Chapter 246 I will avenge this grudge with my own hands.

Yan Zhao's death was like a heavy blow to Emperor Li Yi of the Great Wei Dynasty.

He was sitting in the Imperial Study when he heard the news. His blood rushed to his head, and he felt his vision go black. He staggered and slumped onto the dragon throne.

After an unknown amount of time, he gazed at the swirling snow outside the palace, his face remaining expressionless.

For a moment, this emperor of the Great Wei, who had long been accustomed to life and death and to parting, seemed to see Yan Zhao standing with his hands behind his back, gazing at the heavy snow, just as he had in the past.

His lips trembled slightly, and after a long while, he finally picked up the memorial beside him and said only three words in a calm and indifferent tone: "Understood."

Li Yi cannot be flustered. Even if endless hatred and pain are churning in his chest, he must remain as before.

When exactly did her son become so ruthless?

Outside Jiade Gate, within the Imperial City, he so blatantly murdered an old minister who had shared life and death with him for decades.

He couldn't concentrate on reading a single word of the memorial in his hand.

After a long pause, he picked up his pen and wrote a secret letter.

"It's time for him to come back."

Li Yi said calmly, sealed the letter, and handed it to Eunuch Chen beside him, "It's an urgent dispatch, go now."

After saying that, he raised his hand to cover his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, as if remembering something, he called out to Eunuch Chen, "Tell Prince Jing to keep everything simple." He paused, "This is Yan Zhao's wish..."

On the way back to the Six Doors that day, Jin Shu supported Yan Zhao's body in the carriage.

She sat there blankly, clutching the blood-stained jade tablet bearing the inscription "Chief Coroner."

Outside the car, on both sides of the road, she could not hear the excited and happy voices celebrating her reinstatement.

The cheers, the praises, the blessings seemed to have a rift with the world inside the carriage, and could not reach her ears.

Li Jin silently stared at Jin Shu's stunned face. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but his raised hand hesitated for a moment before slowly falling back down.

"Your Highness knows who did it." After a long while, Jin Shu turned his head and looked at Li Jin.

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly: "There is no evidence." He smiled bitterly, "No one would have thought that he would dare to make a move in the palace."

Jin Shu pursed her lips, raised her hand to wipe the tears from her cheek with her sleeve, and took a deep breath: "You're one of the Crown Prince's people, aren't you?"

She asked, "If we bring down the Crown Prince, can we also avenge Master's death?"

Li Jin was stunned for a moment, then looked at Jin Shu, who seemed different from usual and whose eyes seemed to have a flame, and hummed in agreement.

The wind blew the curtains, and a few snowflakes drifted into the carriage and landed on Yan Zhao.

Jin Shu was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "I'll stay." She said, "I'll stay at the Prince Jing's residence."

She raised her hand and gently wiped the snowflakes from Yan Zhao's cheek, choking back tears as she whispered, "I will avenge this, I will avenge it myself."

Snowflakes fly over Chang'an, blanketing the land in white for thousands of miles.

The wind chimes jingled, and outside Jiade Gate, the ground was covered in crimson.

One by one, flower by flower, they were gradually wiped clean by the tears of this magnificent sky.

It was as if they had never existed.

Inside the coroner's office of the Six Doors, Zhu Dongli, still in his court robes, stood in the spot where Jin Shu usually stood.

Outside the door, Jin Shu, dressed in blood, sat on the steps watching the snow falling all around her. She clasped her hands together, rubbed them together, and then breathed on them.

Li Jin wouldn't let her get tested.

She waited obediently outside, unable to bear even glancing at the scene.

Half an hour later, Zhu Dongli removed the square scarf from his face, held the long arrow in both hands, and said in a cool voice, "It's done."

Jin Shu stood up, looked at the arrow in Zhu Dongli's hand, and reached out to take it.

But Li Jin stopped him, saying, "It's poisonous."

"The arrow is three feet long, with a blade one and a half inches long and four-tenths of an inch wide. The shaft is made of arrow poison wood, and the tail feathers are carved." Zhu Dongli glanced at Jin Shu's face, and seeing that her expression did not change, he continued, "It is lethal upon contact with blood."

Jin Shu nodded and said nothing more.

Seeing Li Jin's hesitant and worried expression, and looking at Yun Fei and Shen Wen who had been standing at the door for a long time, unsure whether to come in or not, Li Jin was very concerned.

She waved her hand and smiled, "I'm fine." She said, "I'm going to change my clothes; they're covered in blood..."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the main hall.

Inside the main hall, among the antique shelves, were several spare sets of black robes that Jin Shu had placed.

She took out a clean set of clothes and went behind the screen.

As I passed Yan Zhao's desk, behind the small incense burner where the incense sticks had burned out, and in front of the chair where he often sat, there was a bag of wrapped pastries placed quietly.

Jin Shu stood there, finally covering her mouth and crying loudly.

"It's okay to cry it out." Li Jin, who had appeared behind her at some point, stepped forward and embraced Jin Shu, who was crying loudly.

He gently covered Jin Shu's eyes, pressing down slightly to let her lean on his shoulder.

That hand caught her warm tears.

He stood there behind her, letting her lean on him.

The snow fell silently, day and night went by, and seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

Everything was done in accordance with Yan Zhao's own wishes, and the burial was kept simple.

During the seventh-day memorial service, Li Jin looked back and saw Li Yi, dressed in plain clothes, being helped by Eunuch Chen, walking towards them from the other side of the mountain path.

After seven days apart, the once vigorous and robust Emperor of Wei had turned gray and looked old.

He glanced at Li Jin, then at Jin Shu, who was dressed in a black robe and bowing respectfully behind him. After a long while, he chuckled and said, "Yan Zhao left in such a hurry that he didn't even say goodbye."

Having said that, Li Yi coughed several times before taking a deep breath and looking at Li Jin, continuing, "Once the New Year is over, Prince Jing will be twenty-six." He chuckled, "At that time, don't make me too ashamed to face that old geezer Yan Zhao..."

Li Jin paused, then said, "Father is in good health..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Yi waved his hand, interrupting him: "No matter how healthy you are, there will be a day when you die. All talk of living as long as the heavens is just empty talk."

Then, his gaze fell on Jin Shu.

He pondered for a moment, then reached out and patted Li Jin's shoulder: "When you have time, let's go see your mother together. She often thinks of you two."

After saying that, he walked past the two of them, looked at Yan Zhao's tombstone, and simply lifted his robe and sat down on the ground.

"Your Highness Prince Jing, please return." Eunuch Chen glanced at Li Yi's retreating figure. "Let His Majesty and Lord Yan catch up."

Li Jin nodded, glanced around, and seeing that all the accompanying guards were still there, he turned to leave.

But then Li Yi's voice came from behind: "Six years have passed. Some things are about time to come to an end." He poured the wine in his hand without turning around. "I and Yan Zhao can only take you this far. The rest of the way is up to you."

"I'll say it again, just go for it." He raised his glass and laughed, "Though I am old, I am not blind."

After saying that, he poured a full cup of water from left to right onto the tomb of Yan Zhao.