I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

"Chief Prosecutor, I think we should put the case of the furniture factory and the guesthouse on hold. It's been several days, and Director Xie Hui hasn't found any useful clues. The investigation has also stalled. We should terminate this case as soon as possible. The longer it drags on, the more passive it will be for our work."

As soon as Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang finished speaking at the meeting, Xie Hui frowned and retorted, "I disagree with Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang. Although there is no conclusive evidence yet, the experienced workers at the lumber mill identified them a couple of days ago, and they are indeed suspected of using inferior materials, inflating prices, and embezzling state funds."

"Xie Hui," Deputy Chief Prosecutor Wang said in a gentle but reproachful tone, "didn't you go to the furniture factory to ask the next day? They told you that the furniture was exquisitely crafted, and although the price was a bit high, it was within a reasonable range. It was expensive, but that was the work of a master craftsman, and it can't be priced the same as furniture made by an ordinary worker."

"But I did a special investigation yesterday, and the furniture made from the same period, the same type of wood, and the same materials had a huge price difference compared to the batch at the guesthouse. This probably can't be explained by the workers' craftsmanship," Xie Hui continued to refute.

"I've looked at the information you mentioned. That's furniture made for a leader's home, and it can't be compared to the standard furniture for a guesthouse. You didn't mention any other units ordering the same furniture during the same period, right? No. So what makes you think there's a problem with the price? Material prices fluctuate; today's price might be higher tomorrow, and lower the day after. It's all unpredictable."

"Also, about that experienced lumber mill foreman you found the other day. Yesterday, our procuratorate notified him to come and write his expert opinion, but he refused. He said directly that what he said was just his personal opinion and shouldn't be taken as definitive. You see, we've gone through all this trouble for nothing."

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang paused, then continued, "I personally spoke with the furniture factory manager, and he said that the materials used in the guesthouse were leftovers from before. The wood quality is excellent, and the craftsmanship is superb, hence the higher price. I agree with this assessment. I hope Comrade Xie Hui won't get bogged down in this and strain our relationship with the major local factories. You may not know, but the Supreme People's Procuratorate is also under pressure from the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, receiving a letter daily inquiring about the case's progress. I hope you can consider the bigger picture and resolve this case as soon as possible, without causing even greater trouble because of saving face." His tone grew increasingly stern.

"Yes, I think Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang is quite right. If we just blindly follow whatever anyone says, we'd be ruined. We should improve our ability to distinguish right from wrong, shouldn't we? It's not worth wasting so much energy and resources on something unknown just because of a few words from someone else." Section Chief Han of the Self-Investigation Section immediately and unequivocally supported Deputy Chief Prosecutor Huang's opinion.

"I, Xie Hui, have a clear conscience and have done my job well for the country and the Party. As long as there is even the slightest clue, I will investigate to the end. Since I have taken this job, I will not just drift along and do nothing. I must live up to this uniform." Xie Hui did not back down.

"How dare you talk like that? Do you know how much trouble this will cause the prosecutor's office? Are you the only good person in the prosecutor's office?" Section Chief Han straightened up abruptly and glared at Xie Hui.

"Alright, alright, alright, what kind of talk is this!" The chief prosecutor slammed his hand on the table, his brow furrowed, quickly stopping the argument. "We're here to discuss matters, not to argue and shout. The case isn't even resolved yet, and we're already causing trouble internally."

"Knock, knock," came a knock on the door, and a young staff member pushed it open and entered. "Chief Prosecutor, I have something to report to you." He walked to the chief prosecutor's side and whispered a few words in his ear. As he spoke, the chief prosecutor's expression grew increasingly grim.

After the staff left, the chief prosecutor remained silent, his face grim. Everyone stared at him with puzzled expressions. After a moment, he finally spoke: "Xie Hui, news has come from the detention center—the deputy director of the furniture factory has recanted his testimony."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Detention center.

"I confess, I confess! I made those false accusations, I deserve to die. I hope the government will execute me, it's all my fault..." Deputy Factory Director Liu was agitated, his voice trembling, and he seemed very abnormal. His eyes were bloodshot and wide open as he shouted repeatedly at the two people who came to investigate.

The two uniformed men exchanged a glance, and one of them asked, "You mean you were talking nonsense back then?"

"Yes, yes, I was talking nonsense, I deserve to die!"

"Alright, you answered my questions. But why did you say those things?"

"It was Xie... Director Xie, Director Xie from the procuratorate, it was him! He misled me. He said if I wanted a reduced sentence or a lighter punishment, I had to do good deeds and report others, then I could get a reduced sentence. He told me to report others..."

"I'm warning you," the other man said sternly, "if you start making baseless accusations now, you'll be guilty of an even more serious offense. Think it through."

"Government, everything I'm saying is true! Everything I'm saying now is true! I was out of my mind and believed Director Xie, which led me to make this mistake. I can't continue down this wrong path... I plead guilty, I accept my punishment..."

Seeing that Deputy Factory Director Liu kept repeating "I confess, I accept the punishment," the two men knew they wouldn't get any more information out of him, so they ended the interrogation and went back to report.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.