Chapter 95 The Smiling Dead

“The Crown Prince wouldn’t be that stupid. It’s a fact that the carriage fell off the cliff. At that height, an ordinary person would surely die.”

Jin Shu looked at the unopened letter from home: "A hundred meters high, if it falls vertically, there's no point in even trying to save you. The terrain in the mountains is complex, full of rocks, and even if you're lucky enough to be cushioned by trees, there's absolutely no chance of survival."

"Furthermore, the temperature difference between day and night in the mountains is large. If he had still had a breath left, he would not have survived the long night. Whether it was wild animals or hypothermia, it would have killed him."

She paused for a moment: "I think the possibility of a fifty-year-old person surviving under such terrible conditions and then sitting in the capital writing a letter in just two days is zero."

Jin Shu sat on the octagonal chair, glancing at Li Jin, who was standing with his arms crossed and looking at the two letters expressionlessly, and stated her judgment: "I believe that both letters are fake, and that it is a scheme by the Crown Prince."

After a brief silence inside, Li Jin glanced at Zhou Zheng and asked, "What do you think?"

Zhou Zheng pondered for a moment and nodded: "Mr. Jin is right."

Li Jin nodded knowingly: "Actually, whether he is alive or not, or whether this letter was written by Chen An, is not important."

Li Jin said, "The important thing is that we have to get it into Chen Xi's hands. If this is the Crown Prince's scheme, then it means that the Crown Prince already suspects Song Zhen. We must hand it over to Chen Xi intact in order to help him."

"As for Lin Zhongyi's itinerary... since the Six Doors has its own secrets, this is no secret to the Crown Prince, so this matter still needs to be discussed."

After speaking, Li Jin raised his eyes and looked at Zhou Zheng once again.

He nodded righteously and said, "What Your Highness says makes sense."

Li Jin chuckled and waved his hand, ignoring his "everyone's opinion is right" attitude: "Now, take Jin Shu to the Imperial Academy to find Chen Xi."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Jin Shu objected more forcefully than anyone else: "Me?"

She looked at Li Jin's face, which didn't seem to be joking, and pursed her lips in surprise: "I'm going alone?"

“You go alone,” he said. “Take that flute with you.”

When it comes to flutes, Jin Shu understands.

Li Jin did not send her to the Imperial Academy as a coroner from the Six Doors, but rather as "the Crown Prince's man" to deliver a letter to Chen Xi.

After a moment's thought, she realized that there was indeed no safer or better way at the moment.

She gave a wry smile and frowned, "I'll go."

It really put her in a difficult position.

Whether in her past life or this one, Jin Shu has always been someone who stands apart from the crowd.

She dislikes crowds and competition, and abhors being the center of attention. She is a perfect listener, but not a qualified storyteller.

Normally, when she followed Li Jin, she felt comfortable and happy because Li Jin would intentionally or unintentionally block her way.

But this time, Jin Shu stood alone at the gate of the Imperial College with that letter in her hand. It would be a lie to say that she felt no burden.

The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy was a moderate man. He politely and respectfully led Jin Shu to the inner courtyard: "Lord Jin, please wait a moment, I will go and call him."

Looking at the flowers and plants in the garden, the white walls and blue-gray walls, and listening to the classical Chinese sounds around her, she felt as if she had returned to her distant university days.

The Imperial Academy of the Great Wei Dynasty was the highest institution of learning in the entire empire.

She was only there for a moment, but she already felt a longing for it.

Not far away, Chen Xi stood in a dark corner and watched her for a long time, staring at the white jade flute she had clipped to her back, his fists clenching tightly.

Chen Xi hesitated for a long time before stepping forward, with a gentle smile, and cupped his hands in greeting: "I am Chen Xi. May I ask what brings you here, Lord Constable of the Six Doors?"

Jin Shu turned around and looked at the sunny young man in front of her with some surprise. He was dressed in a light green robe, and was gentle and refined, with the demeanor of a Confucian scholar.

Jin Shu cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Lord Chen, please don't be so polite. I am unworthy of such courtesy."

Chen Xi was taken aback and glanced at her.

Is she Jin Shu?

She was petite, delicate, and had a feminine air about her.

As Chen Wen once said, the Six Doors found some wild immortals from who-knows-where, and they were indeed quite capable, but they didn't get into the Ministry of Justice.

He defined them as people who had gone astray.

Seeing that Chen Xi did not speak, Jin Shu took out the letter from his pocket, respectfully held it with both hands, and handed it to Chen Xi.

She didn't speak, her gaze fixed on Chen Xi's expression.

Whether it's truly Chen Wen's handwritten letter or not, the answer might just be in his expression.

Chen Xi's gaze fell on the envelope. She was stunned for a moment, then became increasingly surprised, and finally lost her composure, snatching it away and asking in astonishment, "Father is still alive?"

She didn't know how to answer this question. From every perspective, Chen Wen shouldn't still be alive.

But how do you explain his expression just now?

Jin Shu pursed her lips, indicating that it would be better for him to read the letter himself.

But just as Chen Xi was opening the letter, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, who had led her in earlier, rushed over in a hurry: "Lord Chen! Please come quickly!"

He said with extreme anxiety, "A student has hanged himself in the back dormitory of the South Prison!"

Both of them were taken aback.

Half an hour later, Li Jin stood in the South Prison dormitory, looking at the scene that no one had touched, looking up at the corpse hanging there, and chuckled dryly: "Mr. Jin is a god of death, wherever he goes, trouble follows."

Jin Shu felt wronged by his teasing and rolled her eyes at him.

But Li Jin laughed and gently patted her head: "What a coincidence, I'm like the Jade Emperor, no demons or monsters can cause any trouble."

At that moment, Jin Shu chuckled dryly twice: "That Guan Hai is the Dragon King."

Li Jin paused.

Jin Shu pointed at the corpse in front of her and said decisively, "It was murder."

Chen Xi, who was standing at the door, and the Imperial Academy Chancellor, who was already overwhelmed and trying to control the students who had gathered around, were both stunned.

"This... could you be mistaken?" Chen Xi stepped forward. "Your Highness Prince Jing, the Southern Academy is the location of the Imperial Academy. Please be careful."

Li Jin stood inside the room, arms crossed, staring at the hanging corpse, his eyes glancing at Chen Xi's face out of the corner of his eye.

His father, Chen Wen, worked in the Ministry of Justice his entire life, yet his eldest son didn't even have the slightest common sense about solving cases.

“It was indeed a homicide.” Li Jin said expressionlessly. “Ms. Jin is the last disciple of the chief coroner. No one is more professional than her in examining corpses and solving cases.”

As Li Jin spoke, he took out a fan and pointed at the corpse: "The death of a person who hangs himself is gruesome and terrifying. His tongue is sticking out, and he is incontinent. These are the most basic things that should happen."

He smiled slightly: "But the Six Doors have never seen anyone so clean, with a smile on their face and their eyes closed as if they were asleep."

Chen Xi looked up in surprise, pursed her lips, and couldn't say a word.

"It's not Lord Chen's fault. As the sages said, there is a sequence to learning the Way, and everyone has their own area of ​​expertise. It's only natural that you don't know it."

Li Jin turned to look at the growing number of students gathering outside: "Let's leave this place to the Six Doors. Lord Chen, there's no need to worry."

Looking at the students gathered outside, Chen Xi respectfully bowed deeply, saying, "This humble official will immediately investigate the student's name and origin."

After saying this, he bowed and stepped back, then quickly left through the door.

At this moment, Jin Shu stood directly in front of the corpse, looking up at the victim hanging there. After examining him for a long time, she asked with some confusion, "Why is he smiling?"