Chapter 112 Trampled Dignity

Calling them pitiful is no exaggeration.

His wife was an entertainer, which was considered a relatively respectable job in the Great Wei Dynasty. She held a status almost identical to that of women who served as maids in the mansions of wealthy merchants or officials.

For the same position, one can earn several times more silver.

Therefore, for girls from poor families who want to change their fate, choosing the path of becoming an entertainer is the simplest and most effective way.

If someone plays a piece well and skillfully, many will become concubines in the household, at least ensuring they have enough to eat and wear and a much better life.

Li Jin looked at him. He was the husband of Yingge, whose real name was Xin Huixin. Looking at his sunken eyes and lifeless, sorrowful appearance, and at the two young children in his yard, she pondered for a long time but still did not say anything about Young Master Xu.

They only said that the person had not been found yet, and asked him to inquire about places Xin Huixin might have gone or any clues she might have mentioned.

But Li Jin didn't expect that he would be the one to speak first and bring up Young Master Xu.

“Sir, there’s a saying that family scandals shouldn’t be aired in public, but you can see my current predicament.” He said, sighing deeply, “…but I really have no other choice. My wife previously had some…”

He choked up, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out the second half of the sentence: "Some, some shameful things."

As he said this, he lowered his head, his shoulders rising and falling in Li Jin's eyes.

After a long while, with red eyes, she raised her head and said, "If the official can find Xu Liangcai, he can ask him. Perhaps he will know Xin'er's whereabouts."

This man used every ounce of his strength to tell such a shameful story.

He pointed to the two girls playing in the yard and said, choking back tears, "My two girls are waiting for her to come back. I've endured this humiliation because I just want to give my children a complete family."

"I searched everywhere and searched and searched! But I couldn't find it!" At this point, the seven-foot-tall man buried his face in his arms and cried.

Hearing his cries, the two children ran into the house, patted his back, and comforted him in their childish voices: "Don't cry, Daddy. Mommy just went out to earn money and will be back soon."

Upon hearing this, his crying intensified. He turned around and hugged both children, making it impossible to tell who was comforting whom.

Because he was a father, he gritted his teeth, abandoned his dignity and face as a man, and endured unprecedented pressure to say these words to the constable who might not be able to find his wife.

He ignored everyone else's gaze, all for the sake of the child in his arms. Jin Shu dared not imagine how much courage that required.

Once he had calmed down a bit, Li Jincai asked, "When did you find out?" He paused, unable to bring himself to say, "When did you find out they were having an affair?"

But the man understood his meaning from his hesitant expression and said with a wry smile, "Two months ago."

He pursed his lips: "I found out by accident two months ago. I told her that as long as she broke off contact with Xu Liangcai and we could live a good life together, I would forgive and forget everything."

"She cried her eyes out that day, and she seemed to have truly realized her mistake." The man's Adam's apple bobbed as he sighed.

“The next day, before she went to work, she said that she would settle things with Xu Liangcai and that I shouldn’t worry.” He chuckled. “After that, she never came back.”

When the question reached this point, Li Jin pieced together the clues in the case and found that Xu Liangcai seemed particularly out of place.

All the clues, starting with him, converged on him. Li Jin knew this was no coincidence; Xu Liangcai might be the key to unlocking the whole case.

"How much do you know about this Xu Liangcai?" he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

But the man in front of her shook his head as well: "I don't know much. That day she only said he was a businessman who often listened to music and gave me some loose change, nothing else..."

He choked up and took a deep breath.

"I didn't ask anything else, and I couldn't listen to anything else." He laughed self-deprecatingly, wanting to say something more, but when the words reached his lips, all the words he wanted to say turned into a sigh.

As he was leaving, Li Jin glanced at the two girls in the courtyard and left him a silver ingot: "It's not for you, it's for you as their father."

The man in front of him was very surprised. He couldn't hold back his emotions and tears welled up in his eyes. He pulled the two children down and knelt down.

Li Jin helped them up, and then solemnly said, "Since I can come up with this amount, I can also take it back. You must remember to use this money to make a living and live well for your two children. Otherwise, don't blame the Six Doors for being ruthless."

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and patted the two children on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Do what you want to do. If you can, read some books and learn some words, so you can help your father with his worries."

In Jin Shu's eyes, that scene, blending with the golden hues of the setting sun, was like a painting.

This man, though petty and shrewd in his daily life, truly cares for the world and treats all people equally.

She followed behind him with a faint smile, as if she felt that her stage was expanded by his open-mindedness.

Seeing the gentle smile on Jin Shu's face, Li Jin glanced at her, puzzled, and said, "Don't think about it. There's only one ingot left, that's all."

Jin Shu paused, then smacked her lips.

She banished the thoughts of scale and vastness from her mind, and with a wry smile, scoffed, "Tch!"

You're overthinking it.

That night, while Shen Wen was frantically searching for Xu Liangcai, in the quiet of the night with the moon high in the sky, Li Jin, Zhou Zheng, and Bai Yu, dressed in black, evaded the patrolling soldiers and walked through the city walls.

On the rooftop of Jinhua Tower, following the location Fandi had previously indicated, they cautiously made their way to Song Zhen's doorway.

Inside, the elegant and dignified Song Zhen had a lamp lit, a book in her hand, and she gently turned the pages with two fingers.

Li Jin then sat directly by his window, ripped the black cloth off her face, crossed her arms, and waited for him to speak.

The air was filled with the chirping of insects and the gentle night breeze. Song Zhen put down the book in her hand, and without getting up, simply nodded to him and said directly, "Your Highness is too late to see Lin Zhongyi."

Li Jin remained silent.

The man was wearing a bathrobe, his hair was loose, and his shirt was casually undone, revealing a faint scar.

Besides that, she was frail, lacked muscle, and was as slender as a woman.

He chuckled and teased, "Young Master Song has no self-defense skills whatsoever, yet you dare to send someone to visit you in the middle of the night?"

Hearing his tone, Song Zhen smiled slightly and replied, "One cannot be skilled in martial arts if one can stay by His Highness the Crown Prince's side." He paused, "That day, when the Prince came to visit, His Highness the Crown Prince happened to be in Jinhua Tower, so I had someone deliver two letters to the Prince."

"It seems we've caused the prince quite a bit of trouble."

He smiled slightly, and seeing that Li Jin remained silent, he said, "Then consider the fake identity given to Mr. Jin as an apology."

At this point, Song Zhen lowered her voice: "By the way, Your Highness has also received the child's new identity, how is it?"

Li Jin narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly: "Mr. Song has the audacity to be my illegitimate son. His courage is truly admirable."

Song Zhen smiled, stood up, and took out a black envelope from a hidden box: "That's just for emergencies."

He said, "Now, this is his new identity."