Chapter 10: A Case Within a Case – Public Humiliation of Kim Shi-ok

Going out now and getting caught by Chai Zixin isn't a big deal.

The key is to get away from those two.

There must be spies within the Imperial Academy. If she leaves rashly, she will expose her whereabouts and know that she heard everything from beginning to end. Even her status as a princess might not guarantee her safety.

However, if they don't go out and wait until class at Jingxie Hall is over before leaving, they will be forced to skip class, and Huangfu Li will find out, and their whereabouts will be completely exposed.

If Huangfu Li knew that she had secretly sneaked into the Jingxie Hall to study magical artifacts, all her six years of pretending to be stupid would have been for nothing.

In short, it's all the same, either way, it's death.

"Why am I in another dilemma?" Jin Suiqing felt a throbbing pain in her forehead. She pounded her forehead and muttered, "Jin Suiqing, curiosity really killed the cat. You had to come out and look at the machinery. Use your brain! Quickly think of a way to get out of here unscathed!"

Her mind raced, and after a moment's thought, Jin Suiqing decisively stuffed the sulfur machine into her purse and hid it under her petticoat. She gritted her teeth, grabbed the edge of the tablecloth with her small hands, and gave it a hard tug.

She tried her best the first time and finally managed to pull the helmet off the edge of the table.

The crackling sound erupted in the silent Jingyi Hall, a loud and resounding noise that echoed as far as it rolled!

Startled, Chai Zixin jumped up on the spot, clutching the teaching aids in his arms in a panic, and turned around sharply: "Who! Who's there!"

After a moment of silence, Chai Zixin stammered, "M...Master?" Chai Zixin was terrified and easily frightened; he was so scared he almost peed himself. He shuffled closer to the table and tapped it lightly four times.

Chai Zixin: "This...the magical artifacts here...haven't seen any blood...If you want revenge, go somewhere else...somewhere else."

Unable to bear the glare, Jin Suiqing seized the moment when he had just breathed a sigh of relief and immediately started crying at the top of his lungs.

After six years of crying, Jin Suiqing honed her acting skills to perfection. Her crying quotient was extremely high, her cries were heart-wrenching, and she howled like a ghost. Chai Zixin's soul flew to the heavens, and she let out a sharp cry like a eunuch, then jumped onto the table with a "Ya".

Outside the door, students arriving for class heard the screams and hurriedly pushed the door open.

What comes into view is the ugly sight of firewood standing tall and trembling.

The students: "..."

Chai Zixin was on the verge of tears, pointing under the table: "There's...there's a ghost."

The students looked down at the table.

According to legend, the incredibly dull-witted little princess rubbed her eyes, slowly crawled out from under the table, and plopped down on the ground.

Her eyes were so big they looked unfocused, and she looked terrible from crying, gasping for breath, tears and snot streaming down her face.

Chai Zixin's jaw dropped in astonishment: "The Little Princess?!"

Jin Suiqing turned the tables and said, "Teacher Chai, I got lost and fell asleep, waaaaaah, you scared me..."

Chai Zixin forgot about being embarrassed, pinched his thigh hard, jumped off the table, and squatted in front of Jin Suiqing.

"Little...Little Princess, what are you doing here?"

"I'm lost! I'm lost! I told you I'm lost!" Jin Suiqing yelled, "And you still called me a ghost! Waaaaah..."

Chai Zixin was at a loss. After being trained by Jin Suiqing for three years, he developed a disease that caused him to "suffocate when he sees the little princess." He almost fainted. He pinched his philtrum hard and said, "I misspoke. The little princess is not a ghost."

However, it was useless.

Jin Suiqing was already crying so hard that she forgot herself.

No one dared to advise them, and no one could advise them.

Beside her, Chai Zixin, who was nearly unconscious, mustered his last strength and shouted:

"Quick! Go get reinforcements!" the eunuch, who looked like he'd been castrated, shouted. "Go to the middle class and find Jin Shiyu!"

Amidst the chaos of war, Jin Shiyu leisurely arrived at the Jingxie Hall.

The students stood in unison, lining the path, looking at the young boy with a hint of pity.

Kim Shi-ok ignored it; he didn't feel ashamed.

Jin Suiqing's foolish deeds were far more than just one; he had long been used to them.

He greeted Chai Zixin first, then went to Jin Suiqing's side, stood there, and quietly watched his younger sister, who was sitting on the ground throwing a tantrum.

When Jin Suiqing's loud sobs turned into sobs, Jin Shiyu said calmly, "Have you cried enough?"

Jin Suiqing fluttered her short eyelashes, looked up at Jin Shiyu, and gasped, "No, brother, it's because Teacher Chai said I'm a ghost."

“You’re not a ghost now,” Jin Shiyu said. “If you cry again, you will be a ghost.”

Jin Suiqing pouted: "I'm not a ghost, but my brother bullies me too."

“No one dares to bully you, Jin Suiqing.” Jin Shiyu squatted down and wiped away the tears from Jin Suiqing’s chin. “You’re the only one who has the right to bully others.”

Jin Shiyu's hands were white and icy, and when they touched her face, they felt like porcelain, which made her flinch.

His words were soft and cold, chilling even to the bone.

Does Kim Si-ok mean that she bullied him?

indeed.

From childhood to adulthood, it seems that it was always her who caused Jin Shiyu distress, bloodshed, and tears.

That should be considered bullying.

Jin Suiqing felt guilty, but what she really thought was that Jin Shiyu was a big idiot.

Without her, according to the original book, Kim Si-ok's life would be a hundred times more difficult than it is now.

They would never have enough to eat or wear, and would be ridden like a dog by Jin Suiqing every day. They could not learn anything and would remain illiterate.

Jin Shiyu can still speak, but what about Jin Suiqing? And to whom can she speak?

She came into this world alone, found herself in a dilemma, clinging to life while also having to outwit and outmaneuver the system, and try to take care of the person in front of her who might take her life in the future.

Jin Suiqing felt wronged.

Jin Suiqing, who had been faking her tears, suddenly had the urge to cry for real, and large tears welled up in her eyes: "Brother is just bullying me and hates me. Go away and leave me alone."

Kim Shi-ok actually laughed.

His face was as bright as the silver moon, and his eyes were captivating, so beautiful that Jin Suiqing could hardly discern the emotions in his eyes.

"If I don't take care of my sister, who will?" Jin Shiyu's voice was barely audible. "Is it my father, or your Crown Prince brother?"

Jin Suiqing could never tell whether Jin Shiyu looked at her with disgust or pity, so she was stunned.

I couldn't quite hear what Kim Shi-ok just said.

Is he concerned about her?

Jin Suiqing looked at Jin Shiyu with disbelief, trying to figure out what Jin Shiyu was thinking.

Jin Shiyu avoided her gaze and pinched Jin Suiqing's earlobe harder: "Don't embarrass yourself, you crybaby."

Jin Suiqing couldn't figure it out, so she could only pretend to be stupid. She grabbed Jin Shiyu's hand that was pinching her earlobe, her warm, soft palm embracing Jin Shiyu's cold fingertips, and pouted, "I'm not a ghost..."

“She got lost, talked back to the teacher, and skipped class,” Jin Shiyu said, lifting her up with one hand and placing her skillfully in the crook of her arm. “Go home. My sister doesn’t like going to school, so she won’t go anymore.”

"I don't dislike it!"

She called out, but Jin Shiyu didn't listen. Jin Suiqing struggled, constantly stealing glances at the magic weapon, "I want to go to school, I want to go to school, I want to go to school with my brother!"

She hasn't studied enough about magic weapons yet, so she can't skip school.

Jin Shiyu sneered: "You've never liked studying since you were little, so why should you go to school?"

Jin Suiqing blushed, thinking to herself, "I was just pretending before," but said aloud, "Because...because my brother is also in school, and I want to be with him."

Jin Shiyu paused, turned and stared at her with a strange expression.

Jin Suiqing feigned tears again and said against her will, "I love my brother and I only want to be with him."

Jin Shiyu raised an eyebrow and pinched her cheek with her fingers, which she had warmed: "Crying, or lying?"

"I'm not lying! I love my brother! I love my brother!"

Jin Suiqin went all out, and Jin Shiyu pretended to be deaf, letting her shout. He carried her through the crowd of students and walked out.

After calling out several times without response, Jin Suiqing hugged Jin Shiyu's neck, looked around at the people staring at her like she was an idiot, and cried out loudly, "Brother is a big idiot!"

Jin Shiyu remained silent, but deliberately tossed Jin Suiqing upwards. Afraid of falling, Jin Suiqing stopped talking and quickly hugged him even tighter.

Jin Suiqing's mind was filled with the curses of "Bastard Jin Shiyu," and the system coldly announced, "Ding, mission complete."

Jin Suiqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the system isn't very intelligent, so this can be considered a way of "humiliating Kim Shi-ok in public." Although we still don't know what Kim Shi-ok is thinking, at least the task at hand has been completed.

She feigned ignorance, and Huangfu Li had students who could testify that the little princess was being unreasonable and utterly foolish.

Moreover, regarding the matter of cheating, she took the sulfur burner, and within a few hours, Chai Zixin would report that the sulfur burner had been stolen.

Within Ziwei City, each sulfur-burning machine has a unique code, all registered and impossible to forge or replace. Its sudden theft is a serious matter; the National Academy will certainly investigate the cause and locate the stolen sulfur-burning machine.

Chai Zixin wouldn't suspect her, being mentally challenged; he would only suspect the two students who plotted the cheating. The two students were in a passive position and would certainly not confess to cheating during the investigation.

First, they were wary of the person behind the scenes; second, they were well aware of the severity of the charges.

In the midst of this power struggle, regardless of whether Chai Zixin proactively mentions what he heard at Jingxietang, she and Chai Zixin, as witnesses, are temporarily safe until there is a result regarding the theft of the sulfur engine.

During this period, she must find a way to identify the mastermind behind the fraud case, obtain evidence, and take countermeasures.

It can be considered as saving her and Chai Zixin's lives.

Nestled in Jin Shiyu's arms, Jin Suiqing secretly glanced at Chai Zixin, who looked exhausted, inside the Jingxie Hall.

Hopefully, Chai Zixin will be quick-witted.

The city of Ziwei is shrouded in turmoil, its affairs unclear and uncertain.

Only when the water is clear will the giant turtle have nowhere to hide and become anxious.

Only after they lose their composure can you deliver a fatal blow.

*

As expected, less than an hour after Jin Shiyu brought her back to the manor, Jin Suiqing, who was pretending to be asleep, was woken up by Huihong.

Huihong clutched the half-finished embroidery pouch and whispered, "Little Princess? Little Princess? People from Ziwei City have arrived, and they look hostile. On her first day of school, did the Little Princess get into trouble?"

Jin Suiqing pretended to rub her eyes, which were sticky and gooey, and feigned surprise, saying, "No...no."

Not only did they commit a crime, but they committed a very serious one.

Without leaving a trace, Jin Suiqing pushed the sulfur generator hidden under the pillow further in.

Huihong, pale-faced, clutched her chest and said, "It's good that I didn't do anything wrong. The Imperial Guards came; they scared me to death."

As Jin Suiqing was getting dressed, she noticed the new purse on Huihong's waist, embroidered with a pair of lovebirds.

She asked, "I've never seen you wear this pouch before."

Huihong's cheeks flushed red, and she stammered, "Mmm."

The pattern of lovebirds is not something that can be given away casually.

After spending several years together, Jin Suiqing and Huihong grew much closer.

When Huihong was twelve years old, she fell seriously ill, and her family sold her to a slave trader to fend for herself.

Fortunately, Huihong recovered from her illness and completely forgot about the past. Seeing her cleverness, the slave trader sent her to the Jin family, which led to her current situation.

Recalling the original plot, the fake heiress's identity was exposed, but the kind-hearted Huihong disregarded past grievances and became close to the fake heiress.

In the end, the fake heiress was kicked out of the Jin family, and the money for her travel expenses was given to her by Huihong, which was the money she had saved up in the Jin family over the years.

Jin Suiqing prides herself on prioritizing interests, but she doesn't want to make things difficult for kind people.

I hope the person who gave me the sachet is a good person.

She didn't say anything more, got dressed, and went to the front hall.

With Jin Guizhong absent, it was Jin Shiyu who stepped forward to entertain the imperial guards.

Kim Shi-ok also changed her clothes, from purple to a more vibrant orange, with her high ponytail draped over her shoulder and a red gemstone headband covering her forehead.

The older brother casually crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, chatting and laughing leisurely with the guards.

Jin Suiqing was in a daze. Jin Shiyu was different in the morning and different in the afternoon, as if he were playing a dress-up game with Miracle Brother.

Moreover, Kim Shi-ok's spoiled and arrogant nature gradually emerged.

Jin Shiyu noticed her coming and waved to her.

With a jumble of thoughts swirling in her mind, Jin Suiqing, under the watchful eyes of the guards, threw herself into Jin Shiyu's arms and mumbled, "Brother!"

Jin Shiyu chuckled: "My sister is here. If you have anything to say, please ask."

The guard hesitated slightly: "Young Master Jin, could you leave the young princess alone? It would be more convenient to question her."

Jin Suiqing was alert and naturally unwilling, but she couldn't show it, so she just hugged Jin Shiyu's waist tighter: "Brother, I'm sleepy."

She didn't want to be tested by the guards alone, so she subtly exuded a sense of protection.

Of course, she had no hope.

Given Kim Si-ok's personality, he would probably push her away and leave her to be questioned alone.

Unexpectedly, Kim Si-ok spoke.

The guards were stunned.

Jin Suiqing was also stunned.

A note from the author:

Meibao: Listen to my rambling.

Shout out the name of this book!