By early evening, Ryou took Keqing home first, stopped by his uncle's place, then bought some packing materials. After wrapping the fruit neatly, they headed over to Yanfei's house.
It was Ryou's first time visiting, and it wasn't what he expected at all. In his mind, lawyers were loaded—lavish homes, generational wealth, the whole picture. And Yanfei wasn't just any lawyer. At her level, she should've been living somewhere far nicer. Instead, her place felt… ordinary. Maybe a bit better than the average family's home, but nothing that screamed "rich."
If there was one thing going for it, it was the location. Her law office was close to his place, and this area was prime real estate. The land alone was worth a fortune.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door opened. The moment Yanfei saw Ryou and Keqing, her expression changed.
"You don't need to explain," she said coldly. "There's nothing to talk about."
Click. The door shut in their faces.
Ryou and Keqing stared at the closed door, completely thrown. They hadn't even made it inside—getting Yanfei to talk this out wasn't going to be easy.
Ryou looked away first. "Let's go. Some things can't be forced. We'll have to take it slow."
Keqing nodded. She knew this wouldn't be simple, so she followed him back.
On the way, Keqing lowered her voice. "Yanfei's still angry. I think she'll calm down eventually, but… you need to be careful for a while. She might come after you. She knows the law, and we don't."
"It's fine," Ryou said, pulling her closer. He didn't look worried. He and Yanfei had clashed, sure, but it wasn't some blood feud. As long as she cooled off, it would pass.
Still, Keqing had a point. For the next little while, he'd better watch his step.
…
The next morning, Ryou arrived at the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
"Ryou-sama—something happened!" a staffer rushed up to him.
"Stop panicking," Ryou said, walking inside at the same unhurried pace. "If something happened, then explain it properly."
The Ministry handled every kind of messy problem. Trouble wasn't unusual. And even if it was serious, he could always throw a few buffs on the staff and let them deal with it. If the buffs were strong enough, he wouldn't need to lift a finger.
"Ryou-sama, it's… Yanfei came here in person earlier and took several of our people. She accused them of corruption and bribery—and said they even accepted Mora from the Fatui. Then she demanded an explanation about the Northland Bank case. She found out we never interrogated the Northland Bank staff we arrested, and she said if we can't justify that, she'll expose us publicly for dereliction of duty!"
Ryou went quiet for a moment. Then he asked, "The Northland Bank people are still locked up?"
"Yes," the staffer said, scratching his head. "Childe couldn't get them out last time. After that, our wanted notice went out, so they couldn't pull anything else."
"I see." Ryou nodded.
To be honest, he'd almost forgotten about them. The Northland Bank mess really was a headache. Back then, he'd locked them up to buy time and delay the Rite of Descension—and they'd been sitting in custody ever since.
Now the bank itself was in hot water, so there was no one left who could rescue them. And Yanfei had seized the opening to go straight at him.
Once Ryou pieced it together, it all made sense. He glanced at the staffer. "What are you panicking for? I'll handle it. Get back to work."
"Yes!" The staffer hurried off.
Not long after Ryou reached his office, Zhongli arrived.
"You've heard about Yanfei?" Zhongli asked the moment he stepped in.
"Mhm." Ryou nodded, calmly starting to brew tea. Only after it was ready did he speak. "Have some tea. We can talk slowly. It's not a big deal."
"You're taking this lightly," Zhongli said, but he sat down anyway and tasted the tea.
"Good tea," he said, eyes narrowing slightly. "This is better than last time. One of the adeptus teas from Yilong Wharf, isn't it?"
Ryou chuckled. "I visited my father yesterday. He gave me some. And you've got a good palate—you recognized it right away."
"Drink enough tea and you learn," Zhongli said, pouring himself another cup. Then his tone shifted. "But about you and Yanfei… do you want me to speak to her? I still have a little influence. Letting this drag on isn't good for either of you."
He took another sip. "And if the Fatui end up being cleared in this… that's not a good outcome."
The Fatui? Cleared?
Ryou nearly doubted it was Zhongli talking. After all, this was the same man who had worked with La Signora.
He blew on his tea, took a small sip, then said, "No need. Keqing and I went to see her yesterday. She wouldn't even let us through the door. This time, she's using the Fatui as her excuse to come at me."
He set the cup down. "The Northland Bank case is annoying, sure, but it's not unsolvable."
"I know a bit about it," Zhongli said. "You had a pretext when you made the arrests, but… you don't have evidence. Even if La Signora squeezed answers out of them and covered some things up afterward, Yanfei has clearly guessed what's going on."
He poured himself another cup. "So what's your plan?"
Ryou watched him and sighed. "Are you here to talk, or are you here to empty my teapot? You've poured yourself three cups in five sentences."
Zhongli kept drinking as if he hadn't heard.
Ryou tapped his finger against the desk. "I don't have evidence. If Yanfei insists on pushing that point, then fine—I'll apologize."
He leaned back. "As for compensation? Then Northland Bank can compensate the Ministry of Civil Affairs first. They're the ones who wrecked our place."
"Cough—!" Zhongli choked on his tea.
So that was the angle—turn it around and send the bank the bill. Zhongli could already see the shameless story coming: some "time-honored" legacy, priceless losses, maybe even a conveniently destroyed heirloom.
He shot Ryou a look. "And you think Yanfei's going to buy that?"
Ryou snorted. "Zhongli, you've got it backwards. I'm in charge of the Ministry. What I say goes."
He spread his hands. "Besides, the Ministry being burned is a fact, isn't it? If I say my family heirloom was destroyed in that fire, then Northland Bank has to pay, right?"
He smiled. "Let's say it was worth five hundred million Mora. Do you think Northland Bank pays or not?"
Zhongli stared at him, speechless. The argument sounded less like something a clever man would say and more like something a street thug would pull.
But… it might actually work.
The Ministry really had burned, and Ryou had taken over before the incident. If he insisted on some "lost legacy," who could prove otherwise?
Ryou reached for the kettle and froze. "So don't worry—hey! You drank it all!"
"Ahem. I should go handle official matters," Zhongli said, downing the last of his tea and standing up in one smooth motion.
"Zhongli—" Ryou called after him.
The man was already gone.
"He came here to mooch my tea," Ryou muttered.
Before he could complain any more, Huixin rushed in, out of breath.
"Something happened! Yanfei is here!"
"Oh?" Ryou finished his tea in one gulp. "She came fast. Let's go. I want to see what she thinks she's doing."
In the main hall, Yanfei stood waiting not far away.
"Yanfei-san," Ryou said evenly, "what brings you here?"
"Ryou-san," Yanfei said, staring straight at him, "I'm here because I investigated a case under your Ministry that has serious problems."
"What case?" Ryou asked.
"The Northland Bank case." Yanfei's words came one after another, sharp and precise. "Yes, Northland Bank has never had a good reputation. But after you arrested their staff, their reputation collapsed overnight."
She lifted her chin. "I'm not here to defend Northland Bank. I'm here because this case has issues from the ground up."
"It's been over half a month since you detained them. Yes, the incident involving La Signora caused an uproar, but I'm asking the Ministry of Civil Affairs directly: what results have you found in the Northland Bank case?"
"You claimed—repeatedly—that you would announce the investigation results to the public. So I'll ask you plainly: do you have results or not?"
Yanfei didn't blink. "You arrested Northland Bank employees, yet you never conducted any investigation or interrogation. Can you explain why?"
Her voice hardened. "Or was this deliberate?"
Zhongli stood off to the side and sighed quietly. With this much hostility in the air, he knew making peace between them wouldn't be easy. Yanfei's anger was burning hot, and it wouldn't settle quickly.
More and more Yujing Terrace staff gathered around, watching with open excitement, all of them waiting to see how Ryou would answer.
Ryou looked at Yanfei and smiled.
"If Yanfei-san wants an answer," he said calmly, "then I'll give you one."
He met her eyes. "Yes. I arrested those people on purpose."
He tilted his head slightly. "Satisfied with that explanation?"
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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