen will expose the culprit for Huang.”

“Interesting!” some onlookers who loved a spectacle clapped and cheered.

The four assistants, however, looked uneasy after hearing this. Ye Nanqiao turned and tapped the screen lightly before speaking again, “This ancient clock has stood in Jiangnan for over a thousand years. Though it’s long been neglected and fallen into disrepair, I discovered an amazing feature – it can discern truth from lies.”

Ye Nanqiao gestured towards the screen, signaling the four assistants, “Step inside, touch the ancient clock, and declare your innocence. If anyone lies, the clock will chime loudly, revealing the thief.”

The crowd below murmured with doubt. Some older residents of Jiangnan City expressed skepticism, having never heard of such a thing.

A voice from the crowd called out, “Master, we don’t mean to doubt you, but we’ve never heard this clock chime.”

Huang Hu, being a foreigner, was unaware of these details. Hearing the crowd’s comments, he became increasingly anxious and stepped forward to speak but was stopped by a look from Ye Nanqiao.

With a confident smile, Ye Nanqiao gestured invitingly to the assistants, “There’s no deceit in my words. Let’s put it to the test.”

Left with no choice, the four assistants entered the screen one by one and stood around the ancient clock.

The dark screens cast a dim light over the small space. Soon, their voices echoed from within.

“I, Yuan Daxing, have always been upright and honest, never involved in thievery,” one declared.

“As a simple man with little education, I know not to betray Huang, who treats me well,” another stated.

“I, Zhao Wuji, despise cowards. Whoever did it should confess quickly,” the third announced.

“Everyone knows I'm honest. If I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it. No need to explain,” the fourth asserted.

After their statements, the ancient clock remained silent, casting an eerie stillness over the scene.

The crowd below grew restless, some calling the demonstration boring and dispersing, but many remained, craning their necks for what would happen next.

Huang Hu looked anxious, about to speak but restrained himself.

Suddenly, Ye Nanqiao grabbed Zhao Wuji’s arm, “Speak up, where did you hide the money?”

Zhao Wuji glared, “Master, I respect you for Huang’s sake. Don’t make baseless accusations without evidence.”

Seeing Zhao Wuji’s denial, Ye Nanqiao raised his hand, revealing a layer of lime on his palm, “Isn’t the evidence right here?”

Then, Ye Nanqiao lifted the hand of Liu Ergou standing beside him—his palm, too, was coated with lime, unknown to all until that moment.

Ye Nanqiao fixed his gaze on Zhao Wuji without an ounce of retreat: “This clock has long been in disrepair, how could it chime? But my claim about its ability to discern truth from lies wasn’t entirely false. Before you all arrived, I had applied a layer of lime to the ancient clock. In the dimness of the screen, naturally, you couldn’t see clearly. Those innocent of theft followed my instruction to touch the clock, hence getting a layer of lime on their hands. But you, guilty of theft and with a guilty conscience, dared not touch the clock, leaving your hands clean.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Ergou and the other two assistants extended their hands for a closer look, indeed finding them coated in lime. Only Zhao Wuji’s hands were clean.

The crowd erupted into murmurs.

Ye Nanqiao released Liu Ergou’s hand but still firmly grasped Zhao Wuji, a smile on his face: “Anything to explain?”

Huang Hu, infuriated, charged forward and grabbed Zhao Wuji by the collar, delivering a punch.

“You, Zhao Wuji, I treated you well all these days. Knowing the money was for saving our master’s life, why resort to such vile acts?”

Zhao Wuji touched his reddened cheek, smirking rather than angry, a fierce gleam in his eyes.

“Caught by you, I have nothing to say. But that young master won't live either. Relying on his status, he insulted my sister, bullied countless innocent girls in the village. Your blind loyalty will only harm more people.” Indifferent, Zhao Wuji closed his eyes, “Kill me if you wish, but he must join me in death. The silver is already sunk in the Yonghuai River, you'll never find it.”

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The crowd buzzed with discussions on hearing Zhao Wuji's words.

Huang Hu, stunned by Zhao Wuji’s statement, didn't argue but nodded to Ye Nanqiao: “Thank you, sir. I need to ponder this matter, I shall take my leave for today.”

Ye Nanqiao sighed, watching the silent Zhao Wuji, and bid farewell to Huang Hu.

Huang Hu, pulling Zhao Wuji, descended the clock tower, followed by the three assistants who bowed slightly to Ye Nanqiao before leaving.

As the excitement dwindled, the crowd dispersed, but Zhao Wuji’s deeds became a hot topic of discussion.

Nearby, a simple carriage’s curtain slowly dropped. A deep voice emerged, “Let’s go, nothing more to see here.”

At the carriage’s front sat a handsome man with jet-black hair, holding a long sword, one hand on the reins—Wei Zhaoyang, the adopted son of the former Prime Minister Wei Chongyun.

Wei Zhaoyang, watching the dispersing crowd, drove the carriage away, muttering softly, “Sir, what do you make of this Bingchen? Young, yet exceedingly clever. Didn’t expect such a character in Jiangnan City.”

“He could be of great use,” the deep voice in the carriage replied, followed by a cold snort, “As for the magistrate, it’s time he opened his eyes.”

The carriage gradually moved off, the crowd finally thinning out.

Ye Nanqiao, after seeing off Huang Hu, grabbed an apple from the offerings in front of the screen, and was about to leave when he noticed Ye Nanqiao smiling at him from below—

His skin was like jade, his brows expressing a faint sorrow. His eyes seemed to hold endless stories, yet the gaze on Ye Nanqiao sparkled like dazzling stars.

In that moment of eye contact, the air seemed to solidify, time rapidly rewinding——

In the twelfth year of Zhenghua, on the Winter Solstice, heavy snowflakes cascaded down.

Twelve-year-old Ye Nanqiao, nonchalantly strolled down the street under an umbrella.

Close behind, her similarly aged maid, Xiao Bei, followed with a tearful voice, "Miss, if we don’t return home soon, the master will scold me again. It’s Winter Solstice; we can’t miss dinner."

"Don’t worry, he won’t scold you because of me. Just a few more minutes, and we’ll head back. I promise to be seated before dinner," Ye Nanqiao winked at Xiao Bei and continued her stroll.

Xiao Bei sighed in resignation but loyally remained by Ye Nanqiao’s side.

Nearby, two young guards chased a raggedly dressed urchin towards them.

“Stop! You little wretch. Don’t run!”

The urchin was cornered in an alley, pinned to the ground by the guards.

The urchin, barely ten and surprisingly pretty, had an almost girlish look.

A fur-clad young master, about fourteen or fifteen, protected by two guards, approached and crouched beside the urchin, patting his face, “Quite a beauty.”

The young master signaled the guards with a glance, and two stepped forward to take the urchin away.

Ye Nanqiao, spotting the young master, hastened forward, blocking the guards, “Let him go!”

The young master, seeing Ye Nanqiao, sneered, “You’re everywhere. Who’d dare marry a girl who roams the streets all day?”

Ye Nanqiao glared at Yan Hao and pulled the urchin from the guards' grasp, “My affairs are none of your concern. But if you dare cause trouble, I'll go to the authorities now!”

Knowing Ye Nanqiao’s reputation for being difficult, the young master waved dismissively and left with his guards, muttering “Bad luck” as he passed her.

Ye Nanqiao extended her hand to the urchin, Xiao Bei hurriedly tugged at her sleeve.

The urchin shivered from cold and fright.

Ignoring Xiao Bei, Ye Nanqiao helped the urchin up and draped her fur over him.

The urchin flinched, but Ye Nanqiao caught him, “Are you okay? Can I take you home?”

“I have no home…” Wuyue replied softly, stepping back.

As Ye Nanqiao pondered a solution, Wuyue removed the fur, placing it back in her hands, “It’s okay, you don’t have to worry about me. Thanks for saving me today.”

Looking into the boy's bright eyes, Ye Nanqiao took a deep breath, draped the fur over him again, and briskly led him towards the outskirts of the city. "Don't worry, Master Yuanjin of Fuhua Temple is very kind. You can stay there for now."

Xiao Bei, unable to stop her, followed closely, murmuring with her head down, "Oh no, I'm going to get scolded again today... Miss, wait for me..."

As the trio gradually moved away, the sun slowly set in the sky, eventually leaving the moon hanging high.

Back at Ye Manor, in the study, the bronze candlestick flickered, casting a gentle glow. Ye Lan sat solemnly at his rosewood desk, engrossed in his scrolls—

His concentration only broken when Ye Nanqiao cautiously opened the door.

Ye Lan's face showed displeasure, "So you remember to come back. I thought you had been carried off by wolves."

Ye Nanqiao pursed her lips and stood obediently in front of the desk, "Father, I'm sorry... Please forgive me... I won't do it again..."

"Again?" Ye Lan looked up, a hint of resignation in his tone.

"No more next times. From now on, I'll stay at home every day to keep you company."

"You say that, but it sounds better than it is sung."

Ye Nanqiao’s cheeks reddened as she chuckled and pulled out a small red pouch from her pocket, placing it on the desk, "I know you're leaving tomorrow and won’t be back until next year, so I got this amulet from the temple. Keep it with you for a safe journey and good fortune!"

"You sure have a way with words," Ye Lan smiled helplessly, patting Ye Nanqiao’s head and pointing to the side table, "Your Aunt Wanqiu made this especially for you. It should still be warm."

In the center of the table was a delicate food box.

"When did Aunt Wanqiu come?!" Ye Nanqiao exclaimed in surprise and sat down happily. Opening the box, she found a small plate of steaming dumplings.

"This afternoon. If certain people hadn’t sneaked out, they would have just met her—"

"Father!" Ye Nanqiao interrupted Ye Lan while eating the dumplings, "When is she leaving?"

"Tomorrow, she'll leave with me. We’re going to Jiangnan and then to the Northwest. She mentioned a trip to the Western Regions."

"So soon?" Ye Nanqiao’s joy faded, the dumplings losing their flavor, "I don't think she misses me at all…"

Pouting, Ye Nanqiao gazed out the window—

The sky, like silver velvet, sprinkled white snowflakes, covering the land in a profound silence.

The snow, falling heavier now.