Chapter 61 Li Zhengkuo, whatever you say is correct

That day, when Xia Xiaowu came to her senses, her eyes were filled with the look of her mother's final surprise.

That face, filled with disbelief and immense terror, is etched in my memory, impossible to erase.

The bright moon hung high, and the breeze remained gentle. He sat beside his mother's gradually cooling body amidst the dappled moonlight, his mind blank.

He couldn't believe he had killed his own mother with his own hands.

That's the mother who would leave all the scraps of meat to her when they couldn't even afford to cook.

The mother who gently stroked his head and sang lullabies in the quiet night when he was a child.

The mother who would stand at the village entrance and watch him from afar every time he returned home, telling him that the journey was arduous and that he didn't need to bring him any money.

He strangled her with his own hands until she couldn't breathe.

In the capital city at the end of March, the moon had been shining brightly in the clear sky, but now dark clouds covered the moon and a light drizzle began to fall. He placed his mother's body on the bed and stayed by her side for a day and a night.

He didn't understand why his mother had come looking for him, nor did he understand why she had gotten gold teeth.

I don't understand why my mother said proudly that day: "Look, a gold tooth. When we find you a wife, won't that suit the Xia family's style a bit better?"

Looking at his mother, who would never wake up again, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

"I wanted to go with my mother!" Xia Xiaowu's face was contorted with pain. "But, but..."

But when the moment of death actually came, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

The moon sets and the sun rises; the sun sets and the moon rises again.

He ultimately lacked the courage to die a heroic death, and instead chose to live. The mother he had killed with his own hands became the source of his fear.

He dared not surrender to the authorities, nor did he dare to take responsibility. After much deliberation, he decided to cover everything up.

Xia Xiaowu found a familiar porter friend, borrowed his flatbed cart, put his mother in the woolen bag she had brought from Guanzhong, tied her to the cart, and headed northwest of the capital.

“I was just wandering around aimlessly.” He chuckled. “It was like… because I lived in the south of the capital, I could escape further by going north. It was like when I told her that the Xia family residence was in Jia Hui Fang, below the West Market of the capital, I ran to the East Market to become a porter.”

“I didn’t dare walk on the main road, so I took the bumpy sidewalks. The yarn bag got stuck in the wheels of the car several times. I was thinking that I could still sell the bag for a few bucks later…” He pursed his lips, “Once it gets stuck in the wheel and the yarn comes loose, it’s worthless.”

“I walked for a long time, several hours. Finally I found an abandoned, dilapidated house. I looked at the ruins inside, and there was no one passing by. There was no place to even take shelter from the rain, so I left her there.”

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

Li Jin lowered her eyelids, holding the teacup lid in her hand, stirring the foam in the cup one by one, and asked the final question: "If you're going to put it down, then put it down. Why burn it?"

Why burn it...?

Xia Xiaowu remained silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh: "The moment I saw her face, I..."

At this point, he couldn't say another word.

Li Jin remained silent. He knew that this man would be trapped in his memory for the rest of his life, under his mother's gaze that night.

This is more cruel and more powerful than any other punishment.

After that, Xia Xiaowu was shackled, locked in a prison cart, and prepared to be sent to the prison of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

He stood on the prison cart, looking in Jin Shu's direction, biting his lip for a long time before finally speaking.

“I didn’t mean to,” he said. “I came here because I really wanted to kill myself! I couldn’t pay my debts back, and I killed someone. I knew I wasn’t going to survive. I really wanted to kill myself! But when you appeared in front of me in your constable’s uniform, I was startled, and that’s why I…”

"Hmph." Li Jin looked at the hint of sympathy on Jin Shu's face, took two steps forward, blocked his and Jin Shu's line of sight, and said without any politeness, "Stop deceiving yourself."

Even if I gave you the courage, you still wouldn't be able to bring yourself to die.

Feeling betrayed, Xia Xiaowu stared blankly at Li Jin, shaking his head dejectedly and muttering to himself, "No, no."

As he spoke in a self-deceptive manner, the prison cart moved slowly forward, and the disheveled man with sunken eyes gradually disappeared from everyone's sight, blending into the moonlight.

At this moment, Li Jincai turned around, raised his eyebrows, and looked at Jin Shu: "You actually sympathize with him?"

Jin Shu paused.

Every family has its own troubles, and if we're talking about sympathy, there is indeed some sympathy.

Seeing that she hesitated for a moment, Li Jin flicked his fan open, his eyebrows raised and lowered, his face full of disbelief.

“A man who frequents brothels and is addicted to gambling often has a way of talking that sounds better than he can sing.” He frowned slightly. “And you’re acting all sympathetic. Those rich young ladies who were cheated out of their money by him are just like you.”

Jin Shu was stunned for a moment, his mouth opening and closing: "A rich girl at least has the 'rich' part, but I'm just a poor boy, why is he trying to gain my sympathy?"

After saying that, she curled her lips in dissatisfaction: "When a person is about to die, their words are kind. Why must Your Highness cruelly expose them?"

Unexpectedly, this woman actually spoke up for the death row inmate. Li Jin was quite disgusted: "You are the Shadow of the Six Doors, a dragon among men, a pillar of the nation. If you are so easily fooled, then it would be perfectly right not to put money in your pocket."

How did this topic evolve from a murderer to Kim Soo's money?

Looking at Li Jin, she muttered to herself: Li Jin is right, you can be right about anything, except money.

Jin Shu breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Highness, you still owe me two hundred and sixty taels and four copper coins. Don't try to get away with this."

Trying to get away with it?

Li Jin was stunned. Did he really need those two hundred and sixty taels and four coins?

“You’ve got a narrow mind, Mr. Jin.” He raised his eyebrows incredulously, his face filled with shock, and looked her up and down several times. “It’s just the cost of a meal…”

“Eight cents.” Jin Shu raised her hand and held up four fingers. “These past few days I’ve been working at night. Your Highness remembers that the monthly salary will be increased by four taels. These four taels are wages, and they don’t need to be calculated at eight cents.”

Li Jin opened and closed his mouth, letting out two dry laughs: "Jin Shu, just because your surname is Jin, does that mean you're a money-devouring beast?"

Jin Shu bowed respectfully and said, "If it's gold, I don't mind working diligently, day and night, and taking the lead for the sake of the Prince and our Six Doors."

After this series of blows, the shock on Li Jin's face was gradually replaced by "amazing!" He really couldn't find the words to express his feelings.

If I had to pick one word, I could only say: I'm impressed.

On the way back, Jin Shu looked at the starry sky and thought about Xia Xiaowu's words.

Li Jin was right; he truly didn't deserve any sympathy. He killed his own mother, and even while disposing of the body, he was still thinking about the person who would sell the bag for money. He was selfish and self-serving, and even after being implicated and pinned here, he still tried to argue and escape punishment.

He's like a child.

They lack accountability, are complacent and take things one way or another, as if all their crimes can be easily dismissed with the simple phrase "it wasn't intentional."

Where in the world is there such a cheap thing?

“If we’re talking about sympathy, then there is some sympathy to be had.” Li Jin’s voice came from inside the carriage. “A person whose life trajectory was arranged for him in his youth, who doesn’t know the vastness of the world, or what responsibility and commitment are, must be his mother’s darling, her precious treasure.”

"I wonder what kind of expression they will have when they meet again in the afterlife."

As Li Jin spoke, he lifted the curtain of the carriage and glanced at Jin Shu's back: "Mr. Jin, congratulations on passing the two tests of the chief coroner."

Jin Shu was taken aback.

"I look forward to your guidance from now on." Li Jin smiled, and the carriage left a long trail under the dark night sky.

But before Jin Shu could speak, he added, "In that case, we can have a good talk and see what else you're hiding from me."